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From: " +Grant. " <+Grant@grant.grant>
Newsgroups: alt.fan.prettyboy
Subject: +*+*+*+ Stephen's Logbook #1 Entry #28 "Zander Friend" +*+*+*+
Date: 1 Feb 2012 20:29:34 -0600
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Stephen's Logbook #1 Entry #28
These stories about Stephen began was when he was 10 years old, and
moving to a new part of the country to attend a special school for
gifted students. This was from a time before computers would fit on a
desk, and when people communicated with friends in other countries by
actual letters sent through the postal service. He wrote 225 of them to
a friend. Please refer to them for insight into this new series of
stories. He stopped writing to his penpal, but found he still wanted to
record his life, in case he loses his memory again. So, we can now look
into selected entries in his logbook to see how he is doing.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
The stories may not be posted in chronological order.
Stephen is 18 in this story, in the Summer after year 8 of special
school.
Stephen's Logbook #1 Entry #28 "Zander Friend"
NEW ENTRY
It was two weeks after we had Zander's help, that I invited him to a
meeting at our new British Honduras island office. We had turned off
the locators in his devices, before we had gone home with them. I
turned it on again at the island, when I used his com, so he would know
where to come to. I told him which hanger to fly into, which he did. I
met him in it. I took him into a Port-All to the office building, and
then into another, which ported us to my office suit. I said "I
apologize for the slightly unfinished look of our establishment here.
We are just finishing construction. This is the only place we have
which is purposely meant to receive offworld visitors in secret.
Otherwise, we would have had to meet in the forest or the desert. Those
are not places with civilized comforts. That reminds me. We don't know
what you consider to be comfortable. In fact, we know very little about
your likes and dislikes. We would like to, so we could understand you
better. Do you have some pamphlet you give to foreigners to orient them
to your world and company?" He said "We do, and here is one of them."
He opened up the suitcase he brought with him and handed me a book. He
said "This won't equal the centuries of study we have done with
humanity, but it should help you." I turned the pages as fast as I
could. Then I said, "Thank you very much. This will help us. I saw your
temperature and humidity preferences. I am sorry we can't adjust them
to your comfort at this time. We hope to be able to do that for your
next visit."
He said "You have read the entire volume?" I said "Yes, and to my
permanent memory." He said "That is not a normal human accomplishment."
I said "Some humans can do it. What you are hinting at is, am I human?
The answer isn't simple. It would depend on how narrow the definition
is. All our full Guardians can do what I did, and some, better. Some
who would be considered normal humans, can do it too, but that's very
rare. When we find them as young children, we invite them into our
Guardian training school. They don't know what it's for, until they
qualify for that knowledge. Is this something you intended to learn
from us during this visit?" He smiled and said, "Yes, and it's
obviously something you intended us to have. I feel we will only ever
receive what you deliberately wish to give us." I said "Isn't that what
we all wish to happen, even though it seldom does?" He bowed in his
seat and said, "You are wise." I bowed in return.
I said "What do you think we want from you, other than pure
friendship?" His feeling showed surprise, and he said, "I don't know.
My advisors have given me their speculations, but I haven't agreed with
them." I said "Should I assume you want to know?" He grinned. I said
"What supports our mission. That would be knowledge of possible
visitors, which would include information about GC and it's policies
which affect this world. Are you surprised we are not asking for your
technology?" He said, "Yes, actually." I said "Those of us who like to
play with interesting toys, which is most of us, would love to have
more new toys to play with. But use? Mostly not, if it doesn't directly
support our purpose. And we both know those things should not be let
loose on this world in general. Almost all of what you have, we either
don't need, or could build ourselves if we wanted to. What we have
already built is so much in advance of Van and GC technology, we dare
not let it even be seen, it's so dangerous in possible applications.
People should not be given things they can't understand. That will be
the Van's downfall."
Zander said, "How is that?" I said "Do you know of their first
contacts with the GC?" He said "They tried to take over one of our
member planets." I said "They had already succeeded with a previous
planet, and had enslaved its peaceful people and stolen their
technology." He said "Then the CG freed them." I said "But the Van had
depended on them to operate and repair their machines. When that
stopped, the Van were caught in a bad situation. They didn't know much
about how their stolen technology worked. They can still make some of
it, but they don't know how to repair it if it stops working. Nor do
they know how much of its capabilities they are unaware of. This is
what is causing their extinction. There are too many errors in their
replacement bodies, and in the transfers themselves. They are becoming
as desperate as their mostly emotionless selves can be. That's why they
are experimenting on humans, to see if they can be made into useful
host bodies. Until very recent times, they have succeeded in
exterminating all our Guardians, who would oppose that, which the GC
did nothing to prevent. Our present Guardians are more skilled and
better informed."
He said "That is what interests me as an historian. How were you
informed?" I said "One of our members was captured by them,
accidentally, at random, for research." He said "That was very bad. For
them." I said "Absolutely! We already knew of them from unusual
happenings in history, and recent reports of their activities. As a
result of that capture, their main station in this system is not
operating, including their matter transmitters, and they can't get near
it. No, we are not doing anything with it. We don't need or want it at
the moment. When their long travel ship arrives in 50 or 60 years, we
might have a temporary use for it then." He said "Now I understand why
they were asking for communication assistance, and why you knew about
it. However, that doesn't explain how you know more about them than
they do." I said "That is true. I can't tell you. There is an ethical
issue involved. I can't even tell you what that is, without violating
it. I will tell you the decision is not ours to make." He said
"Intriguing." I said "Yes."
I said "Do your people have a science of the mind which addresses
your unusual talents?" He said "If we do, I'm not aware of it. I think
it probably exists, among the more talented." I said "It might not, but
instead be confused with superstition and religion, and therefore be
rejected by so called real science. It is so here. Except among the
Guardians." He said "Will you help me?" I said "To die?" He said "The
risk is great?" I said "For another race, it is either unknown, or
almost a certainty. Only your own people should attempt it for you,
which I think they will, when you are ready for it. You see, we have
spent thousands of years studying human life energy systems, and how to
manage them. That can't be applied to yours, which are very different.
We could do worse than kill you. And that would harm us, too. However
there is something we can do to help. We are doing it now. Can you
guess what I'm referring to? Take time to think, if you need it."
Zander did take time to think. He said "Opening my mind to the
possibilities, can help me progress?" I said "Wonderful! Yes, you did
it. One of the issues involved with this is that specific instruction
can actually impede progress, because this is very individualized. You
progress best in your own discovery, rather than being cast into the
mold of another. My advice is to explore within, and experiment. Even
with wild ideas. With us, there exists some very odd talents, some of
which are useless except as curiosities. I mean, who really needs to
distinguish colors with his fingertips?" We grinned. He said "You have
given me much to think about." I said with another grin, "I know. May
we learn about your religions? Books, perhaps?" He said "I will bring
some."
He said "You have almost succeeded in distracting me from voicing my
questions. How intelligent are you?" I said "There is not a simple
answer to that. If we use the test numbers in America as a base, 100
would be average for humans. Over that, would be considered above
average. Over 130, would be considered gifted. Over 160, would be
considered genius, and basically qualified to enter our school as a
child, if other qualifications are met. Do you want to know what your
number would be?" He said "Yes, and no, but please tell me." I said
"The alien of the beautiful blue carapace, is 140. The Van have little
variation, and are about 120. The 2 associates who repaired your craft
at our first encounter, were 122 and 126. You are 150, and considering
your other abilities, would have qualified for our school. Wait, there
is more. If your special abilities would significantly improve, so to
would your intelligence improve, to the extent that measurement is
impractical. You should not be displeased with who you are and what you
have now, because I think things will improve."
I said "There is something negative about this. Do you want to know?"
He said "Yes, please tell me." I said "With greater understanding,
comes increased concerns and burdens. With greater skill comes more
responsibilities, and greater temptation to misuse your abilities.
Nothing is free. There is a cost for everything. More, when you don't
realize it. May I ask you a personal question, which would help me to
understand you better?" He said "You may." I said "How old are you, and
where does that place you in the normal lifespan of your people?" He
said "In your years, I am 162, of 450. I have been a mature adult since
I was 70, and had achieved most of my formal education when I was 102.
And you?" I said "I am 18, and just entering young adulthood. I never
will stop learning. I have what would be considered the most advanced
education possible to a human, more than 4 times over, and have gone
significantly beyond that. Most Senior Guardians can live until 80 or
90. I do not expect to live past 70. I modified my body when I was
younger, to make it stronger and faster than normal. It was necessary,
and I don't regret it. When the pain becomes too bothersome, I will end
my life. In the far past, humans lived to 900. That changed in the
disaster which caused the people who became the Van, to leave. I don't
see that changing much in the near future, and I wouldn't wish it." He
said "Why is that?" I said "We will leave that for another time. You
have much to think about, until then." He took that to mean our meeting
was over.
We stood, and went to the empty outer office, and into the Port-All
to the porting room, and then to the hanger where his ship was. Then he
turned to me and said, "I see you did find something useful of the
Van." I said "Do you mean these (pointing at the frame)? We didn't know
they had something so similar to ours, until our member was captured
and brought to the station, which had them. Do you have something
similar?" He said "No, we don't. We would like to, very much. The GC
hasn't been able to understand them, or make them work, what we
acquired from them in our first contact." I said "Don't be too
disappointed. The Van never understood them, either. Please have a
pleasant voyage to your station. Before you go, may I give you some
possibly unnecessary advice?" He smiled and said, "Please do." I said
"When you have some time to relax, review our meeting, carefully." He
said "Oh I shall!" I said "Contact me when you would like another
meeting." We said our farewells, and he went into his ship and took
off.
Pete said +To your office?+ I said +Small meeting room with our
connected.+ And there we were. Nigel said "Most of that went over my
head like a cirrus cloud." Pete said "You had his emotions going up and
down like a hyperactive elevator." I said to him, "Good one." He
grinned. He said "You delivered a bombshell, and then yanked his
attention away from it, over and over again." Nigel said to Pete,
"Stephen wanted to have him postpone his thinking about the major
points, until he was home and couldn't ask questions he wasn't going to
get answers to." I grinned and said to Pete, "Didn't go over his head
after all, did it." Pete said to me, "What's more, I didn't realize
why, until Nigel said it." We both hugged and kissed who we were
talking about, who turned red with embarrassment.
I told them, "It was the only way to give him as much information as
he could take that he really wanted, in one meeting, and still retain
it." Nigel said "And you wanted him to know what you did, which is why
you said he should review." Pete said, "Yes, you wanted him to know
who's the boss of you two, too. Nice way you sidestepped telling him
how intelligent you are." Nigel said "It wasn't just modesty. He didn't
want to make himself a target for assassination." Pete said "I see
that, now. Nigel, I love how smart you've become." I said "Me too." We
grabbed him and took off his clothes. He didn't resist. Actually, he
helped. We took off ours, too. Then Pete and I did mutual ball play at
the highest link intensity we could take, aimed at Nigel. He quirted
almost at once. Then we stopped, and then did it again, until Nigel
squirted. We were about to do it again, when he said, "Stop, I can't
take it anymore!" Pete said "Do you really mean that?" Nigel said
"Don't listen to me!" We laughed and started it again, and we all
helped each other squirt before it became unbearable. While we were
resting, Nigel said, "In your next meeting with him, you're going to do
to him what you did to me, and question him to force him to think." I
said "Right you are!" Nigel said "Oh no!" We laughed.
END ENTRY
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Grant
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