Stephen's Secure Blog #59
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, in the 1950's. 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. He stopped writing to his penpal, but found he
still wanted to record his life, in case he lost his memory again, and
wrote 30 entries in his first logbook. Then he wrote to an artificial
intelligence called Geenee, in the master computer in his school for
gifted students, which he started attending in 2016. Now it's 2018 and
later, and he's continuing to save his memories in a secure blog.
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 13 in this story, in the Summer, after the end of year 3 of
his special school.
Stephen's Secure Blog #59 "Hissssner's Table Offering"
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Rose, and Hawk ported with me to Zander's planet, where I had taken
an hour to build a partial duplicate of the President's house, on some
cheap out of the way property I had purchased. Then I ported Hahchet to
us, and directed Zander to us. After Zander arrived, and I had done the
introductions, he said, "Don't tell me you built this!" I covered my
mouth, and he laughed. I said "I thought it would be more comfortable
for our meetings. I had scanned the President's house, so I just
duplicated it here, but with some changes. Individual climate controls
in the rooms. Conveniences for all kinds of people. Independent power,
and other utilities, and a security system which allows only us and
people we bring to enter. Oh, and I own the land. Want to guess how
long it took to make?" He said with a grin, "No." I said "Then you
won't know." Hahchet said, "I can guess for him. 4 days." I looked at
him and said, "Supporting your new teacher already." I said to Zander,
"Work him hard for that." They laughed. I said "I went slow so I
wouldn't cause a sandstorm. One hour." They said "Wow!" I said
"Remember the arena. It took less than that, including inventing the
game, and putting it into orbit. When you work as fast as thought, it's
how fast you can think, that's the time you need for making things. No,
Hahchet, Zander can't do something like this big a project so fast. Not
yet, and maybe not ever. He started too late in his training. Will you?
I don't know. Something to look forward to finding out, right?" He said
"Right. Arena?" I said, "Hawk?" He told him, and earned a wow. I said
to Zander, "Still don't want help building your school?" He said with a
grin, "I have changed my position on that." I said with my own grin,
"Yes. Reality has a way of doing that. Make up some plans. Don't worry
about cost, and don't think small."
Before we got into Zander's transport, I said, "I'm playing the
imperial artist, so it will be inappropriate for me to carry this box.
Who will do it when we get there?" Hawk said it first, just before
Hahchet, so I gave it to Hawk. He said "It's empty!" I said "Won't be
when I want to show him something from it. Why carry something we don't
need to?" Lots of grins. Rose said, "What if he looks into it?" I said
with a grin, "Wouldn't that be interesting?" Hawk said, "Ohboy!" I said
to Hahchet, "I think you should know the language we usually use at at
home, which Zander knows. May I give it to you?" He said in surprise,
"Give? Just like that?" I said "Sure." He could only nod yes. I said
"Because you are an untrained adept, I'm going to have to touch you for
this. Ready?" He was, and I put my hand on his forehead and gave him
English. He looked confused for about a minute, and then said in
English, "Wow!" Rose said, "That's nothing. You have a lot more
interesting things to learn." He said "Thank you so much!" We all bowed
to him. Zander said, "I didn't know you could do that." I said "Same as
a crystal. When you can make one, you don't need to make one, if that
makes sense to you." He said "It does. Thank you." We went into the
transport and flew to the President's vacation home.
Before we got out of the transport, I asked Zander, "Have you been
practicing your projection?" He said "Yes. I assume you want a
demonstration." He projected an image of me. I said "I don't know how
accurate that is, because I can't see me as you do. Rose?" She said,
"Very good. Even to the love which accompanies it." I said "Thanks. Oh
Zander, I had wondered if you would have chosen something from the
crystals I gave you, to project." That earned me a big blast of
embarrassment. I laughed, and received more embarrassment from him. The
others wanted to know, and I said, "Later, unless he wants to tell
President was, but he wasn't alone. Before anybody said anything, I
said to the President, "Who is that? I didn't know there would be
anybody else with you." He grinned and said, "You brought other people,
too." I said "Did you expect me to carry everything? And I am
presenting to YOU, not a crowd." He said "He is our Chief of Protocol,
and should have a say in the design." I said "He may stay for that." He
said "Thank you." The others in my group were trying to hide their odd
mix of feelings about what I had done, which ranged from embarrassment
to amusement.
I said "First, I must tell you that in things of utilitarian purpose,
practicality must take precedence over the ornate. We don't want your
guests to be injured by my creations, irrespective of boring
conversation and unpalatable food." They couldn't help themselves.
Zander and the President laughed their heads almost off. After that, I
said with a grin to the President, "I think you need to help your
Protocoler understand us, before he becomes too scandalized." He said
to him, "He's an odd sort. LIke every great artist, he's the most
important person in the room. They all think that, but Stephen actually
makes it work, probably because of his great sense of humor. Go with
it, and you might like him as I do, as a valued friend." I said "Well
done! I'm impressed. You could become President with that skill."
Everybody laughed at that one. Zander said, "You should know, Stephen
doesn't lie, even in a joke."
I said "There are problems with using gem crystals for meal service.
First, they have to be large enough to be difficult to be concealed
under clothing. People collect all kinds of things, but costly items
really encourage sticky fingers. Yes, it's funny, but we have to
consider losses, due to theft and damage in the this plan, or some of
your future guests will have to use parts of the old set. Then
everybody will know who is out of your favor that day." They laughed.
"Breakage is an issue. You drop one on a stone floor, and you will have
a shattering experience. Unless a foot gets in the way. Then there are
medical expenses. Crystal shards are SHARP! For an artist, the biggest
problem is crystal plates can usually be seen through, and I won't know
in advance what they will be looking at through them. If you have an
ugly table covering, their food is going to look ugly, too. I can make
the crystal colors dark enough to fix that, but not in white, without
making the crystal too fragile. Also, the more imbedded metal in the
plate, the weaker the plate, as it interrupts the crystalline
structure. There IS a way I can make a plate have a milky color, and
that is by putting that in it's own layer, with harder crystal on
either side, if you need that color. Some people like black plates, and
that could be made very interesting, with black diamond. Here are some
samples of what I'm describing, just the basic colors and materials
first. Oh, and don't ask for emerald or aquamarine. Too fragile." I
took some plates out of the box and passed them around, and said, "Note
the different shapes, for your interest. Of special note, there are no
sharply incised lines. We don't need to give them any excuses to
fracture there. For some materials, I can include multiple colors in
the design, in the making of them. Here are transparent plates with
your requested insignias in them. If you put them over the other plates
and look through them, you should have an idea what the finished plate
would look like. Crystal materials in most colors and shades include,
quartz, sapphire, topaz, chrysoberyl, zircon, and diamond. They can be
used in some combinations, and with some interesting inclusions and
effects."
I said "A warning. You should not use eating and serving implements
of stone or ceramic, even the handles, with these plates. If they drop
a spoon into their soup, we don't want them consuming crystal chips,
unless they are your enemies. Of course, in that event, you will have
an excuse to open them up and retrieve your valued property." Rose
said, "But not in front of the other guests." Hawk said, "Yes. Behind
them, so they can turn around and watch if they want to." We laughed,
Hahchet the longest and loudest. I said "I must apologize for Hahchet.
He has been without humor for a long time. I feel it is my duty to help
him recover from that unfortunate deprivation." Hahchet and I grinned
at each other, and he said, "Thank you. I appreciate that." I said
"You're welcome." I said in a loud whisper to the group, "I don't think
do it some more." We laughed, this time Zander the longest.
After I thought they had looked at the samples long enough, I said,
"You may keep those samples. When you want more, let me know. When you
come to a decision, let me know about that, too. I can also make your
eating and serving implements, if you want. For that, I recommend an
inexpensive material, unless you will have your guests pass through
metal detectors as they leave. Silver would be good, with gold inlay,
and keep your staff usefully busy polishing it. Platinum would be best,
but not if you would dislike putting your hands in your guests
pockets." They laughed. I said "If you do have me make the service for
you, and I like the designs you choose, and my agent approves the
price, I will include the implements, if you want them, at no extra
cost, if made of steel or silver. That way, you can show what a bargain
you are getting to your finance officer, even though you could save a
lot of money by not getting anything." The president said with a grin,
"True. Very true. But we won't tell her that part. I want us to have
something no other planet will have. Prestige pays great dividends, in
politics." I said "That has MY vote!" Laughter. He said, "We will do
some more looking over the next week, and probably some arguing. Then
we'll let you know the decision, which will probably be asking for more
samples." I said "Just so they won't end up surreptitiously becoming
the complete set." He laughed and said, "Don't worry about that."
He said "Do you have any new works of art to show me?" I said "There
is one for the museum, which I prefer to show you then. Artists are
showmen, too." He said with a grin, "Of course." I said "But I can show
you my latest." I took out of the box, a copy of the Samurai Archer.
They were too amazed to say anything. I said "It's historically
accurate, of around 800 years ago, and made of a solid block of
diamond." He said "Is it available?" I said "Yes, but not exclusive. I
made two. The other one will stay on the planet where the subject is
from." Hawk said "Show him the Mongol." I said "No. I will not make
another. That's family. Part of me that I shared with you. It wouldn't
be fair to show him what he can't have. I can show him my gallery
sometime, though." Hissssner said, "You have a gallery? Is it near?" I
said "That's a little complicated. It is far, physically, but as near
as I want it to be. It has only sculpture which hasn't been offered for
sale. All my other works are owned privately. I probably won't do
paintings anymore. They contain effects which would cause too many
questions which won't have answers." Hawk said "That is SO true!" Rose
poked him. I could see Hissssner debating with himself whether to ask
me what they were, and I said, "Don't." He subsided with a grin. Then
he said, "All you have pulled out of that box, couldn't possibly fit in
it." I said to Zander, "Nice of him not to make that a question." He
grinned and said, "Yes. Very." Hissssner laughed.
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Grant
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