Stephen's Secure Blog #60
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 #60 "Zander's Museum"
START Page
The President of Zander's world said, "I am interested in that
Archer." I said "It's one of a series of Warriors of that nation. There
is an archer riding an animal, a sword wielder, and a blade on a pole
wielder. Except for the one with the animal, we can demonstrate the use
of those weapons to you, too." He said "That I have to see!" I said
"Which, the demonstration, or the sculptures?" He said, "Yes." I said
"Would after the museum visit, at my place, be alright? Or we could do
that tomorrow, or another day." He said "Let us see what happens at the
museum, first." I said "Would your Chief of Protocol like to come with
us for either of those events? He's already met us. Why waste the
opportunity to give him something really interesting to remember? That
way, you will have somebody to discuss us with, instead of talking to
yourself." He laughed really hard. Zander tried not to, and failed.
Even the Chief of Protocol couldn't resist smiling a little, which the
President noticed, and looked inquiringly at him about, who nodded in
return. I said "Alright, but what are we going to use for
transportation? If we're short of room, would he mind being strapped
onto the roof?" The Chief of Protocol exaggerated his expression of
horror at the idea. I said to him, "Not bad." We grinned at each other.
I said "I suppose you have some kind of security concerns. Don't. While
you are with us, if Zander approves of you as good for this planet, you
are safe from ANY weapon in existence. Yes, including fusion bombs.
While we do like to exercise our humor muscles, we take our real duties
very seriously." Hissssner said seriously, "I never doubted that. We'll
go in Zander's transport." We went, after he informed his people about
it.
Inside the vehicle, we sat very close together, which made Hissssner
ask, "I can't help noticing you seem to be covered in something very
hard." I said "It's my personal environmental envelope. It maintains a
temperature and humidity which is comfortable for me, which yours on
this planet is NOT. It also acts as a shield and space suit, when
required." He said "Very interesting technology. Available?" I said
"Sorry, no. Our technology is operated directly by the mind, which
requires special talents and VERY intense training which needs to start
at a very young age, or the user will likely kill himself, and others,
and worse. For that reason, our technology will only allow itself to be
operated by those who can do it safely. It's the same for some of our
training methods. They can't be used by those who aren't able to use
them." Zander said "I can verify that. The first time one of their
teaching devices approved me, I was greatly honored." That earned a
wow. Hissssner said to Zander, "You didn't say you were a student of
these people." I nodded to Zander, who said, "You remember how I met
them. I visited with Stephen a few times after that, and he gently
guided me to improve myself, until many years later, I became the equal
of my fellows. Unfortunately, that's when I discovered they had nothing
more to teach me, and Stephen did. So I went back there, and in the
time I had available, I underwent some very intense instruction. I will
probably never be their equal, because I started too late." I said
"There is always hope. Never give that up." He said "Thank you." I said
to Hahchet, "If you are as good a student as he is, you will go far."
He said "I hope so. I will work very hard. Even sweep floors." I had to
explain that to the others. They felt for him.
We landed near the museum and got out. Nobody noticed but Hawk, that
the box he carried was empty, which he let me know he thought was
amusing. I said to Hissssner, "I prefer to meet with a curator of gems
and minerals." He said, "If there isn't one there, they will provide
one in a hurry, I'm sure, even before you show them what you will pull
out of that strange box." I said "I'll try to make sure what comes out,
isn't what you first asked if I worked in." He laughed. I said to Hawk,
"What the boy who poked my horse got in the face." He and Rose laughed.
Hissssner said "Did you do that?" I said "Not so it was seen or could
be proved." He said "Did he deserve it?" I said "For the lesson, yes.
That animal, which is for riding, could have killed him with a
reflexive kick for that, and probably would have, if I hadn't told the
horse to behave before I left. That lesson was needed to prevent a
dangerous recurrence. I am not able to treat people unjustly." He said
"I think I understand. But, you told the animal? Spoke to it, and it
understood and obeyed?" I said "I know what you're asking. All animals
with a useful brain, will understand me to their capacity, and obey.
And yes, that is an unusual ability, even for such as we. But then, one
of us can tell colors with his finger tips. Another, is very attractive
to objects with iron in them. Another can see well in the dark. He
reports that what he sees is mostly people walking into things." They
laughed. I said "We like variety." He said "I think you would need to."
I said "We have a saying; 'Variety is the spice of life.' I think the
person who originated that didn't have in mind that we should eat
different people, though." They laughed.
Hissssner asked the director for the curator of gems and minerals,
and we were taken to her. I said, after we were introduced, "I have a
donation to make, if you would be interested. It's a very big star
ruby. What is the largest you have here?" She said the equivalent of
5cm. I said "I have one 3 times that size. Interested?" She said "If
it's natural, definitely yes." I said "Would it be a bad thing if it
were in a setting, and carved a little?" She said "No, that would make
the presentation more attractive and effective." I said "All of it is
natural." Hawk put the box on a chair, and I reached inside, blocking
Hissssner's curious view, which made him grin, and pulled out one of
the jewelry boxes. There were a lot of surprised and admiring noises. I
put it on the desk. The director said, "How can that be real?" I said
"Well, how can YOU be real?" He looked confused, and I helped him with,
"It is what it is." That didn't seem to work. So I said, "Any gem
expert can see it's real, so stop making a fool of yourself." He looked
a little annoyed at that. Hissssner said to him, "Artists really
dislike being called liars." He realized he had made a mistake, and
said to me, "I apologize. You made that?" I said "I found the stone and
cut and polished it. The same for all the other stones and metals in
the box. Then I designed and constructed the box, so as to provide a
display for the stone. I was so specific in telling you, so you could
understand it without doubting me again. Yes, I made it. More than one
of them, actually. The stone had more layers, yielding more star
rubies. Here is one of the raw layers." I took it out of the box and
handed it to the curator. She said "Natural, without a doubt." Hawk
said with a grin, "Big, too." She smiled at him and said, "Absolutely."
I said "Making things like that isn't my priority. I just did it
because I didn't want to leave it alone and unappreciated. That's why
I'm offering it to a museum. I usually use gem material for
sculptures." Hissssner said, "Show her the archer?" I said "If he goes.
I don't need to be doubted again." Hissssner said, "If he promises to
behave?" I said "If he can't say anything useful, silence is best.
There are other museums on this planet, I'm sure." He said "There are,
and he is well aware of that now." I said "Alright, for you." I pulled
it out of the box and put it on the table. There were some strange
noises. The curator said, "What is it made of?" I said "Synthetic
diamond. Hissssner has a more interesting sculpture of mine. He would
probably like to have you see it some time." He said "I would!" I
grinned at him. He looked a little embarrassed, which made my grin
wider, and he laughed. I said "Do you think I should show them a 3D
projected picture of yours?" He said "I would like to see you do that,
myself." I said "I bet!" He laughed. I touched my wrist computer, to
make them think that's what did it, and projected the illusion of his
animals into the room between us. I changed the view around so all
could see all the parts of it. I said "It's not painted or assembled.
It's all carved from one block, with the various colors established in
the specific areas to conform to the plan for the work. If you're
interested, I accept commissions. Contact Zander if a polite person has
any requests." Hawk found it very difficult to keep from laughing at my
jabs at the director.
I said "So, do you want the box for your museum? If so, it is for
display. If it is not, I will find another, more public, host for it."
She said, "We want it, and definitely for display. What is its price?"
I said "None. Donation. I doubt you could afford or want to pay what I
think it's worth. Anything else from me, and this isn't my best, will
have a price set by my local agent, who will be well motivated by his
commission. Here is a list of it's materials, and information about me.
I request that my name, Stephen, and the planet, be noticeably
displayed with the box." The curator said, "We can do that." The
director, who was reading the sheet said, "I know of that planet. It is
restricted. How do you come to be here?" I said "When I want something,
I make it. I made the instruments we are wearing. I made the house on
this planet we are going to next. I made a space ship. More than one,
just for fun. How I came here is simple. I wanted to, so I did. I took
Hahchet (pointing at him) from his planet, to join us." He said
"Restricted planets don't have that technology." I said to Hissssner,
"This doesn't look good for the quality of your mental health services
on this planet. He is either incapable of learning from direct
experience, or he desperately needs treatment."
The director came at me in a rage and tried to claw my face off. I
let him break his claws on my shield. While he cradled that hand in his
other one, I said "I don't permit violence on my person. I hope you
have a good assistant, who is ready to take your place here." He came
at me again, and I used a 4th hand to hold him up in the air. I pointed
my right fist at him like I was using the ring to make that happen. I
said to him, "Are you now going to deny that my ring doesn't have the
technology to use a tractor/pressor ray combination to keep you in
suspense like I'm doing? I made it last year. Useful, isn't it? Oh, by
the way, I'm not just an artist. I'm a professor of physics, too, and a
master fighting artist, which I'm scheduled to demonstrate to your
President later today. Let me know when you are ready to accept
reality, and I'll let you down." He didn't say anything. I said "Would
you like to know what this other ring does? I'll show you." I melted a
line on the dark stone floor in front of me with it, and said to him,
"If you would like to be cut in half, this can do a very good job of
it. You should know I've done something like that before. He was very
unhappy about it. Fortunately for him, depending on how you look at it,
he was in no condition to worry about not being able to father children
after that. He couldn't stand it, actually, because I cut off his feet
right after."
I said "Ask to be let down now, or we will wait for the police. Your
choice. You did attack me in front of witnesses, twice, an honored
guest of your President. They might have something to say about that."
He struggled and finally said, "Please let me down." I did. Then I said
in a different powerful voice, "Hear this! By the power you have given
me over you by your actions, I command that you are forbidden from
communicating to anybody or any thing, that I and anybody in my company
are from a restricted world, and you are forbidden to communicate
anything that anybody would reasonably consider to be negative about
me, the people with me, or any people or things from that planet you
think I am of, or anybody who works for or in this museum, and you will
take no negative action against any of the people or things I have
mentioned. You will never, from this day forward, physically attack
another intelligent being, no matter the provocation. Not even to
defend yourself. I know you understand my words and will not violate my
commands." He tried to say something, and was very surprised and upset
that he couldn't.
I said to Hissssner, "There is no need to cause embarrassment with
police action now." He said, in an awed voice, "Thank you for your
forbearance." I said "You're welcome. Oh, I think he's going to need
replacing. He's a little, er, used up." There was some strangled
laughter. I said "One thing of interest. Even if I had said I was from
that planet, he wouldn't have been justified in his attitude, because I
never said I was OF it, in his hearing or on that paper." The soon to
be ex director looked really sick at that. I said to the curator, "I'm
sorry this happened in your office, but I think you knew it would
happen sooner or later. Better if it happened in my presence, so I
could keep him from really harming other people and this fine
institution." She nodded and said, "Yes. Thank you VERY much." I said
"That paper contains a simple contract. That satisfies me. Will it work
for you?" She said "If not, we will inform the President, who will make
it so, I'm sure." I said with a grin, "Good answer." She grinned back.
I said "If you would like anything more of my work, let the President
or Zander know. I have a home here, although I'm hardly ever in it, so
I can be available when you want me, with a surprisingly short notice."
We said our farewells, and left. Hissssner stopped in the main office
to make some calls, and then we went to the transport.
In the transport, before we lifted off, Hissssner said "So that's
what a Guardian does!" I said "No, that's what I did. I can't speak for
other er, people." He got the hint, and asked Zander to take us back to
his house, so the protocoler could get back to work. We landed at his
house, and dropped our passenger off, and took off again, for my house.
I said to Hissssner, "We who are responsible for whole solar systems,
shouldn't ignore individual issues, when we see them. It would not be
good for us as people." He said "I think I can appreciate the wisdom of
that. Can your associates and Zander do what you did?" I said "It is
considered impolite for us to ask another about what sets us apart from
other people, but I will tell you this just once. I do not speak for
Zander and Hahchet, but I ask them not to answer that while I am with
them. So you know that I am not alone in being able to do what you
witnessed, and more, my two other friends here are able to do that.
But, there is another issue involved, which is knowing WHEN to do it,
and how to do it well. That is something much different. I was planning
to discuss that with them when we got home, but if you would like to
hear it, we can do it with you present, where we are going. If you have
time. I use almost everything for teaching." He said "I believe that!
Please. I wouldn't miss that discussion for anything!" I said "I
believe that!" He laughed.
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Grant
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