Stephen's Secure Blog #75
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 Fall, after the start of year 4 of
his special school.
Stephen's Secure Blog #75 "A Fight"
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I said "Greetings." Hoechess said "Greetings to you and Rose." Rose
said "Greetings. Stephen told me about the ball. May I touch it?"
Hoechess looked pleased and said, "Please do." Rose picked it up and
almost massaged it, looking worshipfully at it. She said to Hoechess,
"You must be the envy of all who see it." Hoechess said "Sister, you
have that right. So right! Such attentions do not displease me." I
couldn't help laughing. Rose said "Ignore him. He's a male, and doesn't
understand." I almost strangled. Then I said, "I apologize for
laughing. My emotions were severely jolted at the abrupt change from
what had just happened from before we came here." Rose said "I can
verify that." Hoechess said to me, "Accepted." We bowed to each other.
I said "I understand their reaction, because I feel it myself. You
could be enriched by charging admission to view it." She grinned and
said, "That I had considered." I grinned back. I said "When you are
ready, we can transfer to our ship." She said "I have been ready since
before I thought I was. I have to admit I am eager to have the
experience." I said "I think you will be disappointed." She said "Let
me be the judge of that." I nodded. We stood, and I ported us to the
ship's lounge. I had directed it to undock from the main ship, and port
to just outside the astroid belt of this system. I told them where we
were. I said "Would you like a tour of the ship?" She just grinned. So,
I showed her everything, which wasn't much. She did like her cabin,
which was very luxurious, but was very disappointed by the control
room, which consisted only of chairs and a comm screen. I looked a
question at her, and she said, "Almost." I said "We'll work at it." She
laughed.
I said "Our first target is near your main spaceport, so we will land
there. Please stand or sit outside of the range of the comm system.
There might be a little problem with getting permission to land. Rose,
please inform Hoechess what is happening, and with visuals when you
think they are appropriate." She did just that. The ship ported to near
the main control satellite. I made us detectable and said to the comm,
which was set to GC ship control, "This is ship Zichesshich registry
z9877-5823-0097-hkuw, requesting landing permission and instructions
for Spaceport Alpha, VIP section." An image of a Tsuriss appeared on
the screen and said, "How many to disembark?" I said "One. Me." He said
"Citizenship?" I said "Zichesshich." He said very suspiciously, "You
don't look like a Ssintris!" I said "For which I am very glad. They
consider me to be very ugly, but they didn't let that stop them from
offering and granting me citizenship, a person from out of the GC. It
also didn't prevent one of your own from giving me honorary citizenship
on your world, and adoption into her clan. I am Stephen." He typed some
things, and said with much more respect, "That action is on record,
Honored Sir. How long will you stay? I said "Not more than 6 days." He
said "You are cleared to land. Standard fees apply. Coordinates and and
path are being transmitted. Do you grant us control?" I said "Standard
gravity drive is engaged, and is ready for your control." He said
"Acknowledged. Control commencing. Please be welcome, Honored Sir." I
said "Thank you." The screen went dark.
I said to Rose, after she told Hoechess we were moving down to the
planet, "Tell me why I'm doing it this way, instead of just porting
down to where our target is." She said "There is more than one reason.
We have never done this before, and we want to know how it goes. You
want your status on both worlds to be officially recognized in
practical ways, and this will help with that. Our candidate should know
that too, for obvious reasons, which is why you requested the VIP
section. Like you do practically all the time, you were testing
reactions, too. I like how you handled the control agent." I said
"Thank you. Well done. Hoechess, do you agree?" She said "I do. I
didn't see all of that at first. Do you usually have multiple reasons
for what you do?" I said "Why waste an action with just one?" She
laughed. I said "When you meet with her, please do NOT tell the
successful candidate that we expect her to open and run a school on her
planet. That would interfere with her own training." She said "I
understand." I said "I won't snoop on you, but I will know by her
reactions after the meeting, if you do. We may then disqualify her. We
will not accept interference with our students and our way of
teaching." She nodded.
Hoechess said, "There is something different about you, from the
others I've seen of your people." I said "We are all different, but I
think you mean something more than that, and over what my
responsibilities do for my actions. You should not judge my compatriots
in comparison to me. I have some significant differences which put me
in a different category. You asked about my intelligence. I'll tell you
now. It is a little less than 8 times higher than the next highest, and
I can boost that by three when needed." She said "Wow!" Rose and I
grinned. She asked Rose, "You don't feel lessoned by that?" Rose said,
"Not on the least. Awed, very much so, when I think about it, which is
seldom." I nodded, and she continued with, "Not even knowing he is over
70, 000 years old." Hoechess said "WHAT!?!?" We grinned so hard, I was
hoping it wouldn't crack anything. I said "Reincarnation. I remember
many of my past lives." I said "Hey Rose, do you think it's possible to
sprain your er, something, by grinning too hard?" She said "I don't
know, but I think it almost happened." We laughed. Rose said to
Hoechess, "I know I have had at least one past life, about 900 years
ago. There is proof. Unfortunately, I don't remember it." I said "Would
you want to, if you could?" She thoughtfully said, "I don't know." I
said "When you do, and if it's yes, come see me." She said "I will."
Hoechess said "You are more strange than I thought. Both of you." I
said "But does that REALLY change who we are to you? Aren't we still
the same frustrating and humorous extra talented loving people?"
Hoechess said "I don't know. You were strange to me from the
respect you. All of you. I just found out that is paramount in our
relationship." I said very gently, "Isn't that how it should be?" She
said "Yes." It happened somehow. We all hugged. Then Rose said, "We are
landing." I said "We should sit, just in case." We did. There was a
bump, and the communicator beeped and announced, "Control relinquished.
You may disembark at will. Enquire at the terminal for servicing." Then
it went off. I said to Rose and Hoechess, "The first candidate works at
a SpaceTown pub, because she is studying martial arts and can't pay for
the lessons, and her teacher is the owner and operator. She lives in a
small room above it, next to the other rooms which are rented by the
hour, if you know what I mean. The other students have real homes of
their own. The practice room is below the main floor of the pub, and is
used in the morning. It is evening now, and there are new ships' crew
there, getting intoxicated as usual. Here is the location. Got it
Rose?" She nodded, and produced a picture of the inside. I said
"Comments?" Hoechess said, "A disreputable place." I said "Why is that
good for us?" She said "Gives the candidate more reason to leave it?" I
said "Good. How will I manage the situation?" She didn't answer. I
looked at Rose, who said "You will exchange Ki with the master, and he
will know you are much better. He will let you be attacked, and will
prevent the student from assisting you, so he and his student can see
how well you handle it. You will show him you want his student, and he
will transfer her to you." I looked inquiringly at Hoechess, who said,
"That sounds impossible. I don't know how you can do it. Rose obviously
has no doubts, so I must assume you can." I said with a grin, "I sure
hope so! Rose, follow me for Hoechess, up until the conference with the
student." I went out the airlock and down the extended ramp. I muttered
to the big number painted on the pavement, "Remember where we parked."
Rose burst out laughing in the ship, and had to explain the Star Trek
movie reference to Hoechess. Then she explained Ki.
There were two maglev rails next to the berth number. One had an
enclosed cart on it. I got in, and it moved off toward the VIP terminal
not too far away, and into it. I got out and went to the service
counter and said to the man behind it, "Birth A2697. No servicing." I
put my wrist, where the credit and identification disk was, near the
recording unit, and it made a satisfied burp. He looked at his display
screen, and said with a lot of respect, "Please enjoy your stay,
Honored Sir." I said "Thank you." I took the equivalent of a taxi to
the edge of SpaceTown, not far from the pub. I walked a few blocks. I
didn't hide my Ki like usual, but let it flow. It was crowded on the
streets and sidewalks, but I was noticed, and the few martial experts
who saw me, showed their respect, which I acknowledged. Some others
noticed that, without really understanding, and didn't understand why
they made way for me, even though I was smaller than them and a weak
looking alien, but they did. I successfully hid my grin at Hoechess'
reaction to Rose's explanation. I went into the pub, and paused just
inside the door. Four martial experts noticed my Ki right away, the pub
owner being one of them. The candidate didn't. The pub owner and I sent
tiny signals to each other in silent communication. He acknowledged my
superiority and asked why I was there. I indicated the candidate, and
he indicated approval for transferring the student to me. I moved to
sit at a table. A massively large spaceman thrust out his foot to trip
me. Just in time to miss it, I changed my track to the table I had
actually intended to occupy. The experts noticed, and liked how
smoothly I did it so the bully would think it was an accident.
I sat, and a waiter came up to me and asked for my order. I requested
a soft fruit drink. He went to the bar and came right back with it. I
moved my credit disk to where his order tablet was, and it burped. A
table full of very big spacetrash started talking loudly about me, with
some very bad words. Some of it was about my size, and not just my
hight. I thought it was funny, and wanted to laugh with them, but
didn't. Then the one with the extendable foot came over to me and said,
"Hey shorty! They don't allow little ugly kids here." I said to him,
"Are you employed here? I don't want any trouble." He laughed said,
"Me, work here? Nah, I work on a ship." I said "Oh. Then why are you
trying run the owner's business for him?" It took him a while for that
to sink in. Then he decided to make his point by leaning heavily on my
shoulder. Unfortunately for him, his perch had just moved out from
under where his hand was trying to flatten it, as I was picking up my
drink, and he lost his drunken balance and fell over and down, till his
face stopped itself on the floor. He snored a little.
While that was in process, the candidate made a move to rush to my
defense, but the owner grabbed her arm and said, "Don't. Watch." The
fallen one's friend came over to me and said, "You shouldn't have done
that. You aren't going to leave here in one piece." I put my drink down
and stood, and said, "I didn't touch him. I don't want any trouble." He
growled and swung a roundhouse at my head. I chose the moment he
started that, to bend down to help the man on the floor. I was saying
to him, "Sir, are you injured?" while the new man was missing my head
which wasn't there, and twisting himself into an knot and falling down.
He took my table with him, which tipped over on him, but I absently
reached behind me and rescued my drink in time. I had just enough time
to take a sip of it and put it down on another table, when five of
their very big crewmates rushed me with obvious unfriendly intent. The
candidate had to be restrained again from coming to my aid. I liked her
desire to help. I used aikido. They didn't touch me, and I barely
touched them, but they dropped and didn't try too hard to get up. I was
able to take a sip of my drink between two separate attacks. Then about
4m away, another crewmate drew a pistol and was about to point it at
me. I thrust my palm at it and blasted it out of his hand with Ki. Then
I walked toward him, carrying a chair I had picked up. It was made of
thick unbreakable plastic. I pulled it apart in front of him with my
bare hands. I said "Sir, that was very unfriendly of you, to draw a
weapon in this nice establishment. I suggest you leave, before there is
more trouble you will regret causing." He got the message, and stumbled
out the door. Two more of their crew helped the others out, repeatedly
glancing at me in wonder. They looked confused and embarrassed when I
smiled and waved goodbye to them.
I sat down at the new table and sipped more of my drink, and the pub
settled down to normal activities. The show was over, but the important
action was about to begin. The candidate and the owner came near my
table, and the candidate asked me if there was anything else I needed.
I said "Thank you, no, but I should pay for the damage." The owner said
"That won't be necessary. They started it, and they'll pay." The
candidate said, "Sir, I never saw anybody who was so strong or who
could move that fast. Are you from a heavy gravity planet?" I said "No,
just planets with gravity similar to this one, or less." She said
responsible for what you haven't seen before." The owner burst out
laughing. Then he put his hand on her shoulder. I stood. He and I bowed
to each other, but his bow was much deeper than mine. He walked away. I
said to her, "Please sit with me." She said "But I'm working." I said
"No, you're not." She turned and looked at the owner, who pointed at
me. She sat and looked confused, and then began to see what might be
happening. I said "Speak." She struggled a little, and said, "He gave
me to you!" I said "Is his action correct?" She thought a moment, and
said, "Yes!" I said "Candidate, you have passed the first test."
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Grant
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