Stephen's Secure Blog #133
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 after
2018, 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 15 in this story, in late Winter of year 5 of his special
school.
Stephen's Secure Blog #133 "Wantune"
START Page
I went to see the curator at the Master Museum again. After polite
beginnings, I said "I have a little problem. First, I did buy property
from the Agent you recommended. We got on well. In fact, he even
offered me a job. Unfortunately, that used up a large part of my Confed
credits. I could use some more. Selling this would work, if murder
could be avoided." I passed the bag over to him. He took out the rock
and his eyes almost popped out of his head. I said "Natural diamond. An
auction house?" He said "Yes, that would be your best option. Would you
like me to arrange it for you?" I said "I would, if you would be so
kind, but one question. Which would be best. As it is, or cut? And if
cut, in a fancy setting?" He said "Hard to say. Putting it in a setting
would severely limit its market. Cut or uncut, I don't know. Cutting it
would be expensive for the new owner, and involve some risk. But in
it's raw state, it leaves the option of how to cut it to the buyer's
needs. But then, the full beauty of the cut stone can significantly
invigorate an auction." I grinned and said, "I already thought of those
things, and can't decide. That's why I'm asking." He grinned back, and
said, "Sorry, I just don't know. We can ask the auction people right
now, if you like." I said "If it's not too much trouble, I like." He
grinned and said, "Even if it were, I would still do it. I'm as curious
as you are." He called, and their chief gem appraiser came right over.
We met the appraiser at the main entrance, and escorted him to where
my box and emerald crystal, and other objects, were on display. He was
in awe of my things. I wasn't unhappy about that. Then we went to the
office and sat. He looked at the diamond very carefully. Then he said
to me, "You can cut?" I said "Yes." Then we discussed different cuts
and possible yields, after I produced a diagram of the flaws it had. He
said to me, "You are indeed an expert. So much so, I have learned some
new things from you." I said "Thank you. I love crystals of all kinds.
I just have a feeling for them. It's like they speak to me, and tell me
how to work WITH them." He looked at me very seriously, and said, "I
think I actually believe you. And because of that, if your skill
matches your knowledge and feeling, I recommend your custom cut." I
said "Thank you. I'll do that. You've helped me convince myself." He
grinned and said, "I like that. Now how to set it up. Something this
big should have all Confed coverage for the advertisements. That will
take time, and cost, and be very difficult to arrange for just one
stone." I said "You know I have more." He said "Yes." I said "I have a
home here, with a gallery." He said "I'm available when you are." I
said "There is something I should tell you. I have my own way of
faceting stones. After a LOT of studying and calculating, I use
programmed forcefields to do the work. Diamond, being that it can
withstand more heat than most stones, actually takes less time than
sapphire to cut. The programming for this stone is already done. It can
be finished by this evening." He said "Wow!" I said "I hear that a
lot." He laughed.
The curator said "May I also see your gallery?" I said "Absolutely!
Both of you together would be my pleasure, and should be scheduled for
that to happen. From now, through the next week, I expect to have
meetings during the day, so it should be in the evening. If you like, I
can squirt my contact info to you now." We moved our comms within
range, and set that to happen. The curator said, "You have an unusual
comm there." I said "It's also my computer and universal translator. It
does other things as well, all controlled directly by my mind." They
both successfully suppressed their wows. I nodded in appreciation,
which they both thought was very amusing. The visit was set for that
evening. I left them still talking about me and my work.
My watch on Wantune showed he still hadn't contacted his people about
meeting with me. I discussed it with Ichi and Angrala. Ichi volunteered
to talk with Wantune. I monitored, and projected to Angrala. Ichi
called Wantune and asked to meet with him, and was accepted, so he
ported in. After introductions, Wantune asked, "Can all your Guardians
teleport?" Ichi said "All the Senior Guardians, yes. That, and other
things involving the same technology. You should know something before
we go any further. Stephen told you we don't keep anything involving
operations from each other. I'll clarify that. We are never alone on a
mission, even if it looks like we are. When you speak to one of us, you
speak to practically ALL of us. You know we can record memories. We do
that for all missions, so future Guardians will know what we did and
how. Good and bad things, and the people who do them, are all recorded
for eternity, for ALL Guardians to review, and I don't mean just those
of my species. There is more. After each action, we have meetings to
review what happened, and to discuss what could happen next. That's why
we expected you to request to meet alone with Stephen, and that we know
why. Next, would you like to know something more about Stephen?" He was
almost in shock, from the revelations so far, and what they meant to
him personally, so he just nodded.
Ichi said "We don't have a rigid social structure like you do. In
fact, if we did, we would not have advanced beyond your level. But that
can be discussed later. We don't have what you would define as leaders
and followers. We each do what is best, with the best tools for the
job. We are our tools. Stephen doesn't lead because he wants to, or
because we want him to. We just don't think like that. He heads our
decision making, because he is the best at that, and is proven right
all the time. He leads in some action times, because he thinks faster
and more accurately than all of us put together. We are all what you
would call super geniuses, except for Stephen. There is no intelligence
classification for him, because he is SEVEN times more intelligent than
the person with the next highest intelligence we know of, in the entire
explored galaxy. He has more than 70,000 years of experience and wisdom
in him. We definitely don't want to waste any of that. He trained us to
be as much like him in ability as we can be, and he is starting schools
for other species' Guardians. He invented all our advanced technology,
and is probably inventing more as we speak. We all can do multiple
things at once. He can't stop doing that, even in his sleep, which is
almost always in the arms of one or more of us. He has more love in him
than even the largest concentration of people can experience. He's
shared that with as much as four million people at once. He really does
work for the good of ALL. There is one more thing you should know about
him. Much of what he's discovered and invented has been motivated by
the need to do something which he was prevented from doing. He always
finds a way. People who choose to interfere with him and what he knows
is the right thing to do, which we know from experience is always
right, usually regret that VERY much, because they usually lose a whole
lot because of it."
Ichi said "Now, please think very carefully about this. You have much
to lose by not fully cooperating with Stephen in doing what is right
for all, and much to gain for you and your people by proving yourself
and yourselves worthy of his time and effort in associating with you.
You need him MUCH more than he needs you, because as I said, he ALWAYS
finds away. You can be a part of that. Or not. Either way, your people
will know how and why you chose. Time is going by very fast. In days,
Stephen will have to act. YOU don't have much time. I'm going now,
because there is interstellar war in another part of the galaxy I'm
working to reduce. Here is what the aggressors look like. I suggest you
think really fast about all this, and let Stephen know if you are going
to do what he has asked, as soon as you can. Have a nice and thoughtful
day." He ported away.
END Page
--
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant
|
|