Stephen's Secure Blog #156
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 fall, after the start of year 6 of his
special school.
Stephen's Secure Blog #156 "Recruiting Minton"
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I ported Angrala to my house on Misnok. I said "Our candidate will be
available soon. Before we go, I need to tell you about a problem I
have. A weakness." She said "I don't think I heard that right. A
weakness? Impossible." I said "Nobody's perfect. It's children. I get
very angry when they are abused, I love them so much. Please watch for
that, and warn me if it becomes strong enough to frighten our
candidate, who might be able to feel that." She hugged me, and said, "I
will." I said "This time, because I am known on this planet where he
is, I can approach him myself. You will be proof of what I tell him.
You know I am never alone on a mission. Rose will monitor, and show you
what is happening, and port you into position when the situation is
right for that. When, if, he wants to go to the school, I will port you
there with him. You will help him get settled there, with Hassan's
help, who has been notified. It shouldn't take more than a day. To help
with that, you can tell him we expect to have at least one other like
him there, soon. Comments?" She said "Sounds like a good plan. You have
my full support." I said "Good. You should know, if he is like the
other children I have rescued in the past, he will have an emotional
fixation on us. So, he will need to be helped to attach to others,
preferably those close to his own age. Splidnt and Ginging will likely
help. But he may resist that, because of prejudice. And some of the
other students from the Confed might react to that situation. We have
to watch for that." She said "I understand. Our curse."
I said "It's time." I stood, and ported to outside a small
neighborhood convenience store which was closed for the night, not
looking like I am. Its owner lived upstairs. I pounded on the door
which led up to his apartment. After a while, he came down and opened
the door. He said, in a bad mood, "The store is closed!" I said "I want
something you have which is not in your store. The boy." He said "What
boy? I don't have a any boy here. Go away or I'll call the police!" I
said "Alright. Would you like me to call them for you?" He yelled
horsely, "No, just go away!" I said "He's listening to us." That made
him look like he was shrinking into himself. He said "I didn't mean
anything. I gave him a home and food when he didn't have anything!" I
said "Making a slave of him is not what any civilized being would call
a gift! Stand aside! I'm going to ask him some questions." I pushed
past him, and walked fast up the stairs. He followed. I went into his
apartment, and there was the boy, cowering behind a couch.
I bent down to him and softly said to him, "Please don't be afraid.
You will have explanations soon." Then Minton yelled to me, "Watch out!
hit my shield at the back of my head. I said to the boy, "Thanks for
the warning, but you see I didn't need it." I stood and faced the man,
and said, "I dislike loud noises. Please don't do that again." I took
the pot from his loose grip, and in front of him, I crushed it to a
small ball, in my bare hands. His eyes opened real wide, and he backed
away and ran to another room. I smiled, and said to the boy, "We have
some things to talk about, such as why you know I don't really look
like this most of the time." He looked really surprised. I grinned and
extended my hand. He took it and allowed me to pull him up to stand. I
said "Please walk with me out of here, so we can find a place where we
can discuss your future, undisturbed." I moved away, and his grip on my
hand tightened, and he came with me.
The man came out of the kitchen, running toward me with a big knife
extended in front of him. I pointed at him, and he was suspended in the
air, not moving much. He dropped the knife. I said to him, "So, you
were going to kill me, and in front of the boy. That is very bad." I
said to the boy, "What shall I do with him, to cause him to become a
better person?" He said, "He should be in prison with people meaner
than him." I said "Actually, that's not a bad idea. Unfortunately, I
don't have time to go through the legal system. Here's what I'll do.
There is a prison which specializes in the worst criminals. Those men
tools, shaved him, and applied makeup to make him look very feminine. I
said "The makeup is semipermanent. He can't remove it without a lot of
work. Now I'm going to transfer him to a prison cell of some very rough
men. I will see that they don't kill him, but he is REALLY not going to
enjoy himself in their company. Then he will see what it is like to be
not in control of what happens to him. To be a slave. This is not a
punishment. I don't do that. It's an education, which will happen only
until the guards discover him. Do you agree I should do this?" He said
"Wow!" I said "Well, that isn't exactly an answer." He said "Yes I
agree, mister. I hope he learns not to be bad to people." I said "So do
I. He goes now." I ported him to that place.
I said "Now we can discuss your future. Will this couch do for that?"
He nodded, and we sat. I said "Would you like to see with your eyes,
who I really am?" He nodded. I removed my illusion disguise, and said,
"I am Stephen." He looked really surprised, but didn't pull away. I
said "Tell me what I am feeling." He said in more surprise, "You are
angry with him, but you love him, too. And MEEEE!" That last came out
as a wail, and he hugged me, and cried. I held him, and gave him my
love. After a while, I wiped his face with my sleeve, and said, "The
only thing they're good for." He laughed a little. I said "You know I
am like you, but in a much bigger way. And I don't mean taller." He
smiled. I said "I have schools where people like me and you, go to
learn all about who they are, and what they can do, so they can become
like me in skill and knowledge. Would you like to go there?" He said in
wonder, "Why are you doing this?" I said "Teachers can't be teachers
without students. And you know about my love. Could I not do this?" He
said "I know. I don't know how, but I know. Please take me with you.
I'll do anything!" I said "You don't have to do anything but work your
hardest to become the best person you can be. And it WILL be hard work.
The hardest possible, but we who have been to those schools have never
been sorry we went there. Good, so far?" He nodded in wonder.
I said "There is somebody I would like you to meet. You know I'm not
an Atlana, that I'm from the world your people came from a long time
ago." He nodded. I said "My world isn't ready for offworld contact, so
we can't have other world students there. So, I started a school on
another planet, where there are students of many species. They all love
each other. Angrala has been there. Here she is now, to explain it to
you." I ported her in, and she made us move over so she could sit on
the other side of him. She said, "I'm Angrala. What's your name?" He
said "Minton." She said "I'm VERY pleased to meet you, Minton, one of
the first Atlana children to go to the school. Would you like to know
why there aren't more?" He nodded. She said "Because the school is run
by people who don't look like us, and has students of all kinds who are
different from us. Atlana parents don't like that, and won't allow
their children to go to that school." He said with heat, "They're
stupid!" I grinned, and Angrala laughed and said, "I couldn't agree
more!" They hugged. I said "It's more serious than you know. Starting
at our school while young, is the only way for people like us to reach
our full potential. Angrala didn't, but if you do, you will develop
more than she has, and faster." She said "Yes. And I really want that
for you, for you, and for all of us. But, there are other species from
the Confed there, who might not like you for how most Atlanans feel
about them, so you should be prepared for that." He said "I understand.
It's not their fault. No matter what, I'll be nice." She said "It might
not be easy, but I think you will. You know how it is, more than they
do, to be treated badly."
I said "Ready to see pictures of what they look like?" He grinned at
me and said, "Sure!" I said "This is Zander. He runs the school. He is
a very nice man, and doesn't use those gigantic teeth for anything but
smiling." He laughed. I said "Well, he uses the smaller ones for
chewing. Some of the students help with the teaching. This is Hahchet.
He had a bad time when he was younger. I like the different colors.
Well, I'm an artist." He hugged me. I said "This is Pink. He has an
extra arm and leg, and is very tall, and does sports VERY well. This is
Harditch, who is known for her love, and is a very good fighter. When
she hugs you, when your shirt is off, well, her fur feels fantastic.
Hmm, maybe you shouldn't tell her I said that." He laughed. I grinned.
I said "These are of the same species, Splidnt and Ginging, the first
children in the school. Like you, I rescued them from very bad times.
They love to greet new students with really great hugs full of love.
You should not miss any opportunity to experience that with them. Oh,
and they know very well how good their fur feels to us." Angrala said
"Absolutely!" I laughed. I said "Those are some of the first students
of the school, and have been there the longest. There are many others
now. So, tell us why we showed their pictures to you?" He thought a
little, and said, "So I wouldn't be surprised at how they look when I
see them, which would make them feel bad." I said "Very good! But then
I expected you would understand, because I know how smart you are. They
are also the people to go to if you have problems with other students.
I think you understood that, too." He nodded.
Angrala said to him, "We think there will be another of us to go to
the school, soon." He said "I would like that. Boy or girl?" She said
"I don't know. Stephen watches for these things. He will let us know
when he thinks it's right." I said "It's very early morning at the
school. Students who might be awake, shouldn't be." He grinned. I said
"So, we will go to my house here, and do some things to get you ready
to go to the school. That is, if you want to. It's your decision." He
said very seriously, "I want to go to the school more than anything." I
said "Then you will. By the way, what you said is an absolutely great
way to get a teacher to like you." We all laughed together. I said "Do
you have things here you would like to take with you? Before you say,
you should know that we will give you everything you need, before we go
there, or after you are there." He said "New things?" I said "if you
want. But there is a strange thing about that. You have the ability to
feel the emotions people leave in their things. When you wear clothes
the people who love you used to wear, well, it's like they are hugging
you with love all the time. No, I don't have clothes to give you. I
don't wear any at home, so I don't have much, and what I do have, well,
you would have to grow some, or you will look very odd wearing them.
But, if somebody you love offers you some, now that you know, you will
probably want to accept and wear their gifts. I did, in my last life,
and I loved that love. He said "Wow!" Angrala said "Stephen hears that
come with me when I get them?" Angrala and I smiled, and said we would.
We did. I ported all he selected to one of my bedrooms, cleaning them
in the process. Then I said, "Ready to transfer?" They were, and I
ported us to my living room.
I showed him the house. He said wow a lot. He loved the pool room. I
said "People who have fur don't usually like to swim. I fixed that.
Here, wet your arm, and walk under the blue light." He did that, and
jumped and giggled. I said "Look at your arm." He said "It's dry!" I
said "And you and your clothes are all clean, even your teeth." Angrala
said "Stephen invented that." He said "It tickles!" I said "I put that
in there so it would help people to wake up in the morning, in their
bathrooms. Do you think I should turn that part off?" He said "No. Keep
it." I grinned and said, "Even people who complained about it, said I
shouldn't take it out." He laughed, and said, "I bet they use it a
LOT!" I laughed, and said, "Actually, they might. But most of us don't
need to. That's what friends are for." He looked very interested. I
said "I have a house just like this one on Zichesshich, the planet
where the school is. The students use my pool for parties. Even the
ones who have fur. There is something you should know about that before
you go to one of them. NOBODY but your species, and that on my own
planet, wear anything in the water. That think it is as stupid as it
really is. Those of my people who are like us, don't care about clothes
at all. Why should we, when we see without eyes, all who a person is?
Covering up doesn't stop that. Do you think you can get used to that?"
He said "Yes I will. It's going to be very interesting there." I said
"More than you can imagine." We went back to the living room.
I said "We still have some time, so I can do something which can help
you when you get there. You don't know the language of that planet.
Would you like me to give it to you now?" He said in wonder, "Give?" I
said "Yes, just that." He said "Please do that!" I put my hand on his
forehead, and gave it to him. I waited a minute, and said in GC, "After
you develop some, I won't have to touch you to give you knowledge.
After you become more skilled, you can do what I did, to give other
people knowledge." He said "I would like to do that." I said "What
language are we speaking?" His jaw dropped open in surprise, and said,
"Wow! It worked really fast!" I said "And you don't forget things you
learn this way." He cried in happiness, at the implications. We hugged
him. I said to the both of them, "Now we must make our new student look
his best. Angrala, I'm not the one to judge this, so you will have to
decide what is best." She said "A haircut." I said "Can you project
what he should look like?" She tried, and it flickered in the air long
enough for me to get it. We went to the bathroom, and I programed the
blue light cleaner to cut his hair like that. He could see it happening
in the mirror, and said another wow. I said "Are his clothes alright?"
She said "No, he should have more and better." I projected pictures
from a fancy store, and she selected what he should have, I duplicated
it all, and ported it to one of the beds. I said "Accessories?" She
selected those, too, and I made them.
Minton looked a little troubled, and said, "Where did they come from?
The store?" I said "I like your feelings about that, a lot. No, I
didn't steal them. I copied them. If I couldn't have done that, like
three years ago when I didn't know how, I would have gone to a store
which was open, and paid for those things. I made this entire house in
less than an hour, all from things I found out in space which didn't
belong to anybody." He said "Wow! I'm sorry I thought bad of you." I
said "That's alright. I liked it, because it showed how good you are."
We hugged with love. Then he said, "All this is so new to me I don't
know what to think, but this love thing is just great!" I said "You
sure can't get me to argue about that!" We all grinned at each other. I
said "This picture is of Hassan, a teaching assistant. He and Angrala
will help you get settled at the school. But Angrala can only stay a
day. She has very important work to do in the Confed; finding and
getting rid of bad military people."
He looked at her with respect, and said "That's very important!" She
said "Stephen said we had to, or else we wouldn't be allowed to contact
the worlds of the Galactic Council. He made the PA agree to that, and
what we are doing." He said "Made? Wouldn't allow? Wow!" I said "That's
the kind of work our school graduates do. Now, you need to change into
the new clothes, before we go to the school. We'll wait for you in the
living room." He said "Can't you stay?" I said "Yes, we can, if you
want us to." He looked conflicted. I said softly, "You wouldn't want to
insult, Angrala, would you?" He became resolute, and undressed fast,
and got into his new clothes just as fast, without trying to cover up.
I nodded in recognition of his effort. "When you are assigned a room,
your things will be put there. If a boy asks to sleep with you, I
recommend you agree, because in the arms of love, well, there is no
better way to sleep. I almost never sleep alone. And hugging somebody
you love, without clothes keeping you apart, is a hundred times
better." Angrala said "Absolutely!" I said "I will not be going with
you. Well, they kind of like me too much. I don't want to take away
from your welcome. One last hug, and off you go. They have been told
about you and are ready." We hugged, then I ported them to Zander's
reception center, were he and Hassan were waiting.
Hawk and Rose ported to me, and hugged me, after we undressed. She
said "A good boy. Talented. I'm sure he'll do well." Hawk said "I
agree. Would have been interesting if you had told him that you made
his former master have a boner when you ported him to prison." I poked
him. He said "I would have taken away their lubrication." I said "That
would be cruel." Rose said "Right!"
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Grant
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