Stephen's Secure Blog #349
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 18 in this story, in early Spring of year 8 of his special
school.
Stephen's Secure Blog #349 "Ship of Blue Crabs"
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The PM of Tibet asked for a meeting. I ported to his office. The
Attorney General was there. After polite things, the PM said, "We have
been asked by the government of Nepal to do something about their women
being kidnapped and brought to our country as sex slaves. They blame us
for that." I said "Did they go public with that accusation?" He said
"They did. And before, when it was the Chinese they accused." I said
"And what specifically do they want Tibet to do in their own country
where the crimes are being committed by their own citizens?" He said
"Oh!" The AG grinned. Then he said to the PM. "You didn't want to
bother The Master Teacher with this, and with a few words he as turned
it upside down in our favor." He said "I should have known." I said "I
investigated while you were asking about that. Here are files which
include lists of the people involved, and some of them are in the
government of Nepal, videos of some of their activities, enough to
prove their guilt, and locations where the women and the criminals can
be found. It's true the Chinese here started it, and were the
customers, but that ended with the change of power. The criminals
continued the er, work, and opened houses for that service in Tibet."
They thanked me a lot.
I said "I don't oppose prostitution, if the workers are not forced in
any way, and are protected from abuse, and receive the best in medical
care. If they are not available to supply the need for their services,
there will be more rapes and other violence. Human nature doesn't care
much about artificial things like moral views. Whether or not you want
it to be legal, and regulated and taxed, or illegal, and tying up your
police force in arrests for that, and for the increased violence, is
your decision to make." The PM didn't know what to say to that, which
made me grin, and the AG laugh, who said, "Well said, but politically
controversial." I said "Not my problem. Fortunately for me, I don't run
a country." We did more polite things, and I ported home, to see and
hear Hawk laughing his head almost off, trying to say, "You screwed
with them!" Rose was trying not to laugh at that, but not quite
succeeding.
I said to them, "If you stop laughing enough to listen, I'll tell you
about a space ship which is coming to visit." Dead silence. I said
"That sure got your attention. Let's convene a policy and action
meeting." We did. I said "A space craft is approaching the system. It's
of the blue crab people." Chad said "Beautiful color! Need a transducer
to communicate with them." I said "I checked the ship as much as I was
able. Well, their FTL drive is hard to get through. There doesn't seem
to be any problem with the ship, which is much larger than before. Crew
of 23. There are some possible issues. We don't know when they will go
on interplanetary drive. Their other ship didn't have any stealth tech.
I can't tell with this one, but it might not have it, too. We have to
be ready to instantly shield it from observation. I've not been able to
trace their path, so we don't know where they came from, or how far and
how long they traveled. We don't know why they are here. If this crew
doesn't know about us, then they could be just exploring. If they do
know, they might want to open diplomatic relations, or ask us for help
for some problem. I think violence from them is unlikely." Chad said,
"Unless they are feeling crabby." He got poked.
Pete said "Stephen, you look concerned. Precog?" I said "Yes.
Indicates they want our help for something big." He said "That's what
we are for. If they deserve it, and if it fits with who we are, they
get it!" There was unanimous approval. Ichi said "I can barely sense
the ship, but I can't look inside it. My viewpoint keeps sliding off."
Rose said "Same here. Stephen, can we link to you, and see you do it?"
I said "Yes, but cut the connection immediately if you have any
problems with it." I felt them connect. Then I looked in the ship, and
they peeled off my mind like clothes from a greased stripper. I said
"Oops!" Not even Hawk laughed, while they were staring at me in awe. I
said "What's wrong?" Chad said "I don't know what you did, or how, but
I couldn't stay with you." The others nodded. Rose said "It could be
related to your time seeing ability. You might be using part of that to
get past the strange space condition their drive is making." I said
"Could be. I'll just shove what I have to all of you." They agreed, and
I did that. Chad said "Still that blue!" Ivanna said "No weapons. No
information from their computers. Can't read them?" I said "Right.
Electromagnetic isn't the same in that state, relative to ours." They
were still going faster than light. Then they dropped out of FTL near
the orbit of Neptune.
I blocked their sensor sweeps, announcing that. I said "We never
learned their written language. I'm decoding it now. Got it. No info
about the reason for the mission here. Could indicate an emergency. I
would like to do the communication. I can hear them better, and well,
best for the job, in spite of protocol." I setup a 4th speaker in their
control room, and said through it in their language and audio range, "I
am communicating to you for the Guardians of this system, in which
there is a Restricted World. Please pass on this message to your
Captain. If you need any assistance, please inform us of it. Please
state your reason for visiting this system, so we may allow it. If you
speak now, we will hear you. We will wait for your reply."
One said "Thank you for your communication. Some cycles ago, one of
our ships visited your system, and was helped with what we assume was
superior technology. Our worlds are being attacked by an unknown
people, and we are not able to stop them. We have come here to ask your
help." I said "I am Stephen. I, and some others of us, were involved
with helping that ship and its gracious occupant. I speak for all of us
when I say we are very pleased that she arrived home safely." She said
"Thank you." I said "This is a Restricted system, and your ship doesn't
have the ability to prevent the people here from detecting you, which
they should not be allowed to do. We are blocking your sensor sweeps
for that reason. If you tell us the location of where your problem is,
we will investigate it." She said "We do not know what coordinate
system you use. We can only show you our maps, and hope you can extract
the information you need from them. They are here. Are you able to see
with your method of communication?" I said "Now that we have your
permission, yes we can see you. We have decoded your maps. That is a
long way from here! Please try to achieve a sun orbit near where you
are. Please excuse us for a short time while we confer among
ourselves." She said "Acknowledged."
Ivanna said "It looks bad. Very bad. What can we do, and not expose
ourselves?" I said "First, we have to examine the WHOLE situation. Who
started it, and why?" They all looked at me. I groaned. Only Hawk
laughed. I searched time. While I was doing that, Rose said "They have
Adepts, but not organized as Guardians." I said "We need them. The
problem is in communication. They didn't, and don't. We can. That
caused problems in their first contact, which escalated." Pete said
Guardians, but they are not aware of the problem. They hear and speak
in our range. I'll visit them, and with some transducing translators."
I said "And I'll do the same for the crabs."
I said in the ship, "We have examined the problem, and have
determined the cause. A failed first contact due to lack of proper
communications. We will talk to members of both sides, and provide aids
for communicating. Do you agree to let us do this service?" She said "I
don't know how you can do all that, and so fast! Still, I can only hope
you can help resolve this unfortunate situation. Please do what you
can." I said "We can't promise complete satisfaction, but if your
people are like yourself, and are so open to reason, half our work is
almost done. It remains to be seen how reasonable the other people are.
Oh, my associate who is examining them, tells me they may require a
show of force. That is unfortunate. We will do what is necessary, but
we will NOT harm any person in the process. I need to get to work.
Unfortunately, I am, of us, the only one who can hear in your audio
range. I will try to assist another in establishing communication with
you. His name is Chad, and he just discovered he is going to be doing
that, with some surprised irritation." She replied with humor, "I see
we share something of humor." I said "I am glad. Chad, can you hear me
from inside the ship?" He said inside the ship, "Yes I can." Inside the
ship, too, I said "Please lower your volume 30 percent." He said
"Accomplished." I said "Captain, is that at a comfortable level for
you?" She said "Yes it is. Thank you." I said "Chad, could you hear her
well?" He said "Yes I can. You can go. I'll take care of this
communication."
I ported to a religious institution on the crab home planet, using my
shield to keep me from getting wet. The Adepts there noticed my
appearance. I waited, and the one with the biggest aura swam out to me.
The water was only a little over a meter deep, but they evidently
preferred swimming to walking on their stilt like legs. I used a 4th
speaker in their frequencies, to say, "Greetings. I am Stephen." She
said "Greetings I am xxxxxx." (There isn't any way to write that in
letters in this computer.) She said "Would you like to come
inside?Please tell me at once if anything here causes you discomfort."
I followed her in, and said, "Please don't be concerned. Nothing of the
material can cause me any discomfort I don't allow, no mater how much
it might want to." She laughed her way, and said, "I am glad we can
share some humor." I said "That's what Captain xxxxxx just said to me."
She said, in what amounted to excitement in her people, "I know of her!
She was sent to another world to ask for help of their Guardians." I
said "Yes, and I am one of them." We were in a room, which was dry. She
rested her carapace on soft spot on the floor. No chairs, so I stood.
She said "I believe your kind of people use a construction for resting
comfort." I said "Those of my shape do, but I don't require it. But it
would be polite of me to be at your level." I assumed the lotus
position in the air, and floated to be at her level, eyes to eyes, my
butt about 30cm off the floor. I could feel her astonishment.
I said "Internal energy management, combined with knowledge of
advanced physics. Yes, with some education and training, you can learn
to do this." More astonishment. She said "Your aura is extremely large.
I should have expected you to be able to do much more than we can. But
you aren't here for that at this time. We are at war. I assume you are
here to request my help in resolving the problem." I said "Yes. The
real problem is with communications causing a bad first contact. Most
species can't hear in the range of frequencies that you do. I know of
only one other, and none of my students of that species are ready for
this kind of work. Your adversaries have Adepts, too. One of my people
is with them now, in conference. With Adepts involved on both sides,
there can be no deception. Will your people trust in your words?" She
said "They might, if you advise them to. You have a very good
reputation with us." I said "The other side has more respected Adepts,
but in secret, who might not want to reveal themselves, as my group is
secret from my own people, who are not ready for knowledge of other
life forms. In any case, here are some translating transducers. They
will change the audio frequencies and translate both languages, and all
the other interstellar languages we know. They are self powered, and
cannot be tampered with by any other science but my own. That is why I
will give them only to a another Adept. Do you agree to be in charge of
them for your species?" She said "I see I must. Yes I agree." I said
"Then we must go to your leaders, and prepare the way for full
communication."
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Grant
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