Xref: news.nzbot.com alt.fan.prettyboy:19834
Path: news.nzbot.com!spool1.sonic-news.com!pull-news.sonic-news.com!novso.com!195.208.113.67.MISMATCH!goblin1!goblin.stu.neva.ru!news.astraweb.com!border6.a.newsrouter.astraweb.com!not-for-mail
Subject: +*+*+*+ Stephen's Secure Blog #350 "Four Armed Spike" +*+*+*+
Date: Wed, 02 Jul 2014 19:09:12 -0400
From: " +Grant. " <+Grant@grant.grant>
Newsgroups: alt.fan.prettyboy
Reply-To: +Grant.
Organization: .
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-transfer-encoding: 8bit
X-No-Archive: yes
Lines: 309
Message-ID: <53b49119$0$1496$c3e8da3$40cdd511@news.astraweb.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: 96d834bd.news.astraweb.com
X-Trace: DXC=njPb=\D9SUCo;ii5o?B_6AL?0kYOcDh@JAFeRkALIbWCj]0;i98`0UN@m2\M^j@?mJZPEl`W@7DKBI;feN^BZ;IO4d5U7K\IdfCI\27]QC:^gE
Stephen's Secure Blog #350
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 #350 "Four Armed Spike"
START Page
We went to see the ruler of the Blue Crab people. She said, after
polite things, "So the mission to your system was a success. But very
fast!" I said "Yes, our ships are fast. We will help." We told her what
she should know, and agreed to let us manage the peace process. She
told her people that, and most were relieved. Then I said, "There are
more problems that can cause bad feelings between your two peoples in
the future. Your society is oriented in favor of the female, because of
biology. Their society is oriented in favor of the male, by
subjugation. They may be antagonistic toward you, because of prejudice,
and perhaps some guilt. They are superior to their females only
slightly in aggression and physical strength, but made vastly superior
by law. You may want to help change that. If you try to interfere with
their society, billions will die, and their civilization will collapse.
What change will happen, and it will, must come slowly and from
within." She said "You speak wisely, but that might not have been
convincing enough. I can FEEL your wisdom. I must follow it." I bowed,
and she dipped her carapace.
She said "Yet you are a male. Why was not a female sent to us?" I
said "Because I can hear you. No other of my species is known to have
that ability. Rose, a female, was the first of us to scan your world.
She would be here after that, but for the audio issue. However, she is
monitoring me. With us, the genders are equal. She and I will have
children together. In that, she is the superior, as all females are."
She said with some humor, "I must agree." I said with the same humor,
"Rose would not be the first to argue against that." Rose said too
loudly, "Absolutely!" I said "ROSE! Please lower your volume by half!"
She said "Better?" I said "Yes, thank you." To the ruler, I said, "Not
being able to hear the loudness of the sound, can make it difficult to
determine the proper volume to use. Please accept our apology for
disturbing your hearing." She said "Accepted only out of politeness. We
were not disturbed."
Rose said "That is another issue. The other side seems to have little
respect for politeness." I said "Yes, and even more strange, is that
they commonly insult each other, and don't seem angered by that, but
become very angry if they are ignored, and consider that very
insulting." The ruler said, "I think I understand now! We couldn't hear
them, and they thought we were deliberately ignoring them." I said
"That is exactly what happened. We are monitoring what our associate is
doing with them, just as he is monitoring us. They are not very easy to
convince. Oh no! They want the test of truth in combat!" She said "You
fear for the safety of your associate?" I said "Yes, but not in the way
you might assume. He is one of the best fighters our species has ever
had. I fear for him, what might happen to his spirit if he is forced to
strike another." The Priestess said to the ruler, "Their spirits are
much in advance of all of us. Violence will harm them." I said "Yes. It
has been decided that I will frighten them almost out of their skins."
The bubbling noise they made was their equivalent of their best
laughter.
I said "Humor is a good thing. He has agreed to the fight. They are
going to the arena. Rose, please show them what is and will happen,
with translations." Her projected image started. Just when the fight
was about to start, I put a giant image of my head and shoulders in the
air above the arena, and said with a thundering volume, "Stop! I will
not allow this to continue. He will not fight." The leader said "Who
are you, and how dare you interfere?" I said "I am Stephen, and I dare
because I can. Ichiro is not authorized to engage in personal combat."
He said "He's yours?" I said "We don't own people. We are associates,
and I am the senior." He said "Will YOU fight?" I said "Why?" He said
"To prove your truth." I said, "Please explain to me how ability to
confused himself. He said "It is custom!" I said "You yourself have
just shown that it is not logical. Change the custom." He said "We
cannot!" I said "We will enforce the change here, if you do not." He
said "How will you do that?" I said "Those who cannot move, cannot
"None of your people in this building can move. It is causing some
inconvenience for those presently engaging in personal maintenance
activities." The crab people laughed. So did Hawk, naturally. He said
"I demand that you free us!"
Ichi went over to him and picked him up, and carried him to the
center of the arena. He said to the leader, "I have you in my power. Do
you admit defeat?" He said "I refuse!" Ichi pulled the four armed
leader's upper arms above his head, and extended his fingers. Then he
turned him vertical, and jammed the leader's fingertips into the floor,
up to the wrists. Ichi said "You wanted trial by combat. I am forbidden
to do that, but this I can do. You will stay like this until you admit
defeat. How long you will survive in this state, I don't know. Do you
know who among your people are gamblers? I would like to place a
wager." The leader said some things. Ichi said "Those are very impolite
words. Please tell me how your custom would punish such insults?"
Silence. More crab laughter. Ichi and I talked with each other about
good food and drink, really annoying the leader. The man Ichi was
supposed to fight was trying not to laugh, which the leader noticed. I
said "Well, I should get back to my own work." He said "Be well." I
said "Thank you. I will!" and winked out.
Ichi said to the leader, "Do you realize I didn't have to let you
live? What I'm doing to cause you to not move, is actually more
difficult than just crushing you to a red smear." He went over to one
of the seats and ripped it off its fastening. Then he hung it in the
air in front of the leader's face, and with invisible 4th hands,
crushed it into a ball. He said "I am the third best fighter in the
history of my people. That's why I'm not allowed to fight here. I could
not lose, and that wouldn't be polite. Would you like to declare that
the trial by combat is over, and that my truth is proved? And I will
ignore your insults, and instead offer friendship." He thought it over,
and said, "I must agree that your power is more than anything we can
do. I declare that your truth is correct." Ichi pulled him up out of
the floor and set him upright. I released all in the building. They
bowed to each other. Ichi said "Please strike my hand." He held it out.
The leader encountered the shield, and said, "Oh! I see now. Stupid of
me." Ichi said "No, not stupid. You didn't know. Stubborn, maybe." The
leader laughed.
They went back to the leader's office and discussed the situation.
The Guardian wouldn't come, but they could go to the Guardian. On the
way there, Ichi said "I have not seen any females here." The leader
said, "They are kept separate, and only have and raise children." Ichi
said, "And for companionship, and sexual play?" He said "They might
have their own ways, but we men have each other for real friendship,
love, and sexual relationships." Ichi said "Are you aware that is not
the usual way among intelligent species?" He said "We are aware of
that. While we dislike what others do, we must respect species
difference, just as they should respect ours. What of yours?" Ichi said
"In my species, it varies from what you do, to full equality, among
different societies. I and my associates are separate and unknown to
them. Among our group, which includes other species, we share all love
and physicality without regard to gender and sexual orientation." He
said "Wow!" Ichi said "We say that often." He laughed.
Ichi said, "You should know about the Blue people." He said "I've
seen them, and think their appearance is beautiful." Ichi said "We
think the same. All you have seen of them are females, who used to be
males." He said "You are full of surprises!" Ichi said "I am not
responsible for their sex change!" They laughed. Ichi said, "They are
born as almost mindless and combative males. Those who survive the
creche, mate with the females. Then they grow calmer and more
intelligent, and after some years, become adults and female. Does any
of this disturb you?" He said "I see what you mean. Thank you. No, I'm
not disturbed, knowing their biology." Ichi said "Now to temperament.
As a people, they are unusually polite, and are not easily insulted,
which some may consider to be the opposite of your kind." He laughed,
and said, "I like your humor. Yes, I think we were too quick to be
insulted, and too quick to act on that."
Ichi said "Stephen, who's projection you saw, is with their leader.
We are in communication." He said "Across interstellar space with no
time delay?" Ichi said "Yes." He said "Will you give us that
technology?" Ichi said, "The way we are doing it, we can't. It's
operated by the mind, and requires rare talents to be able to learn to
use it. If any of your people have the right qualifications, we might
invite them to one of our schools. Beginning training in childhood
gives the best results. We know of one child who can quality." He said
with interest, "Who is he?" Ichi said "There is a very young male who
may qualify in time. We will not tell you who he is until he does
qualify. The child who does qualify now is a female." He said
"Impossible!" Ichi said "So is the way we communicate, and how I spiked
you into the floor. Do you wish me to do that again, to prove my truth
to you? Before you say anything more, you should know something about
me and my group. We are unable to lie." He stopped dead, and said in
surprise, "The person we are going to is like that, and he can detect
lies." Ichi said "We have already met." He said "Then I believe you,
but I don't know what to do about the female." I said "You should
decide soon. The longer the delay, the less effective the training may
be, and the less skilled she will ultimately become. One more thing. If
we take her, her mother must approve. Willingly. We will know if she
doesn't. Yes, I know I'm full of a lot of things." He laughed in
reaction.
They were asked to enter the Guardian's office. They sat and talked.
Ichi said "I have given your Guardian a communicator. Only he and his
qualified people may operate it. If another person touches it, it will
crumble to dust. Stephen has done the same with the Blue people. With
those communicators, you may talk with each other, instantly, and with
no time delay, across any distance, but not when one is in a space ship
that is traveling faster than light, but at high relative sublight
speeds, there could be relativistic time issues. The Blue people wish
to stop fighting. Do you wish that?" He said "We do." Ichi said "The
fighting is taking place in the Blue system. I can take you there in
our ship." He said half jokingly, "That is instant, too?" Ichi said
"Yes." He said "Oh! Er, where is it?" Ichi said "At the edge of your
system." I made a modified copy of the middle size one, for him, and
had it port there. He said "How did you arrive on our planet?" Ichi
just grinned. The leader laughed, and said, "More instant!" Ichi said
"Our ships are very capable. Will you both allow me to take you to the
war, so you may order your people to stop killing people who want to be
friends?" He said "Yes. I will tell my people here. Is there room for
your ship to land near here?" Ichi said "That isn't necessary. When you
laughed. He made some calls, and then Ichi ported them to the ship
who's design I had modified so the airlocks would fit the ships of both
peoples. It was a new ship I copied from an existing model, which had
accommodations for the Blue Crabs.
In the control room, he said to Ichi, "There are no controls!" Ichi
said "Correct. Operated by the mind, and it gives me images in my mind
of what it sees, so there are no viewports, but this screen can be set
to show you anything you want to see outside of the ship. We are now at
the system of the Blue people. We now have their people and Stephen
onboard, who are about to enter this room." We did, and I made
introductions, saying that the ship would provide automatic
translations. They were very polite with each other. He said "I noticed
something. The translations are different for Stephen." The Blue ruler
said, "I noticed it too." I said "I am actually speaking my own
language, but all who hear me in person, understand what I say in their
own language, without any other aid." The Adepts looked at me in
absolute awe. Their rulers noticed. Ichi tried not to laugh.
I said "Shall we now work to stop this war?" They agreed. The Blue
ruler said "I have already ordered my people to stop fighting." The
four armed ruler said, "Can I broadcast from here?" I said "Yes, and on
Please disregard that. Please set it up." I said "Done. You may address
the plate. You will see your own image in a corner, so you will know
what they are seeing, if not what they are actually paying attention
to." He laughed, and said, "I like your species' humor!" The Blue ruler
said, "As do we. It is good that we have something pleasant in common."
They bowed to each other. He addressed the plate, and told them to stop
fighting. That he was in a space ship in the system which was operated
by a species of mediators. The commanding Admiral came on the screen
and said, "Special codes, please." The leader grinned, and gave them.
He said to us, "I just told him I wasn't a captive or being forced."
The Admiral said "Orders received and acknowledged. What of the cause?
They deliberately ignored us." The leader said, "THEY CAN'T HEAR YOU!
They use different sound frequencies that we can't hear." He said "Oh
my God! We killed them for THAT!" The leader said "Unfortunately, yes.
Our hosts' ship is translating for us, and we were given portable
translators. They are good people. I rather like them. Oh, both kinds."
I said in their language, "Here are some translators which use your
technology. Unfortunately, your ship's coms don't receive and transmit
in the frequencies the Blue people use, and their ships are the same
for yours. You both will need to wire these devices to your EM
transmitters for them to be useful. Here are the specifications and
instructions. We will dock with your ship and give them to you, and
then we will do the same with the Commander of the Blue people. Do you
agree to this?" The leader said "He does." They grinned at each other.
We docked, and the first officer came aboard, and was very impressed by
our ship. Much more so, when I said in the control room, "We built this
ship for this mission. Oh, you are surprised. How else could we be able
to dock with ships of two species we had never before seen the ships
of?" They all had a lot of wows for that. The first officer went back
to his ship. We undocked. We went to the other fleet, and docked with
the Commander's ship. After the same conversation, their first officer
came aboard, and went back with the package.
It didn't take long for them to install the instruments. Then they
were communicating back and forth, and with our guests as well. The
result was, the Leader's ships would all return to their other duties,
and so would those of the Blue people, after they cleaned up the
wreckage in orbit. When more ships were outfitted with the new coms,
and personal translators were made, they would exchange embassies. We
shifted to the Leader's system. He said "I still don't know about the
student. How can I reach you?" I indicated his Guardian. He indicated
approval. I ported them back to the planet. Then we shifted to the Blue
system, and I said to them, "One of us will be in communication with
you soon, to discuss some things of interest. I see your question.
Rose." At their reaction, I said, "With us, it's usually who volunteers
first, who gets the job. She's FAST!" They laughed.
I said "The people on the ship you sent to us have been informed of
what happened. What should I tell them they are to do next?" She said
"Will you allow them to visit your world?" I said "I'm sorry, but no.
It is Restricted. It's people would not survive offworld contact." She
said "Then please give them my praise for a job well done, and ask them
to return." I said "I will do that. It has been a pleasure and an honor
to know you and your people." We bowed to each other. Then she said,
"And the other people?" I said "Er, not so much." They laughed. I
ported them back to their planet.
I ported the ship to near the Blue ship in Earth's system. I said in
the com, after connecting, "You have been kept informed of what was
happening. Here is the message from your ruler for you." I played it.
They thanked us a lot, and we said our farewells. They vectored out of
the system. We kept them from being detected by Earth science. In the
after action meeting, I said, "Ichi, I couldn't have done what you did
any better. WELL DONE!" We hugged and kissed. Then the others smooched
him. Pete said "This is what we are FOR!" We all agreed, some of us
with tears, but all with love.
END Page
--
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant
|
|