Solomon's Private File #299
These stories about Stephen and Solomon take place starting in
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 29 in this story, in the Spring of 2055.
Solomon's Private File #299 "Manriki Gusari"
START Page
I said to Stan, the new head trainer at the Academy, "Job what you
thought it would be?" He said, "The job, yes. My training, not at all!"
We grinned. I said, "Past trainer started us with a rep we'd like to
keep." He said, "I understand. Really the best trainer in the
business!" I said, "She was already a master when she started here.
You, not so much." He said, "I'm never going to be like her!" I said,
"Right. She's shorter." He said, "I know what you mean." I said, "So,
what do you think of Rama?" He said, "Great guy. He's still better.
That style of his looks so odd and deceptive, but it's VERY effective!"
I said, "Yours fits better here. Can be broken into pieces and
simplified. His is an interdependent system that's pretty weak in the
beginning." He said, "Came to that conclusion myself. Still good to
know, as you had them demonstrate in the last crystal."
I said, "We have a Master of Ninjutsu on the force. Met him?" He
said, "Not yet. You taught him?" I said, "He came to us that way. Just
a little fine tuning here. I see you're wondering why he isn't in your
position. For this, martial arts is actually extra. We don't actually
teach that here." He nodded. I said, "There was a 4th degree who
wondered if we were good enough for him." He grinned, and said, "I
heard about that. Arm through the bag!" I said, "He's a field
supervisor now." I said, "The best martial artist who applied, wasn't
the best in human qualities." He said, "The lamppost killer. He wanted
to fight with you?" I said, "He lost the battle of Ki." Grins.
I said, "So, still want to train with Rama?" He said, "I do. He said
he can't practice there. Too much attention." I said, "He can practice
at home in good weather, but alone isn't optimum. For you, and now,
ninjutsu is the thing. Got a reason. No, I'm not going to tell you." He
grinned. We went out to the obstacle course. The assistants were
conducting some aerobic training on the track. I said, "That corner."
He scaled it. I said, "Your mind wasn't in it. When you strike, do you
aim for the surface?" He said, "Oh! You mean IN! Let me try it again."
He did that, and much better. He said, "Wow! Efficient teaching."
Chuckles. He said, "How did you know?" I said, "You were a little too
far from the wall, and not a part of it." He nodded, and said, "Being
there, I couldn't see that. Thanks."
I picked up a pebble, then held up the back of my open hands to him
and said, "Where's the rock?" He said, "I don't see it." I said, "I
didn't ask what you don't know." He said, "You had it in your hands,
but you couldn't be holding it now." I said, "You're thinking. Don't do
that, perceive. And don't tell me you can't. I'm a better teacher than
that." He thought for a long time, concentrating. I said, "Don't do
that, either. Let yourself go. Don't think of what should be, but what
said, "Stop! I didn't ask for possibilities." I turned my hands around,
and the rock was stuck to my left palm. I said, "You knew it was there
from the beginning, but your mind fought it. Keep doing that, you won't
progress." He nodded, and said, "A very valuable lesson. How is it
stuck there?" I said, "When that big bruiser tried to push me over,
Ki prevent it?" He said, "Er, anchored to the floor?" I said, "Yes. And
wasn't this pebble part of THIS floor?" He said, "Oh! I see now. I feel
awfully stupid." I said, "Right. Good motivation to not repeat that."
The rock dropped into my other hand.
I said, "On that wall the second time, how did what you did, make it
better?" He said, "I get it. I was using Ki! I have to say, you're a
great teacher." I said, "No, you don't have to say that." He tried not
to chuckle. I said, "Ever use a manriki gusari?" He said, "No, but I
know what it is." I said, "The Chinese have a version with a spike on
the end. Longer chain, too." I took it out of the bag I had with me,
and handed it to him. I said, "Goal is to stick that spike in the
target. And without ruining yourself." He said, "Can I see you do it
throwing target wasn't stuck at all. I held out my hand, and he was
very relieved to give it back to me.
I said, "Physics. This is all about proper position, and speed. Did
you know that the loud crack of the bullwhip is caused by the end of it
going faster than sound?" He said, "No, I didn't know that!" I said,
"So, we want the spike to hit the target point first, going fast enough
to make it stick. Got any ideas?" He said, "Yes." I gave it back to
him, and he was soon getting close. I took it back and said, "The
weapon isn't the only thing of you than can move fast. Imagine this
watch where it goes, if you do that. You might have to duck if you
don't hit the target." I did that technique, and it stuck dead center.
I said, "There is so much power in this, I can probably make it go
completely through. Or take somebody's head off. As if I needed an
extra one." He looked at me strangely, and said, "There are rumors." I
said, "Better kept unexpressed and unsaid. And don't distract from the
lesson, which is?"
He thought a little, and said, "I was thinking of it as a tool, and
not as an extension of my body. I should have known better!" I said,
"More than you realize." The end of the chain was on the ground. I
flicked it, what seemed like gently, and it stuck in the target. I
said, "Which one was easier?" He said, "The first one one?" I said,
"No, second, and much safer, too. So, how is that possible?" He said,
"Ki?" I said, "That would do it, like it would do a lot of things, but
not exactly in that time. Think of it as something like a climbing
wall, for this purpose." He said, "Oh! Your mind was in the chain!" I
said, "And I've had more practice with whips. Here, stand sideways to
the target. When you do it, make your arm and chain like one whip, and
at the same time you fling it, extend toward to the target. You may
have to try a few times to get the right distance. If you feel it
coming back at you, drop it. Then it will rotate around its middle,
away from you."
He did that, and with some spectacular failures. Then he got the
distance right, and it stuck. He said, "I can't believe I did that!" I
said, "Er, look again?" He chuckled. Some who were watching, applauded.
He was embarrassed. I said, "What are the lessons here?" He said, "I
need to stop limiting myself. I can do more than I think, and I think
too much at the wrong times and about the wrong things. I need to be IN
it, and all of me, including my weapons, is one." I nodded, and said,
"All for today. Next time with Rama, where you two will be more equal,
after individual practice until then. Don't believe me, do an advanced
kata." He did one of his own style, with his mind fully in it. We bowed
to each other. He said, "I could feel I was better!" I said, "Because
you were in it. By next week, you would be working fully at the level
you should be. Do a lot of katas." He said, "So this weapon training
You are not just you. You can't exist alone in the universe. It's all a
part of you, as you are a part of it. There is much less separation
than you think. Make you and the kata one." He nodded, and we bowed.
We went inside, and I met with the Dean. I said, "He mentioned there
were rumors. I'm disappointed that distraction is happening so soon."
He said, "I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about that. Can I have a
recording?" I gave him a crystal. He said, "You didn't even practice
with him directly, and he advanced!" I said, "The whole lesson here
today was to show him he was holding himself back. Fighting me, would
NOT be the way to work that." He chuckled, and said, "I have to agree.
Still, amazing. He's right. You're a great teacher." I said, "His
previous teachers weren't as good as they should have been for him. And
maybe he didn't like some things. Most people don't realize the
importance of weapons training. It's all about controlling something
that's not part of your body, and that improves your body control
beyond what you could do otherwise. That chain is one of the hardest to
learn well. It's part of one of his styles, but seldom taught and
used."
I said, "His curiosity is up. He's probably going to see if he can
said, "Tell him it's security. As a Master of Ninjutsu I can make it so
people can't see me. And as a Master of Ki, I can do that even better.
And he should have known that. He's not a civilian any more. Proper
security is essential, so don't go looking for trouble." He smiled, and
said, "Got it." He's going to be sure, eventually." I said, "When it
works for him. You remember how it was before. Second lesson at Senior
Master, and he'll know for sure." Grins.
For the next lesson, I was at the Academy before I ported Rama in.
Stan said, "My boss told me some things. So you can go invisible at
will?" I said, "All Senior Masters can. Something you should know.
Solomon considers ALL Senior Masters his responsibility, because of our
ability to influence others and kill without detection. We do Senior
Master business, we have his direct support, including instant
transportation, and sometimes at his direction." He said, "Oh! I should
have remembered that. I'm sorry for being a little pushy." I said, "If
little, and said, "I get it."
Rama ported in. He looked at us, and said, "Am I interrupting
something?" I said, "Would you like us to do something for you to
interrupt?" He grinned, and said, "No thanks. I'll pass." I said, "At
the level you both are at, advancing is usually perfecting what you
know, and not learning new things in your style. That's wrong. There is
always more to learn, even if you have to invent something. That's also
a way new styles are created." Nods. I said, "And you have discovered
that new forms and techniques can teach beyond the actual things." More
nods. I said, "The Mohs scale of hardness is for minerals. One that can
scratch another, is approximately twice as hard. Quartz is 7. Topaz is
8. Each one up, is twice as hard, something like the decibel and
Richter scales." They nodded. I said, "Sapphire is 9. Diamond is 10,
but it's not in the same place in the scale. It's 4 to 50 times harder
than sapphire. Now think of that scale as martial arts ranks. Works the
same. Usually, the belt higher, can defeat two of the lower rank." They
nodded. Rama said, "I see where this is going. The last level is beyond
the progression." Stan said, "Way beyond!" I said, "Into a different
state of being." Dawning comprehension.
I said, "There are two paths to becoming a Senior. One is the almost
purely physical way, such as our past head trainer did, and the other
way is doing that and being a psionic Adept, who can actually SEE Ki,
where others can't, and so can do much more with it than what is used
in martial arts." Nods of understanding. I said, "Because of this, the
best trainer for Senior, is an Adept Senior, and we know who's the best
of them." Grins. I said, "I can still take you part of the way, if you
are able to walk that path blindly." I waited, and Stan had to ask,
"Why blindly?" I said, "Because you can't see Ki. Didn't I just say
that?" He said, "I see I should pay closer attention." Rama said, "I
I said, "In preparation, we need to do things that put us in unusual
states of being. We can do that through our bodies, and through our
minds. Some of it will seem odd, and even stupid. Better we don't
embarrass ourselves in front of others." Smiles and nods. I said, "We
have this gym to ourselves." I looked at Stan, and he changed his mind
about something he was going to say. Rama said, "I've been through this
with him. You're not alone." Nod of appreciation. I said, "First is the
power form." We did that. And again. I said, "Arms and legs shaking?"
They said, "Yes." I said, "Lie down on the mat. On your back. Get
comfortable. Put your mind in your arms and legs. Feel how tired they
are. How remote from you. As if they are not part of you. Like you have
no body. Drift with your mind. Imagine you are floating above your
body, looking down on it with senses that are not eyes, but see it as
something new that you have never seen before, something strange. Now
drop down into your body, and explore it as that new thing. Wander in
it. Keep doing that, but don't fall asleep, for as long as you can."
After six minutes, Stan dozed off. A minute later, Rama did. I woke
them and told them their times.
I said, "What did you see?" Rama, excitedly, "I saw lights and lines
in my body. They pulsed!" Stan said, "I saw something like a wiring
diagram, with electricity in it." I said, "You both saw the same thing,
but interpreted differently." Stan said, "Was it real?" I said, "What
is real? Or said another way, yes and no. You are not able to see or
sense what you did, normally, like an Adept can, but your body on some
level knows it's there, and you fooled it into telling you. The energy
flows of Chi. I could have given you a book that describes this, but
you would never know if that made you think you could see it, falsely.
This way, you know." Rama said, "But how did this actually happen?" I
said, "You tired your limbs, without tiring your core. They were like
not there, numb to your feelings. That freed your brain to more use
your internal physical senses, which we used a mind trick to make that
perception visual to you." He said, "Oh! Wow!" Stan said, "This is
amazing!" I said, "Actually, yes." Chuckles.
I said, "Try to stand now." They did, and felt VERY odd, trying to
get their limbs to obey them. I said, "You'll recover soon. You still
have room for improvement in your forms. Put your mind into them, and
then do them with no-mind. You can. Remember the feeling of the numb
limbs, and let them do their work. Do this every day. If you want to do
it together, porting will be provided. A month. Then we'll see about
the next step." Stan said, "Is this what you did with my predecessor?"
I said, "No. She came to us more advanced, and to reach full Senior
took more than a year. No, this is not an instant thing. Add water, you
just get wet." Chuckles. I said, "Ready to learn a new form?" They
were.
I did it, and their eyes were VERY wide after that. I said, "What did
you expect, a walk in the park? We haven't got one of those." They were
still in shock, and couldn't react. I held out my hand, and two
crystals appeared in it, "For memorization help. Take it step by step,
and it's not as bad as it looks." They took and read them. I said,
"Need porting for study, hold the crystal and say that. Yes, I have
one, too. Anybody here feel like they're playing doctor?" Chuckles. I
said, "You can check each other on that form, and the others, using the
crystals as reference. I'll see you in a month, unless I get a picture.
I think you might want to ruin, er, try the new form without me
grinning at you." Chuckles. I nodded, and shifted out,
Mom said, "That's different! I've never heard of that way of seeing
chakra energy flows before." I said, "It's an extension of the sense
enhancement I taught as the Russian Colonel. Just seemed logical to try
it for this." Hawk said in the air, "New to the universe?" I said, "No,
but I think first time deliberate and with knowledge. People who would
know, didn't need to do it this way." He said, "Reasonable. Thanks.
Great work!" I said, "Er, thanks." We shared love.
END Page
--
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant
|
|