Solomon's Private File #301
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 #301 "Dojo Creation"
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I walked into Stan's office at the Academy. We did the usual
greetings. He said, "That kata!" I said, "Is that good or bad?" He
said, "Yes." I waited, and he said, "Well, that didn't work. It's bad
it's so tough, and good that it is, for my advancement. I can actually
feel it happening! You invented that, didn't you." I said, "Most katas
had inventors. Some were actually from real fights and battles. With
Senior direct transfer, we can learn a lot of them that aren't now
known." He said, "I just thought of something. My skills aren't good
enough for that." I said, "And that's one of the reasons why you two
should learn each other's styles. Together, they make a whole er, you."
Rama ported in, and Stan told him what was said. He nodded, and said,
"I realized that. Unusual that two different students and styles are
studying at Master level at the same time with one teacher. It couldn't
be an accident, so there had to be a good reason." I said, "Well, good,
remains to be seen." Grins.
We walked to the gym. Rama said, "I feel something unusual." Stan
said, "Same here, and those students should be noticing us, and aren't.
You're using Ki to make us invisible to them!" Rama nodded, and said,
"That explains it." They looked at me strangely. In the gym, I said,
"So, now you can show me the new form." In the air, was heard, "I'll be
adding ghostly opponents to that." They said, "Wow!" I said, "Wrong
name." Chuckles. They each took a part of the gym, and then started.
They found the ghosts to be very distracting. I said, "Stop! Again from
the beginning, ghostbusters." Grins. They did better, which I said. I
said, "Wondering about what new surprises might pop up? So am I." Stan
looked odd, and I grinned. He was embarrassed. Rama chose not to
comment.
I said, "Got one already set up." I pulled the sheets off of one
wall, and some free standing things. I said, "Covered with ballistic
gel, with a special surface treatment that acts like skin, but a little
more active. It changes color based on how hard it's hit. Great thing
about these targets; they don't scream and run. Or sue you. First
objective in using these is to strike them with full power and speed,
only to touch." Stan said, "Control." I said, "Correct. Most important
to advance. Want me to demonstrate?" They grinned and shouted, "Yes!" I
said, "Oh." I took off my jacket and tie, and shoes and sox. Then I did
a series of fast punches and kicks down the line. They looked at me in
awe. I pointed at the target, and said, "Starting from this end, the
different colors indicate the depth of the strike. Over here is the
key, and the reset control. When you're ready, I'll touch it." I did,
and they marveled at it. I said, "Take your sides, and have a go at
it." They did, to varyingly levels of success. Stan said, "Won't this
be gone after this lesson? Would be good if we could practice this on
our own time."
I said, "You know who made this. Think he would know that?" Rama
nodded vigorously. We smiled at him. I said, "This blue spot on the
wall will only work for you and Seniors. Well, Adepts, too." I touched
it, and all the special gear vanished. I touched it again, and it was
all back. I said, "If you think of specific things in its memory, it
will do the same with them. This spot is actually a crystal. You can
read the inventory if you want. When you have time. It won't give you
what isn't authorized at that time. You can be disappointed later."
Chuckles.
I said, "You should practice this to various chosen depths, with as
many techniques as you can use, and with weapons. And practice the
current form, and past forms. You should also be teaching each other
your styles. For all those things, you don't need me staring at you."
We bowed to each other, and I shifted out.
Hawk ported to our living room, and grabbed me in a big hug, and
kissed me hard. I said, when I could, like I was innocent, "What's this
for?" Galya laughed. Hawk said, "Great invention! A way to practice
closer to real life, and actually see the results, and they don't have
to have one of us manage it! Push the specs?" I did, and he said, "Wow!
Almost fried my brain." I said, indignantly, "I did not!" Chuckles. He
half measures?" Galya said, "I want to see it." I pushed it at her. She
said to Hawk, "What kind of brain have you got? Mine wasn't anywhere
near fried." He growled. She laughed. He said to me, "You've got to
show it to Rose." I said, "Sure. When she's back." Kam said in the air,
kisses.
I shifted to meet with the Iron Lady at her school, after hours. She
with a grin, "Yes?" She said, "If you give it to me, the other seniors
with schools will want it." I said, "True." She said, "You can be SO
difficult! Please?" I said, "Where do you want the control?" She went
over and touched a spot, which changed to blue. I said, "Touch it again
to read the instructions and catalog." She did, and shouted, "WOW!" I
said, "Does have that in it. Remember, it won't work if there is
something in the way, and only Seniors and Adepts can use the control.
Got something the one at the Academy doesn't. Illusions of styles like
big one." She chuckled.
She said, "Please excuse me while I make some calls." We grinned.
Minutes later, she said, "Porting service?" 19 seniors appeared. We all
greeted each other well. The Abbot of Shaolin said, "I think you will
have to customize it for each place." I said, "Yes. You have the most
space." He grinned and said, "How fortunate! But we share. All of you
are welcome!" They thanked him. They each touched the control, and said
their wows. I said, "At least you didn't do to me what Hawk did." Grins
and chuckles. One said, "With what he did for that joke, I can't
imagine what he did for this!" I said, "I survived. Did wonder if I
would have to use another body." Chuckles. I said, "Here's a crystal of
the first use of this kind of thing." They passed it around, and had
some good comments for it. I said, "Shall we make the rounds?" We all
ported to the different schools, where we attracted a lot of attention
when they were open at that time. I put the new setup in, configured to
the space. At the first one, I said, "The items are real in them, but
they won't leave the room. When turned of, they are actually destroyed,
and made new each time when turned on. Want something that's not in it,
think that while touching the control, and I'll notice that, and we'll
argue about it." Smiles.
The last stop was Shaolin. I put it in the usual outdoor practice
big unused space. I said, "A little er, not there." He chuckled and
said, "I request a building here, for the full use of your gift." He
said, "Wouldn't that be two gifts?" He said, "Any way you want to think
about it!" Chuckles. I said, "What style?" He said, "Something like
what you see here?" I said, "Material?" He said, "As you prefer." I
said, "Don't be so specific!" Laughter. Then it appeared, and they all
gasped. I said, "Shaped and a little colored like the other buildings
here, but made almost entirely of different kinds of gem crystal, even
the roof tiles. Some of the joins are with interlocking parts, and not
just cement. It will aways stay the right temperature inside, and with
fresh air, and no animal will enter it." One said, "Gems? What are the
inclusions of rutile crystal fibers, for added durability and strength.
Oriented strands, not quite as they are in nature. That gives the
shimmering effect, partially unintended. Walls go deep into the ground,
and are stabilized there." We went inside, and they were more in awe.
The stone floor was all of one piece, and warm. I said, "Light will
always be on. It will clean itself when none are in it. Washing
facilities are all automatic and self contained. Here are the control
stations." The Abbot read the crystals, and couldn't even say wow.
Finally, he said, "This is fantastic! I could not have imagined
anything like this!" They all agreed. He said, "If anything, I thought
you would do something like your father. I very much like being wrong!"
I said, "Well, I'm different, so I do different things." Mom and Hawk
walked in the door. We all bowed to them, which they returned. I said,
"Checking up on me?" Hawk said, "No, congratulating you. Magnificent!"
They wanted to try out the settings and equipment, so we did. It was a
lot of fun, and the Seniors who hadn't seen Mom and Hawk in action,
were amazed. Then Kam ported in, and we all bowed, and she was even
more amazing. After we stopped, I said, "There is more. This door has
stairs. Under the floor are apartments for visiting special guests."
They went down to look, and were amazed. I said to the Seniors, "Don't
be a stranger." Nods.
I said, "Kam, I know that look." She said, "Whatever do you mean?" I
said, "Don't play innocent with me. Have you ever been?" She chuckled,
and said, "Not intentionally." Chuckles. I said, "I'm not going to make
you a new house. Dad's work there is of a piece. I don't want to mess
with his vision." We hugged. I ported the seniors home. We went to the
Abbot's office. He said to me, "People will notice and talk." I said,
"I know that. Noisier than staring, but we can't have everything to our
liking." Chuckles. We looked at Hawk, and he laughed. Abbot said,
"People will ask for more like this, for themselves." I said, "If you
hear it, and would like to disappoint them, you can tell them I won't
do that. At least not outside of religious places. I think. For now."
Grins and nods. I said, "Your people are still looking at it. They keep
going around it, they're going to make a noticeable path." Hawk said,
"A new running track?" I said, "I was thinking something like the
barrier at the Ruby Bridge making." They laughed, knowing that would
cause orgasms.
At home, Mom said, "That really was great. New materials nobody
thought of before, and new applications." I said, "Something new, for
something new. I could, so I did. No big deal. Had to be careful to
avoid ley lines. Didn't want extra power in there trying to blow it
down. No, it's not all 4th protected. That could interfere with some
Adept things. Basement is protected, though. Roof is protected in a
different way, and no I'm not going to tell you more." Hawk said, "You
can use higher spacial dimensions?" I said, "I didn't say that." He
said, "And that's what I didn't hear."
Pokes. Daren said in my mind, the secure way, "I just did it! I'm
sure it's the fifth! I tried the mind extension while in a 4th image.
Please verify." He did it, and said, "Verified. Be careful!" He said,
"I don't plan to do much with it. No need. Nice to know we can, and not
just you, for the future." I said, "Fine."
Galya said, "You can use ALL dimensions at will, can't you. You're
outside of matter, which means outside of space. Time? Oh, you really
CAN see the future!" I said, "As much as one can who is in it, yes.
Anything I'm involved in for longer than a short time, becomes mostly
unreadable. Too many self caused variables." Nods.
I shifted to the gym at the Academy, as Jack. The two students were
already there. Rama said, "We heard about this being given to Senior's
schools." I said, "Seniors are kind of a friendly group. Sharing is
good." Stan said, "You don't have a martial arts school?" I said, "Not
an actual staffed dedicated space outside of this one, no. If I teach
it, it's where the students are. I think you might be a little familiar
with that." Smiles. I took off my coat and tie, and my shoes and sox. I
said to them, "Separate." I touched the wall control, and sensory
deprivation helmets appeared. I handed them to them. I hung the mic
around my neck. I said, "When you put these on, you will not be able to
see or hear, except from my mic, when I turn it on. It won't just send
you my speech, but also a little buzzer will activate when I push this
button, different for each helmet. I will be walking around, expressing
different levels of Ki. Point to me when you can feel where I am, and
you'll hear the buzzer if you're right. Ready?" They put the helmets
on, and adjusted them.
They couldn't sense anything at the beginning, but eventually they
discovered how to do it, and were finding me often. Toward the end of
the session, I was expressing almost no, Ki, and they were sometimes
sensing me. I said in the mic, "Done. Remove the helmets." They did. I
received two crystals in my palm. I said, "Read these. The strength of
my Ki is indicated by color temperature." They did, and said wow. Stan
said, "I didn't know I could do that!" Rama said, "We couldn't, until
we did." I said to him with a smile, "Well said!" Grins. I said,
"Another exercise is added to your practice, but in a different way. Do
it all the time. Imagine as you were doing it before, and make that
constant. More, when you're with other people." Rama said, "I just
tried, and I think I could sense you! Stan, too, a little." Stan
nodded. I said, "Our internal energies, Ki or Chi, are not totally
isolated within us. They react with our environment and other forms of
life. This is a constant dynamic process. We are all exchanging Ki with
each other all the time, and absorbing it from our environment, and
expressing it. Adepts can see this, but others can access this sense
indirectly, as you have. Practicing with this sense, is the first true
step in Senior Master training. Make it a part of you." They had some
wows. Stan said, "Reminds me of Star Wars." Rama nodded, and said, "The
Force." I said, "And where do you think the creator of that got the
idea?" A transparent image of Yoda appeared, and said, "Learn, you
Then we did the forms. Then they sparred with each other. Then they
spared individually with me. I said, "It's official, such as it may
mean here. You are true Masters." We bowed. Stan said, "What do I do
about a belt?" I said, "Pants falling down?" He looked a little odd. I
said, "Up to you. Your own teacher could test you, if you want him to
award that. You would pass. You can't use me as your teacher in public.
Or you could compromise. Wear it with my authorization here, and not,
elsewhere." He said, "I'll think about it." I said, "You know ranks
over sixth are mostly just political." Nods.
I said, "Your strength and coordination now support some techniques
you couldn't do before. Want to try some?" They really did. I showed
them, and described the effects. There were a lot of wows. They tried
them, and did them acceptably. I said, "Room for improvement, which you
know. Now for something different." I used the control, and two
rotating wooden multi armed and legged dummies appeared. I demonstrated
strikes and blocks on one, saying, "If you're not careful, what you do
will make it hit you. Some motivation there." Grins. They tried it, and
there were no grins at all. They got hit. I said, "I think you can see
the reasons for this kind of training." They nodded.
I said, "You know what to be practicing. Your Ki sensing all the
time. Enhanced regular senses. Forms. Mutual teaching. Sparing. New
techniques, and that murderous contraption." Smiles. I said, "Two
months." I gave them more crystals. We bowed, and I shifted out.
Hawk said, "That helmet thing is new. Added to the dojo program?" I
said, "Yes. Note it's padded. Going to do kendo with it next time." He
grinned, and said, "Should be interesting." I said, "We hope!"
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Grant
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