Solomon's Private File #445
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 35 in this story, in the Winter of 2061-2062.
Solomon's Private File #445 "Double Star Fleets"
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I said to Conner, after one of his classes with Lolis, "I'm going to
be doing a fleet intercept in this galaxy. Want in?" He grinned, and
said, "Absolutely!" I said, "No big surprise, that." Grins. I pushed
the info at him. He said, "Oh, we split. I'm on it." I shifted to the
flagship of a fleet of military spaceships. I looked like me, and they
were bear-like upright brown furry people. I said, "Please ask your
leader to meet with me. Er, sometimes soon? Are you paralyzed?" One
sounded the alarm, and asked for security. Armed people came rushing
in. One said, "Intruder! You will come with us!" I said, "Why?" He
looked confused, and said, "It's required!" I said, "That's not nearly
enough of a reason for me. Got anything more? Hmm, maybe you should ask
for somebody with more intelligence to help you?" He said, angrily,
"You will come with us, or we'll kill you!" I said, "Killing me really
won't help me to come with you. Try something else?" The bridge
commander tried not to laugh, and said, "Wait, I'm requesting the
Captain come and handle this." Eventually, she came in, and immediately
said to the guards, "Why haven't you secured this intruder?"
I said, "I'd like to know how he explains that, too." Commander tried
hard not to laugh. She stared at me. I said, "Maybe if you give him a
poke, he might say something. After he jumps." She shouted, "Who are
you?" I said, "You don't have to shout. I have very good hearing. My
name here is Solomon." She said, "Here? Do you have other names in
other places?" I said, "I communicate with many different kids of
people, in many different ways. Some don't speak and hear as you do, so
I use names that work in those situations." She said, "How are you on
my ship?" I said, "I desired to be, and so it happened." She said,
"We're in star drive! That's impossible!" I said, "I'm here. So, either
you're insane, or dreaming this. Better for you to change your mind
about what's possible. I hope you don't snore." I said to the
struggling commander, "Thank you for appreciating my humor." He covered
his mouth, and shook with silent laughter.
She said, "I can have you killed." I said, "Now that's actually
impossible. Better you don't test that, because the force you may use,
will have to go somewhere. For example, of you were to strike me with
your hand, you would feel that on you." (Connor said in my mind, "Great
idea! Thanks!" Private grins.) I said, "Instead of asking how I'm here,
shouldn't you be asking why?" She said, "Tell me!" I said, "A little
politeness wouldn't hurt. Lack of it, could." That woke her up a
little. She said, "What could you do?" I said, "Your crew can tell you
I appeared here instantly. From that, you should assume I can leave the
same way. Or make another do that. Choice of destination might include
breathable air." She tried to conceal her fear, and said, "Please tell
me why you are here." I said, "I am here to discuss what will happen to
this fleet. Therefore, I should be talking to the leader of it." She
said, "You will tell me first." I said, "No, I won't. I hope he will be
actually intelligent. Somebody on this ship really needs to be! Besides
me, of course." Commander couldn't hold it in any longer, and laughed
loudly. They all stared at him.
I said to him, "Tell me the reason for my humor." He said, "To show
your intelligence, and your supreme confidence. You know we can't do
anything to you that you don't allow." I said to the Captain, "Now
THERE'S intelligence!" Captain yelled to the Guards, "Kill him!" They
didn't. The leader of them said, "Sir, could you please specify which
person we should kill? Or both?" She pointed to me, and said, "Him, you
fool!" He fired his energy weapon at me. I deflected the beam, and it
hit the deck between the Captain's feet. She jumped high, and there was
the smell of singed fur in the air. I said, "Who knew she was so
athletic?" Chuckles.
I said, "I did tell you that what you try to do to me, would happen
to you. Hmm, do you think I should have told you I'm unable to lie?"
She said, "I don't believe you!" I said, "Yes you do. You haven't
ordered him to shoot me again. We know who the liar is here!" She
stormed out off the bridge. I said, "How did she get to be a Captain?
Somebody's pet? Oh, I was right. Interesting." Commander said, "How did
you know? Can you read minds?" I said, "Those that have something
useful in them, yes. But I don't need to. Good thought. Don't do that."
He almost laughed again. He called the Admiral, and explained the
situation. He came fast, and said, "What's happening here!" I said,
"I'll show you." I played it all back to him as a projection.
He said, "She's my daughter!" I said, "Oh, so that explains it. You
ruined her!" He said, "What do you mean by that!" I said, "You never
let her learn from her mistakes. You protected her from maturing. You
made her into a dangerous fool! Needed somebody like you, for company?"
He was clearly in a rage, but controlling it well. I said, "She's not
fit to even command herself, and the whole fleet knows it. Are you any
better? Show it." He cooled down, and said, "They know?" I said,
"Absolutely. They're not nearly as stupid as you wish they were. They
knew all about it, and about you, too. But I'm here for something else.
You're planning to attack another planet. Why?" He said, "They attacked
our station on another planet!" I said, "That's true. After your people
attacked theirs." He said, "They did NOT!"
I said, "Remember I said I'm unable to lie. I showed you what
happened here. I can show you what happened there. But that's not the
most important thing. What's defending your own world from attack?" He
said, "They're planning to attack our world?" I said, "Long past
planning. So far, here's what's going to happen if nothing changes. You
ruin their world, and they ruin yours at the same time. You both return
to nothing useful, and both of your species become extinct. A good case
can be made that this galaxy would be better off if I did nothing about
that. Interesting, isn't it?" He said, "If I go back, will I be in
time?" I said, "No, not if THEY don't change their plans. One of my
students is with them now, telling them the same things. I DID say it
was interesting." He said, "You have the power to stop this?" I said,
"I have that power, and more, yes."
He said, "I have to believe you?" I said, "That's your choice. I
could help you to believe me, but why should I, if you don't try?"
Commander said, "Sir, may I ask him some questions?" Admiral nodded.
Commander said to me, "You said you could show us what happened on that
outpost world. Have you been on it?" I said, "I have not. Nor have any
of my students." He said, "How would you show us?" I said, "I can see
anything I wish to, and what I can see, I can show you." He said, "That
includes the past?" I said, "It does." He said, "In just this galaxy?"
I said, "No. All creation." He said, "Do you need to look to see these
things?" I said, "No. Didn't I tell you not to think that?" He laughed.
He said, "One more question, please. Your body. You can use others of
different kinds?" I said, "Yes, any kind, and of unlimited number at
the same time. Did you really have to be so intelligent?" He laughed
hard, and so did some others.
Then he said, "There's something I don't understand. You could have
looked like us. Why didn't you?" I grinned, and said, "So you could ask
questions. Being obviously not of you, reduces confusion of who I am,
in these situations." He said, "I believe you can do anything. If I
were you, I would be showing this to our politicians at home. I know
that's impossible, but for you?" I said to the Admiral, "Where did you
find this genius, and how can you stand him always being correct? Isn't
that annoying?" Laugher, even from the Admiral.
I said to the Admiral, "So, what are you going to do?" He said, "If
they turn back, will they be able to protect their world?" I said, "I'm
not going to tell you either way." He said, "Are you showing them
this?" I said, "I'm not going to tell you that, either." Commander
said, "Oh!" We looked at him. He said to me, "May I tell?" I said, "I
think I'd better say yes, or holding that in, might cause you to
explode. Who needs that kind of mess here?" They laughed. He said to
the Admiral, "He's testing us!" I said, "Not exactly. I already know
all who you are. I'm helping you to test yourselves." Admiral said,
"Our people back home, how are they taking this?" I said, "Only the
politicians know, and I don't have to tell you how they are." He tried
not to grin, and said, "They're undecided?" I said, "Oh no! As
individuals, they have all decided do all the impossibly foolish things
their large egos and little intellects can think of, in the middle of
their panic induced incontinence. They won't see your reaction." They
laughed loudly. I said, "Public now. As a group, they're arguing with
each other so much, they're paralyzed. All of them want you to return,
and to attack the other planet at the same time. Ha! Been sitting on
their brains too much. We're private." More laughter.
I said to the Commander, "That one, keep to yourself for a while."
Admiral turned to him, and I said, "Going to test ME?" Admiral said,
"Er, no. I've just formed an opinion. I believe you would not allow us
to attack their world, and you would not allow them to attack ours." I
said, "Just an opinion. You can't know. As an opinion, is it in any way
useful in managing this?" He sighed, and said, "No it isn't. You're
very frustrating." I said, "I hear that a lot." Chuckles. I said,
"Mostly from my best students." He said, "Are we your students?" I
said, "All I teach are my students. If you learn from me, then you
cause that status." He said, "If our President ordered us to return,
would you tell us?" I said, "If she authorized that, yes. Anything she
wants to tell you." He said, "If I said to her that I believe she
should, will you tell her?" I said, "Tell her or not, yourself. She's
watching." He said, "I do think it's best that we don't attack the
other world. Fault is on both sides in the outpost issue. Murdering
millions over this, is too much. We can't stop each other from doing
this, only ourselves. Either way, whatever we do, if they don't stop
their plans, our world is lost. Revenge isn't the way a responsible
people should act."
I projected her image onto the bridge. She said, "Admiral. I agree
with you. You are ordered to return with your fleet." He said, "Yes
Sir! We will comply!" She said, "Commander to new Captain." He said,
"Yes, we'll do that, too. We'd better use his intelligence, before it
uses us." Chuckles." I closed the connection. I said, "We're isolated
now." I made some captain's insignia, and handed them to the Admiral.
He thanked me, and pinned them on the former Commander's harness. New
Captain said to me, "I have to ask, did they change?" I said, "Yes." He
said, "I knew it!" Admiral said, "Do they know we changed?" I said,
"They were told you would, after they changed." Grins. I said, "Your
two fleets have had a common experience that can be used to create a
true friendship. Things happened differently. A point of discussion I
KNOW you want to have." Admiral said, "Absolutely!" I said, "I've been
projecting this to all the ships in the fleet. Now you will all feel my
love." I did the broadcast, and included the other fleet, and did a
healing. Connor couldn't do the all healing himself, so I did. Then I
did the light ball shifting out.
Connor said, "You gave me the easier fleet." I said, "Complaint?" He
said with a big grin, "Not when I can watch you rip the those
politicians! You've GOT to show that!" I said, "Big temptation." We
hugged.
Mario started the show, and said, "I've seen the action. It's with an
attacking fleet, but VERY different from what fleet actions we've seen
before." We played it to just before the Admiral came in. He said, "You
were deliberately playing with them!" I said, "Yes. For people unused
to thinking, that's a useful way to engage their minds without causing
complete rejection. When it works, which is usually when they can't
avoid it." He said, "Oh! I see that now. A good teaching moment. That
Captain sure didn't show well." I said, "Really not fit to command a
war fleet flagship." He said, "You said she was a pet." I said,
"Patronage of privilege was the only thing that could explain it, and
they knew it." He said, "Could that be why they didn't call her
immediately when you showed up?" I said, "Could be that, and the
resulting lack of effectiveness caused by that." We went to break.
I said, "If you're going to comment as if you don't know what's next,
it would be better if you don't say in the beginning that you saw the
whole thing." He said, "I realized that too late! I'm sorry!" I said,
"Doesn't hurt me, just you. A lot of people have given up being
critical of me in these things. That leaves somebody else to pick at.
No, I'm not calling you a scab!" He laughed, and said, "Knowing all!"
Back on air, we played the rest, and then went to break. Back, he
said, "You were using game theory!" I said, "Yes. Put it in the show
links so people can learn about it. It's worth it. Fascinating stuff."
He said, "It is, I agree." I said, "Investigators use it, such as
reporters and the police, to manipulate people into acting against
their own interests. Love that expression." My grin didn't help. I
said, "Smart politicians use it. Stupid ones just use 'huh?'" He
laughed. I said, "Got Hawk." Grins. He said, "How did Hawk take the
roasting of the politicians in this?" I said, "Noisily." Grins. I said,
"I wasn't intending to show this action, but my student in the other
fleet, well, you know what I mean." He said, "We're glad you did. That
student. Somebody we know?" I said, "Unknown to you. He was working in
that galaxy on another job. Convenient. No, I'm not going to show that
duplication of effort."
He said, "So the test was if they would do the right thing, not
knowing if their world would survive." I said, "Yes. It almost came
apart, with that Commander. He accepted me too much." He grinned, and
said, "I saw that. You didn't want them to think you could fix
everything instantly." I said, "Yes. Good that I could tell them it all
worked out. There's a little more that wasn't in the action shown here.
What was it?" He thought a little, and said, "You showed it to them,
the public after the action. You WOULD do that! You even did the whole
thing for them!" I said, "Did you have to be so surprised? Really funny
expression! Do it again?" He laughed. He said, "It was just unexpected.
I don't think you've ever presented it this way before." I said,
"Alright. Excused." Grins.
I said, "Their people learned some useful lessons with this. Care to
tell?" He said, "I'll try. Interstellar issues are very different from
planetary issues, and need to be handled differently. You can't really
protect a world from attack from space. Better to not encourage other
people to do that to you. Another is, blame games cause dead games." I
said, "That's good. I like that one. Real collection of expressions
today." He had to laugh. He said, "And your Golden Rule. The reverse of
that, causes more problems. Do to them, what you didn't like them doing
to you, REALLY won't make it better." I said, "Correct. Old Chinese
saying; Before you go to take revenge, dig TWO graves." He said, "Did
those sayings in their publications?" I said, "I'm SO exposed!" He
laughed. I said, "A little lasting reminder or two, or er, thousands,
shouldn't hurt. Much." He grinned, and said, "That's true. Thank you
for sharing this with us today." I said, "You're welcome. Thank you for
sharing you. Good job."
Off air, he said, "I don't know what to say." I said, "Should I call
for an ambulance?" He chuckled, and said, "I know what you mean." I
said, "Sure I played with them. Did you think it would stop there? You
DO know I try to keep in a theme." He sighed, and said, "You're too
much for me." I said, "Well, that's not new, but partially is, in that
I let you show the world that my lessons are there for EVERYBODY to
see, that they actually CAN see for themselves, just as you did. They
don't really need me to explain them, if they look for themselves." He
said, Parables!" I said, "In the true sense of the word, but not so
obvious, such as my first intended one was." He said, "We know that
one! Bread and fracking." I said, "Pope and Cardinals loved that one.
Some Seminaries are using that to teach how to write them. Better than
the ones in the Bible for that, because it's in modern English, and
relates well to modern times." He said, "Oh. Can we use that?" I said,
"Better you act as if you discovered that yourself, and ask them about
it. They might like the exposure. Here's a list." He said, "Thank you!"
We hugged.
Mom said, "That was one strange show!" Hawk said, "I liked it!" He
was poked. Dawn said, "Who was the other guy?" I said, "Conner. I have
his permission to show his action." I did, and they grinned a lot.
Galya said, "Going to make him popular." I said, "He'll just have to
suffer through that." Big grins, but with love.
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Grant
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