Solomon's Private File #448
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 #448 "Originator Issues"
START Page
I shifted to the office of the leader of an Originator species, and
said, "I'm Solomon. Some of your people are engaging in unauthorized
investigations and experiments. Dangerous things. We need to fix that."
He said, "Do you mean the advanced power project?" I said, "I do." He
said, "We need that!" I said, "God determines what you need, not you."
He said, "Who ARE you?" I said, "I'm Solomon, God's Senior Agent for
all time and spaces. Your stone will confirm that." He said, "Oh!
What's the problem?" I said, "I just told you." He said, "What is the
danger?" I said, "You won't understand that usefully, which makes the
problem worse. For instance, if a person who doesn't understand
electricity, pulls the shielding off of a fusion reactor, can you
really make him understand why he shouldn't turn it on?" He said, "You
are that much in advance of us?" I said, "More. The problem exists.
What are you going to do about it?" He said, "Why hasn't God told us?"
I said, "He knows all. That means he knows psychology. Part of that is
testing people to help them to learn, including me. He's placed me in
authority over all Originators. He obviously wants to see how that
works out." He said, "How do you know this?" I said, "Best way
possible. He told me. After I complained a lot." He tried not to laugh.
I said, "And God shouldn't have to repeat Himself. Your original
instructions were to not do unauthorized experiments. You know that. If
you want to remain in his Service, you don't disobey Him." He said,
"How would we leave his service?" I said, "Your memories of that
service would be removed, along with your psionics, and you would be
set up in a pre-tech agrarian society, as has been done before. In that
situation, you would still have the advancement in your past lives,
that would make you advance faster in your new lives, than a straight
evolved species. There is another option that is much less desirable to
you. If I have to repair this dimension again, you won't be in it. It
will be as if you and your people had never existed. That would require
a lot of revision changes, that I really don't want to have to do." He
was very surprised, and just stared at me for a while.
He said, "Have you done this before?" I said, "In repairing damaged
dimensions, yes, for individuals. In one, the physicist who caused the
damage, now is a musician, in the new reality there. Popular, too.
Going to be different for Originators." He said, "Please tell me who
are doing what needs to be stopped, and where." I said, "Give me your
attention, and I'll point you there." I did, and he almost fainted. He
said, "Such power!" I said, "That was minimal. I offer to transport us
there." He stood, and said, "Please." Then that's where we were.
He said to the surprised people there, "We need to shut down this
department." One said, "Why? We were getting so close!" I said, "So
close to damaging this dimension, and others. Again." One said, "We
changed." I said, "Smart. I let you keep existing. I didn't have to. Do
it again, and it will be as if you never existed." He said, "Worked as
a whole?" I said, "Interdependent, so that's necessary." He said,
that!" I said, "Add time manipulation and management. I rebuilt this
dimension in time too small for you to measure, from another dimension,
while here, it took billions of years." He said, "I can't comprehend
that." I said, "What did you think you were doing here?" He said, "We
were trying to draw power from a higher power dimension." I said,
"Don't do that. These are self contained and balanced systems. You
subtract or add to one, in a significant way, you damage it. Simple.
Don't even try that, until you fully understand dark matter and energy.
But then, you wouldn't need to steal from other dimensions. And do you
think the people there appreciate what you were doing?" He said, "Oh!"
I said, "More polite than they were thinking." That earned me some
strange looks.
I said, "In one situation with others, two dimensions actually fought
with each other. I surprised them a little." Some laughed. One said,
"Are you God?" I said, "Since you are unable to understand God, that
question isn't useful. Consider me God's extension into the multiverse
He created, so He doesn't have to poke into it from the outside, and
disturb things, just as you were doing from one dimension to another.
Yes, He sends you instructions, but for a real conversation, I'm it."
He said, "Then how can you repair dimensions? Don't you have to be in
one?" I said, "I'm in all dimensions. I make and use multiple bodies
only for convenience in communicating with people. Extend your
perceptions, and watch the interface." I swept my hand through a table.
They said, "Wow!" I said, "I hear that a lot." Awed chuckles. I said,
"So, you're going to stop this. Or bad things will happen to you that
you won't ever remember." One said, "We will, but I have to ask what
that could be."
I said, "If I have to rebuild this dimension again, you won't be in
it." He said, "Again? We already did this?" I said, "Yes. You damaged
three others, not just your own. Another option is your species would
be removed from God's service, and you wouldn't remember any of it,
while you were hand planting your next subsistence crops. Another
option is I could place this area in an indefinite stasis bubble. With
you in it. After a thorough spanking. I do have to admit I like
surprising people. Not being able to lie, causes some interesting
you think made me like this?" More grins.
Leader said, "Would it have been easier to not include us when you
repaired it?" I said, "Yes. But you're mostly good people, so I took
the chance you could be, er, corrected. Is this one going to work
better than the last time I was generous? Oh, I know, you have to ask."
I told them about the string drive space ship and the black hole. One
said, "Three times! I think I understand your frustration. I would feel
worse." I said, "We do what we should do. Well, some of us. Just
talking, isn't correcting." They nodded, and went to work, tearing down
their equipment. I said to the stones in it, "Don't let it happen
again, or you will be gone with them." They strongly agreed to prevent
it. I gave all in the room my love, and shifted out.
I shifted to the bridge of an Originator ship, and said, "Don't do
that!" Captain could see I was in advance of them, and said, "Can you
help us?" I said, "Your ship is repaired. I can put you at your
destination in a second, if you wish." He said, "We do wish!" I said,
"Done." He said, "If you couldn't have repaired our ship?" I said, "If
you understand." He laughed, and said, "I understand." I said, "But you
did act incorrectly. You should have destroyed your ship, rather than
have them discover you, in asking them for help. I do NOT want to have
to destroy a contaminated species." He said, "Oh! I think, knowing
that, we would do it." Nods. He said, "Have you actually done that?" I
said, "Not directly, but arranged it, yes. And the Originators with
them. I don't have to like all I'm required to do in God's service. In
being a little selfish, please don't make it worse for me." He nodded,
and said, "We'll do our best." I gave them my love, and shifted out.
I shifted to the Operations Center of an Originator orbiting research
station. I said, "Highest anti-detection shields NOW!" They had to obey
me, and did. The Commander called in, and said, "What happened?" I
said, "I'm Solomon. I ordered the shields. Your comm center started a
conversation with an unknown to them ship. I blocked it, and erased the
memory of that from those in the ship." He said, "I'm on my way. You
will remain for a meeting?" I said, "I will, not the least for how
interesting that's going to be." Some on the room had to smile at that.
I said to them, "All work and no play, causes a very dull existence. I
don't do dull." Grins.
He came into the big room, and said to me, "You must be Solomon. I'm
Rokudo. Please explain the situation in more detail." I said, "An
experimental FTL ship arrived in the vicinity, and broadcast a distress
call. Your comm center answered it. It took a while, but they did hear
it. That's a violation for Originators. You are not to have contact
with evolving intelligent species." He said, "That's correct, but they
may die, and the species will not advance as they could." I said,
"That's also correct. So is the fact that they would be damaged in
knowing you exist, and you would have to abandon this planet and your
work here. Should we trade more correct statements?" He didn't know how
to respond to that, but he noticed the reaction of his people. I said,
"They've had a little more exposure to my odd humor."
He smiled a little, and said, "There still remains the issue of the
ship and its people." I said, "You did it! Another correct statement!"
Smiles. I said, "I'll do one more. Restrictions you have, don't apply
to me. I'm not an Originator." He said, "Oh, you'll help them?" I said,
"Yes. Should I assume you would like to monitor that?" He said,
"Correct!" I said, "I think you were a little too triumphant with
that." He laughed, and so did some others. I said, "I'll be speaking to
them in their own language. You'll hear the translation. They won't
hear you."
I said in the ship, "You in the ship. Are you in need of assistance?"
A voice said, "I'm Captain Munchover, in Experimental Ship 1T5, of
Junder." I said, "Do you think all those words actually mean anything
to me?" He said, "What? Oh. Yes, we are in need of assistance. We're
lost." I said, "Well, I found you. Where were you intending to go?" He
said, "To the star system Kragnuy." I said, "Do you expect me to know
the strange names you assign to things? Do you have any actual charts?
Coordinates to large galactic configurations, with color temperatures
and relative magnitudes?" He said, "I'll let you talk to my navigator."
A new voice said, "I'm Grevt." I said, "Don't you have any designations
that actually mean something?" He said, "Does your name mean
something?" I said, "Yes, It's Solomon. In your language it means lone
man." He said, "Oh!" I said, "So, do you have any star charts?" He
said, "In our computer." I said, "Well, that's nice. I'm not in there
with them. He said it was an experimental ship. Obviously not fully
operational. Does that include the people in it?"
Originators laughed loudly. I said to them, "There's going to be
more." Navigator said, "We didn't expect to encounter anybody." I said,
"Did you think you were the only people in existence? Do you expect
that when you go to a different continent on your world? You're in
space. Did you think it was there just for you? Did you think that
somebody else might occupy where you traveled to, and would very much
like to have visitors who are at least a little more prepared for that
than you obviously are?" Captain said, "I think we've seriously
misjudged this entire situation. I see we WERE seriously unprepared,
and stupid about it." I said, "Don't expect me to disagree with that."
He laughed. I said, "But there's more. Some people you might meet out
here, might not like visitors at all, or be afraid of them, and act
with violence. First contact can be VERY dangerous. Entire species have
been made extinct that way. You need people specially trained in that.
If you want to survive it. One more thing. You need to have a way to
keep other people from finding your world if you don't want them to."
He said, "Oh! I'm military. I should have thought of all that!" I
said, "Space flight is supposed to include the brain, along with the
body. Should we wait for yours to catch up?" He laughed, and so did the
Originators. He said, "You can't help us to return without knowing
where our world is. We would have to help you to find it." I said,
"That would help. You will have to trust me with that. Interesting
situation, isn't it?" He said, "If you hadn't made us see this, we
would have told you." I said, "Nothing is free. There is always a
price, a cost, a consequence. The universe must balance. My price for
helping you is twofold, and interconnected. You had to be educated to
understand the possible real cost of what you're doing, and the final
part of that is in making your decision. Moral risk assessment. I'll
wait while you do that."
I said to Originators, "They're having a conference. Some are
embarrassing themselves." Odd expressions. One said, "Are you God?" I
said, "A simple answer to your question would be incorrect. Ha! One of
you is thinking that some questions aren't worth asking. I like that."
Grins. I said, "All questions are worth asking. By other people."
Chuckles. I said, "So, what questions do you think THEY will ask me?"
One said, "How do you know their language?" I said, "They should, but
most don't think of it in this situation. There's another. How am I
talking to them, and hearing them? It's not their radio. They're going
to speak to me." Captain said, "We'll just have to trust you."
Navigator came on, and gave me the color temp of their sun from space,
and the number of planets and their orbits. I said, "You're lucky you
made it. Don't try this route again. You should NOT go back directly."
I gave them navigation information. I said, "When you complete the
first part, I'll tell you any corrections you need for the last part."
He said, "You'll follow us?" I said, "It doesn't work like that
exactly, with FTL ships. Individual spaces and such. I'll be there
before you. Best you get started soon, before you start thinking too
much." He said, "I think I know that you mean. We've learned a lot." I
said, "More and less than you know. Don't bother with that now. Some
day you will understand. Have a pleasant trip. Farewell."
I said, "They didn't ask." One said, "Will they, at the next
contact?" I said, "They'll want to. I'll have to tell them something."
Commander said, "Have to?" I said, "Yes. I have to tell them that I'm
not of this system, or they'll try to come right back here to find me."
He said, "Oh! You're going to comment about my brain now?" I said, "If
you insist." He laughed, and said, "No, that's alright." I said, "Their
records and memories of this location will be altered, too. They
couldn't find you again if they wanted to, but it's best that they
don't want to try. You can stand down your shield status." He ordered
that. He said, "How did you do that through the shields?" I said, "Very
well, thank you." He said, "You teleported here. Will you have a ship
there for your destination?" I said, "I didn't teleport, and no. More
inconvenient questions?" He grinned, and said, "I think not." I gave
them my love, and faded away. They were very surprised. I didn't hate
that.
I said to the ship at the first stop, "Yes, I'm here. Get ready to
copy the minimal course corrections." Navigator said, "Ready." When we
finished, the Captain came on, and said, "We have some questions." I
said, "I'm sure you do. It's going to be frustrating for you. No, I'm
not from that first system. It's not inhabited, and nothing there is
compatible for your species. No, I can't tell you where I'm from.
Remember, you couldn't tell me where YOU were from, so what I would say
wouldn't mean much to you." He said, "We discovered that. You would
have to know in complete detail each system in the entire galaxy, to
find our system from the information we had." I said, "More than that,
to do it in the time I used." He said, "Oh!" I said, "Even the largest
journey begins with one step. In interstellar space, your first step is
a success. Close, but you didn't fall. Congratulations on your
achievement. I give to you my love." I did that, and they were
completely astounded.
When they recovered, the ratio operator said, "Sir, the radio wasn't
operating while you were talking to him." First Officer said, "You
don't look very surprised." Captain said, "Who knows all, and can do
anything, and loves people?" FO said, "Lone Man! Was he God?" Captain
said, "How can we know for sure? But for myself, I hope so. I like
him!" Smiles and nods.
I said to Daren, "Got an action that has a little humor in it." I
pushed it to him, not including the Originators. He said, "A LITTLE
humor?" I said, "I did say that. I've done a lot of those, but that was
the most unthinking of them." He said, "Going to publish it?" I said,
"No. Too technical, and short." He said, "But people not operational,
and didn't bring their brains, shouldn't be lost!" I said, "In the
archives. We encounter one again, that's one way to handle it." He
said, "That dog leg. For real? I suspect something." I said, "Don't do
that." He laughed, and said, "They ran into an Originator setup!" I
said, "Who told you to be a genius right now?" More laughter. We
hugged.
END Page
--
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant
|
|