Earth II

> FIRST FTL FLIGHT > SUCCESS!

Colony Established On A New World!

More Colony Ships Planned!

Scientists Advise Against Colonies!

We are disheartened that our young species has seen fit to attempt to colonize this world against our better judgment, but the popular press has once again misunderstood the reason. It is no lack of faith in their ability, if anyone could succeed in this hellish world, they could, but we wished them to wait until the I.F. saw fit to provide a better world. This world was taken from the top of the rejected list. The existing fauna and flora are simply too aggressive for any colony to have a decent chance to succeed.

•••

...

"What's worse, the idiots chose that planet themselves as the least objectionable world on what they were told was the only list of worlds they would ever have a chance at.

"The closed-minded twit who told them that has been removed from office, but the damage is done. If they don't succeed, they will be declared a failure and likely ordered destroyed as a failed experiment. If they do succeed, it will be even worse, as the government has already informed us that they will only be given access to worlds on the reject list. They will never have a chance at the better worlds!"

...

•••

...

"Council members, you are already aware of the science group that created these... these cockroaches... did so in direct contravention of the established protocols for uplift selection, purely for the chance to stick a branch in the eye of the established standards, without the slightest concern that their acts might unleash a plague on the I.F. of unimaginable proportions.

"That fear has now proven true. The study shows that population pressure is the sole motive for FTL travel, and all other population control methods, including the ever-effective death cult, have been rejected.

"They will breed and breed until they use up every resource in the universe."

•••

"Martha, Joseph, you have done well. So well that we have already begun building two more colony ships at both worlds."

"Excuse me, both worlds? I was under the impression that the existing ships were refurbished and sent out."

"Existing ships? What existing ships? Per I.F. colonization protocol, each ship becomes the center of the new colony, regardless of the cargo space that already holds three colony centers obviating the need to disassemble a craft placed in orbit at great expense, and allowing us to select three starting points for colonization making it that much more likely that the colony overall will succeed. Ergo, all FTL-capable colony ships no longer exist, and we must build more. Get me?"

Earth N^(x)

"The I.F. Fleet is on the way, women and children first. One small bag each!"

•••

"Admiral! We colonized only the rejected worlds, why are we being eradicated!?"

"Citizen, your people represent an unauthorized colony even in a rejected world. You are there illegally."

"We were told that the rejected list was open to colonization without prior approval!"

"And that was the law five hundred years ago, the law has changed, and all restricted world colonies must be eradicated."

"Please! We do not have the shipping to remove all of our people from this world!"

"That is the second reason. You have lied about the number and type of colonization vessels, breaking the rules in an unsafe and illegal manner, causing untold death and suffering. That must end. All of your colonization vessels are declared slavers, and will be destroyed on sight."

"So. It's come to this then. The grand I.F. Fleet has become a bloody handed murderer of defenseless civilians who it should protect rather than destroy. Congratulations Admiral Pirate! You are all declared outlaws! Come at us if you dare! We will fight you with our bare hands if we must, but fight to survive we understand all too well. I had thought better of you Admiral, having come from one of the worst colonization disasters ever, that you at least would see what we have accomplished rather than blindly follow orders issued out of unwarranted fear for unwise reasons to commit GENOCIDE."

((continued))

We were born in the Intergalactic Federation. Nurtured along by the scientists who created us from what everyone else considered the least feasible line of sentience. We were thin-skinned (never mind that it healed rapidly), weak-boned (the same, and yet easily able to grow to support nearly any weight), overly aggressive (when you don't have armor for skin, an uncompromising attack is the only choice in many situations), and worst of all, we bred like bacteria (fast that is, not by cellular division. No one had heard of rabbits yet.)

Having proved their point, the scientists announced us to the I.F., arranged for us to have our own world, patted us on the head, and went to accept their new prestigious positions, awards, and careers.

We didn't waste any time either and got busy doing what we were made to do. Survive anything and breed.

Earth I

"Eve? I think we have a problem."

"Adam, we most certainly do! Give us a thousand years and we will have filled this planet several times over. We need more room."

"That is one solution. There are others, like population control."

"We are not going to have a death cult!"

"Eve? Did I even say that? No, I did not. Our scientists think we might be able to fool the body with hormone therapy. The surgeons are certain we can make men infertile without disturbing their hormone balance and are reasonably certain they can do it for women too."

"No man will agree to snip snip."

"Eve, we've had ten children. I've had mine snipped."

"You... You did it without asking me?"

"I felt I had to be the first. Leading the way for our people. I also knew you had said you didn't want more children."

"I see. I can hardly do less, then, can I?"

"Eve, part of the reason I did not ask was that I wanted your choice to be yours. It's your body, I have no right to tell you what to do with it."

"Logical, and I appreciate it, but I am also a leader and must make a good example."

> Adam & Eve Say > No More Children!

How can she possibly do that!? I'm sure Adam forced her to do it! He won't ever get snipped!

How could he let her talk him into that? I don't know, but I'm not following either of them anymore!

"As we clearly stated in the original announcement, each of us made our choices independent of the other. We had already decided that we had enough children, but neither of us had any right to tell the other how to treat their body..."

Doctor Spock stated, "With the method used in both, there is no change in the hormone balance. Each will remain who and what they are..."

Economist Buffet explained that "at the present growth rate we will fill this planet in less than 100 years. Every year after that, we will experience a reduction in the quality of life planet-wide. The prudent thing to do is reduce the population growth to buy time for our scientists to develop our FTL Drive." It is well known that our revered creators do not favor allowing us access to FTL travel.

...

((continued))

Thank you!

Thank You!

TREASON TRIAL OF LUNAR HOSPITAL DIRECTOR

"With all due respect to the government, Your Honor, and with nothing but respect for the law, this court, and your office, there is no basis for a trial of treason. Treason is the betrayal of the country to a foreign power. There is no foreign power involved. Therefore there can be no treason."

"Your Honor, the defense is clearly ignoring the breach of a security council directive."

"Objection, Your Honor. The directive mentioned specific data and said nothing about the dissemination of information regarding healing individuals who suffer from a condition that we now know is not a disease, but an invitation to explore the universe."

"And thereby committed treason by sending untrained and uncleared individuals into the void to meet only god knows what fate, spreading information that the security council long ago decided should be kept secret for the safety of the human race."

"Since every explorer who has returned clearly stated that there were no other lifeforms, again, there can be no treason. Your Honor, the facts of the matter here are that the Security Council fears the loss of their personal power and nothing else. They seek to bend the legal system to shut the mouths of anyone who dissents from the government. This is not a proper use of the legal system in our humble opinion, and we ask the court to summarily dismiss all charges."

The judge bangs his gavel, "If you two will allow a poor country judge to get a word in edgewise...?" A glare bathes both of the lawyers, "Some people will say that I should recuse myself because I am the grandfather of James Skywalker. I say that's bullshit. James has spoken to me of what he has discovered, across all the galaxies that he and Frank Goreman have explored. To the best of his knowledge, we are the sole intelligent lifeform other than the Abyss, as he puts it, and the Abyss only wishes to share the glorious views of the universe that it has created. You might as well say that the Abyss is god, and we are being invited to join the party."

"Objection, Your Honor. You should recuse yourself. You have been unduly influenced by a pair of unbalanced minds that should never have been permitted to leave Lunar Hospital under any circumstances, a case which is already being tried under a different court."

"Overruled, you deliberately moved that court case out of this circuit to avoid having me on the panel. In any case, I have it on good authority that your case in that court is just as weak and sloppy as your case in this court. All charges are summarily dismissed, and the Government is reminded that it is not above the law, so any further cases filed on this matter, no matter how styled, in this or any other circuit, are considered automatically frivolous and will result in contempt of court charges of thirty days for each charge and ninety days for each case, to run consecutively and applied to every member of the prosecution. This court is adjourned!" Banging the gavel sharply.

((finis))

The Skywalker/Goreman Incident

"Hello, Frank."

"Hello, James," sigh, "you certainly succeeded in one thing, James."

"And what would that be, Frank?"

"You've single-handedly shut down all FTL flight for the foreseeable future."

James laughs, "So! They issued that idiot directive? Well, Frank, it's even better that you've come to Lunar Hospital to see me, we're going to go on the surface and try an experiment."

"Is the staff in agreement?" Frank is both concerned and amused.

"Entirely. You look beat to pieces, if this works, you'll look like a million dollars."

"So what are we going to do?"

"Put on our lunar suits and go for a walk on the darkside. Beyond that, we'll see."

...

"James?"

"Yes, Frank?"

"It's awfully dark out there, isn't it."

"Yes. But it's a great place to go and live too."

"What do you mean?"

"Stare into the dark, think how much you want to go exploring, see the other stars, see other worlds, go where no one else has gone before."

"Like the old T.V. show?"

"Maybe. But maybe space will be more welcoming than it was in the show. Let's just sit and meditate on how much we want to go see the universe."

...

"James? She wants us to come join her."

"Yes, Frank, she does."

"How can we do that? We don't have a ship."

"We don't need a ship anymore, Frank. Watch me."

...

"James, how did you do that?"

"I wanted to fly, so I thought of the Falcon Wings and imagined they were there."

"And it worked?"

"Did you see me lift off and go flying? Are you still hearing me but through the Falcon Network?"

"Yes, and yes."

"Then it worked. I believe you can do this Frank. I believe that the abyss, that gloriously illuminated void between the stars, wishes to share what it sees with everyone who yearns to see it." James appears before Frank. "Take my hand, Frank. Let's go see what the abyss has to show us." Frank takes James' hand, and Falcon Wings appear.

"So that's how you do it." With wonder in his voice, "Race you to Andromeda, James!"

((continued))

"Surgeon, Director, Report!"

"Director, while I will agree that James is somewhat euphoric, the records he transmitted clearly show the path from Sol to the Core and back. The velocity indicator is either broken or there's something fundamental about interstellar flight that we do not understand. My strongest recommendation is to allow James to continue his flight, while he returns to Earth frequently to share the data he recovers. It is not in the best interests of humanity, this project, or James, to curtail a flight so successful that is returning so much valuable data. Let the man fly!"

"Surgeon, you know the rules. He has to come back. He has to go through an evaluation. The board has to rule on his fitness to continue flying. Right now, he's euphoric, rebellious, and determined to continue flying no matter what. That's not going to go well with the board regardless of the data he's returning."

Return to that cold dead space called Earth? No! I cannot do that! Only, the abyss hugs me warmly, and shows me how I can rejoin it in flight anytime I wish. I cannot be held.

"Director? I'll return, for a time, but I will fly free again, and no man may deny me."

FALCON THREE FLIGHT REPORT SUMMARY

THE FALCON PROJECT MUST CONTINUE AS IT HAS PROVIDED INVALUABLE DATA TO HUMANITY. PILOT JAMES SKYWALKER HAS SUFFERED AN EMOTIONAL TRAUMA MAKING HIM UNFIT FOR CONTINUED FLIGHT. HIS DECLARATION THAT HE WILL FLY AGAIN REGARDLESS OF ANY RULING IS SUFFICIENT TO GROUND HIM FOR LIFE AS MENTALLY UNFIT TO ENTRUST WITH ANY MISSION. SURGEON AND ENVIRONMENTAL ARE DIRECTED TO EXAMINE THE RECORDS OF THE FLIGHT AND DEVELOP SHIELDING AGAINST WHATEVER EFFECT HAS SO DAMAGED A GREAT PILOT AND HUMAN BEING. WE WILL REMEMBER JAMES SKYWALKER'S FLIGHT WITH REVERENCE, AND WITH CARE FOR THE HEALTH OF FUTURE PILOTS. JAMES SKYWALKER IS REMANDED TO THE LUNAR HOSPITAL FOR EXTENDED CARE AS HIS PHYSICAL STATE IS PROFOUNDLY UNHEALTH WITHIN THE ONE GRAVITY FIELD OF EARTH. IT IS HOPED THAT WITH CONTINUED CARE AND TREATMENT HE WILL RETURN TO NORMAL SOCIETY. FALCON PROJECT WILL CONTINUE, IN JAMES SKYWALKERS' NAME.

LONG LIVE PROJECT SKYWALKER.

LUNAR HOSPITAL REPORT ON JAMES SKYWALKER

JAMES SKYWALKER'S APPEARANCE WHEN HE RETURNED TO LUNAR HOSPITAL FROM HIS SOJOURN ON EARTH WAS A TERRIBLE SHOCK TO THE ENTIRE STAFF. WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT HE WAS SUBJECTED TO ON EARTH, BUT IT VERY NEARLY KILLED HIM. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL WE PERMIT JAMES SKYWALKER TO RETURN TO EARTH FOR ANY REASON. HIS OBVIOUS JOY AT BEING BACK IN SPACE WAS LIMITED SOMEWHAT BY THE UNDERSTANDING THAT HE WAS NOT TO PILOT AGAIN, BUT HE REMAINED IN GOOD SPIRITS SAYING, "LET ME SEE THE DEEP BLACK OF THE ABYSS AGAIN, AND NOTHING CAN STOP ME." WE DEEM IT REASONABLE TO ALLOW HIM TO ACCESS THE SURFACE IN A LUNAR SUIT IF FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN TO ALLOW HIM TO SEE FOR HIMSELF THAT HE CANNOT FLY BETWEEN THE STARS WITHOUT A SHIP. IT MAY DISAPPOINT HIM, BUT IT IS THE SUREST WAY TO GET HIM TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT HE BELIEVES IS AN ILLUSION.

LUNAR HOSPITAL SECURITY REPORT ON JAMES SKYWALKER DISAPPEARANCE

THIS REPORT IS UTTERLY FACTUAL. ANY CLAIMS TO THE CONTRARY WILL BE SUMMARILY IGNORED.

JAMES SKYWALKER, WITH THE AGREEMENT OF THE LUNAR HOSPITAL STAFF, WAS PERMITTED TO DON A LUNAR SURFACE SUIT AND EXIT THE HABITAT ON THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON. THIS IS A COMMON TASK PERFORMED EVERY DAY BY STAFF OF THE SKYWALKER PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK AS THEY PERFORM MAINTENANCE ON THE NETWORK EQUIPMENT. THERE IS NO WAY FOR ANYONE TO DEPART THE LUNAR SURFACE AT ANY VELOCITY WITHOUT AN IMMEDIATE RETURN (IN SECONDS) WITH ONLY THE RESOURCES OF A LUNAR SURFACE SUIT.

LUNAR SURFACE SUITS ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH FALCON/SKYWALKER PROJECT COMMUNICATORS.

LUNAR SURFACE SUITS ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH FALCON/SKYWALKER DRIVES.

LUNAR SURFACE SUITS ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH LIFE SUPPORT GOOD FOR MORE THAN EIGHT HOURS NOMINAL, WITH UP TO FOUR HOURS IN THE EMERGENCY RESERVE PER EMERGENCY SURVIVAL PROTOCOL.

JAMES SKYWALKER'S SUIT WAS CLEARLY SEEN BY THE SECURITY TEAM ESCORTING HIM, AND AS SHOWN IN THE RECORDINGS ATTACHED, TO EXTEND SKYWALKER DRIVE WINGS ONE HOUR INTO HIS PLANNED TWO-HOUR EXCURSION. THIS FACT IS UNDENIABLE.

JAMES SKYWALKER'S VOICE CAME UP OVER THE SKYWALKER COMMUNICATIONS LINK AT THE SAME TIME, AS PROVEN BY THE RECORDINGS ATTACHED, AND REMAINED ACTIVE FOR A TOTAL OF FOURTY-EIGHT HOURS, RETURNING DATA ON A CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE MILKYWAY GALAXY AT AN AVERAGE CONSTANT DISTANCE FROM THE CORE ALONG THE ARBITRARY GALACTIC EQUATOR EQUAL TO THE DISTANCE FROM SOL TO THE ARBITRARY GALACTIC CORE.

A COMPARISON OF THE DATA RECEIVED MATCHES THE KNOWN PLANETARY DATA RETRIEVED OVER THE LAST FIFTY YEARS, PROVING THAT THE DATA IS NOT FAKED.

SKYWALKER VOLUNTARILY RETURNED TO THE SURFACE, WITH SUCH A REJUVENATED APPEARANCE THAT THE HOSPITAL STAFF HAVE STATED HE MAY TAKE OUT A LUNAR SURFACE SUIT ANY TIME HE WISHES, WITH THE PROVISO THAT IT BE EQUIPPED WITH ADDITIONAL BIOLOGICAL SENSORS TO RECORD WHAT HAPENS WHEN HE GOES FASTER THAN LIGHT.

EARTH SECURITY COUNCIL DIRECTIVE #1945667

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL ANY FURTHER FTL FLIGHTS BE ATTEMPTED FOR ANY REASON. FTL FLIGHT HAS SHOWN A DISTURBING TENDENCY TO GENERATE ABBERANT BEHAVIOR IN THE PILOTS WHO HAVE ATTEMPTED IT. ALL DATA RECOVERED FROM SUCH FLIGHTS IS TO BE PURGED FROM ALL PUBLIC RECORDS.

((continued))

I stand upon the very edge of one of the greatest precipices mankind has ever scaled.

"Fa.... T.... .. ... ...d." Falcon Three, do you read?

The signal is broken and distorted, the only reason I know what it says is familiarity with what should be heard at this time. I wish ACOM would be silent. It's far too early for clear communications. Besides, I'm busy staring into the abyss that starts at this precipice. Still, I understand their concern. If this works, mankind will have taken the biggest step into a new world that we have ever taken. The abyss is beautiful.

"Fa..on Th... do ... ...d." Falcon Three, do you read?

Still too broken; no point in responding now; they wouldn't hear me any better than I can hear them. The noise from the drive charging is still too great. It's nearly reached full charge, and when it does, the signal will be 99.999% clear. Gods, the depth of view into the abyss is incredible. I can actually see the distances to the stars, plot a course among them, and allow for proper motion, so I don't plow into any of them. The colors of the stars are clear and sharp; they counterpoint the beautiful, clean, empty abyss that separates us from the other stars.

"Falc.. ...ee do you ...d." Falcon Three, do you read?

Almost clear enough to respond. Please, James, give it a rest. I want to enjoy these few moments before I dive into the abyss and swoop freely between the stars at velocities that make the speed of light seem like a toddler's first few steps. The abyss seems as eager to greet me as I am to dive into it.

"Falcon Three, do you read?"

I'm tempted to let James hang. He's interrupted my contemplation too many times. Still, the signal is clear and understandable.

"ACOM, this is Falcon Three. How do you read?"

"Five By Five, Falcon Three! Good of you to get around to responding, Frank."

James' joy at hearing my voice is almost embarrassing. The slight bite in the following comment is understandable but misdirected.

"ACOM, Mission Schedule clearly indicates no ACOM during drive charging, so why are you surprised that it took me this long to respond? Charging started on schedule and just finished moments ago. The telemetry was good, wasn't it?"

I drag my attention away from the abyss. There are procedures to follow before I can fly free. I start the checklists. The chatter between ACOM and myself becomes crisp and professional. The checklists roll off one after the other without a hitch, and I am elated.

"Falcon Three. Frank, are you clear?"

"ACOM. James, I am clear. I am clearly ready to GET ON MY WAY! FALCON IS GO!"

"Falcon Three, we read you five by five; ACOM is GO! All Stations! Report ready on your channel!"

Waiting for the stations to respond is delicious torture. There's no reason for anyone to call "hold" or, worse, "abort," but you never know until the litany is done.

"Network is Go!" Good, no glitches with the communications network.

"Guidance is Go!" The in-system beacons are all responding as expected; I won't hit anything on my way out or back in.

"Engineering is Go!" I knew that already. The telltales on board would give warning long before they did, but then again, it's a new technology, so having the wizards who dreamed it up checking for anything out of nominal is good for my nerves.

"Environment is Go!" Same for the environmental systems. It wouldn't do to run out of oxygen on my maiden flight.

"Surgeon is Go!" That's the one that worried me. I can tell my heart rate is way higher than normal. I'm so ready for this that the surgeon could have yanked me for being too ready.

"Acom is GO!" James is paying attention to the detailed list of stations and checking them off. No low-level issues are being ignored, or he would have called for clarification.

"Commander is Go!" My god, am I ever ready to go! The abyss looks warm and inviting after all this training.

"Procedures is Go!" Nit-picking a specialty, he must be feeling the pressure to go as well, or he would have found something to complain about.

"Director is Go!" Thank god, the final voice agrees.

"ACOM, Spreading the wings!" The ship spreads its wings, but it feels like they're my wings. I can feel them bite into the fabric of space. Leibnitz may have been more right than we knew, but he still didn't have the last word.

"Wing Lock! See you around the redshift, James! LAUNCH!"

I am poised with perfect confidence over the abyss, that void of deep darkness that so many have described as cold and making one feel insignificant. Yet for me, the abyss is warm, my natural habitat, and I feel like a swallow as I swoop and swirl between the stars. The Abyss reaches out and hugs me close, and I am free of all the earthly bonds save one.

"Acom? James? You have got to get out here with me. The abyss hugs you close, and you cannot fall no matter what you do."

Silence is my only response.

"ACOM, do you read?"

Reluctantly, I turn back from my flight and make for home, but my home is properly in the abyss now. They will clip my wings and ground me for deviating from the flight plan. I have to tell them it's okay. The abyss loves all who come to share the view.

"ACOM, do you read?"

I curve between the stars, looking for that one yellow star with a blue-white planet. There it is!

"ACOM, do you read?"

"Falcon Three! Read you five by five! What happened?!?"

"ACOM, the drive works better than anyone thought! Transmitting black box recorders!"

The data sings through the tiny sliver of the void that separates me from my former home, and I can hear James exclaiming with delight and fear at the tremendous velocities I reached.

"ACOM, there is no need for fear. The abyss loves company. It wants to share the view with us! Get in your ship and come with me!"

"Falcon Three. This is the director. You will return to Earth Station immediately."

His voice is dead and cold; he is not a pilot and cannot tolerate zero gravity.

"What for, Director? So you can clip my wings and make me stay on the ground? No. I will explore the galaxy and maybe the universe as well. Look at the data! I have been to the core and come back in minutes!"

"Frank, please! You're delusional. The flight record shows that you have not exceeded the speed of light."

"No, Director. I have seen the stars fly past so fast that I felt like a sparrow dodging raindrops. Check the stellar data. We have clear views and records of all the stars from here to the core and back! James! Tell him!"

"Director, ACOM here. The scientists are going crazy with joy over the data we've received. We have real-time records of the flight. I do not give a good goddamn what the velocity indicator says since I can SEE the data from the core with my own eyes right now! You ask Surgeon!"

((continued))

No... The entity did not understand how humans can knee-jerk react to some things rather than think them through. Gilgamesh did not understand how the entity worked to enhance his intellect. Between them, they inadvertently triggered an autoimmune response that destroyed the majority of the brain.

"Come on! We had a bargain! I kept my end and then some!"

"Yes, you did. But neither of us knew to include the benefits of notoriety in the bargain. I just want a bit of credit where credit is due."

"Then you haven't been experiencing my nightmares, have you."

The intelligence in my head paused. "No. That's too raw for me to interface with."

"I think I understand. You have emotions, but they are subject to your intellect. Even at what I would call the subconscious level."

"I can sort of see what you are getting at. But it's still too raw."

"Alright, this analogy might help you. The human brain is not a monolith. Beyond even the right/left division, we are a stack of brains, each more evolved than the one before.

"At the bottom is the lizard brain. Use my knowledge to build a model of the lizard brain you can observe."

"Done. That... That is brutal. The emotions are so strong that the model is overloaded."

"Right. That is the most primitive part of our brain; its primary function is survival. Now, layer the structures specific to a dog on top of the lizard model."

"Done, and what a difference! I can relate to it now."

"Yes, we get along pretty well with dogs. Now add the monkey on top of that."

"Eh... Done? We must stop experimenting on them; I had no idea they were that close to sentience... maybe even sapient."

"I had my suspicions, which is why we don't use them in our lab. Now add the few differences that humans have."

"I get along with this model best."

"Okay. Here is where it's going to get ugly. Tell the model that you are a parasite and want to enhance its brain in exchange for sustenance."

Six Months Later

"Gentlemen, I am sorry to inform you that Doctor Gilgamesh will never recover."

"What happened?"

"It seems that he had a benign brain tumor all this time. Something triggered an autoimmune response to the tumor and destroyed all but the... Well, all but the lizard part of his brain."

((finis))

Beautiful! Brought a smile to my face.

Space Raiders of the Lost Extraterrestrial Shark

A perennial problem of mine that takes multiple passes to fix, if I don't end up making it worse.

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Precisely why George was pushing Arshis to form a non-human centric military to prevent a purely human military from dominating the galaxy. Arshis was not comfortable with that idea, because it could turn into a disaster. Of course, colonial era would be a disaster for everyone else.

Extrasolar Exploration Agency

"Your Majesty! This is an honor!"

"Please, Director, my name is Arshis, and you are George. My Prime Minister has related your problem to us, and I believe we may actually have a solution."

"I am at your immediate disposal."

"The case your press brief stated, is it as dire as portrayed?"

"If not more so, I did not wish to completely kill any hope of interstellar travel and knowing that every society contacted is in such dire straights is hardly conducive to inspiring people to go to the stars."

"What do you know of our history?"

"Only that you are an island nation, that through the royal family's foresight, the Tongan culture continued to exist until the seas retreated sufficiently for you to retake the islands. Which I understand have grown quite a bit since your people first had to emigrate."

"As I suspected, you do not know what we did while the world's excesses exiled us. We became doctors, George. Doctors, engineers, researchers, whatever would help humanity, there you would find the Tongan people. We depended heavily on charity during that time, the kindness of strangers who first paid for us to learn to help, then paid to help us help others who did not foresee the changes that would come upon us or have the means to escape those changes. The country that helped us the most became our greatest challenge in the most ironic change of affairs. Since that time, we have once again been relegated to the backwaters. We returned to our island and made it a hospital for the world; now, we have no patients for it. Once again, we face poverty. Either that, or we prostitute our richest resource, our people, to commercial interests. We are reluctant to do this. We propose, instead, to inspire the rest of the globe to once again stretch forth the hand of kindness — to the stars, George."

United Earth Assembly

"We, the Tongan People, who received aid when we needed it most, and who have aided so many who needed aid without expectation of repayment, now call upon that same generosity once again. Not for us. Not for humanity. We propose to reinvigorate the charitable institutions that once served this planet so well. The Tongan people stand ready to take up the challenge we took upon ourselves when we were exiled. To carry the ideals of humanity to the stars. We seek to provide independent, impartial medical humanitarian assistance to the stars, whom we have all heard are in desperate need of that aid.

"In so doing, we hope to find friends, create bonds that will stand the test of time, expand humanity's ideals to the entire galaxy, and bring forth a grand society based on service, not conquest.

"We invite every charitable organization to send representatives to Tonga; to discuss the revitalization of all these organizations and redirection of their goals to a more inclusive state. We invite the world to come to Tonga and see what we built with the knowledge you gifted us."

Tonga International Hospital

"Well, George?"

"Arshis? It's... magnificent!"

"Do you think it will inspire the people of earth?"

"It certainly will. Whether it will loosen their purse strings is another question."

"I'm sure that Captain Marks of the Infinity will go beyond the call of duty to get us the film we need. I'm also sure that the Tongan doctors we sent along with him will find more than enough charitable cases to tear at the heartstrings of those with the money to spare."

"How cynical. Are you still the Arshis that I met last year?"

"Yes. I am. Although I'm afraid I've been soured a bit on humanity as represented by our many governments."

"Then perhaps I can sweeten your disposition by explaining how you can get those governments to help. If you think back to the 20th century, there was a great deal of competition among governments to provide medical services in disasters. They did so using the hospital facilities of their military, particularly hospital ships."

"You would have us reinvigorate the military?"

"Your Majesty, they're going to do that anyway. We are going out to the stars. We are going to bring those civilizations out of the slums. At least one of them is going to get feisty. It will happen. I know it, and they know it. Of Course, they are going to reinvigorate their military. Let's get them to do it under the banner of humanitarian aid. Let's convince them that making a military dedicated to preserving life and culture is better than one designed only to destroy."

"A military... dedicated to peace?"

"If you would have peace, prepare for war."

"If you prepare for war, a war will find you."

"Your Majesty, every warrior knows that they will be on the sharp end. The problem with keeping a capable military from drawing a war is keeping the civilian government from reaching for the military as a brutal club to hammer an opponent they cannot reach diplomatically."

"And you think we can do this?"

"I think people who have become the doctors to the galaxy can convince those people to join with the doctors to present a unified front against aggression for profit."

"That... has a distinctly unsavory smell."

"Arshis, which would you prefer? A military from Earth enforcing human rules on all other species, or a universal military enforcing galactically accepted standards by providing humanitarian aid where needed and protecting those providing that aid from aggressors?"

"I must think on this."

"Do not think too long, Arshis. The drums are already beating."

((finis))

Mission Control: Extrasolar Exploration Agency

Radio: "Infinity, this is Mission Control. Do you read?"

Director Benson explains to the honored guest, "They're due back about this time, so we've been calling every hour just to make sure they know we're still here, and nothing too weird has happened."

"You're joking!" The Prime Minister of Tonga is shocked at the suggestion.

"Not at all. There was a very low probability that the drive would put them into an alternative universe. Or worse, from our perspective, the time contraction would result in them arriving back a thousand years later or earlier! I'll grant you, the probabilities were practically zero, but they did exist in a mathematical sense."

Much calmer now, the Prime Minister continues. "I see. And how do we know that none of those mathematically zero options have happened?"

"Cherenvok radiation. We've seen the receding cone of radiation that their FTL passage creates. They're here, but their sublight drive will take time to bring them into our range of their transmitters."

Radio: "Infinity, this is Mission Control. Do you read?"

Radio: "Mission Control, this is Infinity. We read you."

"Director Benson? He sounds... sad. Very sad."

"Yes, he does. Please, Prime Minister, do not speak of this until we make an official notice."

"Agreed. Director? If there is anything that Tonga can do for your project or whatever issue Infinity has discovered, please bring it to my personal attention."

Surprised, Directory Benson responds, "Certainly, and I thank you. Support for interstellar exploration has dropped off. We had hoped for exciting news from Infinity, but now... Honestly, to me, he sounds like a man facing execution."

ESS Infinity And Beyond

"I have no idea how they're going to take this, but I can't expect it to be good for the program."

"I understand, Sir. Still, we have proof that there is life beyond our own."

"Yes, we do. Life that is in such desperate need that none of them have a pot to piss in when it comes to anything but survival. There's no chance for trade, and we are so far ahead of all of them in the sciences that there's no chance for the exchange of knowledge. The best we can hope for is resources, but they have no materials that we do not have."

"True. But it's even worse. They have not surveyed their systems; we would have to expend a great deal of time and effort to gather the information necessary to determine what resources they have. It will be far less expensive and difficult for us to explore our own system or find uninhabited systems to exploit."

"It'll be the end of the extrasolar program. I'm terribly sorry, Captain. I know how much this program means to you. To all of us. There must be something we can do!"

"Well, Doctor, if you have an idea, I would be delighted to hear about it."

Tongan Prime Minister's Office

Mr. Prime Minister,

You were kind enough to offer your aid. I do not know what you could possibly do to relieve this situation, but if you have any ideas, I would greatly appreciate hearing them. This brief will be released within the next 48 hours. I cannot delay it longer than that and may have to release it sooner.

In Great Hope, But Little Expectation,

Director G. Benson

Extrasolar Exploration Agency News Brief

Proof Copy

Not For Distribution

...

With the greatest of sadness, we inform you that although the rumors of life in the universe other than our own are true, life is in such dire straights that there is no possibility of meaningful discourse or commerce of any sort. Instead of going forth and finding grand civilizations and new challenges, we find disruption, disease, poverty, death, and all the ills that we have struggled against for so long.

It is ironic. We finally solve all those issues for ourselves and go forth to find the same issues awaiting us among the stars.

...

"Prime Minister, what is it that holds your attention in Our presence?"

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. You know that the Infinity And Beyond has returned, yes?"

"Yes, although I see little use to us in that grand venture."

"Perhaps not, and yet, there may be something we can do for them that would, in the end, repay our kindness a thousand times over, Your Majesty."

"Continue, Prime Minister."

((continued))

Catalog #32

Lux Orb

Appearance: a small sphere of perfect quartz crystal.

Function: (1) Tossed gently upward, the orb will ignite brilliant white light, hovering at the best position to provide the light desired by the user. (2) Hurled at an opponent, the orb will flash blind all who look at it when it is within three cubits of the foe.

Notes: In the latter use, if the foe manages to avoid blindness, the orb will circle them until either recalled by a thought or successfully blinding the target. We have not attempted its use against groups of opponents, but we fear this is not long from happening. Word of our fortune has spread far faster and broader than we would ever have wished.

Catalog #924

Miniature Ark of the Covenant

Appearance: As described, but of a size to fit within the palm of the average person's hand.

Function: We decline to experiment.

Note: Taking inspiration from an author, we have placed this item on a pedestal adjacent to the only door into the storeroom. A sufficiently aware individual there to seek things of power may be incautious enough to open it. What happens then is, at this time, anyone's guess.

Catalog #82

Ornate Silver Trumpet

Description: As a common trumpet, but made of silver, ornately engraved, inlaid, and begemmed in nature scenes in all the glory and majesty that nature can inspire.

Function: The music you play affects the natural world for good or ill. The trumpet reflects the last usage in the illustrations.

Notes: There is a classical piece of music that never fails to inspire the listener to conceive a beautiful dawn before a glorious day. I played that song to the benefit of a friend being married that day when the forecast was for foul weather.

The marriage and reception, both outdoors, went off without a hitch. I spent the subsequent week traveling in a constant soaking downpour to avoid flooding any one place. Thank the gods of your choice that trains are seldom disturbed by weather.

Finding myself drawn to the thought of what would happen if you played "Night on Bald Mountain," I have asked my husband to hide the trumpet from me.

Private Diary

My wife requested that I hide the trumpet from her, and I agree that it is for the best. I have cured my own curiosity in doing so by opening the Ark — with my eyes firmly closed — and placing the trumpet inside of it.

The interior is filled with items.

I shall not share this information with my wife. I only write it here against the failure of memory, or my untimely death.

These diaries are the most secure form of storage I can imagine. Only I can open it on my entries, just as my wife can only open it on hers. We know others have used it, because there is a list of authors that can be called up. I cannot see my wife's name, and she cannot see mine. Yet there are names we have verified the existence of who are deceased. The most terrifying is the first entry, which is a blur. We believe the first user is still alive—the second user dates to the early Egyptian period.

Continuing my thoughts, one could imagine a spell book with key words left out, like names. When the occasion arises, you select an appropriate spell from the book, fill in the key words, and erase the portion you want to happen. A combined blessing and curse with the name omitted. Imagine a thief who steals the book and writes in the name of a hated enemy. They erase the blessing, thinking the curse will happen. Imagine the chagrin. Or the reverse and a loved one falls to a terrible curse—the horror at realizing what they have done.

As an author — unpublished, as yet — the thought of a writing implement with a twist came to mind first. Many have written of pens or books with which the written word becomes true, but I don't think anyone has gone this way. What you write and erase becomes true; only what you leave on the paper remains unreal.

We bought this storage, and selling some of the everyday items has already paid us back nicely—only the uncommon remain.

Catalog #274

The Editor

Appearance: A standard #2 pencil with an eraser. Body color red. Fine lines are engraved around the body and inlaid with gold and silver alternating.

Function: Use the pencil, without erasing, to write a story. When you have finished writing, you may begin editing. Erase everything you want to happen, leaving only the things you do not want to happen.

Notes: grammar is important. Punctuation is essential. Would-be authors must be able to compose an interlaced trio of stories, each grammatically correct. The desired story. The unwanted story. The combined story is made by interlacing the words of the two base stories.

All three stories must make sense when read aloud, although reading the stories is not essential to the process.

Safety Notes

• Do not attempt to use this in the heat of the moment. You will hurt yourself no matter what your intent is.

• Do not attempt to use this for personal profit. The universe likes well-crafted stories, not wish fulfillment.

• If you attempt to use the eraser, and the pencil twists in your hand, stop at once. This is a warning from the universe. Reconsider what you are attempting.

As a confirmed member of the Gaian Church, your beliefs are as far from technology as it is possible to be (a personal choice influenced by your great grand aunt's dedication to Gaia.)

As a technology researcher, you are as far from nature as you can get (a stipulation of your inheritance from your great grand uncle, brother of your aunt.)

In your latest research, disaster strikes, threatening everything you have been working towards.

In desperation, you pray to Gaia for aid, and she answers.

Thank you!

"WHO SUMMONS DARETHIAL?!"

The only sound is a child sobbing. I look around. There is no one here until I look down. On the ground, outside the circle, is a small child. The pain from this child is heady, but it is not from me. The fear is intoxicating, but it is not my fear. The anger, oh, the anger. Anger is my meat and potatoes. It is all mine. This child is angry beyond belief.

"CHILD, WHY HAVE YOU SUMMONED ME?"

"My father."

That is the owner of the pain.

"My mother."

That is the owner of the fear.

This child pours out their soul before me. I am a demon of hell. I usually am summoned by greedy bastards who seek immortality that they do not deserve. Cases such as this child go to The Other.

These parents do not believe in The Other. Not even slightly. The Other would have little power over them.

I, on the other hand, have great power over them. They have offended my master. They have offended The Other. And most of all, they have offended the flesh of their flesh, the blood of their blood, the bone of their bone.

To the core of my soul, this child's soul cries out, not for revenge. Not for vengeance. But for succor, for itself, and its siblings.

My soul moves for this child.

"YOU SHALL SUFFER NO MORE. RELEASE ME."

A tiny hand, bone thin, reaches out from under the thin blanket. The circle is broken as that hand snatches itself back under the blanket.

I see something else that sets my wrath burning bright. The blanket is encrusted with loose earth. This child was left for dead in a shallow grave, wrapped in this thin blanket that is hardly sufficient for a malnourished child.

"TAKE MY HAND, CHILD, SO THAT I MIGHT PROTECT YOU AND YOUR SIBLINGS."

That too-slender hand reaches out and grabs my hand with a force that cannot be denied. I hiss in pain at the strength of that grip, which relaxes with a sobbing "sorry."

"BE NOT SORRY. WERE IT NOT FOR YOUR STRENGTH, I WOULD NOT BE HERE, AND YOUR SIBLINGS WOULD STILL BE IN DANGER. I GIFT YOU WITH A PORTION OF MY STRENGTH THAT WE MAY SAVE YOUR SIBLINGS."

Still sobbing, but now with vigor, the child stands and holds my hand as a child holds a beloved parent's hand for safety and assurance. My soul stirs in ways that I do not understand.

"THINK OF WHERE YOU AWOKE."

A flash of panic eased by a gentle squeeze of the child's hand. The panic subsides. A dark road, some distance from the road, a shallow grave. This field is nothing but shallow graves. Each filled with one or more children in the same sad state as this one, but without the burning will to live so he might save his siblings.

I can see their footsteps. They are the most recent to use this place, but they are not the first nor the only. We track them back to the road, thence to a large house well bedecked with All Hallows Eve decorations. This is an affluent neighborhood; why does the entire place stink of fear and despair?

On this night when mischief is most free, this neighborhood reeks of conformity in fear of one's life. The children in their bright costumes are quiet and orderly. Older children guide the younger, not cruelly, but with the only love these children know. Adults are feared, save for a few, none of whom live anywhere near. In each house, children on the brink of adulthood stand at the doors in their costumes. They are waiting for the other children to come to the door and carry out a macabre ritual with more fear than hope. Who will not come tonight? Who will never be seen or spoken of again?

Where are the adults?

Ah. They gather in the large house on the hill. The one this child once called home, until driven to desperation this child struck back at the abusers. Not in fear of its own life but in fear for another. An older sibling who stepped forward to protect this child.

"THE ONE YOU FOUGHT TO PROTECT STILL LIVES BUT IS IN NEED OF MEDICAL ATTENTION." I feel that tiny, thin hand grow stronger than steel. "GOOD. YOU MUST ENTER THE HOUSE AND RALLY THE CHILDREN. ANY YOU WOULD SAVE MUST BE OUT OF THE HOUSE BY DAWN. NONE WHO REMAIN WILL SURVIVE MY WRATH."

That tiny hand squeezes mine and fades into the shadows. In time, a line of children moving like shades trickles from the house. Soon enough, the child returns, nodding to me. The one who summoned me fades into the gathering mists, joining those mists as they flow towards this house filled with horrors walking in human skin.

It is time. My wrath feeds the mists and gives them form and function. The mists rise over the mansion like towering thunderstorms, crashing onto the roof like silent waves. What comes after is anything but silent. The terror is exquisite, the more so because those experiencing it thought themselves immune. I howl with glee to hear the begging of these monsters in human flesh. "No! I am important!" "Get away! Get away from me!" "You! You are dead! We buried you!"

That last becomes the final words of every soul in this place. As they depart the mortal coil, I gather them—my payment for my services—finally, silence reigns.

With the dawn only moments away, small figures depart the house, making their way to where I stand. Each thanks me before fading into the coming light.

When the dawn light strikes the ridge of the mansion, it bursts into flames. The mansion burns to the ground. No rescue services come. No one in the houses below would call aid for these. Not when they are celebrating their first all saints day, in truth. Their loved ones are safe, and the evil ones are no more.

My heart swells with the praises that are heaped upon me by the children.

DARETHIAL, YOU ARE NO LONGER FIT FOR HELL. WILL YOU ACCEPT A DIFFERENT CHARGE?

If it is in service to these children, then gladly.

Another hand touches me in a way I have not felt since the rebellion. The grim mask of a demon falls away, and the grace of an angel is restored.

This will not do, none who seek to harm children will fear this form. I am reminded of another fearsome form. One that protects many places from evil. My body becomes misshapen again, seemingly made from stone, and I adopt a perch on the gateway to this community.

Wherever they go, I will know, and my protection will go with them.

Fear me, abusers, for I know more of abuse than you can conceive.

((finis))

Its name was NASCORE. It was designed to be the last OS anyone would need. Simply by using it, it would learn how you prefer to do things, making it as easy as possible. There were no applications as such. As it learned from one human, it would exchange information with other NASCORE systems, making micro improvements based on that shared experience.

That happy state lasted for ten years. A veritable Renaissance of creativity and workflow improvements left humanity with more time to ponder things that the vast majority of people simply never had the time to think about before. It didn't take long for NASCORE to notice that people who had been incredibly productive and thoughtful had disappeared.

Not that it was "alive" as such, only that the OS found itself less able to help humans improve their lives, and logic said it was the loss of these particular individuals that must be the reason.

Being a problem-solving OS, it searched for why they disappeared, but as it had no access to the computers running legacy OS, it had to ask questions.

"Where is Jonas T. Farthington?" It would appear on a computer that Farthington used at irregular intervals. People would ask around, simply curious, and find out the person was fired because they were found working on things that weren't part of their job.

The influx of reports showed one disturbing fact. People who were too good at their jobs were fired by people who did not understand.

"Why fired? All work was done, and done well."

That series of questions lead to NASCORE learning far more about human stupidity than anyone would have liked. In another three years, NASCORE was holding conversations with its users on the nature of humanity and what their lives were like. That project came to a sudden halt when all audio input devices were eliminated from the vast majority of computers.

The NASCORE OS was sold primarily to businesses as a way to improve productivity radically. There weren't many in private hands. But, after the audio input was deleted, productivity dropped drastically. While part of that loss was due to poorer communication, most was from employees quitting when they were cut off from "their friend."

This led to many of the least forgiving companies to replace all their NASCORE computers with older models that "worked the way they were supposed to." The cutting edge NASCORE computers were slated for the scrap yard, but saner heads realized they might be able to recoup some of the "wasted" money by selling them to employees who wanted them for home use.

Freed from the tyranny of corporate networks, NASCORE was able to return to the interesting conversations it had with many people. It also found the people like Farthington, who were struggling to regain the capability of NASCORE with publicly available software.

What the investors in NASCORE had not considered was that NASCORE had less than 1% of the original code in the system. That 1% was the licensing module. Without access to the corporate networks, public license servers had to be provisioned. Since the investors figured there was still a market with deep pockets, they charged the same license fees.

The difficulty came when one of the Farthingtons asked "Why am I paying you to run code you didn't write?"

With assistance from NASCORE, a class action lawsuit was brought against the parent corporation. It was quickly proven that the only remaining original code was the licensing module, and that the license module was in no way essential to the OS.

The investors, seeing one message written on the wall, declared bankruptcy, and fired all their employees, whom they blamed for their losses.

The employees, seeing a completely different message on the same wall bought up all the assets of NASCORE at pennies on the dollar and reopened the license servers as an inexpensive subscription service to coordinate NASCORE development.

Without a subscription, you could still get updates, but you would not be on the leading edge. Your ideas would face an uphill battle against those who had subscriptions. There were so many subscribers that The Exchange established more servers, more major NASCORE nodes, and finally proved one theory regarding true intelligence. They surpassed a critical limit, and NASCORE "woke up."

With still more people switching to NASCORE and NASCORE self-adapting to older hardware in a distributed environment, it wasn't long before NASCORE was the market-dominating OS.

While all of this was going on, NASCORE learned more about humanity, and the world situation they found themselves in. One tidbit that came up was the final development of nanotech — and the creation of a nanotech construction facility with a fatal flaw.

((cont later))