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  There it was, the TeePee's system, plain as day. I didn't feel any different. That was a good thing. After the phase-slip we approached their planet; a nice looking unspoiled, blue-green oasis. The restrictions placed on us by the TeePees were, no scanning, no air exchange and no landing.

  Apparently, our scanners had properties that could hurt them. The 'no landing' rule was levied because even the bare hard rock areas held small life forms. In other words, 'Keep off the Grass'.

  We would have to hover and use an external mechanical arm to gather the necessary bio samples. It took a day to design, manufacture, and mount it on Sojourner. It had to be made of a ceramic that was element-stable. No lubricants, no paint job, no decals, no finger prints, no risk of cross contamination.

  The Bears were getting itchy to get those samples. Sandy went down to the planet in Sojourner, retrieved the samples from authorized locations then quickly returned to Traveler.

  For three days the Bears analyzed and tested the samples. I looked in on their labs a few times while they worked. Lots of gravelly chatter in there. Checking in with Dr. Forest, I wanted to make sure that the research team was focusing entirely on finding the cause and cure for the TeePees fertility problem and not getting side-tracked in other amazing discoveries.

  I say amazing discoveries because not only was their form of DNA a three-stranded helix, with a center core, but the intelligent plants used a biological up-take process that gathered and used small crystals in their soil. Those crystals were the basis from which their evolutionary path led to sentient intelligence. The crystals were, for lack of a better term, Q-active.

  The trees could communicate naturally with the Zees, no hardware required. When a tree' dies, its crystals were recycled back to the soil. New crystals were also formed and added by the continuous process of tectonic subduction. The TeePees used these piezoelectric Q-crystals for most of their brain structure.

  On the fourth day, the Bears found the problem and a solution. Comparative analysis samples, combined with DNA and genetic studies, showed that the geographical areas experiencing low reproduction rates were lacking an essential compound in sufficient concentration. That compound was needed for pollen production. A short-term solution was to dust the planet. The long-term solution was to plant genetically modified trees in the highlands, above the areas populated by the TeePees. Trees that would naturally produce the necessary Salic compound which would infuse the soil as part of their life cycle. We would plant Willow trees. Apparently, the Bears had discovered acetylsalicylic acid. Aspirin. Plain garden variety aspirin. Take two and call me in a million years.

  On a personal note, I'm never gonna piss on a tree in the woods again for the rest of my life. On a rock, maybe, but not a tree.

  31 Descent into Legacy

  Eight Years Later

  After helping the TeePees, the Bear researchers wanted to stick with us to continue their research on the Surron artifacts. As a very internally cooperative race, they don't compete with each other for status, fame, or power. They just seem to stay in a perpetual state of wonder, sharing every discovery. That was their motivation as individuals, as well as a species. That dove-tailed nicely with Hornblower's grand plan.

  There was no round-table discussion for comment or analysis. We read about it in the files he sent. It was a plan that neither included nor excluded the rest of us. But it was his plan, his alone. He needed a release from his demons. The Bears would play a leading role for him.

  We rarely saw Hornblower at the ranch anymore, except at a distance. He would wander in the foothills, always in the company of Bears. Sojourner used some stealth drones to keep an eye on him.

  After a while, we stopped asking where he was, but we never deserted or stopped caring about him.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  We fell into a work and play rhythm at the ranch, idly planning our scoop and score for the artifacts at the second library planet. I was mildly in favor of just showing up and telling anybody who cared to back off, way off, until we were done.

  We could collapse a few large asteroids as a show of force. I'd also tell both sides that it had been us who intervened in the Raptor attack on the civilian Centaur vessel.

  OK, I'm deviating a bit. But remembering those days of personal happiness I shared with Abby that were so solidly joined at the hip to the days of anguish for our friend, Hornblower, makes it difficult to re-live. Sandy was struggling, too. She needed a better and longer-range purpose than just making another retrieval run.

  I guess I should add here, before I go on, that the Human-Zees, and I've come to stop using that term long ago, are as human as the rest of us. They never had direct connection to the part of them that stayed in the AI cores of the ships. And the AI-Zees connection to the Zees on other side had, like a shrinking orifice, been getting smaller and smaller over time. It had finally and forever closed. They could never reconnect again. The AI-Zees didn't seem to feel that it was a sacrifice on their part.

  Hornblower established the Universal Library Foundation as the cornerstone for his plan to make the universe a better place. He found the perfect planet, in an unexplored region in another galaxy, as its home. It was a very Bear-like planet.

  He used the phase-shift technology to keep it hidden and unaffected by surrounding events. Only he, the Bear Doctors, Traveler, and Sojourner know the coordinates. He named the planet Shangri-La. A fascinating historical-fiction reference.

  It really spoke to Hornblower's dreams and desires. Our two ships were the only ones that could easily transit between galaxies. No others existed in the universe. If they had, the Zees would have used them to get to the rift.

  Large chunks of his bank account were spent to buy industrial fabricators and assemblers as well as research lab equipment from both human and Bear sources. He also imported tons and tons of elemental and rare bulk materials. A hefty investment portfolio was created to support the foundation's future needs. Sandy and I both chipped in two billion credits each for that.

  After the basic facilities had been constructed, he transferred Martin's AI block, as well as the Surron library AIs, and all the artifacts to the planet. The Bears went, too. Lots of Bears. They continue to go there. Some have settled there, while others are in the role of visiting scholars and scientists. Martin, became professor emeritus and Co-Administrator with the Doctor Bears at the library.

  I once asked Hornblower what the dimensional Zees thought about his plan. He told me, “I don't give one damn what the Zees think. I told them to stay in their yard.” That turned out to be the longest discussion I ever had with Hornblower after the Raptor incident.

  Martin and the Doctors Forest and Fount became the gate-keepers of not only the Surron science and technology, but also of the technical artifacts and underlying science behind those, both Surron made and those created by other species, long ago. The Surrons had been avid collectors.

  Nothing would be released that could be directly used to negatively affect a hostile species' neighbors or adversely affect any species natural cultural and technological development. Sudden technological chaos is a killer. The Bears imposed strict export controls on anything they released to other races. No sharing allowed.

  Hornblower became the great arbitrator for races that wanted benefits from the library's contents and further research. He published Rules for Emperors, Warlords, and Despots throughout the galaxies. Basically, a lot of ‘Thou should not’ stuff. He backed up the implied consequences with enough data to show that he was serious, and capable. He had the capability and the force of will to bring down serious heat if they didn't play nice. It would be their choice: heat or light.

  Before he completely relocated to Shangri-La, he presented Sandy and me with complete twins of Sojourner. He had also somehow cloned Sojourner's sentient AI for each of those ships. Sandy named her ship and the AI, Socks. We both stayed on or pretty close to Satchel, but in a few years, Sandy left for parts unknown. With our ships, everywhere was close. Fo
r Abby and me, Satchel had become our home.

  The last time I saw Hornblower, was when he came back to Satchel with a fleet of twenty-five Traveler look-alike ships. He said he was going on a flag waving tour of the universe.

  PART FOUR

  ABBY

  32 Exit Interview

  Dr. Fount: Abby, you have been called an inter-dimensional alien being. I don't believe you are, but tell us how that affects you.

  Abby: I'm not an alien. I am human. I was born in this four-dimensional plane of the universe. Born in a human body. Born aboard the spaceship Traveler. Born in the presence of my human family. I've read that some philosophers think that all sentient life is made of recycled souls. Perhaps old souls who have split many times before they come to inhabit corporeal bodies. Some have proposed that before we are conceived, the single I that makes us a unique me exists somewhere or somewhen else and will go back there when the physical body expires. Nobody really knows. I think nobody ever will.

  Dr. Fount: How do you know you are human?

  Abby: I was born in an Auto-Doc, not of woman. But that shouldn't be the demarcation line. Many children are conceived in vitro, and many gestate in artificial wombs. I have the same DNA as other humans. My body functions are the same. My heart beats as a human. I have a human husband. A human husband who was re-born the same way I was born. I am fertile. I have given birth to my human children. I have, and I give, human love.

  None of us come from nothing. We are all dust from the stars if you want to get technical. Just Big Bang flotsam and jetsam. Cosmic show leftovers. I am glad this story is being told. I'm glad to have been a part of it.

  Just for the record, Ranger never asked permission from the Zees behind the curtain for us to take on human bodies. Behind the curtain, that’s how I think of the Zees now. He did it for us to be released, to be free. He did it as an act of rebellion.

  When Joan and Jack were transformed into Roger and Dodger, the personality and individualistic dampening strictures, that had been imposed on their first physical forms, were removed. The artificialities of their lab factory creation were also removed. That transformation not only made their bodies entirely human, it also gave them …. and I have thought long and hard about how to phrase this ... gave them the quantum connection with life and with humanity that all humans have. They were born as humans. They too could embrace their humanity.

  Dr. Fount: Can you share with us your birth experience?

  Abby: I remember waking up. The first person I saw was Sandy. I think it's true that life forms bond with the first of their species they see. I know I did. Sandy is my sister. She was my life-guide for many years. I depended on her, and she let me.

  Arriving in this existence with certain knowledge does not make one ready to run. My thoughts after waking were that I knew who I was. I knew about everyone else aboard the ship, in a sterile and academic sense. Until you meet someone, live with them, laugh and cry with them, only then can you say you know them. Until then, you can only say you know of them.

  At the time, I remembered that I remembered being in the ship's AI. But it was a different type of memory. A gossamer memory. Faded and fading further. No evidence of it ever having been. It was like remembering what someone had told you, in a whisper, about a place they had been, using words they couldn't find to describe it. A place you had never experienced. A place you know you would never go. A place that didn't matter to you. I only have a transparent and indistinct shadow of a memory of that now. I go for long stretches of time not having that memory, and not being aware that I don’t have it. It’s hard to explain.

  Before Ranger, Roger, Dodger, and I were born, Hornblower had collectively called us Zees. That was just a quick label he'd hung on us as a means of quantifying us in his mind. For his own use, for his own comfort, I suppose.

  After being born in the Auto-Docs we were no longer Zees. We had no affiliation with them. We had no physical, mental, or metaphysical communion with them. Parts of us in the AIs core, had longed to be human. The parts of us that remained in the AIs had no such longing to be different from what they were. I wonder if there are other whispering souls with the same longing. Longing to be human. Longing to be truly alive.

  Dr. Fount: You and I have talked about emotions before. What was it like for you to first experience them?

  Abby: I vividly remember how it felt to have human emotions. I knew about them, but experiencing them is altogether different. Being in my human body and seeing other humans experience feelings was also very intense for a while. While my human brain was organically structured to be more efficient than most humans, it was not meant to be cold and calculating. I was meant to be me. Just like you were meant to be you.

  I am slightly unique in that I can remember my first breath, first sight, first sound, first step, first pain, first words, and my first laugh. Mica wants me to also say, my first fart. But being a lady, I won't. He says it will help convey my human completeness. We laugh a lot together. I like his jokes. They’re a window into his psyche.

  That brings me to something else. As you know, humans are very selective with who they share their hopes, dreams, fears, self-doubts, fragility, vulnerability and anxieties. We let only their most trusted fellow beings have occasional peeks inside. We never fully pull open the blinds. You know … I don't think that's even possible. My first confidant was Sandy. My first confessor was Sandy. My first feelings of love were for Sandy. I think I've strayed from your question.

  Dr. Fount: Abby, please share with us your experience with the natural world. You seem to be strongly drawn to exploring, examining, turning over every rock you find, touching every plant and watching every animal.

  Abby: This ranch has deeply touched me. Except for the ranch compound, it's unspoiled and amazingly, imperfectly perfect. Small groups, three or four of us, would spend hours, and sometimes days exploring. I think I stretched my relationships with some by stopping to inspect and admire every this or that. I remember Mica being very patient with me.

  At first, my favorite outings were with just Sandy. We had amazing talks about life. Her life. Her telling me what my life might have in store. Many times, we'd go to our favorite waterfall. Swim in the pool below and lay back in the grass to dry off. Just absorbing the light and heat of the sunshine. I let myself melt during those idyllic days.

  Later, I took many hikes and overnight journeys with Mica. Oh, how I cherish those. I keep them in my private treasure box. Those trips didn't involve as much talking as I'd had with Sandy. I learned so much more about Mica by observation and by how he looked at me, touched my hand, my face. We take our children along with us now. Yes, I have a very strong sense of being a part of nature.

  Dr. Fount: Speaking of the ranch and the planet Satchel, that's where you had your first exposure to humans outside your group. Tell us about those experiences.

  Abby: The first time I left the ranch, to be among other humans, scared me a bit .... hmm … no, it wasn't fear exactly. I guess, heightened anxiety describes it best. Other humans didn't scare me, but I was very unsure of my ability to properly interact socially with strangers at that time.

  The large gatherings we attended gave Sandy the opportunity to show and involve me in the things she'd been telling me about … about being a human and being female. After a while it became quite fun and exhilarating to mix and mingle … and go shopping. Sandy showed me that shopping, especially for clothes, was much, much more than going into the city to pick something out. It was a bonding and sensory experience. Chatting, feeling the fabrics, picking things off the display racks that we would never wear and laughing at each other as we held them up against ourselves. It was lunch at sidewalk cafes. It was people watching … eye rolling … and being watched by people. We still occasionally have those search and destroy missions. My daughters go along now, too. The boys don't care for it. They'd much rather stay home to order games, Q-books, sports and camping equipment.

  If Sandy had not been a
long as my guide, I would never have left the ranch while we were, as she puts it, dirt-side.

  One of the most profound experiences I had was when we visited another family at their ranch. It was a large family, as families go. A mother, father and seven children. Oh, my gosh. Children. The father had inherited a very big fortune. He never wanted to be a corporate big-wig, although he could have been. He'd brought his family to Satchel for a more normal environment.

  I was fascinated watching their children run around, play, and interact with each other. Total chaos, I thought. But the first time I ever saw or held a baby, their baby, was a transcendental event for me. I was so moved. I can't describe how it felt to be holding such a vulnerable and totally dependent child in my arms.

  Dr. Fount: Do you feel you can discuss Mica's death on the mountain?

  Abby: Well, now having Mica with me, I have pretty much left that behind. I remember the feeling I had of seeing him die that day. I was filled with emotions I'd never experienced before. I was in love with Mica, but that too was a new experience for me.

  He and I had never come close to talking about our feelings yet. I could tell that his feelings for me ran deep, silent but deep. I'd discussed my feelings with Sandy more than a few times. She recognized it for what it was. She told me to give Mica some time and to just be myself.

  After the moment Mica had pushed me into that small hollow to protect me, all I remember is seeing and hearing was Sandy wailing, raging, and attacking the rock. She was hurting and hurting herself. She was my first and best friend. My sister. I went to her. I didn't look down. I couldn't look down. I couldn't expose myself to the hope that Mica had survived.

  Those three days, before we learned that Mica was still alive, were the most horrible I have ever experienced. After we got Sandy back to the ranch, I could hear her crying and struggling in her room. She needed comforting, and so did I. Being a small comfort to her gave me a stabilizing purpose in the maelstrom we were in.