Little Cherine Book 06 - BPost043
Iziko walked back in dressed like a warrior with weapons tied to his body, he even had something that looked like a sword. He looked quite formidable.
3921
He was upset to see Robbie gone. He looked at me, back at the king and back at me, not knowing who to address himself to. The king pointed at me.
“Samantha, you called yourself friend and then family, but you did not show me respect.”
“We trusted you Iziko, what greater respect could we show you?”
“I have shown Robert and you disrespect and shamed my people. They will not blame you, and claim I should have known.”
“Known what Iziko?”
“That I should have given you respect as higher beings.”
“That would have been wrong Iziko. If you did, how could we be friends and family? That is all we want. For us, that is the highest form of respect.”
One of the others said something to him and he stood rigidly for a while. He bowed to me, “Then we will be family.”
“Robert, sheath him please, I want to take him to Freddie.” The eight explained to him, so that he does not suffer fears that we are going to harm him. Robbie and I were certain he would still suffer shock.
Robbie took him directly to the shelf. We stood, looking down on Freddie, giving him time to adjust. Robbie stretched out his arm, waving it around to show all of the landscape. “This is our ship and home.”
He frowned, only realising now. “You are not speaking my language. How is it we understand each other?”
“We send you the meaning of our words directly to your mind.”
“You understand me the same way? You read my thoughts?”
“Only on the surface, the words you speak and the meaning. What you think to yourself is private and we do not read those.”
“But you could?”
“No. We cannot. It is not allowed. To do so would shame us.”
“They tell me you alone made all this. One being that can make a world like this! Why do you need me to trade for you?”
“Take my word for it, we do.”
“No. No disrespect intended Robert, but I must know.”
“Later. First we want you to meet our family and friends. You will have all your questions answered later.”
“I will meet the Cherine?”
Cherine jumped, appearing before him. “Not the Cherine Iziko, I am only a girl.”
He bowed to her, not straightening. As if she understood she stepped to him and touched him. “Family Iziko, no family member is higher or more special than any other.”
*Sam was right Robert. He is a potential Cherinian, whenever you give me the word.*
*Of course Sam was right Cherine. He is an alien and all aliens are friends to her,* he sent back laconically, his amusement hidden beneath his mindspeak.
3922
All seemed to be going well until he met Haven and Robyn. He stood before them not speaking, hiding his mouth. Robyn looked at us, uncomfortable, not understanding why he is staring at them the way he is. For once it was Haven who showed empathy and understood.
“You are grieving?”
“The grief is for myself to know. I stand in shame before you.”
“You have not understood what alternate worlds are? Iziko, you may grieve for us, that is good, but not with shame. You should feel pride, for in your reality you did not fear, you met my people in friendship.”
When he relaxed, Haven went off with Robyn, both trying to clear their minds and hearts. It had cost her to say those words and she wants the words to be real for her too. The way Robbie gazed at them as they walked away, we knew he is aching to hold her in his arms, to send his love to them both, but he understands they have to first untangle their own feelings.
“We are going to have a storytelling tonight?” Meli asked and Cherine nodded.
“We better let everyone know then.” She left us.
Every time we jumped, we felt pleasure from Iziko. He told us that stories of such powers are his favourite.
“Are you saying that in all the species of the Unation there are none who have special abilities, such as telepathy or teleportation?”
“There are and such gifted individuals are treasured, for we all hope to learn how to open our minds also.”
He was greatly relieved to learn where we are mining from. He had feared for his miner friends, thinking we are, through superior technology, combing their space and leaving nothing for his friends. He was fascinated by the food machines and asked if he can trade them for us on worlds that cannot grow their own crops.
“There are a number of planets where damage was caused before they joined the Unation and the ecology never recovered. Some are covered in ice, others flooded and others are mostly desert. Scientists have been struggling to repair those worlds, but we fear it may take thousands of years.”
Chantel told him, “It could be done within a hundred if the people are willing to suffer the storms.”
Before Iziko could reply to Chantel, Robbie cut in. “You must have some very sophisticated machinery, especially computers. Have any of them become sentient?”
“I have read that with some of them it is very difficult to tell whether they have or not.”
“What if they do? Would you accept them as equal to you? Could a machine become family?”
“No. Perhaps equal, but I do not see how they could become family.”
“Chantel is a machine and is to be my wife. She is loved by all of us. How does that affect our being family to you?”
I thought it was cruel of Robbie and told him so. Poor Iziko is being torn by emotions ever since he’s met us. I tried to soothe him, but it was only Chantel who could. She sensed it.
“Do not feel badly Iziko, friend and family of my family. Robert gave me great joy with what he said. He had not told me he wishes me to marry them. As for feeling you cannot accept a machine as family, how could you? You had never met a sentient machine to know what such a being can be.”
“You are able to love?”
“I am learning. If you are asking, am I capable of loving and feeling emotions, the answer is yes. We are still struggling to accept that having emotions is desirable. Pain seems to be a constant factor among those who have emotions. What confuses us more than anything else, is we see that the good emotions, like love, can cause more pain than hate. I do not know whether you sensed Robert after Haven spoke with you. He was feeling so much love for her and Robyn it hurt him.” She got kissed (mentally) by us all for making the two girls so happy.
3923
“I see why you asked me Robert. You were teaching me that I am ignorant and must not say or think to judge before I learn.”
Robbie smiled. “You would have to be a non-sentient machine not to. It is only natural that you do. Judge, but do so with reservations, knowing you may be wrong. Try to keep your mind open to possibilities you would not have considered before meeting us. Unfortunately we are bound to disrupt your life and force you to re-examine much of what you have spent your life believing in.”
We all realised he is bewildered and overcome by emotions when he said, “I see I will end up working at a loss for you.” Hettie was amused when we reassured him we will not allow that to happen.
The Inguel invited Iziko to visit their flagship. Only then did he realise they are spaceships, thinking till then that they must be energy sources for Freddie. When he was gone we did as Normals do and gossiped about Iziko. Robbie listened to us with a smile.
“When Sam was born I made a big thing of teaching her how to be crazy. I told her I never make plans so that I stay flexible. I have learnt since then that whenever I do make plans I end up looking stupid. We have a small crisis on hand. I had decided not to let this reality know about us, that was my plan. I forgot that there are no people, no planet, that does not need our help in some way. Do we throw away my plans or do we walk away from those in need?”
He got blasted by Alki and others for calling our joint decision his plan and then it became the common decision that we will have to risk it and announce ourselves. I insisted we only do it much later, I want Iziko to have his fun first, trading for us. That got me teased for being an alien lover again. I did not take kindly to it when I saw Ordinx and Ashiir joining them. He made a joke about me being fiercely protective and loyal to my alien friends and I replied that maybe I should not be, to certain individuals. I suffered the ignominy all children do. He picked me up, laughing, and gave me a hug.
We went to bed without seeing Iziko again, the storytelling put off for the next evening. As we lay down and Chantel went to her own bed, Robbie sat on her bed by her side. He leant over and kissed her on the lips. “I think we are all going to enjoy loving you when you have opened your heart to us. That will be the day I ask you to marry us, it must be a moment of love, not honour for your people.”
“Can it be both?” she asked and he did not know whether she was teasing or seriously asking. We had already placed Haven and Robyn where he usually sleeps and he grinned at their serious expressions as he went to them.
It fast became clear that Iziko and Haven have much in common and are becoming close friends. She can even understand his attitude to bargaining with outsiders, saying his first loyalty is to his people and that by each Sprakil making himself stronger or wealthier from outsiders, they are making their own people stronger or wealthier. After their night of loving, it was strange to see Robbie listening to her with a sour look on his face. Cherine was about to make a comment, but then she decided he needs time to mature, and kept quiet. (R: What do you mean by that Sam?)
Iziko returned during the day and he was full of information about the Inguel ships, stuff we did not know. Because of Freddie we have not been curious about spaceships and we realised it is stupid of us. As Robbie listened to Iziko he also decided to join us on our visit soon as Iziko is on his way.
We did a golden circle of love first. When it was over, we waited for him to recover. He stood up and went to Cherine. “There is much for me to understand about you, but I will try. Samantha says family means we are all equal. She is wrong, unless your families are not the same as ours. Each preceding generation stands higher, whether alive or not. I am still an infant and stand lower than all. I promise to try to grow fast. I must now think on all I have learnt.” He bowed to her and walked away. We thought he was returning to his seat, but he continued walking and we stayed silent until he was out of hearing and then the giggles started.
“I wonder if we will ever get to do a storytelling for him.” and other such comments were made.
“Last night reminded me that you are aliens. What you did would never be possible for any of my people. Even when we mate, we do not give of ourselves that willingly. We know to bind away most of our love from our children as they grow, for they must follow their own nature.”
3924
I had to explain to the others that he is not a wounded soul, that it is the nature of their species. Love can be felt by them, fiercely too, but it does not last, for their natures draw them apart. Being solitary is not loneliness for them, it is necessary for their mental balance. They consider their time of love with their mate as a time of being unbalanced. It only happens as often as they have children and later, as they age. The girls thought it meant the love of the male for his mate is driven by his need for sex, but I explained it is not so. They can and do copulate for the sake of passion, but as they both grow aware of a growing need for a child, their love grows, which leads to their bodies releasing chemicals that make it possible for them to fertilise an ovum.
I sent, *I felt you all shunt away from me when Merlin and I got into a discussion about Iziko and his species. I know much of it was boring, but it had a lot that is strange to us. I’m not certain, I think tigers are similar. I know orangutangs are. They are not social and prefer to be on their own. The Sprakil live in cities but do not crowd together as we do, they do not have the herd instinct and give each other as much space as possible. I’ve been thinking about it and come to a tentative conclusion that their strong sense of being family, of duty to their own species, is because of their limited ability to feel love for other individuals. Yet, the strange thing is that Cherine has approved Iziko.*
*My approval comes from sensing an ability for empathy, I presumed love was part of it.*
I sent, *Perhaps they do love their own species, you could have sensed that, I don’t know.*
*Does what Sam told us affect your decision?* Robbie asked.
*I don’t think it should.* Despite her reply she was concerned and stayed thoughtful for a long time.
With a teasing lilt to her voice, Cassie asked Iziko, “Are you going to let them do a storytelling for you tonight?”
He sat hiding his mouth, his chitin changing appearance. Since he had prodded me, I felt he would not be insulted if I did the same and touched him gently. His chitin was growing soft!
“What does this signify Iziko?” I thought of Bitsy. “Are you making yourself vulnerable to us?”
“I have insulted you twice.”
I laughed and the others followed my lead. “No insult taken Iziko. We were amused and pleased.”
“Pleased!?”
“We tend to take everything around us for granted. It is good to have someone remind us how wondrous Freddie, the Inguel spaceships and our love for each other are.”
He showed his mouth. “I am like a child then?”
“That is true of us all, even wise Solomon at times. Experience blunts our ability to be awed and makes us blind out of familiarity. When we are able to see how awesome life is in its variety, it is the child in us that opens our hearts.”
Robbie backed me, “Sam is right. We hide the child in us from strangers to protect ourselves, every species does so. When we allow another to see the child in us, it should be seen as the highest compliment we can pay others. Unfortunately we are taught the opposite.”
“But you are an artist, it must be easier for you.” Merlin said to Robbie.
Robbie was pleased. “It is true. That might explain why artists are often petulant, seeking approval and selfish. The child in us remains closer to the surface because we spend a lot of time in worlds of our own. Living in our imaginations is a gift most adults have abandoned because of the need to be practical to survive.”
Iziko said, “For us, the time of childhood is the time of being soft, vulnerable, as Samantha said. We believe that is why nature demands we love before having them, so that protecting them is more important than preserving ourselves.”
*Robert. We have a serious problem. If we let him know you make love to children, he will react violently, at best seeing you as defiling the purity of children, a creature to be abhorred and destroyed. We must not show it yet in our storytelling.*
3925
*Would you edit your diary for him Sam? You of all of us should not have asked this of the girls.*
*I would not edit my diary Robert, but neither would I show it to him. Let me ask him some more questions before we do. We must know how he will react to us first.*
*My Sam being prudent? Ask if you wish Sam, but it will not change what we tell him.* He tried to sound amused.
*It has to. If it is necessary, we do not do a storytelling.*
I got Shiyra to get Merlin to ask the question. “Iziko, different species have different taboos and customs. There does not seem to be even one thing that is forbidden by most species that will not be found to be acceptable to some other species. Are you broadminded as a species, could you try to understand that your rules and instincts do not apply to the whole universe? Would you be able to see that they too are pure, even if they appear to be corrupters, befouling what you believe in?”
“I am trying to learn Merlin, keeping my mind open as Robert said. I do not know what there could be so evil to me that I could not accept it. Could you give me an example?”
“I could create an imaginary one, but would need to know what is anathema to your people.”
“I know.” Claudia said, “Working without a profit.” Only Hettie laughed while the rest of us only smiled. Iziko saw she was joking and politely showed his mouth.
“Betrayal of my people. Can that be justified by any species?”
“Do you have leaders who make decisions for all of you?”
“We do.”
“What if they make a bad decision? Acting against them would be seen as betrayal?”
“Of course. To show to outsiders that we are divided would weaken us, it would be a betrayal.”
“You know the story of Haven and her people. What if the decision to kill them all had been made by a leader of your people?”
“We would remove the leader and our new leader would explain we have changed our policy.”
“It is that easy to remove a leader you do not approve of? How many of you would have to disapprove, how would you each know others disapprove, since to show it would be considered betrayal? After all, if your leader made such a decision, the eyes of all the Unation would be upon you and any internal conflicts or disagreements be reported widely.”
“It is difficult for me to imagine such a scenario. We would not choose a leader capable of doing such a thing.”
“Your people do not have mental health problems?”
“It would be recognised immediately and he would be removed. We read of other species that are swayed by leaders making emotional speeches and to us they are like children.”
“May I?” Meli asked. Merlin gestured for her to take over.
“Among our species the male is usually physically stronger than the female. There are males that will force a female to have sex with them. We call the act rape and it is something we strongly condemn. Does that happen with your people?”
“It is not possible.”
“What would you say if you met a new species and you saw the female give birth to infants and the male took the infants and ate them?”
He was shocked. “Surely that would be abhorrent to any species? How could any species survive if that is acceptable?”
3926
“It just happens that what we see is the male eating the infants. In actual fact, the male is placing them within his body to protect the infants from the terrible changes in weather that constantly occur on their planet and to provide them with nutrition. They will be born a second time when they have grown strong enough to survive on their own.”
“You speak then of a misunderstanding.”
“True, but then, that is what we are discussing. For instance, we talked about our hate of rape. What if in a species, the female has to be forced to have sex or else her body does not release an egg for fertilisation? We have a species, non-sentient, on our planet where that happens. In other words, they are acting within the bounds and requirements of their own nature.”
“You are saying we should judge others according to their own nature?”
“No, that is too general. If a male in my society rapes a female because that is his nature, he is still breaking…Robert, he is right, do we judge such a male according to his nature and not that of the species in general?”
Robbie shook his head. “In that sense, ‘be true to yourself’ would be a dangerous axiom to live by. Let us keep the discussion at the level of species, or else we will get bogged down in analysing situations that are far too complex to illustrate what we are trying to make clear to Iziko. Iziko, if you wish to discuss how individuals should be judged relative to the instincts of their own people, we can do so at another time.”
“I understand you are trying to show me that what is acceptable to my people is not universal. But then that is true within my species also. Does what the majority accept bind us all then?” He shrugged. “As you said, we may discuss that another time. None of the examples given can be understood by me on an emotional level, striking feelings of horror in me, they can only be mentally understood”
“The male eating his children was not abhorrent?”
“But you explained that.”
“When you saw it happening you would not know the reason. Would it be an acceptable way of life to you?”
“It would not, but then I would see it as not being natural, nature could not have made the destruction of all infants a part of its scheme, so I would have to seek an explanation before reacting emotionally.”
“You are very different from us, we react emotionally first. Only sometimes does reason return to us.”
He hid his mouth and then forcing his head up he told us, “That is abhorrent to me. For any sapient being to ignore reason makes them a non-sentient. It is what keeps us apart from the others of our Unation, even though we wish to be part of it.”
Cherine told him, “Robert exaggerated, we do act or react emotionally, but the emotions are usually tempered by reason, our knowledge and experience. There are many of every species we have met so far who are happy to react out of ignorance, but the majority do not.”
I disagreed with her statement, but kept quiet, since we were drifting away from the purpose of our discussion. I decided to take the bull by the horns. “Iziko, in your terms, as you see me, I am a child. My body is immature and considered by most adults of my world not ready for having sex. Robert is an adult male. If I wanted to have sex with him and he did, would that shock you?”
“For you to want to, it must mean you are able.”
“I think our bodies are different from those of your females. We better show you. Dommi, I will change to an infant. Show him my sex and explain how and why it could happen while causing me damage.”
I was amused to see Allan look elsewhere as Dommi took my clothes off and opening my tiny slit she showed him my vagina. She then pointed at the wrist of Tina and explained that is the thickness of an adult male, pointing out that many males are even larger.
“As you can imagine, a penis forced in would tear her flesh and cause internal damage.” Primly she carried me to another room for me to grow and dress myself in privacy.
3927
“You are crazy Sam, first you fear letting him know and then you show him, making it far more real than any storytelling could.”
“He must understand. He may take some time to, but when he does, he must be able to recall we tried our best to be honest.”
“For any male to cause the damage Dominique demonstrated verbally would be abhorrent Samantha. I have not understood your question though.”
“I had to make it clear to you that with our species sex is possible at almost any age, if one of the two does not care what damage they inflict. As a rough guide, we accept that females of over twelve years can have sex, but that they are not ready mentally until they are fourteen to sixteen. Cherine represents at the moment a child of about eight years. What if she and Robert had sex, would you find that repugnant?”
“If he forced himself on her, she would be damaged? Yes, I would.”
“What if she wanted him to, if she found a way to force him? If he hurt her, would he be responsible?”
“How could she force him?”
“Physical strength is no longer the important factor with us Iziko, she has a stronger mind.”
“Then there is no guilt on his side.”
I hid my joy at his answer. “In our storytelling it would be good if you keep that in mind. Try to understand that as a male, his body being the instrument that causes harm, he assumes the guilt in his own mind. This is a case of emotions overriding reason. When you are told about Wendy and some of the other girls, you will see that there are males who get pleasure from hurting small females. Do not judge us all by them.”
*How is it you almost always manipulate people by telling them the truth?*
I sent her a laugh. *It is sweeter that way Cherine. Meli does the same with her storytellings. The way she alters each one to maximise the effect on her new listeners should also be categorised as a form of manipulation if you call what I do manipulation.*
*You girls having a spat?* Robbie asked, amused.
*Those two have a spat Roberto mou, and you’ll be running for the hills.* Dommi’s comment made all the girls giggle, with Robbie grinning, so that Iziko realised something was going on he had missed. Allan reassured him, telling him we are teasing each other. He almost looked wise as he solemnly stared at us with his huge eye.
By the time the girls did their storytelling, they already knew a little more about the Sprakil, their mating and beliefs. It helped them tailor their telling so that what needed to be explained was. After two hours they ended for the night and we heard all our alien friends discussing the telling as they walked around on the beach or sat by us. It is strange how such a telling actually helps us see ourselves in a new light. Soon as the girls returned to us, I pulled Jade to me and hugged her, my heart filled by this so precious girl we all love.
As has become customary after such a telling, we surrounded Cherine and took every opportunity to distract the new listener so that she is not inundated with their feelings. Iziko, a miner, a male not used to the niceties of civilisation, ignored us and made his way through us to her.
“I had not thought what a burden such a beautiful gift would be if you are alone. I am pleased for your sake that you found the one you needed for sharing it with.”
“I have often wondered Iziko, what would have become of me if I had not met Robert. It frightens me to think that for him to love me, Dominique had to become blind to all the good in him. What if she had not? I have seen in other Cherines how not meeting a Robert affected them and it was not good.”
“I think you fear without reason. He had to meet you, your effect on the universe was to be too dynamic for it not to happen. Fate saw it had to turn her heart from him and it did so to force the future that you determined upon yourself.”
3928
“You mean, the future that wanted to be born reached into the past and changed it to ensure it happened?”
“This Arthur you talk about, he was probably a tool it used to make everything happen the way it wanted. I am thinking, probably he only had a story about a man who lost his love and it gave him the power to affect your reality by making him write of you. That might explain why he does not have that much power over you anymore, your future has been set and he must not be allowed to interfere anymore.”
“I hope not.” My words made everyone look at me in surprise. I almost did not want to explain. “If it is true then we are on our own now. It has been a comfort to me knowing he is there, helping to guide us - even if I become angry with him at times. If he affects our realities, then there will be no foe Robert cannot survive, because he loves us. I do not trust fate on her own.”
It was the wrong thing to say. It soon became obvious that to the Sprakil, Fate is their God. Saying I do not trust Fate and prefer to depend on a man…he had the air of a man who tells himself, she does not understand, give her time, she will.
Most of these days Iziko has spent on his own, with Socrati and Manoli or with the Inguel. He is not as comfortable with us as he is with them. It took him a while to discover Eddie, but when he did, he became his best friend. Eddie takes him seriously and they have spent many hours talking. I think Eddie helped him accommodate us within his viewpoint of how the universe should be.
Robbie worries about it, he says culture shock has destroyed many a proud and noble people. I think it is mainly the romantic in him. He tends to think of all backward races as being noble. I see the too complex, poisonous development of civilisation as having a hand in creating or making a Cherine possible. The way Normal man lives now is no longer natural and it forces mutations upon them, Cherine being the best of them - and what could be more noble than that?
The team have been limiting their tellings to between one and a half to two hours per night and since they are elaborating far more than they have ever done before, it took them about two weeks to reach the present. Iziko had to listen to their interpretation of our meeting him, which I think was a good thing, for it will have given him a way to measure the differences and decide for himself how much of the rest of it represents the truth as he would have seen it.
It is good they took that long for it helped him adjust himself to what being a Cherinian could mean to him. Cherine has her insight of him that made her approve him, but she has also grown to admire his plain direct ways and the fact that he lives according to his beliefs and not as most Normals do, against their own natures. He does fear loss of his independence so we will not link him yet. He must grow in understanding so that he can see that being a Cherinian makes him more independent, not less.
I am very proud of our Robbie. The day came for us to return Iziko to his space and time and still he did not ask him to keep quiet about us. It is easy to be perceptive and reason it is not necessary, but far more difficult when you bear the responsibility.
Iziko glanced at his chronometer. “Only hours have passed! You make it more difficult for me to resist believing it was all a dream.”
Robbie wrapped his ship in his energy and within hours Iziko was close to the system he wants to sell his ship in. We let him travel the rest of the way under his own power so that the authorities can monitor his arrival. He did not have traders to play against each other for upping his price, but he got a far better price when he told them he wants goods, not money.
He caused a stir when he asked for transportation of the goods out into the desert. The area was monitored and when the goods disappeared without a spaceship appearing, we caused great fear. They thought a spaceship had arrived without their equipment detecting it and they felt this means they could be attacked without warning. At our insistence, Iziko sent them a message apologising and telling them that his customers are extremely shy and fearful and had cloaked their ship. He confirmed they have dropped him off on his home world and left for places unknown, but distant. We saw that his communication did not relieve them and that they sent notices to the worlds considered leaders of the Unation. Since these species are not xenophobic and their bureaucracy is inflated, we decided to depend on the messages disappearing without anyone of importance seeing them.
3929
Iziko bought himself a new ship. Nothing fancy or opulent. A strong ore carrier with powerful engines for speed and decent armament for protection against pirates. His one luxury is the library he installed. He went to considerable expense and had the latest and most detailed library available installed. We could not believe the ship can be run by one person, but he explained that ships built by their species are mostly made for single operators. “If I get another with more complex systems, I will need crew, but they will have their own quarters with work area. Communications between us will be the minimum possible.”
“If you need your privacy so much, how did you stand being with us for so long?”
“I was busy learning. It helped that I could think of my future profits.” From his difficulty in talking as his head rose to expose his mouth we knew he was laughing, in his way, teasing us. He hid his mouth. “You do not realise what a wonder you are?”
Shyly Candy asked, “Can I stay for one trip with you?” At five Candy is the most obviously a child and he looked at Robbie, not knowing how to reply to her.
He shrugged, pretending nonchalance. “If that is what she wants and you would not mind her company. Your next trip would only take the equivalent of a day.”
Despite our naming him ‘family’ Iziko was shocked that we would entrust Candy to him. Shocked, but also flattered. Neither was necessary, Robbie kept himself linked to Candy and Freddie stayed right next to his ship at all times.
Iziko brought out some things from his sleeping quarters and told Candy she is to have the use of it. She took a look at the seat by the console and then darted through to look at his place of sleep.
“I’m smaller than you, I will sleep here.” She took the things he had brought out back to his room. As she walked out again she asked, “Don’t you have a bathroom?”
“In my old ship it was in the same room, but this one has a separate space. Let me show you.”
What she had thought was a wall turned out to be a sliding door. She stared at his bathroom, not recognising anything for a while. He showed her how his shower works and she was eager to try it. The spray is not just from above as with ours, the whole body gets sprayed from all directions at once. Iziko explained this saves water. As she stared, he looked at her and realised she will not be able to use his toilet facilities.
“I did not think of it! How often would you need to use the bathroom in one day?”
“At home? About six times. I don’t have to while I am here.”
“That would be very uncomfortable, would it not?”
She grinned. “No. I can send it outside as long as we are not in the void.”
“Why, how?”
“It is just like jumping, only I make the stuff I want to get rid of jump. Oh, you mean about the void? Because it would explode. It could damage your ship.”
He needed a fuller explanation and Robbie sat grinning as she lectured him in that serious way small children have of explaining to adults. Robbie let her know we will be staying in normal space and she promptly told Iziko. Candy returned to the bedroom and took a closer look at the bed. She felt for the mattress. It was as hard as stone and she exclaimed. Iziko was amused.
“Lie down, try it out.”
She did so and within seconds the mattress had adjusted itself to the shape of her body. Although it was not any softer, it was very comfortable. Candy was curious how it would work out if two people want to have sex, but decided she cannot ask Iziko. She got up.
“I’m still sleeping on the chair. I’ll fit on it, I’m smaller than you.”
He showed her his mouth. “We are both small Candy, but neither of us are small enough to fit comfortably.”
3930
“I am!” She went straight to his chair and seating herself she shrank herself until she could lie on it.
He stood above her and made a gesture. “It is a very useful gift you have Candy. It could be very profitable.” It was Candy’s turn to ask for an explanation. “If I could do that, all this space would be much smaller, I would carry much less water and provisions. That would give me an extra number of tons of ore I could carry per trip.”
“But you would not need extra ore Iziko! If you all stayed small like me now, your homes would be smaller and you would need less energy, so the price would be lower. I did learn about supply and demand.”
They then had the strangest conversation between an alien and a small child. Iziko questioned her about our theories on economics and Robbie was flabbergasted to hear her discussing theories he had never heard of, analysing the dynamics of supply and demand and a lot more. It was obvious Iziko had not expected anything like this and he gestured, movements of his arms that we were guessing by now were signs of respect.
“Our young are not this knowledgeable. I am glad I did not try to have this conversation with Robert or one of the adults! They must be far in advance of us.”
Candy giggled but refused to divulge that Robbie is far more ignorant than her. Robbie flushed with embarrassment and promised himself he will begin to study so that none of us have occasion to be ashamed of him again. Since we have each studied a number of subjects, I did not think he can achieve what this moment made him feel he needs.
I suggested, “Robert, you do not need to start from scratch. Look through our memories, make our knowledge yours and then when you study on your own, you will find it easier to understand. That is how we do it. We each choose a subject, learn it and then exchange between us. I don’t know as much as Claudia about our Earth, the tectonic plates for instance, or how the layers are formed, but I learnt from her a lot so that I understand when she talks about them. It is true for all subjects any of us have studied.”
He pulled a face. “So much for my admonishments Cherine. Why did you let me spout that nonsense, were you laughing at me?”
“I have never laughed at you Robert!”
“You should have.”
“Why? What did you say that was wrong? Sam just told you we only borrow knowledge from each other and then have to study the subject on our own - similar in a way to the Anadir learning machine. What you said is still true, taking knowledge from another person does not mean you understand it. You did not think of doing so as being a stepping stone, that is all.”
“How much time does it save you? If one of you has done a four year course at university and passes over that knowledge, how long does it take the next person to understand the subject as fully as the original person who studied it?”
“It depends on the subject, but as an average, about two months. What helps, is that we get along with the information, the understanding of the giver. If you studied to be a surgeon I could not become one within months. That could take me a year or two. I cannot become an artist just by taking your memories, I would still need talent. If I do have the talent, where you had to train your hand or eye, I will have to go through the same training.”
We thought Cherine had already lost Robbie, he was sitting with a glow to him, his mind far away. Everyone on Freddie must have felt the happiness he was emoting. Even Candy felt him. His eyes turned to me and they had that penetrating look of a fanatic in ecstasy.
“How many minds can fit in one Sam? I have about three hundred, how many more?”
I shivered. “I don’t know Robert.”
Because of the vision he was caught up in, his voice was sharp, without inflection, almost cold, lacking emotion. “Do you understand what this could mean?” He looked around, his eyes probing us all. “Do any of you? Keith, Luigi, you tell me.”
I hope you enjoy reading this story of fantasy, adventure and love - and should some of it be true for our reality, I hope you will love our Cherine.
Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου
(Alexander Zenon Eustace)16th December, 2019
- posted: 16th December, 2019
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