Solomon's Private File #114
These stories about Stephen and Solomon take place starting in
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 18 in this story, in the Spring of 2045.
Solomon's Private File #114 "Request of Posintan"
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Dat, the Posintan Senior Adept Guardian, Dad's former student, asked
to meet with me. We did that in the family home on Allguard. He said,
"We have a problem." I grinned at him. He had some interesting
emotions. He started to say something, and stopped. I kept grinning. He
had to chuckle. We hugged. He said, "Yes, I see. People are always
bringing their problems to you." I said, "They do, and it's my fault."
He nodded and said, "Obvious. They do it because you solve them. Our
problem is difficult for us. For all of Posintan. There is a new
species in the GC. Big and strong. Very athletic. They are beating us a
lot." I said, "I think I see where this is going. That isn't so much of
a problem. What probably is, they aren't nice about it." He said,
"Correct. Very bad sportsmanship." I said, "Some of your students could
beat them." He said, "That's true, but not good for Guardians. However,
they know of your people by reputation. They believe they can beat you
just as easily." So you want me to be your attack animal." He grinned
and said, "Yes, but as a situation manager." I said, "Push the info."
He did. I said, "At least they don't have extra limbs!" He made a rude
noise. We laughed. I said, "I notice only the men compete." He said,
"Yes. Male dominated society." I said, "Grace has a daughter with my
father." His grin almost split his face in half.
Zichesshich had an embassy on that new planet. I asked them to ask
the Planetary President to have a meeting with me, because they didn't
have Guardians, or much potential for them. The Ambassador went with
me. The President was big and well muscled, a little over two meters
tall, with two arms and two legs, mostly like ours, covered mostly in
short hair, stiffer than fur, but none on the leathery butt. Black fur,
with a light brown skin showing through it. Face was almost human, but
the eyes had square golden irises, and pink sclera. No eyelashes.
Medium length fingers, five and a thumb, with no nails. Cupped palm. No
tail. Powerful Ki. Interestingly, I could feel he had a sexual
attraction to me. I said that to the ambassador in Ssintris telepathy,
and he almost couldn't contain his amused reaction. We shared our
names. I said, "I belong to a group of people who mediate conflicts and
disagreements. For me personally, those of a psychological nature." He
said with interest, "We have a complaint lodged against us?" I said,
"It's not a formal one, but some of your people are acting in such a
way as to cause some unpleasant feelings in the entire population of a
world." He said, "I didn't know that! Please tell me about it."
I said, "There is a world that is almost fanatical about competing."
He laughed, and said, "I know that one. Posintan! Many of my people are
beating their best. They don't like it?" I said, "That isn't a problem
in itself. It's the behavior of your people during it and after it,
that is causing the problem. Posintans value good sportsmanship and
honor, above all else. Your people are definitely not showing that. A
social and psychological issue. You see, their social system, through
competition, is designed specifically to show the character of people,
and they advance in life according to that. Your people are causing a
disruption in that." He said, "I don't see a problem with any of that.
My people are the best, and that's that. They have to accept it, and
what comes from it." I said, "Actually, they don't. They could ban all
your people from their planet. I would like that not to happen." He
said, "Did they send you?" I said, "Nobody sent me. I was made aware of
the issue, and decided to help. Their government doesn't know anything
about this here." He said, "GC treaty says they can't ban anybody of
the GC unless they commit a crime. Those are private citizens. I
couldn't do anything about it, even if I wanted to, which I don't. We
are the best. We deserve to be proud of that."
I said, "If you actually were the best, that might be justified." He
stared at me. He said, "You mean to tell me we aren't the best?" I
said, "That's correct. Those who are truly the best, don't compete. It
wouldn't be fair." He said, "I don't believe it!" I said, "I am unable
to lie. Those of my group are well known for that, which is why we have
some success in mediation." The Ambassador said, "That is true, as
verified in the GC Assembly. Bring a truth telling instrument here to
verify that, if you want to." He was really surprised. That didn't stop
him from making a call and asking for the instrument. I said, "Those
who lie the most, are the least able to believe that others don't." He
took that like a slap in the face. He yelled, "Are you calling me a
liar? I am insulted! I demand satisfaction! I challenge you to a duel."
I said, "Why?" He said, calming down a little, "Because you insulted
me." I said, "Did I really? I expressed a well known truism. Are you
"And there is something you seem to have forgotten. You said to
something I said, 'I don't believe it'. Doesn't that qualify as calling
me a liar? So, who was ACTUALLY insulted here? Is it the position of
your people that only YOU can be insulted, and that your own insults to
others are not real?" He started to get angry again, and then became
thoughtful. I said, "This is how your people are behaving on Posintan,
that is causing the disruption." He was more thoughtful. Then he looked
odd. I said, "Yes, I'm a therapist, and I managed this conversation to
show you a truth you couldn't otherwise see."
He looked at me with a lot of respect. Then sadness. He said, "I
understand better now, but there is the matter of the challenge. It
can't be withdrawn. I was a fool, but that doesn't matter now." I said,
"Everything matters, always. We will duel. Please tell me the rules."
He said, "I would kill you!" I said, "That is yet to be decided. The
rules, please." He said, "If you accept, you have the choice of
weapons." I said, "What are the permissible endings?" He said, "Oh, I
see. I would propose that, and we would come to an agreement on it.
It's not always death." I said, "Is the use of only the body as the
weapon, allowed?" He said, "It is." I said, "Would rendering the
opponent unconscious be an acceptable ending?" He said, "Yes it would,
and so would the opponent being made to submit. I would agree to those
endings." I said, "So do I. No weapons, and unconsciousness or
submission. But only on one condition. You must not hold back. This is
real, and honor demands it to be real in all ways. Yes, this is how
those of Posintan would act." He looked at me with respect. He said,
"Have you competed there?" I said, "I have, once. Those of my group who
are of my species need to do that, in order to gain GC citizenship. My
world is not of the GC." He said, "Would you tell me of your
competition?" I said, "I would rather not. I was the only one of us to
ever be significantly injured. Embarrassing." He looked at me oddly
again.
I said, "Are your duels required to be in public?" He said, "They
are." I said, "Oh, that's bad. Is there no way to avoid that?" He said,
"I'm sorry, there isn't. Televised, too. Why is it bad?" I said, "If
you damage me, most of the GC will think very poorly of you. If you
lose, most of YOUR people will think very poorly of you." He said, "Why
the GC?" I said, "You are aware of the love and healing broadcasts?" He
said, "I am, and we are very glad to have them here!" I said, "My
father was the first to do that, and his students are doing it now." He
said, "Wow!" I said, "I hear that a lot." The Ambassador tried not to
laugh. We looked at him, and he said, "His father said that very
often." I said, "Enough talk. When do we duel?" He looked at me in
surprise, and said, "You actually want to?" I said, "Absolutely not!
But duty and honor demands it. When?" He said, "We can do it now, in
one of the nearby arenas. We can find witnesses there." I said, "Then
let's go."
We did. The referee said to me, "Please tell me about the conditions
of your planet." I said, "I understand. Gravity, and air pressure and
composition, are virtually identical to yours, as is the length of the
year. Our two species have similar average life spans and maturation
rates. I am an adult by our laws. I am in good health. I will use no
weapons other than of my natural body and training." The truth meter
verified it. I said, "One more thing for the record. I am unable to
lie." They were really surprised at that, when it was verified. I said
to the Ambassador, "If their eyes pop out in astonishment, please be
careful where you walk." He laughed, and the others didn't know what to
make of it. The President said, "How can you tell a joke when you might
die soon?" I said, "Very well, I think. I see you are distressed. I am
not afraid to die. I could not do my work effectively, if I had that
fear." They looked at me in awe. The rules were announced. We could be
dressed normally, but with no extra protection, and no accessories. I
took off my shoes and Guardian gear, and gave it to the Ambassador. We
were allowed to warm up. I didn't. The ref said, "Why do you not
prepare yourself?" I said, "I don't need to. I am always ready to use
any and all of my abilities whenever they are required, instantly. Tell
jokes, too." He looked really odd. I said, "A clarification, then. I am
always ready for ANYTHING, and train that way. Special preparation
isn't needed." He looked thoughtful, and said, "You are more than you
seem to be." I said, "ALL are. Seeming, is an unnatural limitation of
observation." He said, "You will win." I said, "That is not my
objective. I want us both to win." They all bowed to me, which I
returned. The President was still warming up on the mat.
We were called to the center of the mat by the ref. He said, "A
challenge was issued and accepted. Weaponless fighting was agreed upon,
with unconsciousness or submission deciding who is the winner and the
loser. At that time, honor will be served, and all affronts forgiven.
Do you agree to this?" We did. He said, "In the event that you both
become unable to continue at the same time, you together may declare
the issue is past, or one of you may require the contest to continue
after recovery. There will be a rest period of one minute after every
four minutes. Begin on my signal." We did. He was very strong and fast.
I avoided or blocked all his attacks, showing my speed at a little
faster than his. When I would have had to back up too far, I sent him
to the mat with aikido. He tried harder, even trying to push his Ki at
me. No change. After four minutes, we rested. He said, "Why haven't you
tried to strike me?" I said, "I don't want to injure you." He stared at
me for a few seconds. Then he said, "My Ki is powerful, but I can't
beat you who have none. How is that?" I said, "If I let my Ki flow
fully, you would not even want to fight with me. So, it would be unfair
of me to do that." He looked at me in awe, and then with some
understanding of the real situation. He said, "Tell me how we will end
this." I said, "In the right situation, I will strike you unconscious,
and injure myself in that, so we are both unable to continue at the
same time." He said, "A real injury?" I said, "Yes. I can't lie, so it
must be real." He tried to conceal his tears.
We were called back to the mat, and we started again. He wasn't quite
as fast as he was before, and was breathing more heavily. At just the
right time and position, I executed a roundhouse kick to the side of
his head, striking with the instep of my foot near the toes, snapping
the foot back and breaking the ankle. He dropped like a stone. I sat
down in a hurry, grabbing my ankle. It flopped loosely, obviously
broken. The ref came over. Before he could speak, I said, "My opponent
is unable to continue. For a different cause, I am in the same
condition. I declare the issue is past. His snores may indicate
something of the same." He tried not to chuckle. The President woke up
just before the medtech arrived. He noticed my injury and said, "I
declare the issue is past." And so it was. My ankle was set and wrapped
so I could walk on it. He was checked out, and passed. We went back to
his office.
He said, "You could have beaten me easily." I said, "Actually, I
could have just stood there, shielded by my Ki, and nothing you could
have done would have made an impression on me. Or I could have struck
you with my Ki from across the mat, and smashed you to a red smear
against the wall. Smashed the wall, too. And yes, there are others like
me. Nicer looking, too." He had some severely mixed emotions. He said,
"Your group of mediators?" I said, "We don't do it from weakness." He
said with some heat, "I sure believe that! Are all of your species like
you?" I said, "No. They are less than you in ability, except for a very
few who are in my group. One in a billion. Of those in my group who are
of my species, I am the leader." He said, "And the best in fighting?" I
said, "That's not what we measure for the position. We care more about
other qualities, of the whole person. Like on Posintan, but more so,
because we don't need to compete to see these things." He said, "But I
see some of them. Wisdom. Intelligence. Courage. Bravery. Skill.
Knowledge." The Ambassador said, "Add severe embarrassment to the ever
growing list." I said to him, "You too?" He just grinned. I sighed. The
Pres laughed.
He said, "Would you tell me of your competition now?" I projected to
the wall. He had some wows. He said, "You were a child!" I said, "Yes.
14. We don't compete as adults. It wouldn't be fair. We couldn't lose."
He said, "I don't understand." I said, "If you are in a race, and the
others just stood at the starting line so you could win, how would you
feel?" He said, "Oh!" I said, "It's not a real competition when one is
sure to win. That's why your people make themselves so er, obnoxious in
their winning, after cheating. They are trying to convince themselves
they won something real, when they actually didn't. And don't think the
Posintans don't understand that. They really understand competition
more than almost anybody. It's the basis for their whole society."
He said, "I want to help, but I don't have the power to forbid
private citizens from going to Posintan and competing." I said, "The GC
doesn't forbid private planet to planet treaties where it doesn't
violate any of its regulations. If I ask them to agree to such a thing,
they might. They er, know of me." He laughed. I said, "But I won't."
That really got his attention. I said, "Your two peoples need to learn
from each other." He said, "But us more than they." I said, "Actually,
no. Yes, you need to learn good behavior and sportsmanship, but they
need to understand and get along with the differences of other people
better, and learn how to help them to improve. They are a very tolerant
people, except in this area, which strikes at the heart of who they
are. There are two things you can do to help. One is to inform your
people about this problem. They are making themselves very unpopular
and unwelcome, and that will, over time, spread to all of the GC,
because those of Posintan, and their system, are very well respected.
You don't want to be the pariah of the GC, do you?" He said, "Correct.
We don't. I, we, need to do something about this. What is the other
thing?" I said, "You could authorize me to make all my time here public
on Posintan. It's all recorded." He said, "Oh!" He spent time thinking
and reviewing it, and said, "I see. That would work best. I wouldn't
like it, but I authorize it, for the betterment of all our peoples." I
said, "Those qualities you listed of mine. Weren't they actually
yours?" He had tears of humility.
I said, "There is one more thing I can do. One of my students has
volunteered, eagerly, I might add, to compete against your people on
Posintan. She is not yet an adult." He said, "Will she win?" I just
grinned. He laughed. He said, "After that, will you show us?" I said,
"Yes." He said, "I know. We'll broadcast it." I said, "I knew you would
see that." More humility. We stood. I said, with open arms, "I would
give you something of me in friendship." I hugged him with love, and
then helped him to sit. He was still in shock when we left. In the
hallway when the Ambassador and I were alone, Mom said in the air, "I
love it when he does that!" I said to him, "That was Rose, my mother."
He laughed and said, "I understand. I do not disapprove of the
embarrassment." I growled, and he laughed some more.
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Grant
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