Solomon's Private File #385
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 33 in this story, in the Spring of 2059.
Solomon's Private File #385 "Ship To Sure"
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Harahm said to me, "I'm different." Galya looked VERY interested. I
said to him, "Why do you think that?" He said, "I look different." I
said, "Absolutely! You're a lot smaller than me." He said, "That's not
what I mean! I'm different from everybody." I said, "We all are. What
you mean is that most of the differences between the people you know,
that you can see, aren't as much as your differences from them." He
said, "Yes! You said it right!" I said, "I try. That's my job, to say
the right things. I'm going to say some more right things now. We're
Navajo. Some of us look like people think we should look like, such as
your grandmother, and some don't, such as me and you. Here is one of
the reasons. My father, Stephen was so white, he looked like a ghost.
But a nice one." He grinned. I projected a picture of him at 14. Dawn
said in the air, from school where she was teaching, "He's hot!" We
laughed. I said, "He came to visit the Navajo, and they loved him, and
made him Navajo, because he had no other real family. Yes, the whole
Nation adopted him. So, combine his looks, and your grandmother's
looks, and you get something like me. But taller." Grins.
I said, "For thousands of years, the Navajo have been adopting other
good people into our Nation. We think that's a good way to keep being a
good people. For us, it's not how people look on the outside that
maters, but who they are as a person. How they think, how they feel,
and how they act, is what we like, and what makes a person of the
Navajo. But our family also belongs to another group that has some
unusual intelligence and special abilities. Some things we do to help
people have to be secret, and we have to be secret, too, or they
wouldn't leave us alone. You know the story of the ugly duckling?" He
said, "Yes." I said, "The children who qualify to go to our school are
very different from other people. Smarter, stronger, with better
memory, and who don't like to hurt people They get picked on a lot, by
other kids. Bullies. That's about the kids who have families. Some
don't, and they have a lot more problems just living." He said, "That's
bad! We should help them!"
I said, "We do help them to become like the swans in that story. We
usually don't notice them until we look for students when they're ten.
Sometimes a special situation happens when we find one who is a baby.
Then we find parents for them, so they can be adopted. And that's how
we came to adopt you. We chose you to be one of us, and you are." He
said, "Wow!" I said, "Absolutely!" He said, full of curiosity, "Where
did I come from?" I said, "I'm guessing that's not about reproduction."
He giggled. I said, "Most adopted children aren't told about being
adopted as young as you are, but you're very smart. It's also the usual
rule not to tell them about where they came from, and why, until
they're adults, because it can upset the relationship with their
adoptive family." He said, "You wont tell me?" I said, "I'm not, and
not just for that reason, which, while it's a very good one, it's not
as strong for somebody of your high intelligence. I'm not allowed to
tell you. God's orders." He said, "Wow!" I said, "I actually thought
that at the time. BIG surprise." Grins. I said, "How you came to us has
never happened before that I know of. But I have to say, I hope it
happens again. Well, look what we've got. Who wouldn't want more?"
Galya said, "Absolutely!" Dawn said, "I agree. Talk to the Boss! Ask
for more!" I said, "He knows. But such special children are rare. Might
be a while for a new edition addition." Chuckles.
I said to Harahm, "But this is a family secret. Understand?" He said,
"Yes. I don't want to be treated different." I said, "But you ARE
different. We're all different. Most of that is inside. I really know
about being different. There is nobody like me anywhere, except me. I
can be anywhere at the same time, in any kind of body, or none at all,
and I know everything. Can't get more different than that!" He said, "I
don't care. You're my Dad. You love me, and I love you." I said, "And
that's all that really matters. And chocolate." Grins.
I said to the Boss, "Got a problem here. This species is about to
play with interplanetary travel. They visit this neighboring planet,
they'll change its evolution from optimal to failure. There are options
that range from doing nothing about it, to moving one of the planets.
It would help to know your plans and preferences, before I act or don't
act." He said, "There is no perfect solution for both planets in the
same system. One that is evolving has priority, including staying in
that location. Keeping the explorers from interfering has no useful
solution, were they to stay together." I said, "And at their level of
tech, moving them and changing what needs to be changed, would cause
problems no matter how careful I am. So, moving them without modifying
them can be done. A different kind of experiment, if you would choose
the best location for them. In this dimension. Better a different
galaxy, if they will have FTL someday. Recognizing the old location,
been done. And not this time, although I appreciate the thought.
Another galaxy. Here." I said, "And no explanation for the move. Going
to be interesting how they rationalize it." He said, "Very."
I created the new system in the proper place in the other galaxy, at
the same time I destroyed the original planet and put the souls of the
people into their new bodies at the new location, Then I put an older
version of their planet, from long before they had evolved, in the old
location, to keep that system stable. I had moved all their satellites
and probes. From their point of view, nothing changed, but the stars.
Oh boy were their astronomers surprised, and loudly! It took them a
while, with mapping the galaxies, but they eventually figured out that
they really were in a different galaxy, and they found their previous
one. What they couldn't figure out, was how it happened, and why. Most
people didn't care, even the few who believed it. Their societies went
back to normal, from the slight disturbance, and they mostly forgot
about it. Astronomy did get a significant boost by that, though.
I saved a few more planets from black holes in coalescing galaxies.
I made a space ship, and said from it to another, "You're getting too
close to that black hole." It replied, "This is Captain Masstrap. Who
are you?" I said, "I'm Solomon. You have about two hours of your time,
before you will be caught beyond your ability to escape. Soon after
that, you will die. Is that your wish?" He said, "In the cause of
science, yes, if what we learn will survive us." I said, "Both things,
no. You won't learn anything useful, and you won't be able to
communicate that." He said, "How do you know this?" I said, "Because I
am able to." He said, "How are you able to?" I said, "You are not able
to understand that. Consider. We have never met, yet I know your
language, and all you are capable of." One said something in the
background. I said, "The answer to her question is yes." He said, "So
you know our thoughts." I said, "I'm not impressed by your sexual
imagination you are trying to shock me with." He had to laugh.
I said, "One of your technicians has discovered that he can detect no
signals that correspond to my communication. Good work." He said, "Then
how am I hearing you?" I said, "Obviously, very well, if a little
incredulously. I'm directly manipulating the speaker diaphragm of your
sound system. Touching the grill isn't going to assuage your
curiosity." He said, "You can see into my ship!" I said, "It would be
more interesting if you would tell me something I didn't already know."
Some laughed. He said, "And what is it you don't know?" I said, "I
don't know why you would want to kill yourself for no useful gain." He
said, "You could be wrong." I said, "Actually, no I can't, as you can
know it." He said, "Is that space ship we detect actually real?" I
said, "We would first have to agree on what is real, and what isn't."
He said, "Do you actually need it?" I said, "No. It's for you to have
something at least a little familiar to you, for your intellectual
comfort. For your unpleasant information, your radiation shielding is
failing." Then he heard the alarms go off.
He said, "We should leave." He gave the orders, and they couldn't do
it. I said, "With your permission, I can er, rescue you." He said,
"Please. I request it." I said, "If you agree to not try this again.
There is nothing any biological being can discover about black holes by
personal examination." He said, "We agree. But now, we will die anyway,
from the radiation." Then we were in plain interstellar space. I said,
"I will heal you, if you allow." He said, "Please!" I did that, and
said, "You are healed, and your ship is cleaned and repaired." He
received some calls. Then he said, "Thank you for the er, decoration."
I said, "You're welcome. Your ship was a little plain." He grinned, and
said, "It was!" I said, "Please don't do this again. Now that you've
been informed, repeats of this will be treated as suicide, for which I
will not interfere. What you choose to tell of this to others could be
a little interesting. More so, because there is no recording of my
voice in your ship. Be well." I caused my ship to vanish.
One asked the Captain, "Was he actually the black hole? Are they
intelligent?" He said, "Whoever he was, is intelligent without a doubt,
and with a sense of humor. He can do what's impossible to us, and he
cares about us. That's all I know. He's right about the report. What a
problem that's going to be!" One said, "The art." He said, "Oh! That's
right. We can point to that as evidence. He knew!" Grins.
I made a space ship, and let another ship detect it. It sent a
message asking to communicate. I replied, "Yes, I know your language.
No, you're not lost. I know where you are." The Captain said, "I also
know something of that, but not in relation to where I started from." I
said, "Why are you here, and not there?" He said, "We're testing a new
kind of drive." I said, "Did it pass?" He said, "It didn't kill us, and
it worked as a drive, but it doesn't work well as a navigation system."
I said, "They seldom do that. Calibration helps." He said, "We have
discovered that. Can you help us?" I said, "I should try. Can't have
space ships drifting all over the universe. Untidy." He chuckled. I
said, "Can you see the galaxy that is 26 degrees off your bow and
central axis?" He said, "At that angle, there is one that is most
noticeable. I said, "It's known to you as ZXY149." He said, "Oh! That's
a start! Anything more?" I said, "37 degrees off of your bow, rotated
85 degrees from that, is a number of stars in the form of a circle." In
a minute, he said, "We see it." I said, "The red star in that, is a
giant known to you as Kagnitmep. Your home system is in the line
between those points, 69.4597 percent along that from the red star,
689.1583 light years direct line from your current position,
intersecting that line. That's the best I can do for you with what is
known to you." He said, "That does it! We can calculate where we are,
and where our destination is." I said, "A caution. In interstellar
travel, no chart or calibration is perfect. The gravity from dark
matter is a little unpredictable, and changes in that with optics, and
how it affects FTL course and speed. It's small, but with the longer
the distance, the more the er, aggravation." He laughed.
He said, "Is there a way of avoiding that?" I said, "I have a feeling
that avoiding it by staying home isn't what you're looking for." He
chuckled, and said, "True." I said, "I'm sorry, but not at your level
of technology." He said, "Can you help us in that?" I said, "No. It
takes a whole society to understand and build such things. When you're
able to do that, you will. You think you're lost now. Better have good
charts then, if you want to find your own galaxy again." He said, "I
see. Thank you. How do you know of us? How do you know exactly what we
know? Is your planet near here?" I said, "I'd better not strain my
credibility with you." He said, "Please try." I said, "I'm not of any
particular, er place. Let's leave it at that. Please be careful on your
way home. It's a long walk!" He chuckled, and said, "We will, thank
you." I said, "Signing off." I made my ship vanish.
First mate said to him, "Was that real?" Captain chuckled, and said,
"I don't know, but we have to assume it was. Please play back the
recording." He said, "Sir, it only has your voice!" Captain said, "That
ship might not be real, either. The description of the galaxy and star
were real. He must have read our minds. I think he told the truth. He
sounded genuinely helpful and caring. And funny." Grins. He said,
"Let's treat it as real. We don't have much of a choice." One said,
"Was he God?" Captain said, "I'd like to think so." Nods. They did make
it back.
A ship in our home galaxy was about to step down from FTL drive. I
shifted in, and grabbed the helmsman's arm to prevent him from starting
that. I said, "Please don't do that at this time and location. There is
a space disturbance that will destroy you. I think you should avoid
that." He said, "I think so, too! May I ask for the Captain?" I said,
"Sure, if you want more of you to be surprised." He chuckled, and did
that. The Captain came running. He stopped dead, on seeing me. He said,
"Solomon! What are you doing here? And how?"
I said, "There was a little problem. Your scheduled emergence point
has some extra problems. I er, encouraged a slight delay to avoid that.
So you know of me." He said, "Our Ambassador to the GC spoke of you and
Rose." I said, "Probably a little too much for our comfort." He
grinned, and said, "It might be so. She fought well." I said, "And she
loved it!" More grins. He said, "Can you fight?" I said, "You wouldn't
want me to tell you what a son of Rose actually thinks of that
question, would you?" He laughed loudly. When he could, he said, "You
don't have to. Do you have time for a workout?" I said, "It wouldn't be
fair. I was the best. Now I'm beyond that." He said, "Ah! A Master of
Masters!" I said, "More than that. Reality is my weapon, when needed."
He said, "The Ambassador said you are holy. I see that now." We bowed.
I said, "It's safe now to emerge." He gave the order. I said, "You
should know I wouldn't have revealed myself able to do this, for people
less worthy. Please don't expose this." He said, "On our honor!" I
shifted out, and they said wow. A little late, but still, they did say
it.
At home, I shared my recent ship rescues with the family. Mom said,
"You like them." I said, "They like you; I have to like them!" Chuckles
and hugs. I said, "Marcel is getting married soon." She said, "Would
you share what you've got so far?" I said, "Sure." I pushed it. She
said, "You could make a whole TV series of this!" I said, "I know. But
some of what I did and said, was for that time and place, and that
species. Some will assume it applies here. That's always been a problem
with sharing actions. And I let him almost die." She said, "That was a
tough one. I hope you can make it work. Showing you as a parent in
action, shouldn't be lost to the world." I said, "We'll see."
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Grant
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