Solomon's Private File #426
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 34 in this story, in the Winter of 2060-2061.
Solomon's Private File #426 "Unusual Authority"
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walked through it like it wasn't there. Powerful cutting lasers tried
to slice me into pieces. I redirected their energy into another space.
Armor piercing bullets struck me. I absorbed their momentum, and they
dropped to the floor after touching me. Poison gas swirled around me.
It wasn't what I breathed. I said, "That's going to be a little problem
for you when I go through the last shield. Better evacuate and replace
your air in a hurry." That was happening. Then I was in the man's
office. He had sat back down, after discovering his escape hatch
wouldn't open.
I smiled and said, "Is a person paranoid, if people are really out to
get him?" He smiled, and said, "Hopefully not, but it could help." I
said, "Actually, it wouldn't. He couldn't trust the people who would
build his defenses." He said, "I think I see some evidence of that." I
said, "No, they built well. They couldn't prevent what they couldn't
understand. There is no defense against a being who can manipulate
reality." He said, "I would agree, if that were true. Are you actually
here?" I said, "Do you think you're talking to yourself?" He said, "I
could be, if my mind were being manipulated." I said, "I don't do that,
except as a teacher does with words and knowledge. I could have used a
projected image, but I prefer er, me. And you can feel that I'm a real
presence and person here. You can see my aura. As much as you're able
to."
He said, "Others can see more?" I said, "As one advances, one
perceives more, when more is available to those who can." He said, "And
your equals can see all of you?" I said, "I have no equal in any
galaxy, in any dimension. I am Solomon." He said, "Oh!" He stood, and
said, "I offer greetings, Solomon. Please be seated." We sat. I said,
"Interesting chair." He said, "I apologize, but the controls for it are
in another room." I said, "Who's operator is now sleeping." Grins. I
said, "Why have you created this?" He said, "I assume you mean what the
galaxy knows of us as Thieves World, and what we allow of the people
here. We have our own society that we want to keep fully independent.
We feel that being unknown is the best way to assure that. But a
compatible world would be colonized, so we allowed explorers to
establish bases here. Then we took them over. We let the galaxy assume
we are native to this world, and would maintain our independence by
being completely neutral, even to allowing unregulated communities of
criminals. Now no power wants to change that balance, and they even
silently encourage their criminals to come here, and their too
disruptive adventurers. We fill a need, and they let us do it. We stay
as we wish, and they benefit from that."
I said, "You're the first colony, and being unregistered, that's not
in their records. Peace loving misfits. Oh my have you changed!" He
grinned, and said, "We haven't changed that much, except in
practicality. Anarchists we were, and still are." I said, "And ruled by
a psionic elite." He said, "In the beginning, most of us were psionic
to some degree, and persecuted for that, which is why we left. Many of
us still are." I said, "It disappointed you that the genes for that are
recessive. You breed with others, you lose it." He said, "Do you know
why it's recessive?" I said, "Yes." He said, "You're not going to tell
us." I said, "Correct. It's one of those things where if you should
know, you would." He said, "Is it recessive in other species?" I said,
"It is, for almost all."
I said, "One of the ways you held to power here, in controlling your
er, guests, was your medical service. That's changing a little." He
said, "That's true. We assume you aren't going to change that, so we're
investigating other means of control." I said, "Better not try that
with basic food. It wouldn't do what you want, even if I would allow
it." He said, "So that's why you're here. Intoxicants?" I said, "I
won't do anything about things that are not necessary to maintain life
and health, but people aren't always rational in governing their
desires. I recommend that some mild intoxicants not be restricted, or
you'll have deadly riots." He said, "Some advisers have said that. I
think we will agree with your recommendation."
I said, "Your biggest local danger is of a warlord becoming
ascendant, and challenging you for real control, so you kill those who
become too powerful." He said, "Will you oppose that?" I said, "We
think it's unwise to interfere in social structures and political
systems. However, we do oppose the misuse of psionics." He said, "I
think I understand your reasoning. You don't want a backlash, a
persecution of them, coming from fear of us." I said, "That would hold
back the evolution of the species. We would oppose anything that does
that." He said, "I support that, and will warn my people to always act
with outsiders in ways that aren't attributable to psionics. You have
students. Any from here?" I said, "From your guests, yes." He was very
surprised. He said, "Those criminals, and not US?" I said, "Those
criminals have had children. Crime isn't inherited."
I said, "You have stopped your evolution, but you're forcing theirs."
He was dumbfounded. I said, "None of you are qualified. Two of them,
were. In such a small population, that's a higher concentration than
anywhere else in this part of the galaxy." He said, "How can we improve
our evolution?" I said, "Natural selection works fastest in survival of
only the fittest. You're causing that in your guests. Their society is
in turmoil, but static, in that it doesn't vary in principle. You're
society is static, and that's all. Only a few people are challenged in
anything real, and so there is no need for selection in births, and no
deaths of the unfit, and so no push to advance in society, and no way
to do it in biology. You've created a relative utopia for your people.
A comfortable and stress free life. That stops evolution. Your guests
are far from comfortable, and so are evolving to cope with it. These
aren't genius level ideas and observations. I suggest you look into why
you weren't aware of this. Don't expect that to change anything."
I stood. He said, "How can I contact you?" I said, "You can't. One
from the school will visit when appropriate. Their galaxy, their
choice. They know what's happened here." I bowed and shifted out.
I said at the school, "Lessons?" Etan said, "Big ones. We had no idea
it was anything more than a place for criminals!" I said, "Do you think
they could manage the spaceports without killing each other?" They all
said, "Oh!" I said, "On a mission to a planet, you check the whole
system. Better than being shot in the butt." Grins. He said, "You know
why psionic genes are recessive, more than how they're constructed?" I
said, "Want to restate that?" He said, "Oops! Is there a switch for
them?" I said, "I's not good to mess with genes. A lot of them are
interrelated. Use the wrong switch, you could have a psionic idiot. God
will cure genetic abnormalities, but it's HIS decision for what's
abnormal. If such a switch existed, I would expect God to have full
control of it." He said, "He can manipulate genes without disturbing
dimensions?" I said, "Some very minor disturbances are self healing.
Moving a few atoms in one gene in one person at conception, qualifies.
Remember, He operates in the long term, but even Rang believes it was
done for him, the only one like that on his planet. He's the only Adept
besides descendants of my father, who can port between dimensions. None
of us believe that was just an accident of birth."
He said, "Wow! I agree. We shouldn't play with that." I said, "You've
got enough to play with." Grins. They're filling up the school well,
with a lot of students.
A new student objected to having to learn martial arts at the
Institute. Matri said, "It's required." The girl said, "I won't!" Homen
said, "Why won't you?" She said, "My father said girls don't need to
fight." Matri laughed, and said, "If I hadn't learned how to fight, I
would have been killed at least thirty times." She said, "But that's
part of your job." Matri said, "Three of those times were before I was
old enough to work." Homen said, "The problem with your reason is it
isn't YOU who decides what you need in the future to save your life,
it's the people who want to take your life who decide that by what they
do to you, and if you can't already protect yourself then, you die. We
care about our students very much. We help to make people who are more
educated than most. That can cause envy and resentment in some people
who might want to act on that. It's happened enough times that it
caused us to have this requirement. It's so serious, that if you refuse
this, we refuse you, and you have to leave. We do NOT want to be the
reason why people are killed. I think you can understand that. There
are other reasons, too." Matri said, "Yes. People can sense your
physical self confidence you learn with this. They will respect you
more, and listen to you more, usually without knowing why. We think
that's funny, but useful." Grins. Matri said, "And it's VERY good for
one's figure." Homen said, "I think I can appreciate that more than you
do." Grins.
He said, "It's also very good for learning self control and
concentration. What students learn here, helps them to better learn all
else in the Institute. We know how education really works, and we owe
it to our students to do it. So, ready to do this?" She said, "No." He
said, "Alright. We'll tell the President, and he'll make arrangements
to have you sent home. You will not be allowed in the other classes."
She said, "You can't do that! My father's very important!" He said,
"Your father isn't here. The President of the Institute is the leader
of this world, and is good friends with the Prime Minister of your
world. If you want to play the importance game with us, you'll lose.
You will be a good student as we require, or you won't be a student.
It's just that simple, as it is for every responsible school." She
said, "I don't believe you." Homen smiled, and said, "What you believe
or disbelieve isn't going to change reality. You're here, and they're
not. We run the school, and nobody else can stop that. They won't even
know about this until you arrive at your parents' doorstep. Er, if they
actually have one of those. And then it will be too late. You won't be
able to come back. Your parents might be angry, but at who? We won't be
there, but YOU will. Maybe you might not want to be in that situation.
I sure wouldn't!"
He signaled Matri, who said, "And what girl wouldn't want to be able
to beat up boys who tease her?" She said, "I'll do it. But I'm going to
tell my father." Matri said, "That's good. We shouldn't keep secrets
from our parents." The girl said in surprise, "You wouldn't stop me?"
She said, "Absolutely not! We're proud of what we do here, in helping
our students to become the best possible people. We want everybody to
know that, and how we do it. Do you think your father sent you all the
way here just to play?" She said, "Oh. Alright." And she did take the
class, and didn't exactly hate it. With the permission of Matri and
Homen, I showed the president a recording of that. He said, "Did you
foresee this?" I said, "Shhh." He laughed.
He said, "They were very effective." I said, "Part of that was due to
the team aspect. They reinforced each other. It's more difficult to
argue against a person who has what he says verified by another right
there. One in authority could be wrong. Two, makes that much less
likely, not that the student understood that consciously. Homen did,
and managed that. Matri noticed the tactic, and played along." He said,
thoughtfully, "I'll pass that along. You're teaching me!" I said, "Stop
learning, start dying." He said, "I have to agree. Thank you!" We
hugged.
I shifted to the leader of a planet in the Kahndrist Empire. Etan was
already there. I said to him, "He knew the Emperor's requirements, and
ours. Now he wants to go against them." Etan said, "And I think he
dislikes me. Oh how can I EVER live with that?" I said, "But Kennam
likes you. Loves you, actually." He said, "True. Good man. His father
is doing as well as can be expected. He knows he's forgotten much of
who he was, but the love of his children compensates for that." I said,
"But Kennam's mother!" He said, "She's not good for anybody, not even
herself. Is Kennam going to change his mind about her?" I said, "Soon,
yes." He said, "Good. That will help."
The Duke said to me, "Who are you?" I said, "I'm Solomon." He said,
"This BOY wants to rule ME!" I said, "He doesn't want any such thing.
Your Emperor does. It's good that you can understand that he's a boy.
Was worried about you there, for a minute. You seem to object to that.
Would you rather a girl help you to understand reality?" He said,
"Children!" I said, "That's a very incomplete sentence. Please try to
communicate better. That would include refraining from telling us what
we already know. After me, he is the most intelligent, most educated,
and most powerful person in this entire dimension. Therefore, any
person who opposes him, is really demonstrating how much less they are.
Don't let his looks fool you. He can change them in an instant. You
wonder why. He can destroy whole solar systems at a thought, but
dislikes people to be afraid of him. Looking harmless helps with that."
I said, "You want your son to use his abilities to help you to rule.
He won't. Simple as that." He said, "You forbid him?" I said, "Our
education system requires a clear mind. A person who would do what you
want, couldn't have that, so he couldn't learn what you want him to
use. This is not a matter of choice, but of unalterable conditions of
reality. If you act further on this, your son will become unable to
learn from us, having faults in his mind, and he would have to be
expelled. How safe will a ruler be, having a son who hates him? You've
already shown him and others how much you disrespect children. They are
PEOPLE! Not slaves. Don't make it worse."
He thought that over, and said, "You know the Emperor?" I pointed to
Etan, and said nothing. He said the same to Etan, like it was forced
out of him. Etan said, "I was with Kennam, while Solomon was telling
his father about the illness. I was projecting that meeting to him. We
cried together when we heard that. Then we saw him record the
abdication. YES I know him! We are not able to lie." He said, "I don't
believe that!" I said, "Liars never do. They can't believe somebody can
be better than they are. That's because, most are." Etan said to me,
"That's a new one. I like it." Grins. He said to the Duke, "Lying puts
faults in the mind, that over time erodes sanity. If we lied, our
abilities would become unreliable. You really wouldn't want that to
happen! Our training makes that impossible. You have a decision to
make. Emperor rules that there will be no interference in the school or
students, and nothing public about it. Will you comply, or not?" He
said, "If I do not?" Etan said, "What is the punishment for violating
an Ultra Security Direct Imperial Order?" He gulped, and said, "Death
by torture." Etan said, "We disapprove of that. We would help you
choose to die peacefully and with dignity."
He looked at Etan with more respect, and said, "I will comply." Etan
said, "You won't even ask him to use his abilities in any way? He
won't, but just being asked by one he loves, will cause faults in his
mind. Think about it. How much do you really love him?" He sighed, and
said, "I agree." I said, "Being a father is tougher than being a Duke.
I'm a father, and my children can teleport!" He said, "Oh. I see where
that can be a problem. This is so new and unusual to me, I still don't
know how I should think of it." I said, "As one father to another, it
gets worse when they start with dating." He said, "I think I should sit
down." We grinned. I said, "It's worth it, though. You can experience
some of that now." Etan offered to hug him. He was embarrassed, but did
it, and really did need to sit down. I said softly, "When you can have
that from your own son, nothing else is more important. Love is all."
We bowed, and left.
At the school, the teachers crowded around us, with hugs. Etan said,
"Now we know how to handle this. With US." I said, "We are our best
tools. Let who you are, work FOR you. For that, too. Can't you think of
anything else?" Laughter, and hugs of love.
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Grant
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