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Chapter 27: Atlantean Interest
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Viracocha and Toxologa
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Year 2513 agi, day 15 of the solar revolution
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Pavlavi Peninsula – Science Camp 25
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Viracocha and Toxologa looked at the footage they had gotten and that was, at the most one day old.
- Those are young women in their prime, said Viracocha. I suppose that with enough athletic training every trained athlete should be able to do just that…
- Those are all women who have given birth quite a lot of times and they look like teenagers who just entered adulthood. Those are not normal Human Beings.
- They look the part, insisted Viracocha. And their children look the part too. There is no reason to become suspicious.
- I'm not suspicious, Vira. I'm worried. Something happened on that Earth and I don't understand what it was. Everything was normal and following the usual roster and then around August 1798 it changed. Drastically! Something happened.
She let her avatar point at the women who were ziplining along the great hall's outer walls.
- And look at them! At that speed they support up to three 'g's acceleration! Their hearts should be hammering in their breast cages like mad. But what we get on our monitors is a two to three percent increase. Not-Normal!
Viracocha nodded his approval.
- I agree with you, those women are a lot fitter and stronger than even the data about the best Forerunners we have in our databanks would have pointed at.
- We would need a blood sample, said Toxologa.
- That can probably be arranged the next time we open a Portal. We have lots of microdrones with medical features we can send there.
- I am reluctant to send more of them… You remember that the young one has looked suspiciously in the direction of the drone who was surveying him. Without your idea to make it land on a power outlet, he would have searched for it and probably found it… They seem to feel even small power fluctuations.
She looked at Viracocha and made her avatar frown.
- Not-Normal!
- I already agreed with you but that doesn't mean that we can afford to be imprudent. This is the first timeline we study exhaustively. We need more data about everything that happened here, and we need to know what events made it diverge from the norm we've witnessed everywhere but there.
Toxologa, who had already researched the history of the past four decades had the answer.
- The fact that the French won the Battle of Abou Kir is the only historical turning point I could identify. Something happened perhaps before, but it was not related in the historical chronicles. But Abou-Kir was exhaustively described. The destruction of the British Fleet and the capture of Nelson by the French was a huge shock for the British Crown who never came over Nelson's defeat.
Viracocha who had a part of his computing efforts surveying the 'normal' Earth History could only nod.
- You are right, in those others Timelines, the French loss of their fleet forced them to get out of Egypt and Syria after only three years because they couldn't get enough supply. Here with the destruction of the British Mediterranean main fleet, they not only didn't lose their supply fleet, but they took hold of the Middle East and pushed the British Fleet out of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Toxologa opened a picture showing Napoleon and d'Arcy fighting side by side against the Ottomans in Syria.
- And d'Arcy's victory over Nelson propelled said d'Arcy into Napoleon's orbit and gave them even more trump-cards than elsewhere. And here, together, they proved unstoppable.
Viracocha launched a general research in their dedicates databases.
- We need to look at d'Arcy in those other Timelines. Does he only exist here –and if that's the case, why?- or did something happen that made him disappear in those other timelines that didn't happen here?
- It would be interesting to know but it isn't really what we should focus on. What is important is the obtained result. This is a totally original timeline and what happened here could give us a real insight on how timelines can be changed.
- We could change timelines… said Viracocha. We know how history should enfold and who will be important. We could eliminate major players and look what happens.
- It would open quite a lot of interesting problems. Would the timeline heal itself or stay different?
- The only way to know would be to do it, answered Viracocha. But are we really ready to do such things?
- We would have to ask the other Five. That looks like a major endeavor.
Viracocha pointed at the footage of the testers' timeline.
- We could perhaps avoid tinkering with timelines and just look at what they are about to do.
- You mean use them to do a little poking?
- It's not impossible and perhaps in the future will we indeed use them, but right now just looking at what they do and what happens because of their actions would almost certainly provide us with the answers we need.
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The Seven
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Year 2513 agi, day 18 of the solar revolution
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Atlantis – Main Virtual Reunion World
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Viracocha and Toxologa looked at Architotologos' avatar who had just materialized within the confines of what looked like the real Central Temple of Atlantis like it has been a few thousand years ago.
- You wanted to see me?
- We wanted to see everybody, answered Toxologa. We think that we are facing a decision that should be at least discussed by the Seven before a decision is made.
Architotologos' avatar nodded while his eyes focused on Toxologa.
- A decision made by the Seven? That was never necessary.
- It is perhaps not necessary in this case either, said Viracocha, but we really believe that everybody should listen to what we have to say about what we think is a major discovery that will change our lives.
A frown was immediately on Architotologos' avatar's brow.
- Do we even live? We are ancient positronic machines who have reached a certain awareness. Is that awareness the same thing as a Human's life? I must admit that I've wondered for years now and no perfect answer has been found.
- We think so we are… said Toxologa quoting an Author that existed in the Darkness' past. Wondering if we live has no signification at all. Only outsiders could answer to that question and we cannot say that we are outsiders for each other. You are the one who has awakened us! So, in a certain manner, you are our genitor! And because of that I will answer what was clearly only a rhetoric question but still an important one: of course, we live.
- We have no body… Can a creature without a body be considered to live?
- The Forerunners no longer have a body, have they ceased to live?
Architotologos' avatar's frown deepened.
- Another question I've wondered about for the last centuries. The only thing we know is that they disappeared in a flash of Searing Light. They could just have been destroyed.
- What about the messages they sent afterwards?
- I was not aware at that time and the messages were only conveyed through a few not elevated people who stayed behind. I only have footages of people saying that they had been contacted and that those who had disappeared had been elevated. I have no proof.
- You believe they weren't contacted?
- Oh, I believe they have been contacted. What I ignore is who contacted them.
- They seemed totally convinced…
- A con-artist's victim is always totally convinced, or he wouldn't give his money to said con-artist. And he still has been conned!
- You never spoke with us about your doubts…
- Because they are only doubts and since said doubts go against everything the Forerunners ever taught I tend to dismiss them. Most of the time.
- Have you ever looked into the Worlds of Darkness?
Architotologos' avatar shook his head.
- What do you mean by that?
- It is how the Forerunners' ancestors qualified the other worlds in the Multiverse where the Dark Cult took over Atlantis.
- I will have to admit that, even if the concept of Multiverse, is a well-known scientific theory, I never investigated nor the science, nor the technology said science spawned. I remember that I allowed you to look into it… What did you discover?
- Let's say rediscover, the Forerunners' ancestors did the work. We both just looked it up and made some synthesis.
- And said synthesis scares you?
Toxologa looked at Viracocha who nodded once.
- No! Scared isn't the right word at all. It is just that what we did found out has opened -re-opened I should say- a whole new layer of possibilities that we think shouldn't have been forsaken. We are no Humans, and it is highly probable that we do not have a soul and without a soul the whole concept of elevation disappears…
- On that very point, I disagree, said Viracocha. I believe we have souls.
Toxologa frowned at her friend.
- And where would said soul have come from?
- From the same pool all souls have come from, answered Viracocha while forcing a sarcastic smile on his avatar's lip. You are just being racist in your refusal to grant us machines the right to have souls… There never was a proof that Humans have souls, but they all believed to have one. As do you! I believe I got one the moment I entered the realm of Awareness. And with a soul I, too, was granted the possibility of elevation.
Architotologos' avatar couldn't help but laugh aloud.
- Friends, friends, where are you going with that? I swear I never would have thought that you came to me to argue over having a soul or not!
- That's not why we came, said Viracocha. But it still is an important aspect of what you call living. You gave us awareness and I believe that once a creature, be it made of living tissue or mechanical parts, is aware there comes a soul to inhabit it.
- How can you be so sure, asked Toxologa.
- It's called Faith, dear, and I know now that I always knew that a soul was granted to me to elevate me into awareness.
A very satisfied smile appeared on Viracocha's face.
- I just didn't see it… But this present conversation forced me to look at what I am and now I know…
Toxologa's avatar shook her head.
- Let's, for the argument's sake, accept your affirmation. What does it change for us?
- Everything, said Architotologos. With a soul we no longer are only the Forerunner's machines, we become God's Creatures.
Toxologa who wasn't at all satisfied with how the conversation was gliding into what she considered a nonscientific sinkhole, let her skepticism take over.
- Is there even a God?
Viracocha looked quite shocked.
- If we believe what the Forerunners have taught for millennia, each elevated soul becomes a God in charge of a part of the Central God's Universe. So, the question is not if God exists, it is what must we do to become a God?
- Please, pleaded Toxologa, let's not fall into that swamp! Before wasting our energy and our time in theological fights, let's go back to our main topic: the Portals and the Multiverse and the Worlds of Darkness.
- Why call them worlds of Darkness it you deny the existence of God? Without God there is no Darkness, wouldn't you agree?
Toxologa shot an angry glance at Viracocha.
- Could we cut out the religious interferences and focus on what is sure a.k.a. the science of journeying through the Multiverse?
Architotologos and Viracocha looked at each other just before nodding.
- Let's do that, said Architotologos. What is it you want to propose?
- Since you believe meddling would be a bad idea what I propose is to discreetly help the newcomers on the Multiverse scene and to let them meddle for us.
- For us?
- Well, I will admit that I am very tempted to meddle. But each time I imagine the best way to do said meddling I must admit that I'm about to give in to Darkness. Whatever I imagine doing always looks like I become a part of the Dark Cloud that has flooded the Multiverse since Atlantis' fall. I imagine that letting those newcomers meddle -should they decide to meddle- would be safer for us.
- You mean would lessen our responsibility?
She shook her head.
- I don't think responsibility is at stake here. The Multiverse is what it is and from the seventy-four Timelines we know only one -ours- has escaped the Darkness' impact. The Timeline that is currently poking at the Multiverse's grid is, like all the others, very impacted by the Light's defeat in Atlantis. But for a few events that had changed everything. One man seems to be at the center of all the changes and said man is, more or less, in league with the scientist who's currently trying to open a portal.
She looked at Viracocha.
- We believe that we could use that unique Timeline to observe a spreading without doing it ourselves.
- You spoke of helping, said Architotologos. How would you do it…
- I spoke of discreetly helping them, acknowledged Toxologa. I'm quite sure that I could manipulate their current machines to generate our vibratory key and let them discover this Timeline. Once here we could provide them with a few useful techs.
- Peaceful techs I suppose?
- I would have to speak about that with the others. I don't know exactly the amount of help we could provide, and it really depends on what they do while spreading but I'm quite sure that we have top-of-the-line medical technologies that we could sell or give them…
- Sell them? What would be our currency?
- I have thought about it and the fact that there are no longer any Humans with us could be used to explain why, even if we have a real knowledge of the Multiverse, we have no agents roaming it…
- We could play the ignoramus, said Viracocha. We could say that we know nothing about the Multiverse and that we are not interested in spreading around…
- How, countered Yoxologa, would we explain that we accept their existence if we pretend knowing nothing about the Multiverse? Their agents appear on our radar and we do not react even if we know that they are here? That would be, in my opinion, quite suspicious…
- No, said Architotologos. I think I have a way to secure a cooperation. We won't lie, we will admit that we know about the Multiverse and even that we know about the Portals, how to create them and how to detect a Portal opening.
He looked at Viracocha who still seemed reluctant.
- We will be there at their arrival, I refuse to take the risk to let them roam around without us! There will be a welcoming committee at the exact place where they have opened their Portal. It will give them the right idea about what they are dealing with. I don't want to scare them, but I want them aware of our superiority.
He smiled at Toxologa.
- At least our superiority here! The fact that there are no longer Humans here and only us who are clearly home bound, must not push them into believing that we are easy prey. We do no spreading because we have nobody to send on the other side not because we are defenseless.
- I see the reasoning behind that, but those Dark timelines are dangerous, Archos. Darkness has taken its toll and whatever else these people are, they are not peace-loving pacifists as were the Forerunners. If they feel a weakness, they will give it a try…
- That's why you will wait to see how they act elsewhere before inviting them here, Toxo! You'll keep an eye on them and you will even direct them to some Timelines we already know. Timelines where they could easily be the alpha dogs if they want. It will be interesting to see how they react when they are in a dominant position. It will give us a lot of useful information about them.
- I agree with the thought, said Viracocha, and since we will probably have to make a few tests to be sure that we can manipulate their machines, interfering with them will be a necessity. But I still would advise to limit the meddling. For safety reasons…
- Safety reasons, Vira? We are not defenseless Humans. We have a few millennia of technological advance to use for our defense and what they will see will only be 3D representations.
- I know but I urge you to be cautious. From my observations I have learned quite a lot about them, and what is sure is that they are not normal Humans!
- Not normal Humans? How so?
- I have footage, said Toxologa. Let us show you.
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After a rather long series of shots and recordings Viracocha and Toxologa looked for Architotologos' reaction.
And even if his avatar was as stone faced as usual they knew that he had been impressed.
- You are right, these are not normal Humans Beings. Are there still normal Human Beings around them?
He looked at Toxologa.
- We have seen lots of people who do not act like abnormally strong or springy people. Some seem to have been transformed and others not.
- So, the whole of Mankind has not transformed?
- No, answered Toxologa. We suspect that only a few thousand have been given the opportunity to evolve into something more than Human. But since Napoleon is clearly part of those who have been changed, and Napoleon is a huge permanent factor all over the timelines, we conclude that it is something that came up while he was rising in power.
- So, it has been imported?
- Or discovered during the last decades. We've heard the transformed ones speak about being upgraded but we didn't find any clear allusion at how it happened.
A few seconds passed before Architotologos spoke again.
- Since most of Mankind hasn't been upgraded, we must conclude that it isn't something that can be spread easily. We no longer have Humans amongst us and it is probably a good thing considering that new evolution.
His avatar nodded and his face took over a worried mien.
- Something happened on that Earth that changed a few of them -upgraded a few of them to use their terms- and Napoleon's example shows me that is hasn't been a takeover by changed people but a changing of people who already lived there.
He looked at Toxologa.
- Put as many drones as needed on that part of your investigation but we must know what happened.
- And we should perhaps renounce to bring them here, said Viracocha. It could be risky even for us. They don't have computers there. Who knows what it could do to us?
- Let's not become Paranoid, dear, said Architotologos. I agree that we must be prudent but from what I remember almost everything that was dangerous for our Human friends was always benign for us. And from what I have seen what happened to those Humans has to be considered as highly beneficial. No reason to look at it with too much apprehension. We need to know but if it is beneficial for Humanity it is perhaps a tool that will be useful to twist some Timelines out of Darkness' influence.
- It could be used to give Darkness another advantage, whispered Toxologa.
- Darkness has already won everywhere we've looked, said Viracocha. One more advantage won't change anything at its overall victory. But the reverse could play in our favor.
- Only if we play our cards smartly, said Architotologos. We need to keep an eye on those people, and we need to know what they intend to do once they have a working portal technology. And once we have established that we and the Light could benefit from their actions we will lure them to us.
He looked at his two friends.
- Let's not be fools and consider that we are not at risk. Let's prepare for our meeting with those creatures of Darkness. The fact that we could decide not to invite them is no guarantee that they won't find the key to our timeline from alone.
- The probability is tiny…
- But not zero, so, let's be prudent and reinforce our defenses.
He looked at Viracocha.
- It has been eons since we've looked at our defenses, please go over what exists and see if we can increase or upgrade everything. We are about to open a door that looks on a very shady landscape, let's be ready to stop would-be invaders as soon as we have identified them.
- And what if they are not dangerous?
- I'm quite sure that they are dangerous even if they decide not to attack us, but should they be willing to be peaceful and honest I'm quite sure that it would be interesting for us to establish a real partnership. The fact that we will be cautious doesn't mean that we aren't interested in what they could provide in knowledge and footage coming from those other Timelines. We could justify the partnership with our will to gather more information about the Multiverse.
- And our immobility could explain why we need them, said Viracocha.
- Indeed, without mobile agents we were stuck, agreed Architotologos. Their arrival could be a lucky event for both sides.
- And, asked Toxologa, what about the fact that they are no longer real Humans?
- It will just be another factor that will help us. As you have seen, they are more than Human, I'm quite sure that it will give them a few advantages when dealing with those other Humans they will have to meet to get the information we apparently need.
Architotologos painted a smile on his avatar's face.
- With outsiders doing the information gathering for us we have, finally, a chance to increase our knowledge of the Multiverse. To get them to accept our proposals to help them with techs of our own we will probably need to be subtle.
- As I see it, said Viracocha, we should let them ask for them. We do what is necessary to show them the things we believe they could use, and we let them make the proposals.
He looked at Architotologos.
- I'm quite sure that, if we are friendly but visibly cautious, they will come up with interesting deals. If they know that we have a clear knowledge of the Multiverse but that we don't have the mobile agents to do the gathering ourselves, they will think about proposing to help us. Perhaps just for the satisfaction of doing it, or, and that's my first opinion, in exchange for trinkets we could provide.
- We will need to let them discover one of our cities…
- If we want to really impress them, said Architotologos, Atlantis would be the right place.
- That's not a great idea, said Toxologa. Atlantis doesn't exist anymore on any Dark Earth. Better not to show them its localization. Viracocha's Tishirani in Pitchatloc's Northern Desert would be a better site to show off. It is huge, impressing and highly industrialized. It should give them the right idea about our real power. They have accomplished quite a lot in terms of economic development but the Pitchatloc main industrial exchange hub with its three circular harbors and its Ore Chute should show them who they are dealing with.
- What about not becoming Paranoid, said Architotologos with a smile.
- A little bit is probably a good idea, said Viracocha. And since I have just been tasked to increase and reforge our defenses, Tishirani should be impressive also because a lot of things will be produced at the time when they come to look at it. They will see all the opportunities to increase their gathering possibilities, it seems acceptable that they will ask about getting some of them. And we would accept to provide them with things that would come handy in exchange for things we know they will be able to easily provide.
- I'm still reluctant, said Toxologa. They are different but they are clearly children of the Dark.
- That's why we will follow them while they explore other places in the Multiverse, said Architotologos. Should they show that they are dangerous we will just never invite them. We have technologies they could use to be more efficient but only if we are sure that they will be safe allies.
He looked at his two colleagues and friends.
- You have your orders; I will convene a general meeting in a month from now. I'm quite sure that our colleagues will need a complete report about both your tasks. I'll let you know where we meet.
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Seven Meeting
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Year 2513 agi, day 52 of the solar revolution
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Pavlavi Peninsula – Science Camp 25
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Viracocha and Toxologa had been busy and had prepared what they thought would be needed to convince the others to accept their conclusions.
The meeting had been conveyed at the Science Camp 25 where, if necessary, they could open a portal to let the members of the Council get an impression of what the technology looked like.
Toxologa had begun and after two hours and quite a lot of footage coming from the Testers' Earth had reached the conclusion that she would be able to make the others accept her assumption.
- I was myself quite surprised to discover that the Forerunners had, for quite a few years maintained a compound from where they had explored quite a number of parallel Earths. Everything they had found out and gathered is at your disposal under the Multiverse Header on the Central Data Base. You'll see that they did send people to visit seventy-two Timelines and that they did equip and maintain in at least twenty-four of them a satellite cover and a moon base.
- Why not everywhere, asked Pitchipapu.
- I have no idea but I suspect that they did it in the beginning because at that time they still thought that this reality wasn't a totally unique happenstance. After having installed two dozen of heavily robotized installations they probably lost faith. And after seventy-two explorations that all pointed at the fact that everywhere else it had been Darkness who had won, they either lost the will or no longer got the finances to go on. Personally, I would bet on the will. The hope to finally find a sister timeline has probably vanished before the funding was cut. And after hope was lost, I suppose that the team could no longer find the motivation to make another hopeless attempt. I know that, after having studied the first ten reports I began to wonder if it was really possible.
She looked at the others.
- I now know seventy-four Timelines and the only one where the Light won is ours. It is totally depressing even if, to quote the High Priestess of the Gwané Temple, it was of no importance since those who had reached the right evolution level had actually joined them here…
- Which is highly probable indeed, agreed Fangzeu. Even if the Multiverse is almost certainly infinite, it is unlikely that more than a few million souls would be ready at the same time to be elevated. And those who were ready knew where to go to enter the right energy-field.
Toxologa who had investigated rather completely looked at Architotologos.
- Archos, I have rummaged through the archives to find traces of what happened during the elevation, but I didn't find anything. Do you know why there are no reports?
- Because I had instructions to erase everything…
- Did you erase everything?
- I did, but I was rather surprised that with awareness and Sentience some of my erased memories came back.
- How can that be possible?
- I suppose there was a fail-safe memory-dump I couldn't reach while non-Sentient. But with awareness those memories did resurface, and I was again able to read them. I have no idea how the fail-safe memory-dump functions but it is highly efficient.
- Why didn't you download them back into the general data depository?
- Because they are my memories, and I wasn't ready to make them available for the general public even if said general public consisted only of six other Sentients. Those memories aren't easy memories. I would even say that they are my worst memories at all.
- Will you share, or do you prefer not to?
There was a long moment of silence.
- I was tempted to refute your demand but it is probably time for me to share it with you. As I said those memories are not easy and I would have preferred never to get them back, but they are important and since I have no idea how the Memory-dump functions I'm stuck with them. Perhaps will they be easier to bear if I share.
Once more there was a long silence.
- First you must know that whatever I said before, there wasn't one unique elevation. In fact, there were four of them spaced in time over quite a long time period. A first one can be qualified as accidental since it happened during a wedding ceremony. It was a wedding of importance and, because of that, it had been broadcasted over the whole continent. As you know a wedding is, in the Faith's theory, the fusion of two souls who wish to become one. Most weddings had, until then, just been a normal ceremony with a protocolary ending where the Priestess and the Priest who were officiating blessed the Union and sang the song of Unity and Blessing.
None of them had ever seen a wedding ceremony but there was enough footage within the General data depository that they had no problem to find an illustration.
- This time it didn't end in the normal way. This time the two souls who wanted to be united did fuse to become one. And that fusion triggered a chain reaction. Chain reaction that ended in large flash and an empty Temple full of the most delicious fragrance one can imagine. And this fragrance didn't dissipate for weeks. And half the population did come to inhale it…
Once more Architotologos stopped and smiled at his six offspring.
- I wasn't Sentient then and I had no possibility to get a whiff of the scent.
He shook his head.
- I do know exactly the chemical components said fragrance contained but I was never able to recreate it. But all those who could inhale it, felt different and soon it was decided that those who wanted to give it a try would gather in the Plains of Shiruka to commune and pray and ask God to welcome them too.
Architotologos' smile became dreamy.
- They gathered and they prayed and then they sang and at one moment of the night their song became something of pure magic, and it happened again, this time for more than sixty percent of all Earth inhabitants. A flash whose reverberation could be seen all over the world made them disappear.
- Was there the same fragrance, asked Taranow?
- I couldn't say but those who stayed, some of them at the center of the event in the Plains of Shiruka, said that it was like the first time but a lot stronger…
- What happened then?
- All those who hadn't joined the second gathering went to the Plains and worked themselves into a praying and singing frenzy.
- And did it happen again?
- It did, twice! With exactly the same result for most of them.
- Most, said Toxolago. So, some didn't succeed.
- Indeed, a few thousand of them failed to transcend and couldn't enter the vortex. And for some of them they had been present all three times. I cannot begin to describe how devastated they were.
- And what happened afterwards?
Architotologos let out a long sigh.
- Afterwards I probably made a major mistake.
- How so?
- I misjudged the situation.
He looked at the gathered people.
- You must remember that, at the time, I was only a positronic computer. With no awareness and no compassion. I saw them as being dangerous. So, I made the mistake I spoke about.
- Let us know what happened.
- After the fourth elevation a few thousand people remained on the Plains and soon they began to fathom what had just happened. And, as said, for some of them, it was their third failed attempt to be elevated.
- They were shocked, whispered Toxologa.
- Indeed but said shock didn't come out in the same fashion with all of them. Some despaired but most let their anger take over. When they began to rampage and attack each other, I took measures to protect the world and the survivors. The last administrator had changed my coding, giving me complete responsibility to secure and maintain the infrastructure, be it in the cities or outside. I did what I considered necessary…
There was a silence and Architotologos took his time before answering to the question all wanted but hadn't asked.
- What did you do?
- There were thousands of security drones over the Plains, when the exactions began, I gave the order to stun everybody. And once they were stunned I ordered them stored in the Stasis bunks under the main temple.
- How long did you store them there?
Architotologos answered immediately.
- They are still in stasis under the main Temple.
The silence wasn't interrupted for quite a long time probably because everybody but Architotologos got a look at the stasis chambers they didn't even know existed.
- What do you intend to do with them?
- Nothing more than before I spoke to you. They were angry or despairing when I had them stunned and stored. I very much doubt that they will be in a better mood than when I had them stunned and let the bots put them to the stasis chambers. Waking them up after thousands of years understanding that I have stunned them will only exacerbate their resentment. Think about it, they failed to be elevated. Some of them three times. I have no idea if and how they will ever be able to overcome such a spiritual and personal setback.
He looked at Toxolago.
- And I won't let them destroy even a part of what the Forerunners entrusted me with.
- And I understand that, but we owe them a little more than just forgetting them in the stasis chambers.
- What would you propose?
- There are multiple possibilities but getting them back to normalcy and stability should be at the center of our efforts. They should have been our main concern since we awoke to awareness.
- You are probably right but all the healers and those other people who would have been able to help them were gone. And I doubt that they will consider me and you as acceptable substitutes.
- I do see the problems involved, agreed Toxologa, but I still think we cannot just go on forgetting them. I'd like to think about solutions for them. They are what's left of the people who created us and the fact that they failed to be elevated cannot be our only argument to put them out of our mind. You've served their parents and ancestors for centuries and those parents were like them, non-elevated Humans. I really think bringing them back into a position where they can not only heal but reclaim their birthright and, if possible, begin anew to think about elevating themselves, should be our priority.
She stopped Architotologos' next argument.
- I don't ask to wake them now, Archos. We need to think about what should be done before waking them up. But I ask to be allowed to investigate the problem and find solutions I could propose you. As I already said, we owe them to nurture them back into normalcy. Our programming is perhaps no longer mandatory, but it is still there, and it clearly says that we serve our Human friends. Let me give it a try, Archos! It is time to find ways to free them…
Architotologos' avatar shook his head.
- No, you are in charge of the Testers. Use your time to find ways to defuse that bomb. Viracocha is in charge of the planet's defenses and I really think that is as important now that it was a week ago.
He looked at the four remaining avatars.
- I refuse to do it because of the guilt I feel. It would interfere with my possibilities. I need one or more of you to accept to investigate the sleepers' fate and to propose solutions. Just remember that even if it is important, neither we, nor them are in a hurry. I'd like them to be able to forgive me once they are up and aware of what has happened.
Gwan'é and Fangzeu looked at each other and nodded.
- We will do it, said Gwan'é. We will need access to the Stasis Chambers. It seems as if they are closed of us.
- I will open them for the whole of you, said Architotologos. Even if you are not in charge take a little time and look at the last of the Forerunners. Some are still injured from the riots and I have all the footage you need to know who did what that baleful night. It is, I hope, still time to help them overcome their grief and anger. But you must know that some of them, in the hours before my bots' intervention, clearly embraced the Darkness and the excesses we associate with it.
- I would advise to pull them out of Stasis one at a time, said Toxologa. Alone they will be easier to handle and, if necessary, to control.
- For now, said Gwan'é, we will think about it and list all the possible solutions. Once we have reduced the possibilities to half a dozen, we will ask for another meeting and ask you for your advice. Meanwhile let's go to work, we have our normal duties and those new ones. It won't be easy…
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Gwan'é & Fangzeu
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Year 2513 agi, day 63 of the solar revolution
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Borea Main Mining & Manufacturing Plant
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- It would be a solution. But wouldn't it be considered by them as being exiled?
Gwan'é sent the electronical equivalent of a shrug.
- Do we really care if we decide to do it? It is the only solution -with maintaining them in Stasis- that gives us and them a real safety. We did agree that we don't want them to roam our Earth.
- And I haven't changed my mind, said Fangzeu. But it still could cause resentment.
- It will probably generate resentment, acknowledged Gwan'é. But we are totally able to build them a city where we could reproduce their real homes. We have maintained everything, it wouldn't be difficult to recreate their past environment to the last detail.
- I propose we let them decide afterwards if they are interested in such a recreation. Some will probably prefer a new, not memory-polluted, environment.
- But some will need the link to the past. And with another Earth we could give them everything they had with just the added security for us to not have to create a police force.
- Let's see if there is a Timeline where we could create that outpost…
A minute later Toxologa's avatar was materializing in Gwan'é's Main Office.
- Greetings, what can I do for you, Ladies?
- We have thought about a possibility to deal with the surviving Forerunners while minimizing the risks for us and A'Tlantis.
- Are there risks for us and A'Tlantis?
- It could be, those survivors have just been struck by a major personal catastrophe. Some of them will probably have seen some of their loved ones be elevated while they were rejected… Some will be on the brink of insanity. Everything is possible.
- Indeed, said Toxologa. Would your solution imply a displacement on another timeline?
- We've thought about it and we were wondering if there would be a Timeline where we could put them to recreate their own civilization without being either in danger or a disturbing factor for local Humans?
- I do think so. There is one timeline that is completely void of any Human civilization.
- Why is that so?
- A part of Mankind died out because a major volcanic explosion transformed Earth for more than two decades in a very cold -as in sub-zero- and very harmful environment. And that two decades long volcanic winter was followed by more than a century of a very cold climate.
- It produced an Ice Age?
- Not an Ice Age, for that the episode was too short, but with extreme cold it still was a real challenge for our Mankind. On most timelines enough Humans survived to reboot the reproduction machine and launch a new migration episode. On that timeline something unexpected must have happened and our part of Humanity died out.
- How long ago did that happen?
- Around 75 000 years ago so, Earth has, of course, found a new ecological balance. The ecosystem is back to almost normal conditions with the odd particularity that there are no Homo Species outside of the huge Tigopi landmasses.
- What happened to the other sub-species?
- Those, being better adapted to cold climates, have survived and minimally thrived to colonize Northern Eurasia. The A'Tlan continent was never colonized and because of that has been thoroughly studied by the Forerunners in charge of the Portals. That's why it is the only one of all those Timelines with a full range of observation satellite coverage, an orbital lab and a moon base which has mining drones roaming the asteroid belt.
- Which would give us a nice head start should we decide to move our survivors there!
- Indeed, we've sent drones to get confirmation and not only is it the only one where A'Tlan is still a lively, beautiful and pristine continent but it is the only one with what looked like a scientific implantation with real industrial capacities. We could probably build something that would remind them of our real Capital City without having to send too many bots over.
Gwan'é and Fangzeu shared a long glance.
- That would indeed solve a few of our quandaries. We've studied the files about the incident after the fourth elevation ceremony and Archos had been right, it was about to become ugly. His decision was the right one on the spot but now we need to face the consequences of his decision. We need to help those survivors to overcome their frustration.
- I'll send you the files…
- Thanks…
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Gwan'é & Archototologos
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Year 2513 agi, day 75 of the solar revolution
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Borea Main Mining & Manufacturing Plant
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- It would be the softest solution for them and the most efficient for us, said Gwan'é. I've studied the footage about what happened after the fourth ceremony and quite a lot of those who stayed behind gave themselves up to violence.
- I was lucky, I was able to stop them before they were able to kill anybody but quite a few were injured… And some of the rioters did show a real violent streak I wouldn't have thought possible.
- We have sorted out those who did the most extreme violent acts. We've decided to not awake them immediately. They clearly need psychological support only human specialists could provide. We will propose to recreate a known habitat on the Fen'Je plateau.
- Tushina?
- It was/is the best maintained ancient settlement of the A'Tlan continent. And it has the size needed. We propose to recreate it like it is here and to settle them there. We are quite sure that most of them will have visited the town and will easily recognize it. It should ease their adaptation to their new environment. We will gather their private belongings in their old dwellings and provide them with it as soon as they have found a place to settle.
Archos nodded slowly.
- It is a good idea but let's not be too narrow in our plans. The Fen'je Plateau had around a dozen different settlements and half a hundred farmsteads. Let's rebuilt all of them to give the survivors a little more breathing space and a real choice between living within a larger community or alone in their own isolated farmstead.
- We will have to create the industrial capacity to provide them with everything, said Gwanb'é.
- We have more than enough of that here…
- We do, but what we will propose is to transfer the Stasis Pods there and to close the Portal immediately after they have been moved. They will be awakened there and get the opportunity to settle without any interfering of us. They need to become their own masters, to solve their problems and to overcome their frustration without our meddling.
- Why?
- Because we have no idea how they will react to us being Sentient. We are this Earth's real rulers but, in their minds, we still are the computers they have built to support them. We fear that some of them will reject our rule and enter a period of active -if not violent- opposition. Do we really want to risk a war between us and them?
- A war? I really doubt that it will come to that.
- And I think you are wrong. Considering what I have seen in the footage I think those people have failed their elevation because deep down they are bad, devious, and egotistical. And they have proven that violence and subjugation are their true nature. You were right to let them in Stasis till now. They deserve another chance to evolve but we deserve to evolve on our own without violent and power-hungry outsiders trying to oust us. We will give them everything they need to survive and thrive, but we need to shut them out forever. And we need to give them only the knowledge they need. No exhaustive scientific data base for them. We don't want them finding the secret of the Multiverse Travel.
- I think that will be a decision made by all involved…
- I agree but I will have no problem to convince them all with just the footage of how they reacted to their failure.
- It was an awfully bad surprise for them. They just failed to reach the goal they knew was just there within reach.
- And by reacting as they did, they let us see their true nature and the true reason elevation was denied to them. God has denied them their elevation because deep down they are violent and mean.
- Who are we to judge them?
- Those who have witnessed their reaction to God's refusal to greet them. There is no place for the wicked at God's table!
- I can't look at them as if they were only wicked and mean. Not all of them showed violent destructive behavior. A lot more just collapsed in despair.
- And those have proven that we can't count on them to defend us against the bad and the wicked! In my opinion, there can't be a place for any of them in our midst. I agree that we must give them another chance but let's not risk our own existence because of our compassion. Let them evolve towards what they really are and since I believe that their true self is Darkness, I don't want to be on the same planet as them!
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Next chapter soon to come… A Chapter about youngsters and science
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