The Boundaries of Science
- by Ardeth Silvereni
- Chapter One -
The Brunnen-G
It was a chilly afternoon when the cargo transport arrived, but Brizon was at the docking bay to meet it, and to supervise the unloading. As the freezing unit was moved to his lab, he followed it, regarding it with a mixture of mild dread and cautious optimism. His Divine Shadow had specified his intentions for the contents three hours earlier - it was to be used as raw material for the Assassin programme. The guards pushed the unit into the central examination room of the laboratory, and then left. Brizon activated the cooling system from the keypad outside, and the extraction fans began to turn in the ceiling. Within seconds, the temperature in the room was suitably low, and just above freezing point. While living flesh could be thawed for initial observations, it was preferable to keep dead material cold. Decomposition had to be delayed for as long as possible.
The cargo was a corpse, certainly, and Brizon hoped for two things from it. One, that it was Brunnen-G, secondly that it would have significant mutations to the normal human cell structure. His Shadow's insistence for its preservation was encouraging. A possible key to the secrets of human immortality... It was no surprise that the Supreme Bio-Vizier was to treat this specimen with the utmost care. There would be no more - Brunnis 2 was a lifeless husk, and the Brunnen-G had been reluctant to leave their world under any circumstances. This behaviour, designed to protect their race, had unfortunately assured their extinction. And if this specimen is flawed... or too young... Brizon frowned. If that was the case, then his one tangible hope of escaping mortality and death had just perished with the Brunnen-G civilisation. Their knowledge of immortality was gone forever, save for a few scarce records. He would not mourn the people, but he would lament over their lost wisdom. His studies and trials would be set back by years, if he ever managed the feat at all.
"What vexes you Brizon?" A strongly accented voice suddenly interrupted the Supreme Bio-Vizier's musings. It was Mantrid's. The pronunciation of Brizon's name was unmistakable - the speaker over-emphasised the first syllable, drawing it out. Brizon personally hated the sound of that accent, but that was to be expected. After all, he detested most things about his pupil. His assistance was useful, but entirely unwelcome. Mantrid was here only because the task at hand was too large for him to accomplish alone.
"Nothing, Mantrid." Brizon replied flatly. "Shall we begin?" Mantrid nodded once - slowly. Brizon noted his student did not waste effort on showing enthusiasm for his work. Of course, the large helmets worn by the chief Bioscholars did not make movement of the head easy. Even dressed for surgical work, both Brizon and Mantrid insisted on keeping them as indicators of their status. "After you." The Supreme Bio-Vizier opened the door to the examination room, and let Mantrid enter first. No courtesy was involved in the act - Mantrid could test the water, so to speak. If he was freeze-dried by a malfunctioning conduit inside, all the better.
No such luck.
Brizon sniffed, and joined him. The door sealed behind them, and there was a faint click as it locked into place.
"Multiple fractures of the spinal column, severe internal bleeding... The heart may not be salvageable." Mantrid read back the results of the primary scan. His lip curled into a sneer of disgust, which became more and more noticeable as the list of problems increased. Brizon's expression was unreadable, although he too was disappointed at the poor state of the corpse. The damage was not limited to one or two minor injuries, and there had obviously been a delay in storing it, as dark blotches were already evident on the torso. Only some of these could be attributed to bruising. The heart had been deliberately sliced open, presumably by His Shadow. Brizon had seen this kind of 'sacrifice' before. It had been the cause of death, but the other wounds would have been fatal regardless.
Despite these shortcomings, the specimen was certainly from Brunnis 2. The Brunnen-G, particularly the males, had been flamboyant in terms of appearance and attire. They favoured brightly coloured outfits, and kept their hair long, winding most into a distinctive bun, braiding what remained. The traditional hairstyle had stayed fashionable and unchanged for millennia. Although he appeared fairly youthful, it was impossible to guess the age of this one. He could be thirty or three thousand. It was taking all of Brizon's patience not to perform a cell profile. He wanted to avoid piquing Mantrid's interest in his extracurricular pursuit of extended life, but that was surely inevitable now. Mantrid was far too astute. Brizon would be deluding himself if he believed otherwise.
"The last of the Brunnen-G." Mantrid spat. His accent increased somewhat when he was annoyed, though it always had a sing-song quality to it, his voice varying in pitch from word to word. "If His Shadow wanted a trophy, he could have been more selective, with a whole world to choose from. It will take us days just to complete the repairs."
"You show your ignorance, pupil of mine." Brizon's tone was misleadingly calm, and one of lofty weariness. "You must be aware of the Brunnen-G's reputation; their glorious military past. It would have been in His Shadow's interest to neutralise them quickly. I am surprised we even have this." He leaned forward, and parted the gaping chest wound with his scalpel. "The sternum is cracked, but intact. The knife penetrated the heart from between the left ribs." Brizon straightened again. "We will have to remove it entirely, it is not worth saving... The left lung can go too. It will give us plenty of room for the central biomechanics."
"We should discard the heart, even if it could be adapted. The artificial pump will be more effective to feed the Protoblood into the body," Mantrid raised an eyebrow questioningly. "If you have perfected the design?"
"Perfected? Only time will tell..." Brizon patted the corpse's arm. "But we can monitor our friend's progress for as long as is necessary. I want him to have all the upgrades we have been planning. The new microsystems, self-diagnostic capabilities, everything. I like him. He will be the first of our next generation of Divine Assassins." I like him, Brizon thought, and I will like him even more if he can teach me how to live forever... There was much truth in this. Brizon had studied the Brunnen-G civilisation for many years, appreciating their genius, and also amused by their inherent lunacy. One characteristic often fuelled the other in humans. What other race would have chosen to destabilise their sun in order to protect their planet from attack? The Brunnen-G had done this during the Insect Wars, and although they eventually left Brunnis, their stabilisers had kept the planet inhabitable for a good while, and were probably still functioning. The Bio-Vizier smiled. It felt almost like a form of payment. In exchange for eternal life, Brizon would make this Brunnen-G's un-living existence as successful as it could be.
... And what if he's a 'newborn', and just a normal human who can teach you nothing? What will you do then?
What, indeed? The unpleasant thought rose yet again, causing a small wave of panic to spill over him. Closing his eyes for a moment, he quickly pushed the idea out of his head, and focused on his work.
The corpse was that of a 'newborn' Brunnen-G.
Brizon did not sleep much, nor at conventional times. When he was younger, he needed only two hours out of every twenty-four. Age had caught up with him a little, and doubled that. Tonight, however, his mind was too troubled to let him relax, even though his body was exhausted. Away from the lab now, in his private chambers, Brizon was going through his library. Several thousand data-filled disks - normally meticulously ordered - were disrupted, many scattered, others piled into uneven towers.
"Elvie," he said irritably. "Search for all records relating to Brunnis 2, priority given to records made by Supreme Bio-Viziers Savritz and Turo." He knew that his own diaries had nothing of use, but some of his predecessors might have observed more during their employment. He had hoped it would be unnecessary to call upon their 'wisdom'. He found their pompous tomes boring and uninspiring. Now he had little choice.
"Three records exist, Supreme Bio-Vizier." Brizon's own computer, LV-970 had a female voice, sultry, seductive and one he had chosen himself. It was thankfully less prone to unnatural pitch and tone fluctuations than the lab computer's. She also had the curvaceous body and mannerisms of a wanton temptress. It was a shame that she was only a holographic simulation of a woman (albeit a very good one), but any female company was preferable to none. Her current outfit was a short, skin-tight dress - one of his favourites. It showed off her long legs.
"Details, Elvie?"
Elvie leaned provocatively over the back of an armchair, folding her arms and making her breasts even more prominent. For once, Brizon didn't even notice.
"Record one, by Savritz: On the unprecedented relocation of a whole civilisation from the Dark Zone to the Light Universe. Shall I continue, Supreme Bio-Vizier?"
"No. The next record?"
"Record two, by Savritz: On the withdrawal of the Brunnen-G from universal politics and commerce. Shall I continue, Supreme Bio-Vizier?"
Brizon sighed, impatient and aggravated. "What is the third record, Elvie?"
"Record three, by Turo: On the Brunnen-G and human immortality. The possibility and precedents." She paused for a moment. To a casual observer she would have looked thoughtful, but computers didn't work that way. They didn't think - they processed. "The record is encrypted. Level twelve - to be viewed only by the current Supreme Bio-Vizier. Shall I continue, Supreme Bio-Vizier?"
"Yes. He nodded. Encryption usually meant that the data was sensitive. More specifically, when level twelve encryption was used, it indicated that there was some reference to His Shadow - a controversial reference that could have cost the author his life. His Divine Shadow was a fascinating subject, and fear alone could not blunt the curiousity of brilliant scientists; they just took extra care when noting their findings.
The holo-woman stood up straight, and flashed Brizon a broad smile. "It seems strange to many that the Brunnen-G civilisation has become less open and accessible since they abandoned the Dark Zone, choosing a new home in our universe of Light. Since they severed all ties with other human life, we outside of Brunnis 2 have had to content ourselves with speculation and rumours regarding the development of their culture. Among the more interesting of recent rumours are those that speak of human immortality, eternal life in the body one was born with..."
Brizon held up his hand, and Elvie immediately ceased her recital. In his records, Turo had always used ten words to explain something where one word would do. He should have been a poet or playwright - not a Bioscholar. "Skip to the precedents." He said.
"A few distinct precedents can be identified." She continued. "The first of these originated in the Insect civilisation. It is known that the Insects had the ability to transfer their soul and memories - commonly referred to as their Insect 'essence' - between physical forms. This practice could plausibly allow an Insect to achieve a form of immortality. By endlessly transferring their essence, their living consciousness, to younger host bodies, an Insect need never die from ageing. This of course depends on the 'lifespan' of an Insect essence, but many scholars have speculated that souls, human or Insect, are eternal. It is only the flesh that has such limitations and decays over time."
"Ageing is only one obstacle to overcome in the pursuit of endless life. A body may suffer an untimely demise, and it can occur without warning. We know from history that the Insects were driven to extinction during the Insect Wars. Their brand of immortality clearly could not protect them against unnatural death through injury. However, there are also accounts from the Insect Wars of mature Insects abandoning their injured bodies in favour of stronger, healthy ones. At the battle of Tripoint..."
He again signalled for Elvie to stop. The Insects could transfer their essence because their species had Transduction organs. That had come about through millions of years of evolution, and with no living Insects to study, Brizon had no hope of synthesising an equivalent organ for humans. That said, the Insects' ability had manifested in humans. One human, at least... "What does Turo say about His Shadow?" he asked.
"It would be foolish to explore the possibility of human immortality without acknowledging His Divine Shadow. The Divine Order's clerics have always claimed that His Shadow is everlasting and ageless - a living deity. This description is sufficient for most ordinary, weak-minded people. However, scientific fact and religion often conflict. The rational minds of scientists cannot readily accept the fantastic beliefs of the faithful. Risking accusations of heresy, several Bioscholars and other academics have privately expressed doubts that such an individual, such a human could exist. There is a popular notion, far too dangerous to voice publicly, that the devout clerics raise and tutor children from birth, intending that they should become the next His Shadow, and reinforce the myth."
"Yes. Very dangerous," Brizon murmured, snidely. "I hope that wasn't the extent of Turo's insight?"
"After many decades in the service of His Shadow, I do not share their opinions." Elvie said, not registering the interruption. "I have witnessed that His Shadow does age, and so he must die. In fact, I am fairly certain he has died, once during my lifetime, and countless times before. But unlike the sceptics, and still in conflict with the Divine Teachings, I believe that His Shadow is reborn periodically through a process similar to the Insects' essence transfer. Our ruler is the same Divine Shadow who founded the Order, in a new body - not some individual who has simply been schooled to act like His Shadow. I recall detecting a marked change in His Shadow between two of my frequent meetings with him. His voice sounded younger, and he appeared to walk without the slight hunch I had become familiar with. The improvement was permanent, as far as I could tell. I would have sworn I was speaking with an impostor, except for his intimate knowledge of my old and current projects."
"Somehow, His Shadow is capable of replicating the natural ability of the Insects, or something similar. I am at a loss to explain how this could be achieved, as I cannot safely question the clerics, and their practices are shrouded in secrecy. Considering the limit of my knowledge in this matter, I cannot see how the Brunnen-G could have exploited this precedent in their own hunt for immortality."
Brizon pondered for a minute or two. Turo's record seemed crude with far more pretty language than real content. His findings weren't really questionable, but they were badly dated and lacked any detail. Even if there had been detail, this was turning into another dead end. The Brunnen-G had explored essence storage and transfer, influenced by the Insects, and abandoned that path long before leaving the Dark Zone. He decided against hearing Turo's thoughts on the Brunnen-G's 'Burst of Life' process as a failed precedent. He'd studied that enough himself, and his own file was probably far better.
"That will be enough for tonight, Elvie." He said. She gave him a wistful look of disappointment as she faded into nothingness, as if she'd hoped for something more from him. Even if she had been a real woman, Brizon just might have rejected her on this occasion. He was finally resigned - if he wanted a key to immortality, he'd have to find his own. Maybe it was worth running experiments with new Protoblood derivatives? Whatever, the next few days and weeks would be particularly busy and tiring for him. He had a dead assassin to decarbonise.