Somewhere Else Entirely -127-

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Garia needs to find out if the Beings will allow her to let Maralin in on the secret, but when she attempts to consult them she finds they have something much more complex to discuss. She receives a proposition which turns her entire existence upside down.

Somewhere Else Entirely

by Penny Lane

127 - An Unexpected Proposal

Disclaimer: The original characters and plot of this story are the property of the author. No infringement of pre-existing copyright is intended. This story is copyright (c) 2011-2015 Penny Lane. All rights reserved.



The next few days proved busy for Garia, but also frustrating. There were meetings of the War Council and of the Council of the Two Worlds, both including the two Dukes and Maralin. There were live demonstrations of Sniper Rifles, Personal Pistols and Hand Grenades, although tiny consignments of each device had only recently begun to travel towards the Palarand troops currently camped in Forguland. There were also demonstrations of unarmed combat, quarterstaffs and sword techniques for small females. Also demonstrated for the benefit of the two Dukes were paper-making, typewriters, electric clocks and steam engines.

Bardanar returned home to review his own policies, in light of the discussions held with Robanar and Wallesan, but Garia's problem still persisted. She couldn't get in touch with the Beings. Finally, she cleared her diary one afternoon and set out to meditate her way back into the multiple dimensions where answers needed to be found.

"As before, Jenet. I just assumed that this would get easier as time went on but it is still a struggle."

"As you say, Milady. Fortunately Lanilla and I have some work to do on our wedding attire, so we will hide ourselves in the dressing room out of your sight and sound. Yet we will be nearby should you have need."

"That's fine, Jenet. I've begun to learn how to..." tune out, "... ignore external sounds a little better now but maybe you're right. I'm sorry, I don't know how long this might take."

"Shall I interrupt you, if there is need?"

Garia thought. "Normally I'd say no but this is an odd time, isn't it? If there's anything really urgent, then yes, of course. Otherwise, I think you'll have to use your judgement."

"As you desire, Milady."

Garia relaxed and focused on the flickering flames of the bedroom fire. Soon the usual noises heard in a large wooden building full of people began to fade and she attempted to direct her consciousness to a particular place.

* * *

Nurse: Greetings, hatchling! We have wondered why you did not come again.

Garia: I've tried, I really have. It doesn't help that I've had a lot to occupy my attention lately.

Nurse: We have noticed. You will find that your visits here will become easier as time passes. Please let me introduce you to some others of us.

Garia sensed that there were more Beings here, some she had not met before. Since she did not have an appointment, so to speak, she could not tell if their presence was for her benefit or for some other obscure operation the Beings had planned. She perceived that there were five other beings in the space around her, some of whom she recognized.

Two were those she had come to label the Monitors, the two she had originally met when she first found out how to enter this space. These were the ones she guessed had been appointed to watch over Anmar and she now thought that they had been some kind of marine creature, although the shape was not one she was familiar with. Were those legs or feelers or what? The other three -

Tentacles. Lots and lots of tentacles. There was some kind of body but it was hidden in the mass of writhing ends which spread out like those of some kind of sea anemone, although that did not have to mean the creature lived in a liquid environment.

Nurse: You are observing the Regional Director for this section of the galaxy. You should know that you are the first Solid for many millions of cycles to have been the subject of a full Galactic Council meeting.

Direct: Greetings, young one. Your presence and abilities are as extraordinary as Nurse has explained to us.

Garia: Um, thank you.

Nurse: Then we have our Co-ordinator, who manages matters within our immediate sector of the galaxy.

Garia saw a turtle-like creature with many stubby legs below a thick, rounded carapace. There was no head or tail but feathery antennae poked out of one end of the body. She wondered if it had originally come from a high-gravity world.

Co-ord: Be welcome here, child.

Garia: Thank you.

Nurse: Finally, we are joined by our Sector Integrator. She is responsible for ensuring that the progress made by our sector achieves the result we desire.

The Sector Integrator surprised Garia and not in a nice way. She was insectoid, and the shape of the body screamed merciless predator. It was all Garia could do to stay where she was and not bolt immediately.

Integ: My Solid form disturbs you. It is a natural response by many species towards my kind and not without historical basis. All I can do is tell you that my Solid species occupies much the same position on my home world as yours does on your home world. For me to have Emerged means I am a rational being and I would not consider you to be food. I am no threat to you.

Garia [shakily]: If you say so. I believe you, but my body isn't so sure.

Direct: Young one, we are here together because of a chance remark you made on a previous visit. The Being you label Nurse again by chance has knowledge of your circumstances on your home world, the planet you label Earth.

At last! I might finally get to find out what is going on!

Direct: Indeed, but you may not like what we are here to propose to you. I ask you to listen to everything we have to tell you before you consider the proposal.

Garia: Wait, what? You have a proposal for me?

Direct: We do, and it is because of your unusual status as an Emerged Being who has been transferred that we are able to make this proposal to you. You are aware of us and will become more so as you mature. But that means our courses of action are not constrained the same way they would be if you had not Emerged. Nurse, if you would explain.

Nurse: First, I must spend some small cycles describing our history. It will not take long but it is essential for you to understand who and what we are and what we face in the future.

Garia: I understand.

Nurse [reciting]: Before the Universe existed, there was only void. There was no mass, no energy, no movement. Then, in an instant which some species of Solid label the Big Bang, the Universe began. Of course -

Garia listened with growing amazement at the story that Nurse told. It followed the classic pattern scientists had deduced on Earth but filled in the gaps with solid history. Where there were worlds, life evolved. Sometimes, life even evolved where there were not worlds. Civilizations rose and fell, worlds died and others were born in the stellar fires. Eventually, some civilizations matured to such a point that some of their members Emerged and discovered the Multidimensional nature of the Universe.

Technology, both Solid and Multidimensional, improved to such a state that it became possible to see some way into the future by measuring the energies and movements of every particle in an assigned area and then extrapolating forward. Prodigious calculating resources were required which could only be found by understanding other dimensions mathematically.

Of course, to begin with, their results were little better than Earth weather forecasts were, but over the ages their predictions became better and better. It eventually became possible to follow the evolution of the entire galaxy, although not in fine detail. Unfortunately, their forecasts faded away at a certain point in the future, due to outside influences they could not calculate. What clues they could obtain, however, indicated that the galaxy and all the beings in it, both Solid and Emerged, looked doomed.

Then a Being wondered what would happen if, and things changed again. By making artificial changes to the forecasts it became possible to alter the probability of the ending of the galaxy by a small amount. Successive changes offered a slim chance that a way might be found in the future to avoid annihilation.

The first attempts were done by direct interference with Solid civilizations and they were only partly successful. The idea of transference arose and, though expensive, it seemed to offer more hope of a successful outcome. Many blunders were made and many civilizations lost or corrupted before the appropriate methods were refined and protocols laid down. In addition, worlds were discovered which had no civilization or dominant species and a process of colonization was begun, one of those worlds being Anmar, another being... Earth. Somehow, by this time, Garia was not surprised to learn this.

Garia: Thank you. Some of what you said could be deduced in time but it was useful to hear what really happened. But a proposal was mentioned. What is it you want me to do?

Nurse: Hatchling, you present us with a unique opportunity. You are Emerged, you are a transferee and you have knowledge of two worlds, those you label Earth and Anmar. Because of your presence here, and due to the malfunction of the cloning mechanism -

First Monitor [interrupting]: We explained to you before, the mechanism did not malfunction. It did what it was programmed to do.

Second Monitor: The design is faulty. It does not take sufficient account of quantum variability. That is why this Solid was grown in the wrong mode.

Nurse [irritated]: The exact reason is not important. [To Garia] What is important is that, because of that... discrepancy, you have had a much larger effect than if you had been transferred in the expected mode. The probability of success is now so much greater that your personal identifier has been spoken of at Galactic Council meetings.

Garia: I get that. But what more can I do? I think I'm doing almost everything I can to help things along.

Nurse: There is another factor. I have knowledge of your circumstances before you left Earth. Understand, hatchling, we must select our transferees carefully and I was among those who made the selections. Usually we choose those at or near the point of death, since it is easier for us to sample the pattern matrix that way.

First: By pattern matrix I believe those of Earth use the term DNA, young one.

Garia: Yes, I figured it must be something like that. I was told that Maralin was about to die in a fire, and it is apparent from some of the artifacts we have found on Anmar that the people carrying them were thought to have died on Earth. I can understand why you might want to do it that way. Maralin has told me that he is happy to be here because he has had a second chance at life and he intends to make the most of it.

Nurse: Maralin is dead but you are not, hatchling. I must be careful what I reveal but there was something you call an 'accident' and your original body still lies in a coma on Earth. The expectation was that you would die, but there was a small probability that you would not and that is what transpired. We want you to go back to Earth and collect the knowledge you now know your Industrial Revolution will need here on Anmar. Once you have collected all you think necessary we will bring you back here.

Garia was stunned by the revelation, so much so that she almost lost her grip on the multidimensional space and began to slide back to the Solid world. It was only by realizing that and by making strenuous efforts that she was able to stay with the others.

Garia: I'm still alive there? You can send me back to my Earth body? I didn't think that was possible! I'm a clone, aren't I?

Nurse: It is not possible. It will be necessary to grow another body for you, near Earth, with the memories you have now, and substitute it for the existing body. That will require direct interference, but we have identified a way to do it without anyone realizing what has happened.

Garia: What happens then? How do I get back here?

Nurse: I have to be careful what I tell you. The same procedure would have to be followed again to return you here.

Garia: As a woman? I mean, in the alternate mode? In case you hadn't noticed, I'm due to be married shortly. I couldn't come back here as a man. I wouldn't want to.

Nurse: We would ensure that you reappear here substantially as you now appear to your fellow Solids. All that would be different is that you would have memories of your excursion and, of course, any items that you happened to bring with you.

Garia: Clever. What about - never mind. You've never done this before, I take it?

Nurse: We have never transferred anyone more than once. We have never had an Emerged transferee before, with memories of more than one world. We have never before attempted to replace someone who already existed. All these reasons make this an experimental operation.

Direct: Understand this, young one. We do not make this proposal to you frivolously. Before now the probability of the survival of the civilizations of the galaxy was barely 0.6, and that was only after your transfer to this world. If this operation is successful then the chances rise to 0.89. We cannot let that opportunity pass. It is a risk we feel obliged to consider seriously.

Garia: Oh, wow. You're right, it is too good an improvement to pass up, isn't it? All right, then I have to consider it. Only, what are the downsides? The problems? There's bound to be some.

Nurse: There are, of course, many potential problems in the task we propose. The immediate problem is one of time. The Earth body will only remain available for a limited period.

Garia was stunned all over again. This time, to learn that what had to be done had to be done soon or not at all.

No! Not now, of all times! Why does it have to be now?

Of course, if I have a body in a coma they'll not want to keep it going for ever.

Garia [appalled]: I'm about to get married. I can't run away and do this and leave everybody like this!

Direct: We understand. For the proposal to succeed it is necessary that you are mated but you would only have a small number of diurnal cycles together before you must leave. All factors have been considered. If there is a problem at any point in the process which cannot be solved immediately then there are alternative procedures which can be followed. We believe we have thought of everything.

Garia [furious]: Everything, right, like the fact I came out on Anmar in the wrong mode! What happens if I can't be brought back to Anmar for some reason?

Direct: We propose keeping your present body in stasis. This is possible, but only for a small number of cycles. Should anything irreversible happen, we would revive it and you would have the same memories as if you had never left Anmar. That would of course constitute a complete failure but we would be no worse off than we are now.

Garia: I can't take this in. I think I have to go away and think it over.

Direct: We understand. If you do this, then suddenly the many beings in the galaxy, Solid and Emerged, will have a future to look forward to.

Garia: Yes, but -

* * *

Her eyes flew open and she stared at the flickering flames with dismay. The thought of leaving Anmar, of losing Keren, overwhelmed her and she burst into tears. Jenet and Lanilla came running out from the dressing room.

"Milady! Whatever is wrong?"

They knelt down to comfort her from either side. She was too upset to speak, still surfacing from the trance. Jenet took a good look at Garia's face and came to a decision.

"Go and start some pel," she told Lanilla. "On your way back, find the Prince."

"As you wish, Jenet."

"My Lady," Jenet said gently to Garia, "You must rise. Let me help you to stand."

Jenet gently lifted Garia up and helped her to the settee, seating her and then sitting beside her so that she could continue to cuddle her.

"It was bad, Milady? You went to that other place, didn't you? Did they threaten you?"

The thought of Jenet getting confused because of her distress rallied Garia a little.

She shook her head. "It isn't that at all, Jenet. I was told everything. Unfortunately, the situation is bad, very bad, and they desperately need my help."

Garia snuggled closer to Jenet, wanting reassurance. She hadn't felt the need for a woman's comfort since she had been a little... boy. How could she possibly bear to leave this place now? Even with all the attacks, battles and conflicts with obstinate stick-in-the-muds Anmar was where she belonged and now they wanted her to leave it. She burst into tears again.

"There, there." Jenet's presence was warm and healing. "You are a wonder in our lands, where Kings and Dukes listen to your every word, and yet we forget you are still a young woman. You have had all this responsibility thrust upon you and it is too much for you."

"Jenet, I... They want me to..."

Garia's words dried up. She didn't even know how much she could tell anyone! Whatever she did was bound to be wrong, but a day would soon come when everybody would have to find out the truth... and unfortunately it would bring a Kingdom into crisis.

She hadn't thought of that, she had been too bound up in her own personal reactions. To lose Keren, now, when everything was going so well, and to think of the pain she would be causing him in turn, that was bad enough. She had overlooked the wider picture...

If she just disappeared, then Robanar would automatically assume she had been kidnapped and probably declare war on somebody. If he didn't do that, he'd tear the country apart looking for her and then start on the ones surrounding it.

On the other hand, if it appeared that she had died, then the country would go into mourning for a fairytale Princess - and nobody would be expecting her to come back.

"My Lady, you have time," Jenet soothed. "Once the shock is past, you will have time to reconsider what you have just learned. Mayhap things are never what they may seem at first."

"But that's just it! I don't have time! I -"

Garia stopped again, frustrated by the inability to decide who to tell and how much. Most of what she had just learned was way beyond Jenet's comprehension. Heck, some of it was beyond hers! Who could she possibly go to for advice? Maralin? She wasn't even sure she ought to be telling him about the Beings, let alone be discussing the fate of the galaxy with him. With a start she realized that Nurse had been so enthusiastic about his own project that Garia hadn't even mentioned speaking to Maralin when she was there.

She just sat there, miserable, comforted by Jenet's arms. The shock of leaving multidimensional space so abruptly had now receded and she was left with the emotional backlash of her own feelings. She had not really understood how much this marriage to Keren had meant to her, nor the depth of her own feelings for her adopted country and the extended family she had gathered around her.

Then there's Blackstone. How are they going to react to any of this?

The first visitor through the bedroom door was not Keren but Terys. Jenet promptly disentangled herself from Garia and stood and the Queen immediately took her place.

"Garia! What has happened? Lanilla said that you were distressed. Come to me, dear. Varna assists with the pel, they will not be long."

"Ma'am," explained Jenet, "Lady Garia meditated in here while Lanilla and I were in the dressing room. We came out when we heard a noise and found her upset."

"Meditated? Oh, the exercise she used to calm Eriana's temper? How, then, should this distress her so? I thought it provided tranquillity, not the opposite."

Jenet was cautious. She knew what Garia had been doing but she wasn't sure the Queen would understand.

"Ma'am, I could not say. It was something she had been trying for some few days without success."

"This is success? Then there is certainly something wrong. Garia, dear, shall you explain?"

"Ma'am, I'm not sure that I can." She tensed, then added, "...or that I should."

Terys thought that somebody who was really upset would probably say things that they might not otherwise mean so let that pass. She tried to reassure the tear-stained girl.

"Perhaps, my dear. If it is something to do with your meditation, then is there any other who you might consult?" Terys was unhappy that she could not help. "I'm not sure there is anyone else who knows of what you speak."

"It's... complicated, Ma'am. I don't think there's anyone who can help me with this one." Tears began running again. "I have to do it all by myself."

"Come here, dear." Terys gathered Garia to her bosom, as she had done on certain previous occasions. At those times a portion of the problem had been hormonal, so she quietly asked Jenet, "Kalikan?"

Jenet shook her head. "Recently, Ma'am, but she is finished now."

Garia lifted her head. "It's not Kalikan, Ma'am. My whole world has just been torn apart."

"Whatever do you mean, dear?"

Before Garia could temporize an answer Keren almost ran through the bedroom door.

"Garia? Oh, mother! What has happened?"

Garia took one look at Keren's concerned expression and burst into tears again.

All these kind people just want to help and I'm going to run out on them. It's not fair!

Keren knelt down in front of Garia. "It'll be okay, love. I'm not going to leave you. Whatever it is, I'll always be beside you to help."

For some reason this statement just appeared to make matters worse.

Through her tears, she managed to force out, "I meditated."

"Oh."

Keren saw and it turned him cold inside. Garia had been somewhat reticent concerning the Beings of late but he knew enough to guess that she had just learned something from them that had upset her greatly. Equally, he knew he couldn't find out what it was in front of his mother and assorted maids.

"Lanilla brings pel," he said. "Why don't we go into your sitting room to be ready when it comes? Garia?"

She nodded dumbly and he held out a hand to help her up. His touch triggered feelings of reassurance and when she stood she hugged him tightly. With an eyebrow raised, Terys rose behind her and then led the way into the sitting room, Keren supporting Garia as they followed his mother. This time, a gesture from Terys saw Garia seated on the settee beside Keren while the Queen took a chair.

The outer door opened and Lanilla came in bearing a tray followed by Varna with a plate of pastries. In short order Garia had a cup of steaming pel in her hands while Keren leaned forward for a pastry. She took a sip of the hot liquid and as usual it began to have the desired effect on her. She sagged back, now beginning to feel the effects of all the nervous energy she had just expended.

Terys asked, "Keren? What do you know of meditation? I thought that it was designed to calm the mind, it appears to have had the opposite effect on poor Garia. Is there some danger in this method we do not know?"

"Mother," he replied cautiously, "I don't think it is the meditation itself that is the problem. All I know is that it can put your mind in such a state that you can think differently, that there might be answers there that cannot be obtained another way." He hesitated before adding, "I cannot say what Garia may have been thinking, mother, while she was in that state. I think it would be best to leave her come to terms with it herself before she attempts to speak of it to another."

"I will stay with her until she recovers, Keren."

"Ah, I don't think there's any need for you to do that, mother. I can stay here with her instead."

Terys looked at her son with suspicion. "What were you doing when you were called? Should you not return, they will want to know what befell you here."

"Ah, no, mother. I was just passing the time with Merek and a couple of the Dukes' men, that's all. Nothing important."

Her instincts now thoroughly aroused, Terys said to him, "You know something, don't you? Something you're not telling me."

For Keren, it was the first time in his life that he had needed to face down his mother. He sighed.

"Yes and no, mother. I know a little more and it is something I may not tell you without Garia's consent. I do not know what ails her today."

Terys's face showed disappointment, but it was the disappointment that her own son didn't trust her enough to tell her everything, as he had always done in the past. She put that down partly to the emotional state of everybody in the room but there was a residue of something else. Perhaps it was time to recognize that Keren was now his own man with his own life to live and his own secrets to hide.

"As you say," she said, lifting her own cup. "I shall not pry any further. Know, both of you, that the King and I stand ready to help whenever either of you shall have need of us."

The drinks were finished in an uncomfortable silence and then Terys stood to leave, gesturing with a hand that Keren and Garia should remain seated. They watched as she went through the outer door, taking Kenila and Varna with her, before breathing a sigh of relief.

Keren turned to Garia. "Can you tell me anything? I will understand if you cannot, but it pains me to see you looking like this. Jenet, a cloth for your mistress."

Her voice was almost a whisper. "I have learned a lot this afternoon," she said. "It has left me with an impossible choice, and one I can only make myself." She looked up. "Thank you, Jenet."

Lanilla was in the room, attending to the remains of the mid-afternoon drink, so he couldn't say anything more openly. Instead, he asked, "Is Palarand at risk?"

She frowned. "I don't think so, Keren. This is much more personal."

"I'm not going to guess it out of you because I know that will only upset and annoy you. If you need an ear to pour troubles into," he smiled, "or a shoulder to cry on, then I'll always be here for you. You know that."

The tears began again and she dabbed furiously at her eyes. Keren frowned. The clear implication was that he would not always be there for her, so what..? He put his arm around her shoulder.

"Just stay calm, my love. Things always look bad to begin with, once you are over the initial shock you may consider them in a more collected manner. I remember when the old King died, my grandfather... it was unexpected, a shock to us all, and we didn't know what to do. Oh, father did, of course, he just became King, but for a while the whole palace was in an uproar. After a very short while we all calmed down and tradition asserted itself. There are a whole lot of rules and regulations governing the death of a King, did you know that?"

She did not, but her concerns were more immediate. There was sense in what Keren said, but she had a certain urgency to her own situation that couldn't be delayed. However...

"Let's just sit for a while, can we? You're right, I need to do some thinking right now and I can't do that while I'm so upset."

"Anything, my love."

They simply sat in silence for a while, cuddling one another. Lanilla took away the drinks tray and when she returned, she and Jenet retreated to the dressing room to leave Garia and Keren in peace. Garia's mind was churning with the information she had absorbed and she needed to bring order to it all.

They want me to go back to Earth!

...And I'm not dead there, so they want to substitute me for the old me, who apparently is in a coma.

...And, from the sounds of it, not likely to revive. Or be around much longer.

Why can't they just drop me there like they did when I came here? I could go back any time if that was what they wanted.

...After we're married, and after I've given Keren an heir...

Not so simple. I'd have no ID, no background. In this day and age I'd have little chance of explaining myself. If I claimed to be me the DNA would presumably match, but it would cause too many questions I wouldn't be able to answer.

I'd have no cash either, no means to open a bank account and nothing to put in it. Substitution means that I can in theory carry on where I left off. I have to do it the way they planned.

But to leave now! What they ask is outrageous, it isn't fair!

...But I have to consider the bigger picture. A whole galaxy? Me?

...I have to put aside my own happiness to save a galaxy... How big-headed does that sound?

At some point she discovered that she had accepted that she would do as the Beings asked, if it were possible. She had lived in the palace long enough to understand the notions of honor and duty, and she had realized that, as the King had once said, sometimes duty meant doing uncomfortable things. That realization changed the trend of her thoughts, brought her mind back into focus.

I can't do this without telling anyone, that would be a complete disaster. I need to talk to them again to find out what I can tell and who I can tell it to.

The sun had gotten low enough to cause the room to darken before Garia stirred.

"Keren. I have to go meditate again."

"What? Are you sure that is wise?"

"The meditation, yes. I was told a lot of things earlier and the shock meant I missed some important items out. Before I can tell anything to anybody I have to go and get some particular answers and make some particular conditions."

"Conditions! You go to war?"

She gave him a wan smile. "I'm trying to avoid what might become another war, I think. Will you let me? You can come watch if you like. I don't think this visit will be as bad as the last one but I'll be happier if you're nearby."

Keren was tense. The situation was bad enough but she was going somewhere he couldn't follow, couldn't protect her - if she needed protection. Though she had described the place where she went, he had no way to even imagine such a space and couldn't think what it might be like to be there. He felt helpless.

He gave a sharp nod. "If you are sure."

They walked through and told the maids what Garia intended. Jenet objected but it was plain that Garia had unfinished business. Keren sat on the bedroom settee in such a position that he wouldn't be in her line of vision. She carefully arranged herself on the floor and stared at the fire, almost embers now. It had been forgotten in the drama of the afternoon.

* * *

Nurse: You return, hatchling! We observed your anguish but could do nothing to help you.

Garia: I had to come back. There are things that must be decided between us before I agree to anything.

Nurse: We expected as much.

Garia: It has occurred to me that, just like the last time, you don't actually need my consent to do this, do you? You could just yank me out of Anmar and put me back on Earth. That's just the reverse of what you did before, isn't it?

Nurse: It is not so, hatchling. Almost nothing in the proposal has ever been attempted before. For example, a transferee has never been transferred again. We have never needed to replace a Solid with a clone before.

Garia: I guess not. You just leave us on a mountain, in a ditch or on a beach, I suppose, and let us get on with it.

Nurse: It must be so, since no transferee before yourself has ever had knowledge of us or the overall plan. That has always been taken into account in our calculations.

Garia: But now, you have someone who is Emerged. How do you calculate that?

Nurse: Hatchling, we cannot. But the others are still nearby. You should ask your questions of those who have authority to answer.

Garia turned to find that the others were gathered some distance away, past some of the strange, semi-transparent multidimensional devices. Though she willed herself to move, she could not change position by as much as the width of an atom. Nurse did something and essentially carried Garia towards the others, who greeted her.

Direct: You have questions.

Garia: Yes, among other things. First, I have met another transferee called Maralin. As I understand it, he is not actually part of your Great Plan but was transferred to try and find out what the problem was with the cloning mechanism.

Direct [aside]: Co-ordinator, is this so?

Co-ord: It is, Director. However, this transfer has itself resulted in a change to the probability of success of the Great Plan, and in our favor. That is why the transfer protocols have been adjusted and the projection parameters widened.

Direct: Yes, of course. [To Garia] Continue.

Garia: I want to know how much about the multidimensional universe I can tell to Maralin. I am frustrated by having to keep secrets all the time and I'm afraid I might let slip something I should not. Even something that seems innocent might change the future in ways I can't predict.

Direct: It is a problem for us, young one. The predictions we make are based only on the evolution of the Solid portion of the galaxy, since that is where the danger will be. Fully Emerged Beings do not normally affect the Solid galaxy in measurable ways. Even your conversations with us cannot be entered into the probability matrix, not directly.

Garia: Oh. Then I shouldn't say anything?

Direct: That is not what I said, young one. But this would only be the first step, would it not?

Garia: What do you - yes, you're right. That's another thing I realized. I can't just disappear off the face of Anmar, can I? That will cause all kinds of problems. Some people other than Maralin have to know what is going on here. I owe it to my fellow Solids to tell them what will happen and that I will eventually return.

Direct: That is factored into the projections, young one.

Garia: I think it goes further than that, actually. It has occurred to me that, some time in the future, the Solids will have to learn the truth about your existence and what will happen to the galaxy. I don't think they will all find out or be told everything, but some Solids are going to need to know some part of it.

Direct: That point will be far into the future, young one. It need not concern you.

Garia: But I think you have it all wrong, if you don't mind me saying so. What you're basically doing with the galaxy is the same as what you tried to do small-scale on Anmar. You're trying to get people advanced enough without them realizing that they are improving themselves so that they can fight a war for you.

Direct: The conflict will be theirs as well as ours. The existence of all is at stake.

Garia: I don't dispute that. What I'm saying is that if you tell them what is going on, the developments will come much faster. It's what happens in wartime. People are always ready to defend what is dear to them.

Nurse: I agree, hatchling. Director, there are many examples from Earth's history where even the threat of war has hastened developments of all kinds.

Director [taken aback]: If we agreed to this, it would mean a major change in policy. I do not think we could manage that without many greater cycles of research and evaluation.

Garia: But there might be a simpler way. This is what I propose.

Garia outlined her ideas and the assembled Beings listened attentively. As might be expected, there were objections and complications but a compromise was eventually agreed between them all.

Direct: As you have explained to us, there seems to be little external risk in what you propose. I will authorize this variation in the regulations, but only for the planet Anmar and for the present. Once you return, we will consider if the regulations require adjustment for the longer term. Nurse, I am changing your assignment. You will report directly to me as my monitor with special responsibility for the region where these people reside. In addition, since it was your proposal, you will manage the progress of this young one as she travels to Earth and returns. I will find another to continue your original studies on Earth.

Nurse: As you wish, Director.

Direct: Integrator, you must observe this operation most carefully. If it is successful, then it will be necessary to re-run the calculations for the whole of your sector. We can expect large variations in the predicted results.

Integ: As you wish, Director.

First: What of us, Director?

Direct: You should follow the plan as before. If your duties require you to interact with those for whom Nurse is now responsible, take your questions to him.

Garia: What about Maralin?

Nurse: Since it appears that your King and his Duke are about to collaborate, there seems little point in hiding the truth from him if you are to tell them. Tell him as much as you think fit.

Garia: Thank you.

Direct: You show surprising imagination for one so young. Perhaps those on the Council have become too old to manage matters efficiently.

Garia: I just have a different point of view, that's all. And when I was younger I read a great deal of science fiction.

Direct: Science fiction?

Nurse: I detect that our hatchling is slipping away, Director. Let me explain, if I can, what Science Fiction might be...

* * *

"Garia! What happened just then?"

"Huh?"

She turned and looked groggily at Keren. He rose and came to help her to her feet, her joints stiff from her enforced stillness. The room was in almost total darkness by now, the only light coming from lanterns in the adjoining rooms.

"Um, what? What did you see?"

"I'm not sure... It's not like anything I can describe. A kind of brief shimmer, perhaps." He looked into her face. "Are you okay? Was it dangerous?"

She smiled at him, which relieved him somewhat. "There's never any danger where I go, Keren. At least, nobody there seems bothered about anything that we might think of as dangerous. What time is it?

"It must be time to go down for the evening meal," he replied.

"Oh! And I haven't changed!"

Jenet and Lanilla came out of the dressing room, anxious, but when they saw Garia's smile they relaxed.

"It's okay," she told them. "There were things I had to find out and I think I've done more than that. Jenet, can I go down looking like this?"

"Well, it is not customary, Milady, but it is something that occurs occasionally, when for example someone arrives late."

"Like when Terinar arrived as a Messenger, perhaps."

"Just so, Milady. If His Highness is ready, then we may go."

"Aye, Jenet," Keren agreed. "I am hungry and, judging by appearances, your mistress will be hungry too. Let us go down at once."

Garia stuck her hand through Keren's arm. "Oh, good! Keren, I'll need to ask your father for a special meeting, as soon as possible. I have been given permission to tell him, and a select group of others including you, exactly what the Beings are and what they are planning to do." She grimaced. "You're not going to like it. Neither is anybody else."

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Comments

To say the least!

I doubt if 10 ptuvils just landed in front of the courtyard and did a dance routine and then put out a hat for coin would be more surprising.

The implications are staggering of course. I see a future of hyperspace drives and the like in the next few hundred years or maybe even less.

What they are doing is supercharging the whole process instead of leaving it to carefully cloaked 'random' chance. I see a future where Garia, after she has passed on, to become somebody really important among the Emerged.

So for the next chapters we will have another F->M change.

The main issue is how to gather up the technological devices needed. The more portable the better I suppose as it has to be on her so we are talking a lot of memory and possibly a laptop maybe? For ultimate reliability she may need to bring back couple of Macs *giggle*.

Seriously though, a laptop is easily adaptable to battery power as long as the voltage is right which would be about 9 or 10 lead acid batteries in series.

Security? Well nobody on Anmar can read English yet but Garia and Maralin at least that we know of so development can be regulated. Plus who else knows how to use a computer.

Hmmm, money will be an issue still as such items would need to be purchased.

Maybe I am over thinking it a bit and only a limited amount of data can be brought back but certainly in the tens of terabytes.

But becoming a boy again *sigh*..

To say this is a major cliffhanger of the series would be an understatement.

There is a big plus side to transferring back of course.

Gary gets to say goodbye properly I think.

Garia now knows she is the only one now so for all intents and purposes it is her parents only that she is saying goodbye to.

Finally, Oh My

A real working UFOP? Maybe there are Borg? OMG

Fascinating.

You're still thinking too far

You're still thinking too far ahead. She's unlikely to be able to come back with much in the way of 'stuff'. What I'm expecting is that she's going to need to hit a large library, and flip through several math textbooks, some electronics textbooks, a couple of books of military equipment and history, illustrations and history of textile manufacturing, and some chemical engineering books. (Maybe videos of advanced martial arts?) The likelihood is that the rebuilt body is NOT just because it's easier (it's probably harder), it's that it has the editic memory.

She's been told to collect what it would take to accelerate the industrial revolution. A laptop wouldn't do that, no matter how much people think everything's on the internet :) Ignore batteries and generators, and maybe look at turbines. (they already have a basic grasp on batteries and generators now) The basics are what are needed, and the information on what can go wrong so that when they hit the toxic aspects, they can recognize it immediately, and take the right actions to address it. Many toxic substances from the 1890's ended up useful (gasoline, for example), so simply storing them for a few years would have them available for use when a good way is found to deal with it.


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

The laptop imho would be the best way to get access

to all that information, at least for a while. Or maybe a who bunch of ipads.

The laptop would only serve as an access device for the number of years it would last ( that is why I suggested two or more, but ideally fanless ones with spare batteries if necessary.) The storage would consist of as many of 2.5" form factor harddrives as she can find. Ebooks can then be purchased. I believe wikipedia is available as a complete download though accessing it is a bit tricky as may require some kind of server for the search client to talk to.

Thing is, with a fast enough connection a lot of information can be downloaded quickly. Garia will also have limited time to do this according to the story so she will have to find some way to quickly get what she needs, even if it means she steals the stuff, hopefully not get caught as Gary, if he survives, as she will have to be cloned back to Anmar again.

Sadly, this is a very cold view of existence really and I can understand why some who do not believe in a deity would think this as this whole process implies we have no divine spark but are just bits and pieces of information that can be copied back and forth; kinda like the Dr McCoy question in a way.

I still find the story quite amazing, don't get me wrong here. The imaginative leap needed to get this far is far beyond what I am capable of and is awe inspiring.

I would beg to differ

The best would be some microfilm like item, that is human readable for the most important items of knowledge, and maybe a handful of smart phones and solar chargers, along with a s#!t-ton of full SD cards. As it was so long ago, what items crossed over with Garia from Earth? Anyone else recall? Hard to believe such a great story could get this much better :)

I doubt microfilm will be available

If I understand it, a limited time is available. Can you imagine somebody waking up, and then ask for microfilm? A laptop makes most sense because a wiki would provide a quick way to look up data and transfer it if possible by plain old writing it down. Or better yet, get a small printer and lots of print cartridges. Two laptops, of real solid build *cough* *mac* *cough* would give reasonably at least 5 years of access to a wiki database? Sure, you can take a samsung edge or something and SD cards but ultimately being able to find out relevant data QUICKLY is more beneficial as in the long term all electronics will die, especially SD cards.

With my proposal, the whole thing still amounts to no more than about 15 pounds at most, easily fitting in a waterproof backpack.

Also, Gary is just coming out of a coma.

We do not know if he will ever get to leave the hospital at all so ideas like visiting a library or buying microfilm/fiche is unlikely.

So a reasonable scenario is that his parents would bring him something to entertain him. An iPad maybe, be at least a smartphone and more that likely if he wanted one, his laptop. Most laptops can hold at least 400GB these days allowing space for the OS and applications. He can also reasonably ask for an external harddrive that he might have been using to backup his computer and it might be say up to 4TB in size these days.

If it is only 400GB, it might not hold wikipedia (except in compressed form or if he only downloads the non-frivolous parts of it) but that is enough space to contain a serious amount of knowledge.

I honestly doubt that Garia

could go back to being male. Psychologically it would haunt her and she would miss the emotions and feelings she has gained from being in a female state. Her actions and attitude have adjusted and become used to the condition. Removing her back to a male form permanently, if I were Garia, I would go insane and most likely, well, use the take my own life word.

One can see how a male that entered into a female body and adjusted to all of its nuances and emotions could do so (assuming the person was not a hard core male at heart.) Garia let go of her male part if not most of the way, some, as Penny has amply demonstrated in how Garia acts feels and relates. But I have not known anyone who was open-minded enough that went from a male form to female ever truly want to go back to being in a male form. Emotions are differently felt, how one thinks, what they would feel. At least I myself cant imagine dimming my mind from the wide spectrum of emotions and feelings that one enjoys as female to being reduced and the way of thinking changed to different purposes. It's akin to losing a major human sense like sight or smell. That would drastically affect me.

That is something Penny will reveal at some point ahead. I look forward to seeing how Garia will either stay female or be forced back as a boy. Either way, I am excited at this stage of SEE and am anticipating great reams of drama coming forth ^^

Sephrena Miller

Snake DNA

Garia must have some snake DNA to survive the twists this chapter has taken! It's going to be amusing to see what she decides to bring back with her upon her return. One extra large rucksack stuffed to the gills is in the future.

Best,

DJ

get help from garia's birth family

if garia got help from the beings to prove to her birth family what is going on, then they can help her get a truck/lorry full of items like laptops, cameras,tv & dvd player with dvd's, books and whatever else penny can think of. and what if in the process of returning to ammar , there ends up being two garias- one on ammar and one on earth as gary who with the beings help can change the future of earth--another story line maybe.

Remember it is only what the person has on her

That can get transferred. I don't think having all that stuff packed on her like a pack mule would count. I can envision a good sized ruck sack but a lorry full, not so much.

Getting help won't be that easy i think

One would think she has just come back from the Wonderful Land of Oz.

Would you believe anybody who just came out of a coma? Gary will have to be a lot more subtle about it.

I would not envy Gary's task if what you suggest came about

With this US congress? With all the vested corporate interests? With all those Deniers who want to take us back to the science stone ages? Frankly I am worried we have a new bunch of flat earth folks running the show right now.

vikings

vikings in past chapter were said to come to ammar with ship, people and full cargo - so why not a truck with a full cargo with the beings approval.

Remember that shiploads of stuff were ....

.... transferred in the past.

*rubs hands with glee as she considers what she would pack*

Brilliant stuff, Penny

D

"The Cost of Living Does Not Appear To Have Affected Its Popularity"in most, but not all, instances

Full to the gunwales

*Giggles*

Ok, so let's list the items.

First, a mega-freighter, which, once unloaded could act as a bridge across the Sirrel ......

Then at least two cranes that will be needed for unloading .....

A large number of containers .....

Sheet steel .....

At least two railway locomotives and at least two shunting engines .....

A humongous number of prepared rails for the railways .....

Vast quantities of steel sheets .....

A cloth-weaving machine or two .....

A zip-making machine .....

Plastic pipe .....

Electricity insulation material .....

Miles and miles of cable and wire .....

A mega tank of Diesel fuel .....

Diesel motors galore ....

Diesel-driven motor cars and trucks (and production moulds and machinery) ....

Tyres galore .....

Rechargeable batteries .....

Battery-operated thingies that can use the rechargeable batteries .....

Walkie-talkie sets .....

A few battle tanks and self-propelled artillery .....

A few planes .....

A few guitars and drum sets .....

... ... ... ... ... ...

etc etc

... ... ... ... ... ...

and a bottle of rum.

*need a lie-down now*

Ships transferred?

Maybe not. Consider this extract from chapter 103:

Eriana was sad. "But the ships carrying my people never reached the Land of Vines, Vinland as you name it. Just as my own voyage here was beset by storms, so a great storm destroyed the ships of the settlers and they were washed up on the shores of Einnland instead."

I would take that to mean people and some wreckage, perhaps some of the supplies, but certainly not whole ships and cargoes.

Sorry.

Penny

Especially if they just found

Especially if they just found themselves on the beach when they woke up - with splitting heads. The natural assumption would be that they washed up after their ships broke apart.


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

Well.......

We know more. It's hard to imagine the tale ending soon given today's developments. Of course Gary could just wake up from his coma, and it could all turn out to have been a brain fantasy. I don't think that's what will happen as we all (including our author I hope) want a happy ending at the conclusion of this long and involving story. Hopefully we'll learn more next time including maybe why Garia needs to mate before being sent back to earth. I'm guessing she can't be still active on Anmar while her new male clone is running around on earth because different memories being created at the same time and possible physical events and changes would complicate the transfer back to Anmar.

Penny, thanks for sharing this story with us. You continue to throw some good curves.

The Deal?

I guess we'll learn soon enough how long Garia will actually be gone and the mechanics of it all. I'm curious if Garia negotiated for Gary to stay alive on earth as she would not want her parents to essentially lose him again (providing they are still alive).

Hmm , I'm really looking forward to how Penny has worked it out.

I can recommend a book called

I can recommend a book called "how things work "......
My goodness, that's a fantastic development to the story.
Penny, you have a fertile imagination. I'm loving every minute of it.
I'd love to chat,but you have work to do. ...
looking forward to the next development.

Good!

I was thinking of that book but couldn't remember the name. There are other books on various subjects, Heinlein had one of his protagonists go through a list of books that would be useful in a low-tech society. That would be where I'd start.


I went outside once. The graphics weren' that great.

We had one called "Stories

We had one called "Stories behind everyday things" which might work better. I mean, it included clothespins and safety pins. Unless you've worked with straight pins a lot, you have no idea what a revolutionary idea the safety pin was. For that matter, the spring loaded clothespin made a massive difference (you simply couldn't carve them during the winter).

I'm still firmly behind the idea that the only thing that would go back would be Garia herself, and no physical items. Going _there_ would involve building a copy. Coming _back_ will not. The physical items are generated as part of the _automated_ scanning and duplication process.

For that matter, if the beings wanted her to have items, they'd just give her the items. No need to travel. Instead, they're requesting a physical presence to gather the information. There must be some reason behind the physical presence requirement.


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

An Extra "Multi-Dimension"

joannebarbarella's picture

To the story, so we readers know that it's not going to finish any time soon. Yay!

As to what Garia will bring back from Earth, I'm sure Penny is having a big giggle at some of the suggestions since she already knows. My own guess is wider-ranging memories and maybe some things which can be stuffed into pockets. Remember, the aim is to speed up the absorption of knowledge and technology, not to instantly build spaceships.

I wait with bated breath for whatever our authoress has in store for us.

Well Penny,

Well Penny,
not only did you knocked the pins out from under Garia, you did the same to me with the unexpected revelations the Beings had for Garia.
I am now in deep, deep hopes that she will not be sent back and then finds she can never return to Keren, the Queen, King, and Jenet along with all the other wonderful people and friends she has made while being on Anmar. Plus when you think about it, they NEED her as well. She has opened their eyes to marvelous things, yet she was dead set on keeping the 'bad' from tainting the good.
She has so much to live for becoming the bride of Keren and then the next Queen to her new people. I'm glad she is now allowed to tell Maralin about the Beings and perhaps they will interact with him as well now. Looking forward to the very next thrilling chapter of this most excellent story.
Janice Lynn

Easy Solution to Garia's Dilemma

terrynaut's picture

I skimmed the comments but didn't see what I think is obvious. Keren should go with Garia back to Earth. That way there wouldn't be any way that they couldn't stay together. I think it would be cool, even though Snep would be left behind. Too bad Snep couldn't be a horse on Earth.

This is great stuff. Please keep it up.

Thanks and kudos (number 143).

- Terry

*L O L* - I can't believe that ....

... my previous comment was taken seriously by anyone. How would a teen boy in the middle of Kansas get hold of an ocean-going mega-freighter and then stock it with very expensive hardware?

If I have read between the lines properly, the entire objective in sending Garia back to be Gary is to use Garia's memories and designs so that information and SMALL items can be scavenged to promote the Industrial Revolution on Anmar.

This requires that the presence on Earth has Garia's memories.

It then does what it has to, and then re-transfers to Anmar, becoming Garia Mark 2. If anything goes wrong with this double-transfer process, then Garia Mark 1 is resuscitated and we all carry on as before.
If it works, then Garia Mark 1 is quietly disposed of.

So taking Keren and keeping Garia as Garia, rather than as Gary Mark 2 is a bit of a non-starter.

As it is Garia Mark1 will have to be transferred to Earth and become Gary Mark 2, and then, immediately, Gary Mark 1 has to be 'disappeared'.
Gary Mark 2 then does the information gathering, and is then transferred as Garia Mark 2.

At that point, Gary Mark 2 is 'surplus to requirements' - as is Garia Mark 1.

A cunning plan indeed, and will require never-before-used transfer protocols and the like.

Absolutely fascinating stuff.

And quite, quite brilliant Penny.

In awe,

J.

I had to wince when you said 'dispose'

So how's this for a complication: What is to guarantee she does not get pregnant before this 'mission'?

Also, since she is 'Emerged', does that mean if there are two Garias there would be two Emerged beings? So if Mark 1 was 'disposed of' would you be getting rid of another emerged being?

So another disturbing question would be

Would Garia Mark 2 be even technically still married to Keren? Till death do us part and since Garia Mark 1 is the one who has married Keren, once she is 'disposed of' Garia Mark 2 is not technically married.

Mated

The Director said she needs to be mated (to me that means pregnant) for the plan to work. Penny has no doubt been thinking about this for a while. I'm guessing she has it figured out.

Gary 2 is another question. I was thinking he should live, but then you'd have a boy on earth with Garia's memories as well as his own unless the beings can fix that.

It's just too easy to go down the rabbit hole with the possible variants. I've pretty much decided to wait and see what Penny does.

Hope so

Garia is going to have to retrain her body .Again. This is not going to be a low risk/low hassle mission, as much as the beings would like to sell it.

On the other hand

If you are going to go through so much trouble, you might as well ask for a slightly longer lifespan and possibly a few inches more in height (no, she will come back as her present height but grow a few inches later as she could still possibly grow anyway.)

She should be rewarded a bit for what she is doing by the VMBs.

Garia's apparent demise

I spent nearly thirty years being a funeral director and saw the damage and terrible pain caused by comatose people coming round and quickly dying afterwards. This only makes the pain of the family of the comatose person unbearable, twice. It would be an act of great cruelty. I'm sure Gary's family are already in mourning. To have him return for a short time and then finally die would be brutal. I have seen this situation, more than once cause the deaths of surviving partners, spouses or parents and siblings. The Beings could easily give Garia all the information she needed.
I believe, from my own professional experience, that this course of action will not only devastate Gary's family on Earth twice, but will devastate Garia's loved ones on Anmar.
What if the return trip goes wrong in some way? Then you will have people on both World's in terrible anguish.

it's called waking up to say

it's called waking up to say goodbye. It grants closure, no matter how much immediate pain may abide. Right now, his family has no closure.


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

also a failsafe measure is planned

Garia's body will be in stasis in case there is a problem with the transfer. Specifics are yet to be revealed.

Why am I reminded of E. E. Doc Smith,

the farther into this story I get? Certainly there are similarities between the "beings" and the Arisians who directed the "improvements" to a certain family line.

However, the biggest question in my mind is: If these "beings" are beneficial... is there yet another group who desire the eventual end of the galaxy... I.E. like the Eddorians who opposed the Arisians?

There is much afoot here and much more to become known I am certain. What a great series, splendidly written. I sstand in awe of the imagination(s) who dreamed this whole story up and presented it to us... FOR FREE!!!

You just gotta love the internet and it's ability to inspire imaginations and talent.

Thanks to everyone who has had a hand in the telling of this fabulous story.

Huggles and love,
Catherine Linda Michel

As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script. Y_0.jpg

Bah, it is a very clever conspiracy by Penny

She gets all these proofreaders (and yes I found some small problems in the previous episodes) and pundits to suggest and question plot and stuff for free and then she gets to sell it all and become the next EE Smith and make a bajillion bucks!

^_^

This is unexpected.

I thought that Garia was not returning to Earth until after she was wed? I think it will be helpful to get this a bit more out in the open so Garia will have someone to share her burden with. That this whole scenario will evolve into Galactic war seems amazing.

This is very nicely done.

Gwen

I think we are missimg the points, Folks !

It is not possible to bring a culture from a mediaeval level to a post industrial, electronic society by just bringing them cartloads of new electronic stuff to play with - many inventions on our own planet and in our fairly recent histories have demonstrsted how inventions and discoveries made before the time is right for them, leads to the inventions and discoveries being mothballed and even forgotten about until the society is ready for them. An Ancient Greek called Herodotus, if \i remember correctly, invented the jet engine and how to use steam to do work for people, but the big leaders of that time laughed and said that, though it was very clever, there was no need for such a thing. They had all those slaves to do all the work for them! The idea of antibiotics was known about many years before Fleming noticed the effect penicillin had on his petri dish bacterial cultures, but people's understanding of the origins and causes of infections were not yet developed enough for anyone to take them seriously, until what an Uncle of mine still called "the Germ Theory", the very same one who taught me in one afternoon to read at age four, in 1940, could be persuaded that germs were the causes of many diseases. He was unconvinced until in the late 1950s.

In the late 70s I built my own electronic computer and wrote programmes in Basic, but last week I was at a big wedding and people of my grandchildrens' generation were playing with tiny electronic devices that I did not understand the functions of nor how and why they were in such constant use - I felt left behind by the latest discoveries and inventions. Talking with my older Grandson about Quantum Physics, which I think I have read quite a bit about, I was left perplexed by his greater understanding of it than mine, though I am no uneducated scientist.

I fear that these multidimentional Beings arenot that knowledgeable about what they call "Solid" Beings, and that possibly their viewpoint is not really any more superior than that of we bipedal apes that have developed language and so are able to imagine things that do not exist (even multidimentional beings for example!).

Penny Lane is far more inventive and imaginative than we are being, and she will do something none of us expect and will surprise us again.

Thank you, Penny, for showing us all yet more tricks. Like everyone I look forward with eager anticipation and just a little patience to see what you come up with next. I know you will not disappoint us. Thank you again.

Briar

we still have little clue as to.what...

We still have little clue as to what the questors have squirrled away, especially at the palace.

If Garia's trip is a success, a bunch of folks will have to learn English, the Roman and Greek alphabets will be REVIVED on Anmar. Also, they need to have examples of SAE and Metric measurement standards else they can't accurately convert formulas (same arguments as the 300° circle versus 360° circle discussions contain).

For Garia, it looks like it's time to 'bite the bullet' and take inventory of the workshop before she goes shopping on Earth. Garia has more than enough clout to call up the Guilds and Questors to assist with identifying 'STUFF'. They may found small SAE and/or metric weight sets. Old hyperdermic needle(s), other medical implements, various hand tools and other odds and ends. Heck, some things might be considered museum pieces even by Anmar's standards. Only Goddess Penny knows what else is really there.

Honestly, I. believe they need good, basic eletrical test equipment for benchmark use and I hope they find some so they can leap forward in electrical engineering.

The laptops already suggested by other fans would replace several 60ft, high cube, containers packed to the max with books. I believe them to be a necessity for Anmar.

What will Garia be shopping for on Earth? It is possible that she will look for experts in various fields who are at the end of their lives. These would be brought to Anmar and placed in younger bodies.

Folks, I think everyone is

Folks, I think everyone is missing something.

They don't move the artifacts. They're copied as part of the construction process.

It appears that what they do is build a new body, then transfer the self-awareness (soul, whatever) of the being from the old body to the new one. That's why they pick ones about to die. In the case of Gary, his body is still in a coma - it's NOT going to recover.

So, they're going to build a new 'Gary', and transfer Garia into it, keeping her body in stasis. When 'He' is done, they'll then transfer the consciousness back into the current Garia body. Rather than repairing the old body, I suspect they're building a new one because it'll have the semi-editic/editic memory necessary to store information.

Notice that there's no new construction on the Anmar end. None. If the Beings were willing to grant bringing any objects from Earth to Anmar, they'd have just _asked her for a list_. It's obvious that they do have Beings that observe Earth, and can interact with Solid objects.

Instead, they're still insisting that the movement forward be implimented by Garia as a person, and a Solid. They're just enabling additional information gathering.

(Frankly, I'd expect that reproducing an entire library is cheaper in time and energy than building a new Gary, moving Garia into it, then back again. Something tells me that they're either missing the obvious, or there's something so engrained in the 'don't interfere' that this is as close as they can get to interference)

So, maybe shift to thinking about what Gary could do in, say, a week, to gather real knowledge. A trip to a library to skim through textbooks is a good start. Basic history of the industrial revolution, science, math (Algebra, Calculus, Trig, Geometry). Articles and history of toxic waste.

The point here is to kick start things, and give them the knowledge of the mistakes that have been made, not hand the baby a chainsaw. People value what they work for more than what is given to them. (Give a man a fish...) The suggestions I've seen here keep leading towards "Let's replace their measurement/science system with ours!", "Quick, make them all learn English!" That _really_ defeats the purpose. They'll have new measurement systems, their time systems aren't exactly the same as ours, and who knows, maybe they'll have a measurement system with both weight _and_ mass measurements.

So, think of what would help the most. Periodic table of elements would be a big boon, because then they'd know what they were looking at, and for. information on creating vaccum tubes and light bulbs, or just glass manufacturing in general. Transistors, thermistors, and crystal radio (spark gap transmitters). Read a couple of biographies of Tesla and Edison. Nothing that requires anything physical to be taken back - because it's not going to happen :)


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

I'm going to correct myself,

I'm going to correct myself, because it's been pointed out that I misremembered a section. (I was suffering from sleep deprivation). She _will_ be reconstructed on return, with whatever items she deems to carry.

I still stand by everything else. If they really wanted her to have 'stuff', they could just ask for a list. Instead, they want her to be a living embodiment of knowledge (library) that she deems best for them to use. So, working up an insane list of items that Gary would have to come up with money for? Not great. Maybe if they rebuild Gary with a chunk of gold?

Otherwise, let us see what might occur.


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

Revelations

This is a huge revelation and will change many things.

hugs :)
Michelle SidheElf Amaianna

What needed information, and what threat?

Jamie Lee's picture

It would appear the Yod threat in Palarand is quiet for the moment, but another threat looms far into the future. One that threatens the galaxy. What type of threat can threaten an entire galaxy and can only be faught with advanced civilizations? Another advanced civilization slowly making its way across the galaxy?

And what information does Garia need that she will acquire on Earth? There is so much information she could acquire. How would she bring it back with her, much like the items she had when first brought to Anmar? Or some other way?

And why return only after giving birth? Is it because her DNA will be more secure when bringing her back or because her child will make her want to come back?

While the Beings have told her much they have been cautious in what they reveal in case that knowledge affects what those with such knowledge actually do. And how it affects their needs in the end.

While the Beings seemed to have left the need for emotions behind, those solids they interact with have not, and can be disturbed emotionally, and their decisions affected, by what is heard.

And yet, Garia has now realized what it really means to give of herself for the greater good. No matter the cost to herself.

Others have feelings too.

so they had problems in the

so they had problems in the beginning which ended some civilizations, I wonder if that's what happened to the Chivans

Chivans?

Explained in another story in this 'universe' - called Alibi Omnino, which strangely means 'Somewhere Else' as the meaning of 'Alibi' and 'Entirely' which is a meaning of 'Omnino'.