The Start of Eternity/12

Ormy
Alastur was in a chair and Stan was standing in the middle of the room. Two of the walls showed parts of the First Message and the other two showed famous articles about hierion physics. Stan pointed below the red text that was the decoded part of the message dealing with hierions. "There is much more here about hierions...in the blue."

"Ya, but nobody has figured out those blue parts. We cannot figure out how to make a hieric transmitter. The instructions for how to do so are right there, but we aren't smart enough to figure it out." He noticed that it was already early afternoon. "Ug, we missed lunch." He called Ormy, "Sorry, we lost track of time."

Ormy laughed, "That's fine. You are safer where you are. Everyone is in a tizzy over the isotopes. If you surface now you won't have a chance to get any more work done today. I'll bring you lunch."

Ten minutes later Ormy arrived with bag lunches. Alastur introduced Stan to Ormy who kept shaking his hand for about two minutes, "Quite a start for you, my boy, making a discovery like that...the first time you saw the Message?"

Stan tried to point out Alastur's role in the discovery, "Alastur insisted that I think it through. I had already dismissed the idea, but he kept pushing it."

Alastur sputtered and spit out some seeds, "I still can't figure out how Stan did it. He claims there is a pattern there that he recognized as a table of the elements. I still don't see it."

Ormy finally let go of Stan's hand. "Well, congratulations. I expect you two to write up a description of how the discovery was made."

"Write up?" Stan doubted there there was anything to say. "It was just by chance that I noticed that part of the message."

"Well, it is traditional for a paper to be written that explains how each part of the Message is decoded."

Stan pointed to the wall, "Ah, I think I see. That's what these articles are that we have been looking at. And that's why I've never heard of hierions. The papers never leave Uvadekoto."

Ormy squinted at the article that was displayed on the wall. "And what have you been working on? What article is this?"

Alastur explained, "I've taken Stan through the basics of hierions. He's quick on the uptake. I'll move him into sedronics after lunch."

Ormy nodded, "Excellent. My area of specialization is in robotics. The Huaoshy provided a real wealth of information about robotics, entire memory algorithms and learning circuits. We got lucky in robotics, their circuity notation is similar to ours. Actually, I'm quite out of my depth. I'm just an historian...the field has moved beyond my grasp. Now I'm just an administrator and cheerleader for the new generation." She explained to Stan, "Alastur is a good example of the new breed. Quite impressive for a lad of ten, eh, Stan?"

Stan remarked, "Yes, quite, but I've been wondering if you might just be creating your problems by keeping everything you do secret. Is it fair to keep these alien messages to yourselves? Why not share what you know with the whole world. The more people who look at this, the more likely someone will figure out the remaining parts."

Ormy sighed and said, "You've hit on our major political argument. The historical fact is that the secrecy began when it was not clear if civilization would survive the population explosion. Those difficult times were the setting for the original discovery of the First Message. And to be perfectly honest, we've dug a rather deep hole for ourselves by keeping everything secret. With each passing year it becomes harder to imagine getting past the resentment that would come from now revealing the truth."

Alastur muttered, "In other words, momentum wins."

Ormy was not willing to leave it at that. "Actually, the arrival of the second message sealed out fate. The decision was made to withdraw from the world at large and escape."

Alastur added, "With hindsight, we can see that was a huge blunder. This spaceship was built, following instructions in the Second Message, but we failed. We can't figure out some of the key instructions. Now we sit here foolishly, having grown apart socially from the rest of civilization and unable to lift Uvadekoto off the surface of the planet."

Ormy patted Stan's arm, "Well, my generation couldn't solve all the great mysteries. And it's lucky for you youngsters or you'd have no challenges and nothing interesting to do." The old historian stood up from the table, "Well, I'm glad I got to meet you Stan. I'll be expecting more great things from you after today, Eh?"

After Ormy departed and the little room fell silent, Alastur muttered, "Old fool."

Stan could not get used to hearing such cutting and bitter disrespect of elders. He leaned back and let his crop grind at his lunch. "So, you think that Uvadekoto should give up its secrets?"

Alastur fluffed his down nervously. "I should not have made that nasty comment, but these are tense times."

Stan remembered something he had heard the previous day. He asked, "Because of the 'council deadline'?"

Alastur nodded. "Things could get tricky around here in a hurry. Many of us think it would be better to voluntarily reveal our secrets rather than wait for them to be dragged out against our will."

Stan did not even know what 'council deadline' they were talking about, or what 'council' for that matter. He tried fishing for information, "So who really makes such decisions, the Directorate?"

Alastur looked nervously at the bracelet on Stan's arm. He seemed to decide against speaking his mind. "I'm just a junior historian. And the day is passing us by. Are you ready for some sedronics?" They got back to work and Stan started exploring the part of the Second Message that was about sedrons.

When afternoon passed into evening Alastur could not stop yawning, but Stan was fired up and excited by his first exposure to Huaoshy mathematics. He said, "This is important stuff. The hierion physics is just a natural extension of standard physics, but sedrons...my, my, my. Really, it is not fair to keep this from the rest of the world. There is a whole new domain of mathematics here."

Alastur turned up the room lights and shut off the computer. "And tomorrow is another day. Come on, I'll walk you part way home."

They carried the remains of their lunches to the school dinning commons then exited from the school, which seemed just as busy as it has earlier in the day with people of all ages coming and going. Alastur asked, "So do you really understand teserant functions? I've seen grown men, famous mathematicians break down and sob after trying to devise a system of teserant functions that might serve as a theory of sedronic physics."

Stan chuckled and replied, "Teserant functions are not really any worse than complex functions. I guess I have the advantage of not really believing in reality in the first place...so a mathematics of the unreal does not distress me."

Alastur looked up at Stan with a look of disbelief, "I think you are teasing me."

"I'm not trying to tease, but I do not really know how to explain the my brain works."

Alastur asked, "Then what do you mean when you say that you do not believe in reality."

Stan tried to explain, "Well, I took a philosophy of mathematics course last semester. I was told that our brains are designed to make us believe that rocks and trees and people are real, but mathematicians have strange brains that prefer to imagine another reality, a ghostly world of number and functions."

Alastur muttered, "Bah, math is just useful for counting beans and calculating which day of the week your next birthday will fall on. Sorry, to be so harsh. I hope you are not some kind of mystic."

"I said nothing mystical."

"Then why talk about ghostly worlds?"

"That's just a figure of speech. What would you call the world of hierions and sedrons, a world that our senses cannot deal with?"

"I call it hierion physics and sedronics. I've certainly never seen a ghost, and I don't want to." Alastur paused and pointed up a side corridor. "Your elevator is just ahead. You won't get lost?"

Stan joked, "I suspect that if I so much as stub a toe I'll get a visit from the security forces. Really though, I'm catching on to how Uvadekoto is laid out. With the tracking function of the bracelet I can't get lost."

"Good. I'll expect you again tomorrow. We only just got started on sedronics. Nora asked me to show you all the past efforts that have been made to make progress on the blue text. She's hoping you can be deflected from all the dead ends that have been explored."

Stan nodded, "That sounds like a wise strategy. I'll try to digest what I've learned today and be fresh for more in the morning. Good evening."

Stan found the elevator without difficulty, but took it all the way to the top. He was looking for an observation deck that might give a view of the outside world. A passing robot noticed his uncertainty and quickly guided him to another elevator. Soon he was at a kind of social club that called itself an Observation Deck. At first Stan was disappointed that there were no windows, but there were display screens that showed views of the outside world. He asked a bartender why none of the views being displayed were real views of what could be seen outside Uvadekoto. The robot said, "Who want's to see that?" but then tuned the display behind him to a view of the brown hills to the west of Uvadekoto. "Do you want a drink?"

Stan realized he was thirsty. He's spent most of the day trying to explain mathematical concepts to Alastur. Finally Alastur had told him not to bother. Alastur had said, "I'm an historian."

"I'm afraid I don't have any money."

"It's on the house, bub. Judging by the security bracelet on your arm, I'd say you must be a visitor."

"I could use some water."

"Hot, cold, flavored?"

"Cold, please."

For a while Stan sat at the bar thinking about the outside world which did seem very far away. Clearly he was expected to has "school day" in the morning, but it was a day of classes for him at the university. And now he had a scholarship with almost no restrictions, but it was contingent on him remaining in good academic standing. Still, his classes all seemed unimportant compared to learning a strange alien mathematics that promised a way to the stars.

A woman sat on the next stool and said, "Buy me a drink, stranger?"

Stan turned his head and discovered that it was Jillia. "I am feeling rather strange."

"I was wondering if you got lost."

"Is it possible to get lost here? Everyone seems friendly and helpful." He pointed to the bracelet, "And this works well, as long as the desired destination is known. Anyhow, I was just going." He got off his stool and returned to the elevator.

Jillia said, "I hope you were not alarmed by Alastur today, he's young and rather confused."

Stan asked, "Why should anything he said alarm me...I mean besides the fact that he doesn't understand the mathematics that he is supposed to be an expert on."

"He's learning how to be an historian. He has no great mathematical ability. Anyhow, the problem is his politics. I hope that even you can understand why Uvadekoto keeps the Huaoshy a secret."

They completed their elevator ride and stepped out into a busy walkway. Jillia took his arm and guided him into the flow of the pedestrian traffic. Stan said, "I don't have much of head for politics."

"Good. Don't let our political disputes distract you. Keep focused on your goal. By the way, you've caused quite a stir on your first day. Everyone is buzzing over your discovery of the isotope section in the First Message."

"Alastur insisted that I should celebrate the discovery tonight."

"Is that why you went to the bar?"

"I was trying to get a glimpse of the..." He had almost said "real world". Somehow Uvadekoto felt like a dream world. "...Outside. I have classes at university tomorrow."

"Maybe you should request a leave of absence."

"I don't think that would go over very well, right after winning the Milsensir."

"Don't you realize that Nora could endow a dozen similar scholarships next week?"

Stan sighed, "The Milsensir award is for as long as I need it. As far as I can tell, I'm only a useful commodity here as long as I'm useful."

Jillia laughed, "Is that what you are worried about? Believe me, you will be taken care of, even if you cannot come up with a theory of sedronic matter."

"This morning I was surprised to see three little boys, without even a mention of their fathers or where they are."

"Well, you have some idea of how non-standard Uvadekoto has become with respect to child rearing. Are you going to judge Nora by your standards of what's normal?"

"I'm just not sure that I like the possibility that seems to be looming, of my son ending up here and me going back to the university after I fail to provide Nora with the sedrons she needs."

"Well, just tell her that. She'll respect your wishes, no matter how irrational they are."

"You think I'm irrational?"

"You object to Nora's attempt to produce a mathematician who can get us to the stars? What if it were your son who accomplished that?"

"That would be great, and I'd like to be there to see it happen, but it seems more likely that I'll be shown the door."

Jillia said, "That's really very-" She stopped herself from finishing her sentence. "I suppose I can't really understand what it is like to exist outside of Uvadekoto. Anyhow, it is far too early to worry about these things. Are you going to try to formulate the theory we need or not?"

"Don't worry about that. I'm hooked...but don't expect me to work like a zombie...unless you are prepared to turn me into one."

"Look, Nora was just teasing you when she said she could turn you into her puppet. That is not allowed. It doesn't even work."

"So which is it? It's not done or it just does not work?"

"Don't twist what I say. Do you think we are unethical? Do you think Nora want's to turn you into a zombie?"

"I know that sometimes people feel they have to do things...the ends justifying the means."

"Well, if it means anything to you, I'm your case officer, and I won't let Nora abuse you."

"What case?"

"You're a security risk. We have to worry about you going back to your campus and talking about what you've seen here."

"Well, add this to my case file. I don't like you listening to everything I say, or what kids like Alastur happen to say to me. What is this, some police state? I expect some personal space and privacy."

"Then you better go to the Security Center with me right now for processing. Until then you have to wear that bracelet."

"Did you enjoy listening to Nora and I last night?"

"That was business. Nora knows that I was listening and she understands the importance of it."

"Well maybe some day you can explain it to me."