Toddarro Mansion

The uses of micro-hierion fields.

This blog post has Part 3 of a seven part story (The Yerophet Experiment) about the adventures of Azynov and Yōd in Alastor Cluster, investigating the origins of human telepathy. Previously, in Parts 1 and 2, they visited Dr. Ektenor at Central University on the planet Triskelion A. Dr. Ektenor, a physicist, is an expert in the use of micro-hierion fields. His colleague, Colleen Toddarro, had gone to the planet Yerophet, attempting to use a special type of hierion field as a shield to protect the settlers on that world from the native Kerub who are rumored to have telepathic powers.

Having completed their investigations on Triskelion, Azynov and Yōd are ready to proceed to Yerophet and observe Colleen's effort to use hierion fields to block telepathic signals.

Kresso the mind clone

The evening before their planned departure from Triskelion, Dr. Ektenor, Azynov and Yōd are on their way to a dinner party hosted by Lakum, the long-time partner of Colleen. Arriving at the country estate of Lakum and Colleen along with Dr. Ektenor, Azynov and Yōd is Dr. Ektenor's latest robotic creation, Vyky.

Vyky was designed and crafted in the image of Sherylyn Toddarro, the daughter of Lakum and Colleen. Sherylyn is a gifted student of mathematics who is following in Colleen's footsteps and experimenting with micro-hierion fields. The guests are just arriving at the Toddarro mansion for the dinner party.

The Yerophet Experiment:  Part 1  -  Part 2

Part 3. Kresso.

Two household robots prepare the table.

In the low light of late evening, Dr. Ektenor led the way along the trail from the aircar landing field to the large, comfortable home of Colleen, Lakum and their three children. The guests emerged from a dark grove of tall trees, passed through a fragrant rose garden and now reached the house. One of the household robots opened the door and led them inside to the dining room.

Other robots were placing a last few items on the dining room table. Lakum was there, supervising the setting of the table. She turned and welcomed the guests, "Dr. Ektenor, Dr. Azynov, Yōd and..." She raked Vyky with an appraising stare, "...I presume this is your robot, Kressyknoak." Lakum approached Vyky and held out her hand, "I've heard so much about you. I expected you to be more like my daughter, but I see that you are different... not actually a copy of Shery."

The robot shook Lakum's hand, "Dr. Ektenor named me Vyky. I am quite distinct from your daughter now, although I did begin my existence as a kind of tribute to Shery's special excellence."

Lakum turned to the human guests and asked, "Are you ready to dine or would you prefer to..."

Yōd said, "I've been drinking beer all afternoon. I'd be grateful if you could allow me to visit the..."

Lakum pointed, "Of course, my dear. You remember where? Right down that hallway."

Releasing her hold on his hand, Yōd walked away from Azynov and departed from the dining room with a lingering glance over her shoulder at him.

Lakum guided the robot to a seat, "Please sit here, Vyky." She turned to one of the household robots, "Please inform the kitchen staff that we will be ready to eat in five minutes. And tell the children to come for dinner."

"Yes, ma'am!" The robot hurried off.

Dr. Ektenor gave Lakum a hug that surprised Azynov with its intimacy. Lakum kissed Ektenor on the cheek and said, "I must congratulate Yōd for talking you into attending this event. How long has it been since you last visited us?"

Dr. Ektenor replied, "Six years plus a hundred and thirty some odd days."

Azynov asked the hostess, "May I sit where I did last week?"

Lakum pointed, "Please do, Isaac, that is perfect... with Yōd in that seat beside you, again." She told Dr. Ektenor, "Kressy, I want you to sit here at this end of the table where Colleen usually sits."

Dr. Ektenor bowed, "I'd be honored." He seated himself in the big chair at the head of the table.

The three children arrived at the table along with Yōd who was returning from her bladder emptying mission. Everyone settled into their chairs around the table while the robots began serving the first course of the meal.

During dinner, Vyky sat next to Shery. All the household robots had drifted away from the dining room, only returning occasionally when needed. Shery seemed pleased and amused by the Vyky robot. Lakum restrained herself and made only one disparaging comment to Dr. Ektenor about Vyky, "I'm just glad you never made a robot in my image. Not having grown up on Triskelion with this world's unusual type of robot-human relations, I would not have been flattered."

Shery told Lakum, "Mom, you're so old-fashioned. You simply can't prevent yourself from entering into the sexual fantasies of other people. You might as well accept it as part of the human condition."

Lakum shrugged. "Shery, you seem to forget that I'm not exactly human."

Shery giggled, "Yes, we all know. You are an hermaphroditic tryp'At. You don't need to wave your penis around during dinner."

The tryp'At brain.

Lakum laughed. "Careful my daughter, out-worlders are present. They might no be comfortable to have mention of genitalia while they are eating."

Yōd assured Lakum, "Neither Azynov or myself is opposed to mixing things oral with things erectile, even during meals."

During the rest of the dinner party that evening, Azynov was distracted by thoughts about how Lakum, as a telepathic tryp'At from the far future, might possibly be used to insert the genes required for human telepathy into the human gene pool of Triskelion. 

Original cover art by
Harold McCauley, Robert Jones (2),
Lawrence Stevens and L. Raymond Jones.

Azynov imagined a mysterious Ring in Time, one ring of time-twisted causality that allowed a tryp'At to travel back through time and use her telepathic powers to make possible the evolution of the first humans with powerful telepathic abilities. A never-ending, self-creating time loop.

In his thoughts, Azynov tried to push all those fantasies about Lakum genetically engineering her offspring to the side. The children of Colleen and Lakum appeared to be perfectly normal human children, with the exception of Shery's exceptional mathematical abilities. Three days previously, she had passed her mathematics qualifying exam, and the evening was as much a celebration of her academic accomplishment as it was a farewell party for Azynov and Yōd.

Yōd had consulted with Lakum before the dinner party, so when the robots served dinner to Azynov and Yōd, they were not subjected to any unfamiliar foods. There were many foods commonly eaten on Triskelion that were unknown on Earth. Dinner progressed at a leisurely pace with much discussion of Shery's study plans at the university. Azynov told several amusing tales from his own education in New York City. 

Shery in the family room.

After dinner, Shery sat on a couch with Dr. Ektenor near the fireplace in the family room and excitedly discussed mathematics with him. Seated with Vyky on the opposite side of the fireplace on another couch, near shelves that held an impressive collection of antique books, Azynov tried to follow the quick-paced flow of Shery's words, but was confused by her technical jargon, so he and Vyky began discussing positronic robots.

During his conversation with Vyky, Azynov's eyes kept wondering back and forth between Vyky and Shery. Shery had noticed Azynov's continued interest and finally she told Dr. Ektenor, "I really should thank Azynov for his role in my mathematical discovery. Last week he spoke to me about statistical mechanics and got me thinking about the correct sequence of transforms."

Azynov said, "I'm pleased if something I said was of value to you, Shery, but I don't really understand the details of statistical mechanics... it is many decades such I studied the subject in school."

Dr. Ektenor sympathized with Azynov. "And I cannot really keep up with what Shery is telling me about her new mathematical technique, but allow me to summarize the main points. Shery, tell me if I have the gist of your argument. You have discovered how to calculate the dynamics of modulation for "supra-hadronic matter" (sedrons) using micro-hierion fields. And that allows, theoretically, for coherent transmission of information at faster-than-light speeds. Do I have that right?"

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Shery nodded. "Theoretically. These calculations are complex. Now that I've been officially accepted into the university as a physics student, I've started using Dr. Jei-Xyb's quantum computer to make some preliminary estimates of the real roots of the equations. Even those rough, preliminary calculations have led to immediate practical results. Look at this..." Shery took from her pocket a small vial of hierions.

Dr. Ektenor was surprised to see a hierion vial outside of the lab. He shouted, "Please don't spill any hierions, Shery!" recovering from the shock of seeing the vial, he said more calmly, "You can't afford to loose any... they are worth a fortune."

"They won't spill. Even if I opened this vial, they would all be contained by the complex micro-hierion field that I've discovered and physically linked to this vial."

Dr. Ektenor asked, "How did you obtain these hierions?"

"From my mother." Shery did not mention that she had talked Kresso into 'borrowing' them from Colleen's home laboratory. That small theft had begun as their little secret, but now Colleen was aware that Shery had successfully created a new type of hierion containment field. Shery reflected on the idea that it is often better to ask forgiveness than to ask for permission. What Shery still did not understand was how Kresso knew the password for the safe in the lab. When asked, Kresso had shrugged and enigmatically said, "Of course, I got the password from mom." At that time, Shery had been so excited to have her hands on some hierions, she had not questioned the absurdity of Kresso's claim.

Now Dr. Ektenor was asking Shery, "What do you intend to do with these hierions?"

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Shery explained, "I can modulate them in a complex pattern, a hierion containment field, that resonates with sedrons."

Dr. Ektenor was astounded. "You have isolated some sedrons?"

Shery laughed. "Not that I know of. But of course, you do know. Nobody has a way of detecting or identifying sedrons. You've spent the past 30 years trying to do that."

"Then how do you know that your new type of hierion field has an effect on sedrons?"

Shery stretched the truth a bit to provide an answer, "I'd rather not say until Colleen returns to Triskelion and has a chance to check my results."

Dr. Ektenor was skeptical. "Well, my dear, if you have no evidence to support you claims-"

Shery said, "Just a minute, Dr. Ektenor." She jumped to her feet and left the room, taking the little vial with her.

Azynov asked Dr. Ektenor, "Exactly what is a hierion containment field?"

Dr. Ektenor shrugged, "Theoretically, Shery's new equations could allow you to actually make a field that might enclose and contain some hierions, but nobody has the technology to do that. I would not even know where to start."

Azynov said, "Lakum claims to have gone to the far future, more than a million years in the future. What if she obtained-"

Shery returned to the family room, held out the herion vial towards Ektenor and said, "Watch this!"

She unscrewed the lid of the hierion vial. Suddenly, a cloud of glowing sparks was rising out of the vial and performed a pulsing dance above Shery's head. Gazing up into the artificial hierion flame, she seemed entranced, swollen with pride and decorated with an angelic smile on her face.

Right when the vial had been opened by Shery and the containment field activated, Vyky had slumped against Azynov. At first, Azynov marveled at the robot's soft warm flesh and her bright silky hair, so like that of a living person. Suddenly realizing that Vyky was not moving, he said, "Dr. Ektenor, something happened to your robot."

Ektenor moved his eyes away from the entrancing cloud of hierions and glanced at Vyky. He stood up and two quick strides brought him to Vyky's limp body. He took hold of the robot's head and spoke a coded command: "SKS23, reactivation sequence."

Vyky's dynamic movement control systems reactivated and she quickly regained her normal body posture. Recognizing that there was a gap in her memory, she asked, "What happened?"

Dr. Ektenor removed his hands from the robot and returned to his seat muttering, "This is quite embarrassing." Wiping a few beads of sweat from his brow, he told Vyky, "Some sort of bug triggered you to shut down. Such events are almost unknown for the newer models of robot such as you. After we get home tonight, I'll need to run a complete systems diagnostic on you."

Vyky glanced at the hierions dancing above Shery and said, "How beautiful." Vyky jumped to her feet and tried to put a hand into the flame-like cloud of hierions. The robot's hand could not penetrate the invisible field that contained the hierions. Vyky asked Shery, "Is this new type of hierion-reactive field dangerous?"

Shery asked, "What do you mean? It is simply a containment field."

Vyky suggested, "Maybe it could break the large field that protects this house from outside zeptites."

Shery explained, "No, don't worry. It is like when you flew the aircar here this evening. When you passed through our household shield, the smaller shield of the aircar did not cause a rip, the two fields briefly merged. There is no possibility of breakage, or leakage."

Dr. Ektenor shook his head in wonder, "But this new field has a reversed polarity. It contains hierions in a volume of space rather than excluding them. My mathematical intuition agrees with Vyky... there would seem to be a risk that this new field would cancel an opposite polarity field rather than merge with it."

Shery shook her head firmly, "Dr. Ektenor, it is not a matter of there being just two opposite polarity fields. This is not like positive and negative charges. According to my new mathematical theory, there is an infinite series of these fields and each one operates at its own resonant frequency. Let me show you the equations..." Shery activated a data display device then she and Dr. Ektenor dove into the details of the mathematics.

Asimov in Deep Time

Vyky returned to sit beside Azynov and she said, "So, Isaac, you were telling me about your positronic robot stories. I don't quite understand the relation between the imaginary characters of your science fiction stories and the real positronic robots."

For a minute, Azynov again tried to follow what Shery was telling Dr. Ektenor about her field equations, but he quickly lost track of the meaning of her words. The complex hierion equations were far beyond Azynov's level of mathematical acumen. He turned his attention fully to the robot, resisting an impulse to reach out and again touch her silky hair. "Well, Vyky, it is a rather strange relation. At first, I had been provided with some basic information about positronic robots, mostly the fact of their existence. From that point, I was free to begin creating my own robot stories. They were not very good. Of course, I kept getting useful hints from my mentor, much like Shery during dinner this evening when she was showing you how to imitate the way she eats."

"I'm not usually asked to eat food, so I appreciated Shery's instruction." Vyky asked, "Who was the source of the helpful hints you received about positronic robots?"

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Azynov sighed. "I'm afraid I can't really explain that. With the exception of Shery's parents, nobody here in Alastor Cluster believes in time travel. I can't blame you..." Azynov placed a hand on top of Vyky's hand where it rested on the couch between them. "Apparently, as part of the Trysta Truce, the use of time travel technology is being kept to a minimum in this Reality."

Vyky smiled and batted her eyes at Azynov, "Do you honestly believe in time travel?"

"I've had the reality of time travel demonstrated for me, back when I was on Earth."

"Really? You traveled into the future? Or the past?"

"More importantly, I met a copy of myself who had been sent from my future, back into his past. It was he who provided me with information about the importance of positronic robots in human history." Vyky was looking at Azynov skeptically and there was a provocative little curl of her lips that Azynov found to be both adorable and a challenge to his honesty. "You don't believe me?"

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Leaning close, Vyky reached her other hand across and placed it on Azynov's arm, "I must ask myself:" Her mouth was close to Azynov's ear, "Which is more probable: one, that a writer of fantasy stories is lost in a fantasy about time travel or two, that the laws of physics can be violated by time travelers?"

Azynov wanted to change the subject. "I won't try to convince you. I'd prefer to discuss a more interesting topic."

"More interesting than time travel?"

"Yes." Azynov placed his free hand over that of Vyky where it rested on his arm. "I must ask you: what kinds of fantasies do you act out with your creator?" Azynov glanced at Dr. Ektenor.

"My creator?" Vyky looked at Dr. Ektenor. "Ah. I don't think of Dr. Ektenor as my creator." The robot brought her eyes back to Azynov. "I was assembled in the robot manufacturing depot by other robots. I think of myself as having been designed and manufactured by my fellow robots. Yes, Dr. Ektenor submitted a set of desired design features such as my sex and body size along with several holographic images of Miss Shery, but he did not create me."

"That is interesting information, Vyky, but you seem to be avoiding the heart of my question."

Dr. Ektenor looked up from the viewer that Shery was using to show him her field equations and he spoke to Azynov. "Vyky is trying to be polite. As a guest in this house, Vyky does not want to annoy Shery."

Shery told Ektenor, "I'm delighted with Vyky. Now that I have met her in person, I want to say that she is amazing! I congratulate you on a job... I know I'm biased, but I've never known such a human-like machine. I doubt she could find a way to annoy me. Having Vyky here is like having a twin sister. And I don't really care about the inhibitions of robots who have been programmed to be polite and not offend humans." She told Dr. Ektenor, "Both Azynov and I are simply curious... we can't help wondering if you and Vyky have an intimate relationship."

Dr. Ektenor suggested, "My dear Shery, if you are going to begin working as a research student in my lab next week, it might be best if I keep a few secrets and we retain a professional relationship."

Shery laughed. "Golly, Dr. Ektenor! If you try to keep secrets from me then I'm going to begin imagining all kinds of bizarre antics and tricks that you and Vyky may have been engaged in."

Dr. Ektenor leaned back into the cushions of the couch upon which he sat with Shery. "I want you doing research in my lab because of your amazing mathematical imagination. I won't do anything that might keep you from exercising your imagination."

"Oh, very well... don't tell me your secrets." Shery spoke to Azynov and winked, "I'm not that easily defeated." She then told Vyky, "I call you by vidphone tomorrow and you can provide me with all the details that Dr. Ektenor is too embarrassed to tell me about."

___________________________

Lakum in the living room.

After dinner, in the rather more formal living room, Yōd, Lakum and Kresso were discussing Colleen and the recent news reports from Yerophet that had been received on Triskelion. Lakum said wistfully, "I wish Colleen were back home and here with us tonight." She glanced over at her youngest child, Myquena, who was playing quietly in the corner of the room with three small, robotic playmates. "It is hard on me and the children when Colleen is away for weeks on end and we must constantly worry about her safety."

Yōd said, "Azynov and I have completed our investigation of scientific research projects on Triskelion. We are leaving for Yerophet in the morning. I expect to run into Colleen during our visit to that world. I'd be happy to pass along a message to her."

Kresso spoke quietly to Yōd, "Shery and I both miss our mom... you could tell her that..." Her voice fell to a nearly inaudible level, "...but she already knows..." Kresso then told her other mother, "Shery still wants to fly off to Yerophet and show her new... equations to Colleen." Kresso turned back towards Yōd, "Don't be surprised if she tries to stow away aboard your spaceship tomorrow."

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Yōd was not planning to travel to Yerophet by conventional means, but she did not want to explain how she and Azynov could move around freely from place to place within the AR simulation. She told Lakum, "With your permission, I'd be happy to take Shery with me to Yerophet. Azynov and I would take good care of her during the space flight. As I understand it, Shery is old enough to technically be viewed as an adult according to the laws of Triskelion."

Lakum shook her head. "No, this is really not a good time for her to be traveling. Shery is starting her studies at the university next week. For my own selfish purposes, my own peace of mind, I'd prefer to continue treating Shery as a child, as a dependent. I feel better keeping her close to home. The news from Yerophet just keeps getting bleaker and more dismal. I fear there will soon be a horrible altercation with the Kerub." Lakum was thinking about the brutally cold climate of Yerophet. "Tell me, why would anyone choose to live on such a frigid planet?"

a Kerub from Yerophet

Kresso said innocently, "It is obvious that the settlers hope to establish a telepathic link to the Kerub. That has long been their dream..."

Yōd added, "Or, if that is not possible, the settlers may learn something from the Kerub about how to boost their own weak telepathic abilities. The simple fact that Yerophet has a cold climate is not going to deter anyone who recognizes the unique abilities of the Kerub from going to that world."

Lakum sighed. "Of course I understand the realities of the situation. I just wish Colleen had not gotten so interested in using hierions as a signaling system for telepathic communication." Lakum's voice now became rather strident, "It is frustrating for me... there are so many other applications for hierions, such as teleportation..."

A shout could be heard coming down the hallway from the family room: "Please don't spill any hierions, Shery!"

Lakum continued her small tirade, "... but that's not good enough for Colleen! Rather than work on a safer project, now Colleen is off visiting those primitive Kerub villages on Yerophet, certain that she will be able to obtain physical proof for a telepathic link between the alien Kerub and the human settlers of that frozen planet. And now Colleen is in the middle of some kind of war!"

Thinking about the climate of Yerophet, Yōd shivered slightly and proclaimed, "Colleen must have good reason for her confidence in this telepathy project, otherwise, why spend weeks on an ice planet?"

Just then, Shery came into the room, moving fast on the strength of her long, graceful legs. She went to her sister's side and whispered in her ear: "Can I show Dr. Ektenor my containment field?"

Kresso looked briefly at Lakum and then nodded to Shery. She whispered to Shery, "Go ahead. Thanks for the warning."

Shery rushed off, returning to the family room. Lakum asked Kresso, "What was that about?"

Kresso explained, "Shery has some hierions that I got for her... from Colleen. She asked me if she could show off the hierions to Dr. Extenor."

Lakum shook her head, "I wish you two wouldn't be messing around in Colleen's lab when she is off planet and can't keep tabs on you." She muttered to Yōd, "I have no idea what Shery is talking about when she goes into physics-speak."

There was another odd noise emanating from the other room.

Lakum looked down the hallway towards the family room, then she noticed that Kresso had fallen silent and seemed to be staring off into space. "Oh, no! Not again!" She sprang out of her chair and grabbed onto Kresso.

Confused, Yōd asked, "What happened?"

Lakum was frantic. "This is the third time in the past two days!"

Kresso seemed to be having an absence seizure. Responding to a signal from Lakum, one of the household robots came quickly into the room, threw a net of electrodes over Kresso's head and began testing the electrical activity of Kresso's brain. Lakum asked, "Tell me, Sybski, what is happening? What is it?"

Sybski, the household medibot replied, "I'm detecting a very strange pattern of brain activity. Somewhat sleep like... but over-laid by another... well, now it is already shifting back to normal..."

Kresso suddenly returned to her normal waking consciousness and said, "Yes, mom." Her eyes were once again focused on the face of Lakum and Kresso said, "That was a strange dream."

Lakum demanded, "What happened, darling?"

Kresso replied, "It was like a dream, but I was really talking to mom. I could see mom on Yerophet!"

Lakum was dismayed. She imagined that Kresso was suffering some sort of hysterical obsession over Colleen who had never before been away from home for so long and had not previously put herself in danger. Sybski the medibot pulled away the diagnostic mesh from Kresso's head and told Lakum, "All her neural systems seem to be back to normal now. However, if you don't mind, I'll stay here in the room and observe Miss Kresso for a while."

Yōd asked Kresso, "What did Colleen tell you?"

"That it is safe for Shery and I to go to Yerophet as long as we travel with you and Azynov. She'll meet us at the Capetown airport when we arrive."

Lakum said, "Don't be silly, Kresso, darling. You are not going to Yerophet. Particularly not now with these seizures you are having."

Yōd asked the robot, "Can you compare the pattern of Kresso's EEG recording to a past recording of Colleen's neuroelectrical mind pattern?"

The robot nodded. "I believe Colleen has previously recorded her mind pattern as part of experiments at the university. I'll try to access that database."

Lakum asked Yōd, "Colleen's mind pattern? What do you think you are doing?"

Yōd had her own question for Lakum. "Tell, me. Who were Kresso's parents?"

Lakum pulled her head back as if she had been slapped. A tinge of pink blush crept up her pale neck to her face. "It is no secret. Dr. Ektenor and I are her biological parents. Colleen and I are Kresso's care-parents."

The robot activated a large wall display and showed Yōd an alignment of Colleen's EEG data next to those of Kresso. Pointing to part of the data, the robot said, "This is very strange... a portion of Kresso's brain activity pattern is identical to Colleen's pattern."

Yōd asked the robot, "This part, here at the end of the recording you made this evening, is that Kresso's normal waking brain pattern?"

"Yes, see the time stamps? That part of the recording was after Kresso had returned to normal consciousness, just before I pulled away the electrode array."

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Yōd said, "I'm no expert in electroencephalography, but even I can tell that's not a normal human brain pattern. Lakum, you better tell me what is going on here. What was the other source of genes that you used to make your children?"

Lakum flopped into her chair and seemed to go limp. Kresso asked her mother, "Mom, what is going on? Can I really link my mind through space to Colleen or is this just some tryp'At trickery?"

Lakum replied to Kresso, "I don't know, darling. Maybe it was all just a dream."

Yōd kept pressing Lakum. "I can't force you to tell me your secrets, but I think you should be open about this... the health of your children is at risk. I suspect this telepathic contact between Colleen and Kresso is just the sort of result that you must have expected from your genetics experiments."

Lakum laughed rather hysterically, as if in relief. "This? Seizures? Never. No, this was not part of the plan. But how was I... or anyone... going to predict what might happen once Colleen had her hands on micro-hierion field generators and was able to start pushing nanites around like leaves on the wind?"

Kresso put an arm on Lakum's shoulders, "What are you talking about mom?"

Lakum shook her head. All she would say to Kresso was a whispered, "You are perfect, my darling. There's nothing wrong with your brain."

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Yōd looked again at the projected brain recordings of Colleen and Kresso. She suggested to Sybski, "Maybe there are three different patterns, here..."

The robot separated parts of the EEG recordings, now showing the activity patters for the left and right sides of the brain. The left brain patterns for Colleen and Kresso looked like normal ECGs, but their right brains were identical and very unusual in appearance. Sybski said, "I've never seen this kind of right brain activity pattern. And how could they be identical between two people?"

Yōd turned away from the displayed brain activity patterns looked at Lakum. "Very well, Lakum, allow me to guess your secret. You were not satisfied to use a mix of tryp'At genes along with genes from Colleen and Ektenor. What other genetic material did you throw into the cauldron? Genes from some settlers on Yerophet?"

Lakum pointed a finger at Yōd, "Don't presume to question me and liken me to a witch. You can't come barging into this Reality and change anything. Not anything!"

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Yōd sat down in her own chair. She was thinking furiously about hierions. Now a silence had fallen in the living room. After a long pause, Yōd spoke again to Lakum, now more quietly, "I know that I cannot change the events of your life. That is history, locked away in Deep Time. I'm not here to change things. I'm here to learn. Let me tell you your future: what happened the first time that you lived through this, in the original Reality, without Azynov and I being here as outside observers. You could not contain Shery and Kresso after they discovered that there was a technology-assisted telepathic link between Colleen and Kresso. They insisted on going to Yerophet to help Colleen with her research and, more importantly, help the settlers block the telepathic signals coming to them from the Kerub. You all understood that Shery's discovery -the new hierion shield- was needed on Yerophet. So, with great haste, you all went off to that ice planet, even taking along poor little Myquena. That was a mistake. There was not a happy outcome."

In the corner of the room where Myquena had been quietly playing with three robot companions, Myquena asked, "Mom, what is going on?"

Lakum signaled to Myquena. "Come here little one."

Myquena approached and Lakum put an arm around him. Myquena said, "I'm afraid."

Kresso asked Yōd, "What do you mean 'the first time'?"

Yōd asked Lakum, "Do you want me to explain it to her or will you do it? They are your children."

Lakum shrugged. "You better do it. I don't really believe what you told me about this being a simulation."

Recent Realities of Deep Time

"Very well. Listen Kresso, Myquena... you think I'm from far away, from Earth, but I'm from a completely different Reality. From my perspective, everything here in your world is a part of my past. I'm here to learn about what is, for me, the past. Azynov and I are historical researchers. I've seen the outcome of your lives. Each of your lives. I told your mother about this two days ago, but she did not believe me. Now I'm telling you. There is danger on Yerophet, but I am going there. I'll take Shery and Kresso, but it is not safe to take you, Myquena. I want you to stay here with Lakum."

Lakum asked Yōd, "You can't promise that Shery and Kresso will be safe this time, can you? I mean, you've changed the timeline, haven't you?"

Yōd shook her head, "You are correct. I've viewed your future, but I can't predict my own future. This simulation is too complex. I certainly can't control everything that is happening on Yerophet. However, in this run of the AR Simulator, with Azynov and I there on Yerophet, Shery and Kresso should be just fine. As long as you keep Myquena here with you, all will be well."

Kresso stood directly in front of Lakum and spoke to her mother, "I think I now understand my other dreams, from yesterday."

Yōd asked, "What happened yesterday?"

Lakum told Yōd, "Kresso had two seizures yesterday. She awoke from them and was babbling about the poor freezing children on Yerophet and their need for blankets."

Yōd said, "There have been recent news reports of some of the settler children hallucinating, falling into trances while outside playing and then not coming in from the cold."

Kresso laughed and told Yōd, "Yesterday I was being silly. I did not understand what Colleen was telling me in those dreams. Then I talked to Shery about her new hierion field. That's what the children of Yerophet need... the new hierion containment field, not blankets!"

Lakum asked Kresso, "What are you talking about, darling?"

Kresso said, "Go into the other room, mom. Shery is showing off her containment field to Dr. Ektenor."

Lakum got to her feet and went down the hallway. She found her daughter and the other guests in the family room. The sparkling hierion flame still burned in the air above Shery. Lakum asked her daughter, "When did you activate this containment field?"

Shery shrugged. Caught up in the excitement of explaining her mathematical discovery to Dr. Ektenor, she had not been taking note of the passage of time. Vyky said, "It was at 7:23."

Yōd, Kresso, Myquena and four household robots had followed Lakum into the family room. Sybski the medibot was still holding the EEG electrode array and said, "That was when Kresso lost consciousness."

sedrons

Yōd asked Shery, "Could this new hierion field of yours open a conduit through space to Yerophet, a portal that could conduct hierion particles or possibly sedrons?"

Shery turned down the power on the containment field and it pulled the glowing cloud of hierions back into the vial. She screwed the cap back onto the vial and said to Dr. Ektenor, "What do you think? You've spent your life trying to use hierions to fracture the space-time continuum."

Dr. Ektenor was still holding the little display device that held Shery's field equations. Now he looked at the equations in a new way. "If you applied these new equations to a hadronic field like the Higgs..." He fell silent.

Shery continued the thought, "That's it! A micro-hierion line could form at the fracture and extend outward from the field generator, in both directions."

Yōd said, "And if a micro-hierion beam was correctly oriented in space, that might allow Colleen and Kresso to link their minds, even across interstellar distances."

Dr. Ektenor demanded, "What is this nonsense? Telepathy?"

Kresso spoke earnestly to Dr. Ektenor, "Listen, Kressyknoak, this is not nonsense. I really have been able to link to Colleen's thoughts. Half a dozen times during the past two days."

Shery whispered, "It is reproducible!"

Lakum spoke to Kresso, "But you only had the seizures three times."

Kresso told her mother, "No, you have not always been present when I've had my dream visions of Colleen."

Shery suggested, "We could check the sequence in time. Probably each time that I've activated the new micro-hierion field, that will correspond in time to one of Nyky's dreams. But this telepathy nonsense is... well, just nonsense! Even if my new containment field opens a communications channel through the structure of the continuum, why would it always link Kresso to Yerophet? And how could it precisely connect Colleen to Kresso each time? That would be a magical coincidence of cosmic proportions."

The room now filled with a jumble of voices, with everyone talking at once.

Yōd went to Azynov and sat down in his lap. They kissed and for a minute, Yōd fantasized about taking Azynov to their spaceship and spending a day or two together in isolation, blissfully making love. She was shocked by the power of her lustful desire. Yōd wondered: why am I so horny? She noticed that Azynov also seemed surprised by her sudden ardor. Yōd struggled to regain her composure. Somewhat under control, she then whispered into his ear, "You have a big mouth."

Azynov nodded, "I'm afraid I altered the timeline."

Before coming to Triskelion, Azynov and Yōd had looked into the future. Shery was to have made her mathematical discovery next week after starting her university studies and having a discussion of hierion field equations with Dr. Ektenor. However, by talking to Azynov last week, Shery's discovery had been accelerated. Azynov and Yōd had planned to arrive on Yerophet at least a week before Lakum and the children.

Yōd told Azynov, "We have to take Shery and her field generator to Yerophet. When checking the future, we've seen that is exactly what the settlers need to protect their children from the telepathic signals of the Kerub. And this time, we know how to protect Myquena from harm."

Azynov glanced at Kresso and asked Yōd, "How did you figure out this telepathy trick?"

The medibot, Sybski was standing on the far side of the room, but he spoke loudly to Azynov, "What telepathy trick?" The room suddenly became quieter.

Mind Clones

Yōd glanced at Sybski then she replied to Asimov's question, "It was Colleen and Kresso who figured it out... they must be mind clones, but Lakum won't tell me the details of how she created Kresso."

Everyone was now silent, looking at the young girl, Kresso, who stood gazing into the fire.

Dr. Ektenor spoke angrily to Yōd, "I told you what happened. I fell in love with Lakum. We were insane with love. Every day that passed we fell deeper into our wild insanity. It was the most glorious six months of my life."

Lakum sat down beside Dr. Ektenor and took hold of his hand. "Yes, it was a wonderful time, magical, but I never told you the entire truth."

 Dr. Ektenor demanded, "Truth about what?"

"Who Kresso is. I made her a mix of you, me, Colleen and I also made use of a dozen other genetic sources, all from worlds where the people have some weak telepathic abilities."

Dr. Ektenor laughed rather wildly. "I'm no biologist, but that's impossible."

pek

Yōd laughed even more loudly, with a kind of triumphant glee. "Not so, Dr. Ektenor. Don't forget, Lakum is tryp'At. You probably don't know what that means. The tryp'At are an artificially constructed human variant from the far future. Crafted by the pek to function as a telepathic counter-weight to the Ek'col. No, forget about the Ek'col. Forget about the scheming pek. Forget all about aliens and their meddling with human genes. The important thing is that the tryp'At are not afraid to meddle in human affairs and even father hybrid children. When not satisfied with making human-tryp'At hybrids, they can do genetic surgery and construct entirely new types of human -or near human- genomes." Yōd shifted her gaze from Ektenor to Lakum. "Tell me, were you carefully trained in how to construct Kresso or did you just get lucky?"

Lakum explained, "I was given some theory of genome engineering when I trained for my mission on Earth. I learned much more from Colleen and the nanites that she obtained from the Prelands."

image source

Yōd asked, "You've had contact with Prelands?"

"Yes, it was during our second mission together as a team. Colleen and I went into the far future and met the last of the Prelands. They gave Colleen a collection of infites. It was the knowledge contained in those infites that turned Colleen into a hierion physicist and that turned me into a genetic engineer. Don't ask me to explain it in any greater detail... it is as if the Prelands... used me to make Kresso."

Kresso turned away from the fireplace and asked her mother, "I'm an alien creature? I'm not a human being?"

Lakum sat there with tears rolling down her cheeks, horrified to hear her daughter asking such a question. Yōd knelt in front of Kresso and put her hands on the girl's slender shoulders. "Have you ever looked at yourself, Kresso? You are a beautiful girl. You are human. A special human. During the flight to Yerophet I'll tell you all about mind clones." Yōd guided one of Kresso's hands to Yōd's belly. "My child, growing inside of me, is also a mind clone. You are both very special. Very precious."

When the household calmed down, Lakum granted permission for Shery and Kresso to travel with Azynov and Yōd to Yerophet. Then she invited all the guests to stay the night. "In the morning, we will all go to the spaceport, together."

Yōd said, "The little spacecraft that Azynov and I use is only big enough for the two of us. We will have to secure reservations on a commercial spaceliner."

After Lakum put the children to bed, she and Dr. Ektenor had a long talk in front of the fireplace.

Yōd and Azynov also sat together, on the other couch near the fire and made new plans for taking Shery and Kresso to Yerophet. Lakum insisted that her robot Sybski also travel to Yerophet and monitor Kresso's condition. She declared, "At the first sign of any trouble, Sybski will bring Kresso home to me."

About midnight, Yōd and Azynov retired for the night to the upstairs bedroom that Lakum had told them to use. Yōd was still simmering with a fierce desire to ravish Azynov. Some place in the back of her mind was the realization that she did not feel like herself, but she liked how she was feeling. They were just starting to play Azynov's favorite game on the bouncy king-sized bed in their room... Yōd was imagining that maybe Azynov would do something new... she was thinking about Danni in the hot tub when they were interrupted by a gentle knock at the door.

Vyky opened the door, came into the room and said, "I've made reservations for all five of you on the Litless Toru. The ship's itinerary has a stop first at Chadho, Alastor 2944, but you'll be on Yerophet two days from now with no need to change ships at Chadho." The robot turned back towards the doorway.

Yōd knew she should be thinking about Yerophet or Chadho or Tar'tron or Earth... but with the lovely Miss Vyky there... Yōd said, "Vyky, I meant what I told you earlier. Please stay here with us for a while... Azynov and I only have one last night... to research advanced Triskelion technology... robotics..."

Azynov was enjoying the wild look in Yōd's eyes. Then he was impressed by the way that Yōd was speaking to Vyky, trying to make the robot stay there in the bedroom. He tried to match Yōd's earnest enthusiasm and told her, "I suppose it would be a shame if I completed my visit to Triskelion without fully... investigating all the advanced technology of this world..."

Vyky looked over her shoulder at Yōd and Azynov then turned away from the door, pushed it shut with her foot and then she took a few skipping steps, jumped and landed on the bed. The robot kicked off her boots and was babbling, "Dr. Ektenor won't be wanting me tonight and I suppose Shery will understand if I..." Earlier, Vyky had seen Ektenor going hand-in hand with Lakum into her bedroom.

Next

Vyky had then accepted an invitation from Shery to spend the night in her room, but the poor girl needed her rest. Tomorrow would be a big day. It seemed likely that in the morning, before Shery departed from Triskelion on her spaceflight to Yerophet, there should be plenty of time for Shery to talk to Vyky.

Vyky carefully moved across the big bed, wiggling and squirming until she was right between Azynov and Yōd and then she asked them, "Which of you wants to study me first?"

Yōd glanced at Isaac and then started pulling off Vyky's shirt. She said, "I suppose nobody wants to be second, but I expect we will find that Azynov can work efficiently as a team, so..." Yōd straddled the robot and pressed her hot vulva against Vyky's lips. Vyky was quite willing to collect data in support of Yōd's hypothesis.

Next: Part 4 of The Yerophet Experiment, "The Sybski Effect"

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