Synpaz Replicoids

The former replicoid, Artep is instantiated
as an artificial lifeform with the power of flight.

I previously introduced Petra Nicholls as a character in the science fiction story "Time of Theurgency". Petra became the first human test subject for experiments that involved sending a beam of hierions into the brain. Using her hierion probe, Petra learned how to alter the function of her femtobot endosymbiont, allowing her to control the Bimanoid Interface.

Freed from the usual restrictions imposed by human endosymbionts and as the mind clone of the analogue of Isaac Asimov who lived at the Writers Block, Petra was able to communicate with Asimov via technology-assisted telepathy. After that success with the Bimanoid Interface, Petra was ready to explore other types of telepathic communication that might be possible with residents of Eternity.

Mary and Artep in Seelie Port.

Towards the end of the follow-on story, "Foundation Reality Simulator", Petra was eager to undertake additional experiments in which her husband, Sven, would create modulated hierion beams with a new, carefully designed hierion probe. The goal was to establish a telepathic connection to Petra's replicoid inside the Hierion Domain.

Below on this page are parts 1-3 of the story "The Synpaz of Seelie", my attempt to write some science fantasy about Petra's replicoid, Artep. Rather than be instantiated inside a normal sized human body, Artep becomes a synpaz and tries (unsuccessfully, due to a Time Paradox) to join the Seelie community of Eternity. Grean has other plans for Artep. 😉

____________________________________________

The Synpaz of Seelie

Mary and Artep inside the Writers Block.

1. Mary.
When Asimov heard from Petra Nicholls that she was ready to have her replicoid brought into the Writers Block, he complained to Mary, "I'm no good at this."

Mary was busy trying to assemble a new chart of the fundamental particles. She and Isaac had been trying for years to find a pattern, some logical sequence for the many different hierions and sedrons. Their main problem was that they almost certainly had an incomplete list of the hierions and sedrons. Still, Mary hoped her persistent efforts would eventually stumble upon a sensible and unified arrangement of all the known hadrons, hierions and sedrons. She paused her relentless shuffling of the particles and looked at Asimov. "That's why I'm doing it."

replicoids

Asimov was not talking about physics. He told Mary, "Petra asked me to pull her replicoid into the Block."

"Ah, so she is settled in with Sven?" Mary was tracking delicious gossip from Asimov about Petra's sex life. "Is Petra enjoying married life?"

image source

Asimov shrugged, "I've heard no complaints. You know, Sven was created just for her."

Mary giggled and then quietly said, "I know how that goes."

Asimov asked, "What was that?"

"Nothing, dear." Mary thought it was best to allow Isaac to continue believing that their romance was a random, wild thing. Grean had long ago told Mary the truth. "I suppose you are eager to get your hands on Petra's replicoid."

"If bringing Artep here was simple, I'd just do it." Asimov slammed a fist down. "However, these things are never simple."

Mary shook her head. "You are the one who makes instantiations overly complex. Just instantiate her using a plain teleportation duplicate of Petra and be done with it."

Grean

Asimov was not willing to be so heavy handed. "You know I can't do that." Isaac's problem could be traced back to when he had first been sent through Time by Grean, creating two copies of himself on Earth. He resented how that had been done and all the pain and chaos that had resulted. "I don't mind interviewing the replicoids of men and pushing them towards a choice that will be best in the long run." He took deep breath. "But a little girl?"

Mary shut off her coquip. The projected 3D images of arrays of particles faded away, clearing the air between her and Isaac. She walked over to him where he sat at his desk and kissed his cheek. "Poor dear. I'll take care of it...."

"Thank you!" He stood up and hugged her enthusiastically.

"...on one condition." Grean had previously given Mary big hint about what to expect from Artep.

"What?"

"You don't complain about Artep's decision after the fact. No second guessing."

"Very well. I'll keep my opinions to myself." He kissed the tip of Mary's nose and slid his hands inside her robe. "I love you."

She ran her fingers through his hair. "I want to make love with you right now..." For a few moments they shared a wet kiss, then Mary turned away and escaped from his embrace. "Save that for when I get home." Mary changed the form of her nanite-generated clothing, disposing of the silky robe she had been wearing and slipping into a generic shirt and skirt combo. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck."

Mary went to the door and Asimov followed along. "I'll walk with you to Grean's workshop. I need to visit Relda." They went outside, moving quickly through the common area of the Writers Block towards the entrance that linked to the Observer Base and Grean's workshop.

Mary and Isaac were holding hands. She asked, "Isn't Relda on a search mission inside the Foundation Reality Simulator?"

"She just got back from her latest mission. She's writing her report, but apparently she was able to find some new information about hierion fields."

"Nice! I'd like to see her report when she has it ready."

"Yes, of course. As soon a Sven heard this news, he insisted that I find out some details. He's still dithering over the type of field modulation to use for the upcoming replicoid telepathy experiments."

"I thought he already had a protocol... that's why we are instantiating Artep."

"As a scientist, Sven always wants to take into account the latest information."

in Grean's workshop

Moving at a good pace, it was still almost half an hour before Mary and Isaac made their way from the Writers Block to Grean's workshop. All along the way, Mary worried that Grean might not be available. She kept trying to telepathically signal to Wendy, just in case. Approaching the workshop, Mary could see that Wendy was there, pruning a bush to the side of the workshop's doorway.

Isaac kissed Mary and went down the garden path that led towards the house that Relda shared with Deomede. 

 Mary called to Wendy, "Is Grean here?"

Wendy shook her head and replied, "She told me to help you." Mary and Wendy exchanged a quick hug of greeting then went into the workshop. Mary went right to the teleportation platform and stepped up on it. "Isaac wants me to instantiate the replicoid of Petra Nicholls. He insists that she be given her choice of new residence."

Wendy nodded. "And I'll give you a choice... where would you like to start the tour?"

"You know me Wendy, I just adore Seelie Town."

"Seelie it is. Let me know when you need anything." Wendy activated the teleporter in its mode that would insert Mary and Petra's replicoid both into a simulation of Seelie, one of the more popular communities of Eternity.

Artep experiments with flight.
The synpaz are about one tenth
as tall as normal humans.

2. Artep.
Mary felt the queer transposition that jammed her into the Seelie Town Simulator. Arriving inside the simulation, she was shocked to find herself so close to some of the synpaz dwellings. She reminded herself to watch her step lest she destroy something. Even if this was only a simulation, Mary did not want to be disruptive and annoy the simulated residents. The nearest synpaz garden was only a step away. Mary wondered: where is Petra's replicoid?

Mary could hear a strange almost-buzzing noise that, upon turning, she identified as synpaz laughter and then there was a high-pitched shout, "Wheeeeee!" Artep came zipping past Mary, looped back around then came to a halt, tipped at an odd angle and floating in front of Mary. Artep said cheerfully, "I can fly!"

"Yes, Grean told me that you would really like that. If you choose to instantiate as a synpaz then you have the advantage of antigravity-facilitated locomotion."

Artep was skeptical. "Is negative mass really possible?"

Mary began to explain how the artificial syspaz and the biological sy'Paz could both fly, "We know that there is at least one negative mass hierion and the Huaoshy long ago learned how to tap into the zero point energy of hierion fields. Even the Phari must have-"

Artep was gazing intently at Mary and had no idea what Mary was talking about. She interrupted, "Wow. I've wondered what you really look like." Artep had her own copy of the memories of Petra which contained a fairly good reckoning of Mary's appearance based on telepathic signals from Isaac. Of course, Isaac adored Mary and in his mind she was quite angelic. "I like your skirt."

Wendy had instantiated Artep already dressed in tight fitting clothing appropriate for aerial acrobatics. Through the years, Artep had grown tired of Petra's preference for dressing like a boy. Atrep liked skirts and Mary's, made of some shimmering hierion cloud, was stunning. Artep could well remember that in the previous Reality, the partial analogue of Petra had been more lady-like. Artep slowly sank towards the ground allowing her hand to touch the shinny fabric of Mary's skirt.

Mary turned and gestured towards the nearby homes of Seelie town. "Petra lives in a city. The synpaz despise city living. Do you think you would be comfortable living in a small town like this one?"

Buffeted by Mary's movements, Artep flipped around 180 degrees then slid down along Mary's left leg. Looking upwards towards Mary's face, Artep got a look up the skirt. Artep decided that Mary was her kind of girl: she was not wearing anything under the skirt. Artep activated her powered flight and zipped off, zooming high over the town. She took a long look at the layout of the half dozen streets. Yes, this little village looked quite pleasant.

Artep dropped back down to Mary's level and asked, "Being able to fly is fantastic, but Isaac told me that I do have other options."

"Since the plan is for you to work closely with other writers in the Writers Block, it would be most convenient for you to instantiate as a normal size human, like me. However, the Writers Block is essentially full. If you lived in the Block, finding a place for you to call home would be tricky." Mary suspected that Asimov had been fantasizing about the possibility of Artep living with he and Mary in their apartment, at least as a temporary option. "Of course, you could always find a nice residence at Observer Base, but the commute is rather long."

Artep suggested, "Commuting would be easiest if I had the power of flight."

"Well, there is one other option that might be almost as convenient as commuting to and from Seelie. You can instantiate as a nanoscopic femtobot. There is endless space right in the Writers Block for nanoscopic replicoids."

"But after today, I won't really be a replicoid anymore, will I?"

source

"True. However, due to laziness, we at the Writers Block call our nanoscopic friends 'replicoids'. It is an old habit that's hard to break. Continuing to think of them as replicoids is natural when we can't see them."

Artep mused, "I suppose I should visit both Nanoville and Observer Base."

"Yes, this is an important decision for you. Take advantage of the fact that you are being given a choice. More often, replicoids are just pushed around at the whim of whoever is instantiating them." Usually that meant Grean.

"How rude!" Petra had been forewarned by Asimov that he would not make the decision for Artep. "Asimov is so nice! I'm lucky to be dealing with him and not that mean old Grean."

Judging from the way she spoke about Asimov, Mary suspected that Petra was infatuated with Isaac. For the hundredth time she wondered what intimate thoughts Isaac had shared with Petra by way of their telepathic connection. "Yes, he is very nice. That's why I married him."

Artep asked, "What about you? What would you do if you were in my position?"

Mary shrugged. "I grew up on Earth as a normal human. After I was teleported to Eternity, nobody suggested that I do anything other than continue in my original body form. I've never seriously thought about any of the possible alternatives... not from a personal perspective."

"Oh, come on. Don't you have dreams about flying? I do... well, Petra does." She was trying to separate herself from Petra and develop new cognitive habits. She told herself: I'm Artep... my own individual self!

"Oh yes, I love those dreams. But that does not mean I'd want to be one tenth the size of Isaac. That just would not be the same..."

For a moment Artep fantasized about making love to a man who was ten times taller than she was. Artep was flying in a fast light circle around Mary's head, just for the fun of it. She started getting dizzy and stopped, or tried to stop. She spun out of control and crashed into Mary's right breast. Mary was not exactly buxom and Artep could have benefited from a better cushion. "Oof!"

Mary said "Ow!" She caught the tumbling Artep in her hands."You should wear a helmet if you want to be a daredevil flier."

Artep sat in the palm of Mary's hand. "I can't really get hurt, can I? This isn't real, is it?"

"All this is just a simulation. A chance for you to see Seelie Town before you end your existence as a replicoid."

Artep stood up and proclaimed, "I've decided. The flight feature is irresistible. I'll take Seelie as my new home."

"I can take you to see Observer Base before you decide. If you want to see the nanoscopic city, Wendy can take you into the nanorealm simulator. Take your time, explore a little... wouldn't you like to meet some of the synpaz?"

"No need... Let's get this finalized. However, I am curious about the nanorelm... what it would be like to be a nanoscopic replicoid. I can't quite imagine that! If Wendy could maybe just give me a quick chance to experience that... but I'm not asking to be put into the nanorealm permanently! Please don't let that happen to me! What do I need to do, sign a contract in triplicate?"

in the nanorealm

Mary laughed. "If you are quite sure of your decision then Wendy will take care of it." Mary sent a signal to Wendy and suddenly she was back in the workshop. She stepped off of the teleportation platform, turned and waited.

Mary was also curious about the nanorealm, but not curious enough to have ever used the nanorealm simulator. Mary had never had any desire to be smaller and she was puzzled by people who seemed intrigued by "little people". Part of her attitude could be accounted for by the conditions of her childhood and hearing superstitious people speak about rituals that would prevent mean-spirited little folk from causing them problems.

For some reason, the idea of being shrunk down to the molecular size scale appalled Mary and filled her with a kind of claustrophobic dread. To be lost in a world without trees and cats... or, more precisely, a world what you could only see the molecules of a tree...

After a few minutes in the quiet of the workshop by herself, Mary saw Artep and Wendy appear on the teleportation platform. Artep told Mary, "That was creepy... being surrounded by swarms of jiggling molecules, pushing and shoving at me. Not Nice! Anyhow, according to Wendy, I don't really qualify to become a nanoscopic replicoid."

Wendy stepped off of the platform and moved to stand beside Mary. She explained to Artep, "Generally, we only allow those who are natural-born telepaths to convert themselves into nanoscopic replicoids. I suppose we could make an exception for you because you have some control over the Bimanoid Interface, but I'd leave such a precedent-setting decision to Grean. I let you have a peak at the nanorealm simulation both to ease your curiosity and help you appreciate what the nanoscopic replicoids have to deal with. They don't have an easy time of it."

Mary and Wendy were watching the newly instantiated Artep, standing six inches tall on the teleportation platform. Now Artep floated upwards rather clumsily, tumbling backwards and to one side. Wendy warned the girl, "It will take a few days for you to learn how to control your movements. The ZPE force amplifiers in your body are under your conscious control, but your cerebellum has to learn how to gracefully control your movements. The Seelie Simulator is deceptive because it provides artificial flight stabilization. Until you get the hang of it, don't try to move too fast."

Mary said, "Thank you for taking care of this, Wendy."

Grean the Kac'hin; image source

"No problem." Wendy shrugged. "Grean is off dealing with some crisis in the distant past of Ireland. In her absence, I can push a few buttons." She waved to Artep, "Have fun and use caution when around full-sizers. You don't want to get stepped on!"

The three women stepped out of the workshop into the pretty garden that surrounded it. With a nod to Mary, Wendy returned to her gardening chores.

Artep drifted close to Mary and asked, "I'm not really in danger am I? I'm not actually biological."

"You are composed of femtobot components, but you are essentially indistinguishable from a living biological entity. You have blood and bones and you don't want to get flattened, even though you could be un-flattened and repaired. Your new artificial body can experience all the usual human sensations including pain."

Artep was rather overwhelmed by all of her rich human sensations, having only previously experienced sensory inputs in diluted form, indirectly via the Bimanoid Interface from Petra on Earth. Now, her own stronger personal sensations had taken precedence over the weakened sensory signals that were still reaching her by way of the Bimanoid Interface from Petra. Artep was still vaguely aware of what Petra was doing on Earth, but unless she tried to pay attention to that, Petra's existence now quickly faded out of Artep's consciousness.

Mary was dreading the long walk back to the Writers Block. She said, "Do you want me to carry you or do you want to try moving yourself?"

"I'll fly. I need to figure this out."

"Do you want to go directly to Seelie or come with me to the Writers Block?"

"I want you to introduce me to Isaac. After being inside his mind, I have a strong craving to meet him in person."

Half way to the Writers Block, Artep was complaining. She and Mary were moving up seemingly endless flights of stairs that annoyingly switched back and forth at odd angles. "Who is the lunatic who designed this entrance to the Block?"

"The goal was to not make it easy for unwelcome guests to sneak into the Block. We usually blame Grean for having built the Writers Block, but who knows?"

From Artep's perspective, this endless echoing stairwell was almost as bad as the nanorealm. Mesmerized and disheartened by the endless repetition of the stairs, Artep said, "You might as well carry me for a time."

Artep gets a ride into the Writers Block.

Mary adjusted her clothing to make a little harness for Artep. Using her clothing nanites, Mary created a small pocket between her breasts and created small holes for Artep's arms and legs. Mary continued trudging up the stairs with Artep bouncing slightly, like a third breast.

Artep asked, "How much further?"

"About ten minutes." Mary kept climbing the stairs, now thinking about getting back home and continuing her work sorting through the particles.

Artep complained again, "I'm getting wet."

"I'm sweating." Mary felt that she was close to finding a scientifically sensible way to categorize and catalog the many hierions and sedrons. She could picture arrays of the particles in her mind, all sorted and laid out in various arrangements. Her inner vision of the particles was dominating her thoughts as she climbed the endless stairway.

"So am I. You are a furnace!" Artep took control of her own clothing nanites and disintegrated her clothing. Now the silky fabric of Mary's shirt was rubbing the skin between Artep's legs and sliding tantalizingly against her nipples. After a minute of that stimulation, Artep was really getting wet, in a good way. The intensity of her new sensations was overwhelming and after a few more minutes, Artep experienced her first orgasm as a synpaz. It was more delightful than anything she had ever imagined. "Oh, my."

Mary looked down and realized what had happened. She giggled. Mary began thinking about Asimov and fantasizing about how they would make love that evening...

Artep sighed and said, "That was awesome."

Mary asked, "What is it like for you when Petra makes love to Sven?"

"It has been wonderful, but now I realize that during my existence as a replicoid, I never really had access to a fully human sensory experience... and now, well, I'm not as strongly linked to Petra as I once was. However, I am still linked to her and can tell when Petra is experiencing sexual pleasure. Now that I can lead my own life, it could get frustrating for me... just watching her whenever Petra is enjoying herself and making love with Sven back on Earth..."

Mary told Artep, "I suspect you'll quickly find yourself a boyfriend in Seelie Town who can provide you with a steady supply of orgasms."

Artep asked, "What are the dating and mating rituals in Seelie?"

"Most of the Seelie residents are not typical humans. They call themselves the sy'Paz; they are biological and quite interested in sexual games of all types. I'm calling you a 'synpaz', it sounds similar but there is a distinction. I'll continue calling you a synpaz for convenience, but the true sy'Paz may call you 'human'. They sometimes view the synpaz as outsiders (or even spies) rather than guests in their realm. Some synpaz are quite conventional humans (other than being tiny) and follow Earth-style dating patterns and a few even get married."

"What genes went into creating the original sy'Paz?"

Preland

"That's a mystery. Grean probably knows. Speculation leans towards a mixture of fain and Preland genes in a unique combination with many standard human genes."

"I understand that the sy'Paz are hermaphrodites."

"That is true, most of the Sy'Paz clanspeople are simultaneous hermaphrodites."

"So my body is significantly different."

Mary nodded and explained, "However, as a femtobot lifeform, you can modify your body structure almost as easily as you change clothes."

Artep had already been making some minor modifications to her body form. She was reluctant to make any major changes just yet. "I'm satisfied to be human, although I suppose I might start making changes if I see something in a sy'Paz that I adore."

"And about your name..." Mary told Artep, "Unless you have an objection, everyone is going to be calling you 'Artep'."

"Artep" had an exotic ring to it that did not offend her. She said, "I'm already using that name in my thoughts, but I'm also thinking about alternatives. Maybe I can come up with a better name."

"Take my advice and stick with 'Artep', unless you really can't stand it."

Artep had seen on her official birth documents that Petra's mother had been named Katrina. Artep felt that she would not mind being called 'Kate', but she thought that 'Artep' would serve just as well.

In the Ekcolir Reality

Mary stopped climbing stairs and touched the wall, making sure that this was the location of the hidden entrance to the Writers Block. She pushed through the wall, exiting the stairwell and emerged inside the Writers Block. Artep flew out of her pocket and looked around. Mary watched the naked Artep and suggested, "You might want to reactivate your clothing nanites."

Artep had gotten slightly over-heated and was enjoying the freedom of flying naked with the cool air rushing past. "I love the feel of the air against my skin." Artep flew down a corridor that gradually widened and then opened upon a large cavern. She could see the big central hall of the Writers Block and its radiating residential wings.

Mary caught up to Artep and they moved together towards the Grand Rotunda. Soon they were approaching one of the resident writers and Mary called out, "Hello, Roberta."

Roberta waved and said, "Hi, Mary." Artep zipped over and hovered near Roberta. She smiled at the synpaz and asked, "Who are you?" Clothing with a metallic sheen was currently in fashion around the Writers Block and Roberta was wearing a skin-tight silvery jumpsuit.

Artep replied, "Do you know Petra Nicholls? I'm her replicoid."

Roberta nodded. "I've heard people talking." Roberta was looking intently at Artep's pretty little body. She licked her lips and sighed. "Relda told me that you were going to be working at the Block. I hope you like it here. Some synpaz become enthralled by Seelie and never return to the Block." Roberta looked through an archway into the main chamber of the Writers Block. She pointed across the big hall, "I saw one of our synpaz writers just a moment ago, with Hafren and John."

Mary looked where Roberta was pointing. "That looks like Naj Rackham." She told Artep, "I'll introduce you to Naj. She's the replicoid of Joan Phillifent. Maybe she'll have time to show you around Seelie."

Roberta went on her way. "See you around!"Apparently Roberta was on her way to Observer Base. She went off in the direction from which Mary and Artep had just come.

source

Although she had enjoyed the way that Roberta had ogled her body, Artep finally activated her clothing nanites and quickly crafted a silver skirt for herself that was similar to the one that Mary was wearing. Mary and Artep approached the central lounge where writers on break often gathered and socialized.

Naj was standing on a table. Seated nearby were the analogues of Jack Vance and Hafren Wells from the Asimov Reality.  Mary introduced everyone to Artep then she said, "I'm taking Artep to meet Isaac." Then she suggested to Naj, "If you're available, maybe you could take Artep to Seelie after she's had a chance to meet Isaac."

"Yes, I can do that. I've been worthless today, completely unable to write." Naj was excitedly and repeatedly rising off the table and landing again while staring at Artep. "I think I need some new inspiration."

Mary could sense that Naj found Artep physically attractive. "Thank you, Naj. Okay, just wait here. Maybe half an hour." Mary led Artep away and through the Grand Rotunda. Soon they reached the exit corridor that led to the suite of rooms that was the home of Mary and Isaac. Artep was flying just over Mary's shoulder and telling Mary how she felt about Vance's writing. "Petra simply loves the writing of Vance."

"She'll be pleased to learn that you met Vance. I think Sven is planning to try to establish a two-way telepathic link between you and Petra tomorrow."

"Yes, that's the plan."

Pausing at the door, Mary told Artep, "One last thing. Don't be offended if Isaac seems disappointed when you meet him. He's been quite infatuated with Petra. He's spent hours watching her from the Earth Observation Room downtown... at Observer Base."

"Petra is also fascinated by Isaac. Their minds really resonate. Why the warning about Isaac's disappointment?"

"He does not hide his feelings. I suspect that he is hoping that you will show up with a full-sized body."

Artep laughed. "Oh! How do you feel about that? I've gotten the impression that while Isaac has an eye for cute women, he has his heart completely devoted to you."

"Yes, as far as I know, Isaac has never dallied with another woman since he married me. However, this is a special situation... telepathically linked mind clones. I'm not really sure what it must be like to share thoughts with another person."

Artep giggled, which coming from a synpaz sounded like a bird singing. "Isaac enjoys being linked telepathically to Petra, that's for sure."

in the Ekcolir Reality

3. Isaac.
Isaac had met with Relda, but she could not imagine how her new information about hierion fields might help Sven. She had quickly talked Isaac through the half of her report that was already written then gave him a copy saved on a datadi. "Maybe Mary will see a connection to Sven's work that I'm missing."

Isaac had returned home and slipped Relda's datadi into his diwrite. As he read through Relda's report, he began writing his own notes and became completely absorbed in the arcane subject of hierion fields. Later, hearing a noise, he looked up from his writing and saw Mary come in through the door, then he noticed the flitting Artep. He stood up and said to the little synpaz, "Welcome!"

Mary had brought Artep in through the front of the apartment, down the hallway and to the writing room that she shared with Isaac. To one side was Isaac's desk and book shelves. He had a collection of print books even more extensive than Deomede's. These were not books from Earth. They were the product of a print-on-demand system that served the residents of the Writers Block. The other half of the room held Mary's workstation. In the center of the room was a love seat that through the years had been used creatively by Isaac and Mary for many delightful afternoon work breaks.

Artep flew in an arc across the room and landed on a shelf near Isaac. As she floated downward, her skirt rose, flashing Asimov with her naked hips and all between. Artep smiled at Asimov and said, "Pleased to meet you, Dr. Asimov." He held out his pinky finger and she took it in her hands in an awkward "hand" shake.

Isaac and Artep were both disappointed to find that they only had a very weak telepathic connection, mostly at the level of their emotional minds. Artep could sense Isaac's humor and vast intelligence swirling in the lower recesses of her mind, along with his disappointment. She wondered: what If I had a hierion probe?

Mary told Asimov, "I think she'll be okay going by 'Artep'." She and Isaac kissed and then stood there near Artep, each with an arm around the other's back.

Asimov nodded. "Good! It helps us all to keep track of things when replicoids simply reverse the order of letters in their names."

"If the name 'Artep' seems too bizarre, you can also call me Kate."

Asimov thought for a moment then recognized the source of that name. "Ah, yes, your mother, Katrina. Did you know that-"

Mary cut him off, "I'm not sure this is a good time to discuss that, Isaac. Let the girl get settled in. Naj is going to show Artep around Seelie as soon as you two have a chance to confirm plans for the experiment."

Artep asked Mary, "Not a good time to discuss what?"

Mary shook her head slowly. "You can't control your curiosity?" She did not want to create distractions for Artep. "You need to know everything about your new life, immediately?

Artep laughed. "No, I can't abide secrets."

Hierion Domain

"There is someone you..." Mary paused. "I was going to say 'someone you know', but I guess you never really knew your mother. And, in fact, I'm not sure if she is currently in Eternity. She may be away, undertaking another mission on Earth." Mary reached up to the shelf above Artep and took down a small nanite vial. It was the vial that had contained infites given to her long ago by Grean, just before her first time travel mission.

"My mother!" Artep nodded. "I should have known..."

Issac explained, "Katrina lives here, in the Hierion Domain. She and your father have a home at the Base. However, it is your father who is currently on Earth... some mission in England, I believe."

Mary showed off the infite bottle that she had taken off the shelf. "Yes, Peter is delivering some infites to a physicist. Putting another patch on this fragile Reality."

Artep shrugged. "Some day I'll have to meet them."

image source

Isaac was in telepathic communication with Petra on Earth. "Petra is amused to hear that you are now a synpaz. She wants to let you have a chance to explore Seelie, but she is eager to try Sven's new model hierion probe in the morning and see if you two can achieve a stable two-way link via the Interface."

Artep asked Isaac, "Do you think the experiment will work? I've gotten the feeling that you are skeptical."

Isaac shook his head and pondered the difficulty of what Petra wanted to do. "The Bimanoid Interface was carefully designed to only allow information to flow in a carefully restricted way, preventing Earthlings from ever becoming consciously aware of their replicoid."

Artep was frustrated by Isaac's scientific attitude. He always wanted to see data before making up his mind. "So you think this experiment is a waste of time?"

"I still don't understand Sven's explanation for how he has designed the hierion modulation pattern that he plans to use." Isaac turned his head and asked Mary, "You're the hierion expert around here. Do you understand Sven's argument?"

Artep jumped off the shelf and flew towards Mary. Mary put out her hand and provided a landing spot for Artep. Artep examined the little infite vial.

Mary told Artep, "Sadly, everything I know is indirect, Sven to Petra to Isaac. No, I can't say I understand Sven's choices. However, the rumor is that Sven was crafted by Grean. He probably has infites inside his brain that provide him with all the information that he needs concerning hierion physics. He knows how to make hierion probes, but he may be blocked by his infites from explaining what he knows to anyone on Earth."

Isaac pointed to his diwrite and told Mary, "You should look at Relda's new report on hierion fields."

Mary glanced at the glowing display screen, "This looks interesting. I wonder who screwed up..." She began to quickly looked through the report and Isaac's notes.

Artep asked, "Screwed what up?"

Isaac told Artep, "My theory is that someone edited the Foundation Reality Simulator, removing information about hierions and sedrons. However, with persistence, we've slowly found hints and clues about hierion physics in stray information caches that were apparently missed by whoever is trying to prevent us from learning about hierions."

Artep sat down on the lid of the infite bottle. Her tight skirt rode up and exposed her labia. "Who would have the technical ability to edit the Simulator?"

Isaac said, "That's a short skirt you are wearing." He added, "With your anti-gravity hierions, you don't need to make any sacrifices in clothing in order to conserve weight."

Mary told Isaac, "You don't have to be peeking up little girls' skirts."

Artep made an adjustment with her clothing nanites and the skirt was replaced by pants. She explained, "Even if he is Grean's puppet, Petra trusts Sven completely. She's happy to just have faith in him and let him deal with all the details of probe development." She told Mary, "Having intimately linked into Isaac's mind, I don't feel like I need to hide anything from him, including my body. I'm not a little girl... I'm a married woman."

Mary sighed. "Just don't encourage Isaac's randiness. The situation for Petra on Earth is rather contrived. I'm sorry to say, Sven must be exercising some sort of telepathic mind control over Petra. But now you are free of that. And remember, you are Artep, not Petra. It is up to you to make new friends and construct a new life for yourself. You don't need to get off on the wrong foot by flashing your cute genitals at other women's husbands."

"I'm sorry I offended you, Mary, but remember, I've already been quite intimate with Isaac, inside his mind. I know that he loves you unconditionally." Artep confessed. "I'm already missing Sven. He's a part of me..." She looked back and forth from Mary to Isaac. "I want to thank both of you for... well, giving me a life. I'm grateful. I hope I can be useful and help with your work here in Eternity."

Neither Isaac or Mary knew quite what to tell the girl. Artep was at the start of a great adventure, creating a new life on top of her memories of Petra's life. Mary asked her, "How old do you think I am?"

"Twenty five."

"I'm well over a hundred, but like you, I'm an artificial lifeform. Isaac likes me in a seemingly young body and looking beautiful and I accommodate him. However, back when I lived on Earth, I had my own... Sven."

"Sven?"

Wyn the Ek'col.

"He was not called 'Sven', but he was an Ek'col, genetically programmed and trained to..." Mary tried to find the best way to explain it to Artep. "I only knew Wyn for a single weekend, but I fell in love with him... almost instantly..."

Artep grinned. "I liked Sven immediately, but it took me almost a year to fall in love and reach the state of mind in which I needed to be with him, could not live without him..."

"In my case, it was only later that I learned that an Ek'col male can telepathically control a woman's emotions... make her fall in love." At the time, when I was with Wyn, I felt like I was under a magic spell."

Artep asked, "Are you saying that Sven did that to me?"

"Something like that. He was designed to win the trust of Petra. And, as you say, the two of you fell in love, as Grean had planned it. Petra and Sven. The question is, now that he is no longer in your mind, will you still continue to love him?"

"I don't know. Anyhow, he is still in my mind. I can't stop thinking about him. And I wonder.... is there any limit to telepathy imposed by distance?"

Isaac rubbed his hands together. "An excellent question. We are poised to become the first people with a chance to study such things."

Mary said, "It is frustrating... some of the sy'Paz are talented telepaths, but they have no interest in studying the physical basis of their abilities."

twitino telepathy

Asimov told Artep, "Grean keeps the sy'Paz ignorant of science. When they go into the past, to ancient times, they need to describe their abilities to the people of Earth in terms of magic, not technology-assisted telepathy."

Mary suggested, "The synpaz probably use twitino-mediated telepathy."

Asimov shrugged. "Who knows? Grean knows, but she's not very talkative. We may be the first humans in this Reality who have been given a chance to start learning how telepathy really works."

Mary told Artep, "We'll have to investigate all these mysteries, but for now, Naj is waiting for you in the Rotunda. Come back here in the morning. We'll be your support team during the telepathy experiment."

Mary took Artep back to the front end of the apartment. "I hope things go well for you in Seelie." She opened the front door.

Artep asked suspiciously, "You have doubts about that?"

Isaac stood behind Mary with his arms around her waist. "Mary is from the seventeenth century. She can't accept the rather wild social practices of Seelie."

Mary added. "Don't concern yourself with my hang-ups, Artep."

"Okay, I'll see you and Isaac in the morning." Artep departed and flew off to find Naj.

Mary closed the door and turned to face Isaac. The fundamental hierion field equation flashed in Mary's visual memory. She knew that she would have to finish reading Relda's report, but now she was not in the mood for work and critical thinking.

Asimov put both arms around Mary and hugged her. "Thank you for handling the instantiation."

Mary kissed Isaac then rested her head on his shoulder. She could not push away from her thoughts the images of Artep's cute little body that flitted in her mind. Mary could feel that Isaac was semi-erect, but when she reached into his pants she remembered that she still held the small infite vial. Again, a stray and annoying thought about hierion field equations passed through Mary's mind. There was a small flash as a tiny cloud of infites passed from the vial into Mary. Neither Isaac or Mary noticed the flash. Mary tossed the little infite vial into a chair and said, "Pretty little thing, isn't she?" She ran her hands over his body and leaned against him, pressing her erect nipples against his chest.

"I'll say nothing. I promised not to critique your work with Artep." He started trying to slowly slip a hand up under the hem of Mary's skirt, sliding his finger tips along her thigh.

"I left the decision completely up to her."

"I bet you took her right to Seelie and did not even show her Observer Base."

"Is that a guess or..."

Isaac gently stroked Mary's labia and found them slippery with vaginal secretions. He pushed her up against the back of the big couch that was near the front door.

source

Mary used a little trick with her clothing nanites to open Isaac's pants and liberate his penis from confinement. "Artep loves the power of flight. She made the choice to become a synpaz."

"It will be awkward."

"What problem do you foresee?" Mary's mind was still half on Artep and half on Isaac's erect penis which she held in her hands.

Isaac had little more to say. He muttered, "Petra is too nice for the sy'Paz." He'd been seriously distracted by the presence of Artep, but he was eager to show Mary that he was her devoted lover. Pushing Mary towards the couch from this unusual angle, he was now balancing Mary against the back of the couch and trying to impale her without causing her to tumble over backwards. His attention on Mary and her beautiful body, he wasn't consciously thinking of Artep when he said, "You are very limber, my love." But he was thinking: great inventions can arrive serendipitously, drifting on the wind.

The Telepaths of Seelie

Ever since being informed by Grean that she had been selected and designed just for Asimov, Mary had never really doubted her ability to captivate Isaac and hold him in a web of desire and love. What worried her was the recent warning from Grean, suggesting that it was Mary who would become emotionally entangled with Artep. For the moment, Mary relaxed a little. With Artep instantiated as a synpaz, there would be some distance between them. But she was thinking: Artep is so very cute.

Next: part 4 of "The Synpaz of Seelie"

visit the Gallery of Movies, Book and Magazine Covers

Gravitics

2015

Back in 2015, I mentioned the Jack Vance short story "I'll Build Your Dream Castle" which was published in the September 1947 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. For this story, Vance imagined a type of super-dense matter that could be blasted out of a white dwarf star and found floating through outer space as asteroids in the Solar System.

"I'll Build Your Dream Castle" is set in the future, in a time when spaceships powered by atomic energy are in routine use. Vance worked as a house builder for a time and apparently took a strong dislike to at least one of the house builders who employed him. The protagonist of the the story is a young man, Ernest Farrero, who is full of new ideas for how to satisfy wealthy customers seeking to build their "dream castles".

interior art by William Timmins

Sadly, the illustrations provided for "I'll Build Your Dream Castle" in 1947 were rather drab. Modern readers will prefer the cover art for the 2015 book Dream Castles.

atomic spaceship

In addition to atomic spaceships, Vance deploys other future goodies such as hyproberyl metal and the synthetic fabric Caltonite. To quickly build a castle, lay out the pattern in hyproberyl tubing with a cover of Caltonite then blow on the concrete. With such techniques, Farrero can cut the costs of construction.

Is Farrero's boss happy? No, this is a capitalistic future in which Douane Angker, of the "Structors" Marlais and Angker, does not want his profits trimmed by lowering the cost of building projects. So Farrero is fired and has to go into business for himself. Sadly, it is not easy to get a builder's license on Earth of the future. No problem! Farrero builds in outer space.

in the Ekcolir Reality

As the story was constructed by Vance, the secret to Farrero's success is degenerate matter. Vance included high-density materials in many of his science fiction stories. There is no doubt that supper-dense matter exists inside stars, so why not use asteroids composed of a core of degenerate matter collected from the asteroid belt to create private planets for the wealthy? Farrero goes into the business of building "dream castles" for billionaires on these miniature private worlds in Earth orbit. Sadly, the whole scheme falls apart due to a small detail that Vance ignored: such degenerate matter would not be stable outside of the high gravity field of a star.

Farrero's office assistant, Flora.
Watch for an analogue of Flora
in "The Synpaz of Seelie".

Constructing a mini-planet that is habitable also requires water. Vance's source of water is the lunar crater Hipparchus. This is another technical pitfall for Vance's construction scheme. We now know that there is some water on the Moon, but not giant "ice flows" that can be mined in the fashion imagined by Vance in 1947.

2020
Seventy three years later, it is fairly easy to move past the techno-scientific defects in "I'll Build Your Dream Castle". Vance needed a source of gravity for his mini-planets and he did not just do a hand wave and say "artificial gravity". By having a naturally occurring source of high-density degenerate matter in the Solar System, Farrero was able to lay claim to all 1122 asteroids that could be used to construct mini-planets, giving him a monopoly on the process (which he rubs in the noses of his former bosses, Marlais and Angker).

cover art by Henry Van Dongen

This blog post is part of my August 2020 celebration of the science fiction stories of Jack Vance. This month, I've been writing a series of stories that are set in the Ekcolir Reality. In that Reality, some of the secrets of hierion physics were introduced to the scientific community of Earth. In particular, I need a fictional science method to endow my sy'Paz with the power of flight. The sy'Paz are small humanoids, about one tenth human size, but they do not have wings.

Mary and Artep in Seelie

In his novel, The Languages of Pao, Vance made use of "anti-gravity mesh" as a future technology that allowed humans to fly through the air.

For my new science fantasy story "The Synpaz of Seelie", I imagine a type of hierion that has negative mass. By mixing those special hierions (which are very tiny) into the bodies of the sy'Paz, they can defy gravity. I still do not know what allows the sy'Paz to fly around at high speed. Since this is science fantasy, I'm not really trying very hard to invent fictional science that can explain that. 

Related Reading: August 2019 Vance

Next: "The Synpaz of Seelie"

visit the Gallery of Movies, Book and Magazine Covers

Notteng of Ottengla

This blog page contains the second and concluding half of the science fiction story "The Gensifer Clan". In the first half of the story, Azynov and Yōd were introduced to Captain Tirret, commander of the pirate ship Kraken.

Azynov and Yōd had come to the planet Ottengla in order to investigate rumors that some of the local residents had telepathic powers, allowing them to communicate telepathically with their family members. Captain Tirret was constantly patrolling and monitoring Ottengla, searching for powerful telepaths.

The Gensifer Clan 
___________________________________

4. Pirates of Ottengla (read parts 1 -3)

The radio receiver barked, "Captain Tirret of the Kraken, calling ACS372654." The voice was that of a stern woman. "Azynov or Yōd, reply."

Azynov flicked the reply button on the radio and said, "Spacecraft ACS372654, here. What business do you have with us, Kraken?"

source

Yōd was gazing upon Semod. In the brighter light inside the ship, she could see that Semod had blue fur and milky green eyes.

Captain Tirret asked, "What is this story you have been telling Ebernal about protecting Ottengla? Are you an agent of the Connatic?"

Azynov turned off the microphone and looked at Ebernal. She told him, "At the spaceport, the starmenters force me to wear a microphone and radio transmitter. They heard the first part of our conversation, when I came aboard this spaceship. When I decided to fight, I cut of the radio transmissions to Tirret. However, Tirret has some telepathic ability. Somehow, I've been given access to her thoughts and she may be able to look into my mind, too! Don't try to bluff her."

Azynov activated his own microphone again. "I have no connection to the Whelm or the Connatic." Trying to judge the level of danger posed by Tirret and her well-armed spaceship, Azynov glanced at Yōd and prepared to shift them out of the Simulator. "We are here from Earth, on a peaceful mission, performing historical research."

Yōd was feeling a weak telepathic connection to Captain Tirret and sensed that she was rather reckless and had no fear.

the Pheni of Yrinna

Tirret had a well-defined mission on Ottengla and was not interested in distractions from researchers. She had long ignored the ecologists who worked on Ottengla studying the native lifeforms of the planet. Her job was to find and capture powerful telepaths and deliver their valuable genes to Yrinna. She spoke to Azynov, "I can tell that you have at least one telepath onboard your ship. A powerful telepath. If it is your intention to smuggle someone off of Ottengla, forget about it!"

Yōd was reaching out with her mind, trying to identify Tirret's mind pattern and strengthen telepathic contact with the starmenter. She spoke over Azynov's shoulder into the microphone of the radio transmitter, "I respectfully suggest that you not interfere with our mission, Captain Tirret."

Captain Tirret tersely explained, "You have just two options. One: turn over the telepath to me and I might let you live. Two: resist and I'll open fire and vaporize your little spacecraft."

Semod said: The herd is arriving. We have numbers on our side, but Tirret has the firepower.

Azynov pointed at the radar display which showed a dozen small spacecraft or aircars rushing towards their location. He said to Ebernal, "I appreciate your efforts to resist Tirret and stand up to her threats, but don't put your people in harm's way. I'd rather run away than get your people killed."

Ebernal got off of Semod's back and switched the radio transmitter to a new frequency, "Niel, hold those flyers back in a defensive posture. Fire no weapons unless Tirret first opens fire on the Plesypy herd." She clicked off the microphone, turned her head and told Azynov, "Our robotic defense force is more powerful than even Captain Tirret suspects, but Semod is urging me to caution. So, go ahead then, show us your fancy Earth technology. Get us out of here before Tirret starts blasting."

Azynov reset the Simulation and they were instantly back in space, far from Ottengla and safe from starmenter attack. Yōd opened the hierion vial again and with the cloud of hierions sparking above her, she spoke to Maturin; her voice was icy and full of sarcasm. "Thanks for introducing us to Captain Tirret."

Reality Simulation

Maturin did not bother to take on any particular physical form, but she told Azynov and Yōd: You two are now in the Gensifer database. I'm sorry to say, your mission here in this Reality is going to lead to an unavoidable confrontation with the starmenters of Yrinna. I'm also sorry that Ebernal had to involve the Plesypy in this matter. I did not expect her to make such a heroic gesture of resistance.

Surprised that they had been so efficiently removed from Ottengla, Ebernal checked their location in space then placed a hand on Semod's furry shoulder and asked, "Do you understand what is happening?"

Semod explained: They are from outside the Simulator.

Ebernal did not understand what Semod was trying to tell her. She looked back and forth between Azynov and Yōd and tried to think at Maturin: Who else is here?

Maturin tersely told Ebernal: Nobody you know.

Yōd repressed her temptation to use spoken language and tried to order her thoughts: I don't think it is widely known around the Cluster that Plesypy are in telepathic contact with the humans of Ottengla. Knowing nothing about these telepathic natives, Azynov and I went to Ottengla expecting to experiment with the rumored telepathic connections that are said to link together close relatives of the blind residents.

Semod said: Those rumors of shared telepathic connections between human family members are what the starmenters are aware of, but they have not, so far, discovered that we Plesypy are also telepathic. They think we are livestock. However, some of the starmenters such as Captain Tirret are themselves powerful telepaths. It is inevitable that they will someday discover the truth and today I recklessly exposed the existence of my own telepathic powers to her mind.

Ebernal gestured towards Azynov and Yōd and she added, "Now these out-worlders know the secret. It is time for us to fight the starmenters!"

Azynov said, "Yōd and I will tell nobody about your secrets."

Ebernal was skeptical. "How can we trust you?"

Maturin suggested a plan: Yōd, as a show of good faith, give Ebernal the hierion containment vial. I'll work with Ebernal and her family to get the data that Colleen wants. And I'll also deal with Captain Tirret.

Maturin had taken control of the Simulator and the spaceship was now once again on Ottengla, back in the pasture on the family ranch of Ebernal's family. The ship's main hatch popped open. Maturin said: I took us back in time. The Kraken will be arriving here soon.

Yōd sucked the hierions back into the vial and handed the little containment vial to Ebernal. Telepathically, she showed Ebernal the controls that were built into the structure of the vial and could be activated by the proper finger pressure. Stunned by what was happening, Ebernal whispered to Yōd, "Thank you," and then she quickly departed from the ship, followed by Semod who glanced back once at Yōd.

Yōd could feel Semod in her mind. The Plesypy asked: You don't trust Maturin?

Sensing that the Plesypy was worried about Maturin's intentions and motives, but unable to vouch for Maturin, Yōd replied: Not fully, but she is powerful. I think she will be able to protect you from Tirret. 

Outside the ship, Ebernal again mounted Semod who galloped away. The departing figures of Ebernal and Semod soon faded away into the darkness of the field. They seemed to be rushing towards a nearby ranch house. Yōd tried to detect the thoughts of Ebernal or Semod, but something had changed and now the very idea of telepathy seemed only a fantastic dream. Yōd was suddenly alone with her own swirling thoughts. The telepathic linkages that had been created by Maturin were all broken.

The robots of Triskelion

Yōd turned away from the hatch and told Azynov, "I got the feeling that Ebernal was surprised to have telepathic contact with us. I could also sense that she greatly fears the starmenters and has hated them since childhood. Semod, on the other hand, seemed to be fully aware of the fact that he is inside a Reality Simulation." She snapped her fingers, now remembering why the silent man, Niel, who accompanied Ebernal at the spaceport, had seemed so familiar. "Niel is a robot from Triskelion! One of the Notteng models." Yōd told herself: Of course, the Notteng model of robots must have originally been designed for work on Ottengla!

Azynov tried to remember the robots of Triskelion; it was not easy for him to do so because something had erased nearly all his memories of robots. An image of the Vyky robot flashed in Azynov's mind and he smiled. The door to his suppressed memories had been opened a crack and now he suddenly remembered that the robots of Triskelion had telepathic powers. He asked Yōd, "Those telepathic robots are working here, on Ottengla?"

Yōd muttered to herself, "Of course, how else could the small human population of Ottengla hold off the starmenters for centuries? They are getting help from both telepathic robots and the Plesypy." Suddenly, light flooded in from outside through the open hatch.

Yōd turned her back on Azynov. Now once again looking out through the open hatch, Yōd saw a rather large spaceship that was brightly illuminated by its running lights. It was the Kraken, having just reached the ranch. Under the lights of the large warship, Yōd could see a large herd of Plesypy moving towards the ranch house.

Kraken

5. From Ottengla to Zeck
Azynov quickly cycled the hatch shut and again shifted them out of the running Simulation.

Once again safe in another part of the Simulator, Azynov asked Yōd, "Do you think Maturin will really be able to handle those space pirates?"

Yōd nodded. "I could sense that Maturin was very confident. And it would have been interesting to see what that gathering herd of telepathic Plesypy might be capable of, independent of Maturin's help."

Azynov sighed, "I hope our presence on Ottengla does not lead to the Plesypy getting blasted by that Pirate ship. Captain Tirret seems like a stern woman, quick on the trigger."

Yōd laughed, "Yes, she seems powerful and determined! I wish we had a chance to get to know her better, but Maturin hinted we will again be crossing paths with the Gensifer clan." For a minute Yōd wondered about the robots of Ottengla and what their capabilities might be. Then she told Azynov, "In any case, I'm glad you got us out of there fast. I suspect Maturin will be able to deal with Tirret, but it might not be possible to avoid bloodshed. We certainly made her angry by running away and defying her orders."

Azynov asked, "Can we trust Maturin to actually work with Erbernal's family and collect data on the effectiveness of the micro-hierion field?"

Yōd shrugged, "She should have no trouble collecting data for Colleen, possibly even more efficiently than we ever could have. I could sense that Ebernal wants change for Ottengla. Whatever ensues on Ottengla, we've been relieved of our obligation to Colleen."

Azynov told Yōd, "I see no reason to trust our affairs to Maturin. We now know Ebernal and Semod. We can reset the Simulator, make a new approach to the Ottengla... and this time I'll ask for Ebernal by name." He spoke to the unseen Maturin, "And please, Maturin, don't interfere. I don't want the starmenters imagining that I'm smuggling telepaths off of Ottengla."

Maturin told Azynov: It would be a waste of time for you to return to Ottengla. With my help, you were able to telepathically communicate with Ebernal. I did that once, but I won't help you again if you now reset the Simulation and return to Ottengla. If you can't demonstrate to Ebernal that you have telepathic powers then she will ignore you. As I've shown you, if you do use telepathy, then the starmenters who watch over Ottengla will go after you. So take my advice, forget about Ottengla. The collaborator who you need is waiting for you on Zeck. Maturin adjusted the control settings of the Simulator once more and now Azynov's little spaceship, code designation ACS372654, was suddenly in orbit above the planet Zeck.

Azynov noticed that his entire state of mind had suddenly shifted. He no longer felt a need to visit Ottengla. It was a great relief to have that obsession removed from his mind. He sat down in front of the ship's control panel and quickly checked their stellar coordinates. He told Yōd, "This is Zeck, alright." However, with Maturin in control of their memory systems, neither Azynov or Yōd noticed that had been shifted back in time one year within the Simulator. 

Danni the robot.

Yōd's mind had also shifted. Feeling a hidden portion of her memories suddenly return to accessibility, Yōd thought about the planet Triskelion and Danni the robot. She wondered: why were my memories of Danni hidden from me for a time?

All she knew about Zeck was that it appeared high on a list of technologically-advanced planets in Alastor Cluster. Gazing at the display screen that now showed the beautiful blue and white world, she asked Maturin, "Is Zeck another planet with robots?"

Maturin told Yōd: Don't be surprised to find robots on any world where there are telepaths. But speaking of robots, I need to get back to Niel and the robots of Ottengla and I also need to explain to Ebernal about micro-hierion fields. You two can entertain yourselves for a time.

Wondering exactly where Maturin was, Azynov glanced around the interior of the little spacecraft. He gestured towards the displayed image of the planet Zeck and asked Maturin, "So, who is it on this world that you want us to meet?"

There was no reply to Azynov from Maturin, but right then a radio message arrived from Zeck Planetary Traffic Control: "ACS372654, your request for planet fall has been approved. Our escort tug is now off your port bow. Transfer your controls to the tug and I'll see you at the port Customs hanger in fifteen minutes."

The automated landing on Zeck went smoothly. Both Azynov and Yōd were quite pleased to have their minds liberated from the powerful compulsion that had guided them from Yerophet to Ottengla. They both shifted their thoughts into a kind of tourist mode and quickly began enjoying the comforts of Zeck. Three hours later, Azynov and Yōd were checked in at the Zidden Hotel on Zeck, rather amazed at how their plans had been so quickly and completely altered by Maturin.

source

Sitting in a restaurant with Azynov, Yōd was thinking about how easily Maturin could control events in the Simulator. The more she thought about Maturin's pushiness, the more upset Yōd became. Simmering with resentment over how easy it was for Maturin to play with their minds, Yōd tried to think of ways to regain control over her life and that of Azynov.

Yōd stared into a goblet of wine and tried to remember how they had first met Maturin on Yerophet. Yōd could not shake the suspicion that Maturin was an agent of the pek, but she could not recall why she suspected that. Failing to order her memories, she complained to Azynov, "My memories have holes in them! That bitch Maturin took control of my mind and has been ruthlessly editing my memories." Yōd felt one of her lost memories, just out of reach, whispering: mind clone... mind clone... mind clone...

Azynov was sampling treats from a little snack tray that had been placed on their table by a robotic waiter. "We are out-gunned. I can't compete with Maturin for control of this simulation. She has all the trump cards."

Yōd shrugged. "Oh, well, I suppose Maturin will eventually get around to telling us what is going on."

Now freed from her obsession with Ottengla, Yōd felt her mind returning to its normal thought streams. She thought about her sister, Zeta, and had a strange idea: Zeta is pregnant. Yōd wondered: Now where did I get that idea? She put a hand on her tummy and tried to remember the last time she had seen her sister, before entering into the AR Simulator.

Azynov was also greatly relieved to be out from under the powerful force that had driven him to visit Ottengla. Now feeling in control of his own mind, Azynov gazed across the table at Yōd, enjoying her beauty. He much preferred being obsessed with Yōd and her spectacular qualities as a woman rather than being driven willy-nilly by Maturin towards some mysterious goal. "I can't imagine why Maturin first rushed us off to Ottengla and now brought us here to Zeck. But as you say, no doubt she will eventually tell us what she plans for our future." He reached out and touched Yōd's soft hair with his finger tips. "But let's forget about Maturin. I want to get you drunk then take you up to our room, put you on that big bed and-"

Yōd laughed and slipped her hand under the table where she let it rest in his lap. The way Azynov was looking at her, it had not take telepathic powers for Yōd to know that he was thinking about sex. She rested her hand on Azynov's stiff penis. "I feel the same way, darling, but I can't escape the suspicion that Maturin controls our behavior... even now. She's probably making us horny and filling us with sexual cravings, all just to prevent us from resisting her plans for us." She sipped the wine and sighed. "I'm not complaining about Maturin. I have the feeling that she is on our side." The thought of taking Azynov's erection inside her vagina filled Yōd with pleasure. With the combined effects of her sparking sexual fantasied and the wine, she felt very warm and happy. "That big bed in our room sure beats the little cot on the spaceship."

Glisten on Dessimo Beach near Balad.

Azynov also had no complaints about their luxurious accommodations on Zeck. For a moment he reflected on how easy it would be to forget about his mission and the task of researching the origins of telepathy in Alastor Cluster. If they chose to do so, he and Yōd could simply relax and cruise around the cluster like tourists. When selecting the little spaceship (now coded ACS372654) for his mission, he had imagined that he would be working alone inside the AR Simulator and had given no thought to details like a bed.

Now with Yōd working as his partner inside the Simulator, maybe there should be some changes to the ship. "Any bed with you in it is delightful, my love. I suppose after a week of playing in that big hotel bed with you, I might want to get back to work on our mission and I might start getting anxious for Maturin to show up and explain why she brought us to this world."

However, they did not get a week without Maturin. Later, after dinner and after Azynov and Yōd had gone for a long walk, when it was finally late afternoon, local time, Yōd said, "I'm tired."

Azynov said teasingly, "You just want to get back to that fancy bed."

Yōd had become less dependent on sleep since starting her new life in the AR Simulator, but she still needed some sleep. As a replicoid, Azynov had found it convenient to completely abandon sleep. Still, just to be social, he accommodated himself to Yōd's eating and sleep habits. They returned to their hotel and upon entering the elevator heard a "voice" that asked: Floor? It was the "voice" of Maturin.

Yōd recognized Maturin's thought pattern. She said: We've been wondering when you would show up again.

Never fear, I didn't forget about you... it just took me some time to get things under control on Ottengla. The elevator door opened at the floor where Azynov and Yōd had their room. As Azynov and Yōd walked down the hallway, Maturin told them:  In your room are two Zeck-style data comlets. Check your appointments for the morning.

Azynov said to Maturin, "I still prefer speaking. I don't like the idea of you inside my mind, editing my thoughts and memories."

There was no more communication that day from Maturin. In their room, Azynov and Yōd found the comlets and saw that in the morning they were scheduled to meet a local resident of Zeck named Jantif Ravensroke. After figuring out the controls of the Zeck-style comlet, Azynov and Yōd spent some time playing with the devices. After a while, Yōd looked up from the comlet's screen and commented to Azynov, "As far as I can tell, Maturin sent Jantiff a request for an interview, but I don't think he ever sent us a reply."

Azynov was also feeling some resentment over the ease with which Maturin was pushing he and Yōd around. "I don't like the way she is acting in our name... requesting landing clearance here on Zeck, contacting this Ravensroke..."

Yōd let herself fall onto the big bed and said, "Don't let her get you so wound up, dear. I've got enough anger at Maturin stored up for the two of us. I suspect she's a pek agent and if that is the case then she could make us do anything she wants, all without us even being aware of her existence."

Azynov looked at Yōd where she sprawled on the bed. He resisted the impulse to get undressed. He shrugged, "I still don't like it." He was curious about Jantif Ravensroke. Azynov sat on the edge of the bed and used the comlet to search through recent news reports on Zeck. Ten minutes later he told Yōd, "Apparently Mr. Ravensroke is a local celebrity." He was reading about Jantiff's adventure on the planet Wyst. "Ravensroke's new bride is a native of Wyst, but I can't make much sense of these news reports. What is a Weirdlands Witch?"

Yōd had quickly dismissed the news reports as fluff and she had instead begun searching through the psychiatric literature of Zeck. That search was rewarded and she was now reading an account of Glisten's life and a psychological analysis of the Weirdlands Witches. "Apparently Jantiff's wife, Glisten, grew up without using spoken language. I suppose that is a kind of variant of what we saw on Ottengla. Glisten is probably able to use for telepathy the portion of her brain that we would normally use for spoken language."

source

Azynov leaned back on the bed and looked over Yōd's shoulder. "What are you reading? I don't see anything about telepathy in what I'm reading."

"I'm reading between the lines." Yōd pulled off her clothes and spread herself across the big bed.

Azynov set down his comlet, got undressed and got back into bed with Yōd, but she continued using her device to read about scientifically documented parapsychic phenomena on Zeck. He put an arm around her and spoke quietly, his lips close to her ear, "The question is, why Zeck? All I'm finding in the news reports is some scattered hints about the existence of a few telepaths on this world... and there is mention of 'Sea-Voices'. Apparently, there was some aquatic species on this planet long ago, the Zee, but nobody ever met them. Still, some people report a kind of parapsychic contact... my guess is, that's contact with remnants of the natives who now exist only in the Hierion Domain."

Yōd was reading the fringe-science mythology that had grown up around the para-psychic Zee of Zeck and she wondered if it was possible for her to make contact with the Sea-Voices. Remembering how Maturin had attracted the attention of Ebernal, Yōd wanted to roll off the bed, get the hierion containment vial and try an experiment with the micro-hierion field, but Azynov had his penis inconveniently positioned between Yōd's legs. His arm was around her and his finger tips were stroking one of her stiff nipples. She decided that the mysterious Sea-Voices would have to wait. She tossed aside her comlet and began to give her full attention to Azynov.

However, even while making delicious love to Azynov, Yōd could not stop thinking about Danni the robot. Mostly she could not imagine how she had forgotten about the robots of Triskelion until she was on the planet Ottengla, in Portmedio. Without that flash of recognition triggered by the pain when Niel was holding her arms, would she have been able to recover her memories of robots? It was almost as if someone wanted her to forget about the link between telepathy and robots. And why was she imagining that Zeta was pregnant?

Later, having fallen into a contented sleep, Yōd noticed that she was in a dream. She heard two women talking. Suddenly she realized it was Maturin taking to Yōd. Amused to be watching herself, she told Azynov, "This is wild... I'm talking to Maturin..." Suddenly she sat up, realizing that she was not asleep. Beside her in the bed was Azynov, who was using his comlet to read about the extinct natives of Zeck, the Zee. Azynov muttered, "Maturin is back, again?"

Ravensroke and Joole at Blazon spaceport

Struggling to recall the "dream" about Maturin, all she could sense was a fragment of the dream, that she and Maturin had been discussing Zeta's pregnancy and the fact that she would give birth to a mind clone. She asked Azynov, "What's a mind clone?"

He turned off his comlet, rolled over and put an arm around Yōd. "Mind clone? I don't know." He kissed the tip of her nose. Yōd snuggled up against Azynov and tried to imagine why Maturin was toying with both Azynov and herself, but mostly herself. What was the link between Zeta and robots and telepathy? But even as she followed that thought trail, Yōd responded to Azynov's touch and she felt a new, powerful wave of lust. She surrendered to the sweet caresses of Azynov and stopped thinking about mind clones.

Later, when both Yōd and Azynov had satisfied their lustful cravings, Yōd whispered to Azynov. "We really should look into the futures of Jantiff and Glisten."

Azynov nodded. "Yes, there is no sense in approaching them unless we know." Azynov popped them out of their current position in the Asimov Reality Simulator and began exploring into the future. Suddenly Azynov said, "It is the wrong year!"

Yōd asked, "What do you mean?"

"That manipulative bitch Maturin sent us back a year in time and never bothered to mention it. Look at the date!" Azynov shook his head in wonder. "This is one year before we went to Triskelion."

Yōd speculated, "Maturin must have some reason..." She told Azynov, "Well, we will have to figure out this mystery. Maturin put us in this time so that we could learn something important. Now, let's not get distracted. Scan into Glisten's future and let's see what will happen."

They were both rather horrified by the events that would befall Jantiff and Glisten when they visited Yerophet. Finally, after having viewed the alarming fate of Glisten and her unborn child, Azynov returned them to their original place in time, in their luxurious hotel room on Zeck.

It had been a long eventful day and Yōd was ready for a few hours of restorative sleep that would help stabilize her memories. Slipping into sleep, she muttered to Azynov, "Of course, we can't let Glisten go to Yerophet."

"The Power of Pause"

Next: This story (above) continues with "The Power of Pause".

Related Reading: every August I celebrate the science fiction stories of Jack Vance. The story on this webpage (above) is part of a fan-fiction celebration of Jack Vance set in the Exodemic Fictional Universe:

1. The Gensifer Clan (August 2020)

2. The Power of Pause (from August 2019)

 also:

3. Finding lo'Whots (December 2020)

4. The Alastor Network (January 2021)

5. Meet the Phari (March 2021)

6. Return to Ottengla (planned for 2022)

visit the Gallery of Book and Magazine Covers