Mar 8, 2022

Shell Game

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by Eclesi4stiK
available under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
Below on this page is the first part of a new science fiction story called "The Frenchyhysur Process", a follow-on story that extends "The Prisoner of L2" and ties up a few loose ends that remained concerning R. Nyrtia and her interventionist efforts to provide teleportation technology to humans in the Asimov Reality. The events in "The Frenchyhysur Process" take place about a weak after the end of "The Prisoner of L2".

During two years of living in the Asimov Reality Simulation with Yurahs, a copy of the Editor has successfully figured out the futuristic technology that was mentioned in "The French Report", a science fiction story previously found inside the Archives of the Writers Block.  Although the "The French Report" is fiction, it contains information about the early steps in development of teleportation technology by scientists and engineers of Alastor Cluster. Eventually, teleportation technology was used to make possible a telepathy genome project and the construction of sophisticated robots such as those made on the planet Triskelion.

The Frenchyhysur Process

Arriving home after my first visit to the Asimov Reality Simulation, it took me a week to write my account of what I had learned at L2 about the Whelm's secret teleportation research project. Now that Rylla had read that account, we met via video conference to discuss the whole "French" affair. Upon initiating our chat session, Rylla immediately asked me, "You just left that copy of you there, stranded inside the Simulator?"

Reality Simulation
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Rylla seemed dismayed, but I casually said, "Why not?" I suggested, "This new situation is just like those copies of Zeta and I that are now inside the Simulator System with our twin babies." I was glad that my copy was with Yurahs, even if he was trapped in a Simulation.

Rylla complained, "But those copies of you will never have real lives. It is as if you have zombie ghosts working as your slaves."

For a moment I pondered the features of a zombie ghost, then I told Rylla, "I have no control over either of those copies of myself. I suspect that they'll 'live' out their artificial lives inside the Simulator System, being just as happy with their artificial lives as we are here, in Reality."

Rylla said, "I don't understand why you can't pull them out of the Simulator."

I have very little control over the Simulation System. The Index system that Yrovi installed on my computer allows me to enter into the Simulations and I have special nanites in my body that allow me to return home, but that is all. I asked, "What do you mean? How would I do that?"

Rylla suggested, "Maybe the same as what Azynov did when he pulled a copy of Yurahs out of the AR Simulation."

"Oh. That was just a shell game. Azynov's workshop is outside of the AR Simulation, but still inside the Simulation System. That copy of Yurahs was only shifted from the AR Simulation into... well, let's call it the Nyrtia/Manny Metasimulation Environment."

the bumpha
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Rylla looked disgusted by my horrible jargon. "Metasimulation? What are you talking about?"

"Well, I don't really understand the details, but it is quite clear; both Nyrtia and Manny have the ability to shift data between the various Reality Simulations." I thought about the idea of bringing a simulated person completely out of the simulation system and giving them a new life in the real world. "Although, I suspect Manny, as a bumpha, can also instantiate a simulated person as a replicoid, outside of the Simulation System. However, I have no idea how she does that. No doubt using some kind of advanced Huaoshy technology that we mortals don't have access to."

Rylla suggested, "Well, I can tell that it is silly for me to expect that you will ever pull your copies out of there. You are happy to play the role of the mad scientist. I guess you want to use those copies as your puppets... so that you can repeatedly go back and visit them, inside the Simulations, and find out what they have learned about the Asimov Reality."

"Right. Yesterday, Zeta and I visited her twins. That little pocket Simulation of our house and just the immediate surroundings in Arizona is running much faster than real time. The twins are already close to being born. I'd estimate that about one week of our time corresponds to a year inside that Simulation."

Rylla wondered, "What controls the rate of time passage in a Simulation?"

"I'm not sure. However, that "twin simulation" is a micro-simulation. It is like Azynov's workshop... just a small domain, a small part of Reality... not a full Reality. Full Reality Simulations seem to be matched to our rate of time flow, but those micro-simulations can move along quite speedy."

Rylla
"Does Azynov have the ability to control the speed of that  simulation where Fortran had sex with you?"

I winced. Getting oral sex from Fortran was something I wanted to forget. "I doubt it... no, it must be Nyrtia... assuming that she created that micro-simulation. Although, maybe she simply has the "twin simulation" running as fast as possible." I really did not know how a new Simulation could be created and I was only guessing.

"So, that... what shall we call it... 'Yurahs simulation' seems like a good name. How quickly is time passing in the Yurahs simulation?"

"Good question. Real time, or, perhaps I should say, at my rate of moving through Time, only about a day passed from when the teleportation duplicate of Yurahs was made and when I met the simulated copy of the teleportation duplicate. But already three months had gone by for that copy of Yurahs."

Rylla did some quick calculations in her head and nodded, "So, that seems close to the same time flow rate as for the twin simulation."

"Ya, you're right. During the past week, I've actually been trying not to think very much about that copy of me who is with Yurahs. Zeta hates the idea of me -a copy of me- living with Yurahs. It's just like the Ivory Fersoni simulation fiasco... another painful source of jealousy for poor Zeta."

Rylla giggled. "Zeta's hypocrisy is blatant. She's conducting her affair with Nora right in your house, right under your nose. How do you put up with that?"

"Well, you know how sexy Nora is. I can't blame Zeta for being sexually attracted to Nora."

Azynov
"This is not about blame. I'm sure Zeta can't defend herself against Nora's nanites."

"Nora's nanites?"

"Don't be so obtuse, grandpa. You witnessed what Yōd did to Bey... taking over her mind. You know what Noÿs did to Harlan, turning him into her puppet."

"Are you claiming that Nora has performed nanosurgery on Zeta's brain just so that they can have a steamy affair?"

"It sure looks that way, doesn't it?"

"But you don't know. Maybe Zeta simply likes Nora."

"True. Who knows? Maybe it was Nyrtia who is to blame for their affair."

"I'm thinking of going back in time to visit Dr. Frenchyhysur. If I do, then I should be able to cross tracks with Nyrtia... catch her giving advanced technology to Frenchyhysur. I'd like to ask her why she had to give Zeta giant breasts like the Nyrturians from the first Reality."

"If I were you, I wouldn't try to attract the attention of Nyrtia while you are in the Asimov Reality Simulation. That version of Nyrtia won't even be the one who you recently met... the one who is in the Final Reality. Remember, in Deep Time, Nyrtia still had access to time travel technology."

Replicoids. See "DAZ 11244" by jennova21.
Available under the CC BY-NC 3.0 license.
I imagined meeting Nyrtia inside the Asimov Reality Simulator, and then her using time travel to dodge and make sure that I would not meet her. It could turn into a high-tech cat and mouse game. "Well, you may be right. It might be best to avoid Nyrtia and use my connection to Yurahs to approach the Connatic. He could tell me about the origins of what I'm calling the TMT, the special teleporter that can duplicate humans."

"Ug! Try to control your instincts as a scientist and stop inventing new jargon and silly acronyms." Rylla stuck her tongue out at me and then asked, "So you are going to go back into the Simulation and visit your copy inside the Yurahs simulation?"

"I might as well. When Nora and Zeta go into an orgasm trance, I have to get out of the house."

"Why don't you just join in the fun?"

"That would be dangerous."

"How so?"

"Think about it. I can appreciate Zeta's tastes in women. Nora is very sexy."

Rylla laughed. "You have the hots for my mother?"

Noÿs and Andrew prepare
to travel into the past
"Even if Nora spoils you and treats you like her daughter, you need to remember that she's not your mother. But ya... if I allowed myself to join in their sexplay then the cat would be out of the bag... another Ivory-like disaster. Zeta does not need to see that side of me."

"Oh, come on! Zeta knows that you are a horny bastard. You're a man. You can't help fantasizing about having sex with every woman you meet."

"This would quickly go beyond fantasy. If I got into an orgasm trance with Nora then ten minutes later I'd have my penis inside her."

"You don't know that. You have will power. You don't have to screw Nora."

"Easy for you to say." Rylla giggled and smiled at me. I asked, "Are you telling me that you've made love to Nora?"

"Why not? As you pointed out, she's not my mother and she's very sexy. Sometimes we grab a nice little orgasm. Or two."

"Anyhow, I think I've proven that the best strategy is to use a hands-off policy." I was rather proud of resisting Yōd's sexual advances. "I did not let Yōd seduce me and I did not give in to the temptation of Yurahs, either."

Yōd said sarcastically, "You're a real hero, grandpa." Just then, Rylla must have remembered something that Zeta had told her. "You know, I don't think Zeta cares. I heard a rumor that you made love to Yōd dozens of time when she was there living with you two in Arizona."

"Don't say that. It was always Zeta's body there in bed with me."

"I don't want to argue with you. All this sex talk is only making me horny. I hear my vibrator calling." Rylla disconnected the videochat.

Zeta with an infite bottle.
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"shadow hunter portrait 6"
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Zeta and Nora had gotten the kids down for a nap and they were heading for a soak in the hot tub. I started making plans for another trip into the Simulator System. 

During the past week, I'd been occasionally making quick trips to the Reality Simulation System as part of an on-going project to study the lives of R. Nyrtia and R. Gohrlay in the Second Reality, but now my conversation with Rylla had me in the mood to go check on the Yurahs simulation. The problem was, I did not have an entry for that micro-simulation in the Simulator System Index that was on my computer. 

While I fretted over how to control my entry point while going into the Reality Simulation System, out there in the hot tub, Nora and Zeta were doing more than just soak... they were rushing towards their orgasms. I tried tuning the temporal selector of the Index to a time in the AR Simulation that was just one day after I had previously exited from L2. I thought about Yurahs and my copy as I had last seen them, enthusiastically making love in the hot tub of the Brynkly hotel suite, hoping that might target me to the "Yurahs micro-simulation". Just before Zeta reached her sexual climax, I told her telepathically: I'll be right back.

I arrived inside the Brynkly space station, but I was not inside the hotel suite. I found myself in the parking garage with Yurahs and my copy. They were just about ready to get into their two-door flitter. Yurahs had big dark glasses on her face as part of her disguise. She did not want to be recognized by any of her neighbors. As far as Yurahs knew, the "real" Connatic's daughter was probably in the Palace on Numenes and it would not be wise to trigger rumors suggesting that she was at L2. 

Yurahs brought a hand to her mouth. She must have seen me pop into the simulation. Yurahs told my copy, "He's back!"

Numenes
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.
My copy now saw me. As we had before, we again had a strong telepathic connection between our minds. Just like the last time I had seen him, our minds were constantly at risk of slipping into a positive feedback loop and I had to devote considerable conscious effort to preventing that from happening. He told me: Yurahs is going to take me to see the Connatic.

Then I saw a surprising datum there in my copy's thoughts. He had a child. Yurahs reached into the back seat of the two-door flitter and pulled out a small baby. I could "read" from my copy's mind that this was her son, Tyryx. Moving over to the adjacent parking bay, Yurahs and my copy quickly got Tyryx into the baby seat that was in the back of their four-door flitter. I got into the back seat beside Tyryx. Yurahs and my copy got into the two front seats of the flitter. My copy told me, "I hope you don't mind going for a ride... we have reservations and are scheduled to depart soon from the spaceport."

Yurahs activated the flight controls and soon we were on the way to the L2 spaceport. I told them, "I can't stay long. I just wanted to see how you two are doing."

Yurahs said, "We waited until Tyryx reached his first birthday before trying to push your research mission to its final conclusion."

My copy said, "This might be risky, but hopefully, when the Connatic learns that there are two copies of his daughter, he will be willing to believe that this is a simulation."

I asked, "Exactly how extensive is this simulation? Nobody has noticed that this is only a micro-simulation?"

"You can call this a micro-simulation, but I suspect it includes the entire Galaxy, or at least the regions of the galaxy that have been explored by humans."

"I see. Well, even that must be a vast simplification over trying to simulate the whole universe and that allows this simulation to progress at a fast rate."

My copy could see in my mind that only a week had passed in the outside world since he and I had last met. He said, "Out of curiosity, how long is a typical Nora orgasm trance lasting now?" I could telepathically sense that he did not want to speak Zeta's name in front of Yurahs.

"They keep getting longer. Typically about ten minutes now."

"Hm, so you can stay here a few hours?"

"Maybe half a day."

I asked, "Are you two still working with Azynov and Yōd?"

My copy shook his head. "We have not seen them for almost two years, not since you were here with us. But I don't mind. I'm quite pleased with the way things are going here at L2."

I could see that my copy and Yurahs were holding hands and I could telepathically sense that my copy was very happy to be living with Yurahs. He told me, "It is amazing how much I've learned about Alastor Cluster during these past two years."

the Connatic
"I don't plan to be here very long today, but I'll be able to return on other occasions. I'd be interested to hear what you know about the daily lives of people within Alastrid civilization. You have not had to find a way to make a living?"

My copy laughed. "No! Azynov left me with a huge mount of cash in my credit account. Yurahs and I are very comfortable."

Yurahs asked, "Are you both going to want to see my father? It might be a bit overwhelming to have both of you show up together at the Palace."

My copy replied, "Actually, this might work out perfectly." He told me telepathically: When I was made as a copy of you, the biological part was all copied, but apparently not the nanites that are in your body.

What?

I think that's why Yurahs was able to seduce me. I don't have your nanite defenses, so the nanites that Yurahs carries inside her body were able to perform nanosurgery on my brain, removing my inhibitions

Wait. Yurahs has nanites that she can deploy, just like Yōd does?

My copy could see in my mind that I also suspected Nora could do the same; use nanites to seduce Zeta. Nora, too? Sure, why not? Anyhow, this might be why Yurahs was adopted into the royal family... because of the special nanites that she carries inside her.

image credits
I tried to imagine how Yurahs might have obtained mind-control nanites. She had been born as a girl named Sharue on a quiet back-water planet without any advanced technologies.

 However, I remembered that Grean had once implanted a nanoscopic femtobot replicoid inside Yurahs. I'd imagined that those nanites had all migrated into her first born child, but that was a wild assumption, unsupported by any evidence. 

But then, what about the idea that I had defensive nanites in my brain? I'd received several sets if infites from various sources including Ivory Fersoni. Might some of those nanites be able to protect me against efforts by others to perform nanosurgery on my brain's synapses?

My copy was following my thoughts and he told me: I've been thinking how we were liberated from the efforts of Irhit to control our brain. That might have been possible because of defensive nanites, possibly a gift from Ivory.

I knew was not going to be able to answer all of these questions about nanites during my current visit to the Asimov Reality Simulation. I tried to keep focused on the goal of obtaining useful information about teleportation technology from the Connatic. Azynov had created an opportunity to use the Connatic's daughter to win access to the Connatic, and I felt strongly that the opportunity must not be wasted. I told Yurahs, "Here's what I'll do. If we run into anyone in Whelm security who hesitates to send us on to see the Connatic, then I'll do my disappearing act."

Sally Lanty's study of telepathic sashei.
This image made with EveRoom01,
 Elves03 and Redhead6 by
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.
Yurahs told me, "And I'll also be doing what I can to influence their thinking. I'll deploy my telepathic sashei."

We arrived at the spaceport and my copy bought a ticket for me. I quickly became Fred Torus, Eddy's brother. Eddy also put in a request for another Palace entrance ticket, but those were in high demand by tourists and so there was no way that all three of us would be able to go into the Palace together. 

The flight from L2 to Blazon took about an hour and it took a total of four hours for us to reach the entrance to the Palace. We had decided that I would use Eddy's ticket and entered the Palace with Yurahs. Eddy now had a ticket for entry to the Palace later that day, in about ten hours.

We said goodby to my copy. After Yurahs was done hugging and kissing 'Eddy', she took my arm and guided me towards one of the elevators that carried tourists from the surface of Numenes into the Palace. She told me, "I'm going to be able to take us into the Connatic's residence by using a secret entrance. However, I'm violating my oath as a Whelm officer in showing you this trick."

I said, "I'm not sure that the Whelm security regulations apply to someone like me. I'm from another Reality."

"Eddy has been able to convince me that he is not from the universe as I know it, but don't expect to use that kind of sophistry if we get into trouble. Claiming to to be from another Reality will not get you very far if a Whelm soldier is pointing a blast rifle at you. I warn you: people have been shot for simply trying to get close to the Connatic and ask for an autograph."

the Whelm
We waited in line for one particular elevator among the vast rows of elevators that took hords of tourists up into the public parts of the Palace. Yurahs was carrying Tyryx in a baby sling and now he woke up and began to fuss. Yurahs stuck a nipple in Tyryx's mouth. When we were the last two passengers in our elevator car, Yurahs said, "Code Synthe Sharue." The elevator went to its top level and kept rising.

When we stepped out of the elevator car, two soldiers were there waiting for us to arrive and they pointed blast rifles at us. Yurahs confidently walked past the soldiers and down a corridor. Up ahead I could see a woman. As we approached she said to Yurahs, "Please step into my office."

We went into the small office and the three of us sat down around a desk. Tyryx was still making little sucking noises at Yurahs' breast. The woman was looking at a data display on her desk and ignored Yurahs when she switched Tyryx over to the other breast.

Finally, the woman glanced away from the display screen and asked me, "Who are you?"

"Eddy Torus."

Yurahs said, "And your name?"

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"You may not remember me, but I'm Major Lysdon. We were not expecting you to return to the Palace today. In fact, according to my information, you are on the other side of the Cluster, visiting Triskelion."

"I came back early."

"And went to L2?"

"When I found out that Eddy was there and has important information, I decided to pick him up and bring him here to the Palace."

"What information?"

I said, "I've already told this to the Whelm security personnel at L2. They chose not to believe me. However, the truth is, we are inside a simulation."

Major Lysdon glanced at the data screen on her desk. "Yes, that absurd claim is in your file." Lysdon asked Yurahs, "Surely you don't believe this nonsense about a simulation?"

"Watch this." Yurahs pointed at me.

I activated my recall nanites. Arriving back in my home, I could telepathically sense that Zeta was still in her shared orgasm trance with Nora. I went right back into the simulation.

Major Lysdon blinked and then asked me, "How did you do that?"

"I'm from outside this Simulation. I can exit at any time."

Lysdon rubbed his eyes. Then she pulled her hands away from her face and she asked Yurahs, "Is this some kind of trick... teleportation?"

"It is a new form of advanced technology... my father will be very interested to learn about this 'trick', so can we wrap up this interview?"

Major Lysdon said, "Let's take our time. None of this makes sense." She glanced at her data screen. "Where is Fred?"

Yurahs yawned and shrugged. "I don't know. We had to split up. Who cares?"

"The travel records indicate that you arrived on Numenes with Fred Torus. However, this is the first and only entry for Fred in our security files. How did he get to L2? I can find no records about Fred before today."

I suggested, "Maybe there are ways of travel that the Whelm knows nothing about. I've told you, I can enter into this simulation from outside. So can Fred."

original cover art by Ed Emshwiller
Tyryx was done nursing and was squirming in Yurahs' lap. Yurahs set Tyryx on the floor. He was old enough to stand, but not yet a very good walker. Major Lysdon pointed at Tyryx and asked, "And who is this?"

"My son. Your security concerns can't possibly extend to him, Major."

"I have to examine all security risks, including the possibility that an assassin would smuggle a weapon into the Palace inside a child's body." Lysdon picked up Tyryx and said, "Hello. I'm Susyn." Tyryx stared at the Major with wide eyes. The Major said, "Mama?" Tyryx glanced at Yurahs. Next, Major Lysdon said, "Dada." Tyryx again stared at the Major."

Yurahs said, "He calls his father papa." Tyryx looked at me and I could then sense some telepathic linkage to Tyryx.

The Major set Tyryx back down on the floor and she returned to her seat behind the desk. "You have a daughter named Lavany. Is Tyryx also your daughter?"

Yurahs explained, "This is none of your business, Major. You refuse to believe that we are inside a simulation, so the existence of Tyryx only confuses you. Let it go and stop delaying us from entering into the Connatic's home."

A voice spoke through the datacom on Major Lysdon's desk. "Hello, Yurahs."

"Father! I'm so glad to hear your voice." The Connatic's face had appeared on the video screen and Major Lysdon turned the vidcom screen so that Yurahs could see her father. "Please tell the Major to let me go."

Bey Paqt
The Connatic said, "I'm reluctant to over-ride the Palace security protocols. I know that my daughter is on Triskelion. Who are you?"

"Father, I'm asking you to believe that there are two copies of me." 

The Connatic said nothing.

Yurahs continued, "Well, three, if you count the backup copy who inside the teleportation buffer."

"Are you saying that Tyffany made an unauthorized teleportation duplicate?"

"No, it is not that simple. Major Lysdon, tell the Connatic what you witnessed with your own eyes."

Major Lysdon looked at me and said, "Eddy Torus vanished. I was looking right at him. Then he reappeared, right back in his chair."

Yurahs asked, "Major, did you record that?"

"Yes, it was video recorded."

The Connatic said, "I'm looking at that recording right now." After a pause, he asked, "Where is Eddy?" Major Lysdon turned the video conference device further, so that its camera could capture my image. "Mr. Torus, can you repeat your trick?"

"Oh, very well." I briefly removed myself from the Simulation. Back home in Arizona, Zeta was now emerging from her orgasm trance. Her telepathic emanations were strong and full of her sexual pleasure. Returning to the Simulation, I told the Connatic, "Sir, I'm an historical researcher from Earth and I'd like to speak to you about Dr. Frenchyhysur and the development of teleportation technology."

The Connatic chuckled. "This just keeps getting better and better." He told Major Lysdon, "Have these three guests sent on to the yellow suite, guest level seven." The video call was terminated.

The two soldiers took us into the guest wing of the Connatic's residence and after leading us into the yellow suite, they departed. Yurahs checked the door. It was locked. "Well, we are getting close." Yurahs set Tyryx on the floor.

I asked, "I think I've done as much as I can. I'd be happy to turn this over to you and my copy."

"Oh, don't go! Eddy won't be here for a while."

Tyffany Maysel
I suggested, "I don't think it will be long. The Whelm must be searching for him now. As soon as they find him, they'll bring him here."

Yurahs put the palms of her hands on the sides of my face and closed her eyes. "This is so frustrating. During the past year, Eddy and I have learned how to synchronize our thoughts, but with you, I'm right back at square one. I can barely feel your mind pattern."

I explained, "I'll have to learn your mind pattern before we can get into any kind of a positive feedback linkage between our minds. I suppose that process took Eddy a week or so."

Yurahs opened her eyes and put her arms around me. "Wouldn't an orgasm trance speed help speed that that process?"

"Probably, but I did not come here to make love with you. That's Eddy's job and I'll leave him to it."

Yurahs giggled, "You're passing up a perfectly good orgasm, and we have time to kill."

Just then, a man came into the suite. Yurahs cried out, "Ra!" Yurahs ran over and threw her arms around him. "I've missed you! And Lo!"

Yurahs and Lo
"Lo went to Triskelion with... you." Ra looked at me.

Yurahs said, "This is a visitor, from outside this simulation. He's an Earthman."

Ra extended his hand towards me and we shook hands. I asked, "You're a robot, from Triskelion?"

"Yes."

"And you have telepathic abilities?"

"Yes. But I can't make sense of your mind." Ra placed a hand against the side of my head. "What is a tryp'At?"

"A human variant that has not yet been constructed here in this Reality." Ra pulled back his hand. "But with the telepathy research project at IPS2 now in operation, maybe it won't be long before the first tryp'At mind is created."

Yurahs told me, "Eddy thinks he understands the technical break-thought that allowed that project to become active."

I flopped into a chair and said, "Tell me about it."

"Where should I begin?" Yurahs and Ra sat down together on a couch. Tyryx was exploring the furnishings in the room. "Maybe I should start with the DREs..."

"What does iridium processing have to do with telepathy?"

"During this past year, Eddy has become a good friend of Dyna, the chief engineer at IPS1 and the creator of the DRE purification process." For a minute, there was an interruption and Yurahs helped Tyryx navigate along the couch. She introduced Tyryx to Ra and the robot began playing with the boy. "Teleportation transmitters that have been tuned to a specific element will fail to teleport a sample if the energy cost is too high. In a DRE, the telportation process is tuned to allow nanoscopic sub-domains with an atomic mixture to be selected and transported out."

image source
"I see! It is a filtration process. Clever. But again, what does that have to do with telepathy research?"

"The DREs are only the latest of a series of gradually improved teleportation devices. During the past 1,000 years, innovations in hierion engineering have allowed the creation of control systems with greater and greater computational power by using increasingly tiny processing elements. The current generation of DREs makes use of femto-scale hierion processing components. A DRE can carry out trillions of picoliter volume teleportation events each second."

"Impressive." I asked impatiently, "And the link to Telepathy?"

"I'm getting to that. The problem that has been holding up telepathy research is basically a computation problem. The goal is to identify gene patterns that enhance human telepathy. Useful telepathy is still quite rare among humans. Ideally, we would like to sequence the genomes of every resident of Alastor Cluster. Then, when someone with special telepathic powers is born, it would be possible to search through the genomes of their ancestors. Repeat that process across the entire population, and we'd be able to identify the important telepathy-generating genes and the genes that strongly interfere with the function of a telepathic mind. However, until recently, genomics researchers simple lacked the needed computational capacity."

I suggested, "So, the same femto-scale hierion processing components that are used in a DRE can be used to speed up the work of the geneticists."

"Exactly! However, there is one other thing that you should know. Starting a thousand years ago, when genetics techniques were very primitive, the biologists began making use of teleportation buffers to store DNA samples from every person in the Cluster."

I asked, "Why not just store the DNA samples themselves?"

Yurahs explained, "As you know, DNA is a molecular data storage device. It has nano-scale components. The goal was to store the genome of every human being living in Alastor cluster. The logistics and cost of storing that much DNA would have been much higher than what can be done with hierion-based memory units. So, back in the time of Dr. Frenchyhysur, teleporters were used to convert small tissue samples containing DNA into femtoscale memory elements, what is usually called teleportation buffer memory. A thousand years ago the space savings were 1000 fold, but these days, it takes a million times less space to store a genome in teleportation buffer memory."

"Great. I get it. And now, there is enough computational capacity to begin analyzing 1000 years of stored genomes?"

"Yes. The additional technical issue which I have not mentioned is the atomic scrambling effect. We can store genomes in teleportation buffer memory, but when those DNA samples are taken out of storage, the DNA is severely fragmented. That is not a catastrophic problem. In fact. the solution was already known on Earth back at the start of the space age."

I suggested, "Ancient DNA can be sequenced, even from archeological samples that are thousands of years old."

"Exactly. Ancient DNA is also fragmented, just like DNA brought out of teleportation buffer memory. To reconstruct the intact DNA sequence, it simply requires the shotgun sequencing of billions of gene fragments."

"Okay, I understand." My mind was turning towards home... I estimated that Zeta and Nora would be all done with their sexplay session.

Yurahs said, "There's one more thing that might interest you. I wonder if you can guess. Why do you think iridium is the focus of the asteroid mining efforts?"

positronic robots
"I know very little about advanced technology here in this age. Remember, I'm from Earth of the distant past."

"Well, I have university training in materials science, so I do understand the importance of iridium. I know your training was in biology, so I'll give you a simplified version of the facts. You know that iridium is a dense metal. Most of the iridium sent from IPS1 to Numenes is used as a target for proton bombardment and the production of antiprotons. The antimatter is used to create the hierions that are needed in modern femtoscale computer systems."

I shook my head in wonder, "Amazing. I wonder why I have not heard of this. I had no idea that there was a link between iridium and hierions."

"This is one of the major secrets of the Whelm. There is a limited supply of hierions and tight control of their use by the military, as directed by the Connatic. For example, the other Yurahs, my copy, often goes to Triskelion. We trade our hierions to the researchers on Triskelion who make the most advanced robots... like Ra."

I looked at Ra. It was impossible to see any difference between him and a real human. There was a buzzing sound and Ra went to the videocall terminal in one corner of the room. He announced, "It is the Connatic calling."

Yurahs ran to the desk that had the videocall terminal. "Hello again, father."

The Connatic said, "I've had a chance to review all the security reports. Oh, and the Whelm just found Eddy. They are bringing him in. He was relaxing on the beach."

Yurahs said, "I hope you have decided to let me out of here. We need to talk."

Yurahs and Ra
The Connatic said, "Patience. I'm not above the security procedures that I have put in place. However, I'm forced to believe this crazy story about a Reality Simulator. Still, I must follow the security rules. We can talk in this fashion by video phone."

I moved close behind Yurahs and said, "I'm in a bit of a hurry, sir. I want to get back to Earth before my copy arrives. Tell me, do you know anything about the life and times of Dr. Frenchyhysur... anything that is not commonly known? Does the name Nyrtia mean anything to you?"

The Connatic replied, "I've met Nyrtia. She claims to be able to travel through time. For example, she gave me evidence that my brother is still alive and will return here to the palace in the future, so I have resisted the temptation of bringing a copy of him out of the teleportation buffer. And, yes, it was Nyrtia who provided the rulers of Alastor Cluster with Anthony, back 1000 years ago. Anthony the robot... he is the only one who knows the control codes for the human duplication teleporter at IPS1."

I bowed to the Connatic. "Thank you, sir. That's what I wanted to know." Just then, my copy came into the suite. As soon as I felt his telepathic mind pattern, I activated my recall nanites and returned home. Zeta and Nora were still in the hot tub, relaxing after their sexual workout. I went out on the patio and joined them for a soak. Zeta asked me telepathically: Success?

I kissed Zeta on the mouth and then replied, "I just had an interesting chat with the Connatic. He confirmed that Nyrtia did indeed provide the royal family of Alastor Cluster with teleportation technology."

Zeta could sense in my mind that I was thinking about Tyrex. She took hold of my hand and asked, "You're a daddy? Again..."

"Well, let's say I'm an uncle. My copy in the AR Simulator fathered a child."

alien hot tub soup
"You got Yurahs pregnant?" Zeta moved her hand to my penis.

"It wasn't me, it was the copy of me that Azynov made."

Nora asked, "How do you account for the fact that there is no evidence that humans ever obtained teleportation technology in the Asimov Reality?"

"The Connatic was given one teleporter that can use the quantum computational power of the sedron domain to solve the atom scramble problem. Nyrtia put a positronic robot in charge of that equipment. Anthony. He only allows the equipment to be used to make backup copies of the royal family members."

Zeta was playing with my genitals in a most provocative fashion. She told Nora, "You should go check on the children."

Nora stood up and made sure that I got a good look at her sexy body. "With luck, they'll nap at least another hour."

Zeta waved a hand towards Nora. "Off with you. I want some private time with my husband. If you are still horny, go play with a vibrator... or two." Zeta tossed the two big vibrators that they had been playing with to Nora. Now carrying a vibrator in each hand, Nora went back into the house, giving me one last glance over her shoulder to make sure that I was following her pretty bottom with my eyes. Zeta sat on my thighs, now with both of her hands on my erection. She said, "Your genital are just about back to normal size, but your penis still seems a bit larger than you used to be."

I had my hands on Zeta's breasts, "And mercifully, your breasts are back to normal."

Nyrtia
"Why do you think Nyrtia went to all this trouble, giving you access to the Simulation System and having you visit L2? All just to satisfy your curiosity about one silly teleporter that was used to stabilize the royal family?"

"Well, it is not quite that simple. There were other effects of Nyrtia's intervention. In particular, a limited teleportation industry was started by Frenchyhysur when he first implemented what had come to be known as the Frenchyhysur Process, which allows hierions to be used to transmit matter from one teleportation station to another. That did not allow humans to build teleporters for transporting humans, but it did give a boost to telepathy research and, eventually allowed for the identification of the human gene patterns that influence telepathy."

Zeta took my erection inside her vagina. "I look forward to reading your report, but now no more talk." She started massaging me with her flexible and powerful vaginal muscles, a skill that had not faded away as our bodies have returned to their normal external forms. I suppose that is a permanent gift to me from Nyrtia. Yes, it was good to be home. With all my little trips into the Simulator System, Zeta has become very good at quickly improvising welcome home parties.

Next: Part 2 of "The Frenchyhysur Process".

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