Return to Picacho

Figure 1. Three teleportation nodes.

 Early in January 2025 I challenged myself to write a story about long-range teleportation. Later, in May, as part of the science fiction story "D*", I depicted Tyhry as making use of the long-range teleportation system that was located under Picacho Peak. With the help of a Grendel named Ethyrolmn, Tyhry visited Weene space station which is in orbit around the water world Ver'la, located in the Galactic Core. However, that example of long-range teleportation was accomplished inside the Reality Simulation System and in the Asimov Reality of Deep Time. Here, before the end of 2025, I want to explore how Tyhry might use long-range teleportation in the Final Reality. I consulted with Claude...

Image by WOMBO Dream.

 Me: Question for a science fiction story. What single Latin word would most reasonably be used as a synonym for "space" in the context of "outer space"?

Claude: For "outer space" in science fiction, spatium would be the most reasonable Latin word.

Spatium is the Latin noun meaning "space, room, area, or expanse" - it's actually the etymological root of our English word "space." It has a broad, physical quality that naturally extends to the concept of the cosmos or the void between celestial bodies.

In your hard SF context, spatium works well because:

• It's the direct classical ancestor of the modern term
• It conveys physical extension and vastness
• It's been used in scientific Latin (the historical language of astronomy and natural philosophy)
• It avoids religious or mystical connotations

Other Latin terms you might consider, though less suitable:

• Caelum (sky, heavens) - too atmosphere-bound
• Aether (upper air, ether) - carries outdated scientific baggage about the "luminiferous aether"
• Inane (void, emptiness) - philosophically accurate but has unfortunate modern English connotations

So if your story features, say, a future civilization with Latin-derived nomenclature, you might see terms like "Spatium Command" or vessels called "Explorator Spatii" (Explorer of Space).

 Me: In a science fiction context of an alien invasion of Earth, how would you translate "Pluribus e spatium"?

Claude: "Pluribus e spatium" would translate as "From space, to the many" or more loosely "From space, to many [peoples/nations]".

Breaking it down:

• Pluribus = "to/for the many" (dative/ablative plural of plus)
• E (or ex) = "from, out of"
• Spatium = "space"

However, I should note this has the grammar a bit inverted from typical Latin word order and usage. If you're aiming for "The many from space" (as in, many invaders coming from space), more natural Latin constructions would be:

• "E spatium plurimi" = "Many from space" (nominative, as subjects)
• "Multi e spatium" = "Many from space" (alternative)
• "E spatium veniunt" = "They come from space"

If you're going for a phrase that evokes E pluribus unum ("Out of many, one" - the U.S. motto) but inverted to suggest an invasion threatening Earth's unity, you might consider:

• "E spatium ad plures" = "From space to the many"
• "Ex uno spatium, ad multos" = "From one space, to many"

What effect are you going for with the phrase? That would help suggest the most fitting construction for your story's context.

Image generated by Leonardo.

 Me: Are you familiar with a 1919 science fiction story called "Station X" by George McLeod Winsor?

Claude: I'm not familiar with "Station X" by George McLeod Winsor from 1919. This is before my reliable knowledge, and it sounds like it might be an obscure early science fiction work that didn't make it into my training data.

Early 20th century science fiction is a fascinating period - you had writers experimenting with the genre between the era of Wells and Verne and before the pulp magazine explosion of the 1920s-30s. If this is from 1919, it would be contemporary with works like A. Merritt's early stories.

What's the story about? I'm curious whether it involves your Latin phrase or if you're drawing inspiration from it for your own work. If you'd like, I could search for information about it - early SF stories sometimes have interesting publication histories in magazines or obscure collections.

 Me:  "Station X" was an alien invasion story. In that old story, Martians are planning to use a type of "mind transfer" to take over human brains and escape from worsening environmental conditions on Mars. I was trying to construct a Latin phrase meaning "Many from space" that included the word "pluribus" in analogy to the 2025 television program "Pluribus" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluribus_(TV_series)).

Claude: Ah, that's a clever multilayered reference! You're connecting the 1919 Martian invasion story with the modern TV series title while working the Latin into your own SF concept.

For "Many from space" using pluribus, here are your best options:

"Pluribus e spatium" - This actually works reasonably well as "The many from space" if we read pluribus as an ablative of source (ablative plural), though it's slightly unusual. The phrase has a nice ring to it.

"Plures e spatium" - "Many from space" (nominative plural, as subjects - "the many ones")

"Multi e spatium" - "Many from space" (alternative nominative plural)

Given that you want the pluribus specifically for the connection to the TV series and E pluribus unum, I'd say "Pluribus e spatium" works fine for science fiction purposes. It evokes "from the many, from space" - suggesting multiple Martian consciousnesses coming from space to invade human minds. The slight grammatical ambiguity actually adds to the ominous quality.

The "Station X" plot about Martians using mind transfer to escape their dying world is a great early example of the invasion-as-refugees trope. Are you writing something that riffs on both that classic story and the contemporary TV series?

Telepathic alien invaders
in the Ekcolir Reality.
Original art work by Albert Kallis

 Me: One of my goals for my science fiction story writing in 2025 was to write a story dealing with long-range teleportation. Are you familiar with Isaac Asimov's 1952 story "The Deep"?

Claude: I'm not familiar with a 1952 Isaac Asimov story called "The Deep."

Asimov wrote prolifically, but I don't have that title in my knowledge of his work from that period. In the early 1950s, he was publishing stories that would become part of the Foundation series, as well as various standalone pieces. It's possible this is:

• A lesser-known story that wasn't widely anthologized
• Published under a different title than I'm aware of
• A story I simply don't have information about

Does "The Deep" deal with teleportation? I'm curious because Asimov hadsome interesting takes on matter transmission and related technologies in various stories. If you're exploring long-range teleportation for your 2025 writing goal, I'd be interested to hear what aspect of it you're tackling - the physics, the social implications, the psychological effects of instantaneous travel, or something else entirely?

Teleportation in hard SF offers rich technical challenges: energy requirements, information theory problems, the philosophical question of continuity of consciousness, relativistic considerations if you're teleporting across interstellar distances...

What direction are you thinking of taking with your teleportation story?

Image generated by Leonardo.

 Me: "The Deep" is about telepathic aliens and was published in the December 1952 issue of "Galaxy Science Fiction" magazine. The main character of the story is an alien named Roi. Roi undertakes a mission aimed at allowing his people to move from their dying world to Earth, but Roi does not rely on technology as mundane as spaceships. Roi's mind is teleported to Earth. Guided by a Resonizer, Roi's mind is placed inside the Earthling who has the best match to Roi's mind pattern. This "best match" turns out to be a 4 month old baby (who is named 'Walter'), but several wet diapers later, the mission to Earth is a success, thanks to George. George Ellis discovers and activates the alien Receiving Station that was teleported to Earth along with Roi. George is not much of a hero because he is made to activate the Receiving Station by means of telepathic compulsions emanating from Roi's mind (which is trapped within baby Walter). It is the Receiving Station that will allow the all of the aliens to escape from their dying home world by teleporting to Earth where they plan to live safely underground, having as little to do with humans as possible.

Claude: Ah, thank you for that detailed summary! "The Deep" sounds like a fascinating early exploration of consciousness transfer and teleportation - very much in line with the themes you mentioned from "Station X," but with Asimov's characteristic focus on the mechanics and problem-solving aspects.

What strikes me about this story is how it inverts the typical invasion narrative. The aliens aren't hostile conquerors but refugees using sophisticated technology (mind teleportation rather than physical transport) to escape extinction. The telepathic compulsion of George and the vulnerable position of being trapped in a baby's body add interesting complications to what could have been a straightforward "advanced aliens take over Earth" plot.

Image generated by Leonardo.

 The concept of a "Resonizer" matching mind patterns across space and the advance placement of a Receiving Station shows the kind of technical scaffolding that hard SF needs - even fantastic technologies require infrastructure and protocols.

For your 2025 teleportation story, are you thinking of exploring similar themes of consciousness transfer versus physical teleportation? The distinction is significant: moving information (a mind) versus moving matter has very different implications for physics, philosophy, and story possibilities.

Asimov's approach of having the mind arrive before the infrastructure for full colonization is clever - it's almost like sending advance scouts, but in a completely non-physical way. Is that the kind of technical problem-solving you're interested in exploring?

Me: For my story, I want to use a specific character that I often include in my science fiction stories: Tyhry Watson. Tyhry is aware of a hidden alien long-range teleportation device that exists under Picacho Peak in Arizona, but she needs to find a "key" that will allow her to activate the alien device.

Claude: That's a great setup! Picacho Peak is an excellent choice - it's a distinctive landmark with that dramatic volcanic plug geology, and it has historical significance (the westernmost battle of the Civil War). The idea of ancient alien technology hidden beneath such a prominent natural feature has that satisfying hard SF quality where the fantastic is grounded in real geography.

Image generated by Leonardo.

 The "key" concept gives you rich storytelling possibilities. In hard SF terms, what constitutes a "key" for alien technology could be:

• Genetic/biological - DNA sequence, brainwave pattern, or specific neurological configuration (echoing Asimov's "Resonizer" matching)
• Knowledge-based - Mathematical proof, physical constant expressed correctly, or solution to a specific problem that demonstrates requisite intelligence
• Physical artifact - Actual object with specific quantum properties, crystalline matrix, or exotic matter composition
• Procedural - Correct sequence of actions, ritual-like operation that's actually a safety protocol
• Informational - Encrypted code, star map, or coordinate system that proves awareness of specific astronomical knowledge

Given Tyhry's familiarity with this device's existence, what led her to this knowledge in the first place? Is she a researcher, descendant of someone who discovered it, or someone who experienced something that revealed its presence?

And crucially for hard SF - what does she intend to use this long-range teleportation for once activated?

Me: As shown in the image that I uploaded {See Figure 1, at the top of this blog post}, the alien facility under Picacho Peak is one of three "nodes" that comprise an ancient alien long-range (interstellar) teleportation device. Earlier this year I wrote a science fiction story titled "D*" in which Tyhry was shown the teleportation facility under Picacho Peak, but in "D*" an alien was in control of the equipment. For my new story, I want Tyhry to be able to control the teleportation system herself.

Image by ImageFX.

 Claude: Excellent! So you have a three-node interstellar teleportation network with nodes at Picacho Peak (Arizona), Carstensz (Puncak Jaya in Papua), and Coronation (Coronation Island in the South Orkney Islands, Antarctica). That's a nicely distributed triangulation across Earth - roughly equidistant spacing that suggests either:

1. Geometric necessity - the three nodes form a planetary-scale array that taps into Earth's magnetic field, rotational energy, or creates a stable reference frame for targeting distant stellar coordinates
2. Strategic placement - positioned for discrete operation in remote/geologically stable locations
3. Ancient configuration - placed when continental positions or climate were different

The progression from "D*" where Tyhry observed the alien-controlled facility to your new story where she gains independent control is a natural character arc. This raises the key question: what is the "key" that transfers control from the alien operator to Tyhry?

Some possibilities that fit hard SF constraints:

• Cognitive pattern matching - The system requires a specific type of problem-solving approach or mental framework that Tyhry has developed
• Earned authorization - She must prove something to the alien (or the system's AI) that convinces them/it to grant access
• Technical exploit - She discovers a vulnerability or backdoor in the alien system's control protocols
• Inheritance mechanism - The alien designates her as a successor, transferring biometric/neural authorization

Original cover art by
Edmund Emshwiller and Virgil Finlay

 What's Tyhry's relationship with the alien from "D*"? Does that alien's absence create the opportunity for her to take control, or is the transfer deliberate?

 Me: In my stories about Tyhry, I make use of advanced nanotechnology. The key is in the form of "infites", "information nanites" that can provide a human with the needed knowledge to use the alien long-range teleportation equipment.

Claude: Perfect! Infites as knowledge-transfer nanites elegantly solves the problem of human-alien technological interface. This is solid hard SF nanotechnology - using molecular-scale devices to bridge the gap between alien and human cognition.

Some technical considerations for your story:

Information Transfer Mechanism:

• Do the infites integrate with Tyhry's neurons directly (synaptic modification)?
• Do they form a neural mesh that supplements her brain's processing?
• Is the knowledge transfer instantaneous or gradual as her brain adapts?

Knowledge vs. Understanding: The distinction could be crucial - the infites might provide:

• Procedural knowledge - "how to operate the controls" (like muscle memory)
• Conceptual understanding - the physics principles behind the teleportation
• Experiential knowledge - almost like memories of having used the system before

Image by ImageFX.

 Source of the Infites: This is key to your plot:

• Did the alien from "D*" leave them for her deliberately?
• Were they hidden in the Picacho facility all along?
• Did Tyhry synthesize them using information she gathered?
• Are they a gift/tool from another faction?

Limitations: For dramatic tension, consider:

• Do the infites provide complete mastery or just basic operation?
• Is there a learning curve as her biological brain integrates the information?
• Are there aspects of alien thought the infites can't translate?

Where does Tyhry obtain these infites?

Image by Mr. Wombo.

 Me: The source of the infites is rather complex, but they have been close at hand through all of Tyhry's life: stored inside her father, Eddy. Long before Tyhry was born, Eddy was given a set of infites by Yrovi, a femtobot replicoid. The infites are in the form of femtobots. Femtobots are analogous to nanites, but they are composed of hierion matter. Hierions are a family of fundamental particles not known to current science. Hierion matter is formed by linking together hierions by bonds that are analogous to chemical bonds, but are twelve orders of magnitude shorter. Hierions naturally exist in the Hierion Domain, which is a "sub-space" of the universe defined by three compactifiied spatial dimensions. Femtobots are tiny and can easily exist inside the bodies of humans like Eddy where they can interact with brain cells and provide information to humans. In 2016 I wrote a story about Ivory Fersoni and how she met an Interventionist agent named Erkre. Ivory herself suspected that Erkre was in some sense a "living memory", what I call a femtobot replicoid that is "animated" by a femtozoan. Thus, Erkre was an artificial life-form composed of femtobot components that can be arranged so as to simulate a human body. To complete his interventionist mission on Earth, Erkre provided Ivory with some infites. Those infites ended up in Yrovi who eventually passed them on to Eddy.

Claude: This is excellent hard SF worldbuilding with a sophisticated physics framework! You've created a layered technological hierarchy:

Image by ImageFX.

 Hierarchical Scale:

• Hierions - fundamental particles in compactified dimensions (sub-Planck scale)
• Hierion matter - bonded hierions (bonds ~12 orders of magnitude shorter than chemical bonds, so ~10^-22 meters)
• Femtobots - devices constructed from hierion matter
• Femtozoa - "animating" entities (artificial life at femtoscale)
• Femtobot replicoids - artificial bodies animated by femtozoa (like Erkre and Yrovi)

The Lineage: Erkre (Interventionist) → Ivory Fersoni → Yrovi (femtobot replicoid) → Eddy Watson → (potentially) Tyhry Watson

This gives you a rich backstory spanning decades. The infites have been dormant inside Eddy all this time, waiting for the right moment/trigger.

 Story Questions:

1. Activation trigger - What makes Tyhry realize the infites are inside her father? Does Eddy know they're there?
2. Transfer method - How do the infites move from Eddy to Tyhry? Physical contact? Deliberate transfer? Do they replicate?
3. Eddy's role - Has he been influenced by carrying these infites? Did they give him any knowledge he wasn't aware of?
4. The Interventionists' intent - This chain (Erkre→Ivory→Yrovi→Eddy→Tyhry) suggests long-term planning. Was Tyhry's eventual use of the Picacho teleportation system always the goal?

What prompts Tyhry to discover that her father carries the key she needs?

Image by Mr. Wombo.

 Me: Tyhry herself can be viewed as an Interventionist agent who has been trained by Manny the bumpha. The bumpha are an advanced form of artificial life that has been guiding events on Earth for billions of years. Tyhry has some access to information from the future because she can link into a bumpha technology called the Sedron Time Stream. Tyhry is obsessed by a future vision she does not understand: a vision of a set of 8 clones called 'Ary'. Tyhry believes that Ary exists on an Earth-like exoplanet somewhere in the galaxy. Tyhry hopes that there might be an "index of planets" in the control system for the long-range teleportation equipment that is under Picacho Peak. Tyhry's hunch is that if she can gain control of that long-range teleportation equipment then she will be able to find the planet where Ary lives. Tyhry's mother, Zeta, reminds Tyhry of the fact that Eddy has long been obsessed with his artificial memories of Ivory Fersoni. Tyhry guesses that some of the "Ivory infites" inside Eddy might actually be the key that will give Tyhry the ability to use the long-range teleportation equipment that is under Picacho Peak.

Claude: Brilliant! This ties together multiple narrative threads into a cohesive quest structure:

Tyhry's Motivation Chain:

1. Precognitive vision via Sedron Time Stream → sees 'Ary' (8 clones)
2. Believes Ary exists on distant exoplanet
3. Needs alien teleportation system to search/reach that world
4. Requires "key" to operate the system
5. Realizes father's "Ivory obsession" may be infite-induced
6. Deduces the Ivory infites = the key she needs

Image generated by Leonardo.

 The Elegant Irony: Eddy has carried the key to interstellar teleportation his entire adult life, but experienced it only as an inexplicable obsession with memories of Ivory Fersoni. The infites influenced him subtly for decades, waiting for the right person (his daughter) and the right moment.

Technical Questions for Your Story:

Infite Transfer:

• Does Tyhry need to extract the infites from Eddy, or can they replicate/transfer to her?
• Will Eddy lose his Ivory memories when/if the infites leave him?
• Can father and daughter both carry copies, or is transfer destructive?

The "Index of Planets": This is a great hard SF concept - the alien teleportation network would logically need:

• Stellar coordinates/catalog system
• Planetary surveys of destinations
• Perhaps even real-time data on which worlds have active receiving stations

The Ary Mystery:

• Are the 8 clones waiting to be found, or does Tyhry need to create them after arrival?
• Is Ary connected to the aliens who built the teleportation system?
• Why does the Sedron Time Stream show her this particular future?

How does Tyhry approach her father about the infites?

Image generated by Leonardo.

 Me: Tyhry has obtained some training from Manny in how to program femtobots, but she does not know how to pull infites out of her father. However, upon mentioning to Eddy the idea that he may have valuable infites, Eddy tells Tyhry about an old science fiction story. Eddy is a science fiction story writer. He has recently been given access to the Archives of the Writers Block. That Archive includes science fiction stories that could not be published on Earth because those stories included information about the bumpha and their secret Interventionist agents on Earth. Eddy has recently found in the Archive of the Writers Block a version of the science fiction story "Station X" that included details about the use of femtobots to "hypnotize" people. Tyhry realizes that she can use the information provided in that suppressed version of "Station X" to "hypnotize" Eddy and gain access to the key infites that are stored in his brain.

Claude: Excellent narrative move! This creates a wonderful meta-textual loop:

The Recursive Story Structure:

• "Station X" (1919) → real story about Martian mind transfer
• "Station X" (suppressed version) → contains actual femtobot hypnosis techniques
• Eddy (SF writer) → discovers suppressed version in Archive
• Tyhry (his daughter) → uses that fictional-but-real knowledge to access his infites

By Mr. Wombo.

 The Writers Block Archive: This is a fascinating concept - a collection of SF stories that were too accurate and had to be suppressed because they revealed Interventionist secrets. It implies:

• Some SF writers were (unknowingly?) influenced by infites/femtobots
• Others were deliberate Interventionist agents seeding ideas
• The bumpha have been managing human conceptual development through speculative fiction
• George McLeod Winsor may have had access to real information about hierion technology

The Irony: Eddy provides Tyhry with the very tool she needs to access the infites he's been carrying. He's essentially handing her the instruction manual for extracting his own secrets.

 Technical Questions:

1. Hypnosis Mechanism - Does the suppressed "Station X" describe femtobot-induced hypnosis as:
   • Direct neural manipulation?
   • Telepathic-like signaling between femtobots?
   • Creating specific brainwave patterns?
2. Eddy's Awareness - When Tyhry "hypnotizes" him:
   • Will he be conscious of the infite transfer?
   • Will he lose his Ivory memories?
   • Does he consent, or is this ethically ambiguous?
3. The Suppressed Version - How different is it from the 1919 published version? Does it explicitly name femtobots, or use period-appropriate terminology?

Does Eddy realize what Tyhry intends to do with this information?

Image by WOMBO Dream.

 Me: Tyhry does not really want to tell her parents that she is planning to depart from Earth and go to the distant exoplanet (Tiz) where Ary lives. However, Tyhry has for several years used a replicoid copy of herself that remains at home with Tyhry's parents when Tyhry is off on her adventures.

Claude: Ah, so Tyhry has developed a sophisticated system for managing her double life:

Tyhry's Operational Security:

• Prime Tyhry - goes on adventures (soon: interstellar teleportation to Tiz)
• Replicoid Tyhry - stays home, maintains normalcy with parents
• Her parents (Eddy and Zeta) may or may not know about this arrangement

This raises some interesting questions:

The Replicoid's Nature:

• Is it a femtobot replicoid like Yrovi and Erkre?
• Does it have independent consciousness or is it remotely controlled/synchronized?
• Can memories transfer between prime and replicoid, or do they diverge over time?
• When prime Tyhry returns, what happens to the replicoid?

Image generated by Leonardo.

 Ethical Complexity: The situation has layers:

1. Tyhry will "hypnotize" Eddy to extract infites (without full disclosure)
2. She'll leave a replicoid daughter in her place (deception)
3. Her parents think she's home when she's actually on another world

This creates dramatic tension - is she protecting them from worry, or is this about maintaining her freedom to pursue her obsession with finding Ary?

Practical Concerns:

• How long can the replicoid maintain the deception? Days? Months? Years?
• What if something goes wrong on Tiz and prime Tyhry can't return?
• Does the replicoid know about the mission to Tiz, or is it programmed to believe it is the real Tyhry?

Has Tyhry used the replicoid strategy successfully before, or have there been close calls?

________________

Not wanting to have to explain the Reality Simulation System to Claude, I ended our discussion. "Pluribus e Spatium" begins with a visit from Manny the bumpha during which Tyhry asks to see the "native form" a bumpha. Manny has some fun with Tyhry, as shown in the illustrations above on this page. Also, Tyhry must confront the possibility that she might damage Eddy's mind while extracting infites from his brain.

Next: "Pluribus e Spatium".

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