Tales of the Vuduri: Year Two

by Michael Brachman

  Rei entered the room and the door closed behind him. He heard a snapping noise and a tiny bulb started glowing along the floor immediately to Rei’s left. The bulb got progressively brighter with a bluish-violet light. Then there was another snapping noise and a second bulb began to glow all the while the first continued to grow in brightness. There was another snap and another and another. The blue lights got brighter and brighter and brighter. As the lights grew brighter, Rei’s eyes defocused and his head began lolling to the side.

  He was inside of a crystalline cavern with facets and mirrors and flashes that were so mesmerizing, he could not think. He started swaying back and forth. It was only when he swayed so far that he stumbled that he was able to get his wits about him, just for a moment.

  “This is…the most beautiful…thing I…have ever seen,” Rei said in a dreamy voice. “What…is it?”

  “These are holographic storage crystals,” OMCOM said. “The illumination you see is strictly for your benefit. The read/write process is controlled by coherent ultraviolet lasers.”

  “Lasers,” Rei repeated in a monotone. “Yes.”

  “Rei?” OMCOM asked.

  “Why does it have to be so pretty…” Rei droned on.

  “Rei!” OMCOM said, more insistently.

  “So pretty…so…so…pretty…” Rei drifted off. He could hear OMCOM speaking but the words had no meaning.

  Rei lost all concept of time. OMCOM’s voice was just a soothing part of the background. Rei was adrift somewhere but he did not know where nor did he care. His whole world became the lights and the droning of OMCOM’s voice. Nothing could shake him. Nothing, that is, until the ground shook from a small tremor. The tremblor caused Rei to be awakened from his trance.

  Clearly, as author, I intended for OMCOM to plant some sort of post-hypnotic suggestion but I swear to you I had absolutely no idea what it was. OMCOM acted so innocent though.

  It wasn't until I was writing, at the time, the third book of the series (now called Part 3) that I found out what it was. The trance-like state was to be triggered by the phrase "blue crystal reader" and Rome was taught that phrase by MINIMCOM when they were in the hut in Hawaii. As it turns out, OMCOM had implanted the ability for Rei to keep his own consciousness when it was invaded by the Onsiras. Since the incident cited above happened after OMCOM reprogrammed himself, I have to assume that OMCOM gazed into the future and saw this as a possibility, if not eventuality. He forgot to share that with me until I was writing the scene where Rei was injected with the prosthetic 24th chromosome and being inducted into MASAL's Overmind.

  Gee, thanks, OMCOM for being so forthcoming. Oh well, I guess all's well that ends well.

  Entry 2-081: March 17, 2014

 

  OMCOM is sneaky

  Yesterday, I explained how, in the middle of Rome's Revolution, OMCOM had hypnotized Rei. However, I fessed up to the fact that I had no idea what it was the OMCOM was up to. I should have had a hint, though. Here is the remainder of that scene, when Rei came out of it:

  The tremblor caused Rei to be awakened from his trance.

  “Rei?” OMCOM asked, “Are you awake now?” The lights went out and the room was plunged into complete darkness. OMCOM then slid open the door and allowed some of the red ambient light to seep in.

  Rei shook his head.

  “Why’d you stop it?” he asked plaintively. “I, I, what happened?” Rei asked, his voice returning to normal.

  “Your speech patterns indicated you had entered an altered mental state. I tried several times to awaken you but you resisted my suggestions. Where did you go?”

  Rei took a deep breath. “I don’t know. It was just so beautiful. That’s, that’s amazing, OMCOM.”

  “Do you recall hearing anything that I said to you?” OMCOM asked.

  “I heard your voice,” Rei said, “that’s about it.”

  “Perhaps someday it will come back to you. In the mean time, you should probably not remain here any longer,” OMCOM said. He turned the red light up outside the doorway even brighter. “I think you should join Rome now.”

  For some reason, Rei’s heart sank. He took a deep breath and left the permanent storage room.

  OMCOM snuck in one sentence that told you he was up to something. He said "perhaps someday it will come back to you". The only possible way to interpret that statement is what came to pass. OMCOM had implanted some post-hypnotic suggestions in Rei's brains. We only heard one. The one Rome triggered by uttering the phrase 'blue crystal reader'. I wonder what else he put in there. He still hasn't told me. Maybe he never will.

  Entry 2-082: March 18, 2014

 

  Mesmerizing beauty

  Two days ago, I described the scene from Rome's Revolution where it was clear OMCOM had hypnotized Rei and planted some post-hypnotic suggestions. Yesterday, I was able to demonstrate that OMCOM let it slip a little in something he said. However, was Rei completely and 100% unaware that he was hypnotized? I think not. I think he knew something was up. Here is a little snippet of the conversation that took place right after that incident:

  Rome shut off the displays and said to Rei, “It will take a little while for them to launch the probes. Do you need to go rest or eat before we go to Stellar Cartography?”

  “No,” said Rei, “I’m tired, but I’m OK. I wanted to ask you something, though.”

  “Of course,” said Rome.

  “Have you ever been in the permanent storage room, the one with all the crystals?” he asked.

  “Many times,” Rome replied. “Why?”

  “Do you ever find it, I’m not sure what the word is, mesmerizing?”

  “No, it is simply a room full of crystals,” Rome said. “What is mesmerizing about that?”

  “Will you come look at it with me?” Rei asked. “Just one time?”

  “Certainly,” Rome said, puzzled. Rei took her hand and led her across the anteroom to the other doorway.

  “OMCOM, I want Rome to see this,” he said out loud.

  “Are you sure?” asked OMCOM.

  “Yes,” said Rei. “I can handle it.”

  “Very well,” said OMCOM and the computer slid the door into the recess in the wall and the two of them entered. Once they were fully in the room, OMCOM closed the door again and as before, he illuminated the gleaming crystalline structures with the indigo-blue light. Rome squeezed Rei’s hand tighter as she looked around.

  “It is beautiful,” Rome said. “I have never noticed this before.”

  Rei blinked rapidly so that he couldn’t get caught up in the hypnotic glare of the lights. Rome did not seem to be having a problem with it. Suddenly, she whirled in place and grabbed Rei by the back of the head with her free hand and pulled him down to her. She kissed him long and hard.

  “What’s that for?” Rei asked breathlessly after it was over.

  Rome just looked up at Rei, his face illuminated by the black light, his blue eyes twinkling as if they were made to be showcased here. She smiled at him and sighed.

  “I have always known the word,” she said. “What you call beauty. What I am saying is that it has always been in my vocabulary, but it never had meaning. I had no connection, no appreciation for it. And now you have brought the meaning of beauty into my life.” Her smile became even broader. “Before I met you, I could not see it. Now I can see it is in all things. I just needed to thank you.”

  “But Rome, I didn’t do anything,” Rei said.

  “Yes, you did,” she replied. “You did everything.”

  Rei shook his head. “I don’t understand, but if it makes you happy, then I’m happy.”

  The hints are all there. First Rei uses the word mesmerizing explicitly. Secondly, he said I can handle it meaning he would not let himself get hypnotized again. Finally, Rei took preventative measures, he blinked rapidly, so the lights would not affect him again. I think this means that at some level he knew his mind had been altered but it wasn't until Estar captured Rome a
nd Rei and Rome uttered the phrase "blue crystal reader" that Rei found out exactly how.

  Entry 2-083: March 19, 2014

 

  Embarrassment as a driving force

  Pain is pain. In the beginning of Rome's Evolution, Rei is blown up and knocked into a coma. As he drags himself back to consciousness, he compares the most painful physical and emotional experiences he has had.

  One pain he did not review was the pain of embarrassment. Think of how many times people get in trouble or go down the wrong path just to avoid being embarrassed. Is the pain of embarrassment a sufficient motivating factor to drive larger human endeavors? Let me give you a few examples.

  The first is the Vuduri themselves. Their entire culture is based upon suppressing their feelings and thoughts rather than have other Vuduri learn of something that could remotely be construed as embarrassing. Here is Fridone's description of the Vuduri mind:

  “I do not know your language but I think you understand,” said Fridone. “That very act was one of defiance. Let me see if I can explain. Pretend that you could take all the Vuduri in the world and line them up. Now take the most perfect Vuduri and put him at one end and put us, you and me, all the mandasurte at the other. The most perfect Vuduri has absolutely no mind of his own. He allows the Overmind to think for him. He would attempt to never speak but failing that, he would only refer to his parents by their names, never as Beo or Mea. And he would move out and go to a group home or academy as soon as he was able. But Rome, she lived with us until I was taken.”

  The Vuduri on the farthest end of the "sheep spectrum" that Fridone referred to don't even use their own senses. They use what is called "second sight" to allow the Overmind to supply their underlying sensory input. Just so they could see things the way the Overmind wants them to.

  The Overmind himself is not immune from embarrassment. When Rei first arrived as Skyler Base, he was able to offer novel solutions to problems. The first time it happened, it caused the Overmind extreme distress. Here is how Rome described it:

  “What just happened?” Rei asked Rome.

  “Ursay instructed OMCOM to get a crew ready to launch a tug.”

  “So why is Ursay so angry?”

  “I do not know,” said Rome, softening. “I think perhaps because the Overmind did not think of this action by itself.”

  “So what?” Rei asked. “So what if I thought of it first? Who cares? And why is he talking to OMCOM out loud all of a sudden?”

  “The Overmind cares,” Rome said. She paused for a moment then asked, “How did you think of that?”

  “I don’t know,” Rei said. “I just did...”

  “More importantly,” Rome interrupted, “why did the Overmind not think of that?”

  Finally, OMCOM himself was so embarrassed that he couldn't figure out why the stars were disappearing and that he didn't predict Rei's arrival that he reprogrammed himself, a self-styled psycho-surgery, just to avoid these types of embarrassments.

  So while it is only partially true in our world, in the 35th century world of the Vuduri and Rome's Revolution, avoiding embarrassment is supremely important. Of course the major exception to this is Rome. Sweet, wonderful Rome. She has never done anything in her life that would cause her embarrassment. There were plenty of times when she could have been but she never considered. For example, she told Rei without shame that the Overmind of Deucado was in love with her. She didn't shirk from it but she was not embarrassed. A role model she is!

  Entry 2-084: March 20, 2014

 

  Rome is very lovable

  Within the world of Rome's Revolution, it is not only Rei who is attracted to Rome. In fact, he is not even the only being to fall in love with the woman. Early on, Rome had carnal relations with Signola but I don't think that had much meaning to him or her. There was Rei, of course, who was destined to be in love with Rome since the beginning of time. Or at least since 1973 when I wrote the first draft. We know that Paul Chung thought Rome was hot when she was reading his mind in Rome's Evolution. In fact, there is an argument to be made that Rome is beautiful regardless.

  All this aside, the most surprising thing is that the Overmind of Deucado also fell in love with her. Here is the scene from the original long-form version of Rome's Revolution:

  “I believe we had what used to be known as tunnel vision,” thought the Overmind.

  “So now is the time to reach out, to come out of the tunnel,” Rome said. “Reach out to the mandasurte, to the Essessoni, to all.”

  “You know they think I am the enemy,” thought the Overmind.

  “We will show them you are not. We will show them that you want to learn and that they can be your teachers. They will teach you to love.”

  “I understand,” said the Overmind. “I want to feel love. In fact, I do feel love. I feel it from you. And for this, I thank you, Rome.”

  “You are welcome,” Rome thought.

  “There is one other small problem,” said the Overmind.

  “And what is that?” Rome asked.

  The Overmind grew silent.

  “What?” Rome asked. “Tell me.”

  “To the extent that I understand the concept, I believe I am in love with you.”

  “That is a very kind thought,” Rome said, blushing in her mind. “But I think we will keep that to ourselves. I can see where that might make my husband jealous.”

  “We would not want that to happen, now would we?” said the Overmind acerbically. If it could have winked, it would have.

  “No,” thought Rome then she straightened herself up. “Speaking of which, I am going to call my husband now.”

  “I understand,” said the Overmind. “Goodbye and good luck. I hope I survive all of this.”

  “You are so maudlin. This is not the end,” Rome thought. “Always remember that. This is just the beginning.”

  “Yes, I can see that. Farewell, Rome.”

  Entry 2-085: March 21, 2014

 

  A virtual time machine

  In the novel Rome's Revolution, OMCOM designed and built star-probes which became, in the Rome's own words, a virtual time machine. It was not a physical device a la H. G. Wells but rather an observational time machine. I have discussed this before in an article entitled "Legal" Time Travel.

  Say that such a device existed, not on the grand cosmic scale like OMCOM used but rather on a local, personal scale. Imagine if you had a device maybe a cross between a TV and an Etch-a-Sketch, that allowed you to view into the past. The dials could be used to navigate in space and time.

  Such a topic has been dealt with many time before. For example, there was the movie Deja Vu starring Denzel Washington and Paula Patton where scientists were able to view exactly 4 days, 6 hours, 3 minutes, 45 seconds and 14.5 nanoseconds into the past. They use that look-back to investigate the bombing of a ferry. However, this movie turns into an actual time travel movie when Denzel's character jumps back in time to save Paula Patton's character's life.

  A better example is the book called The Light of Other Days by Stephen Baxter, based upon a summary by Arthur C. Clarke. This novel is centered around a time viewer which peers through quantum wormholes (hmmm, PPT tunnels?) and raises a host of questions. Some people hook up the wormholes directly in their brain to create a group mind (hmmm, the Overmind via PPT resonance?).

  Some of the uses are practical. Solving crimes, the idea raised by Deja Vu, becomes easy because the police simply go back in time and watch the crime unfolding. There is no privacy so restaurants spring up which are totally dark so nobody could spy on you during that interval. Historical mysteries are cleared up. They even go so far back in time (three billion years) and discover there was another form of life, not DNA-based, that came and went and all of life today was the result of one of their scientific experiments.

  To me, the lack of privacy would be a showstopper. After all, as mentioned two days ago, plenty of people do plenty of things that would be embarrassing
if they came out. But the rest of it is a fascinating concept.

  Entry 2-086: March 22, 2014

  Rome asserts herself

  A while back, I told you the story of Rome's rebirth. After she got over the shock of being cast out (Cesdiud), she began a journey of personal growth that forms the measuring stick for the entire Rome's Revolution series. A few days ago, we saw Rome's acknowledgement that beauty had become a part of her life. This was new.

  Another part of her personality was a lifetime of trying to be a good Vuduri, that is, a person who submits to the will of the Overmind and meekly follows orders. Now that Rome was on her own, she had to learn to speak up and assert herself in order to navigate the world using only herself as a resource.

  The first test of this came after OMCOM had designed the transportation plan for ferrying the Ark II to Deucado using the space tugs to tow it, one PPT jump at a time. But as designed, it would mean that Rome and Rei would have to spend two years apart. Employing the Algol's MINIMCOM unit would allow them to be together. Rome finally screwed up enough courage to ask, almost demand, that they take it. Here is that scene:

  “Commander Ursay?” Rome said.

  “Yes,” replied Ursay.

  “I would like permission to fly the container up myself along with Rei,” Rome said.

  “Why?” asked Ursay.

  “Because,” Rome took a deep breath. “Because we are going to give Rei the tugs so that he can tow his Ark to Deucado. He needs training and I think this would be the perfect time for him to learn how to operate a tug.”

  “OMCOM already informed us of your plan to utilize the tugs. We find it acceptable,” Ursay said.

  “So, that’s a yes?” Rei asked. Ursay nodded once. “Awesome. Thank you.” Rei paused for a moment. “There’s something else…”