by Tony Corden
Leah did what was suggested and found it difficult to get the stones in the bag for each of them seemed to weigh a tonne or more. She then harvested Büyük's skin without checking any messages. When all was finally done she gave a small shrug of her shoulders as if to shift a weight that rested on them. She was about to log out when she noticed a stream of Elfauns flowing from the city, thousands upon thousands of them, each carrying a torch, and all of them slowly making their way out onto the plain. As they drew close, she could see they were led by a young female, a Common Elfaun.
Drawing near the Elfaun bowed low and said, “Empress, my name is Tarilan. We have come to light your way back to your people. Your conversation with the creature was overheard and has been repeated throughout the city. Just as you declared that we are your people, even if it cost your life a hundred times or more. So we declare, you are our Empress. Not because of Prophecy, nor by the ringing of an Ancient Bell, but because we choose you above all others. Even now I can see the burden of loss and responsibility lies heavy on you and I think you wish only to find a sanctuary tonight. Will you allow us this small honour; to light the way back to Dag Tarafind?”
Leah smiled, “It is I who am honoured, Tarilan. Thank you. I believe I do need your light tonight.”
Together the two walked back and through the crowd which parted before them. Once in the city, the lights led the way to her room where she slowly slumped to the ground, tears freely falling. This was how she was found some ten minutes later by Mirasçi, Zor and Haf. Zor cast a spell to cover both Lady Yar’s and Zarif’s bodies with golden domes. Haf said, “Atherleah, you need to rest before dealing with this. Come, I will show you to another room.”
Leah allowed herself to be led to a new room and as the door closed, she logged out.
When Leah arrived in the Tower, she flopped into her favourite chair and sat for a few minutes before saying, “Thanks for keeping the messages away ,Gèng. I don't think I could have coped if everything was distilled down to a set of numbers, experience points and achievements.”
“It was intense and distressing. Unfortunately, several issues require your attention. May I share them?”
“Sure Gèng, you might as well go ahead, I’m going to have to deal with them sometime.”
“First, Spectator was served a second injunction by Dunyanin’s Lawyers, and this time it was upheld. The judge granted Dunyanin twenty-four virtual hours to reach a negotiated settlement with you. After this, the matter will be referred to the Virtual Worlds Resolution Committee for immediate settlement. The Judge ruled that the excessive disruption of access to people wanting to view your feeds amounted to a breach of contract between Dunyanin and the virtual community.”
“Then why stop the broadcast?”
“Because in the initial Terms and Conditions, you signed that you accepted their right to publish achievements on the achievement forum. Their lawyers insist that this also implies an agreement to respect their decision not to publish. Due to their media ban, they have not published any achievement since you entered the Elfaun City. If the feed is shown by you, this could be understood as publishing, though in a different format, something they have decided not to publish.”
“Are Stephen and Susan holding up ok?”
“Stephen said they are having the time of their lives.”
“Good! Anything else?”
“Sharon dropped by with a few questions, but I was sure of your answers and dealt with them, I hope that is ok.”
“Absolutely!”
“John says they narrowed the area where they think your mother is down to an area with less than 10,000 possible locations. Inside the area, the Kodomans and associates have just over 500 properties. He estimates it will require a further forty-eight hours before they have the location. Associated with that, I’ve ordered some materials which we can use to fabricate a set of clothing for you, should you need to help in the liberation of Lin. It will arrive tomorrow.”
“Thanks, I’d forgotten about that. Was there anything from Thad?”
“I’m sorry, no!”
“Anything else?”
“Just to remind you, you have to visit Dr Ellis and it’s been a day and a half since you have been in Pneumatica. I received an automated message from the Brisbane Community College to remind you not to get behind with attendance. You have the final Betrayal Transition change this afternoon. Both Amy and Wisp would like to know how they can help. Susan has the meeting set up with Leon Scorsese at two thirty tomorrow morning. I have tentatively acknowledged this as acceptable, conditional on your approval. Peter has finalised the coin transfers. In total you have eight diamond available to add to your collection, twenty-three platinum and numerous smaller coins. On a side note, I did some research and although there is no record of it occurring, I see no reason why as either a landowner or as a head of state you cannot mint your own coins. Finally, if you have any other time it would be good to begin looking into Akia’s request.”
Leah sat for a minute thinking through the points made by Gèng and then with a deep sigh said, “At least I won’t be bored in the near future. Please tell Amy and Wisp that at the moment I can’t think of anything in particular but ask if either of them has played Runes of Destiny. I’m interested to know why Nathan chose that world to play in out of all the possible choices. Two thirty is fine for Leon’s interview; I assume it’ll be in the Tower but tell Susan not to forget I’ll want some assurance he is clean of compulsion. Thank Peter for the coins, ask him what he thinks is the best strategy for when to claim them. Also, run your idea past him about minting our own coins. I don’t imagine we’ll just be able to hand them out like candy, yet Namus handed his over, so check if there are any constraints in the Rules and Guidelines. I promise I’ll get to your space before lunch.”
Leah stood and made her way to the portal to Dr Ellis’ Research Lab in Academia. She could have waited until later but felt she needed a break. As she entered the large warehouse sized laboratory, she could see the same Lab assistant from the day before working at one of the smaller experimental setups. Dr Ellis was nowhere to be seen. She walked over to the assistant, and when he looked up, she said, “Hello, my name is Atherleah, I’m Dr Ellis’ newest assistant. Is Dr Ellis around?”
The man who looked to be in his early twenties said, “Oh, I know who you are. You’re the kid who’s not even finished a primary degree, and somehow the old idiot thinks you can help. I don’t know where he is and I don’t care. Since you were last here I’ve had to put up with a whole new range of insults, he’s taken what you said to heart, and it’s like he spends all his time thinking up ways to belittle and abuse me. Now beat it, come back when you’ve learned to keep your mouth shut, or better yet when you’re old enough to know something.”
Leah was taken aback by his anger and stepped away. She decided that whatever his name was he wasn’t likely to change his attitude regardless of what she said. She thought of apologising but decided not to. She wasn’t responsible for the doctor’s actions, only hers. She had Gèng send a short message to Dr Ellis to ask when would be a good time to start and then started a short lap around the lab looking at the various pieces of equipment. She tried to identify each piece and to work out what it might be used for. Before she’d finished even a tithe of the lab, Dr Ellis arrived.
He ignored the other assistant and walked up to Leah and said, “Atherleah, good of you to turn up. Now I want you to do three things today. First, shorten your name. Four syllables are too many for anyone to say all the time. Next, study the setup I’ve designed to measure the temporal change in the aether-dimension. I’ll want you to explain it to me before I can trust you to make some changes I’ve designed to be included in the next experiment. Finally, and this is always one of the tasks, I’m supposed to validate the AI assessment for my graduate class on Aether Dimensions. It’s something I can hand off to an assistant and you are chosen because the others I have are clueless. My AI has just sent you the
schematics for the setup, the validation policy and the student assessments. Okay, find an empty space somewhere and get working.”
Before she could say anything, he walked off and disappeared into his aether-dimension formation machine. Leah found an empty area about four metres square and said, “Gèng, what permissions do you have regarding world manipulation in this space?”
“It depends on the usage. Dr Ellis has given you clearance to manipulate the space to comply with a reasonable interpretation of his instructions. Nothing permanent can be constructed, and all constructs are to be reviewed by Dr Ellis’ AI for adherence to general safety and MIT policies before taking effect.”
“Fair enough. Can you isolate this section? I’d like a separate dimensional space and if possible increase the time dilation to standard virtual. In one half I’d like a virtual model of the temporal measurement set-up with rotation and scalability and on the other side a sofa to think on and a screen on which to review the assessments.”
“I will design and check if it is possible.”
Leah stood staring at the empty square for a minute and trying to make sense of all that was happening. All of a sudden the space became hazy, and then coalesced into a cube of solid matter. A door appeared and opened. Leah stepped inside and found that everything had been set up as required. Gèng said, “Everything was approved. The time dilation was only approved because all these things could, according to the AI, be completed in your own world without jeopardising Academia’s preferred learning speed.”
Leah spent an hour reviewing the machine setup and making notes. She considered possible improvements and put together a list of suggestions. The next hour and a quarter she spent reviewing the assessment. Dr Ellis only had fifteen students taking the class, and she checked each student’s work rather than the sampling required by MIT. When she’d finished, she left the space, which disappeared, and had Gèng message,Dr Ellis, to say she’d finished. Within seconds he emerged from the machine and walked toward her. She was a little disconcerted by the scowl on his face.
“Somehow I shouldn’t be surprised,” he said. “Every single assistant I’ve ever had has needed their hands held or the task re-explained. I’d hoped for better things with you but it was not to be. Let me explain, I want you to review the setup so you can explain it to me and you need to check the assessment. Which of these is hard to understand?”
Leah was annoyed at his dismissive attitude and after the day she’d had, she let her mouth run away unchecked. She said, “Neither Dr Ellis, I would remind you that you also suggested I should find a shorter name. Don’t be concerned if you forgot that, I hear people tend to forget the simple things as they get older. My friends and family call me Leah, but as you don’t seem a likely prospect for membership in either of those groups that will be no good. I had my AI do some research and Lee is a good name, simple and easy to remember. I assume it is still ok for me to use four syllables when referring to you. As to the other two requests, I apologise if it sounded like I needed clarification. If English is not your preferred language, I could send it in several others or have it translated. I have finished them!”
Dr Ellis stared at her for a moment then said, “Right then, it’s good to clear that up. Lee it is, I reckon I’ll remember that. You’re still young so four syllables shouldn’t mess you up too much, and English’ll be fine. Now come on then and explain that setup to me. Just send the review through to MIT.”
Leah had cooled down and wondered what she would be like in another fifty years, particularly if no one either understood or cared about her work. Maybe she’d be just as irritable. She said, “Dr Ellis I apologise, I let my mouth run ahead of my brain and was out of line. I didn’t show you the respect you deserve. Please call me Leah. I would recommend that you look over the review before I send it in. In it I suggest the AI has failed to grade the assessment correctly. The AI used the generally accepted aether-theories when grading. Most of your students mirrored those theories and were graded accordingly. Only one of the students expressed the answer, that I suspect, was the one you taught and explained; she was graded negatively for that. I recommended that this be amended accordingly.”
Again he stared at her, then said, “Apology accepted, Leah. But as we both know, I did deserve that. Just call me Doctor for the moment. In a while, I expect it’ll just be Tom. And you’re right; please send the assessment to me, I do need to check and okay that type of response. How much time have you got to explain the setup to me?”
“The hour is up in fifteen Academia minutes Doctor.”
“How did you do all the tasks so quickly?”
“I had my AI separate some space out and increase the time dilation to normal-virtual.”
Again he paused and said, “You can do that in here?”
Leah’s mouth almost fell open, but instead she only shook her head slightly and said, “Doctor Ellis, please don’t take this the wrong way. But this is what you do with the Aether-Dimensions. You create a dimension within a dimension. You do it in the real universe; believe me, it is so much easier to accomplish in the virtual one.”
Leah then walked to the empty area and said, “Gèng, please recreate the space.”
This time the door appeared immediately and Leah and Dr Ellis entered. Leah didn’t give him a chance to speak but moved to the model and explained how she understood it to work and then offered her suggestions. When she’d finished they exited the space, and Dr Ellis said, “Leah, it’s clear you understand the setup, you may even understand it better than I do. Next time I will need assistance with making the modifications to the virtual system. Goodbye!”
As he finished, he nodded and then walked off without waiting for a reply. Leah permitted herself a wry smile and then logged out.
Diary - 11 December 2073
‘Just a piece of code.’ I’m not sure if they were the exact words, but that was the thought that went through my head—‘She’s just a piece of code.’ I’m not sure what part of that phrase bothers me the most. I think it is the first word, the word ‘just’, but truth be told, none of the different parts of the sentence are true of Zarif. And yet they are, they are all true. She was, ‘just a piece of code’.
Maybe the problem is the way we use ‘just’, we use it to mean ‘only’ or ‘no more than’. We declare that the sum total of something is described by our words, or by one aspect of it. I think that elevating a ‘truth’ like this to the position of ‘the truth’—that has to be the biggest lie of all. I don’t mean all that nonsense like ‘that’s your truth and this is my truth’. I mean when we define the whole of something by only one part of it.
Nathan did it with mum. He said, ‘She means nothing to me.’ He was telling ‘the truth’ because he only saw one ‘truth’. He only saw her as a tool, a replaceable tool, something that could help him satisfy a need. He saw nothing else. He didn’t see a human being, a mother, a wife, a friend, a confidant, a conscience, a teacher, a guide, and a lady. It doesn’t register to him that she loves music, speaks three languages, knits, and wants to be a grandmother. He won’t see her as someone who is loved and valued. He’s closed his mind to anything beyond ‘Atherleah’s mum, the tool’.
What worries me isn’t just how easy it is to do, but also how justifiable. Meredith is just a scheming, manipulative, wicked, bitch. At the moment I can’t think of anything more 'true' than that. Am I lying to myself if that is all she is to me?
So Zarif wasn’t just a piece of code. She was a small, vulnerable, beautiful, Elfaun. She was my friend. And she was my responsibility, and that weight is almost too much to bear because I failed her. How can I be so foolish as to love a piece of code? What was she that I am thinking of her? So concerned over her? So mindful of her?
CHAPTER NINE
December 12, 2073 - Part 1
After stopping in the Tower to catch up with Gèng Leah took a twenty-minute break. Both her dad and Conner were asleep, and the guards said John was in the Pod. S
he spent a few minutes tidying the kitchen, as her brother and father were less than tidy. She wanted it to be ready when she brought her mother home. After another shower, she logged into the Tower and took the SPIDER to the Pneumatica portal.
When Leah arrived in Pneumatica she was a little disorientated at the start for she was being rocked rather violently back and forth in the hammock. She quickly got out of the hammock and stowed everything away in her air-chest. As she made her way to the Brown Room to find Master Fallon, the ship showed no evidence of the wild oscillations she’d just experienced in the hammock. As she neared the hatch to the lower level there was a loud crash and the ship once more began to sway — the Fury was under attack. Leah moved faster only to find the Brown Room closed and the door locked. She hurriedly made her way toward the Quarterdeck where she’d met the First officer and Captain. While she didn’t want to disturb them during whatever crisis faced the ship she knew someone would be able to either direct her to Mary or make use of her elsewhere.
As she arrived on the main deck, she headed aft and started to wend her way past several fully manned cannon when she saw Mary working on a semi-constructed harpoon cannon. Mary was busy tightening some large nuts to anchor the harpoon’s carriage in place. Leah said, “Master Fallon, how may I assist?”
Mary looked up and just tossed Leah a large wrench and several nuts and indicated with her chin where Leah should start working. Leah quickly got to work, and she and Mary soon had the base of the harpoon firmly anchored. Mary continued to direct Leah with grunts, chin movements and a few sparse words as they finished erecting the harpoon. A geared turntable was added to allow the harpoon to move through sixty degrees laterally; eight steel springs the length of Leah’s forearms and with a diameter of over a handspan had to be inserted around the turntable’s base to deal with the recoil of the cannon. Next was a geared cannon cradle for changing elevation. This was followed by the cannon. It was muzzleloading and attached securely to the cradle. An additional steel spring twice the size of the previous ones was inserted between the cascabel and a bracket anchored to the deck. Altogether they had been working for almost half an hour before the harpoon was finished. All this time the sound of cannon fire and the occasional crunch as the Fury was hit sounded around them.
