by A I Zlato
Egeon sank in personal thoughts. Iris knew that her future depended on his decision, and nervousness spread in her. She could not say anything more to convince him that she had not already mentioned. She could not prove her good faith, unless...
“I can show you what I can do. I can redo the calculations, I can...”
“Iris, I accept your help to build the shuttle. In terms of you coming along with us, we’ll see. As for Mossa... I’ll take care of him.”
“What about Eric?”
“Huh? Yes, yes, he can stay. I guess, anyway, there is no question of separating both of you...”
“No, actually.”
Iris realized that she had not let go of Eric’s hand during the conversation. She turned toward him, and smiled. She saw in his eyes how she was different from the girl he fell in love with a few weeks earlier. This profound change, instead of steering them away from each other, brought them together even more.
What exactly had she become? She did not know herself. Her two memories gave her the vision of two worlds so different yet so similar. The Machine was at the center of each of the spaces, and extended its grip on all humankind. Her future — their future — was elsewhere; an elsewhere where everything would be possible.
The end and the beginning are two aspects of the same problem. They are nothing but the limits of the mind that prevent one from seeing infinity.
Lessons of Chaacetime
CHAPTER 64
SPACE H. (OUTSIDE CIRCLE)
Egeon stared as Iris and Eric walked away. He let them back into the city for the same reason he chose to release Iris the first time. He did not want to draw the Machine’s attention, hoping that these two would not talk... He turned to Galatea. He had almost regained his composure, and he needed to talk to his wife to make the right decisions.
He sat on the floor and laid his head in her hands. He could not remember how things were before; before Iris, before Mossa, when the project was his only concern. Like everybody in the community, he grew up steeped in the collective dream, the promise of a life elsewhere. He even began to hope that he would be part of the first Shuttle Generation; the one that would embark and admire the planet from space as well as the interstellar void dotted here and there with stars. He dreamed more and more of that moment when he would close the shuttle’s main door, when the vessel would bustle in every compartment. Everything was possible; he could succeed. Take off to Hope, the beautiful rocky planet around Alpha Centauri.
Hope was obviously not habitable as it was, but the necessary Earthization would not take more than 30 years, according to Ceti, Head of Earthization. His team, newly formed, was created when Galatea had chosen the planet. Ceti and ten people were developing the necessary earthisation stages. The very creation of this team was proof that the project was in its final phase. Ceti was an enthusiastic young man, extremely intelligent and competent. He accepted without hesitation this promotion to department head, and worked day and night.
In parallel, Teo and Alea worked together to make sure the shuttle prepared its residents as best as possible for the new living conditions on Hope. With the data Galatea had provided, Alea had imagined a gradual change in the artificial gravity inside the spacecraft, along with the atmospheric pressure and the composition of the air. That way, the last generation would be prepared at best, and the shock of change would be less important. Teo had made the changes accordingly in the ultraF, not without having cursed at first.
Everything was on track; the dream was within reach; well, that was if one excluded Mossa from the picture, and also Iris.
Mossa, the hybrid partly covered with microprocessors, retained a handful of faithful supporters, who saw in him the long-awaited prophet, who was the Link and the Break. He remained a large disturbance force. Moreover, these interventions in the building created a stir. He thus suggested using kandrons as translators. Egeon, Alea and Teo had discussed things at length to weigh the pros and cons. After many evenings aimed at making simulations on the changes to the shuttle and discussions with Eutrope, the kandron, through Mossa, Egeon had made a decision.
The kandrons would come along, the benefits of their presence being more important than the disadvantages in his view. Thanks to Eutrope, Egeon understood that kandrons had the ability to put themselves in dormant mode for a long period. Teo thus could foresee a giant dormitory for all kandrons, except the one that would stay awake for the whole trip. Nevertheless, there remained that compartment to build, with minimal impact to the hull, so as not to extend the deadline too much. Egeon and Teo had resumed plans, and trimmed in certain areas to add that section. They also had to change everything else to account for the size of the kandron that would remain awake. Teo, after having grumbled and raised all possible problems, had set to work and announced that changes would not take more than five years. The completion of the shuttle thus would be in 15 years, which was still reasonable.
All this was before Iris’s remarks.
He had not expected to see her again, but once more, she had crossed the forest to see them, this time with her boyfriend. She said Mossa had misled them from the beginning. Should she believe Mossa or Iris? Egeon was responsible for the community, and even more responsible for the success of the project. He had to make the right decisions, choosing between the two teenagers. One of them was telling the truth. In deciding, he would again rely on Galatea. He knew that a discussion with his wife would help him consider all aspects of the problem; to see things from a different angle. He looked at her and realized that she was waiting, smiling; that she was available. She never interrupted him when he was deep in thought, knowing he needed solitude sometimes.
Whenever possible, he was grateful to her for that attitude. Where others would have compelled him to talk, pushing him even further into silence, Galatea simply would wait for him to emerge from his reverie. He rose and took her in his arms, enjoying the touch of her body as well as her spirit.
“What do you think, Galatea? Is she telling the truth?”
“You mean did Mossa attempt to contact the Machine through her?”
“Among other things.”
“That is Iris’s belief, and I think she is sincere. But that does not mean it was Mossa’s will. Everything is new for her. She was invaded by a memory that is not her; a memory from a hybrid of another space. She may have simply misunderstood his intentions.”
“Maybe, but what about all of Mossa’s memories, according to which he had deceived us; the fact that he did not really want to help us?”
“That was certainly true in the beginning when he arrived. Remember, Egeon, he was a terrified child, landed in an unknown universe, surrounded by people he did not understand and who did not understand him. It is normal to think that he wanted at all costs to go back home.”
“But Iris said that...”
“She’s an angry teenager. She probably focused on those of Mossa’s memories displaying a similar feeling.”
“So you’re defending them both!”
“I say that there are several ways to interpret a memory, especially if it is not yours. Iris seems sincere; the anxiety she manifested for us was real. Furthermore, I say that Mossa helped us a lot in building the shuttle, and we cannot sweep away everything he brought us simply because Iris had told us a certain vision of his memories.”
“So I guess everything is fine then! Iris is sincere, but wrong about the intentions of Mossa, who is a very helpful guy!”
“Egeon, anger is useless.”
“I’m not angry!!!! I’m under pressure! I must make a decision for the good of the community!”
“And for you, the decision necessarily entails a kind of choice between these two teenagers?”
“Yes!! I agree that you’re right, in part, that the two views are not as contradictory as they sound. But either Mossa is sincere, and we must manage the ‘Iris problem’, or Iris is telling the truth, and we must take care of the ‘Mossa problem’?”
; “Everything is not always black or white...”
“So what do you suggest? Do nothing and wait to see what will happen? Have an army of city people land here? Have Mossa join the Machine? That we become the generation that caused the failure of the project?”
“Do you really believe that the project is less important to me than it is to you? I’ve worked on Hope for days since we officially chose it! And before that, I spent years observing, resuming calculations, again, again and again to choose this planet!”
“Sorry, I... Sorry. My anger was not meant for you.”
“I know. I am aware of the burden of responsibility you carry. I am your ally, you know, not your enemy,” said Galatea, reaching out to her husband.
“Yes, we are allies... Thank you.” He took a short break before resuming.
“There is one thing. Mossa also told us that, during the reprogramming of the chip, he had sent Iris other information to make her capable of influencing the behavior of everyone who had a chip in the city. According to him, she could well remove from anyone’s mind the idea of crossing the forest... and seeing us. Iris said nothing of that. Did she want to hide something from us? Or did Mossa overestimate his reprogramming capabilities?”
“Probably neither.”
“That is to say?”
“Mossa certainly did what he said he did; anyway, that’s what he believed. The program he has included in Iris’s chip, he has drawn from his knowledge, but especially the culture of his space. He hardly knows anything about city residents, the city of Space H., except what he had been told... that is to say, not much. He certainly had made a perfect program to control the inhabitants of Space O... but not those living here. The program did not work as expected...”
“You mean he had actually inserted the program, as he said, but the consequences...”
“Exactly. Iris said it well. For her, Mossa wanted to transmit only certain information; however, he had actually transferred all his memories quite unintentionally.”
“What about this story about influencing other people’s chips?”
“Hard to say if she really has that ability or not. We have no chips, so we are immunized against that potential capacity.”
“Yes, but not the people of the city. If she really had that ability, nothing would prevent thousands of people from flocking here, and ransacking all we have built, and then enslaving us to the Machine.”
“You’re right in theory. Except that Iris is a teenage rebel, who wants, above all, to flee the Machine. What she endured when outside the Machine’s influence the first times is proof of her determination.”
“Yeah, but...”
“Egeon, you just heard her, as I did. What she wants is to leave. She has no interest in sending people from the city all the way here.”
“Perhaps. But then, from the beginning, I was also wary of Mossa, and I was right. What about Iris? I don’t trust her.”
“The opposite would have been amazing... Let’s take things in order, and let’s go and talk to Mossa. Even better, let’s organize a general gathering for everyone to hear what Iris told us, and what he has to answer for the charges.”
He agreed. The community had a right to know. The decision was too important to come from only him; everyone should be aware of the facts in order to suggest ideas. Together, they would find the right solution.
Egeon summoned all people, through the ultraF, which transmitted the notification to each network node. He announced that he had an important topic to communicate. The announcement spread quickly, and people gathered, leaving their work behind. Egeon peeked at the assembly, ensuring that everybody was there. The last stragglers came running. He took a deep breath, and spoke. He told them about Iris; Mossa’s memory completely moved into her chip; the defects of the shuttle that he may have concealed; his desire to return home thanks to the Machine... He did not mention Iris’s request to help in the construction project in exchange for a seat on the shuttle. Following his wife’s advice, Egeon addressed one subject at a time, and he wanted first to introduce the ‘Mossa problem’.
Murmurs percolated into the assembly. First whispers, then voices, came out, asking Mossa to respond to the charges. The hybrid, who stood behind Egeon, stepped forward and spoke.
“I told you I had changed her chip so that the Machine would not access her memories, and I did. The evidence was that there had been no response from the Machine so far. If it had learned of your existence — our existence — you can imagine that it would have acted immediately.
I told you that I had introduced a barrier to prevent her from telling what she had seen, and I did. The proof is the group of friends she mentioned did not come here. If she had been able to tell them her story, as she might have been tempted to, it is certain that curiosity would have pushed that little posse, but they did not come.”
“She was still able to talk to her fiancé; otherwise, why would he follow her?” someone asked in the audience.
“You mean why would a boy follow the girl he loves? He certainly did not want any explanation... especially as she has the ability to influence him through her chip. Remember I told you that I had given her the ability to influence the behavior of all city residents by controlling their chip... and I did; that’s proof.”
Egeon felt that Mossa was managing to rally the crowd behind him in a ploy that was too easy for his taste. Faced with a subject of such importance, he could not let this charismatic talker get away that effortlessly, and he intervened.
“So you want us to take your word at face value... Indeed, you’re right that the Machine did not show up here; however, the fact that Iris’s friends did not come does not mean anything. They may have found her story irrelevant, or simply they may have decided to come a little later... And you say that Eric’s arrival proves that your chip control algorithm is operational, but it could as well be evidence that Iris was able to tell her story to someone.”
“In other words, you would rather believe a girl you met two days, rather than me, who have been living with you for a while now?” Mossa asked.
“A girl who inherited all of your memories...” said Egeon.
“That’s what she claims!”
“Mossa, she told us about the shuttle, its construction and details that only someone who has lived among us for a while could know.”
“She cannot understand my memories; she is too... too silly to do that!”
Mossa was losing his cool. The balls of microprocessors on his forearms pulsated an electromagnetic field while changing color according to the stream.
“OK. She cannot understand. How do you explain what she said?”
“I’m not trying to explain. I told you the truth, and the evidence is there to show that I am sincere. Now, if you would rather believe her rather than me...”
“That’s not the point,” said Galatea, “but try to understand us. We are worried about our project; it represents all our life’s work, all for which we have toiled every day. The idea that people can find us and nullify our shuttle, it’s just... unbearable.”
“I understand your concern, even if I only started working on this project a few weeks ago. I also want to protect this shuttle at any cost.”
“Really? What about the memories that Iris shared with us regarding the flaws that you have identified and that you never intended to disclose to us? Tell me where my mistakes are, if any!!” Teo entered the discussion.
“Many things may not work. We try to anticipate the unexpected and to evaluate the probability of occurrence of this or that problem... but nothing is certain. What Iris told you is true. I asked myself questions. I did not tell you because I have no certainties, and we cannot consider all the cases, otherwise we risk needlessly complicating the security system structure on security systems. So, yes, I did not say everything, but, no, I hid nothing from you.”
“No certainties... nothing is certain...” the crowded repeated.
“You are our guide! You ha
ve to know! You have to tell us!” someone shouted.
“I don’t owe you anything. Stop clinging on to me like a mold on a rock!” Mossa got angry.
“A what?” Egeon enquired.
“A mold! A rock! An ocean! Whatever! I did not hide anything from you! You cannot blame me for not sharing all my questions with you! You have been working on this project for decades, and I’ve been doing this for a few weeks only. You cannot blame me for not knowing everything!”
“You cannot be our prophet,” someone said.
These words permeated the crowd, and many people nodded. The few diehard Mossa believers were dismayed, but also nodded. Within a few moments, he was no longer the Messiah for anybody.
People were depressed and shocked. It was needless to prolong the discussion; to know whether or not Mossa had truly committed to their project. In trying to explain things, he showed believers his pettiness. Many people had already been doubting his capacities, and that discussion had made them see the real Mossa and how little he was. Now Mossa would be nothing but a stranger living among them; one voice among many, not deserving of attention. He had banished himself.
Displaying assuredness, Egeon hailed the crowd.
“Wait! OK, Mossa is not the Prophet. I will not say that I understand your disappointment, because everyone knows that I’m an unbeliever; however, I feel your pain. I really do. Iris, while coming here, had a different purpose than revealing Mossa’s intentions. She wanted to offer her services... as a recipient of the hybrid’s full knowledge base, she wants two seats on the shuttle, for herself and her friend. What do you think?”
Voices were raised.
“You want to bring aboard people of the city?”
“You want to take a part of the Machine along with us?”
“What do we do with Mossa?”
“What if we don’t take Iris along? Will she tell the Machine about us?”
