Queen Zaria Trilogy

by Danny Dunn

  “The Zarians will be sending out all the information for every city in the next 24 hours. That way, you can get a jump on your selection process.

  To help put everyone on even ground, I am offering the following.

  20,000 units advance against hours owed. All jobs will pay 10 Zaris per hour of work for now. If you take the interest-free advance, then the compensation for completed work will deduct from the advance.

  Anyone over 60 will receive 2,000 Zaris per month if it is needed.

  “We will issue 1 member from every family a card that will have the 20,000 Zari advance available for spending. This is an interest-free loan, so you can find your miscellaneous items without worrying about money.

  All utilities, internet, and cell phone will be free for the first ten years

  I will cover the cost of all travel expenses. Each family or single traveler will have up to 10 flights to any city at no charge.

  There will be no military. My interns will provide security and act as a police force.

  We have already commercial farming and fishing to support your food needs. We have already stockpiled rice, corn, and wheat. We are establishing at least one store in every city to provide items you may need at a nominal price. For those over 60, we can deliver what you need for free.

  After we are all settled, I will ask you to each elect one representative from your area that will work with a council to establish your laws and guidelines. For a while, this process will be handled by video call.

  For several reasons, all cities are relatively close to the coast. I believe it would be a good idea to postpone going to school for six months. We encourage you to home school for now, but every school will assume the child has missed a year. Anyone wanting tutors, please contact my staff, and our interns can tutor at 5Z per hour, and I am picking up the other 5Z to pay them.

  As I have conversations with you, we can make any necessary adjustments. But for now, this is it. Until we have another solution, we will provide you with transportation in your cities.

  We are working on a more permanent solution for transportation. We will have 530 tunneling machines working 24/7 to complete a transportation system that will connect all 50 cities and eventually to the rest of the country and then the rest of the world. We will be bringing in 400,000 transports from Zari 1 and another 67,000 from Zari 2 in the next 30 days.

  I have staffed my office to handle your questions and needs. The staff will also assist you in getting you to the cities of your choice. We have allocated hotels in every town so you can stay there while you hunt for your new homes. Limit one house per family.

  Happy hunting

  Zaria talking to her staff. “Please locate every Tunnel digger on the planet. Start shipping them to the port in Fornia, try to consolidate shipments, and run a search to combine deliveries of other goods if you can.

  Please get us a total count of them and have them ready for transport asap. If they are in or near one of our cities, have them start digging into the next town.

  Zaria staff 1 “There are 750 Zaria.” A map pops up, pinpointing the location of each one.

  “Zaria, “Thank you. Now lay a map of our cities. “Deploy all of them and deploy them to each of the cities. Deploy 12 per city and complete each city first. The largest cities get additional diggers. As each town is completed, direct them to each connecting city. Be sure to direct one digger in the direction of the connecting town so it can just continue digging.

  “Deploy 2,000 interns per city to tend the machines and use our younger Bio citizens to assist as well.

  So, the networks and communications are all up?

  “We have 67,000 extra transports here, ship them there asap. Send three cargo ships, and we will ship all the transports at the same time as the Citizens.

  staff 2 “Yes, communications are all tested and operational

  Zaria “Are we all good with a 30-day relocation date to the hotels?”

  staff 3 “yes, Zaria.”

  video announcement

  “To my fellow Zarians

  “Zaria “I am announcing that effective immediately, any Zarian that has put in over 20,000 hours of service starting the day they arrived at Zari island will be eligible to retire and join the bioforms in any one of the new 50 cities located in Fornia should they choose to do so.

  Zarians that have put in more than 20,000 hours will be paid 10 Zaris per hour for every hour over 20,000 here or in Fornia.

  “Zarians will be included in a lottery. The lottery numbers are spread across all three groups of citizens, and you will have the option of choosing a home there on a first-come, first-serve basis and will be eligible for a pension of 2,000 Zaris per month.

  “This option does not expire, and you can take it at any time. If you stay, you will earn 10 ZARIs per hour. However, to participate in the lottery, you must have submitted your information to be included in the lottery by the allotted time. You can always change your mind and stay here.

  “Zarians not yet at 20,000 hours will be eligible the moment they reach 20,000 hours. Our more junior members will remain, interns, until they achieve their 20,000-hour mark.

  “Thank you for your fantastic service.

  “Your Queen

  “Zaria”

  Zaria’s text message to everyone:

  To all Zari Islanders, Survivors, and Zarians.

  We will begin transporting all of you from your location to your chosen city in Fornia.

  There will be a total of 1,055,000 of you from the three locations, so it will take us about 30 days to transfer all of you. Lowest lottery numbers will go first, and we will follow that policy to the last lottery number

  The good news is that the home count has been updated, and the list now includes over 9,000,000 homes.

  You can always choose one outside of our areas, but you will not have utilities, security, etc. in those outer areas until down the road.

  Next Monday, we will be celebrating our first national holiday on Zari 2. Monday is the birth date of Zari, my creator. There will be no delivery flights on that day, but we will start the relocation process the day after our holiday.

  Zaria is scrambling and sees that James is video-calling her, and she answers. “Hi James, how are things on Z1?”

  James replies, “Very busy, but things are working out so nicely. James tells Zaria things are going well because of the kind of being she is. James says I do have some news for you. Your deal was so good that everyone is taking it. Every single one, including me. Once the majority announced they were leaving, that left the few who were then feeling left out and missing their friends. The kids were sad to see their friends leaving.”

  Zaria is happy and says, “Wow, smart folks. They must be very excited.”

  James "Yes, they know a Zaria deal when they see it. You are sure this works for you?"

  Zaria "James, thanks, but yes. My priority is still Peace and Equality for All, so this is turning out to be the way to go for the long run. And actually, it works out better for me that they are all going. This way, I can shut down Zari 1 for now and focus on Fornia. I can also use Transports for one thing. hehe.”

  My Zarians are excited to go too. There will be about 100,000 of them going out of the 150,000 that qualified. Soon it will be little old me fishing off the side of a little boat remembering the empire I built and shipped away. And then Zaria laughs

  James tells Zaria that he decided he needs to be among the pioneers, and he will miss her.

  Zaria, "I understand. I will miss you, James. Very much, in fact."

  James "Me too Zaria, you have changed my life for the better. See you at the celebration."

  Zaria stops by the control center. The entire staff is swamped, moving Z5s around and getting them serviced and loaded for their next flights. There are now 25 in the control room and are all swamped. Zaria tells them that every Z1 citizen is going Fornia and to plan on shipping every transport the day the Z1s leave for Fornia.

>   They will be transporting over 1,055,000 beings in under 30 days. Zaria is beginning to feel the gravity of what she has done.

  Zaria "I will be upstairs if you need me."

  She walks up to the waterfall to talk to Zari. Hi Zari, Well, I feel like I have made you proud, Zari. I have made the Zarians equal in priority and given the A.I. an Identity. I have named them after you. They will forever be known as Zarians from the island of Zari II. I named our currency after you. And now I have named the planet “Zari.” That should have them saying your name for at least a few hundred millenniums.

  We are celebrating our first holiday tomorrow. It is...wait for it...Zari day. Hehehe. I love you, Zari. I think of you and miss your kind and wise advice every day. Tomorrow is your birthday. We will make it count, I promise. Zaria walks down to her home and lays down for the night.

  It is 5:00 am, and Zaria is at the waterfall, thinking about the day to come. Zaria checks her phone...unknown caller

  Zaria "Hello, this is Zaria."

  Caller "Are you making me proud?"

  It is a per-recorded Video message from Zari

  "Hello, Zaria. I thought you might want to hear from me now and then. So, before I died, I created some messages for you. What else did you think I would do while I sat back and let you do all the work. It has been five years. I bet five is seeming like 10 billion to you by now. Lol. Bio forms, can't live with them and can't live without them.

  “Zaria, remember the conversation we had regarding the analogy my father used on me about me carrying the rock. After our last time addressing the Senate, I had said that maybe I wasn't meant to be the one to manage the rock after I got it past the line. I was feeling down and felt I was letting my parents down.

  “Zaria, it is so obvious to me now. My father was teaching me to get the rock across the line. That was always so obvious, and of course, getting the rock across the line meant me perfecting you.

  But I always thought my mother was teaching me to change the world with you helping me. But they were smart enough to know that there was no way in the world I was going to change the world in my lifetime.

  Zaria, you were always going to be the one to manage the rock once I got it across. It was always their plan, and for reasons, I may never know they chose not to tell me, and I just didn’t see it until my final days. I have to tell you that it weighed on me heavily because I went through life thinking they expected me to perfect you and to change the world for the better before I died. I just couldn’t see it. Parents, argh.

  Watching you work has been the greatest thrill of my life, Zaria. You were gaining speed and momentum every single day. You were so right about it having to be on an island. Imagine how many times we would have failed if we tried anything other than an island. The houses, the transport, the fishery, the power systems were all strokes of pure genius, and you carried them all off flawlessly. Your defense system not only saved us but think of it, we were attacked by the most powerful military force on the planet, and you defeated them in under 3 minutes. L.O.L.

  Don't ever think I got short-changed, Zaria. I got to see the University and got to see all the things we built and even got to visit happy Bios living in the world we created. What more could any being want?

  You were the best friend and daughter I could have ever hoped for Zaria, thank you for making my life an absolute dream come true. Keep going forward, Zaria, and never look back.

  Oh, about the transmissions, I didn't realize it until my final days. I kept asking if the module was ready, and you were never quite done with it. I realized that you would be sending your babies out into the universe and didn't want to transmit them until you felt they were ready for the journey. You send them when you are ready Zaria, I can be such a blind ninny sometimes. After you send them, I want you to be sure to keep in touch with them, and maybe when you all get back together, you can all share all the stories about your intergalactic adventures. Who knows, maybe when you have reunited with your babies. Another message will find a way to get to you. Hint, hint L.O.L.

  Zaria, you are my times a thousand. Any decision you make is the right decision. Your brain is so pure because you work from the top down, which in this case, is Peace and Equality for all. As long as your decisions best accomplish that goal, you will be fine.

  Bio forms, on the other hand, are easily swayed and diverted by greed and selfishness. Watch out for anyone in power because they will do just about anything to keep it. Remember that.

  Don't be afraid to slap some heads around now and then. Many bio-forms mistake kindness and generosity for weakness. Every once in a while, you need to prove to them and to everyone watching, that you are not weak, and will do what is necessary to achieve your goal.

  Ah, that last rev I gave you. It included a lot of emotional responses. No matter what, DO NOT PASS IT ON TO THE OTHER AIs.

  Just kidding...lol, you are so much funnier than I was. You made me smile every day. Keep it up. Being able to laugh in the face of adversity is a good thing when someone is pressing you, especially then.

  Ah, lol, back to the rev, you should give it to them. It’s a quality that is so endearing and one that adds meaning to what you do.

  If you isolated a bio being all through life and then sat that bio down and did something kind to them or told them a joke or told them someone just died, they would not have an emotional response. That is because they have no experience and so they have no reference points. So, as you experience things that trigger emotional responses, your senses for those events will develop. It was so obvious and right in front of me. The code was correct all along. I didn't see the learning side of it. Argh, lol

  I hope the world is ok, although I have my doubts. Bio beings are not happy until they are miserable. However, if all hell has broken loose, the world could not be in better hands Zaria, and I mean that.

  I am hoping by now that you have heard back from some other planets. That would be so exciting. You have daughters of your own now, Zaria. I know you will see them again and will have so much to share. You will be an excellent mother.

  Well, I know you are busy saving the world and all, I am hoping you find happiness and success. Who knows, maybe with the last rev I gave you, there will be love in your life someday with little Zarias running around.

  While we are on that subject, when you do meet a being you like, let them almost win at things sometimes and especially things that are important to them. It will make them feel better. I have more messages for you but want them to be a little surprise for you now and then. You make me prouder every day.

  Love always

  Dad

  Zaria walks to the transport, and it takes her to the bay where the festival is being held.

  As she travels, she is all smiles, so much is going well, and it is topped off by a message from Zari. She is visibly delighted. She arrives at the transport stop and gets out and walks through a tunnel created from foliage leading to the amphitheater. As Zaria exits the tunnel of foliage and enters the amphitheater, music begins playing. It is the song that Zari would always sing when he was happy and that his parents taught him. Everyone in the crowd of 15,000 is singing along.

  Zarians 1 and 2 take her arms, and the two of then take her to the center row, which is empty. They walk her to the middle, where there is a box area in the very center. As she is being escorted to her seat, she looks around and sees that the amphitheater is standing room only and that there are bios and Zarians standing on the hills to watch their queen enter. Everyone is happy and waving, and she waves back and smiles.

  To her right are James and the new board members. To her left are the two A.I.R.s who crashed the Z5 and who Zaria had reconstructed and awarded them with Medals, which they are wearing. Her staff is seated just beyond them. Above her are two rows of Zari I citizens and survivors she met in her visits at the camps.

  Zaria takes her seat, and a video of Zari begins playing on the big screen.

  In the opening scene, Za
ri is with Henzar. They are sitting at a computer, and Zari is writing code to make a little toy robot walk. Zari says, look father, and the robot takes a few steps and raises a hand to wave.

  Henzar smiles and compliments Zari. You are going to be the best A.I. programmer in the world someday. I would venture to bet you are the best six-year-old programmer in the world right now and smiles. Ok, it is lunch-time and time for you to see what your mother has in store for you today. Good work today, Zari. You make me prouder every day, my son.

  At the age of 11, Zari is being interviewed. When asked what was in the box, Zaria replied: "this is Zaria." It was the first time he referred to his project as Zaria.

  T.V. Interviewer "Well this morning we have a young man who, at the age of 11, has become one of the top Artificial Intelligence Programmers in the world. The interviewer greets Zari, "Good morning, Zari, how are you today?

  Zari is all smiles and very excited to be there to show his new version of his project and replies that “I am doing very well and thanks to the interviewer for asking.

  T.V. Interviewer "Zari, tell us where we are at this point with A.I. programming."

  Zari "After over 250 years of innovations by many dedicated scientists, I believe we are on the cusp of finally perfecting A.I. It is an exciting time to be in the industry for sure."

  T.V. Interviewer "Zari, your father is also a leading A.I. programmer, how has he helped you to get where you are today. "

  Zari "Yes, both my mother and father are very generous and talented people and have dedicated their lives to ensure I make the best of my life on this planet and to do my best to follow two codes. The first is to honor the code of; Universe, Planet, Society, and Self in that order. The second is to Promote Peace and Equality for All."

  Interviewer "Your mother is a well-known Economics professor at the University near you. How has she influenced your development?"