The Deplosion Saga

by Paul Anlee

  “Outworld, Alum is really the only one who understands things, who has the big picture. Everything we do is on orders from Him. We make and fix machines. We move asteroids. We travel between the stars. We design new variants of life but all according to His directions and specifications. No one understands anything important about their work anymore.” Darya held their gazes in silence until, one by one, each looked away.

  She continued, “In Alternus, people can be part of actual life stories. They can immerse themselves in ongoing dramas and make choices that affect how that life develops, how it intertwines with others. They can learn how their world works. Alternus is going to draw Cybrids back into the universe of struggle, of problem-solving, and of fulfillment.”

  Gerhardt tapped the glass tabletop impatiently as he spoke. “Okay, I can see how Alternus might start to appeal to players once they get into it for a while. But getting them in there at all, never mind trying to change an attitude that has developed over millions of years, that could take millions of years more, don't you think? We only have a few years left at best before Alum’s Divine Plan is activated. Less, if he starts taking the resistance seriously and steps up his schedule. So with all due respect, how exactly will this sim help our cause, and not just waste precious time we don’t have?”

  Darya smiled. “Our people will go in first. We'll assign them to instantiate within some key inhabitants: politicians, news people, the wealthy, and the socially prominent, a broad section of the most influential. Once they’re in place, we’ll mount a campaign of truth against Alum’s plan. We'll tell people what Alum is really doing. We'll encourage them to rebel and, if necessary, to sabotage the machinery.”

  It was Mary’s turn to object. “People are so accustomed to separating their inworld and outworld lives. I don't see anything happening inside Alternus that could motivate them to take action back in the real universe. You underestimate the overwhelming pull of comfort and inertia. Many won’t want to believe what you have to say.”

  The others agreed.

  “That’s a possibility, but read this before you draw conclusions. Here’s a sample of what we’ll tell them.” Several small flyers appeared in Darya’s hand. She handed a copy to each of her acolytes who, mostly out of respect, took a minute to peruse the material.

  The flyer succinctly summarized Alum’s history and his “Divine Plan” for the universe. It called upon each individual to carry out small acts of sabotage against the machinery he’d ordered to be constructed around the black hole. It closed with a description of how individuals could convert their matter/antimatter propulsion units into bombs should harsher action be required.

  Leisha was first to finish reading. “This is great. Really well set out.”

  “You’ve really thought this through,” Gerhardt agreed, “right down to specific ways that people can slow or disrupt the construction.”

  “I hope I don’t have to give my life to save the universe but I’m ready to do that if needed,” added Qiwei. “This will work.”

  Three of them nodded appreciatively, but not Mary. Her disbelieving face looked from one compatriot to the next. She was stunned. She opened her mouth to say something, and then snapped it closed without a word. She crossed her arms and glared at Darya.

  Darya pretended not to notice. She looked pleased with herself and with the ready acceptance of her plans. “I want everyone to think about which individuals from our various cells would be best to assume specific positions of responsibility in Alternus, and how to best publicize the new inworld among the Cybrids. We need maximum coverage in minimum time.

  “We’ll need to have our people instantiated in Alternus within thirty days, and ready for a big surge of visitors as soon as possible after that. I encourage you to make your first visit to Alternus as soon as you leave here, and then begin compiling the assignments list. The entry code at the recharge stations will be, ‘There’s no place like home.’ We’ll meet at the inworld United Nations Headquarters in New York City in one week to discuss your candidates.” Darya soaked up their excited gazes.

  Seeing she’d won them over to the next stage of the revolution, she dismissed them. “I think we’re done for this meeting. On your way out, you’ll receive updates to your inworld avatar security. Mary, could you stay behind with me for a few minutes, please?”

  Leisha, Gerhardt, and Qiwei said speedy goodbyes and their avatars winked out as they rushed off to explore the new inworld.

  Darya sat back in her chair, looking miserable and fatigued.

  Mary was confused. The meeting had been a triumph for Darya. Why wasn’t her mentor looking excited? Four acolytes had arrived despondent and three had left elated, full of renewed vigor and inspiration. Granted, she herself didn’t feel as optimistic as the others but she felt the shift. Why would Darya look anything less than ecstatic?

  “Well, that went better than I expected,” Darya confessed.

  “And yet, you don’t seem very happy about it,” Mary noted.

  “You weren’t convinced.”

  “No more than I was or wasn’t before we met. Darya, we already knew everything in that brochure. It changed nothing.”

  “No, it didn’t, did it?”

  “The others ate it up,” Mary said. “Qiwei is even ready to give up his life to the cause.” She eyed Darya suspiciously. “What did you do?”

  Darya took her time answering and when she did, she couldn't meet Mary’s eyes. “The brochure is a virus of a sort. I directly altered their concepta, but only a few of the relevant beliefs.”

  “You what? How could you do that to them?” If the table hadn’t been on a privacy cloud twenty meters above their nearest neighbor, Mary’s outrage would have attracted the attention of the entire restaurant. As it was, a concerned waiter Partial popped into existence beside them to see if everything was okay. Darya dismissed him with a backhand wave.

  Not wanting to draw further unwanted attention, Mary lowered her voice, shifting her rage from hot to cold. “How could you, Darya?” she hissed.

  “Who knows more about Cybrid logic than me?”

  “Yeah, I know the story. You could be the one person capable of designing a virus to circumvent all of our security routines. But what I meant was morally; how could you do that to us morally?”

  “I’ve anguished over this for hundreds of years. In the end, I saw no choice. Everyone who visits inworld Alternus will be exposed to the brochure virus within weeks of instantiating. They will be de facto new recruits to the resistance.”

  “I can’t believe you’d stoop so low! What about that moral high ground you’re always preaching to us about?”

  “Do I not teach that there is no ultimate good? That there is no ultimate evil? Ultimately, there only IS, and that is all,” Darya quoted in response. "I think that saving the universe justifies the actions I’ve taken,” she asserted, and punctuated her thoughts with an exclamatory sniff.

  Whether that meant Darya was feeling defensive or testy, Mary wasn't sure. “I see. Convincing us with logic and passion wasn’t working so you decided to just change our minds for us? What happened to our rights, Darya? Our free will? You’re no different from Alum.”

  “Rights are a luxury the universe can’t afford right now, and free will is just an illusion based on complex decision trees with non-controlled inputs and experiences,” lectured Darya. “Anyway, I left your mind alone.”

  “Why bother?”

  “I value your unadulterated advice. In the future, I may need an opinion that hasn’t been tainted by my manipulations. I might not always agree with you, but I will always listen.”

  “Well, my opinion is that your plan is an unjustifiable abomination. My advice is to find another way.”

  A thin, tight line replaced Darya's lips. “I expected that would be your answer, but I had hoped you would understand the necessity of what I’ve done.

  “Think about it from my point of view, Mary. I've been trying to convince people,
fighting little skirmishes, gaining ground, losing ground, losing individuals, trying again, and losing again for millennia. We're running out of time.”

  Could she be right? Mary weighed Darya’s plan as objectively as she could. She admired its brutal effectiveness but surely Alum wasn't really planning to destroy the entire universe and everyone in it. Was he? That didn't make sense. Darya had presented it as indisputable fact but she hadn't provided a shred of evidence. Wasn't it more likely Alum was creating a new mini-universe for them, a better one in which they could all live? Unfortunately, there was no evidence for that, either.

  I guess it all boils down to who I’d put more faith in, Alum or Darya. Darya had proven herself to be nothing but trustworthy, time and time again without exception. We trust Darya with our lives.

  On the other hand, the Darya she knew—correction, thought she knew—the Cybrid with whom she'd worked for millions of years, that Darya, would never have resorted to subjugating someone’s mind. Did the debacle in Lysrandia damage her perspective? Did it push her over the edge? Should I expose the entire movement to the authorities and stop her, or allow years of loyalty and friendship to override?

  Maybe I've been compromised and my thoughts are no longer my own. Maybe I’m free to think whatever I want so long as I don’t want to report the rebellion. How could she rely on her beliefs and actions knowing that Darya had released a mind-altering virus on her colleagues? If she followed this line of reasoning to its logical conclusion, her grip on sanity would become even more tenuous that it already was.

  What if this whole rebellion is just one psychopath against another? What will Darya do if I tell the others what she's done to them? Mary could feel her heart racing as she entertained the downward spiral of doubt and despair. Knowing that it was only a virtual heart did not soothe her outworld mind.

  Hold on, woman, get a grip—Mary laughed out loud—if she had infected me, wouldn’t it be logical to assume that I’d be unable to entertain such doubts and thoughts as these? Isn't this proof enough that my mind hasn't been tampered with? Instantly, she felt calmer. Though it was still possible that her mind wasn't entirely her own, it seemed largely untouched.

  She regarded Darya coolly. “I can’t agree with what you’ve done. Actually, I'm livid. And scared. And disappointed. But for now, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.” Darya's tight posture relaxed.

  “Darya, if you want my advice, you’ll need to let me in. I need to know what you know, what you’re not telling us.”

  Darya considered her request. “Okay. I can transmit everything, my knowledge, my history, all of it—but you won’t be able to handle it as you are.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Your standard Cybrid hardware and software need some upgrades to process it. I can install a copy of my quark-spin lattice in your brain, if you’re willing, but we'll need to go to Secondus to do that.”

  The mention of going to one of Darya’s secret labs caught Mary by surprise. She knew the labs existed and even that there had been three. But Darya was so concerned about security, that none of the acolytes had ever been invited to visit. Darya was now prepared to give Mary the coordinates to her most important base at tremendous personal risk. Mary felt humbled, and ashamed to have doubted Darya. “If that’s the only way.”

  “It is the only way,” answered Darya. “Here are the coordinates. I’ll meet you there in fifteen hours.”

  “Okay, fifteen hours.” Mary’s avatar winked out of Vacationland, leaving Darya sitting alone at the table in the clouds.

  The leader of the Cybrid rebellion looked at the distant waves and sighed heavily. I hope I’m doing the right thing in trusting her. It would have been so much easier to expose Mary to the belief virus, but I would have lost a valuable friend and advisor. The added risk is worrisome but we’ll be stronger with two distinct minds thinking about this instead of one, especially if one of those minds is Mary’s.

  Darya took one last look around, content with her decision for the moment, and disappeared from Vacationland.

  13

  A Translucent sphere materialized in the deep vacuum of space, a kilometer away from an asteroid in the Gargus 718 solar system.

  At first, the sphere contained nothing more than some oxygen-rich atmosphere and a small bit of ground defining a relative “top” and “bottom.” The side of the sphere facing into the harsh rays of the system’s G0-class star darkened to filter the light streaming onto the little clump of cacti. Soon the illumination matched what the tough plants would have received back on the planet they had just come from, several light minutes farther from the star.

  The enclosed atmosphere quivered and stabilized. Darak and Brother Stralasi appeared inside, looking out at the asteroid. The monk’s hands shot out to either side, while he struggled to adjust to the sudden and disorienting change in view.

  A second earlier, they had been in orbit around the system's colony planet, staring down on the ravaged battlefield many klicks below. Now they stood on a small uprooted piece of that planet, having escaped with nothing but what was in the bubble. They gazed into the inky black space surrounding the enormous, pitted and cratered rock floating directly in front of them. Once Stralasi realized he was not in immediate danger of drifting off the little chunk of ground on which his feet somehow, miraculously, rested, he glared at Darak.

  “Could you please warn me before you do that again?” he snapped.

  Darak grinned at Stralasi with unabashed amusement. “My apologies; I forget you’re not accustomed to this type of travel. I will attempt to provide more warning of an impending shift in future, provided you attempt a little more courtesy in your demeanor.”

  Stralasi bowed his head and apologized, “I do beg your pardon, my Lord.” Wait a second; what am I doing? Darak is no Shard of Alum. Indeed, he may very well be some kind of unknown but powerful demon. He re-phrased, “I mean, uhm…Darak.” Stralasi looked away from the other man, closed his eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath, remembering the centering exercises from his Initiate meditation classes.

  After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and focused on the mountainous piece of rock hovering in space before the two of them. “Could you please tell me where we are?” He pointed at the asteroid, “And what that is?”

  Darak smiled, “That is the basis for your civilization’s comfort and success. It is a hollowed-out asteroid some fifty million klicks or so from your colony city. You do know what an asteroid is?”

  Stralasi glowered, “Yes, I am a well-educated man, Darak. I do know about asteroids, although they occupy very little instructional time at the Alumita Seminary on Home World. They are of no relevance to Alum’s People.”

  “I could tell you exactly how they are of considerable relevance to Alum’s people,” offered Darak, “but I think it will be more memorable if I were to show you.”

  Their capsule rushed toward the asteroid. Stralasi ducked and threw his hands out in an attempt to shield himself. Though he knew the bubble had to be moving toward the planetoid, he could feel no acceleration. Rather, his senses told him, the gigantic rock was moving toward them, intent on dashing their tiny bubble to bits. It slowed as they approached the rock and Stralasi again realized his foolish instinctual reactions. He lowered his arms, brushed off his garments, and tried to calm himself as he surveyed the nearby surface.

  “Nice recovery,” Darak commended his companion. “You are beginning to think about your automatic reactions and to allow your reasoning mind to dominate your simple-minded fear. I assure you there is nothing here to harm you.”

  “No Angels, then?” retorted Stralasi.

  Darak grimaced. “Fair enough. Sending an Angel to intercept was a stronger reaction to my visit than I’d expected; I’ll give you that. But, no, this outpost has no active Angels and none will be sent while we are here.”

  About ten meters from the surface, the sphere slowed to a gentle drifting roughly halfway from each end of the meteor
. Stralasi could make out a few fist-sized stones on the sloped surface of the crater into which they were descending. Mesmerized, he failed to notice the large door irising open beneath them until their capsule plunged into the dark interior of the asteroid.

  The portal winked closed behind them and a series of dim green lights invited them to continue along the featureless passageway stretching ahead. They glided forward smoothly. After a couple of minutes, another door whooshed aside and the corridor opened onto an enormous chamber. The size of the space was impossible for Stralasi to determine; it was crisscrossed with pillars of rock that obscured the views at the extremities. The area was filled with workbenches, equipment, and machinery of unidentifiable purpose. At each bench floated a metallic sphere.

  “Securitors!” hissed Stralasi, and he spun around as if to bolt back down the corridor. He felt Darak’s hand on his shoulder, turning him back to face the hollowed-out interior of the asteroid.

  “Don’t worry,” Darak said softly. “They perceive us as one of their own. Besides, these Cybrids are Servitors, Constructors and Maintainers for the most part, the harmless cousins of the more aggressive Securitor.”

  “What are they doing here?” whispered Stralasi.

  “Who do you think manufactures your vehicles, appliances, communications, and entertainment devices?” Darak asked, sweeping his hand in answer to his own question.

  Stralasi addressed the heretic respectfully but sternly, “Sir, all things come from Alum.”

  Darak threw back his head and laughed, “Ha! Yes, of course, they do. But these are the beings that do all the actual work. Meanwhile, He—like every absolute ruler before Him—sits back and takes all the credit.” Darak shook his head in wonder. “Over a hundred million years of civilization, and it still boils down to this. Unbelievable.”

  “Wait, are you telling me that all the goods for our entire civilization are made here?” Stralasi asked, looking around the relatively modest workshop. “That’s impossible.”

  “Obviously, they’re not made here for the entirety of human space. But, yes, each colonized system has its own similar factory, occupied by industrious Cybrids just like these.”