Spheria

  “That’s too bad. Although I wish my dad were cool enough to play any video games.”

  “Yeah, true. I never thought of it that way. You want something to drink?” he asked.

  “Yeah, but I can get it. You have stuff in the fridge?”

  “I do. I’ll have a beer. Help yourself to anything in there. I’ll get the game loaded while you’re getting that.”

  Min walked over to the fridge, opened it, and was surprised at the healthy selections. She’d expected to see it full of beer, and maybe some soda, but it was quite the opposite. An assortment of juice and iced teas took up the majority of the space. Only a small corner held some micro-brewed beers.

  “What kind do you want?” she asked.

  “Blue Moon,” he answered. “There are oranges in the drawer.”

  “Sure.” She grabbed two of them and garnished each with a slice of orange. She walked to the living room and handed one to Max.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “Cheers, to video games and beer!” she said, clanking her bottle against his.

  “Hear, hear.” He quickly sipped the foam off the top before it overflowed. “So, you want to play survival mode or build mode?”

  “Let’s do survival. We can see how well we work as a team.”

  “Perfect.”

  He handed her a controller, and they started a new game. They were spawned in an Ice Plains biome, which was a crappy place to begin.

  “Looks like we have our work cut out for us,” she said.

  “Yeah, we need a shelter before nightfall.”

  “That goes without saying. Why don’t you find or build a shelter and I’ll begin crafting some supplies?”

  “Sounds like a plan!”

  #

  The meeting chamber had been converted into a secluded breeding room. Never before had a seven-legged Polyan been created. The Council didn’t want any disruptions, knowing how the act of creation would leave the members. Wu∙sa paced, waiting for the others to arrive. He walked to the center of the room and checked on the seven-sided body crystal they’d placed there. It was clear, save for three sensors already attached, one each for seeing, hearing, and speaking.

  Ga∙zo, the head five-legged Soldier, watched from the doorway.

  Noticing him, Wu∙sa asked, “Is the perimeter secured?”

  “Yes, we have a Soldier at each entrance. Nobody but the other Leaders can gain access.”

  “Good. Please see to it that it remains that way.”

  “I have my best Soldiers on it. You can trust us. We never fail.”

  “I know. It’s just my nature to worry.”

  “Is that why they left you here?”

  Wu∙sa hadn’t made the connection but slumped, knowing it was probably true. Maybe so, he thought. “I'm here to ensure things are set up right,” he said. “Can you let me know when the Source turns violet?”

  Ga∙zo replied, “As you wish.” After which he left, knowing full well everyone would be able to ‘feel’ when the season started. It was just an excuse to get rid of him.

  #

  Max moved his avatar toward the nearest mountain and walked along it. It was relatively standard, but at the edge of a frozen lake, he found an indented area, like a wide open cave. “Check this out. What do you think about this?”

  Min looked at his side of the screen. “That’ll make a perfect shelter.”

  “Agreed.”

  He began mining some rock from a nearby hill, then returned to the cave to close it with walls. He left a space to walk through.

  “I need a door,” he said.

  “I’m on it,” replied Min, who was crafting materials out of wood.

  She had cut down the few trees and had managed to build a workbench. On this, she crafted torches, and also was able to create a door. She carried all this over to Max’s location and installed the door in the opening that he’d left. Then their avatars met inside the cave. It grew dark.

  She hung up 4 torches and lit them. The hollow filled with light but was cold and barren. The hiss of a creeper could be heard outside.

  “This isn't a home!” she exclaimed.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “We need some rugs, some plants, and some lovely wall hangings or pictures.”

  Max looked at her, then he looked around his apartment. “Are you insinuating something here?”

  “Only that you could use a woman’s touch. I'd be happy to help.”

  “Okay, show me how nicely you can decorate our cave, then maybe, just maybe, I’ll let you decorate my man cave!”

  “Challenge accepted.” They both chuckled at this, excessively so.

  #

  One by one the other seven absent Council members arrived. Each carried an elongated orange shard, about the size of a large leg. These they placed on the floor, equidistant around the clear central body crystal. Then they each took a position straddling one.

  It was dead quiet in the chamber as if unspoken apprehension filled their minds.

  Ki∙sa broke the silence. “I know we’re all anxious over what we are about to do – to bring forth a god to live among us in our Colony.” Ju∙sa, Me∙sa, and Vu∙sa nodded in agreement. The others glanced around, shifting their weight from leg to leg. “We should all feel amazed and empowered by this honor. They’ll tell stories about this day for many generations.”

  “If it actually works,” mumbled Co∙sa.

  “True. This has never been done. How could we not be worried about it?” asked Pi∙sa.

  Ki∙sa countered with, “As far as we know, nobody has ever tried to do this before. Only recently have we found some seven-sided body crystals. There is no reason to believe that this wouldn’t work the same way as creating any other Polyan. The number of legs shouldn’t be a factor, assuming we can provide enough initial energy.”

  “Except that the result is a god!” Co∙sa took a couple of steps backward. “The world was created by the seven-legged ones, not the other way around. We’re messing with things beyond our authority. This could affect the stability of our world, change things in a way the seed god Ra∙ju never intended.”

  Silence once again filled the chamber as they considered Co∙sa’s skepticism.

  “Speaking of the gods,” said Pi∙sa, “how are they going to feel about a new addition to their ranks? It could trigger a battle that affects the structure of our world.”

  “Listen,” said Wu∙sa, “we agreed to this at the last Council meeting. It was unanimous that we needed someone to look to for guidance, someone who has a connection to the gods. This creation will be the solution. He’ll be one of us, but also a god. A bridge between our two worlds: Spheria and the Qubessence. This will give us insight we’ve never before had. The benefits completely outweigh the risks.”

  “Simple for you to say,” said Co∙sa. “You don’t have to take part in the making.”

  “I'm ensuring everything goes as planned, not a trivial task.”

  Just then Wu∙sa felt a tingling sensation in the core of his body. The others did also, as they began to stir.

  Ga∙zo appeared in the doorway. “It is time.”

  #

  Min proceeded to create some nice beds, right next to each other. She added a window, created four paintings, placed the workbench, and added a furnace. The place was looking quite livable now.

  Meanwhile, Max had been crafting some weapons and gave her a bow, and for himself, he made a sword and some armor.

  “Did we just stereotype ourselves?” he asked.

  “I think so. Even in a virtual world, we play the roles society dictates to us.”

  “Hmm,” mused Max. “Next time, I’m going to be the woman.”

  “Great, I get to kill things. Just what I’m good at.”

  “Okay, maybe not. But I like the place. Feel free to spruce up my apartment if you want.”

  “Tomorrow,” said Min. She moved her avatar to the bed and went to sleep. Max followed he
r and lay down next to her. The screen dimmed.

  #

  “The Source is violet,” Ga∙zo said.

  “Thank you,” replied Wu∙sa, although they already knew it.

  Wu∙sa was about to tell everyone to begin, but nature took its course.

  The others began to gyrate in slow circles, first clockwise and then counterclockwise. The more they moved, the more glow their cores emitted, filling the room with a soft violet light. They could feel the mounting sensation as if their life force was exceeding its capacity. They needed a vessel to deposit the excess.

  Each Polyan, when the time felt right, touched the base of its body onto a point of the orange shard below. Their energy flowed into the crystals, making them glow. With the little bit of strength they had left, they each attached these legs to the large body core. Then they collapsed upside down, exhausted. The life force in each leg was drawn into the transparent core, turning it solid with violet color.

  The ritual was complete. But nothing happened.

  #

  Max paused the game, placed his controller on the coffee table and leaned back on the couch. Min did the same. They watched their avatars lying in bed. Min turned to Max to ask him why he had paused it, but before she could speak, his lips were upon hers. They made out for a while on the couch, giddy and tingling sensations coursing through their bodies.

  Eventually, they stopped to take a natural break. Max stared at Min with wide eyes and shuddered. She stared back, then glanced sideways toward the bedroom. Taking a deep breath, he reached out, cradled her in his arms, and stood up. She giggled.

  He carried her through the bedroom door, and, had she not ducked, would’ve whacked her head on the molding.

  “Oops!” said Max, breaking the tension.

  “It’s fine.” She tightened her arms around him.

  #

  Their seven-legged creation lay there, motionless. It was evident that the new body core wasn't full enough to ignite life.

  “More, brothers!” shouted Wu∙sa.

  But the others lay on their backs, twitching their legs, unable to stand.

  Wu∙sa ran up and shook the potential god. No response. He ran around checking each Leader, but they were all exhausted and incapable of giving any more.

  Co∙sa summoned the energy to speak. “We are done. We’ll die if we give more.” Then, looking at the lifeless god, he added, “We have failed.”

  “No!” exclaimed Wu∙sa. The rule was one Polyan per leg. That was how their breeding worked. So what he was about to try was extremely unorthodox, but there was no other option.

  Wu∙sa leaped upon the central core, impaling himself upon one of its points. His energy began draining quickly into the heart of the being. He was committing suicide.

  #

  Max lay Min onto his real mattress, leaned over, and kissed her passionately. Then he gave her a relaxing massage, as a pile of clothes formed next to the bed. He kissed up and down her body, while she moaned intermittently with approval. Then, when she was fully relaxed, she returned the favor to him.

  Gradually, their bodies entwined into an embrace, and the warmth between them was inviting. As they indulged in each other's comfort, the box spring began to gently squeak.

  Suddenly, Max’s whole body stiffened, and he started moaning.

  “Yes,” Min whispered in his ear.

  “Nooo!” he grunted.

  “No?” she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

  “No… it’s a charley horse… in my leg... ahhhhh!”

  Min giggled. Max grimaced.

  They both laughed together. Min sympathized, “Sorry, I don’t mean to laugh. I just thought you were doing something else.”

  “I know. That’s what made it funny.”

  They both chuckled some more, and Max flipped over. Min lay on top of him. The feeling of skin on skin was indulgent. When they both were exhausted and satisfied, Min rested her head on his chest. The warm feeling inside carried her off to sleep.

  #

  The opaque core of the new Polyan brightened and lit up the room as if a spark had been ignited. The violet glow was so intense that Ga∙zo, standing guard outside, peeked in. Two other Soldiers also entered, drawn to the light.

  The new Polyan’s body seemed to shudder. Its seven legs began to twitch. Then they touched the floor of the chamber and the Polyan stood abruptly. Wu∙sa lost contact and tumbled to the ground, where he lay unmoving. Ga∙zo ran over to check on him. He was drained, but not completely, so it seemed he would live.

  The new Polyan towered large, impressive, and godlike. It stood there unmoving, waiting for its brain to be assigned to an inactive Qube. This took only a couple of seconds, and its visual sensors came to life. It looked down upon the inverted six-legged Polyans and the standing five-legged ones and said, “My name is Fa∙ro.”

  The Soldiers bowed in reverence to the new god that stood before them.

  Outside, the number of Polyans had increased by 28 percent. It was a productive night.

  / PART TWO /

  Dynasty

  Chapter 25 - Start the Press

  "The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses." - Malcolm X

  Scientists Play God In This Virtual Experiment

  Gizmodo - 3 hours ago

  By Moses Diego

  Filed to: QUANTUM SOUL

  After exploring the halls of the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, I entered an unassuming door bearing the cryptic label “L7E04 Intelligence”. The modern lobby, with smoked acrylic sheets and recessed lighting, was tempered by a dead fern and an old copy of Popular Science. I thumbed through this antiquated form of publishing as I waiting to meet Max Moreau, creator of the Qube technology I reported on last year.

  Max greeted me with his usual charming self, although he appeared older and more tired than I remembered him. After exchanging pleasantries, he got right down to business showing me to the wonders in his lab.

  Hall of Monsters

  The first stop was a hallway that could have been right out of a Hollywood movie studio. It was lined with posters depicting polygonal creatures that resembled crabs. Max explained that these creatures, called Polyans because they were comprised of polygons, were a sentient life form existing in a virtual world. I pressed Max on his definition of “sentient”, and he assured me they actually have true self-awareness.

  As proof, he explained that these Polyans had developed a pecking order based on their number of legs, ranging from three to six. Apparently, the number is correlated to fighting ability, so a caste system naturally emerged. Recently, they’ve managed to create one of their kind with seven legs. This one was revered as a god. The level of anthropomorphic behavior sounded truly astounding, far greater than any AI I have ever heard of, and engaged a diverse team of researchers in studying their development.

  Spheria

  My next stop was a place called the Experience Room, where I could see into the virtual world, and this was equally strange. The Polyans occupied the inside surface of a sphere. The way Max described it to me, it sounded like a Dyson sphere, with the sun in the middle. The key point is it is a finite space, equivalent to an electronic terrarium. It holds resources both rich and hostile, presenting a playground for the Polyans to live, die, and explore.

  So the Spheria Project, ultimately, is a study in how societies develop. Nowhere else could scientists watch a culture form and stabilize in real time, from scratch, without outside influence. It’s the perfect scenario for anthropologists.

  Max pointed out two special Polyans, who call themselves Luminaries. These two have begun to question their own existence. One, in particular, was described as their version of a Renaissance man. He and his apprentice have been seeking answers beyond what they can merely observe. But what is outside their world? Our world. I found this both mind-
bending and intriguing.

  Most of us humans go along accepting everything we’re told, whether from a religious or scientific perspective. Or we don’t even give any thought to it at all. Few bother questioning or testing to separate what’s true from what’s conjecture. That’s fine; it works. We need the majority to go along with the way things are, keeping the social machinery intact. But we also need the rare individual to poke things, to move everyone as a group to the next level. If societal intelligence is a bell curve, these activists are outliers. They move the entire curve to the right. This is where the real progress is made, and it only happens once in a great while.

  Witnessing this happen faster compared to Earth is the real magic of this project.

  The Death Star

  My last stop was the Server Room. This over-sized closet was lined with seemingly meaningless glowing lights like the command deck of a 1970’s spaceship. They were either red, blue, or some in-between pinkish hue. This is where I connected the dots.

  Max explained that each light was actually one of the Qubes that I had written about previously. In case you missed that article, a Qube, or Quantum Uncertainty Binary Engine, uses the unpredictability of quantum particles to allow seemingly random calculations. As it turns out, a separate physical Qube is connected to every Polyan, and these govern their personality, while still enabling them to make non-deterministic choices.

  In essence, each Qube contains a set of characteristics, like emotional DNA, or the ability scores on a player sheet from Dungeons and Dragons. These characteristics – honesty, courage, loyalty, empathy, etc. – describe a tendency to make a decision, but the roll of a dice is the actual decider. If you roll higher than your value, you succeed, if you roll lower, you fail.

  This probabilistic behavior is rather difficult to accept in our own universe. Even Albert Einstein resisted it, countering with his famous statement: ‘God doesn’t play dice with the world.’ But as it turns out, reality isn’t an absolute, but a ‘maybe.’ Quantum physicists use the term superposition, which is defined as something being in two states at once. But in actuality, it is neither a 1 or a 0 until you look at it, and then it picks one.