Planet-H: The End of the Beginning

by J. T. Winterlord

  Valdes intervened.

  “How exactly do these circuits work?”

  Sven showed the magnified image that he had revealed to me some time back and said,

  "These little bastards are effectively a circuit that sends an uninterrupted sequence of eighteen different conflicting commands. Kate showed me how they work with an example and I re-connected them to one of my old pieces of work.”

  “Following the example provided by Kate about the creation of a vegetable garden, I can tell you that the commands that are activated with respect to a particular subject are not as conflicting as to keep an individual undecided on whether or not to create this blessed garden. They are in fact more devilish - they try to spread confusion as to whether to create a perfect vegetable garden in contrast to destroying the perfect garden.

  They advise the subject to create a perfect garden and at the same time to destroy it.

  They keep trying to instil in his mind the creation of no garden as opposed to the destruction of no garden. It is confusion in confusion!”

  "Hmm, interesting,”commented Matt,“so dichotomies generate a series of conflicting thoughts with the sole purpose of keeping the subject in a constant state of doubt, never knowing if he made the correct decision. He will live his life constantly surrounded by uncertainties created by himself, if I understand correctly. Please continue Sven.”

  Sven picked up his explanation, obviously satisfied with his discoveries.

  "That's right Matt. If we were to think of having to do something and constantly having to endure unnecessary and wasteful‘advice’... we would not go forward.

  We must also consider the fact that until now I have identified thirty two of these circuits and unfortunately they all work together. In summary, if we had only thirty two circuits, but I suspect there are more, we would have each time at least four hundred conflicting pieces of advice bombarding us in the head in a very veiled and perfidious manner.”

  Matt asked what solutions could be adopted for this problem.

  "With the availability of the Tasker, once we locate all the circuits there could be a quick fix.

  If we find a way to make Kate focus on a specific thing, I can locate it if she works mentally and if we insist on that subject we can short out the circuits to make them totally ineffective.

  This helps us so long as she is less shrouded by the confusion and stupidity arising from current modifications.

  If however you want to know if a Planet H "player" in possession of the necessary information can get rid of it from the inside ... mmmm ... If we introduce the signal ....

  I would say that a Nordik would take eight or nine years to be able to short-circuit all the equipment. I know the structure well and it would probably take me five or six years, but some of the other races might have to spend fifteen or twenty hard years on it.

  Matt looked at Sonia and Valdes.

  "Well, it could be an alternative solution, let's keep it as a backup plan."

  He turned again to Sven,

  "What changes have been madeto the diffusers?”

  "So, the lower diffuser, which as you know is the simplest and most linked to the survival of the body, has remained virtually unchanged. The energy flows they make you feel were amplified out of all proportion. The sexual urge, shame and fear as well as all the sensations caused by the five senses.

  The aim seems to be to make the player close up inside himself.“

  “But why was the fear flow increased?" Asked Sonia.

  "The purpose of fear was to ensure that the player was alert throughout the game, but also to send continuous adrenaline rushes. Every single particle of his character was supposed to be alarmed and ready to execute whatever was ordered the player. There was no terror, it was just a state of general alert.

  Now that flow has been brought to the extreme, the feeling of fear is transformed in some cases into sheer terror and throws the player into utter despair.

  Instead of giving him a chance to make a decision and put it into practice immediately, it throws him into confusion, creates agitation and orders him to run as far away as possible.”

  He paused momentarily and changed the image on the screen, making an image appear depicting the continuous exchange of lights in the diffuser.

  "Regarding however the upper diffuser, apart from the 'circuit devils’inserted into the Tasker, the hypnotic wave was amplified. This wave was designed to put the player in a light trance so that he was more involved in the character. He did not lose his memories and he always knew that he was playing a game.

  But this wave, recognizable as the black light in the centre of the diffuser, has been changed to such an extent as to give a true amnesia to the player.

  Once struck by the light and after the sequence begins, the hapless player does not even remember who he is.

  The energy noise that heralds the beginning of the game, the one that starts just before the halo of white light and energy, was also amplified so as to surprise and stupefy the player.

  The aureole of power has been made so strong that its throbbing literally glues the player to the top diffuser.

  The white light does the rest of the work. The projection of images is so well done that the player thinks that what he is experiencing is his real life.”

  Matt interjected.

  "So if we add to this the work of the circuit devils we have a zombie which believes that the game is its natural and true existence. Great! Now let's see how to enlighten our Kate and think about lending a hand to the other unsuspecting prisoners."

  Sonia turned to me and asked what memories I had of the life of‘Planet H Kate.’I said that the memories were fragmentary. It seemed that every time I came in contact with my Tasker the diffuser filtered and kept a lot of information, both in that and in the other direction. The memory loss was an obvious fact and very strong.

  Sven said,

  "Yes, I noticed that it also acts in reverse, not only do you not remember that you has entered into a video game when you connect, but it makes you forget what happened when you come out. I'm trying to remedy this but it will not be a quick fix as I don’t want to risk damaging the circuits. But you can experience a new awareness a little at a time.”

  I was beginning to understand many things and my mind was opening up a little at a time.

  I had no more annoying thoughts buzzing around in the usual vortex. I said to Matt,

  "That's good your strategic plan, making me go through those classical dance steps was really a brilliant idea.”

  Then I turned to Valdes.

  "How does Kate behave with you? You're not thinking of two - timing me with a cartoon character, right?”

  Valdes mademe share some of his thoughts, while he said,

  "She may only be a cartoon but she’s well constructed."

  I could feel that since my entrapment he remained vigilant and concerned, and he loosened up a little when my Tasker had been recovered.

  I could see inside his mind. I raised my hand to my shoulder and moved it towards his.

  The two hands were fused, one into the other. A spark accompanied the gesture, while the two hands caressed each other magically.

  I could feel his immense love towards me, clean, limitless, and I knew he felt mine too. A feeling of deep union, intimate and unique.

  We were a pair of inseparables, as indeed were Sonia and Matt.

  Some memories began to resurface. With time I felt that I knew and could remember more and more.

  Yes, I was the fourth commanding officer of Nemesis, the others were, in order - Matt, Sonia and Valdes. Silver Thunder was my‘Silver Fireball.’It resurfaced in my mind that I had undertaken the mission with the help of my friends.

  After the capture of beings of the Confederation and some Nordik, we had developed a plan to rescue them.

  I had got myself captured, going to connect to Planet H; I remembered exactly where I had been trapped, I was on Grekos I.

&n
bsp; I looked at my friends and said,

  "Congratulations guys, you're making fun of my character in a truly wild manner.

  Bravo Sgrunfio, the story of parents with four arms was really moving. And you two,”I said, pointing at Matt and Sonia,“Nice pair of jokers you are, you're just having fun behind my back.”

  They smiled at me. Matt said,

  "Come on Kate, you're so sweetly naive that it was impossible to resist."

  I felt a kind of union of minds, each participant in the meeting had joined in a strange embrace that had a certain spiritual quality.

  I felt refreshed and stronger. Those were my friends!

  Matt took up the conversation.

  "Now Kate you must try to explain and remember as much as possible of the information that may assist your character in Planet H, starting from the mental body."

  I knew a mental body was, I was using one exactly at that moment. I said,

  “Okay, in summary, the mental body is the simulated body produced by a‘being’by using pure and simple mental energy. A sort of‘dress’used for convenience. It can take any shape you want. In the fleet we always use the same image as not to create confusion among the subordinates. It can be recreated at will does not require any type of maintenance, being a mere empty shell.

  It is possible to make it change from semi-transparent to solid, depending on need.

  It is not the true‘being’, but only a representation of choice.

  "Well," Matt said, "I have the impression that you also remembered one of the main missions. Very good."

  "Yes, detachment from Planet / Prison H is proving to be very therapeutic. I would like to know a few things about my behaviour in the guise of the other Kate, but I do not remember exactly what.

  I trust in Sgrunff and Sven to give me a chance to better remember what is happening on both sides.”

  Sonia smiled at me and said,

  "There are many strange behaviours," at the same time sending me a mental projection of the three of us who were watching Serena, smiling with strawberry seeds between the teeth and an eye-catching pink milkshake moustache on the upper lip.

  I turned to her smiling. That I did not remember!

  I looked at Sgrunff. I complimented him for having brought me along to that point. Sven interjected,

  "We don’t have much time left, you will need to come back to the Tasker. I managed to put some of the primary circuits in stand-by but soon they’ll come back into function. I'm sorry Kate but you have to go back.”

  Well, the meeting was over. We left the room and found ourselves on the command bridge. I stroked what I knew to be my station position chair, hoping that my friends would not see my melancholy smile.

  I looked at the guys who were working the equipment. I could not remember their names, but I knew that I knew them.

  I said goodbye and went out with Sven and Sgrunff.

  On the way back towards the infirmary I said to Sven,

  "You're a great pirate, do you think you can in a short time give me the opportunity to remember something more?”

  He assured me that soon he would modify some of the secondary circuits and this would certainly help.

  I went back in the Tasker and I woke up in Planet H.

  I was trying to capture again some of the things that had happened during the meeting. Thoughts, emotions, memories. They were there, but it was as if a thin mist enveloped them like a white blanket impossible to penetrate. I still felt the taste, but the memories quickly vanished, dissolved in a strange and unnatural amnesia, as happens in dreams that are forgotten in the morning at awakening.

  But what awakening?

  I relaxed on the infirmary bed with Bones busy preparing one of his famous concoctions.

  THE NEW MOON

  I was back in the classroom the next day. Sgrunff was busy fiddling with his console, Sonia came in then and greeted me, messing up my hair. I gave her a pat on the butt.

  She smiled and turned to Sgrunff,

  "How are you today our unruly student?"

  "Well, I would say I see her well rested and not wearing a size twelve heel so I would say that as a start it’s really not that bad."

  "Dear Sgrunfy, how about if we shed some light with respect to the mental body for our Kate?"

  "Of course it would be a good idea," said Sgrunff, motioning for me to begin.

  But I didn’t know what to say. I had a vague feeling of what it was, but I could not find the words, maybe because I was not really convinced of its existence.

  But a thought flashed into my mind and I expressed it out loud,

  "I'm not really living here, I'm in a fucking video game."

  I came out with these words with great surprise. I don’t know exactly what I understood, but I was certain that this was the truth.

  I knew it was so. They could have also tried to convince me otherwise, but any attempt would have been futile.

  Sonia looked at me and her eyes lit up with genuine joy. She said,

  "Definitely a great step forward."

  Sgrunff nodded and asked me again whatever this could, this mental body.

  "Damn Sgrunfio, I remember the words but I don’t know exactly what it is. Do you want me to repeat words that really don’t make much sense to me?"

  Sgrunff looked at me carefully and then said,

  "The point is not to repeat the words that you remember but to get you to explain something so that you have to go fish out the hidden memories in your mind.”

  "Ok, I'll try ... so, the mental body is ... it's a ..."

  Sonia intervened, asking me what I remembered of the meeting the day before. I said, "You had a meeting? .. what did you talk about? .. was I there too?"

  The other two began to laugh. Sonia told me that I had to make a little effort to remember. I remembered in fact having been invited to a meeting and going to my Tasker.

  "I have a vague feeling, as if I had dreamed something, but I don’t remember exactly what.”

  I heard a metallic‘click’in my head and my ears whistled terribly. Sven appeared in the classroom and asked,

  "Does it work?"

  I didn’t know what he was talking about so I looked at him with a quizzical expression.

  "The effort that you're making to remember has given me the chance to locate a hidden circuit. I've turned it off, so try to check if your memories are now improved." He closed the door again.

  I tried to think again of the feelings that remained about the previous day. I could remember that I was on a bed in the infirmary and I had a vague feeling of being in the company of my friends. I was talking about something ... I vaguely remembered that Sven had given some explanation.

  "It seems to me that the mental body is a mental projection, but I cannot understand how this could happen.”

  I was reminded of my Tasker. It seemed to me that when I woke up next to that object I felt different, lighter ... but I did not remember any more.

  "It seems to me that it could resemble a dream. When I dream I've noticed that the body I use in the dream is lighter - I don’t really feel hot or cold.

  I can’t even say that it is a body, it's more my idea ofa body, my identity….. could it be this?”

  Sgrunff looked at me, then at Sonia and said,

  "You’re near to it. When you dream you use a body similar to the mental body, but it’s not really that. Remember that even during sleep, you're in Planet H."

  Yes, it's true, if you are in a game you are even when you are asleep, otherwise I could pull myself away from this game. It seemed like a logical conclusion.

  "You two explain to me what exactly the mental body is," I asked the two teachers giggling behind my back.

  Sonia came over and asked me if I remembered anything of her hand.

  "Yes, I remember. I remember I also fainted ... can I touch it again?"

  Sonia agreed and I brushed my hand over hers. I was still a little scared and when my fingers crossed her hand I dr
ew mine back, but I steeled myself and tried again.

  I felt suddenly an uncontrollable fear - I didn’t know from where it was born and I tried to control it.

  I passed my fingers through hers, lightly touching the surface and then going through her palm. I noticed slight electricity on my skin.

  "Is this the mental body?" I asked Sonia as I tried to relax the tension that had seized all my limbs.

  "Not really, this is just a hologram, almost identical to the mental body. Remember that we are here in Planet H. Here I can only use this type of projection, a simple yet elaborate hologram. To use my mental body I must pass through the transit zone, the pirate extension Sven created. Think of it as a kind of 'place of transition' - no longer Planet H, but all its elements are there so that you can understand the truth slowly, without too much drama.”

  I thought about it for a moment but I was confused. Even at the cost of seeming dumb I asked her if we could repeat the experiment outside the infirmary because I felt it was necessary for me to understand.

  Sonia led the way and we sat on a small white couch in a corner of the room, in which only now I noticed there were no other colours except white and polished steel machinery. I saw what I had already learned to recognize as my Tasker, even though I was not entirely clear how it works. I tried again to feel her hand. This time there were no more of those little electric shocks that I had noticed earlier. In their place were some small bright sparks.