Rescued From Paradise

by Robert L. Forward

  "Command! Accurate Calculator! Take her to Tireless Worker to tend and to feed, along with Baby," said Mother, taking firm charge of her home again.

  Mother, then, nervously Telling 3 with three of her grabbers while she did so, tasted carefully as Insightful Thinker reported what her lookers had seen during the battle of Steadfast Defender with the three foul-smelling monsters. She then had Insightful Thinker record her memories on a taste scroll and take the scroll around to all the other Homes in the Schooling—first to Great Home of Mother of the Elders.

  At Great Home, all the Elders read the taste scroll and were highly disturbed by the events described.

  "Dangerous, are blobs from above," said one.

  "Damaged, however, were blobs by shocks from grabbers," said another.

  "Kill monsters, perhaps, with shocks from many grabbers," suggested a third.

  "ATTACK MONSTERS! Strongtails from all Homes in Schooling all together," said one of the youngest of the Elders in a pungent cloud.

  Mother of the Elders put an end to the warlike talk. "Precious, Schooling is to me. One, lose-not. Fishfruit, have we in plenty. Monsters, let eat."

  Mother of the Elders used two of her grabbers to take out a blank taste-scroll from the ornately carved scroll case in the library room of Great House and unroll it. Another grabber, still attached to its umbilical leading from the inside of her mouth, extended its stingers, and Mother used them to write a warning to all in the Schooling.

  "Proclamation! Monsters, foul-smelling, formless, blobby, colored, are dangerous. Away, stay you. Scan you, them let-not."

  Insightful Thinker took the proclamation scroll, along with her own scroll of what had happened to Steadfast Defender, around to all the other Homes in the Schooling for all to taste.

  BACK AT Green Home, Mother Precise Talker was nervously Telling 3 with her grabbers. Her sensitive sonar had shown that the red cancer was growing within the wounded Steadfast Defender. She reached a decision. Mother went herself to the nursery and took over the care of the mortally wounded Steadfast Defender, taking her back to Mother's large private resting room where they could stay in quiet and seclusion. She stroked her dying daughter with the soft caresses of a six-grabber embrace, bathing her in the tastes of comfort and love. The tides passed, and Steadfast Defenders suffering grew, until finally, as Mother had expected, the poisonous red blob finally ate its way into Steadfast Defenders brain. Mother felt her daughter go flaccid through the feelers of her grabber, and she knew that the spirit of one of her children had slipped into the Prime. Mother now allowed all the grief and anger she had been holding back to overwhelm her sensibilities. She sent shock after shock from her grabbers jolting though the lifeless body of Steadfast Defender, and kept it up long after she was certain that the horrible red fungus was dead. Whatever these odious blobs were, they killed with ease and there was nothing she or her children could do to fight an enemy so poisonous. This small piece of one she could blast out of existence, but Mother knew that the big ones must be avoided at all costs.

  When the others in the Schooling tasted what the monsters had done to Steadfast Defender, they readily acquiesced to the proclamation of Mother of the Elders. Since the monsters created a great deal of noise while they traveled, they could be heard at a great distance and as a result could easily be avoided. Never again would anyone of the Schooling let themselves be seen by those abominable blobs from the waters above.

  AS THE three flouwen approached the entrance to the lagoon, Roaring☼Hot☼Vermillion raced far ahead of the others. Once inside the lagoon, he could recognize the voices of the humans Jinjur and Reiki, and he pinged in their direction to see them better. They were crouching in the water and scrubbing cooking pots with sand. Even at this distance, the sensitive chemical senses of Roaring☼Hot☼Vermillion could taste the bitter molecules of burnt food.

  ☼Reiki must have tried to cook again.☼

  He raised his voice and called out a greeting in human language.

  "Hi! Hi! Hi! We've been fighting! I won!" He headed for the beach, with Strong□Lavender□Crackle and Clear◊White◊Whistle close behind him.

  "Little Red is bragging," said Strong□Lavender□Crackle as they drew near the beach. "We found a large shark eating the filter-fish. It had six eyes that swam ahead of it, and six gatherers that herded the filter-fish into its mouth. It was quite large, with many sharp teeth in its mouth, and could have eaten enough of us in one bite to turn us into a youngling. But we attacked its eyes and gatherers with focused sonar bursts and drove it away."

  "Big fight! Big shark!" bragged Roaring☼Hot☼Vermillion, loudly.

  Clear◊White◊Whistle came up beside them. Reiki and Jinjur, half-scrubbed pots rolling on the sandy bottom at their feet, were soon surrounded by the three large blobs of flame-, milk-, and grape-colored jelly, which tickled their legs with their voices.

  "Big, yes, and very carnivorous!" agreed Clear◊White◊Whistle. Realizing that the humans would want a description of the creature, he tried to describe it in as much detail as he could. "The shark was quite similar in design to a Jolly. Both have six freely moving eyes that return to the main body periodically to report their observations, and both use six freely moving gatherers as hands to gather in food. Perhaps they have a common ancestor despite that one is designed to operate on land and the other in water."

  The human Reiki listened carefully, and then responded. "Humans and dolphins are similar in the same way. Despite one having legs and the other having fins, they are both mammals and have high intelligence. Since the Jollys are intelligent, perhaps these sharks are, too."

  Clear◊White◊Whistle thought over the recent incident carefully. "This shark did not have intelligence," he concluded.

  "Shark dumb!" agreed Roaring☼Hot☼Vermillion.

  Clear◊White◊Whistle continued by giving his reasons for his conclusion. "As we approached the shark, I listened carefully to the sounds it was making. The main body, the eyes, and the gatherers were emitting only simple clicks and chirps, sufficient only to see each other and their prey with sonar sight. There was no evidence of any complex sound variations such as would be needed to use sound for talking. Since they don't talk, they must not be intelligent."

  The human Reiki made a humming sound. Clear◊White◊Whistle recognized that the sound indicated that the human was thinking. "You are probably correct in your observations. Although dolphins and whales use clicks and chirps for seeing underwater, they also are able to make other sounds that are for communication. We still don't understand the language, but we do know they are talking to each other."

  "Tell us more about these sharp-toothed monsters," said Jinjur. "How big are they? Are they dangerous?"

  "Very dangerous," replied Strong□Lavender□Crackle.

  "This one was about four meters long," started Clear◊White◊Whistle.

  "Just a minute," said Reiki. "I want to turn on my recorder." Clear◊White◊Whistle could hear a rustle of cloth and finally heard a click coming through the air.

  "The shark was four meters long and at least a meter thick ..." began Clear◊White◊Whistle again. He wished the humans could pass memories by taste instead of talking. It took so much longer to pass on information this way. As he continued his lengthy description, Roaring☼Hot☼Vermillion and Strong□Lavender□Crackle became restless and wandered away to surf the waves coming up the beach at the entrance to the lagoon. Clear◊White◊Whistle wished he could join them, but the scientist in him kept him at the important task at hand.

  He could hear the other two talking back and forth in the distance as they tried to surf the small waves.

  ☼Sand!!! I hate sand in my cells!☼ complained Roaring☼Hot☼Vermillion as the wave he was on dumped him onto the sandbar.

  □We are getting too large to surf well,□ agreed Strong□Lavender□Crackle as he too ended up on the sandbar. □I must be as big as my primary self back on Water.□

  ☼Bigger!☼ argued Roaring☼Ho
t☼Vermillion. ☼If we are too big, then there is an obvious way to lose weight—a lot of it all at once—without having to stop eating.☼

  □You are right,□ agreed Strong□Lavender□Crackle. □The three of us are now certainly large enough.□

  Roaring☼Hot☼Vermillion beamed a call through the water to the distant Clear◊White◊Whistle, trying to hurry him up.

  ☼Come on!☼ He followed the call with one through the air in human language, so that the humans would know they were delaying them.

  "Come on! Come on! I'm feeling too bulky, let's—" then he realized that there was no equivalent human word and had to finish with the flouwen word ☼—'co-mingle'.☼

  Within minutes, all three flouwen were once again out on the ocean, surfing along the rollers going up the coastline. They passed by the mouth of the river that led to the Jolly village and continued north. Clear◊White◊Whistle was delighted with Roaring☼Hot☼Vermillion's idea. He too had been feeling his bulk lately. Besides, life had become boring lately—except, of course, for the recent run-in with the large shark. It would be nice to have someone new to talk to—especially someone who would float enraptured and listen intently as he pontificated at him, instead of rocking up or swimming away as the subsets of Roaring☼Hot☼Vermillion and Strong□Lavender□Crackle did.

  □We need a shallow place where we won't be disturbed.□

  ☼I know a good place!☼ said Roaring☼Hot☼Vermillion. ☼Follow me!☼

  On the north side of the island Roaring☼Hot☼Vermillion led Clear◊White◊Whistle and Strong□Lavender□Crackle across a flooded beach into a shallow lake that lay in a marshy plain between the flanks of the central volcano and the shore.

  ☼Sand!☼ complained Roaring☼Hot☼Vermillion as he circulated his flesh around to the surface where the water could wash away the irritating particles. The others, not as bothered as he was, explored their new surroundings. The water was brackish, half salt and half fresh. There was a strong stream bringing fresh water into the lake from the slopes of the volcano.

  ◊Cool!◊ said Clear◊White◊Whistle.

  □Reminds me a little of the ocean on Water,□ said Strong□Lavender□Crackle.

  ◊Needs to be much cooler for that.◊

  A quick search around the small lake soon determined that they would not be disturbed. Their sonar spotted a number of fish, but they were small and the flouwen were large, so the fish were staying well hidden under logs and in the marshy parts of the shore. Roaring☼Hot☼Vermillion joined them near the center of the lake where the water was about eight meters deep. They floated about two meters above the bottom, each a colorful cloud a meter thick and almost ten meters in diameter.

  □Everybody feeling bulky?□

  ☼It will feel good to be in surfing shape again.☼

  Clear◊White◊Whistle reached out a milky-white pseudopod to the others and assumed a triangular shape.

  ◊Let us comingle.◊

  The other two flouwen extended their pseudopods and grasped the milky-white one.

  ◊Hold on tight!◊

  The tips of the three pseudopods entwined in a three-way grip. The three flouwen then flowed together until they formed a circle nearly twenty meters in diameter, each colored body filling up a one-third section of a circle. At places around the outer perimeters of their bodies, clumps of cells shed their water and became denser. The dense clumps fell down to the lake bottom trailing thick streamers, where they formed hard rocks that anchored the floating bodies in place.

  ☼Twirl!☼

  The portion of their bodies near the center started to rotate, elongating the pseudopods and forming them into a spiral pattern of white, purple, and red.

  □Too fast! Slow. Enjoy.□

  The twirling slowed, but continued on and on, drawing the elongated ropes of flesh into thinner and thinner bands.

  ◊Oooooooo.◊

  ☼Aaaaaaaa.☼

  □Ssssssss.□

  As the multicolored whirlpool in the center grew, the bodies of the flouwen slowly shrank in size.

  □Feeling younger already!□

  ☼Feels good! I could do forever.☼

  ◊Slowly now ... Make it last ...◊

  The bands in the large spiral were now so fine that they blended together into a creamy mauve color.

  ☼More?☼ There was a tug from Roaring☼Hot☼Vermillion to increase the spiral, but the tug was resisted by the others.

  □Is big enough.□

  ◊Slow ... and stop.◊

  For long minutes the three remained motionless, enjoying the extreme sensual pleasure of so much of the surface of their flesh in intimate contact with the flesh of others.

  ◊I am ready to withdraw.◊

  □I too.□

  ☼Pulling red!☼ announced Roaring☼Hot☼Vermillion. At the very center of the spiral, the red liquid-crystal genetic and nerve substance in one of the three inter-spiraling bands started to withdraw, leaving a clear band of transparent cells behind.

  ◊Wait for us!◊

  The withdrawing of the nerve essence now started in the white and purple bands, leaving the center of the spiral a clear blob of jelly.

  ☼Nnnnnnnn.☼

  □Kkkkkkkk.□

  ◊Mmmmmmmm.◊

  As the liquid-crystal fluid was withdrawn from the spiral portion, the color-engorged flesh in each main body took on a richer and deeper color. Finally, the spiral blob in the center was completely clear of all genetic fluid and was connected by three fine clear strands to the three progenitors.

  ◊The youngling is clear.◊

  □Pinch off.□

  The connecting threads were broken, and the three adults stayed anchored in position, patiently watching the clear blob floating between them. Each had contributed about one-sixth of their initial mass, so it was about half as big as they were.

  The transparent lens of spiral jelly merged into an amorphous blob. For a long while it remained transparent. Then, deep within it, a specialized enzyme interacted with the bits and pieces of the randomized genetic information from the three adults, encoded as patterns in the surface of the cells they had donated. Using the patterns on the cells as a guide, the enzyme synthesized a complex macromolecule of liquid-crystal nerve tissue. It was a viable pattern. Using that as a template, other enzymes built more and more copies. A wave of pink color spread out from the nucleation point, until it suffused throughout the entire multiton blob of floating jelly.

  The newly formed youngling spoke. Its first tones were in a mixture of the varied speech patterns of its three progenitors.

  □Where.◊Where!☼where?□WHERE!☼Where?◊ But it soon developed its own distinctive voice, a blend of three voices into a throaty chirring sound.

  *Wherre.*Wherrrre!*Wherrrrre?*

  ☼Pink color! You can tell who helped make this youngling!☼

  *Pink colorrrrr,* repeated the small pink flouwen.

  Strong□Lavender□Crackle moved to stroke the youngster, who responded by pushing up against the large purple flouwen.

  □He also has a warm body like you, subset of Roaring☼Hot☼Vermillion.□

  *Warrrrrm body,* repeated the youngling.

  ◊Such a pretty chirr he makes when he talks,◊ added Clear◊White◊Whistle.

  *Pink colorrrrr .... Warrrrrm body .... Prrrrretty chirrrrrrrr .... Pink colorrrrr.*

  ☼That's a good name for him!☼

  □What?□

  ☼Warm*Chirring*Pink!☼

  *Warrrrrm*Chirrrrrrrrrring*Pink,* repeated the youngster.

  ◊It certainly is a good name. The center portion is a self-describing representation.◊

  □Let's see how smart Warm*Chirring*Pink is,□ said Strong□Lavender□Crackle. □One plus one is ...□

  *T-t-wo-wo,* responded the pink-colored youngling, expressing the number both figuratively and literally in the proper flouwen fashion, by switching to a double-toned voice and enunciating each syllable twice.

  □T-t-wo-wo p
lus one is ...□

  *Th-th-th-rrrrr-rrrrr-rrrrr-ee-ee-ee,* replied Warm*Chirring*Pink, triple-tonguing the word in a triple-toned voice, but adding his own distinctive chirr.

  ◊I do believe he knows his addition!◊

  ☼Smart! Like me!☼

  □He is probably hungry. I go catch something for Warm*Chirring*Pink to eat.□ Strong□Lavender□Crackle swam off into the lake to look along the shores for a hiding lake-fish.

  ☼I go get some peekoos!☼ said Roaring☼Hot☼Vermillion, heading at high speed for the sandbar that separated the lake from the ocean beaches. The tide had not peaked yet. ☼Sand!!!☼ he yelled in disgust as he oozed across the strip of beach and into the ocean.

  Clear◊White◊Whistle was left in charge of Warm*Chirring*Pink, and the two swam around in slow circles, bodies closely touching along the sides, while Clear◊White◊Whistle continued the math lesson. The youngling had in his genetically transferred memory all of the fundamentals of number theory and higher mathematics. All he needed was a little practice and soon all that memory would be instantly recallable.

  ◊Th-th-th-r-r-r-ee-ee-ee plus one is ...◊ prompted Clear◊White◊Whistle.

  *F-f-f-f-o-o-o-o-u-u-u-u-rrrr-rrrr-rrrr,* rolled Warm*Chirring*Pink in a chirring quadruple-tongued, quadruple-toned voice, then continued on with his addition tables.

  Clear◊White◊Whistle was pleased with the youngster's fast progress. He obviously could now do addition automatically. It should take less than a day for him to master subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, powers, squares, roots, geometry, algebra, and calculus. Then a few days after that, he would be able to ask some interesting questions. It was always the young ones, who still had that naive way of looking at things, who seemed to find interesting research topics in mathematics.

  AT THE time of the next tidal pulse from the daily passage of Zulu in the skies overhead, the three adult flouwen took the youngster out of the lake and into the ocean, there to teach him how to "fish" for his own peekoo shellfish. After a boisterous session of surfing all night during a strong storm, the four made their way back around the island.