Change

by Tony Corden

  “They have allowed the disc to leave the game and I assume that they know people will get help. So I assume that they know people will have AI help to solve the puzzles.”

  “But will it satisfy you? Remember your advice to Eli.”

  “Probably not, but what if I needed help otherwise I would lose? What holds greater value, personal satisfaction or progressing in the competition?”

  “Would that not depend on who makes the decision?”

  “Ah Gèng, if that were true then what is good and right, in this case, is not fixed but relative.”

  “Is not every situation unique and therefore is not all morality relative?”

  “Maybe, I am convinced though that there are principles which are inviolable. For example, to treat someone as less valuable because of their race or gender is always wrong. That principle will inform all my actions, even the unique ones within virtual games.”

  “I would continue the discussion, but you have received a message from Dr Ellis. No video or audio, only text.”

  .

  “I see, do you have the address for the Research lab?”

  “Yes, your MIT enrolment gives access to most public virtual-spaces in the MIT sub-space in Academia. Where would you like to leave from?”

  “I’ll walk to the MIT level of the Tower. It will give me time to think. Please respond by text, ‘On my way’.”

  Leah walked steadily up the stairs. As she walked she reviewed the material she had collected on Dr Ellis. He was in his early sixties and was a pioneer in the field of constructing bounded aether dimensions. With the current technology, each construction was only accessible through molecular sized portals, but the evidence suggested that within the bound-dimension he constructed such concepts as energy, mass, distance and time operated under non-Newtonian and non-Einsteinian principles. Dr Ellis had been developing an empirically formulated description of the laws which regulated such spaces, but his published research was still being met with scepticism by many academics who struggled to repeat the observations.

  When she arrived at the portal, she steeled herself and then walked through. She arrived at the entrance of a large warehouse-sized building. Around the edges were various desks covered in diagrams and open books. Then there was a ring of tables with all sorts of mini-experiments set up. In the middle of the room was a massive house-sized machine which Leah knew to have a large vacuum-chamber in which Dr Ellis accessed the Aether dimensions. Well, not really, it was a virtual-replica of the actual machine which he had constructed in Wales.

  At one of the smaller experiment laden tables, Leah could see Dr Ellis talking with a younger person in a lab coat. Well, talking wasn’t probably the appropriate word. Dr Ellis was explaining in forceful terse sentences his opinion of the person. Leah assumed this was one of Dr Ellis’ research assistants who had attracted his ire. Neither of them were aware of Leah’s approach until she interrupted the tirade by saying, “Good afternoon, I assume one of you is Dr Ellis. You asked me to come with haste, and here I am. My name is Atherleah Carroll.”

  Dr Ellis turned to her and said, “Quiet. I’ll get to you in a minute, after I’ve finished this discussion.”

  Leah decided that she would not put up with such behaviour if she were to work here and said, “I apologise. I assumed you had finished and were just waiting for me. I am sure you had expressed the same thought several times since I arrived. Well, practice does improve our performance, or so they say. My only suggestion would be to try several different adjectives. So for example, I think you used ‘useless’ more than ten times since I arrived; it might be more helpful to change the word. You could try ‘hopeless’, ‘ineffective’, ‘worthless’, ‘ineffectual’, ‘inept’, or my favourite, ‘incapable’. From what you said it is clear you have made these comments before so you need to change a parameter. My suggestion stems from an appreciation of the well known adage, ‘Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results’ or the version I think more applicable ‘a disorder is any personal construction which is used repeatedly in spite of consistent invalidation’ .”

  As she talked, she stared at Dr Ellis. By the end of her speech, she knew she had redirected his attention entirely to her; the lab assistant was forgotten. Leah continued, “Now, I am also busy, when would you like me to return? I will be sure to schedule it in my diary and I will be punctual, I assure you.”

  “Girl, just who do you think you are?”

  “I know I am Atherleah Carroll, sir. You asked me to make haste to come for an interview regarding the possibility of being one of my advisors for my Doctoral Studies. Did you invite me? If not, then it is a prank in poor taste, I think.”

  “I invited you, but I already regret it. What gives you the right to talk to me like that?”

  “Like what? I assumed from your tirade toward your assistant that you appreciated full and frank discussions. They did say you were rather abrasive and that your social skills were non-aligned with normal conventions. I assumed after hearing you talk with your mentee that this meant you appreciated unfiltered thoughts, ones untarnished by common civility. I merely mirrored your example.”

  Dr Ellis’ assistant was standing to the side with a look of horror on his face. He obviously expected Dr Ellis to explode. Instead, Dr Ellis said, “Humph, finally I get an assistant with gumption and they also happen to have a smart mouth. When can you start?”

  “Dr Ellis, at the moment I am only a possible assistant. I do want you as my advisor, but I have several questions concerning the direction you will permit me to head in my investigations. Also, I aim to have two advisors, and this will mean I might be only half an assistant.”

  “Who’s the other poor sod you want to foist yourself onto?”

  “Dr Whitfield.”

  “Ha, that old windbag! I’d like to see you annoy her; I’d even pay for the privilege. But she won’t take you because you haven’t even finished your primary degree. She’s so rigid she won’t see past her precious preconceptions to even think about it; she’s the quintessential academic snob and prissy conformist. Even if she did, she'd never agree to share you, especially not with me. Your best bet is to choose someone else, not that any of those stuck up theoretical physicists would share.”

  “I will cross that bridge when I come to it. Are you open to the possibility? I need some help with the theoretical side of my area of interest as well as your advice on its practical application.”

  “I’m open to the idea but mostly because I need another pair of eyes and hands myself. How much time will you give to assist me in my research?”

  Leah and Dr Ellis spent over half an hour discussing back and forth Leah’s research and the time she could give to Dr Ellis. Leah was impressed with the subtle testing that Dr Ellis submitted her to throughout the discussion. His questions and remarks ensured she had the foundational knowledge for the area of study she was interested in. Finally, he said, “Until you get that Senior Unit out of the way and get a deeper understanding of that unifying braid formulation, then you’ll learn more working on my project. After a few months then you’ll move to working half on your projects and half on mine. I suggest you get some access to an actual research facility, one in reality. All we can really do in the virtual world is modelling. Innovation and finding useable applications of theories can only truly be studied in reality.”

  After saying her goodbyes, she headed for her meditation spot in the Tower garden and sat for some time thinking through what had been discussed and her options. After a time she rose and headed for her sofa. She said, “Gèng, can you research what options I have for doing research in Brisbane. Also, investigate what other options I might have if I can’t get access here. I’ll need this for that Senior Unit not only for the work with Dr Ellis. I’m going to step into Cosmos Online and be ready for the transition to Plankian Space. Then I’ll have a midnight meal and hea
d back for an hour to look at the star-charts.”

  Diary - 9 December 2073

  For all my talk of freedom and of letting people determine their own destiny, I'm just as bad as everyone else. I tried to solve Gèng's problem. In fact, what I did was worse. I created a problem for her that needed solving. She didn't see it, doesn't want it and I forced it on her. What would history be like if we humans only tried to solve problems and not invent them? If we helped people who struggled to find enough food instead of telling people who had enough that they were poor because they didn't have the same variety as the rich? What if we helped people to learn instead of telling them they had a learning difficulty which required us to take control? So many people we help who don't want it, don't need it, and aren’t improved by it. We can still help people. We just need to stop trying to control them as we help them. Aid with conditions isn’t aid; it’s a payment to exert control and a form of social conditioning.

  I know one thing, I am not ready to be a public figure. I'm so embarrassed that I've had to get a publicity consultant or whatever she's called. All I want is to learn more and see how far I can go. I suppose being in the public eye is one measure of how far I go, just not one I like. I wonder why people seek a widespread audience. Is it power, money or some other intangible achievement they crave? I guess I’d better get used to it though, this Merkize experience will make things much worse before they improve.

  I hope I hear back from Dr Whitfield soon. Then I'll be able to get started. I’m sure the braid works, I just need confirmation and some help with boundary points. Where will I be able to get access to a real laboratory? It'll really eat into my day if I have to travel. I need to talk with Susan again, maybe she'll have an idea. I wonder? Nope, I won't write that down just yet. But what a wild idea! Note to self - talk to Gèng!

  I also need to find time to help Sharon find her sister but that will mean another world to enter. What will it be like to have freedom after nine years? Will she even want to be free? I need to see what help the kids from the Switch are getting. There is so much to do. I need to delegate. Maybe there is someone else I can convince to go with Sharon?

  CHAPTER TEN

  December 10, 2073

  Leah arrived on the Bridge of the Annoyance with ten minutes to spare before translation to Plankian Space. This gave her enough time to check the various sensors and confirm that there had been no activity in the system since their arrival over a day ago. The Banshee was an older ship and would need to accelerate for another twelve hours before translating if they were to arrive at the same time in the destination system. Leah logged out and after a quick meal she was logged onboard the Betrayal for the first jump into Plankian space. She was on board for less than ten minutes before heading back on board the Annoyance to continue looking through the star charts.

  After several minutes she found that she was struggling to focus as her mind played over the possible repercussions of the scenarios she, Akia and her friends had discussed. She relocated to the floor and closed her eyes to meditate. Master Ning had emphasised that meditation needn’t be an emptying of the mind, but rather it was a focusing of the mind to view something dispassionately. This was not to take away the passion, but to set it aside for a moment, and allow life or circumstances to find an order or structure without forcing it into your preconceptions. In this state, you could deal with life’s turmoil with greater certainty and strength.

  After ten minutes Leah said, “Gèng, please display the data in the order it is saved on the disk. Play it so that I finish looking at it in sixty minutes.”

  “That will be too fast for your brain to register. There is information in the database on over 7000 star systems.”

  “I know! But you are right, all that information will be too much. I’ve checked and no star system has the number 42316 in its designation or initial summary and the word Vikas isn’t mentioned in any of the star charts? I’m not likely to guess the exact code used so I’ll just have to do the hard work of checking everything. But first show me the big picture again. Show me the area covered in the charts and identify each star with a report in green.”

  Leah looked at the resulting projection from all angles, but no pattern emerged that she could see. She continued to change the parameters, reviewing the visual records and changing which data was presented. At the end of the hour, she felt she had gotten nowhere as nothing had jumped out at her. It was with some frustration that she logged out.

  Leah almost reached the sofa when she changed directions and headed for the room with the Merkize disc. She looked again at the puzzle she had been working on and said, “Triangles. Gèng, each of the icons is made up of triangles. The number of triangles in each icon is different. If it’s numbers they represent, then it might be a simple Hanjie or Nonogram. I’ll check later, but first, back to the Annoyance.”

  She rushed back and sat again on the floor. She said, “Now what do all these systems have in common?”

  Gèng responded, “A sun, or suns, planets, moons, asteroids, and any number of other variables.”

  “I’ve tried the big picture, but what about identifying unique systems? Try planets. How many systems with a ‘V’ name or classification have only four planets?”

  “Five.”

  “Is there any particular combination of ‘V’ and ‘4’ which returns a single system?”

  “Yes, a single item is returned if ‘V’ is entered for star system designate with reference to either Nomenclature or Classification number and ‘4’. It is either the number of habitable planets; the Apparent Magnitude of the star; the number of Space-stations; the number of colonies; the Gorgian fleet responsible for protection; or the number of Gorgians on the original survey team.”

  “Is there a corresponding unique system for ‘I’ and ‘2’”?

  “Yes, the system designate I-23 is overseen by the second Gorgian Fleet.”

  “‘K’ and ‘3’?”

  “Yes, the system Kylo, designate G-456 has three Space Stations.”

  “Not what I needed, check each system with the identifiers with the letters from VIKAS and then the data using the corresponding numbers from the string, ‘42316’? Use the numbers in both directions. I am after five unique systems using the same characteristics.”

  Gèng was silent for a minute and then another before responding, “If I search for systems with the data provided then no unique set appears with five systems. The closest was a collection of three systems. I added material from the various public sites associated with each of the star systems and have come up with one unique set.

  “Many of the stars in Cosmos Online are originally modelled on stars seen from earth. Several forums are dedicated to identifying such models. One has compared the Cosmos Online stars with the stars identified and named based on their Arabic designations. Taking the Common names of those Arabic Stars then the star Vega, identified in Arabic as النسر الواقع or ‘an-Nisr ul-Wāqiʿ’ is the model for the System known in Cosmos Online as Armonia and designated in the Gorgian records as JF-45. It has six public space stations, is host to a Gorgian Embassy and is a player starting system dedicated to music and the arts.

  “Izar is known in Arabic as ‘الإزار’. In Cosmos Online this was the model for the star Celeste which is one of the starter systems primarily used by players from China. It has one public space station and is host to a Gorgian Embassy. Similar stars with the corresponding number of public space stations, starter systems and Gorgian Embassies are 40 Eridani, known as Keid or ‘القيض’ and is the model for the starter systems known as the Triplo. It is a star system with three primaries. One public station surrounds each star.

  “The planet which in Arabic is known as ‘العذارى’ or ’al-‘A·dhārā is Epsilon Canis Majoris and is the model for the unaligned pleasure planet located in Gorgian space. It is called Nymph and has a ‘restricted’ rating. It is one of Cosmos Online’s forays into the adult-only erotic market. It is a
starter system and has two public space stations. Finally is ‘سعد الملك’ or Sadalmelik the system modelled on Alpha Aquarii, it is one of the major starter systems, is known as Aquarius as it has a water planet in the habitable zone. It has four public space stations and a Gorgian embassy.”

  Leah pondered for a moment and then said, “Can you isolate the five systems for me and review all data and see if there are any other likely connections between them?”

  “I can, it will take me some time, so I suggest you pursue other activities until I am finished. You need to prepare for your time in Dunyanin. I will utilise the time to investigate the five systems in the wider virtual multi-verse.”

  Leah logged out of the Pod in preparation for a day in Dunyanin.

  Leah arrived back in Dunyanin and was surprised to see several Dwarven Warriors standing guard in the field outside her suite. She opened the door into the main section of the Forge only to find Korumak standing outside the door.

  “Morning Korumak, what is going on?”

  “Two dwarves were caught attempting to enter the Forge. It appears they are not connected except they both claim they are here to see you. One somehow made it to the second entrance where they revealed themselves and asked for you. The other was caught climbing down one of the air intake chutes. Several scouts also reported a contingent of Orcs making their way through the snowbound passes to the south of here.”

  “What would you like me to do?”

  “Come and see if you know either of the dwarves. The only one we might release is the one who came to the front gate. The other we will put on trial for attempting to break into the fortress. He is a traveller, and his punishment will most likely be death.”

  Leah followed Korumak through the fortress until they reached some cells deep underground. He beckoned Leah towards the cell door and indicated she should look inside. The room was what Leah had expected a cell to look like although it did have a bed for the prisoner. A dwarf who Leah instantly recognised as Rana in her dwarf form was lying on the bed.