He returned the embrace . . . holding her close so she couldn’t see the tears in his eyes.
Chapter 4 – Hal’sea-on
She missed Hal’sea-on . . . the home planet of the Shazarette. It was a place as different from Ooz’tari World as one could imagine. Whereas the later consisted of a single, vast metropolis that spanned the entire planet, the former was a unique evolutionary paradise whose pristine nature was assiduously preserved by the inhabitants.
It was a water world with no continental land masses such as we take for granted on Earth . . . no Americas, no Africa, no Australia. What it did have were a few million or so islands of varying sizes from impressively massive (think Great Britain) to ‘kind of uselessly small’ (like your average backyard). Most, however, were large enough to hold a fair-sized town.
But these were no ordinary islands. In fact, they were unique. They were not tethered to the ground below; they floated on the surface of the water and drifted with the currents. Without any propulsion of their own, they were literally at the whim of nature as to where they were headed.
The oceans were all fresh water and teeming with a vast variety of edible sea life. The sky had its share of airborne creatures that migrated between islands.
The largest islands also raised various mammals for their meat and hides. So, food and water were abundant.
In their fervent desire to maintain a balance with nature, the Shazarette were willing to make some significant sacrifices. After all, the least they could do to honor their Creator who bestowed such gifts was to respect her generosity and see that future generations were able to enjoy the same blessings.
The list of such rules was extensive but two were noteworthy. The first, and probably the most obvious, was that the oceans were never to be used to dump waste products unless they were deemed beneficial to their aquatic neighbors. For example, human remains were honored by family, blessed by a Holy One then remanded to the sea. If the Shazarette could live on sea life, it was only proper that the sea life should be nourished in return. It was the ultimate Circle of Life.
The second is that the islands were prohibited from artificially altering their natural course; they had to drift where the currents took them. Since that was the grand plan of their Creator, who were they to second-guess her purpose? If it were not for this ancient custom, islands could (and would) rearrange themselves to facilitate trade or other mutually beneficial interactions.
The prohibition on altering the islands’ course had an unexpected consequence. As on nearly every world, people tended to relocate – perhaps for a job, to enjoy better climate or to be closer to other family members. The difference on Hal’sea-on was that there were two general modes of transportation – by boat or by air-ship (think dirigible). Either one was very slow considering some of the enormous distances between islands (Displacement Gates were prohibitively expensive and reserved for only the largest, most important city-islands).
The Shazarette found the answer in some commonly used, off-world technology. It was a form of incredibly sophisticated virtual reality. When P’yxx wanted to visit with her closest friends who were literally on the other side of the world, all she had to do was don a CT (cybernetic translocation) visor . . .
. . . and she was there. Well, technically she was there in a molecularly- cohesive virtual state. Her full-body, semi-solid duplicate would appear at her girlfriend’s house. She could walk around, talk, or listen to her friend. She could perform any physical activity that she could do with her own body.
The only constraint of the system was that it was designed to work within a planet’s datasphere – that part of the atmosphere which was modified to hold and transmit data. This atmospheric layer is like our internet but a gazillion times more powerful since, among other things, it wasn’t hardware based – no computers, cables, or servers.
Unfortunately, this limitation meant that once she moved to Ooz’tari World, P’yxx would no longer be able to interact with anyone back home. As she sat in her room after her little talk with her father, she began to reminisce about a happier time – the last virtual meeting with her two friends. They met at one of their favorite locations – the Aqua Roil, a series of spectacular waterfalls located on an island we would consider a national park.
Even though it was very popular with the citizens of Hal’sea-on, most people visited the remote location through their CT visor. When P’yxx and her friends met, their semi-solid avatars were only visible to each other since it was a ‘private’ conversation. They could not perceive anyone else who might also be visiting nor could those other visitors perceive them.
L’yzz and Sari had been besties with P’yxx for approximately forever, maybe longer. The thought that she was leaving – possibly for years – had them in a perpetual state of misery. And despite their best efforts to stop time, she was leaving tomorrow. But P’yxx had made them promise no tears because if they cried, so would she. Today they would reminisce about the past and fantasize about their future.
They appeared at the appointed time and place . . . phony smiles on their faces. “Hi,” said P’yxx and walked up to each friend and gave her a hug.
“So, are you all packed?” asked L’yzz
P’yxx rolled her eyes in pretend exasperation. “Momma told me I could only bring five trunks of clothes. Can you believe it – just five?”
The other two laughed. “We know your wardrobe,” teased L’yzz. “You own three outfits, and you almost never wear two of them.”
It was a bit of an exaggeration but only a bit. P’yxx didn’t much care what she wore as long as it was comfortable and colorful. In fact, if it was really colorful, she would sacrifice comfort. That wasn’t as odd as it sounded. On the whole, the Shazarette were a very conservative people – except when it came to their clothes. Everyday looked like a scene from a family version of a Rio Carnivale festival or a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade.
“Are you excited about going to school with off-worlders?” The Shazarette weren’t xenophobic but neither did they go out of their way to mingle socially with other species. However, if it was required for their profession, as it was for Pyxx’s parents, then it was done without a second thought.
Why this lack of enthusiasm . . . something at odds with virtually all other sentient beings in this quadrant? There were several reasons. First, the Shazarette had an unusual symbiotic relationship to their world. Whereas every species on every planet was dependent on their home world for the basic requirements for life – air, nutrients, minerals, etc. – seemingly only the Shazarette understood that these were gifts to be acknowledged and repaid.
Any planet that can sustain life is a complex, living entity – a delicate balance of titanic forces locked in an intricate choreography almost beyond comprehension. Ironically, puny humanoids can upset that balance – not by brute force but by brutish neglect. The people of Hal’sea-on understood this concept intuitively and lived their lives accordingly.
Over the millennium, something strange began to occur . . . the planet and its inhabitants began to evolve seemingly in reaction to each other’s needs. For example, the currents that pushed the floating islands around the globe would take them through the pole regions. On Hal’sea-on, the southern pole was always pointed toward the sun and the temperatures would soar into the low hundreds (kind of like the Sahara Desert). The northern pole, perpetually pointed away from the sun, would see its temperatures fall well below freezing, much like our own Antarctica.
Not only were the extreme temperatures a challenge in of themselves, but the weather in general created fierce storms that would buffet the inhabitants just like our typhoons. But despite the hardships, they never altered the course of their islands . . . accepting the climatic conditions as the price of showing respect for their planet.
Seemingly in response to this deferential treatment, the currents slowly changed over time - taking the islands only through the temperate zones around the equator.
Co-incidence? Could be. Or maybe not.
The Shazarette also changed. Once a very aggressive species, inhabitants of any given islands would rationalize the flimsiest of excuses to war on their neighbors. This was especially true if their island lacked some natural resource that another island might have had in abundance.
Then, as the islands slowly changed courses over the centuries to avoid the most extreme weather conditions, so too did the inhabitance change their collective and extreme approach to their neighbors. Fighting gave way to negotiated settlements and treaties, wars gave way to trade . . . and all their aggressive tendencies gave way to introspection and a new interest in the science and arts.
By the time P’yxx was ready to move to Ooz’tari World, the Shazarette had evolved into a ‘model’ - albeit a bit boring - civilization. They spent their time expanding the boundaries of knowledge, caring for their world, and insuring that their fellow citizens led happy and productive lives. Their abhorrence of violence and conflict of any kind was a core belief, so much so that it was (as we might say on Earth) part of their DNA.
When P’yxx sent those snowballs hurtling back at their owners, that single act of retribution would have dumbfounded the entire population of Hal’sea-on. The only reasons her father didn’t react as others would have was because it was his daughter (no surprise there) and the possibility she might have telekinetic powers – something his scientific mind found immensely interesting.
Anyway, back to Sari’s question about going to school with off-worlders, P’yxx replied, “If they would let me attend class with my CT Visor, I would do that in a heartbeat. But, that’s against the rules.”
“Did they tell you why?”
“Yes. They want all students to interact in person. Apparently, that’s the only way to really get to know people of different species and cultures.”
“Sounds way too scary,” added L’yzz, then paused. “Which species do you least want to meet?”
P’yxx looked at her friends, eyes twinkling, and then they all blurted the obvious - “Bare Butts” and broke into gales of laughter. Needless to say, that wasn’t their real name. The species called themselves Byre’Buks – which roughly translated to ‘plains dwellers’. Their planet’s weather was so mild year-round that they had no need of clothes. They did sport a healthy coat of body hair but it still didn’t leave much to the imagination.
“That was too easy,” said Sari when their laughter died down. “Which one scares you the most?”
Like the previous question, the answer was obvious. “Ek’o” was the immediate reply. The mere sound of that name gave all three the chills.
The Ek’o were a humanoid species . . . well, at least technically. They had two arms, two legs, a torso, and a head. What they didn’t have was a face.
That wasn’t even the oddest thing. Whomever looked upon them provided the face. This phenomenon was a very sophisticated – and quite unique - evolutionary device that served several important functions.
The face of the Ek’o would display an image from the other person’s own subconscious. Through a form of mind control and the fluid, crystalline structure of their head, the Ek’o would force that individual to conjure a visual metaphor that most suited their purpose.
For instance, if you were their enemy, what you would see reflected back at you was literally your worst nightmare . . . something so horrible to contemplate that it would cause you to reconsider any hostile acts that you may have been planning.
On the other hand, a friend would see something that reinforced that friendship. A potential mate would see something that would enhance the prospects for that type of relationship.
Bottom line – you never wanted to meet an Ek’o if you harbored any unfriendly intentions. Other species had been known to be driven irrevocably mad at what they saw mirrored back at them.
As soon as P’yxx had answered the question, her girlfriend apologized. “Sorry. That was stupid of me.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not like I hadn’t thought about that myself.”
“You are the bravest person I know.” Intentionally putting one’s self in potential danger was just so un-Shazarette-like.
P’yxx shook her head. “I’m just going to school. They had hundreds of years to figure all this stuff out. Who knows if there will even be any in my class.”
“But what will you do if you meet one?”
P’yxx smiled. “Think happy thoughts. Anyway, enough about that stuff. Let’s get serious . . . which outfits do you think I should wear to class?”
*****
Back on Ooz’tari World
The day after the snowball incident, P’yxx was back at school. She was fully expecting trouble from Oh’tezla and his minions. To her surprise, he kept his distance . . . refusing to even make eye contact with her. What the girl didn’t realize was that bullies, at heart, were cowards. A victim who refused to be intimidated was obviously stupid and a waste of time. On the other hand, one who fought back became a threat . . . to his reputation and possibly his physical well-being.
He had no idea how she did what she did. Since there were literally hundreds of species, that wasn’t too surprising. The Shazarette were known for their shy and unassuming nature – and small stature. That was the reason he had targeted her in the first place. Apparently, they could also do stuff to snowballs – and that was news to him. He would avoid her for now – but eventually he would find a way to get even. Well, that’s what he told his cohorts though he was in no hurry to challenge the little girl anytime soon.
Like many schools on Earth, at the Har’vonta Concordia (P’yxx’s school), the first half hour of each class day was spent taking care of various administrative functions such as collecting homework or making announcements. Today, the Professor had a truly exciting news.
“Attention, please,” and she waited for everyone to settle down. “Thank you. As you know, part of your curriculum is an off-campus excursion to a unique destination to enhance your understanding of a particular subject. Normally this is scheduled as an end-of-semester event. However, we are incredibly fortunate that, due to a cancellation, we will be leaving the day after tomorrow for a most coveted locale. Would someone care to guess which one?”
The students all looked at one another trying to come up with an intelligent response. Once again, against all instincts, P’yxx stood up.
“Ha. Little miss know-it-all thinks she knows,” growled Oh’tezla. He still refused to make eye contact – instead he was grinning stupidly at his friends.
The Professor, who had a personal dislike of the Shazarette, just didn’t like our girl. She frowned and asked, “Anyone else have an idea?”
The old P’yxx would have slumped back down in her seat. This time, defiantly she stood her ground and waited.
“Oh, all right,” relented the Professor. “Tell us your guess.”
P’yxx stared for a moment – her big eyes drilling holes through the black heart of the woman. Ever since she had reached physical maturity about six months ago, she felt herself beginning to change. It wasn’t just her transition to womanhood; there was also a change in her attitude. Every day she could feel herself needing to be more assertive – to speak her mind, to express her feelings and to resist being what everyone else expected her to be. She tried fighting it – but it was a losing effort. The falling pants and snowball incidents were the first manifestations of this nascent change. Even the fact that she returned to school without fear (though with caution) was another example. Anyway, after a satisfactory number of seconds of keeping the professor waiting, she answered with “Brain-Wreck.”
At the mention of that name, the room exploded into excited whispers.
“QUIET.” The professor gave them another moment to do so. “The proper name, as you well know, is The Infinite Requiem of Scientific Insufficiencies.”
“But is she right?” someone called out.
Not wanting to give P’yxx any more credit than necessary
, she replied, “The choice was obvious. Yes, her guess was correct.” And with that confirmation, pandemonium reigned supreme.
*****
A couple of hundred years ago, a rogue planetoid named Dysmal was terraformed from a useless, lifeless rock into the Infinite Requiem of Scientific Insufficiencies . . . the brainchild of the then Emperor Q’orr, a modestly effective, but definitely quirky, leader of the Zatt Hegemony.
He told his Ministers that the idea came to him in a dream. In it, for reasons that were never made clear, he was having a discussion with a piece of twisted metal. Apparently, they were once friends . . . of sorts. The metal was the remains of an A.I.-controlled, robotic toy Pl’ugg - an extinct six-legged, two-headed mammal that once roamed the hills of Ooz’tari World.
He had named it Pulh (pronounced pull) and they went everywhere together. One day, in a foul mood, the seven-year-old Emperor-to-be took a rock to his friend and pretty much turned it into a heap of the aforementioned twisted metal. His royal caretaker scooped up the remains of the Pl’ugg, presumably to dispose of it.
About a month later, the same caretaker returned the toy to his charge . . . though it now looked entirely different.
“What is it?” asked the young boy.
“It is Pulh, the Pl’ugg. I was unable to rebuild him to his original state. However, I was able to create this. As you can see, it only has one head and four legs but it can hop quite high. Would you care to see it in action?”
The boy did and was smitten with this version of his old friend.
To his ministers, the Emperor asked, “Do you see where I am going with this?”
They had no clue.
“Fools,” replied the Emperor shaking his head in disgust. “I want to create a place where all scientific failures can be taken. Over time, who knows what they can be turned into . . . what wonders can be created.”
One minister had the courage to ask, “And who will see to these transformations, Highness?”
P'yxx - Syl'kie and Ellie Rose's 1st adventure Page 5