Finally, the procedure for processing explorers exiting the Enigmatic Object. The Automated Sentries will first try to match our data with the existing ones—which, fortunately for Na-Yeli & Co, has many gaps—and then send them back to the species from which they originated, if these still exist, or send them to the Adoption Centre to figure out what best course of action to take.
Na-Yeli—the slow CEO—has enough of an overview to make an informed decision about staying here or not. However, before she can present her arguments to her crew, she needs one final piece of information, which should be hidden in the general overview of the fundamental laws that’s also inside the info package the Automated Sentries sent them.
It’s time for another LateralSys session. Na-Yeli self-hypnotizes and goes under. An indeterminate time later, she rises to consciousness again, migraine and all, to find the note of her genius self.
Interesting. The barriers between the layers are basically mini black holes orbiting the SEKO close to the speed of light in magnificently orchestrated orbits that intersect each other without the singularities ever colliding and while leaving one-meter diameter openings in their South and North Poles.
Mind you, these mini black holes are orbiting in the SUSY—supersymmetric, actually an extended form of supersymmetry, to be precise—Universe whose only force we have in common is gravity. Gravity so strong in this case it forms an impenetrable, spaghettifying barrier. The SUSY aliens are true masters of gravity.
Mini black holes (or ten total solar eclipses, depending on your point of view)
The semi-permeable openings—the Diaphragm Gates—are even more complex. Because they infected our Universe with the superposed aliens (in order to speed up the development of intelligent life), the SUSY aliens imbued them with a SUSY force that we cannot measure, let alone experience. Let’s call it paxador, an elementary force that’s the supersymmetric analog of our strong force, which they can still detect. So the moment life containing the superposed aliens—it’s why we had to put sentient bats into our drones—approaches, the orbiting mini black holes of the semi-permeable membranes would open fast enough to accommodate the life-containing vessels going through. Because of a safety margin, small parts of the interlayer’s environments leaked through. So basically, they were triggered and controlled shutters. Again, the SUSY aliens are Zen Masters of Gravity, I cannot emphasize this enough.
In any case, as you suspected, we’re at the far end of a time loop. In order to complete the loop, we must go back in, get to the Core, and travel back to the time from whence we cameth. The summarized info you got from the Automated Sentries should be enough for me to figure out exactly how.
Once we’ve traveled back in time to just before we entered—actually, we might have missed seeing ourselves leave—we can get out again and present our findings to an unknowing Universe and close the loop. After that, who knows? Personally, I’d rather leave this far future where everything knowable is known, new connection are made at a glacial pace, and go back to a time where I can experience the pleasure of finding things out.
—LateralSys;
Which is good enough for Na-Yeli, who now goes to sleep to rest and recover from the usual migraine after invoking LateralSys.
After waking up, Na-Yeli decides to have a vote. She explains the situation as clearly as she can and then asks everybody what they want. “Aye for those who want to return to the Enigmatic Object where we will take our chances, take our fate in our own hands, and Nay for those that prefer to stay here, where matters are mostly out of our hands. If this sounds slightly manipulative, then my excuses, but I don’t know how to formulate it any better.”
The Moiety Alien vigorously vibrates up and down, then moves into the direction of—where they know—the Enigmatic Object is, and then comes back, vigorously nodding ‘yes’ again.
“That’s one ‘Aye',” Na-Yeli says, “hypersounders?”
—they’re still discussing this quite vehemently— the communication AI translates —can you ask the others first?—
A complex waveform that might represent either a hypersounder or a superposed alien
“Superposed aliens,” she asks out loud while internally contacting LateralSys.
‘All say ‘Aye’,’ LateralSys says, ‘as they’re not needed in this place. And count me in, too.’
‘Aye,’ KillBitch says as Na-Yeli feels her hands subconsciously tighten into fists.
“That leaves you and the hypersounders,” Na-Yeli says.
—i tend to ‘aye’— the communication AI signals —although i prefer to wait for the hypersounders, who are my closest friends. you could speed them up so that they have time, and we don’t have to wait long—
Na-Yeli does so, and a few minutes later, the communication AI signals that a decision has been made.
—‘aye’ by a majority of more than ninety percent— it signals —so count me as an ‘aye’, too—
“That makes it unanimous,” Na-Yeli says. “Anything to say before we go?
The communication AI likes to explain the reasoning of the hypersounders, asking Na-Yeli if she can point out a fault in their logic.
The hypersounders right now run in a simulated environment and can be downloaded to the new world/environment created for them. However, it will be limited. But that was also the case with the layer in which Na-Yeli found them, which was limited as well. Any environment has limits; some are bigger than others.
Nevertheless, there is a huge faction (the majority) of Na-Yeli’s copies & pasted hypersounders who acknowledge that they are in a limited environment, as well, but since it’s virtual, it might be expanded. On top of that, they’ve become addicted to adventure. Yes, they risk an extinction event. But otherwise, they’d just be caged animals.
“What can I say,” Na-Yeli says, “but ‘I concur’?”
—then we all agree, and we’re all in the same boat— the communication AI signals —at least it’s a boat we control—
“Damn right,” Na-Yeli says, “we’re outta here.”
As unobtrusively as she can in this gravity-free environment where they’d been floating for the longest part of a day, Na-Yeli starts up her ion thruster and moves towards the exit, simultaneously initiating the password generator. Just as the Automated Sentries said, it’s not locked in any way, and the square simply zaps open. Na-Yeli & Co leave the Monolith, followed closely by the Moiety Alien. After they’ve moved a certain distance away from it, the square exit zaps closed again.
The Enigmatic Object looms in the distance, visible because it blacks out part of the star field. Its immensely complex gravitational field remains all but invisible, but its fast-rotating magnetic field is, of course, eminently readable by Na-Yeli’s instruments. There are tons of challenges and dangers ahead, yet the wetness she feels arising in her eyes is not out of fear or trepidation. No, they’re tears of joy, happiness and anticipation. It’s almost like coming home, she thinks, even if that’s our ultimate goal.
Na-Yeli and the Moiety Alien are approaching the Shutter, and so far, nobody seems to follow them. The password generator pings her, telling them the password is ready to be sent. Somewhere deep within Na-Yeli, there’s a suspicion that the Automated Sentries did recognize them and just played along so that they would go back, motivated and all. True or not, Na-Yeli thinks, I’d rather have the illusion of free will than the absolute certainty of an Eschatonian Universe.
“There it is,” Na-Yeli says to her crew, “Shutter can be opened anytime I like. Everybody with me?”
—hypersounders say go— the communication AI signals —and i say dogspeed—
‘Superposed aliens ask ‘Aren’t we through already?’,’ LateralSys says, ‘and I agree.’
The Moiety Alien nods consent so vigorously Na-Yeli’s afraid it’ll shake itself apart.
Somewhere inside Na-Yeli, LateralSys relishes the upcoming challenges, and KillBitch figuratively balls both fists. “All for one,” Na-Yeli says, “one for all.”
They speed towards the Shutter in a perfectly perpendicular trajectory, the Moiety Alien the shortest possible distance behind, in Na-Yeli’s slipstream. The shutter opens, bang on demand, and they’re in, on toward the next adventure.
The Enigmatic Object viewed from the outside
[THE END]
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Author’s note: this ends “Forever Thrilled”. Hope you enjoyed it!
A little update.
During January I have been (and will be) busy, writing-wise1, with copy-editing The Three Reflectors of Consensual Reality. I’m slightly over halfway through (60K of 115K words), meaning I intend to finish this early February.
I like this—copy-editing and proofreading—about as much as vacuuming or cleaning the toilet (and other household chores); that is, not at all. Yet I know it’s absolutely necessary, as my writing is far from flawless. So please bear with me as I plow through it.
I also need to do this for the very last chapter of The Replicant, the Mole & the Impostor, but I’ve decided to do that after I’ve finished with the copy-edits and proofs of The Three Reflectors of Consensual Reality. Why? Because I had done all the proofreading and corrections for The Replicant, the Mole & the Impostor except for the last two chapters, and then kept postponing doing the very final one until, well, still.
My fault, and I don’t want to repeat it. So I’m ging to finish this job for The Three Reflectors of Consensual Reality first, and then the final chapter of The Replicant, the Mole & the Impostor. Call it a self-imposed punishment.
Of course, I’ll have to go through the copy-editing and proofreading part again with the two sequels (The Transcendence of Consensual Reality and The Constructors of Consensual Reality) and the accompanying novelette (“Black Swan Hacks”) and novellas (“The Transit Year” and “The Cryptomancers at the Heart of the Galaxy”). The fun never ends.
Finally, I have also started doing research for the next novel simply because I’m inspired and can’t help myself. Plenty of inspiration. I could write all the time if the day job wasn’t in the way. Anyway, thanks for your patience and normal service should resume sometime in February.
