Adventures on the Holodeck 11
Captain's Log: November 29, 2015
Voyage of Discovery - Part 3
Visit to the GIS Spaceport
When we last saw our intrepid explorer, she was in a spacecraft with a pilot who was preparing to leave Atlantis to go to the General Information Service spaceport. We rejoin her now just as she arrives.
Feodora had just settled back in her seat when, in the blink of an eye, the scenery changed dramatically.
Feodora whistled, then remarked, "That was quick! How did we get here so fast?"
Conductor: "We move by thought. It is how the Operator moved you around on the Earth."
"Then why do you need a ship at all? Could you not just 'beam us up' without it?"
Conductor: "Objects in space are in constant motion. If we had missed the sation, the vacuum would make our blood boil. If we did get inside, we may have been joined with part of the station or another human. By traveling in this craft, we can 'jump' from one location to another almost as quickly, and with greater safety."
"So you have to see where you are going."
Conductor: "In a fixed environment, like a planet surface, or inside the station, we could move without seeing the destination. Places there are in fixed positions relative to one another. We just have to be careful that no one else is occupying the space that we want to use."
"I can see how that might be a bit untidy! Hello! Is that a dining room or a meeting room?"
Conductor: "It is used for both. Now that I can see the room, I will send you inside. We may still communicate, or you may begin a conversation with one of the crew inside."
Feodora, more than a little worried, asked, "Are you going to leave me with these strangers?"
Conductor: "Not to be rude, but you are the strangest one here! The 'spell' that you read activated a pathway to the Operator, but did not provide you will the information that you need to associate and interact with those here."
Feodora queried, "Do you still call yourselves Atlanteans?"
Feodora found herself inside the dining / meeting room. This kind of 'movement' was still new to Feodora, and it took her a few seconds to get her bearings.
A new 'voice' came to Feodora: "We remember the old names, but seldom use them anymore." The owner of that thought was standing next to a fellow who looked to be suffering from a terrible migraine. In truth, he was acting out a humorous story.
Nervously, Feodora asked, "Where is the Conductor? Does he have to dock the starship, or is he needed elsewhere?"
The new 'voice' spoke aloud, "I am called Hatshepsut1. It will be easier for you to communicate only with me until you learn how to filter out thoughts that are only meant for you." After a pause, she added, "The Conductor is needed aboard the Spaceguard, the other device that you can see through the windows. It is unoccupied, but we check on it from time to time to insure that it is operating well. It is one of the Conductor's 'pet' projects."
Feodora asked: "Can you hear everyone's thoughts all of the time?"
Hatshepsut: "We do perceive thoughts of every living being, but that is too much to comprehend. It is not natural. It is a learned discipline. The first thing one learns is how to select the thoughts that are important to one's self. Think of it as when you 'tune in' a radio frequency or television station."
Feodora: "But all of your thoughts are out there? Does that not pose a security threat?"
Hatshepsut: "The only thoughts that are freely available are those that one specifically projects. This is somewhat taxing, and is done mostly to share new information with the entire population. Our teachers do this with some limited groups. It is possible to project thoughts to only one person."
Feodora: "These appear to be military uniforms. Are you in some kind of service organization?"
Hatshepsut: "We have not had an active military for thousands of your years. We are all archivists here. You would call us 'librarians'."
Feodora: "Then the General Information Service is a library? Where are all of the books?"
Hatshepsut: "We are the 'books', as you call them. Every member of our 'crew' holds the entire combined knowledge of their assigned civilization. Since Earth was our original home, we all know a little about it. I chose Earth for my assignment, as have others. We believe that redundancy is the key to permanent storage of information.
We all started in what was once believed to be your Atlantis, although we did not choose that name. Our first language was vastly different from anything spoken before the Egyptian dynasties. The one that you call the Operator is from a society that predates the Egyptian civilization. I am just a little younger."
Feodora: "If you were the ones that we call 'Atlanteans', why did you leave Earth?"
Hatshepsut: "We lived in an area that was geologically unstable. Our technology kept us 'afloat' for many years, but became too expensive for us to maintain."
Feodora: "But why leave Earth? Do you not miss your home world?"
Hatshepsut: "Our leadership body decided that we would interfere with the normal developement of other Earth civilizations. Some of us have 'gone home for a visit', but your ... fellow Terrans ... always saw us as 'alien visitors' because of our technlogy. Some of us have been mistakenly revered as 'gods'. This has caused a lot of embarrassment over the years. Many of us have learned to adapt to your ways of life. We find it easier to blend in with the local populations without causing a stir."
Feodora: "Then you have what we would call a 'Prime Directive' of non-interference." With a half-smile, she added, "You stumbled there for a second. I have a feeling that you did not want to repeat the 'your kind' remark."
Hatshepsut gave a wry smile when she replied. "We are not infallible. The Conductor advised me to be careful in my dealings with you. I think he likes you!"
Feodora: "As Noq would say, 'Pul-eese! I prefer people in my own decade!' Even Noq is too old for me, but do not let him know I said that!"
Hatshepsut laughingly remarked, "Then someone several millenia older 'would not even have a shot'! Is that how you say it?"
Feodora: "That is exactly how we would say it! We do see eye-to-eye on that point!"
Feodora: "The Spaceguard. What is it and what does it guard?"
Hatshepsut: "It is not a military weapon. It tracks near-Earth objects and destroys any that might interfere with the planet. Such an object is believed to have been what caused the last Extinction Level Event - the one that killed a lot of the dinosaurs. We would not like that to happen again. We placed them around some of the planets that we watch over."
Feodora: "Does it destroy them all?"
Hatshepsut: "It can, but we let the smaller ones through. Even your technology can detect some near-Earth objects. If we let the Spaceguard destroy those, your governments would be in chaos. Wars have been started over such misunderstandings."
Feodora: "How many other planets have you visited?"
Hatshepsut thought for a moment, then spoke cautiously. "It might not be good for you if I give you too much information. The Elders are already in a heated debate as to whether or not we can allow you to return to your home. We can erase the memories of all that you have seen, but most of us believe that to be cruel and unethical."
Feodora: "Those of my people who have reported 'alien encounters' are seldom believed. Most of us think them to be either mad, or outright liars. If I had ever met an alien, I would never tell anyone. Noq, the idiot, would put it in all of the newspapers."
Hatshepsut gave Feodora a quizzical look. "Your relationship with this person is ... odd. You obviously like him, yet you speak so ... unkindly about him. I cannot find the right words to convey what I am thinking."
Feodora: "We tease each other a lot. 'It helps to keep us humble!' Or so he says."
Hatshepsut: "Let us go for a stroll. I will show you a little more of this station, and we can share thoughts on the way."
Will the Atlanteans let our intrepid explorer go, or will she be forced to stay with them? Will they erase her memories and make her forget everything she has seen? Will she escape in the final reel? Will Noq remember that he left the bathroom light on (again!)? Stay tuned for further developments in Feodora's
Voyage of Discovery - Part 4
coming to a website near you!
I did not create these background models. The fair use agreement does not specify that the source models be listed, but other DAZ users might wish to get some for themselves.
Bibliography
◎ Atlantida Spaceguard
ϟ Intrepid Explorer Phoenix
ღ GIS Orion
♦ GIS Orion Poses
☫ Future Light
1Hatshepsut (behindthename.com)
Hatshepsut (Wikipedia)
If you look through the User Galleries you will see many pictures that are more well done than I have produced. Still, it is a fun hobby!
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