We tried jumping back to our reality, but found ourselves thrown into even more distant and weirder spaces - the scientists postulate that it is as if we are at the edge of our universe - even if that is not possible, it sure looks like it. This distant from all galaxies space should have been colder, but it is actually three degrees warmer than space is outside our own galaxy. The void is too dangerous for us to stay there permanently for sanctuary, but we have to keep jumping to it whenever we sense stresses building up in space as new anomalies develop while others subside. I think it may take us years or even decades to find our way out of here.
7801
No experience is the same as the previous ones and all of them are unpleasant, but the one I disliked the most was when we all seemed to shiver into tiny bubbles, like foam. That time I really thought I’d never manage to return to being the one form I knew myself as. How foolish have been our comforts in the past. How many times didn’t we speak of finding sanctuary within the Sparkler Worlds. We never asked the question, how would Sparklers control and preserve their World if they cannot survive outside it? This became obvious when Solomon suggested we move Freddie into their World. No Sparkler can survive either in this void or normal space, they need FTS just as much as we do. It would also be suicide of the soul if any of us are caught during transition by a change in potential reality - with the frequency they are occurring it would include the final death of most of those caught at such a moment in the void. Luckily it seems Freddie can survive and protect us from them.
Every Cherinian of all species is fighting with us, but a few dedicated scientists are still working. The thoughts of a scientist reached us in fits and starts as they were interrupted by the flexing of reality, despite our own thoughts of panic filling our minds, because he wanted to be heard by us. *We are not in an anomaly of space or time, the variety of our experiences can only be explained by one possibility: we are at the edge of our universe which is still growing. I theorise that as space invades non-space it seethes with possibilities until the major reality decision by our universe overcomes the potentials. We must move further back into our universe or else we’ll be carried within this expanding front for billions of years and our chances of surviving with our sanity lessen with each potential we experience - I do not think I can survive a repeat of the potential where life was not a possibility.* Another added a comforter, *Luckily we do not need to return to the point we started from. As long as we can return to the point where the turbulence and interference subside enough for us to teleport to our reality we’ll be safe.*
I understood why that potential in particular had terrified the first scientist and nearly everyone else but the truth is I found it so fascinating that I forgot to be frightened. I do not know how my awareness of the state of not existing was superimposed upon an awareness of existing while not existing, but it had me speeding obsessively along the convoluted tracks of disjointed, raw and ragged thoughts and pictures that raced through my mind as I tried to make both truths fit each other as if they belonged together.
Cherine answered for Robbie, speaking his thoughts for he could not spare concentration as he grimly focussed on helping his team hold the outer shield of FTS against the manic forces of energy hitting it like lightning hits a tree. *I agree, we must move to the void where I might succeed in moving us against the direction all energy is travelling, but I cannot do so unless we strike a stretch of relative calm for more than two seconds.*
7802
I managed to scream aloud for help (for Athene to record in the diary) but even as I did so I realised Arthur could not help as I would not be granted the time needed to explain our problem. Perhaps Cherine sensed or heard me for she suddenly broke away from our team. Before the sudden absence could weaken us, Cherine changed. As if she now had all the time she wanted, she gently pulled at Lusalith and sent her intentions/request. Lusalith did as Cherine The Light asked and the energies, gravity and time smoothed out around Freddie for a distance of hundreds of kilometres. They could not hold it for long, but Robbie did not need to be told, he changed the object or target of their concentration and at last FTS jumped back into the void that we’d so urgently departed from only minutes or centuries ago. Carefully Robbie extricated himself from his team’s efforts and deserting his body he left to become the g-void. Within seconds Robbie reappeared and many of us forgot to maintain our concentration as we saw him sending out sparks as he blinded us with a violet glow. Robbie had somehow found the mind control to search and discover a deeper level of void energy and was now the v-void! He took on his form and FTS seemed to enter the eye of a storm for the vibrations, electrical discharges and distortions all smoothed out so that it was as if we had escaped from this area. The truth was soon understood, our only escape was from the maniacal forces tearing at each other outside Freddie and that was only thanks to Robbie.
Telepathically and vocally, Robbie instructed everyone, “Everybody relax. Get something to eat and drink and order your healer to put you to sleep for one hour. This applies to all of you, I do not need even one of you to keep me company. As the void I do not need to sleep so forget about me and grab the opportunity to build up your reserves, as I’ll need your help in breaking away from the edge of this universe for us to return home.”
I was standing by Robbie as I dictated to Athene and he was able to read your reply. I could see that he wished he could take me in his arms, but he feared touching me while he was the v-void; if as the g-void he tingled enough to hurt, he might cause damage now - even if only to the nerve endings. I sent to him that I was not collapsing with dismay, that I was only angered even more by these stupid a-realities. His heart sang within mine before he curtly told me to sleep.
I had gone to sleep at Robbie’s feet, as close as I could to him without being ‘buzzed’ by his energy. Even before I opened my eyes I sensed everyone else was already slipping back into the teams they’d been part of. Somehow I just could not panic myself into getting up to help and lay as if I had all the time I wanted for daydreaming. I sent my thought to Robbie (which, as should be understood by now, means that (at least) Cherine was listening in…even though she had moved to a different team that was concentrating on preserving the lives of non-sentient creatures). *Dad, I presume you want to force the movement of Freddie against the flow of energies, with you linked in to our minds for added strength?*
*Yes. You have a different idea?*
*More like a question. What if you do what you can to protect us from the energies from outside, but take a Sparkler with you? Try and calm a distant area in the direction you want us to travel and the Sparkler can let the other Sparklers in here know by visualising so that they share with the Wirms who can try to wish us there?* If the words I used were not as lucid and clear in intent as I wished them to be, Robbie was ‘hearing’ me with his mind and saw the structures of my thoughts beneath the words and ‘heard’ clearly what I intended. With a bright smile that cheered everyone he formed a tiny stasis bubble around a volunteer Sparkler and they disappeared.
We made eleven jumps and I was basking in the pride my loves emoted as they sensed everyone’s admiration for the success of my idea. We were not travelling at any great speed and the jumps were fairly small, but we were moving in the right direction and, just as important, at last we were in control of the direction we were travelling. Our only worry was Cherine, she was using her ability to sense Robbie in the void and the strain was showing. I’m guessing, but I’d say it was Dommi who found a way to let Robbie know he must return. When he did, we understood why Cherine had looked and felt so drained - Robbie’s soul felt as if it was flickering, his reserves almost exhausted. We left our bodies immediately, most of us going to Robbie, but some of us going to Cherine. Within minutes both their souls shone with a healthy glow and we rushed to return to our bodies for the pleasure of being held physically.
7803
While we relaxed, ate a meal and grew confident enough to make a few jokes, Freddie monitored the outer shield and, deciding it was attracting too much energy, he stuck a tip into normal space. Surprised he called for the scientists to check. The area was totally devoid of abnormal pressures, tensions, energy forces and gravity/time distortions. The bubble of calm seemed to stretch for nearly four light months in all directions. Robbie agreed that we move into normal space and then we went home for our first relaxed and peaceful long sleep.
Freddie waited until we’d finished breakfast and we’d spent a little time talking to everyone, Robbie doing his best to soothe the hearts that had feared and lost hope. Robbie smiled as he sensed us doing our best to help him and went into ‘private’ mode with Freddie.
“Robert, I’ve tried to keep us at the center of the calm, but I’m worried. What if it is travelling back to the area we’ve just escaped from and is carrying us with it?”
Robbie shrugged. “I doubt it is travelling at a great speed, we’ll soon make up for lost ground. Freddie, couldn’t you have continued travelling in the direction we were going, even if it was slowly?”
“Would you like to check and tell me which direction we should travel? Robert, the scientists tell me they believe this area of calm is not only travelling towards the edge of the universe, but that it is also swirling around itself. Even if I knew which direction to start travelling in, we’d soon be going in the wrong direction. You’ll have to keep an eye on the direction we must travel from the void.”
Robbie has been spending most of the time in the void, Sparklers jumping to and fro with his instructions for Freddie so that Freddie does not have to split his awareness. Within this last month we’ve travelled what seems great distances to us, but is hardly a blink away from where we were. We’ve now had to slow down for conditions have worsened both in normal space and in the void. We crawled for two days and just as Robbie tried to think of some drastic solution, space cleared around us - but became worse in the void, energies there lashed by stresses into storms that would easily tear Freddie apart. Robbie is calm and asserts that the storm is only local so we need not worry.
It was mid-afternoon when a wedge of darkness seemed to slice through the shields of Freddie, about a kilometre above us. Paralysed by awe we saw shapes, lines and what must have been windows of some kind. By the time the front edge reached the opposite shield, about eighty percent of our sky was covered by the spaceship and the Unation spaceship had disappeared within it. Telepathically they sent us a message that we should not worry, they are not being harmed by the ghost spaceship and they are recording with all their cameras as the interior of the ship passes by.
Robbie jumped outside of the shields but there was no spaceship, just clear space all around. He jumped back in and saw it still exists. Even though it was not causing us any damage, we still found the experience frightening - for it felt like something unnatural. Whatever percentage of the ship was passing through Freddie, we worked out it must have been a small part of it. Robbie did send us shooting to the side so that the part of our sky that had not been covered closed. We travelled for many minutes towards the other side of the phantom ship before we saw the edge and part of our sky opened. It was travelling at an estimated speed of eight hundred and fifty kilometres an hour (it must have been coasting or else we were travelling in the same direction and that speed was only the differential between us) and it took about six and a quarter hours for the rear end to pass through the shields and swiftly disappear beyond the opposite shields. It seems they could not see us and remained unaware of our spaceships. Since, it has been postulated that it was not a spaceship, but a space station, which explains the low speed.
Rough estimates: about 3,600 km wide, 5,000 km long. Thickness: 1,400 km. We cannot estimate how many levels inside. According to the cameras some levels only had a height of two meters, many between three and fourteen and a few seemed to have a height of a few hundred meters - for only a part of the way, the levels then narrowing down to normal heights.
Up to now, two hundred and sixty seven species have been identified within the ship and none of them are of a species we know from our realities or the a-realities! I should have mentioned that once the Unation ship reported they were safe and viewing the interior of the ship, all species that have spaceships rose to enter the intruder and record. Only Robbie would not create a platform for us to join them and asked us not to jump to any of the ships already within the phantom spaceship. I’m going to pretend I’m nicer than I am and say that I’m glad, feeling our friends as they proudly show us the films and explain to us what we are seeing on the screens is wonderful.
7804
Others must have asked the question, but from our side, it was Allan who first asked. “We talk about it being a ghost or phantom ship. As far as I know, ghosts are what are experienced after death. This universe is far too new to have given rise to such a remarkable variety of species and such an advanced technology and civilisation.”
Robbie tried to tease him. “Allan, an advanced technology is not proof of an advanced civilisation.”
“It is, when that technology is shared by so many species!” Robbie conceded him the point, embarrassed by his not thinking of it before speaking.
An Anadir scientist said, “We could have witnessed time displacement in the order of billions of years - they might be from the distant future.”
A Muyzith scientist politely gestured his disagreement. “Within its own space we then should have shared their time - with disastrous consequences for them and us. We are considering a different possibility which is the type of theory Samantha likes to play with. What if what we saw has never existed and never will? What if this area, perhaps as the universe tears at non-space, converting it into space, the unbelievable forces being employed create, as a side effect, bubbles of potentialities. If those potentiality bubbles are not in line with what this universe wants…or, with the way it perceives itself and its future, so those potentialities fade away.”
Since he’d prefaced his theory by using my name, I felt justified in tossing in what I suppose he considers a Samantha type theory. “Whatever the forces at play, however time and space are distorted, what we saw could not have been created without a background, some kind of mixtures of evolution. That would necessitate the potentiality existing for an immense span of time and it would have to occupy at least a large part of a galaxy - more, or else why would they build such an immense spaceship without the space to justify the expense? What if, and this is just a question, what if the potentialities of all possibilities already exist within cells or non-cells of non-space, not existing while a part of non-space but as the universe makes those cells a part of itself they begin to exist as non-space becomes space and the universe is offered a trillion, billion trillion possibilities per millionth of a second. If that is how it works, I can’t help wonder at what combination of factors bring about the acceptance of even one such potentiality.”
My idea was wild and I gleefully expected them to shoot holes through most of it and I was looking forward to a lively debate. Unfortunately a desert chose to slowly stream through the shields at ground level (we were actually travelling through part of a planet!). Another potential scene had formed! The weird experience of having sand and rocks slowly flow past and through us stole the moment.
The desert did not move at an even speed, sometimes moving past at dead slow speed and sometimes racing by. It seemed to slow down as we arrived by a creature sitting on a slab of rock that rose out of the sand and then the desert froze for a few minutes, turning around as if offering us a gift of what we saw next. The slowing down we knew was only an alteration in our method of perception as we concentrated on seeing and sensing as many details as we could. In certain ways the creature resembled a Terran with two legs and two arms, but it almost glowed with a slightly green cast and gave the impression of being very delicate and fragile. There was movement by his side and he raised on to his lap a child - a boy not older than five years. The child was seated facing the desert ahead of them, the one arm of the adult holding him against himself for a moment.
The ability of Arthur to assume for us is important, but we do not have the time to spare for solving the problem or finding a logical reason for some assuming affecting us while other assuming does not, so I’ll accept his premise for the time being as I must concentrate only on my loves surviving right now. I’ll continue with the scene I was describing. After hugging the beautiful boy to himself, the male adult put his hand over the eyes of the child and his other hand rose with a knife in it. Horrified we cried out as he brought the knife to the tiny neck and with a swift slicing motion cut through. As the desert streamed away once more, he sat without moving, the blood of the child flowing over him.
While we’d concentrated on the scene we were viewing, Cherine instantly guessed what the effect on Robbie would be and rushed into his mind while her fingers clung to him. We sensed him trembling, but he did not move to stop what we saw. We sensed the misery that flooded through him as he was forced to sit and watch a child being killed without being able to help. Sensing the way he felt he surprised us when he spoke.
7805
“I don’t think that was an act of gratuitous cruelty, I think it was out of love - for instance, perhaps they have no more water. I am influenced by the fact that he blocked the eyes of the child so that it would not feel any fear. It feels terrible to know that he is forced to sit there with the memory of what he did, waiting for death while we were so close.”
We had to stay in normal space until Robbie found a clear patch within the void. Almost every single day, sometimes more than once, we passed through potentiality bubbles. Even the most mundane of them awed us and kept us watching for we never knew in advance which ones would turn into nightmares or beautiful dreams dreamt, perhaps, by some crazy god of non-space - surely if I am right about such cells existing, then surely each such cell or non-cell is close to being godlike, for it must be its own creator. Or, what if each is the potential of a story written by an author in some other reality?
Weeks later, we saw a wall of murky disturbance with pockets of total darkness and others of brilliant light and knew we were drawing close to the edge of the bubble of calm. Robbie kept watch as the v-void, desperate to avoid taking Freddie into the void which was very turbulent and overwhelmingly alive with forces of energy so powerful they could easily create galaxies if they transferred to normal space. Only as Freddie began to suffer distortions did he take us into the void. As we arrived he jumped blindly, only faintly having sensed a calmer patch in the distance. His gamble paid off and we sensed the relief as he returned to his body for a badly needed coffee, cigarette and a tiny set of thighs on his lap to warm his hands as he talked and joked wildly.
Arthur, I’m not writing often as I don’t want you to age. To tell the truth, there is either too much that is weird going on or else nothing - and I find both extremes difficult to write about. Since the first disaster when the energy whip flung us towards the edge of the universe, in our time, within Freddie, fourteen and a half months have passed. On very good days Robbie jumps us five or six times and on bad days he can only fight to protect us or else we wait it out in normal space if we find a calm bubble. Even on the best of days, he cannot go a great distance and then fold the void to carry us there. Luckily the general drift of energy is not always towards the area we just left, on rare occasions we find a stream flowing in the direction we are travelling and then Robbie takes a short rest while we are slowly carried along. Once, we found ourselves being carried at a rapid pace so Solomon became the void for Robbie to have a good long sleep.
Twenty seven months of non-stop fighting to survive and resist the pull of the forces reaching out for the edge of the universe and Robbie has just sensed the first galaxy we’ve seen or sensed for over two years very faintly in the distance (from the void). The news has brought everyone back to life again. As if the distant galaxy wished to make plain that it welcomes us, the energy levels in the void dropped to within the range Robbie can handle without exhausting himself. Within hours and a couple of jumps, the galaxy was visible to the naked eye - as we drew closer to the galaxy the energy levels in the void rose again so we transferred to normal space. By next morning we were in position to examine it for signs of advanced technology within any of the solar systems. We could now jump realities and time, but this is too fascinating to leave.
When I was a baby, writers spoke of the pollution of our planet as being a giveaway, advertising to aliens our existence. In those days we actually looked for alien civilisations using such criteria! Meeting the aliens proved them wrong. Anyway, why would any highly advanced species (they would need to be to have inter-system spaceships) want to meet aliens at our polluting level of development? Only paranoid species can justify the cost of destroying or subjugating a species at interstellar distances and not many are that altruistic that they are willing to help their neighbour out of the muck and filth he/she/it is wallowing in. Any thinking person would realise that evolving from polluting and killing the home planet to healing through enormous sacrifice takes a major change in thinking processes and emotional maturity and that short-circuiting it by handing over technology is shortsighted since the maturing of the species will be arrested, leading to a return to barbaric contempt for life and nature. No species can mature without empathy, compassion and well defined ethics as the foundation of their daily life. We may argue as to whether ethics are universal or species-biased (or even sexually or culturally biased), but without defining and adopting a set of ethics to guide us, we can only tear ourselves apart again and again.
I am being teased that you will withdraw the title of official communicator because I’m lecturing you 
. I had to explain what we would be searching for even if I can’t explain how, technology used and so on, as many species have their own technology. Gosh - explaining that to you gave me an idea for teasing Solomon when he next visits us at our home. As usual, when I write that I thought of something, Cherine peeked. However, this time she cheated and shared with the family. I’d thought my idea was funny but they are just awed and staring at me as if I’m weird because I only intended to use it for a laugh. Sigh, wish you were here Arthur, I’m certain you would understand me.
7806
To continue with my explanation. When we arrive at a galaxy, whether for the first or tenth time, we never systematically search for aliens. To us, finding another species is an adventure - it is fun. This time we are on a mission as we have to leave here convinced there is no sapient life or else we must find them and bring them to the Sparkler World. I cannot imagine what kind of species will have developed this early in the history of their universe but, unless they are the equivalent of Gnolats, we have to move them out of their galaxy. At the speed it is moving plus the rate of acceleration it will adopt as it draws closer to the front where the turmoil and stresses will tear it apart, without us they only have a few centuries left to them.
To search the galaxy systematically, the ships have agreed their individual orbits at apoapsis so that they do not duplicate the searches of others while also not leaving any part of the galaxy unexamined for sapient life. Should the first orbit not be successful they will move in for one further orbit at periapsis. Any signs of life will be examined if we have the time, as we are all curious as to what we’ll find. Freddie is not taking part since they need to use us as their base. The scientists remaining here will be monitoring them and conducting their own experiments. It is amazing how quickly they have all forgotten the nearly three years of hardship and fear and are filled with excitement once again.
Once the ships were gone, the girls invited Solomon to our home and warned our friends we would be in privacy. I wasn’t certain whether I was angry with them or captivated by their laughter like Robbie was.
“Solomon, Sam has thought of something your people will like.”
“Perhaps they will not Cher, just maybe they won’t, have you thought of that?” I turned to Solomon. “I saw a service your people could perform for all the species, but then I also saw that you should not do so if you do not wish to change your relationship with all species. Do your people want to be a Robert?”
He frowned. “I do not understand and I sense they do not either.”
I called for Freddie to zoom in upon the galaxy outside. “As a soul I can jump to one of those suns and return?” He nodded. “I could do so to how many before my soul is destroyed - two, three, ten, a hundred? I would need to rest between jumps so as to replenish the core of my soul?” He confirmed I was right. I paused. “How many stars could the Sparklers jump to without stopping? Don’t you continually feed off the void energies wherever you are? How long would it take your people to examine an entire galaxy for life?” He sensed a sadness within me as I took his hand in mine and he waited without speaking. “Solomon, my loves were not wise this time - the anticipation of sensing joy in you stopped them from thinking deeper. I wrote, for Arthur, that we do not search galaxies in the manner we are searching this one because finding a new species is exciting and an adventure for us. Ask them, would they like for the Sparklers of all realities to search the galaxies and report to us all the species they have found? Have you not already done so without reporting, in a sense, because of your mission to bring prime health to all species and alternates? Robert steals some of the joy of being a Cherinian from most species, for he is too powerful and they do not feel needed as they should so that we stand together as one family. I ask you again, do you wish for your people to become a Robert? Are your people mature enough to find joy in not offering their help when it could steal from others their pride of accomplishment and of being a contributive part of the Cherinian family? Can they see that by doing so they are, in effect, showing their Cherinian empathy and acting as loving family members?”
I felt that Solomon was not hurting, but I also felt my Cherine and saw that Robbie was not swooping her into his arms and heart, so I turned to her and took her face in my hands. “My love, you acted out of love for Solomon and the Sparklers and they will treasure the memory. Do you feel I am unfair in asking them to indulge our immature needs for our universe to remain our playground and never-ending source of wonder?”
She put her hands to my cheeks and I could swear there were Sparklers dancing in her eyes as she stared into mine. “Samantha, they are our oldest species and yet they too need the universe to remain their playground.” Solomon laughed and agreed with her. Her mind reached into mine and whispered an apology that I refused to accept. I feel things worked out better this way - I am not good at keeping my thoughts secret forever.
7807
I’d hoped we would keep my idea for the family and Solomon only, but circumstances forced Robbie to tell everyone. Somehow the astronomers managed to work out the speed at which the galaxy is travelling towards the edge and they calculated that for every three weeks we wait here we are losing one day of travel by which we’d distanced ourselves. The slowest spaceship will take anything up to four years to scan enough of the systems within their part of the orbit to be certain we have not missed any species (each ship is only travelling half the orbit of the galaxy as we will meet them on the other side). Say we find one or two, what then? It would take us at least a few months (if they believe us and help us save them). The situation is not quite as desperate as it may seem and that is why we had originally agreed to the spaceships taking the long trips. Even should we lose most of the hard earned distances we covered, the moment we pass through the galaxy and are on the other side, we will have the ‘calming’ gravity and ‘presence’ of the galaxy shielding us from most of the smaller bubbles of distortion and we’ll be able to travel fairly fast for a time.
Our worst problems are two: the scientists theorise that there is a strong possibility the galaxy is already picking up speed which means we have less time than we thought. The second worry is, what do we do should it turn out that there are a larger number of species than we’ve considered possible - do we save a few and abandon the rest? As I said, Robbie was forced to speak and the spaceships immediately changed course to return to us as the Sparklers sped to search every single solar system and planet. Here are what we found: (1) Planets with rudimentary lifeforms - 106,783; (2) With primitive lifeforms (bacteria, etc) - 18,359; (3) With non-sentient but further evolved - 848; (4) With sentient lifeforms - 0. A brief investigation shows that of the non-sentient planets, there is a possibility that 73 planets might have evolved to sentience if they’d been granted the time. To say that we are stunned would be an understatement.
“From spectra and geological samples, we estimate this galaxy began to form close to two billion years ago, starting off with at least ten times the number of suns it has now. The thinning of the galaxy must have caused massive damage to most of the surviving solar systems The number of planets with the early forms of life are less than we’d hoped for, but the number of non-sentient evolved planets are higher than expected, as background radiation should have sterilised them. However, in a sense, it is disheartening to see how few of those are expected to evolve to sapience.”
“We have already found far higher numbers in our own galaxy, why are you surprised?”
Robbie nodded. “Of the seventy three, which are the closest to attaining sapience?”
“All of them are condemned by their evolution. If we had arrived by their galaxy a hundred thousand years in their future and their galaxy was not heading towards annihilation, we would not have found any of the presently existing species, new ones having evolved from the cellular breakdown of the present species.”
“Could you choose which is the most promising?” They did and Robbie stayed locked within his thoughts for a few hours.
Back at home, Robbie asked Solomon, “Would bringing a sun to your World cause you any problems? I’m thinking of moving an entire solar system.”
“It would have to be placed a great distance from Ambros. It will remain in our World?”
“No, as soon as we return to our time period I want to place it back within a galaxy of that time.”
Diana was the first to see what he wanted. “You want to see how they’ll evolve once they are removed from the high radiation affecting them now?”
He smiled, “Something like that.” That made me wonder what he was planning, but I kept my thoughts to myself - as he often does for me.
Diana grinned. “Then you should deliver the system to a period before ours so that we can monitor them within our own time instead of having to wait or else jump to the future.” We were all certain he had not heard a word she’d said, for he sat as if entranced by her smile.
A thought crossed my mind. “Robbie, can’t we jump from here back to our own reality?”
7808
“If we are out of danger, why should we? Aren’t you curious? I’m certain the scientists have a lot to learn from this universe as it is right now. Won’t we get bored if we only play within our own playground?” For the first time I did not think Solomon that wise - not when he joined my loves in laughing at me.Sometimes I am slow to see what is right before my own nose. After the solar system was moved into the Sparkler World, at Robbie’s request, the Anadir directed us to another sun without life on its planets. The scientists landed tons of equipment on the planets and then Robbie took the sun to the Sparkler World and returned it within less than two seconds! The equipment was collected and once the scientists reported to him, he then took the sun again and we moved to a different solar system where the entire procedure was repeated but this time he brought back the other sun within a couple of seconds of taking the local sun. Robbie then seemed to settle down to being lazy, playing tavli and even painting on his computer as the scientists studied the effects of the swop. Of the latter, I should mention that Robbie still uses his old computer and art programs for creating his paintings, he does not like most of the ‘intuitive’ developments of the latest art programs. Jade on the other hand has eagerly taught herself to use the latest programs and is always experimenting, trying to achieve new effects. Her AI companion is capable of creative programming so it helps write new routines for her to achieve the effects she wants - and Jade then hands the routines over to Keith.
Omissa, the scientist, stunned us during the morning session at the taverna and everyone stared at Robbie nervously as they waited for his reply. She asked, “Robert, could we return to this time and area? We need to develop new equipment and, if we succeed, we would like to examine certain aspects of the edge of the universe.”
Robbie almost sounded rude at the thought of returning to all we’d just escaped from. “What for? Whatever you learn cannot be applied to our universe.”
She stayed calm and did not take offence. “Knowledge is not reason enough? As for not being of use for examining our universe, are you certain Robert? Learning how ours differs from this one will teach us much that is very important.”
Robbie furiously backpedalled. “Then why are you asking me, why don’t you just tell Freddie what you want. I keep telling all of you, I am not a scientist, I cannot guess what would be of interest to you. If we are travelling and you need us to stop to examine a phenomena, say so by telling Freddie we need to stop.”
I cut in, “Omissa, the exchange of suns, it has been successful?”
“The experiment needs to be monitored for a few thousand years. We’ll never know Samantha.”
“Have you noticed within this month that we’ve waited any adverse effects on the planets?”
“No.”
I threw my arms around Robbie and kissed him. “I love you very much - thank you.” I grinned. “Le’sase also says he loves you and wants me to give you a kiss.” I did and none of the girls protested, only waiting their turn once they’d understood what Robbie had done. We may need to conduct experiments that last thousands of years to prove the solar system remains stable when the sun is exchanged for a younger but similar sun, but I’m now convinced Robbie will succeed and Le’sase will have to be returned to his people.
Robbie let the scientists send us all over the galaxy examining odd combinations of suns and planets. One we all found amazing was a solar system where the sun is in orbit around the planet. The scientists tell us that the planet would not have existed for much longer anyway as it is far too massive to survive its own weight and gravity. In the end we transferred four of the most promising solar systems into the Sparkler World. He also wanted to transfer an amazing sun - it is not much bigger than our moon and yet it still radiates light and various beneficial and damaging radiations. The scientists are curious as to how it has survived and are trying to play with theories of tremendous pressures and energies at the heart of the mini sun, so they asked him not to move the sun out of its environment. Some of our gas giants were originally potential suns, so I assume that mini suns like this one must have occurred millions of times but they collapsed into themselves very fast - some of them maybe doing so almost instantly. My comment drew the response, from my loves, that it only makes this sun even more fascinating.
7809
Freddie is zigzagging his way through the galaxy and most of the time the solar systems passing by look just like any of thousands we’ve already seen, therefore I have a lot of time to think. I came up with a question or two because of a silly argument we had. Well, it started off by the girls teasing me, trying to provoke me into make a wild claim. When I responded Robbie became upset and challenged me. Here is how it went (briefly):
Sheena and Alice conspired to ask me, “Sam, do you think you could fly into a black hole?”
I sensed all the girls were in on this and eagerly waiting to start the teasing so I took my time, as if deep in thought. “With certain qualifications I’ll answer yes. I do presume your question does imply I must be able to fly out of it without having been crushed?”
“Of course. What qualifications, you can’t be that vague, you have to commit yourself.”
“Why, are you planning on demanding I do it if I say I can?”
“Of course not, but you have to answer as if you really would.”
“My qualifications? I learn from Robbie how he finds the power to do so. He did say everyone can and will someday.”
Suddenly Robbie clamped down his mind and with a grim seriousness he spoke to me. “I’ll show you how I find the ability to overcome the gravity, the hard radiations and the hi-focus electrical energies that scramble the brain and shatter the mind. I’ll show you once and then we’ll take you to a black hole. Samantha, I did not have anyone to show me so you will start off with an advantage I did not have. Yes or no?”
I am really glad that when I do not write no time passes for Arthur, as I did not want him to wait and suffer anxiety without reason. I did want to make Robbie suffer, but I could not protract the wait for as long as I wanted as there were too many others suffering. I refused his offer without making any excuses.
Robbie only tilted his head as he looked at me with a tiny up-curl to his lips. “Did Arthur give the game away?”
“Because of his comment about pride? That was obvious from the start. I knew you were being a daddy and intended the challenge to be a lesson. So while you waited for my answer I tried to imagine myself entering a black hole and realised I would pee in my panties long before I arrived at the event horizon and jump back into Freddie. I’m sorry, but I’ll leave that sort of thing for you, Jade and Haven, I am more like the rest of the family, too sane to want to do anything like that.” As everyone (including Jade and Haven) were about to blast me, I quickly threw in, “It did give me some ideas and present me with new questions to wonder about. I’ll give all of you a clue. Just for the sake of illustrating gravity, many scientists have presented the ‘surface’ of space as if it is a rubber sheet flexibly sinking under large weights. That poses, for me, some very interesting possibilities which could explain why there are so many black holes and such a few white ones.” At this point I sadistically shut up and refused to explain myself. Actually, they did understand what I was referring to when I spoke about the rubber sheet but the reference to black and white holes remained an enigma.
Here is what I spoke of to our scientists this morning - not that I expect an answer (With almost all my ideas, it is not that I come up with new theories - I think it is partly that a Teller is saying it, but also, there often is a tiny nugget because of the way I phrased myself, out of ignorance, that helps them see the idea in a new light):
7810
“I know that the indent caused by a material body ‘sinking’ into space is only shown that way for the sake of illustrating what occurs in a way our senses can understand. What cannot be shown is that the pressure of gravity does not extend only in one direction. I cannot fly above the North Pole and looking down, say the South Pole is pressing into space; so is the North Pole and every single other direction over the entire sphere of Earth. Just like the light of our sun radiates outwards in all possible directions, so does gravity - a question for another time, does the pressure exert itself inwards also? It must, in the simple sense be greater than the outward pressure (into space) or else by pressing into space the outwards pressure on its own should have some interesting effects for us to observe. What I was thinking is, for illustration purposes only, that the South Pole is dragging at the North Pole and vice versa. The same would be true of every other direction from the South Pole and vice versa.
I have postulated many times that white holes exist and that they are what lies at the other end of black holes with a worm tunnel connecting them. Many astronomers and physicists have suggested the same possibility, some even showing how the worm tunnel could also curve to come out within the same space - albeit at a great distance.
What has sort of crimped my style so that I’ve stopped talking about white holes is the fact that we have seen a number of black holes, but not found any proven evidence of a white hole. It could be that how we theorise a white hole would affect space and matter is wrong, but I think we have not found any confirmed sightings up to now for the simple reason that they are exceedingly rare. We did visit one phenomenon that we thought was a white hole but it was not proved. In other words, maybe only one percent or less of all black holes manage to pierce the rubber sheet (interface or surface) so as to burst out on the other side as a white hole. This is what I imagine happens to most black holes:
It does seem to me that the heavier the object the steeper the curve, with what we call a black hole having the steepest curve of all. However, another way of thinking of it is that space around an object grows ‘heavy’ in proportion to the weight of the object, the intensity of ‘weight’ growing or fading according to the distance from the object.
I am going to refrain from making any disparaging remarks about the way Arthur mutilates the pictures by Jade since he can’t help it - but perhaps I should start sketching such drawings so that what Arthur produces is an improvement and it makes everyone happy.
Hmm, looking at the above picture (as Arthur designed it) I noticed the shadow beneath the collapsed sun and I suddenly realised that nothing gets trapped in space forever. It is more likely that it sinks gradually until someday the alternate space is going to be bombarded by a massive shower of white holes and all that material from our space will go bang-bang and stir things up on that side and maybe that is what is needed for chemicals to get excited and give birth to life. That would mean someday it will be our turn to be peppered by white holes, probably rejuvenating our space once more. I’m going to indulge myself and name alternate space and our space (of all realities) the Flip-Flop Universes.
As we left the galaxy, we swopped over to the void and Robbie worked hard for the first few jumps until we reached an area that was almost as calm as our void. It highlighted something I should have thought of a long time ago.
I hope you enjoy reading this story of fantasy, adventure and love - and should some of it be true for our reality, I hope you will love our Cherine.
- posted: 26th Jly, 2020
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