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<blockquote data-quote="taykair" data-source="post: 169630" data-attributes="member: 9418"><p style="text-align: center">Chapter Ten</p> <p style="text-align: center">T'Sing (Date Unknown)</p><p></p><p>A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...</p><p></p><p>(Sorry. I couldn't resist. Truth is, it could have been this galaxy. I really don't know for sure. But it was a long time ago. That much I'm sure of. How long ago? I have no idea.)</p><p></p><p>As I've mentioned, from what the old man told-showed me, the Alphans were at a technological stage only just slightly ahead of our own. In fact, in some ways, they seemed to be even less advanced. Their space program, for example, was practically non-existent. With the exception of some small artificial satellites (as well as one rather large one) and a meager handful of long-range probes, the Alphans were simply not that concerned with exploring the universe surrounding them. Why should they be? They were, after all, the Center of the Universe, the Chosen of the Creator. What else was there to explore besides lifeless chunks of rock or gas? True, some Alphans may have conceded that some of those worlds were perhaps not entirely lifeless, but certainly no world other than their own possessed the Spark of the Creator. Of this there was no doubt.</p><p></p><p>It's a shame, really, that the Alphans had all their eggs in one basket. Any civilization which confines itself to only one world risks losing all. If they had taken the time and effort to settle other worlds, then perhaps some of them would be around today. (Then again, if they were still around, then we wouldn't be. Then again, we are here, so they are here, too. Confused? Wait.)</p><p></p><p>While perhaps lacking in the field of space exploration, the Alphans excelled in other areas - most notably in nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and bio-mechanical interface technology. It was these, along with the Alphans' almost inborn sense of their Journey and their place in the great scheme of things, which gave rise to a kind of universal Alphan internet. Practically every Alphan had a tiny implant in his or her brain which allowed instant communication with practically every other Alphan on the planet.</p><p></p><p>I use the word "practically" because there were a few holdouts. You might call them Fundamentalists. This small minority of Alphans believed that the implants contaminated, or at least somehow interfered with, the Sparks inherited from the Creator. You'd think that this would bring about some kind of quasi-religious schism of some sort and, if we were discussing humans, then you'd probably be right. When it comes to holy wars, nobody's better at it than us. (Perhaps humans are the universe's mathematicians: We add to our troubles and subtract from our joys in part because we're good at multiplying and great at division.)</p><p></p><p>We're talking about Alphans, though, not humans. The Fundamentalists were tolerated by the Connected. No. Not only tolerated. Accepted. If the Journey led some to reject connection, the Connected reasoned, then that was their choice - their Journey. The Fundamentalists apparently felt the same way about the Connected. There was no bitterness about it, and there were no attempts by those on one side to convert the other. All were on the Journey, connected or not.</p><p></p><p>The Alphans - at least the connected ones - were linked, and the nexus of that unity was that larger satellite I mentioned earlier. This was the Alphans' master computer. It was the thing which connected the Connected. Its consciousness (yes, you heard me) was housed within it. Thousands upon thousands of tiny machines skimmed along the surface, and within the very heart of, the great machine - conducting maintenance and fabricating parts. Its satellite array surrounded the planet and together they received and sorted and analyzed and filed and distributed information as quickly as an Alphan's thought.</p><p></p><p>At first, the master computer was nothing more than the hub of the Alphan internet. It was the forum where Alphans met to discuss matters both base and sublime. It was the central storehouse where they shopped. It was the many entertainment venues which occupied their time. And it was the Archive - the record not only of each of the Connected's thoughts, but also the computer's analysis of those thoughts.</p><p></p><p>Over time, the Alphans decided that the computer should be used for resource allocation. Although there had been only a few who were in need before the computer took control of the economy, there were none who were in need afterwards. Later still, the Alphan Connected chose to make its creation the sole governing authority of Alpha.</p><p></p><p>I know it may seem strange (perhaps even frightening or disgusting) to us. Most of us wouldn't even consider putting ourselves under the control of a machine but, from what I could tell, the Alphans seemed to have no problems with it at all. For several dozen generations, the system seemed to have worked rather well for them. (Whether this makes us - with our desire for freedom and independence - superior or inferior to the Alphans, I will leave for you to decide. After watching generation after generation of happy Alphans living in peace and wanting for nothing, I'm not so sure anymore.)</p><p></p><p>The computer's name was T'Sing. How do I know this? Because I once asked the old man what his name was. He responded with a sound which I can only describe as the sound a diamond would make if it were given the power of speech. It was like the sound a crystal wind chime would make if it were wrapped in velvet and stretched out.</p><p></p><p>"Zzzzssssshhhheeeennnnnggggg Ssssszzzzzdeeeee," the old man said.</p><p></p><p>When I would later write about it, I would shorten the sound to "T'Sing S'di". It made the writing easier, and also had the virtue of sounding alien and science-fictiony.</p><p></p><p>S'di (for those of you who don't speak Alphan) means "the servant of", "the worker of" or "the tool of". Take your pick. "T'Sing S'di", therefore, means "the servant of T'Sing".</p><p></p><p>And T'Sing? T'Sing, in the Alphan language, literally meant "That which comes and goes" - a rather fitting way to describe the information which flew back and forth between the machine and the Alphan Connected.</p><p></p><p>T'Sing, in the Alphan tongue, can also have another meaning: "That which is, and is not."</p><p></p><p>Considering what was to happen later, it was a rather fitting name indeed.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="taykair, post: 169630, member: 9418"] [CENTER]Chapter Ten T'Sing (Date Unknown)[/CENTER] A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... (Sorry. I couldn't resist. Truth is, it could have been this galaxy. I really don't know for sure. But it was a long time ago. That much I'm sure of. How long ago? I have no idea.) As I've mentioned, from what the old man told-showed me, the Alphans were at a technological stage only just slightly ahead of our own. In fact, in some ways, they seemed to be even less advanced. Their space program, for example, was practically non-existent. With the exception of some small artificial satellites (as well as one rather large one) and a meager handful of long-range probes, the Alphans were simply not that concerned with exploring the universe surrounding them. Why should they be? They were, after all, the Center of the Universe, the Chosen of the Creator. What else was there to explore besides lifeless chunks of rock or gas? True, some Alphans may have conceded that some of those worlds were perhaps not entirely lifeless, but certainly no world other than their own possessed the Spark of the Creator. Of this there was no doubt. It's a shame, really, that the Alphans had all their eggs in one basket. Any civilization which confines itself to only one world risks losing all. If they had taken the time and effort to settle other worlds, then perhaps some of them would be around today. (Then again, if they were still around, then we wouldn't be. Then again, we are here, so they are here, too. Confused? Wait.) While perhaps lacking in the field of space exploration, the Alphans excelled in other areas - most notably in nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and bio-mechanical interface technology. It was these, along with the Alphans' almost inborn sense of their Journey and their place in the great scheme of things, which gave rise to a kind of universal Alphan internet. Practically every Alphan had a tiny implant in his or her brain which allowed instant communication with practically every other Alphan on the planet. I use the word "practically" because there were a few holdouts. You might call them Fundamentalists. This small minority of Alphans believed that the implants contaminated, or at least somehow interfered with, the Sparks inherited from the Creator. You'd think that this would bring about some kind of quasi-religious schism of some sort and, if we were discussing humans, then you'd probably be right. When it comes to holy wars, nobody's better at it than us. (Perhaps humans are the universe's mathematicians: We add to our troubles and subtract from our joys in part because we're good at multiplying and great at division.) We're talking about Alphans, though, not humans. The Fundamentalists were tolerated by the Connected. No. Not only tolerated. Accepted. If the Journey led some to reject connection, the Connected reasoned, then that was their choice - their Journey. The Fundamentalists apparently felt the same way about the Connected. There was no bitterness about it, and there were no attempts by those on one side to convert the other. All were on the Journey, connected or not. The Alphans - at least the connected ones - were linked, and the nexus of that unity was that larger satellite I mentioned earlier. This was the Alphans' master computer. It was the thing which connected the Connected. Its consciousness (yes, you heard me) was housed within it. Thousands upon thousands of tiny machines skimmed along the surface, and within the very heart of, the great machine - conducting maintenance and fabricating parts. Its satellite array surrounded the planet and together they received and sorted and analyzed and filed and distributed information as quickly as an Alphan's thought. At first, the master computer was nothing more than the hub of the Alphan internet. It was the forum where Alphans met to discuss matters both base and sublime. It was the central storehouse where they shopped. It was the many entertainment venues which occupied their time. And it was the Archive - the record not only of each of the Connected's thoughts, but also the computer's analysis of those thoughts. Over time, the Alphans decided that the computer should be used for resource allocation. Although there had been only a few who were in need before the computer took control of the economy, there were none who were in need afterwards. Later still, the Alphan Connected chose to make its creation the sole governing authority of Alpha. I know it may seem strange (perhaps even frightening or disgusting) to us. Most of us wouldn't even consider putting ourselves under the control of a machine but, from what I could tell, the Alphans seemed to have no problems with it at all. For several dozen generations, the system seemed to have worked rather well for them. (Whether this makes us - with our desire for freedom and independence - superior or inferior to the Alphans, I will leave for you to decide. After watching generation after generation of happy Alphans living in peace and wanting for nothing, I'm not so sure anymore.) The computer's name was T'Sing. How do I know this? Because I once asked the old man what his name was. He responded with a sound which I can only describe as the sound a diamond would make if it were given the power of speech. It was like the sound a crystal wind chime would make if it were wrapped in velvet and stretched out. "Zzzzssssshhhheeeennnnnggggg Ssssszzzzzdeeeee," the old man said. When I would later write about it, I would shorten the sound to "T'Sing S'di". It made the writing easier, and also had the virtue of sounding alien and science-fictiony. S'di (for those of you who don't speak Alphan) means "the servant of", "the worker of" or "the tool of". Take your pick. "T'Sing S'di", therefore, means "the servant of T'Sing". And T'Sing? T'Sing, in the Alphan language, literally meant "That which comes and goes" - a rather fitting way to describe the information which flew back and forth between the machine and the Alphan Connected. T'Sing, in the Alphan tongue, can also have another meaning: "That which is, and is not." Considering what was to happen later, it was a rather fitting name indeed. [/QUOTE]
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