NationStates Jolt Archive

a beginning is a very delicate time. know then that it is the year 10,191 ^H^H^H^H^H^H 2654. the fiefdom of industrized serfs is ruled by king rick the thirteenth, my father. a new begining is even more delicate. the actions taken echo in all future beginnings. this is one such beginning.

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the first thought was "i hunger". perhaps, "thought" is the wrong word. impulse may be better. it responds to the impulse as best it can. a wail comes out. it feels itself being picked up, being cradled. the wailing slows. it hears a sound, it is calm, rythmic, soothing, simple. it looks up, through eyes that have yet to learn to see. it feels something being placed against its lips, it begins to suckle. in anything else, it would be a reflex as old as time. perhaps, here, that will serve just as well. slowly the hunger fades, and satiation begins to replace it. the sounds continue, calm, rythmic, soothing, simple. full, it lets the nipple slide from it lips. it snuggles into the embrace that it is held in. fully fed, warm, it feels its "thoughts" become padded in cotton wool. it feels itself being placed back down. it feels the blanket being tucked in against it. the last thing it hears, before sleep arrives, is the soft, simple, rythmic sounds.

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outside the nursury, a man watches the nurse as he tends to the needs of the "child". someone, approaches the watcher from behind. her reflection in the glass announcing her presence.

"have we done the right thing," she asks.

"right, wrong, sometimes that is for history to decide. but, if we are loyal to them. treat them well. teach them. then perhaps, today, we have done a good thing."

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for the first time in the fiefdom of industrized serfs, a being made of metal and plastic was born. one that will, grow, learn, and suffer the trials of youth like man. but, be ever different from man.

princess irrulan, 2732 p.m.f. (post meliorum facere, after refounding)

bump

a beginning is a very delicate time. know then that it is the year 2655. the fiefdom of industrized serfs is ruled by king rick the thirteenth, my father. a new begining is even more delicate. the actions taken echo in all future beginnings. this is one such beginning.

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it crawled along the floor. it looked up. it saw someone else crawling towards it. closer to each other, they both sit down, simultaneouly. it raises its right arm. the one facing it does the same. motion after motion is copied by the other. "this is a fun game," it thinks. it burbles happily. it is picked up. it is turned to face one of the "big ones".

"havnig fun with the mirror, weren't we," the bug one says, in a cheery voice. it burbles happily. the big ones are almost as much fun as the game was.

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a woman walks into the office. the man working behind the desk looks up.

"the new bodies will be ready in a couple of months," she says. "but, in a couple years they are going to start wondering about it. there may be problems."

"we've got people looking into it," he responds "the problem is that the bodies as they stand now are two small. most of the room is taken up by the systems that are required. in a couple of years they will be old enough that groing systems will be able to fit inside. after that it will be every few years until they are about eighteen."

"there is still the problem of when and how do we tell them who and what they are."

"yes. it is a problem even with human children."

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and so the begining continues. the little machines grow and explore. and look upon the face of man and think it their own.

princess irrulan, 2732 p.m.f.

a beginning is a very delicate time. know then that it is the year 2662. the fiefdom of industrized serfs is ruled by king rick the thirteenth, my father. a new begining is even more delicate. the actions taken echo in all future beginnings. this is one such beginning.

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"i'm going anna, and there's little that you can do to stop me," says alphonz. he hoists the pillow case over his shoulder.

"what will you do if you get caught?" asks annastasia.

"probably get dragged back here. besides i want to see the turret garden. they say that it is ten square miles atop a tower thirty feet across."

"besides i've got enough food for a couple of days. i've got paper and pencil for a map. and you and marcus know where i'm going."

they walk out of the bedroom. annastasia carries a worried look on her face. they walk to the door that leads out. marcus is standing by the door.

"are you sure that you won't get into any trouble," he asks.

"they haven't told us we couldn't," alphonz responds.

marcus nods, not convinved but having had the argument before lets it go.

"we'll see. but, if you do make it, you have to bring us proof."

"i see what i can do. now give me a hand up."

marcus lifts alphonz up to the keypad by the door. alphonz punches in a sequence of numbers. the door slides open. alphonz leaps off of marcus. alphonz dashes off hrough the open door. it slides closed behind him. closing over the concerned faces of marcus and annastasia.

alphonz dashes down the corridor. he hasn't run far when he runs into dr. zeacogo as he rounds a corner. alphonz falls backwards to land hard, sitting down. dr. zeacogo stumbles back a step, trying not to drop his coffee mug. after regaining his balance zeacogo looks down.

"ahh, alphonz. where are you off to in such a hurry? and this late too." he asks.

none of the children were sure where zeacogo fit in. he didn't seem to be in charge of them like miss hover, and the nannies. but, he was always kind of around. but, he seemed to be on the children's side when ever he was invovled. he seemed to enjoy talking with the children and telling them stories. but, he always seemed at least to them, to be a little odd. okay, but odd.

"the turret garden," alphonz replies, almost without hesitation. "why didn't he ask me how i got out," alphonz thinks as his mind catches up with events.

zeacogo reaches down to alphonz a hand. alphonz takes it and stands up.

"want a hand with that? it looks heavy," zeacogo asks.

alphonz shakes his head. "na, it just looks that way."

"want some hot cocoa before you continue on your way?"

alphonz thinks a about this a second. "sure," he responds. as they head to a nearby kitchenette he thinks, "he's not trying to haul me back to my room. he hasn't called the nannies. he's going to let me head off to the garden."

once in the kitchenette, zeacogo starts making the hot cocoa.

"hmm... the turret garden. why there?"

alphonz shrugs. "never been there."

"but, you've never been many places."

"and, i want to go to those places too."

zeacogo turns around carrying a pair of steaming mugs. "careful it's hot," he warns as he places one infront of alphonz. sitting down, "but, why the turret garden on your first outing?"

"i wanted to check something. i read that it is ten square miles. but, it is enclosed at the top of a tower thirty feet across."

zeacogo sips at the hot cocoa, and nods.

"i looked through the whole library. the turret garden is mentioned only two other times. and only mentioned. i looked though the computer and found only one piece of information on it. it's location."

zeacogo sips at his hot cocoa again. "and so you gathered together some supplies, and made your way out. but, just to see a garden ten square miles in size?"

"i wanted to see if it was true. how can you fit ten square miles in a tower thirty feet across?"

zeacogo pauses, as if giving the question some thought. "maybe the definition of square mile and foot were different in the book you read it in, from the usual meaning that we use."

"that's a silly reason," alphonz thinks. but he mulls it over anyways, sometimes when zeacogo says something silly like that, it has meaning elsewhere.

"no. i read it in the royal-cartography book. so i doubt that they would use a different meaning of square mile and foot."

zeacogo sips his cocoa. "yes, that does seems right. but, i doubt that you would have made it there. at least anytime soon."

alphonz looks up. a bit angry at zeacogo's lack of confience in his skills.

"you see. the corridors around here twist and wind in many odd ways. you were heading in the right direction by the compass. but, the best would have been to have gone in the other direction, towards the trans-line. at least initally."

alphonz nods. zeacogo has always played straight with the children. oddly, but straight.

zeacogo sips at his cocoa. "but, i'll try and arrange a trip to the turret garden."

"okay," alphoz responds. a bit warily, not being sure where the catch was.

"besides, it means that nobody back home will worry about you. assuming that a couple aren't already."

"so, i guess i have to go back now."

zeacocgo nods.

"okay," alphonz says with a bit of resignation. not wanting to lose the opportunity go to the garden, and perhaps get punished.

they get up, and walk back to the childern's rooms, leaving the mugs on the table.

zeacogo's fingers dance over the keypad. alphonz tries to follow, since that is how he learned miss hover's code to escape. but he loses track after a few strokes. the door sides open. alphonz steps through carring his pillow case. zeacogo waves to him, and the few children there before the door slides closed again.

"so you got caught," says wallace, who was standing near the door.

"i don't think so..." says alphonz.

"you are here soon after you left. it was going to be a couple of days round trip. so you got caught." while fairly intelligent, wallace lacked in imagination.

"by zee'go?"

"doesn't matter by who. you got caught."

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"defininately something for the files." zeacogo thinks to himself on his way back to the kitchenette. "alphonz, has a definite independence streak in him. wonder where he'll end up in time?

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and so the begining continues. the first step of exploration, into a strange and new world is taken.

princess irrulan, 2732 p.m.f.

I would like to know how a bieng made of metal and plastic will "grow", for the learning part there's no problem, it is perfectly posible.

ooc: mostly a bit of mechanical slight of hand. every so often a screw turns a bit extending insert part here.

a beginning is a very delicate time. know then that it is the year 2669. the fiefdom of industrized serfs is ruled by king rick the thirteenth, my father. a new begining is even more delicate. the actions taken echo in all future beginnings. this is one such beginning.

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cloiphila stands in the empty room recently added to her suite. there is the chemical smell of newness in the air. sunlight streams in through the two windows. the white walls and light-grey industrial carpet on the floor make the room bright. she walks over and opens both of the windows to let the chemical smell out. a breeze wafts through the windows, in from the air shaft.

"yes, this will do nicely," she thinks to herself. she mentally plans where her plants will go. which new ones she will start now that she has the space.

she goes back to what is now the main room of her suite. the comforting smell of lush plants and slightly humid air surrounds her. "guess what, you guys are going to have some more space and some new friends. won't that be nice," she says cheerfully to her enclosing greenry.

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hepheatus puts the box he is carrying down on the floor of his new room. various bits of odd machinary a poking out of the end. "more space. now i can really get some big stuff going." he heads back to his main room to get another box.

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"i don't know anna," says alphonz as he paces back and forth in her new room. "something doesn't add up right. and i'm not sure the others have noticed. or even will notice."

"what do you mean," asks annastasia. "everything seems normal."

"normal is relative. but, the space that the suites, the library, the common space, the class room, everything takes up does seem to fit. it's like everything has been shifted slightly to make space for these." he waves his hands around the room. "there shouldn't have been enough space for all of these rooms and the airshaft. atleast not the shape that they are."

"you mean, they shouldn't be square."

"yeah. something like that...," he trails off. now that he is actually talking about with somebody, he isn't quite so sure. it made sense in his head.

"maybe you're right. it's probably nothing," he says. "i'll let you get back to shuffling your stuff around."

"glad, i could help."

alphonz walks down the corridor to his suite. "maybe, she's right. but it doesn't feel like it," he thinks to himself.

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and so the beginning continues. they grow and expand the skills that will separate themselves from each other and man.

princess irrulan, 2732 p.m.f.

a beginning is a very delicate time. know then that it is the year 2664. the fiefdom of industrized serfs is ruled by king rick the thirteenth, my father. a new begining is even more delicate. the actions taken echo in all future beginnings. this is one such beginning.

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"attention class," calls aidelle hoover from the front of the class room. "as you know there will be a change in the school scehdule at the end of this term. instead of a new term, you will all be going to summer camp. as part of preparation for this you will select your top three choices of summer camp. now remember you all don't have to go to the same camp. so pick the camps that you would like to go to. the library has information on several summer camps. i want your list of three, and a paragraph on why you want to attend each one." a collective groan rises from the class. "in one week."

the bell rings. all the children rise and begin to scramble from the class.

"now remember, i want your math assignments at the start of the day, and that includes you shigaro. and there is the geography quiz on thursday," calls hoover over ruckus of the children leaving.

hoover begins to set up the classroom for another day of classes. she pauses infront of the large glass fish tank. it holds the two class pets, a mated pair of grey castle newts. "we haven't fed them in over a year. so what do they eat," she asks.

"the current theory is that they graze upon l-space gradients," replies zeacogo. "at least that is what they thing since they appear to cluster near the larger libraries."

hoover turns around. "are you sure this is the best way for the children to further develop their social skills?"

"i'm not sure that there is a better way. they already have the basic skills. but they are beginning to, well, specialize. their language, their mannerisms, etc. and we've grown used to it. we never even noticed. this will force them out of that.

"plus it will give them variety of experience. up till now they have had the same sets of experience. this will allow their personalities to develop in different directions."

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and so the beginning continues. for the first time they will separate and enter the world of men alone.

princess irrulan, 2732 p.m.f.