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(Jenny was astounded. She really didn’t know anything about her aunt, especially since she had never had more than a five-minute conversation while she was alive and that only two times in her life. Reading these journal entries made her wish fervently that she had been able to get to know her better. She was so grateful that Lizzie had left these journals behind.
And now she was curious. “Lizziebot? Do we still have the mbira? Do you know where it is in the storage shed?”
“Of course, Jenny. Come, let’s go find it.”
They went out the French doors into the garden. Jenny fished the key out of the MDP and while opening the lock said the words that unlocked the entire contents of the shed to her personally.
Inside was the usual jumble of furniture and a collection of Lizzie’s possessions, accumulated over about 60 years of adventures and exploration. All of the things in the main area of the shed were of Earthly origin. In the other locked area of the shed were things acquired from around the multiverse. Only she and Tarafau had access to that area.
However, she was pretty sure that the mbira would be in the main area. Sure enough, Lizziebot, who had been programmed with a database containing the complete inventory of the shed, went directly to a cabinet and opened a drawer. There, in a carved wooden case lined with black velvet, was the little instrument.
It was somewhat worn, polished with decades of use. Jenny lifted it out with reverent hands and tentatively plucked one of the little steel tabs. It rang with a clear and full note that hung for a moment on the air.
“Do you think she would mind if I used it?” she asked Lizziebot wistfully.
“Lizzie wanted you to have everything in this shed. It is your inheritance. I believe she would have been disappointed if you had not discovered it and learned to play it. It gave her great joy in difficult times, and its use was significant to her story.”
Jenny replaced it into the case and left the storage shed with tears of joy and reverence on her face. This small instrument was a closer tie to the aunt she had begun to love and relate to after reading of her adventures thus far.
She just sat for a while in her bright living room with the mbira sitting in its case on her lap. Tidbit looked up from the window seat. “She would have been happy to see you holding it, you know. Don’t be afraid to play it. It has seen many hours of use over the years. It was well made. Lizzie was always grateful to Yaw for the gift of the music she was able to create with it,” he sent.
Jenny took it out and one by one plucked the steel tabs, enjoying the richness of each individual tone. She was able to play some scales and arpeggios easily. Unlike Lizzie, Jenny had gotten some basic piano lessons as a child. She could read music, but she could see where it wouldn’t be necessary to play familiar songs on this instrument. The very action of plucking the keys and hearing the notes was very soothing.
After about an hour of “doodling,” as her aunt had put it, she realized this led her to want to read more. She knew that for what was left of the time she had before she had to go back to active engagement in the Alliance, she could do nothing or think of anything until she had completed her journey with her aunt through the journals.
She was about three fourths of the way through this volume, with two more to go. It was time to read.)
The next two weeks were a whirlwind of miracles. That is what pretty much anyone would have called the jaw-dropping experiences presented to their pod. When Lizzie considered that every other being in the agent training compound was going through a similar series of instruction, she began to get the slightest inkling of the pure scope of the mission of the Alliance.
Besides traveling daily with Galena into one dimension after another, each more alien than any of them might have thought possible, they were completing their reports in Fin’s class about their individual dimensions.
Lizzie had given her report without much enthusiasm. After hearing the reports her podmates had given so far, she felt Earth to be somewhat drab and uninteresting by comparison. However, to her surprise, most of her podmates had found her report as astonishing as she had thought theirs.
The details of her life experiences so far and the brief summary of Earth’s history as far as she understood it herself had evidently sounded exotic and, in many cases, shocking. Most of them had been astounded by her report of two successive world wars and the devastation they had caused.
There had been definite audible sounds of shock when she described the culminating atomic attack on Japan. Lizzie realized that for a few of them, war and conflict were distant concepts. For the rest, none of them had conflicts so recent in their histories.
Fin had stood at the end of her presentation and addressed the class.
“As you may begin to appreciate, discrepancies in cultures vary so widely as to be sometimes incomprehensible. Each culture takes a different path. Often, we disagree with choices made by other cultures. However, it becomes important to realize that even cataclysm can result over time to bettering a culture through the efforts of its people.
“As you have been able to observe, Lizzie’s behavior does not show a violent or contentious nature. We cannot afford, therefore, to judge an individual by the acts of a group nor a group by the acts of an outspoken minority.
“It is one of the important purposes of these courses, to make sure that every agent who represents the Alliance is clear on this point. We do not interfere, not ever, with the progress of the culture of any of the dimensions we interact with, neither those who are members of the Alliance nor those who are not.
“As you have seen in your exploration of the history of the Alliance, attempts to alter the course of other cultures have generally resulted in disaster. Thank you, Lizzie, for a succinct and effective presentation. Tomorrow, our last presentation for this section of your course will be given by Gi.”
With that, he gestured a dismissal and walked from the room ahead of them, heading, Lizzie assumed, for the faculty room.
She would have liked to discuss this more with Fin, but she knew that this was his normal pattern, so she didn’t feel offended by it.
“I hope I do as well as you did, Lizzie,” Gi commented as they descended the stairs to the labs in the basement. “I don’t think my report will be as exciting as yours was.”
She turned to look Lizzie in the eyes. “You have been through so much. I begin to understand some of the pain in your music.”
“Pain?”
“I won’t explain right now. You’ll understand better after my presentation tomorrow. I’ve been waiting to share with you until after that.”
Lizzie didn’t push her about it. She understood. Her own presentation had been a significant source of stress. She would have felt confident if the report had been on science or anything less personal. But she didn’t feel she had done justice to her report on Earth. It was so intrinsically linked to so many deep feelings. And the Earth was such a big place. How could anyone give more than a cursory explanation of the diverse cultures and the sweeping history of her planet?
She also felt somewhat apologetic about the current level of technology, which would seem almost primitive to most of her podmates, or pretty much anyone in the Alliance.
Based on the questions asked after the presentation, however, she had begun to realize they were more impressed and amazed that Earth’s history had been peppered with what, in hindsight and knowing what Lizzie now understood, were the multiple and constant incursions by other dimensions.
For many of them, they had only had a record of one or two visitations by dimensional beings on their planet, and more than one had discovered the dimensional portals on their own before they became gates. In these cases, they usually ran into the Dimensional Alliance instead of the other way around.
All of this went around and around in Lizzie’s head as she went through her day. For the first time since she had come to agent training, she found her mind wandering in Meta’s class about gate technology. She knew she really couldn’t afford this, as at this point most of her classes now appended to the gates in one way or the other.
Lizzie didn’t think going through the gates would ever become routine for her. The first time had been eye-opening, and her first transition with Tarafau to his home planet had opened her mind to so many possibilities. But until she began to go through gate after gate, from one wildly differing place to another, until she had begun to meet with so many beings of different shapes and in what often seemed to Lizzie as impossible surroundings, she had not even begun to understand the task she had set herself to.
The next day, she sat in her seat in Fin’s classroom with anticipation. She was not disappointed.
She knew Gi had been practicing her report in front of the mirror to mask her nervousness. She stood before them; her bright blue and yellow spiky hair deliberately arranged to become an aurora around Gi’s deep green face. As usual, her erect posture and the slight tilt to her head made her seem arrogant and authoritative. Lizzie focused on her wide amber eyes as she spoke.
“My planet, Finque, in the dimension of Il, is relatively small compared to many of the planets that usually become gate planets. We have only six gates above the ground and three above the planet in space. We are a space-going people and have connections to many beings in our galaxy.
“We have yet to conquer intergalactic travel, but our scientists apply themselves to that with the view that we represent all peoples in our dimension to the Alliance.
“There are two main species on our planet, although there are multiple types of animal and plant life, and we do not know for sure that they do not possess the intelligence necessary to be involved directly in our culture.
“My species call themselves Alea. We are as you see me, with some variation in skin tone, hair and eye color, size and shape, much like Lizzie described the humans on Earth. The other main species call themselves Squeeng and populate our oceans. We are able to communicate with one another but do not generally interact unless there is a common challenge that requires us to cooperate.
“As for the Alea, we are a rustic people. We do not congregate in large cities as is common among many of your cultures. Instead, we live in concentricities, a circular formation of individual farms with a central gathering place for exchanging goods and interacting with one another.
“There are no living quarters within the center of the concentricity. Instead, when we assemble as a group for extended periods of time, we bring our tents and encircle the gathering center as families. Within the bounds of the gathering center, temporary places are set up to share goods and services.
“We have no currency. Our trade consists of the ‘sharing.’ If I create something to share, I bring it to the gathering. Anyone who can use it or enjoy it is welcome to take it. Oftentimes, a well-made item passes from hand to hand, from family to family, over many years.
“If I have a service, such as repairing or labor that I can provide, agreements are made for time and materials and there is no direct trade in this matter, but the next time I need some help, someone else will likely provide it to me who has that skill or ability.
“Disagreements are handled in a council that varies from one gathering to the next. The two or several parties involved in the disagreement each choose six others to create the council, with the agreement that the decision of the council is final. Each of the contending parties is allowed a specific time to present their case, and each of the members of the sitting council are allowed to ask clarifying questions. When they are satisfied that all evidence has been presented and all questions answered, the council adjourns to a quiet place to discuss the evidence and come to a unified conclusion.
“Generally, the decision of the council is held to be final, and all parties agree to abide by their judgment. This works well for us. For those few who disagree or who continually are brought before the council, they are given a choice either to go to a retreat colony on an island in the south sea or to go to a colony on a distant planet to live among others of their disposition and preferences.
“As far as war or conflict over and above minor disagreements is concerned, we have no history of that. There was a time, as we explored space, when we felt vulnerable and put up some elaborate defenses. The organization that handles those defenses still exists, and our citizens take turns training and serving. To this point, there has been no need to employ any of it, but our space defense league remains vigilant.
“Our central government is composed of a representative from each concentricity who rotate from one year to the next. Any contributing adult may find themselves in that position, but never more than once in their life. The central council’s main job is to see that roads are maintained, to organize support for communities during natural disasters, and to guide the training of our defenses.
“We have encountered many other species and cultures in our explorations of our universe, each unique and interesting in their way.
“Like the Alliance, our policy is non-interference. So far, each of the interplanetary relationships we participate in have been worthy of membership in the Alliance.
“As far as our culture is concerned, we have interests in art, craft, and music in particular. On my home planet, all of the Alea communicate via musical tones rather than anything any of you would recognize as speech. Only a small minority of us use mindspeech, more because of ability than choice. It is difficult for us to think in anything other than music.
“We had to be taught to use mindspeech in the early days of our relationship with the Alliance, long before we became members. This ability is evidently inherited from one generation to another. My father, for instance, is an agent and trained me from a young age to use mindspeech in addition to our native musical communications. I am the only one of my siblings with this ability.
“This is why I was so delighted to join Lizzie as she played her mbira. It felt so very much like home. I know we have not, up to this point, included the music of our cultures in these presentations, but to end mine, before opening up for questions, I would like to speak to you in my native language.”
She removed her harp from her MDP and nodding to Professor Fin, began a slow, measured tune, allowing each set of notes to linger in the air...
... and then she began to sing. To Lizzie’s shock and delight, she realized that she was singing in multiple voices at once, each harmonizing with the other precisely, conveying emotion and almost drawing pictures in the air surrounding her. Lizzie felt pathos and joy, delight and astonishment, mystery and clarity surging within her as the performance continued.
She had reluctantly taken a required quarter of music appreciation as a freshman in college and hadn’t enjoyed it much. This was nothing like the classical pieces they had listened to and analyzed during that course. This was much more like the music was speaking, not to her mind, but to the very depths of her soul.
The class as a whole had been so transported that it took a while as the last note glimmered from Gi’s throat and harp before they realized it had stopped. As a whole they sat there silently, stunned by what they had experienced. The music had wrapped them into it, and not just individually. Lizzie felt it had bonded them together in some way she couldn’t explain.
Professor Fin rose from his chair to the side of the group and stood before them. “That was astounding in more ways than I can say. Gi. I look forward to the time we will be allowed to visit your home. If this presentation was only a taste of your world and culture, I feel we are in for an unparalleled treat. I will postpone the questions we may have until after that time. In the meantime, for the rest of you, I recommend you reflect on this experience between now and our next session.
“Now that we have concluded our reports by your podmates regarding their dimensions, we will be changing our class format to include visits to your podmates’ origins. I know you are already being exposed to many dimensions. This exercise will allow you to realize there is a difference between simply visiting a new and unusual place and visiting a place within the context of someone you have already associated closely with. Both of these approaches have a different kind of value.
“In between visits, we will convene here to discuss our insights with a native of the dimension. At that time, each of you will have the opportunity to lead the discussion about your dimension.
“Please consult your tablets to find the scheduled day and time that corresponds to your own dimension. The various gate guardians of each of these destinations who are in charge of this type of event have already been notified and have prepared an experience at each destination unique to your particular culture.
“Go, then, to your meals, workouts, and other activities with something to contemplate between now and then.”
As was his wont, he then led the way out of the classroom. Lizzie noticed her comrades were very subdued, each somewhat engaged in their own thoughts.
With this new pattern, discussion at mealtimes revolved around their experiences in various dimensions, as well as their instruction in mental training with Liliath.
“I swear, sometimes I feel like a complete idiot,” Linlin confessed one day. “It’s bad enough to discover all I don’t know about other dimensions and cultures, but to find out I don’t really know much about myself is daunting, to say the least.”
“I hear you,” Feth chimed in with his squeaky mind voice. “I had no idea there was so much exploration to do inside my own head. Evidently, I’m very resistant to this sort of thing.”
“We’re struggling too,” Geln agreed, shaking his heads in unison. “We have three sections in our minds to deal with. We thought we think all the same things, but apparently, we do see the world slightly differently. This will be a shock to our culture, so we must thoroughly understand this before we reveal any of it to our people.”
“I’d give a lot to see the mental landscape of the dragon,” added Mang, his green eyes flashing. “Before I realized there were worlds inside my own head, I thought the concept of billions of dimensions was hard to grasp. Now I find myself wondering if there is any end to creation. I have always had trouble fixing the idea of infinity in my mind. I think we can all agree on that. And the principle that infinity stretches beyond both the smallest particle and the largest physical structure we can imagine is beyond me. I confess it makes me feel very insignificant, something I could not imagine before.”
Lizzie had to agree with all of that. Her sessions with Liliath were both instructive and intimidating. Here was something involving her brain that was more challenging than the most intensive and advanced math course in the university. The idea that her brain was capable of so much more than thought and the ordering of her body was foreign to anything humans considered as science.
The best classes at this point were the ones where they went through the gates to the various dimensions. So far, they had visited water planets, places where the intelligent life was plant-like, planets so far from the center of their solar system that light was almost a foreign concept, and even planets where Lizzie felt like she had doubled her weight in a fraction of a second as she went through the gate and before the special environmental suits kicked in with their gravitational adjustment technology.
More and more, their pod was beginning to reach out to the beings in other pods, and Lizzie was beginning to actually feel a part of something much larger than herself for perhaps the first time in her life. She recognized many of the faces, such as they were, of beings not in her classes and even knew many of their names.
However, she felt most at home with her podmates in a way she had never connected to any of her schoolmates on Earth. They laughed together, shared experiences, and now they even shared music. The one impromptu concert she, Ynni, and Gi had begun had expanded, and they were now joined by members from her pod and others.
One particular day they were playing quietly in their space under the trees between pod buildings when suddenly Ynni sat stiff upright on Lizzie’s shoulder and sent a mental hiss and then a growl. This startled Lizzie so much that she stopped playing. The others hadn’t noticed, as Gi was playing a particularly stirring set of arpeggios on her harp and harmonizing with her multi voice.
“What is it, Ynni?” Lizzie asked her privately. “What’s wrong?”
“Bad one. There is a bad one amongst us. They passed by, but they are thinking bad things... most bad things. Bad things about the Alliance. Bad things about agents. So many bad things.”
“Who is it?”
“I do not know. They passed by. We must tell Liliath, but not now. We must not get the attention of the bad one. Do not tell podmates. Not yet. We need Liliath’s counsel.”
So, Lizzie waited until the concert was over.
