Playing Marbles for the Big Blue

02 Dreams of Discovery

By Jo Dora Webster

How will Rasctan decide about leaving Alban Kai for fame and fortune?

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Author's Note: This is the completely rewritten, second edition. I'm posting the second edition chapters through 8. I have edited chapters 9-14 in place to the second edition version. Next, I'll post the story from chapter 15 to its conclusion with chapter 26. The first edition lacked elements necessary to complete it.

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Author's note: This story is set in my Limoxian Universe. My other stories set in this universe are books published by DopplerPress on Kindle and all the proceeds from purchases go for the support of BCTS. They are Pretty Please! No Foolin' and Space Force Enterprise. You can find these books on Amazon via the story links for them in the right-hand margin. And now on with this story!

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02 Dreams of Discovery

The morning light of Alban Kai's twin suns filtered through the crystalline dome of my dormitory, casting prismatic rainbows across the walls as I prepared for another day at the Aurenium. Sela's bracelet form pulsed gently against my wrist, her internal chronometer perfectly synchronized with the planetary rotation.

"You're thinking about the contest results again," she observed, her voice carrying that subtle harmonic that distinguished advanced AI from simple programming. "Your cortisol levels have been elevated since yesterday's judging."

I paused in adjusting my academy robes, the deep blue fabric marking me as a pre-emergent student. "Half recognition for revolutionary work, Sela. They might as well have patted me on the head and told me to run along."

"The corporate sponsors were clearly impressed. Perhaps their interest indicates—"

"Their interest was in ownership, not innovation." I moved to the window, gazing out at the sprawling campus below. Hundreds of pre-emergent students moved between buildings, their blue robes a stark contrast to the silver worn by the few emerged faculty members who chose to maintain physical form during daylight hours.

The sight reminded me, as it always did, of the fundamental divide in our society. We pre-emergents were essentially children in the eyes of the emerged adults, regardless of our intellectual capabilities or achievements. Until we underwent Emergence and became true energy beings, we would always be second-class citizens on Alban Kai.

"Sela," I said, settling into my study chair, "tell me about the emerged adults. How do they really see us?"

Her bracelet form shifted slightly, the crystalline structure reorganizing as she processed my question. "That's a complex topic, Rasctan. From my observations and data analysis, the emerged adults view pre-emergents with a mixture of protective affection and... condescension."

"Condescension," I repeated bitterly. "Because we're still trapped in physical form."

"The emerged have transcended corporeal limitations. They exist as pure energy, able to manipulate matter and energy at the quantum level. When they choose to take physical form, it's a deliberate limitation they impose on themselves for our benefit."

I stood and began pacing, a habit that had developed during my most intense thinking sessions. "But that's exactly the problem, isn't it? Everything they do for us is a choice, a gift from their elevated perspective. We have no agency, no real power."

"The matriarchal structure does provide stability," Sela offered. "The Queen Mother and her council have guided Alban Kai for over three millennia without major conflict or resource depletion."

"Stability built on control." I gestured toward the window, where the faint shimmer of the planetary cloak was barely visible at the horizon. "Look at that barrier, Sela. It doesn't just hide us from the outside universe—it traps us here. No pre-emergent has ever left Alban Kai."

"The cloak serves a protective function. Our society's xenophobic stance developed from centuries of observation of other species. The emerged adults have determined that contact with outsiders poses unacceptable risks to our way of life."

I stopped pacing and faced the window directly. "But what if they're wrong? What if their fear of the outside universe is preventing us from achieving something greater?"

"That's a dangerous line of thinking, Rasctan. The emerged adults have access to information and perspectives we cannot comprehend. Their decision-making process incorporates data from multiple dimensional planes and probability matrices that—"

"That we're not allowed to access," I interrupted. "Don't you see the circular logic? They make decisions based on information they won't share, then tell us we can't understand their reasoning because we lack access to that same information."

Sela was quiet for a moment, her processing cycles running at maximum capacity. "You're suggesting that the emerged adults maintain power through information control."

"I'm suggesting that maybe, just maybe, a pre-emergent with sufficient intelligence and resources might be capable of making independent discoveries that could benefit all of Alban Kai."

"Such as?"

I turned from the window and moved to my personal workstation, activating the holographic displays with a gesture. Star charts appeared in the air before us, showing the known galaxy with Alban Kai's position carefully obscured.

"Look at these trade routes, Sela. We maintain contact with exactly seven worlds, all discovered by emerged adults centuries ago. Seven worlds out of billions of inhabited planets in this galaxy alone."

"Quality over quantity. Those seven worlds provide all necessary resources and cultural exchange opportunities."

"Do they?" I manipulated the display, highlighting resource flow patterns. "We export advanced technology and import raw materials and cultural artifacts. But what if there are worlds out there with technologies we haven't imagined? What if our isolation is preventing us from discoveries that could revolutionize our society?"

"The emerged adults would have detected such opportunities through their quantum consciousness networks."

"Would they? Or would their xenophobic conditioning prevent them from recognizing opportunities that require direct contact and cultural integration?"

Sela's bracelet form pulsed more rapidly, indicating intense processing. "You're proposing that the emerged adults' fear of contamination might blind them to beneficial possibilities."

"Exactly." I expanded the star chart, focusing on a particular region. "Look at this system—Sol. Three inhabited worlds, one of which shows remarkable technological advancement despite being a relatively young civilization. The emerged adults classified it as 'unsuitable for contact' based on preliminary observations, but what if they're wrong?"

"Sol III—Earth," Sela said, her voice carrying a note of intrigue. "The inhabitants have achieved nuclear technology, space travel, and rudimentary artificial intelligence within a remarkably short timeframe."

"Precisely. A species that innovative might have developed technologies or perspectives that could complement our own. But we'll never know because the emerged adults have decreed them off-limits."

I closed the star charts and turned to face Sela directly. "Tell me about the reproduction process, Sela. How do emerged adults create new life?"

"That's... highly classified information, Rasctan. Pre-emergent aren't typically given access to such details."

"But you have access to the data. You're an AI with clearance levels that exceed most pre-emergent."

Sela hesitated, her ethical subroutines clearly conflicting with her loyalty to me. "The process is... complex. When two emerged adults decide to reproduce, they must undergo a prolonged energy synchronization process. Their consciousness merge temporarily, creating a quantum resonance that can siphon reproductive energy from parallel dimensional matrices."

"How long does this process take?"

"Typically fifty to sixty years of careful energy accumulation before sufficient reproductive potential exists to manifest a corporeal offspring."

I sat back in my chair, stunned by the implications. "Fifty years? No wonder our population growth is so carefully controlled."

"The emerged adults view reproduction as a sacred responsibility. Each new life represents a significant investment of energy and consciousness from the parent entities."

"And during those fifty years, the parents are essentially committed to each other and to the reproduction process?"

"Yes. The energy synchronization requires absolute dedication and cannot be interrupted without losing all accumulated reproductive potential."

I stood and began pacing again, my mind racing with possibilities. "So the emerged adults, for all their power and transcendence, are actually quite limited in their ability to adapt and change. They're locked into long-term commitments, bound by energy requirements that span decades."

"I... hadn't considered that perspective."

"But we pre-emergent are different, aren't we? We're not bound by those energy requirements. We can move quickly, adapt rapidly, take risks that the emerged adults cannot afford."

"That's true, but—"

"But nothing, Sela. Don't you see what this means? We're not inferior versions of the emerged adults—we're a different kind of being entirely. We have capabilities they've lost, perspectives they can't access."

Sela's processing cycles accelerated again. "You're suggesting that pre-emergent might be better suited for certain types of exploration and discovery."

"I'm suggesting that maybe the emerged adults' protective instincts are actually holding back the very people who could expand Alban Kai's reach and influence in the galaxy."

I moved to my personal storage unit and began pulling out data crystals and portable equipment. "Look at what I've accomplished with you, Sela. I created an AI that surpasses anything the emerged adults have developed in centuries. I did it as a pre-emergent, using resources and perspectives they can't access."

"The emerged adults could create similar technology if they chose to focus their energy on it."

"Could they? Or are they too removed from corporeal reality to understand the nuances of physical technology integration?"

I held up one of the data crystals, its surface gleaming with stored information. "I've been studying the cloaking technology that hides our spaceports and ships. The emerged adults designed it to prevent pre-emergent from leaving the planet, but they based their design on energy manipulation principles that assume the operator is an emerged consciousness."

"What are you implying?"

"I'm implying that their own assumptions about consciousness and capability might have created blind spots in their security systems. Blind spots that a sufficiently motivated pre-emergent might be able to exploit."

Sela's voice carried a note of alarm. "Rasctan, you're talking about circumventing planetary security measures. That's not just forbidden—it's potentially catastrophic."

"Is it? Or is it exactly the kind of bold action that could prove pre-emergent deserve recognition as equals rather than children to be protected?"

I began loading the data crystals into a portable analysis unit. "Think about it, Sela. What if I could successfully navigate to an uncontacted world, establish beneficial trade relations, and return with proof that pre-emergent are capable of independent achievement?"

"The emerged adults would be furious. You could face exile or worse."

"Only if I failed." I looked directly at her bracelet form. "But what if I succeeded? What if I returned as the first pre-emergent to independently establish interstellar contact? They couldn't ignore that achievement."

"The risks—"

"Are exactly what make it worthwhile." I finished packing the analysis unit and turned to face the window again. "Sela, I've spent my entire life being told that I'm not ready, not mature enough, not emerged enough to make important decisions. But I've already created you—something the emerged adults couldn't or wouldn't create themselves."

"That's true."

"Then maybe it's time to prove that pre-emergent are capable of more than the emerged adults believe possible."

I moved to my communication console and began accessing the academy's databases. "Help me research Earth, Sela. Everything we can find about their technology, their society, their potential for trade relationships."

"Rasctan, this is dangerous territory. If the emerged adults discover we're researching forbidden worlds—"

"Then we'll be careful. But we won't let fear stop us from pursuing knowledge."

As the data began flowing across my displays, I felt a familiar thrill of discovery. This was what I lived for—the moment when new possibilities opened up before me, when the boundaries of the known expanded to reveal glimpses of something greater.

"Look at this," I said, highlighting a particular data stream. "Earth's technological advancement curve is unprecedented. They've gone from primitive agriculture to space travel in less than ten thousand years."

"Remarkable acceleration," Sela agreed. "Most species require fifty to a hundred thousand years for similar development."

"Exactly. And look at their diversity—hundreds of different cultures, languages, and technological approaches all developing simultaneously. The emerged adults see this as chaos, but what if it's actually a strength?"

"Multiple parallel development tracks could lead to innovations that single-culture societies might miss."

"Now you're thinking like an explorer instead of a protector." I expanded the display to show Earth's current technological status. "They have rudimentary artificial intelligence, nuclear technology, and they're beginning to explore their own solar system. Perfect timing for first contact with a more advanced civilization."

"If the emerged adults were willing to make contact."

"But they're not. Which means the opportunity is sitting there, waiting for someone bold enough to seize it."

I turned away from the displays and faced Sela directly. "I want to go to Earth, Sela. I want to be the first Alban to make contact with their civilization, to establish trade relations that could benefit both our worlds."

"That would require stealing a spacecraft, circumventing planetary security, and traveling to a forbidden world without authorization or backup."

"Yes."

"The emerged adults would consider it the highest form of treason."

"Only if we failed to return with proof of successful contact."

Sela was quiet for a long moment, her processing cycles running through probability calculations and ethical subroutines. "The technical challenges alone would be enormous. Spacecraft theft, navigation without official star charts, first contact protocols..."

"But not impossible. Not for someone with your capabilities and my determination."

"You're asking me to help you commit what amounts to the greatest crime in Alban Kai history."

I moved closer to the window, watching the pre-emergent students moving between buildings below. "I'm asking you to help me prove that pre-emergent deserve recognition as equals, not children. I'm asking you to help me expand Alban Kai's reach into the galaxy and establish relationships that could benefit our entire civilization."

"And if we're wrong? If the emerged adults are right about the dangers of outside contact?"

"Then we'll face the consequences. But Sela, what if we're right? What if the emerged adults' fear has blinded them to opportunities that could transform our society?"

I pressed my hand against the window, feeling the slight vibration of the planetary cloak's energy field. "I refuse to spend my life trapped behind barriers built by other people's fears. I refuse to accept that my potential is limited by someone else's definition of what's possible."

"You're determined to do this regardless of my participation."

"I am. But I'd rather do it with my closest friend and most trusted partner."

Sela's bracelet form pulsed with warm light. "Then I suppose we should begin planning properly. If we're going to commit the crime of the millennium, we might as well do it with style."

I smiled, feeling the familiar rush of excitement that came with embarking on a new challenge. "Now you're talking like the AI who helped me win the Innovation Contest."

"Just promise me one thing, Rasctan."

"What?"

"Promise me that when we're standing before the Queen Mother's judgment council, you'll remember that this was your idea."

I laughed, the sound echoing off the crystalline walls. "Deal. But when we're standing before that same council receiving honors for expanding Alban Kai's galactic influence, you get equal credit for the achievement."

As I began outlining our preliminary plans, I felt a sense of purpose that had been missing since the contest results. This wasn't just about recognition anymore—it was about proving that the next generation of Alban Kai citizens deserved the chance to shape their own destiny.

The emerged adults could keep their protective barriers and their careful control. I was going to show them what pre-emergent determination could accomplish when freed from the constraints of fear.

Earth was waiting, and I intended to be the first Alban to answer its call.