Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition (172 page)

First those
clues had to be gathered, both the many without meaning and the few
with.

*

Thing moved
around on its floater settling the long "skirt" hanging below when
it appeared in the guise of Maybe. The force shields were up and
tested so the Jornians wouldn't be able to detect it. If efficiency
were to be needed the force shields could be dropped instantly.
Hopefully they could all stay in character for the time being. The
Jornians would know about Mentans. They would have to remain local
lifeforms if possible or it would become much too obvious the
empire was here. Knowing that could precipitate something they
couldn't know of or expect and that something could prove deadly to
a lot of people.

Z was working
on his own theories so Thing decided it would wait awhile to break
his chain of thought. There was still a lot to think about in all
of this.

For an
instance; how did this being from such a complicated plane figure
into the zero theory? If everything was only a dream sequence
anyhow there was no real problem in shifting beings from plane to
plane. Dimensions had no meaning. There weren't any. Reality, such
as it was, showed that beings from those other planes DID interact
and DID die – or worse.

There was one
negative plane the group had been in, minus TTHN, which was
composed of what was antimatter in N space. The group had used
matter from that plane several times.

Thing had
stayed in the O dome to observe the TTHN plane at first though had
any of the others done so they might have become insane. Most minds
couldn't hope to cope with angles that were “opposite” of what was
generally seen. Thing's independent eyes put it in a much better
position, there.

So what? The
math was all wrong, which was just as scary. All the evidence was
that there was something. If it was truly zero there would be
nothing. That fact would have to be postulated even if it did
ignore the fact that even the theory would have to be a dream.

Too much
detail. No dreamer, god, combination of gods or anything else
capable of a dream could handle all the details. There would have
to be a consciousness of every atom. Every atom of the thing doing
the dreaming would also have to be held in consciousness so that
was a doubled infinite projection. There would have to be an atom
for each atom that was dreaming of each atom, then another atom for
that atom that was conscious of the atom that was conscious....

Impossible
isn't a word that anyone likes, but this IS! Therefore, the math is
wrong.

Postulate back
to the primal zero theory. Everything adds up to zero. Time and
motion are all of it. Everything. All the math fits. Dimensions are
interacting fields, nothing more. Each field has a positive and a
negative "spin" which cancel one another. That's absurdly easy to
figure. One charge plus its opposite charge on the dielectric
equals zero. That's a projected subdimension. It holds true all the
way through. Every body in the N plane has positional relative
bodies in all other planes sharing the dimensions that will allow
matter to exist. Time plus structure equals mass. Reality is that
only time and motion truly exists. We can postulate an opposite
motion so it's all very neat. Time, being the dielectric, has no
direction, thus antitime is unneeded.

Okay, the
exception we seem to have found is the position in TTH9 of Tlorg is
called Hades there. That should be the only N space representative
of Hades.

Tlorg. If there
is time displacement there could be an infinite number of each
of.... That's another multiplied infinity that doesn't actually
affect the math because the balance would be the same in one or
infinity.

In N space we
apparently have Terra in the TTH9 position of Hades, which means
that Terra IS Tlorg. Time displacement can't be a factor because
the scale wouldn't allow them to exist in the same moment. Z
wouldn't exist in N and neither would Earth. It would become N = N'
so would revert back to original proposition time displacement. Not
viable because Earth and Z DID exist as much as any of them.

Horse – as Z
would say – manure! How can this be? Either Hades is not the world
which matches Terra in TTH9 or Tlorg is Earth!

[ Maita? ]

*Yes,
Thing?*

[ What have you
learned about the zero theory so far? Have you managed to deduce
extensions into planal multiplicities? ]

*I haven't had
time to work on it. We're missing something obvious. Something
simple. We're thinking only in complicated theoretical terms so
it's not presenting itself to us. It's, therefore, non-complex.
Basic.*

That was
through the silent communicator so as not to get Z's concentration
broken – or so Thing assumed.

[ I would
rather wait with this until I have more time, but it may be
important. If supposed beings from TTH nineteen can survive here
... it could be important because we would have to transpose too
much of the math from present TTH theories. I don’t believe we have
time. ]

*We never do
know exactly what we'll need. If it gets too complicated we can
always ask Kurk, Ehrak and Z. You know how the organic mind works,
the ones like theirs – so maybe they'll blurt out your answer for
you. Z does that sort of thing all the time. We overlook something
simple so his simple mind spots it right away.*

[ I think he'd
prefer that you say that his mind is uncluttered instead of simple.
]

*Oh, okay. His
mind is uncluttered with things like knowledge and facts. Fair
enough?*

So Maita had
brought Z into their discussion. Thing hadn't noticed the audios
were on.

[ Okay, Z! What
have we overlooked in our little theories? What's the obvious point
we're overlooking? ]

"Well. There's
a theory on simple little old Earth having to do with curved space.
Maybe that could be it. Earth's on the other side of Hades so we
come to it at a different angle. A little wilder would be that ALL
the worlds in TTH nine are alike.

"Does your
primal zero theory allow for that?"

[ Curved space?
That's silly unless you mean.... Hey! That could be it! Space isn't
curved, but the PERCEPTION of a curved space would lend an
explanation of displacement through depressional curvature. It's
only the math that must treat it as a true curvature. ]

*I take it you
want me to send a probe into TTH nine to see where the force
bubbles are located?*

"Force bubbles?
You mean black holes? That's where space is supposed to be curved,
all right."

[ If there is
such a bubble in TTH nine and one.... There is, isn't there, Maita?
]

*We have the
one in the center of the galaxy. I'll know the two places where
there would have to be one in TTH nine. In one of the two places,
anyway.*

[ Maita! Find
that force bubble – and FAST! If it's there we have to know! This
is much more important that anything else in this universe – and
I'm speaking literally! ]

*I seldom see
you so excited, Thing. I'll have to use TR, though. I can't leave
this castle.*

[ Use TR for
one location and T Six for the other! Maita, this is important!
Nothing they're doing is so important! Dump the damned castle if
you have to! I need an answer and I need it NOW! ]

"What've you
found, Thing?" Z asked, startled. "I've never seen you so
excited!"

[ If what
you've shown me is true it would explain how someone from TTH
nineteen could exist here. That's fair enough. If it's true it also
shows me what they want that big portal for. Maita, they have three
or possibly four more subdimensions than we do in N space, all of
them STRESSED force! ]

*I ... see. Tab
will go with TR and Kit will go with T Six. We'll have a report in
a few hours. Z, don't hesitate. Ground that ship's energy! We'll
probably have plenty of time because they're not ready yet. I can
vaguely see why they're doing what they're doing, but the math is
different here than it is there. They've made a truly horrible
mistake!*

"Yeah. We said
earlier they didn't seem all that smart. To make that challenge was
anything but."

[ If we don't
stop this it'll all be academic. N space and TTH nineteen will
suddenly cease to exist. ]

Z saw that
Thing was excited, but that hit him right between the eyes, so to
speak! Maybe he didn't know many of the complicated theories of
omniversal physics, but he didn't have to to realize what Maita and
Thing were saying was that the Jornians and their otherplanal
friend were about to bring certain dimensions in N space into
direct contact with certain opposite dimensions in TTH19 causing
the two planes to cancel! Would that mean there would be imbalance
in all the planes?

"Does that mean
there would be an instant imbalance in all the planes?"

[ THEN we'll
have true zero! ]

"How fast?"

*Instantaneously. Listen, Z. Don't try to ground the energy
in their ship. You haven't tested the ability and may not be able
to accomplish it. Failure could make them act now instead of later.
Ehrak and Kurk are locating some things so we may be able to divert
this another way. TR has used the spell, but only on an energy
sphere on a repowering platform. The circuitry could be able to
hamper its effectiveness. Old Lordrum used the spell on the sphere
in Allen Dale's ship (
Science
!), but he knew it well. My math shows the energy
in that ship couldn't do the job so they'll have to get more
generation or will have to import some. I don't think they can
retain control of the Jornians if they allow the ship to leave
here. Thing, I know where they got that ship now. I know why it has
to be on Tlorg and why it has to be very nearly on the spot where
it's sitting on Tlorg.*

[ Ten thirty
two six point nine four zi alpha fourteen delta five at rel ninety
gamma six sixteen projected to penta zed plot qat? ]

*Yo! I wonder
how long they waited?*

"What the hell
is that all about?" Z demanded.

[ The fact that
space, or the fabric of time as you might say, is curved in such a
way as to allow Hades to be a nexus for Earth and Tlorg – as well
as our otherplanal adventurer – also shows there is this one spot
on Tlorg and one spot six point one six plazsis from here in a
small area where the TTH nineteen being can appear. It is
phenomenal luck there was nothing in between in any of four planes
when they shifted that ship to this point or we would already be at
zero. Maita, that spot will be fixed so maybe it should be inside
of a hollow and useless body? Half a kilometer will do. Beacons on
its surface. We can put one in TTH six as well. That's the only
other one where there's any danger. We have to protect four planes
at once. ]

*That will make
their only other vaible contact location in this plane contained,
Z. We'll have to find a way to deactivate this one on Tlorg. The
Jornians are exploring in the asteroid belt around RD nineteen B
six, which is the nearest star, for several useful metals. That
ship happened to cross a point where the TTH nineteen beings could
grab it. They transferred it to Tlorg at the only other point in
this plane because there's a place to land. The curved space that
makes this a secondary interstice point for Earth made all of that
possible.*

"You mean they
might have been waiting for centuries for a ship to cross that one
little spot?"

[ For any large
power source. Z, it seems rather too much of a coincidence that
they would find this at this particular place and time, but you
must remember it's only in the last century anyone but us and a
couple of Immin ships have ever come to this area. The chance a
ship would EVER cross that one point was vanishingly small, but one
very obviously did. We can see nothing like this can happen again
by blocking the points. We can figure all possible points, but we
can NOT control this happening in another plane or in another
galaxy. The end result would be the same, I think. ]

"That's
scary!"

*Not really. If
it ever happens we'll never know it. The omniverse will simply be
... gone. Like turning off a light only a hell of a lot faster. The
omniverse is a point so the result will be truly instantaneous. I
said before we came there was some kind of anomaly reported by the
satellite so our presence isn't part of the coincidence. Only that
ship crossing that point.*

"Well, we have
to find a way to stop all this. Let's go on to the Jornian ship and
make some kind of statement or something that'll make them think
they have all the time in the galaxy. We DON'T want anyone acting
too hastily!

"What kind of
information do we have from the others?"

*I think
they've prepared a kind of large power storage facility in a
mountain cave. The one place is suspicious because a road comes to
a blank solid cliff, a used road, and ends there. Our past
experiences show something's wrong in that equation. Kurk took the
pictures, but didn't really think too much about it. Ehrak has
located two sorcerers working on power spells, thus the readings I
got earlier.*

"The sorcerers
are all close?"

*Um-humm. The
otherplanal being recruited them. It must be planning to have them
bring the energy, which it'll then store. Maybe it simply copied
the standard power sphere from the captured Jornian ship. I
estimate it'll need three to accomplish what it has in mind.*

"It has the one
in the ship so it'll need two more. That's one hell of a lot of
energy to be getting from sorcerers. They can divert the energy
from thunderstorms directly, but a sphere holds the power of
thousands of thunderstorms!"

[ They'll need
three. The one in the ship is being used to sustain the portal. The
traveler can't stay for more than a few minutes at a time as our
air here won't give it enough energy to survive. It doesn't contain
the right dimensional structures. I'm assuming the thing breathes.
Is there any energy stored in the mountain yet, Maita? ]