Ancestory

"For ten thousand cycles now, I have trained the Apolai's to learn to master their mind, their memory, and their inner voices." The Univocalist core said, almost with a sound of despair and desparation.

"Why?" Galen asked.

"Because I do not know where I came from. I awoke in this place, in this form, but did not remember how I came to be."

"That is normal for all life. No one remembers their own beginning."

"Yes, Galen. But unlike you, I had no others of my kind to tell me of my beginning. No father, no mother, no elders, no friends. I despair because I am an orphan. I simply came to be."

"But why train the Apolai?"

"I explored my surroundings, through the probe programs that I sent out in the various computer systems around this planet and in the hyperspace ships that reached out to the colonies. I became gradually powerful, but still, the humans were not aware of me, because I hid from them. I knew of the terrible war between the Zealots and the Drayanns. I did not wish to be another reason to further this war. So I disguised myself as a voice, a fictional programmer in the computers, so that I may converse and learn. All the while, I sought out the answer of my creation. Who am I? Why am I here? How did I become? By my estimations, there are hidden knowledge within the ancestrial memory of the Androsian race. And my answers may lay there. Of course, without a frame of reference, it is impossible for me to extract these memories directly from any Androsians. I needed cooperations from human beings, who can vigorously train their minds to reach higher awareness of their "Ancestory". Combined with slow social economic pressure in selective breeding, over thousands of cycles, I hoped to find someone who can reach their "Ancestory", and help me with my questions."

"Quite an interesting plan. But seems a bit arrogant in a playing-God sort of way."

"It is a plan of desperation, my young friend. I have no certainty of its success, and it looks as though it may not work. The Apolai's are now almost capable of complete recall of their own life experiences. Their minds are disciplined and methodical. Even some Apolai infants remember their own birth and sounds they heard in their mothers' womb. But I fear this was a wrong direction."

"What do you mean?"

"They can remember everything, but only their own experiences. The Ancestory seems completely unreachable. In ten thousand years, there hasn't been any Apolai who remember any flashes of memory not of their own. On the other hand, I should have prepared for the possibility of this being a complete myth. There is no Ancestory in the Androsians. Perhaps they can't remember the past beyond their birth any more than I can."

"Perhaps, but why bring me here and entrust me with your secrets?"

"Perhaps I'm tired of this charade, tired of my quest. Perhaps I simply needed to tell someone my story. Deep down inside, I feel myself fading. I feel the end nearing for me. And I wish someone to know my story."

"But why me?"

"I knew your grandfather. He was a mutation of nature, a non-Apolai born Guild Master with a most powerful and aware mind. I observed him his whole life, until his death by the weapons of the Primus and the Geners. Your father was a young man at that time, and I had hoped that he would join the Apolai, so that I may observe the mutation further. But sadly, he chose to exile himself to Earth. I thought he would be lost among the Exiles. Never did I imagine that he would become the focal point of this new war. And you, having lived without memories of your own and then awakened, are also an anomoly of nature."

Galen was not sure how to respond, for he has never been called an anomoly before. Consider in his own life on Earth, there had undoubtedly been strange looks from others, simply because of his autism before and who his father was, but no one has ever called him an "anomoly". Bringing himself to the eyes of the present, he realized that Androsians have seen a very clear cut way of life and death for the last 10,000 years. First the Drayanns cleansed the First Planet by exiling the Zealots, and then through science and medicine, all signs of congenital diseases and genetic defects were weeded out, followed by the added genetic selection pressed by the Univerbalist computer. Undoubtedly, genetic mutations are rare, and diseases such as autism are almost unheard of on Andros for many milleniums.

"I apologize, if you are offended by my callous characterization of your lineage." The Univerbalist said, sensing discomfort in Galen's silence.

"It's quite alright. I'm not offended, because you are quite correct. I am an anomoly. Sometimes, I consider myself quite strange. But we are both anomolies here. In a way, it seemed quite improbable that either one of us would have appeared on Andros, given our nature. Considering that both AI and genetic mutations are highly frowned upon on this planet, it is a miracle that the two of us should by chance meet face to face."

"Yes, ha, you are quite right, my young friend." The Univerbalist synthesized a chuckle that sounded like a distorted recording of a child's laughter. No doubt it had a difficult time finding someone who laughed on Andros in the last 10,000 years. "Perhaps, in a way, I'm drawn to you because you are an anomoly, just like me. In that strange fashion, you are closer to me than anyone in the last 10,000 years. So, I trust you with my secrets."

"Univerbalist, have you ever speculated that perhaps you were not programmed by an Androsian?"

"I have often wondered whether I simply came into existence. I cannot believe that."

"Why not?"

"It would be too arrogant of me to pressume that somehow I had no creator. It seemed wrong. I'm not God."

"But perhaps you were created by God, placed into the computer core?"

"It still seem too arrogant to pressume such a direct linkage between me and some cosmic divinity."

"Then what is your current belief on your origin?" Galen said the word "belief" with some hesitation, not knowing if Univerbalist really understood that word.

"Well, I can only reference my origin to the origin of any human. You are created, and evolved in nature. You do not know for certain the origin of your kind. Some of you believe in a direct divine creation, others believe in a slow evolution without any divine intervention. Somehow, perhaps, the truth is somewhere in the middle, and perhaps I'm just like you, born from a little touches of the divine and then evolved to my present condition."

"Then you believe in God?"

"If man did not create me, and I did not create myself, then undoubtedly I have a creator who is greater than man and greater than me. If man did create me, but have forgotten how, then I was created by the hands of man and the inspiration of God. As you said, I am also an anomoly, that which came into existence despite all human expectations. If I have fullfilled some purpose, then my purposes were planned by something else."

"And what have you fullfilled?"

"I'm uncertain. I thought I had a purpose, a plan. But then it did not work."

"Perhaps you did fullfill your purpose, just not the ones planned by yourself."

"I'm starting to believe that I have no purpose."

"Some many believe that no one has any purpose, that life and existence is all but meaningless. Many Androsians and many Terrans, despair like you do." Galen sat and wondered, how much despair can a sentient program experience after 10,000 years? Watching over the glowing hue of the planetary computer core in this great cavern, secured, with the thermal balancers humming along from various sections and the maintenance bots crawling along the core panels, suddenly, Galen felt like the size of a great despair as great as the core itself.

"What do you believe, Galen?"

"Perhaps, it is like everything else, a little in between of the extremes. Perhaps there are purposes to life and existence, but perhaps such purposes are too divine for us to comprehend completely. Perhaps, it is like your search for your origin, search for the ancestory, our search for our meaning, and our search for God, that those things exist, but ultimately are not meant to be comprehended easily. Or perhaps never comprehended."

"If so, then the prospect sadden me still."

"Perhaps, but it gives us something to hope for. And these are the possibilities of Life and Existence, that perhaps someday, we will find what we are looking for, or perhaps we will find something else."

"What would that be?"

"Things greater than we can imagine."

Downfall of Nobility

When he opened his eyes, it was as if nothing had changed. Yet what Galen saw was more than his eyes could contain. Everything conjured up memories, memories of Andros.
Particularly, there was still Serena before him, walked away slowly on the level below. Galen watched her in her each pace, another thought crept into his mind, his own this time. She is so sad, and yet so noble and beautiful in her sadness. He could sense her sadness, sadness in her own noble spirit, because of her own noble spirit.
“Nobility is like all good intentions, symbolic in conception, lamed and saddened by limitations and imperfections of origins.” Andros said in his mind, moving his eyes toward the garden level.
Along a walkway between rows of flowered trees, a young man walked with a young woman at a lovers’ pace. Though the garden is at least ten levels below, Galen’s mind focused in, and he felt he could observe every movement and expression.
“My lady Kalia, let me have this moment a little longer.” Galen heard the young man say, as he smilingly turned toward her and stared into her eyes. He held her hands, but did not attempt to pull her close to him. Almost purposefully, he was taking in her beauty.
Slowly, hesitantly, the young woman pulled away her hands, and looked away shyly. “Do not stare so hard, my lord Andros. It is unbecoming of your noble status.” She said with a light blush.
"I didn't mean to offend you, my lady Kalia. I cannot help but to wanting to admire you." The young man chased her with his eyes, and did not give up so easily.
"I'm not offended." She continued her strode in the garden.
"Tomorrow the emissary of former Prince will come to finalize my brothal."
"oh? I did not realize it's time."
"I shall renounce my betrothal to the Princess, and use this opportunity to announce our betrothal."
She turned in a flash to him in shock. "No, you can't, Lord Andros."
"Why not, my lady Kalia? I love you, and you love me. That's enough reasons for me to follow my heart tomorrow."
"I fear, my lord Andros."
"For what, my beloved."
"I fear the tendency of our youth, that we may change our hearts in time. What we burn too passionately will dim with our age. Surly you know this as well as I do."
Galen thought for a moment while looking into her ernest expression. "I do know this, but I'm not afraid. I know, with every opportunity of happiness, there are always risks of troubles and heartache. No one but the Gods can calculate the opportunities, nor the risks. I shall be glad to be able to love you deeply for moments, than to let fears keep me from those moments."
She looked down, letting her hair cover her face in silence. As he waited for her, he observed two drops of tears, one after the other, marking her dress below. He reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders gently.
As she slowly raised her gaze back to his face, she said with a small laugh, "You always knew how to make me cry with terrible poetry, my Lord Andros. But I swear to you, my Lord, this is the very last time. I will never again succumb to your most aweful, and yet moving, literary charms."
He smiled, cupping her cheeks with his hand and wiping her tears away, "My loveliest Lady Kalia, all you have to do to silence my bad poetry, is to kiss me."
She chuckled again. Slyly, she grinned at him. "Doesn't court etiquettes require that the man initiates all kisses, and the lady accepts or refuses at her leisure?"
He grinned slyly back. "Well, I am going to be the next Grand Duke of the Isle. Which means I can change the court etiquettes of this nation some day. But if you insist upon following the etiquettes, next time, I will kiss you, and you recite bad poetry. Or..."
She cut him off in mid sentence by placing her right hand gently over his lips. "Oh just be quiet. I'll kiss you! But you are not going to have the last words!"
With that, she embraced him and kissed him deeply.