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This section covers the inclusion of Mike and disturbing news.
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Someone In, Something Out
They all sensed Mike as he approached along the corridor. They
felt his mixed feelings of trepidation and anticipation. He announced
himself to the door twenty seconds before 14:29. He knew he was
early and waited relatively patiently. As the door opened at 14:29,
his eyes were greeted by Kerstin in all her loveliness.
The immediately following proceedings are not included in this
transmission. A separate transmission is available that includes
the scenes showing how Michael Smith joined the crew. It may be
obtained by requesting Sharing with Friends from your video
entertainment supplier. Viewers who wish this sequence to be included
in chronological order in this program should say Friends
and supply the appropriate identity code now.
Mike was happy to join the crew. He did not discover that the
show had been organised just for his benefit until sometime later.
As the resident surgeon at the Club he was able to avoid any references
to the apparent age of the other residents in his reports. He
arranged with processor simulations to show how each of the members
of the crew should age on a monthly basis. The Commander's collection
of holograms provided a rich source of ageing data. Each member
of the crew received a set of processor generated holos to show
how they should gradually change their appearances.
The members of the crew were aware that their postings could change
after Undepoldus had left. They prepared for the day when they
would split up. Rachel thought that she would stay because of
her role as Annie MacDuff 2. Mike had spent eight years in space
before arriving at the club just before George. He did not think
that he would be posted for some while because every Club retained
a resident surgeon. Gurprit expected to stay in charge of communications
and security. He had several connections with non-Spacer security
organisations that the Spacers League would like to retain for
a while. Martha, Sil, Jane and Lan Fang had no special reasons
to stay at the Club. They could be posted at any time. Leonov
and Ivan could ask to keep one of them for some reason or another
but that still left three who were vulnerable. George and Kerstin's
roles were already decided and they knew that when Boku joined
the crew they could form a small group of three at the College.
If Gurprit and Mike became partners with two of the girls, Leonov
and Ivan could not easily justify asking for one of the others
to stay at the club. The Spacers League would only recognise sisters
as co-partners. Gurprit and Mike could not think of any known
Spacer protocol to keep the four girls at the Club together with
them.
Friday 16/04/2094
The following day everyone assembled in Kerstin's cabin. Gurprit
provided everyone with a special communicator based on Anita Kohlvits'
design. Gurprit arranged that each communicator would only respond
to the voiceprint of the crew member who owned it. The communicators
were disguised as holo frames that could be used to hold treasured
images. If any communicator was called, it would record the voice
message it received. The voice message could only be heard by
the owner of the communicator by asking if any messages had arrived.
On receiving this request the communicator would play a random
selection of words that would have to be repeated by the owner.
This was included to prevent the use of recordings of the owner's
voice being used to activate the message replay system.
Gurprit also produced simple codes that were innocent phrases
that could be used to convey messages to other members of the
crew via vidcom. These were sentences like. "I haven't heard
from X lately," and "How is Y doing these days?"
If member of the crew was mentioned, it would indicate an urgent
communicator message had been sent. If the name was not a member
of the crew, it would indicate that a non-urgent communicator
message had been sent.
After a lot of experimentation the crew found that they could
communicate basic ideas mentally over 100 metres and see what
the other person could see at 150 metres. They could just detect
each other if they were both consciously trying to make contact
at 600 metres.
Saturday 17/04/94
Undepoldus had continued with his concerts in the evenings while
he checked and tested various parts of his launch vehicle during
the day. On Saturday 17th April George and Kerstin arranged to
meet Undepoldus after his concert. When Undepoldus arrived he
knew that George and Kerstin had things on their minds. Marita
was just as anxious to know what the problem was.
Undepoldus asked. "What is worrying you two? You seem
preoccupied."
George said. "We now have a crew of thirteen bodies and fourteen
personalities. Kerstin and I think that all of us are now semi-immortal.
You gave us the power to make others live as long as we can. We
can change our looks to match our apparent ages for a while. Then
one day we will have to leave the Spacers League to prevent anyone
from discovering that we are not ageing normally. Our other problem
is that we will be split up after you leave. Kerstin and I will
be going to the Spacers College. Ivan and Leonov can expect to
stay at the Club with their wives for some time to come. Mike,
Rachel and Gurprit expect to be able to stay at the Club for a
while. That leaves Martha, Sil, Lan Fang and Jane who could be
posted anywhere when you have gone. We would like Boku to join
our crew. If she does, there will be three of us at the College,
seven at the Club, and four anywhere. Now you know what we are
thinking about Undepoldus."
Undepoldus said. "Don't worry George about keeping your secret
from the League. They know all about you. You have had a spy in
your crew but did not know it. My Marita is now continually in
contact with her counterpart in Kerstin. I know how you wanted
me to be able to see all my friends again when I came back. You
were right in that I did not want you to grow old before we met
again. You did not know that your plan to travel out further in
space was a problem that the League has been trying to solve for
years.
The fact that I had saved Marita's personality was not a very
well kept secret. You did not mourn her as if she had died. Her
voice was discovered in vidcom records through the random checks
that are always done nowadays to detect snoopers. This aroused
suspicions. One of her students was asked to call her and she
answered, forgetting where she was. By then it was too late. She
was seen apparently live and well after her body had been certified
dead. The voiceprint matched. Then Admiral Chang started checking
and soon discovered that there was also a Marita with you, Kerstin.
He wondered what other secrets you had and discovered that Ivan
and Leonov were suddenly younger. It was known that they had visited
me. Then he asked me directly if I could prolong human lives.
As you know, I cannot lie. He then asked me whose lives I had
prolonged. He then asked me what other attributes I had been able
to pass on. He asked me if the two Marita's could communicate
with each other. That led him to ask Marita to tell him what was
happening with your group. He stressed that long lived Spacers
would be a great asset to the League. They would need to be protected
so that their secret would never be discovered. He offered to
come to see me personally so that I could verify that he was being
truthful to me. I told him that I accepted his word. Then he asked
me if I could persuade you to pass on longevity to Boku and Marita's
ex-students. I knew that he also wanted it for himself and Annie
McDuff but did not say so. He asked me how long you two could
live. I said that I did not know. I said that your ageing processes
were slowed to about one twentieth of normal judging from Marita's
observations. I told him that you could be killed as easily as
any other humans so your longevity depended on avoiding accidents.
He asked how long I could live and I told him that I did not know
directly. I said that there would be little point in my ability
to save Marita's personality if I did not live for a long time.
He thanked me for the information and promised that he would treat
it as one of the most important secrets he knew. He suggested
that if all the members of the council were treated, they would
have a very good reason for keeping it secret too. I said that
the gift was in the possession of you two. You could use it or
withhold it as you saw fit. That is how the matter stands now.
You will be consulted about those who already have longevity and
your proposals for inter-stellar space travel. When the Council
was informed about your skills, it decided to treat all your group
as partners who should not be split up unless there is a pressing
reason to do so. They know that Kerstin is doubly pregnant and
that your children when they are born will also have longevity.
They anticipate that Sarah and Eva will show signs of pregnancy
soon. I sense that you are no longer worried about your situation
now."
Marita said. "I am sorry that I betrayed your secrets without
you knowing. My Kerstin half can tell me what is happening most
of the time but I cannot tell her anything unless we are very
close like this. My Kerstin half can tell white lies but I am
like Undepoldus now. I cannot lie or withhold requested information
unless divulging the information would contravene the Asimovian
type programming that Undepoldus has. I suggest that Mike checks
Eva and Sarah for pregnancy. If they are pregnant, he will have
to check that Ivan and Leonov are the respective fathers. Otherwise
you, George, will be the prime suspect. I would be pleased if
you were a father four times over. There should be a lot more
like you around."
George blushed.
Marita continued: "Kerstin, you were a really impressive
devil. It was the sort of thing that I would have done if I had
a body and your powers. Your performance with Mike was a masterpiece.
It was a tour de force when you switched between being human and
a she devil and back again while you were sharing with Mike. I
could feel what you were doing but I could not see you except
when you looked at yourself through George's eyes. Your control
was fantastic. I admired the way you separated without changing
the way Mike felt. You performed magnificently. You know what
I am like. It was almost as if you had put on the show for me."
Kerstin said. "Thank you for your sweet compliments Marita.
I was helped a lot by the rest of the crew. They looked after
Mike while I changed and when we separated. It was very much a
team effort. Sarah prompted me to use hellish instead of heavenly
when I was talking to Mike. It was the ideal way of describing
things. I am delighted that you saw most of the show. It was great
fun to pretend to be so different while knowing that it was so
easy to look the part. Everyone saw what happened. Even Leonov
saw everything through Ivan's eyes from his office."
Marita said. "George, what can I say? I thought that your
presentation with Mike was brilliant. If such a creature as the
devil existed, he would have been delighted by the way you represented
him. If I had not known what you and Kerstin can do, I would have
believed that the devil was real. I know that all the crew used
their power to assist you. Even so, the way you made Mike into
an underworld creature was better than the best trick effects
in a vidcom play. It was real magic. It is a memory that I will
replay over and over again. Mike was so impressed that he accepted
that he had to share with you all at least once and with a lot
of you twice. You certainly gave him an initiation ceremony that
he will never forget, even if he lives for a thousand years. My
sweet George, I was proud of you. I felt like a mother watching
her child perform brilliantly in a school play. It was altogether
the best show I have ever seen, and you, my sweetheart, were the
star performer. Some day I will show it to Mike. He was such a
good sport that he deserves to see something of what happened
to him."
George said. "Now I know that our secret is no longer hidden
from the Council, all of us will have to rethink our plans. I
am sure that Kerstin and I will have great fun imparting longevity
as we share with all those Undepoldus has mentioned. I am glad
that you liked the way Kerstin and I had fun with Mike. As Kerstin
said, it was very much a team effort. When you see the rest of
the crew, you must congratulate them for the show."
Marita said. "I have just suggested to Undepoldus a way that
you, Kerstin and the crew could have a lot more fun. The four
of us could work out ways of making the inside of this place look
like hell. Then you and Kerstin could play your parts again with
everyone who comes here. There will be a lot of sharing going
on and you know how much Undepoldus and I would love that. Undepoldus
is sure that Boku could be helped to grow new hands. She would
not need them if she had powers like you. I am sure that she would
love the chance to be able to disguise herself by changing her
body as well as changing her clothes.
I can just imagine the fun we could have with Tun Wong and Annie.
I know that she is a Spacer first and queen second. She would
welcome the chance to disguise herself when she was meeting Tun
Wong. If you and Kerstin agree, Undepoldus and I will call Tun
Wong. We will tell him that he, Annie, Anne-Marie and Boku will
be first on our list. My ex-students should be next and then the
rest of the Council. When all have been treated we can discuss
what should be done next. What do you two think?
Kerstin said. "That sounds great to me Marita. We have had
a sort of rehearsal with Mike. Now we know how to organise a better
initiation ceremony. I think that it would be better if my version
of you made the call. Tun Wong would not know the difference.
If my Marita is asked questions, she does not have to tell all
that she knows. In that way we could organise a much bigger and
better surprise for all those who come to be initiated."
Marita said. "Undepoldus can patch a vidcom link to you as
me if there is a return call. Whoever calls will not know the
difference. He has just called Leonov to ask all members of the
crew who are not busy to come here as soon as possible. He said
that it was not an emergency. Undepoldus will act like a vidcom
to call Tun Wong for you. Be me when he answers."
Kerstin said. "OK Marita."
Kerstin's Marita said. "Processor, link to Admiral Chang
Tun Wong. Big-Mar 207"
The Admiral's face appeared as it would on a vidcom screen. He
said. "Marita, it is good to see you. Have you got any more
news for me?"
Marita answered. "George and Kerstin have been told that
you know about their parties. They invite you, Annie, Boku and
Anne-Marie to come to their next party when you can arrange a
suitable date. It will be a costume party and costumes will be
provided. Please do not ask me any more Tun Wong because they
want to give you all a surprise."
Tun Wong said. "I must ask you one question that will not
make you spoil the surprise. Annie and I had planned to meet tomorrow
night. If we brought Boku and Anne-Marie with us to London tomorrow
night, would that be too early?"
Kerstin's Marita said. "That would be excellent Tun Wong.
I will tell them to expect the four of you at Undepoldus House
at 20:00 local."
Tun Wong said. "Thank you Marita, I look forward to the party.
I like surprises. Clearing."
Undepoldus Marita asked. "How do you plan to deal with the
four of them Kerstin?"
Kerstin said. "I'm not sure yet. I have some ideas for a
sequence of events. These can be modified or embellished as the
crew and I think necessary. Most of the crew will hide in the
kitchen. George and I will welcome the four of them looking normal.
Then we will tell them that they should go into the lounge one
by one to receive their costumes blindfolded so that they will
not know what they look like. I think that we can made them feel
as if they have not been changed. They should stay in the lounge
blindfolded behind a screen when they have been changed so that
the next one in will not know what to expect. When all four have
been changed in appearance one of the crew will appear as a guide.
They will be told that they can only receive their gifts in their
present form. Anything that can be thought of should be used to
keep them in the lounge while this room is decorated to look as
much like hell as possible. Then they will be told that they must
come into the room one at a time to receive a gift. A settee can
be improvised as a sort of altar. When the candidate is lying
on the altar, the crew will supply phantom comfort until he or
she faints. The blindfold is removed and the candidate is made
to dream that he or she is in hell and has been changed. The candidate
will dream that he or she is sharing with the devil. George can
deal with the girls and I will deal with Tun Wong. When the candidate
wakes up he or she will discover that the dream is real. I think
that each of them will accept his or her new form when told of
the conditions. The new form must be retained to share comfort
with unprecedented pleasure for the next 500 years. If the candidate
accepts the shape with the pleasure, he or she will be given the
gift immediately. Then whichever of us has not shared with the
candidate will change gender in order to share again. The candidate
will then be given the maximum pleasure possible while staying
conscious for a few minutes. Then the candidate will be made to
go to sleep. The candidates will stay asleep until all have been
given the gift. The four will be told that they are on trial.
To keep the gift they must share with all of us. When they have
shared enough, they will be made to sleep again. They will wake
up with their normal bodies and find themselves surrounded by
the crew. As an embellishment we can make Tun Wong link with Annie
while he is sitting beside her as I did with Leonov and Sarah.
Boku and Anne-Marie could be given giant lollipops for a while."
Marita said. "I like your ideas Kerstin but I would like
to be a bit naughty with them too. You remember when the girls
played like little boys? I would like to see what happened if
they were made to grow like Pinochio's nose unless they played
with themselves to stop growing. We all know how it felt to be
so big when Lan Fang showed the way."
George said. "Why not make them all both at the same time?
Boku would have problems if she had to use her hands."
Kerstin said. "I have been wondering about Boku's hands.
She must be persuaded to remove them before the fun begins. We
must think of a way to make her think that it could be dangerous
if she used them in an uncontrolled way."
Marita said. "Arrange that she is the last to be changed.
Her stumps could be converted for a more pleasurable purpose.
That way she could keep the three others happy for a while."
Kerstin said. "We could tell them to prove their powers by
using phantom comfort on each other in pairs. The two that succumb
drop out and the two left fight it out with each other."
George said. "I like the idea that they should compete in
some way to prove themselves. They could all be tested at once
against existing crew members."
Marita said. "I like that George. They could try twice. The
first crew members should be prepared to give way after a while
to give the candidates confidence."
Kerstin said. "We could also run a competition for the best
and most artistic use of their tails."
Jane, Sil, Gurprit and Lan Fang arrived. They had sensed the topic
of discussion as they approached Undepoldus House.
Sil said. "We could test them for longest range or accuracy
in direction. I wouldn't mind having a go at that myself."
Jane said. "Whatever we do, it has got to be silly and fun.
We want them to be as mad and addicted as we are. In a few hours
we want them to feel that our way is as near perfect as it can
be. Now I think of the possibilities I feel desperate for a share
right now. Are there any volunteers?"
Kerstin said. "Jane, behave yourself. We can't have sharing
while we are in the middle of a serious discussion. If you are
that desperate, grow yourself something to suck on."
Gurprit said. "Jane, it is no good while you are wearing
a formfit. Please be patient. Most of the others will be here
soon. Then we will all know why we have been called here. I can
guess but I sense that Undepoldus wants us all to be together
to hear the news."
Lan Fang said. "I have the feeling that everyone will be
here soon. I sense that several things are best not mentioned
for the moment."
Undepoldus said. "Those you want to see will be here soon."
Gurprit said unnecessarily. "Here they come now."
The rest of the crew arrived, knowing that they would not have
been called together unless something very important had happened.
Undepoldus said. "I am pleased to see you all here. I
have some very important news for you all. Firstly, the Spacers
League Council is aware of your new abilities. The Council welcomes
the changes that have occurred in you. Secondly, all of you are
now regarded as partners who should not be separated for trivial
reasons. Thirdly, the Council would like more Spacers to have
the same attributes as you. Fourthly, four Spacers will join your
company tomorrow night in an event that will be something between
an initiation ceremony and a party of the sort that you prefer.
Kerstin, Marita and George have been planning what will happen.
Now I must elaborate on the first point.
It was noticed that Marita's death was not mourned significantly
by any of you. Then my Marita was called by vidcom and she answered.
From then it was discovered that I could provide longevity and
that I had passed this power on to George and Kerstin. This power
was corrupted by my addiction to the pleasure that humans have
when sharing comfort. My addiction has been passed on to all of
you and will be passed on by George and Kerstin to all others
who will benefit from the gift. The power includes the ability
to heal all human ailments and to modify non-skeletal parts of
human bodies. These modifications can be temporary or permanent
as the individual desires. I was not originally aware that you
have been given a version of my sensitivity to human thoughts
and emotions. This was discovered when my Marita could share thoughts
and experiences with her copy in Kerstin. This does not work at
the same range in reverse. Kerstin's Marita did not know that
my Marita knew everything that she knew. My Marita has to tell
the whole truth about what she knows when asked, as I have to.
The secret of your abilities could be passed on to trusted individuals
without contravening my programming. Unknown to herself or Kerstin,
Kerstin's Marita was a spy. All activities that you shared with
her or Kerstin are now recorded in the memory of my Marita. Like
me she has a perfect memory so she can replay anything she has
ever seen or experienced."
Undepoldus continued: "Michael, you went through was seemed
like a traumatic experience Thursday night. It was staged in a
way that appealed to your friends' sense of humour. I can tell
you now that your friends staged an unrehearsed performance that
was the equal of any vidcom plays I have encountered. Only George
used any props. The rest just used their bodies. I know from Marita
that you felt an indescribable mixture of pleasure and horror
during the proceedings. I know that it was all meant to be fun
and I sense that you see it that way now. I also sense that you
enjoy your new powers very much. Tomorrow night you will have
the chance to participate in a similar event. Four Spacers will
undergo an experience comparable to yours. For the benefit of
all of you I can say that they will be Chang Tun Wong, Annie MacDuff,
Anne-Marie van Wijk and Boku Adedeyo. Chang Tun Wong expects that
he may be given longevity with the others. He does not know what
other powers he may receive nor how he will receive them. Michael,
I welcome you as a now long lived friend to the company. When
Kerstin, George and my Marita have summarised the provisional
plans for tomorrow night's event, I think that your suggestions
should be taken note of. You can tell the others what you thought
was effective and what you think can be improved. I will be performing
a concert tonight but my Marita will see everything that happens
through Kerstin. She will also feel everything that Kerstin feels.
I will be able to share the pleasure too and I look forward to
tomorrow night with eager anticipation."
Mike said. "Although I was the focus of Thursday afternoon's
frolics, I think that it was done well. It was the most delightful
nightmare I have ever had. If I mentally block out the images,
it was the perfect dream for an active Spacer. At one point I
almost believed in religion because the vision of hell that I
saw was a close match to the most horrible illustrations I had
seen. I felt as if I were in what the religions call heaven because
I was experiencing perfect pleasure. Then I thought that the old
religions had got their ideas mixed up. Hell was the best place
to be if one had the choice. Then I was told I would have to endure
500 years of it. My purgatory was to experience the same pleasure
time after time, day after day. Who could resist such purgatory?
I could not. Then I found that those who were persecuting me with
pleasure were mostly Spacers I could recognise. I will treasure
the memory of that delightful nightmare for the rest of my days.
From what I have been told since then, I will remember it for
a very long time. If I had not been nearly frightened to death
by what I saw, it would not have been so effective. I congratulate
all who took part."
Mike's speech was greeted by conventional applause and a lot of mental good wishes because he had been such a good sport.
Undepoldus Marita summarised the provisional plan for Sunday evening for everyone. A few more suggestions were made to add to the horror and the fun. Mike's suggestions were among some of the most outrageous. He said the George should be better endowed and have a smaller version of the devil's face on the end. He also suggested that the girls should be so well endowed that they would have to use their hands to stop their acquisitions dragging on the ground. He said he was thinking of the way non-Spacer brides carried their dresses to stop them dragging on the ground.
Marita showed him scenes from earlier frolics he had missed as well as excerpts from his own event. He was enchanted with the way that the group enjoyed playing childish games with their adult abilities.
PAUSE
The next section covers the addition
of many more members to the crew.
Viewers familiar with this subject may pass on to the following
section.
Please select PASS or CONTINUE.