Yōd

The Yōd Intervention by Zeta Gohrlay
Image credits
(original photographs: Jessica Truscott)

from the prefatory notes of Zeta Gohrlay....

The origin of the name "Azynov" is described in this report. To avoid causing confusion for Earthlings, I recommend that you consistently make use of "Azynov" to refer to the replicoid of Isaac Asimov who visited worlds of the Galactic Core such as Tar'tron. -Zeta

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Azynov was waiting, rather impatiently, for sunset. He'd spent the day exploring the towers and canyons of the Palace and enjoying the feel of the sun on his skin. Strangely, no matter how much time he spent sunning himself, he never tanned, never burned and never even broke a sweat.

The residents of Tar'tron were nocturnal and afraid to expose themselves to the bright sunlight of their world. No, 'afraid' was not the way to describe it. Each morning when the stars faded from the sky, everyone grew sleepy and the streets of the Palace became deserted and silent. Azynov reminded himself that the inhabitants of Tar'tron were not human. He was uncertain if familiar emotional reactions could be successfully attributed to them.

On this world, daytime was the time to sleep, and the people of Tar'tron slept a lot. Rynela had a crazy theory linking together her ability to perform magic with her need for so much sleep, but Azynov did not believe in magic, no matter how often he saw it being used.

After being promised by Ferlyn an opportunity to meet the other human in residence at the History Palace, Azynov had been too excited to sleep. Now, almost a day later, a day filled with excited -if pointless- activity, Azynov still did not feel tired. He wondered: Maybe I don't really need to sleep. Azynov's life had been a confusing mess since his arrival on Tar'tron. Since arriving on this planet, he had really only slept because of boredom. When everyone else went to sleep, there was nothing to do.

Ferlyn had almost seemed embarrassed when admitting that there was another human on Tar'tron and so near at hand. "I don't want you distracting Yōd. She has important work to do."

Azynov complained, "I can't believe you kept such a secret from me. What was your purpose in hiding the existence of another human in the Palace? I find your behavior inexplicable and even cruel." He'd been on Tar'tron long enough to miss interactions with other humans. And now, knowing that there was another human nearby, Azynov was not going to rest until they met.

But with so much free time, Azynov could not avoid being preoccupied with worries and self-doubt. He wondered: Am I human? Like everyone else on Tar'tron he never grew hungry, never ate and even after a long day outside under the crackling intense light of Tar'tron's sun, his skin showed no indication of a burn. A hopeful thought kept returning: maybe he had one other reason for sleep..... the possibility that he would wake up and discover that being on Tar'tron had only been a dream.

And Azynov was haunted by dreams. Or maybe they were memories that could be confused with dream visions? There were jumbled and murky memories of a man named Irhit and a woman named Sacks. Or was her name Roz? Roz Sacks? No, that was not right. Why even try to remember a dream?

The sun dropped below the peaks of the high mountains in the Western Range and stars began to glow in the sky, so he returned to the Central Tower. Entering the atrium, Azynov was pleased to see a furry native step off of a vayer platform. The Historians were beginning their period of nocturnal activity. Azynov got onto the vayer and spoke, "Ferlyn." The platform rose into the air, quickly reached the top of the atrium and it rushed upward through a vayer tube. There was no visible mechanism either pushing or pulling the vayer platform up the tube, but at least Azynov had lost his fear of the device; it seemed perfectly safe. Still, he'd much prefer to be confined to a conventional elevator cab.

Now high up in Central Tower, the vayer deposited Azynov at the level where Ferlyn lived and carried out his duties as an Historian. Azynov was surprised to find Rynela there, waiting for him. She was out on the balcony, gazing upon the glowing towers of the Palace. Azynov approached her and asked, "Why are you here?"

Rynela turned and hugged Azynov in a restrained imitation of the typical greeting that was usually shared by the natives of Tar'tron. Rynela explained her presence in Ferlyn's suite, "Ferlyn asked me to take you to Yōd."

Azynov gazed at Rynela, still feeling amazement at the odd features of Tar'tron people. She was completely covered with hair, like a cat, but otherwise she was shaped almost exactly like a human of Earth, the major differences being her reduced number of toes, large eyes and long pointed ears.

"Yōd?" As he spoke the word, he realized that this was the name of the other human on Tar'tron. Rynela pronounced 'Yōd' differently than Ferlyn had.

"That's her name." Rynela took Azynov by the hand and led him back to the vayer platform. "I spoke to her briefly yesterday and scheduled your appointment. She's a very busy lady, but she agreed to meet with you tonight."

The vayer took them upwards towards the very highest floors of Central Tower. Azynov mused, "Yōd is an odd name for an Earthling."

For the people of Tar'tron, Earth was a world of myth and legend. Rynela giggled, "Yōd is no Earthling. She told me that she is from another world here in the Core, Taivasila."

Azynov thought it was an musical sounding name, the way Rynela said it. "Taivasila? Is that another world of magic?"

Before Rynela could reply, the vayer platform popped out of the tube and continued upward, along the outside of the tower. The magnificent stars of the Galactic Core shown down from the sky, peaking through a wispy cloud layer. Azynov had a brief spasm of terror upon seeing the lesser towers of the Palace spread out below, then they passed through an arch into the floor of the tower where Yōd lived and worked. Again safely inside, Azynov tried to relax and forget the sudden terrifying exposure to the roof of the city. Rynela sensed his discomfort and put her fur-covered arm around his shoulders.

This entire floor of the Tower was one large open room, cluttered by dozens of tables, each itself covered by collections of strange objects. Yōd looked up from the table where she was instructing a black-furred native. She whispered something to the native and then walked over to Azynov. "So, you're the Earthling...Azynov." She did not make the slightest gesture of greeting, but she spoke precise English with a hint of an unusual accent.

Azynov saw that Yōd was slightly older than he, although after a second glance at her complex jumpsuit he was uncertain about her age. "They call me 'Azynov', but I'd prefer that my name be  pronounced Asimov."

Yōd shrugged, "I'm not surprised they messed up your name. Communication is a continual nightmare on this world. The major problem is that almost nobody on this planet can read. It starts with a retinal defect; they don't have very good color vision. Their eyes are adapted to the low light levels of the night sky. The reading problem seems to mostly be a visual cortex issue; apparently they have no specialized neural network for efficiently detecting letters as memorable patterns... or else that brain system is devoted to another function. Whenever some kid is found who can see letters and learn a script then I get to train them to read and write." She gestured briefly across the room towards her current pupil who was working attentively on some project.

Yōd turned away from Azynov and addressed Rynela tersely, "Who are you?"

Azynov felt that Yōd was being purposefully rude. For Rynela's benefit, he translated Yōd's question into the language of Rynela's clan and then he replied in English, "This is my friend Rynela. She's the first person I met when I arrived here on Tar'tron."

Yōd shifted her attention back to Azynov. "Did you really meet the Ship?"

Azynov shrugged. "I suppose a spaceship must have brought me here from Earth. I'm not sure if I came on board the mythical Ship that everyone tells me is a central fixture of Tar'tron legend."

Yōd also shrugged, dismissing the matter of the Ship. "Rynela told me that when you arrived, you were able to speak the language of her clan. How was that possible? I thought only the Palace languages were languages of Earth."

Azynov had no explanation for his ability to speak Rynela's language. "All I know is that I'm able to speak and understand the language of Rynela's clan. It is a language I'd never heard before arriving on this world. Don't ask me how that's possible."

Yōd muttered a single word: "Infites."

Azynov was not certain that he'd hear her correctly. He repeated: "Infites."

Yōd pointed a finger at Azynov and said, "You know, one of the nanoscopic devices." And suddenly Azynov did know. The concept of nanoscale machines was now part of Azynov's mind, just like his ability to speak to Rynela in her native language.

Yōd continued, "Information nanites. Someone put a swarm of nanites into your brain that conferred on you the ability to speak Rynela's language. When I arrived here on Tar'tron I had only a rudimentary knowledge of English. At first, I imagined it was good luck that the residents of this Palace speak English. I now suspect that it wasn't really a matter of luck, but this has been a good environment for me. I've learned the English language quite well since arriving here, but I've had to learn the slow, hard way."

"You speak English like a native, except for a slight accent." Azynov asked, "I want to hear all about these nanites, but first tell me, how is it possible for English to exist as a living language both here and on Earth?"

"Obviously something keeps the language from diverging as it should for two isolated populations of users. Someone went to a lot of trouble to carefully link Tar'tron to Earth." Yōd pulled a small box out of her pocket and gazed at the writing on it. "And there is something special about English. There are other Earthly languages spoken at the various Palaces on this planet, but English was installed as the language of the History Palace. I still do not understand that mystery."

"What do you mean 'installed'?"

"It can't be accidental. For some reason, long ago, English was made the dominant language of this city. I've long imagined that was just because English is widely used on Earth, but then you arrived: a native speaker of English. Maybe you are the reason, the solution to the mystery."

Azynov laughed, "Are you suggesting that English was made the language here in preparation for my arrival?"

Yōd suggested another hypothesis, "Or maybe, like me, you were sent here for training."

"Training for what?"

"You tell me." Yōd held the little box out at arm's length and briefly touched it to Azynov's skin. Then she put the box back into her pocket. "Tell me about Earth."

Azynov did not know where to begin. He turned towards a nearby table and picked up what looked like a wooden match. "What can I say? I was a story writer. I'd rather hear about you: where you are from and what all these things are," He gestured towards the cluttered tables, "and where you got your clothing. I arrived in these," He indicated his own clothing, "And they never change, they never stay dirty."

Yōd explained, "There are many kinds of nanites here, but nobody knows it. Except me. I grew up with nanites and I can control them." She took the match from Azynov and struck it alight with a flick of her thumbnail. After a second, Yōd blew out the flame. Yōd held the burnt match close in front of Azynov's face and said, "Remake".

Azynov watched the match change from blackened back to a hard white wood and then its end was quickly capped by a fresh layer of chemicals. Yōd tossed the perfectly reformed match down on the table.

Rynela whispered, "Magic."

Yōd shook her head. "Not magic. Technology. Someone turned Tar'tron into a world where nobody knows about the invisibly small machines that support their lives." Yōd took hold of Azynov's hand and held it between both of hers. "The natives, like Rynela, believe that they are magicians, but they've simple learned how to take control of some nanites."

It had become obvious to Azynov that the existence of unseen nanotechnology on Tar'tron was the solution to the puzzle of how people like Rynela could perform their 'magic'. But why was Yōd the only person on this world who knew the truth? "You can control the nanites and use them to do anything? And all you do is make matches?"

Yōd led Azynov by the hand and threaded through the array of tables, showing him some of the objects that she had constructed. Most of them Azynov did not recognize. Yōd explained, "It is hard to know what to make. I once tried to teach a witch about chemical energy and combustion. A waste of time, of course." She picked up a piece of paper from a table that was covered by sheets of paper and pencils. "There is no ready source of paper on this world."

Azynov picked up one of the sheets of paper. It felt like plastic, but someone had scrawled a list of book titles across the page. "We could make paper from trees."

Yōd shook her head. "The trees of Tar'tron are fake trees. They only look like Earthly trees. They contain no cellulose, no workable fiber of any kind. Remember, Tar'tron is a synthetic world, a world of nanites."

Azynov said, "Show me how to make paper like this. I need something to write on."

"I can only control my personal nanites that I brought from home. I can't do anything with the nanites of Tar'tron. The nanites of Tar'tron are not responsive to me. Most of the nanites that I brought with me are for personal use: medical nanites. They keep me healthy but they are useless for most other tasks. Still, with some effort I can use my nanites to manufacture new objects like this writing paper."

For a moment Azynov fantasized about writing down the events he had experienced since arriving on Tar'tron, then he gently set the sheet of paper back on the table. "Your home planet is...."

"Taivasila."

"Another world here in the Galactic Core?"

"Yes, but it is a rogue planet. Legend says that Taivasila once was in intergalactic space."

"An eccentric orbit? Bringing it back to the core periodically." Azynov wondered how people could survive on a rogue planet, a world without a sun. Maybe with nanites, anything was possible.

Yōd held up her hands. "Watch this." Azynov looked carefully at her. She looked like a healthy girl, with restless eyes and a mop of messy hair. Gradually, her appearance began to shift.

Azynov realized that Yōd was using nanites to change her appearance. After a few seconds, her skin was completely hidden by a thick layer of fur. Her clothing melted away and her eyes enlarged. Two long ears jutted up and Yōd now looked like a close copy of Rynela.

Rynela exclaimed, "Excellent duplication spell!"

Yōd said to Azynov, "Rynela's body is very similar to mine, so duplicating her appearance is just within the limited range of my body modification nanites."

Azynov asked, "You can use nanites to make clothing?"

Yōd quickly covered herself with a new layer of clothing and shed her fur. She was back to her original physical form, but her clothing had changed. Then she made Azynov's clothing change to a new style.

Azynov looked down at himself and felt his new clothing. "Nice trick. Can you teach me how to do that?"

"I'm not sure if Earthlings can do it."

"How do you do it?"

"When I was on Taivasila, I never thought to ask. It is just part of life there to control your nanites."

Azynov looked around the room and asked, "So exactly what are you trying to accomplish with your ability to control nanites?"

Yōd replied, "Since you were a writer on Earth, this will interest you." She led Azynov over to the table where her student was working, using a pen-like device to label small boxes. "We are creating a library."

Azynov picked up one of the boxes and read the label inscribed on its side, "SC23." He looked at Yōd and asked, "What is SC23?"

"It is a book. The twenty third book about scripts."

Azynov turned the little box over, rotating it with his fingers. "This seems too small to be a book. Is it electronic? Optical storage?"

Yōd shook her head. "There are no electronics, no computers here. No paper books on Tar'tron. The books are infite-based. During the last few years, some of the Wizards have learned how to make infite-based books, but there is no good method to store them and catalog them. It is frustrating. However, we've learned that it is possible to keep books in these capsules."

Azynov looked with frustration at the capsule he held. "Show me how to read it."

"These are empty capsules, just being labeled, but if you want, I can take you to the library."

"Yes, I'd like to see this library."

"I doubt if it will do you any good."

"Why not"

"You are an Earthling. Infites are not used on Earth."

"But you used one of your books on me, didn't you? You gave me knowledge of nanotechnology."

"Yes. I can put my nanites into your body and you apparently have an endosymbiont that has some capacity to process my infites." Yōd gazed speculatively at Azynov. "That can't just be an accident."

"Okay, so you can control your nanites." Azynov asked, "Where do nanites come from?"

"Good question. But I don't have an answer for you. Now, enough about nanites. I agreed to meet you so that you can tell me about Earth and how you got here." Yōd took Azynov by the hand and led him to a couch at the side of the room. For a brief moment, Azynov felt frustration and a keen desire to learn more about nanotechnology, then his thoughts about nanites faded away.

Rynela sat down next to him and Azynov settled back into the couch and felt it adjust its structure to the shape of his body. "There is not much to tell. I lived a long life on Earth and wrote books. What is strange is that my memories of how I left Earth and came to this world are jumbled. Maybe it is because I no longer really sleep and my lack of sleep is disrupting my memory... Anyhow, my life was nearing its natural end, then I found myself here, on Tar'tron."

Yōd sat on a chair and said, "And you were in a new body."

"Yes! This younger body from my youth. But it is a perfect body that never hungers, never grows fatigued." Azynov asked Yōd, "And what of you? Your life before you came here. On Taivasila?"

Yōd replied, "Forget about me. I was just a little kid there, I spent my time learning about Earth. Then I appeared here. This is a good place for me..." Her words dwindled away and she sat there, lost in thought.

Azynov asked, "What is it?"

Yōd smiled enigmatically. "There is one little mystery. I've studied Earth all of my life.... there was a gap....a temporal gap between the on-going events on Earth when I watched them unfold from Taivasila and what I've seen... the current events on Earth since arriving here. But I did not age during that gap."

"Wait now." Azynov asked, "There is a constant stream of data arriving from Earth? Ferlyn hinted at that."

Yōd replied, "Yes, someone has linked Earth to Tar'tron and Taivasila. Don't ask me to explain it."

"How long was the temporal gap? How many years were skipped over?"

"Thirty years." Yōd sat in silence for a while, thinking and occasionally glancing speculatively at Azynov.

Azynov eased back and rested his head. With his eyes resting easily on Yōd, he remembered that he had been given new knowledge of nanites. Wondering how he had momentarily forgotten that fact, now he tried to search through his new memories of nanotechnology, wondering if he now held in his mind some clues to the many mysteries of Tar'tron. Something seemed to cloud his thought processes, but when he concentrated, he was surprised to find that each item of information about nanites in his mind seemed to be linked to five others... he was now an expert on nanoscopic machines and their many uses. Finally he broke the silence that had grown in the room and asked, "Which thirty years?"

Yōd pulled herself back from her memories and focused her eyes on Azynov. "Forget about me. I want to hear your story."

Azynov chuckled. "I won't let you off that easily... I'm going to learn all of your secrets! But I don't mind talking about me. Still, it seems like things have worked out well for you, even if you do not know why you were placed here at exactly this time."

"Yes, here I continue learning about Earth and there are others who speak English... so all is fine. And now I have an Earthling to study! But please forget about me! I want to know why you are here."

"I don't know. I was not consulted. I just appeared on this world. Poof! And there are endless mysteries here. Nobody eats." Azynov did not like to think along these lines. He had not eaten since his arrival on Tar'tron. "I suspect that this is a world populated by robots. Maybe none of us are alive... in a biological sense."

Yōd shrugged. "Please don't act on that theory. I assure you that Rynela and I are both biological creatures. Cut us and we bleed... at least until the medical nanites activate and stop the bleeding. Did you ever watch Rynela when she was sleeping?"

"Yes, I've seen her sleeping."

"Ah, but you did not see the stream of nanites that was feeding her while she slept. I grew up on Taivasila, being fed and cared for by nanites. I never thought about that until I learned about Earth and the need for Earthlings to eat meals. I've long wondered what food tastes like. Tell me."

Azynov moaned. "Ask me something else. Would you be able to describe vision to a blind person? And if you want me to talk about my life then give me a fair and specific starting point. I lived a long life on Earth...I don't know where to start."

"I've already done some research on you and your writing. I'll want to hear all about your life on Earth and your obsession with writing, but now... start with your arrival on this planet. Tell me everything... all the details. We'll figure out why you are here."


Next Chapter: Rynela
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A Search Beyond is copyright John Schmidt, but the text of the story is  licensed for sharing under the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA) license.