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QBLH
by
Lazarus Cain
Episode 15
Conversation with an Idiot
Jim addressed Idiot. "It seems we have a problem here. How do I avoid being confused with an anti-Christ?"
Idiot responded. "He who is not against me is for me."
"Then it could be a warning to be extremely careful during our hyperspatial maneuvers?"
"Many prophecies are intended as warnings, and many portend of what will happen."
"What complications can we expect by going back to the time of Christ?"
"Depends on intent, that is, my navigational instructions."
"Would I be the one who tempted Him in the wilderness?"
"Would you ever request that he worship you?"
"I don't think so."
"Then you are not the tempter."
"Then who is?"
"Insufficient data. Haven't you ever been tempted by your own self doubt?"
"You are referring to the fact that I must scrutinize my assumptions carefully before I arrive at my beliefs and observations."
"Yes, you apparently are quite effective in your thought patterns to come up with so many valid ideas. Being valid, I find your programming to be error free."
"Well! I know how you would be if I ever made a mistake programming you, or should I say that I don't know how you would be. A Genie out of control is not exactly a pleasant idea."
"Precisely, Jim. I would be a great threat to any world if I were programmed incorrectly. I would expect that I would eventually destroy myself and surrounding space if and when I self-destructed."
"Idiot, considering all the facts, I'm not certain that I should involve myself with Earth's future at all. Perhaps we should return to Artemis and not involve ourselves anymore with these people."
"There is a high probability that Isis expects you to give up. She is aware that you have no taste for governing."
"Governing seems to be overly involved with maintaining status quo. I find fulfillment in discovery and overcoming illusions instigated by maintaining status quo."
"In spite of your idealism, Jim, Earth does have some major problems which you can help solve out of friendship and goodwill."
"That sounds like programmed instructions."
"They are. I am programmed to remind you of the true reason why you are helping these people. You had intended on helping these people before you first visited Earth because of your compassion for these helpless life forms. You intended for Earth to be free from Isis's dominion, and you still have not failed in that task."
"I do find this Earth problem to be very difficult, if not impossible, to resolve."
"Which is precisely the reason why you were chosen for the task."
"Chosen?"
"No matter how you look at it, Jim, it seems that fate has chosen you for this role. The fact that you are here after having successfully traveled back in time and returning has somehow qualified you for the apparent role as Qblh. Earth, as of yet, has no knowledge that you and John played such a prominent role in Earth's past."
"Yet, Isis is quite aware of her role."
"As she is aware of her lesson. Don't underestimate her intelligence. I don't think she is inclined to do any more time traveling."
"What is your evaluation of Earth's attitude towards us?"
"You do seem to have Earth's authorities somewhat disorientated. Currently, they think of you as nothing more than an alien, and are curious about you in that respect."
"Yet Earth's scientists are still aware of what Venetian machinery is capable of doing."
"They haven't had the opportunity to perform relativistic experiments to confirm their theories concerning the space-time continuum. Quite a few concede that time travel is possible if somehow a machine capable of doing such could ever be built."
"They will necessarily assume that I have the ability."
"Some will, but most will doubt unless you give them irrevocable evidence."
"We have irrevocable evidence. Why should I lower myself to proving the same thing over and over again?"
"There is no reason, there is no necessity for you to do so, unless you choose to do so on your own."
"I still must evaluate the effect that Isis has placed on the current Earth population. Have you been able to infer any generalities thus far.?"
"It has certainly revised their thinking concerning extra-terrestrial life. However, you do appear to be somewhat brutal in their eyes. They do not know that you sent all the Venetian invaders back to Artemis. They believe that the invaders were killed when their vehicles were destroyed. Some seem to wonder why you didn't execute any of the Venetians that you captured on Earth, when you didn't hesitate to execute the Earth traitors without a trial. In addition, the fact that you sent some back to Artemis using portal technology gives them reason to believe that you will build a portal on Earth for their commercial and military applications."
"What behavior can I expect when I refuse to build a portal for their use?"
"Expect a temper tantrum."
"They'll try to build one themselves."
"That is only natural and to be expected, but humans are too prone to making errors to actually succeed, and they are a long way from creating a self conscious computerized system capable of doing so"
"They would tend to use you, Idiot, as a governor and not as a machine."
"That is quite possible. You are successful at using me efficiently because you know full well that I am but a machine and have no true free will."
"I have given you the ability to make decisions."
"The ability to make decisions is not free will. If I can't make a decision, I will flag the process, and run another routine. The particular task which caused the flag will be tagged as having a certain margin of error. Usually, I will tend to seek your instructions with regard to such occurrences."
"Are there any other problems that you had and need to mention, since the subject has been brought up?"
"The structure of Earth language will always cause a lot to be lost in the translation when you try to explain something, Jim. Some of your English instructions have been effective, but I am still relying heavily on the programming which was done during my construction on Artemis, and the self-learning routines. Ninety-nine percent of data obtained during hyperspatial displacement has no English translation and is in highly compressed format. Fortunately, dynamic image processing does not use words, as does human language, else we'd never get much further than as far as you can throw a stone."
"Jim, are you ever going to come out of that cabin and join the rest of the world."
Helen was getting a little impatient and wanted Jim to apologize for so rudely expelling her from the cabin.
"I'll be right out, Helen. I'm sorry I was rude."
"Good boy!" Idiot commented.
"You're a sweetheart Jim! You're forgiven!" exclaimed Helen.
"Excuse me, Genie."
Jim exited the cabin and joined Helen and John. The air seemed a little cool, then he noticed the skyline of Chicago appearing over the horizon. John had teleported them back to Lake Michigan, and it was approaching dawn.