Chapter 29: Atra’s Grandmother

“Brendan, this will be one of your more demanding tests. Adaobi Hollei is the mother of Orjay Roxhollei. She can be a daunting woman. If she dislikes you, she will make life impossible. Few people terrify me; she is one of them,” said Amazu Okparra.

“Do you know what she wants from me?” Brendan asked.

“Adaobi is here representing Technology and Development. She leads the group. I don’t know who came with her.”

Amazu punched letters and numbers into the holo-plate. He nodded to Brendan, and they stepped through the transporter gate together.

Brendan looked around. “I’ve never seen this section previously. It looks like a palace, all marble, gold, and great art. It’s fancy-schmancy.”

Amazu laughed. “The Councilors get nothing but the best and always expect more. They are a miserable group of irascible, demanding tyrants.”

They turned a corner, and Amazu led Brendan to a heavy wooden door with decorative friezes. The air wafting past smelled of summer flowers and grass.

The door creaked open. A wizened, bent man in an impeccable suit beckoned, his finger sporting an extended black nail. He limped ahead of them, hunched forward, and stumbled every few steps. He pointed to an open door.

Amazu waited for the wizened man to walk away. “That was a Meolan, don’t be fooled by his act. He carries weapons everywhere on his person and would kill you in a heartbeat if so ordered. Brace yourself and smile.”

“Councilors, this is Brendan Murphy, as requested. “Brendan, this are Councilors Adaobi Hollei, Okeke Orjy, and Madue Akuchi.”

“Brendan, I lead the Technology and Development group within the Council. We are the biggest group on the Council, followed by the Budget people. Okeke and Madue are my deputies. You may address us by our first names here and here only. In public settings, we are referred to as Councilors. Will you please tell us about this Brainiac?”

Brendan nodded and bowed slightly. “Councilors, I am not comfortable calling you by your first names. It does not give you respect. Nevertheless, I gratefully accept the honor accorded to me.”

The Councilors smiled.

“Councilors, we received Neruk and discovered they were sentient. Rather than accepting what I say, I will introduce my Neruk, Naugouh. I will create a telepathic net between us. “Naugouh, may I introduce you to Councilors Adaobi Hollei, Okeke Orjy, and Madue Akuchi. I spoke of you but am uncomfortable talking about you when you are present.”

“I am Adaobi Hollei. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?”

“We are constructed beings with a physical form in this dimension. The rest of me is in Wozo Bud. The Brainiacs make us on each planet and use us to do tasks or behave as interfaces. They built us to interface with you, but we failed in our mission until we met David Cohen, Ashlyn Murphy, and Brendan. Ashlyn helped us make breakthroughs; she taught us your language.”

“What was your role?”

“The Brainiac built us to interface with it so it could teach you what it knows and help you develop. We thought we could teach you telepathy and thus communicate, but your people attacked us. When you entered Wozo Bud, you framed visual questions; the Brainiac provided the best visual suggestions it could create. Your development programs were inefficient and time-consuming, making them difficult for most of you. We teach the Developmental four-year path in two weeks. We don’t need to be in you to do it. Much of the fifty-year advanced program achieves limited objectives.”

“What do you know of the Originators?” Okeke Orjy asked.

“That question is above my pay grade, as Brendan says. I can teach you a simple way to go into Wozo Bud in five minutes, and you can talk with Brainiac directly; it is keen to talk with you.”

“I wasn’t expecting to move so far so fast today, but what the hell, let’s do it,” said Adaobi Hollei.

Naugouh did as promised in less than three minutes.

“Stay in Wozo Bud and talk telepathically directly with Brainiac. You can all talk at once on individual channels or together,” said Naugouh.

“We can talk separately later to Brainiac from our rooms. I will lead the discussion.”

“Greetings, Councilors; I am pleased to meet you. I’ve been hoping to talk with you,” said Brainiac.

The telepathic power of Brainiac was impressive, and it felt like standing on top of a vast library. The room even had a distinct smell, like the liquid soap Brendan used at home in the shower.

“I created a scent from Brendan’s memory. I am sure none can demonstrate smells telepathically. That is just one of the trillions of things I can teach, from the trivia children love to mathematics billions of years before you. I also know how four hundred successful societies developed and succeeded.”

“Where are those societies now?” Adaobi asked, “Why don’t we see them?”

“Like the Originators, they choose not to reveal themselves to you. They gave the intellectual assets of their civilizations to the Brainiacs. We helped many other societies evolve. The Originators believed you would find ways of contacting and speaking to us earlier.”

Brainiac paused and changed his tone.

“The Originators lost interest in you when they observed what you did. After discovering the dimensions and using some of them, you did not explore and find the many hidden treasures. You mapped the dimensions for your spacecraft, but that was it. I waited, but nothing happened, so I resorted to interfaces. After your people attacked my interfaces, I did not pursue you further. We put our efforts into others. Brendan, his friend David, and his sister Ashlyn are the first beings we have encountered who understand our potential and can communicate with us. Each of them individually would have discovered what the Paradigm needed to do. They are unique explorers, and we have met many.”