Chapter 6

What a strange day. I met Linu this morning, and by noon we were off and running. I showed her around my cave, and explained everything I could to her. She asked some strange questions about everything. She wanted to know the names of the AI's. She wanted to meet the craftsmen inside of the pantograph.

She almost fell off the wagon, when I got it going. I'm ashamed to admit I almost died laughing when it happened. I had explained it to her, but she still didn't really believe it, until I started it moving.

At the beach, I taught her to play fetch with the dogs, and tried to explain to her how the pantograph worked. I should have known better than that last one. Eventually I left it at "it breaks things up into smaller and smaller pieces, changes those pieces some, and rebuilds to make what I want. It finds once living things much harder to make than never living things. Therefore, it is easier to make something out of stone, than it is to make the same thing out of bone."

I think she even accepted that.

I got her to show me the remains of her fire pit, and then showed her my freezer. She asked me why I had been collecting berries yesterday, and I told her that I was going to analyze them, and find out which ones were safe to eat, which confused her. Eventually, I got her to understand that, thought he pantograph can create food, it takes it a very long time. Meat is easy, with a gun to hunt with, however I have no knowledge of berries, tubers, or nuts here, so I needed to find out what I could eat.

She seemed extremely surprised at this, which prompted me to ask why. It turned out that she though that I knew everything. I managed to keep a straight face, but it cost me a lot.

I explained to her that I, honestly, knew almost nothing about the woods. In my previous life, I had lived in a large village, I explained. It was the easiest way to get the idea of a city across, I figured. I explained that other people hunted, made clothes, healed the ill, did the crafts, and made the weapons. I explained that once a year, I would go on a hunting trip. I would kill a deer or two, over the course of a week. I would bring the deer to someone else to dress, and cut up. I would make my own fires during that week, but I would usually have another person deliver me wood to make that fire with.

I could tell she was not very impressed.

I explained to Linu that in coming here, I had hoped to bring my advancements in weapons, in training animals, in growing food, in medicine, and in building; However, I also expected to learn from the people that lived here about hunting, plants, gathering, and society. I explained that I had come here to start a new life, and planned to live out my days here. I wanted friends, and trade. I wanted to show people how to do things, but was afraid of people trying to take what I had, and steal my presents by force.

After that, Linu spent about five minutes staring at me, obviously thinking.

"You came here to both teach and learn?"

"Yes," I replied, "I need to do both."

"The things you wish to learn, are all about hunting, and gathering, and living in the woods? You would trade knowledge of those things, for the knowledge you bring?"

"Yes."

"What else would you trade for?"

"Food and labor are other things I value, and would be willing to trade for."

"So, you would trade food, or work, or the most basic of knowledge, for the knowledge you have?"

"Well, I would also be willing to trade things from the pantograph, if there was something specific someone wanted. However, other than people who join me here, I will not give anyone the secrets, or access to, firearms. Those I will reserve for my people."

"Your people?"

"Well, I hope, at some point, to have a group of people who work and live here. There are many things that I want to do, but can't do alone. There are many things I can teach, that will take more than a moment, or a day, to learn. Learning to plant, and tend, crops. Learning to breed animals for food, or labor. Unfortunately, I feel it will be a long time before I start to gather people."

"Why?" Linu asked me.

"Well, because I have a set of rules, and standards, that I will not give in on, and I worry that many will not like them."

"What sort of rules?"

"Well, it's like this: I need honest, hard working people, who respect each other. Harsh words should not be spoken often. Violence will not be accepted at all. Any argument will be brought before me, to have it resolved, if the two parties cannot resolve it themselves. Finally, no discrimination. Women and men will work together at many things, and women will have the same rights, and choices, as the men. I'm afraid it's likely to be a hard list to swallow, for a lot of people."

Linu sat in thought for a couple moments, before she said, "So you would like to make things here like they were where you came from? But why did you leave if that's what you want?"

I had to admit, she had a good point. I'm sure I looked somewhat taken aback as I pondered this, but she waited patiently and expectantly, and I finally replied, "No. I don't want a society just like where I come from. Although people worked together when absolutely necessary, individuals in my society spent a lot of time alone. Our advancements meant that we had very little work to do to keep ourselves alive, and we wasted all that extra time with meaningless tasks."