Calan - The Immortality Paradox

Chapter Two: The Immortal Gardeners, Part One

Date: 141, OA19,654

Location: Prifddinas, Sylfaenydd, Canol System

Brawd and Chwaer - twin satellites, and constant companions to Sylfaenydd - rotated within the entrapment of gravity. Both dutifully reflect the light of Tanwen; silent beacons, guiding the energy where it needs to travel. Brawd - the smaller of the two - wore a deep, turquoise complexion, while Chwaer - distinctive by its near-diameter wide crater - dominated the sky in an opalescent white. Their combined illumination offered a glorious view of Prifddinas - the centre of Calan civilisation.

An observer, Amynedd Gwyliwr, resided patiently on a plateau overlooking their city, equally as silent. Entrapped in another sense. The platform protruded like a cotyledon from one facade of Hafan; the Calan's eminent home of knowledge, influence and deliberation. A gargantuan structure, it dwarfed much of the cityscape, apart from Pedairastud; the four-columned cradle of science in the crowded sector, and Craith; a spontaneous mountain edifice that had spawned itself within the very heart of the capitol. Gwyliwr watched the natural escarpment substitute its colours. The organic silicate absorbed the faint light of Tanwen at changing angles of incidence; sometimes redder than its natural purple. Paler than usual, and perhaps paler still as Sylfaenydd's nighttime progressed.

Their observation shifted. Far below, at the nucleus of the city, signs of life were too miniscule to perceive at this height. And yet, Gwyliwr could see it all. Much like the imprints of thought, the Calan detected flashes of simultaneous events throughout the city. More fragile as the radius of observation expanded. But every concurrent event materialised in their mind; faint discussions, meagre actions and irrelevant sounds. An eternal hubbub mimicking the tide of an ocean. Gwyliwr had mastered its amplification, as had the majority of Calan. They could trawl through every particle if necessary, sever the redundant detritus of voices and isolate a target. The atmosphere, the planet, the people - even the humans - were all open to surveillance. Gwyliwr need only stimulate a directive and two particles separated through space could communicate instantaneously. It was not beyond interpretation why the Calan kept this power a secret.

Inbetween the tranquil vibrations of an Alawcloch, which serenaded the quantum web with music, Gwyliwr chose a particular human. They were wandering in the vicinity of Prifddinas' nucleus, talking animatedly and gawping at the Coeden effigy; a symbolic tree representing the Calan's nativity in the Universe. Fascinated, the human danced around it, their friends joining in, laughing at their foolishness. One attempted, and failed, to swing from a branch. It contorted with their weight. Gwyliwr could feel its pain. Unaware of the scrutiny, the humans continued on their way, enjoying the homeworld of the Calan as if it were their own. Like Craith, humans had a habit of inconvenientely appearing where they were least expected. Gwyliwr rarely confessed their disdain for the species.

Somewhere in an alternate location, a signal interrupted the Calan's reverie. A familiar collection of atoms resonated, shifting along the overpass that bridged between Hafan and Y Porth. Returning to visual receptors, Gwyliwr saw shining specks rising and falling at the furthest edge of the city, much faster than the stellar procession. Interplanetary transportation, carrying the abundant resources of Sylfaenydd in exchange for more visitors. In the foreground, another Calan approached. Awyr Ceidwad. Gwyliwr recognised their Enaid - their internal life code. A mix of hypervigilance and conscientiousness. They moderated the incoming and outgoing transport of Y Porth; a mundane task, but not taken lightly. There was nothing remotely simple about regulating the population exchange of an entire planet. But the Calan had mastered their abilities long ago; Ceidwad could monitor proceedings even if they were the other side of Sylfaenydd.

Cymydog. A greeting that Gwyliwr politely returned. Fascinated by Humanity once again?

Traversing the quantum web was not a secret endeavour. Other Calan often latched onto passing stiumli to glimpse their compatriots' thoughts. Sylfaenydd is a united network. As are the Calan. Predominantly.