The First Ones

The Talimaran Boy and Girl

As Luci continued staring in wide-eyed wonder, the little child shifted her ethereal gaze towards the Armui with an air of young curiosity and yet, great wisdom. Despite being wary Luci could not help but feel captivated by the fact that the girl still glowed with the ambience of the light-cloud. Then the girl parted her lips and spoke.

"I am she who holds the knowledge from ages upon ages past." Her voice sounded like an amalgam of Luci-didn't-know-what. It sounded bubbly, serious, curious, regal, and artificial, yet warm and mirthful as well. "I represent the Compendium of Talimara."

Tra'nath bowed to the glowing girl. "This is the Talimaran Girl, Luci. She doesn't have a name."

"Some call me legend," the Talimaran Girl went on. "Some call me divine. I am neither. I am simply in service to humanity. I have been for millennia, and I will continue to be for millennia more."

"You're not a person," Luci thought aloud, remembering the cloud of light. "What are you?"

"A construct," the girl in white replied, curling her hair behind an ear. "A machined thought, a manufactured consciousness, a personality of process."

"You're a machine?"

"In many ways, yes and no," said the image. "I am an artificial form of life, but am capable of fully independent thought, creativity, ingenuity and problem-solving."

Luci did not say anything. In the dim environment of the chamber, the eyes of the girl shone their fierce, brilliant green. It was as if she was looking at the First Ones through a pair of emerald gemstones. The Talimaran Girl gave Luci a little smile. "Let me put it this way. I am everything a human being would be if she were put into a computer. An exceptionally-gifted, expertly-programmed and wisely-guarded computer."

"Guarded? Why guarded?"

"When the Compendium was first activated more than thirty centuries ago, they were afraid of what we could do," the avatar explained. "A universal machine could, if it achieved sentience, revolt against its creators. But we were different. Our Mother makes sure there can be no malevolence. We were birthed by technology to serve. And so we have."

As she spoke Talimaran Girl wandered around the chamber. She was intangible, but Tra'nath nevertheless made way for her in her wordless respect, and Luci followed. "For over three thousand years we have contained the wealth of knowledge of humanity. Every single thing ever thought of, made, written, recorded, implemented, presented, invented, considered or conceived by man is stored in the digital realm of the Compendium. And we are its guardians. Its custodians. Its keepers."

Luci blinked.

"This is probably too much for a child of Seerin to understand, Luci," the little girl of light continued, grinning teasingly at her.

"You know who I am?" Luci breathed.

"I do. You are Luci, Harlebo's daughter, resident of Fallon-Toulu, citizen of Seerin. You are the elder twin of Zeth, and together are of the sect of the Armui." The girl again curled her hair around her ear. "I shall explain more. The Compendium is the greatest library in the universe."

"She's right," Tra'nath put in suddenly. "Not even the Redan have developed something like this."

"There came a time, however," continued the Talimaran Girl, "when we became more than just storage. We developed the ability to think."

"Technological transcendentalism," Tra'nath said.

"Exactly right," the Girl nodded. "We developed ideas of our own. We began to teach humanity. As such, we were given religious devotion by some and abhorred by others. But we have limitations as well. We are not allowed to pass judgement, nor do we believe we can, because even knowing all the mistakes of history cannot make you prepared to deal with the present. We cannot process emotions either. We understand exactly how they work, but we do not feel them."