Synthetic Reality

Teleportation Theory

"Nature is the source of all true knowledge. She has her own logic, her own laws, she has no effect without cause nor invention without necessity."  ~ Leonardo da Vinci

The #71EEB8 Academy of Science wasn't strictly an academy since the trillions of clones that made up the population could share information instantaneously. It was more of a research center for visiting species. On the rare occasion, a being not equipped with a neural transmitter had something to share with the collective, its twenty-five-thousand seat amphitheater was used as a lecture hall.

The director of matter transference research stepped onto the stage and addressed the packed house. A sea of identical silver-skinned bald heads floated above matching seafoam green flight suits. The director used his voice instead of their usual technological telepathy to address the audience and broadcast out to the entire collective.

"Our guest speaker tonight will be sharing his thoughts on teleportation. Today alone, he visited the Gastraddar homeworld, several planets in the Flower Nebula, and is currently fifteen light-years away with our deep-space matter transfer team on the far side of the sector. Because he believes nonproliferation of this technology is imperative, he will not be taking questions on power sources, containment units, digital storage, distance protocols, or any undetectable microtechnology he may or may not be using. I give you without further ado, Melock the Wise, often revered as the greatest conjuror in the universe."

A large viewing monitor activated above the stage. It displayed the inside of a clone space freighter. Five identical #71EEB8s stood in front of a bank of computers and complex hardware systems. In the center of the screen, an old man in an ascetic robe with long white hair tied in a top knot ran his hand down his spindly Fu Manchu mustache.

"Ah, yes, gentlemen. I'll be with you presently."

Melock placed two fingers on an intricate golden pendant hung around his neck. The five clones around him held out scanners and aimed them at the wizard. He vanished from the view screen and appeared center stage at the academy; arriving precisely at 0700 hours local time, the scheduled starting time for the event.

"Good evening, 71s," said Melock with a grin, "or at least that's how many of your neighbors refer to you. I bring greetings from the daughter of the King of Gastraddar, whom I had the pleasure of lunching with this afternoon. I doubt I'll need to eat for another week."

He grabbed his stomach with both hands and rubbed his belly looking very pleased.

"The Princess has become quite the general and offered me one of her finest soldiers as an escort."

Melock clapped his hands and a massive hulk in spiked battle armor appeared on the stage towering over him. The dark green skinned warrior squinted into the bright stage lights and with rage in his eyes turned his attention to Melock. He raised a massive jagged blade high over his head and brought it down with force enough to split the old man in two. Melock simply raised his index finger and when the descending sword touched it the giant ogre vanished.

"Though the Princess assured me, she nor her father have any interest in a war with the 71s, they certainly aren't fans of advanced technology. Oh my."

A drop of blood rolled down the tip of Melock's finger, he popped it in his mouth and sucked it away before continuing.

"Many of you will remember my last visit to this part of the galaxy you so generously designate Galaxy 1.0. The humanoid species in the outer rim call it the Milky Way. A colorful and fitting description for such a fine spiral galaxy, don't you think?"

Melock paused, rocked back and forth on his bare feet, and wiggled his toes on the polished floorboards.

"As I was saying, a thousand years ago when we last met, you had so many questions about how I did this and how I did that. After my brief visit with your neighbors to catch up on the political climate of the region, I'm afraid I still feel it best not to explain everything.