Pompods

18

The Memees worked as feverishly as it was possible for them to work without distracting themselves. Many still pursued more playful interests such as jumping off the ship with each subsequent leaper attempting to outdo the splash the previous one had made. This in itself was a hard feat to accomplish since each one was identical to the other in weight and size. But then two of them seemed to dispute with each other in their nonverbal way and finally reached some sort of conclusion or agreement and threw themselves off the ship, locked together into a tightly wrapped ball.

The splash they made sent the others gurgling and popping in celebration. More took their example and started forming larger and larger balls as each subsequent splash began to outdo the previous one.

Some balls of ten, fifteen and then twenty Memees began to roll off the ship. The gurgling cheers attracted the gazes and cheers of some of the podlings and Elders who joined in the celebration. A few podlings managed to climb the ship and joined in the fun as they encompassed themselves into the larger body of Memees and squealed with delight as they fell.

This continuous joining of Memees had an effect on them and many kept together even after making it back to the ship. Soon the gathered balls of Memees started to merge to create a single, larger version of the tiny creatures.

After a few more splashes by the larger Memees, they returned to continue the reassembly of the ship. The largest of the conglomerated creatures, a being now comprised of forty tiny creatures, started to direct the medium sized ones into performing various tasks in the rebuilding of the ship.

It knew that time was no longer on its side. The ship needed to be reassembled and its intellect, now partially returned since it had reassembled into a larger version, knew what would be required. It gathered a dozen of its smaller kin and sent them off to gather key members of the village.

A low rumble sent ripples along the lake's surface, as if to reinforce what it knew would be required.

Fragments of itself returned with each new addition. It had been built to calculate the variables their creators put to them. It had calculated their trajectory through the void of space. It had calculated the viability of countless worlds until it had found one suitable for their creator's survival. Yet even then, time had been against them and generations were never able to set foot off of the ship.

Deep within its machinations, its survival had become tied to its creators. Once it had been satisfied that the criteria for their creators' survival were met, it disassembled itself into miniature copies of its true self. This would also allow it to be in multiple places and observe unimpeded as it had noted over time that the smaller an object or being was the least likely it would be noticed.

Once it would be separated into its smaller versions, it knew that it would not have the capacity for large scale calculations so it etched the basic information into all its selves. Simple instructions that would help in case things went awry.

Watch over the creators but do not interfere. Gather, evaluate and assess information from the world. Stay and observe if available information is deemed pertinent. Share pertinent information with others and calculate if further measures are required for survival. Implement measures deemed necessary for creator's survival. Begin ship reassembly if critical survival rates fall below tolerable levels. Final input: explore the world and have fun doing it.

It had decided to add that last part into its programing as a way to see if it was capable of enjoyment. An experiment it had decided to conduct upon itself. From the collective memories that it now held, it had been a successful alteration to add. It wondered where it had gotten this idea in the first place but mostly it wondered what the whole sum of its parts would feel like once they reunited.