What Atesta saw was a 3-dimensional model of the universe but with a dimension of time added to ti. The old man was able, with his right hand, move around the model. Up, down, right, left, in, out, around, and over. With his left hand he was able to move time backwards and forwards. What she saw was hard to comprehend at first.
In certain areas of the universe, at a certain level of detail, and at certain times, Atesta would see colorful and bright lines connecting worlds appear and disappear. She also noticed that some of the planets in some solar systems where blue and others green. The old man explained that blue planets had developed life but only the green ones had developed human-based intelligence. He showed her that today there were only 13 green planets, but when he moved the time back 100,000 years, the green planets dwindled down to only one, but if he kept going backwards another 100,000 years, the grew into the hundreds.
Atesta asked what had happened for the green worlds of old to vanish and for only one to survive. The old man said he was not sure but he had heard from travelers legends that talked about some sort of event that prevented life from replicating in all those worlds so they died down slowly. Except for this one planet, Calarrossa.
Atesta asked the old man if it was possible to travel to any of these worlds at different points in time. He explained that traveling was only possible one of two ways. The first was at the precise time when the bright lines connecting different worlds appeared and the second was to transport our consciousness to a compatible being in those worlds temporarily.
He explained that the former option is straightforward but that it could take years for a portal to open between the right 2 worlds. The latter option could be done anytime but it was more challenging. Under this option, the traveller would have to arrive in the right partner and that was as of yet a random and yet unexplained process. Compatibility with the host is critical if the host is to join and help the visitor with whatever the visitor was there to do.
He had heard of instances were the transfer was so fought with incompatibilities that it resulted in the death of both the host and the visitor. This option is not be taken lightly.
And now, Atesta was ready for the big questions. She asked the old man that if her father was in Calarrossa, how did he get there? And, more importantly, was it in in this time period or sometime in the past?
The old man said he did not know. He showed her father that there was a portal that opened and closed between this world and Calarrossa about 175 years ago. He also showed him what it takes to do a conciseness transfer in the present time. The old man said he did not know which option he chose and that he has not seen him ever since he left.
Atesta knew she would probably had to try both, but which should she do first. Going back to Calarrossa 175 years ago seems safer but also risky because we do not know if the cube had already been developed. The consciousness transfer seemed riskier, the cube was definitely there, but what if the transfer went wrong.
Atesta's father had taught her how to build decision trees when they found themselves exploring areas or caves back home that they had never been to before. Decision trees that documented possible outcomes at specific events with their probability for success. Multi-level trees always helped them clarify what the best decision was in complex situations. She knew her father had approached this decision this way.
The key decision the tree had to help her clarify was whether to go back 175 years or go now. The key variables were whether the cube would be there, whether ability to return was there, the possibility of danger and of a hostile environment, the timing because at the time Atesta was dying.
She knew her father has done the same thing. Going back 175 years and returning in case the cube wasn't there to try the consciousness transfer seemed the safer thing to do. A consciousness transfer may not give her the chance to come back and try the other option. The first option also had a great advantage. The time in this timeline would stop until she came back. She knew this was key for her father's decision.
So, she decided to go back through the portal first and she asked the old man how she could do this. The old man and Atesta set out on foot towards the sand dunes. On the other side of the first dune, the old man pointed to a structure in the distance in the form of a temple. It had spires that went up into the sky from every corner and a bigger one from the top of the cupola.
The old man told her that this was as far as he could go and gave her a sack with some food, water, and her cube. And with sadness in his face, he touched Atesta's forehead and said something she could not understand. Atesta hugged him and headed down the dune towards the temple.
As she approached the temple, she noticed that there were no doors or windows. It was a solid structure the color of sand. She walked around it and on one of the walls she saw a carving in the stone that caught her attention. It was her father's carving. She knew what to do. She walked through the wall right through the carving.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
In certain areas of the universe, at a certain level of detail, and at certain times, Atesta would see colorful and bright lines connecting worlds appear and disappear. She also noticed that some of the planets in some solar systems where blue and others green. The old man explained that blue planets had developed life but only the green ones had developed human-based intelligence. He showed her that today there were only 13 green planets, but when he moved the time back 100,000 years, the green planets dwindled down to only one, but if he kept going backwards another 100,000 years, the grew into the hundreds.
Atesta asked what had happened for the green worlds of old to vanish and for only one to survive. The old man said he was not sure but he had heard from travelers legends that talked about some sort of event that prevented life from replicating in all those worlds so they died down slowly. Except for this one planet, Calarrossa.
Atesta asked the old man if it was possible to travel to any of these worlds at different points in time. He explained that traveling was only possible one of two ways. The first was at the precise time when the bright lines connecting different worlds appeared and the second was to transport our consciousness to a compatible being in those worlds temporarily.
He explained that the former option is straightforward but that it could take years for a portal to open between the right 2 worlds. The latter option could be done anytime but it was more challenging. Under this option, the traveller would have to arrive in the right partner and that was as of yet a random and yet unexplained process. Compatibility with the host is critical if the host is to join and help the visitor with whatever the visitor was there to do.
He had heard of instances were the transfer was so fought with incompatibilities that it resulted in the death of both the host and the visitor. This option is not be taken lightly.
And now, Atesta was ready for the big questions. She asked the old man that if her father was in Calarrossa, how did he get there? And, more importantly, was it in in this time period or sometime in the past?
The old man said he did not know. He showed her father that there was a portal that opened and closed between this world and Calarrossa about 175 years ago. He also showed him what it takes to do a conciseness transfer in the present time. The old man said he did not know which option he chose and that he has not seen him ever since he left.
Atesta knew she would probably had to try both, but which should she do first. Going back to Calarrossa 175 years ago seems safer but also risky because we do not know if the cube had already been developed. The consciousness transfer seemed riskier, the cube was definitely there, but what if the transfer went wrong.
Atesta's father had taught her how to build decision trees when they found themselves exploring areas or caves back home that they had never been to before. Decision trees that documented possible outcomes at specific events with their probability for success. Multi-level trees always helped them clarify what the best decision was in complex situations. She knew her father had approached this decision this way.
The key decision the tree had to help her clarify was whether to go back 175 years or go now. The key variables were whether the cube would be there, whether ability to return was there, the possibility of danger and of a hostile environment, the timing because at the time Atesta was dying.
She knew her father has done the same thing. Going back 175 years and returning in case the cube wasn't there to try the consciousness transfer seemed the safer thing to do. A consciousness transfer may not give her the chance to come back and try the other option. The first option also had a great advantage. The time in this timeline would stop until she came back. She knew this was key for her father's decision.
So, she decided to go back through the portal first and she asked the old man how she could do this. The old man and Atesta set out on foot towards the sand dunes. On the other side of the first dune, the old man pointed to a structure in the distance in the form of a temple. It had spires that went up into the sky from every corner and a bigger one from the top of the cupola.
The old man told her that this was as far as he could go and gave her a sack with some food, water, and her cube. And with sadness in his face, he touched Atesta's forehead and said something she could not understand. Atesta hugged him and headed down the dune towards the temple.
As she approached the temple, she noticed that there were no doors or windows. It was a solid structure the color of sand. She walked around it and on one of the walls she saw a carving in the stone that caught her attention. It was her father's carving. She knew what to do. She walked through the wall right through the carving.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
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