Key to Destiny

  She stopped. She could hardly blame him for confusion; she was getting into astronomy, something the ifrits would have no idea of. It was also drifting from the point she was trying to make. “I must save that for next day; it is too much now."

  “Next day,” he agreed amicably.

  “One of the things you did not make was a superior brain. Superior: very good. We have superior brains in our heads; you have animal brains. But in your cloud form you have superior brains. So we asked Iva to return to cloud form so she could understand, and enable you to understand. Because we don't know how to talk to ifrits in cloud form, and ifrits don't know how to talk to us in solid form.” She was explaining this for Iva's benefit too. The ifrits needed to comprehend the full mechanism, so they could duplicate it. “This is collaboration: more than one person working together to do something better. You and Iva, talking with us and understanding. This is the process."

  “The process,” he agreed. “I talk, Iva understands. We can do this again tomorrow."

  “Excellent. That means very good, favorable. We will come here again tomorrow to meet you and Iva."

  “Question."

  She had not taught him that; he must have picked it up from hearing their other dialogue. He was getting smart indeed! “Ask."

  “May Iva be solid and talk too, tomorrow?"

  Oh, no! Did this mean that they did not after all understand? “We need Iva to be in cloud form, so that—"

  He held up a hand in a stop signal. That was another mannerism he had picked up on his own, or the pair of them had. “I understand. But Iva likes Augur. He showed her how to have sex, and later she discovered the pleasure in it."

  Iva liked Augur. They had explained the concept of “like,” but this was more relevant than the ifrit's understanding should have been. Iva wanted to have more experience with Augur, surely including sexual. They had not yet covered the concepts of no fault sex or of permanent relationships. “But—"

  Again the hand. “Iva helps me understand. You are correct; we can not have superior brains in the solid state. But does it have to be Iva who makes the understanding?"

  This remained difficult. “You wish to be the cloud, so Iva can be the solid one?"

  “Negation.” Yet another untaught term. His increasing savvy was becoming eerie. “I wish to be solid too. A third ifrit can be the cloud."

  There it was. They did indeed understand, and had come up with an improvement in the system. So that both could participate. Aura had been a bit slow to get it. “Understanding. That should work. If the third ifrit knows what Iva knows."

  “He will know it all."

  There was confirmation that they had high grade communication between themselves. They could transfer information and a program in the manner Ini had described. This was progressing far better than anticipated. “Then welcome. We will be glad to talk to both of you.” Aura glanced at Augur, who stood silent at a moderate distance. “Iva can relate to Augur."

  “Appreciation. She will like that."

  “Then it's a date. We will meet here tomorrow morning."

  Ivor reached across the table and took her hand. “A date,” he agreed. Then: “Question."

  Something else? Aura's head was already spinning. “Ask."

  “Must we take the same forms?"

  “The human form is best, for this purpose."

  “Agreement. But we look exactly like you and Augur, except for your color. May we be more individualistic?"

  “Welcome,” she said, relieved. It had been mildly unnerving to be talking to a man so much like Augur in appearance. “Assume the human forms you wish. Introduce yourselves to us so we know you."

  “Agreement.” He lifted her hand and kissed it. Augur had never done that! “Perhaps we can have sex again, tomorrow."

  “Perhaps,” she agreed weakly.

  “It's a date. Parting."

  “Parting.” She realized that the surrounding cloud was moving off.

  He began to vaporize. First his head dissipated into red vapor, then his neck, arms, chest, and stomach. The held contents of his stomach rode the dissolving torso down to the chair, leaving a sloppy little pile. The legs fuzzed out. He had become the cloud.

  “Intriguing,” Ini said. “The moment you exchanged partings, the Iva cloud started moving. It left at the same rate the Ivor cloud formed, so they didn't overlap. They coordinate well."

  “That's not all,” Aura said. “Did you hear? He asked me for a date tomorrow. A sexual date."

  “Agreement. I will take your place, if you wish."

  “How did he learn about kissing a woman's hand? We never told him or showed him that."

  “Several things we never demonstrated,” Augur agreed. “They evidently know more about us than we thought. Someone must have done it, or spoken of it."

  “This experimental contact has become successful beyond our wildest dreams,” Ini said. “My guess is that the cloud form is fully as effective as the legendary ancient computers, once given direction. Have we started something we'll regret?"

  “Such as generating a sapience superior to our own,” Augur said.

  “That's frightening!” Aura said.

  “But I think not likely,” Ini said. “The ancient computers could assimilate an enormous amount of information, and manipulate it rapidly, but they could not actually think. A human being had to direct them. I suspect we can't create a sapience greater than our own. Or even equal to our own; there will be conceptual liabilities. But it should certainly be interesting."

  “Agreement,” Aura breathed.

  They set off for the base camp.

  The others were quite interested in their report. The Yellow Glamor could have given it, but left it to the mortals. “And at the end, he kissed my hand and asked me for a sexual date tomorrow. I don't know how he learned to do that."

  “You were naked,” Symbol said. “Of course he was interested."

  “I mean the hand."

  Gale turned to Havoc. “Yesterday when you were mocking the courtly manner, you kissed my hand."

  “Was there an ifrit near?” Ini asked, and Futility made a note.

  “I didn't think so. But I wasn't alert for vapor."

  “Vapor can be invisible,” Ini said. “Especially when it matches its Chroma. The ifrits may not have to stay in obvious globular cloud form."

  “Which means we had better take warning,” Havoc said. “We have no quarrel with the ifrits, but if one should develop, they may know more about us than we think."

  “Nevertheless,” the Red Glamor said, “we must maintain engagement. They show potential to match or emulate human sapience. This is something we need to watch."

  The others nodded agreement. Then Futility danced, and the entertainment of the children began. Symbol showed a family style illusion story for them all.

  At night, with Augur, Aura had a different concern. “We showed them sex, on a no fault basis. Now they want more."

  “Actually, Iva isn't hard to take."

  “And what of Ivor with me? They seem to be learning human emotion too. Suppose they decide to be jealous of our other relations?"

  He got serious. “They are utterly nonhuman. They may have discovered the pleasure sex can provide, but we can't know what a relationship means to them."

  “We should find out."

  “Agreement."

  “Meanwhile, it may be improvident to balk sexually."

  “Concurrence,” he said. “I suspect they will soon be better lovers."

  She thought so too. The notion of sex with cloud creatures remained weird, yet it was a direct way to relate.

  In the morning they were ready at the Red Chroma zone before dawn. This time they had brought supplies, and were clothed.

  The clouds moved in. One hovered on either side, and they condensed simultaneously. One was male, the other female. This time they were not clones of Augur and Aura.

  When the formulation was complete, the male approached
Aura. He was naked, well formed, and unfamiliar. His features were on the handsome side of ordinary. His body was similar; he could readily have lost himself among a throng of Red Chroma humans.

  Aura glanced across at the female. She was similarly different. The ifrits seemed to have taken an average of human types, improved on it slightly, and diverged a few features. The woman was pretty without being outstanding. This showed fair finesse; the ifrits were emulating regular people.

  Meanwhile a third cloud was moving in, surrounding the two solid ifrits and the rest of the people. The mind configuration was in place.

  “Introduction,” the male said to Aura. “I am Ivor. We spoke together yesterday."

  “Agreement,” she said, smiling. “Compliment: you have rendered your form well. So has Iva."

  “Request: I wish to kiss you."

  “Acquiescence."

  He took her in his arms and kissed her, competently, and let her go. Iva was similarly polished, with Augur. It was hard to find any deviation from the human norm, apart from the lack of clothing.

  So she tackled that first, as they sat across from each other at the table. Augur and Iva took the other end, talking quietly with each other. “Explanation: Yesterday we were surprised by your approach, and hurried to join you without dressing. Normally human beings are clothed, as we are now."

  “Question: why?"

  “Question: do you wish a brief explanation, or a full one?"

  “Both. Then I will know what is better next time."

  “Brief: for warmth and for modesty and decoration. Full: animals go without clothing, as most of them have fur, scales, feathers, blubber, or some other mechanism to maintain the warmth of their bodies. Humans evolved—evolve: to develop more complicated bodies and habits from simple ones, in the course of much time—on a distant planet which it seems had only science magic volcanoes, so they could not directly warm themselves by other Chroma magic. They had to use fire, which they made from burning wood. But their main challenge was heat: they learned to forage in the hottest part of the day, when furry predators were resting, so that they would not get eaten themselves. They lost most of their fur so that their skin could radiate heat more effectively. But then at night when it was cold, they had to make a substitute—substitute: a thing that serves instead of something that is not available—for the lost fur, to hold in body warmth. They learned to adapt the skins and feathers of dead animals and birds, and to weave plant fibers into cloth for clothing. This is cloth.” She removed her shirt and passed it across the table for inspection. “Thus came to be clothing. It was used so often that it became customary—customary: the usual course of action—and was worn even when external conditions did not require it. In fact it was removed only on special occasions, such as for sex."

  “Interest."

  “Precisely. A woman's removal of part or all of her clothing in the presence of a man is often considered an invitation for sex. A naked woman is often considered a sexual object—that is, one that is available for sexual action."

  “Understanding,” he said, looking at her haltered breasts. “Is it the same for a man?"

  “Less so, because women are less interested in men's bodies than men are in women's bodies.” She took back her shirt.

  “Aura,” Augur said. “Request."

  She smiled and handed him the shirt. He gave it to Iva, who put it on with a certain awkwardness. Then he gave Aura his shirt. She relayed it to Ivor, and helped him don it. That meant that both ifrits were clothed only above, but it would have to serve.

  Ini murmured to Futility, who departed.

  Now Augur and Iva moved closer, making it a four way dialogue. “We inadvertently—by chance, unintended—misled you yesterday,” Aura said to both ifrits. “Apology."

  “Question?” Iva asked. It was apparent that though their forms differed, the minds of both ifrits were very similar. What was said to one was understood by the other, because the understanding came from the cloud ifrit surrounding them.

  “Apology: the expression of regret for a mistake. The other person may accept it, reject it, or dismiss it as needless. The most positive course is dismissal, as it suggests that there was not a mistake."

  “Confusion."

  “There are assorted human manners that coincide only approximately to reality. Reality: the true state of things. Generally an effort is made to enable the other person to feel good, even if that is not wholly deserved. Such effort is not considered lying."

  “Difficulty."

  That got them into the ethics of socially correct deception. “Concern,” Aura said. “This is a confusing nuance of human behavior whose clarification should wait on more essential things."

  “Agreement.” But it was obvious that the ifrits would be returning to this.

  Futility returned with more clothing. Now the ifrits were able to don full outfits: shirt and trousers for Ivor, dress for Iva. They looked completely human.

  They went into Math, Logic, Puzzles, and Humor. The ifrits proved apt at the first three, unsurprisingly, but the fourth was another problematic one. “One of the characteristics of intelligence, of sapience, is humor,” Aura said. But she knew it would be difficult to get the nature of human across to beings that lacked an innate sense of it.

  “Question,” Ivor said. “What is the advantage of sapience?"

  That was bound to be another tough one. This time Augur tackled it. “Aura mentioned how heat dissipation and clothing become survival mechanisms for human beings. There are other mechanisms, and perhaps the most important is intelligence. Animals live mainly in the present; they may remember past events but don't dwell on them, and have no concern for the future. Future: what will happen hereafter. Humans are concerned with the past and the future, and it gives them a great competitive advantage. Humans are dominant on Planet Charm because of their sapience. They remember past mistakes, and work to correct them in the future."

  The ifrits exchanged a glance, another human mannerism they had picked up on their own. “Confusion,” Iva said.

  “I think we need a practical demonstration,” Aura said. “Question: what do ifrits fear?"

  “Question?"

  “Fear,” Augur said. “A negative emotion caused by danger or the threat of pain or death."

  “Question?"

  The ifrits had no pain, death, or fear? Because they weren't really alive? Did they have any true emotions?

  “What preys on ifrits?” Aura asked. “What attacks ifrits, and hurts or kills them?"

  “The sucker,” Ivor said.

  “Detail."

  “It is a creature of meshes that sucks in air and cloud, feeding on ifrit substance. Ifrits try to avoid it."

  “Understanding,” Aura said. “Sapience should enable ifrits to nullify the sucker. Nullify: render it ineffective, not dangerous."

  “Demonstration."

  Aura was cautious. “First, discussion. Sapience enables us to prepare ahead, so that we can handle the situation when it comes. We must understand the sucker, then we can figure out how to nullify it."

  They discussed it. The sucker used illusion to camouflage itself, and turned up unexpectedly, catching an ifrit unaware. Once the suction started, the ifrit had to fight to escape, and usually lost a portion of its substance. If it was sleeping, it could be too far gone before it woke, and was doomed.

  “Sapient discussion,” Augur said. “Suggestions for dealing with this problem."

  “Learn to penetrate illusion,” Aura said.

  “Unfeasible,” Ivor said. “The sucker has—evolved—with ifrits, and knows how to make illusion that deceives us. It strikes at a weakness in our makeup."

  “Then strike a weakness in its makeup,” Ini said. “It evidently filters your molecules from the air with its meshes. Meshes are subject to clogging and tearing. The moment you feel the suction, start turning solid, but not as one piece. Form yourself into grains of sand-like substance too big to pass the filter, with points and
sharp edges that will lodge and cut. When the sucker's meshes are stifled, it will have to quit or suffocate. Then you will be freed."

  Ivor looked at Iva. “This is why it doesn't prey in dust storms,” he said. “The dust and sand interfere."

  “Agreement,” Iva said. “How is it we never realized?"

  “Because you lacked the reasoning power of full sapience,” Aura said. “With sapience, many things become clear. Now you should arrange to try it, to verify whether this is effective. Can you notify other ifrits of this ploy?"

  “Affirmation. We know it will work."

  Augur shook his head. “Theory shows the way, but practice confirms. It must be cautiously tested before you can be sure."

  “We understand,” Ivor said. “With the sapience you have lent us, we appreciate the reservation. We will relay both method and caution."

  “Then this is one example of the advantage of sapience,” Aura said. “We can make another."

  “Needless,” Ivor said. “We are satisfied that sapience is worthwhile."

  “You have done us a favor,” Iva said. “We wish to do you a return favor."

  Where had they discovered that concept? “We are merely trying to understand you, and enable you to understand us,” Aura said. “It is true that humans normally exchange favors, but we feel this is not the occasion for it."

  The two ifrits exchanged another glance. “We will think of something,” Ivor said. “It will be an exercise of our sapience."

  “Now we would like to indulge in sex,” Iva said. “There is more we wish to learn about it."

  “We have shown you the mechanism,” Augur said. “We assume that it is not natural to you, so is not something you truly wish to do."

  “It is true that we do not practice it as you do,” Ivor said. “But we do reproduce. It is the pleasure that comes with it that surprised us. We do not understand how the mere temporary insertion of a part of the male into the female can bring such pleasure to either party."

  Augur tackled this one. “Humans have evolved to obtain pleasure in this manner, like other animals. Ifrits have not. So further such activity is pointless for you."