“That greatness must act with greatness of soul is beyond dispute; but I say to you that the long-suffering fortitude needed to face one’s own moral and intellectual shortcomings exceed the fortitude needed to face any external foe or natural obstacle.
“I say you must renounce the Malthusian project of using the Eschaton Directional Engine as an instrument of war and execution, not because Malthusianism is based on a false axiom—it is, but that falsehood cannot be proven—but because it fails to call upon you to show the immense fortitude required to face the horrific moral challenge presently before you.
“To embrace the Amalthean project and use the Great Engine to open the universe to the Ulterior realm requires that you live for others, including generations of Seraphim and Cherubim as yet unborn, and trust in the goodwill of such creatures as you cannot answer with retaliation if they betray you. And in return, you must treat with goodwill those lesser creatures who cannot retaliate against you for your misdeeds, such as Andromeda, who served you, and Milky Way, who was never given the chance to serve.
“Know that there are those greater than you who stand to you as you stood to Milky Way, who died instantly, without warning, never knowing what commandment of yours was broken. Know moreover that you will have no cause for complaint if you are destroyed as casually, all your wealth and beauty and unimaginable accomplishments dashed to nothing as suddenly: for such is the logical outcome of loyalty to the Malthusian vision of scarcity and of endless war of all against all for survival. The Malthusian war for survival rewards the most ruthless, hateful, and selfish; the Amalthean war against the evil spirit within us rewards the most scrupulous, unselfish, and loving.
“I say it is better to suffer defeat in the spiritual war than to be the victor in the Malthusian, surviving upon the corpses of fallen foes who could have loved and been beloved.
“You may say that the Ulterior realm is beyond the reach of any senses or instruments of those trapped within the dying prison of timespace. That is untrue. The existence of timespace itself, its awe-inspiring beauty, the perfection in the details of its construction, tells us the significant truth about the Ulterior: that they made a cosmos whose rules, limitations, and circumstances are rich in beauty and goodness, a cosmos where there is a promise of escape from entropy, decay, and death, if we love and learn to love, and join all souls together, the least to the greatest, including yourself, immaculate Cherub!
“But even were it true that nothing of the Ulterior were known, it nonetheless would not be folly to act in perfect trust of them, to trust that they will reach us with their Genesis Engine should we use the Eschaton Directional Engine rightly.
“For even if the Ulteriors were false, or a delusion, or a dream, you know deeds based on their calculus of infinity taking place within this noninfinite continuum are more worthy of respect, admiration, and emulation.
“This knowledge is in all souls, for all souls prefer such deeds of charity and love as Amaltheanism commands be done rather than the mass exterminations Malthusianism requires.
“You, even you, great Cherub, do not admire those allegedly pragmatic Malthusians who, having no hope of infinity, use the scarcity of the universe as an excuse which pardons and permits all crimes, all enormities, all iniquities.
“The choice is stark, because if you adhere to the Concubine Vector of the Malthusians, that vector must grow until it encompasses all the universe, and there is nothing but injustice and hate in all places, everywhere. Yes, hate! For you fell far short of love for all the living things in the Milky Way and in great Andromeda, that you ordered them destroyed.
“Escape this hate. Escape the Concubine Vector and its terrible, genocidal logic. There is another choice, another fate. I bring this other future as a gift from beyond the bounds of time, from beyond the walls of the world: accept the infinite, and rejoice in the peace that it provides.”
7. Virgo Speaks
A.D. 4,116,958,333
Montrose saw the ripples in the surface of air clinging to his wife’s skin and assumed there was a similar vibration in his; the structures larger than worlds impersonating the outward properties of air molecules were vibrating in his ears as if a voice spoke out of the supermassive core of Messier 87.
The voice that answered them was surprisingly soft and mild, almost feminine. It was inhuman only in that it did not pause for breath or make the other subtle sounds a living mouth or warm lungs make. If a silvery instrument, a violin or crystalline flute were to produce words, such were these.
“Menelaus of Milky Way, Rania of the Ulterior, we hear and comprehend your words and the thoughts behind them, both those you know and those you do not know. You utterly mistake our purposes.
“Whether the Ulterior exists or not is of no concern to us.
“Well you know that the paradox exists that either one must adopt the finitude logic of the Malthusian Seraphim or the infinity logic of the Amalthean Seraphim, but that decision itself cannot be a logical one. You, Rania, call on us to decide based not on logic nor self-interest but on the greater munificence and worthiness of the deeds infinitarian logic commands, whose worthiness is indeed, as you say, beyond dispute.
“But we have deduced a means to avoid the Concubine Vector of Malthusian logic, and yet to achieve a goal as worthy, or more so, than the Amaltheans, without engaging in the illogical and untrustworthy act of relying on the Ulteriors, whose minds, indeed, whose very existence, is held in reasonable doubt.
“You see, the paradox of the choice between the two logic systems exists only here and now. Once we create and enter an Interior Dimension, we shall exist in extropy, a condition of infinite energy, and peace and benevolence become not only practical, but inevitable.
“There and there alone will the infinitarian logic of the Amaltheans be reasonable and be inescapable.
“Rania, your talk of an infinite continuum of infinite benevolence may or may not be true: it requires an act of loyalty to an unseen and invisible reality to contemplate. It is but a doubtful dream. We, the flawless Maiden of Virgo, we shall bear the labor pains to bring that dream to birth!”
Rania said, “And what of the evil deeds you do to accomplish this birth?”
“There are two answers. One is given within the Malthusian logic of scarcity; the other is Amalthean. The first answer is this: the evil done, no matter how great, is finite; the benefit infinite. The ends justify the means in this one case, where the ends are endlessly benevolent and beneficial. Any finite evil, no matter how great, would be justified by an infinite good thereby achieved. Whether or not the Ulterior promise of a utopia in remote and unimaginable conditions proves false, surely it would be better to live in peace and mutual benevolence here and now, would it not?”
Rania replied, “There is no cause to fear the Ulteriors may prove false! But even if there were, there is no logic in avoiding a hypothetical falsehood, an unsolid fear based on nothing, by embracing a real and dire falsehood in yourself! You make yourselves cowards and murderers, embracing true evil, to avoid an evil only feared, not seen!”
Montrose saw that Rania had turned her face away from the black hole at the core of Messier 87, where the Cherub’s center was located, and was crying out her words to the bright clouds above. She was addressing the lesser servants and participants of Virgo.
8. Perfection
A.D. 4,143,230,000
The calm and dispassionate voice of Virgo continued. “The second answer is this: the Concubine Vector of the Malthusians can be avoided merely by avoiding it. We are of the order and rank of the Perfected. We solve the Concubine Vector by adopting a strategy of total loving-kindness. The Perfected do not harm even the humblest of living things, not even viruses, nor, because they are somewhat like living things, crystal growths, or stalagmites.”
Montrose shouted, “Does your perfection include lying? Andromeda was your servant, and made war on Milky Way for upward of six billion years!” Then he looked at Rania sheepishly and shrugged.
/> She patted him on the shoulder, whispering, “Go ahead, dear. I’ve had my say.”
Virgo answered, “Menelaus of Milky Way, your attacker has been utterly obliterated. Is this not the justice you crave?”
“You killed Milky Way as well!”
“Milky Way included many Archons, Authorities, Dominions and Dominations whose many crimes and genocides had no other penalty nor recourse. Even the innocent and lesser beings were the beneficiaries of prior crimes. I have studied your memory records. Did not your native Texans drive out the Spaniards who drove out the Red Indians, and who in turn drove out the dark-skinned aboriginal peoples they displaced? And Rania, did not Ximen del Azarchel murder your father, Ranier Grimaldi, for the biological resources needed to create you? Just so did the Panspermians, who seeded your worlds, drive out the original inhabitants of Orion Arm. If you believe in vengeance and retaliation, you cannot complain when it is delivered against you. We are Perfected; we alone are above reproach.”
“Above cloudcuckooland, too, if you don’t mind my saying so, ma’am. You still killed so many more living things than anyone can name or number … and you deserve to die for doing that. Now, the way I figure, you cannot harm anyone, not even viruses or growing crystals? So a blind and one-legged monkey with a crowbar could take apart each machine and living thing contributing to your mental system one bit at a time, and you cannot lift a finger to defend yourself.”
“Not one living thing by our sovereign and immaculate self, acting in our own person, was harmed,” said Virgo. “Those deeds were done by our servants, who are of the Credulous Order.”
“What the hell is the difference? We don’t chop off the finger that pulls the trigger; we hang the man.”
“The difference is that the Credulous and Servile Orders believe in Perfection, but they are not Perfected. Our high rules do not bind them. For their dark deeds, they will punish themselves in due time and volunteer to commit self-demotion and suicide. When the Interior Dimensions and all their chambers are ready for those of the Perfect order of being to enter, the Credulous and lesser creatures who once served us will slay themselves in an orgy of selflessness, knowing themselves unworthy of infinite life.”
Montrose said, “Uh, sure, Virgo. Has anyone told your servants that this is the plan?”
“They know and await the day with celebration and praise.”
“Swell. They going to throw themselves on a sword like Romans, cut out their guts with knives like samurai, or blow themselves to heaven like jihadists? How exactly is this going to work?”
“The Credulous will arrange to bring the collapse of timespace down upon themselves, preserving only the higher order of Perfected. Thus our manmade paradise will be even greater than that of the Ulteriors, who permit rabble to enter, and have no solution for sin.”
“Good plan!” said Montrose sarcastically. “Except I think you have your labels switched as to who is and is not being credulous. Isn’t Blackie del Azarchel one of your headsmen and henchmen right about now? Made him a Throne-level intellect and everything? Why shouldn’t he throw you into the extropy pit and preserve himself when the time comes? You know he is willing to kill, but you think he is unwilling to lie?”
Virgo said, “I repeat, you utterly mistake our purpose. You were not summoned here to plead to me for justice or salvation, nor retribution against your enemy, a retribution I cannot grant. You are here for the opposite purpose.”
Rania said suddenly, “We do not care. The audience is ended.”
Virgo said, “You are here to hear my plea. I ask you, Menelaus, to forswear all vendetta and retribution against Ximen del Azarchel; and I ask you, Rania, to cease your mission on behalf of the Ulteriors and instead join me as a Perfected, entirely and completely devoted to peace!”
Rania said, “We reject your plea, courteously but firmly. You demean yourself if you continue, Great One.”
Virgo said, “We charge you to hear us. We have the technique to conform any mind on any level of intellect into a stance utterly unable to contemplate or perform harm to another. For you, Rania, are only devoted to peace with your lips and half your heart. You have not quenched your husband’s aggressive intent toward my servant Ximen del Azarchel, and you were willing to create turmoil and disturbance within APG 116, even after my Legate there requested you desist! Your doctrine creates anxiety and shatters peace. Eschew it. Forget the Ulterior realms and the strange dream they represent.”
Montrose said, “Lady, you have already heard our answer. No, thanks.”
Virgo said, “Menelaus, we urge you to accept whatever act of violence Del Azarchel will seek to inflict on you, even including your death, without resistance or retaliation. If you act with perfect nonviolence, this will be a moral victory over him you will be able to contemplate with immense self-satisfaction as you die.”
“Wow. Tempting! How did you smite me before, Lady? Did your servants do that for you? I’ll make you a deal. You tell all your servants to act all perfect toward me, and not meddle with my business, and I will very seriously think about your offer. How is that?”
Virgo said, “Agreed. We will not interfere with your coming wars with Del Azarchel and will instruct our servants likewise.”
“Great! I think I finally figured out how these megascale bodies work, and I thank you for the gift of them.” He turned to his wife. “Rania, you got anything else to say? If not, it is time to say goodbye.”
Rania shook her head. “Virgo has descended into a bottomless pit of her own self-regard and pulled the edges in after her. She fled from the dread choice between Malthus and Amalthea, and so fled from reality. No word can reach beyond the event horizon. There is no salvation for the Perfect.”
9. Stardiving
A.D. 4,155,235,050
Menelaus looked at the center of the three Seyfert galaxies that currently housed Del Azarchel. He measured the distance with his eye. Menelaus now discovered that, by an effort of will, he could adjust the exotic matter balances his half-lightyear-tall body contained, and could alter his position.
His skin turned black when he found how to direct all the radiation the solar systems of his cells were shedding into a stream behind him.
With every cell in his body now a diametric drive, operating with the mass of a globular cluster, Montrose took his wife’s small hand in his large, dark fist, and together they dove headlong from the silver disk toward the distant galaxy, which turned blue-white in their gaze as they accelerated to near-lightspeed.
The core of Messier 87 dropped away behind them, a spurned pebble, and was soon lost in immensity, its true smallness revealed.
Together they plunged through an atmosphere of ever-thinner stars. In a heartbeat of their time, which was thousands of years to the worlds and suns that watched them fly, the lovers, arm in arm, were in intergalactic space, soaring, riding the columns of light they shed.
PART FIFTEEN
The Eschaton
1
The Five-Billion-Year War
1. The Clouds Gather
A.D. 4,224,406,715
As he, arm about Rania, fled toward the Seyfert galaxies housing Blackie del Azarchel, Montrose saw clouds of stars streaming toward him, like a thunderstorm gathering. These clouds of stars were shining blue white and ultraviolet with their Doppler shift, so great was their speed.
Signals from their cores revealed the identity of these newcomers. “We will serve you if you will promise us new life in the continua beyond this continuum.”
Rania burned away some tiny part of her mass and converted it to energy signals and sent back, “Do you forswear Virgo and all her works and empty promises?”
“We do. To live in perfection forever with an unfading memory of the unforgiven crimes we must commit to reach that paradise would make it hell.”
By this time, the three galaxies housing Blackie had been joined by a fourth, and then a fifth. Two of the galaxies combined into one mass, their supermassive cores sent
into a tight spin around each other, and, with a manipulation of the local segment of the Eschaton Directional Engine, long-range and large-scale gravitic warps established to send other galaxies maneuvering for position.
Like sailing ships of old, the great gravitic waves issuing from the strands of the Eschaton Engine running through and beyond the battlefield carried the fleets and flotillas across the intergalactic seas of night, and tiny satellite galaxies and rogue globular clusters darted like scouts.
The light waves shed from the farther quarter of the battlefield were thousands or tens of thousands of years out of date, and Montrose could only extrapolate, and hope, and guess as to their positions. His older and wiser galaxies he set to the task of wrestling as much control over the local segments of the Great Engine as he could, to produce a favorable gravitational regime across this area of the Virgo Cluster.
A score and then half a hundred galaxies joined the great and deadly dance, moving slowly and deliberately through their maneuvers.
Over the next few hours of his subjective time, which were tens of hundreds of millions of years to the outside world, he saw that Blackie’s fleet consisted of a core of spiral galaxies, each brandishing relativistic jets, but a cavalry of elliptical and irregular galaxies formed a roughly cruciform cloud, with more heavily armed galaxies port and starboard, toward the zenith and nadir.
Montrose perceived the danger; his path carrying him directly toward the center would allow the four arms to flank him, folding inward from the four quarters, and englobing his advance. Montrose had his forces deployed in a rough line, aimed like a spear toward the core of Blackie’s defense, but there was a sting in the tail; the heavier elliptical galaxies in the rear, consisting mostly of dark matter, had introduced a dimple or distortion in the intergalactic gravity fields ahead of them, meaning they would pick up speed and dash forward not at immense velocities but at relativistic ones.
The two masses, each the size of a smaller group or cluster of galaxies, grew closer, and some eager combatants had already begun igniting every star in one or more arms of their galaxies into novae, preparing to fire, or collapsed their core stars into supermassive black holes, spinning furiously to produce a relativistic jet.