The War of the Artilect: Prologue

A small girl quietly stepped through the front entrance of the Library of Records and allowed the massive wooden door to gently close behind her. Once inside she took a moment to orient herself. Although she had lived in the golden city for thousands of years she had spent very little time in the library. For many people the ancient Library was one of the highlights of Paradise, but it had never caught her attention. Reading simply did not interest her. If given a choice she would much rather meet a new person or spend time talking with someone than browse the pages of an ancient book. That, in fact, was why she was here – to deliver some information to someone that had been waiting on it for a long time.

In front of her was the library’s enormous foyer. Comfortable chairs dotted the room, artfully placed to encourage conversation – an odd feature for a library to have, but this was not an ordinary library. The Library of Records held the complete annals of human history and was constantly kept up-to-date. For people who were interested in the past it was an indispensable resource.

The library itself was a work of art. The interior of the building was
beautifully decorated, with polished wooden floors and a soaring cathedral ceiling. The brown leather chairs blended into the library’s décor and matched the massive bookshelves that lined the walls. Beyond the foyer were the stacks, which consisted of floor upon floor of books. The floors were organized by era, with the earliest records stored in the basement and the newest ones on the highest level. This made it easy to find information on, say, the Mayan Republic or the Spanish Empire.

Simply being in this room filled her with a feeling of awe. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God: and the books were opened, she thought. I wonder if these are the books that will be opened on that day, when mankind is judged for what they have done. Perhaps even the Book of Life itself is in here somewhere.

In the front of the room was the information center, which was usually manned by several librarians. Tonight, however, it was empty. Few people were in the library at this hour. The girl spotted only a few people sitting around, having quiet discussions. One of them was the person she was looking for.

The girl unobtrusively made her way through the foyer to the back of the room, where two middle-aged men were seated on a couch, talking. A stack of books was piled on a coffee table in front of them; a quick glance showed that they were technical studies of various automation techniques. The two men were having a rather animated discussion. Not wishing to interrupt them, the girl stood in front of the coffee table and patiently waited for them to finish.

“I just don’t see the point in automation anymore,” Dr. Timothy Stryker was saying. “It had its day but things are different here. On Tau Ceti it was crucial because there was so little time. Even with a lifespan of 160 years there was only so much a person could accomplish. Your Nehemiah probes were a necessity – there was simply no other way to colonize the galaxy in a reasonable amount of time. But here things are different. When the Lord brings an end to this age and remakes the universe we won’t be faced with limited resources or limited time. Since all of us are going to live forever then why should we rush things? Why not simply take our time and terraform planets as we need them?”

Dr. Nehemiah Temilotzin smiled. “The point of automation, Tim, is not to speed things up but to make new things possible! If we automate terraformation then that will enable us to pour our energies into something more worthwhile. Yes, you could build a house by hand if you wanted. No one will stop you from going into the woods, cutting down trees, and fashioning them into a lovely home. But with the right tools we can be tremendously more productive. We can tackle problems that would otherwise be impossible – even given endless amounts of time!”

Tim was about to respond when he suddenly noticed the child that was standing in front of him. “Oh, hello there, Itzel,” he said. “I’m sorry – I didn’t see you standing there! Is there something I can help you with?”

“It’s time,” she said simply.

“Wow,” Dr. Stryker replied. A look of surprise and wonder covered his face. “Is it time already? Has it really been five thousand years?”

Dr. Temilotzin looked puzzled. “Time? I don’t understand. Time for what?”

“It’s time for the war of the Artilect,” the girl replied.

“Have we met?” Dr. Temilotzin asked.

Tim spoke up. “I’m sorry. Nehemiah, this is Itzel Ayar. I don’t think you’ve met her but you’ve probably heard of her. She was the last person born with the gift of foresight.”

Dr. Temilotzin snapped his fingers. “That’s right! I remember now. You were just eight years old when the Spanish Emperor destroyed Tikal, weren’t you? That was in, what, 1867?”

Itzel nodded. “It happened on December 5th, a little before noon. I died that day, along with a lot of other people. But before the Lord brought me home I accomplished my task. I told Captain Maxwell Baker what he was going to be facing. He needed to know that his efforts would not be in vain.”

“And it’s finally time for them to get started?” Dr. Stryker asked. “I can’t believe it.”

“I think I know what you’re talking about, Tim,” Dr. Temilotzin said slowly. “The Artilect wasn’t built until after my time, of course, but I’ve heard of it. Didn’t he send someone back in time to rescue your sisters so he could launch an attack of some kind?”

Tim nodded. “He did. The Artilect is finally going to put an end to the endless war. The tyranny of Carroll Lane is going to come to an end.”

“That should be a pretty simple battle,” Dr. Temilotzin remarked. “Lane is outnumbered billions to one. He doesn’t stand a chance.”

Itzel shook her head. “The Artilect will be defeated,” she said quietly. “That is why I was sent to the captain five thousand years ago. Things will not go as they planned and they will suffer terrible losses. They needed to know that despite everything that is about to happen their sacrifices will not be in vain.”

“I don’t understand,” Tim said. “How could he possibly lose?”

“The Sparrow was not sent to the future to end the war,” Itzel replied. “They will accomplish that, but there is something much deeper going on that they do not yet suspect. Their real purpose is to give both Sol and Tau Ceti a chance.”

“A chance to what?” Dr. Temilotzin asked.

“A chance to put things right before the Lord Himself returns to Earth,” Itzel said.