Shadow Of The Past Trilogy ∞ THE DISPLACED

98 ∞ negotiations

"Oh, but there is. Just by elevating your individual level of consciousness, you help those nearby, and by extension, you help the whole planet."

Bogdanov brightened. "Are you talking about the Maharishi Effect?"

"Indeed, the Maharishi Effect is a good way to express the same idea."

Kruger placed his knife and fork together on his plate and leaned forward. "I thought your people were peaceful and lived in harmony. Why aren't you allowed to visit other stars?"

Gray sat back, his gaze fixed on the young queen. He was convinced now of the conclusion he'd arrived at after observing her for the past thirty-odd hours: she was a living, breathing, walking encyclopedia. There was so much to learn from her.

"Oh, we can visit nearby Stars that are close enough... like Proxima Centauri. But the time it would take make the journey is undesirable. Doctor Bogdanov, surely you are acquainted with the Russian and other Slavic peoples' folklore?" 

After his silent nod, she continued, "There are ancient tales about men who fell in love with a goddess or a charming princess from a far-away land. They left their kingdoms to be with their loves. After some time passed, they missed their families, so they wanted to return to visit. But when their wish was granted, they faced a great shock. While they had been away only for a few months or a couple of years, in their former kingdoms centuries had passed."

She turned her gaze to Danny. "Different versions of the same phenomena can be found in many cultures around the world. Japanese, Chinese, Finnish, Germans... and many others... They all tell the same tales. Time courses not at the same speed in different worlds. So when they finally returned home, everybody they knew was gone. Family, friends, children, every body. They were lonely foreigners in a foreign land." She returned to Kruger. "Understand you now?"

Thoughtfully, Kruger nodded. "I see. You are talking about Albert Einstein's 'Twin Paradox', also known as the 'Clock Paradox'."

"Aye. According to General Relativity, any object under the effects of acceleration is subjected to a slower speed of time." 

Danny stared at her as she finished her salad. Centuries? Would traveling to her world take centuries?

"There is another criterion we have yet to meet," she said after a sip of her orange juice. "The ratio of empathy and compassion—love for each other—as against the number of people we could kill with our technology... is still disproportionate. Our capability to kill each other still surpasses our empathy and compassion by a significant margin. Although we are close, very close. At least... we were."

"That means our Earth is even farther down that scale than I thought, isn't it?" Bogdanov asked. 

"That is the case, and it is important that you be aware of that."

Bogdanov chewed his lip thoughtfully, then asked, "Is there no better way? Legends tell us about magic portals, which take us into magic kingdoms."

"They usually refer to gates between parallel dimensions. In general, they are not useful in exploring other Stars. They lead into places similar to our own, where we are not always welcomed—uninvited, that is."

"You were brought here by a wormhole," Kruger said, his expression speculative. "Surely it is possible to use it as a way to shorten the distance and time required?"