Chapter 40: The Immorternity Clause

They all gathered around the stone tablet in Eddy's hands. It was very dusty. He put it on the table and blew away the dust, leading to a chorus of coughing from the others. Strange, tightly packed symbols covered the stone. After some time, the symbols started to flow into other symbols that looked a little bit more friendly, but still undecipherable. Caoilinn snapped a picture of it with her phone, just in case. Dad said he recognised one variety as possibly Klingon, which wasn't much help as nobody spoke Klingon.

After five more iterations in at least five more minutes they all cried out: 'That's English!'

Caoilinn recovered just in time to snap a picture of the modern English text before it turned into Ye Olde English.

Leaving Dad's phone to keep filming the tablet, they clustered around the small screen to see what it said. Caoilinn put on her Prime Ministerial voice and started reading out aloud:

MWHC Meeting minutes for the Solarian locality, #6928bis (special meeting).

Attendees:

MWHC: Cergothiian, Governor

SHC: S.W.A.N. Et al

Humanity: Elisa Pearez

Here follows the Account of the Agreement reached between the Solarian High Court and the Milky Wayan High Court, regarding the protected status of the Sol system and its inhabitants.

Humanity, in the form of one Elisa Pearez has been informed of the following constraints:

• The Solarian High Court has been tasked to determine the civilisation rating of each species (by proxy) and send regular updates to the MWHC.
• Voting rights will be honoured and meeting minutes will be distributed to any species exceeding a civilisation rating of 3.
• For level 3 and below, the SHC is, under certain circumstances, allowed to appoint a spokesperson, if deemed necessary.

You, Elisa Pearez, are this spokesperson.

We are here to inform you about "The Immorternity Clause" and the implications it has for your species.

As each planet is only assigned rights for one (near) immortal species, under the Milky Way Population Restriction Act , current developments in the direction of a so called "Philosopher's Stone" are monitored closely. So far, any working prototypes have been confiscated and/or destroyed promptly by SHC agents to maintain the existing status quo. There are, however, rumours that rogue fowl agents have managed to obtain elements of the finished product for their own purposes. This is unacceptable.

We therefore task you to be a special envoy delivering and enforcing our cease and desist order to Humanity. For this purpose you will join your King AEthelred, currently residing in his Headan Dune hunting lodge, as an advisor.

'Headan Dune? Headington! That's here! Or used to be.' Mom exclaimed. 'But King AEthelred? That's at least a thousand years ago! Didn't they call him the unready, or ill-advised? I wonder whether he got the nickname before or after this advice. And Elisa Pearez? That must have been one of your ancestors, John! Probably your Great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, give or take a few greats. Together that might explain why we found this Ark thing right here under our 1950's house. Your ancestors must have lived right here on this spot for over a thousand years!'

'You are the history professor, so I guess you're right.' Dad conceded. 'But why not Oxford?'

'Where do you think those fording oxen came from? Headington is on sand and has been inhabited for two thousand years before Oxford even came into existence, because what is now Oxford was effectively marshland. This envoy status might explain why fledgling Oxford got its share of Jewish settlers in the years after that, though.'

'Gosh'

That being settled, Caoilinn continued reading from her screen:

Failure to comply will result in revoking the special protected status of the Sol system.

For reasons of privacy protection and in line with the "non-intervention in lower sentient species act", we, The MWHC, are unable to disclose the identity of the existing (near) immortal species at this time.

'And that seems to be the whole of it.' Caoilinn said as she turned off her phone. ' I wonder if that special status was revoked or not'

Ava had listened intently. 'Maybe we can ask the Duck, or Wolfgang? The SHC should have their own records, I suppose. And I wonder if there is any link between the spirit Elyizaahhrg and Elisa Pearez?'

Caiman Raptor Elk

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