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Marie was screaming, he could feel her pain as he was talking to the white coat.
“We follow the genome directive,” Dr Sandstrom proudly informed him – Marie laughed mockingly “Nature watchdogs need not be concerned.” Yassat did not need Marie’s continual mock laughter in his ears to see the BS. Details, look for splicing details he told her.
“How is your research funded?” asked Yassat; harvesters would have a cover story in place, a story he would never believe but that is where he started. Anyway he wasn’t here to learn about their protective shell, at this stage it was more what Marie could discern. They were looking for abhorrence.
They are splicing, she told him.
Of course they are, that’s why we came. But how? he snapped back at her. This investigation will go nowhere unless we can substantiate our case for the Silad.
He felt her feigned yawning, a yawn she produced whenever the Silad were mentioned. They are so tedious, she added.
But necessary, he countered. Again she yawned.
And they don’t even want your science, she mocked him again.
They accept my science, my science is genuine – science that accepts nature, accepts its position in Silad’s wisdom. He imagined her rolling her eyes at his justifications.
The science had started well enough. The publicly-funded Crotson team had begun to map the genome, a far too ambitious project that the Nature Watchdog knew could never “truly map”. But science mapping nature was an historic scientific institutional ego whose arrogance would never be tamed. But one of their team found splicing, and the lobha began to dream – money can buy anything. They dreamed of health, long life. And they threw money at it. And money and splicing only produced abhorrence and abomination.
I have evidence of splicing she brought him back, there is DNA for at least 3 babies here.
Yassat moved over to where Marie had sensed the children. “What is this experiment?” he asked.
The white coat simply answered “This DNA has a defect, we are working to try and remove that defect at the request of the parents.”
“That sounds good,” answered Yassat “Are you making progress?”
“We have isolated the defect, and are now trying to find a way of countering it,” continued the white coat.
“Does that involve splicing?” asked Yassat.
“No, we don’t splice here,” answered the coat “we don’t have a license to splice.” Marie laughed.
“Thank you, Dr Sandstrom, for your cooperation. We will present our report to the Silad as is our duty,” concluded Yassat.
“Favourable?” smiled the doctor. And Yassat smiled back.
What do we do now? asked Marie. There was a long silence as Yassat considered his answer. Then he went to report to the Silad, he could go no further without their help.
“I believe the labs at Gentec are splicing,” started Yassat.
“Believe? The Silad does not act on belief,” came an aggressive answer.
“Of course not. My investigations have led me to question Gentec practices, and I have a strong conviction that there is a possibility of abhorrence. I do not make such a claim lightly, and am asking for resources to complete investigations,” countered Yassat.
“When Yassat has come to us with strong convictions before, investigations have proven them,” spoke Paksaa “he is the one who defends science here at the Silad. For us much of science’s practices belong in the past – pre-Silad, Yassat trusts science yet he is wise enough to know its place. If he needs our help I think we should grant it.”
“Silad needs science but only in its place,” added Wicha. “I agree with Paksaa and encourage the investigation but have to be convinced as to whether the investigation would create …. disharmony?”
“I understand Piu Wicha,” answered Yassat “so far discussions have been amicable – non-intrusive. But they have only increased my suspicions. I have no doubts that there is good work going on but this is a front for splicing – abhorrence. With due deference there does need to be an intrusion on behalf of the Silad.”
“Piu Yassat,” Wicha answered “this requires personal deliberation and then further discussion.”
“It must, Piu Wicha,” agreed Yassat genuinely whilst he heard Marie mocking it must Piu Wicha. He smiled at his own pomp that was not false.
When the Silad met again to discuss this, they were generally favourable to give Yassat the Silad’s backing for further investigation but they asked what that backing and resources entailed.
“Yassat, you are the Silad’s science representative and for the moment we are following your judgement,” Paksaa announced. “But as you know the Silad must be even-handed. Science already perceives the Silad as its enemy because of the very nature of science.”
“This is science’s weakness – not knowing its place. Yet science does have great value to Silad – not for the spiritual development of Silad, but science can help Silad develop. This is why I defend science.”
“And despite our …. reticence we accept your approach,” continued Wicha “but we can’t interfere with the people, they must find their way. But if there is abhorrence then it is our duty.”
“I am completely convinced that it is our duty to interfere here,” replied Yassat. “I think we can complete our investigation by conducting a financial audit, and it is generally accepted among Silad that controlling accumulation and its akusula is one of its main duties.”
“Controlling the unwholesome actions of accumulation without heavy-handed legislation or practice,” advised Wicha. “We cannot interfere with the moral accumulation of wealth – if that is possible.”
They paused as they saw Wicha had not finished. “Abhorrence is one of the more heinous akusula that Silad has seen in recent years. None amongst the Silad want such akusula except those lost to the kilesa. We want such an investigation but would hope the matter can be resolved without interference, but ….”
“But with abhorrence that is unlikely,” Paksaa added, to the sounds of mutual agreement. “We trust, Yassat, that you will act with your normal good conduct, and not bring the Silad into disrepute.”
“Pius, I will try,” he answered with sincerity.
As he left, he felt deep inside Marie’s great joy.
Marie was always going to be his secret but he felt a guilt whenever he had to lie to others esp the Silad. His reputation was not based on his exploits alone but came from the knowledge that Marie could discern. He was convinced because she had told him, he was convincing because she had always been correct. There would be irregularities in Gentec’s finances that would eventually lead to the lobha who were involved, but it would be Marie who would find the way to these irregularities.
Returning to Gentec with greater Silad authority primarily enabled Marie to explore. It was in the labs that she had felt the splicing so he needed to spend time in those labs. Calling Dr Sandstrom he expressed greater interest in cases that had been handled – hoping the case histories would be held in the labs or accessed by lab computers, Sandstrom knew s had to cooperate. Yassat started with the most recent case but went into the details that were not usually available – he hoped he had the science for this.
What was the specific DNA defect? Who were the parents? How did they choose which case to work on? These were the details Yassat hoped would give him some answers. But once in the lab Marie was free to her own investigation. Where had she felt the pain? Where was the abhorrence? She could only feel life like hers but once felt they could communicate - she was feeling out these lost. Somehow such life-forms just hung around – somehow she was not meant to understand. And somehow they could communicate - again beyond her understanding. It was like she could feel their injustice, she was meant to feel their injustice, and Yassat was meant to fix it.
And Gentec was ripe with injustice, she knew that from before. She moved to injustice, injustice kind of attracted her, and in one corner of the lab the injustice grabbed her. And the life-forms grabbed her. Almost instantly she knew that in that lab there had been splicing involving more than one life-form yet only one such form became life. That’s what she understood – it wasn’t the science that was for Yassat. But she knew these life-forms were ill-treated, her fellow life-forms were mistreated.
This is what mattered to Marie but was of little use to Yassat and his Silad. But the details Yassat wanted held little interest to the life-forms, they just felt injustice – it was unnatural. Marie had to get them to tell her something Yassat could use – other than injustice – other than unnatural. There were 3 life-forms just hanging – presumably seeking justice. She joined them, 4 life-forms seeking justice but only one able to deliver it – Marie through Yassat. Moving amongst them she began to feel their injustice - like a gestalt 4 feeling injustice. They were life-forms never meant for life, their life was being used for another life. Together they began to touch the form that would become life, and this life also felt the injustice. Marie linked with this life-form that was becoming life yet was not life. She could still communicate with this more advanced form but would that give her details? This advanced form also felt the injustice of the others, but mixed with that was the instinct for survival.
Then Marie saw a tag, it was a tag associated with the cells – the cells of all the life-forms. A tag, a number, a number that Marie could give to Yassat, a number that could end the injustice. And as she knew that, as she knew that the injustice could be over, so did the life-forms that just went away – went away as justice, sila, could return.
This number, TJ 1317, is connected with the splicing she told Yassat. He was still with Sandstrom so he began to examine the references. He noted the number of the case Sandstrom was working on – the case that was presumably legitimate. “The Silad have asked me to examine the funding, Dr Sandstrom. Which cases are publicly-funded by the sila and which cases are private?”
“All cases are stored in the same way, we don’t distinguish between funding – Gentec only seeks reasonable profit – a sustainable trading profit if you like. I am not lobha,” Sandstrom said markedly.
“Is Gentec lobha?” asked Yassat encouraging her.
“Not as far as I know,” Sandstrom answered defiantly – appearing honest. It would make sense that Gentec would greet him with an honest scientist – but this could also be a ruse.
“Please explain the funding for this case you are working on, that we have discussed,” asked Yassat politely.
And she answered as if she had nothing to hide. So she logged into the computer, and keyed in the case number. “Piu Yassat, please look at the screen. So we have the case, the defect, suggested strategies, source of funding, entries from various scientists – what they have worked on. There is nothing the Silad need to question,”
She showed the Silad representative.
“Piu Sandstrom, this funding is parental. Can you show me a case for public funding?” asked Yassat; she obliged.
“Can you enter this case number?” asked Yassat.
Sandstrom typed TR1317, and the computer said “record not found”. “Sorry, I thought that was the number given to me by a family who had used your services, I will have to check,” apologised Yassat as he saw the confusion on her face. Both Sandstrom and the computer gave Yassat no way in; there had to be a different storage for the abhorrents. He took his leave.
So there was a shadow Gentec. This can occur in several ways. It can be systemic a shadow that is basically part of the company’s infrastructure – this was not too likely as Gentec was not a large company. Because of the nature of Gentec’s work, Silad regulations concerning accumulation came in. Historically Silad as a whole had learnt that their problems had lain in accumulation, once accumulation had reached a tipping point of power then its influence became dominating and individual sila was compromised; in a sense the machine became too big for the individual to keep their own control. Historically the people had raged against this machine mainly targeting their legitimate anger against government but once accumulation reached this tipping point they controlled government as well; government usually then became a target, a vent for people’s rage, a diversion from the power of the accumulation, from the control by accumulation. Nature almost wiped people out because the accumulation had become manically destructive, but out of the ashes came a species memory to control accumulation. Mostly this was the work of Silad, but the people were Silad; the Silad’s primary duty was to be responsive to the people – what some used to call democracy until accumulation controlled democracy.
Controlling accumulation became the primary duty of Silad because although individuals lost control of their own sila this was not an issue for society; such people could always be helped. But when accumulation became too powerful they prevented individuals from controlling their own lives. This led to rage, and once people became enraged they became more vulnerable and accumulation manipulated them further. Most of the time Silad just helped people who strayed, whose ego took over once in a while, and they lost their sila. But because Silad put people first resources went into helping people, and this was not a systemic problem. The only systemic problem had always been accumulation.
Historically this had been difficult to see. By the time control by accumulation had happened there was total control – controlling media and communication as well as government. How did people ever regain control when accumulation controlled the conditioning. Nature accepted conditioning establishing self and identity from birth to help children to grow to live in society. But when people were meant to let go accumulation conditioning stepped in and manipulated them. Few people had any chance unless they blew away conditioning in some way. For some this happened naturally through what might be called first grace, for others spiritual discipline helped with transcendence through conditioning, but for most people the double whammy of Nature’s youthful conditioning and the accumulation’s manipulation of conditioning through propaganda led to a life of unhappiness under the accumulation’s satrapy.
When that satrapy began to threaten Nature herself, She responded to the threat. Whilst this response devastated humanity life flourished without having to be the accumulation’s trough of life and exploitation. Whilst this was a waste of humanity’s own mental gifts life on earth was able to continue and regain balance. But this time within the balance there was a species’ consciousness that feared accumulation. The Silad became the conscious aspect of this.
Yassat was well aware that science had contributed to this accumulation. Whether their science was created with genuine hearts and minds the accumulation used the technology for its own benefits – and defence. Technological advances were never fitted harmoniously within Nature, and more often the required resources depleted the Mother’s ecobalance. And throughout the accumulation’s BigTech were under threat, either from people fighting against their own exploitation or from countries the accumulation exploited through war. So accumulation invested in its own survival through various machines of destruction leaving humanity essentially repressed – until Nature stepped in to protect itself.
Yassat knew that there was a deep resentment of science, although historically he found no evidence that it was the scientists themselves who exploited through their Tech. But they were used as scapegoats by the satrapy, becoming a target like government for their justified rage. But based on his research, of itself science was never the problem. Yes, some scientists were bought off, allowing their intellects and developments to be exploited but it was powers within the accumulation that directed the worst excesses. In much the same way as he suspected it was individuals within the lobha who were responsible for the abhorrence rather than any company or scientific infrastructure.
In reality it was the social egos of intellect (sankhara) and lobha (greed) that were the problems. Historically because there wasn’t a Silad, government always being controlled by the accumulation – being the satrapy, individual greed gathered as accumulation through corporations defended by militias from whose technology corporations profited – being the source of investment. Through education sankhara’s intellect never knew its place, and science as a body, rather than adding to the social ethos of Nature, considered itself in control. The science maxim was that over time science would learn all of Nature’s understanding and be able to control it. This scientific arrogance fit in with the social egotism of the greedy and between them humanity had little chance.
Over time Silad learnt that both lobha and sankhara were human egos that if accumulation were prevented from exploiting them could be limited with compassionate caring. The ignorance that had been shown historically was grounded in the manipulation of conditioning by accumulation, but it was also individual ignorance – granted that individual ignorance was fostered by accumulation’s conditioning. Once the satrapy had ended humanity that survived still had to deal with their own egos, humanity that was still brought up by Nature’s conditioning; but when as adults people started to question their conditioned upbringing, started to recognise their own egoic weakness, the Silad were on hand with their compassion to help people through their problems. Through the Silad people who wanted to be leaders could be leaders, people who wanted to help were able to help, a complete difference from the satrapy where leaders took advantage of their position to exploit and feed their own greed.
For Yassat there was the dual ego arising from lobha and sankhara that he was there to help the Silad avoid exploitation. The Silad walked a tightrope that Yassat respected. Historically liberalism had tried to repress what they disagreed with primarily through censorship yet within sankhara there were skills that benefitted the wider Silad. No individual could survive in society without analysis, but in the satrapy that analysis had lost its position and considered itself more important than sila or compassion. For the Silad all actions were based in sila and compassion, and because as leaders experienced people became part of the Silad wisdom was used to effect the dominance of sila and compassion over egoic clinging to sankhara.
As for lobha there was nothing to be said, no individual even in the satrapy maintained that lobha was beneficial. However, accumulators did misuse sankhara to claim that with their wealth they could benefit society. This of course was delusory as history showed then – and the delusion was even more apparent the longer the retrospect. Whilst accumulators could rationally justify beneficial philanthropy, such economics with its apparent “trickling-down” never led to the results claimed for it. The accumulators blamed the people, and the people never had the power so there were token benefits within the satrapy if you happened to be lucky.
Yassat lived amongst people for whom sankhara conditioning had greater potential for attachment. Scientists developed their intellects, and using that intellect advanced science; this was their role in Silad. For Silad there was a constant overview that science did not try to usurp the position of sila and compassion. In Yassat’s experience scientists left to their own studies were not interested in usurping, they were interested in science – on occasions too focussed on science. For Yassat that meant a level of overview in which sila and compassion were prioritised – with occasional correction for the over-zealous. But sankhara was only an issue when it was empowered by lobha, when the lobha tried to manipulate with their wealth – as had been the daily practice during the satrapy. With Silad such power and influence could not flourish but occasionally individual issues arose – as with Gentec now. That was Yassat’s role, to determine where there was lobha, where there was entrenched sankhara, and how sila and compassion could take their rightful place.
Given the overview concerning Yassat did not think that it was the total Gentec infrastructure that was corrupt. He was willing to concede that Sandstrom did work she believed in, and accepted that the non-sila of splicing was not part of her routine. This shadow Gentec might however be hiding within the infrastructure with perhaps a few execs creating the abomination. If that was the case it would be evident in the computer structure in which a shadow Gentec would have garnered space.
Yet at the same time it could just be an individual scientist using the laboratory resources for their own personal gain – lobha. To determine if that was the case, computer structure could also be analysed, if there was no shadow space on the hard drive then Yassat could be sure that the work was done on an individual computer – harder to track down but much easier to work with. Individual not institution. Lobha corrupting individuals, nothing more systemic than that; Silad can help individuals.
Silad had techs who could discern shadow usage on the hard drive. Companies like Gentec were amenable to usage analysis because usually companies were working with Silad; after all there is nothing wrong with trade – only the inequality within trade that was fostered by accumulation. Gentec offered a service to help parents, if suffering can be alleviated by science no Silad would complain.
Once Yassat had advised Gentec that there was abuse happening, their human infrastructure cooperated. Whilst it would make his job harder – being more difficult to track down individuals, Yassat was much happier. From the initial position where Yassat had been perceived as interfering, now that the Silad recognised there was abuse Gentec wanted to cooperate.
Trust. No-one in society wanted to believe that there was misconduct, this was true of Gentec as with any other aspect of Silad, so there is always initial resistance to investigations based on denial. But the people trusted the Silad, so companies also trusted Silad. The resistance was understandable, if there were investigations people would not trust the company. But now that the Silad were certain there was a problem Gentec worked more than 100% with Silad to become publicly accountable.
Of course this drove away the lobha. Companies the size of Gentec were most vulnerable to exploitation by lobha as they had accumulation. The accumulation in their size was necessary for the viability in the company because their trade was based in technology. Legitimately working on flaws in individual genomes, possible DNA correction and adjustment, required a high level of technology, technology that cost money. With that level of accumulation the very existence of such companies presented a risk, yet it was a risk that Yassat and the Silad accepted because of the potential benefits. But with the increased level of accumulation that meant monitoring at a higher level to ensure that the lobha could not corrupt.
As in this case that monitoring had been evaded; but now that the company accepted there had been violations they were keen to work with investigations to reassert their own sila. And the very investigation process did this because it scared off the lobha. Yassat’s examination of the computers made it clear there was no shadow infrastructure, TR1317 must be on a stand-alone database. Not a surprise to Yassat that this abomination was only digitally recorded on a stand-alone computer – outside the Silad network.
Yassat’s final report concluded that there had been abhorrence at Gentec. Who the scientists were who had been corrupted by the lobha could not be determined because the investigation was unable to find any digital traces. It was accepted that Gentec itself were not behind the abhorrence although their labs had been misused. Working with the Silad they reclaimed their public image, their sila was accepted into the Silad again – with a welcome increased monitoring that had to come out of their budget. Scientists were also flagged for increased unobtrusive monitoring because one of them had been corrupted and was therefore corruptible in the future – recorded in Silad records.
And Marie could attest that when the investigation had been completed there were no entities around to warn her – there was no abhorrence any more. A partial result but a warning for Yassat to be vigilant against lobha.
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Public Domain Science Fiction Writer 
