Chapter 3 #3
"It would be difficult, because you would start finding conflicts between the body's actual memories and those you were trying to implement.
It could be done, but you'd have to take considerable efforts to reduce the number of stimulations they received.
You'd essentially have to keep them sheltered and sequestered.
And honestly, it's far cheaper to just put them in suspended animation rather than take that level of care with a living person.
You'd essentially have to bring them to a specialized medical facility monthly at minimum, scan their brain, and perform certain therapies to constantly re-dial it back to where it should be.
" She gazed into the middle distance as she spoke.
"And, of course, they'd have all of these memories their whole life, right?" I asked.
"Actually, no. That's one of the more interesting parts of it.
If you align it while the brain is still developing, the memories fade.
No, you have to aim for maximum alignment with full maturity of the brain.
Which is why it is such a delicate process because you are stimulating the brain to develop the way you want.
You'd have to consider what mental maturity looks like for their race.
Humans, for example, would be around 22 or 23 years old, give or take. " She waffled a hand.
I checked to see if Lily was watching her captain stress-o-meter, and thankfully, she wasn’t, or it would be going wild. Rayden Valcrest was 23.
"So they wouldn't come into the memories until then?" I asked, feeling sweat beginning to bead down my face at what I was learning.
“We rarely kept the patient awake, though a few experiments showed that no, while they might have a few flashes of previous life, the core of the memories didn’t settle until maturity.” She shrugged.
"And how many people could do something like this?" I needed more information.
"It's a rather small field. Those capable of doing it to someone while they're living a normal life.
Well, that would probably be only two or three.
" She gave a thoughtful look off into the distance.
"But like I said, there's no need to worry about something like that.
The chances of it happening are remarkably slim.
Besides, you're well past brain maturity, aren't you? "
"Just making conversation." I grinned at her and swallowed down the rest of my thoughts before I gave too much away. "After all, it's fascinating that people could somehow transfer memories into a new body."
"Definitely interesting work. Though it's also one of those procedures that, should you become skilled at it, there are more than a few people who would wish for you to never have another career again.
In fact, you come into contact with such dangerous information that it becomes impossible. " Melgara paused.
I watched Melgara carefully, wondering what other secrets she might have. Everything she said, she spoke with the sense that she'd been in quite deep, and I wondered how she'd gotten out alive, given what she'd described.
"But that's ancient history now. Now I'm a doctor on the marvelous Griffin, and I think I'll stay here for a while," she said wistfully.
I knew she'd been involved in some sort of shady practice and that it had been hard for her to leave it.
However, the new information was flying around in my head.
The idea of people who had the kind of money to grow and abandon clones with such frequency, not to mention what sounded like a highly specialized facility and staff to manage all of it, was the kind of money that would be very dangerous to go against. In fact, I imagined it was only the pinnacle of influence within the universe that could afford something like this, which put a fine point on just how dangerous the people potentially after Melgara might be.
Then, if someone were to perform the same procedure on me, it would be insanely expensive, not to mention trying to do it covertly to a baron. Who would be able to pull that off, and perhaps the most important question: Why me?
"Well, you're right. You'll be too busy taking care of those blaster burns to worry about any of that. And like you said, it's very specialized knowledge," I added.
"If you're interested, I'm afraid to say it's very unlikely you'll ever be able to afford it." Melgara grinned.
"That's all right. Who wants to live forever anyway?
I only need to live long enough to explore a little more of the universe.
" I grinned and looked at the stars above us, hidden by the daylight sun and the light from all of the flickering advertisements.
But they were up there somewhere, waiting for me.
"And that's another reason I think your ship is the right one for me," Melgara said. "I can tell you have a curious mind like my own. You are hungry for knowledge."
I hummed, then smiled at her in turn. "Knowledge is the result.
I don't entirely know if it's the goal. I simply can't help but want to explore the stars and the worlds that revolve around them.
I want to see the people and whatever mysteries lay beyond them.
So I suppose there's a thirst for knowledge, but not in the direct sense. "
We’d taken as long as we could to catch up with the rest of the group, and I knew my time to dig into what knowledge Melgara might have was coming to an end. But at some point, I hoped that she’d trust me enough—and me her—to delve into the mystery around my memories one of these days.