A traveling human with a few musical instruments with them is going from world to world, station to station, traveling across the alliance and even into the edge and beyond. Their goal? To learn the musical culture of as many various races as they can. To write a book all about a musical universe. -- Lessons
Her luggage wasn't as immense as many might think, given her life's goal. There were three changes of clothes[1] of bland similarity, and the rest of it was... parts. The bare minimum necessary to make a multitude of instruments. Some assembly required.
When the world of music can be divided into 'toot', 'whistle', 'plunk' and 'boom', then many instruments can be divided likewise. There is, after all, only so much one can do with tubes[2]. Make it so that they can be arranged in a multitude of ways, and you can have instruments for days.
Having the skills to play them is a gift that Human Lam possessed. She could play anything, anywhere, anytime... and frequently did. She was a one-person orchestra and made more than enough Time with various compilations containing assorted assemblies from her kit. That was, more or less, a day job. Her soul's goal was to find all the music, all the instruments. Documenting the culture and definitions of music across the known universe.
As you might understand, it was more than one lifetime could hold. The B'Nari could help with that, and offered to make Lam into multitudes to get the task done in an appreciable stretch of time[3]. It was... something to think about.
And problematic to talk about, because language isn't necessarily made to grasp the surreal.
"So... When I'm 'we'... a multitude. Will we all be the same person or will we diverge?"
"We can arrange a hive mind if you like. The infonet lag might be a problem. You'll end up arguing with yourself more often than not." The B'Nari consultant took everything in stride. Of course they did. B'Nar was a planet of custom-made people - AI or flesh - and they had explored every option before the rest of the universe met them. "Are you already accustomed to arguing with yourself?"
"Um."
"We can also arrange a central database of gathered memories. Accessible, but separate. That can come in handy for the eventual thesis. However... the Archivaas will want some too."
"The Archivaas always want some too. It's their raison d'etre. If there are records, they must have copies. I'm used to that at least." Lam looked over her specifications, and the options still available to her. A spare pair of hands was looking mighty tempting. So too was the shapeshifting mecha-body, so she could play things a human body was not made for.
The energy costs for that were prohibitive, on the other hand. Then there was the worrying aspect of consciousness transfer.
"Do I have to die to become 'we'?"
"It's not necessary. Many prefer it when they get a new body, or in your case a multitude of bodies. We do recommend keeping in some form of contact with your other selves. Meet up once every five years. Exchange notes, sort of thing."
"Check the checklists," added Lam. It was a little creepy, but then the B'Nari were so far ahead of the rest that everything looked creepy. On the other hand, it would allow her, a multitude of her, to actually finish the project that was her life's work.
"The only remaining decision is flesh or fabrication," said the B'Nari consultant. "We have artificial bodies that are almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Even on the inside."
"And you're just giving me a thousand of them. For free. No Time down?"
"With a life's work like this?" said the consultant. "We like to make sure that you live to see it complete."
When her multitude gathered, five years hence, she had one hell of a rendition of I've Been Everywhere for her audience.
[1] One on, one off, and one in the wash.
[2] Interestingly, all four of those can apply to tubes. Just look at the thongophone.
[3] Because there is nothing worse than missing out on a culture before you can get there.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / goghy73]
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