The Shaman of Intaria
Intaria, the center of all activity in the Galactic Federation, was experiencing unprecedented economic growth. Peace had finally been made with the kingdoms occupying the Grey Zone. They were left mostly to their own devices and political discourse. After the final treaty was signed, approximately half of the Milky Way fell under Federation control. The reclusive shaman Imball felt a new balance of power coming to the galaxy in his deep sessions of meditation and drug induced trance. Through the ingestion of powerful psychoactive substances he could feel the very core of civilized awareness as it shifted into a more stable position. Trade routes that went through the outer worlds still experienced the occasional attack of marauders, but all in all, peace and order were much restored.
Imball was preparing a new concoction in his tiny apartment when two unexpected guests arrived. They were a young couple, Imball thought that perhaps they were responding to his informational ad regarding spiritual readings and life guidance. He did not get many responses to his ads.
"Greetings, truth seekers, I am Imball," he said as he opened the door.
"Hello. I'm Damon, this is my wife Larissa," said the cleanly dressed man standing in the threshold.
"Welcome to my independent cosmic temple. It is here I study the spirit of the cosmos itself! If you have deep questions I shall attempt to answer them," said Imball.
The couple made their way through the small front door down the crowded hallway. Extremely rare relics and artifacts from several ancient civilizations adorned the walls and ceiling. They looked out of place, very aged, almost impossible to find in the contemporary age of civilization. The galaxy had undergone a vast transformation upon the discovery and implementation of hyperspatial science. Travel times between even the most distant of stars shrank down to mere days. Terraforming became the norm for human colonization and expansion. Planets that were deemed hospitable, or close to it, were populated with fractal-based hyperpsatial machines which functioned outside of the normal parameters of tangible space. They then worked to transform the terrain and atmosphere atom-by-atom until the planet's composition closely resembled the one of Earth - humanity's original home. In this manner the human civilization spread to nearly every habitable world in the galaxy and in turn made that world close to ideal, according to their liking. People of old religious orders criticized this system, claiming it played with God and destroyed the indigenous life forms of the planets. As the generations turned over, these opponents were driven to the fringes of galactic society. It was apparent that advanced technology and the molding of entire star systems was the natural course of humanity's progress.
Imball led Damon and Larissa into his cramped dining room, which also served as his psychedelic meditation chamber. He opened a small felt bundle and sniffed some of the powder that came out of it.
"I will enter trance shortly, please state your question," Imball said.
Larissa then spoke.
"We have a large life decision to make. We are torn between staying here on Intaria and joining a Federation corps to travel the stars as crewmembers on a commercial trade ship. We've pondered the possible outcomes of both decisions, and both paths have their upsides as well as their potential pitfalls. We've come to ask you, which path in your view is the most spiritually sound?"
"Ah, so you do not want to lose yourselves in the business of space, and yet you do not want to feel stagnant," said Imball. "Smoke a bit from this cigarette here, it will align the planes of our nervous systems to a more tranquil state."
Imball gave them a tightly wrapped cigarette to share. He did not say exactly what was in it. Damon and Larissa complied with the old shaman's request and smoked it in turns.
"Now relax yourselves, focus on your breathing pattern, enter a clear state of mind. The substance I took is much stronger than yours and I will be in trance soon. Focus on the spiritual aspect of your lives, think slowly and calmly.
And with that Imball leaned back in his chair, gave out a large exhale, and entered a deep meditative trance. Damon and Larissa cleared their minds with the aid of the mild relaxant in their cigarette. Outside the window the traffic from the industrial district buzzed with life. A large freighter drifted silently across the sky as its shadow quickly skimmed the facade of the apartment building. Inside the atmosphere was calm and introspective. Damon and Larissa patiently waited for the shaman's response.
