that was just one tactic, the most primitive. There were others. Suicide squads of plasmoids could turn a star into a
giant laser and sterilize its system. Organisms causing virulent diseases could rain down from the darkness of space, as virtually
undetectable spores tailored to the sentient inhabitants. Seas could be poisoned, icefields melted, acid oceans neutralized,
mountains flattened, forests set ablaze. Atmospheres could be infiltrated with corrosive oxygen or stripped away with blasts
of energetic particles. Protective magnetic fields could be stolen. Stabilizing moons could be abducted.
A planet was a fragile place to live if someone wanted you and all your kind dead.
The only defense—if that was the word—was a preemptive strike. Kill your fellow being before it kills you. And
that
philosophy would get everybody killed.
It would rid the Galaxy of its infections. But the infections didn’t want that.
Mutual coexistence, pan-specific symbiosis—it was such an obvious idea. There was no rational alternative. For perhaps the
first time in history, anywhere in the Galaxy, a religion had arisen with an entirely rational basis. Its dissemination was
a precious trust, and no effort, however extreme, would be spared in bringing it to every corner of the Galaxy.
The high acolyte’s voice, explaining these well-known facts, ended in a squeal of triumph. The blimp pivoted and settled into
its relaxation pose. After a short, democratic vote of the entire congregation, the Illensan was chosen to speak next. The
translation devices automatically reset to pick up the ultrahigh frequencies employed by its kind.
“Fellow servants, as we approach the next recipients of our message of cosmic harmony, those poor benighted lifesouls on the
ocean world without a moon, we must not allow the excitement of our mission to deflect us from the foundations of our faith.
Let us all remember this,” the Illensan declaimed, “when we talk of the Memeplex of the One.” To his horror, Sam found himself
fighting a sudden attack of boredom. Hadn’t they just been over that ground? Oh, how weak he was, despite his devotion to
the Church. He tried to banish the unwanted thoughts. “But, by definition, a memeplex is multiple,” the Illensan continued.
“How, then, can a multiplicity represent a unity?”
Good point, Sam realized. Hadn’t thought of that. Maybe this was going to be worth hearing. Anyway, he wasn’t supposed to
be here to enjoy himself; he was here because it was right to be here, and to prepare for the task ahead.
The Illensan waited for the paradox to register with the assembled lifesouls. “What is a memeplex? It is a network of mutually
supportive ideas, which collectively cause each other to be propagated. Old-style religions did not understand the means of
their own success, but the Church of Cosmic Unity suffers no such delusions. It is entirely aware of the reasons for its universal
appeal, and it celebrates them! A memeplex is not simply an accident, my fellows. It makes a statement that intelligent minds
are eager to hear—a statement so compelling that it must be passed on to others.
“And not just one statement: an entire system of them. Not any memeplex, but
the
Memeplex. So powerful is the Memeplex that through it, and it alone, entire worlds can attain the ultimate bliss of Heaven!
Many have done so. More will follow them. And to advance that process, we will now contemplate the two Great Memes, the twin
pillars of the Memeplex.” The Illensan paused to adjust its powerball. “Huff Elder herself enunciated these twin memes in
the earliest days of the Prime Mission. They are mutually complementary, and between them they form the basis of everything
we do. And
that
is how many can be one.”
Unbidden, the Great Memes rose to the forefront of Sam’s mind. He had been trained to recite them since before he could walk.
The First Great Meme, the Illensan
giant laser and sterilize its system. Organisms causing virulent diseases could rain down from the darkness of space, as virtually
undetectable spores tailored to the sentient inhabitants. Seas could be poisoned, icefields melted, acid oceans neutralized,
mountains flattened, forests set ablaze. Atmospheres could be infiltrated with corrosive oxygen or stripped away with blasts
of energetic particles. Protective magnetic fields could be stolen. Stabilizing moons could be abducted.
A planet was a fragile place to live if someone wanted you and all your kind dead.
The only defense—if that was the word—was a preemptive strike. Kill your fellow being before it kills you. And
that
philosophy would get everybody killed.
It would rid the Galaxy of its infections. But the infections didn’t want that.
Mutual coexistence, pan-specific symbiosis—it was such an obvious idea. There was no rational alternative. For perhaps the
first time in history, anywhere in the Galaxy, a religion had arisen with an entirely rational basis. Its dissemination was
a precious trust, and no effort, however extreme, would be spared in bringing it to every corner of the Galaxy.
The high acolyte’s voice, explaining these well-known facts, ended in a squeal of triumph. The blimp pivoted and settled into
its relaxation pose. After a short, democratic vote of the entire congregation, the Illensan was chosen to speak next. The
translation devices automatically reset to pick up the ultrahigh frequencies employed by its kind.
“Fellow servants, as we approach the next recipients of our message of cosmic harmony, those poor benighted lifesouls on the
ocean world without a moon, we must not allow the excitement of our mission to deflect us from the foundations of our faith.
Let us all remember this,” the Illensan declaimed, “when we talk of the Memeplex of the One.” To his horror, Sam found himself
fighting a sudden attack of boredom. Hadn’t they just been over that ground? Oh, how weak he was, despite his devotion to
the Church. He tried to banish the unwanted thoughts. “But, by definition, a memeplex is multiple,” the Illensan continued.
“How, then, can a multiplicity represent a unity?”
Good point, Sam realized. Hadn’t thought of that. Maybe this was going to be worth hearing. Anyway, he wasn’t supposed to
be here to enjoy himself; he was here because it was right to be here, and to prepare for the task ahead.
The Illensan waited for the paradox to register with the assembled lifesouls. “What is a memeplex? It is a network of mutually
supportive ideas, which collectively cause each other to be propagated. Old-style religions did not understand the means of
their own success, but the Church of Cosmic Unity suffers no such delusions. It is entirely aware of the reasons for its universal
appeal, and it celebrates them! A memeplex is not simply an accident, my fellows. It makes a statement that intelligent minds
are eager to hear—a statement so compelling that it must be passed on to others.
“And not just one statement: an entire system of them. Not any memeplex, but
the
Memeplex. So powerful is the Memeplex that through it, and it alone, entire worlds can attain the ultimate bliss of Heaven!
Many have done so. More will follow them. And to advance that process, we will now contemplate the two Great Memes, the twin
pillars of the Memeplex.” The Illensan paused to adjust its powerball. “Huff Elder herself enunciated these twin memes in
the earliest days of the Prime Mission. They are mutually complementary, and between them they form the basis of everything
we do. And
that
is how many can be one.”
Unbidden, the Great Memes rose to the forefront of Sam’s mind. He had been trained to recite them since before he could walk.
The First Great Meme, the Illensan
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