That Serenely Smiling Sleep, Though ...

A fractal made in Apophsis 2.09 and overald upon itself

“Approved” – the word for which we all live, from parents, from all manner of people, and from whoever we love and worship.

At last, Admiral Benjamin Banneker-Jackson, 82 years old, heard the second-most important approval of his life … a change in how warp drives operate that would allow humanity to continue its exploration of the galaxy into the future … a safeguard in the engineering of all fleet engines that would satisfy all other civilizations who were concerned. His greatest scientific work (thus far) not only was completed, but would be enacted.

“So how do you feel, Uncle Admiral, about this great triumph?” I said.

“I'm 82, Captain Niece. I need a nap. I shall dream of your future, as a commodore, an admiral, or again retired, going wherever you want and being welcomed … I have given my best to you and yours, Khadijah, and ours across the human race to whom the future belongs. But me? I need a nap.”

He would sleep for two days. Aunt Almira would permit no one to disturb him, but, being who she was, did let me come peek at him just to say, “Doesn't he look just like a ciliated Brulrliahu Smiil?”

We laughed until we cried outside his bedroom door … he really was just that beautiful, the burden of humanity at last off of his dreams.

The Smiils of Brulrliahu come in two forms: ciliated, with their long hairs beneath their tentacles and suckers, and naked, without the hairs. The ciliated form is better known for its serene appearance of a smile when its bell, tentacles, and hairs were unfurled, quietly sifting plankton, algae, and bacteria from its local waters. They could be in this resting mode for weeks in a resource-rich environment, and were just as much at home in fresh, brackish, or salt water, so, wherever there were significant amounts of water flows on Brulrliahu, there they were, serenely smiling and resting. Now, if riled up, Smills were ferocious defenders of themselves and their family units, and were relentless hunters whenever they felt the need. Either way, a human was snack size … but you would never guess that, looking at their beautiful smiles!

The majority of the sentient beings in the galaxy could be excused if they had seen my uncle in bed and thought of him as another old man enjoying his dreams … yet that was the sleep of a man whose dreams have been fulfilled.

“And, he didn't have to remove as many obstacles as he thought,” Aunt Almira said.

“Many people were blessed with common sense and stayed out of the way … you would have a better chance with a hungry Smiil than getting in the way of my uncle on a mission,” I said.

“Yes, indeed,” Aunt Almira said. “But now, he is getting his rest, and we have a party to plan!”

“We do?” I said.

“Well, of course – I keep telling you, Khadijah: first of all, wherever I am, there also is the party. But second, and for real: you and your command crew need this moment with him as he needs it with you. But, not today. It is not often that a human attains the resting beauty of a ciliated Brulrliahu Smiil, and he has more than earned that honor, too!

“He has indeed,” I said, and we laughed again, happy for him, us, and humanity.