I sat on the floor in the control room and thoughtfully tapped my finger against the floor. Okay, let's go over everything I know up to now. If I correctly identified this room, then it really is a control room. Access to the computer is from somewhere in here, right? Can the computer be turned on from here? Probably. Now, what is this key that I should be using? It is clear that this should be a device or mechanism by which authorization to control the computer is confirmed. Some doubt arises in the sense that it would have been easier to have the computer simply verify users using their biometric parameters. Judging by their advanced technology, this is quite possible for these aliens, especially since even we use similar concepts. On the other hand, the process of authenticating a user using biometric parameters may take some time and if this is for some reason undesirable, it might be better off to make the computer obey anyone who has some physical key which can be some kind of device or unique object. If this a device, then I probably got nothing - it is unlikely that it remained in working order after all this time. What am I even talking about? I got nothing in any case - it is highly unlikely that the computer itself was preserved and I found nothing useful in the decrypted information. Wow, I really counted on getting something out of this, although I did not fully admit it to myself. Suddenly a deep melancholy fell over me. My gaze fell on the mummy in the armchair, which I never dared to touch. I looked at it thoughtfully. It is likely that the mummy might have the key, especially if it is the only member of the crew. Slowly, I walked to the chair.

"I hope it doesn't fall apart," I thought, carefully pulling the mummy out of the chair, while at the same time unwillingly holding my breath. No, it seems this mummy is as hard as stone, as if it was petrified. I put it on the floor next to the dashboard. The mummy was not very heavy, and it remained in a sitting position with bent legs and hands. It is interesting, why is it that the clothes not only did not rot, but look like new? "What a strange material!" - I thought, and began to search its pockets. Unfortunately, the pockets contained only rubbish, which probably used to be some items, but it seems they decayed over the years. Overall, I did not find anything there. I tried to cut the fabric with a knife, but without success. i didn't even leave a scratch

"Looks like I really bummed out here," I thought desperately. If earlier I still had some hope - I could cling to a possible decoding of the inscriptions and just wait - now there was nothing to hope for anymore...

Once again looking round the cabin with a desperate look, my gaze stopped at the diadem, which after my manipulations with the mummy rolled off its head. Why not? It's quite a reasonable decision. If the diadem is the key, then it is likely that access to the system is not controlled by the biometric parameters, since the key must always be on the user's head. I hope that this is so. I picked up the diadem and examined it from all sides. It doesn't look like a technological device. Just a piece of solid metal, without any inscriptions and drawings, with some evenly scattered pebbles on the surface. Approaching the chair, I slowly sank into it. It's strange, even though it looks like metal, it is comfortable to sit in. I threw a quick glance at the mummy. Well, well, let's try this out. I lowered the diadem on my head. At first nothing happened and I already began calming down, but after a while I shouted from surprise. I jumped up, tore the diadem off my head and threw it away from me. My heart was beating like a jack hammer. It moved! I clearly felt how it began to shrink push onto my head! Calming down, I sat down again in the armchair and, suspiciously eyeing the diadem lying on the floor, began to think. Only now I finally got a wonderful thought: it WORKED! I don't know what kind of technology was used to make this diadem, but after who knows how many years it still works. So it is completely possible that the local computer can work as well. Wow! Well done guys. My computer will probably already wear out after a couple of years and die.

I confidently picked up the diadem, put it on my head, squeezed my eyes shut, and waited for the events to unfold. It began gently contracting on my head. "It'll crush my skull, damn it!" flashed by in my mind, but no. After tightly clasping my head, the diadem froze. Nothing happened. I opened my eyes. Certainly something has changed in the room. I did not immediately realize it, but the spectrum of light had changed. It appeared green. After a while, green was replaced with blue. As so, different colors appeared and disappeared. "Maybe it's in my eyes?" - I thought. Then in my head sounds appeared and disappeared, like a whisper. For a second my eyes darkened, and again everything returned to normal. I was already tired of all these new experiences. Suddenly, fatigue fell on me like a ton of bricks, and I passed out. However, very soon I woke up, as if someone pulled me back into reality, a charge of energy ran through my body, completely waking me. Turned out I was unconscious for about ten minutes. There was silence all around me, but it was an unusual silence. I clearly felt someone's presence nearby. Looking around, I saw no one. What happened? If this diadem somehow works directly with my brain (this may very well be true), then we can assume that it did some sort of scan on me, or it was tuning in to me. So, if it's all over now, then either I'm tuned in and was given access, or nothing happened.

"Hey, computer, answer me!" I said. God, how did my voice get so creaking?

"Please wait a minute, the information is being processed," I heard in my head. Or did I imagine it?

I froze.

Hmm. Something seems familiar. What, is it now going to say something like "thirty percent has processed."

"Ninety-five percent has been processed," I clearly heard disapproval in the voice.

I squeezed my head into my shoulders. Heck, its reading my thoughts!

"Damage analysis is complete. Processing of the information received from the operator is completed. The adjustment to the mental and psychophysical parameters of the operator has been completed."

Damn, how does it know my language? Moreover, such phrases are typical computer generated phrases. If it were not for the latest events, by God, I would have thought that this is my own computer playing a joke on me.

Without moving I sat in silence for about five minutes, afraid to even think about anything.

In the end, I was tired of sitting still like a statue and relaxed my shoulders - it turns out I was sitting in a terribly uncomfortable pose.

"Can you hear me?" I asked in a whisper.

In response all I get is silence, damn it. How can I attract the computer's attention? I scratched my head and rephrased the question.

"Computer, answer me!" I demanded, looking around.

"I am listening," said the same voice in my head.

"That's better," I thought, delighted.

"How do you know my language?" I decided to ask the first question.

"As a result of adjusting to the mental and psychophysical parameters of the new operator," the computer answered with a slight delay.

Hmm... interesting. It seems that this configuration procedure involves poking around in the brains of the operator and that is not good. What if it does not like something in there. Oh, I should also find out more about how it reads my thoughts.

"Can you read my mind?" I froze.

"Yes."

"That sucks," I mentally cursed.

"What did I just think of?" I asked with interest.

"'That sucks'," the computer answered. "Judging by the intent related to the word, this is a curse."

Wow! And where did he get this related intent?

"Do you read all of my thoughts?" I was completely taken by my passion for investigation.

"Only those that are mentally pronounced by the operator," almost immediately answered the computer. It seems the delays between its answers are getting shorter, by the way.

"Well, thank God," I thought with relief.

"What god of those fifteen mentioned in your memory?" the computer suddenly asked.

Hmm, it seems I need to stop mentally pronouncing my thoughts, since its somewhat uncomfortable having an extra listener in my head.

"Do not pay attention," I waved my hand. "It's just an expression. And you, did you read all of my memory?"

"No, only areas related to linguistic and conceptual data."

Phew! Thank God, now it is clear how I should behave, so as to not cause trouble.

"Listen, how should I address you?"

The computer paused for a moment.

"The closest concept in your language is a computer."

"No, that is too uninteresting and uncomfortable," I grinned. "How about I call you Smarty, okay? And you call me Nick."

"Accepted."

Damn, he talks like some kind of simple computer. He could least add in some emotions. I finally calmed down and even began to enjoy the conversation.

"Listen!" A thought flashed through my mind. "Can you fulfill commands that I give you? And anyway, what is my access level?"

"Your level of access is the maximum."

Oh, is that right!? I rubbed my hands with anticipation.

"Why do I have such a high level of trust?"

"The access of the previous operator expired one hundred thousand three hundred and forty universal years ago. According to paragraph 12 of the 'Security Policy', the system can not be completely blocked from external access. One hundred years after the expiration of all operators' access, administrative access is given to the first user with the appropriate mental and psychophysical parameters."

That's a mouthful! With each answer I get out of Smarty, I just get more questions. Okay, let's start in order.

"Why can you proficiently use the terminology that I know? Did you take all this from my brain?"

"Yes, I search in a database, created based on an image of your brain, for similar concepts, which then I translate into your language. There is a possibility of incorrect use of some terms due to their wide range of semantic meanings, depending on how they are used. I am learning, and in time such incidents will not occur anymore."

Okay... For the time being, we will leave that topic alone. Still, it is unclear how he could quickly find his way around in my brains.

"Listen," I jumped to the next question. "Why are my mental and psychophysical data considered acceptable?"

"You are practically no different from the last operator. There are only two differences: your brain does not work at its full strength, and access to the information fields is blocked."

"I do not understand. Are you saying that the previous operator was a human?" I said, glancing at the mummy. "What about the third eye?"

"What third eye?" it sounded like Smarty was kind of surprised.

"This one," I pointed my finger to the third eye of the mummy, "on its forehead."

"He is not a human and is not the previous operator."

From further interrogation, I got a very interesting story. This station really is a spaceship. Representatives of the race that built it, people who have long ago ventured into space, discovered many mysteries of the Universe, but many things remained unknown to them. These people were extremely curious and traveled on such ships throughout the galaxy, trying to discover something new. The only thing that, in my opinion, distinguished them from the people of my race: they preferred solitude and could live alone for many years. Although some of them also lived in small, closely-knit groups. They had the ability to communicate with friends at any distance, and for most this method of communication was quite enough for them. Perhaps because of this, their numbers gradually decreased. In addition, they could create worlds (not entire universes, as I understood, but planetary systems), the many of them took great pleasure in this. At some point, parallel worlds were discovered. The previous operator, Dront, who was a kind of scientist, left to research the point of conjugation of these parallel worlds. As a result of some experiments, the ship fell through into this parallel world, from which it could not get out. As soon as the researcher was convinced that communication with fellow people did not work here, he began exploring the galaxy that he ended up in, Dront found this planet on which there were creatures very similar to humans. He landed and began researching. It turned out that this world has an elevated magic-background (with great reservations, Smarty agreed to consider Dront's abilities and the technologies used by him magic), but even so, this did not help him get back to his world.

After examining the local residents, Dront became convinced that the information structure of the residents lacked certain constructs that are inherent to his people. Nevertheless, they had the rudimentary ability to connect to the magical structure of space. For unknown reasons, Dront began to transform this world. Dront made his first attempts to develop the ability to use magic in the people only a hundred years after his arrival. Obviously, even a misanthrope like the Dront didn't like a hundred years of loneliness. The first attempts to develop some of the rudimentary information structures responsible for magic led to the death of the test subjects. After much research, he realized that it's all about the lack of those constructs that are in his own information structure, which apparently are meant to stabilize the magical structures. The maximum that can be achieved is to gradually develop these structures, putting a limiter that does not allow them to fully open up right away, since this will lead to death from magic overload. In addition, these structures had to develop gradually, improving from generation to generation, although, not in every person. So, the local people could become mages, but not as strong as Dront himself.

No way, there are magicians here!? My jaw simply crashed through the floor from this. Even without this news everything looks so much like a fantasy story, but now... However, all this can directly influence me, so I continued to listen carefully.

It was sad, but Dront did not give up. He has long been connected to the information field of the planet and inserted something like a virus into it, that gradually began to change this field. In turn, the field influenced the inhabitants of this world. The results began to manifest themselves only after the second hundred years of Dront's stay on the planet (wow, how old was he?). Unfortunately, only one third of the inhabitants were closely connected with the info-field of the planet. They became the first magicians. Abilities toward magic, that is, the necessary information structures, could be inherited, but sometimes, unfortunately, they are completely lost, while others are manifested after another a generation.

It turned out that my information structure contains the same constructs as Dront's, which allowed Smarty to accept me as an operator, but there were also some differences. As Smarty said, I have a large volume of constructs and connections which are currently disconnected and not functioning. The connection with the information flows has also been blocked for some reason. The power of my brain is not completely in use which, perhaps, is associated with this blockage. After all, to process the huge mass of information flowing through the brain from the information field as well as what is generated by the brain itself, huge computing power is needed, which seems to be turned off due to it not being used.

Interesting. After all, on Earth we have long known that the brain is not used at its full capacity. But, there seems to be some kind of discrepancy here. It seems that someone long ago blocked these abilities in the Earth's people or just did not give them the opportunity to develop. I have always been skeptical of the theory that people evolved from monkeys, but here such facts are revealed. It seems that somebody influenced our race's origins.

Unfortunately, the Dront did not take into account one circumstance: gods lived here. He simply didn't notice them. There were some inconsistencies in the structure of the information field of the galaxy, which included the field of the planet, which he simply disregarded as local anomalies. He was lucky that the gods were not present in this world (or near this planet) all of the time. Only when the first weak magicians appeared and began to exert some influence on the info-net, the gods started to notice what was happening.

Then, the most terrible thing happened. The gods did not take time to investigate, instead unleashing all of their divine wrath on him as soon as they located the disturbance. That is, they struck him. As Smarty later analyzed the situation, Dront had all the chances to survive and even give the local gods a good beating. They were not any stronger than him. Just that the factor of surprise did its thing. This is what killed him.

I asked Smarty to explain this moment in more detail. Before that, I took the whole story as a tale about a hacker, that the local administrators kicked out of their net, and killed. From Smarty further explanations, it turned out that with the help of the info-field it is perfectly possible to work with physical matter. One only has to form a certain information structure, set its properties and give it energy. As a result, you get the physical embodiment of the object described by the structure. It turns out you can create objects and even living organisms from nothing. Everything depends on the person's imagination, their ability to specify the parameters of the object's structure and the width of the channel with the info-net.

Cool! This really impressed me. I asked how difficult it is to create living organisms in contrast to static ones. Smarty explained everything perfectly well in terms of my favorite language - programming. To create an object, you need to define its class. To have some properties, they must be set in this class and values should be assigned ​​to them. Thus it is possible to make, for example, a dead cobblestone. But in order to create a living being, in this class, in addition to properties, it is necessary to create a behavioral algorithm, preferably self-learning. Based on this class, a creature-object is created.

"Can the local mages create living beings?" I asked Smarty.

As it turned out, yes they can. I thought for a moment: considering how many parameters would be needed, the complexity of the behavioral model - and realized that either I'm really bad, or the local "reality programmers" are so badass that they can create everything themselves, or is there something else here. As it turned out, it's actually very simple. It is enough to copy and store the information matrix of an existing object, and based on this matrix you can create complete duplicates of the object. To create a completely new object, you can make changes to the copied matrix, mix it with other matrices ("typical inheritance," I grinned), which makes the work much easier. This is how different kinds of monsters appeared, which are produced by the local mages, but there will be more on this later.

Somehow, everything sounds too simple. Think it, give it energy and you got it. Perhaps, Smarty is not giving me all the information or, maybe, he does not know everything.

I interrupted the conversation with Smarty, fidgeted in the armchair, which suddenly clicked and took on a form convenient for me. A little surprised at this, I thought about it, trying to process the information I received. In Smarty's whole story, I was struck by several key points. Well, about magic, I realized: it's a pretty convenient thing. But how could it be that a man (Dront was undoubtedly a man), according to Smarty, was stronger than the gods? Also, if you consider that Dront, with great difficulty and with a huge amount of time, could only make minor adjustments to the development of the local population, it is unlikely that the local gods were the ones who created this world.

"Say, Smarty," I asked thoughtfully into the space in front of me. "Is it true that the local gods participated in the creation of this world?"

"No, of course not," snorted Smarty. Wow, it seems he is starting to show some emotions. "They are simply energy vampires. Such vampires exist in the world where Dront came from, only the people control them, to make sure they do not do harm, but here, it seems, there is nobody to control them. Such vampires find worlds with living beings, and use certain actions to make them believe that they are gods. Then, they siphon energy from the people through their faith. Even the most primitive individuals can give them energy."

"What if none of the gods are in the world at the time, since as I understand, they are not constantly present here? Where does the energy go then?" I asked.

"This works in different ways." Smarty paused. "The energy of faith is specifically directed to a being, therefore it can not be accepted by another god. Such energy first accumulates in the info-field of the planet, and after a certain period of time it dissipates if the god to whom it is directed does not take it. Therefore, the gods periodically visit their pastures, and, if there is not enough energy, they angrily remind the locals of their existence. By the way, the gods often compete with each other for the faith of the people. Sometimes it comes to wars. Each god usually has several such pastures."

"We strayed from my question. I wanted to ask, who created this world? If the gods have nothing to do with it, did all of it appear and develop on its own?"

Smarty was silent for a while, and then he answered:

"You see, Nick, people have been trying to find an answer to this question for a long time. I mean, the people of Dront's race. There are some things, the probability of natural manifestation of which is simply microscopically small. There are many such things, but I will not go into much more depth. Although at the same time, studies have not confirmed the presence of God, or more correctly, a Demiurge. In other words, I do not know."

"All right, let's close that topic for now," I muttered. "So what really happened with the gods' attack?"

"Everything is very simple. After finding the troublemaker - Dront wasn't really hiding in the first place - they united and formed a direct energy channel at the ship, pushing a huge amount of energy through it, which then transformed into a very hard substance at the point of impact and caused strong magical radiation ("So that's how the opening in the wall was made!" - I remembered the way out of the ship). They struck several such blows. All of the info-crystals were damaged by the radiation. Compute modules, navigators, coordinators, control modules for the engines. Only I remained unharmed, since initially my crystal was encased in a special protective structure."

"Wait, are you saying there are no electronics in you?" I was surprised yet again. "Are you a crystal?"

Smarty fell silent again.

"Well, yes," he finally answered. "I analyzed the concept of "electronics", but it does not seem similar to my structure, although I do not have enough data. I really am represented by a solid crystal."

"And how do you interact with the environment?" For me, all this was unexpected.

"Through all the same info-structures."

What a discovery!

"Wait, does this mean that you are a crystal with the ability to use magic?" I just couldn't wrap my head around that.

"Well..." stretched Smarty, it seems that such a statement made him a little puzzled, "I guess you can say that. However, I do not know how to create new structures, as Dront did himself. I can only use those that were built into me initially, as well as those that Dront added himself."

"I guess I understand," I answered, stretching. That's it, the limit of how much new information I can absorb in one day is exhausted. "Okay, Smarty, I think I'll sleep a little for now, I need to organize all of this in my head, and I want to sleep... My brain really needs its rest."

My head is simply overloaded from all the new information. It is necessary to think everything over and get some sleep. One last question remained, which I could not resist asking:

"Smarty, tell me, how did it happen that hundreds of thousands of years have passed and you are still functioning and the ship's metal has not rusted?"

"My crystal is not subject to aging, just like the metal of the ship. Besides, it's not so much metal but, if I may say so, a special metal alloy, reinforced by a certain info-structure or magic, as you call it. It can safely be immersed into the Sun's surface without sustaining any damage. Now you can understand how much power the local gods used to attack the ship."

The last of Smarty's words only barely reached me through my drowsiness as I finally fell asleep.