The cities facilitated communication by automatically translating words from either side of the barriers into the appropriate form and content into the other. As expected, the younger generations accepted each other as individuals despite their outward biological forms.
Art and philosophy flourished as each race was influenced by the other, creating a fusion that supplemented rather than superseded the predecessors. Volunteers in both cities and from both races returned as ambassadors to each home-world, and the interstellar engines came to life once more for the long journeys back to their respective planets of origin.
Pablo and the Dodecapod Head Librarian on the other floating city stayed in space at the request of their PDA's and faced each other through their comm screens the morning after the split-off planet-bound departed.
Since neither could see or hear the other's PDA, and both of the holograms were extensions of the combined cities, Woogie and his counterpart spoke as one in response to Pablo and the other Librarian.
"I am incredibly proud and pleased with both populations. The willingness on either side to learn from the other has been inspirational.
A large portion of that success is due to the hard work of both of you head Librarians, and because of that success, I think we can move on to the next step into the universal community."
"Thank you, Woogie. I think I can guess what will happen next. I have also come to know my colleague well enough that I'm sure she does too."
The Dodecapod rumbled a vibration of assent, which came through the translator as "Yup."
"I expected no less from either of you. The first exo-species contact and integrations are the hardest to accomplish, but each succeeding step increases the complexity of the situation exponentially. The rewards are well worth the effort, but the overall process will be much, much longer, and slower."
"So, when do we get to meet the new race?"
"Races."
"Races? More than one?"
"The process works best with races of similar benchmarks concerning their social growth. Just as you two have developed together after encountering a single exo-lifeform, two other species are close by who also recently co-mingled for the first time.
Since all four species have reacted similarly well, I predict a super-culture will eventually form and become the jewel of this section of the universe. This is what I meant about more complexity. And remember, it is not only about the two melded cultures, but all four original cultures mostly remain intact on each home-world."
The Dodecapod translator issued an inarticulate whistle at the enormity of the plan.
"Given the elaborate needs and endlessly complex challenges involved, I have decided to appoint a prime Librarian as the penultimate authority. The prime will settle any disputes which arise between the four sub-Librarians.
I shall continue to preserve the power to intervene should I consider it necessary, but I prefer to only facilitate. Besides, I have full confidence in the abilities of all the head Librarians.
Any one of the four of you could fulfill the duties of prime, but I believe the strongest in his ability for fairness lies with Pablo. I leave it to you both to appoint a local head Librarian successor from among your descendants."
Pablo was so stunned he could not think, let alone speak. The translator voiced an old Dodecapod proverb, followed by a sincere form of congratulations tinged with relief that she had not been chosen for the honor. Pablo was familiar with the human version of the saying, which went, "You don't have to swim faster than the predator, you only have to swim faster than your companion."
The more his thoughts spun up, the more frightened Pablo became at the size of the task ahead. For a moment, he sincerely wished the city had chosen anyone else. He then turned his attention to review the incredible society Humans and Dodecapods had created together, and prayed he would be up to the task and vowed to do his best, and better than that if required.
~o0o~
Ten thousand years went by, and the task was nowhere near finished. The majority of that time had been spent in slow progress as each race vied to find commonality with the other three.
The city carefully matched humans and Dodecapods as each other's initial contacts based on the number of similarities in their evolution and biochemistry. Cephalopod and Primate basic design may not have been identical but were orders of magnitude closer than to the other pair of aliens.
As Pablo decided to call them, the Bubbles initially developed on a gas-giant planet. They seemed to be made of nothing more than clear sacks of a thick membrane, with various structures that floated within, seemingly at random.
The Amoeboids were cohesive gobbets of molten metal and crystals, evolved on their home of oceans and rivers of magma within a cooling, former Sun. The two new races had developed parallel social development as both were of malleable and amorphous shape and moved through endless environments only slightly more viscous than themselves.
Despite enormous differences, all four races shared high intelligence and curiosity and maintained relationships and bonding with family and friends. These traits led to arts and sciences that were eventually shared and appreciated across racial barriers.
For many years, the ambassadors that ventured through the inter-dimensional gates remained mostly a curiosity to their new acquaintances. As Prime Librarian, Pablo put all his efforts into getting to know the Head Librarians as individual people and later as friends.
As usual, the Library contained all the information and training necessary for the races to come together, but it was always left up to the participants to apply that training and turn it into knowledge and action.
The city structures adapted to assist in the process of assimilation. The humans were the most constrained in their travel since they were the only race that did not float or swim through their surrounding medium. The space-going-cities maintained rooms, corridors, and doors that allowed the bipeds to walk towards special wall sections in every room and enter into each of the other environments.
These special entrances formed a translucent bubble around their bodies and allowed them to walk as if on solid ground while they followed their PDA. The other three races only needed to sidle up to a wall section to see and speak to humans while staying in their own life-support systems.
The Amoeboid's world of magma posed a different issue. Their travel bubble's inside-surface displayed a translucent interpretation of structures and individuals within the alien environment from the human side.
The bubble's exterior emitted magnetic and gravitational fields that echoed what those inhabitants would have experienced if humans and their possessions would not have immediately dissolved into puddles of goo from the heat and pressure.
The latest studies by Prime Pablo's sociological assistants indicated that the integration may well reach a stability point within the next fifty-thousand years or so due to the unlimited technology, resources, extended lifespan, and population growth.
Once they achieved that impossible goal, everyone assumed the city would propose yet another integration with perhaps more participants. That concept was too daunting for anyone to seriously speculate upon.
~o0o~
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