[ WP ] Jack is an apocalypse architect . He travels the galaxy to barren planets , pre-intelligent life , and makes subtle changes to ensure that when life evolves , the planet 's inhabitants ultimately meet an apocalyptic end .

To all outward appearances, Slo'shi and Mitimbu happened upon the cave by the merest of chance. In practical point of fact, the mountains themselves had been meticulously reshaped using a highly sophisticated tectonic manipulation technique invented by the Rouri people during the great earthquake wars that ultimately killed most of their people. 
 
 The cave itself held its shape through all this twisting of the planet's crust by being reinforced with with an alloy invented on a small world in the P'car system, just before the collapse of their civilization to violent warfare. The path leading to the cave mouth, and the shape of the mountains had been pre-selected with meticulous care to play upon the racial memories passed down to Slo'shi amd Mitimbu from their species most ancient ancestors, which had been creatures not unlike the Hr'izu who now lived in the Hrabi desert. 
 
 Those racial memories triggered and subsequently reinforced by the sight of the carefully crafted landscape, now invoked a superstitious sense of awe and wonder in Slo'shi and Mitimbu at just the moment they entered that cave. So when they found the crystalline spire, they marveled for a few seconds at it's unnatural sheen and the way it lit the cave with sparkling light. 
 
 Just for a few seconds though, because the spire sensed their presence by motion detectors that had been quietly ticking away behind a slow-time field. Now, as many false times before, the field released and let the spire activate. The standing A.I. field within the crystalline spire brought into play a full suite of sensors and surreptitiously scanned Slo'shi and Mitimbu, fully expecting to once again be disappointed and return to sleep. But this time, it detected the presence of clothing and tools, and noted that the two beings were chattering animatedly to one another, in what was clearly an established language. The A.I. realized that at long last the purpose for which it's creator left it here was about to unfold. 
 
 Embedded within the walls of the cave, slow-time fields dropped one after another as bank after bank of auxiliary functionality was brought into play. One such bank began recording every word Slo'shi or Mitimbu said and analyzing everything from facial expressions to stress patterns, and apparent reactions, and over the course of a few hundred words began to sketch out a rough translation matrix. This would be key, of course. 
 
 Three other banks, seemingly distinct, but actually all necessary parts of the same system began warming up until they had enough power to project three complementary EM fields which overlapped and caused a holographic projection to appear in the midst of the cave. The form this projection took was based very loosely on the A.I.'s original programmer who had set all this up when the potential for life had first been detected here. It was adapted, on the fly, to look more like the locals, so they would not be too repulsed by the sight of it. But an idealized form, for basic psychology rules, which never seemed to change from one culture to the next said that beings always tended to implicitly trust those they found attractive, even when they had no evidence that they should. 
 
 `` Greetings!'' ( the projection told the two startled villagers in their own language ), `` My name is Jack.'' 
 
 Slo'shi and Mitimbu chattered quickly between themselves, while the linguistic banks further refined their translation matrix by adding the apparent meanings of several dozen new words. At last, Mitimbu, the braver of the two, motioned Slo'shi to silence impatiently, and stepped forward. `` Greetings....'Jak''' 
 
 The hologram seemed to consider this, and at last shrugged. `` Close enough. Say, I can tell you two are important leaders among your people. That's good. Cause what I have to say should be said only to real go-getters. Leaders. Like you clearly are.'' 
 
 `` Leaders?'' Slo'shi asked, and even Mitimbu looked confused. 
 
 `` Sure,'' Jak told them. `` You know what I mean. People look up to you. They come to you for advice, and you tell them what to do.'' 
 
 `` We do n't...'' Slo'shi began, but Mitimbu slapped him impatiently, and took the the initiative once more. 
 
 `` We *are* important people, my brother and I,'' Mitimbu said, `` Just as you say. We are the finest hunters and gathers in our tribe.'' 
 
 `` Sure, sure,'' Jak told him, somehow managing to sound both deferential and dismissive in the same breath, `` But that's not what I meant. I mean, say there was an argument about where your tribe should spend the winter or something. You two are clearly the ones everyone would listen to, right?'' 
 
 `` Well...'' Mitimbu began. 
 
 `` The tribe would talk about it long, and everyone would decide for themselves,'' Slo'shi burst in. `` A terribly important decision like that should n't be made by just two people.'' 
 
 Jak put on a look of great concern. `` But what would happen if everyone could n't agree?'' he asked, seemingly agonized. The two tribesmen were not aware that his sense of distress was amplified by subliminal adjustments in the harmonics of his vocalizer that induced in them a parallel sense of concern that underscored Jak's words, making them feel more urgent. 
 
 `` Well, then the tribe would split,'' Mitimbu admitted. 
 
 Jak looked deeply worried, and the subliminal vibrations took on a gamma level pulsation that slowly pulled the brainwaves of the tribesman into a high alert which was known to induce stress from prolonged exposure in most brain types. `` You mean, you would let some of your people go off to the wrong place, without the full tribe to look out for them, so that they might be in danger?'' he asked, making it sound like horrible, irresponsible behavior indeed from his tone. 
 
 `` What else could one do?'' asked Slo'shi, plaintively. 
 
 Jak made a tsk'ing noise and adopted a look of disdain. The subliminal harmonics altered in subtle ways that the A.I. was now convinced would induce a sensation of mental anguish in the locals' brains. `` Well,'' Jak said, `` Perhaps I *am* dealing with the wrong tribesmen after all. My *first* impression was that you were noble leaders. But it appears to me you do n't care about your tribe at all.'' 
 
 Slo'shi and Mitimbu hastened to assure the great Jak that was not true at all. They were deeply concerned. The whole tribe, they told him, cared deeply about one another at all times. And they themselves were not *unnatural*. Jak regarded their professions with a disdainful eye and assured him that he wanted to believe them but he was deeply concerned by their initial conversation. 
 
 `` Tell you what, boys,'' Jak said at last. `` I want to give you a fair chance. I really do. And I wo n't have it said that my judgement was hasty.'' The A.I. had, by this time, unfolded a series of monitor satellites from their slow-time envelopes and done a thorough scan of the surrounding area. `` What if I told you, I could ensure your tribe had the best B'shan hunt of any season in living memory? I can tell you exactly where to go, and just how to take the great beasts by surprise, and your people can have more B'shan meat and hides then they know what to do with. Would n't that be good for everyone?'' 
 
 Slo'shi and Mitimbu nodded vigorously and agreed it was. The combination of the triggered racial memories and the subliminal harmonics since encountering Jak had left their minds so impressionable it did not occur to them to question whether the great Jak could deliver on this promise. They were sure he could. Jak laid out to them exactly where the tribe must go, where they would intercept the migrating herd of B'shan, and just how to approach for maximum surprise. 
 
 `` And remember, boys,'' Jak told them, `` Anyone who questions this information has not got the best interest of the tribe at heart. You must not let them take the loyalty of the tribe from you, or the hunt will go poorly, and your people may even starve this winter.'' 
 
 Mitimbu assured Jak that they would shun anyone who tried to stop them, and drive them from the tribe. The A.I. considered pushing them further on this point, but it was not yet time. First, they needed to see that the great Jak could provide on his promises. They needed to become dependent upon him. They needed to see his words are gifts, as from a god. Only then would the A.I. introduce the notion of `` evil'' and `` enemies'' and why shunning a foe was simply not good enough. 
 
 For now, it sent to two tribesmen on their way to deliver the message of the great Jak. There was much more to be done, but the A.I. would last for ten thousand years if it slept periodically in its slow-time envelope. Little by little, it would teach this tribe the meaning of greed and ambition. If Slo'shi and Mitimbu were not ambitious enough for Jak's liking, why, others would be found to receive the great Jak's favor. Every species had its apt pupils. Jak had only to find them. 
 
 And what little marvels might this species invent before its inevitable demise? Only time would tell. But civilizations developed so much faster when competition was the norm. They also inevitably died off when their technology exceeded their wisdom, but Jak's creators would be back to harvest the bones of the deceased, and gather the leavings of this civilization. They were a patient people, living in slow-time, checking in every million years or so with their little pet projects like this one. You never knew when one of them would pay marvelous dividends. 

