Lower than the Angels

Chapter 6, The Dark Matter Era

"Alright, mister smarty pants, making me listen to all that, then saying all I need to remember is the number 137! You got some 'splainin to do."

Tengri looked a bit sheepish. He clarified. "I said you should remember that there are 137 different kinds of dark matter."

"So? What's the big deal?"

"We know that the initial creation of the physical universe, from a time perspective, was energy-dense, with no matter at all, right?"

Kore nodded.

"The first era of stable matter seems to have been a dark matter era. We call it 'dark' because its energies are too high for our eyes to see, not too low like heat and radio. The photons are in the so-called 'dark light' band, ultraviolet and higher."

Kore nodded again.

"The first dark matter formed in the early universe when the energy density was high. In that era, when electrons hooked up with protons by giving off energy, they could give it off and gain it back in big chunks. So dark matter formed easily. Then the universe spread out so much that there were not many places where that much energy could come from. Or go to."

"I've heard of that." 

"The big deal is that when this was going on there could have been as many as 137 different types of dark matter, corresponding to different energy levels of hydrogen."

"Just like the Periodic Table?"

"You catch on quick. But not 'just like'. In the Periodic Table the atoms have different numbers of protons. In the dark matter band they're all hydrogen atoms, in the sense that they all have just one proton and one electron. What makes it a kind of periodic table is that their energy levels are so different. There are such big jumps between them that they don't easily transmute between levels. But they can combine, forming molecules analogous to our familiar chemistry."

"How analogous?"

"Analogous in that when molecules form the energies involved are much lower than the binding energies of the atoms. Two atoms of dark matter can combine without having much effect on the energy of either one. The combined energy can be just enough lower to make the molecular form stable. Due to these lower binding energies, these dark molecules can be visible in a ghostly way, giving rise to what we call ectoplasm."

"Really? Ectoplasm?"

"What else should we call it? It fits. And it makes sense that the beings of this early realm could dream such combinations into existence, much the way our own shifters do with ordinary matter. The resulting dark molecules are bound by a chemistry similar to what we know, achieving stable combinations with only slightly lower energies than the combining hydrogen allotropes."

"Allotropes. That must mean the 137 different types."

Tengri nodded. "Although 137 is the theoretical maximum. Like with our chemistry, it probably takes only a few of the easier ones to do most of the combining.

"So here's where the fun starts. We already know that it's in this ectoplasmic form that angels and other ghostly beings exist. Now we know that ectoplasm, if it's a molecular form of dark hydrogen, can have no more substance than hydrogen gas. Normally the dream existence of these beings can barely impinge on our ordinary matter. But their reality is enhanced in the Q, on the spirit level. They are ghosts, and we really can see ghosts if we're aware enough and know where to look."

"Wow! Yeah! Dema's had a lot of experience with ghosts. Let's ask her to join us!"

"Cern too. He knows that ghost antler trick."

They decided it was time for a dinner break. Kore rounded up Dema and Cern and began telling them about Tengri's conclusions while they were eating.

Dema said, "That really makes sense! It explains what I know. And then some! Count me in next time you want to talk about it."

"Like right now?"

"Works for me."

"Cern too?"

He nodded. "For sure. And maybe then we can get everyone in on it."

Tengri said, "I want to actually meet some of these dark matter beings, if we can find them. Learn some of their history. "

"Perfect!" said Dema. "I wonder if Mr. Green is one of those. If he has a dark matter body he accretes ordinary matter to when he wants to be visible. Probably not, but I'd bet he knows about them."

"It would be fun to meet a for-real angel."

"Let's go for it! We can link up in the Q and start exploring."

Tengri was thrilled.