“One of our most densely populated planets sent an expedition to investigate. In fact, you actually visited that planet – I believe you referred to it simply as G3-Alpha. All they found was what you saw: a devastated colony. There were no survivors or any evidence of the attackers. It looked like they left immediately after the attack since the planet was deserted. However, we now think they remotely monitored our expedition, and used them to identify the location of G3-Alpha.” Alpha paused as if to take a deep breath before continuing, “They returned last year and destroyed G3-Alpha.”
“But there was a six-hundred-year gap. Why?” Don asked.
“We can only assume that it corresponds to the travel time from Epsilon Eri D to their home world, or some other location, and then to G3-Alpha. Plus, they may have taken some time to prepare a larger fleet considering the magnitude of their attack. But, we don’t really know.”
“And now they’re here in this system,” Don said softly.
“Yes,” Alpha replied.
“And you’re just hiding from them,” Don added unnecessarily.
“Yes,” Alpha replied again. “There isn’t anything else we can do.”
They sat in silence. Instinct told Jack to consider their options; but, there were none. He didn’t know enough about any of this. Reflexively he took a mental inventory of the IPVs’ capabilities, and realized the futility. Their own technology was pitiful compared to Alpha’s or this enemy. All he could do was sit there and stare impotently at his alien hosts.
“I am sorry to have told you this,” Alpha said.
The silence continued until Jack finally swallowed his pride and asked, “Will your government or home world send help?”
“We don’t have a government,” was Alpha’s unemotional response.
“I mean whoever or whatever central authority you have,” Jack said, annoyed at being taken so literally. “You must have some organization; some sort of defense.”
“We have none,” Alpha said.
“What do you mean?” Don asked.
“Think of it. What is the purpose of a government? Alpha asked.
“What the hell has this got to do with anything?” Don shot back.
“Why do you have a government?” Alpha pressed.
Don just stared at the alien without bothering to answer, so Kurt replied, “I don’t know; we’ve always had one.”
“A government’s purpose is to manage a population’s access to limited resources,”
“We don’t need a lesson in political science,” Don said, echoing their frustration.
Alpha continued, unfazed by the comment, “Think of it. All conflict, whether it be between nations, or individuals, occurs because of limited resources. Someone has something that someone else wants.”
“I think that oversimplifies things a bit,” Jack said.
“Not really,” Alpha answered. “Whether it’s food, shelter, energy, land, raw materials, finished products, you’ve always had a limited supply. You have economics and laws to manage how you distribute these things. Governments create and manage these systems. A long time ago, our technology reached the point where every individual could have anything they wanted. With our ability to travel through the galaxy, we even had enough room for individuals to stay together or leave and be alone, depending on their own desires. Any of us can go and do whatever we want. There are no limits and there is no more conflict. And as a result, there is no government.”
“Come on, not to sound crude or primitive,” Jack said, “but you must have some analogue to human nature. Not all conflict is about things and wealth. I mean there must be times where there is a struggle or rivalry between ideas. What happens when one group insists that another group do or believe things the way they do.”
“We don’t have that,” Alpha said plainly.
“That just doesn’t sound natural,” Don said with an edge.
“To some degree you are probably correct,” Alpha said with a hint of remorse.
“What?” Don shot back with surprise.
“We suspect that it relates to modifications done to our genome very deep in our past. There is no longer any record of exactly what was done and why. But, by analyzing our present genetic structure, we have reconstructed a record of most of what was changed. Some adjustments were easy to identify, such as those that clearly enhanced our physiology and removed our susceptibility to disease. Other, subtler modifications seem likely to have affected our behavior. I can only assume that some more aggressive tendencies and other psychological abnormalities were suppressed.”
“That means they changed the essence of who you are!” Don protested.
“What we are now, is who we are; we aren’t that ancient species that evolved on a distant world millions of years ago. And, as I’ve said, we have no conflict. So these changes appear to have served us well.”
Jack took a moment to consider Alpha’s statement before saying, “I don’t know. It sounds like you’ve suppressed the diversity that comes from natural variations and imperfections. In fact, genius is born from these imperfections. Our most famous and brilliant individuals accomplished what they did because of what some people would call defects in their behavior.”
“That may be the case, but we see no need for fame. Why sacrifice the chance to live in harmony so that a few individuals may be idolized? Einstein’s discoveries on your world would have happened without him. It just might have taken a little longer. Our progress through the galaxy is evidence of this.”
A heavy silence settled on them again. Jack’s mind was spinning with all of the ramifications. He didn’t know what to think first. How could every one of billions of beings actually get along? Had these aliens actually achieved some sort of Utopia? But they changed who they are; the idea seemed repulsive to him. Jack forced it all from his mind and asked, “Does anyone know you’re even here?”
“Not really,” Alpha answered. “We just decided to explore and learn what was here. Once we learned about the beings who inhabited this system, we would share this knowledge with others. But no one is ‘waiting’ for us or going to check up on us.”
“So you’re just going to sit here and hide?” Don asked.
“Yes,” Alpha said as if it were the only logical answer. “Those ships will not find us here. At some point they will move on. There is nothing else to do. For now, your ship will remain with us. Once the threat has passed, you can decide what you want to do.”
“It seems that we don’t have any choice,” Jack said with resignation.
“None of us do,” Alpha answered.
Again, the aliens gave them a moment to consider what had been said. All it led to though, was another awkward silence. They really had no choice in any of this. Jack was tempted to ask them how long they thought it might take for the enemy ships to leave, but it would just be a waste of time; they had no idea.
Kurt broke the silence, saying, “Since it appears that we do have time, I do have some more questions. If that’s not a problem.”
“That would not be a problem at all,” Alpha said. Turning to Jack, the alien continued, “In fact, captain, we would like to invite your crewmates to stay aboard our vessel for few hours to learn about the knowledge and technology we have to offer.”
The suddenness of the invitation surprised Jack. He didn’t answer right away, but instead looked to Kurt and Don. Their expressions were exactly as he would have expected. Kurt had the look of a child about to enter a toy store, and Don was the picture of confusion. He knew Don didn’t trust them, but the thought of what they could learn would be irresistible to him.
Before Jack could formulate an answer, Kurt said, “If Jack, I mean Captain Harrison has no objections, I would be honored to stay aboard.”
“Captain?” Alpha said.
Though he had his doubts, he couldn’t think of any real reason to say no. “I have no objections.” He looked to Don who was deep in thought; probably weighing all of the possible pros and c
ons.
“And Dr. Martinez, would you be willing to join us?” Gamma asked.
Don looked to Jack, who nodded, prompting him to accept with a simple, “Yes.”
“Good,” Alpha said. “As time goes on, we can create a more regular basis for you and your entire crew to participate.”
“Thank you,” Jack replied. He stood up and looked at the fruit remaining in the bowl. His expression mustn’t have been too difficult to read since Alpha said, “Please, take that with you for your crew to taste. We can also provide you with many other food items to sample. Once you’re comfortable with what we have to offer, we will replenish your supplies with anything you find acceptable.”
“Thank you again,” Jack said as he picked up the bowl. The chance to end their restricted calorie rationing would be more than welcome.
Kurt stood up and with some excitement in his voice, said, “We’ll see you in a little while.”
Jack wanted to tell him to be careful but realized the uselessness of the statement. Instead he said, “I will want a full report when you return.”
“Understood,” was Don’s reply.
Chapter 30 – July 29, 2124; 13:00:00
Kurt watched Jack disappear down the corridor, then turned back to his hosts.
“If you would follow us, we will take you to our main engineering center,” Alpha said as he backed away from the table. A door appeared to their right leading to another hallway. Without hesitating Kurt obediently followed their hosts, with Don trailing close behind. The corridor had a similar appearance to the large chamber they just left: a black, marble-like floor and smooth, pewter grey walls. He followed in silence, his eyes darting from side to side, looking for some hint of where they actually were within the ship. A moment later, they came to an intersection at which point Alpha moved to the right and allowed the other two to pass. Don followed Kurt’s lead and stopped next to Alpha.
The alien pivoted gracefully in his cart to face them and said. “I’m sorry but I will not be joining you, as there is other business to which I must attend. Please follow Beta and Gamma, and they will take care of you.”
“Thank you,” Kurt answered, and after a slight hesitation followed Beta and Gamma. The corridor continued without interruption; there were no doors or alcoves, or any decorative features along their path. The two aliens just glided ahead of them at a comfortable walking pace. A moment later they stopped near an unremarkable section of wall; without any physical motion or verbal command, an opening appeared.
“I didn’t see a door or anything,” Don whispered.
Kurt walked up next to Beta, and peered through the opening. It led into a much larger, adjacent corridor that stretched into the distance. The new hallway had an unfinished look to it, with off-white walls and a course-looking, white stone floor. It was completely empty except for a milky-white, three-meter diameter tube running down its center. It looked almost like a translucent plastic pipeline that led into the distance. He studied the strange scene and twice thought he saw flashes of color in the tube.
Beta spoke up, “This is our internal transportation system which will take us to engineering. You simply step through the tube and it will take you where you need to go. There will be no discomfort, or any real sense of motion.”
“You just step through the plastic?” Kurt asked.
“It’s not plastic,” Beta replied.
“I should’ve guessed that,” Kurt said softly.
Another flash of color swept by, prompting Don to exclaim, “What the...” but his voice trailed off. Kurt took advantage of Don’s pause and asked politely, “How does it work? And, how fast will we be going?”
“I can explain everything when we get to engineering,” Beta replied.
“No, I think I’d like to know before I get in,” Don pressed.
“You’ll be moving at about five-hundred k-p-h.”
“What?” Don said as he stepped back.
“It uses gravitational field manipulation and inertial control devices. You will simply feel like you’re floating,” Beta said reassuringly. I will go first, then you two – one at a time. Gamma will follow afterwards.”
Without any hesitation, Beta glided into the tube and instantly disappeared from view. Noting their reluctance, Gamma said, “What Beta was trying to say is that we can manipulate gravitational fields so that you will be simply falling along the tubes. It’s closest analogy to your technology would be electrical wiring. The copper wire, your conductor, creates a low resistance path that guides electric field lines. This is the means by which your electrons, the components of your electric current, flow along the wire. In this case, we’ve created a way to guide gravitational field lines along a desired path. Thus when you step through, you will simply be following those guided gravitational field lines, and as a result, feel like you’re in free-fall. You won’t have any sensation of motion. In fact, it’s even the basis of the technology we use to propel our ship.”
“Amazing,” was all that Kurt could manage. He couldn’t begin to imagine even the basics of how it might work. His curiosity pulled him toward the tube and he reached out to touch it. It felt like nothing was there; his hand just passed through its surface. “Simply amazing,” he repeated as he stepped in.
His weight instantly disappeared and he felt as if he were floating. He looked back, but everything was gone. All that was visible was a grey blur, disrupted by occasional flashes of bright light. Without warning, his surroundings suddenly became clear and defined. Before he could figure out what was happening, an unseen force gently pushed him onto a platform where Beta was patiently waiting. “Incredible,” Kurt whispered. “You have to tell me how all of this works.”
“Of course,” Beta answered. “We have much that we can share. Though, it will take time.”
The platform had the feel of a subway stop, and Kurt took to his old habit of looking down the corridor for the lights of an oncoming train. He smiled upon realizing that he probably wouldn’t see any sign of Don until he arrived.
“Where is he,” Kurt asked impatiently.
“Dr. Martinez is in transit right now.”
A second later there was a blur of motion in the tube in front of him and Don appeared. It took a moment for the scientist to exit and regain his footing, at which point he quickly backed away from the device. Don looked straight at him, but said nothing; his face was a mix of shock and amazement.
Before Kurt could say anything, Gamma glided onto the platform beside them. Beta then said, “Shall we proceed?”
“Yes please,” Kurt answered.
They entered a brightly lit oval room that might have been twenty meters across. The floor and ceiling were perfectly white, being separated by a nearly featureless, beige wall. Evenly spaced every few meters around the room’s perimeter were small rectangular alcoves, just large enough to fit an alien on one of their carts. Aside from that, the room was empty. There were no tables, chairs or equipment of any kind.
“This is our engineering control center,” Beta said. “Before you ask, I’ll explain a little. As you likely guessed, we make use of technology implanted in us to interface with the ship. It’s similar in nature, but more complex and integrated than the implants we gave you. We can control all engineering and system functions directly with our minds.”
Kurt figured Gamma must have seen their confused expressions since he added, “Basically, when we want, we can focus our attention on a sophisticated virtual reality that provides us with all of the ... I guess you would call them instruments, controls and data we need to make decisions and take action. It is vastly faster than using physical interfaces like keyboards, switches and screens.”
Beta then continued, “The purpose of this room is to allow us to work together in the same control session. By using these alcoves, we can share the same reality.”
“Impressive,” Kurt said. “And you just switch into this reality or virtual world just like that?”
“Yes,”
Gamma said, “that is correct. In fact, your implants are capable of receiving and processing some visual data as well as our thoughts. With your permission we would like to use these to help you view and understand some of the information we’d like to share.”
“So, we’d be in one these sessions with you?” Don asked.
“In a limited sense, yes,” Beta answered. “You wouldn’t be able to interact with what you see, but you would be able to see it.”
Kurt looked to Don and said, “Well, we’ve come this far already.”
Don shrugged his shoulders and said, “OK.”
“Good,” Beta replied. The aliens backed into adjacent alcoves leaving them standing alone in the center of the room. Feeling a twinge of self-consciousness, Kurt wondered whether he should walk into an alcove as well. His attention, though, was quickly drawn back to their hosts as Beta said, “Since there is so much material to see, I think it would be best to start with what interests you most. Please, just ask a question or suggest a topic.”
Kurt opened his mouth to start speaking, but Don jumped in ahead of him, “I’d like to know more about how we got here. I don’t mean your tram system in the ship or whatever it is. I mean how we managed to jump from star system to star system.”
There was a brief moment of silence before Gamma spoke. “Please give us a moment so that we can answer appropriately.”
Prelude to Extinction Page 33