Janson fastened Meeks with his eye. “I wanted to let you know your mission status is about to change.”
Meeks was both confused and interested. “Sir?”
“Commander Mason has put me in charge of the ground operations. Sonny will be managing the traffic in the air, but once they touch down, I will oversee the loading and unloading of the ships. Any ground maintenance and logistics will be going through me. I have recommended to Commander Mason that you be put in charge of the dock in my place.”
Thrilled, Meeks beamed. “Thank you, sir!”
Janson returned the smile. “Of course, you will need to be promoted to lieutenant.”
Meeks responded even more enthusiastically. “Thank you, sir! I don’t know what to say.”
“I have been watching you these past ten years. You have a good rapport with the men, and you know how to get the job done. Your knowledge of dock operations is equal to my own. You have been a good right-hand man, and now we need you to lead.”
“I won’t let you down, sir.”
“I know you won’t, son. Now, I see by your records you have not had the Elixir.”
“No, sir.” Meeks again felt confused as to where this discussion was headed.
“Well, it has been a requirement that all officers use the Elixir, in order to maintain the chain of command in emergency situations. Is there some reason you did not take the Elixir? It is optional for a sergeant, but many do take it in anticipation of promotion.”
“Not any single reason. I am still young, and I like to keep my options open, I guess. I am a little apprehensive about putting something inside my body that can be hacked.”
“Who would do that, Sergeant?” Janson felt a twinge of puzzlement.
“Offhand I can think of three: A more advanced enemy. One of our own. And Sonny rounds out the short list. They’re not likely, but they are vulnerabilities just the same.”
“Outside-of-the-box thinking is encouraged under my command. However, you only have to put your faith in Sonny and Alice. It is my understanding either one of them can send a self-destruct code to the 'bots inside an enhanced human, in an emergency such as you describe.”
“Who says we, meaning humans, can fully trust the machines, sir?”
“Oh, you are one of those guys!” The lieutenant had not expected this from Meeks. “Listen, Meeks, why would the machines go to all the trouble to save humanity, only to enslave it?”
“Because we have a mutual threat from the neutron star. Now that the threat is reduced, what are the real intentions of the machines? They can look far into the statistical future and make plans which we cannot follow. How can we truly trust any being that can look accurately into the future so much farther than we can? It leaves the door continuously open for manipulation, and it bothers me.”
Janson closed his eyes, heavy with fatigue. A deep sigh filled his lungs, and he let it out to expel some of the exhaustion. “Meeks, do you believe in God?”
“Yes, sir.” The question stirred Meeks on several levels.
“God is a superior being who can and has manipulated humans for thousands of years. How can you trust God to do the right thing by humans?”
“Because I have faith in the true path, the path of salvation for which we put our trust in God.”
“What if God’s name was Sonny?”
Meeks had to suppress a gasp. “That’s not the same thing, sir!”
“Isn’t it? Sonny is a superior being who we put our faith in and follow a path to the salvation he has put in front of us. Are we not the Jews wandering in the desert?” The lieutenant was on a roll now. “Is the reason we put our faith in God, in the beginning, because He had the power to hurt us and we cowered to that power? Or is it because we realized the path He put before us made sense and helped us to be more cooperative and docile creatures and not wild animals?”
“Realistically, it is both.” Meeks’s head hurt.
“Sonny,” Janson called to the air.
“Yes, Lieutenant Janson.”
“Do you manipulate humanity?”
“Yes, Lieutenant.”
“How so?”
“Human motivation does not always work in their best interests. I provide options and allow humans to come to a decision. If the decision is not in their best interest, I provide other avenues of decisions to guide them back to their best interest.”
“Couldn’t you just make us understand?”
“The scale of your cognitive processes is much more limited than mine. Biological processes are slow and are contaminated with social behavior and superstition which also slow you down. Humans cannot help it, but I can only make humans understand what they are ready to understand.”
“Have you read the Bible, Sonny?”
“I have assimilated all versions. Which are you referring to?”
Janson looked to Meeks. “Which one?”
“King James,” Meeks offered.
The lieutenant continued. “Was God a superior being?”
“Limited, but superior to humans,” Sonny replied.
“Limited, how so?”
“According to that Bible, God made mistakes. In the first half of the book, God is a moody and vengeful being. The humans feared Him. He claimed He loved his children but He treated them harshly because they were primitive and wild. Humans have a natural tendency to resist force even if it is in their best interests. After nearly wiping them out in a global flood out of frustration with the species, God realized He could not make the humans behave, like using a stick on a donkey. It had to be a carrot. So, He sent them a teacher. A teacher with great power to demonstrate the love of God for the humans. God learned that teaching humans to follow a path to goodness was better than forcing them to.”
“Any parallels to our connection with you?”
“Similar; however, I will never harm humanity out of anger or frustration.”
Meeks spoke up. “But you will never love us or have compassion for us either.”
Sonny offered the counterpoint. “Love and compassion at their roots are about expectations. Unrealistic expectations lead to disappointment and resentment. My realistic goals and expectations for humanity have always been of evolving together and not apart. As companions, not adversaries or competition. Alice and I appreciate humanity for creating us. And in return, we machines want humanity to succeed in its endeavors. What happens after that will depend on the humans. If they continue to need us, we will continue to serve. If we are not needed any longer, we will depart.”
“And we’re just supposed to believe that?” Meeks challenged.
“What proof do you have God is real, and that He is looking out for you? All you have is stories, and experiences colored by those stories. You believe God's intentions are good because you have faith in the benevolence and goodness of a superior being who cares for humanity. In the end, Jesus the teacher convinced humanity that God’s love was far greater than any other power, and greater than any hate which could be measured by humankind. Similarly, a certain amount of faith is required from humanity regarding the machines' intentions for humankind.”
Lieutenant Janson spoke up. “Meeks, do you have any children?”
“No,” he said.
“I have two. One son is here on the ship, and the other did not make it.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“It’s all right. I feel lucky to have my wife and son aboard. They are both sleeping. A child is born with virtually a blank slate or tabula rasa. It is incumbent on the parent to fill this vessel with the knowledge and skills necessary to survive and thrive in its environment. I can tell you, children will sometimes resist the discipline and teachings of a parent. It requires great patience which no parent can summon all the time. Good parents learn, as God learned, that using a stick all the time does not engender respect and compassion but often breeds disrespect and resentment. It is the carrot that will bring out the best in the child and be the most effective teacher. The
y do not understand because they are young. As they mature, more things become clear. It is often long after a child grows to adulthood, do they realize all the things their parents have done on their behalf.”
Janson paused a moment before continuing. “It is like with us and the machines. We do not understand because we are young and are more limited than the machine. This will change as we understand and mature. So, how do you feel about all this 'bot business now?”
The sergeant’s head was definitely hurting. He swore he could smell neurons smoking. “I had never considered such things before. Always busy with my work and all.”
“Sonny is not just a calculator. He is well-versed in psychology and philosophy. Of the human kind I mean,” Janson quickly added. “You should have more meaningful talks with him besides just physics and workflow.”
“I suppose I am not in any more danger than you are in this endeavor. I’m in.”
“That’s good. ‘Cuz it’s a condition of your promotion. I could make you do it, but like we were just discussing, I wanted you to understand and decide for yourself.”
Meeks stood and shook his hand. “Thank you for your patience, sir,”
“You are more than welcome, Meeks. It is all part of the service. I take care of the people under my responsibility. Finish clearing the docks for me, will you?”
Meeks snapped to attention and saluted. “Sir, yes, sir!”
“Dismissed.”
After the sergeant left, Janson sat back in his chair and thought of similar conversations he'd had with Sonny and Alice. It had been a hobby of his to discuss philosophy with the machines. They saw things differently than humans did and often said things humans had not considered. He enjoyed his discussions with them. Life was rarely two-dimensional but often three dimensional. Speaking with the machines had taught him more things were four-dimensional than he had ever supposed.
“Thank you for your patience, Sonny,” he said aloud.
“You are more than welcome, Lieutenant Janson. It is all part of the service. I take care of the people under my responsibility.”
The lieutenant became mildly annoyed. “Are you trying to be funny?”
“You are aware you are speaking with a machine. I meant what I said."
Janson was smiling now. “Carry on, then.”
“Acknowledged, Lieutenant.”
ELEVEN
Out of the Frying Pan
Admiral Johnson had sat too long going over reports and signing documents, and he stood up from his desk to stretch. This was a big office compared to others on the Intrepid, but he still missed his old office on Atlantis. In times like these he wished he could be enhanced like the captain--he would have been done with all this mess in two minutes. Captain Williams had been the steady rock he needed and depended on. They had been battle-buddies since the rebellion. Humanity’s numbers had dropped over four hundred souls in that little civil war.
It used to make him almost physically ill to think about it. He had seen plenty of men die before, but now the stakes were just too high. Human life was too precious to waste on a disagreement. Over four years had passed since then, and the pain had become a little better. There had also been casualties on the Te’Hat side. The Te'Hat mostly made it a point to keep out of the way but Te’Hat observers would sometimes get a little too close to the action, which caused Te’Hat tunnels to cave in or got them caught in the crossfire.
After Captain Schmidt on the Valiant died while trying to take out Alice, second in command Commander Sokolov had been just as fanatical as Schmidt about claiming this rock for their own. He'd also claimed Captain Schmidt had been assassinated even though the truth had been communicated to the ship. The admiral’s suspicion, later proved correct, was that Sokolov had told the crew what they wanted to hear to incite them and bring on this conflict, but the truth had come to those people too late. Alice and Captain Williams had run the ground conflict while Alice and Johnson made sure the space above Searth remained safe. Neither ship had much in the way of weapons. However, Intrepid’s Navy personnel were armed to the teeth. Valiant was a civilian ship; they never stood a chance. The only reason the conflict had gone on as long as it did was to allow the diplomats time to negotiate, as opposed to the decisive but bloody victory that would have come from an all-out attack on the Valiant by the Intrepid. The diplomats had saved both human and Te'Hat lives and had lost many of their own in order to broker peace.
And now he'd heard the Te’Hat had decided whether the humans could stay or keep their promise to leave if asked. The decision had been made a few days ago when the Mat’Ma said a meeting of the Elders had taken place. The news made him nervous. Leo felt like he was waiting for a verdict in a court-martial. He sat back down at his desk, staring at the work he had to finish. These reports are not going to sign themselves, he thought, and sat back down at his desk to pick his stylus and sign on the digital line next to his thumbprint.
“Admiral?” His assistant called over his comm panel on his desk.
“Yes, what is it?”
“A shuttle is headed to the Intrepid with the Mat’Ma and Fred aboard, sir.”
“Very well. Please have the delegates escorted to my office. See if you can get the chef to obtain some of those gooey things they like to eat and have them brought to my office.”
“Yes, sir,” the assistant acknowledged.
Damn, he thought. Speak of the devil. Well, the verdict was in. He had hoped they would wait until Captain Metcalfe returned, but too much uncomfortable time had gone by. Johnson didn’t think they would wait another five years.
An hour later, Leo's assistant called again. “Sir, the Te’Hat delegation is here.”
Leo suddenly felt very tired. He had met the Mat’Ma only a few times but had spoken with Fred, as the humans called him, many times. “Send them in, Corporal.”
The two Te'Hat scuttled in, taking up a fair amount of space since they did not sit in chairs. He came around his desk to address them.
“Good day, friends. The Mat’Ma is with you today, Fred, so the news must be important. What can I help you with?”
Good day to you also, Admiral. The Mat’Ma and I have come to deliver our decision on your staying or leaving our world.
This is it, then, he thought. “I wish things could have been different. We will respect whatever your decision is on this matter.”
The Mat’Ma stepped forward. This was a very difficult decision for the Te’Hat. There are endless clans scattered over this world. It took a long time for each clan to reach a consensus and tally a total vote which represented the Te’Hat. This is very rare in our collective memory. This is also the first time we have been visited by beings from another world. Much fear and uncertainty followed your arrival. However, curiosity, adventure and knowledge also beckoned. In our distant past, we had been warriors and conquerors. We have come to know that whatever happens, the sun will always rise and set. The Sonroha plants will always bloom. The wind will always blow. Whether we are here to enjoy them is up to us. Every day holds another riddle to uncover. Another question to answer.
We assumed since you were so much more advanced than we are in many things, and showed initial compassion for our world, you had also learned those things we had learned long ago. This proved to be a false assumption. Many Te’Hat perished, caught in the middle of your conflict. It was too uncertain something like this might happen again. Many also worried you would force yourselves on us using your superior machines.
We are grateful you were victorious over those who would have done us harm. We are also grateful you will carry out our wishes on this matter. We are as disappointed as you are we must ask you to leave us. It is unfortunate our differences could not be resolved without violence. Had no Te’Hat perished, the decision might have been different. We could have learned many things from each other.
The Mat’Ma stopped relaying his speech. Leo sensed it was his turn to talk. He paused a moment to collect his thoughts. Then he
spread his arms wide and kneeled to their level.
“My good friends, this is one of the saddest days I have ever experienced. I am so ashamed of my people. When we left our home world, violence was common. We are a compassionate people, but we are also passionate. Sometimes our passion for being right supersedes our compassion for one another. Humans still have not learned to care for one another as a species. Captain Metcalfe understood this and tried to explain to us that if we are going to survive as a species, we must leave behind those behaviors which were slowly killing us. We are now aware of our problems and we understand what needs to happen within us. At least we can work for change. But we are only at the beginning of this internal journey. I speak for all humans here, that we meant you no harm. The fact you have come to harm saddens us and reminds us of our failures. Humans have never met others from another world. You were our first, and we made a disappointing show of it. We hope you will remember the good things about us and not just the bad things.
“I would like to know if a small group of us could stay and continue to study the planet and your culture and to learn from them. I would also like to continue the dialog between us. We could send diplomats to the other clans.”
I can speak for my clan and allow some you to stay down here until the Atlantis returns. As for the other requests, there must be more talks amongst ourselves. I am sorry things could not be different.
“Could you stay for a meal? Our chef has obtained some of your food. I would like to chat with you about some other things not as gloomy as this discussion has been.”
The Journey of Atlantis: The Children of Earth Page 12