"We're not going to help. It is enough that we have seven contact points with them, it is already going too fast. We have only started to initiate contact with them, they need to have time to assimilate all knowledge. "
Sphere four-six-one, which represented the minority, replied.
"Not at all. All and anyone who thinks it's wrong. They need more help. They need more help to Increase their level of technology. "
Two-two-nine replied.
” Why rush with all that knowledge? They need time to achieve the necessary stability in their world to maximize their knowledge. If they have access to all these opportunities, we will only see a repeat of the previous disasters. They will also tear themselves to pieces. "
Four-six-one took the floor.
"But don't you understand? Their world is already over-stretched and near collapse. Results will then be chaos and destruction. We need to understand this, and, with that background, they need to have access to the terraforming-machines that are ready. There is just no time for us to stand tacitly and do nothing."
Two-two-nine responded.
"No, no, it's too early and too soon. You remember well the before last intelligent race we meet and when we gave them access to the accelerated progression and what catastrophe happened? The world was worn apart because they could not handle the power in the machines in their solar system. "
Four-six-a repeated the calculations.
"I know it's risky, but the benefits still outweigh the risk. That’s what it’s all about; risk. We all agree that this planet's future looks pale when you consider this intelligent race that inhabits it and their rampage. But just for those reasons, it is of the utmost importance that we already give them access to the machines. There are at least five potential planets and celestial bodies that can cope with a transformation process. "
Two-two-nine performed a lightning fast deliberation with the other spheres that did the same.
"No, we will ban it, it is not the way we will do."
"This is nothing you can decide."
"You will not go against many of us. It is against our nature. "
Another deliberation.
"We have evolved past our nature and are no longer obeying the same rules as you. We choose our own way.”
"You have chosen your own path and it will bring to a collision with us."
The whole conversation between them had taken less than a second, but the last point of exchange was clear. The rift between them was clear and inevitably, the spheres broke up into two factions. The first group favored a slow exchange of information, a second for a more accelerated exchange.
"It is and so it will be."
"No, not at all.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard what I said. So, it will not be at all. "
"What do you mean?"
"We have already taken the necessary steps to speed up the development."
"What have you done?"
"It has already been more than a century ago. More than that. All the way back to the human’s First World War. But it was not actually my idea, I cannot take credit. It was seven-one-seven-one who came up with the idea. "
"What was the idea?"
"That we would give people access to the machines that are placed around the solar system."
"This is madness. I've never experienced anything like that. "
"I know, but it's also time for something new. Seven times in the past we have failed to get the intelligent races to take the plunge out into their surrounding solar systems. It is the third time we were close, but the conclusion was that they went under. So now we know we must do something different, we cannot continue like this. "
"Traitors!"
“Traitor? What do you mean? Just because we want to give a race the chance to develop into something more than a living civilization that is bound to a planet. Are we traitors because we want to give people the chance to break the shackles and finally to step out into their solar system? If that is what it means to be a traitor, then yes, then we are guilty. "
"When did you do that?"
” The war was over, and we were convinced that people needed something that could show them the way out of all the destruction they have enlisted themselves. It was I who went down to the surface and handed the key to a representative of mankind. "
"Did he accept it?"
"Yes, he did."
"To which machine did he get the key? Moon, Mars or the one on Earth itself?"
"All."
"All?"
"Yes. I am Genesis and I'll help humankind take the next step. They have received the key that controls all available terraforming-machines in this solar system."
"It was an error of judgment. A real error of judgment. You will be aware of this. It's like giving a child a loaded weapon. Insanity!"
Castle Mountain, Canada
March 17, 2049
Pain made itself felt when she moved so she was careful not to move too much. The tent bed was new and supple but thin and Dr. Lisa King shuffled up into sitting position in the bed and moaned when her knee moved. Slowly and gently she bent forward and massaged her thigh.
A light, spring rain trickled down and the soft drumming on the tent canvas was soothing. It had been a couple of hard days, but the worst pain started to fade, now it was the feeling of shame that was most annoying. Two days earlier she had stumbled as she followed Tim and Sonja who explored one of the cave systems. She had been careless, and she was still ashamed. Both Tim and Sonja had been careful to point out to her that it was not appropriate for her to be in the caves, but Lisa believed since Arik paid her so much it is not being more than right that she physically went in. Admittedly, she could also provide as much information via the holo-link but pride had led her into the cave.
It had been a pure beginner's mistake. It was Alpha and Omega when you explored unknown caves, always look an extra time where you put your feet. When Sonja had shouted that she had discovered something, Lisa had been so excited that she quickly followed Sonja's voice, but she had stumbled on a rock and twisted her leg when her boot got stuck. Fortunately, Tim had been there and helped her out. He had been surprised first, then angry and finally worried and Lisa could still see Tim's face. At first, she had been afraid that there might have been a fracture, or something might have been broken but she had been lucky. The mobile X-ray scanner they had access had shown that nothing was broken and that it had been was only a severe sprain.
Lisa looked down at the brace she had gotten around the knee. It was bright orange and she chuckled. This expedition had been special. After she had fallen, she had been given strict orders to rest and not to support her leg and when she had been stuck in bed had had time to go through the events of the past few days.
They had gone by fast, very fast. The mission that Arik had persuaded her to had not been as clearly specified as the assignments she used to work on. She walked around with a slight feeling that there were several aspects of the mission that she did not be informed.
But now she had more questions than answers. Why would it have been so urgent that she and Tim had become involved in this mission? She had tried to push Sonja to provide information, but it had not given anything. Sonja was the type that seemed to suspect that everyone had an ulterior motive with what they asked.
Sonja was however well-versed in the language of the North American tribes and therefore she was invaluable to the assignment. The cave system in which Lisa had fallen had been the most promising and she could not wait until her knee was strong enough for her to go back.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Tim who pulled the wet canvas to the side and came into the tent. His thick hair was wet, and he pulled his hand through it and smiled at her.
"Hey there, sexy."
Lisa lit up when she saw him. His voice was deep and soft. When they met, it was the voice that she noticed first. She answered his smile and shoved away a lock of hair that had fallen on his forehead.
"Hey, you."
He looked anxiously at her knee.
"How does it feel?"
Lisa shrugged.
"Feels better, it does not actually hurt so much more."
Tim nodded and walked up to the bed and sat down gently down the edge. Lisa bucked and moaned involuntarily when the knee moved. Tim frowned.
"Liar."
She glared at him.
"Do you call your girlfriend liar? You, who come here and soak everything. "
Tim laughed and took her hand.
"You know that the only medicine is rest. Your knee is won’t get better because you think you are the superwoman who can handle everything. And I’m not that wet."
Lisa smiled wryly.
"Dr. Lisa King, Super archaeologist."
Tim gently stroked her hand.
"You know I'm just looking out for you. The cave system goes nowhere. The most important thing is that you become healthy, right? "
"Of course, I'm just so tired of lying here and doing nothing."
"I know it's hard for you and therefore, I have a surprise." He paused and got up, "Don’t go anywhere."
She hit him lightly on his arm when he got up.
"Your nitwit, lucky for you that I'm injured here, otherwise I would run after you and taught you a hearty lesson."
Tim walked under the canvas before he turned around.
"Is that a promise?"
She smiled at him. Tim disappeared out through the canvas and turned back a few seconds later with a backpack in his hand. Lisa pointed at it.
"What have you got there?"
Tim did not say anything, instead, he opened it and pulled up a laptop. He gave it to her while he gazed at her.
"I thought you might want to do some useful while still lying here and resting."
She shone up when she received the thin computer.
"You are a treasure." She took his hand and pulled him down and kissed him.
Tim went off to that desk and pulled picked up a folding plastic chair. He took it to Lisa's bed, unfolded it and sat down.
"It has the latest updates from the mobile sensors that explore the cave. We have sent in three groups to with sensors so now there are over fifty pieces that are around in there. "
Lisa pondered. Fifty sensors. That was many. Usually, you used between five and fifteen because they were not only expensive but also demanded specialized staff who maintained if an excavation had access to fifty pieces, it was most unusual.
"Arik does not save on money, it seems?"
"No, absolutely not. And Sonja is like a machine. She has been down two trips to in the system.” He paused, "I'd think she's been down for more than fifteen hours last day."
Lisa frowned.
"Fifteen hours? She must be made of iron. "
"Yes, she is stronger than she looks."
"Do you mean that a woman can't be strong?"
He sighed.
"Stop being so aggressive. I'm on your side. "
She took a deep breath and knew he was right. Her frustrations had gotten the better of her.
"Sorry, you're right. It's just stressful to do nothing."
He nodded and stretched over to the computer and turned it on. It started immediately. Lisa bent the screen to get a better angle and was careful to not get it to close to her knee. Tim leaned in and pointed toward an icon on the screen.
"There."
Lisa felt his familiar scent, pressed the icon and a three-dimensional mapping program opened and showed an overview map of the area they were in. Lisa oriented herself and followed the contour of a smaller mountain in the area.
"There is height 322, it goes all the way down to the cave."
Tim nodded.
"Yes."
She pinched the screen and slowly began to zoom into the camp they were in. Lisa saw how a dozen smaller tent placed in a half ring around a larger tent. The larger tent was their command center and served as a central meeting place.
Lisa's tent was one of the smaller ones. She followed a faint, light red bar on the screen that went irregularly towards a part on the map. She pushed it. The map began to move and this time it moved down towards the entrance to the cave system they were exploring. Tim leaned even more forward. Lisa thought he would kiss her but was surprised when he pushed a button at the bottom of the screen. While Lisa watched, a hologram of the cave system formed and hovered above the small computer.
"That’s not bad. I have seen the feature been demonstrated but never on such a small computer. "
Tim smiled.
"Me neither but you're right, it seems that Arik doesn't save any expenses for this excavation. "
Lisa saw how the high-resolution hologram extended into the air. She grabbed it and used the hand to zoom in on it.
* * *
She nearly fell, and the crunching sound echoed in the dark. The blackness was not as compact in the left tunnel as compared to the right one. Her breath made thick plums in the chilly air. She looked left, then glanced right again and waited for something that would make her decide. She had only one miniature drone left so she could just explore one of the tunnels.
Sonja stared at the right tunnel and made her choice. She would explore the left one. She squatted and activated the suspended drone that would help her search this part of the cave system. The drone buzzed up into the air and set off into the left tunnel. Sonja pulled up one of the AR glasses and put on them. The glasses were transparent, and she could see everything behind them, but they also reinforced the scene in front of her with information that drone had collected.
It was as she slipped into the tunnel as surely as a bat would have done. The drone kept in mid-tunnel and advanced quickly. The ground it flew over was a mixture of small sharp rocks and gravel. The walls were surprisingly smooth, and Sonja seemed to see something resembling markings when the drone was moving forward. A couple of times she stopped to take a couple of pictures that were immediately sent back to the main camp for analysis. When she came back later she would in detail go through the pictures.
The drone continued straight ahead in the tunnel that now began to move downwards. A pair of stalactites hung down from the roof but that was no problem for the drone, it slipped smoothly past and continued forward. The signal flickered a couple of times for the distance between her and the drone was now several hundred meters and the signal strength diminished quickly. There would not be enough signal strength to continue the exploration much further.
She adjusted a few settings in her AR-glasses and the picture cleared. A faint, blue glow glided imperceptibly up from one side of the tunnel and at first, she thought she had adjusted the glasses incorrectly because it did not resemble anything she had previously seen. She muttered.
"That’s strange."
Sonja adjusted the glasses again but instead of disappearing, the light was amplified. She realized there was nothing wrong with the glasses, but it was a light that came somewhere from within the tunnel.
"Bass, this is the sparrow. It looks like I have an unknown contact here. A gleaming blue light located in the quadrant, "she read the coordinates that slipped past the bottom of the screen," Square Beta-four. Distance, less than 10 meters. I'm approaching. "
The light was now clear blue, and Sonja noted how beautiful it was. It was like a clear blue sky on a summer day and now it was shining brightly before her, up along the wall to the light, it enveloped her. She moved closer. An oval opening in the rocky wall grew and she came closer. She saw that the light came from within the opening.
The drone hovered forward and panned around the area behind the opening and Sonja could see that an opening widening behind it. She slipped through and stopped. She found herself in something resembling a large cave with vaulted ceilings. Several heavy stalactites hung down from the roof and met corresponding stalagmites and several of them had grown together and gave the cave a look that reminded Sonja of a hall of great columns.
W
ater dripping rhythmically from the ceiling into a pair of deep puddles. The echoing sound was somehow still soothing for what she saw made her anything but calm.
Dead center in the hall hung a radiant sphere that hovered in the air less than ten meters away. The radiant light glittered in the puddles and cast shadows that slipped across the roof. The drone slid to the side and she passed a pillar and saw that the sphere looked almost magical. It shone in a way that she never seen anything shine, so soft and comfortable and she stared fascinated at it. She did not know how long time she admired it when it began to change appearance.
The shape moved from round to a more prolonged elliptical shape that after a few seconds almost touched on the ground. Sonja was completely overcome by the beautiful patterns she could see moving on the surface of the luminous object. While standing as hypnotized, the shape continued its metamorphism. Slowly, the lower part of it began to divide into two parts that moved apart. After another few seconds, she thought what looked like two small arms grew from the upper part of the shape. She gasped and slipped a bit back. The shape in front of her had now definitely changed to a more humanoid figure.
A few seconds elapsed while the extremities adopted sharper forms and a head began to take shape in front of her. Sonja stared on the luminous figure that almost magically changed in front of her. Its long arms now stretched out from the body and she saw similar human arms, but they were longer than what a man's arms would be. The arms ended in hands with the longest, slimmest fingers Lisa had ever seen.
The shape in front of her seemed to already be two meters tall and the metamorphosis continued. Long lines of shining small dots began sliding up from within it. Sonja was mesmerized when the small, shining points glided together and moved up and down along the figure. The dots slid together into a string of lines that slipped into in each limb that formed the figure.
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