The Collective

by David McCahan

  We are much the same as you but we can listen in our mind when awake in our body just like when asleep and separate as we are now. We provide our physical bodies intelligence and our physical bodies provide us nourishment. We are one in this. We are the Collective.

  “This is so much to understand and believe. This is all new to me. Please believe me though we want to be friends with you. We mean you no harm. We are not invaders.”

  We understand. We wish friendship also. We must return to our bodies now to revive. You can listen when you are awake if you try. We will listen with you soon.

  At that he left the room. Glory thought to try to follow but then thought it better to explore close to her body for a moment before waking to report the contact. She could not walk but found that if she thought about moving she did sort of drift where she thought to go. She explored her room from one side to the other. Could she pass through walls? The visitor did, so why couldn’t she? Maybe next time, for now she needed to report to the General. She hesitated for a second and thought to try something first, “We will listen for you” she thought about the visitor as she tried to speak to him.

  We will listen for you. We are one on this.

  The voice in her head again. He heard her and she heard him. Fantastic! How far away was he? Maybe next time she would learn more. “For now though how do I wake up?” She thought to herself. Well she thought of moving into her body and saw her getting closer and then she was herself again and awoke very suddenly with a gasp.

  Sitting bolt upright she accessed the ships messaging in her mind and sent Jeff and Rhonda an urgent message to come to her room. It would be quicker to get them to her than the other way around. She got out of bed and had no more than put on her robe when the door chime sounded. She keyed the door to open and both Jeff and Rhonda entered the room.

  “So were you two sitting outside my room waiting?” Glory chided them and drew a glass of water then sat down in a chair and waved them to sit as well.

  Jeff couldn’t take the suspense and blurted out “So are you going to tell us what happened?”

  The exasperated look on his face was priceless and she couldn’t help but to laugh as she began “Ok, the good doctors were right in their prognoses. It took a while to fall asleep but when I did he was still here. So if I’m not just hallucinating this whole thing, we just made first, or would this now be second contact?”

  At that Rhonda let out a snicker. “I ought to throw you both in the brig.” Jeff said but one look showed his was mock anger and barely suppressing his own smile.

  “I surrender General. Bottom line they evidently were expecting some kind of invader and mistook us for them. They understand that we mean them no harm, want to be friends and we will ‘listen’ again soon. Listen is their word for talk evidently. Also they have physical bodies, that I would guess are back on Eden, and spiritual bodies, that visited here and the two join together in a symbiotic relationship. What’s more is that he thought we are the same way. It was weird he told me to look at myself laying there sleeping and then at my ‘spiritual’ body floating there listening with him and I saw myself floating there with the same glowing body. After he left, because he was separate from his body too long, I stayed apart and explored my room for a minute before returning to my body. I wanted to explore further but thought it best to report in at that point. Wouldn’t want to get stuck as a ghost now.”

  “Oh so many questions and so little time.” Rhonda said and then continued “Glory can you come down to medical and let me run some scans on you? I want to see if this has manifested any physical changes.”

  “So you want to prod and poke some more? Sure why not, let me get dressed and get something to eat first. Will that work?” Glory responded.

  “That’ll be fine. I’m going to head back to my office, look me up there when you’re ready?” Rhonda asked.

  “Be there shortly.” Glory said and with that Rhonda headed out of the room. “Jeff I’ll file a full detailed report for you while I’m eating and then we can discuss the whole thing and next steps after the doctor uses me as a voodoo doll?” Glory said as more question than statement.

  “Glo that works fine for me. This is really great news. I’ll see you after the doctors are done experimenting on you then.” With that Jeff took his leave as well.

  We have listened to them and we believe them that they are not the invaders. They are like children in that they do not know how to listen but they mean us no harm. We will listen with them again soon and help them listen better. Maybe they can help us with the coming invaders. We will listen. We are one in this.

  Index

  Chapter 7 – Orbit

  In the 23 hours since Glory had listened again to the visitor the crew were busy completing the needed repairs to Columbia. The breach of the hull at Node 45 had been repaired. The Node itself would not be operational in any manner for months but at least that area of the ship could be pressurized. Temporary repairs to the damaged sensors on that side of the ship had been completed. More extensive repairs would be needed later but at least Columbia was no longer blind on that side and now was capable of moving once again, but where to now? Forward to Eden, continue to Tau Ceti, return to Earth?

  The staff sent a video report on the situation off to CentCom and had just received the reply. The command staff were called together to view the response.

  “Colonel Rodrigues I am so very impressed every time we use the GravComm. With a one hour transit time we may not be able to carry on a conversation but that’s still quite remarkable to be able quickly send and receive messages.” Jeff began the meeting. “We have our reply from CentCom and they are very excited about the first contact. Our orders are to hold here and negotiate permission to enter orbit around Eden and begin a relationship with the native inhabitants. So Dr. Gossling we’ll need your department to prep our ‘sleepers’ to help with appealing to the visitors to allow us to establish Columbia in orbit and gain their trust.”

  “Yes Sir, I’ve interviewed all of our ‘sleepers’, as you put it, and put together a psyche profile on the ‘Collective’ as they seem to refer to themselves. This would suggest a Collective single mind or purpose and little, if any, individuality. We can help our team better understand their point of view. We probably do not want to announce our individualism this early on. Something that alien could provoke a xenophobic response. We want to be friends and earn their trust so we’ll get the team to focus on our commonalities among other tactics.” Emma commented.

  “Sounds like the right path to me. Continue on with that. Also Colonel Callaghan and I will personally brief the team on the messaging we want to impart to the visitors. I believe a unified message, besides making sure they hear the message we want, will also reinforce an image of unity and be more in line with their thought processes as well.” Jeff replied. “Captain Anderson do you have any updates on the possible bogy you are tracking?”

  “I wish we had more information that we could provide you Sir. The object is still on a constant velocity and course that will bring it to intercept with Eden in just over 5 months. We have not detected any emissions from the object and at current velocity it will be about 2 months until it is close enough for us to get a good picture of the exterior of the object. Unless it suddenly makes a change in course or turns on landing lights we won’t know whether it is natural or artificial for about 60 days.” Bonnie reported.

  “Understood.” Jeff replied

  “General if I may interject?” Glory looked for Jeff’s acknowledgement and he simply nodded to her to continue. “My impression when I listened to the visitor was that they were expecting an invader that they were convinced was going to try to wipe them out. There were clear words exchanged but also impressions and hidden meaning came along with the conversation. It’s not easy to relate the connection but they were clearly terrified of the intent of these invaders. I think we should try to relate our observation of this UFO and offer our help in dealing wit
h the threat, whether this is it or if it is coming later. I don’t know how they know an invader is coming but they are certain of it.”

  “I think we saw the reaction they had to a possible invader first hand which fits very well with your perception of them during your contact. I agree we should include that in our unified message.” Jeff said. “Since you did not get any indication of how long until they returned, and you have not had any waking contact with them I suggest we proceed with the group briefings and stay with normal sleep cycles. Of course if you get any indication from them I would expect all of the ‘communicators’ (Jeff gave a side glance and a smile towards Dr. Gossling and she nodded her approval) to sleep ASAP.”

  “I would agree that would be the most prudent approach.” Glory responded.

  “Let’s be about then.” Jeff ended the meeting.

  Over the next few hours the personnel that had previously made contact were made busy working with Dr. Gossling’s department as well as briefings on message with Glory and Jeff.

  “Well I don’t know how much more we can add. So long as we push that we want to help in any way possible with their invaders and above all no deceptions. I’m certain there is a lot of subconscious communication flowing while they are listening that we cannot risk getting caught in a lie. Then again there is no reason for deception anyway…………” and suddenly Glory trailed off and appeared to be in one of her cyber seer sessions but this was longer.

  We listen for you. We are one in this.

  “We listen for you also.” Glory said out loud but also as she had done when sleeping.

  We wait for you.

  Glory focused her attention on the room once more and said “They listen for us, so pleasant dreams to you all.”

  The crew were dismissed to return to their beds and dream of the visitors and hopefully secure orbit permission. There was really nothing more to offer in the way of advice and now the crew could only wait for the results.

  Glory returned to her quarters and then lay in bed and tried to relax and sleep. She spoke to the visitor “We are here to listen.” Luckily the timing of their return was very close to her normal sleep time anyway and was able to drift off to sleep fairly quickly. How long it took to achieve REM sleep and separate from her physical form she could not know, but she became aware of her room and again the light from the visitor. “We listen to you.” She said and waited for his reply.

  We listen to you. You have learned to listen while in physical form. This is good. We sense you have the potential to learn much from us. There is listening and then you can learn movement after that.”

  “Movement like you did with the bombs.” She asked.

  Movement like the bombs. We regret the damage we inflicted and are glad you were able to hold off most of the danger.

  “We understand and forgive the confusion. We wish we would have known to listen for you then. We wish to learn much and become friends with you. We wish to help you with the invaders. How are you certain they are coming and mean you harm?”

  We have heard their whispers for much time now. We hear their thoughts and they are thoughts of conquest and destruction. We fear for the Collective if they can get close enough to our home.

  “So when you heard us you acted to stop us before we were close enough to harm you?”

  Yes, we mistook you for them and we feel shame.

  “We are tracking an object that will be at your home in 5 months. I do not know how you measure time but there is time to prepare but still it is not far away.”

  Yes, we hear you and understand your meaning of time measurement. How do you ‘TRACK’ an object at that distance?

  “Our gravity sensors can feel the change in gravity that surrounds the object. We detected it one month ago but could not be certain it was not just a large asteroid moving from space to your home. It must be the invaders though but we will not be sure for two more months.”

  We listen and understand. How long after you are sure until they arrive at our home?

  “Yes you listen very well. After we are sure there is another three months until they arrive. I do not know how close they have to be to do you harm though.”

  You can move much faster than them and meet them a long distance from our home?

  ‘If they are moving as fast as they can now then we can move very much faster and can meet them at a great distance from your home. If you wish us to do this, we will.”

  We must listen until the Collective is one on this. When we are one on this we can inform you.

  “May we approach you home to better listen to you?”

  We must listen until the Collective is one on this. When we are one on this we can inform you.

  “Is there anything more that we can listen to you?”

  There is much that we can all listen to. We must go now to listen with the Collective. We will listen to each other when we return.

  “We will listen when you return. We are one on this.”

  Yes, we are one on this.

  At that Glory could see the visitor turn and leave. She should wake and report to Jeff ASAP but she just had to try to explore a little first. Glory thought of moving into the hall and saw she was moving towards wall. She braced as she was apparently going to hit the wall but instead moved through as though it was not there. Now in the hall she thought about Jeff and seemed to sense him to her right and fairly close. She drifted in that direction and her sense of him grew. There was a common room for her section of quarters and she appeared headed in that direction. Well that explained how he had gotten to her so fast the last time. As she drifted into the common room there was Jeff, Rhonda and Emma all seated at one of the game tables waiting to be called. They looked so anxious and tired. After all we were on the same sleep cycle and it must have been hours after they should have been asleep as well. We have all been sleep deprived of late as well. Glory felt pity for them and thought about returning to her body. She began moving, quicker now than before, in the direction of her quarters and then joined back with her physical form. Her eyes opened and she sat up and stretched. She sent a message to all three of her observers that just said “Ok you three, doors open, you can come down from the lounge now.” Then she keyed the door open and sat down to wait for them. About 10 seconds later the General and both doctors appeared at her door.

  “Ok you three doors open come down from the lounge?” was all he said as he entered the room.

  “I couldn’t resist a slight stretch of my newly acquired ability. I had a hunch you were close by, after your quick appearance last time, and thought about your location. Damned if I didn’t drift right to you. Coffee’s not too bad in the common room but would anyone like anything stronger?” Glory offered and trying not to show how pleased she was with herself right now.

  “Are we celebrating Glo?” Rhonda asked.

  “Celebration might be ever so slightly premature but I think things went really well. They wanted to know how far out we could meet the invaders and seemed very interesting in how we could sense them that far away. They went to listen to the Collective and will return when they are one on this.” Glory reported. “Oh and Emma the reports of the other sleepers are coming in and overall the reports seem to mirror my experience.”

  At that Emma keyed her terminal and began to scroll through the reports as well. The crew instructions were to message all four of them together and Rhonda and Jeff were catching up with Glory then too.

  “Well Glo I agree it might not be quite time to uncork the Champagne but if I remember right I think you have a little bit of 20-year-old Scotch?” Jeff asked.

  “A little sip of Scotch would seem to go with this pre-celebration. Anyone else?” Glory looked at the doctors for their reaction and both nodded yes as they continued to read the reports.

  “One shot each coming up then.” She said as she fished out the bottle and four glasses and poured each a generous shot to celebrate the likely success. She set a glass in front of each of her gues
ts and then raised her glass in a toast and said “May we soon see Eden from orbit. May those who paid for this success with their blood find peace in our success.”

  “May we never forget them.” the others agreed.

  Word spread of the seemingly successful meetings with the visitors. The crew were very excited about the possibility of approaching Eden. Would they be able to land on Eden, and enjoy being out of the ship? Would they be able to establish an outpost? Of course there was always a concern of diseases that could endanger the crew in an alien atmosphere but now the questions were surrounding our crew carrying disease to the natives. A repeat of the small pox epidemic that the Conquistadors carried to the Aztecs must be avoided. Fortunately, the genetic understanding they possessed now should allow for proper screening and immunization to prevent that, but with an alien physiology who could be sure?

  “I wish I’d thought to ask how long it takes them to move between our ship and Eden.” Glory was eating with Jeff, Rhonda and Emma. The four seemed to be together quite a bit as the medical, psychiatric and command teams had to work together to brief and debrief the communication team. “I have no real idea whether it takes seconds, minutes or hours for them to traverse the distance, so of course we have no idea whether it is only taking a few seconds or hours to discuss our situation and make a decision.”

  “We probably should have injected that as a talking point but then again we thought that it was going to take a couple sessions to reach the positive outcome you did. I’m sure we’ll know soon enough.” Jeff replied in between bites of his pumpkin pie. “Remind me to thank our hydroponics section and the chefs won’t you? Of course with food this good that means I’m going to have to hit the gym more often or I won’t fit through the doors soon.”