The Pathfinder Project

by Todd M. Stockert

  “So you are human beings just like us?” wondered Dennis.

  “Oh yes, your Dr. Simmons has verified most assuredly that I am indeed human… right down to my blood type,” Noah said with a grin. “She has scanned me, poked me, tested my blood and verified that much for you.” He flashed the Captain a puzzled look. “Why, did you expect me to have three arms, an oddly-shaped forehead, or an extra bone above my nose… something like that?”

  “No,” Dennis decided. “However, after traveling billions of light years over the past few months I just hadn’t expected to come all this way only to find additional humans… that’s all.”

  “We like to organize our people into law abiding civilizations and enjoy life in the same manner that your people do,” Noah said. “My father was a farmer and his father could do wonders with electronics. We have horses and dogs and cats and other animals just like your people do. Me, I have a garden… half of it is dedicated to growing fresh produce like tomatoes and cucumbers and the other half is reserved for beautiful flowers and bushes.”

  Dennis noticed that his new friend looked a bit fatigued. “I’m sorry if we’ve had so many questions,” he said sincerely, offering Noah a chair. “It’s just that we have a lot of scientific specialists on board…” They both sat down at the table across from one another.

  “You don’t have to apologize,” Noah insisted. “Our people had the same unbridled curiosity when we first began our exploration of the universe. I can understand how Dr. Simmons wants to know if I’m human like you and why Dr. Markham wants to know how we generate the energy field that creates the void around the Proteus galaxy. If I had just begun a journey out of my galaxy and found another artificially constructed in the manner that ours is, I think I would be able to come up with a few questions of my own.”

  “They were so eager to talk to you about all of their technical stuff that I decided to wait with my own questions,” admitted Dennis. “You don’t mind if I record our conversation I hope?” he asked, watching the other man wave favorably at his audio recorder. He switched it on. “Our Council will want to review our discussion in detail.”

  “No doubt they will. You have handled your responsibilities quite well Captain,” decided Noah. “Particularly concerning the recent challenges your people have faced… I find you to be a very strong man and a good leader for your people.”

  “How much do you know?” Kaufield asked. “I mean, we could tell by that first diagram you sent to us that you knew exactly where we came from. It was obvious that you knew the location of our home galaxy…”

  “Correct. Once the Point-to-Point technique is used to travel more than a few hundred thousand light years, it becomes extremely easy to detect over long distances, if you know what to watch for. We are experts at tracking the unknown anomalies that appear randomly in our universe. Once we knew you were there, we sent probes of our own to study you and were able to extract information on your recent history directly from your computer systems.”

  “Some might consider that spying, or even a hostile act.”

  “Yes they would,” Noah admitted. “But we’ve discovered over the years that anyone who truly values peace over violence usually has nothing to hide. The technique allows us to rapidly learn what we need to know about your culture – language, customs, etc. – so that we can more efficiently speed up the initial contact process and open relations with you more quickly. Or would you have preferred we continue to tempt you with clues for another few years?”

  “No, this is better and we don’t have to spend a year or more developing a common language,” Dennis found himself having to admit.

  “You see,” Noah grinned, holding out his hands. “You have no idea how many civilizations scattered out there would have tried to shoot us rather than recognize the advantages of the situation.”

  “Like those idiots in the wasteland galaxy,” Kaufield said, remembering the Pathfinder’s clash with the alien warriors very vividly.

  “Precisely. You were headed in their general direction, about to encounter them. That was one of the primary reasons I transmitted the first picture to you when I did. You were about to discover that you were not alone in the universe and – given their long-term hostile nature – I wanted to make certain you had at least some warning.”

  “Then your people have the power to stop that war, and the Brotherhood back home…”

  Noah held up his forefinger and waved it in warning. “My people have to be very careful about interfering with cultures that are not a direct threat to us,” he said cautiously. “They – and you – have the right to develop and mature over time just like we did. Those intelligent races that cannot learn to live peacefully with each other are almost always selected for extinction by nature. They inevitably bring it upon themselves.”

  “Like we did when we warred with each other over the years?”

  “No one can judge you but you, Captain. Yours is one of the most unique situations that I have ever encountered. Not many races become advanced enough to experiment with artificial intelligence, cloning, genetic enhancements or other things of that nature. But there have been other worlds, like yours, that have tried to create a superior form of human. It almost always backfires, because the universe so easily counterbalances itself. Make a man stronger physically and he might find himself hindered more greatly than a normal man if he contracts a muscle disease… that sort of thing. Increase his intelligence tenfold and his ego will almost always increase as well until he gains too much self-confidence and loses the capacity for common sense and humility.”

  “My people’s history has always been quite violent,” Kaufield admitted. “Based on what I saw during the nuclear annihilation of my planet, I’m not certain we even have the capacity to move beyond… it takes real effort to make peace and not war. Often times we look to our God for guidance.”

  “God,” Noah echoed pleasantly. “He varies with many civilizations – many of them believe in more than one. But most, especially after time, most invariably end up choosing one God and believe all others to be false idols. Earth’s many belief systems tend to mirror that of many other cultures… more so than even I might expect them to. Why do you think that everyone throughout the universe, even those as long-lived as my people, end up believing in a Creator?”

  “I don’t know,” said Kaufield honestly. “A year ago I was a humble Project leader living on Earth’s moon.”

  The alien laughed delightedly. “Your point is well made, Captain. Think though… this Brotherhood that destroyed your world has its own belief system too… with the single exception that they distort or ignore what they do not agree with in order to justify the terrible violence that they inflicted against your people.”

  “Father Dixon and I are pretty much on the same page as far as conflicting belief systems are concerned. We both have always felt that how we treat each other is far more important than what kind of God we worship or how many times we go to Church in our lives. That’s why I requested him for this assignment, because we have a common history and faith.”

  “Many of my people would agree with you, Captain. We’re not perfect either, but we try the best we can to do good deeds on our worlds each and every day.”

  “Do you know if there are people on Earth still alive?”

  “Yes. There are many refugees on Earth, many of them regrouping and resisting the control imposed on them by the Triumvirate that leads the Brotherhood of the Dragon. They are vastly outnumbered and lack weapons and supplies, but continue to fight back nonetheless. The Brotherhood grows more restive with each passing day, and I can tell you they are not treating the survivors very honorably. They continue to waste humanity’s precious gift of life at a rate that is truly appalling.”

  “I knew it,” Dennis said spitefully. “I knew there were survivors… we simply couldn’t fight our way through the entire Brotherhood fleet in order to help them.” His look of concern touched Noah deeply. “Can your society
help us stop our enemy?”

  “No, I’m very sorry Dennis but we cannot participate in your war,” Noah said firmly. “We could have intervened at the very outset in the battle for your Earth, but then we would bear the consequences for everything that happens after.” He waved a hand at all that surrounded them. “The Proteus galaxy has many alien people living amongst our own. Most of these are refugees from wars on their own worlds, people who climbed aboard ships just as you did and found their way into our influence. What they left behind remains as it is… we did not interfere with the wars on their home worlds, either.”

  “What about my people?”

  “All of the crew and passengers from the Pathfinder are welcome to stay here with us,” Noah promised. “We have plenty of planets for you to choose from and begin rebuilding your culture. This planet in particular is well-suited for your needs – that’s one of the reasons I brought you here. And if some day you become strong enough and choose to go home and renew your conflict with the Brotherhood, well…” he paused, shaking his head in disgust at the mere thought of the nuclear holocaust that was now part of Earth’s history. “…well, I wouldn’t blame you one bit,” he said with a matter-of-factness that made Dennis feel better.

  “It just doesn’t seem fair,” the Captain commented. “There’s so much we will have that the survivors back home will not. They at least deserve some kind of sign, some kind of hope…”

  “Do not misunderstand, Captain Kaufield. Just because we choose not to participate in your war does not mean we will abandon your people entirely. Those who survived the nuclear assault will need help.”

  “And you are offering it?”

  “I am. My people will work with yours to bring anyone who wishes to come here to Proteus.”

  “You have no idea how grateful I am to hear you say that. It lifts a huge burden from my mind.”

  Noah bowed modestly. “You are welcome, Captain.”

  Kaufield’s thoughts drifted. “I still find it difficult to believe that you simply sit back and observe things like that battle in the wasteland,” the Captain observed curiously. “For God’s sake, they’re destroying entire stars in that galaxy! Thousands of stars… a hideous waste of lives, resources and potentially habitable planets.”

  “Yes, those people are extremely violent and their damage has spread like a living plague – but as you have noticed we have a pretty big universe surrounding us,” replied Noah calmly. “If they choose to continue their path toward total extermination then we will eventually be able to salvage the cooling matter from that galaxy and use it to replenish dying stars whose orbiting planets contain peaceful civilizations. Ultimately, it is their choice, not ours. Nature has a way of patiently outlasting the more aggressive, less compassionate species.”

  “Your offer to accept us into your fold is very kind. How, may I ask, will you help the people struggling on Earth?” Yet again, Kaufield tried to come up with the right answer to this recurring situation he had been trying to solve since his decision to flee the Sol-system, but again he found himself stymied.

  “If you’ll permit me to share a few observations I may be able to help you with that too,” said Noah with a smile. “You were obviously hallucinating the night I met you, so I only heard one side of your conversation with the sofa in your quarters.” They both chuckled at the recent memory. “But it seems to me that you were beginning to recognize the importance of keeping at least this part of your civilization alive and thriving and safe – if only to guarantee that your culture as a whole survives. What could be more important than that, after all?”

  “As my ‘wife’ reminded me, what is more important than the long-term happiness of my son?”

  “Exactly,” Noah emphasized. “As you may have noticed, if we decided to begin helping every civilization in trouble throughout this massive universe of ours we would become spread so thinly that we would eventually risk extinction ourselves… or we might spread mass chaos while trying to impose order on everything we touch. Remember, that is what the Brotherhood’s Triumvirate believes it will accomplish on Earth… by controlling everything they touch they believe they can make things better.”

  “They are an abomination,” Captain Kaufield decided with a bit of defiance. “It takes a special kind of evil to deliberately initiate a nuclear holocaust.” He fell silent for a moment and then blurted out, "Or to destroy whole stars and the worlds orbiting them."

  “Yes it does.”

  Noah stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Then consider this. Many thousands of years ago my people watched the early Earth inhabitants move through a progressive series of covenants with an unknown entity – one which we cannot track and had no prior knowledge of. This entity claimed it was the one true God that shaped and designed our universe. At first this God was very harsh and brutal to the violent and sinful people that lived on Earth. Over the years, as they began to mature, He made and kept additional promises to them that were both merciful and gentle.” The elder man paused carefully to watch Dennis’ reaction. “Your scientists think galactic objects like Poseidon and Proteus are a marvelous discovery… the greatest your science has ever found. Well, we created Proteus, and yet we’ve never seen anything quite like the history that took place on Earth during this time. This God sent his own Son to teach and guide them toward a path of peace and enlightenment, and that man sacrificed himself for those beliefs so that all souls born after him – regardless of their sins, might live an eternal life of peace.”

  “What does that have to do with…?”

  “Don’t you see…?” Noah asked him. “The Brotherhood is choosing, for the moment, to ignore the message of that one God, but given time they might recognize their own short-sightedness and choose to embrace Him. The Triumvirate never will, but its Brotherhood members each have a choice to make as they now must deal, on a daily basis, with the consequences of their actions. After all the time my people have existed, we still have not reliably answered the same question that has plagued you throughout your entire trip out here: Is the very fabric of our universe an Intelligent Design? The Earth God is the closest we’ve come to solving that mystery, which is one of the reasons we ‘tempted’ your ship in our general direction. You have a link to Him that cannot be denied.”

  “The majority of my people truly believe in a God,” Dennis said firmly. “I don’t see any of that changing, especially given what you’ve just told me about the uniqueness of His presence on our world.”

  “Why should it?” Noah asked curiously. “Your culture deserves its heritage just like any other. Other races living in this galaxy worship multiple Gods, but some of them have chosen to adopt and have faith in this Earth God. My people themselves have many religions that have explored thousands of possibilities, and even after millions of years with all of our advancements, we’re still not certain and cannot conclusively prove that the universe was Intelligently Designed.” He casually interlocked the fingers of both hands and leaned his chin forward onto them. “That does not stop us from trying to learn more about creation.”

  “What if this Earth God was simply an alien using technology superior to your own?” queried Kaufield. “Suppose it wasn’t a deity at all?”

  “There is that possibility of course. What then, truly defines a deity, if not the creation of a universe? Remember, it is the simple power of faith that has always had the unique ability to heal emotional wounds that normally would be permanently irreparable. Even in Earth’s recent history, many of its warlike cultures have perpetrated very barbaric acts against each other before eventually forming bonds of lasting peace… a peace based solely on the history and example of the simple actions of this God and his Son. In each and every war your species was headed down the wrong path, and then something almost miraculous happened – many times a small thing – to tip the balance back on the side of those with compassion. Do you think it is a coincidence that your CAS technology came on-line at the exact time that you needed it to in o
rder to execute your escape? Do you think it is coincidental that the man who saved you from the wasteland attack almost lost his life in a suicide attempt, but somehow miraculously survived to help you defend your ship?”

  “Do you?”

  “I do not know,” admitted Noah. “Which is why I keep searching for He who does hold these answers. I have seen much in my life, including miracles.”

  “Now you’re talking about divine intervention,” Kaufield sharply pointed out. “That’s a whole new discussion.”

  “Anything is possible.” Noah pointed again to the paintings on the wall. “During your history, weren’t some of your conquered cultures destroyed when every surviving man, woman and child was put ‘to the sword’?” He watched the pain in Dennis’ eyes carefully. “We were here then and could have intervened there too… aren’t you glad we didn’t? Your entire history would be different if we had…” He sighed deeply. “Your civilization was thriving, mostly because it was left alone and allowed to develop and mature at its own pace… including the wars which are preventable by people like us. If you want to learn more about our history I’m perfectly willing to show you some data on the times – during the years when we first gained technology – where we did intervene in the affairs of others. We didn’t like having to live with the consequences of our actions and, after discovering Poseidon, we made a decision to build a vantage point from which we could observe and limit its destructive effects on the matter that comprises our universe. That vantage point is now home to thousands of different races.”

  “So you’re saying that the Brotherhood’s war is just another step in humanity’s development on Earth?”

  “Captain, they have the same right that your society did to conquer and destroy other cultures in order to learn from those mistakes and mature beyond the need for war into a more peaceful and tolerant society.”