by Peter Kratky
“There you have it,” Deblar told them. “That star is what you call the Sun, and that planet is the third orbiting planet, which you call Earth.” The spectacular view showed a monstrous red giant occupying much of the space, and a planet shivering and torn apart by the influence of the dying star. Humans murmured among themselves as they approached the portal where an invisible screen of energy separated them from the emptiness of space.
“That's the Earth,” Deblar repeated again. “That's your home, or what's left of ours. Because it was our home, too. We simply call it ‘The Original Planet’.“ Helen turned to herself, bewildered and confused.
“Your home?” Helen asked hesitantly.
“Indeed. We LauKlars are native to this planet. Like you. And like the Xarwen, the species from which we have extracted the data to recreate you. We left the planet many thousands of years ago, when life on its surface began to be impossible. By that time, we had already begun the exploration of the Galaxy. Then its location was lost, and that's how it was until recently, when we rediscovered its position. We began to explore it, after all it is the home of our ancestors, and one of those explorations came up with a Xarwen laboratory, and with you. The Xarwen were a species that lived between your end and our origin.”
“And that spot of light on the horizon?”
“It is the Galaxy, or let's say, from your point of view, the new Galaxy. You would call it something like Androlactea, or ViaMeda, or something similar. About five hundred million years ago, the old Milky Way galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy collided, creating a new galaxy. This phenomenon is relatively commonplace, and in fact your scientists calculated it with acceptable precision.”
“What about the Earth being your home? What exactly did you mean by “your home”?” Helen asked strangely. Deblar would have smiled, if she could. Dealing with such primitive species was a challenge, right on the frontier of reason and logic.
“I mean that there have been three species on Earth which, as a result of evolution, developed to a point where they gained mental, psychological, technological and social faculties, which would allow us to call these species “intelligent”, at least from a technological point of view. There were other species of intelligent profile, but in a different classification to the one that we have here. We are talking about technological civilizations, which developed development models based on science, culture and industry. That's the specialty of the one who discovered the place where you were coded.”
“Place where we'd been coded?”
“Yes. As I have said, you were found in a laboratory of the second technological species that inhabited Earth; the Xarwen. The human species, that is, you, did not prosper beyond understanding the basic aspects of the universe, nuclear theory, basic aspects of gravity, and little else. Of course, you didn't develop the hyperluminal reactor. The Xarwen went much further, although we know that they did not even travel through space at hyperluminal speeds, which in itself is a mystery, since it contradicts what we know about them and their very high level of technology. Their knowledge was very advanced, and in some respects even superior to ours. Their technological IQ must have been enormous.” At that moment another human intervened.
“I'm Scott. On Earth I worked with theories about physics. We were trying to understand what dark matter and dark energy was. We knew there were important issues to be resolved. We were clear that the speed of light was a natural barrier, and we had problems with the development of a theory that brought together the different concepts of matter, energy, gravity, space, and time. I can't believe it's been thousands of years since that.”
“Miles? They're actually...” Helen interrupted Deblar.
“Yes, yes, millions of years. Anyway, what else will it be? Thousands, millions... This all sounds the same to me. And finally, finally, you appeared,” she whispered without much conviction. Deblar noticed something strange in that human female's mind. For a moment she felt something different. She assumed it was an effort to read such a primitive mind.
That's right,” Deblar replied. “We are descendants of what you commonly call “birds”, which in turn descended from some species of some species of the ancient animals that you called dinosaurs. There were some highly evolved animals among these highly developed animals, but a massive extinction interrupted the evolutionary flow. But we haven't been birds for millions of years.” Helen looked down at Deblar with dismay. She seemed bored.
“Deblar, very cultural and enriching. We could put together a National Geographic special with all this material,” she said. The others laughed. Suddenly, her face changed, and his gaze became cold and hard. She stared at Deblar as she approached slightly.
But this doesn't solve our future, “Helen said as she pointed to her classmates. “We want to know exactly what you want from us, and we want to know now. And we're not going to stop until you tell us... You see. It's the bad thing about having primitive minds, Deblar. Of being a little more evolved than bacteria. We can't see beyond our noses.”
“I've told you all I know, human.” Helen seemed upset.
“Human? Did you call me human? Listen, you ten-meter-high piece of poultry! My name is Helen, or Freyja, which is how I'm nicknamed! I don't like it though, but they do. Is that clear, you species of vitamin chicken?”
“Very clear.”
“Great! We're finally getting along. We are now going to talk about important issues, because we have to get out of this chicken farm as soon as possible. Let's see... What about that lab you were talking about? Do you have more information?” she asked. Deblar turned her large neck toward Kirak.
“That lab, that data center, is a mystery, like everything else.” Kirak stepped in for the first time. Although mental reading cannot distinguish voices, because they do not exist, Helen realized perfectly well the change that went from one mind to another. The inflections, the strength, the mental vibration, were very different.
“I am Kirak, responsible for the expedition that found you. The data from your DNA, recomposing proteins and memory n-grams were found in that laboratory, research center, or whatever they wanted it to be. We have no hostile intent whatsoever with you. You are not a matter of experimentation, nor are you here for your own benefit. We have recreated you because, apparently, the Xarwen recorded your biometric data so that someone could bring you back into the world. Obviously, it seems feasible to think that, for them, you were important. Enough to store your biodata and expect a chance of future regeneration. We know that it is traumatic to reappear into existence after so long dead, but Deblar insisted in order to solve the mystery.”
“What mystery?” Helen asked.
“The mystery of your presence in the Xarwen database. What do you know about it? The Xarwen stored you for some reason.”
“We were not stored voluntarily, “Helen said in a deep voice. “From what we've been able to find out, from what we've talked to each other about, we all lived a normal life. Normal, until we suddenly appeared here.”
“Is it possible that your biodata were obtained indirectly?”
“What do you mean, chicken?”
“To have your data collected in a computer warehouse, obtaining samples from old sources...”
“That doesn't make sense,” interrupted Deblar. “Even if the paleo-DNA of these humans was collected, their memory n-grams would have been destroyed long ago. We could have their bodies, but never their minds.” A signal sounded at that moment that only the LauKlars could hear.
“The President is coming to see you, Deblar,” confirmed Counsellor Narhum.
“The President comes here? Why is that?” Deblar wondered strangely.
“I don't know,” answered Narhum. “But I guess it has to do with this whole human thing. It is becoming a popular topic, and there are theories of all sorts and kinds about its presence, and, above all, about how its existence is possible. Personally, I think this research is becoming much more complex than a simple archaeological study. We
have a group of humans. They are living beings, conscious, thinking, that deserve our attention and respect. And we've got them stuck in a hole in the middle of space. I'm afraid this could be a good reason for the President's presence on this ship.” Kirak nodded, confirming his original idea that this adventure of regenerating humans had not been a great idea.
“We'll see...” Deblar replied with no interest.
Galactic Encyclopedia: model of life LauKlar.
... LauKlars are gregarious animals. Although they form families, they live together in large groups. Its interstellar ships do not have rooms in the classic human sense of the term, but large spaces that they call Salas. They live and sleep in groups, and only rarely are they isolated in the so-called Chambers of Reflection. They raise their progeny in a group, although the biological parents are the primary educators and trainers. Their main mode of communication is mental, although they combine them with their own verbal language, and they have certain telekinetic capabilities that allow them to manipulate the environment, although not on living objects....
... If one of the great achievements of humans and Xarwen were their hands, true tools capable of manipulating the environment with great precision, the success of the LauKlars was to achieve the same with their minds; the LauKlars do not have hands, but their minds are perfectly capable of manipulating the environment with even greater precision. This evolutionary achievement allowed the LauKlars to develop comparatively much faster in the creation of tools and, later, in the control of their immediate area....
... The reason for the remote control of the LauKlars, what is often called telekinesis, is made possible by the double brain configuration. In fact, evolutionarily, the second brain was formed approximately a thousand million years ago, when the frontal lobe began a process of division through a fold of neocortex that was developed to form a separate structure, linked to the first brain by filaments of very high density gray neurons.
The second brain boosted the LauKlars' capacity for mental and psychic development, which evolved into a truly powerful center of information and active control, including bi-directional thought transmission and mental communication. While the first brain continues to perform the classical functions of all living beings, the second brain is developed for purely cognitive and subjective process tasks. It is often said, but not proven, that the LauKlars would be able to survive in a world of four physical dimensions....
The LauKlars live approximately five hundred and fifty to six hundred years, reach maturity at one hundred years, and their death is seen as the Final Jump, or the Final Flight, a flight that will last forever. However, they understand that these terms or concepts are only symbols, since they do not process any kind of mysticism or have beliefs in supernatural higher beings. In fact, the abandonment of supernatural beliefs is considered one of the critical steps in any advanced civilization so that it ceases to be considered primitive and prone to self-extension...
The Great White Room
The halls of the LauKlars ships make up the basic representation centers for the ship's operations. In fact, there may be several, or even many, rooms of each type.
The Grey Room for a human would be what is known as engineering, the heart of the ship. Of course, because of its dimensions and structure, it wouldn't look like that human. The reason is that the LauKlars have a spatial sense in three dimensions far superior to the human being, which allows them to build multi-level rooms where the sense of top and bottom is practically irrelevant.
The Blue Room has all the scientific instruments of the ship. The LauKlars work in very diverse basic and applied research, which includes multidisciplinary activities in which scientists of other species usually collaborate.
The Green Room is the recreation and rest room, taking into account that the LauKlars live and sleep together, never alone, at least in small groups. It is the area of greatest social activity, although the LauKlars are social animals by nature, and interact constantly in any environment and place. Normally the Green Room has leisure activities and games.
The Red Room is the nerve center of the ship's combat system. It had not been used for a long time, but when it had been used, the last time, thirty years ago, it had demonstrated its power to a newly identified very violent species, which tried by all means to start a futile war against the LauKlars. It is difficult, very difficult, for two species that cross each other for the first time in the universe to be at the same level of technological development, and to be able to start a war where there is no clear winning side. Almost always, one of them is technologically far more advanced than the other. If the advanced species is peaceful, the war ends in days, maybe hours. If violent is the advanced species, the near-absolute annihilation of the inferior species is a common option, and one that has been a constant in various periods of the history of civilizations.
The Great White Room is the legislative heart of the ship, and the assembly center of the Central Command of the same. Deblar and Kirak had been summoned there, along with the research team in charge of the Xarwen ruins and the newly biosynthesized humans. A huge two-kilometer-diameter circular room in seven rings, where the President stands right in the middle, while around it, in a semi-circumference of 180 degrees, are placed those who must answer your questions. Narhum, as a witness and member of the High Council, stood at the President's left. In the right corner was Helen, who, as representative of the humans, had been summoned by the President, who, after a few seconds of the invocation of verbal and mental silence, went directly to the matter.
“Deblar” spoke the President, “I have been informed of all aspects related to the discovery of a hidden Xarwen laboratory on the Original Planet, and the discovery of a bioinformatics system that stored, among other data, memory n-grams, DNA molecules and pre-nuclear proteins of sequencing for the rapid development of complete individuals. Specifically, samples were found of 27 humans, of which we have here their representative, who answers to the name Helen”.
“That's right,” Deblar replied.
“Do you understand that your act of regeneration of these individuals goes beyond what is required by simple scientific research? These twenty-seven individuals are living beings, intelligent, who under our laws must be treated with the same rights, and with the same respect and care, as any other living being in the galaxy, intelligent or not. Beyond that, having their own intelligence allows them to choose their own destiny, and there we can only immediately offer them complete freedom, and cooperation in whatever they need to establish themselves and live, as human beings, a complete life somewhere in the Galaxy. Even your research, however important it may be, is, by law, subject to the collaboration that humans want to offer. If they want to answer your questions, they can. Otherwise, they can act freely. I hope that these fundamental points have been made sufficiently clear.” Deblar was beginning to feel really irritated. So much talk about rights and duties bored her.
“Mr. President, I would like to say that this investigation, which is clearly exceptional in its importance and findings, must require a special protocol. These human beings had died about three billion years ago. But for some unknown reason, the Xarwen not only stored their memory n-grams and DNA structure, but stored it in a perfectly camouflaged laboratory and stored by an extremely sophisticated security system. So much so that we couldn't detect it until we found ourselves within a very short distance of it. It is evident that the Xarwen had a great interest in these humans, for whatever reason, and so they had to act in this way. But we can't explain what interest that might be. We have analyzed humans and they are perfectly normal with respect to the data we had previously on the species. There's nothing special about them, but somehow, they're special. So much so that the Xarwen decided that safeguarding their DNA and memory was paramount. It could be, yes, a simple question of cultural and paleontological interest. But, how they obtained the biological data, and why they stored it so carefully, is a mystery. I thought it appropriate that the
best way to get answers was to ask them directly. That will be all.”
“Is that all?” The President asked, with a tone of concern. “We cannot ignore the basic aspects of our laws about life, especially with individuals who have reasoning skills, even if it is limited as it is in this case. They must be able to choose their destination. And bringing them back to life in this way, in order to be subjected to an interrogation of an archaeological investigation, means breaking with our principles of solidarity for any living being in any inhabited world.” The President left the last word in abeyance in order to finish his verdict. Although silence was obligatory, it was impossible not to capture traces of the LauKlars' minds attending the event. Finally, the President ruled:
“I must declare, and I declare, that the twenty-seven human beings who have been regenerated have, as of this moment, full freedom to choose where they want to settle, and complete freedom to collaborate, or not, in Dr. Deblar's archaeological research, and in any other matter of interest or competence. I also declare that, if humans wish to collaborate in this research in order to know their own past, they will do so in full freedom of their mental faculties and in total freedom, being able to leave the project at any time, and being interrogated only if they deem it appropriate.”
Helen smiled. Deblar captured the human feeling of joy, which seemed to be aroused by the President's words, with a tension and mental strength that caught the attention of several members of the room. Especially to her, who had served as a mental link so that Helen could follow the Council.
Helen thought that, any minute, that huge bird was going to pull out a mallet and hit the table. But she just spread her wings and flew away next to Narhum. she had the feeling that this huge bird was going to ask her some questions, and she had even prepared a moving speech. But none of that was necessary. The decision was made, and nothing and no one could change it. It was the Law. And the express order of The President.