Sapiosaurus | Out Of Time

by Lon McQuillin

  As Touolok completed her instructions, Garlmek addressed her.

  “I am going to the construction building to make certain that what we need has been removed. I will proceed from there to the aircraft.”

  “I will meet you there.”

  In the three and a half weeks since their rescue, the tunnel team had reached the pyramid that contained the Noaud construction equipment. While the largest items would have to remain in place for the time being — they were too large to fit on the elevator — there was enough that could be moved to permit Garlmek to begin overseeing the construction of their new home.

  As he approached the entrance to the building, Hal Reynolds and Rank Matthews were just coming out.

  “Hello, Garlmek,” said Reynolds.

  “Hello, Hal. How have things progressed?”

  “I think we’ve got everything you specified, but you might want to take a look around yourself, since you know what everything does.”

  “I shall.” The three walked back into the pyramid, and Garlmek surveyed its contents. Finding nothing that they couldn’t do without, he pronounced himself satisfied, and they headed back to the elevator.

  “Garlmek,” said Matthews, “this is where we part company for the time being.” Matthews was staying at the city to supervise the ongoing excavation.

  “Rank, I hope to see you again in two or three months when I return.”

  “I’ll be here. And Garlmek, it’s been a real pleasure working with you over the past month.” He bowed in the Noaud custom.

  “It has been a pleasure for me as well.” Cocking his head slightly, he held out his hand, in the human custom. With a grin, Matthews took it, and they shook.

  “Have a good trip, pardner.”

  “Thank you.”

  Reynolds, who was also grinning, led the Noaud onto the elevator, and they started the ride to the surface.”

  “Hal, what does ‘pardner’ mean?”

  “It’s a variation on the word ‘partner,’ and in the context, means ‘friend.’ “

  Garlmek nodded his understanding.

  Once at the ice surface, they proceeded to the office, where they found Mitchell and McCollum gathering the last of their gear.

  “You guys ready?” asked Reynolds.

  “Yeah, us guys is ready,” answered Mitchell. “Where’s Touolok?”

  “She will be along shortly,” said Garlmek. He had learned that some humans — Stephanie in particular — sometimes used improper grammar on purpose. He’d concluded that it was a subtle form of humor.

  The humans who would accompany the Noaud to Aliello Island were Mitchell, Reynolds, Behling, Ruggiero, Hanrahan, Fletch and two of the grad students. Already on the island were three professors and eight graduate and undergraduate students from Berkeley.

  Northrup, Allenwood and the Seabees would make the first leg of the journey with them, but would then proceed separately back to the States.

  As the last-minute preparations were being made, Lightfoot entered the office.

  “Garlmek, I’m glad I didn’t miss you. I just said goodbye to Touolok, and wanted to say farewell for now.”

  “Dan,” said the Noaud, bowing, “we will miss you. I hope that you will visit us at our new home.”

  “You can count on it. Maybe I’ll bring my wife and kids.”

  “That would be wonderful. We would very much enjoy the opportunity to observe your offspring.”

  “Then we’ll meet again before long. Have a safe trip.”

  Reynolds grabbed his duffel bag from his desk, and picked up one of McCollum’s bags, and with Garlmek and the others in tow, headed out toward the landing strip. They stepped outside the shed into a bright, crisp Antarctic Summer day. It occurred to Reynolds that it was just under eleven months since he’d examined that first core sample.

  The Navy C-130 Hercules that sat on skis at the end of the landing strip would take the party to Tierra del Fuego. There the humans and Noaud would stay the night before boarding a private jet for the trip to Puerto Rico, and then by helicopter to Aliello Island. The C-130 would refuel and proceed on with the equipment.

  At Garlmek’s request, two seats had been rigged for them on the flight deck. Since the transport plane was not equipped with windows in the cargo bay, this would allow them to observe on their first trip by air. The humans in the group would make the flight in a passenger compartment module loaded at the front of the cargo bay.

  •

  In the Penthouse, Touolok gathered her remaining items and prepared to leave. She turned to Hummford, who’d been helping her pack.

  “Florence, thank you for all you have done for us. I will miss working with you.”

  “Touolok, I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. This has been the most exciting eight months of my life. Besides, I may still be here when you come back.”

  “I hope so. It was your effort at learning our language that made it possible for us to learn yours. You have our gratitude.”

  “All part of my job, but a pleasure nonetheless.” She bowed toward the Noaud physician, who bowed back.

  Touolok picked up her two bags and left.

  •

  “Are you ready?” asked the pilot.

  “We are ready,” replied Garlmek, looking across at Touolok.

  The pilot pushed forward on the throttles, and the sound of the engines grew to a deafening roar. The aircraft began to move forward, gathering speed rapidly. He fired the jet assist engines, and both the noise level and the speed increased even further. And then they were airborne.

  Garlmek was exhilarated. As the plane gained altitude and banked towards the tip of South America, he found himself thinking that no matter how crude the human’s flight technology was, compared to what the Noaud had been working on, there was one indisputable fact: it worked. He and Touolok were the first of their kind to fly in a heavier-than-air craft.

  Just under ten hours later they landed at Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, where the party would spend the night at Las Hayas Resort Hotel as guests of the Argentine government. After refueling, and with a new crew, the C-130 with the equipment on board continued on towards Puerto Rico, where they would meet up with it the next day.

  Along the way from the airport to the hotel the streets were lined with local residents and a large number of summer tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of the Sapiosaurs. The Noaud were a bit overwhelmed at the attention, and touched at what was obviously a show of affection.

  The next morning they boarded a Cessna Citation X jet owned by one of the university’s alumni. The plane had been fitted with two seats designed for the Noaud. While Garlmek had been thrilled by the flight in the C-130, the take-off and flight in the Citation were a revelation. With a much quieter and positively luxurious cabin, and flying at just under Mach I, the aircraft impressed Garlmek and Touolok. After a refueling stop in La Paz, Bolivia, they reached Puerto Rico in early evening.

  At the San Juan airport, they found that the C-130 had arrived just ahead of them, and their cargo was being loaded onto trucks for transfer to a barge that would take it to the island.

  They transferred once again, this time to a Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, for the flight to Aliello Island. While the Noaud had seen photos and videos of this type of aircraft, Garlmek was still fascinated by the ride. The Citation jet had combined beauty and simplicity of design in a way that seemed almost Noaud to him. The Jayhawk was cumbersome, noisy and incredibly complicated in its design. Garlmek was amazed that the human culture could conceive, let alone build and actually fly, such a complex piece of machinery.

  It was almost 10:00 PM when the chopper set down on the helipad at the new home of the Noaud. The thirteen people already in residence were standing by to greet them, along with several additional people. Christine Douglas of the department of Anthropology came forward as the Noaud and humans exited the aircraft.

  “Hi, Steph,” she said, embracing Mitchell.

  “It’s gre
at to see you,” came the response. “Chris, let me introduce you to our new friends. “Garlmek, Touolok, this is my colleague and good friend Chris Douglas.”

  “We are pleased to meet you,” said Garlmek.

  “I’m honored,” said Douglas. “There’s someone else who came especially to meet you,” she said, turning to the small crowd at the edge of the pad. A tall man in a blue jacket with a round seal patch came forward.

  “Garlmek, Touolok, may I present Roger Mohr, Vice President of the United States of America.”

  The Noaud had been briefed on Earth’s political divisions, which they found quite strange, but they were aware nonetheless that this was an important man in human society. They both bowed.

  “Roger, it is a pleasure to meet you,” said Garlmek.

  Mohr was momentarily surprised by the use of his first name, but guessed that it was part of the Sapio culture. He smiled and bowed back.

  “I bring you greetings from the President, and welcome you to U. S. soil. We look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship working together. If there is anything the government can provide you, please let me know.”

  “That is most generous. Thank you,” said Touolok.

  Douglas and Mitchell completed introductions of the human members of the group, and then Mitchell turned to Mohr.

  “Mr. Vice President, we and our friends have been in the air all day. I hope you won’t think us rude if we find our quarters and call it a day.”

  “Not at all. I know exactly what it’s like, having done it myself many times.”

  Douglas led the group along the path to the compound. The main building had originally been a vacation home on what was then a private island, and was opulent compared to most research stations. Built in Spanish style around a central courtyard, it featured six bedrooms, a large living room, a dining room, a study, kitchen, laundry and an attached guest house with its own living room, bedroom and bath. There was also a swimming pool. The guest house had been modified for the Noaud, down to the toilet fashioned according to the specifications derived from the laser scan in the Outhouse.

  Supplementing the original buildings were eight large two-bedroom mobile homes that had been arranged in two rows behind the main house. A prefabricated shed — large, but much smaller than the one in Antarctica — had been erected beyond the mobile homes, and would serve as the workshop, at least temporarily.

  In the courtyard, the group said their goodnights, and various members of the on-site team showed the new arrivals to their rooms. The Antarctic crew were accorded bedrooms in the main house.

  In the morning, the entire group gathered in the dining room and living room of the main house for breakfast. Afterwards, Mohr suggested that he, Mitchell and the Noaud go for a walk in order to talk privately. At Mitchell’s insistence, Reynolds was invited as well. This would also give the Noaud their first daytime look at their new home.

  They left the house, and proceeded down the path to and past the helipad. The gardens that lay beyond had been left as they were, pending the Noaud’s assessment of what they would need.

  “Garlmek, Touolok,” began Mohr, “my job, and that of the President, is to deal with the social, political and economic implications of your revival. You may not realize it, but many people, both within the scientific community and without, consider your existence to be the most momentous discovery since the dawn of the human race.”

  When Garlmek tilted his head to the side and looked at him, Mohr sensed the question behind the body language.

  “We’ve always believed that we were the only intelligent beings on Earth — at least the only ones capable of language, and tool use and such. Any hope we had of encountering other intelligences lay in the stars.”

  “Mr. Vice President,” Garlmek began, having been briefed on protocol by Mitchell earlier that morning.

  “Please,” Mohr interrupted, “I’d prefer it if you’d call me Roger. After all, in a way, you’re the head of your government, such as it is.”

  “Thank you, Roger. We, too expected that any contact with intelligent life would come from the stars. And I suppose, in a perverse way, it did.”

  Now it was Mohr’s turn to look puzzled.

  “The asteroid that destroyed most of our civilization and led to yours was a visitor from the stars, speaking metaphorically.”

  “Ah… yes, that’s quite true. In any event, the vast majority of our population worldwide are fascinated by you, and by what we might learn from you.”

  “That is a feeling mutually held.”

  “We appreciate very much the fact that you’ve offered to share your technology with us.”

  “We consider that to be our duty to the planet, and are pleased to do so.”

  “There are several factors that the President and I feel we need to take into account as we begin our work together. First, as you learned from the actions of Eugene Northrup, not all of humanity views you in a friendly way. There is a minority — a fairly small minority, I believe — that sees you as a threat or a potential threat to our way of life. Unfortunately, while their numbers may be few, their voices are often disproportionately loud.”

  “I cannot say that this fear is something we completely understand, but it is something of which we’re aware.”

  “That’s one reason this island works out so well, at least for the time being. Here we can provide complete security, and let you work in peace.”

  In their stroll they had arrived at a row of tomato plants, and Garlmek stopped to admire them. He turned to Mohr, and asked, “Do you think anyone would mind?”

  The Vice President smiled. “Garlmek, this island effectively belongs to you and Touolok now. It’s your home, and you’re in charge. Dr. Mitchell and her team are here as your guests, and to help you with your work. And to learn as much as they can, of course.”

  “Of course,” replied Garlmek as he picked a tomato. He popped it whole into his mouth and chewed. Swallowing, he offered his appraisal: “Delicious.

  “But you referred to Aliello as being appropriate for the time being. May I ask what you meant by that?”

  “Well, as I understand it, you intend to start an accelerated breeding program. From the briefings I’ve received, within a few decades you’d begin to outgrow Aliello. Eventually, you’ll need more space.”

  “And that is something that you would be willing to provide?”

  “Of course. The problems are logistical, since virtually all larger habitable islands that would be suitable already have human populations. For a while, at least, we think it would be best if you have your own place, rather than trying to mix human and Sapio… I’m sorry… Noaud populations. Clearing a larger island will mean moving the human population, probably by purchasing their property.

  “Fortunately, we’ll have plenty of time to deal with this before the time comes. Eventually, we plan to propose to the United Nations that Aliello and any future island that might be chosen be ceded to you as your sovereign territory, and that you be given recognition as a nation.”

  Garlmek looked from Mohr to Touolok, and then back at Mohr. From his study of human history over the past weeks, he knew that what Mohr had just said was not to be taken lightly.

  “And the other nations of your world will agree to this?”

  Mohr flashed a grin. “Garlmek, if you’ll allow me a bit of immodesty, you and Touolok got lucky. You were found by citizens of the world’s largest and most influential democracy. By a vast majority, Americans love you already. While the United Nations as a world body does much to work for peace and human advancement, the United States is the last remaining superpower. If we decide to help you — and we have — then we’ll see to it that you get what you need regardless of what other nations think.

  “But I don’t foresee any such need. Aside from a few rogue nations under the control of dictators or religious fanatics, the people of the world share our feelings. Yes, I think they — we will — all agree to it.”

/>   “That is most encouraging. We thank you.”

  They resumed their stroll past the gardens and down to a path that led around the island.

  “The other matter that I wanted to discuss has to do with the rate of absorption of your technology. In particular, your energy management, lighting and other systems are much more efficient than ours, and in the long run could help us save the planet from much of the damage we’ve caused.”

  “From what we have been told, that is true.”

  “Our concern is that we not try to introduce your technology too quickly. We have an entire world economy built around our current energy systems, and as much as we like to think of ourselves as being in control, in many ways it controls us. We feel that your technology should be integrated into our economy in a careful and controlled fashion in order to avoid major upheavals.”

  “I understand. This would be the sensible approach.”

  “In any event, our science advisors indicate that there are enough differences between our systems that we actually have little choice but to maintain a measured pace. For instance, the electrical system in the United States is based on 110 volt alternating current, while I believe yours is based on 9 volt direct current.”

  “Since we gather energy where it is needed, we have no need to transmit it over long distances. Ours is a simpler approach.”

  “Yes, that’s what I’ve been told. In any event, we’d appreciate it if we could coordinate our efforts. What we’d like to propose is the establishment of an international body representing government, science and industry to begin the process of adapting your technologies to the world’s problems.”

  “That sounds reasonable.”

  “Good. We can start to work out details once you’re established here.”

  They continued their walk, discussing other details and logistics, and eventually found themselves back at the compound.

  “Garlmek, Touolok, I must return to Washington. I want to say how pleased I am to know you, and also how pleased we all are that you survived your ordeal.”

  “Thank you, Roger,” answered Touolok. “We are pleased at this ourselves.”