Here Comes Earth: Emergence

by William Lee Gordon

  “For example, I know that many of my fellow scientistas would be happy if the Noridians would just share knowledge with us – and don’t give much thought to the price of that knowledge.

  “The politicos,” he continued. “Well, I would guess they would like to control that knowledge or technology because that is their nature. It is what they do; and therefore they have control over the governed.

  “Many of the common man I suspect would just like to be left alone; and if ignoring the problem gains him a better TV or a shorter work week he is all the happier.

  “The only question remaining then is what does Dr. Marquis Spencer want?”

  “What do I want?” His question had surprised me.

  “Yes Mark; what do you want? I also suspect that there are a large number of higher thinkers on our planet that do care about our long-term future. People that want to see the human race – our human race – free to capture and mold our own destiny.

  “Maybe I watch too many SF channel but I think you are one of those people that really do have all of our best interests at heart and you’re smart enough to lead us in the right direction. So, you figure it out and I follow. I suspect many others will also.”

  Long after Anzio left I kept thinking about it; what did I want the outcome to be? On the one hand I felt extremely selfish for reducing it to this, not to mention terribly arrogant to think I could influence events to any great extent, but if I didn’t take the altruistic side, if I didn’t try to influence things for the common good who would?

  For once I was glad my sleep was undisturbed. It took me a long time to drift off but I needed the downtime to let everything sink in. I didn’t wake with any new thoughts or revelations but I had a terrible craving for bacon; and bacon is always a good place to start.

  Chapter 21

  Dr. Julie Schein

  Julie had stopped keeping her journal; or at least she had stopped recording it on her smartpad. She had become increasingly suspicious that the Noridians could monitor everything said inside their ship. She had no real evidence of this but Major Reagan had urged her to trust her instincts and this was a strong one. Another instinct was telling her that her thoughts on the Noridians and even her own team members weren’t something that should be accessible.

  The video feed from the planet had had a profound impact on mission personnel and when the 2nd Platoon returned it only reinforced that apprehension.

  Probably because Julie was a psychiatrist she had always been sensitive to changes in the personalities of those around her. Dramatic paradigm shifts could often have physiological repercussions and/or leave a certain type of personality open and unguarded to suggestion.

  A paradigm shift occurs when a person’s viewpoint of a situation, event, or person is suddenly yanked to a different perspective. The stronger the belief in the previous viewpoint the more profound the reaction can be.

  Another way to say it; if your confidence in the truth of your worldview is shaken you might be more open to the strongly held worldview of someone else even if it crosses normally held mores, ethics, or beliefs.

  Julie was starting to notice a pattern and if true the implications could be dire.

  The first night on the ship the Noridians had demonstrated just how advanced they were, and by comparison, just how insignificant our culture was compared to them. Culture shock is a type of paradigm shift and it was the following morning while everyone was still somewhat susceptible that Jaki’s universally watched interview with Mark introduced the offer of Noridia to ‘embrace’ earth and protect us in our transition – and spelled out the possible catastrophic consequences of not accepting that help.

  Yesterday, the Noridian’s had taken 2nd Platoon on a tour that forced everyone on the mission to face the stark reality that human-type civilizations could and in fact did exterminate themselves – just as Jaki had claimed. It is one thing to intellectually know that your species is not immortal, it’s quite another to have any pride or self-confidence ripped from your heart with in-your-face evidence.

  Another paradigm shift and now another follow-up selling the Noridian message; or at least that is how it was starting to look to Julie as she watched Dr. Helmer, Colonel Memphis, and their cronies circulate amongst the team.

  The selling was subtle; a hand on the shoulder here, some comforting words there. To Julie it was starting to look more like proselytizing the ‘religion’ of Noridia than anything else.

  There was a lot going on and there was a lot at stake. It was possible that these events were innocent in and of themselves and it was only the fast pace that they were happening that made them seem orchestrated but Julie was starting to strongly suspect otherwise.

  You’re only paranoid if they’re really not out to get you.

  These are the thoughts Julie was contemplating as she tracked down Dr. Sullivan. She could have called him but again she didn’t want to possibly call more attention to herself than she needed to. Much better if she just ran into him.

  And run into him she almost did; as she neared the end of the hallway leading into the HQ Hub Dr. Sullivan turned the corner just ahead of her. They stopped short, facing each other just inside the hallway. As Julie had noticed before the hallways had a strange noise deadening effect that seemed especially pronounced just before the hallways met the hubs. It was disconcerting enough that most team members would naturally pause their conversation for a beat as they walked through these connection zones.

  As Julie greeted Dr. Sullivan he started to step back into the hub to clear the zone; until she reached out and lightly grabbed the front of his tunic and said, “Please, let’s talk right here.”

  Dr. Hilbert Sullivan was no trained agent of the government but he had risen through medical and governmental politics to the number two position at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta; he was no stranger to political intrigue.

  “Hilbert please,” Julie said. “I need to ask you about how General Nesbit is doing and I need your candid assessment even if it’s somewhat speculative.”

  After a considered moment Dr. Sullivan responded, “I’m concerned Julie. I go three times a day to check on him but there’s nothing to see. They still have him sedated and claim that it’s perfectly safe. They say the only reason the process is taking so long is that they’re worried about other arterial weaknesses in the same general area.”

  Julie looked Dr. Sullivan in the eyes and said, “Do you believe them?”

  Dr. Sullivan let out a deep breath and raised his hand to his forehead. “Julie, I just don’t know. I want to believe them but what they’re saying just doesn’t make sense to me. There’s no sign of arterial expansion or weakness on the medical view screen and his blood pressure is consistent with his medical history – the high side of normal. I would think if they were really concerned about arterial weakness they’d be trying to lower it.”

  Julie was digesting this new information when Dr. Sullivan said, “Talk to me Julie. What do you know?”

  “I don’t know anything Hilbert,” she responded. “I think the timing of his affliction is another coincidence in what is becoming a string of coincidences. What are you hearing from the HQ staff?”

  “Julie, that’s the other thing. It’s like HQ lives in another world; everyone here is happy and confident about the future with no worries. When I get out to the platoons, however, it’s just the opposite. Except for maybe the diplomatic platoon, it’s like there’s a giant disconnect from what everybody else is experiencing. I’ve been trying to sound the alarm but Helmer and Memphis aren’t listening. I’m not really sure what to do anymore.”

  “Hilbert, I’ve got a favor to ask; two really.”

  “What do you need Julie?”

  “First off I need to ask you to keep our conversations private; and I mean private from everybody. Can I count on you for that?”

  Dr. Sullivan quickly considered and then nodded his head. “Yes, of course.”

  “The second thi
ng is that I need an excuse to spend time around the HQ staff; especially Helmer and Memphis. Do you think you can come up with a plausible reason to have me around for a few days?”

  Again nodding slowly Dr. Sullivan said, “I’ll have to think up something but I’m sure I can manage. Would tomorrow be soon enough?”

  “Tomorrow is perfect.”

  Right before they moved on Julie said one last thing. “Oh, and Hilbert as a personal word of friendship; stop raising the alarm. Keep your eyes open but don’t get pegged as a discontent.”

  ∆∆∆

  Most of the team had developed the habit of ordering lunch from their room dispenser and then carrying the tray out into the common hub area. It was a convention that Julie understood thoroughly; after all we are a social species.

  She hadn’t been sitting for long when Hiromi sat down beside her. Even though she was pretty sure it was Hiromi it didn’t stop her from looking at her uniform.

  Good thing she double-checked; the nametag said Ito so that was no help, but the squad patch was red meaning this was Kamiko.

  As usual, the captain didn’t start the conversation so after a few minutes Julie said, “Do you and your sister ever feel you can read each other’s mind?”

  After thoughtfully chewing on her food Kamiko responded, “Not really. We usually find it easier to figure out what other people are thinking.”

  Julie half laughed and said, “I really wish I had your ability. Right now it would make my life so much easier.”

  “Then let me loan you mine. The answer is yes, he has feelings for you.”

  “Whoa,” Julie exclaimed. “I was talking about the mission; I so need to understand who’s who.”

  “No, my friend Julie. You weren’t just talking about the mission and the answer stays the same; he does care.”

  Julie actually felt herself blushing. She hadn’t blushed in… years!

  “Kamiko, I don’t know what you think you know but I can assure you…”

  Kamiko interrupted with, “Julie, you cannot even assure yourself as hard as you try. You have a large responsibility on your shoulders and you think that leaves you no time for personal feelings but you cannot schedule your emotions. As a psychiatrist you should know this.

  “We have a saying,” she continued. “I don’t know if it translates well but it states that your war is big enough already without adding new fronts to battle. Maybe you should think about giving in to some of those feelings; it might make the rest of your burden easier.”

  As Julie sat silent, thoughts in turmoil, literally not knowing what to say Kamiko said, “Would you like my orange juice?”

  ∆∆∆

  It was too much. Everything happening all at once was just too much for any one person so when Toni had suggested that what they really needed was a girl’s night out Julie immediately agreed.

  Except of course that there really wasn’t anywhere to go ‘out’ to and the fact that they’d ended up at Major Reagan’s quarters sort of belied the ‘girls’ part of it altogether.

  It was still a relief however and the fact that when they’d showed up at the Major’s door demanding a couple hours of mission-free, pressure-free time he’d invited them in - it went a long way to helping Julie relax.

  The fact that Dr. Mom had smuggled a bottle of Melbec on board certainly helped too.

  The professional side of Julie was relieved to see the major open up a little and relax – she even got a chance to see a full smile which didn’t look too bad on him at all. If she was feeling the pressure then it was amazing that he could stand up straight with all that was on his shoulders.

  Dr. Mom seemed her usual unflappable self and had deftly gotten the major to talk a little about his personal life; something Julie definitely got the impression that he didn’t do all that often.

  “I can’t believe that cooking is one of your hobbies,” Toni said.

  “Why not?” the major responded. “A lot of men are chefs and it relaxes me.”

  “It’s just that you’re so… macho,” Julie said. After seeing the look on Major Reagan’s face she hurriedly continued, “Not in a bad way! I just mean that you’re like the perfect image of a military leader and cooking seems so… domestic.”

  After both Julie and Toni stopped laughing the major smiled and in a conversational spirit recounted how early in his career he had been stationed at Ft Leavenworth, Kansas to spend a rotation at the Army’s Combined Arms Center.

  What most people don’t realize is that Leavenworth is just outside of Kansas City.

  What even more people don’t realize is that Kansas City is the absolute BBQ capital of the world. Between the American Royal and the hundreds of privately owned BBQ restaurants it was a matter of pride for every Kansas Citian to own a grill, a slow cooker, and/or a smoker; there might even be a law requiring it.

  “While I was there,” he continued. “I was befriended by a man who was old enough to be my grandfather and that had served BBQ for lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant every Wednesday and Thursday for 32 years.”

  “What about the rest of the week?” Toni asked.

  “Nope, he’d spend all day Tuesday smoking and slow cooking his meets and only served lunch over the next two days. There weren’t more than half a dozen mismatched tables in the whole place but he’d have a line of suits wrapped all the way around the building waiting for him to open.

  “I consider myself lucky that he let me hang around most Tuesdays and judging by the comments I get on my brisket I think it’s fair to say he taught me some secrets!”

  “No offense Mathew – hey, can I call you Mathew?” asked Julie.

  “Actually it’s Matt,” he responded.

  “Ok, no offense Major Matt but you don’t seem the most outgoing type. How exactly did you befriend this BBQ guru?”

  “What? You don’t believe that I’m immediately able to win the confidence of an aficionado of secret recipes using only my good looks, charm, and great sense of humor?”

  When no one responded he sighed and continued, “Well, there was this vandalism thing that kept plaguing the old man. I guess he was grateful that someone was able to discourage the local gang from continuing that activity.”

  “So the big strong military man broke some heads, huh.” Julie said in a suddenly flat voice.

  “Well maybe a little, at first,” Major Reagan explained. “But all it really took was for the gang leader to get his To-Go order every Thursday like clockwork. Last time I’d checked there hadn’t been a robbery or vandalism since.”

  Toni laughed and Julie felt somewhat chastised for possibly underestimating this man, and with that sobering thought she realized that she did have a big day tomorrow and that this was an important mission and that… well, it was time to turn in, say a prayer, and face tomorrow with every confidence she could muster.

  ∆∆∆

  The first thing she did the next morning was to seek out the Reverend Dr. Charles Rohn. While she was waiting for Dr. Sullivan to contact her she might as well head back over to the HQ Hub; and besides, there were some questions she wanted to bounce off of the reverend anyway.

  Julie’s friends were sometimes surprised to learn that she was religious. She’d never tried to hide it but she probably didn’t fit the stereotype because she wasn’t all that fond of organized religion. She enjoyed attending the Catholic Midnight Mass every year on Christmas Eve and there were few things as uplifting as the full choir on Easter Sunday Service at the local Methodist church but she had always had trouble fitting in or feeling comfortable in groups and this was no different.

  Her belief was strong that there was one God and that a part of Him, his son, had walked the earth and sacrificed Himself to give each individual’s essence or spirit the right or belief to go on existing after corporal death. This clearly put her in the camp of the Christians and she was comfortable with that label; it was all the other relatively small details of the differing denominations that
she had a hard time with. The idea that dancing was ungodly, that contraception was evil or that praying to the Saints was a requirement to experience an afterlife were examples of concepts that Julie strongly suspected were added by man; not created by God.

  It’s not that she thought badly of those that embraced a certain denomination or Christian belief system; most church members she had ever met were basically very good, kind people and this hard cold world could use a lot more of them. As a matter of fact, she was more likely to discuss her detailed personal beliefs with an agnostic than a fellow Christian because she didn’t want to take a chance on discouraging a Believer. For herself, however, Julie figured that she trusted her relationship with God and didn’t always need the man behind the pulpit to interpret every nuance or dictate every detail of His policy.