by John Pearce
‘Now gentlemen, I assume that’s as far as we can go, I wish you luck with your application. Are there any more questions?’ The Admiral soaked in the silence of his visitors, then he and the Commander stood up. The three copied them, then moved purposefully to the door.
‘The receptionist will see you out.’ He continued softly, ‘Thanks for your inputs.’
Once again the two of them were left to ponder the fruits of one of their many meetings.
‘They won’t be happy Admiral.’
‘I know Commander, that’s why whatever we decide to do, we’ll have to do it quickly!’ He mused awhile. ‘As soon as the Prospector lands, get them all up here.’
‘Even the aliens?’
‘Especially the aliens!’
SOMEBODY’S OUT THERE
Sixteen assorted beings were marched through the corridors of intrigue by Commander Kronstein, collecting many glances from usually disinterested office personnel. The humans gave polite nods as they passed by these members of their own species. The warriors were now in black military uniforms that stressed their athletic stature. They had dressed not just for office protocol, for the first time in their lives they had been out of their own warm climate. The Admiral had concluded that they should pose as humans for now, thus they attracted nearly as much attention as if they’d stayed native.
On the trek to the boardroom, Denton’s curiosity as usual got the better of him. ‘Prof, those gorgeous females all dressed in black, what would their chromosome count be?’
‘It’s no good getting broody Alan, interbreeding is out.’
‘Probably because they wouldn’t find me hairy enough?’
‘That’s not it, their evolution doesn’t want to go into reverse.’
‘Thanks Prof.’
The sixteen of them piled into the boardroom. Admiral Maltravers and Commander Kronstein looked impressed to the point of showing their humanity, Lieutenant Hernandez, the Chief Science Officer had joined them. ‘Please ladies and gentlemen, sit down,’ asked the Admiral. It was then that the military sat along one side of the table opposite the human complement, the other two sides shared the warriors equally. Boss was asked to take the place to the right and closest to the Admiral. ‘Ah,’ he remembered, ‘I have a little present for our friends from Planet AO2374.’
The Lieutenant’s ever cheerful face from under his dark untidy hair lit up, as he reached under the table for a box that he placed in front of the Admiral; who seemed to take some delight in unpacking the now redundant neck band translators and taking them to the warriors. ‘Please Professor, explain to them that they can now converse with us.’
The humans could only grin.
‘Somebody speak to our hosts,’ said Boss. The other warriors started to chatter in impeccable speech, the humans replied. There was mutual delight that they had already bridged the DNA gap with language as well as their actions. The Admiral sat again and let the chatter go on as a celebration until this initial excitement wavered. Slowly, two by two, eyes turned to the Admiral who showed satisfaction with the progress of his warrior staff, but surprise at the redundancy of his communications staff.
Denton just couldn’t resist, ‘Once again the Military ignores old technology Admiral.’
The Admiral’s smile had little trouble escaping his formality.
‘I will assume you can all understand me,’ he started less formally than usual, ‘as men…and women of action I will not bore you with too much detail. I must start by thanking you all for the great service you have done the Galaxy and the Military. The launch pad you have given us allows a clearer view on where we go from here, whilst leaving our enemies confused. This achieved as much with bows and arrows as with our genetics armoury…which reminds me…why did you use only one volley of arrows?’ The Admiral then looked at Boss.
Boss looked puzzled by the question. ‘We calculated they would charge bowmen, but would run from riflemen.’
The Admiral then moved his look to Tubary. ‘What helped you hide the Prospector so well?’
‘Camouflage nets supplied by our friends from Planet AO2374!’
‘I see.’ The Admiral’s eyes widened a moment before he continued, ‘Your evidence and logic leads to the conclusion that at least a thousand native Cyanese have been used in epigenetic experiments, they were used as lab rats in fact. The purpose of this was to find a way of epigenetically programming people from Planet 2374. The perpetrators were also from Planet 2374. I now ask you, where do we go from here?’
The warriors joined in with a selection of ideas that were not only outside the box, but very nearly outside the Galaxy. All the humans were enthralled by the sharp logic of their extraterrestrial guests. The Professor competed well, Mick, Tubary and Denton held their own, as for the Military they were on their home ground as well as their home planet. The challenge was getting something agreed that could be put into action within a few days. After only a quarter of an hour, Tubary threw his offering into the evolving strategy. ‘When I’m cornered in a bout against somebody the size of Mick coming at me, I can only counter attack.’ All joined in while absorbing his idea, the faces around the table began to light up one by one until all the beings of action were nodding as one. The military were thinking as one.
Admiral Maltravers looked along his side of the table. ‘Lieutenant Hernandez?’
‘I see no technical obstacles Admiral.’
‘Commander Kronstein?’
‘All communication channels could be cleared Admiral.’
‘Ladies and gentlemen, under all the circumstances I have no choice but to adopt this plan.’
The chatter of relief burst out, much of it being caused by the welling up of interspecific curiosity. Coffee and fruit juice flowed after both species had got up from their chairs to mingle; it now became the relaxed aftermath of a serious meeting.
After a few days, rumours started to spread around the Globe about a strange spaceship that had been detected out along the Orion Arm. It was nothing more than mild speculation at first, as the days passed the inevitable witnesses and experts materialized through the media, it was as though teleportation existed. The publicity was so well orchestrated that the single ship multiplied into hundreds and they were breaking all speed records in their rush to destroy Earth. Not even calls for calm by Interplanetary News Net’s stalwart Casper Ballantyne could calm the world. The headlines shrieked, ‘WHERE WAS THE MILITARY?’ WHY HADN’T THE SHIPS BEEN DESTROYED?’
‘Estimated time of arrival?’ grinned the Admiral.
‘Whenever we like Admiral, before or after lunch?’ the Commander smiled back.
‘Everything else set?’
‘Yes, your public awaits.’
The crowds had now gathered around the Senate balcony, screaming for action. The media had every available telecoms interface thrusting in one direction ready to flash the Military’s news statement throughout the Galaxy. The Admiral appeared with deliberate calm, resisting the temptation to raise his arms as dictators do. The noise was hardly acclamation but took the form of a barrage of questions. The Admiral seemed to be born to the game, it occurred to him that now would be the perfect time to take control of the planet! He waited for the raging human sea beneath him to calm. Standing immaculately in black, he felt secure that any stabbing in his back from senators would be futile at this time.
‘Members of the Senate, the media, ladies and gentlemen. I have the most exciting news: Humanity has been searching for centuries for intelligent extraterrestrial life, not only have we discovered such life, but we have arranged a meeting on Earth with these people to discuss communications, and of course trade.’ The already quietened crowd were stunned into the silence found only in space. ‘Contrary to wild rumours there is only one unarmed ship on its way with a delegation from Planet AO2374, that’s at the end of the Orion Arm.’ The murmurs grew, both from the crowd and from the Senators. ‘On behalf of the Galactic Federation I have assured them of safe passage to
and from our planets. One of our shuttles will be landing them on the Senate lawn in about an hour, they will want to say a few words of greeting before they meet the Senators. I strongly advise that we welcome these visitors as friends, they are nothing like the malformed of science fiction, but look remarkably like us. In case any of you need further convincing, their genetics have been checked. After many months of talks we have concluded there is no cause for alarm, even though they are very advanced.’ The Admiral waved his goodbyes and turned back into the building.
The shuttle hummed over the masses spread out before the Senate, it hovered awhile to encourage them to disperse, leaving a landing pad of manicured lawn. After a graceful touchdown the small ship was swallowed up by the hordes that had just ebbed and now flowed. A platform was hastily erected to soak up the glare of the mass media. Then there was silence as a few uniforms could be seen moving about in the observation bay. The airlock clunked open, the ramp meeting perfectly the platform that was to become the stage on which history was to unfold. Slowly and serenely, a tall slim figure older than the warriors, walked straight into the human awe where excited telecoms waited to devour him. The sacrifice, dressed in a grey one piece suit, his hair the usual mop of his people stretched himself to his full height. He started to brush aside what to him was exaggerated attention.
‘People of Earth, we are pleased to meet you at last and hope that you feel the same, we will be discussing with you the whole Galaxy. In particular we wish to set up channels of communication between us to clear the way for mutual learning and trade, I am sure we have a lot to offer each other. I look forward to meeting your Senators as a first step, and on behalf of my people I wish everyone in the Galactic Federation peace and prosperity. As for me, I am the Ambassador Designate for my planet, representing all my people. For now I wish you a good day.’
A squad of bodyguards surrounded the Ambassador as he was joined by five more delegates, they then moved down into the throng. The returning commotion in the form of questions flew at them from all directions. Most telling of all were peoples’ offers of handshakes which slowed the aliens fight to the relative safety of the senate steps. At the top of which they disappeared into the white straight lines of the building to reappear on the balcony, then to shake hands with the Admiral and several Senators. After a few minutes of polite waving, the balcony emptied to leave the crowd with the usual mix of emotions from concern to awe to hope, sprinkled with the anticlimax of such a short speech.
Senator Cantrell sidled up to the Admiral. ‘The Senate’s not happy Admiral, we never had a single debate on this momentous event.’
‘I regret that myself Senator, but the aliens were half way along the Orion Arm before they were intercepted. It appears they’d had their debate! They made it quite clear that their journey to Earth was as much for our benefit as theirs.’
‘What benefit?’
‘They have mine loads of uranium they want us to enrich, and more to our point, mine loads of platinum with which to pay.’
The Senator looked over his shoulder, then drew closer to the Admiral. ‘Why can’t they enrich it themselves?’
‘They can, but not quickly enough for the economic growth they want. They are very business orientated Senator.’
‘How can the Senate check all this?’
‘You now have the chance to question them, rather you then me, even if they do have far more patience than Senators! Remember, they know they have rights, they won’t be asking you for them!’
EVOLUTION TO REVOLUTION
The genetics and epigenetics laws were strictly enforced because of the disasters as well as the blessings that both offered. Keeping every human’s genotype and epigenotype on record at birth had been the law for hundreds of years, this was not only as an aid to keeping them on the straight and narrow, but as basic medical records. The law allowed health remedies only, strictly forbidding the use of genetics for cosmetic and psychological modifications, especially intelligence. The often cited case was the potential disaster of tempting people to treat their children as fashion accessories; the planet Frontier, half way round the Sagittarius arm let parents modify their offspring, only to find that too many of the next generation would have been blue eyed blonde males. Controlling gene expression through epigenetics was permitted but monitored. This moderated the effects of adverse environmental factors that caused many of society’s usual problems. People discovered that even in the twenty fifth century it was better to leave an appropriate share of genetic expression to evolution. Adding to these challenges was another never ending argument regarding choice. Were people completely at the mercy of their genes? How much were they affected by their environment? Could they escape from nature’s programming into the wondrous world of choice? Here again it took even greater research budgets as well as argument to decide that is wasn’t one or the other but both. Such was the background against which society’s arguments had raged for hundreds of years, and of course, casted their votes.
Pressure had now persuaded the Senate to debate the proposition of setting up a tribunal that could order an alien classification law change. Laws were presented by the politicians, then tested by the courts, but this never stopped the Senate trying to twist the wording of laws to their advantage. The voters were asking and the media was screaming for clarification of what some saw as the most perverse law ever enacted. Inevitably there were those that were on the side of the oppressed aliens, and many who were close to panic at the thought of losing large chunks of their planets. Senate debates were always amongst the elected fifteen Senators who could summon witnesses to the proceedings. Therefore they always tried to out witness as well as out argue each other. The Leader of the Senate would ask for a vote once enough wind had been expelled; decided by a simple majority, the Leader of the Senate casting the deciding vote if required. There had been the inevitable shift in the arguments since aliens had landed on Earth and shown themselves to be intelligent. Now it was not only about their rights but also about how useful they could be to humanity. The debate would be in public.
The Galaxy was back in the grip of the media where every spare piece of telecoms equipment attempted to gobble up every political morsel. While only three Federation planets had alleged intelligent aliens on them, a few less fussy aliens had integrated with their human neighbours and even enjoyed the so called civilized life; Denton had even met one of them who was about to graduate. Most of the other eleven planets could afford to sit back and righteously proclaim the equality of the species; having no aliens with which to have problems with. Others were still a little nervous of what lurked in their jungles, as the level of integration from this direction would be incalculable and unstoppable. It was possible that even in the twenty fifth century detection techniques could be thwarted by aliens who didn‘t want to be found, let alone integrated. But thanks to the gods, humans followed an evolutionary path that gave many of them the gene expression that fired reason and empathy.
At long last, one, who many had regarded as an enemy of the people, was now virtually dragged before the multitudes to give The Origins Society’s view of the unfolding excitement. The young woman who Denton had already met shook her long black hair back over her shoulders. Her face, although tinged with bitterness, was largely triumphant. She spoke:
‘Why aren’t aliens flying about in spaceships if they’re so smart? That’s the standard question we get time and time again at The Origins Society.’ She felt that under the present circumstances she could hit her own species hard. ‘That’s common human arrogance, mutations and environments over millions of years led to our existence. We’ve had our present intelligence for about a hundred thousand years, only over the last thousand years have we learnt the science to bring us spaceships. You should ask, why are we humans so dumb? A planet’s life started evolving depending on its age, and only roughly at the same pace as others; we appear to have our noses in front…just, when you include knowledge. Aliens that could learn fro
m us are a real threat to many of you, so you cower in fear. But thanks to the variety which is part of our evolution, others welcome the idea.’ She paused to let her reprimand sink in.
It seemed that for the first time in its history, the species that had labelled itself as wise man, couldn’t speak. She stared quizzically at them and wondered how far out of ignorance they had come. Their restraint erupted into questions, she had forced them to become a little wiser!
‘Take a look at those idiots Alfonso, they’d dance at their own funerals!’ cursed out Senator Goring as he absorbed the festivities of those who’d taken to the streets. He could only sneer at the enormous news screen as he wallowed in the opulence of his office, waiting for the inevitable prop from his grey aide in both expression and dress, who oozed out cynical support from under his black hair.
‘The usual false dawn Senator, once the alcohol has worn off they’ll be back home worrying about their shares!’
‘Just in case, is there any action we need to take to thwart the bleeding hearts?’
‘Of the fifteen Senators: You and those who are accepting contributions to their worthy causes number five. That means for us to be out voted at the Senate, eight of the remaining ten have to go soft!’
‘Those sums I like Alfonso, is there anything else?’
‘Yes Senator, it’s about Elena, we could use her more effectively. She has a liking for business.’
‘But business is all about numbers, she’d be the first native to receive computer training.’
‘With her intelligence, she’d learn quickly.’
‘Now, what are you really after Alfonso?’
The grey man blushed. ‘We need someone who is well placed to help with our expansion, and I’m in need of an assistant.’