With that Mark asked Annette to join him in front of the room, and turned the session over to a question and answer period.
Later that day . . . .
Takai, Kevin, Sophie Gardner, and Captain Meyer sat on the verandah at Takai’s riverside home quietly discussing the steps to take. They agreed that building up a fuel supply for the Israel was first priority, and fortunately that was also one of the simplest steps since the manufacturing capacity was available and raw materials could be diverted without excessive strain on the colony. Getting a full crew assigned and trained for the Israel was also not too difficult. While the Israel was a large ship its actual crew requirements were quite modest. All agreed on the cover story for getting the Israel ready was a voyage to the second star, Alpha B, and its planets to search for mineral resources. All agreed this story would fly and wasn’t that far from the truth.
As far as explaining the reorientation of the antennas? After considerable discussion it was decided there was no cover story likely to be believed. But the number of persons involved was small, and it was decided to swear them to secrecy and hope for the best. Very few people paid much attention to how the antennas were oriented in any case.
Developing a cover story for other necessary preparations was not as simple. How could they explain the need for a step up in military preparedness and development of weapons for planetary defense? Not so simple.
CHAPTER 17: Watched
Far below the surface of the secondary moon of Alpha 2 there were a series of chambers cut into the solid rock. Several of the chambers were occupied. In one of those chambers Zilzz almost seemed to float to her couch, lowering herself to the surface, which immediately adjusted to a form-fit.
The term 'herself' didn't really have much meaning, since the Aberi were essentially sexless. The name Zilzz is also used for convenience, the species long ago having evolved from any need for speech, with telepathy taking its place; Zilzz representing merely a template impressed on the brain of her species.
While Zilzz's shape was long and angular, her structure was surprisingly light, and in the low gravity of the secondary moon nearly weightless. If she were still on Earth, or on the planet below, the total weight of her 3 meter tall form wouldn't have exceeded 50 kilograms; but if she were on Earth the external carapace, powerful waving arms, four short legs, and large multifaceted eyes entirely circling the pear-shaped head would present a jarring, alien appearance; an appearance that belied the sophisticated civilization of which she was a part.
The Aberi were an ancient race. Evolving many millions of years before on a planet thousands of light years down the spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy from Alpha Centauri, the Aberi were initially an aggressive, hive-living species. However, as time passed the Aberi genetically altered themselves to become the long lived, nearly indestructible form they now exhibited. Not immortal, its original lifespan of less than 100 Earth years was now more typically 20,000 years, with some individuals living as long as 50,000 years.
But longevity was not the only key to the Aberi's success. While when born normal internal organs were present, by the time full growth was reached they atrophied and died, their space in the torso replaced by new neurons forming a second brain; the first brain then relegated to use as an 'ancestral' brain containing the memories of former generations, providing a limited telepathic capability, and controlling motor and other necessary function. The new, larger brain filling the chest cavity took over the role of learning and reasoning.
This elimination of internal organs was made possible by a remarkable genetic modification. The energy to sustain the Aberi brains and general body activity was self-generated; a fusion reaction feeding on the internal material of the Aberi. Since its energy source was internal there was no longer a need for internal organs to process materials into energy, or to provide for elimination of wastes. But eventually even the bodies of the Aberi would break down, creating a need to replenish the species through cloning.
Originally the Aberi were an aggressive species, and as they evolved and their technology matured they had undertaken the path of conquest, and soon were the masters of all habitable planets within thousands of light years of their home. But even the Aberi could not repeal the natural laws of physics, and the Aberi heritage as hive creatures was bred into them. The telepathic ability connecting the individuals was limited by distance, and as greater and greater distances separated them from their home worlds the draw to return became stronger and stronger. Gradually aggressiveness was bred out, they tired of conquest, and withdrew to a limited number of home worlds in their home star system. While at their height the Aberi had numbered in the billions, the population declined until now only a little over 50,000 remained.
But something was lacking, and the Aberi didn't know what it was. While a telepathic capability existed between the Aberi themselves, and with some other species as well, it was limited largely to sensing and sharing emotions. In time the conclusion was reached that what was lacking was companionship; in effect, they were bored when constrained to the sameness of the analytical, unemotional Aberi mind.
But where to find species that could provide the companionship the Aberi sought? First, they attempted to share their technology with nearby species in the hope of creating a compatible species they could bond with; but, while in the short term it had limited success, in the long term it failed. Within the rapid growth of knowledge from the imported technology lay the seeds of destruction for these races. Some became overly aggressive and destroyed each other, but most simply destroyed themselves through internal conflict or used the advanced technology to sink into a state of quiescent luxury. The questing minds of the Aberi did not feel companionship with any of these species, so they again turned inward.
Now, a new approach was being taken. About 75,000 years before several expeditions had been launched to seed this arm of the galaxy, to nudge the more promising species along their own evolutionary path. To jump-start progress, but not repeat the mistakes of the past when they attempted to rapidly advance candidate civilizations. If a species evolved to the proper point members of that species were returned to the Aberi home star system, or to nearby star systems within reach of their telepathic capability. There, on their ‘new’ home worlds, they were free re-establish their civilization; but close enough to the Aberi that the Aberi could sense the emotions of the new species; providing the Aberi the companionship they sought.
But to the Aberi modifying a species, while possible, defeated the purpose of their quest, since the result was an artificial creation, and if that were what the Aberi had wanted the search would have been unnecessary; they had all the technology needed to create their own artificial companions if they had desired. For that reason, genetic modification was limited to correct some basic defect inhibiting progress.
For each planet where a candidate species was discovered a base was constructed suitable for long-term habitation by several dozen Aberi, while the ship itself moved on to explore other star systems in that sector; with the Aberi left behind tasked with guidance of the indigenous species.
The Aberi soon learned to be secretive regarding their interactions. They realized their appearance was alien and distasteful to most other species, and they needed some indirect means to interact. Therefore their base was established in a remote, uninhabited area, and, through use of their powerful minds they shaped the perception of their image in the target species to be more acceptable; often a resemblance of that species. This seeding effort involved many years for each candidate species, including minor genetic modifications when needed. At the time deemed appropriate by the Aberi the ship would be recalled, and for each of the planets that contained a promising race an archives established containing the accumulated knowledge of the Aberi race, with a small group of Aberi left behind in some protected area to monitor progress.
The archives were considered the inheritance of the new species, but an inheritance that would only come if the speci
es were able to progress on its own after the Aberi left. Without progress the archives, even if found, could not be completely deciphered; allowing new knowledge to be limited.
If a species evolved to where it was deemed suitable the nearest ship would be recalled and a sample of the population transported to the Aberi home star system. But success was rarely achieved, and thousands of years could pass between discovery of suitable species, with several thousand more for transporting the new species to the Aberi system; even the Aberi were limited by the speed of light.
This particular section of the galaxy appeared unusually promising. Two star systems, Sol and Alpha Centauri, contained planets that had promising life forms. For Sol it existed on the third planet from the star, and on Alpha Centauri the second planet of the primary star and the third planet of the secondary star. This was very unusual; that two star systems in such close proximity, and two planets in one star system, would all provide candidates. The Aberi decided to seed all three planets; their first attempt to jump-start more than one planet in a region at a time.
On Earth the Aberi stayed only1,500 years before leaving. Something about the humans they found attractive; the general appearance, the questing minds. For a time their hopes ran high, but then they ran into insurmountable problems.
With minor modifications the genome and alleles of a candidate race could be changed to enhance its potential, which would provide a stable platform for future advancement; but with the human race this didn't prove feasible. The rapid rate of natural genetic mutation caused instability and differences in the population which the Aberi were unable to counter. They had never encountered a species quite so unmanageable. Eventually they became discouraged, concluding the human race was too unstable to ever progress to an advanced civilization, and left. The species wasn't considered promising enough to leave observers or archives.
On Alpha 2 there was the rare case of two offshoots of a base species providing candidates, the Kraa and the Torgai. Additionally, both branches of the species had the latent ability to mind-net without an artificial support system, although never brought to fruition. This was something even the Aberi had never achieved; the ability to exchange thoughts as well as emotions.
At first the Aberi had been attracted to the Kraa since the unusually large brain capacity implied great potential. But they soon realized that, while the body structure could be genetically altered to allow the species to stand upright and develop prehensile capabilities, a prerequisite for progress, that alteration would be the seeds of the Kraa's destruction. It would remove one of the features that made them such a successful species, the claws which held their fingers rigid. Without this defense they could have been destroyed either by the competing Torgai or by unmodified Kraa, unless the Aberi actively intervened. However, the Aberi never actively intervened to preserve a species. So, in spite of the smaller brain, the decision had been to concentrate on the Torgai.
At first the experiment with the Torgai had appeared successful. They were able to assimilate new technologies rapidly, and no genetic modifications were necessary. Additionally, unlike the species on Earth, natural genetic mutations were rare. Under their guidance the Torgai rapidly developed a low level of civilization, with building of some small cities and a fairly primitive technology, and, under the guidance of the Aberi the innate mind-netting capability was enabled.
But the very thing that allowed the initial growth, cooperation and lack of internal competition, was also to prove the downfall of the infant Torgai civilization. They lacked the aggressiveness and probing minds needed to progress beyond a certain point, and, without progress comes stagnation. The Aberi ended the experiment on Alpha 2 after 2,800 years, but considered the Torgai as having enough promise to call for leaving monitors and an archives. Perhaps, in time, they would overcome their drawbacks.
But the Aberi were to be disappointed; as rapidly as the Torgai civilization developed under their guidance, it stagnated when left on its own, and soon atrophied to a level not much more advanced than it had been when they arrived. While the Aberi monitors remained in their base on the Alpha 2 secondary moon, it would long since have been removed had it not also served as the base for observation of the inhabitants of Beta 3.
Their experiment with Beta 3 had a different result. Life on Beta 3 had evolved a dominant species which, while physically unattractive to the Aberi, had considerable potential; enough potential for the Aberi to work with them for nearly 3,500 years. When the Aberi began their work the species, called the Gath, had managed to develop a low level of civilization in their underground burrows, and had even developed a very crude system of writing; in that they were more advanced than either the Earth or Alpha-2 species had been. With Aberi assistance the Gath were modified to a semi-bipedal form, moved rapidly from barbarism, and made major advances.
Over a thousand years before the Gath had reached the beginning of an industrial age, and had shown a talent for science and mathematics. However, they exhibited little individuality. They only felt secure as a group, and showed little individual initiative or emotion, existing in a stratified society where decisions always came from above. In some ways such a cohesive society was like that of the Aberi themselves, but with the Aberi the difference was the Aberi had no hierarchy, only consensus of individuals. The direction the Gath had taken was not what the Aberi valued.
While Gath progress was rapid, the Aberi concluded that the minds of the species would never develop the qualities so prized by the Aberi, and would not be an attractive companion for their home world society. The Gath nature was that of the squat, ground hugging species that had evolved under the high gravity of Beta 3.
Still, there was enough potential that Gath progress should be followed; truly suitable species were few and far between, and it would be foolish to discard one that showed any degree of potential. However, if the Gath were to progress further it would have to be on their own or with the help of the archives. The Aberi had left for another star system slightly over 500 years before, assigning the task of monitoring the Gath to the Aberi base previously established on the Alpha 2 secondary moon.
Moving her attention to the screen, which was actually the entire surface of the wall, Zilzz used her mind to fill the screen with a 3-dimensional view of activities on the planet below. From here she could observe activities on either Alpha 2 or Beta 3, her monitoring assignments. It was over 500 years, measured on the planet below, since the Aberi ship had left the Alpha Centauri star system, leaving Zilzz and four others behind as observers. Most of that time had been uneventful, even dull. This was not an assignment sought by any Aberi; the limitation of the hive mind to the few observers was difficult to endure. The various struggles between the Kraa and the Torgai were the peak events to vary the monotony.
But several years before one of the Aberi’s former client species had unexpectedly come to the Alpha Centauri star system from their own star system; the system the natives had named Sol. They had been from the third planet of that star system, Earth, the planet and species they had abandoned as unsuitable. Their arrival itself was surprising to Zilzz: the Aberi had never expected much of the inhabitants of that planet; not even enough potential to leave watchers or an archives. Their past history pointed to their self-destruction before they reached any possibility even approaching space travel. They had written Earth off as failure, a back-water planet.
With the arrival at Alpha 2 of spaceships from Earth Zilzz had revised her views. She had even considered calling back one of the Aberi ships to install monitors on Earth's moon, but had rejected the idea, limiting her actions to notifying the nearest starships and the home planet and beginning an active scanning of Earth. While scanning from the distance of Alpha Centauri was not as effective, she could still observe happenings there from the current base. The fact that the Earth species had developed interstellar travel on their own, without use of an archives, was certainly worthy of note.
The destruction of the visit
ors by the primitive Torgai had not surprised her, since they were few and clearly unprepared for what they found. And it was also apparent that, while the Earth species had tempered their behavior to some extent, they were still aggressive and unmanageable. However, several years later the visitors from Earth had come again, this time in enough force that they would have been able to easily defeat the Torgai; but by that time the Torgai were few, and the even more primitive Kraa were in control of the planet. Allied with the few remaining Torgai the humans had defeated the Kraa in a series of bloody battles, driving them east of the mountains.
Zilzz hoped the humans would allow the Kraa to continue to exist, as the Aberi would have, and this they apparently did; dividing the planet between them, at least temporarily.
In any case, the Aberi wouldn't intervene; the assignment of the Aberi on Alpha 2s secondary moon was not to assist, but merely to watch; and even if they had wanted to protect the Kraa, without the starship they lacked the ability. The closest starship was over 50 light years distant engaged in exploring further out on the galaxy arm. But things were getting more interesting, interesting enough that the dullness of the last 500 years might be worthwhile after all. The Gath base on the back side of the Alpha 2 primary moon, established years before after the first visitors from Earth arrived, showed increased activity.
These events were fascinating. The Earth species had achieved interstellar travel slightly more than 6,000 years after the Aberi had arrived, and without the use of any archives; and while the Gath had reached that level in a little over 4,500 years they had the archives to rely on. Truly interesting life forms. Both the humans and Gath constituted remarkable species. The next few years could be very stimulating as the 'children' of the Aberi had their squabbles.
Resurrection: Book II: Settlement Chronicals Page 19