“Power is a relative term, Mark. I am an evolved intelligence, yes. You are also a representative of an evolved intelligence, it is just a matter of degree and potential. Have you learned anything here?”
“Yes, I have learned much about these people. They have been very generous in their acceptance of me.”
“They are indeed remarkable, I too have had to admit they have shown us a perspective that we are still contemplating. Your race is unlikely to survive for much longer Mark, are you aware of that? Are you aware that these people have interfered in your journey towards your race’s natural conclusion?”
“They have done nothing wrong. We owe them a debt. The fault is ours alone. If we do not survive then they will not have hastened that. If they are guilty of anything it is that they let us see another way of living, a more harmonious way.”
The Friend was silent for a few seconds, It was ‘talking’ to its other selves. “You are correct. We confess their motives seemed confused to us. But your answer has clarified the judgement. We thank you and wish you well.”
Mark was aware that he was being dismissed. He was not going to be treated so lightly. “I have a request to make of you. Will you hear it?”
“No!”
“I am begging for your help. Why won’t you give us the aid you gave to these people?”
“The aid I gave to them changed little. They would have terraformed this world themselves. I saved them a few hundred years of pain and suffering, that was all. The outcome would have been the same. I gave them a few hundred years to concentrate on the path they had already spent three thousand years travelling. It is the path that will bring us and them closer in our friendship. You want me to buy you a thousand years to do what? Develop technology so you can spread insanity among the stars? To come here and destroy what you yourself have come to love? How do you want me to do this? Sweep down from the sky and destroy those who will not bend to my will? Coercion and force can be forces to prevent evil from taking control, but they will not create anything positive, that must come from good will and noble motivations. Or do you want me to perform miracles and be nailed to a cross? That at least is setting an altruistic example. Martyrdom is fairly pointless at this juncture in your history, seeing that it’s been tried before and failed. I know your history, Mark, you have looked for leaders and gods, religions and drugs. All that was needed was individual responsibility for everything and good intentions.”
Mark sat down defeated, tears of exasperation in his eyes. This was the supreme rejection, the ultimate condemnation. The elder sitting next to him put her hand on his arm and gestured for an empath to come closer. The President rose to his feet and walked closer to the Friend. The elders had come to deeply respect this man, who all agreed should be included in their numbers as soon as his political career was over. “Dear Friend. Your wisdom is not for me to question, but I am troubled by your words. Words that are so uncompromising. We have seen much that is of worth in this Earthman. He is primitive in many ways, but his sense of responsibility and his good intentions I cannot fault.”
“Mr President, Mark, this is not my judgement of an individual. Mark is exceptional, I acknowledge that; but any interference by me would make a mockery of everything we stand for. At the very least it would be rewarding the ignorant for their desire to remain ignorant. Where would such actions lead my own race? We would be rushing around the galaxies trying to perform an impossible task.”
Mark sat quietly trying to absorb the condemnation placed on his entire planet. The elders discussed a few scientific facts, trying to draw the Friend into revealing insights into problems of a technological nature, but it never worked. The Friend did at least talk more openly about philosophical issues than it used to. After about an hour the Friend said goodbye. Mark watched in awe as the small Tuathan man on the dais faded into a glowing orb of energy which rose into the vaulted dome, through the transparent roofing material and up into the stars. The stars did not seem to be smiling on Mark.
The President asked Mark to join him and the elders for a glass of wine. It was obvious he wanted to do a bit of debriefing.
“I think I have gained an insight into a flaw in the Friend’s logic. We went to form the reservation on Earth even though we felt at the time it was contrary to the logic of the Friend. We did it because of our own unique reasoning. It came here today by its own admission seeking to find out if that decision was logical. To put it bluntly, the Friend didn’t know whether it was or wasn’t. It has come to the conclusion we were probably right and it was probably wrong. So what is so amazing about all this?
“Firstly, there are no set in stone rules when it comes to maximising evolutionary outcomes. One race cannot always know what’s best for another, and secondly the Friend is fallible.”
The elders agreed and reasserted their intention to support those who wished to make a permanent or semi-permanent home on Earth. The next problem was to decide if they should turn their scientific efforts toward finding a cure for the diseases that were now evidently rampant on Earth. This was a far more complex issue. Mark of course advocated strongly for Tuathan interference, but the elders seemed evenly split. In the end the President determined that it was such an important issue, it required a mandate from the entire populace. This was agreed and preparations for a global vote were to me made. Mark went home to Jade and Conor in a despondent mood . It was obvious the vote would not happen for at least two months. They would be on Earth by that time. He related the events at the Shrine and said he was now anxious to return to Earth to see if he could help in any way.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
FEBRUARY 2038.
This time the fleet going to Earth comprised of six interstellar ships, as a total of 2000 Tuathans were to offload and settle here. Mark carried Conor down the ramp from the ship. They went through the quarantine where they met up with Hawk and Clover, who were now bonded. Jade had been assigned her old role as ambassador, Clover was her personal assistant and empath. Hawk was to remain at the reservation as he still had responsibilities, but would visit Jade at their house. Barry was in Canberra but Barbara was at the house to meet them. Barbara had kept the place aired and had put fresh flowers in the vases. Barbara had prepared a vegetarian curry and roti. They had a lot to talk about and Barbara decided to stay the night as her children were at home. Barbara had not seen much of Barry for the past month and said the helicopter would be there in the morning at sunrise to take Mark to Canberra. The past two years had seen things politically worsen considerably. Barbara had been putting pressure on Barry to retire, but his sense of duty would not allow him to do so. It was decided that Jade would have to leave Conor with Barbara while she went to Canberra. It would only be for two days at most. Barbara was delighted, Jade was not so pleased.
Jade, Clover and Mark met up with Barry in Paul’s private office. Paul and Barry looked very glad to see them. Paul bade them sit.
“Here is the situation to date. Before you left we were under the impression that the South African government were expanding their influence north through the continent, winning hearts and minds. Apparently it came to an abrupt halt when their armed forces began to drop like flies from an unknown illness. They fell back fifty kilometres south and set up isolation facilities and medical units. The aim was to try and contain the virus, stop it from heading south into the state of South Africa. They failed badly. It was airborne, and within a month was at the South African border. The population tried to evacuate, falling back to Cape Town. Their prime minister came to Australia to formulate an evacuation strategy. It was agreed to take two and a half million of them, which at that stage was a little less than half their total population. Australia had been experiencing a small decline in its own population and needed migrants to boost its economy. The rest had tried to cross to Sri Lanka and Madagascar by sea. The disease has spread through all of the old caliphate and is out of control in India. It has spread west into Eastern Europe. Here we have assimilat
ed the South Africans but only through quarantine that involved the harshest measures possible.” Paul paused at this point, Mark looked at Barry, but his eyes were glued to the floor. “Yesterday the Americans and Canadians reported outbreaks. The populations of Western Europe are moving west to America and south-east Asians are crossing the borders into China. All the resources of the Consortium have been directed to finding a cure, but we fear it is moving so quickly we will be overwhelmed within a year or two and our infrastructures will no longer be able to sustain any meaningful technology.”
Jade spoke as she wanted to take the pain of Mark’s report from his shoulders. “Tuathans are immune, Prime Minister. It is due to our genetic differences. Our immune systems are... more efficient. We will return to the reservation to aid in the research if the elders allow us to proceed.”
“What do you mean by ‘allow you to proceed?’ Is there some reason that... Oh, I see, the good old rule of non interference.” Paul shook his head in disbelief and looked at Mark for some comment, but it was Mark’s turn to stare at his shoes.
Jade continued. “The elders will be bringing the question of interference to the Tuathan people to decide, they will be voting in a few days.”
“How can that be true? The return disc ships have hardly had time to land on Tuath?”
Now it was time for Mark to tell of all that had happened and he was extremely loth to do so. The last thing Paul needed to hear was the story of the first true encounter of Earth with an alien. Jade and Clover were looking uncomfortable as he began to relate the events. As the story unfolded Paul ‘s expression went from shock to anger. Mark stood silently after he finished. The room was silent. Then Paul exploded and turned his wrath on Clover and Jade, “So this is the big secret! You have an invisible secret friend who hands out death sentences on entire planets like scattering lollipops to children? What sort of superior fucking intelligence is that?”
No one answered. Clover was shaking with emotional overload. Paul stomped over to his desk and sat on it staring directly at Jade. “Even if Tuath votes for interference, most of us will be dead before we know about it.” This was an inescapable truth that placed Paul in a predicament that not even he had contemplated. Barry broke into the silence at this point. He could see the tension needed diffusing and his diplomatic skills came to the fore. “I think it’s time we excused the Tuathans while the three of us take stock of our options.” Paul had already turned his back on the group and was looking out of the window “Yes sure get them out of here.”
Clover and Jade made a less than dignified exit, glad to be able to distance themselves from Paul’s anger. They went in search of a quiet cup of coffee and some tranquil cake.
“We have to examine the options calmly, Paul,” said Barry.
“OK Barry, what exactly are our options? I’m having difficulty seeing any, right now.”
“We should send Mark to the consortium to see where exactly they are in their search for a cure. We should also pressure the Tuathans at the reservation into doing research for us straight away, without waiting for the results of the vote on Tuath. Maybe they can have a cure ready by the time they receive instructions.”
Paul was calm now. “If they do find a cure and refuse to give it to us we have another option,” said Paul in a quiet, icy voice. Barry caught on and commented, “I think force could be justified under those circumstances. Self-preservation where there is no alternative is reasonable.” Mark looked at them both in horror, they were acting like cornered rats. “And so the Reservation goes up in smoke and we barbeque our Tuathan friends? That’s really something to be proud of!” Paul and Barry ignored the remark and Paul went into command mode. “The two of you take Jade and Clover back to the Reservation. Make sure they are on side and prepared to lobby the Tuathan administration there to start research immediately. I want fortnightly updates of the situation and if there are any signs of a breakthrough I want all the details as soon as possible. Barry, I want you and the ladies to stay at the Reservation at least until you are satisfied research is underway. Mark, after you have finished the initial negotiations to get the research started I want you to head to the Consortium. Give me an initial assessment of the situation there in the first two days and then await further instructions.” Both agreed, then Paul came to the questions that had to be asked, “Mark,this alien. Is it a threat to us?”
I would say no Prime Minister, mainly because of the code of non-interference. However you should keep in mind the Tuathans are highly regarded by this entity, if we initiate aggressive action towards them I could not expect to accurately predict the reaction of the Entity. I have to advise you that it has the power to end our existence at any time it chooses.” Mark was doing a partial bluff based on a half truth. Most of what he had said was true but he did not really believe the Friend would interfere in Earth politics. He felt he needed to give the Tuathans some backup against possibly hostile moves. Providing them with a really Big Brother could supply a bit of life insurance, much needed at this time. Paul for his part was well aware Mark’s loyalties were questionable at this point, but did not doubt his good intentions.
“This alien comes from where, exactly? Is it hostile towards us, what exactly are its intentions towards us?”
“It has no intentions and little interest in us. It lives in space and its origin is a mystery, but it can chose to live anywhere it wishes as it can take any biological form that suits its purpose. It is a complex energy structure that is semi-pluralistic in its existence. By that I mean it is part of a group, but the group is so united that it communicates instantaneously among its selves and can identify itsself as an individual and as a compilation of individuals. I do not know if it has an ancestral home planet. It is unlikely as its evolution has taken tens of millions of years. It regards us as one of life’s many little failures. The Tuathans however are rare in the universe. How far it would go to protect them is anybody’s guess. It also invented the portal, which it regards as ancient technology but does not need to use it as it has ways of manipulating the fabric of space. It does not seem to have control over time and its major purpose is to watch over but not interfere in the development of the races in this galaxy. Over the past thousand years or so it has branched out into neighbouring galaxies. It aspires to be able to learn from other evolved races in the future. It is desperately lonely, I think. It shows no compassion towards those races that are failing to follow their evolutionary potential. Like the Tuathans it regards the non-recognition of the evolutionary imperative as a crime against nature. The Tuathans have shown a degree of compassion and a small willingness to interfere, possibly. The Friend, as it is called, is intrigued by this side of Tuathan nature. It chided them for displaying weakness contrary to the imperative. Events recently have given it a psychological dilemma to solve. It revolves around the need to protect and remember one’s origins. The concept of belonging and home are extremely important to Tuathans. This concept to some extent has been lost to the Friend, it is this that the Friend seems to be meditating on currently.
“On a mundane note, the friend is made of energy and can control matter. It has limits to what it can do, the supply of energy is not inexhaustible. The Portal, for example, is a huge drain on its resources. That is why it is not permanently open. It really is a very expensive present from the Friend to the Tuathans. It also seems to suffer from heavy demands on its time. The exploration of the galaxies account for much of its efforts. Also the evolving races, who have reached a point where they may make it to the pinnacle of their potential, one day also desire to commune with it on a regular basis. I have written a paper on all this in more detail, but you now have a fair idea.”
“Thanks Mark, I do not hold you in any way responsible for our situation with the Friend. It is regrettable but I think the best thing to do is ignore it and treat it with the contempt it holds us in.”
Mark got the distinct impression from this that Paul had missed a major point. It had not rea
lly occurred to Barry or Paul that this judgement by the Friend was justified. Perhaps instead of being offended they should be asking what they can do to make themselves more worthy. He decided it was pointless to pursue this reasoning, but would take it up with Richard and Kana in the near future.
The next morning Barry, Mark, Jade and Clover were in a helicopter heading for the Reservation. Barry was unusually quiet. Mark guessed he was having a conscience problem and was mulling over their possible futures. As they flew in, Mark got a chance to see the settlement in daylight from the air. It was still small but was architecturally a work of art. The prefab buildings were all gone and in their place the characteristic glass and stone towers, twenty storeys high, were reaching like spiral staircases to the stars. There were six of them forming a large circle constructed of pink sandstone polished and coated with a shiny transparent epoxy, each with framed floor-to-ceiling bronze-tinted windows. The top of each tower had parking space for hovercars. These were living units for new arrivals and singles, still only partially occupied. The administration and research buildings were squat three-storey circles. Stone had been lined with white polished granite. The roofs like the towers were flat parking areas. Three of these formed a triangle in the middle of the circle made by the towers. Grass, genetically modified to grow short and hardy, filled all the spaces between the buildings. Transport booths had been placed in strategic locations. In the middle of the triangle formed by the administration building was an artificial lake of around five hectares with a central fountain that shot a feather of water twenty metres into the air once every five minutes. Parkland, planted with trees and flowering shrubs, graced the shoreline.
From their vantage point in the helicopter, they could just make out the homes of the bonded couples near the coast line. The desalination and power plants were set off to one side of the residential area. Power was a hybrid of solar, wind and wave generation stored in cells. Shade tunnels made of a poly material protected crops and animals and stretched from the main settlement, twenty-five kilometres to the residential precinct by the sea.
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