Analog SFF, July-August 2009

by Dell Magazine Authors

  "I would not have guessed. I assumed you were funded with the SETI Institute. So, you saved the solar system for free?"

  Indira laughed. “As if we would refuse! We were delighted to help. You simply can't imagine the glow of satisfaction I've been feeling since that thing missed!” Her voice rose in pace and pitch. “We justified, beyond our wildest imagination, over a century of work most people thought was useless. And the best part, I helped save my own children, all the children!” She suddenly realized how agitated she had become. “Oh! I guess I'm babbling. What was it I wanted to say? Oh yes! Please, don't think I mean any slight to our colleagues in the Institute. We were the first ones to pick up the signal, but we could not have translated it so quickly on our own. They do have the old Allen radio telescope array and access to some large deep space arrays, but for sheer number of ears pointed at selected stars, full-time, you can't beat a small army of amateurs! Together we make a considerable team, and I intend to call some of their experts, if you concur."

  Tuekakas smiled broadly and nodded his assent. In their previous conversations, Indira had always been careful, precise, and reserved. This bubbly chatter was a side of her he had never seen. Was Dr. Swarup the only joyous person on the planet? Everyone else had spent the last weeks in helpless dread and most were now consumed with a lust for vengeance. This gentle woman had spent the past weeks frantically trying to save the world and had succeeded. Or perhaps he needed to hear from more mothers. “And anyone else you consider useful. And discrete."

  * * * *

  A thin fog hung amid the ancient old-growth fir trees. Tuekakas sat cross-legged on a smooth boulder, eyes closed, enjoying the quiet, the rich scents, the feeling of mist on his face. His tailored business suits hung in a closet in his suite back in New York, and he luxuriated in the comfort of a flannel shirt, down vest, jeans, and well-worn boots. He listened to the muted sound of footsteps approaching on the soft carpet of needles. “Good morning, Dr. Sariskal,” he called out without opening his eyes.

  "So, it is true, what they say about Native Americans."

  "What do they say about Native Americans?” Tuekakas asked, opening his eyes, an impish grin on his face.

  "That they are so in tune with nature, they can hear a twig snap and tell if it is due to man or beast,” Dr. Sariskal replied, pantomiming stealth as he approached.

  Tuekakas nodded. “That we can.” He held up his left arm to reveal his wrist assistant. “Especially with one of these. It is amazing how lightweight and easy to wear modern technology has made the ball and chain.” He accepted the other man's firm handshake and then gestured to indicate a spot on the boulder beside him. “Please, make yourself comfortable. But do be careful, that's an antique my family has cherished for centuries."

  Dr. Sariskal made a point of sitting gently on the boulder, smiled at the humble figure beside him, and took a deep breath of the mountain air. “This mountain is simply exquisite!"

  The Secretary General nodded. “In New York, I have to be a stuffed shirt. Here I can be myself. Here the Earth and I are of one mind. It is lovely on many levels. A little later, if it clears, you'll see one of the most beautiful vistas in the world. I'm sitting here appreciating how wonderful it is that it still exists and hoping to keep it that way. What can you tell me about these aliens? Why did they feel so compelled to hurl a ‘hydrogen-sucking light-chaser’ at us?"

  "You should have seen the argument over the translation of that line. In the end, we left it literal. Seemed to make it clearer it was a Bussard ramjet.” Dr. Sariskal paused to consider the question. “On the surface, from the message we know they have a religion, or something like it. We know they used it as a reason to attempt to exterminate us. I think we need to be careful how much we read into that ... it is important, but perhaps not for the reason you think. The only thing we can say for certain is they really did sincerely want to exterminate us."

  "There would have been nothing left to colonize, so we can eliminate that motive,” Tuekakas agreed. “But why are you so hesitant to say they have a religion? It would seem obvious from the message."

  "The question is if religion is really why they wanted to destroy us,” Dr. Sariskal explained. “We had to read between the lines before we learned to read the lines. The process of translation itself required us to build layers of understanding to come to the meaning of each word, and the proper English structure of the message. It was obvious from the underlying meanings the message referred to a religious doctrine, a sort of Manifest Destiny. More than a little like Zionism, actually."

  Tuekakas nodded. “Manifest Destiny is a concept my people are well aware of. So, if you know it is a religious motive, why not just say so with confidence?"

  "I am both a historian and an anthropologist. How many religions are there on Earth, Mr. Secretary? Thousands? Only in science fiction do other worlds have only a single religion, I think. But one or many really does not matter. What matters is the question of why anyone has a religion. I could be wrong, but hear me out. I believe this message was not really intended for us at all."

  Tuekakas turned to look at his companion. “Interesting."

  "The message clearly stated they were warning us out of some sort of moral obligation,” Dr. Sariskal explained, “perhaps something similar to the Japanese attempting to deliver a declaration of war to this country prior to attacking Pearl Harbor. But they obviously never expected the warning to allow us time to mount any kind of a defense. The purpose of the message was simply to discharge that obligation, and I believe that was purely for domestic consumption. They probably did not expect us to decode the message in time, and they certainly did not expect us to be so lucky as to have a ship, and a smart and willing pilot, in the right location to do something about it. The message was not written for us."

  "That is very close to my thinking,” Tuekakas agreed.

  "Now comes the more speculative part,” Sariskal continued. “It is possible they have a dominant religion, or at least some common thread of philosophy in the majority of their religions. There must be some fairly common belief that either this part of the galaxy belongs to them, or else that we are an abomination, a disease that must be eradicated before we spread. The message is an appeal to that belief. I believe it is an attempt to sell the idea of attacking our world."

  "Fascinating.” Tuekakas hesitated a second. “If I may risk bringing up a subject that is still a bit of a sore spot in your part of the world, perhaps you see a parallel to the kings of Europe organizing crusader armies to ‘rescue’ the Holy Land?"

  Dr. Sariskal nodded. “Very much so. I believe they have a secular leadership who used a commonly held feeling to justify an attack. Getting back to my earlier point, the very existence of a formal religion would suggest this race is not something as alien as a hive mentality. These aliens are individuals. They may be prone to prejudices against outsiders, and may even be prone to mob mentality, but they teach a belief system. They had to be sold on the idea the attack was justified, and that it would be done in accordance with their beliefs."

  "Then they have leadership that requires the approval of the population they govern?"

  "It is not necessarily a democracy, but the population does not follow entirely blindly. The leadership must do some convincing, play by some accepted rules. And that leadership wanted the attack. You could even make the argument that their religion, by requiring a warning, actually saved us."

  "The leadership wanted the attack,” Tuekakas repeated. “Simple, but maybe profound."

  "Do you know what causes wars?” Dr. Sariskal asked.

  "I have my own notions, but I'd love to hear yours."

  "Wars have been blamed on arms races, and on failure to arm. They have been blamed on starvation and on plenty. They have been blamed on people hating others they have little in common with, but more wars occur between close neighbors of similar culture. An angry populace may make it easy to go to war, but that is not why they start. The basic tr
uth is war is caused by exactly one condition: the leadership of at least one side sees an advantage in going to war. That is the sole common cause of all wars."

  Tuekakas considered this for a moment. “Maybe I know one exception? No, not even that one. I can't think of any example to the contrary. In that case, I would be willing to guess their leadership had run into domestic trouble of some sort and needed some outside target to divert the attention of their population away from those troubles."

  Dr. Sariskal tilted his head side to side slightly. “Perhaps that is too large an extrapolation, but if I saw a similar story here, I would not be surprised if that were the case. Both politics and bureaucracy seem to have consistent salient features, such as that one, quite independent of the cultures in which they operate. I expect the politicians and bureaucrats of most civilizations would appreciate Machiavelli."

  "That, I believe,” Tuekakas agreed. “Do you have an alternate explanation?"

  Dr. Sariskal shook his head. “We are going well beyond what we can possibly know. It is possible this civilization has had bad experiences with another alien species in the past. It is also quite possible they are simply adamantly xenophobic by nature. The simple fact is, we don't know. I wish I could be more helpful, but I don't want to plant any false ideas that lead you to a conclusion that places us in danger."

  Tuekakas nodded. “I understand that much perfectly. We cannot dismiss the possibility this race is intractably xenophobic. If they are, the minute they realize we were not destroyed, they will begin to prepare another weapon, regardless of what we do here. We must be ready to defend against that. The question is, how best to respond on the chance they are not? Are we doomed to an interstellar war lasting until one side or the other is destroyed, or do we have one chance, right now, to make some move that will allow us to avoid war?"

  The sky brightened, and the Sun showed itself through the veil of mist. Tuekakas pointed to the sky. “A sign, do you suppose?"

  Dr. Sariskal managed a sad chuckle. “'Master Sun say, prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts.’ The mist will part no farther on this problem, I'm afraid. With a little luck, though, I might just get to see that vista you advertised.” He thought for a moment. “Am I to understand you are against retaliation? If you are, I'm not sure I'm ready to be your ally."

  "I see you're a student of The Art of War,” Tuekakas replied. “War is a serious business. Sun Tzu also said, ‘It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin.’ And he warned against fighting for pride or anger. This one would be more serious than any humanity has ever fought. My background teaches me war is usually bad medicine, particularly if you pick a fight with somebody you cannot hope to defeat."

  "My background teaches me not to be so pessimistic about the outcome of war.” Dr. Sariskal's eyes narrowed to grim seriousness. “I'm angry enough right now to pilot a starship down their throats myself, if I thought it would work. I have seen nothing in my analysis to suggest we should show them any mercy at all."

  "You and twenty billion others, I think. The opinion of the majority will undoubtedly prevail. And in the end, I may even agree. I suppose that's yet another example of leadership seeing an advantage in war. But I wonder, in what alternate reality does revenge actually taste sweet?” Tuekakas leaned back against the stone and savored a deep breath of the cool air.

  "You are a cultural anthropologist, so let me tell you a little something about my culture,” the Secretary General continued. “Historically, we governed by consensus. We picked a chief, but nobody was compelled to follow his orders. He may well have been a son of the old chief, but he did not inherit authority like a king. We picked him because he had been trained from a very early age to know exactly the best thing to do. If he said it was time to move from the valley to the highlands for the summer, the people followed because they knew he was right. If he said it was time to dig camas root or to send out the hunting parties, they did so, because they knew he was right. If he said to go down into the valley at the peak of summer, they would have known he was a fool and nobody would have obeyed. The chiefs learned to carefully consider the situation and recommend the best course of action, which they knew would gain a consensus."

  Dr. Sariskal smiled. “I believe I begin to see how you got this job."

  Tuekakas nodded. “I knew why from the start. This position has never been one of power. The United Nations can only achieve action when there is a consensus. The Secretary General should be a master at achieving it. If I recommend an action nobody will follow, I will fail. But at the same time, if I fail to recommend the best course of action, and instead bow to popular pressure because we are all angrier than humanity has been in all of history, and not thinking the matter through, I have also failed. I can look back at the history of my own people and see such failures. I must find the best path, and be sure people understand it and will follow it."

  * * * *

  Indira Swarup aligned the small telescope's green laser on Polaris, checked the setting dials, nudged the tripod slightly, and tweaked the telescope again. She turned her attention to the constellation Cassiopeia and swung the telescope to place the green beam on a dim star near the center of the constellation. “Nice sky tonight. This is a very good spot for viewing northern constellations, if the clouds cooperate.” The condensation from her breath passed across the laser beam and brightened it, creating a momentary speckled light show. The only other light was starlight, but the sky was so clear, dark-adapted eyes could easily make out shapes.

  She switched on the equatorial drive, turned off the laser, and peered through the eyepiece. “Mmmm, yes, there you are, Eta Cass.” She motioned for Tuekakas to take a look, then tucked her hands in her pockets for warmth. “Not bad for an antique. This was my first scope, and it was a relic when it was given to me, but it still loves to introduce newcomers to the sky."

  "Eta Cass sounds so scientific. What does the press call it? Acrid?” The Secretary General leaned over the eyepiece, trying very hard to look comfortable in the cold. “I don't see anything."

  She guided his head gently to one side. “Get your eye in the right spot about two centimeters above the eyepiece. Avoid touching it if you can, or the scope will vibrate, and don't breathe on the lens. Some people call the star Achird. Nobody is sure exactly what it means, but it probably refers to the girdle of Cassiopeia."

  "Ack-eared. Named for underwear. Serves ‘em right.” Tuekakas paused while he moved his head seeking the sweet spot. “And there it is!” He observed for a few seconds, then added with less enthusiasm, “Rather ordinary, isn't it?"

  "Exactly,” the astronomer agreed. “That's what makes it so special. Only one thing really sets it apart from our sun. What else do you see?"

  "A small reddish dot near it. Is that another star?"

  "Indeed it is. Eta Cass is a binary. The primary is a yellow dwarf very similar to our own sun. That little red spot about a dozen arc-seconds away is a red dwarf, in about a 480-year orbit around the primary. That puts it about 75 percent farther out than Pluto is around our sun. If we had another star that close, we'd be a star-faring race by now."

  "Interesting.” Tuekakas raised his head to see again how dim the star was compared to the dominant stars in the constellation. “Which means the race that lives there probably is."

  "With their technology? If they were not, it would be a very deliberate and revealing choice. They definitely occupy planets around both stars. We have not seen any evidence they have gone beyond that range, but we have not been looking for long. But there is a precedent on Earth that might apply."

  "Oh?” Tuekakas looked at her quizzically, then remembered his discussion with Dr. Sariskal and recognized the case she referred to. “The Chinese! Something about a large exploration fleet?"

  "Exactly,” Indira confirmed. “In the early fifteenth century, the Chinese had an admiral named Zheng He, reputedly the equal to any in the western world, who built a
huge fleet and mounted epic explorations. Emperor Zhu Qizhen terminated the explorations and had the fleet burned. Some speculate the Emperor feared the power of the navy."

  Tuekakas nodded. “I've heard the story. If this civilization is dominated by a system-wide empire of that mentality, it would explain a lot. How could an absolute ruler possibly deal with an empire on the scale of light-years? Any distant colony would have to be autonomous! And their means of transportation could be used as a weapon and so would threaten the emperor. They might never spread out to other systems. But if they discovered someone else about to do so ... they would stop it at all costs. It absolutely makes sense! So, you know both systems are inhabited?"

  Indira nodded. “The system is easily close enough for us to have imaged their planets using deep space telescope arrays. One of them is distinctly Earthlike, and right in their habitable zone, about one sixtieth of the distance between the two stars. We can make out changing colors as it revolves, and it has extensive water and evidently widespread life bearing a chlorophyll-like chemical. When it passes in front of distant stars, we detect a breathable atmosphere with indications of industry. They also have a couple of small planets orbiting the red dwarf, and one shows some signs of being terraformed, including the exact same photosynthetic process."

  "Fascinating. How long have we known all this?"

  "We've known about the Earthlike world for decades,” Indira replied. “The discovery of the possibly terraformed world was just last week. The industrial trace gasses were discovered in old data we reanalyzed just a few days ago. We'll learn a lot more, and quickly. Almost every tool available to astronomy is either pointed right at them or at other nearby systems to see if we can spot signs they have spread out."

  "What else can we see? I'm sure you can't see shipbuilding activity.” Tuekakas raised an eyebrow. “Can you?"