Beyond the Event Horizon - Episode Three

by Albert Sartison

  “Assume they do this and the corset serves us for millions of years. But as the planet loses the extracted rock, it also loses weight, and therefore also its force of gravity. The aliens have a solution for this too; they want to create an artificial force of gravity by means of some sort of mechanism.

  “Now we are getting to the heart of the problem. Whatever technology they use, any technological solution will consume energy. And we are not talking about a few megawatts or gigawatts, but of incomparably greater power, which I must assume to be beyond the limits of our power generation capacity.

  “Of course, we wouldn’t need to worry about any of this if we had at our disposal, say, twenty per cent of the Sun’s energy. However, the structure collecting the energy would belong not to us, but to the aliens. We would become seriously dependent on them. If they should suddenly decide to deny us access to energy, life on Mars would very quickly become impossible.”

  “But even in the worst case, only part of the force of gravity would disappear, right?” objected the president.

  “Well, what does ‘part’ mean? At present, the force of gravity on Mars is about a third of Earth’s. When the rock is taken out, it will be reduced by another third, so it will only have about a quarter of Earth’s force of gravity. So the artificial gravity will have to compensate for three quarters of the force of gravity. That is a very considerable amount.”

  “What happens if the artificial force of gravity suddenly packs up?”

  “A global catastrophe. There wouldn’t be one stone left on another on Mars, at least of our structures – our accommodation and industrial infrastructure. That’s the first problem. The second is that in a very short time, the atmosphere would expand to much greater dimensions and, as a result, would begin to be scattered into space. After only a few hours, the atmospheric pressure on the surface would fall below the minimum required for breathing, and after a few days, a week at most, it would be below what it is now. And today, Mr. President, the atmosphere of Mars has a density one hundredth that of Earth. At ground level it is as rarefied as at an altitude of 30 kilometres above Earth!

  “It’s a similar story with the magnetic field. At the present time, we are not capable of creating anything of the sort, therefore in this respect too we would have to entrust our lives to an alien technology, a technology we don’t understand and are in no position to repair if anything goes wrong with it. But even if it works perfectly, the question of the energy supply arises again. Where will such a quantity come from? How can an uninterrupted supply be guaranteed for millions of years?”

  “Professor, you are an incorrigible pessimist,” said the President, looking noticeably deflated.

  “I am only pointing out the problems we shall have to solve if we are thinking of accepting the proposal. The esteemed Commander-in-Chief of the Space Fleet is also taking part in our discussion. I think he is not exactly delighted at the prospect of putting the energy supply for our critical infrastructure in the hands of a potential enemy.”

  “And there’s another problem,” interjected Professor Sullivan. The president, hearing yet another sceptical response, rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “We have no inter-racial agreements with the aliens. There is no higher authority to which we could turn for help in the event of problems. We should not forget this.”

  “That’s a headache we can leave to the diplomats. Let them deal with it, that’s what they’re paid for. If you will allow me to sum up, there are no insuperable technical difficulties. Have I understood you correctly, Professor Shelby?”

  “There are risks; we shall most likely be able to solve any technical questions with the aid of the aliens’ technology, if they...”

  “That’s what I wanted to hear,” interrupted the president. “Let’s all take a deep breath and calm down. No-one is talking about signing an agreement tomorrow. We have difficult and prolonged work ahead of us. But the main thing I need to know is that all the problems are solvable. And that is precisely the point of view I heard today. Or am I mistaken? Professor Shelby, Professor Sullivan?”

  “You are right, there are only risks. There are no insuperable difficulties. As long as the aliens keep their word.”

  “Splendid, absolutely splendid!”

  7

  “I must admit I am surprised at the anatomical similarity of our races,” said Maggie.

  “Our anatomy has only a remote similarity to yours.”

  “Do you mean we are actually talking to avatars?”

  “No, live members of our race are inside these spacesuits, but their shape has been set to look like your anatomy.”

  “So the faces we see are inanimate?”

  “No.”

  Maggie gave Steve a significant look.

  “But we would like to know how you really look,” she continued.

  “Our race understands the concept of curiosity, but our experience of communicating with other civilisations suggests this should be postponed till later.”

  “Why?”

  “You have never met an equivalently developed intellect differing in form from the human. You would not be able to conduct a meaningful discussion with such adversaries as ourselves.”

  “What would stop us?”

  “Your emotionality. Your race is too emotional, even for the level of a Type One civilisation.”

  “Does our psychology differ so greatly from yours?”

  “The human brain came into existence and developed as a result of natural evolution. Our brain has undergone directed mutations, and is therefore better adapted to solving the problems of civilised life. The higher cerebral activity of a brain of our type depends less on lower neural activity.”

  “So you take decisions without emotion, like machines?”

  “We do have emotions, as a heritage of evolution, but they can no longer take charge of the cognitive processes of our brain.”

  “All right, let’s go on... In your opinion, how did life in the Universe begin?”

  “Life is a fundamental property of material. A system receiving energy from an external source reacts by making its internal structures more complex. On a cosmic scale, over great periods of time, this leads to the formation of organic molecules in interstellar space. Under the effect of stellar wind, they wander about the galaxy, and when they enter the atmosphere of planets with a favourable climate, they cause the beginning of biological life.”

  “So life was not formed on Earth, but came from space?”

  “We do not classify organic molecules as life forms, they are only the predecessors of life. The first stages of evolution took place in space, they just continued the process on Earth.”

  “Was your race also born in space?”

  “The replicator molecules from which our biosphere, including our race, developed initially came from space.”

  “Does that mean that we evolved together, but at a certain stage of development the paths of our biospheres diverged?”

  “As living beings, we have never had a common ancestor, but the organic compounds preceding our biological evolution undoubtedly formed in identical conditions.”

  “To which type of living organism on Earth are you closest from a biological point of view?”

  “The classification of biological life on Earth cannot be appropriately applied to our life form or to our home biosphere as a whole. We undoubtedly have a strong similarity to animals on Earth; nevertheless, we are not eukaryotes.”

  “What form does the reproduction of your life form take?”

  “Sexual.”

  “Is it a coincidence that you are like us in this respect?”

  “This mechanism is the catalyst for social development; therefore it is the optimum method of reproduction for beings capable of creating intelligent civilisations.”

  “What do you mean by ‘intelligent civilisations’?”

  “On Earth we can take as examples ants or bees, which form civilisations that cannot be called intelligent. Unli
ke humans.”

  Maggie hesitated, and was taking a few seconds to think about her next question when Steve cut into the conversation.

  “What about technological singularity in the context of AI?”

  “We are not aware of any such phenomenon, because we no longer distinguish between artificial and biological intellects. At a certain stage of development, they converged into a single entity, and since then have been developing together.”

  Maggie took up the initiative in the conversation again.

  “Have you never feared that by interfering in the process of evolution and optimising the structure of the brain for today’s tasks, you might deprive it of important abilities? After all, instincts are important in extreme conditions, even though in a civilised environment, they are only of marginal significance.”

  “The evolutionary development of the nervous system is contextual; the nature of its action is no more than a reaction to current events. It is not capable of pre-emption, unlike development set by the intellect.”

  “Are there life forms on your home planet capable of competing with you in the field of intellect?”

  “Our biosphere knows only one highly developed life form, the one to which we belong. Other life forms, though they have intellectual potential, have not been able to realise it as a result of the competitive pressure from our species in the early stages of evolution. As a result of this, their numbers and population densities have never managed to pass the minimum threshold required for the creation of a Type Zero civilisation.”

  “So competition is not an alien concept for your life form?”

  “Competition for possession of resources is an inalienable part of the behaviour of biological systems. Our race is no exception, although cooperation, rather than destructive conflict, is more inherent in developed civilisations.”

  “Oh yes, just as we thought!” commented Steve to Maggie, briefly switching off the link to the aliens while he did so. His next question to the aliens was: “Can you imagine yourselves committing an act of aggression against another civilisation?”

  “Aggression is not one of the tools our civilisation uses.”

  “When you arrived in the Solar System through your portal the second time, there was a scientific expedition ship nearby, studying a space phenomenon previously unknown to us.

  “I was on board that ship myself, and, if I am not mistaken, you threatened to use force against us. From that I drew the logical conclusion that you were carrying some kind of weapon on board. If you are an exclusively peaceful civilisation, why do your ships carry weapons systems?”

  “Our first contact ended in the use of force on your part. For this reason, the ships of the present expedition are armed. We reserve the right to defensive action.”

  Steve nodded, and thought for a moment.

  “I would like to ask a purely hypothetical question. Does your system of values permit defensive actions such as a preventive first strike?”

  8

  In the narrow concrete-walled corridor, the rapid steps of the president and his entourage resounded with a loud echo from the walls, making speech difficult to hear.

  “I can’t stand this constant niggling,” the president complained. “On the one hand this, on the other hand something else... We mustn’t forget that... I’m only pointing out the possible risks... Yes, you are only pointing out the risks, but I have to sort through all this theoretical garbage that you’ve piled up here! I need specific answers, not the constant weighing up of alternatives!” he muttered to himself, still not having calmed down after his latest conversation with Shelby and Sullivan.

  His subordinates knew their boss too well to react in any way to his grumbling. With impassive faces, they simply followed in his footsteps, not saying a word. Eventually, the president stopped.

  “What’s the next thing on the agenda?” he asked his secretary.

  “A video conference with the finance minister.”

  “Subject?”

  “Next year’s budget.”

  The president only grimaced in reply and, without saying anything, disappeared behind the nearest door marked ‘Toilet’. He could be heard turning on the water, apparently splashing his face. Then the water was turned off, there were receding footsteps, and finally the click of the toilet lock. A few seconds later, his voice sounded again from behind the door, distorted not only by the closed door but also by the poor acoustics of the hollow walls.

  “It’s giving me an upset stomach... Postpone it till this evening. And then get Hank on the line.”

  “The minister of power?” asked the secretary, opening the door slightly.

  “Yes. I’ll be available in ten minutes.”

  The secretary nodded to the others, who went into the hall, leaving only one, a new girl, holding the tablet that she took with her to the president every day, so that he could sign documents. Looking her over, the secretary laughed.

  “If your signatures are urgent, go on in,” he said, pointing to the toilet door.

  “No, thank you. I’ll wait in the hall,” she replied.

  The president did not keep them waiting long. He appeared in the hall just as they were taking their seats. The cabinet member was already on the line.

  “Has the contact ended yet?” asked the minister of power, seeing the president come in.

  The president threw an inquiring glance at his secretary as he took off his jacket and hung it on the back of his chair. The secretary shook his head.

  “They’re still chattering,” replied the president.

  “And what are they discussing?”

  The president picked up his tablet, to which a transcript of the conversation was being relayed, and began looking through the pages. His eyes quickly scanned the screen, only reading the text diagonally.

  “Ah!” he exclaimed, waving his hand impatiently. “Typical scientific waffle!” he said, putting the tablet aside. “All the important stuff was at the beginning.”

  “Was that about their proposal? What have they found out?”

  “That’s just what I wanted to talk to you about. Certain interesting details have come to light. The more I get to know these guys, the more I like them. We are really on the same wavelength. Anyway, the aliens were talking about the Sun’s energy...”

  “That they want to take half of it for the next billion years...”

  “...but what they didn’t say before is that they are going to give us the other half.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me, Hank.”

  “Good grief!”

  The minister took a few seconds to collect his thoughts, as if he still could not believe his ears.

  “That is quite remarkable, of course, but we have a problem,” he said eventually.

  “Oh no, not you too! You know, I’m thinking of issuing a decree making that sentence a punishable offence.”

  “Frankly, I don’t know what we would do with all that energy,” continued Hank, paying no attention to the president’s discontented retort.

  “Listen, I don’t have to tell you that energy is not like selling ice-cream. Energy is infrastructure. It doesn’t satisfy demand, it creates it. If there’s a lot of energy, we’ll find things to do with it.”

  Hank nodded; he had heard, but his face still showed scepticism.

  “John, I fully agree with you, but... Half the Sun’s energy! That’s a hell of a lot, you know. It’s not just two or three power stations; it’s enough to give every inhabitant of Earth a million industrial thermonuclear reactors each. What are we going to do with it?”

  “Really? That much?”

  “I’d need to check the figures, but I’m pretty sure it isn’t far from the truth. Of course I’m glad to receive such a present, but I’m afraid we wouldn’t be able to swallow such a huge chunk.”

  “What about the assimilation of space? The Space Authority is always complaining to me that they don’t have enough energy, and you won’t give it to
them. They say it’s needed for other projects.”

  “About half our total consumption goes to the space sector. Undoubtedly there is unsatisfied demand there, but hardly more than two or three terawatts. Ten at the most. Anyway, those are all peripheral projects; the main ones don’t have any shortage of supply. I know that for sure.”

  The president got up from behind the table and started pacing around the room.

  “You’re thinking from today’s point of view. But look into the future! What would become possible if you had a limitless amount of energy? Think about that at your leisure.

  “By the way, another thing I haven’t mentioned. We’ll have to put some of the energy to use on Mars. They intend to build some kind of mechanism there that will create artificial gravity. The scientists I was just talking to reckon that this contraption will eat up an incredible amount of energy.”

  “Interesting. How much, exactly?”

  “They don’t know themselves, but it will surely be an awful lot. Much more than we can produce ourselves.”

  “Could well be. All these games with gravity are quite energy-consuming. Do you still remember how much that experiment cost?”

  A grimace of revulsion appeared on the president’s face.

  “Please don’t remind me. The Ministry of Finance was always on at me about it; it still gives me nightmares... OK. We’ll start thinking right away about the proposal, and when it comes to your turn, I expect to hear some ideas about how we can use so much energy.”

  “But John...”

  The president bent his head forward and peered hard at the camera, frowning.

  “Hank,” said the president, interrupting him, “I don’t need yet another griper. There are enough here without you. I need ideas from you. Intelligible, clever ideas. Understood?”

  “Understood.”

  “Excellent.”

  9

  “Every civilisation, including ours, has the right to self-defence. A preventive strike might be part of this, consequently it is legitimate in certain cases.”