“I see,” Bloom said and was tempted to add: So, you just up and went right over my head.
“We went over the List last night,” Firestar said, “And this morning. Most of our debate was over whether or not the importance of the questions we want to ask outweighed the potential threat they posed. We understand the World Ship Summit’s reasoning, but ultimately decided that their reasoning is wrong.”
“And of course you decided you were right,” Bloom observed, “Very well; I’ll want to look at the questions myself. I have final say on anything that is a potential risk to this base or to the members of the SSE, but if the Summit says it’s a go I don’t think there’ll be a problem. I’ll book you some time with Sonia in the lab this afternoon, if that’s all right with you.”
♦♦♦
Cameras and recorders had been set up to preserve every second of the upcoming conversation. A direct Grid linx had been set up to both Geneva and Vatican City.
“Mind if I stick around for this next one, love?” Andrews asked, “I’m rather intrigued to see how the Ship is going to respond to questions of a philosophical nature.” He was quite obviously amused by the whole prospect. Aiziz was of the opinion that these were questions that needed answering and didn’t care for Michael’s attitude.
“Ninety-five percent of the people on the planet believe in one form of deity or another,” She reminded him.
“‘Though a thousand people may believe a lie, they shall not make it true,’” Andrews countered.
“The questions the Vatican delegates are going to pose the Ship are questions most people would want to ask,” Aiziz said, “The answers the Ship has to give us are important to everyone. I think it’s interesting that Shiplanguage has a word for ‘religion’, don’t you?”
“Ah, now there’s the thing,” Andrews said. “It has a word for ‘religion’ but as of yet we cannot find a word in the language for ‘God’. Just what should we make of that? And what does or did the intelligence that created the Ship believe? Religion is the one topic guaranteed to make otherwise reasonable men and women disagree, argue, fight and even go to war over the slightest perceived offence to their beliefs. How do you suppose the Ship will react if asked something about religion that it finds, or is programmed to find, offensive?”
♦♦♦
T O P S E C R E T
TRANSCRIPT
VATICAN IV DELEGATION’S CONVERSATION WITH THE SHIP
plain text format
NOTE: All Ship dialogue has been translated to its closest English equivalent
SANTINO
I have been asked to speak to your entity on behalf of the followers of our world’s many different religions. We wish to ask your entity about religion or religions from where you come from.
THE SHIP
This will answer your questions.
SANTINO
First we are interested in knowing if there is one or many religions where you come from.
THE SHIP
There are many religions among the people from the Ship’s point of origin. All religions serve the same purpose.
SANTINO
Is there in the estimates of these religions, a supreme being? A creator, an ultimate entity?
THE SHIP
The creation entity is expressed in many forms, by many beings. It is referred to by many different names, in many different places. No less so than by the creation entity, itself.
SANTINO
Are we to understand that your entity means to say that the creation entity does indeed exist?
THE SHIP
Correct. The Creation Entity, the Focus, exists and everything that exists are its products.
SANTINO
Then, is there a purpose to life? Is there a purpose to all life throughout creation?
THE SHIP
Correct.
SANTINO
What is the meaning of life?
THE SHIP
The meaning of life is to serve the Machine.
SANTINO
What is the Machine?
THE SHIP
The machine is that which serves the Purpose.
SANTINO
And what is the Purpose?
THE SHIP
Life,
♦♦♦
“Life,” Aiziz said, reading the translation onscreen. Before anyone could talk, the Ship made another statement:
“THIS HAS FINISHED ITS EVALUATION,” The Ship said, in perfect English, “THE INDIGENOUS SENTIENCE OF THIS WORLD IS ASSESSED AS BEING SUFFICIENTLY INTELLIGENT.”
As the Ship finished speaking, Bloom leaned into her earpiece.
“Holy shit,” She said. Everyone turned to look at her.
“What?” Santino asked. “What is it?” Bloom looked at them; shock, disbelief and wonder shimmering in her eyes.
“We just got full access to the Ship,”
Successful first contact between alien civilizations is followed by dialogue between these civilizations. Where this dialogue is peaceful, cultural and technological exchanges soon follow. As a post-contact civilization’s evolution is forever changed by that contact, so is that civilization’s culture forever shaped by the new horizons opened up to it through the exchange.
SEVENTEEN
INVITATIONS
With the Ship’s statements made, the sealed door down off the First Chamber dropped open with a deep, resonate thud. Panels previously unseen in the walls—panels Kodo and Bloom would recognize as their unidentified biological components—lit up, displaying information in each of the Human languages the Ship had mastered. Benedict had security officers guard the now-open doorway leading into the whole of the Ship.
♦♦♦
Thousands of kilometres away in the chambers of the World Ship Summit in Geneva and in the Pontiff’s private suite of offices in Vatican City, reaction was swift and chaotic. An argument had already erupted between the two powers, lines drawn and sides taken.
“The Ship has just told us, told the world exactly what we’ve wanted to know, since it was unearthed! It’s answered the single question that has probably been plaguing everyone but the truly devout, since the dawn of time!” Pope Simon-Peter exclaimed, his zeal fuelled by the confirmation of his greatest hope, “The Ship has declared that God exists! This information must be made public!”
“The Ship didn’t come out and say that God existed, your Holiness,” The Liaison Officer from the World Ship Summit cautioned, “It spoke of a creation entity--”
“—A Creation Entity that is known by many names, in many different places,” The Pontiff countered, “The question posed to the Ship asked it specifically if there was a creator, a supreme being in the universe.”
“The Ship could just as easily been making reference to the ruler of the known universe,” The American delegate to the World Ship Summit said.
The Pope turned away from the main viewer set up in his private offices. Such pig-headed stubbornness exasperated him. Why would no one dare publicly make a declaration of faith, of belief, even when presented with such evidence as this?
“Can anyone truly doubt, given the context of the questions asked the Ship that it was speaking of no lesser person than God? The Ship only opened itself, only gave the Ship Survey Expedition full access after Elder Santino asked it those questions!”
“Let’s assume for a moment that it was indeed God the Ship was speaking of your Holiness,” the Pakistani delegate postulated, “The Ship also said that the Creation Entity was expressed in many forms and by many names in many different places. As much as you would have us concede that the Ship mentioned God if not by name than by office, would you then concede that the Ship also expressed a confirmation of the argument that all religions are essentially valid?”
The Pontiff paused a long moment, thinking hard on the question before turning back to the screen. “There is part of me,” he said, “That would rush to immediately say yes, to concede the point,” He held up a single finger, elici
ting silence from everyone in his presence, both in his offices and on the viewer before him, “But as head of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, a church that both religious history and historical tradition teaches us was founded by The Son of God Jesus Christ, through His appointed Head of the Church on Earth, Sainted Pope Peter the Apostle, I have to say I cannot make any conclusion either for or against that statement without putting the issue to much thought, prayer, consultation and meditation. I would not want to betray my God and the founder of my Church because I rushed to judgment.”
“Then surely you can understand our reluctance to not announce these most recent occurrences to the world?” the Pakistani delegate asked him.
Simon-Peter looked away from her image, nodding silently as he stared at the floor a long moment both chastised and contemplative. Finally he turned back to the people on the screen before him a new determination on his face.
“But I feel the world has every right to know what has been said by the Ship today,” the Pontiff said, “The Ship’s builders and programmers obviously believed that there is a God. This is information that is not ours to keep secret.”
♦♦♦
Fighting the urge to simply charge right on down into the Ship required Herculean willpower. And even as Bloom, Benedict and the other members of the Ship Survey Expedition reacted to the opening of the rest of the Ship, Aiziz continued to pick up more words and phrases being fired off at them from the Ship. The Ship had switched from its ancient, esoteric alien language to perfect English. Aiziz thanked everything holy that they had recording devices aplenty going; otherwise much might have been lost. The Ship was proposing many things. She wanted everyone to leave the Language Lab; go see what was down that final passage, leave her alone in here to listen to the Ship’s message.
“The World Ship Summit just linxed me,” Bloom said, “We’re being called to the surface for immediate debriefing. They’re shutting the site down, again.”
Aiziz smiled. Bloom considered it an odd reaction. “I don’t think we’ll be shut down for very long,” Aiziz said mirthfully, “Especially when I inform them about what else I’ve learned from the Ship.”
♦♦♦
“Our sources at the Ship have both reported in,” the Chairman said to the faces on the console screen before him, “All reports are consistent with our sources in Geneva: The Ship is open,” Here the Chairman paused, his face taking on an incredulous and embarrassed shape, “And apparently, the indication is that the Ship has also confirmed the existence of God.”
“I don’t think we can afford to jump to that conclusion,” The British Minister said, “Although we can be certain that the popular press will. All the Ship has really done is to repeat its creators’ faith in the existence of God. As for tangible evidence, the Ship has offered none.”
“Excuse me,” Natural Resources asked from his place at the table next to the Minister, “But what were the anthropological estimates on the comparative level of development between us and the builders of the Ship?”
The Curator consulted a portable. “Anthropologists and technologists have been studying the issue since the Unearthing,” He said, “They’ve studied our own technology versus what’s known about the Ship, our technological evolution over the last two hundred years and projections about how fast our own advancement will continue to grow.”
“Bottom line?” The Ambassador demanded, irritably.
“Bottom line,” the Curator said, “The builders were at least a million years more advanced than us when the Ship was built. We don’t know for sure, because we can’t accurately predict our own technological progress beyond a hundred years.”
“So the Builders were at least a million years more advanced than us,” Natural Resources repeated, “And yet they obviously believed in God. As advanced as the Builders were they held on to a theological concept that our society has found itself collectively losing grasp of as we’ve progressed. Assuming they became more and more scientific, more and more empirical, as we have, who’s to say the Builders themselves didn’t discover evidence of God’s existence?”
“Perhaps the Builders simply programmed the Ship to think of them as God,” The British Defence Minister countered, “Perhaps the Ultimate Creation Entity to which the Ship referred was its manufacturer.” It was a possibility that had occurred to them all but one which they hadn’t really cared to contemplate.
“Don’t you think it the least bit significant that the Ship remained sealed, until these questions were asked of it?” Natural Resources asked, “The Ship said we as a species had been determined to be of acceptable intelligence and granted us access only after Santino asked it those questions about God and the meaning of life. If the belief in the Creator was the determining factor in a test of our intelligence. Don’t you think that would count towards the probability of the existence of a supreme being?” The British Defence Minister had no reply to Natural Resources’ argument.
“We’ll know more once the Ship Survey Expedition debriefing concludes,” The Curator said, breaking the ponderous silence that had descended upon the Committee, “They’re scheduled to return to the Ship this afternoon, so we can safely assume our sources in Geneva will be in touch with us before very much longer.”
♦♦♦
“You say that the Ship continued communications with the Ship Survey Expedition, after the Ship was opened, Doctor Aiziz?” the World Ship Summit’s liaison asked, “And that it was speaking perfect English?”
“That’s correct,” Aiziz said, speaking clearly and confidently. Her normal fear and loathing of public speaking was gone. She was the only person who knew what she was about to tell the World Ship Summit. The video feed from this linx to Geneva would eventually be released globally and would come to be the most heavily viewed data stream since the satellite images of the Unearthing were released. She was the only person on Earth with this news and she was about to deliver it to the world.
“I didn’t catch most of the dialogue as the Ship spoke,” Aiziz said, “Because of the commotion caused when the Ship unsealed itself. However we had enough recording devices online that I was able to get the entire message and replay it.”
“And what did the Ship have to say?” Aiziz couldn’t help the slightly smug smile that came to her lips. At this point the entire world would be hanging on her every word. She made a deliberate point of consulting her notepad though the message from the Ship was essentially engraved in her memory.
“The Ship proposes a full exchange of information between it and the people of our world,” She said, “The Ship’s technologies will be made available to us to study and adapt to our own--within reason. In return, the Ship wants to learn about our different cultures, histories and religions. As Humanity is the dominant form of intelligent life on the planet the Ship wishes to learn as much about us as it can.”
“Excuse me, Doctor Aiziz,” The Israeli delegate to the World Ship Summit said, “But you said that ship proposes a full exchange between us, but then you said the Ship’s technologies will be made available to us only within reason. That seems a bit of a contradiction. What does the Ship mean exactly, when it says it will give us access to its technology, within reason?”
“You can review the recordings yourself, or read the transcript of the conversation. The Ship explained that certain of its technologies would prove dangerous in undisciplined hands. It will therefore evaluate which of its technologies it will release to us.”
“That’s hardly a full exchange of information, Doctor Aiziz,” The American delegate responded.
“It’s a reasonable exchange; a responsible exchange,” Aiziz said, “One that ensures we don’t destroy ourselves by using technologies we have no business playing around with.” She held up a hand as several members of the World Ship Summit began to object.
“That is not all the Ship proposes to give us,” She told them, “The Ship is also a vast storehouse of culture and information from the many thousands of w
orlds it has known. The Ship is ancient, ladies and gentlemen. It was millions of years old before it ever entered this solar system. The knowledge it will provide to us will be richer, vaster, than anything we have experienced or could ever hope to experience on our own. You cannot possibly say that the gift of knowledge the Ship is bestowing upon us is an inadequate one.”
“No, Doctor Aiziz, we are not,” the Liaison Officer said, “We are not suggesting that it is an inadequate gift. However the fact that the Ship wants to know everything about us without letting us know everything about it is distressing.”
“When a child wants to play with a knife,” Aiziz said, “Or a book of matches do the parents allow them to? The Ship knows better than we do what technologies could be potentially dangerous to us. What it permits us to use will be of benefit to us and not of detriment. How we use the technologies it releases to us will most probably determine what else is permitted. Given our level of advancement versus the Ship’s, it is in the best position to judge what we are or are not ready to handle and it is in our best interests to let the Ship make that decision.”
“I think I would prefer to decide what I can and cannot handle for myself, Doctor,” The Israeli Delegate replied.
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