“All the more reason to keep the period between announcement and arrival very short, Professor,” Charlotte said. “We need to plan all the detail of that process right away. As part of that detail we can say that the aliens have advised us of Milky Way galaxy peace treaties that safeguard emerging civilisations like that here on Earth. That will hopefully be reassuring and has the added merit of actually being true.”
“The first step will be to gather together the working group that will handle wider communications. You will be leader of the group and the conduit of alien messages as far as the authorities are concerned, Professor Kitteridge. David Harrier and Dan Tucci are prepared and capable of bringing Western governments up to date as you receive those details. From our side there is your Cosmology Department, which will be dedicated to the administration of all the details, including Chris of course, but also myself, Joe and Daniel as your assistants,” Charlotte said.
“Well, the very first stage is to send the message to David and Dan so they can brief their bosses and then get them here to plan the details,” said Professor Kitteridge, eyes sparkling with energy anew now the task was at hand.
*
The next meeting took place at the Cambridge University Cosmology Department where Professor Kitteridge had first met David Harrier with the British Prime Minister. All the senior staff of the department had been apprised of the news and their role after signing the Official Secrets documentation. They were sceptical scientists about these kinds of government scare tactics but they agreed with the objective behind the measures. David Harrier and Dan Tucci had cut their plans and arrived to represent the UK and US governments. They had briefed their political and military leaders of the simple news of the alien response. The news was spreading fast in the military of both countries as escalation procedures kicked in. Despite a massive security operation it was only a matter of time before the press discovered what was causing all the fuss. Similarly, other allies and foreign governments with effective electronic eavesdropping would soon be aware; they needed to be updated urgently before they discovered what was afoot in the wrong way and took their own measures.
David and Dan were expectant supplicants at this meeting seeking information; the complete opposite of briefings they had given to senior politicians where they were understood to be the experts, just one step ahead of the unfolding plot.
“So I need to know, Professor, where and when are these Gayan aliens going to arrive? The President is all over me wanting to take over the process and demanding the details,” said Dan immediately they took their seats.
“Everybody will need to stay calm,” said Professor Kitteridge. “We have an open channel to the Gayan ambassadors and they tell us that the date of their arrival is fixed and the details of the location will come just prior to the event itself. Leaders of all nations are invited, plus all living Nobel Prize winners. Each invited person can bring one assistant. No military presence will be permitted within one hundred miles of the venue.”
“You can’t expect the President of the United States to just arrive at some unknown location at short notice with no security!” Dan was open-mouthed at the thought.
“Well, that will apply equally to all national leaders and there can be no special arrangements for individuals or it will take forever. It also sends out the wrong message if everybody arrives armed to the teeth. It’s a peaceful meeting. It’s the leaders’ individual choice if they accept the invitation to the most important meeting in Earth’s history. And that’s not even all of it.”
“What else?” Dan said, unable to believe anything more difficult could be added.
“All invitees must be proper and upstanding leaders representing all the people of Earth. No criminals, no corrupt individuals.”
“What! We are talking of politicians here for Pete’s sake!”
“Hang on a moment,” David Harrier interjected. “You took me on the raid on the establishment figures in London. Was that specifically to do with this?”
“That’s right, David,” Charlotte said calmly. “Invitees need to know that the same treaties that ensure this meeting is in peace also requires the leaders on all sides to be above criminality and corruption. Just as aliens with advanced technology protect their safety, they also have full sight of Earth world leaders’ personal history. They can reveal any and all prior crimes and bring wrongdoers to account. Hopefully this message can get out ahead of the day as it will be very painful for individuals who attend if they have led regimes that committed crimes against humanity.”
“Oh my! Can you imagine those rules applied to all the world’s leaders?” Dan said. “That’s going to seriously affect attendance in a negative sense and the attitude of most of those invited.”
“Just between us in this room, do not doubt that the Gayans have the knowledge and capability to bring criminals to justice, leaders of states or otherwise,” Joe said quietly. “There will soon be a situation where this world’s leaders will be the right people to be in those positions and those that are not will be gone.”
“What about logistics of the event itself?” David Harrier asked while Dan paused to mull over the implications of an alien agency enforcing law over country leaders, the President in particular.
“The venue will be chosen only five days before the event,” Professor Kitteridge answered. “By that time we should know who will be accepting the invitations and it will just be a matter of how they get there. Only one media company will cover the event, chosen by the host country. Their news feeds will be provided live and free of charge to all other media companies across the Earth.”
“Surely there needs to be a competition for selecting the venue, like you get for the Olympics or soccer World Cup?” Dan asked.
“The Gayans are going to pick the venue and expect us to be there to welcome them in the first instance. The arrangements for the first meeting will also be their choice. The point is they have had many first contact meetings throughout history on other worlds and know how to handle them; clearly the Earth world leaders don’t have any experience in this kind of thing.”
“The President’s not going to like any of this!” Dan stated, knowing he would be the unloved messenger when he delivered this message.
TWENTY-TWO
Professor Kitteridge made the first call of Formal First Contact day minus five at 8am sharp. It was the first of a long list of calls planned meticulously throughout the day to announce to key leaders across the globe. The very first call was to Dr Joachim Stielsson, the patrician Executive Director of the Nobel Institute in Oslo, Norway. The Gayans had made plain that they wanted the welcoming committee to be hosted by leaders in science and world peace and had selected the Nobel Institute as the ideal vehicle for their purposes. Professor Kitteridge had met Dr Stielsson several times in the course of Nobel award ceremonies, in Sweden for the science awards, which Professor Kitteridge had won once, and in Norway for the peace awards.
Dr Stielsson was waiting for the call, intrigued to learn that the call was of momentous importance yet a secret until the day. “Good morning, Reginald, how are you today?” He welcomed Professor Kitteridge as the call arrived, prepared to be patient over the pleasantries.
“Good morning, Joachim, I am fine thank you, feeling particularly well today in fact. Thank you also for taking my call in such mysterious circumstances.”
“For you, anytime, Reginald. I must confess I am most intrigued by this call.”
“I will get straight down to business then. We have received an answer to our messages in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Our analysis says the answer is genuine and verifiable.”
There was a long moment’s silence before Dr Stielsson replied. “That is outstanding news indeed, Reginald. Thank you for letting me know so soon. Can I be of any assistance?”
“More than you might imagine, Joachim. The aliens have chosen to arrive and formally
introduce themselves in five days’ time. They have chosen the place and the time and have asked you and me to host their visit.” Professor Kitteridge could almost feel his old friend’s sangfroid slip a moment as he digested the general notion of the existence of aliens and then the surprise of his personal involvement. “They have chosen to arrive at Preikestolen on Lysefjord. We are to invite world leaders and Nobel Prize winners to meet with the aliens at that location.”
“Preikestolen you say? ‘Pulpit Rock’ in English. That is a dramatic choice if a surprising one. A famous tourist spot. It has a flat top jutting out high over the fjord.”
“Is it a practical place for an alien craft to meet with an audience of world leaders?”
“Not in any conventional way. You could get a couple of hundred people on the rock itself and there is plenty of space above on the plateau but it’s accessed by a narrow path to the flat rock itself. If any kind of craft is going to land on it then there would be no room for people there as well.”
“I think we can leave that problem to the aliens. They say that they want people to meet them on the rock. How they do that is their challenge. What I would like from you, old friend, is to get the authorities to make the arrangements. We will need chairs and facilities up there. Formal invitations to go out to world leaders but there will only be space for one delegate per country on the rock itself. Media is welcome but must be limited to one Norwegian television channel only which provides a free live feed to any news agency that wants it. We can’t have a thousand news crews buzzing around the fjord.”
“I see you have thought this through, Reginald.”
“Yes indeed, I have thought of little else these last weeks. I will send you details of the request from the aliens by email and hope you can make the arrangements with all speed.”
“We will do our best, Reginald. If we can contain the plans in the manner you suggest than that should be possible. Pulpit Rock becomes a kind of alien picnic rock for the day.”
“Oh and one more thing, Joachim.”
“Yes, Reginald.”
“We have been thinking of an alternative name to ‘aliens’ for our visitors. ‘Aliens’ has too many frightening connotations for the public. We are thinking of calling them ‘arrivistes’ to sound more like visitors. Perhaps you can try to call them that in your arrangements?”
“I will do my best, Reginald, but none of us can control the media!”
*
The next phase of calls involved David Harrier and Dan Tucci. Both men were given the details of the selected meeting venue in Norway. Both men were surprised at the choice. It made little sense if you thought of huge audiences in established capital cities but if you were looking for something apolitical then a site of natural theatre in the least corrupt corner of the globe made some sense. David and Dan were told to go ahead and advise the Prime Minister and the President and also to release the news through their embassies to all the other countries of the world.
Dan was able to meet with the President at the White House at 7.30am East Coast time. The President sat at the Resolute Desk, dressed already in blue suit, white shirt and red tie. His face was set in an irritable fashion, already thinking this situation was not going the way he wanted.
Dan was not offered any breakfast, not even coffee, though the President was slurping through his second mug. Tough to be the messenger with this news, thought Dan as he took a seat and explained the arrangements for the arrivistes.
“I thought I made it plain that if these guys, ‘arrivistes’ as you say, are going to show up then we want to greet them out there on the White House lawn. If not that then what’s wrong with the United Nations? That’s what it’s for, for Pete’s sake!”
The President was even less pleased to hear that the arrivistes demanded that world leaders were of impeccable character and that they had the capability to look back on an individual’s history to make sure that they were not dealing with corrupt leaders. The President was familiar with being investigated in his private life by several Senate committees and believed himself to be clean; well, as clean as anyone who climbed the corporate ladder before turning his hand to politics.
“Look here, Dan, I am not interested in these guys making up their own rules like this. They have to be open to listen to reason, know what I mean? What I want is to speak to these contacts of yours and see about changing all this before it’s too late.”
Dan said he could arrange for the President to speak direct to his contacts in Professor Kitteridge’s group. The President was keen on this. He did not like being out of the loop on the arrangements and wanted some personal control.
Dan phoned Joe on his mobile phone directly from his meeting with the President. He got Joe straight away and explained the President’s view. Joe agreed to speak with the President directly.
“Hello Joe, do I understand that you have a direct line to these alien arrivistes?”
“Yes they have made direct contact with us, Mr President.”
“Well, they have to understand that we have a proper way of doing things here. We can roll out the red carpet right here in Washington DC and organise the rest of the world to come see. That way we do it right and these friends of yours get to see how strong and welcoming we are.”
“It’s not as simple as all that, Mr President. It seems they have their rules and want to make their own arrangements. Look, why don’t I come over and talk to you about this face to face? I can meet you in the Oval Office at 3pm today if that suits you?”
“What! 3pm today? That’s just over two hours from now, where did you say you were?”
“Cambridge, England, with Professor Kitteridge’s group at the cosmology lab.”
“Well if you can get here for three then I will certainly meet with you then.”
*
Joe left the Cambridge cosmology laboratory to take the starship Maria to Washington with the Pantucci brothers. Maria launched near vertically from concealment in farmland to the west of the M11 motorway. Joe watched the ground below as it shrank absurdly quickly, a patchwork of fields resolving fast into the familiar shape of the United Kingdom. They set the fastest flight path through low space to the United States’ eastern seaboard then in to Washington DC. They flew still higher out over the Atlantic Ocean with the great sphere of the Earth laid out below them. Joe let his eyes rest unaugmented on the azure and white meniscus where the flimsy layer of atmosphere wrapped itself to the western horizon. Above the thin blue line was utter blackness studded by diamond stars. He knew all of the major stars and clusters by name; had visited some personally and random memories popped into his mind as he switched his attention amongst them.
Maria attained the apogee of the flight path parabola and swept on and then down, maintaining aspect for the best comfort of the passengers; the craft could progress just as easily at any aspect so passenger comfort was the main priority.xi
Maria approached, cloaked and invisible, via the grand avenue of the Washington Monument, the Ellipse and the South Lawns leading to the entrance of the White House itself. Maria rose up over the roof, skirting the American Flag flying from the tall central flagpole and descended to hover alongside the Oval Office. Joe disembarked Maria through the window of the small study adjacent to the Oval Office and knocked on its door from outside. The President cocked his head towards the knock at his door from the supposedly empty study and checked his watch. It was close to 3pm. He stood and walked across to open the door to find Joe was the only occupant of the study. The President made no comment about how Joe had managed to present himself there, simply showed him into the Oval Office and waved for Joe to take a seat at the low table.
Joe noted the two other guests, the CEO of Evrisoft, Harold Z Martens and one of Evrisoft’s vice presidents, the Asian one with the bob of straight black hair, that would be the Spargar agent Michiko. Joe saw that time had been unkind to
Harold, his face was wattled with livid folds of flesh, his eyes sunken and a watery thin blue. Michiko however seemed very similar to when they last met in California, his entire current lifetime ago. Well at least they won’t recognise me, Joe thought to himself.
The President made no effort to introduce the two IT executives he relied on for much of his personal data analysis, not completely trusting his own security agencies. He was more demanding of Joe, however.
“So who are you then, Joe Mason?” the President demanded.
“I am an undergraduate working with Professor Kitteridge in Cambridge.”
“But who are you really?”
“I am twenty-one years old, born and raised in Northern England. Do any of us know who we are really?”
“Oh don’t give me that kind of claptrap. So do you speak for these alien ‘arrivistes’?”
“We can speak to them, not for them. We are in constant contact with them now that we have established communications,” Joe replied.
“Well, please tell them that they need to make their visit to the USA as the most powerful nation on Earth. We even built the United Nations for the specific purpose of representing the whole of the world.”
“The arrivistes know all this but their formal arrival has to be supra national, a global event dignified by people of virtue and global stature. They have chosen that place to be allied to the Nobel Institute to signify that this event is about promoting peace and science for the benefit of all Earth’s people.”
“They expect me to drop everything and fly to Norway to meet them up some windy fjord?! In five days’ time? Impossible! You won’t get any leaders to show up. They can’t organise security in that time and many leaders don’t get along.”
“That will make it self-selecting. The leaders who see the opportunity and want to participate will seize on it for the benefit of their people. The ones that won’t show up will likely be the wrong people to take part in the development of the human race with alien technology. They are bringing a scientific revolution with them that will change the lives of all the people of Earth. If you don’t take part then you are heading for an economic and technology cul-de-sac, but that will be your choice.”
Edge of Revelation Page 33