Ama backed her, “I am also of the opinion that we should not kill him. They only plotted killing, but actually, they did not kill anyone. It is true that Bame took part in Em’s death, he let him die, but Em voluntarily exposed himself to this mortal danger, choosing to follow primordial biological instincts, mistaking them for common sense.”
“Then what to do with him?” Omis asked. “I saw with my own eyes that he is capable of destroying any of us. Therefore, we cannot leave this situation as it is. We have to come up with something.”
Lif rejoined the conversation and looked around the audience before she spoke: “I was constantly thinking about what was happening now, and the thought came to me that the best solution might be to expel him from the colony.”
“If you remove me from the colony, I will starve to death,” Bame said desperately. Realizing that the worst punishment no longer threatened him, he’d regained his ability to speak.
The colonists had not even had time to think about the new challenge when Mafkona supported Lif’s idea as if it were the final decision, “On the other side of the River Warm Ama and I saw favorable places. If we prepare the territory and sow grass on it, in a year it would be possible to live there.”
Ultimately, since no one opposed that proposal, the young people accepted it. They decided to help the outcast to create a new settlement and after that leave the colony.
The exile would be provided with one piece of photovoltaic fabric, one bow and some arrows, several farming tools, and one UD to communicate with the colony. Later, if they figured out how to do so, they would move the radio isotopic energy source to a new location and escort one of the robots there.
In addition, if an extra woman were to be born in the next generation, or just one of them wanted to live in another place, then Bame would be allowed to have a mate. If not, then no—he himself had lost the right to choose forever.
They warned Bame that if he committed a new evil, he would be destroyed without fail, regardless of the consequences of his actions. Prior to that, they allowed him to live in his former house, weaponless.
Chapter 95
“You know, now, when we are done with Bame, I feel like I need to really and fully enjoy our achievement. We managed to establish a rapport with Earth in the last second! Is that not really our greatest success?” Fom said aloud with smile on his face.
Memi smiled too, but actually didn’t share his idea. “There is one more condition. In fact, the connection is considered established if it is bilateral.”
“What does that mean?”Arfina entered their dialogue.
Memi replied to her, “Just what I said: radio communication is considered as established only after we receive a response from Earth to today’s message.”
“You mean only after one hundred and twelve Earth years would it be finally known what we have achieved today?”Arfina clarified.
This time, Memi didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he thought for a long time. Then he shook his head, looked around at his comrades who were waiting for his answer, and said resolutely, “Let us switch the radio line to receive mode right now.”
Fom, whose joy remained without response, asked, “the timetable of the SQP says: the earthlings will try to communicate with us only after they have received confirmation of our existence. Why do you want to switch to the receiving mode now?”
“Right,” Im supported him. “The message sent right now will reach Earth in fifty-six years. Their answer will reach Neia in the same number of years. Why, then, should we needlessly listen to space during this vast period of time?”
In reply, Memi scratched his head and said, “Our signal will reach the planet of our ancestors in three and a half centuries after the sending of our expedition—”
He didn’t finish his thought, because Caf, the master of calculations, interrupted him, “Our report will arrive there in 2492; our ship departed in 2145. The difference between these dates is three hundred and forty-seven years. So what were you talking about, Memi?”
“I am saying that during such huge span of time, something could have changed on Earth, and who knows on what scale?” the youth finished his thought.
“What phenomenon could force humanity to change the rules of its most important plan?”Arfina doubted.
“If the line is not constantly switched onto receiving mode, only our descendants will learn the answer to your question,” Dme uttered instead of Memi.
Upon hearing this, Fof stated, “This is true, and I am in favor of the reception mode too, although I have another reason. On Earth, the project SETI has been listening to space for a very long time, hoping to hear the signals of other intelligent beings. So, if the earthlings have been doing this for centuries without any result and only for the sake of hope, then why can we not listen to them? Our expectation would be incomparably more justified.”
After considering her words, the colonists nodded one after another with smiles on their faces. Even Fom and Im joined in this in full approval.
Seeing this, Dme proceeded to activate the receive mode, and after two minutes finished setting it up. The machine then took another two minutes to check the line.
This was almost done when, all of a sudden, those UDs, tuned to receive interstellar transmission and still remaining on the pole, whistled piercingly. At the same time, the GPC-5 informed them, “The message is written into memory.”
The young people first looked at their screens in confusion and then at each other with the same expression. While they were trying to figure out what was going on, the machine offered them a new puzzle, “Show it on the screen?”
“What is this? Is the computer still checking the line or is it out of order again?”Gimi expressed general concern.
“Let us look at this post and find out what it is,” Ifi said. “Maybe there is something wrong with the receiving circuit?”
“It would be better if the problem was only in the receiving circuit,” Jef said tensely, attracting the thoughtful looks of her comrades.
Chapter 96
Memi, hesitatingly touching his UD with his finger, allowed the computer to play the file. The text appeared on the screens of the colonists:
“I salute you!
I believe that you exist, otherwise there is left no hope here on Earth. The other expeditions have failed to accomplish their missions.
The sixth apparatus disappeared shortly after its departure. The planets of the first and second ships turned out to be unsuitable due to deadly radiation and lack of land, respectively.
On the planet of the third expedition, local life did not allow our life to take root. The fourth ship simply collided with an asteroid during its journey. You can read reports of these expeditions in Appendix 1.
Simultaneously with the receipt of this letter, you will learn that there is Iason Azgo among you, whose genetic code departed as a piece of your expedition. As you know, by sacrificing himself, he saved the first ship. But, as it turned out later, Iason protected not only the SQP project, but, very likely, the only chance for humanity to reach the stars.
More than a century after the last ship set sail for its destination, civilization collapsed. Billions died. Now civilization is rebuilding. You can read about this event in Appendix 2.
Failures of the SQP drastically affected the psychology, consciousness, and self-confidence of humanity. People no longer believe that they can handle interstellar distances. Of course, you have learned history and know that, in due time, the discoveries of Earth-twin planets had united humanity—that was the most grandiose effect of these discoveries. But now the unity that allowed mankind to create interstellar missions exists no more.
All the more, nowadays people consider that man is unable to penetrate into the galaxy. The idea is that we need to send not a paltry six rockets, but hundreds of thousands of starships. And this cannot be done even if we disassemble the whole of Earth into ships.
As you know, the SQP rules prohibit the discl
osure of the names of those people whose genetic codes went to the expeditions. My name does not matter either; I am also one of the people. But now we decided to change this rule. A ruined civilization is reason enough for this.
I have sent you a photo of Iason Azgo as proof that his dream morphed into reality. Science helped him defeat death and be born on an exoplanet.
I believe that your signal will come because without knowing about each other we will not become an interstellar civilization. We will be like our ancestors when they, scattered across continents for most of human history, definitely were not a transoceanic civilization.
I believe that, according to the SQP plan, centuries or maybe a millennium after your birth, interstellar space will become a part of humanity’s habitat. And then, science that will allow us to freely travel from star to star would be competent to really defeat death, not nominally, through the cloning of a dead person. What else do we need science for?
Goodbye, Iason, and you, the inhabitants of the new planet, whose names no one knows yet here on Earth.
Be inspired by the dream of the upcoming meeting with us!
May the news about you revive the practically dead hope of humanity to step into infinity!”
After that the portrait of a man looking a little aside from the camera appeared on the screens of the colonists. He had attentive, wide-set eyes, an oblong, volitional face, an aquiline nose, and unusually long wavy hair.
Neia’s inhabitants gazed at this image and gradually realized its essence. The man who looked at them from an incredible distance and from the depth of centuries was… Ama! Much older, but still definitely Ama! As if he were being photographed in the future, not in the past!
“This is irrefutable confirmation that we have really made contact with Earth,” Memi said, with a look of an individual who himself couldn’t believe what had happened.
“Ama,” Lif turned to him in bewilderment, “what should we call you now?”
The pioneers, more and more amazed at the scale of phenomenon that they’d witnessed just now, were also looking at him with curiosity.
“Maybe—”
Lif began again, though she immediately stopped and frowned. However, after some hesitation, she continued to speak, “So, you are Iason Azgo and… you managed to get from Earth to um, Neia?”
“Yes, he did it,” said Omis, who seemingly had already accustomed himself to this news. “Science gave him this opportunity. By the way, so did the owners of our genes, too. After all, they also had names.”
Ama, clearly confused, still spoke seemingly calmly, “Children,” because of the excitement, he mistakenly used a childish address, “I am just myself and no one else…” he smiled broadly and shook his head. “There can be no doubt about that. Like each of you, it is only you and nobody else.”
The more the real meaning of the “news” they had received penetrated into the minds of the surprised young people, the better they understood the scale of the event. But still, their almost biological property to always act judiciously, quickly prevailed over their emotions.
“Memi, your reasoning turned out to be absolutely correct,” Hafa said. “Something important really did happen on Earth.”
In response, the young man simply nodded, and instead Omis spoke up, “Listen, in our joy we ignored a very important message: the other expeditions failed. And if we had not been able to send the report on time, the earthlings would never have known that they had changed their habitat.”
Hearing this reminder, the young people mentally followed the logical path formed by this information, and quickly got to the place where they saw how close the hope of humanity had come to its death. While there, they felt a belated fear.
Although, this path didn’t linger in this terrible place; it ran on, until the very end. And there, the Neians saw that the hope of humanity had recovered its health, because they’d coped to overcome their difficulties. In this mental place the feeling of being victors engulfed them.
The wind from the ocean became stronger. The leaves of the apple trees rustled loudly and thus interrupted the silent celebration of the founders of a new civilization, helping them to return to reality.
Cim spoke first:“Since we received this letter so unexpectedly, let us change the schedule for sending our reports. I mean, let us keep them informed not only about the significant events, but also about the everyday ones. Who knows, maybe from now on we will also receive messages every day?”
Omis looked at him curiously at first, but then without hesitation picked up the idea, “Let us in tomorrow’s séance mention the letter of this unknown person, and also send them a copy of it. They definitely know this name and can communicate it to our descendants. After all, our descendants should know the name of the person who helped us so much.”
“Are we going to report on the plan of these two, and Em’s death?” Lomo asked hesitantly.
While the others were pondering on this question, Lif bit her lower lip, looked at Bame, and spoke clearly, “Are we going to filter information before sending it? Then what is the point in such messages?”
“You are right,” Lomo nodded.
After his words, silence fell again in the living area.
Mafkona stood up, resting her hand on the seat. She looked first at her friends, then at the settlement, and finally she looked at everything around her. Then she nodded, turning back to her comrades, who had already realized that she had risen for a reason, and said with a dreamy smile, “Once again, humanity has found space for evolution!”
Then she giggled merrily and added, “I announce the beginning of mutual interstellar motion!”
Chapter 97
The radio waves sent by the colonists traveled for over half a century, and at the end of the road they reached the antenna that broke a meteorite, to the frustration of Medea and Johan.
The drizzling rain had made this evening especially cold. Johan went down to the basement and turned on the heating. Back in the living room, illuminated by an incandescent light bulb, the old man, dressed in blue jeans and a green flannel shirt, saw that his wife still satin the chair. Medea, clad in a warm red cotton caftan decorated with blue flowers, warmed her palms by thrusting them into the opposite sleeves of her clothing.
“What a biting cold, huh? Maybe the climate is changing and we’re turning into Alaska or Siberia?” Her husband tried to joke.
“The TV said we’re having one of the warmest winters this year,” his wife disagreed with him. “It’s just that our bones are aging and they are convincing us that the weather is getting colder,” she finished with a sigh.
In response, the man shook his head ambiguously and headed for the kitchen, although he didn’t have time to reach it because Medea stopped him with a question, “Look, Johan, wasn’t it yesterday afternoon when that lady, Clara Rickey, informed us that the rock broke the antenna?”
“So what?” the old man grunted, not even trying to hide that he didn’t want to talk about it.
“Just,” his wife, as though hesitant, proceeded to speak, “I remembered that before that meteorite impact we hadn’t checked the computer for a couple of days, and now I thought, maybe it is worth to watch the last snippet? However, of course—”
“So what?” her husband interrupted her with a mocking grin. “You want to see the cosmic background for the millionth time, and you need my permission?”
“Hem,” Medea grinned, but nevertheless continued, although still inertly. “It’s just… I have nothing to do right now, heh.”
In response, Johan thought for a little, then shrugged his shoulders and extended his hand to the office, as if inviting his wife to enter the room. After that, he went to the kitchen, or rather to the refrigerator—or more precisely, to the beer.
“I see,” Medea said to his back.
She sat and thought for a few minutes, and then, obviously having defeated her reluctance to rise from the chair, grunted, got up nevertheless and headed to the of
fice. Here, by the window, a computer stood on a carved wooden table. It looked like an old radio that, because of the memories associated with it, its owners hadn’t thrown away.
Previously, this device had performed its tasks automatically—receiving messages from the telescope located in the far north, it wrote them down in its memory and supplied them with comments. At first, this machine had sent these messages to the couple’s phones, until they forbade that.
“Yeah, interesting, huh?” Medea asked her husband with a sly grin, seeing him on the threshold of the room with a can of beer in his hand.
Instead of answering, Johan took a sip, looked at the still lifeless monitor and said instead of answering, “I have a lot to do. Jacob has tortured me to death with his antediluvian mill! We were so lucky to get such a neighbor! The main thing is that he asks me to help and at the same time laughs at us, thinking that he is making witty jokes.”
“Are you going to fix that scrap metal in the corner of the veranda for him?” Medea specified.
“Yes,” Johan replied, grimacing.
“It’s true, Jacob has a really venomous tongue,” she supported her husband. “He asked me almost every day, as he says, about the star business and at the same time grins derisively. He’s a pretty good neighbor, but he has that very annoying feature.”
In response, Johan just waved his free hand and left. Medea stood for a few seconds, then sat down at the table and turned on the computer.
If I told Johan correctly, we haven’t really looked at the computer records in the two days before the telescope broke, she recalled, and soon she saw confirmation of her thoughts.
The screen showed eleven messages; the last one had come at 5 o’clock on Monday morning. Medea, as usual, dragged the cursor to the first of them. A comment popped up from there, written in a yellow rectangle:
“Signal. Date: 8-2-2492; 3:55. It is classified as a typical splash of electromagnetic noise. Show or erase?”
Space for Evolution Page 46
