Songs of Thalassa

by Brian Tissot

  “But yet—” She paused and grew serious. “—we have not taken care of our precious world.” She spoke faster to keep everyone’s attention. “Many living creatures are gone, exterminated; special souls that took millions of years to evolve, often wiped out in an instant. Worse, we have damaged the health and welfare of all creatures by altering the planet’s habitats and its ecology to suit our needs. Indeed, we have altered the global climate to the point where we are on the cusp of an ecological collapse.” She dropped her head and lowered her voice. “And our whales, whose precious songs we share with Thalassa, are on the brink of extinction.” Shouts and raised fists erupted from the audience.

  A humpback whale appeared on the screen, silent. “I saw a humpback whale and heard its beautiful song, the first in my life and the first in Hawaii for many years. But as he cried out for his ‘ohana, I realized he was alone. We are responsible for that, and if we continue our destructive ways, the whales of the Earth will be gone forever along with their beautiful songs. The truth is, we don’t understand their message, but like Thalassa, their voices are full of love. Can we live with the silencing of our whales? What does that mean for the future of our planet?”

  She took a deep breath and pulled back from the anger rising within her. “But I’m not here to recount our long and bloody history. No, I’m speaking to you because the same history is about to repeat itself on Thalassa.” The screen shifted between a view of Earth, then Thalassa, fading back and forth. “As we speak, Milo Carter and Cutten Enterprises, including much of the commercial trans-space industry, is gearing up to exploit Thalassa, and indeed any planet we discover with living creatures. In addition to the Nesoi and their relatives, which they plan to capture and showcase in exhibits like this across the world, they discovered the planet is rich with genetically distinct bacteria. They will ‘sample’ every living thing on that planet—bioprospecting—to make more money. Sure, they may find something useful for us, but as we have learned through our long and violent history, once they start they will rip that planet apart. All some people care about is profits. They will destroy the beautiful world of Thalassa. That is, if we let them.”

  Some in the crowd murmured in agreement, but many were confused by the shift in focus of her talk. She heard a shout from the audience: “Where’s Shelley?”

  Rock appeared on the edge of the stage, looking perturbed and waving at her to stop. Sage’s mother ran over and intercepted him as Lani shot out of her seat and dashed behind the stage. Sage continued in a soft voice, realizing her time was short. “Don’t you see? We’re all here paying to marvel at the first, the very first discovery of complex, intelligent life on another planet. What gives us the right to do that? What you don’t know is to get ‘Shelley’ here—her real name is Maka—they slaughtered her entire family, eight Nesoi, including her mother, Melia.” Gasps erupted from the crowd, and Sage pressed on. “Melia was beautiful and majestic. She was the matriarch, the keeper of knowledge in her family, and the entire clan depended on her for their survival.” Sage made eye contact with as many members of the audience as she could. She had to get this point across to them. “Now she is dead, and the future of her family is in jeopardy. Which is why Maka needs to go home.”

  Extending her arms to the audience, she gestured to the sky. “So here’s another truth: because of the Nesoi and their relatives, we now know we are not alone in the universe. The issue that remains is what are we going to do about it? Are we going to repeat the history of Earth on Thalassa?”

  Yells of “No!” and “No way!” erupted from the crowd while many sat still and attentive.

  Emboldened by the support, her voice rose. “No, we must stop and say, ‘No more!’ We can use this opportunity to do something different, something extraordinary that flows naturally from our high intelligence and moral capacity. An action that shows the universe, and ultimately other sentient life, that humans are a compassionate and loving species, one worthy of respect, because we respect others. That we are a species capable of rising above our base instincts and petty prejudices.”

  She stepped out from behind the podium and moved toward the crowd, drawing everyone in with a call to action. “Despite our history, I believe we have better expectations for the future and better expectations for ourselves. We are capable of so much more, and it’s time our hearts caught up with our heads. It’s time to end our domination over living creatures and the planet. We must abandon our medieval ways, reject separation, and seek connection.”

  Her voice grew soft as she clenched hear heart. “What I learned on Thalassa is our ‘ohana is much bigger than I could imagine. The Nesoi accepted me into their family, and now they are a part of mine. And I will always take care of them because that’s what ‘ohana does. I ask you to include them in your family too and stand up and defend them.”

  Seeing Rock and her mother arguing offstage, Sage began speaking rapidly and moved into the heart of her message. “If you’re with me, there are things that we must do. We need laws, yes, because institutions, such as Cutten, have no moral capacity. Thus, I urge you to support passage of the CITETS amendments next week in Lausanne. Indeed, we need every country to protect Thalassa—and all future planets that have sentient life—from exploitation. They should be off-limits to everyone. We can study them from afar without interference. Each planet has its own destiny to fulfill, just like each of us, and we need to respect that basic right. In time, who knows what the Nesoi might become? Certainly, they can be better than us. I believe they already are. We need to give them that opportunity because we have no right to do otherwise.”

  Looking at the group of Hawaiians, her voice slowed and became warm. “Look into your hearts, my dear friends. We all possess the most amazing capacity to love. To live aloha. To give without condition. I’m asking you to broaden your circle of aloha, to include more people, more living creatures, in your ‘ohana. Think about your friends, your neighbors, everyone you know. If just some of you could do this, the world will be a better place to live. Ultimately, laws and government only go so far. They are crude controls of human society. Protests can cause political change, but the pendulum swings both ways, creating winners and losers. These battles push us apart when we need to come together. To cooperate. The long-term path to a compassionate future is not through government but through us.” Then, pointing to herself, the audience, and at the holoscreen monitors, she said, “We are both the problem and the solution. Through our love, each of us holds the key.”

  Raising her arms toward the audience and speaking with a flourishing voice, she finished her talk. “Despite our differences, we all began as dust, like the stars. We connect because we are all descended from the same source; we all have the same story. We started as dust, and we will return to dust—for we all have a common destiny. We are stardust and as old as the universe. But stardust has spirit and is magical because it creates beings with souls. So, we need to take care of each other, respect each other, and nurture each other. In all the vastness of the universe, all we have is each other.”

  Chapter 39.

  Maka

  Applause broke out among the crowd as her friends and family stood up and began to fill the room with their noise. First, the Hawaiians, including her mother, Halina, and the elders; then Auntie Kēhau, Uncle Steve, and the environmentalists; the surfers with Keoki and Dina’s family; and finally, Lani and the school kids and their teachers jumped up and screamed with delight as everyone in the auditorium joined in a standing ovation. Looking at the holoscreen monitors as they rotated through views of the massive virtual audience, she saw cheering crowds in auditoriums, bars, and space stations across all of humanity. In one view, she saw photos of Georgia and Byron being held up by a raucous crowd at the CalTech—the scientists waving their signs to show their support.

  Although Sage was exhausted and on the verge of tears, she smiled and bowed to the audience, then stepped back up to the mi
c. “Now I’d like you to meet a very special visitor, one that needs to go back to her home planet. She is my friend and a member of my ‘ohana. Here’s Maka, which in Hawaiian means ‘favorite or beloved one.’ And she truly is special.”

  The curtains parted revealing the massive exhibit. Fields of Thalassian fronds swayed along the bottom as small schools of pika swirled through the water, followed by small mantis squid darting out from marble sponges. The crowd let out a collective ah, but to everyone’s disappointment, Maka was immobile—her face glued to the wall in the cave, ignoring the excited audience. Sage walked up to the glass and placed her outstretched hand on the wall to get Maka’s attention. But that didn’t work, and disappointment began to erupt from the crowd. She had them primed to witness the beauty of this extraordinary creature, which now looked like a brown log.

  Disappointment stabbed through her heart as her plans fell apart in her mind. Oh no, is Maka too far gone? Was the trauma of killing her family and transporting her here too much? The whole idea of having her on display is abhorrent, and I want to get her back to Thalassa. But to do that I need everyone’s support, and they must love her! If they love her, then they will love Thalassa, and we can protect it.

  Then, recalling their days together on Home Island, she got an idea. In front of billions of viewers anxiously awaiting their first glimpse of an alien creature, Sage dashed behind the stage, passing a stunned Rock, and ran to the top of the exhibit. Flying down the ladder to the small beach, she pulled off her dress, revealing a white one-piece suit she had worn underneath in the event she needed to rescue Maka, and dove into the water. She swam above the cave and looked down to the entrance, 80 feet below.

  After taking a few deep breaths, she plunged to the bottom, swam through the cave, surfaced, then walked over to Maka. The audience, including everyone watching via the holosphere, looked on from multiple angles, including several in the tank and cave, with breathless excitement.

  She slowly approached the prostrate creature while singing a few notes from their swimming song. Maka’s head jerked up, and she whipped around and scrambled over to greet Sage, rubbing her face and body against her and repeating her whistling calls. Sage was overjoyed and rubbed Maka’s face and back. “I missed you, too, baby. I was so worried about you.” Then remembering the crowd, she jumped back in the water with Maka close behind. “Let’s show them what you can do, OK, girl?”

  Sage swam out of the cave and up to the surface, while Maka swam circles around her and sang a muted chorus of notes as the audience pointed and spoke in soft tones, stunned by their first view of the alien creature. Grabbing a deep breath, Sage swam down, and they began to swim together as they had on Thalassa: circling each other and porpoising from the bottom to the surface. At first, they looked a bit disorganized and random, but slowly they adjusted to each other’s movements and began to swim in synchrony. Sage felt warmth radiating through her body at the pleasure of their movements, the circles now a series of intercepting figure eights. As their swimming became more intertwined, Maka’s notes grew more synchronous and transformed into a beautiful melody—a powerful song that radiated with love and joy.

  The crowd was mesmerized by Maka’s beauty, and many began to cry watching their graceful movements and remarkable song. Together, they swam like they were born to each other and performing a well-rehearsed, elaborate dance routine. For 10 minutes, the world was transfixed by the stunning sight of Maka and Sage, the Nesoi and the human, moving together. Sage, the child of the sea, had found her kindred spirit on another planet. It was a dance that people across the entire planet would watch for weeks, months, years—and never forget.

  As her body—warm with joy and a racing heartbeat—returned to normal, she felt the fatigue of the long day pulling on her like a weight and began to slow down. Surfacing, she swam over to the small beach and sat down while Maka—still excited—continued swimming and singing, even chasing down a few pika along the way. Sage heard Milo’s loud voice erupting from the next room. Ignoring it, she sat quietly on the beach reflecting on her swim as she watched Maka and the crowd on the monitors.

  Wow, that was amazing. That was better than anything I could have imagined. Maka was so loving, so beautiful, so responsive to my slightest variations. Her gracefulness was beyond words. And the music? Oh, how she sang. How it flowed with our turns, the pitch changing with our speed. What pure joy! Grasping her whale lei, she squeezed it. You were right, Tutu. I brought my love for Thalassa here, a message from the ancestors. I don’t know if I’ve fulfilled your vision yet, but I’ve tried. Then looking down at the audience through the exhibit glass, she could see the crowd still watching Maka, many staring in awe and hugging each other with wet faces, some in stunned silence. She did it. Maka showed her beauty to the world, and now everyone will know and love the songs of Thalassa. And if they let the love in the songs into their hearts, who knows what might happen?

  As she sat feeling light with joy, the warmth radiating from her heart and her hands tingling, she heard stomping feet and a loud, violent voice approaching from behind, shattered her serenity. Turning around, she saw Milo in a rage climbing down the ladder then charging toward her, yelling obscenities and shaking his fists. Though she was startled by Milo’s abrupt appearance and taken aback by the venom in his voice after such a peaceful moment, she stood stoically to face him.

  Milo erupted with anger and vitriol. “You fucking bitch! What the hell are you doing? Goddammit, I can’t believe you stole my show. This was my time, not yours. Who do you think you are, coming in here and—”

  Without warning, Maka came flying out of the water and made a beeline for Milo. It occurred to Sage that she remembered him from killing her family in their home cave. Now he was threatening her, and Maka was determined to stop it.

  As Maka lunged toward him, Sage held up her arms and yelled, trying to stop the attack. “Maka, stop!” But she wouldn’t stop, and Milo recoiled in terror and backed up on the beach as the large creature bore down on him with an open mouth and sharp teeth. Panic clear on his face, he reached into his belt, pulled out a gun—What the hell is he doing with that thing? Sage thought—and aimed it at the charging Nesoi. With only a split-second to react, Sage jumped in front of Maka screaming, “Milo, no!” As he fired, the bullet hit Sage in the chest, and she collapsed on the beach, her red blood spilling across her hala and niho palaoa leis and onto the white sand.

  Milo stood in stunned silence as Sage fell, and Maka abruptly stopped her charge. The Nesoi lay next to Sage, placed their noses together, and began to moan as Sage gasped for air. She barely registered the look on Milo’s face when he realized all the cameras were pointed his way and the reality of his actions sank in. He backed away and dropped his gun. Sage’s mother, Moshe, and several staff appeared and rushed down to the beach to help Sage. Maka backed off as the small group approached and scurried back into the water, tripping on the sand, and began singing a haunting, mournful song. Everyone was stunned as the song played over the speakers and the holoscreen, the entire tragic scene unfolding before a global audience.

  Sage’s mother held her hand as she fought the pain. Sage opened her eyes and managed a weak smile when she saw her mother, Auntie Kēhau, and Lani kneeling around her. Surrounded by her ‘ohana, Sage caught the first notes of a familiar refrain. Sage looked up at her mother and brightened with joy. “Mom! Listen, can you hear them? Can you hear their song? They’re calling me home.” Then she took her last breath and closed her eyes.

  Chapter 40.

  Ho‘olōkahi (Come Together)

  As her daughter passed away, Nani heard Maka’s moans mixed with crying, sobbing, and hysterical screams from the audience. Lani and Kēhau embraced her and gently pulled her away from Sage’s body as the emergency team took over. As she morosely walked off the beach, the reaction on the holoscreen monitors caught her attention.

  Across the planet, and in humanity’s stati
ons in space, everyone was shocked by the shooting. Sage and Maka’s unforgettable underwater dance and beautiful song followed by violence marked an emotional moment that Nani knew they would never forget. Perhaps for some of them, it was a moment of deep reflection that would force them to reevaluate their preconceptions toward animals and the environment. For a small group of others, it might cause a paradigm shift in their thinking. Nani hoped many would be motivated to act, to do something profound to honor Sage’s vision and protect Thalassa.

  Milo was still sitting, stunned, on the small beach, and Nani paused on her way out to watch as Moshe turned to Milo, gave him a disgusted look, then walked over to the gathering press and gave an interview on the true story of events on Thalassa. The one Sage didn’t even bring up in her speech. Watching the news on the monitors, Nani saw shocked reporters discussing the cascading series of lies perpetuated by Milo, especially when he abandoned Sage and Georgia to their fates during the eclipse-induced feeding frenzy. She stopped and cried with others streaming out of the oceanarium as they listened to Moshe’s story of killing the Nesoi to capture Maka, which brought battled-hardened newscasters to tears, especially when he described Melia’s fierce attempts to protect her daughter. The perpetually stoic Moshe broke down as he tried to apologize for his role in the horrible series of events and claimed that taking care of Maka on the voyage home had endeared him to the captured Nesoi.