Kilmer opened his eyes. Silla was sitting next to him. She looked… beautiful.
“How are you?” she asked.
“I’m a lot better. I really needed some time to myself. Thanks for getting me out of the meeting.”
Silla smiled. “Thanks for asking me to come here. I thought I might only get a few seconds with you before you have to go.”
“Did you really think I would go to the kill-zone without a proper goodbye?”
“I don’t even know what a proper goodbye is,” Silla confessed. “And I’m not sure what to think or how to feel right now… I’m scared, I suppose. And I don’t know how to stay optimistic and supportive—but to still be afraid. I can’t reconcile it. And now I’m just rambling.”
He took her hand. “I know how you feel. All of it. I’ve been working through it myself. I guess we have to ask ourselves whether what we’re doing is worth it—even if things don’t work out the way we hope. I think it is.”
“I think so, too,” she said. “I just wish it was a little easier. That’s all.”
Kilmer leaned a little closer. “Silla, I want to apologize for something that happened last night.”
“What happened last night?”
“Well, you were very nice about it, but I know I didn’t do a very good job of telling you how I feel about you. And you weren’t wrong when you said I suck at it. I really do. I would hate for you to think that the reason I stumbled through it was because I’m conflicted about how I feel. That’s not it.”
“I know,” she said with a wink. “You’re not the only one who can piece things together.”
Kilmer smiled.
It was 7:40 p.m. when they headed back. They had shared what they agreed would be their final kiss before Kilmer’s rendezvous with ET-1—and which they both knew, but never said, might be their last kiss ever.
Silla let go of Kilmer’s hand as they approached HQ-1. She went inside to fetch Strauss and Allen while Kilmer continued toward the perimeter. He narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he forced a slight smile.
Let’s do this.
~ 74 ~
Heirs of Herodotus by D. Kilmer.
Excerpt from Chapter 7.
The myth of the pivotal event has done considerable damage to our understanding of cause and effect as it relates to human affairs. There is perhaps no greater example of this than Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon in 49 BCE, which is said to have heralded the end of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. We give so much deference to that singular event that “to cross the Rubicon” has itself come to mean the making of a fateful or pivotal decision—of passing the point of no return.
But what of Tiberius Gracchus, who began to undermine the institutions of the Roman Republic as far back as 133 BCE? What of Gaius Marius, a few decades later, who changed the very nature of the Roman army, turning it into a weapon to be wielded by generals rather than an instrument of the state? What of Sulla, who was the first to march on Rome and take power by force? What of Cinna? What of Pompey? What of Crassus?
Alea iacta est, Caesar is claimed to have said. “The die is cast.” But who handed Caesar the die? What brought him to the river Rubicon? Who allowed him to even imagine the possibility of entering Rome with an army? What made him so sure that the Republic was ready to kneel? Caesar only did what those who had come before allowed him to do. Caesar did not destroy the Roman Republic. The Republic destroyed itself—one episode at a time—by refusing to see where they were headed.
Pivotal moments make for great theater, but terrible history. For those who wish to predict the future—or avoid the mistakes of the past—pivotal moments are among the most dangerous of history’s artifacts.
~ 75 ~
At 7:00 p.m., a laptop and instructions were cat-shooted toward ET-1. In a bright flash of light, the aliens retrieved it minutes later.
At 7:30, Kilmer’s communication station was established 110 yards from ET-1. He would have access to a table, a chair, a laptop, two power banks for the laptop, two bottles of water, some trail mix, a notebook, and two pens. The messaging system would allow the team at HQ-1 to monitor the back-and-forth as it unfolded.
At 7:50, Kilmer, Silla, Secretary Strauss, and General Allen were at the perimeter, standing next to the Jeep that would take Kilmer to his communication station. Kilmer shook hands with each of them. Secretary Strauss thanked him for his courage. General Allen told him to be careful. Silla leaned close to him. “You’re coming back to me,” she whispered. “No matter what.”
Kilmer got in the Jeep and an officer drove him toward the kill-zone.
At 7:55, Kilmer was seated. The laptop was on and the messaging app was ready for use. The plan was for Kilmer to send the first message at exactly 8:00 p.m. He had brought only his cell phone, an analog wristwatch, and a jacket. He had left his wallet with Silla, but not before extracting one thing from it—a picture of Kilmer with his parents, taken the day he was adopted—which he now had in his pocket.
He slowed his breathing. He audited his emotions. He cleared his mind. He was as prepared as he was going to be under the circumstances.
He looked at his watch. It was almost 8:00 p.m. He readied himself to type, but just as he was about to begin, his laptop emitted a beep. He knew exactly what that signified, but it caught him entirely by surprise. This wasn’t the plan. He was supposed to be the one to send the first message. ET-1 had beaten him to it.
As he looked at the screen, he couldn’t help but smile. The first message that the aliens had chosen to send was only two words in length, but it carried multiple layers of meaning. For over half a century, it had been a tradition of sorts for computer scientists to display these two words as a test message when they wanted to check whether their code was working. By choosing to send this as their first message, ET-1 had shown that it grasped not only human language, but also human culture—and that someone inside ET-1 had a sense of humor. Or at least a sense of irony.
Kilmer glanced up and gave a slight wave to ET-1. Then he looked back at the words on the screen.
Hello, World.
~ 76 ~
Only two words into the conversation, ET-1 had already taken Kilmer by surprise. It was a pleasant surprise, but it introduced uncertainty. Should he engage with ET-1 more casually than he had planned, or should he keep the conversation more formal? Could he build rapport by trying to be charming, or would he simply hasten the demise of the planet with his attempts at humor?
He decided to play it safe.
Welcome to our planet.
Thank you, Ambassador Kilmer.
Do you have a name or title that I should use for you?
You can continue to call us ET-1.
Okay. I have been looking forward to our conversation. May I ask you some questions, ET-1?
Yes.
Where do you come from?
From very far away.
How far?
That is not important to discuss.
Are you from a world that is similar to ours?
In some ways it is.
How are you similar to us?
Like you, we think. We communicate. We build things. In our own ways, we are born, we become older, and we die. Those are some ways.
Please tell me more about our similarities.
What more do you want to know?
Do you have families like we do? Do you have emotions? Do you have art?
Sorry, Ambassador Kilmer, we cannot answer other questions about this.
Okay. Can you tell me how you are different?
That is almost the same question, Ambassador. We cannot answer.
Can you tell me why you decided to visit Earth?
Like human beings, we like to explore.
How did you find us? Were you looking for us?
We cannot answer that.
Why did you decide to visit us now? Or have you visited us before?
We cannot answer that.
Why do y
ou like to explore?
Why do humans like to explore?
We are curious. We want to learn.
Are those the only reasons humans explore? Are there no other reasons?
Kilmer hesitated. That was not where he wanted this conversation to go.
Yes. There can be other reasons for humans to explore.
We have many reasons as well.
Can you tell me what you hope to achieve with your visit to Earth?
We cannot answer that.
Is that because you do not know the answer? Or because you do not want us to know?
It is neither of those things. It is not what you think.
The exchange had already lasted fifteen minutes, and Kilmer had learned very little. He still had no idea what the aliens wanted, what kind of danger Earth was in, or what he could possibly do about it. When it came to the important matters, ET-1 seemed unwilling to share. But now he saw an opening—and he decided to try something different.
How do you know what I think?
We cannot know for sure. But we know a lot about you, Ambassador Kilmer. And we know a lot about what you know.
You asked to speak with me. Is that correct?
Yes.
Why would you want to speak to someone if you already know what they know?
We are not interested in what you know. It is for another reason.
What is the other reason?
We cannot tell you that.
And if I had not been available, would you have asked to speak to someone else?
Yes. But it does not matter now. We have chosen you.
If I am going to help you, I will need to know what you need from me. How can I help you?
We do not need your help, Ambassador Kilmer. It is a mistake to think so. It is your planet that needs your help.
Kilmer paused. He opened a bottle of water and took a small sip as he considered how to approach the subject that had just been broached. If he was too direct, ET-1 might refuse to answer. And if his questions were too open-ended, he might get answers that were of little use. He would have to strike a balance.
Your message said Earth was in danger. What kind of danger?
The worst kind of danger. The kind that will destroy human civilization.
Will you be the ones to harm us?
That is not our intention, Ambassador.
That is good to know, ET-1. But you did not answer my question. Will you be the ones to harm us?
That is not our intention. But it is true that humans will be harmed. And humans will blame us for what happens.
Will you not blame yourself?
No. We will not deserve the blame. We have no bad intentions. We are not the ones who will have shot the first arrows.
And neither are we. We want peace. We do not intend to shoot first. We do not intend to shoot at all if it can be avoided. Does that solve the problem? Does that eliminate the danger we face?
No. It is too late.
Why is it too late? You just arrived. And we have not done anything other than communicate with you.
You have done much more than try to communicate.
Kilmer removed his hands from the keyboard. What more had humans done? Earth-side hadn’t even reacted to the lunar attack. Could this be about the two soldiers who had shot at ET-1? Maybe. But ET-1 had returned the soldiers unharmed. What was he missing?
Had President Whitman authorized some other action that he was unaware of? Had Strauss? The Russians or the Chinese? Suddenly, Kilmer was unsure about the foundation on which he was making his case to ET-1.
ET-1, I am not aware of anything that we have done that should be interpreted as hostile. Maybe this is a misunderstanding. Have you considered that?
Yes, we have considered that very carefully. But the verdict remains the same.
Then please explain to me what we have done.
We cannot answer that.
You say you have no bad intentions, but that you will harm us because of what we have done. Then you refuse to tell us what we have done. Can you understand why humans might conclude that you do not really have good intentions?
Yes. Human beings might think that.
This could make humans angry or afraid. Do you understand those emotions? Does that not concern you?
It does not concern us.
If you have good intentions, then why does it not concern you?
Even if humans are angry or afraid, there is nothing humans can do about it.
Can you be sure? Humans might surprise you. Is it worth taking the risk, even if you think it is a small risk? Is it not better for all of us to live in peace? That is what humans want.
Is that how humans live with each other, Ambassador? Do they live in peace?
Not always. But we try to live in peace.
Tell us, Ambassador, do humans try very hard?
Kilmer saw the trap. If he said Yes, it was to admit that even the best of human effort is not sufficient to achieve peace. If he said No, he would imply that humans were not sufficiently interested in peace.
Everyone should try harder. There is always more we can do.
Not always, Ambassador. There are limits to what you can do. Sometimes there is nothing more you can do to achieve peace.
Are you willing to try harder to achieve peace with humans?
We have already tried very hard.
Have you? How? What evidence is there that you have tried hard?
You are still alive, Ambassador Kilmer. So are your fellow human beings. That is the evidence.
But you are still talking to me. I think that means you want to keep trying to achieve peace. Is it because you still have hope that this can happen? Or is it because you know that harming us would be wrong?
You must stop thinking in terms of right and wrong. It will not help you at all. Thinking like this will only get humans killed.
Then how should I think about it?
We do not know the answer to that.
Why did you agree to meet me even after I refused to enter your spacecraft?
Because it was the only way to be sure that you would come.
Why did you need me to come? How does it benefit you?
We did not need you to come. It benefits only human beings that you came.
But you still refuse to tell me how I can help solve Earth’s problem. You share nothing. How does that benefit humans at all?
The moment he pressed send, Kilmer was reminded of what Silla had said about ET-1—about how reactive they had been. They had taken no steps to build bridges. Without waiting for a response, he sent another message.
What are you afraid of, ET-1?
We are not afraid.
You have secrets, ET-1. On Earth, people who have secrets either have bad intentions or they are afraid of something. Is that not how it works on your planet?
You are correct that we have not told you everything. But if you want to help your people, you should think about your fears, not ours. Your fear is what stands in the way of you learning what you need to learn.
I have many fears, but I am not afraid to hear the truth. I am not afraid to learn. I am willing to hear your secret, whatever it is.
You do not fear the truth. But you fear what you must do to learn the truth. You have to take a greater risk, Ambassador. You have to be willing to sacrifice.
Kilmer braced himself. He had to ask the obvious question. But ET-1 was right—he was afraid.
What is the risk I need to take?
You must come to us, Ambassador Kilmer. You will have to enter ET-1. There is no other option.
No other option? Does that mean you will force me?
Kilmer immediately regretted asking that question. He did not want to put the idea into anyone’s head.
We could have forced you already. But it is better that you enter without force.
And if I refuse?
We will make it very hard for you to refuse.
How will you do that?
>
Let us show you how.
Kilmer’s heart almost stopped, and he typed as fast as he could.
No. I don’t need to see how. I would just like to kno—
It was too late. The blinding light enveloped him completely. Kilmer put his head down and covered his eyes. Within seconds, his shock had transformed into fear. He grabbed on to the table; if someone was coming for him, he wasn’t going to make it easy. He wished he had a weapon—anything.
Then he remembered. This is not the plan. I had decided I wouldn’t resist.
He let go of the table and tried to steady himself in his chair. But he was trembling. He tried to slow his breathing. Then he heard the sound, and he readied himself.
This is it!
The sound came closer.
No. That’s coming from behind me. That’s not ET-1, it’s—
It was the sound of the rescue vehicles trying to make their way toward Kilmer. But they were driving blind. They could end up running right into him. “I’m over here!” he shouted.
Just then, the blinding light switched off. Kilmer was still on his chair. He looked over his shoulder and saw the two vehicles with soldiers and medics. They had slowed and were coming to a stop about thirty yards away. Kilmer looked around. Everything looked the same. So why the light?
Just as he looked back at the screen, a message popped up.
Cover your ears, Ambassador.
Instead, Kilmer typed frantically.
What have you done?
And then it happened. The explosions almost knocked Kilmer off his chair. On both sides of him—to his right and left, but what had to be nearly a mile from where he was sitting—colossal towers of fire, smoke, and dirt rose into the air. Each tower looked to be the height of a twenty-story building. The amount of Earth displaced had to have been massive.
The Peacemaker's Code Page 26
