Voice of the Elders

by Greg Ripley

  She wouldn’t have been surprised if there had been a media blackout by the government, at least initially, but the agents who questioned her hadn’t said anything about being quiet or not talking to the press. She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her news apps.

  The initial stories from the Times and the cable news networks were vague and sensational, and full of speculation: Were they authentic aliens or was it some elaborate hoax? If it was a hoax, Rohini thought, they either had some incredible technology no one knew anything about or they were able to hypnotize hundreds of people. Neither sounded plausible to her. They must have been aliens, or some kind of supernatural beings. She wasn’t sure why, but her intuition told her to take the Elders at their word.

  There were lots of new voice mails and text messages on her phone, several were from her father, and a few from friends. She hadn’t been able to check her phone while being questioned at the UN and when she was finally able to leave, she was so lost in thought, she didn’t even think about talking to anyone until she’d recovered some peace of mind.

  As an only child, Rohini kept her thoughts to herself, especially since her mother died. Most people turned to others, wanting to talk things out, but her first instinct was to think things through herself before she sought out others’ opinions.

  Rohini made several quick calls, reassuring everyone that she was fine.

  “Hi, Dad,” Rohini said when her father picked up.

  “Rohini, I was starting to get worried,” her father said, the relief evident in his voice. “Are you OK?”

  “I’m fine, Dad. They just let me leave a little while ago. It took them all day to question everyone,” Rohini said. “Is it true, Dad? That alien spoke with the president telepathically?” She assumed her father might have heard something. He was often privy to inside information, having served as an advisor to the president during his previous term. He no longer served in an official capacity, but he still had his security clearance. The president still used him as a sounding board from time to time.

  “Yes, he actually did. I can hardly believe it myself. The president didn’t tell me much, but what he did share was pretty incredible. He described it like getting a computer download straight to his brain.”

  “Wow. That must have been crazy. Sounds like that old Keanu movie,” Rohini said. Her father had always had a fondness for old movies and they’d watched countless films together while she was growing up. It had been their bond, especially when their relationship was going through a rough patch. They could sit together and share each other’s company without having to rehash their latest disagreement.

  “Luckily for the president, I don’t think it was anything so dramatic. He said afterwards, he suddenly had all this new knowledge he could access. It was a little disorienting apparently, but it didn’t sound like he was worried about getting his circuits fried.”

  Her father’s side of the family was mainly Norwegian; his ancestors had emigrated to the United States in the late 1700’s as best as anyone could tell, making their way a little further west with each passing generation until reaching Minnesota. They had been farmers for the most part, though many, like her father, had taken other paths over the years. The men in his family had a taste for adventure in their youth, often joining the military before returning home to settle down. Her father liked to blame this restlessness on their Viking forebears.

  His name certainly implied such an illustrious lineage. His namesake, Haakon Haakonsen ruled over medieval Norway’s Golden Age in the 11th Century. But to Rohini her father was about the furthest thing from a Viking she could imagine. He was more bookish and professorial than brutish warrior. Of course, in Rohini’s mind Vikings were either football players or the cartoon dragon riders of some of her favorite childhood movies, not actual flesh and blood, everyday people. If there was a genealogical connection to the legendary ruler, it had been lost somewhere in the North Atlantic.

  When Rohini got home, she climbed the three flights of narrow creaky stairs in her brownstone walk-up, opened the door and took off her shoes, a habit she’d inherited from her parents. It was customary in most Indian families, but it was also something her parents had absorbed from their adopted second home of Maui.

  They had been married there in a traditional Hawaiian ceremony—at least the tourist version of one—on the beach at sunset. It was a little cliché, Rohini had always thought, though the pictures were lovely, and they had gone back almost every year while she was growing up, so it felt like a second home to her too.

  She learned to surf there and with her skin tone and the copper and blond highlights the tropical sun and salt water always brought out in her dark brown hair, she fit the part.

  Rohini walked into the kitchen, pulled a half-full bottle of her favorite rosé from the fridge, and poured herself a glass. She walked into the small living room and flopped on the overstuffed couch. She took a long sip and thought about the crazy day she’d had.

  Thinking about the Elders and what their appearance would mean to the planet, she was hopeful about the future. Maybe this turn of events will also serve to unify mankind in a way it never has before, now that we finally know we aren’t alone in the universe. The past several years had been challenging in so many ways on a global scale.

  The unusual weather patterns, which had become the new normal, brought extreme swings in temperature and torrential rains. There could be flash flooding followed by drought, either of which could lead to crop failures. To deal with this, more food was being grown indoors or in more protected ways. Greenhouses and drip irrigation or hydroponics had been replacing dryland farming for most crops. Since dryland farming depended on the vagaries of the weather, it had always been a crap shoot, but it was especially unpredictable now.

  As resources were stretched thin in many places, conflicts arose. As society broke down, old feuds had resurfaced and were used as a pretext for violence. In many places xenophobia and bigotry had also been on the rise with cynical opportunists using immigrants and refugees as scapegoats. Fear of the “other” being a tried and true method of fascists, nationalists, and authoritarians of all stripes to elevate themselves to power. Maybe with the arrival of the Elders, we can avoid more of that.

  Rohini realized she’d finished her glass of wine and poured herself another. I’d better eat something. Her empty stomach was making the wine particularly potent. A part of her felt the old familiar pull to skip dinner and just get drunk, but she’d been down that path before. She knew the self-destructive tendencies that could unleash. She’d let them run roughshod over her life after her mother died her freshman year of college.

  That first year after her mother’s death had been a struggle. She’d started drinking, then drinking too much. Not many people in her life had realized how bad things had gotten. She was always able to maintain her façade, always able to keep up with her classes. In hindsight she realized how fortunate she’d been to have come out the other side relatively unscathed.

  There were more than a few fuzzy nights when she wasn’t sure how she’d gotten home, and she’d woken up in some strange beds. The first time she wrote it off as a fluke when she woke up naked in her roommate’s bed. At least she could remember that night. But when she woke up next to someone whose name she couldn’t remember for the third time in as many weeks, she took it as a wakeup call.

  She’d gone cold turkey for a while, with booze and sex. She’d had to. Over time she’d let them both back into her life and she’d been able to maintain a happy medium, but in the back of her mind she was always aware of that dark path she’d been on. The worst part was the not-knowing. There were empty spaces where there should have been memories. Although she didn’t think anything terrible had happened to her during that time, those empty spaces taunted her.

  Growing up, she and her father had always butted heads. Their personalities had been so similar it was inevi
table. He was smart and stubborn, and she had proven to be more than his equal on both accounts. Rohini’s mother had always been the mediator, keeping the peace in the family. After his work with the government had kept him in DC for longer and longer periods of time, Rohini and her father had grown apart. But when Rohini’s mother died, they’d turned to each other for solace, and they’d discovered they had a much easier time relating to each other as adults. He didn’t feel the pressure to parent as much and she didn’t feel the need to rebel. But there were still things she’d never been able to share with him. Still so much about her he didn’t know.

  The next morning Rohini woke with her memory of the previous night intact. Always nice to start the day off with a small victory. When she returned to the conference everyone was buzzing. It felt a little surreal as Dr. Yang stepped up to the podium.

  “Do you think they’ll show up again?” she said to Liam, who was sitting next to her again.

  “I don’t think they’ll be back for a while. I imagine they’ll give us some time to choose people to go to their planet,” Liam replied.

  “I suppose so,” Rohini said. She had to admit it was a bit of a letdown.

  Funny how quickly our expectations can change. Rohini had been so excited to attend this year’s meeting, but now she worried they were only going through the motions. Wouldn’t whatever knowledge or technology the Elders gave us be more important than what we’re going to be discussing here? But Rohini realized that whatever solutions the Elders had for them, it would still take humans working together to implement them. It would still take a paradigm shift in global consciousness for any solution to be a long-term fix and not a temporary bandage. And there was little reason to think those who had been the most resistant to change would be any more willing now than they had been in the past.

  3

  Council Chambers

  The Elders’ World

  Dayan entered the council chambers and strode towards the Guide, who was seated in the Place of Honor at the opposite end of the chamber. “Grandmother, I have returned,” he said, dropping to one knee and placing his hand over his heart.

  “Please, Dayan, rise and come to me,” the Guide said, unfolding her crossed legs and stepping down from her seat on the Place of Honor.

  Dayan, the Speaker, walked to her and smiled. They each placed their right hands over their hearts, their left on the other’s shoulder and touched their foreheads gently together, taking a deep breath. “It is good to be in your presence again, Grandmother,” Dayan said.

  “Yes, it is, Dayan. Welcome home. Please, tell me of your trip to Earth. What was your reception like?”

  “I delivered our message to Earth at their United Nations. Those present were understandably skeptical,” Dayan said.

  “And what of their leaders?” the Guide asked.

  “They were receptive to our message,” Dayan said. “I sensed relief from most of them, although there were skeptics among them as well. There was only one among them whom I fear may present a problem, his mind was… very dark. Perhaps as our plans move forward, the other leaders can persuade him.”

  As Dayan spoke, the Guide’s eyes glazed over briefly, but he knew she wasn’t ignoring his words. Quite to the contrary, she was glancing into his thoughts as he spoke to gain a greater impression of what had transpired on Earth.

  “It is only natural that they should be skeptical,” the Guide said. “I am not too worried about one holdout. As the leaders of Earth see what our knowledge can do to advance their energy technologies they will fall in line. And what of the woman, did you get an impression of her, and the others?”

  “I did not get a read on her myself, Grandmother, but I believe Jianhu did. Shall I send for her?” Dayan said.

  “That is not necessary. Jianhu can accompany you when you report to the full council tonight. Thank you. We will speak further then. Until such time, Dayan,” the Guide said, once again placing her hand over her heart and bowing her head slightly.

  “Until such time, Grandmother.” Dayan returned the gesture before leaving the chamber.

  Later that evening, Dayan returned. He met Jianhu outside.

  “I see they’ve already begun,” Jianhu said, nodding towards the large wooden doors which usually remained open, except when the council was in session. Two Guardians holding halberds flanked the closed doors of the council chambers. “Do you know why they’ve summoned me, Dayan?”

  “They want to hear your opinion of the woman,” Dayan replied. “Did you get a read on any of the others?”

  “I didn’t. I noted their presence, but the woman intrigued me. I’m afraid after stopping the security guards I spent most of my time focused on her,” Jianhu replied.

  Dayan was about to ask what caught her attention when one of the Guardians spoke: “The council will see you now.”

  Together, Dayan and Jianhu entered the council chambers. The representatives of the twelve clans were arrayed around two semi-circular tables at the center of the circular chamber. One was made of a light, almost white wood, though its timeworn surface had darkened significantly, showing its great antiquity. The other table was made of a dark, almost black wood. The members of the Council of the Twelve Clans were, by tradition, made up of equal numbers, male and female, Scholar and Warrior. In the gap between the two tables, at the far end of the chamber, the Guide sat on the Seat of Honor, like a linchpin holding the council together.

  Dayan and Jianhu approached and knelt on one knee, their hands on their hearts, in the formal gesture of respect.

  “Please rise,” said the Guide. “Welcome, Dayan. Welcome, Jianhu. The council is eager to hear of your reception by the Earthlings.”

  “Thank you, Grandmother,” Dayan said. “Members of the Council, our message was greeted with both hope and skepticism among the Earthlings. Their leaders were eager for our assistance as the gravity of their situation has become apparent.”

  “They seemed willing to begin, then?” asked the councilor from the Dragon Clan.

  “Yes, indeed, Councilor,” Dayan replied. “I have every confidence they will begin in our absence.”

  “Good. We will see how they proceed in the coming months.”

  “Jianhu, we understand you had a chance to read the woman. What was your impression?” the Guide said.

  “Yes, Grandmother,” Jianhu replied. “I did. It was… interesting. Her mind was unlike any Earthling’s I have encountered before. Were it not for the fact that all her memories were of Earth, I would have taken her for someone from our own world.”

  “Interesting indeed,” the Guide said, her eyes had once again taken on a glassy look as she peered into Jianhu’s thoughts. “I can see why you were ‘distracted’ by her.” She gave a little chuckle. “And what of the others?”

  “My apologies, Grandmother,” Jianhu replied. “I must confess I was quite surprised by the woman. I was able to sense the presence of the other three, but I did not read them completely.”

  “Very well. I will ask Qaletaqa, the Earth Elder to observe the others,” the Guide said. “Thank you. You may go now. The council will discuss this matter further. Until such time.”

  “Thank you, Grandmother. Until such time,” Dayan and Jianhu replied together.

  4

  New York City, USA

  In the days and weeks that followed, word began to trickle out. World leaders were working on an unprecedented global collaboration. There were also many wild rumors flying around and more than a little paranoia. The conspiracy theory websites were having a field day. In recent years, the lines between legitimate news sources and fake news had become badly blurred. Those who lacked critical thinking skills had become easy dupes for spurious sources shared through social media.

  People who already believed climate change was a hoax thought this was simply a more elaborate version of a conspiracy to get everyo
ne on board with renewable energy. Those who feared a One World Government run by the Illuminati saw this as the perfect pretext for that. Others, more reasonably, just feared the unknown. What if these aliens weren’t the benign beings they claimed to be?

  What put everyone on edge—even those who welcomed the Elders—was the fact that these aliens could blend right in. They appeared completely human as far as anyone could tell. New Yorkers usually walked the streets with blinders on, like the horses pulling carriages through Central Park, but as Rohini walked the streets of NYC in the last few weeks, she’d found herself wondering more than once whether she might be walking right past an Elder on the street. How would you know? She had always been a bit of a people watcher, but she noticed more people than usual making eye contact as she walked the streets of Manhattan. They must be wondering the same thing.

  One month after the Elders’ appearance at the United Nations, there was an announcement made describing some of what the Elders had revealed to Earth’s leaders, as well as what those in power planned to do going forward.

  That morning Rohini retrieved her Sunday Times from the lobby. It seemed anachronistic, in this day and age. Maybe’s that’s why she liked it. The Times was the last news outlet that still printed a paper copy, albeit only the Sunday Edition.

  She unrolled the paper on the way up to preview the front page, stopping in her tracks between the first and second floors when she saw the headline “Alien Climate Plans Revealed.” Bundling the paper back up, she rushed to her apartment, taking the stairs two at a time. Back inside, she poured herself a cup of coffee, settled in on the couch, and unfolded the paper.

  It was being billed as a mobilization unlike anything seen since World War II. CEOs were cooperating with governments across the globe in a coordinated effort to retool manufacturing plants for production of new renewable energy technologies. While not delving into great detail describing exactly what these were, the article said that the aliens’ telepathic communication had included breakthrough insights on advancing our existing solar technologies to achieve a giant leap in efficiency. It had taken some time for engineers to work out how to put this new information to use as well as to test prototypes, but the kinks had apparently been worked out sufficiently for them to move ahead with production.