by Geoff Ryman
4625
The Alien
?
4628
B
He doesn’t understand
I can answer.
4632
Control
For the alien?
I think we would prefer a less interpretative
approach.
4635
B
He is learning much more from us
that we are from him.
The concept of God.
He learned it from us.
Like his name.
4640
Control
Dajja?
What do you mean by God?
4641
B
He was saying that he, me, you,
all of us are God.
4646
Control
That is an interpretation, yes.
4649
B
He does not understand.
You are asking the question
in the wrong way!
Please!
Let me ask the question.
4651
Control
Go ahead.
4653
B
Dajja.
You God?
4655
The Alien
Me God
You God
All God together!
4657
B
He says that he
and me
and even you
are God…
4665
The Alien
I am everything.
4667
B
…and also, perhaps
that he identifies himself
with the universe.
4676
Control
Thank you, B.
I think we have a rough idea
how now to proceed.
4682
B
No verbs, please.
He does not understand verbs.
4686
Control
Dajja…
4687
The Alien
Hello!
4688
Control
Hello.
Other Dajja?
4692
The Alien
Oh yes!
4693
Control
Where?
4696
The Alien
Here.
4698
Control
Here?
4699
B
Control…
7/4701
Control
Names?
4703
The Alien
Me, Otherself, Nextself and Newvoice.
4705
B
Control,
he thinks that we are a part of him.
Consider that we sound to him
like thoughts inside his mind.
4713
Control
But are there other aliens?
Is he the only one?
4717
B
I think it likely.
4724
Control
We need something altogether
more substantial.
Dajja…
4728
The Alien
Hello, Newvoice!
4730
Control
Hello again.
I have a simple puzzle for you.
See picture?
⬯⬯
4739
B
Control!
4740
Control
Yes, B.
4743
B
His concept of duality
is different from ours.
He can barely grasp the idea
of a here and a there.
He has no two.
You are showing him two circles,
but he will see only one
set of shapes.
4759
Z
This is Regimen procedure, Bee.
4761
B
There is no point
in testing him on our own terms
for abilities we know he does not possess.
4767
Control
We do not know it yet, B.
Be fair to the creature.
4772
B
Be fair!
Mathematics is not intelligence itself!
4775
Control
B, we will continue!
See picture?
⬯
4782
The Alien
Yes.
4782
Z
Bee, you are behaving badly.
4785
B
Zoe, don’t you see what they are doing?
4784
Control
See other picture?
⬯
4789
The Alien
Yes.
4791
Control
Now see picture and other picture
together.
What does it look like?
4796
The Alien
The same picture.
4798
B
One times one equals one.
7/4800
Control
Yes, but one added to one is two.
And two added to two equals four.
And without that basic ability
I’m afraid our friend’s potential
—and it is potential we are
testing, B, not achievement—
his potential is rather limited.
But admittedly the question may
have been unclear.
We shall try again.
4819
B
What gives us the right to test him?
4820
Control
Dajja, see picture?
⬯⬯
⬯⬯
4827
The Alien
Dulldots. Yes.
4828
B
What gives us the right to test him?
4829
Control
See other picture?
⬯⬯⬯⬯
4835
The Alien
Yes. A row of otherselves.
4838
Control
Can you change it to look like picture?
4842
B
Please,
please do not do this!
4844
The Alien
Urgeplea!
4846
B
Listen to him and learn how he thinks,
He has no verbs!
He has no interest in change!
He has a view of time very different
from ours.
Your question is meaningless to him.
4857
Control
You mean he also has no
conception of time?
4862
B
He thinks of other times as
we would think of other places.
4868
Control
Then he has no conception of
conscious will.
4873
B
He knows what he likes.
4876
The Alien
Hello Newvoice!
See picture?
4879
Control
Yes, see picture.
4882
The Alien
Wriggle!
4884
Control
That is very nice, Dajja.
4886
The Alien
4891
Wriggle-wiggle
Hah-hah!
Otherselves! See picture!
4894
7/4901
B
That’s Daphne.
4904
Z
When it was younger.
4905
The Alien
4911
B
Some sort of disturbance.
4914
The Alien
4921
B
That’s a flare!
He’s showing us a flare!
4926
The Alien
4934
Z
Daphne when it was much younger.
4938
Control
How much younger?
4941
Z
I do not know.
Six million earthyears?
Seven?
4948
The Alien
4951
Control
It’s seven million years old!
4954
Z
If it saw a flare like that, yes.
4957
Control
Shit.
4955
The Alien
Bangboom!
Uproar!
Uprise!
Blastheat!
Whitebright!
4961
Control
We apologize, Angels.
One of our riders forgot propriety.
4967
B
No need, Control.
4968
The Alien
Otherselves!
Wiggles!
4972
B
Quiescent prominence.
4974
The Alien
4978
Firerain-backflow
4979
Z
Amendment, Control.
4982
Control
Yes.
4983
Z
Not just seven million.
4986
The Alien
Stretchleap
Tear-roar
4995
Control
No?
4999
Z
Not with this.
9/5002
The Alien
Coolsurge
Heatcrust
5012
Z
It has seen an active, young sun.
Control, it is at least
two hundred million years old.
Perhaps more.
5021
Control
By all that is sacred!
5024
The Alien
Wiggles!
Wriggles!
5025
B
Do you see?
Do you see?
Two hundred million years!
He is older
than all of Humankind!
Do you see?
5033
Control
We all see it, B.
5034
The Alien
5039
Settlestill
5042
B
Dajja!
5045
The Alien
5020
Calm
5055
Control
Dajja?
5058
The Alien
Newvoice Griphold!
5060
Control
The Wiggles, the…
5061
The Alien
Wiggles!
5063
Control
What did he call the flares?
5065
Z
Bangbooms.
5066
The Alien
Bangbooms!
5068
Control
Yes, bangbooms.
Bangbooms part of Dajja?
5073
B
Yes, and he is part of them.
We have been through all this!
5078
Control
Silence, B!
5079
The Alien
Angerscramble!
5081
Control
Bangboom, Dajja.
Can you control them?
5088
The Alien
control?
cant-roll?
count-role?
Tumbleword,
Rollword!
Otherself?
5095
B
He doesn’t understand.
It doesn’t translate.
5099
Control
control
use
make use of
make do what you want
7/5107
The Alien
Griphold!
5108
B
In the first place you’re using verbs…
5110
Control
B!
5111
B
Oh I hate this!
5116
Control
Make Bangbooms stop?
No Bangboom?
5121
The Alien
No Bangboom?
Me?
Brokenboom?
Why?
Firelove, leapsong
Otherself!
5130
B
I’m here.
5131
The Alien
Help.
5133
B
I cannot.
5135
Control
Fascinating,
fascinating.
Angels, we will want
a reading of the animal.
5142
B
What sort of reading?
5145
Control
The usual sort.
You will penetrate him
and give us a count.
5152
B
No.
5153
Control
Is that a refusal?
5154
B
Mingling is an act of love.
5155
Control
We apologize, B.
We do not wish to disrupt your
relationship with Zoe.
But these are special circumstances.
5165
B
That is not what I meant!
You do not understand!
5168
Z
Control, I will do it.
5169
B
Zoe!
5170
Control
Please repeat Z.
5172
Z
I will read him.
5174
B
Zoe! You will give him over to them
bound!
5176
Z
Bound? That is nonsense!
Bee, they must have information.
5181
Control
B, you are hostile.
Why?
5184
B
Because I do not like you.
5186
Z
Bee, break off!
Control, this is not usual.
5191
B
I have no trust in you.
Everything you do and feel is tainted.
5197
Control
Tainted? By what?
5199
B
Fear.
Selfishness.
A need to overcome.
7/5205
Z
Bee!
5206
Control
What are we doing here that is selfish?
5209
Z
He thinks you want
to rid Daphne of the alien.
5214
B
You
are trying to control.
5217
Control
Of course!
Control is necessary
for the good of the universe.
We are not conquerors.
We are preservers.
We are overwhelmed with wonder
at the marvel that has been found.
Is that so tainted?
5233
B
It all depends,
depends on what you do.
What will you do?
5240
Control
Find out what it is.
5243
B
And when you have done that?
5245
Control
We will determine what this means
for the Daphne project.
The Regimen states that no
intelligent forms of life
shall be displaced or destroyed
by Humankind.
