by Tori Harris
“Uh, sure,” Prescott replied noncommittally, struggling to come to grips with the surreal nature of their encounter thus far.
“By the way, I’m sure Captain Oshiro is listening. We have received the information he’s been transmitting, so there’s no need to keep sending it.”
“Thanks, I’m sure he heard.”
“I think you’re right because the transmissions just stopped,” Rick nodded. “We’ll have the opportunity to exchange additional data at some point, but we have been familiar with Earth’s languages for a very long time, so there was really nothing new in the lexical data Captain Oshiro provided. In fact, although you are hearing a translation of our own language at the moment, Miguel and I both speak passable English … enough to order a cheeseburger or find a bathroom, at least.”
Prescott was about to move on to his next question when the implications of an extraterrestrial species learning a single language from a planet with nearly seven thousand caused his mind to demand additional explanation.
“Are you saying that, from among Earth’s many languages, the two of you know only English?” he asked.
Rick offered a look that bordered on a sympathetic smile in response. “Now you’re forcing me to sound like I’m being boastful, which I have to tell you makes me a little uncomfortable. But since you asked, Miguel and I can speak approximately twenty-five hundred Human languages native to Earth. We could probably understand most of the rest on the fly and learn to speak them pretty quickly, if required.”
“Without any sort of augmentation? How is that possible? Also, as impressive and perhaps flattering as that is, why bother learning so many languages when you have artificial intelligence available to handle communication?”
“You see?” Rick said with his now familiar chuckle. “This is what I was referring to when I said every answer I provide will result in a number of new questions. If you want to communicate with a member of another species — I mean really communicate and learn who they are — there’s no substitute for having a face to face conversation in their native language. And, no, we don’t require any technological ‘augmentation’ per se to comprehend most Human languages. But, in all fairness, you could say we were purpose-built for the tasks associated with what you might refer to as long-duration space exploration — enhanced language comprehension being one of those, of course.”
“You’re saying you were genetically engineered for this purpose, then?”
“We were indeed. Originally, our scientists selected for traits believed to offer the greatest advantages based on the technology we had at our disposal at the time — language cognition, resistance to radiation, smaller size, increased strength and stamina, and reduced muscle atrophy in microgravity environments, to name a few. Our ships and other related technologies have improved now to the point where our genetic advantages are no longer as necessary as they once were. These days, in fact, there are quite a few different vessel types tasked with missions very similar to ours. But, generally speaking, ships with what you Terrans might refer to as a ‘saucer’ or ‘disk’ configuration are still crewed solely by members of our subspecies.”
“We have referred to your kind by a variety of names over the years,” Prescott continued, “but the one that seems to be the most common is simply the ‘Greys.’ Not very original, I’m afraid.”
“Yeah, we love that one, as you can imagine. Descriptive … yet vaguely racist.”
“Right,” Prescott replied, chuckling once again at Rick’s odd attempt at humor. “So what is the appropriate name for your species?”
“I could answer that one in a variety of ways, but the simplest and most accurate response is … well … Human.”
Chapter 2
TFS Fugitive, Sol System
(2.3x105 km from Earth)
Prescott stared at the creature displayed on his bridge view screen through narrowed eyes and wondered if he had just heard another example of its rather eccentric sense of humor. While certainly humanoid, the features associated with the “Greys” had represented nothing less than Humanity’s ideal of everything that was quintessentially alien for over three hundred years. Even with TFC ships now encountering new species on a regular basis, if you asked any Earth-bound Human to draw an extraterrestrial, they would invariably come up with something very similar to the creature currently occupying the center of TFS Fugitive’s view screen.
“Perhaps I misunderstood your meaning. Are you saying that you and I are examples of the same species? If so, I’m afraid you’ve lost me.”
“Yeah, I thought I might. Miguel and I are members of a genetically engineered subspecies, but we’re still every bit as Human as you are. Although there are a few scientific names that describe us in technical terms, we are not different enough to be considered a separate species. In fact, where we’re from, it would be considered a form of racial discrimination to place us in a separate category from other Humans.”
“I’m afraid I may still not be following you. Are you saying that separate lines of Humans arose independently in multiple star systems?”
“Nope. There’s just one genetic line and just one species, Captain. You, me, Commander Reynolds, and, surprisingly, even Miguel are all proud members.”
Prescott stared for a long moment into the depthless eyes of the decidedly inhuman-looking creature, unsure if he believed even half of what it was telling him.
“Okay,” he continued, drawing out the word, “but it’s my understanding that your species … pardon me … our species is not even from this galaxy. If that’s the case, does that not also imply —”
“Well done, Captain, now you’re catching on. Our species did not arise on Earth, nor is it originally from this galaxy. Without a doubt, this bit of knowledge implies a whole bunch of things your scientists will be exploring for centuries to come. As for what Miguel and I are doing here now, one of our primary missions is to monitor — and, when necessary, make corrections to ensure the success of — the largest colonization program ever undertaken. Well … I suppose I should qualify that statement by saying it’s the largest as far as we know. Just to give you an idea of the scale of this effort, out of those forty-two thousand or so relatively advanced civilizations I mentioned earlier, nearly a third of them are Human. Most of those worlds, like yours, were colonized hundreds of thousands of years ago. So, fortunately, they no longer require the sorts of active management and genetic intervention they once did.”
“But you’re saying the original examples of Homo sapiens were brought here from your world … in the Andromeda galaxy?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes, but the type of long-range colonization program we’re talking about here is probably nothing like what you might expect. Without going into too much detail, the ideal candidate worlds already possess a breeding stock of genetically similar hominids. We introduce groups of what we refer to as Homo sapiens “primitives” — just slightly more advanced than the native populations — at key locations around the planet. Over time, targeted interbreeding and the occasional genomic tweaking does the rest.”
“Oh my God, you really do abduct people,” Reynolds gasped.
“That’s not a term we would use, of course, but, yes, maintaining the species within acceptable genetic boundaries does occasionally require active sampling of the population.”
“Here’s one for you, then. If you’re sampling a cross-section of our population, why does it always seem like the people you abduct tend to be from the, um … shallow end of the gene pool? People who claim to have abduction experiences seem to be the same type of people who get interviewed after a tornado careens through the middle of their trailer park.”
“A little elitist, don’t you think, Commander?”
“Just calling ‘em like I see ‘em, Rick.”
“Right, well, I suppose there actually is a kernel of truth behind your question. As I said, we sometimes introduce minor changes to correct for abnormalities in the genome. As you
might expect, genetic irregularities requiring our attention tend to be associated with a set of specific characteristics. Unfortunately, these same characteristics have a high correlation with the types of socio-economic demographics to which you refer … but shame on you nonetheless.”
“Sorry, I’m just saying …”
“I must admit, however, that since one of our obvious goals is to avoid drawing attention to the fact that members of a population are being temporarily … detained for experimental purposes —”
“I’m pretty sure abducted is the right word,” Reynolds interrupted. “Kidnapped would also be appropriate.”
“Tomato, tomahto. As I was saying, the Human subjects to which you refer are generally not taken as seriously as someone of a higher social status might be. The leader of a country, the CEO of a major company, or a high-ranking military officer, for example, would likely garner quite a bit more attention if they reported interacting with one of our ships.”
“And if you determine something about our genome isn’t to your liking, you feel justified just going right ahead and making changes without our knowledge, right? Doesn’t that seem a little unethical to you?”
“At the risk of sounding even more high-handed than your earlier ‘trailer park’ comment, the ethical considerations surrounding an intergalactic colonization program are far beyond the scope of our conversation here today, Commander. But consider this question for a moment: Is it unethical for a parent to vaccinate their child against certain diseases without their knowledge and/or understanding? I can assure you we fully understand how learning about our active participation in Human health on your world for the first time can be … disconcerting, to say the least. But now that you know, we will begin the process of sharing more information about what we do.”
“But surely it’s not possible to ‘tweak,’ as you say, a population of twelve billion Humans,” Prescott interjected.
“Ha,” Rick squeaked in reply. “It’s not nearly as difficult as you might imagine, Captain, and it’s absolutely necessary. ‘Genetic drift,’ you see, is a phenomenon that occurs naturally among all populations. Consider, however, that it is in the best interests of Humans everywhere for all of us to remain genetically similar enough to maintain our identity as a single species. If nothing else, think about it from a purely practical standpoint. Medical advances that improve health and quality of life on a single world can ultimately do the same across tens of thousands, for example. As I mentioned before, our monitoring and intervention systems are highly automated. When sampling indicates the need for a modification, we can usually deliver the required genetic material via the introduction of either natural or synthetic vectors. In fact, we often use a form of the virus you Terrans still refer to as the common cold.”
“I’m feeling pretty sick right now myself,” Reynolds mumbled.
“Incidentally, our sampling program also allows us to gather a tremendous amount of additional data that is used for the general benefit of the species,” Rick continued enthusiastically. “The planet’s size and/or population really doesn’t matter that much. These same techniques have been used on worlds much larger than Terra. In fact, they were originally pioneered in our native star system of Daylea.”
“Your homeworld is larger than Earth, then?” Prescott asked.
“Yes, approximately thirty percent larger. We were also blessed with two even larger but still habitable planets in our system. This provided us with a number of distinct advantages — in our early technological development and ultimately in our ability to initiate colonization efforts on an unprecedented scale.”
“But isn’t Andromeda significantly larger than our galaxy? Why bother coming here in the first place?”
“That’s a valid question, Captain, but a difficult one to answer without a great deal of explanation. At the risk of offering up a cliché, the innate Human drive for exploration, discovery, and expansion is no accident. Those traits, like so many other things you will learn about in time, are genetically hard-coded every bit as much as our having two arms and one heart. As an example, referring back to your questions regarding all of the languages we speak, you might be surprised to learn that much of that is preprogrammed as well. Even when Human civilizations are allowed to develop in complete isolation, the languages that ‘spontaneously’ develop always follow a set of recognizable patterns. In many cases, the dominant languages end up being almost identical. What you refer to as English, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese — with a few minor variations, of course — are spoken on thousands of Human worlds.”
Prescott looked off to one side while working to refocus his mind. The conversation with the Greys thus far (racist or not, he could think of no better way of referring to them at the moment), while fascinating, had accomplished little other than confirming they did not appear to be hostile. From a practical standpoint, he knew there was a lengthy list of items Admiral Sexton and the Leadership Council would want addressed as quickly as possible. Chief among these were determining the aliens’ immediate intentions, the purpose behind their visit, and any potential threats their presence might create for Fleet and the Earth itself. At a minimum, the situation with the Guardian would need to be dealt with — hopefully in a manner avoiding a confrontation between technologically superior civilizations with TFC caught in the crossfire.
“Well … Rick, you’ve given us a great deal to think about, but I’m sure our leadership would appreciate our spending some time discussing the particulars of your visit. So, if you will forgive me for sounding inhospitable, why are you here, and what are your plans?”
“Ah, yes, of course. We did enter your military facility without an invitation, after all. First — and I’m sure foremost in the minds of your leadership team — you have nothing to fear from us. In fact, this ship, although equipped with some basic defensive systems, does not even meet our organization’s technical definition for being considered ‘armed,’” Rick said, supplying “air quotes” with his long fingers as he finished his sentence. “The timing of our arrival here today was due in large part to the absence of the Pelaran Guardian spacecraft. Otherwise, our arrival would have certainly attracted its attention. The last thing we wanted was to risk a confrontation that could endanger your ships or your people on the surface.”
“We certainly appreciate that,” Prescott replied with a wan smile. “As I’m sure you are aware, we currently have the Guardian docked inside our cargo bay. I’ll be perfectly honest and tell you we have no idea if it has managed to compromise our communications or other systems’ security measures, so it is entirely possible it has been monitoring our conversation.”
“Not to worry, Captain, it hasn’t. Your most recently deployed encryption algorithms are quite good and should remain well beyond its capabilities for the foreseeable future. So, as far as the Pelarans are concerned, you can remain confident in your information security. In the spirit of full disclosure, however, I will also tell you that we can and do monitor all forms of communication. As alarming as that may sound, it shouldn’t surprise you, nor should it cause you to alter your operations in any way. As your scientists and engineers will tell you, system security is largely a function of your rivals’ available computing power.”
In Admiral Sexton’s office at TFCHQ, the Chief of Naval Intelligence nodded soberly across the table at her Commander-in-Chief, arching her eyebrows to deliver her best “I told you so” expression.
“I see,” Prescott replied. “I suppose we would do the same if our roles were reversed.”
“Well, yeah,” Rick laughed, “obviously you would, since we’re essentially you with better equipment at our disposal. Don’t worry about it, Captain. I didn’t share that information to somehow intimidate you, I shared it so that we could start earning one another’s trust.”
“I understand. Thank you for telling us. So how would you like to proceed? I believe you mentioned there are some important items we need to discuss. If you like, we will arr
ange for you to meet with our Leadership Council as well as members of Terran Fleet Command’s Admiralty staff.”
“Yes, that seems like a reasonable approach. We will be happy to meet with whomever you think appropriate in due course. But before we do so, we would like to ask that a team from your ship join us aboard our own.”
“Aboard your ship?” Prescott echoed, immediately wondering if Admirals Patterson and Sexton would ever agree to such a visit. “We certainly appreciate the invitation, but we will, of course, need to clear such a visit through our chain of command. I’m sure Fleet Medical will also require us to take a number of precautions to ensure both our crew and the two of you remain safe. You did say it’s just the two of you aboard, correct? Your ship seems quite large for such a small crew.”
“Yes, unfortunately, it’s just the two of us, and one of us snores so loudly that there’s nowhere aboard isolated enough to escape the noise. As I mentioned, our missions tend to be multifaceted and fairly long in duration. This old tub’s not a commissioned naval vessel, Captain. It’s actually more like a cross between a privately contracted science vessel and a privateer … in a manner of speaking, that is. Accordingly, she’s stuffed to the gills with equipment, so there’s precious little room for biological occupants. We do, however, have sufficient facilities to host a few visitors if we keep the list of attendees to a minimum. If possible, we would like you to bring Commanders Reynolds and Logan as well as Dr. Chen. Please ask her to bring basic equipment to conduct a physical examination and collect a blood sample from Miguel and me. It’s important for your Fleet Medical personnel to be able to validate that we are who we say we are.”
