There was silence for a moment as that sank in. Resident had an uncanny ability to give him the right amount of time to assimilate information.
Then, “It's exactly the same way we found you. We wanted to find someone with the right mindset, the appreciations we need, the right emotions in the place we wanted, then we waited. That is how we found you."
That went a long way to explaining how Resident was attuned to him and the way Resident gave him time to think and other mannerisms he’d felt were ‘too cute’ as they’d been talking.
"We will find the person who will exhibits the qualities required in exactly the same way."
To Mike this sounded like; "Telepathy then?"
Resident shook his head slowly, discounting that. "No, that is too strong and too specific a description. It is more a resonance. My senses detect that resonance, that feeling of connection when I seek the kind of person who will appear."
That then raised so many more questions, "You have sensed them, then? That is why you are here now and this is your preparation?" Then he added, "I presume you sense them from birth? You'll mentor and monitor from the birth of this person?" It seemed a reasonable supposition, logical.
Resident was shaking his head slowly, "No. It doesn't work like that or at least not to any race we have encountered. From newborn to adolescence we expect development to be as you now have with very much similar interaction and abilities. After a certain age the changes will begin, quickly. The personality of the person will change, their whole identity matrix will change as their new self awakens." There was a delay then, "Mike, we can't interfere, that causes failure."
Mike let that sit in his slightly single-malt-addled brain. "Sort of like puberty then. Hormonal changes happening in the early teenage years."
Resident nodded slowly. "Yes. That is what we expect. One may follow the other for humans."
"So, by not actively tutoring or mentoring you leave us to our fate whatever that is?"
Resident shook his head slightly, "If the person requires my assistance, then eventual failure is assured, they will not be what is required, not be strong enough. They must be part of the human race, untainted by my influence. They must be capable."
"Ah," said Mike, it was becoming more clear now. "So they must understand the problems and see it from the viewpoint of the human race. They must also be strong and nothing must change their direction." That sounded reasonable.
Resident did not answer and Mike wondered if it was getting too close to revealing too much information. Then he remembered the start of the conversation.
"So what do you do to mentor then? If you can't impact the person, why bother meeting me and why involve governments? It’s contradictory."
Resident sat staring into the fire, appearing lost in thought.
After a while, Resident looked up at Mike then slowly began his real reason for being here.
"Mike, everything comes as a cost. The universe, our galaxy, it is all a place of balance. We know from history on other planets that when a person such as you need arises, there will be a cost. Their strength will be great yet their sensitivity will also be great. Their ability to exist alone unaided in their formative years, without support, will be limited. My role is to provide for their survival, to prevent some forms of harm."
That sounded reasonable and worthwhile. But, he wondered, "What sort of harm?"
"Imagine a radio receiver with infinite sensitivity. What would happen?"
That was an easy answer for Mike, "It would be swamped with noise. Nothing intelligible would be heard as every other source in the spectrum far and wide would corrupt the wanted signals."
Resident nodded, "That will happen to this new type of person. They will exist in an environment that does not understand them and is filled with noise. As they grow it becomes worse till it is overpowering and will eventually damage them or kill them. They need a place to recover, to grow in peace, to understand and learn. They will need tuition and facilities to achieve their potential."
That sounded logical to him. No revelation really. But it did raise one big problem, "That sounds expensive. Have you got any idea of the cost?"
Resident shook his head, "No. Money is a difficult concept. We do not have it. We tried to estimate our needs but lack knowledge."
"Hmm," said Mike kicking back in the chair thinking another single malt was overdue. He was thinking too clearly. "What did you factor in. What items? What sort of things?"
"Mike, we require a remote place, free of human interference, hundreds of miles from any other beings. There will be a need for educational and care facilities as they mature."
"Then it sounds like you need an island. Factor, I don't know, maybe a hundred million to acquire then to build what you need on the island. Maybe double or triple that to get the right one worst case. Then for schooling I would have thought a few million. If you need a purpose built facility then twenty or fifty or even a hundred maybe at a pinch. Then you’ll want spending money and ongoing money each year. If you had a billion dollars then, that would be a good start."
Resident seldom felt happiness as an emotion, or any strong emotion, but he was close to that now. The effort and risk in meeting Mike was worthwhile for that information alone.
---oOo---
Last Day Away
The last full day of his camping trip passed as expected but he was distracted. Tomorrow he would pack his SUV then begin the four or five hour trip home. At the back of his mind was the worry that Resident and or Companion might not want him to return and do something about it. His high power rifle was effective against humans but against those two he had a feeling it would be loud and pointless.
Resident had left his chair by the fire. Curiosity made him give it the once over, checking for who made it but he was disappointed to see the name of a reputable and normal camping goods manufacturer. He’d hoped for something alien.
Breakfast, a quick tidy up, a walk along the stream looking for any glimmers of gold, a sit in the silence of the forest on the river bank were lovely hours. Just to sit, let his mind calm and expand out to take in the bush; those were life’s greater pleasures.
After a sandwich and cold drink for his midday meal, a quiet siesta snooze then another longer walk in the afternoon completed his day.
Sitting in his chair after his evening meal when the fire was piled high, the sparks leaping into the dark of night, he felt the gentle tickle at the back of his head. He knew it better now, it was the feeling of being watched.
“Come on in, I know you’re there,” he said lazily into the darkness.
Then he heard the feet moving, the crushing of sticks, the sound of parting tree branches and low foliage as Resident with Companion by his side approached.
“Welcome friends, sit a while,” he said rising to shake Residents hand. It was a human custom that Resident looked to have embraced. Companion gave him one long look, a nod, then flopped by the fire zoning out.
Resident sat back in his chair, extended his feet and looked like he was soaking up the experience. He almost chuckled as he watched, it looked remarkably like himself on his first night away when the experience of the bush was strongest.
“I’ve though about not much else these last few days,” which was no great revelation. “I’ve been wondering, can you tell me, what are your next actions going to be then? I’ve given you some feedback, some ideas, I presume you have a course of action.”
Resident nodded slowly, “Mike, in the piece of our galaxy I am familiar with what you do here is unique. You live away from all support, communications, backup systems like no other race I have visited. I know races of people who would be in shock at the thought, they would need medication after being as isolated as you. The civilization of a race into interstellar space faring capability destroys what you do so easily.” There was a delay, “The more advanced the race, the less the primitive, the remote, the untamed can be endured.”
It was a diversion he t
hought. Resident didn’t want to discuss it probably. Then again, the concept of losing this time alone in the bush was not something he would look forward to and he did pity any race incapable of having wilderness that could be explored.
“I feel sad for them.” Then he smiled, “Would there be money to be made with tourism then? Visit the wild places with the wild people.” A moment of craziness entered his mind wondering what the women were like. Some things didn’t change.
Resident shook his head. “None would visit in any volume till you achieved their level of technology. It would be seen as a possible interference and when you achieve their level, you will lose what you have now.”
“Oh. Of course. Well, I could be tempted to take one or two on every now and then if they’re personable.” He thought about that. “Well, you know what I mean.” He almost chuckled with that implied level of understanding between the two of them.
Resident sat and looked into the fire. Staring. There was a bond between the two of them. The three of them. An understanding he could feel.
“Mike, we will collect money in the coming weeks. We will find a location suitable for our projected needs then create an infrastructure. We know where and very broadly when the new genus will appear. We have limited time.”
That sounded like a plan. “What about approaching a government then? Are you doing that?”
That got the most minor of reactions, a mix between a smile and a grimace. “Mike is was difficult approaching you here in the wilderness. Approaching a leader in their office among their staff will be more so.” Resident took his time.
Rushing anything was not compatible with the remote bush, “But yes. We know the country. We will approach its president but not provide much information. Our goal is to begin a support network for the new genus. We could operate in isolation but that limits effectiveness, reduces options.”
He shook his head, “I don’t envy you. Without photos and media coverage you’ll get a lack luster reception.”
Resident was nodding his head gently, “Yes, we sense this. Releasing news of our presence would be counter productive. We must use the threat of extinction as a possibility to compliance. We shall not disclose details.”
So he was in a position of having more information then. It made him feel special, trusted. He knew he would keep the secret, Resident obviously knew the same.
“Do you have any worries, concerns, problems then? I suppose the question is why are you here again tonight?”
Resident shook his head. Companion had his head down on his paws letting the heat from the fire dance along his body. “No. No concerns. Mike, we enjoy your company, we enjoy this area.” There was a delay, then, “We want to sense your acceptance, your willingness to embrace our mission. We can feel that.”
Ah. The real motive. He shrugged. “There are two options, you are aliens or you are not. Each has it’s own possibilities and then possibilities off that. I’ve made up my mind what I believe and it wasn’t hard. The disappearing thing, the sensing you in the dark, the way we are as a race now and projecting forward and what you said, it’s not a huge leap.”
---oOo---
First Interlude
Harrison Rendell of the legal firm ‘Rendell and Mackintosh’ grudgingly created a trust bank account for the mysterious stranger who gave him such a difficult time.
---oOo---
Walter Meadows, currently the world’s richest man made a huge donation into the trust bank account of a suburban legal firm he’d never heard of before, but now they were on the map for moneys in their trust finds.
After having been the target of swindles for most of his life, he’d grown immune to every scam on the planet. The problem was that this time it wasn’t a scam. It was real. The thought of him missing out and one of his competitors suddenly looking a few decades younger, vital, alive and not rushing headlong into the grave were enough for him to pay up. The results were more than satisfying.
This was an offer too good to pass up, and a few years after he’d accepted the offer he’d laughed he would have paid double if he’d know how good it would be.
---oOo---
Harrison Rendell was given ‘tasks’ to perform for this mysterious stranger. Arrange for purchases, construction, fit outs and provisioning of a facility. It was nonsensical that a solicitor should be doing this.
On pointing out he was neither an architect nor a project manager, he’d been left feeling stupid when told to arrange for such a person or company to do what was required.
Then, to cap it all off, the request to finance the rapid expansion of a local admittedly good school drove him to the edge of sanity. The only saving grace was the size of his monthly billable hours and the willingness of the stranger to pay well above what was required.
---oOo---
Ruth Smith, Branch manager ‘Suburban Savings and Loans’, had a difficult few minutes understanding that their computer system hadn’t made a huge mistake with a trust fund account. It had way too many zeros.
She’d thought a few hundred thousand, maybe a million might bring it in when the odious solicitor set it up. But not this much. A phone call then follow up emails to the vice president of operations smoothed over the concerns. She was now the manager of a branch with more deposits than any other.
---oOo---
At the local school the headmaster had a difficult half hour with Harrison Rendell when a grant of huge proportions was offered to create a center of excellence, all expenses paid.
Claude Cheles, headmaster, a man singularly lacking in humor was deeply concerned that the money on offer was for some nefarious use. Was it to find some kind of pedophile ring for wealthy perverts? Was it some kind of government financed clandestine research facility? What could cause that amount of money to be dropped into an account he had single signature access to, no supervision, to spend on whatever he wanted? The only condition was to create the best facility possible.
He accepted the money, of course, but he harbored deep concerns.
---oOo---
For Mike, time passed, the years fled, and he enjoyed his life, his camping, but never forgot the time with Resident and Companion.
More than once when he was out camping he thought he heard Companion at night running with the wild dogs.
Some nights he was rewarded by visits to his camp by them both when they sat and talked. It was a pleasure to sit in silence with them, to experience the mountains and forest at night in companionable silence, and it was a pleasure to talk and also be silent. Too many humans forgot the pleasure of a silence, banishing it with inane prattle. Resident understood silences.
As time passed Mike kept abreast of world events looking for anything that might hint at the kinds of changes Resident was describing. He looked for actions and situations that may hint at a person or persons unknown operating in the background to some hidden agenda.
Try as he might he couldn’t detect what he looked for.
It was made even more difficult as he didn't know if it was a man or woman or even what country might be involved.
Strangely enough, the American president was doing well, but he knew it could not be him. His view on presidents was that while they might indeed be alien, their achievement could never amount to much in the way of positive results.
---oOo---
Practice
AK+3
Sitting in the helicopter approaching the island, captain Ruth Collins was as angry and mentally challenged as she’d ever been. She was unconditionally stable under stress, in command, in any military situation; she kept a level head.
This was not a normal situation.
She looked closely as they approached the island, a minor pimple of dirt on the ocean, wondering how on earth the time and effort invested was worth it. It was only a half dozen miles across and had a landing strip on top that was way bigger than she would have expected, capable to taking large transport air-frames with ease by the looks. She could see the disabl
ed Herc MC-130 and the Pave Low chopper sitting on the ends of the strip.
On the side of the island they were heading to was a lagoon with a nice beach and up a couple of dozen steps sat a single level sprawling house looking out over the lagoon and sea.
What was special about this island?
Being captain of a marine amphibious assault ship, and a woman, meant that her achievement to break through the glass ceiling had been huge, and she was a fighter. She had her eyes set on being an admiral, but being at sea was her first love. Losing Bataan as her command, and she knew she must as there were only so many commands to go around, would be a worst-day for her.
She achieved for many reasons, but the main one was preparedness and then directed action. She knew she was clever, talented at strategy and command, but that was all built on information.
Her command master chief was her most important person in that task. He tapped into the service wide ‘chiefs network’ who all understood the value of information the same as she did.
He’d been with her for a dozen years now and they could have a conversation without saying an actual word. A look, a tilt of the head, a movement of an eyebrow, and each knew what the other was thinking. Better, he anticipated her need. She couldn’t count the number of times he’d presented topical information that’d given her a tactical edge before she’d asked him.
When it came to sniffing out information, he was her ‘google,’ her truffle hound. But this time he’d failed and he’d failed dismally.
She shook her head at the thought of him being so totally unaware of this situation.
---oOo---
As the helicopter flared, coming in for landing below the house on the beach, she took in the area and that made her anger surge for a moment. She kept a lid on it as the only way to survive the coming time, hours probably, was with a level head.
The Camper: First Contact and the Planet Tamer (The Stellar Universe Book 0) Page 5
