by William Lee
“Well,” she started out thoughtfully. “Being on Earth is like going back in time, several hundred, maybe a thousand years. It would be like you traveling back to your Renaissance Period. Back home we have all but eliminated sickness and starvation. We don’t have governments and corporations, at least, not in the same sense that you do.”
“How did you get rid of sickness and starvation?” Snap asked.
“Genetic engineering and managed population growth. The two go hand in hand. Our scientists developed a way to manipulate DNA prior to birth, so that we were born with absolutely no defects. We experienced rapid technological advancements in the fields of genetic engineering, and it wasn’t long before everyone was born, not only defect free; but, also, immune from most common illnesses. Soon, we saw rapid population growth because people were living longer, putting additional strains on our resources.”
“Our leaders tried everything from regulating birth rates among the population to outright euthanasia, nothing seemed to work. This was a dark time in our planet’s past; there were resource wars, and millions were killed. Until the next scientific breakthrough in gene manipulation; they figured out how to custom design babies. But, not just eye and hair color; no, they were able to select skill sets and interests. At this point, we could basically order babies to fulfil specific needs. If we were projecting a shortage of medical professionals, we could order up a batch of babies that were predisposed to be interested in medicine and science.”
With a confused look on his face, Snap asked, “How did that stop the wars and starvation?”
“It didn’t. Not at first, anyway. It took a few hundred years; but, eventually, you had enough people that were genetically predisposed to being good administrators and planners that they were able to put mandates in place to regulate the population growth. Through certain factions yielding, education, and regulation; everyone agreed to the concept of limited reproduction. Now, every child born on Vitahic, is authorized by the governing body, and genetically predisposed to fulfil a projected future need. Of course, with this system in place, we never have too many people to feed; nor do we have unemployment.”
Snap shook his head. “But, are your people happy?”
“Like I said, at first it was a very rough transition. But, now, after a few hundred years, most people understand that there is a tradeoff necessary when you are living over 300 years. When the life span of your average citizen grows from 80 to 325 years; that person consumes more than triple the resources. Something must give. Plus, they are genetically engineered to be, not only healthier; but, stronger and smarter. We are not producing dumb, or lazy people on our planet – why would we?”
“Wow. So, everyone on your planet is as smart as you, and the others I met today?”
“For the most part, yes. Everyone on Vitahic is born with a very high IQ, as humans call it; emotionally stable; an appropriate amount of personal drive; and, a predisposition to be interested in a needed skill set.”
“So, you have people that are genetically engineered from birth to be garbage collectors?” Snap asked.
“There are very few menial jobs on Vitahic. Most of the labor-intensive or repetitive jobs have been taken over by automation. But, yes, we have certain jobs that require fewer skills and people are genetically designed for those jobs. It is not a problem, because, like I said, they are designed to enjoy that type of work. It’s not so much that we can manipulate the DNA to create a person that will invent the next advance in a particular field of study; it more like, we can design person that will grow up to be a good scientist, or a good soldier, a good nurse, or an educator.”
“Sounds to me like you are not giving your people the opportunity to choose who they will become,” Snap countered.
“No different than here on Earth, you are a prisoner of your DNA. You did not get to choose your genetic makeup. The difference is, here on Earth, if too many teachers are born, then, you have teachers running around with no jobs; while there is shortage of nurses,” Furier explained. “What caused you to go into the military?”
She had made a good point, without even realizing it. Snap immediately understood, and slowly responded, “My grandfather and father were both in the military.”
Furier smiled, she saw that he got it. “See, it’s not that much different on Earth. We just plan a little further ahead. Another problem we don’t face is having narcissistic, egomaniacs managing the direction of our planet; and stumbling into wars that could kill millions of people.”
“How do you avoid that?” Snap asked.
“Simple. One of our genetic templates is for an Administrator. Of course, we have thousands of Administrators, each with different responsibilities, but they all are cut from the same Administrator blank, if you will. They are predisposed to being fair, even tempered, empathetic and selfless. Of course, like everyone, some are better than others; but, when you have thousands of them across the planet, the better ones rise to the top and balance out the weaker ones.”
“So, no individual nations, or wars?” Snap asked.
“Once genetic manipulation was widely accepted by the population, we have not had any warring nations on our planet. Once you realize that there are otherworldly enemies that threaten the very existence of your entire planet; trivial differences among yourselves become irrelevant. The people of Vitahic think of themselves as Vitahicians, and they all work together for the common good of the planet – not just their region.”
“So, are you at war with other planets?”
“We are experiencing a moment of uneasy peace with another planet. But, we have engaged in interplanetary war in the past. That’s one of the reasons we are reaching out to Earth; hopefully, to establish an ally.”
“I can’t even imagine what an interplanetary war would be like? Were you in it? Did you fight?” Snap asked.
“No. The war ended when I was just a child. Our planet sustained a tremendous amount of damage; entire cities were destroyed. I remember them rebuilding, well into my years at the Academy. No one on Vitahic wants to see that happen again. We try very hard to maintain diplomatic relations with the enemy; but, we also are building our defenses, just in case.”
Snap could tell this was a touchy matter for her and decided to change the subject, “So, I know you are genetically designed for a purpose; but, are you raised by a mom and dad, a family unit?”
Furier paused for a moment, and stared at the fire, before saying, “Yes. I have a mom and dad, but it’s not like human families. We are not as close. We don’t have marriage anymore. We did, a long time ago. But, the government got rid of marriage after life expectancies increased. People could not stay together for hundreds of years, it just wasn’t working. Now, some people mate for life, but it is rare. My mom and dad are no longer together, I see them when I can, but not really that often.”
“Okay, Okay. I hope you don’t mind me asking these questions?” Snap asked, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable.
“No. It’s okay. I am enjoying the conversation.”
“So, what do people on your planet do? When they are not flying around the galaxy in a space ship?” Snap asked.
“A lot like your planet. Everyone works. They enjoy outdoor activities and entertainment. We have less crime, war, and strife, than you have on Earth. Some are raising children, while others are exploring hobbies and developing new technologies. A few still observe ancient religions, but not as many as do here on Earth.”
“You said they don’t have corporations, like we do. Where do people work?” Snap asked.
“Most of the means of production are managed by what you would call a government, those ‘Administrators’ I was telling you about.”
Snap laughed, “Here, that’s called ‘socialism’. I can think of a few people that would have a problem with that.”
“Yeah, another tough transition. There is no way we could have moved from capitalism to socialism without the technological advances in geneti
c manipulation. But, after a couple of hundred years, the people began to trust the Administrators, they saw that they were fair, competent, and not greedy. Once we established that level of trust between the people and the Administrators, it was easy to turn things over to them. After all, they really could manage things better than the rest of us; in the same way the Captain of a starship can chart a course more accurately than a supply officer.”
“Well,” Snap said, thoughtfully. “What about the bad administrators, you mentioned?”
“What? What do you mean?” Furier asked.
“You know, you said some of the Administrators were better than others; but, they were held in check by the good ones, and you alluded to the fact that maybe the best ones were promoted.”
“I wouldn’t say ‘bad’, they are just not as skilled as the others. They do cause small problems from time to time; after all, we are not cookie cutouts of one another. The problem occurs when one of these less skilled Administrators gets to another planet, and is isolated away from our culture and processes. We have seen them lose their way, and begin to regress back into the old ways. Of course, they still have their genetic predisposition to be a good Administrator; but, without the constant reinforcement from the others, well, they slip. Genetic manipulation does not make us exactly the same, or perfect. It only predisposes certain attribute like intelligence, sex, physical features and general interests. Personal drive, ambition, and experiences play a part in the individuals development, an ultimately how useful they will become. You may be born a soldier, but you have to work hard to become a general.”
“How so? I mean, how do they lose their way” Snap prodded.
“They could lose their way, especially over decades of being away from their home world. They lose sight of their directives, and start to put their personal ambitions and desires ahead of the mission. We have seen it happen before.”
The conversation trailed off. Both were worn out from a hard day. Snap got up and rummaged around for some more wood to throw on the fire. Sparks raced up toward the stalactites when Snap dropped a piece of wood on the smoldering coals.
Even though he was exhausted, Snap’s mind could not rest. “Wow. So, this is where humans could be in 500 years?”
“Maybe. Maybe sooner. With our help, we hope to speed up the process. Help you avoid some of the mistakes we made along the way.”
“So, besides the genetic predisposition, what made you want to be the Quartermaster on an interstellar ship?” Snap asked with a weak chuckle as his eyes grew heavy.
“So, it doesn’t really work that way. I was not genetically predisposed to be a Quartermaster; I was genetically predisposed to enjoying the study of science and math. From there, my personal interests and studies could have led me to any number of fields. As a child, I grew up hearing about all these exotic worlds, I just wanted to see them for myself. We have billions of people on my planet, but only a fraction of them can travel to space. It requires years of special training.”
“I still can’t get over how much you look like us. I mean if you evolved on another planet, what, hundreds of light years from here, why do you look like us?” Snap asked, as he pulled a blanket up around his chin and curled into a fetal position.
“Maybe a common ancestor? Who knows. Ancient forgotten civilization of space travelers, random chance, or God, as humans call him? People smarter than me have been trying to figure that out for generations, I’m not going to be the one to solve the mystery.” Furier said, with a shrug.
“One more question; before I fall asleep. Please, don’t take this the wrong way, but I must ask. Vitahicians look just like humans, can you have sex with a human?
Furier smiled and said with mock indignation, “Major, are you propositioning me?”
“No. No. I would never . . .” Snap stuttered.
“So, you don’t find me attractive?” She said with a smile, clearly enjoying Snap’s discomfort.
“No. I think you are beautiful, I mean attractive . . .” Snap’s voice trailed off, trying not to dig a deeper hole for himself.
Furier laughed, “Human men are no different than Vitahician males. It’s true the saying, ‘men can only think with one head at a time.’”
“You have that saying on your planet, too?” Snap asked in surprise.
“No silly, it’s part of the culture training we receive. I’ve watched hundreds of your movies.”
“Now that I’ve had my fun with you, I will answer your question, Major. Yes, my kind has had sex with humans on many occasions.”
Snap smiled, relieved that she had decided to stop putting him on the spot. “Has a Vitahician and a human ever had a child together?”
“No. It has never happened; but, not for a lack of trying. Our scientists have been trying to crossbreed humans and Vitahicians for years – with no success, I might add.”
Snap laughed and said, “Wow. Just think of the lucky bastard that gets to repeatedly try to impregnate one of your kind.”
“Yeah, but, I’m sure it gets old after a while. And they did try that method in the beginning, but now, I think it’s all done in a research center, very mechanical.”
“Not as fun,” Snap sighed. “Why come here at all? I mean, after checking us out for curiosity’s sake, why keep coming back, I’m sure it’s not just to have sex with humans?”
Furier laughed, and then fell silent for a moment, thinking of what to say. “We need trading partners, we need to develop military alliances.”
“Yes. You said that; you are looking for allies because your planet was attacked. But, how can we help, from a military stand point? What can we offer you in the way of protection?”
“You’re right. As of now, your planet offers no strategic defense for us, but our goal is to develop your weapons systems to the point where you would be willing and able to form a long-term military alliance with us. That is why for the last 70 years we have been feeding you technology, and resources that you cannot get here on Earth. The anti-gravity fighters, the FALOS armor, the Micro Modular Fusion Reactors; all technology that you could not have developed on your own. One of the reasons for this supply ship was to bring you not only the Element 115, which is rare on your planet, but to bring the light elements needed for fusion reactors. With the loss of this cargo, it could be decades before we are able to be resupplied – setting back our plans to develop your planet, possibly by centuries.”
Snap wanted to press for more information about interstellar politics but sensed she did not really want to discuss it further. In a few minutes, they were both asleep. Snap tossed and turned in the cave’s darkness. He dreamed of unknown aliens competing for control of the Earth. His mind wandered back to the American Revolution; where France, England and Spain were all competing to settle the new-found Americas.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
Nox’s eyes fluttered open to the sound of his communication device squawking something unintelligible. His whole body was aching, and lightning rods of pain were streaking up his left leg. Breathing was difficult. He realized his helmet was off, and his face was freezing cold. He sucked in as much bitter cold air as he could muster.
I am alive.
A quick assessment of his situation led him to the conclusion that he had a broken leg and a collapsed lung.
No way I can walk out of here. That would be something. I travel through the stars, intentionally crash into a nuclear missile, only to die of a broken leg. Not the way I’m going out.
The communicator squawked again. A voice he recognized – almost. He gasped for another breath.
What happened to the ship? Did I save the ship? Of course, I saved the ship. If that nuke had gone off I would have been killed. I must have disabled the nuke before it detonated.
The communicator was in his helmet, which was several feet away. Nox crawled to the helmet and manually activated the communication device.
“This is Nox, can anyone hear me?”
No response. Nox initi
ated another transmission, “Can anyone hear me?”
“This is Manpugna. Nox where are you? I saw your fighter explode. I thought you may have . . .”
“I’m seriously injured. I need medical attention immediately,” Nox gasped.
“I’ve fixed on your transmission. I’m en route.”
“Manpugna, getting to me is your top priority.”
“Yes Sir. I have some really good news.”
“Are you going to make me guess?”
“Calidus just called.”
“Calidus? What did he want?” Nox asked in an irritated tone.
“One of his Vitahician operatives contacted him a few minutes ago. Said he had hijacked a C-17 over Siberia full of alien cargo. Said he was heading toward the Antarctica base.”
“This is very good. Send him a full escort and an IL-78 for refueling. We don’t want the Americans to snatch him.”
Nox collapsed, knowing that Manpugna would be there soon. Nox knew that he had just cheated death.
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
Mike Evans sat in the pilot’s seat of the C-17. He thought he could feel the pilot’s blood soaking through the seat of his pants. He knew it wasn’t, though. Two Russian fighters had escorted him over the Pacific, and he had refueled midair several hours earlier. Mike had started to feel remorse for murdering the Vitahicians back in the jump shuttle. They did not choose to be in that shuttle, or even to align themselves with the Americans. They were simply crew on a cargo ship.
His mind drifted to the C-17’s crew that he had murdered, their cold bodies lying not far behind him. He had spent hours talking to them on the flight to Siberia. There was Jason, a husband and father to three sons. There was Kirk, the pilot, a husband and grandfather who was only a few months from retirement; he would never spend time at his newly purchased vacation property in Hilton Head.
All this death just for him to escape the Americans. Had they really treated him that badly? Would the Ondagra really treat him better? Would he enjoy living in the desolation that was Antarctica? Would Nakita really be there to meet him? His mind wandered to his vacation in Virginia Beach where he had met her. Was he romanticizing his time with her? Did he really love her? Would she forgive him for shooting her? Would she understand that all of this was for her? Would she care? It had been so long since he had spoken to her.
