Emissary 37-44

37

Mark had checked on Alix from time to time. She was getting stronger and soon would be able to leave the regeneration chamber. He told her about his plans, Elizabeth’s ideas, François’ help, Olamide’s country, Etieno’s story, the reactions of other world leaders, his amazement when he realized he could speak several languages, and the positive responses of many countries and particularly younger people. She was encouraged by his progress, and told him she was glad she chose him, and no matter what happened, he could rest assured he did his best.

“The jury’s still out on what the so-called ‘developed’ countries will do,” he told her, “Unfortunately, if just one country refuses the offer, you will have to leave.”

“We cannot force anyone to accept the proposal,” she replied, “if they decide to continue without our help, we will leave without prejudice, and continue to look elsewhere for a new home.”

“My heart would be broken if it came to that.”

“Mine would as well. I have come to enjoy our connection and our little talks. I am looking forward to being able to see you face-to-face and meet Michele soon. She and I have much to talk about.”

“I’ll bet you do,” Mark sighed, “On this planet, that phrase usually means women will be talking about men.”

“It is the same on my world.”

38

Mark’s new phone rang. “Hello. My name is Claire Adams. I’m with the FBI in New York.”

“Hello, Claire. How do I know you are with the FBI?”

“You can back-trace the number and check my identity. I’ll wait.”

One of the advantages of Natovaran technology is the ability to see through the internet like a crystal-clear window pane. Mark was able to verify Claire’s identity in seconds.

“It says here you are heading up the FBI investigation of the UN bomb threat.”

“Oh, my, you do have some fancy computing power.”

“Let me get straight to the point. Why did you call?”

“Two reasons, really. First, we’ve done an analysis of your on-camera statements and it appears your micro-expressions are consistent with a person who is telling the truth, or at least believes they are. Second, and I shouldn’t be telling you this, we have traced the explosives to a US source. Further, it seems to be a ‘false flag’ attack. The perpetrator wanted the world to believe it was a terrorist group or a disgruntled country.”

“So, who was it?”

“Our current person of interest is one of the richest men in the world and he lives in the US. We aren’t sure of his motives, but it seems he doesn’t want the world economy to change, which means he doesn’t want you to succeed. We don’t know why exactly. We suspect it has something to do with investments and assets in several countries and some technologies his companies are currently working on. Maybe he doesn’t want to lose his investments when alien technology immediately renders his research obsolete. The bigger concern for you might be the number of oligarchs around the globe who can make their governments dance to their tune. Imagine all the arms sales they will miss out on and all the oil they won’t pump if alien technology makes their businesses go the way of the horse and buggy.”

“I see. It seems you understand what’s at stake better than most people. I don’t know what to do about what you just told me.”

“You really can’t do anything. You’re not supposed to know what you know, and if you say anything you might jeopardize your chances by sounding like a crackpot conspiracy theorist.”

“What should I do, then?”

“Just sit tight and let me do my best to get solid evidence – which up to this point we just don’t have. I’ll do what I can to let the world know if I can get proof. I have to tell you, though, it seems like there are powerful people who want to stop this investigation.”

“Good God! Be careful, Claire. I appreciate your call more than you know. Maybe someday we will meet in person.”

“That would be great. I’ve got to go now.”

The call ended with Mark scratching his head. At least there were still good guys in the world, like Claire. He hoped the bad guys didn’t win, but too often in history they did.

39

A couple of days later, world governments were no closer to agreement than they had been a couple of years ago. Maybe if Alix’s people had developed time travel technology, they could have gone back to the time before nuclear weapons and two world wars. Then again, although technology had changed over thousands of years, human nature had not. Mark’s father once told him humanity’s technical knowledge had long ago outpaced their moral sense. When you hand a tyrant a nuclear bomb, he feels strangely compelled to use it. Two primitive men with clubs might be more inclined to beat each other to death than be the first to drop the club. Such was the distrust inherent in the human condition.

It sometimes amused Mark to think about the logic of people who did not ‘believe in’ evolution. They conveniently ignored evidence appearing daily in a human near them. Humans basically fling excrement on the internet, throw tantrums, pick on each other, fail to make long-term plans, chatter wildly, laugh at one another for no reason, and scatter when confronted by a threat. To Mark, these appeared to be primate behaviors in different clothing. You could see them in any monkey house at any zoo. In terms of their basic behavior, humans were not that different from other primates, their claims of being homo sapiens notwithstanding. He concluded long ago homo sapiens was a misnomer. Often there seemed to be very little ‘wisdom’ in the collective mind of humans. Homo callidus would be a better name – cunning man. Humans seemed to him to spend more time scheming, manipulating, and trying to outwit or take advantage of other members of their species than aiming for wise behavior. If humans could look to the future just this once, he might see his way clear to call them homo sapiens again. Until then, he was dealing with homo callidus. He felt he was about to be outwitted, and there wasn’t much he could do about it other than pray for Claire’s safety.

40

Two things happened the next afternoon. Alix became strong enough to emerge from her regeneration chamber, and on the news, there was a story that Claire Adams, an FBI Special Agent assigned to the UN bomb case, had been shot and killed under mysterious circumstances. Mark didn’t know what to think, or how. He was elated and dejected at the same time. And time was running out. The nuclear nations of the world were making new demands and counter-demands of one another. The United States was turning out to be a major diplomatic disappointment, to say the least. Pro-armament politicians couldn’t see how it would be possible to decommission all weapons of mass destruction or to unravel myriad defense contracts. The country would be defenseless, after all. The defense industry had depended on the nation electing politicians who didn’t want to be known as ‘soft’ on defense. Many politicians didn’t want to be known as the guys who turned the country over to the Chinese or the Russians, or the world over to aliens. In addition, the defense industry made substantial campaign contributions to the same politicians. Upton Sinclair wrote, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” Mark puzzled over whether our leaders didn’t understand what was at stake or just didn’t want to understand. While they were conducting business as usual, the world was careening towards a perilous future.

Yet, Alix remained optimistic.

41

Michele was the first to greet Alix when she emerged from her regeneration chamber. “Hello, I’m Michele. Welcome to our home.”

“Do not be anxious, Michele. I am very grateful for your help.”

“Mark told me it might be possible…”

“To demonstrate the mind connection to you?”

“How did you know?”

“Mark told me he thought it would put you at ease to learn something of what he experienced. For you it will not be as complete a connection as for someone using our nanotechnology, but you will get a strong sense of the technique.”

“Has your species been using it a long time?”

“Only occasionally until 200 years ago. While our species had the capability of practicing the technique, it had fallen into disuse for decades, starting approximately the same time our species began to develop industrial technology, what you would call our ‘industrial revolution.’ It seems the more interested we became in things, the less interested we became in each other. Did Mark tell you about our planet’s sun?”

“Yes. I’m sorry for what is happening and what will happen to your world.”

“It is no longer a matter of sorrow or regret. It is simply a fact of our existence.”

“It’s beyond my understanding to lose an entire planet. It’s even beyond my understanding to be a refugee from a country. It must be terrible beyond comprehension to be a refugee from a dying world.”

“You and Mark feel the same way. Mark has not said it aloud, but I have sensed his inner anguish. I think it may be one of his reasons for helping me.”

“Well, in our species men and women express their feelings in different ways. There is a book called, ‘Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.’ It was based on the emotional nature of two ancient mythological gods. The title sounds very silly now that I’ve actually met someone from another planet.”

“I have sensed some of the differences in your emotional composition. Would you like to try to share minds?”

“I would.”

Michele and Alix sat across each other at the kitchen table. Alix placed Michele’s palms over her eyes and her fingers on her forehead, then placed her own palms over Michele’s eyes and her fingers on Michele’s forehead.

“Now simply relax,” Alix instructed.

In this way the two were able to carry on a much more extended conversation without speaking a word. Michele was amazed by how much they could say, and how directly they could communicate. She gained new insight into Alix’s patterns of thought. Although she could sense something of Mark’s thinking in Alix’s mind, she could perceive no more than Alix’s respect and affection for Mark. Michele was surprised to learn Alix knew about the time Mark had a little too much to drink a Christmas party in grad school and had offered to show her his room. “Well, there it is,” he said, and in a few moments, he simply closed the door. Even when he was under the influence of alcohol, he still did not try to take advantage of her. Alix liked this memory as much as Michele did. Apparently, it was one of the reasons she felt such trust in Mark.

When Alix concluded the connection, Michele looked at her watch. “I can’t believe it’s only been a few minutes. It seems like we’ve been chatting for hours!”

“As I told Mark, this form of communication is not only more meaningful, but also more efficient than normal speech. Our species had all but forgotten the value of what we also call the ‘deep connection,’ until we were forced to transform our social system. We rediscovered the use of an ability all of us possessed to some degree. It has been extremely valuable to combine our mental efforts in this way to solve problems, to explore, invent, and develop technologies.”

“And to share intimate thoughts and perceptions,” Michele offered.

At that moment, Mark entered the room. He had been trying to figure out where things stood by researching social media – always a frustrating task.

“Well, it looks like you two are getting acquainted,” he commented tentatively.

“You might be surprised,” Michele retorted.

“I’ll bet I wouldn’t. I hope you weren’t talking about me behind my back…or inside your heads,” Mark was still connected to Alix and knew without a doubt he was one of their topics of discussion. “It seems on any planet, women try to parse the behavior of men and men try to parse the behavior of women.”

“Like on Mars and Venus?” Alix asked.

“What? How do you know about that?”

“It is a part of my continuing research.”

Michele laughed. She liked this woman. In another time and place, they could have become best friends. But Alix and Mark still had work to do.

42

Before Claire was killed, she emailed Mark a link to a file on an encrypted government server. Using the computational power of Alix’s AI, it was child’s play to hack the server, and open the file. What he found was startling, but to him not unexpected. There was a Congressional group called the ‘America First’ Coalition, which was like the Freedom Caucus, but more selective and secretive. Several ranking senators and representatives were members. This group was connected to the para-military unit pursuing Mark and Alix, the men who tried to kill her, and thought they had succeeded. According to Claire’s information, the trail leading to the man behind the curtain ended with one of the richest men in America, a man who had a close relationship to the President of the United States, as well as to the previously mentioned ranking members of Congress. There were also links to high-ranking Russian and Chinese officials, but so far these had yielded little. Mark understood he could be charged with espionage for hacking into an encrypted government server to obtain a classified document, yet this document was the reason Claire was killed. She may have been planning to share it with someone in another agency, or out of pure frustration, the press. Mark figured Claire felt he was her last and possibly her only option.

Alix and Mark agreed to call the President and make one more attempt to convince Congress to act. He arranged to call a joint session in two days. When he heard Alix would be there, he muttered, “But, how is that possible?” Mark said they would explain everything to Congress. The President promised to make sure as many members as possible were there. A time was set. Mark and Alix made their preparations. Both were cautiously optimistic. In the arms race, the US carried the biggest stick. If the US could be persuaded to disarm, perhaps China and Russia would as well. If the US would agree to lead, surely others would follow. And without the threat of the super-powers, maybe the nuclear wannabes would go along. Yet, it was a long shot, and they both knew it. The doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction – MAD – had been in force for decades. The alternative so-called developed nations were pursuing involved making sure to be armed; as if a shoot-out of nuclear warheads would be survivable. The world was indeed mad. Mark was reminded of a movie in which the protagonist learned the only way to win the game of global thermonuclear war was simply, “not to play.” But in a MAD world, individuals with wealth and influence were more likely to serve their own interests than those of nation-states or the teeming mass of humanity. There were wolves at the bottom and at the top of the economic staircase, ready to pounce on any opportunity to get ahead, even if it meant obstructing something truly world changing.

The day came for the final encounter. Mark and Alix agreed she would wear the collar and wristband for the meeting. They were to land in the House Chamber at 2:00 pm sharp. Security around the building was treating this as a “State of the Union” address. Rumors of Alix’s reappearance had already circulated among Senators and Members of Congress. The typically dawdling entrance of many members was replaced by a concerted effort to take their seats so as not to miss a moment of the visitation. There was a great deal of confusion and turbulence in the audience as they arrived. It seems everyone wanted to be seated at the same time, like a game of musical chairs just before the music stopped. When the craft materialized though the ceiling of the great chamber, the music stopped. All eyes were on it. The SUV-sized vehicle floated effortlessly to one side of the podium. The Speaker of the House struck the gavel and instructed everyone to welcome The Emissary.

In this case, the rumors were correct. Not one, but two Emissaries, descended from the elegant silver-bronze craft. First Mark, then Alix, after Mark’s brief introduction.

“Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the House and Senate, as you no doubt remember, my friend was mortally wounded nearly a month ago and only in the last few days was she able to emerge from her regeneration chamber. Because her wounds were much more severe than mine, she required isolation and rest while the nanites did their work. I am grateful she survived to be here today. I would like to present Alix of Natovara.”

There was a brief smattering of applause. This time, Alix appeared in a silver-bronze robe, matching her spacecraft. She strode confidently to the podium and began to address the most powerful legislative body in the world.

“Ladies and gentlemen. I represent a species from a planet approximately 30 light-years from Earth. Our home world, Natovara in your language, will cease to be habitable within the next century. As you know, I have come with an offer of world-changing, life-changing technology in exchange for your planet renouncing war and all preparations for war and becoming a second home for my people. Our species has learned, through many devastating wars and conflicts, technology is only as good as the people who use it. Technology is a tool. Like any other tool it is only as useful as the person wielding it. A hammer can be used to build a house or shatter a child’s spine. Dynamite can be used to build roads and bridges or to make weapons of war. The atom can be harnessed to provide power for a planet or to destroy a civilization. We must be sure our shared technology is used for good, not evil, for the benefit of all, not the profit of the few…”

“Why couldn’t you just die!?” a Senator shouted, cutting her off. He produced an automatic rifle from a bag under his seat and began firing at Alix.

This time Alix was prepared. The gown she was wearing was specifically designed to absorb projectile impacts. Its ablative shielding protected her whole body. Even as the outraged Senator sprayed her with bullets, as they encountered her shield they dropped harmlessly to the floor. Alix sprang into action, if this is the right word. Like a lithe jungle cat releasing pent-up energy, she leapt from point to point, always careful to keep herself in the man’s line of fire, absorbing the shock of most hits, deflecting the rest away from the crowd. In less than two seconds she stood directly in front of him. She tapped her wristband and deployed a bell-shaped force field around the misguided lawmaker. Anyone who understands the geometry of a concave space could immediately grasp the consequences of Alix’s move. The foolish, hapless man simply would not stop firing. The projectiles ricocheted around the inside the field shredding his body at 2800 feet-per-second. By the time the weapon fell silent, the force-field dome was awash in blood and fragments of the former honorable gentleman from Alabama.

Secret Service agents started to usher the President to safety. Alix, meaning ‘defender’ in our lexicon, vaulted back to the rostrum in one bound. Tapping her wristband, she increased the force of gravity throughout the House Chamber sufficiently to pin her now captive audience to their seats or to the spot where they unceremoniously crumpled to the floor. The building groaned under its newly acquired weight.

Alix spoke plainly. “How are the supposed leaders gathered here today any better than the criminals and gang members you so glibly vilify in your speeches? You say you want peace, but without a second thought about the number of lives to be lost or destroyed, you threaten “fire and fury.” To what end? How can you call yourselves homo sapiens when your first reaction to disagreement is violence? Is waging war so profitable you would rather peddle weapons and waste countless lives than invest in your people and their future? I am now sharing a highly classified file I obtained from your FBI with all other law enforcement agencies, the press, and international authorities through what you call the internet. You will find there is a powerful international organization behind the efforts to stop The Emissary and me. Several persons here today are part of this organization. Their motive is hunger for power and wealth. They could not bear the thought of renouncing their personal gain for the sake of the rest of humanity. Although I obtained this file illegally according to your laws, I understand several of your revered thinkers have asserted we are not obligated to follow unjust laws. It seems to me too many of your laws are merely intended to protect the secrets and lies of the rich and powerful. I conclude these laws are unjust and therefore believe I am compelled to break them. Lies, secrets, fear, distrust, and hatred nearly destroyed my world before we discovered even greater dangers. We were forced to make a choice: either grow-up as a species and live – or keep fighting amongst ourselves and accept extinction. I conclude your species is not yet ready to accept the responsibility, and the privilege, of using the advanced technology I have offered. I will be leaving your planet very soon to rejoin the search for a new home in this arm of the galaxy, and perhaps find another species willing to put aside their internal differences and become our companions, in the fullest sense of that word. Goodbye and good luck.”

Alix and Mark entered the space vehicle. As the craft lifted off, gravity in the House Chamber returned to normal, which is to say, normal in terms of Earth’s gravity, but still questionable in terms of intellect. The next day, some pundits would say Alix was on a rampage, but if anything, she showed remarkable resolve and restraint. The look on her face wasn’t one of fury, but pity. Mark had felt her distress and was moved to tears by it.

43

In the following months, indictments were handed down for 17 Senators, 23 Congressmen, the Colonel and his men, over a dozen billionaires, several foreign dignitaries, and one US President. Substantial documentation distributed around the world pointed to a covert operation to design and build an escape vehicle for 5000 or so of the richest people on Earth and their trusted servants, to be ready when the time came to leave the planet. Needless to say, “Project Exodus” was not popular with the general public. In a way, Alix had succeeded in transforming society. The duplicity of men in high places was never so evident as in the years after she left.

Michele hugged Alix and shared her feelings of sadness – and gratitude – that Mark had not been injured or killed. They shared minds one last time, just for a moment. Alix wanted to reassure Michele that all was well, and she believed her friends on Earth had done their best to help her. It appears closure is important across time and space, and even if things didn’t always work out as hoped, strong bonds could remain, nevertheless. Michele walked to the back door of the house to give Mark and Alix a minute.

Mark told Alix how deeply sorry he was for the way things turned out. He then asked Alix for two favors. First, he wanted the nanites in his body to be deactivated. He explained he did not want to outlive Michele and everyone else he knew by two centuries. His promise to Michele was to grow old together. This was the  way things were supposed to be. Besides, he didn’t want to become a medical curiosity and spoil the years they had left. Alix reluctantly agreed and keyed-in the command for her wristband to emit an electromagnetic pulse strong enough to shut down his nanites. She told him her heart was broken because she would probably never see her friend and ally again. They thanked each other, and they hugged each other for the first and last time.

After a moment of silence, Mark asked sheepishly, “So, could your ship also be an energy weapon?”

“Oh my, yes.”

“So…your ship could shut down electrical power in a considerable area?”

“Only about the size of one major city at a time.”

“I didn’t know that…wait, at a time?”

“Yes, in a day or two I could shut down all power grids on this planet for an indefinite period. Mark, there is such a thing as dangerous knowledge. Some of your species believe if they can do a thing, they should do it. While I trusted you, I didn’t want to tempt you. I saw in your mind the fable of a god-like being who in his grief and haste destroyed the lives of millions. I also saw you were not sure you would not do the same under similar circumstances. If advanced technology is like magic, it must be exercised by responsible magicians.”

“I understand. I must say I admire you for your faith in humanity, and for your trust in me.”

“I know you are using the word, “admire,” to substitute for a deeper word. Always remember I share your feelings.” Alix paused. “What is your second request?”

“I ask you to return here someday. Humanity may not be ready now, but if you allow us a generation or two, we might be able turn things around. I have more faith in young people than I have in my own generation. While you are away, my generation will die, and younger generations will have a chance to consider what really happened today: The leaders of Earth turned away refugees from another world and their offer of life-changing technology, because they preferred to remain locked in tribal warfare – keeping millions poor and a few fabulously rich while risking the destruction of their planet and their species along with it. I believe the next generation can and will find a better way. Please give the Earth a second chance.”

“I will do my best, as you have done your best for me, but time is running out for both our worlds.”

“Farewell, my friend, Alix of Natovara.”

“Farewell, my friend, Mark of Earth.”

Alix boarded her spacecraft and headed towards the stars.

44

Michele had been watching their goodbyes. “You gave up 200 years of life for me, Mark. Are you crazy?”

“I just didn’t want to be without you, Michele. It seems to me the only constant in the universe is love. To choose otherwise would be to invalidate everything we have been through. I love you and nothing will change that.”

Mark never saw Alix again, but he thought of her often. He prayed Alix would find a new home for her people. He prayed for his planet and its selfish, shortsighted leaders. They muddled through until the day he died. He would never know if Alix returned or if humanity survived. His only consolation was retaining a decent knowledge of several languages.

45

30 years later.

After several uneventful nights, Andrew made camp on a secluded, hiker-free pie-slice of a hilltop, surrounded by adolescent birch trees. It was a rare indulgence to listen to the wind in the spare branches, to see the Milky Way without all the damn light pollution, to be alone with his thoughts for once. But in the wee hours, he heard a sound that startled him awake. It was unlike any sound he had ever heard, and he had heard a lot of sounds. He tried to place it. It wasn’t a natural sound. Not a bear or a raccoon, coyote or wolf. In fact, what struck him was the rest of what he might call natural sounds had gone quiet and what he heard was not unlike a thin whir, a soft electrical thrum, perhaps from a synthesizer or an electronic musical instrument, except more complex, accompanied by a sort of tingly sensation, like just before you get an electrical shock, but the shock never came, only a slight perturbation in the light from the stars, a barely perceptible ripple in a mere reflection of stars on a still lake, and then silence…

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