"Yngve, A R - Alien Beach" - читать интересную книгу автора (Yngve A. R)
Tmmtenaa closed his large eyes suddenly, stuck his УhandФ into a socket in his vest, and produced an instrument similar to the thought-recorders that the scientists had received. He put the device around his head and did something to activate it, eyes still closed. The other Sirians studied him silently. After an interval of roughly half a minute, Tmmtenaa opened his eyes, let his fingers dance across the knobs of his vest, and addressed Takeru. He sounded livelier, less awkward now.
УI maade regiister off mmy ownn brrain wwhen thinnkiing oof my Aancestorss. Thhose patternns arre nnot muuch differennt, mmuch thhe saame aas. Takeerru thiink llike gooood. Thhank-you-very-muchh for your heeelp.Ф УWhat are these СAncestorsТ? You have mentioned them before.Ф Tmmtenaa blinked rapidly, turned away from the Japanese engineer, and moved closer to the other Sirians. УTmmtenaa?Ф Tmmtenaa sat still, eyes shut, clutching one of the female Sirians like an overgrown child. A complete change of behavior for someone who seemed the least inclined to hug any other being. Had the amphibian made a slip, had Takeru frightened him? Maybe these beings werenТt quite as superior as he had taken for granted. Maybe they could be outsmarted after all, if one pandered to their high self-confidence. He had to find a way to make them confide in himЕ but how? If there was anything on this planet the Sirians valued highly enough, to do as a bribeЕ Gold? Metals? Food? (They had enjoyed his sushi at the welcoming party.) More music? Pure groveling? Affection, friendship? Secret deals, power bids? TakeruТs mind raced, finding no possibilitiesЕexcept friendship. He had to try harder. He couldnТt talk to the others about this, they must not know that he had been offered a fortune, if he could bring some valuable Sirian know-how exclusively to Japan. The whole world might benefit from what the scientists learned from this alien visit - but he could make his nation a favor and himself rich, if he learned something more. He ought to have no moral qualms about it. Surely, he assured himself, wouldnТt every scientist on Alien Beach also be a citizen and a patriot when required to? The inner voice that called him a corporate whore returned, but so faintly he could shut it off almost without effort. Takeru checked his watch and realized that the away team had been out for half an hour. He asked the security officer to contact his colleagues over the radio and check how they were doing.
Chapter Thirteen
DAY 68
The soldier was sworn into the Church of Ranmotani together with a handful of other new recruits - a sea baptism on the beach, led by Regional Elder Tanii and accompanied by more chanting from several hundred assembled cult members. All the same. All happy. All loving each other. Now the soldier was one of them, his head shaved, dressed in a crimson-red monkТs robe, plain sandals on his feet. The Regional Elder proclaimed to the new initiates that they were receiving blessings from Ranmotani; the cultists chanted with joy in response, dancing together on the beach. But there was not a single Sirian in sight. It briefly reminded the soldiers of his days in the army. That community had been based on love of the homeland, and hatred of whoever the УenemyФ happened to be. Now he was part of a family based on love of the Sirians, and of each other. He felt dazed and happy - though he suffered recurring urges to shout obscenities and run away from the crowd. The baptism was over; scores of cultists hugged him and the other initiates warmly, congratulating them. The soldier kept looking for PattyТs face - but all faces looked the same here. Only at dusk after too much chanting and praying, when he staggered to his tent, did Patty show up. She disrobed in a single movement, smiled invitingly and lay down with him. He guessed it was a gesture of reward, on behalf of the churchЕ and he accepted it. When the soldier was shaken awake early the next morning, Patty was already up and away. The group overseer shouted at him to get up and get to work.
DAY 69
УThis is World News with Veronica Palazzi...Ф УIn a surprise move, the governments of Saudi Arabia and Iran today signed a military pact between them, that includes a common defense policy against what they call Сextraterrestrial invasionТ. Ever since these major oil powers recently left the United Nations, this alliance has been rumored. Since both countries acquired their own nuclear arsenals just before the Sirian landings, the new pact has completely overturned the previous balance of power and deterrence. УThe smaller powers of the region are now in a unique situation: Iraq and Kuwait, bitter enemies, find themselves squeezed between Saudis and Iranians and may now be forced into each other arms. And Israel, the third nuclear power in the region, has cut itself off from the United Nations as well as from American support. It may now face a combined nuclear threat of the two former rivals. An expansion of the pact to include Israel seems unlikely.Ф
Kuwait City, Kuwait.
As seen from the airplane, the desert was still flecked with old soot. Little more than a decade ago, Saddam HusseinТs armies had set the vast oilfields on fire, sending black smoke across the entire region. Now, the nationТs life back to its wealthy normal, Kuwait had built up an impressive army. Carl asked the Sirians why they had chosen Kuwait this time. Ranmotanii and Oanss could easily count several reasons. They had seen TV broadcasts about the Gulf War even as their solar-sail ship was on its way; it was one of the more advanced desert Arab countries with the close sea-proximity the Sirians craved; and it would serve as a resting-stop before they continued to Egypt. The destination of Egypt hadnТt been overtly mentioned before, yet somehow Lazar had all the time felt it would - considering the previous probing of Earth 6,000 years before. Naturally, he thought, the Sirians would be curious to see what had become of the once-great culture of the Nile.
Before the Osprey could land at the U.S. Air Force base in Kuwait City - the planeТs official nationality was American - a radio message reached the pilot. He asked Carl Sayers to respond directly. Carl made his way to the small cockpit and took a headset. УCarl Sayers of the ECT, speaking.Ф УIs this link secured? Okay. Hello, Mr. Sayers, this is General Jack T. Rappaport, commander of the U.S. airbase here in Kuwait City. I got the news just an hour ago. YouТre really coming down with a delegation of Sirians, are you?Ф УUm, the news is confirmed, General. ItТs me, a few others of the scientist team, and seven of the Sirian visitors on the plane. Is anything the matter?Ф УWell, sir, IТve been briefed on the deal with the aliens... free to visit any place on Earth, clearance with the U.N. Security Council and the President, but... this country barely comes under the Security CouncilТs jurisdiction. I would strongly recommend you to rethink -У УGeneral, the last time I checked, Kuwait was still a member of the United Nations.Ф УSure - just barely. For GodТs sake, have you seen the news today? Oil prices are plummeting all over the world, all because of your amphibian friends. The Arabs are scared shitless that the aliens will reveal advanced power-sources thatТll make oil as obsolete as burning wood. If the Kuwaiti public would learn that the hated Sirians are landing on their soil, theyТll demand that Kuwait leaves the U.N. and all American troops are thrown out! You could start a new Gulf War here!Ф УI see... General, we have already plotted an alternative landing-site on the U.S. aircraft-carrier off the coast. We will take that route for now, and IТll return to you later. I promise I will put forward your advice to the Sirians. Thank you very much.Ф УSayers, IТve got nothing against extraterrestrials. But youТve got to reckon with the reality of the situation here.Ф УYes, of course. Bye.Ф Carl gave the pilot the order to head for the aircraft-carrier, and went to explain the situation to the Sirians. The Sirians were not surprised to hear of the danger. As before, they expressed no worry; it seemed foolish of them to be so fearless. But for once they accepted the denial without discussion. Carl quickly informed the President over the phone, then discussed the matter with the other three scientists. УCould it be that they counted on being refused?Ф he probed, thinking out loud. УSort of testing the waters, seeing how far they could go with us?Ф УThey might have had all kinds of reasons to visit an Arab country which had figured in a televised war,Ф Ann said. УIt doesnТt prove anything particular.Ф УWhy is it that they never seem to make advance plans with us?Ф Takeru said, taking the others by surprise. He had barely spoken at all to them during the journey, mostly been photographing and recording the Sirians in travel. He could no longer resist the urge to voice his thoughts.
УIs it possible,Ф he speculated, Уthat they have become victims of their own technology? They have robots of all sizes, taking care of all their needs... probably no sickness, no schools, instant knowledge at the press of a button or a thought signal... could it have made them clumsy, even dumb, when they face a new culture that has none of their comforts?Ф
УThat sounds credible, Takeru,Ф Carl said thoughtfully. УI wouldnТt take too much about them for certain. Maybe - this might sound crazy to you - we could try appealing to their machines rather than to the Sirians themselves.Ф It didnТt sound crazy to Lazar or Takeru; Ann didnТt voice her disagreement, for fear of sounding too emotional. The sign FASTEN SEATBELTS blinked above the doorway to the cockpit. They all - Sirians included - buckled up. Machines, machines everywhere, but not a drop to drink, Carl thought absentmindedly. Would we be human without themЕ
DAY 70
Gizeh, Egypt. It proved a complicated process to get the Sirian group safely out into the desert, without undue attention from tourists. The Sirians were expressly uncomfortable with the regionТs dryness and heat - yet they insisted on visiting the pyramids and the Sphinx personally, or they would immediately return back to Alien Beach. Their interest seemed almost obsessive. Lazar was proud over his countryТs ancient heritage, and the SiriansТ interest in it. Still, he asked his teammates rhetorically: УWould such advanced creatures even bother coming to Earth in person? Why the risk and cost?Ф
It wasnТt that mankindТs culture in itself was of any intrinsic value to the Sirians. Human technology was ridiculously primitive by comparison - not to mention loud, smelly, and unsubtle. The Sirians did not care to explain their demand. They simply pursued it, and got what they wanted: a visit. At nighttime, the pyramids and the Sphinx were eerily illuminated by yellow floodlights, which accentuated every crack and crevice of the withered sandstone. With no tourists allowed nearby, the scientists and the seven Sirians followed the government guides past the monuments. First, they stopped nearby the Sphinx. It was huge this close, dwarfing even the tall extraterrestrials into a kind of humility. Silently, they studied the corroded body and head, walking slowly and without undue haste. The aliensТ feet were bare on the hard gravel and sand, at the least to the human eye. Lazar had been silent during the journey from Kuwait to Egypt; now he couldnТt contain himself. He had to know. УRanmotanii, please tell us the truth about Egypt. Was there a great culture, a big city, here - before these pyramids were built?Ф The old Sirian studied him with his eyes open wide, now that the sun wasnТt distracting them. Their very size, the blackness of their pupils, the myriad capillaries made Lazar feel faint and small. After a long moment, Ranmotanii opened his mouth and sang an answer. УMaany aanswerss cann wwwe mmmake to yourr quuestionn... orrr liiike sso: ffor twennty-fiive thouusannd yearrs at llleast... waas theere aa ccity or aa laarrge culltuure hhere. Ssometimmes thee ciity wass abandonnned. Sommetimess iit was ruuined. Soometimmes therre waas a wwwar. Buut the Sphhinx wass uused duriing aall thhat timmme. Llazar... Yyou undeerstand thhhis? Thee Sphhinx waas used ass lonng aas humaans wwere hhhere?Ф УYes, Ranmotanii. Thank you! Thank you so much.Ф УYouТrre wellcommme.Ф Lazar felt so grateful he could cry - and he hadnТt even been hoping for this information, though it felt so important. Carl took LazarТs arm and brought him out of the range of the cameras, to spare him public embarrassment. УPlease get a hold of yourself, Lazar,Ф he asked softly. УWe are representing others than ourselves. You almost fell into tears there.Ф УSorry, Carl. I donТt know what came over me. But they just opened up history for me - their perspective is so much longer than anything humanityТs got.Ф УI agree. But weТre here to find out about them, not ourselves. We shouldnТt let them divert us like that.Ф УBut you will find out about yourself, Carl. We all will.Ф Something about LazarТs strange off-hand comment made Carl shiver. He blamed the freezing desert night. УOver here!Ф the guide shouted. УHere is the path that leads to the pyramid entrances...Ф
DAY 71
The soldierТs old migraine was coming back, as before the first visions - only without the visions. No vivid images and experiences forced themselves into his brain - just dull, dumb pain. Deeply missing the visions he wondered, hazily, why they had stopped so soon. He briefly thought of asking the Regional Elder, who always claimed he had a unique mental link to the Sirians. Then again, why should the soldier bother his brothers and sisters with those insignificant visions of his old life? There was a greater vision guiding his life now, the vision shared to them by the illuminated Regional Elder. And everyone loved each other - though hardly physically, because there seemed to be no energy left for such things. Every day meant hard work, chanting and praying, then a deep sleep of exhaustion. There were no more visions. They had ended, and the soldier came to a conclusion: he had finally done what his Sirian benefactors wanted, when he had joined the Church of Ranmotani. He still wondered how it had been done - if there had been a science behind the visions, it was beyond his grasp.
His headache increased, and he had to ask for medical help from the overseer.
DAY 74
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The city of circular ruins on the African savanna had been around for - there were no good theories anymore, because even the Sirians confessed they didnТt know for sure. Their automatic space-probes, they said, didnТt date back that far - a fact that made the circular ruins seem even more impressive. All they could tell Carl Sayers was that the visible ruins were built on a much older, underground foundation. Carl suppressed his personal anger over previous generations of European scientists, who had either claimed УNegroesФ were too primitive to have built the city, or that the ruins were not that old anyway. The visible ruins, like the pyramids of Egypt, might well be a small remnant of a previous culture, now turned to dust. So many cultures, so many generations had existed before the present, that their traces made up part of the very ground that the group walked on. The Sirians took their time walking around the ruined city, the ancient cobblestone pathways, feeling the dark stones, probing with their instruments. Some of them closed their eyes and put devices over their heads, seemingly sinking into waking dreams of another time. Takery tried asking them if they saw images from back when the ruins were a living city, but got no definite answer. The Sirians kept a lot of secrets for no apparent reason; Takeru began to wonder if they would ever share them with mankind. He decided to attempt something desperate, telling himself he was acting as a citizen and patriot. УMoanossoans!Ф The tall, talkative female amphibian had been straying a bit apart from the rest of the group, and he had followed her to a clearing. УYyyes?Ф УLook, Moanossoans... look at the beautiful flowers growing over there!Ф He felt like an utter fool as he pointed out the dry flowers growing in the cool shadow of a black ruin wall. УDo you want me to pick some of them for you?Ф УIs iit allowwwed?Ф she asked, eyeing the flowers curiously. УYes, no problem. Wait here.Ф Takeru nervously hurried across a ruined street-crossing, snatched a half dozen small, purple-and-white flowers from the ground, then returned to the much taller Moanossoans and offered her the bouquet. She took it at armТs length, punched a knob on her metallic vest, and seemed to listen for a second. Then she smiled down at the shorter Takeru with her wide, thick lips, and made a rapid clicking-noise. Her already half-closed eyes narrowed further. УWhhy do yyou diiid liike sso?Ф she asked. УBecause... because I like Sirians. I like your people. And to do like so, is one way of showing I like you.Ф She did not put the flowers under her nasal openings to take a sniff - Takeru assumed her sense of smell was so good she didnТt have to. But there was the slightest movement of her nasal openings...
УExplaaain howw you llike mmy peopllle...Ф УI want to be like your people. I want to be near your people, and do the things you do. I... envy you. Do you know that word - СenvyТ?Ф He looked around him - no, the others hadnТt gone looking for them just yet. At length she nodded, once. УYyyes... envvvy.Ф Moanossoans suddenly devoured the bunch of flowers, stalks and all, chewed them thoughtfully, and swallowed with an audible gulp. УVeryy good food, like you mmade oon Alieeen Beachh. Thhank yooou vvvery muchh, Takeruuu...Ф She gave him a quick smile - too quick - then turned and walked rapidly off down a path where the rest of group had went away. Takeru was no social genius, but he knew a brush-off from a pretense of ignorance. He wanted to kick himself; that female had seemed the most easygoing of them all, yet she had seen through his feeble act of flattery at once... УWhere you been?Ф Carl asked Takeru when the Japanese engineer returned, a minute after Moanssoans had joined her group. УI just had to take a leak,Ф Takeru lied. УAre we staying here all day?Ф УIТm not sure. TheyТre already talking about the next place they want to stop by.Ф УEurope?Ф УYes, how did you know?Ф УIt doesnТt take an Einstein to figure that out.Ф Ann could stand the blistering African heat; she was wearing her straw hat. Even the amphibians were starting to wear them, much to the amusement of some humans. She hated ruins. They only made her think of death, decay, and oblivion. There was so much life, so much activity and growth they could be studying instead... but the Sirians kept dragging the group on these morbid excursions to dead civilizations. She couldnТt keep her discontent silent for much longer.
DAY 76
Rome, Italy. Ann: УItТs creepy, the way they take pictures and use their instruments on the old ruins.Ф Lazar: УAll the other tourists do.Ф Ann: УIt just creeps me out, donТt ask me why.Ф Lazar: УWe need to discuss this later. IТll get back to you.Ф Ann asked Oanss his opinion of the sights of the 2000-year-old Roman ruins: white marble columns, restored wall mosaics, and worn-down, white cobblestone roads lined with tall pines. Oanss told her it reminded him of all the other dead cultures he had seen before... images of Earth from Sirian space-probe images, thousands of years old. She asked him how ancient the oldest dead, great culture on Earth was, and its location. He told her Egypt, twenty-five thousand years ago - to his knowledge. The foundations of the circular Zimbabwe ruins were older but he didnТt know exactly how old. A terrible thought came over Ann. УHow long do you think my culture will last, before it becomes ruins like Egypt or Zimbabwe?Ф Oanss made a face somewhat like a child being suddenly frightened, and croaked something she could not make out. He walked away from her, huddling like he had never done before. It was answer enough. The obsessive recording and recording of data... the breakneck-speed tour around the globe... the fixation with ruins of cultures once discovered while still active... there was only one reason why the Sirians were in such a hurry to learn all they could about mankind. She had to warn Carl. УIТve been talking this over with Ranmotanii before,Ф Carl explained to her. Ann was on the verge of tears, and her hands trembled as she held her coffee-cup. УD-do you think he would have given it to us straight, huh?Ф she said angrily. УRight up in our faces: СEarthlings, you are doomed! Now say cheese, so we can get some nice postcards of your civilization - before it crumbles, just like every other culture you ever built!Т Do you think he would say that?Ф УNo - and he didnТt. But he assured me that they arenТt invaders, waiting to take over. Their culture is inherently nomadic, so they expect settled cultures to die out in time - itТs natural for nomads to assume that.Ф УWhat bloody difference does it make? WeТre doomed anyway -У Carl grabbed AnnТs hands, commanding her attention. УAnn, Ann, calm down! Mankind as a whole is not doomed. What he meant - what I think he meant - was that if cultures settle down in one place for too long, they will die out - whether itТs a city or a planet doesnТt matter. So if mankind stays on the move, weТre practically safe! You know IТve always supported the drive to colonize space...Ф УYeah... yeah. I understand.Ф УGood. Now, even if the Sirians wonТt share their nuclear-powered spaceship-drive with us, or explain how they built that huge solar-sail... at least their example will inspire humanity. So weТre not doomed - only those of us who are stuck in the mud.Ф She nodded, sobbing slightly. УYou mean those who will not be inspired... those who will only feel threatened... who will respond like settled peoples have always responded to nomads...Ф УYes. True. There is a real risk of war, and itТs getting more obvious by the day. Believe it or not, the fleet that surrounds Alien Beach is there to protect the Sirians from attack, not the opposite.Ф УYeah. Thanks, Carl.Ф She wiped her eyes, and just for an instant Carl was tempted to kiss her. He moved away from her, and grinned reassuringly (or rather he hoped it would look reassuring). УWeТve all been working too hard on this project, Ann. ThereТs a lot of tension around. As leader of the team I strongly suggest you take a vacation away from Alien Beach.Ф УNot yet. I just have to -У УAs of now.Ф УWell... okay. I was planning to go back to Sri Lanka, to see Arthur. HeТs been begging me to come and tell me about... you know. As soon as this tour is over, okay?Ф УOkay.Ф
Chapter Fourteen
УPatty! Are you awake?Ф УHmm?Ф УPattyЕ tell me more about yourself. I mean, IТve been here such a long time and I still barely know you.Ф УI did not truly live until I joined RanmotaniiТs flock. As you see me know, you know the real me.Ф
УOkayЕ but what was it like before?Ф УYou really need to know?Ф УYes. ItЕ could help me enlist more adepts.Ф УSoldierЕ you must tell no one else. Outside influences are a diversion from the true path.Ф УOf course.Ф УIЕ I was raised by rich parents. My mom was a big moviestar in her youth, then she married her director. HeТs a rich Hollywood producer now. They groomed me to become a star. Dad cast me in his new TV series. I had it allЕ lovers to pick and choose, a new nose, new breasts, expensive clothes, fashionable drugs, five cars, my own apartment in Beverly HillsЕФ УDid they treat you badly?Ф
УMy life had no spiritual bearings. My parents meant well, but they were blinded by material success. Then, when Dad started to plan a TV series and a movie about the Sirians, he invited the Regional Elder from the new Church of Ranmotani as a consultantЕ and the Regional Elder showed me the true path of life. I soon left my old life to join his flock.Ф УDidnТt your parents intervene?Ф УOh, they tried. They almost lured me from the true path with promises of money, fame, a starring role in DadТs next movie... but I rejected their false ways. IТm happy now. DonТt think of it.Ф УDonТt you miss them sometimes?Ф
УNo, not at all... Did you leave anyone to join us?Ф УDidnТt have much of a life to leave. Patty, thereТs something I must tell you about. When the Sirians first made themselves known to us, I had these sudden visionsЕФ УYou should talk to an Elder about it. We are not allowed to discuss individual experiences in private.Ф УBut -Ф УTalk to an Elder.Ф УOkay.Ф
DAY 78
Cannes, France. Mats Jonsson made a phone call to Carl, from Alien Beach. УItТs time for your physical check-up again. Please drop by the nearest hospital and get a quick scan of all of you, Sirians excluded.Ф УCan do. E-mail the specs, will you?Ф УCheck your laptop, itТs there already. Just tell the hospital to send their results straight to me without analysis. I need your full-body X-rays, CAT scans, blood samples, urine...Ф УI think we can get it for you, Mats. Thanks for the reminder.Ф УHow is the group doing so far?Ф УYou mean us, or the...?Ф УBoth.Ф УOur visitors are fine I think, but the Сland-humansТ are a bit tense. Ann had a small nervous breakdown in Rome, and IТm getting worried about Lazar. HeТs using his Sirian thought-recorder every night, he claims it helps him in his work. But heТs been acting strange the last few days...Ф
УStrange?Ф УSort of... distant, not quite there.Ф УHave you tried asking him to stay off that device?Ф УHe wonТt listen, and what can I do? Until he also cracks up, I cannot interfere with his work... and somehow I trust him. But the ones left on Alien Beach, how is their health? Any alien infections showing up yet?Ф УNo. There have been a few upset stomachs and headaches, but it turned out to be stress symptoms, no alien bacteria at all. In fact our crew is healthier now, than when they arrived! And those pesky sand flies have all but disappeared. Can I blame it on the Sirian machinery on the island?Ф
УAsk them if they are actively keeping germs and pests off the island. It might be they are protecting themselves and accidentally keeping you clean as well.Ф УWill do. When will your team return?Ф УCanТt really say. Weeks... months... itТs up to them now.Ф УOkay, see you then. Take care.Ф УThanks. See ya.Ф Carl put down his phone and felt at his chest. His heart was beating steadily, and he didnТt feel anything to be wrong with him. One day, as the doctors had warned him, his cancer would return and finish him off. Carl wanted another lifetime, three more lifetimes with the amphibians... and all he had been granted by the U.N. was this one, measly year. His heart began to pound harder.
DAY 79
Lascaux, France. The group was allowed deep into the painted caves, where images of ancient life adorned the walls; bison, deer, mammoths and smaller animals. Oanss was fascinated, even more so than the other amphibians. УThiss was nnnot ooon the iimages froom the oold Sirriann expeditionn!Ф he exclaimed to Ann, who was standing next to him in the lamplight. УThiss is ollder thaan sso...Ф УDo you like the painted images?Ф УCaannot sayyy... hhhow I like the paiinted imagess. Like soo... I amm...Ф Oanss seemed to fall into a trance. Without warning, he tried to reach out past the railing and touch the cave walls. УStop, Oanss!Ф Without thinking, Ann grabbed hold of OanssТ upper arm and stopped it. She jerked still, swallowed - for one moment afraid of his response. УThe images are too old, they will be destroyed if you touch them,Ф she explained. The taller amphibian made a formal nod and shrank back from the wall, turning away from her gaze. УCorreect, yess... I amm sorrry Aaann... Oanorrn ssays land-huumaan imageees arrre baad ffor ouur braains.Ф УWe need them in order to live. We call them СartТ.Ф УExpllain thee woord... Сaart?ТФ УArt is... Lazar? Help me out. I think you know the answer?Ф УOh yes, I understand what youТre getting at. Oanss, СartТ is what we land-humans have instead of your machines that record and play dreams. You see what I mean? Instead of actually knowing what we think, we make art to try and show our thoughts to each other.Ф УYesss... yees... I thhink sommethiing sstrange noow. Iff I couuld nnot rrecord annd plaay mmy thooughts, I wwould doo painteed imagess iinstead?Ф УYes!Ф Ann giggled. She couldnТt recall seeing any Sirian do anything artistic, except song, simple flute-playing, and that ritual dance on the island. She looked at the amphibian, and she was intensely curious to follow his thread of thoughts. УOanss. A question: if you painted an image of what you were thinking, on this wall, what would you paint?Ф OanssТe eyelids fluttered rapidly; he looked from Ann to Lazar to the cave paintings, with visible and growing confusion. УI doo not understaaand,Ф he told them, voice rising to what might or might not be a wail of inner turmoil. УI doo noot understaaand!Ф Oanss suddenly walked away from them, back up to the cave entrance, ignoring their shouts and gestures. УWhat... what did I do?Ф Ann asked Lazar. УHow could it be so hard for him to imagine that, with all his knowledgeЕФ УPlatoТs cave,Ф Lazar muttered. УPlatoТs cave.Ф УLetТs go back up. Explain yourself.Ф They ascended up toward the surface, ducking down in places where the roof came down low. Lazar did the talking, while Ann helped him tread his steps through the ill-lit passage. УDo you remember from the school textbooks, that ancient philosopher PlatoЕ who wanted to abolish all artists from his imagined Сperfect stateТ? Well, the Sirians have finally reached that СperfectionТ themselves. At first, I didnТt know if they were hiding their culture, to avoid making too much of an impression on primitive mankind.Ф Ann shook her head dazedly; Lazar went on. УOf course they mustТve had СartТ at some point in the past, while they were yet developing. But now... they have reached all their dreamed goals. And if they would feel like sharing their thoughts and yearnings with a fellow amphibian, their technology can handle that. УSo there is no need for art as a creative outlet, or to channel your inner secrets to the community. Hence the blandness of their culture...Ф When they reached the exit, Lazar was sweaty from the exertion, his voice hoarser than usual. УIТve come to these conclusions in the last few weeksЕ but I decided to not talk about themЕ until my final report is delivered at the end of the Sirian visit...Ф
Ann stared at the wrinkled, sweaty light-brown face of Lazar. He was smiling at her, as if he hadnТt noticed the incoherence of his last sentence, and casually wiped his own brow with a handkerchief. She looked away reflexively, yet knowing that he was oblivious to her reaction. As if... as if he... she refused to finish the thought. УLetТs see where Oanss went,Ф she said abruptly, avoiding LazarТs contented, strange gaze.
DAY 80
УBrother Soldier, for the last time: reject these false visions! Your mind has been clouded by the mental pollution of a materialistic society!Ф УBut Elder Tanii, they meant something. Just help me think this through -Ф УDonТt think! Unthink these false visions! You must let nothing obscure the true path to Sirian enlightenment!Ф УYes, Elder.Ф УChant with us, brother Soldier. Chant the praise of Sirius!Ф A disturbing mixture of sweat-inducing panic and ecstatic joy filled the soldier. The chanting, ever louder, sounded like the roar of the ocean to him. He began to vacantly stare out at the nearby Pacific Ocean. УYesЕ Such beautiful songЕ now I truly hear the meaning of the chantЕФ He thought his head was aching, but he wasnТt sure. It was all so fuzzy.
DAY 81
Berlin, Germany. The group took the bus straight through the city. The Sirians asked for some postcards. They said very little, even to each other. Carl and the scientists sensed a new ambience from the silent, watchful amphibians - something akin to tension, without an apparent reason. Carl dared not ask what was bothering them - he was afraid of what their answer might be, and recalled the fate of Bruno Heinzhof. How much did the Sirians know of mankindТs history? Still, they came here of their free will... why? In the evening, Carl became too confused to think or see clearly. He felt incredibly weak and inadequate, a mere child trying to make sense of a too large world. They were incomprehensible to him. Perhaps they would always be. There had to be some factor he was overlooking... some vital clueЕ Lazar felt ill. He wanted to leave the city. It had to be his age showing. УThis is an evil place,Ф Takeru said to himself. УWhat?Ф Carl asked. УI just realized that I missed the chance this year, to see the blossoming of the cherry-trees in Tokyo,Ф Takeru told him. УA very important festival back home.Ф УI wonder why the Sirians did not ask to see Japan when they were in the Pacific Region,Ф Carl said. УTakeru?Ф УWhy donТt you ask them?Ф Carl did so; their answer alarmed him. He hurried to tell Takeru in private. УThey have equipment thatТs measuring the tensions in the planetТs crustЕ and they expect a major earthquake in Japan.Ф УWhen?Ф Takeru asked. УThey couldnТt tell for sure. But we ought to warn the Japanese government.Ф УYes, yes. Why didnТt Ranmotanii warn us, until we asked them - by - by pure coincidence?Ф УI really donТt know. I thought I had them explained, but -У Both men were speechless. At least, a great loss of lives could be averted - but how many other waiting catastrophes did the amphibians already know how to predict? There was something on the soldierТs mind, a thought struggling to take shapeЕ but his near-constant hunger and the constant work schedule made it hard to think. He needed more food than they allowed his group. The downtown marketplace? He had no money, and he ranked too low in the church to be trusted with any.Steal, then.
When the opportunity came, he opted to join a small group on an errand to the marketplace; the groupТs overseer followed and watched them. The overseerТs name was Patty. The soldier waited, tense, until the moment Patty looked another way - and snatched a can of corned-beef from a market-stand. He was in a crowd and the shopkeeper didnТt see the theft. The soldierТs stomach rumbled more painfully, but he kept the can hidden the whole day. Later, he found the time to eat the stolen food. He ate too quickly, and his stomach reacted violently after having been adapted to rice and lentils. Pale and sweaty with nausea, the soldier excused himself from his group and went to rest in his tent. Yet a few hours passed; he felt a little better.
DAY 82
Stonehenge, England. The site had been evacuated just an hour earlier. British troops had forced the regular tourists away, before the Sirians were allowed to enter the open hill with the stone circle in daylight. The Sirians were excited and happy, examining the tall, ancient megaliths, stroking their surfaces with reverence, using their metal instruments on the gray rock. And for once, they eagerly told the scientists why: the previous Sirian visit by an automatic probe - 6,000 years ago - had surveyed and recorded the site while it was being actively used by humans. The old Sirian records matched the location perfectly, confirming their reliability. The British linguist of the team asked permission to see the recordings of Stonehenge from circa 4,000 B.C. The Sirians surprised the scientists by accepting at once. They set up a small device, and projected a hologram onto the surface of one of the megaliths, for everyone to see. Moving 3-D images at natural speed appeared, showing primitive people at work and in rituals, dressed in skins, furs, and woven clothing - more and finer clothing than one usually associated with the УStone AgeФ. There were few surprises in the images, except that they were taken at such close range. The Sirians explained that the observations were by a camouflaged, remote-controlled probe that the natives mistook for a bird. In these moving images, Stonehenge had not yet taken its present form. The circle of stones was familiar in size and position; but the stones themselves were much smaller, less impressive and more irregularly shaped. This made sense to the scientists; it was a well-known historical fact that new religions often built their ritual grounds on the sites of older, dying ones. Tents and wooden structures, an entire provisory village, surrounded the outskirts of the open height of the central site. Then followed images that shocked the team. A priest tied up and sacrificed animals to the sun god, on the central altar of the Stonehenge. First tame dogs, then a wild boar, then a deer, then a bearЕ then an adult man, then a womanЕ and finally a little child. There were even recorded sounds, coming from small loudspeakers in the SiriansТ wearable machinery that the group could hear. The animals screeched and so did the little child, as the grave priest slit their throats. Only the adults died without protest, and the primitive crowds cheered the slaughter. Lazar thought: It must feel peculiar to look at the human raceТs history from outside, and see the patterns we donТt see...
Carl said almost nothing during the rest of the day. He could barely make himself speak over the phone, even when his wife called.
DAY 83
With his mental capacity slowly returning, herding and stealing all kinds of food in secret, the soldier could finally find the strength to realize what had been nagging him. He was still unhappy. Not just because he was shaven bald, owned nothing (even his shabby robe and sandals belonged to the Church of Ranmotani), and his life now consisted mainly of hard labor and chanting. As if for the first time he saw his entire past life, and saw that he had always been unhappy - with himself, with what he could expect of his life, with being human, not even a very bright human at that. Why had he wasted so many years of his life acting like an overgrown teenager? In hindsight, his joining the army had been nothing but a desperate attempt to break with adolescence and become a grown-up, once and for all. His army years, he saw now, had been an immense disappointment; the war had shattered his aspirations to improve himself, to belong to a purpose. He had proved incapable of following the basic purposes of any army: to kill in combat, and to obey orders without question. The soldier felt moved by a sudden, skewed gratitude toward the cult. The half-starvation it had put him through, must have cleansed his system of all the alcohol and dope he had been destroying his brain with, ever since he dropped out of the military. Finally he was cured of his addictions. With the poisons sweated out, he could no longer escape himself and his past. So, the soldier asked himself as he was sweeping the open place before the main stage, what should he be doing now? What about the aliens on nearby Alien Beach, he wondered. Had they really anything to do with his visions... He had not yet decided if the cult actually was in touch with the Sirians - there was still some mental block that stopped him from doubting the cultТs leaders. For now, he had to assume the visions were an individual experience. And they were about alien life, about life in a totally different culture. He could not have made the visions up himself; they were too detailed, too vivid. And there was a pattern to them; each vision had felt like coming from the one, same alien. Sampled experiences from a life. The soldier recalled the TV broadcast from the first Sirian landing on the Moon, when that astronaut had received a gift. What was it again? A device that records and plays thoughts, wasnТt that what Ranmotanii had called it on TV? There had been no further news of that detail - the government had of course classified it. You idiot, the soldier thought, how could you have missed such an obvious lead! They have the technology to record and play thoughts, and IТm the living proof. This is some kind of experiment theyТre doing... First they contacted us with television, because they wanted to meet us on our own level. But then theyТll start to try and communicate in the way that feels natural to them. But how? And why me? ShouldnТt there be others receiving visions as well? Others in this cult? From the corner of an eye, the soldier glimpsed Tanii, the Regional Elder, coming his way across the dusty field. The fat bearded man moved closely surrounded by his robed officers, bodyguards, and his accountant from the churchТs American headquarters. The soldier stepped aside, and they passed by like he didnТt exist. The Regional Elder had discarded the soldierТs hallucinations as mere delusions. But if Tanii was in telepathic contact with the Sirians, as he always claimed, why didnТt he also read the soldierТs thoughts now? Screw you, you fat bastard, the soldier thought, glowering at The Regional ElderТs neck. The Regional Elder didnТt even slow down his pace. The soldier frowned with newfound insight. He had been indoctrinated. And he had been too weak, too addicted, to desperate for acceptance to resist. But after curing his drug addiction, the cult could be of no more help. It was getting to be time to leave, when the opportunity came. A few days before, two cult members had tried to escape on a boat leaving the island; one of them made it, but returned back on his own a day after - so strong was the pull of the cult. The soldier could admit to himself now, that he too had grown afraid of the outside world - which might condemn him as an insignificant lunatic among others. His shame was great.
Chapter Fifteen
DAY 85
New York, USA. With only half a dayТs beforehand notice, the security buildup had proved swift and immense. Yet, anyone could have expected that the Sirians would eventually come to New York, the city featured in countless broadcast images and words. Armored police trucks were driving down every block of Manhattan Island. Heavily armed officers, wearing vests and helmets, were posted on every street-corner. Scores of helicopters were buzzing in the dirty sky above the high rooftops. Four Secret Service agents, constantly overhearing the police band through discrete little headsets, flanked the back and front end of the bus. The Sirians had been asked to visit the United Nations Headquarter long before, but they had not given a definite answer - up to and including this particular day. УWe can take you straight to the U.N. building, where you must meet the leaders of the planet. The rest of New YorkЕ is just not worth seeing.Ф Carl explained the state of things to the seated Sirians, before the bus left the Kennedy airport. He wanted to take them straight to the United Nations building - this was the city where he grew up, and he didnТt want his guests to risk visiting it. Moanossoans spoke up for her group: УCaarlsssayeersЕ vvery impoortant ffor uss to sseee reallly. Nnnot onlly traansmitteed imagess offf Neeew Yyyork. Wwhen wee see realllyЕ wee becommme less nooot realll. You doo understaand thhis I sayyy? Uniteed NationnsЕ lateeer. Whennn theen wwwe sayy soo.Ф She assured him she knew the placeТs reputation for danger. Ranmotanii casually agreed with her - whatever authority the old alien purportedly held, it now seemed far less absolute than the humans had first assumed. (Which went to show how much humans took for granted.) Carl could at least comfort himself with the fact, that New York was less violent now than it used to be ten years ago. It was also a lot blander. УGiveТem the grand tour, then head for the U.N. and wait for further orders,Ф he told the driver. The bus moved, went from the airport onto the highway, across one of the many crowded bridges, and entered one of the most urbanized islands in the world. Most of its major sights were passed by on the way. The seven amphibians stared out the one-way windows and pointed excitedly at various things: the Statue of Liberty, the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the neon signs on Times Square, and the new, pastel-colored Disney block. They behaved much like the other tourists groups from Europe, Asia, and South America, though their УcamerasФ were infinitely more advanced. After an hourТs driving through the straight streets of Manhattan, a brief summer rain ended. The sun burned mercilessly at the wet pavements - Carl was busy talking over the phone with various important people, preparing for the SiriansТ hotel stay and their security arrangements for the U.N. Headquarters - if they should suddenly decide upon going there after all. A large concentration of police forces were already sealing off all blocks surrounding the building. Ann and Lazar were talking to Oanss, asking him what he thought of the city. УNeww Yoorrk lookss llike otherrrЕ ooother thaan Siriuss way off liiife. You uunderstannd thiis? I donnТt uunderrstand wwwhy mannny laand-hummmans live inn theee conncentraation oof nummber lllike soo.Ф УLand-humans want to live and work close to other land-humans. Back at Alien Beach, we always saw you, Sirians, moving in groups of several peopleЕ so you are a little like that too?Ф Ann suggested.
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