Page 23 of Soros
Tania nodded. “Those shoes are called high heels and she’s a scientist connected to NASA. Her name is Nigella Johnson and I heard that she’s up for a place on the next space expedition.”
People were walking back into the meeting room and Tania gestured for me to get ready to continue teaching.
I waited for the sixteen participants to get seated and then I said, “Now that we’ve spent all morning getting an overview of the different life forms connected to the Federation and the planets they originate from, let me remind you that there are far too many species for me to mention here today. As I promised before the break, let’s take a little time to answer questions.”
Several asked questions at the same time and it made me smile. “Okay, how about we go around the room and then you all get to ask a question.” I pointed to the man closest to me. “What’s your question?”
“I want to know if you have a special alliance with any nation over another and how we can trust that this information that you’re sharing with us today will stay confidential? If the normal citizen found out that we’re not alone in the Universe, chaos would ensue.”
I answered calmly, “The Cultural Committee of the Federation has a long-standing friendship with humans. At all times we have agents like Tania here to bridge the communication gap between us and you. There are a number of aliens working on and around Earth, but we are careful to go unnoticed. Units from our cultural defense team are patrolling this galaxy and keeping an eye on any potential threats from hostile species. The aliens working among you are typically researchers who are here to understand you better or to help you preserve your planet.”
A male with oversized glasses and a scar on his upper lip asked, “If what you’re saying is true then you have helped us with medical and scientific breakthroughs over the years, so when can we have the technology to travel beyond our own galaxy the way you do? And why not give us ways to defend ourselves against these dangerous species that might attack us?”
This was a question I had expected. My contact person K’rem at the Federation had warned me that this was a recurrent question from humans. “I understand your concern about wanting to defend yourself and your desire to see the Universe. When humans become peaceful enough to hold the responsibility of interacting with other species, then I’m sure you will be rewarded with the technology.”
There was muttering among the participants and so I elaborated, “I sense you are unhappy with my answer. The Federation’s cautiousness is based on the error in judgment with the Malbreeans. They don’t want to make the same mistake with humans.”
“What mistake?” someone asked.
My chest rose as I inhaled deeply and explained, “A long time ago, the Malbreeans were given the technology that you’re asking for. It’s been a problem ever since. They constantly want to expand their territory. If that territory is already occupied by another species, they have no qualms either killing the locals or exploiting them as slaves.”
A woman to my right spoke in a high-pitched tone. “We should be able to protect ourselves against such malice. What if these Malbreeans attack Earth?”
Trying to calm her down, I explained, “You already have some of the technology to defend yourself. Your weapons are powerful.”
“What weapons are you talking about?” she asked.
“You have several. There was one time in human history where you were given knowledge of how to protect yourself. It backfired. Once you understood the power of explosive powder, it didn’t take you long to create weapons to use against each other. Since then, the Federation has been careful about sharing technology with you. It seems that whenever we give you technology to solve a problem, you find a way to use it in a destructive way. We’ve helped you fight diseases by giving you medicine and technology to vaccinate your people. But some of the scientific insights we’ve shared with you have resulted in nuclear and chemical warfare, which was never the intention.”
“You’re talking about the nuclear bombs used in Japan, but that was all done by the Democrats,” a man in the back said with his nose wrinkled. “Truman was a Democrat. We shouldn’t all be blamed for that.”
I took a few steps forward and spoke to him and everyone in the room. “You need to accept that to the Federation there is no difference. You are all humans and that’s it. How you organize yourself, who you choose as leaders, and where you draw your borders is irrelevant to us. How you treat each other and your planet, however, is very important because it tells us how mature and aware you are as a species.”
A few of the people in the room looked down.
Continuing, I said, “Malbreeans are superior to humans and the rest of us Descendants of Doom when it comes to size and intelligence. But their bodies aren’t bulletproof.”
Moving on to the third person, a woman with a purple and green scarf around her head, I encouraged her to ask a question.
“Do you think it’s realistic to expect us to gain the technology to travel beyond our galaxy before everyone in this room has died from old age?”
My answer came without hesitation. “No. My guess is that the Federation would stop you if you obtained that information for your own safety.”
The middle-aged woman touched her scarf and spoke up again. “Who decided that only a selected group of people can know that there’s life in space? Why can’t it be public information? Did the Federation demand secrecy?”
“Yes and no.” Thinking about my answer, I explained, “It’s been discussed many times, but so far, the conclusion has been that it wouldn’t contribute anything useful to the human population. The unknown often feels scary and since the Federation has no desire to allow you to travel to other planets on a mass scale to explore other civilizations… what’s the point of you knowing they exist? If we lifted the protection status on Earth, your planet would quickly be overrun with curious visitors. You are defenseless when it comes to mind clouding and you would be easy to manipulate and take advantage of.”
My statement clearly provoked several of the people around the table. A man in uniform rubbed his large beard and raised his chin with a defiant stare. “Not all humans are easily manipulated. Some of us are skeptical in nature and perceptive.”
The table that the sixteen people sat around had an elliptical shape. The uniformed man who had just spoken sat furthest away from where I stood for my presentation. Seeing an opportunity, I walked to stand in front of him. It was easy to see that he was a proud man, but since he made that remark he would serve as the perfect target to demonstrate my point.
“Where are you from?”
“I’m General Hughes from Texas. Some say we talk slow, but we sure think fast.” He crossed his arms, resting them on his belly.
“Ahh, Texas. Isn’t it true that you have the best food?” I asked although I had never heard of the place.
He dipped his chin with pride. “It’s true. We’re known all over the world for our outstanding barbecues. We’re famous for our high-quality cattle and in my family, we have a famous recipe for barbecue sauce with a secret ingredient.”
