Revelation, p.35
Revelation, page 35
“You know that I don’t like talking about myself; it seems so irrelevant to the important work that needs to be done here. But I understand your point. What kind of questions do you have in mind?” Michael replied.
“I’m thinking things like family, interesting historical figures you may have met, what it’s like to lead a team of people on an alien world, the things you love most about Earth… That kind of stuff.”
“OK, but one important ground rule,” Michael said.
“What is it?” The chief editor said, speaking for the first time.
“You can ask me anything, but I reserve the right to decline the question, and you will not air the question or the decline.”
“From an editorial perspective that is not an acceptable term.” The chief editor said.
“OK.” Michael said standing. “I have a lot to do today. Probably better for both of us if I get on with it.”
Sarah saw that faraway look starting to form in Michael’s eyes. “Don’t go, Michael. We accept your terms.”
“I trust you, Sarah. But my mission is too important to put in the hands of ruthless editors.”
“Michael, can you open your perception up to me for a second?” Sarah asked.
Michael nodded almost imperceptibly and pushed the answer. Yes.
Michael, are you sleeping with Noelani? Sarah thought.
Michael appeared shocked for a moment, then understood. He shook his head no, then said out loud, “All right, I trust you, Sarah. I’ll do the interview.”
Sarah looked over to her editor. “We’re good to go. Shall we go over to the studio?”
“My editorial decisions stand,” he said.
“Nothing to worry about. We’re good.”
…
The studio had been set up with two comfortable armchairs facing each other, but slightly angled toward a center camera. Four other cameras were set up, two facing Sarah, two facing Michael, but the lights were not up yet.
“Sarah,” Michael said in a quiet voice, “could you look me straight in the eye for a moment?”
“OK.” She locked eyes, a question mark in her expression.
Can you hear me? Michael pushed.
Sarah looked startled for a moment, then sent back, how are you doing that?
Alien telepathy, Michael sent.
Sarah broke out laughing.
The set had been quite still, the stage producer about to count them in. He asked, “Um… Is everything OK?”
“Fine.” Sarah said. “Just a silly thought. Won’t happen again.”
Yes, it will, Michael pushed, which caused Sarah to really start laughing.
“What the hell, Sarah, a little professionalism please,” the producer snapped.
“Sorry, are we ready to get this started?”
“Yes.” He replied “But a couple quick reminders. This is a segment in another show. So, no lead in, no context. The host will do that. Just start with the first question.”
“Got it,” Sarah replied.
The lights came up and the producer started the count down on his fingers—three, two, one…
“Michael, in polls taken last night, you were rated as the most recognized person on Earth, slightly nudging out the President and the Pope. You were also rated the most liked. What do you make of that?”
“I think everyone who takes on a mission like this hopes that they will be heard—hopes that they will be well received. But no one plans on it, or really expects it. So, I say to America and the world, thank you for the attention and welcome that you’ve given me. I hope it marks a new era of peace and prosperity for your world.”
Can I ask about missions where you were not received as well? Sarah thought.
Yes. Michael pushed back.
The sound of his voice in her mind almost triggered a giggle, but she reined in the impulse and asked, “Has it gone this way for you on every mission?”
“No, sadly not. Humans are remarkable people in many ways. They are curious. They are remarkably independent. They have great compassion and empathy. Fabulous qualities, even though they sometimes work against you. But many species are not like that.
“I was on a mission a long time ago that did not go well at all. In fact, it was the only mission that I’ve been part of that was a complete failure. The species in question was very intelligent and had a complex, interdependent civilization, both excellent qualities. But, unlike humans, they had almost no curiosity or individuality. When we arrived, no one paid any attention to us whatsoever. Eventually a couple of their leaders agreed to meet with us, then dismissed us and asked us to leave their world.
“We agreed to leave but asked if it’d be alright if we stayed for another week or two, promising that we’d stay out of sight. They reacted very poorly to that request, and their anger spread through the entire population in a matter of hours. We were lucky to escape with our lives.”
“Why didn’t you want to leave immediately?”
“In almost every civilization that we’ve encountered, your host will give you time to pack your bags and go. So, we thought we might have a little cushion to complete an important part of our mission, protecting the people from a plague that was about to break out. As context, we had discovered a group of asteroids that were going to strike the planet’s atmosphere. Although none of them were large, there were millions of these tiny things, each of which had high concentrations of a mutagenic compound that would disburse when it hit the atmosphere.
“When we were chased out, the tons of antidote that we’d fabricated were destroyed, as were the shield generators that we installed.”
“What happened to them?” Sarah asked.
“Extinction. They realized too late that they were in trouble and once 75% of the population had died, they called for help. But it was too late. We didn’t have enough spare equipment to generate enough antidote to make a difference. Of the 1 trillion people on the planet when we arrived, we were only able to save about 10,000, which was too few to sustain themselves.” Michael’s voice was full of emotion and a tear had formed in his eye.
“I know this is painful for you, but can you explain more about the role of curiosity and individualism?”
“Please do not hear any of the following as criticism. This was a fabulous species who had wonderful things to offer the universe. But the closest Earth analogy I can come up with is that they were like ants, a collective species. They were telepathic and lived in a state where their minds were mostly linked. If one was hurt, they all felt it and cared for the one. If one was hungry, happy, excited, they all felt it and worked together to equalize. Their art, architecture, and music were fabulous. But they did not have the individuality or curiosity to learn about new things. So, they were taken down by something incredibly simple and easy to defend against, because they’d never seen anything like it, and therefore didn’t pay attention to it. Very sad.”
Can I change subject and ask about your family? Sarah thought.
Yes. But tread lightly. Michael pushed.
“Michael, I’m so sorry to hear about that failed mission and am glad that you are here to help us. Can I move on to another topic?”
“Yes.”
“What can you tell us about your family? I mean you have families, right? Parents, children, siblings?”
“Yes. We have families.” The question made Michael smile. “In many ways we are a lot like humans in that regard. A male and female become mated for life. They bear children, although for us, twins are more common than single births. Like humans we become fertile in the years of early adulthood. However, we are longer lived, and the fertility period is narrower than it is for humans. The average human female has about a 30-year window in which she can bear children, about 40% of her life. For us that percentage is a little less than 20%.”
“In the hope I’m not pushing this too far, do you mind telling us how many siblings you have? Are you married? Do you have children?
“I am one of six siblings. I’m a fraternal twin. I was married and had two children.”
Sarah sensed great sadness. “Maybe I’ve pushed this too far.”
“No. Another difference between Lorexians and humans is life expectancy. An unenhanced Lorexian has a life expectancy of about 150 years, compared to your 80. With de-aging treatments, most Lorexians live to be about 250 years old. I expect that once this technology is available to humans, that average life expectancy will increase to 130, maybe 150.
“But, where your average is 80, no one lives past 110 or so. For us that gap is much larger. We have a deeply recessive gene that allows about one half of one percent of us to live to be 350 years without de-aging therapy. I’m one of those. I survived my parents, which is expected and, in some sense, cosmically right. I survived my wife, my children, and my grandchildren. I was still relatively young and vital when my children were in their old age, so I decided to sign up with the Ascendancy.”
“How old are you now, Michael?” Sarah asked. Then, Oops. I should have asked for permission first, she thought.
Michael smiled. “You asked me that once before. What was the answer?”
Sarah looked chagrined. “You said you would tell me if I told you my age first. Which I interpreted as being a polite way of telling me that it was rude of me to ask.”
“I’m about 25,000 years old. I long ago stopped counting and don’t know the exact number, although I’m sure it is listed in some Confederation database somewhere.” Michael’s comment was made with some humor.
Then he noticed Sarah looking at him in shock. “25,000 years… That’s one hundred of your people’s normal lifetimes… How is that possible? When you told me that you visited Earth 2,000 years ago, I assumed you’d used a time machine or some other magic. But you were actually alive then.”
“Yes. I was. And to the question of how it’s possible? Technology. And to the next question, will that technology be made available to humans? Yes. But it’s not easy, so few will actually achieve it.”
“Michael. My mind is completely blown. For the first time in my life, I don’t know what to say.”
“Then let me fill the gap. While I’m in this body, my original body doesn’t age. Well, it only ages at an extremely slow rate. If this mission develops the way I expect it to, then I will be in this body, or a replacement, for several thousand years. Which means the real me will only have aged about one year. The oldest Ascendants are well over 1 million years old. I got a late start, so am unlikely to last that long. But in the scheme of things, I’m still relatively early in my career.”
“Wait, wait, wait…” Sarah said waving her hands. “Earlier you said that some humans would live as long as you, but I was thinking a thousand years. Are you saying that some human—alive today, possibly watching the show today—might live to be a million years old?”
“I think it’s very likely yes. Look, your body is like mine. It’s biologically compatible, well, at least with my avatar. I fully expect to get a couple thousand years out of this avatar; therefore, I would expect that we could get the same kind of durability from a human avatar for you.”
“So, let me see if I’ve got this right… I would go through 100+ years of training. Then I would occupy an avatar for say, 1,000 years. But, I would only age 1 year. Repeat 50 times and I’m 50,000 years old. Did I get that right?”
“Yes, you did.”
“Can I sign up?”
“Anyone and everyone can. And I hope you do.”
“Can I move back to my question about family?” Sarah asked.
“Of course.”
“Can I ask how you met your wife? Like, how did you win your first date?”
“I guess you could say that I won the lottery. She was smart and beautiful. All the guys wanted her to ask them out. But she asked me.” Michael said with a melancholy smile.
“Wait. She asked you?” Sarah was incredulous.
“Sarah, on our world, females outnumber males two and a half to one. They always initiate. It is considered extremely rude for a male to initiate, no matter how attracted he is to a female. We also only mate in season, so there is rarely any confusion about what’s going on.”
“Michael, this is so interesting. I think the women of Earth like you more just by knowing that. Sorry, that was factitious. But does this difference imply that there is less sex-related crime in Lorexian society.”
“Yes. It is almost non-existent.”
“Let me press that a little harder… How well do you understand human sexuality?” Sarah asked.
“At one level very well. We know all the medical facts about human sexuality. Quite a bit better than humans do, in fact. We also have extensive knowledge about human behavior and tradition. But… Although we know all the facts, this is one area where humans are so different than us that we don’t always recognize what is going on between two people, and therefore cannot predict their behavior very well.”
“One last question on this topic. You and your staff have taken human form and live as humans on Earth. I’m not sure how to ask this, but are your bodies functional and if so, are you allowed to engage in that kind of activity.
“I’m not really comfortable with that question. But, yes. Our bodies are fully functional, designed to pass any test your medical technology has. But for numerous reasons, we don’t think it is a good idea for any of our people to procreate with each other, or with the native human population.”
“One last question… Historical figures… Who was the most interesting historical figure you met in previous visits to Earth? Nero? Herod? Jesus?”
“Yes. But I’m not allowed to talk about that.”
“What? Are you saying you met Jesus, Herod and Caesar?”
“I’m sorry Sarah. But I’ve already said more than I’m allowed on that topic.”
“Boom, mind blown again,” Sarah said, fingers moving in simulation of fireworks. “Michael, thank you for being with us today and for sharing more of your world with us.”
“Thank you, Sarah.”
HOME OF RABBI JUDAH LEVINE, JERUSALEM
Joel double-checked the address, then knocked on the door. After nearly a minute, the door opened, and the familiar face of Rabbi Levine opened the door. The rabbi stepped forward to shake Joel’s hand. “Shalom, my friend.”
A woman stepped up next to the rabbi. “Joel, please meet my wife Hannah.”
Joel was suddenly in a quandary as to protocol. “Rabbi Levine, Mrs. Levine. Thank you for inviting me tonight.”
“Joel, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Please come in,” Hannah welcomed.
Joel stepped over the threshold and entered their home. He had expected something a little larger, in a better neighborhood, then chastised himself for the thought. He’d trained for Israel, but here he was thinking like an American. “Thank you again for inviting me into your home. I find myself humbled to be here.”
Hannah smiled. “My husband tells me wonderful things about you. Is it true that you were at the controls of the device that saved us from the Iranians?”
“Yes, Ma’am. But… I don’t know that I deserve much credit. Michael and the team are the ones that saw the missiles coming…” Joel found himself at a loss for words.
“Joel, my sweet boy. It’s OK. You trained. You did your job with competence. And you saved us. But, not just because you trained and were there that day. You did it because you care.”
“Thank you, Ma’am. That is right. I never wanted to be in that situation. But, for as long as I can remember, I wanted to be there when someone needed my help.”
“You see. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“No, Ma’am. And thank you for your graciousness.”
“Joel?”
Joel turned toward the rabbi. “I got your message. It seemed to me that this would be a better place to discuss such things than an office or some other place where we’re just doing our jobs.”
Joel started to say something but was cut off by Mrs. Levine. “Good. Now that’s out of the way. Let’s sit, share some food and wine. Then we can discuss business.”
Joel followed them to a table, where plates and glasses were set out, and a bottle of wine had been opened. Mrs. Levine excused herself to get the food as the rabbi poured some wine.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll do as Michael asks. But we can discuss the details after dinner. Hannah wants to know more about you.”
“I’m in that much trouble?” Joel blurted out, suddenly worried that he’d said something way too serious.
The rabbi looked at him for a second, then burst out laughing. “You ARE one of us, aren’t you?”
Hannah walked in on the commotion. “OK. What did I miss?”
“It is nothing. I told Joel that we would defer discussing business until after dinner and he asked how much trouble he was in.”
“None whatsoever, my dear.” Hannah replied.
A blessing was said, food was served and then the ‘interrogation’ began.
“Joel,” Hannah asked. “How did you become the designated Consul to Israel? I mean, did you request the job? Were you simply assigned? Can you tell us anything about what led you to be here with us?”
“I can only partially answer that question. The short answer is that I requested this posting.”
“So, the long answer has something to do with why you requested it.” Hannah posited.
“Yes, Ma’am. This is where it gets hard. You see… I have a high enough rank in our system that I would usually be targeted for a larger country. Same with Michael. There are very prestigious postings in the Confederation that he was slotted for. But one of the most prestigious people in the Confederation, sorry that’s not true, the most prestigious person in the Confederation asked Michael to volunteer for this posting, which he did. Then Michael asked me to volunteer for this job as Consul to Israel. My impression is that his benefactor asked Michael to ask me,” Joel explained.
“Do you know why?” Hannah asked.
“No, but I’m pretty sure it has to do with the shields. Shield technology is my highest ranking. Given what has transpired, I think Michael’s benefactor knew that would be important.”
