MEEK Page 33

  Hawk had the three captives contained in the transporter room which had been modified to restrain them. The AI lasered their weapons then anaesthetised them, the three captives were then placed in separate improvised cells. The Pride returned to its original position inside the Reservation. Hawk notified Major Thompson of the situation with a request he have the captives removed as soon as possible. The situation outside the Reservation was coming under control. The fleeing enemy force were being pursued and picked off one at a time. The major sent word that he would be in a position to move the prisoners in two hours and for Hawk to keep them separate so they could not communicate with each other.

  Mark, Jade and Clover had been aboard The Pride for the entire duration of the attack. Mark’s curiosity as usual got the better of him and he requested to see the prisoners. The prisoners had been medically examined and wounds treated, then dressed in light, white-coloured jumpsuits. They were still lightly sedated and sitting in individual cubes of Perspex-like material. There was only a short bench, a toilet bowl and a plastic bottle of water in each cubicle. Mark approached one of the cubicles but the Tuathans under Hawks orders, stayed out of view.

  The prisoner was a young bearded man with the signs of a past skin disease that left his skin pockmarked. He glared hatred at Mark and spat at him. Mark walked around the cubicle observing him closely. It was hard to get a fix on his age, possibly twenties was the best estimate he could come up with. The prisoner was already balding and when he opened his mouth to spit there were frontal teeth missing. He began to scream in Arabic although Mark could only hear a muffled sound outside the cubicle. AI translated it as a string of abusive name-calling and then a request for a Quran. Which AI refused after consulting with Hawk. Mark had a hunch and asked AI to describe the physical condition of the three prisoners. “All three have various physical defects, poorly formed skeletal systems, evidence of various childhood diseases, hearing and eyesight impairments, massive dental decay. Total physical condition indicates a life expectation of between fifty-three and sixty-two standard Earth years maximum unless they receive surgical attention. Blood samples taken indicate genetic abnormalities in two of the subjects.”

  “AI, why are they in such a condition?” asked Mark even though he knew the answer.

  “There are indicators pointing to prolonged degenerative genetic experimentation. A poor selective breeding programme is indicated. This, combined with environmental deprivation, is the cause of their limited life span.”

  Mark could not help smiling at the irony of the situation. The AI, which would not exist except for the genetic manipulation of its creators, now hands out a judgement like this on the type of barbarism that drove them from Earth in the first place. “Does the prisoner understand his situation and surroundings?”

  “To a limited extent. Your question is too vague Professor. I am not an empath and can only deal with provable data.”

  “Yes, of course. I apologise AI.”

  “Not necessary Professor.”

  Not for the first time aboard this ship, Mark felt his alienation showing. It was obvious the strike force would have been made up of elite troops. If these were the best of the best, then what were the rest like? If their physical condition was so poor what was their mental state? An empath could find that out without too much difficulty. Mark went to put a request in to Hawk. “Clover’s role here is to protect Jade when she is dealing with Earth’s envoys. What you are suggesting, would be potentially traumatic for her. However, I do concede the information gained could be very valuable in dealing with these people. There is no reason to expect that such an encounter would damage the subject as Clover would only read, not transmit.”

  Clover said she was willing to read the subject and could do a superficial reading from outside the cubicle, so she was in no physical danger. Mark and Clover returned to the prison cubicle. The prisoner jumped up off his bench on seeing Clover and began yelling in Arabic again. “He is saying that God will protect him from the Devil. That he is ready for paradise, praise be to God. He curses this evil thing sent by his enemies.” The prisoner cowered with his hands over his head in a corner. He was shaking with fear. Clover put her head against the cubicle wall. “I will have to calm him otherwise the reading will be incoherent.” The prisoner noticeably became calm. “He is very vulnerable to transmission. He does not know how to protect his mind. He does not question the thoughts he receives.” Clover became still and stayed that way for three or four minutes; then the prisoner suddenly screamed and fell face forward on the floor. Clover fell backwards into Mark’s arms and vomited. Mark carried her away to the medical centre and lay her on a bed. Hawk and Jade rushed in but she was already recovering by the time they reached her. One of the crew came in to report the prisoner was unconscious, but appeared to be stable.

  By the time the Major arrived to take the prisoners away, the subject of the experiment was conscious but looked heavily traumatised. His eyes were moving erratically from side to side and he had difficulty walking, he was shaking so much. He was looking at the Tuathans with total fear. As they were led away the major confronted Hawk with suspicion. “What did you do to him?” Hawk explained what had happened and was obviously upset that it had such a devastating effect on the prisoner. “The process is meant to be soothing, Professor Crawford has experienced it many times with nothing except positive outcomes. I am not able to explain the reaction.” Mark confirmed this, although he had a strong suspicion what had happened was of significance and wanted to confirm that this was no exception. He suspected the other two would react the same way. Mark decided to keep this information secret from the major.

  The next day, Mark asked Clover to relate her experiences with the prisoner. He did this away from the other crew and the ever-monitoring AI. They sat together under a large red gum tree. Clover sat here often, she loved the smell of the leaves and bark and was recovered from the ordeal totally.

  “This is hard to vocalise, Mark. I can only use words to give an approximate description. He is not sane by any sense that a Tuathan understands sanity. In our society he would be in a therapy centre. His insanity is so deep that we would die of despair if we were afflicted. Your kind, forgive me if I offend you Mark, are more used to such aberrations. In fact you hardly regard what afflicts him as insanity.”

  “What is the base cause of this affliction, Clover?”

  “It is his belief in a God. It is his devotion to a creed that has taken his free will and his ability to adapt to new concepts.”

  “Jade and I have spoken about this many times in the past. It is the reason why you are safer in this country, which is highly secular, than you would be in any other. You represent, to the religious, something that they do not want to contemplate.”

  “We fully understand this. I personally love being here and we wish to build a Tuathan-style society in isolation if we can. The prisoner however gave me much fear. If his kind are all like him, then the divide between them and us is insurmountable, at least for the next four or five hundred years. The differences between you and us are tolerable; understanding, with time, will grow steadily to our mutual benefit. They however live in a dark place filled with negativity. They are consumed by it and slavish in their attitude to it. They will always threaten you and us because we are intolerable to them. Our mere existence is a challenge to their supremacist beliefs. The bonding he felt when I tried to soothe his mind was like a bolt of lightning to him. It was not possible for him to accept because his mind does not use logic, it can only react to the stimulus fed into it. For me the experience was like embracing a lump of dying, diseased flesh.”

  Mark shivered at her description. His mind was racing and he needed to explore this entire idea further.

  “Clover, I know this is a big thing to ask but we need to find out if your assessment of their degradation applies to all three.”

  “Yes, we both need to know that. Hawk needs a full analysis of these... people. The sooner we
do it the better, Mark. Hawk will not object, he has been worrying over the genetic indicators and the possible significance.”

  Mark and Clover approached Major Thompson, who contacted Canberra. Authority to accept any procedures authorised by Mark was received. They went to first one cell then the other. Both prisoners displayed the same mental profile. Clover fed the information to The Pride’s AI and within an hour Hawk called a meeting of all executive personnel.

  “The situation is this. If these three are truly representative of their race then they are experiencing advanced genetic and moral degeneration that will eventually lead to their extinction. In the meantime you and my Tuathan settlers are faced with sharing this planet with psychopathic killers determined to destroy us. Clover indicated to you that we would need 500 years of breeding and tuition to remedy the situation. I am afraid that was a gross underestimation. I intend to concentrate our technology on building sophisticated defences. I would also like permission from the Prime Minister to take some more subjects to give us a bigger sample. They will not be harmed and would be returned to their place of origin after less than an hour’s examination. We are willing to share any insights with your government and will keep you informed. Any questions?”

  “Yes,” said Mark. “Are you suggesting that Islam has, in its attempt at outbreeding us, has destroyed the viability of its own gene pool? That it is breeding a new degenerated class of humans?”

  “Yes, poor breeding practices. Hygiene and nutrition have taken their toll. Our AI says that because they no longer have access to new genes through slaves and conquered peoples the process would have accelerated dramatically in the past three years. It is a theory we wish to explore in our sample taking.”

  “Feel free to take your samples, Hawk, I have the authority to grant this permission. Please be careful, I don’t want you to be the first Tuathan decapitated.”

  Two days later Barry, Mark, Jade and Clover were on their way to Canberra. Mark had been thinking of all the things he had learned about Tuathan society from Jade and had come up with an idea he wanted to test out on the Prime Minister and his companions while they were in the same room. A meeting was arranged at the lodge. Barry was trying to guess what Mark had up his sleeve and was hoping it didn’t involve being away from home for too long, as Barbara was trying to get him to spend more time with the family.

  “You have a proposition for me Mark?”

  “Maybe. It may also be a silly idea. You have read the reports on what happened when Clover did her thing on the prisoners, PM?”

  “Yes, she got more out of them than we did.”

  “That’s the point. The Tuathans, to their way of thinking, cannot possibly exist. They are defenceless against reality when it doesn’t fit their perception of the universe. All the religions of the world have chosen to ignore wherever possible that the Tuathans exist. Politicians in the northern hemisphere treat the subject as politically incorrect to even acknowledge their existence. Scientists who wish to find out about Tuath have to migrate to the southern hemisphere. The real truth is, that Tuathans are superior in every way to us all and are agnostics. That a large part of the reason they are superior is because they have no religious beliefs and regard it as insanity. I propose that we should use this in propaganda against the religions of the world. Try to disrupt their reliance on faith and offer them sanity through science. Offer healthier, longer lifespans, freedom and personal responsibility. Promote a democracy free of ideology at home and abroad. Put pictures of Tuathans and Tuathan technology in everybody’s face with the questions Why are you ignoring this opportunity? What are you frightened of?” Mark paused when he saw the troubled looks on Clover and Jade’s faces. “We don’t have to expose the Tuathans physically, just promote their philosophy as a proven alternative to all the destruction religions have unleashed on the world.”

  Paul looked sceptical. “The problem is if I start an anti-religion campaign using the ‘Tuathan Way’ as the example of ethical human behaviour, I lose support from the religiously inclined in this country. They are no threat to our society anymore and almost half vote for me because they know life is better for them here. Sure, it could be very divisive in the northern hemisphere and could give Islam some competition for hearts and minds. It could also increase the security risk for the Tuathans.”

  Barry also was unconvinced. “Buddhism is a philosophy that calls for pacifism and harmony. It has not stopped human nature from seeking to dominate others. It will take something more amazing than some sort of evangelistic campaign. We really don’t fully comprehend the Tuathan society ourselves. We have impressions built on information supplied by Tuathan visitors, that’s all we have to go on.”

  Clover and Jade, who had been silent but had been giving each other sideward glances, asked to be excused and left the room. Barry expressed his hope that he had not offended them in some way. They said no, but that they needed to discuss something in private.

  Outside in the corridor, Clover said, “Even if they knew about the Friend would it make any difference? Apart from possibly jeopardizing their own evolutionary development?”

  “I do not know and I am not prepared to take responsibility for telling them. It is well beyond the boundaries of our authority,” replied Jade.

  “We should let Hawk decide what to do. It is his responsibility; although I am convinced he will never divulge this secret because it would contravene his orders from the elders.”

  They both re-entered the room where they were looked at expectantly. Jade spoke, “We believe there is merit in the approach Mark wishes to take, but Barry is right when he said you do not have a full understanding of who we are. We wish to consult with Hawk before we can endorse such a proposal.”

  “I am sorry Mark, I am not prepared to endorse your proposal either at this time. The outcomes are too unpredictable,” said Paul.

  Later, on a secure telephone line, Hawk confirmed that what Mark was proposing was only permissible if there was no direct input by the Tuathans. Direct interference would never be permitted. As for the subject of the Friend, he was not prepared to breach the existing protocol. The elders have insisted its existence be kept secret.

  Over dinner that night with Barry, Clover and Mark, Jade tried to explain, “Even though we are fully aware of the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East and Africa we will not interfere. Even though we understand the damage religious bigotry is doing. Even though we still believe you are on a path to destruction, we will never get involved. These things cause a great dilemma for us as it is far from pleasant and quite harmful to our spiritual well-being to allow things to take their course. We know that interference would be at the best a waste of time. At the worst it could speed up the eventual end of your race.” Mark shook his head, he was far from convinced. It sounded like some form of revenge to him for what had happened to them in the past.

  “Is this some form of punishment? Tuath withholds aid because of our past treatment of you? Or is it because you plan to take over the planet once we self-destruct?”

  Jade and Clover were noticeably hurt by these remarks. At this point Clover broke in, “Mark, you know I am an empath and how difficult it is for people like me to be near the misery your race endures. If we could wave a magic wand and heal you, we would. But we have nothing other than temporary aid to offer. You must heal yourselves if it is to be lasting, but unfortunately there is very little time to do it and there is no sign of any real progress. This does not bring us any sense of satisfaction, only a deep sadness.”

  Mark felt he had been put in his place, it wasn’t the guests’ responsibility to take care of the host. “I apologise to you both. We really don’t understand you very well, do we?” The tension eased and the Tuathans looked relieved.

  “Mark, it is not entirely your fault. We have not fully divulged our history, most of what you know you have surmised. There is no native who has lived among us to help interpret our society or our view of the universe,” sai
d Jade.

  “Then perhaps in the interest of a better understanding I should visit Tuath?” said Mark calmly.

  There was a short silence. The Tuathans said nothing but just looked back at him with confused expressions. Barry decided it was time to take over.

  “So what you’re suggesting Mark is that you do a one-year study of Tuath with Jade? The immediate problem I see with that is Jade is the Tuathan ambassador here on Earth. Someone else would have to take her place. Also they may not want you there, you may be a corrupting influence.”

  “All I’m saying is I would wish to go if I was invited. We keep coming up against communication problems due to a different perspective. A formal study of Tuath may help.”

  Jade and Clover were still looking very uncomfortable. Jade took a deep breath. “The prospect of a native coming to Tuath has been something we have collectively feared for a long time. It has been our refuge, our escape from you. What you are asking is too much for us to contemplate. I love you; I am aware more than most that you are a good man and your intentions are honourable, but I think Hawk would think I was losing my mind if I suggested it.” Jade was aware that this rejection would be hard for Mark. His natural curiosity and trust in her had led him to this position.