“The creatures can’t even decide what to call themselves, by the Emptiness!” Director, Research Team One, snorted. “Not Ready.”
“They have made spacefall, landed on their moon, have specific plans to send manned vehicles to their neighbor planet. Their technology will push them out of their solar system very quickly whether the planet unifies itself or not. We must make them ready. That is our purpose here,” Head Researcher, Team Two spoke.
Leveling a Look at her rival, she continued. “You perhaps wish to leave them on their own to infect this portion of the Galaxy with division and conquest?”
“Highly dangerous!” the military advisor barked. “Not advisable!”
“An unacceptable course of action, naturally,” intoned the Unseen Ambassador, Sending his own Look to the General. “Our own long-term projects show this species to be overly emotional. It gives those with empathy disorders advantages over the others. The general population can be easily and quickly moved from hate to adulation using fear and enjoyment. My observation and experiment teams give reports next. I offer their findings for greater understanding.”
The Unseen Ambassador made a stately bow on dissolving the connection and flowed off.
“Of his own awesomeness, of course,” a thought flashed from Second Researcher Team II, and his Head Researcher smiled inside.
“Better to keep such improprieties quiet, despite certainty of disconnection,” she admonished her junior. “Control.”
“I understand that stage 3 intervention has started among His Awesomeness’ onsite teams?”
“I expect to hear more after this nourishment cycle. We need the data to analyze a proper course.”
A bell sounded, and the small congregate raised themselves from their couches to return to the large assembly room.
The Overall Mediator for the Conference announced the start of a Prepared Sending from one of the Unseen Ambassador’s experiment teams. It involved androids mingling with the Terran inhabitants, attempting to assimilate certain subgroups. The Unseen Ambassodor took the lead once it ended.
“We designed this test to determine how deeply ingrained the fear of the Other has permeated this species,” the Ambassador hummed in conclusion. “Each distinct political division seems to have certain physical characteristics the others abhor, some quite slight. Using these creatures’ primal instincts for survival, specifically that of reproduction, we found that this repulsion can be reversed sometimes. If it occurs as a singular event, the surrounding units of family and society isolate the incident or the nonconformist. However if enough of the unorthodox couplings happen, change can occur.”
“Didn’t one of these experiments suffer a setback?” the Research Team One Director asked. “Due to partial discovery?”
A Silence emanated from the Unseen Ambassador.
“Forgive me,” came a Sending. “I am the unworthy one formerly in charge of that group. I underestimated the cleverness of this species and take full responsibility. The notes from my team show the events leading to the breach of protocol, which may be of some use.”
The Ambassador’s Silence ended.
“This came from the designer of the experiment, who now ruminates upon her mistakes where no more harm may come from them. I found much of interest in these accounts of the matter, however, which may mitigate our shame. Also, three other teams show promising developments.”
Research One Director stood at this.
“Ambassador, this data may prove important, but it shows the weaknesses of android tests. Gathering test subjects for study in our own laboratories maintains our security and allows our researchers to spend time on the study of these creatures rather than waste it on concealment.”
“Your group’s presentation time will come, so do not intrude on others,” the Ambassador intoned. “Many of the more civilized among the members of the Conflux feel your kidnapping of sentient species falls outside moral parameters. While your group acts under legal sanction, few others want to conduct such experiments, certainly not the sort you speak of where the subjects never return whence they came. Remember that before condemning others.”
The Overall Mediator interrupted this acrimonious exchange.
“Save such commentaries until after the presentations, please. The remaining time for this waking period’s session will belong to the Unseen Ambassor’s team reports. Please ask what questions necessary for understanding but keep the critiques for the proper times noted on our schedule. Please proceed, Ambassador.”
Note to readers: This is the prologue to all the stories. That android one is coming!
Tales from Teleri 