Fear and Aggression (28 page)

From the moment that Mark approached his
school, he could feel that today would be unlike any day he had
experienced before. It was both quiet and loud. About half the
number of students as usual were visible, yet the noise and chatter
was double that of a typical morning. It didn’t take long for news
to spread. Mark, who until today was practically invisible at
school, was beginning to take on rock star status.

The students that showed up were overall
very excited about the new discovery, and that the now-famous
Captain’s brother was in their midst. By the time that the bell
rang, and school began, Mark was smiling ear to ear. The classroom
was less than half full. “Where is everyone?” Mark thought.

The teacher began to address the concern.
“The world is in shock this morning. The news of another world with
intelligent and alien life has caught many people off-guard. For
generations, we have been reading and watching fiction on the
topic, but, for most people, it was just that: fiction. Even when
we began to travel in space, to the far reaches of our galaxy and
beyond, the constant reports of no life outside of our planet made
this possibility seem so remote. Today, it is no longer fiction, or
theoretical; it is real. Most of you, here today, come from
families that are excited about the news. You have been
intellectually and emotionally prepared for this event. But, many
people in our community are paralyzed with fear this morning. They
think that since we traveled to them and captured them, they, or
perhaps another alien race, could do the same to us.

Even if that is true, it is irrational to
react as though it will happen today. But, that is what is
happening; people have now awakened to a new reality and are
fearful because of it. When people become fearful, they respond in
a variety of ways. My biggest concern is that they will make
choices that could ruin our community, like buying up all of the
supplies at grocery stores, or all of the gas. They may run on the
banks, or not go to work or school. People may run around like
chickens with their heads cut off. The internet is already filled
with the most irrational ideas, and people are latching on to so
much of it. Today, the President will address everyone, and we will
all watch his address here at school. We have to hope that everyone
will listen, and that he can bring comfort to this nation, and to
the world.”

Mark wanted to comfort everyone, too. He
wanted to stand up and say, “My brother has got this under control.
Everyone will be fine.” But he knew that he couldn’t say that. The
students in the classroom were hushed, and Mark could see that they
were becoming fearful. The teacher’s speech was not making things
better. Now everyone had both aliens and each other to fear. If the
aliens didn’t get them, then they would get each other. The teacher
didn’t bring lesson materials for the day. After she got off of her
soap box, she went to her desk. Slowly the whispers turned into a
hum of chatter. The rock star status was already giving way. Mark
heard and saw some stares. Some were looking at him as though to
say, “His brother brought this on us.” Still many others wanted to
talk with him about how cool it was that his brother had captured
the alien.

Mark was relieved when the bell rang, and he
could go to another class. The next period would be the President’s
speech, and he was looking forward to hearing more news. In the
next period, he was still in rock star status. Apparently, not all
of the teachers brought the same speech to their classrooms, and
most of the students were still, overall, excited about the events
of the previous day. The teacher was busy getting the audio and
video ready, and the class was filled with the chatter of excited
students.

“
When the speech starts,
everyone has to quiet down,” said the teacher.

Mark could hear the news reporter talking,
while they showed the microphone and stand that the President would
speak from. He wanted to hear what the reporter was saying, but it
was not possible amidst the noise. Then, the President walked in
and approached the microphone. “Shhh,” called out the teacher. The
class hushed and listened.

“
We have been living in
extraordinary times for many years now. Science and technology have
brought to us, and to our world, advancements that we could never
have imagined, just a short while ago. Yesterday, we announced the
most profound scientific discovery of all. We have discovered a
world, far from ours, filled with life. On this world is an alien
species that is intelligent. It possesses technology. This species
lives in houses, in towns, villages, and cities. It has a complex
language, both written and spoken.

“
Captain Jenners, as
reported yesterday, has secured one member of this species and it
is currently living on his Galaxy Charger that is orbiting this
alien world. We have been orbiting this world for one month, and
have had the alien on board for several weeks. We have completed
several biological and psychological studies of this alien
creature. I am pleased to report that Captain Jenners, his crew,
and our civilian scientist on board, Tammy Rogers, have completed
this mission and all studies with the utmost valor.

“
We are in full control of
this mission, and we have detected nothing of a threatening or of
an alarming nature. I understand that this news has alarmed many of
our citizens and much of the population of the world. It is
historic, and unfathomable to many people. I understand that many
of our citizens have become concerned. This is natural; as I have
received the reports, I, too, have felt like the rug under my feet
has been pulled away at times. Still, the level to which the Space
Force and Captain Jenners have handled this is highly commendable.
This situation is under such control, that the Space Force has seen
no need to send in reinforcements to this planet. This mission is
being fully run by Captain Jenners. The remaining of the ZX-120’s
are continuing their own separate missions. Should any need arise,
they could be sent there in short order. We have no concern for
either the safety of the earth, or the safety of Captain Jenners
and his crew.

“
We do not yet know if
additional planets contain life as do ours and this planet. We feel
that this discovery, while incredible, does not change the security
of our planet. We see no reason to be threatened by this alien
race. We will continue to monitor this situation. It has been
determined by our top scientists that with two planets containing
life, now known, the odds of additional planets filled with life,
even intelligent life, is now greater—much greater than what we
previously expected. The greatest way to ensure our security on
earth is to search out and discover where these other planets are,
while continuing to monitor this planet that we now know
of.

“
Sometimes the fear of the
unknown is the greatest fear that we can face. Today, I want to
help to clear up the unknown. I cannot disclose the location of
this world, but I will try and answer as many questions as I can.”
The President finished his introduction and looked out over his
audience of reporters, ready to answer their question.

“
Mr. President, how does
the intelligence of these aliens compare to human
intelligence?”

“
We have a sample of one
right now, but this particular creature exhibits the same
intelligence as a highly educated human. In the case of this alien,
language IQ is exceptional—genius even; math is somewhat above
average.”

“
Is it thought that they
are a more advanced race than the human race?”

“
No. This planet exhibits
technology that is similar to technology on earth from two hundred
years ago. They have one city, with some surrounding towns, that
have electricity. It is used primarily for lighting right now.
Other parts of the world are living in a pre-electricity state.
They do not currently use motorized vehicles. They do not have any
crafts that can fly. We have seen no evidence of wars or military
conflicts on the planet’s surface. Now, one month is a short period
of time, but still the planet’s inhabitants appear peaceful. They
do not show any evidence of radio or television transmissions. The
city with electricity does have what appears to be scientific
experimentation—but, once again, it appears to be the type of
things that our world was discovering in the nineteenth century. We
see nothing that would indicate a capacity for the creatures of
this world to even leave the surface of their planet, and certainly
not multi-dimensional travel. They do not currently have the
capacity to travel to earth, peacefully, or otherwise.”

“
What is this alien
creature like? What does it look like?”

“
Way to fit in two
questions at once.” The President was hoping to break some of the
tension in the room with a light joke—it didn’t work. “We have a
female of the species. It appears that they reproduce as we do.
They are humanoid. This alien would be best described as very
beautiful. The creature is named Aspiria. She has been fully
cooperative. She has shown exceptional language ability, and is
already communicating with our crew in English. Captain Jenners has
made some impressive progress in learning her language, but it is
extraordinarily complex. She does not show any signs of hostility.
The most telling thing that I can say is that the crew has found
her to be enjoyable company.”

“
Will we be returning her
to her planet, or bringing her here?”

“
I will not address that
at this time.”

“
Will photos and videos be
made available soon?”

“
That is being looked into
right now. Intelligence is determining if we should declassify
that. We had not intended on making this discovery public as
quickly as we have; so, we are unable to answer that
now.”

“
Is the planet hospitable
to humans?”

“
The atmosphere is
identical to earth’s atmosphere. It exhibits similar temperatures.
The surface gravity is the same as the earth’s gravity. Captain
Jenners and crew are living with this alien creature, sharing the
same food, air, and living conditions with no signs of problems. At
this point we believe that our worlds are mutually compatible in
sustaining life.”

“
What about the risk of
disease spreading from this planet to ours?”

“
So far, Aspiria has
contracted multiple bacterial infections from our crew, but they
have been easily treated with antibiotics. It is not possible for
our species to share viral infections. None of the crew has shown
any sign of infection from the alien bacteria. In theory, we would
be susceptible to infection by it, but our immune systems appear to
be more adept at fighting it off, than hers is of fighting off our
bacteria. This is very preliminary. It is likely that with further
exposure, we will learn a lot more. This particular ZX-120, the
Galaxy Charger, and crew will not be returning to earth until this
question has been completely addressed.”

“
Why are viral infections
impossible to share?”

“
I am told that this has
to do with our genetic structures being completely different. The
virus requires human genetics to replicate, and this species
genetics are as far removed from human genetics as
possible.”

“
I understand that the
ZX-120’s were equipped to keep any aliens atmospherically isolated
from that of the crews. Why are they not carrying out that
precaution?”

“
This was initially
carried out. However, Captain Jenners, after learning what I have
told you about the compatibilities of our species, decided to
remove the atmospheric isolation. It has allowed for a much better
understanding of this species. Much of what we have learned has
been via direct communication with Aspiria. During the atmospheric
isolation we were able to do some biological tests, and observe the
species, but we were not able to easily interact with her. From the
time that the isolation was removed, and she was able to move,
interact, and communicate with the crew, our understanding has
increased tremendously. Captain Jenners has employed one-on-one
language sessions with Aspiria, and much progress has been made.
Sometimes, risks have to be taken to move things along further.
Captain Jenners took that risk, and it is paying off.”

“
How does this
alien—Aspiria, as you call her—feel about her
captivity?”

“
I cannot begin to tell
you how Aspiria feels.”

“
You say that she
communicates in English; does she realize that she is in captivity?
What has she said about being in captivity?”

“
She does understand her
circumstances. She has expressed interest in returning to her
world. She is, however, being completely cooperative, and is, in
fact, being very helpful in all of our studies and
investigations.”

“
What promises are we
giving to her and her world in exchange for this
cooperation?”

“
That is a rather bold
question. But I have a simple response: nothing. Perhaps she too
recognizes the singularity of the circumstances, and the value of
understanding between our species. Whatever her reasons may be, she
has chosen to be very agreeable. We have not had to put any force
or pressure on her, nor have we had to bribe her. She is simply
cooperating fully with our crew and our mission.”