The Voting Species (3 page)

‘
Members of
the Senate, the media, ladies and gentlemen. I have the most
exciting news: Humanity has been searching for centuries for
intelligent extraterrestrial life, not only have we discovered such
life, but we have arranged a meeting on Earth with these people to
discuss communications, and of course trade.’ The already quietened
crowd were stunned into the silence found only in space. ‘Contrary
to wild rumours there is only one unarmed ship on its way with a
delegation from Planet AO2374, that’s at the end of the Orion Arm.’
The murmurs grew, both from the crowd and from the Senators. ‘On
behalf of the Galactic Federation I have assured them of safe
passage to and from our planets. One of our shuttles will be
landing them on the Senate lawn in about an hour, they will want to
say a few words of greeting before they meet the Senators. I
strongly advise that we welcome these visitors as friends, they are
nothing like the malformed of science fiction, but look remarkably
like us. In case any of you need further convincing, their genetics
have been checked. After many months of talks we have concluded
there is no cause for alarm, even though they are very advanced.’
The Admiral waved his goodbyes and turned back into the
building.

The shuttle
hummed over the masses spread out before the Senate, it hovered
awhile to encourage them to disperse, leaving a landing pad of
manicured lawn. After a graceful touchdown the small ship was
swallowed up by the hordes that had just ebbed and now flowed. A
platform was hastily erected to soak up the glare of the mass
media. Then there was silence as a few uniforms could be seen
moving about in the observation bay. The airlock clunked open, the
ramp meeting perfectly the platform that was to become the stage on
which history was to unfold. Slowly and serenely, a tall slim
figure older than the warriors, walked straight into the human awe
where excited telecoms waited to devour him. The sacrifice, dressed
in a grey one piece suit, his hair the usual mop of his people
stretched himself to his full height. He started to brush aside
what to him was exaggerated attention.

‘
People of
Earth, we are pleased to meet you at last and hope that you feel
the same, we will be discussing with you the whole Galaxy. In
particular we wish to set up channels of communication between us
to clear the way for mutual learning and trade, I am sure we have a
lot to offer each other. I look forward to meeting your Senators as
a first step, and on behalf of my people I wish everyone in the
Galactic Federation peace and prosperity. As for me, I am the
Ambassador Designate for my planet, representing all my people. For
now I wish you a good day.’

A squad of
bodyguards surrounded the Ambassador as he was joined by five more
delegates, they then moved down into the throng. The returning
commotion in the form of questions flew at them from all
directions. Most telling of all were peoples’ offers of handshakes
which slowed the aliens fight to the relative safety of the senate
steps. At the top of which they disappeared into the white straight
lines of the building to reappear on the balcony, then to shake
hands with the Admiral and several Senators. After a few minutes of
polite waving, the balcony emptied to leave the crowd with the
usual mix of emotions from concern to awe to hope, sprinkled with
the anticlimax of such a short speech.

Senator
Cantrell sidled up to the Admiral. ‘The Senate
’s not happy Admiral, we never had a single debate on this
momentous event.’

‘
I regret
that myself Senator, but the aliens were half way along the Orion
Arm before they were intercepted. It appears they’d had their
debate! They made it quite clear that their journey to Earth was as
much for our benefit as theirs.’

‘What benefit?’

‘They have mine loads of uranium they want us
to enrich, and more to our point, mine loads of platinum with which
to pay.’

The Senator looked over his shoulder, then
drew closer to the Admiral. ‘Why can’t they enrich it
themselves?’

‘They can, but not quickly enough for the
economic growth they want. They are very business orientated
Senator.’

‘How can the Senate check all this?’

‘
You now have
the chance to question them, rather you then me, even if they do
have far more patience than Senators! Remember, they know they have
rights, they won’t be asking you for them!’

EVOLUTION TO REVOLUTION

The
genetics
and epigenetics laws were
strictly enforced because of the disasters as well as the blessings
that both offered. Keeping every human’s genotype and epigenotype
on record at birth had been the law for hundreds of years, this was
not only as an aid to keeping them on the straight and narrow, but
as basic medical records. The law allowed health remedies only,
strictly forbidding the use of genetics for cosmetic and
psychological modifications, especially intelligence. The often
cited case was the potential disaster of tempting people to treat
their children as fashion accessories; the planet Frontier, half
way round the Sagittarius arm let parents modify their offspring,
only to find that too many of the next generation would have been
blue eyed blonde males. Controlling gene expression through
epigenetics was permitted but monitored. This moderated the effects
of adverse environmental factors that caused many of society’s
usual problems. People discovered that even in the twenty fifth
century it was better to leave an appropriate share of genetic
expression to evolution. Adding to these challenges was another
never ending argument regarding choice. Were people completely at
the mercy of their genes? How much were they affected by their
environment? Could they escape from nature’s programming into the
wondrous world of choice? Here again it took even greater research
budgets as well as argument to decide that is wasn’t one or the
other but both. Such was the background against which society’s
arguments had raged for hundreds of years, and of course, casted
their votes.

P
ressure had now persuaded the
Senate to debate the proposition of setting up a tribunal that
could order an alien classification law change. Laws were presented
by the politicians, then tested by the courts, but this never
stopped the Senate trying to twist the wording of laws to their
advantage. The voters were asking and the media was screaming for
clarification of what some saw as the most perverse law ever
enacted. Inevitably there were those that were on the side of the
oppressed aliens, and many who were close to panic at the thought
of losing large chunks of their planets. Senate debates were always
amongst the elected fifteen Senators who could summon witnesses to
the proceedings. Therefore they always tried to out witness as well
as out argue each other. The Leader of the Senate would ask for a
vote once enough wind had been expelled; decided by a simple
majority, the Leader of the Senate casting the deciding vote if
required. There had been the inevitable shift in the arguments
since aliens had landed on Earth and shown themselves to be
intelligent. Now it was not only about their rights but also about
how useful they could be to humanity. The debate would be in
public.

The Galaxy
was back in the grip of the media where every spare piece of
telecoms equipment attempted to gobble up every political morsel.
While only three Federation planets had alleged intelligent aliens
on them, a few less fussy aliens had integrated with their human
neighbours and even enjoyed the so called civilized
life
; Denton had even met one of them who
was about to graduate. Most of the other eleven planets could
afford to sit back and righteously proclaim the equality of the
species; having no aliens with which to have problems with. Others
were still a little nervous of what lurked in their jungles, as the
level of integration from this direction would be incalculable and
unstoppable. It was possible that even in the twenty fifth century
detection techniques could be thwarted by aliens who didn‘t want to
be found, let alone integrated. But thanks to the gods, humans
followed an evolutionary path that gave many of them the gene
expression that fired reason and empathy.

At long
last,
one, who many had regarded as an
enemy of the people, was now virtually dragged before the
multitudes to give The Origins Society’s view of the unfolding
excitement. The young woman who Denton had already met shook her
long black hair back over her shoulders. Her face, although tinged
with bitterness, was largely triumphant. She spoke:

‘
Why aren’t
aliens flying about in spaceships if they’re so smart? That’s the
standard question we get time and time again at The Origins
Society.’ She felt that under the present circumstances she could
hit her own species hard. ‘That’s common human arrogance, mutations
and environments over millions of years led to our existence. We’ve
had our present intelligence for about a hundred thousand years,
only over the last thousand years have we learnt the science to
bring us spaceships. You should ask, why are we humans so dumb? A
planet’s life started evolving depending on its age, and only
roughly at the same pace as others; we appear to have our noses in
front…just, when you include knowledge. Aliens that could learn
from us are a real threat to many of you, so you cower in fear. But
thanks to the variety which is part of our evolution, others
welcome the idea.’ She paused to let her reprimand sink
in.

It seemed
that for the first time in its history, the species that had
labelled itself as wise man, couldn’t speak. She stared quizzically
at them and wondered how far out of ignorance they had come. Their
restraint erupted into questions, she had forced them to become a
little wiser!

‘
Take a look
at those idiots Alfonso, they’d dance at their own funerals!’
cursed out Senator Goring as he absorbed the festivities of those
who’d taken to the streets. He could only sneer at the enormous
news screen as he wallowed in the opulence of his office, waiting
for the inevitable prop from his grey aide in both expression and
dress, who oozed out cynical support from under his black
hair.

‘
The usual
false dawn Senator, once the alcohol has worn off they’ll be back
home worrying about their shares!’

‘
J
ust in case, is there any action
we need to take to thwart the bleeding hearts?’

‘
Of the
fifteen Senators: You and those who are accepting contributions
to
their worthy causes number five. That
means for us to be out voted at the Senate, eight of the remaining
ten have to go soft!’

‘Those sums I like Alfonso, is there anything
else?’

‘Yes Senator, it’s about Elena, we could use
her more effectively. She has a liking for business.’

‘
But business
is all about numbers,
she’d be the first
native to receive computer training.’

‘With her intelligence, she’d learn
quickly.’

‘Now, what are you really after Alfonso?’

The grey man
blushed. ‘We need someone who is well placed to help with our
expansion, and I’m in need of an assistant.’

‘
Nothing
else?’ The Senator smiled.

‘
There are
plenty of others who are less cerebrally challenging
Senator.’

‘
Yes…but use
her for routine accounting only...and try not to get tempted into a
more cerebral challenge!’

‘
Yes
Senator.’

‘
Thank you
Alfonso.’ Elena purred.
.

The grey man flashed a quizzical glance. ‘For
what Elena?’

‘For keeping me around after I strayed from
the Senator.’

Alfonso grasped the opportunity. ‘He’s got
over it now, I made it quite clear to him that you were a good
employee and could do more than just entertain.’

She summoned
up her most poignant look. ‘A business job will be much more
fulfilling than just entertaining. To be honest with you Alfonso, I
do go off into the jungle now and then, it is my home after all.
Not so much with Carlton now, nobody special.’

‘You should have more time to spend at Cyan
House then?’ Alfonso asked hopefully.

‘Yes Alfonso, but may I ask you a personal
question?’ her pleading eyes accompanied her words.

‘But of course,’ the grey man said, now
flushed with hope.

‘
I know we’re
work colleagues, but could we be friends as well?’

Alfonso could
only absorb the vision before him awhile before answering. She was
the usual statuesque build of her people. Her higher cheekbones
under light expressive eyes
were
perfectly set under short cropped platinum blond hair; the latter
being her concession to what she believed was a human
fixation.

‘
Of course
Elena, and now I’ll show you around our computer system, some
passwords
are of course confidential.’ He
then dared add a suggestion, ‘Teaching you may take some
time!’

She felt the
triumph of promotion at last and flashed her grateful smile which
was supported by those expressive eyes. ‘I hope it does Alfonso.
Now, which of these icons do I touch first?’

ACTIVE MINDS

The next day
a Senate side room was made available for what the Senators thought
was to be the start of mutual sparring, moving onto the desired
agenda of setting up trade. The visitors were escorted from their
living quarters to reach the room at the same time as the four man,
two woman Senatorial team. The favourite shaped table was large and
square, such that six delegates on either side could face all those
opposite. A chairperson in the form of the leader of the Senate,
Senator Cantrell, sat in the centre of one of the remaining sides;
the last side allowing a free view out and over the senate lawn,
now free of the hordes that had covered it the day before.
Recording equipment was at the ready, accompanied only by aides.
Media and public attendees were excluded as this was not a debate.
The Senators had to grit their teeth at being previously bypassed.
The aliens were in awe of their surroundings, but their hosts
coloured this as respect for humans.