Creator: Friend or Foe?

Chapter 5. Evolving Creation

Hold the Creator to account

For his misbegotten creation

For his ill-conceived plan

-from "The Book Of Hayat"

"Maybe we should wait a little while longer, Ancient One. Since the extinction of the second intelligent hominid species, the other hominid group on one planet seems to be surviving."

The Creator seemed to be in an odd hurry, despite his antiquity, as if he wanted to compress the entire evolutionary time scale into a matter of mere days.

"To which planet are you referring, Young One, and how many are left of the second intelligent hominids?"

"About two thousand of them, Ancient One. Not many, but they may yet recover, if the large comet currently en route to their planet does not disrupt them too much. They are on the third planet from the star in the barred spiral galaxy reported along with two similar planets."

"They are not likely to recover if there are so few, given the extinction of the other intelligent species on that planet. Even if it was due to warfare which has now ended, their chances of avoiding extinction themselves are slim. Keep me informed."

The Persian cat, displayed nonchalantly grooming, went ignored. That thought-form recalled long dead empires no longer of consequence to the Creator.

...Shortly...

"The last intelligences on both planets we discussed earlier have died out as you predicted, Ancient One. It may be that the random events occurring on both planets could spark the first lasting intelligence in some other hominid species at any moment. Or we could instruct the planetary supervising guardians to arrange some creative way to have more lightening strikes in good locations and just give it another billion years or so. By that time we should see something more."

"No, I tire of waiting, and I doubt that full intelligence will come of any of the remaining species we see thus far, even if we wait another 6 million years or more for a near-intelligent species to finish developing. We will have to intervene and modify one of the animals on the more advanced planet. Otherwise the experiment may fail entirely if we allow both planets to run the course of their full solar cycles, which is not much farther off, remember, Young One.

"Good point, so we need to choose a species to alter. Perhaps we should consult with the supervising guardians. None of the predators on either planet looks even remotely close to ready, and although the sea mammal on the less advanced planet seems nearly intelligent, well," she vacillated," it is a sea mammal. So much complicates it's chances of continued existence, and then, lacking hands, "she asked, "how will it build a social and physical structure under the Seas where it could interact with the rest of the planet?"

"That is why we are going to modify one of the primate or simian related groups, instead, Young One. A small simian group has begun using simple tools, and the females are going into heat every month, giving them a good chance of bearing offspring more quickly, and evolving faster than previous groups."

"Primates and simians? But they are so ... aggressive. And they are not exactly predators, nor even brave enough to stand against predators like the nearly-intelligent sea mammals I mentioned. So why them?"

"Precisely for those reasons, Young Creatrix. They are aggressive, but not predators, so they have plenty of room to develop and spread. Also, they are the closest to having opposable thumbs, which will speed the process of development considerably. Notify the relevant guardians of my decision."

"I see," rumbled the Light Bearer, transmitting to the species guardians while displaying both grooming cat and bird with ruffled feathers, again. "You are referring to the group which also recently developed permanently enlarged mammary glands. They certainly will develop and spread quickly. If this batch can possibly sustain a civilization it will be extremely interesting to watch."