In the Land of Giants - Book 2 of the Acropolis series

Chapter 13

  "What do you think they're like?"

"Dangerous." Everett said immediately. "They've killed dozens of people already. And they're coming this way."

Sophie rolled her eyes at him. "Come on, you know what I mean. Their culture, their architecture...I wonder what it's all like."

"I can't imagine it's anything impressive." Everett said dismissively. "Listen, Sophie, the reason I brought you here was to show you what they look like." He gestured toward the computer monitor. "If we end up seeing any, I want you to know it's them, and know to run, all right?"

Sophie leaned forward, peering carefully at the screen. They were sitting in the computer station, which had become very busy over the last few days. With the announcement that footage had arrived claiming aliens had arrived on Earth, everyone had come to take a look. The footage was unremarkable but unmistakable; the creatures from the Acropolis had arrived.

"What are they called?" Sophie asked as she looked over the repeating footage, a half-dozen of the aliens crawling across a field.

"The first reports called them Chitters." Everett said.

Sophie furrowed her brow. "Isn't that racist?"

"How is that racist?"

"I don't know." Sophie shrugged. "It sounds racist."

"It's an onomatopoeia." Everett said. "They make a "chittering" sound, sometimes."

"I thought they were telepathic."

"They are. The sound isn't speaking." Everett rolled his eyes. "Jesus, read the report, would you?"

Sophie giggled a little and then looked back at the screen. "How could you say "nothing impressive" and shrug it off like that?" She asked. "Why wouldn't they have a beautiful, intricate culture?"

Everett shrugged. "Look at them. They're...crude and primitive. You think they've got good movies? Elaborate architecture?"

Sophie frowned at him. "What was it you said to me, when we saw the first video last year? You said, any species that could develop wormhole technology like that would have to be incredibly advanced."

Everett didn't see the point. "I did say that."

"So, a species that advanced would have to be around for a long time, right?"

"I suppose."

"Which would have given them a long time to develop every aspect of themselves. Art, science...there'd be a long history of things that we're probably never going to understand. Look at their voices." She said, smiling. "They're telepaths, Everett! Come on, how incredible is that?"

Everett shrugged. "It's something science fiction taught me to expect. What about it?"

"Any species with telepathic speech must have a wondrously layered culture. They could have art that exists only in the mind of whatever uh...Chitter...wants to observe it. Think about their politics! Imagine a city hall where everyone just sits there, communicating mind-to-mind."

Everett smiled. It was all very nice, but something about it felt naive. Just because the medium was different, it didn't mean alien politicians weren't still corrupt, that the systems weren't still biased and exploitative.

"It is fun to think about." He admitted. "They're arthropods...maybe they can't feel pain."

"Or they can at least finally answer that question." Sophie offered. "About whether or not lobsters feel pain." She was rocking back and forth as she spoke. "Oh, what about sports? I wonder what sort of recreational entertainment they have."