Utopia War

Chapter 25 - A Candle In The Dark (i)

Fibrous, neon stalks branched out upward from the ground. and dangled masses of bio-luminescent strands that swayed gently in the nutrient winds. The plant-like alien bioforms, called 'makers' by the Precursors, lined a violet river from which mist lazily rose. Precursors huddled under the canopies in small groups, socializing.

The Precursors incarnated amongst themselves as shining will-o-wisps, little more than plum-sized points of light. Only HandsomeNose, incarnated in a rough mimicry of his real-world metal sphere body, was visually distinguishable from the others.

HandsomeNose wished he had a better name for this civilization. In their own language they called themselves "the people" and so, never having experienced the language as sound, HandsomeNose had no choice but to continue thinking of them as the "Precursors".

He was joined under the maker by his two new friends: Irregular-Harmony and Sound-Of-Wisdom. Both names could be expressed in a single word in the Precursor language but again HandsomeNose was stuck with his clunky mental translation. Frustrating.

<It is a sub-optimal condition,> admitted Sound-Of-Wisdom <I wish it were otherwise but we lack a reasonable alternative.>

<The actions are already in motion,> added Irregular-Harmony <If one could measure the position and velocity of every particle in the universe one could predict the future with perfect accuracy. What will be, will be.>

<What will be is what we make,> signaled HandsomeNose <Some of those particles make up the substrate which houses our minds. What you could predict in that situation would be an aggregate of choice made by thinking beings.>

<Insofar as thinking beings judge things I'm inclined to agree with him,> said Sound-Of-Wisdom.

<What is, is,> insisted Irregular-Harmony <It is because we are thinking beings that our field of options has narrowed to this single one. I note your species is fond of narratives. The following is a relevant narrative which may provide insights by way of analogy.>

It was unlike Irregular-Harmony to be quite so indulgent. HandsomeNose was intrigued.

<When our species was first growing out into the stars, while still confined to the spacetime curve of a single planet, we made wide-spectrum broadcasts announcing our peaceful intentions. We hoped they would come to the attention of another intelligent species. They did.>

Irregular-Harmony's mental tone was growing darker.

<First contact for us came in the form of an asteroid accelerated to relativistic speed and aimed at our lone planet. The first alien species to become aware of our presence calculated that the possibility of us wiping them out with a similar weapon was too great to risk, and so they decided to destroy us first. We detected the object less than two hours before impact. Our technology was not nearly advanced enough to protect against such a threat. Only at great cost were we able to salvage enough members of our species to continue our civilization.>

<What did you do?> asked HandsomeNose.

<The only option which was available to us: we responded with a relativistic weapon of our own,> signaled Irregular-Harmony <We reduced their world to a debris field. We neutralized them before they could do the same to us.>

<That's horrible!> signaled HandsomeNose.

<If we had not annihilated them they would have annihilated us,> signaled Irregular-Harmony, matter-of-factly <Either way the species who remained would be the one who made the choice to destroy the other. This is the way of the universe. Those who hesitate to destroy, are themselves destroyed. Your people have revealed themselves as a potential threat with their destruction of a sacred starfractal. You say your people are peaceful, and I have no reason to doubt you. If this is the case then it is the way of the universe that they will inevitably be destroyed.>

<You can't possibly believe that,> signaled HandsomeNose.

<The truth is often an ugly child,> signaled Sound-Of-Wisdom, solemnly.

<Oh come on,> HandsomeNose mentally shouted <Neither of our species is so fragile that an FTL rock aimed at a planet of all things could pose a genuine threat. Even if what you said was true at the level of technological sophistication you were at at the time, we are past that now. The price of peace is no longer that level of vulnerability.>

<I rarely agree with you, HandsomeNose,> said Sound-Of-Wisdom <But I do so enjoy hearing your perspective. There is a tragic beauty to it.>

<You should be aware,> interjected Irregular-Harmony <Your mind-state was already scanned and the information therein assimilated into our dataverse. Every argument your mind is capable of articulating has already been assessed and rejected by our highest level minds and simulations. While I still find our discourse to be intriguing I would not want to leave you with the false impression that anything you say might make any difference with regards to the fate of your people.>

<Perhaps not,> said HandsomeNose, his eye turning the color of inspiration <What about things others say?>

<I express confusion,> signaled Sound-Of-Wisdom.

<Humility forces me to admit that are other minds within the Human Consensus that are my intellectual peers,> signaled HandsomeNose <There are other arguments besides mine, other perspectives. One person, in particular, who I believe would be a much better suited person to argue the case for my meta-species. Given that our continued existence is hanging in the balance I would very much like the opportunity to put forward our best argument.>

<This person is here?> asked Irregular-Harmony.

<No, of course not, but you must have some means of communicating with the outside world. Some way of leaving a message for my friend,> signaled HandsomeNose.

<This is a possibility,> mused Sound-Of-Wisdom.

<I am skeptical your friend would have any new arguments that could dissway us from our chosen course,> signaled Irregular-Harmony.

<But what if she did?> signaled HandsomeNose.

The idea was as beautiful as it was absurd. Like some fragile doomed organism trapped in an environment ill-suited to support it.

<I will caution you a second time against nurturing false hope,> said Irregular-Harmony <However I will assist you if you wish to attempt to make contact with your friend. I am sympathetic to your position, and wish for you to understand your arguments have been given due weight. This may help bring closure for you.>

<I will help as well,> signaled Sound-Of-Wisdom <You are an amusing companion and if this is your desire then I will give you what aid I am capable of.>