Our fate?

An ordinary mother is invited into a spaceship to make a very important decision, as the spokesperson for human kind.

I sat out on my balcony gazing at the sunset.  It was a beautiful sky tonight but there was something menacing behind those orange and pink clouds.  For two days now, we had been talking about nothing else but what the shimmering, barely visible object in the sky over our city could be.  Some speculated it was a natural phenomenon related to the recent storms and flooding my city had experienced.  Others said it was a secret air force experiment from a paranoid president in a foreign land.  Yet, the news reported that all efforts to identify the object were still unsuccessful so here we were wondering what tomorrow held.

I had a fitful sleep that night, images of Sigourney Weaver and belly-popping alien births, wookies and jedis and an orange-skinned president flashing through my mind like a glitchy science fiction movie.  It was still before 5 am but I could not sleep and rolled out of bed to make myself a coffee.  Even with all this uncertainty in the sky, life goes and I still had to get ready for my day at work as a high school teacher. 

I jumped; spilling my coffee all over my pyjama top as my dogs suddenly started barking aggressively.  Worried they would wake my sleeping husband and children, I went to quieten them down when I heard a sharp knocking at the front door.  With a sense of foreboding at the early morning and the urgency of the knocking, I peeped through the front window to see four black vehicles and several people in military looking uniforms outside our house.  I opened the front door a crack, embarrassed by my coffee-stained pyjamas. 

“Mrs Julie Moreno?”

“Yes” I replied, looking into the faces of a middle aged woman with hair tied back in a severe bun, and a younger man who wore a worried look on his face. 

“I am Detective Riley and this is Agent Small and we are from the FBI.” Said the female agent as they both flashed their badges.  “Please may we come in a talk to you?  This is a matter of national importance”

“Are you sure you have the right house?” I replied, wondering how on earth I would be relevant to a something so important. 

“We are sure we have the right person and you are the only one who can help us. “

This was just getting curioser and curioser and I pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t still in one of my bad dreams.  My husband and kids were now up and staring out the front door. 

I led the officers into the lounge room and invited them to sit on the couch.  “Mrs Moreno, we’ll get straight to the point.  The object in the sky is an extra-terrestrial vessel and we have just had communication from them.  The ETs have sent us a message and they have specifically requested to meet you. “

“What?”  I stammered.  “W-W-Why me?  How? Do they speak English?”  I blurted out; very confused about the direction this morning was taking.

“They sent us a message in many different languages.  They said they have an urgent message to give us and they asked for you to be waiting in a specific location at 8am this morning so they could communicate directly with you.  We have been trying to ask them questions but they keep sending the same message to us over and over.  It very clearly specifies you. “

The younger officer broke in “And we need to get going now if we are going to get you there on time.  You know the traffic in this city at peak hour.”

“Give me a few minutes”, I replied, ushering my husband into the bedroom. “What am I going to do?” I asked. 

“I don’t think you have a choice” he said as I quickly changed my clothes and brushed my hair, wondering if aliens would appreciate make up. 

When I came out of the bedroom, I gave my children and husband a hug and kiss goodbye, not sure when, or if, I would be returning.  Tears filled my eyes but before I even had time to get upset, the officers steered me by the arm, out the door and into the waiting car. 

On the way to the rendezvous destination, they hastily briefed me and tried to give me pointers for the totally unpredictable experience ahead. 

“We’ll set you up with a wireless radio pack but we are not sure it will work if they take you to the ship.  At all times remain calm and think about the interests of the human race” 

Wow, not an easy task to fulfil. 

So, here we were at the destination, directly under the shimmering object in the clouds.  The message had said I was to wait alone on the hill and at precisely 8am, my body started tingling and as I looked down at my arms, they began to shimmer.  I could see them less and less clearly before I felt a strange weightless sensation and then a dizziness like I was about to faint.  When my vision cleared and the tingling slowed down, I found myself in a large, white room, bare except for a huge screen at one end. 

Where were the aliens?  I steeled myself for the giant squid like creatures but instead heard a gentle voice surrounding me, calming my nerves.

“Welcome human.  We are honoured you came”

“W-Whoo a-are you?” I stammered.

“We are from a planet on the other side of the Milky Way, far, far from Earth.  We are appointed custodians of this galaxy and have been caretakers for billions of years, as are billions of others like us in billions of other galaxies.  We particularly oversee fledgling planets like yours.”

“We are here because we are very concerned about Planet Earth.  Since the human race began proliferating, you have been causing the destruction of other species you share your planet with, destruction of the planet itself, not to mention each other.  It is very rare for us to have to intervene but this is an exceptional instance where one species of life has so brought so much influence on a whole planet.” 

“There are other planets with life out there? “I asked.

“Of course! You think Earth would be the only planet with life amongst billions and billions of other planets? Earth is a tiny, young planet in this universe, with very new life forms.  Many other life forms have been around for billions of years.  We have developed into sophisticated creatures with technology beyond your contemplation. We can travel through the dimensions of space and time and explore possible futures. “

“You mean there is not a set future?”

“By no means, my friend.  The future is fluid and is determined only by the actions of the present.” 

“Why am I here? Why have you chosen me?”

“We need the opinion of a human.  We had many parameters in our decision to choose you as the ambassador of Homo sapiens. You are mature and wise enough to make balanced decisions.  You are a female and we have seen that females of your species make more considered calculations, are more likely to take into account the needs of your fellow beings.  You are a mother and you know that the future is important for your own children.  We also know your education level and follow your social media posts, so we know that you are aware about the intricacies of some of the problems that are plaguing your planet. Other than that, we just used a random person generator and your details came up.”

“Wow!  Thank you.  But…. What am I here to do?” I wondered.

“We need to discuss your futures and the futures of this planet.  And we need you to make some decisions on behalf of your fellow humans,” came the reply.

“OK,” I said, checking my radio transmitter was on but hearing nothing from the earpiece.

The screen flickered and there in front of me was a huge, 3D image of the Earth, like the ones that are taken from the space station.  It showed a beautiful blue and green planet, cloaked in swirling white clouds. 

“It’s magnificent, isn’t it?” came the calming voice.  “Probably the finest created yet in this galaxy.  The number of life forms here is incredible and so diverse.  You cannot imagine some planets with their cold temperatures or lack of light that are conducive to all sorts of ugly forms of life.  Yet, your planet has beauty beyond belief.” 

The screen zoomed in on the Earth, skimming over oceans where waves crashed and whales breached.  It moved over the land to a tropical forest teeming with birds of all colours and continued to the magnificent snow-capped mountains.  Even the deserts show beauty in the subtle hues of the dunes.

Then the images continued to a city in the distance.  Before the view even focused on the city, I could already see the changing colour of the river and the piles of trash on the outskirts.

“We have been concerned about your species from the beginning but we have a policy of not interfering in the natural evolution of life forms except under dire circumstances.  Your numbers were low and disease and your lack of technology kept your numbers from proliferating into anything that might be a problem.  We knew you were killing others species for survival and that was ok, as long as you took only what you needed.”

“Then humans started to desire power over others, over other human beings and other living creatures.  They wanted to change their surroundings to suit themselves and were oblivious to the inherent problems of this mentality.  The ‘great’ civilizations arose.  We were astounded at the need to enslave and slaughter fellow human beings in the quest of a few for power and greatness, the need to exploit nature to gain worthless trinkets and items to trade for objects you did not need. We had not seen this in other species but still believed this fault may be overcome.”

“We saw your species develop technology and knew that these beings were clever.  Compared to other new life forms, their mental capacity was astonishing and we hoped they would develop the morals and ethics to use their technology for stewardship of the planet and all the species on it.”

“You see, we have observed in most living things, the desire to continue as a species indefinitely.  In intelligent beings, with the capacity to think and reason, this desire is almost 100% a commonality in our studies.  We have also observed that intelligent species inherently realise their duty to protect the vulnerable species and fragile systems of the planet on which they live.  This responsibility usually also extends to fellow members of their own species, especially those who are in weaker position”

“We had moments when we believed our hope for your species was fulfilled.  We saw inspirational specimens arise and develop devout followers who preached kindness and goodness and hope.  The Buddha, Jesus Christ, the Prophet Muhammad, St Francis of Assisi, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, just to name a few.  But what did you do?  You used their teachings of compassion and enlightenment to divide and belittle others.  You took quotes out of context from their teachings and used these to justify your violence towards each other and your belief that you could exploit the natural riches of this planet. You shot them dead, hung them on a cross, and incarcerated them in prison…”

I interrupted here as I could hear that my host was getting emotional.

“Surely we are not all bad?” I reasoned.  “There are good people out there, and there are many campaigning for love and kindness and for protection of our planet. Surely there is hope?”

“It is true that there are good people.  There are still today shining examples of the goodness of humankind.  We see that in those who will put their own lives at risk for the sake of humans less powerful than themselves, for other species or for the health of the planet itself.  What do you think happens to them?”

I thought about the recent protests in my home country to save the dying coral reefs from a huge new coal mine and the new laws that meant protestors will be locked up in jail for years.  I thought of the indigenous peoples protesting pipelines, palm oil and mines on their own lands and the numbers of these people who had been arrested or even killed for their efforts.  I thought about sea captains and protestors still in jail from attempting to intervene in the latest whale hunts in the name of ‘scientific research’.  My friend who was a medic on the ground in Afghanistan had told me about his colleagues who were killed along with many patients including women and children from a bomb at the hospital where he worked.  A bomb dropped by Western forces in the hunt for ‘terrorists’ and where civilian deaths were justified as collateral damage.  The faces of famous whistleblowers flashed into my mind. Where were they now? Hiding out in a foreign embassy with threats of jail of even death if they leave. 

“It is not hopeless,” soothed the voice, as if they could read my mind.  “There are good people here but unfortunately, that need to dominate and control, to destroy and pollute, is out of control.”

“We want to show you some possible futures and we need you to watch carefully.”

I saw our planet again from space.  It was even greener and bluer than I remembered.  The view zoomed in and I saw oceans, blue as sapphires and swarming with living things, from huge whales to flying fish and huge swathes of plankton.  On the beach were colonies of sunbathing seals and squawking ocean birds building nests and feeding chicks.  In the verdant jungle I could see troops of raucous monkeys in the magnificently tall trees and flocks of brilliant parrots flying above the canopy.  The mountains were lush and fertile below with glaciers and snow at the peaks.  The deserts seemed smaller though were still home to delicate lifeforms of cactuses and hummingbirds.  The image came to where I should see the city in the distance, yet I couldn’t make out the outline of the buildings.  The rivers flowed green and blue and the piles of trash were missing.

“Not bad,” I thought.  “Things could get better.  There is hope for my children and their children after them.”

Then the image zoomed out again and this time the Earth did not look right from space.  The greens and blues were dull, almost dirty looking.  As the image zoomed into the oceans, I gasped to see the amount of plastics and other trash floating on the surface of the water.  I could even catch a scent of the ocean and it was not of salt and sea spray like I hoped.  It was of rotten eggs and decomposing trash.  The shoreline of the beach was not where it was supposed to be.  The camera moved much further along through the mounds of floating trash until it reached the beach.  The beach, much further inland was mostly concrete and sand bags there. It was lined with high-rise buildings, some of them partly covered by the ocean.  I was yet to see a living creature.

But there they were, some humans, in houses where the rainforest used to be.  But now that land was covered in rows and rows of the same trees and there were huge open sores in the landscape that must be open cut mines.  The mountains were bare; there was no snow, no glaciers and no forests below.  Some of the slopes were partially covered in crops that looked like they were withering and dying.  The desert was much, much bigger than the previous journeys and now all but engulfed the city. 

And the city looked so much worse for wear.  Many of the buildings were partly destroyed, I would think from bombs, and there were piles of rubble along the streets.  I could see small groups of people on the streets, some of them hiding behind the piles of rubble, possibly with guns in their arms.  Two small, very thin children ran across from a doorway, holding tightly to a loaf of bread. 

This place looked bleak.  It was not a future I would want to contemplate. 

“What do you think?” asked the voice.

“The first one looks like a much better option,” I replied.  “What do we have to do to make that future happen?”

“The first one is a future without human beings,” replied the voice, very gently and slowly.

The statement started to sink in but my mind could not yet comprehend the meaning of this option. 

“But where did they go?”

“We have the means to wipe an entire species from the planet.  It would be instant and all traces of them would be gone.” 

“But surely there is another way?  What if we have more time to change?”

“As we have already said, we know your species is intelligent.  You have the technology to feed the world, to make energy from clean power, to cure disease, to develop peace. But your kind used this technology to make weapons to kill each other, for a small number of people to have all the riches and power while the rest of the people believe the lies that are fed to them by the ‘media’.  You know more about the lives of celebrities than about where your food comes from. You continue to treat animals as beings with no rights and to hunt them for ‘fun’.  A few powerful humans take all they want and more from the Earth’s riches and the rest of the people pay for this destruction of the planet.  Your scientists know what you are doing to the environment, but where is the action?  Your leaders are using war to get rich and the rest of the world is standing by and allowing masses of people to die and then denying them a place to live when they have to flee their homes. Where is the wisdom, the love and kindness, the concern for the future of your species, not to mention the future of your planet?  These are the ideals that a species with your intelligence should have as the most important basis of your civilization.”

“We are sorry to say, but it is too late.  You are all enslaved by the greed of a few individuals and they have too much power over the masses to allow the change to happen that is so much needed to see a positive change for the outlook of your future.”

“Why can’t you intervene and make those in power make the changes we need?  Surely you have the power to help us to change?” I was pleading now.

“That is not our way.  We do not intervene in the politics of a species. There is actually no precedent for this.  No beings have ever gone this far in the destruction of a whole planet.  The elders decided it is better for a human to make the decision.  There are only two options: A future with humans or one without. So it is up to you.”

“Can’t I have time to discuss this with others?”

“No, we chose you as the spokesperson.  We believe you will make a proper decision, taking into account many factors.  You will not be swayed by the greed of others and the offer of riches and fame.  You will make the best decision for the future of human kind and the planet as a whole.”

Suddenly a lectern appeared in front of me with two big buttons, one within reach of either hand. Lights flashed in a surreal way.

“We have watched your game shows. We know how you can make the decision.  Press the left button to keep humans on the Earth and continue as you are, and hope that your people will make changes for the better.  Press the right button to extinguish humans as a species and all evidence of them, from the planet.  Your decision is needed now and the reaction will be immediate.”

I thought about my family, my husband and children that I loved with all my heart.  I thought about my career as a teacher and all the students I taught, who had the power to make the future a better place. I thought about those images of dead rhinos with their horns hacked off and the orangutans shot to death for stealing palm oil fruits. I thought about the body of that Syrian toddler washed up alone on the beach. I thought about those images of the planet with and without humans. 

I knew what I had to do.

My right hand reached out … and at that moment, I heard a crackling in my radio headset. I had forgotten it was still turned on.

BOOM!

“Thank God we put all that money into developing the Mother of all Bombs to destroy those belligerent aliens,” said the president, as the extraterrestrial vessel and the human on board were blown to smithereens.

“Put out a statement,” he said as he turned to his aid. “Necessary force was used to prevent a hostile attack by alien forces.  The action was essential for the future of our planet.   And destroy all recordings of that conversation.  Humans don’t want to hear that depressing nonsense.”

And he turned back to the TV set and continued watching the zombie series he was in the middle of. 

Reviews

[Great Aunt Astri]

Wow, powerful stuff! You have written it in a way to hold attention and interest, and yes indeed it is a reflection on what might happen

[Alex Ware]

Some interesting and imaginative social commentary :D BOOM!