THE FOREVER GENE (THE SCIONS OF EARTH Book 1) (5 page)

"Our preliminary studies have indicated that you are at an appropriate stage of development for such contact.  What we offer you is knowledge and technology which will develop you into a space-faring race.  In time, we will introduce you to other space-faring races and hope that you will become part of our intergalactic community.  What we ask in return is the opportunity to study you and to learn from you. You are under no obligation to accept our offer and you will find no armed force patrolling your star system as a threat to compel your co-operation."

"Thank you ambassador," the president interjected again.  "And now, with your permission, I will invite questions from the floor."

Qara waited politely for someone else to ask the first question.  There was dead silence and the president studiously avoided looking in her direction.  They're waiting for me, she suddenly realised, and leapt to her feet.

"Ambassador, can you tell us the name of your race?"

The ambassador's green-eyed gaze settled on her for the first time.  "Unfortunately, the name of my race cannot easily be translated into your language.  In my speech it is..."  He touched the side of his long neck with a finger before emitting an ear-splitting shriek, causing havoc with Oyugun's sound levels.  He touched his neck again in the same place.

"Our speech cannot be tolerated by the human ear, so our translators have constructed an implant which lowers the tone of our voices enough for you to hear us comfortably.  We understand that the users of your global communication network have already bestowed a name on us; the Faerie Folk."

Qara hoped that Batu's lighting wasn't good enough for anyone to notice the deep flush creeping over her face.  She wondered if the ambassador knew that she was the one responsible for flippantly coining that name.

"Administrator Bolormaa has explained to us that the name stems from our coincidental resemblance to certain mythical creatures of your folklore and, although we do not purport to be incarnations of such creatures, we believe it would be simpler for us to adopt a name already in use, rather than to arbitrarily choose another."

His gaze returned to her, inviting the next question.

"Where are you from, ambassador?"

"We inhabit a star system in a galaxy beyond the range of the instruments you have developed so far.  In time, we shall assist you to enhance your instruments to the extent that you will be able to locate our galaxy, as well as other galaxies where you will find sentient races."

He must be a politician she thought irreverently, he was certainly adept at giving seemingly straight answers containing very little real information.  Or perhaps she was being unfair and it was reasonable for him to want to avoid overwhelming his audience at such an early stage.

"Ask how they travel through space and how they discovered Earth," Tol suggested in her ear.

She hesitated.  The president would be happy for her to ask those questions, but the question that she ought to ask, the one that a serious reporter would ask, was one that was almost certainly on the forbidden list.  She could see that Batu's second camera was trained on her, and that its red tally light was on, indicating that the shot of her face was currently on air.  An audience of billions was waiting for what she would say next.

The question came naturally.  Where the nerve to ask it came from, she had no idea.

"Ambassador, please forgive my impertinence.  You have told us that you are from a space-faring civilisation, that you and other members of your race have established a presence on our planet, and that your intentions are simply to share your advanced technology with us.  Many people on Earth will be sceptical of your words.  Do you have proof that any of this is true?"

His eyes widened and this time the gaze that swept down on her was almost predatory.  She had a sudden sense of being dwarfed by a towering intellect.  It felt as though the creature on the podium could pierce her deepest thoughts with no more than a sharp look.  She kept her head up, determined to face whatever outburst she had provoked. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the president begin to stand up but the ambassador spoke before he could intervene.

"I am impressed, young human," he said. "None of our other client races has ever had the courage to question our integrity so bluntly, or so soon after first contact.  Also remarkable is that, although you are wracked with inner doubt and fear at having taken it upon yourself to challenge our stated intentions, you did not permit this to deflect you from following your chosen course."

Qara stared back at the ambassador, wondering insanely whether the back-handed compliment would be followed by a deadly strike with some concealed weapon; a laser beam hidden in a sleeve of his robes, perhaps, or a stream of poison from a sac concealed behind his teeth.

He paused for what seemed an eternity before continuing.  "If it is proof you want, young human, proof you shall have," he simply said.

CHAPTER THREE

Two military hover-copters took off from the roof of the hospital, the strong down-draft of their compact rotors throwing clouds of dust into the air.  They flew south, leaving behind the crowd of onlookers surrounding the hospital, and crossed the river.  Once they were out of sight of the city, the pilots banked the 'copters to the south-west.  Within a few minutes they were flying over the undulating hills, crags and valleys of the Bogdkhan National Park.

Each 'copter bore a three man crew and had space for twenty-four additional passengers.  Ambassador Ba and his Faerie Folk travelled in the first 'copter, directing the pilots towards an area just north of Tsetseegun Uul, the highest mountain peak in the park.  They were accompanied by the park's curator, a nervous young botanist who had been called in before they left the hospital.  Qara and her crew travelled in the second 'copter with the president.  She pressed herself firmly into her seat and tried without much success to ignore the nausea in her stomach caused by the alarming motion of the 'copter.

A number of the president's aides, two of his senior military advisers, his security detail, and a squad of twenty riot policemen completed the travelling party.  He had apologised to the ambassador for the size of the party, explaining that the policemen and security personnel were there chiefly for the protection of the Faerie Folk themselves.  The ambassador responded with his now familiar reassuring smile, seemingly unaware that its diplomatic effect tended to be offset by the accompanying glimpse of his sharp teeth.

Qara had not had an opportunity to speak to the president since the press conference ended and was somewhat surprised that she had been included in the party.  She had ignored his express instructions, after all.  Hoping that perhaps facing the music would distract her stomach from its woes, she moved to a seat opposite him and began another apology.

"Sir, I am sorry I disobeyed you.  I have no excuse; I don't know what came over me.  I take full responsibility and understand completely if you have me replaced at the earliest opportunity."

He looked up from the tablet he was studying and considered her for a moment.  "Your instincts were spot on," he replied evenly.  "You asked a question that needed to be asked, and the ambassador reacted very positively.  One of the problems I have been grappling with all day is about to be solved.  Ever since he told me that there are more of the Faerie Folk in the park I have been on the horns of a dilemma.  If I send in the army to find them, I risk precipitating a conflict if they perceive that to be an act of aggression.  If I don't try to locate them, they are free to carry out potentially aggressive actions of their own.

"To compound the problem I have already received veiled threats from both China and Russia, who are predictably concerned about the military capabilities of the strangers.  They have both said that unless I can secure the situation to their satisfaction, they will have no option but to send in their own troops to do so.  I have asked the United States and Northern Europe to guarantee Mongolia's territorial integrity, but I don't think they will risk going beyond diplomatic efforts to prevent an invasion by our neighbours.  Why should they risk a war to defend Mongolia, or the Faerie Folk for that matter?

"Now, at least, I will soon know exactly where they are and, hopefully, enough about their presence to assure the world that our armed forces are able to contain any potential threat.  China and Russia will then have no obvious excuse to invade."

Qara's concerns of a few minutes ago suddenly seemed trivial.  "Should you be risking yourself personally, sir?  What if the Faerie Folk are not friendly and intend to kidnap you or harm you?  Why don't you send in one of your ministers instead?"

"It's not that simple, I'm afraid.  I have assured everyone that the Faerie Folk are here with peaceful intentions.  I can't send a contradictory message by ordering someone else to go in my place.  It would be seen as an admission that I am afraid to go myself.  Besides, who would I send, the prime minister, the foreign minister?  If the Faerie Folk are looking for a hostage, either of them would serve that purpose just as well.  And I can't overlook the possibility that everything the ambassador says is true.  If I had refused to go, he would have known that I doubted him, and it would then have been very difficult for me to regain his trust."

One of the president's military advisers approached, and he lowered his voice.

"Part of me is beginning to hope that this is all just a hoax; that some group of scientists has concocted the whole thing to make some bizarre point."

It was the first time she had seen any form of uncertainty in him.  Curiously, it strengthened her loyalty to him and she resolved to support him in any way she could.  She teetered back to her seat between Batu and Oyugun, leaving the president to confer with his adviser.

The first 'copter began to lose altitude over a dense forest on one of the lower slopes of Tsetseegun Uul.  The second 'copter followed, and together they circled the area looking for a place to land.  The evergreen foliage of the tall conifers obscured the hard, stony ground beneath and Qara could see no sign of any camp or base which might have been established by the Faerie Folk. They found a clearing a few kilometres away, which meant that they would have to hike back to the area pointed out by the ambassador.

The 'copters landed one after the other; Qara grateful that the contents of her stomach saw fit to follow suit.  Once on the ground, Batu recorded and saved a short clip of the party disembarking and preparing to leave the clearing.  He panned across the scenery, capturing the tree-lined valley to the north of their position, and the majestic slope of the snow-capped mountain to the south.  A pair of steppe eagles floated above the treetops in the valley, lazily scanning the ground for any prey which might be startled into ill-considered flight by the noisy intruders.

Looking at the rocky, uneven ground she could see through the trees at the edge of the clearing, Qara envied the birds their ability to cross such terrain with no more than the flick of a wing.  Thankfully, she was not one of those fussy reporters who dressed in the latest fashions and tottered about in high-heeled shoes.  The soft leather riding boots she habitually wore were better suited to the walk ahead.

The president trimmed the party, ordering half of the riot squad and some of his aides to remain behind with the 'copter crews.  They would secure the 'copters and act as back-up, if required.  He detailed one of the 'copter pilots to accompany them as a navigator and, once everyone was ready, asked Ambassador Ba to lead the way.

The ambassador touched the side of his neck with a long finger and appeared to sub-vocalise a brief query.  His implant was obviously more than just a translation device.  After a moment, he turned and walked confidently into the forest, heading up the slope of the mountain.  The curator hurried after him, concerned about what impact the Faerie Folk may be having on the ecology of the park.  The rest of the party followed.  Qara's crew was instructed not to broadcast anything, as the president's military advisers felt that it was not prudent to advertise their location.

The forest quickly grew denser, forcing the company to travel in ones and twos.  Qara found herself near the back of the column, following Batu through the trees.  She walked in silence for a while, concentrating on her footing.  Batu seemed to know instinctively where to step and for a while she literally followed in his footsteps.  Then, she stepped on a rock, which rolled unexpectedly under her foot, causing her to stagger sideways.  Before she could fall, a hand caught her elbow in a strong grip and steadied her.  She turned to thank whoever had assisted her and found herself staring into the piercing green eyes of one of the Faerie Folk.  She had not had a chance to study the ambassador's companions closely and could not yet tell them apart.  Her mind raced to find something to say that wouldn't sound hopelessly inane, and came up empty.

The stranger released her arm and spoke in a high-pitched, slightly metallic tone.  "I am pleased to introduce myself to you.  I am Translator Vi, the only female member of our expedition.  I am glad to meet a female of your race."  Her words answered a question Qara had not had the chance to ask.  Ambassador Ba, Analyst Ko and Physician Ti were male, and Vi was female.

They continued through the forest for a while.  Vi's long legs had little trouble negotiating the broken ground, and her robes had been fastened snugly at the arms and legs so that they would not impede her movement.

"My name is Qara-Chinua, thank you for your help," Qara said, belatedly remembering her manners.  Then she spoiled it somewhat by asking curiously, "Why are there no other females among you?"

Vi did not reply immediately, but stared in the direction that the ambassador had taken, as if considering how much information she could divulge without incurring his displeasure.

"The most difficult thing I have found in learning your language is that there are many words which have more than one meaning.  We do not have this phenomenon in our language, which has developed to the point where there is no ambiguity in our speech at all.  One such word you use is 'confidence'.  I have learned that it usually means self-assurance or self-belief, but it is also used when you wish to ask someone to keep something secret.  May I tell you something in confidence?"

Qara didn't have the heart to explain that no-one on Earth would ever tell a Personet reporter anything in confidence, unless the person's true agenda was to ensure the dissemination of the secret as quickly and as widely as possible.  Anyway, she was far too intrigued to say no.

"Of course," she said, offering the human race's absolute assurance of complete trustworthiness.

"In my society, females are regarded as far too valuable to be risked on contact expeditions.  Compared to you, and to most of our other client races, we are extremely long-lived.  I am nearly two hundred of your years old, but am still considered very young.  The problem my people face is that, as our longevity has increased over the millennia, our females have grown increasingly infertile and, to make matters worse, less and less females are being born.  It is as if our race as a whole has reached its pinnacle and no longer needs to reproduce.  For this reason, our females are placed in protected environments from birth, where our sole purpose is to have young.  It is very rare that any of us are permitted to engage in any hazardous pursuits."

"How were you able to come on this voyage?"

"I have an uncommon ability to learn and understand exotic languages and I was allowed to qualify as a translator.  I was the top of my class.  The ambassador, who insists on having the best personnel when he prepares a contact expedition, personally requested the Ancient Council to release me.  Even then, I would never have been permitted to leave my reproduction centre if my fertility rating had not been extremely low."

It was impossible to tell whether the appropriate response to Vi's disclosure was to offer congratulations or condolences, a bit like when a friend announces that she is pregnant with twins.  Most reporters would have had no compunction about asking for the gory details of life at a reproduction centre, but Qara was taking a liking to the earnest young stranger and decided not to be indelicate.  She supposed that it must be a bit like boarding school for young adults. 

"You must miss your family while you are in a reproduction centre.  How often are you allowed to visit them?"

Vi gave her a sharp look, which from those eyes was very sharp indeed.  She didn't answer at once and Qara began to think that she had offended the stranger after all.

"The ambassador is right about you, you certainly are skilled at asking perceptive questions.  In our society, we do not have families as you understand them.  We are born in the same way that you are, but we are not permitted to live with our parents.  Our young remain with their birth mothers for two star-cycles, after which the females are sent to reproduction centres, and the males to evaluation centres.  Most females remain in the centres until they are no longer capable of reproducing.  After that, they are free to leave, although most remain as teachers, carers or in administrative positions."

Qara was horrified.  It was boarding school from the cradle to the grave!  And for a lifespan of hundreds of years!

"Our males spend a short time being evaluated and, once their talents have been identified, they are transferred to the relevant training facilities.  Once they are fully trained, they take up the positions to which they are most suited."

Vi saw the look on Qara's face, which wasn't difficult to interpret.

"We are taught that our system is the most efficient way of ensuring that each of us makes the best possible contribution to society," she continued.  "It is the only experience any of us ever have, so no-one questions it.  We do not have the rebels and dissidents which seem to proliferate in your society.  Our long established belief is that such characters are counter-productive, although this is a premise which our preliminary studies of your history have called into question.  It seems that many of your breakthroughs, both physical and intellectual, have occurred because of individuals who have dared to challenge what was regarded as the accepted truth at the time."

Qara did not know what to make of this information and decided to change the subject.

"How does the ambassador know which way to go through the forest?  He doesn't seem to be using any instruments and I haven't seen any sign of your camp."