The Unearthing (47 page)

Abrams chuckled. Firestar smiled. Santino, obviously tired yet, took a moment longer to get the joke. He smiled and nodded as he and his fellow delegates sat down.

“Actually, the whole delegation’s been discussing the Ship,” Santino said, “We have a series of questions we feel it is necessary to ask the Ship now that you are in communication with it.” Bloom stiffened slightly. She’d been dreading this moment, because the most likely questions they would want to ask were already on the World Ship Summit’s forbidden list.

“Anything said to the Ship has to be approved first,” She said, “The delegation was issued a copy of the
List
, so you can use that as a guide--”

Abrams held up his hands.

“We already spoke to Geneva this morning,” he said, “Actually, His Holiness Pope Simon Peter kindly contacted Geneva on our behalf. I suspect you’ll be receiving a courier pouch from The World Ship Summit today, sometime before ten.”

“I see,” Bloom said and was tempted to add:
So, you just up and went right over my head.

“We went over the
List
last night,” Firestar said, “And this morning. Most of our debate was over whether or not the importance of the questions we want to ask outweighed the potential threat they posed. We understand the World Ship Summit’s reasoning, but ultimately decided that their reasoning is wrong.”

“And of course you decided you were right,” Bloom observed, “Very well; I’ll want to look at the questions myself. I have final say on anything that is a potential risk to this base or to the members of the SSE, but if the Summit says it’s a go I don’t
think
there’ll be a problem. I’ll book you some time with Sonia in the lab this afternoon, if that’s all right with you.”

♦♦♦

Cameras and recorders had been set up to preserve every second of the upcoming conversation. A direct Grid linx had been set up to both Geneva and Vatican City.

“Mind if I stick around for this next one, love?” Andrews asked, “I’m rather intrigued to see how the Ship is going to respond to questions of a philosophical nature.” He was quite obviously amused by the whole prospect. Aiziz was of the opinion that these were questions that needed answering and didn’t care for Michael’s attitude.

“Ninety-five percent of the people on the planet believe in one form of deity or another,” She reminded him.

“‘Though a thousand people may believe a lie, they shall not make it true,’” Andrews countered.

“The questions the Vatican delegates are going to pose the Ship are questions most people would want to ask,” Aiziz said, “The answers the Ship has to give us are important to everyone. I think it’s interesting that Shiplanguage has a word for ‘religion’, don’t you?”

“Ah, now there’s the thing,” Andrews said. “It has a word for ‘religion’ but as of yet we cannot find a word in the language for ‘God’. Just what should we make of that? And what does or did the intelligence that created the Ship believe? Religion is the one topic guaranteed to make otherwise reasonable men and women disagree, argue, fight and even go to war over the slightest perceived offence to their beliefs. How do you suppose the Ship will react if asked something about religion that it finds, or is programmed to find, offensive?”

♦♦♦

T O P S E C R E T

TRANSCRIPT

VATICAN IV DELEGATION’S CONVERSATION WITH THE SHIP

plain text format

NOTE: All Ship dialogue has been translated to its closest English equivalent

SANTINO

I have been asked to speak to your entity on behalf of the followers of our world’s many different religions. We wish to ask your entity about religion or religions from where you come from.

THE SHIP

This will answer your questions.

SANTINO

First we are interested in knowing if there is one or many religions where you come from.

THE SHIP

There are many religions among the people from the Ship’s point of origin. All religions serve the same purpose.

SANTINO

Is there in the estimates of these religions, a supreme being? A creator, an ultimate entity?

THE SHIP

The creation entity is expressed in many forms, by many beings. It is referred to by many different names, in many different places. No less so than by the creation entity, itself.

SANTINO

Are we to understand that your entity means to say that the creation entity does indeed exist?

THE SHIP

Correct. The Creation Entity, the Focus, exists and everything that exists are its products.

SANTINO

Then, is there a purpose to life? Is there a purpose to all life throughout creation?

THE SHIP

Correct.

SANTINO

What is the meaning of life?

THE SHIP

The meaning of life is to serve the Machine.

SANTINO

What is the Machine?

THE SHIP

The machine is that which serves the Purpose.

SANTINO

And what is the Purpose?

THE SHIP

Life,

♦♦♦

“Life,” Aiziz said, reading the translation onscreen. Before anyone could talk, the Ship made another statement:

“THIS HAS FINISHED ITS EVALUATION,” The Ship said, in perfect English, “THE INDIGENOUS SENTIENCE OF THIS WORLD IS ASSESSED AS BEING SUFFICIENTLY INTELLIGENT.”

As the Ship finished speaking, Bloom leaned into her earpiece.

“Holy shit,” She said. Everyone turned to look at her.

“What?” Santino asked. “What is it?” Bloom looked at them; shock, disbelief and wonder shimmering in her eyes.

“We just got full access to the Ship,”

Successful first contact between alien civilizations is followed by dialogue between these civilizations. Where this dialogue is peaceful, cultural and technological exchanges soon follow. As a post-contact civilization’s evolution is forever changed by that contact, so is that civilization’s culture forever shaped by the new horizons opened up to it through the exchange.

SEVENTEEN

INVITATIONS

With the Ship’s statements made, the sealed door down off the First Chamber dropped open with a deep, resonate thud. Panels previously unseen in the walls—panels Kodo and Bloom would recognize as their unidentified biological components—lit up, displaying information in each of the Human languages the Ship had mastered. Benedict had security officers guard the now-open doorway leading into the whole of the Ship.

♦♦♦

Thousands of kilometres away in the chambers of the World Ship Summit in Geneva and in the Pontiff’s private suite of offices in Vatican City, reaction was swift and chaotic. An argument had already erupted between the two powers, lines drawn and sides taken.

“The Ship has just told us, told the
world
exactly what we’ve wanted to know, since it was unearthed! It’s answered the single question that has probably been plaguing everyone but the truly devout, since the dawn of time!” Pope Simon-Peter exclaimed, his zeal fuelled by the confirmation of his greatest hope, “The Ship has declared that God exists! This information
must
be made public!”

“The Ship didn’t come out and say that God existed, your Holiness,” The Liaison Officer from the World Ship Summit cautioned, “It spoke of a creation entity--”

“—A Creation Entity that is known by many names, in many different places,” The Pontiff countered, “The question posed to the Ship asked it specifically if there was a creator, a supreme being in the universe.”

“The Ship could just as easily been making reference to the ruler of the known universe,” The American delegate to the World Ship Summit said.

The Pope turned away from the main viewer set up in his private offices. Such pig-headed stubbornness exasperated him. Why would no one dare publicly make a declaration of faith, of belief, even when presented with such evidence as this?

“Can anyone truly doubt, given the context of the questions asked the Ship that it was speaking of no lesser person than God? The Ship only opened itself,
only gave the Ship Survey Expedition full access
after Elder Santino asked it those questions!”

“Let’s assume for a moment that it was indeed God the Ship was speaking of your Holiness,” the Pakistani delegate postulated, “The Ship also said that the Creation Entity was expressed in many forms and by many names in many different places. As much as you would have us concede that the Ship mentioned God if not by name than by office, would you then concede that the Ship also expressed a confirmation of the argument that all religions are essentially valid?”

The Pontiff paused a long moment, thinking hard on the question before turning back to the screen. “There is part of me,” he said, “That would rush to immediately say yes, to concede the point,” He held up a single finger, eliciting silence from everyone in his presence, both in his offices and on the viewer before him, “But as head of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, a church that both religious history and historical tradition teaches us was founded by The Son of God Jesus Christ, through His appointed Head of the Church on Earth, Sainted Pope Peter the Apostle, I have to say I cannot make any conclusion either for or against that statement without putting the issue to much thought, prayer, consultation and meditation. I would not want to betray my God and the founder of my Church because I rushed to judgment.”

“Then surely you can understand our reluctance to not announce these most recent occurrences to the world?” the Pakistani delegate asked him.

Simon-Peter looked away from her image, nodding silently as he stared at the floor a long moment both chastised and contemplative. Finally he turned back to the people on the screen before him a new determination on his face.

“But I feel the world has every right to know what has been said by the Ship today,” the Pontiff said, “The Ship’s builders and programmers obviously believed that there is a God. This is information that is not ours to keep secret.”

♦♦♦

Fighting the urge to simply charge right on down into the Ship required Herculean willpower. And even as Bloom, Benedict and the other members of the Ship Survey Expedition reacted to the opening of the rest of the Ship, Aiziz continued to pick up more words and phrases being fired off at them from the Ship. The Ship had switched from its ancient, esoteric alien language to perfect English. Aiziz thanked everything holy that they had recording devices aplenty going; otherwise much might have been lost. The Ship was proposing many things. She wanted everyone to leave the Language Lab; go see what was down that final passage, leave her alone in here to listen to the Ship’s message.

“The World Ship Summit just linxed me,” Bloom said, “We’re being called to the surface for immediate debriefing. They’re shutting the site down, a
gain
.”

Aiziz smiled. Bloom considered it an odd reaction. “I don’t think we’ll be shut down for very long,” Aiziz said mirthfully, “Especially when I inform them about what
else
I’ve learned from the Ship.”

♦♦♦

“Our sources at the Ship have both reported in,” the Chairman said to the faces on the console screen before him, “All reports are consistent with our sources in Geneva: The Ship is open,” Here the Chairman paused, his face taking on an incredulous and embarrassed shape, “And apparently, the indication is that the Ship has also confirmed the existence of God.”

“I don’t think we can afford to jump to that conclusion,” The British Minister said, “Although we can be certain that the popular press will. All the Ship has really done is to repeat its creators’ faith in the existence of God. As for tangible evidence, the Ship has offered none.”

“Excuse me,” Natural Resources asked from his place at the table next to the Minister, “But what were the anthropological estimates on the comparative level of development between us and the builders of the Ship?”

The Curator consulted a portable. “Anthropologists and technologists have been studying the issue since the Unearthing,” He said, “They’ve studied our own technology versus what’s known about the Ship, our technological evolution over the last two hundred years and projections about how fast our own advancement will continue to grow.”

“Bottom line?” The Ambassador demanded, irritably.

“Bottom line,” the Curator said, “The builders were at
least
a million years more advanced than us when the Ship was built. We don’t know for sure, because we can’t accurately predict our own technological progress beyond a hundred years.”

“So the Builders were at least a million years more advanced than us,” Natural Resources repeated, “And yet they obviously believed in God. As advanced as the Builders were they held on to a theological concept that our society has found itself collectively losing grasp of as we’ve progressed. Assuming they became more and more scientific, more and more empirical, as we have, who’s to say the
Builders themselves
didn’t discover evidence of God’s existence?”

“Perhaps the Builders simply programmed the Ship to think of them as God,” The British Defence Minister countered, “Perhaps the Ultimate Creation Entity to which the Ship referred was its manufacturer.” It was a possibility that had occurred to them all but one which they hadn’t really cared to contemplate.