Mission Mars (34 page)

Forrest found himself nodding. He felt the same way. He, too, wanted to see the paintings first-hand before he was ready to accept the idea that the first Mars settler had not been a human.

Nakamura tried to move on, “Madame President, I think we all sympathize with your feelings. This discovery is completely unexpected. But before we consider what to do next, please allow me to finish my report.” A new image appeared, and before anyone could interrupt again, he continued. “You can see on the close-up image I am showing you now, that the alien coming toward Mars is in some kind of vessel. But its precise landing spot on Mars is not depicted on any of the paintings. We will, of course, search for what might be left of its ship after all this time, particularly in the Arsia Mons region. But the team thinks it's possible that the alien
eventually dismantled much of its ship and used the parts and equipment to survive on Mars.”

Forrest's thoughts jumped to all the scavengers who would descend on Mars, once word got out, searching in all kinds of unmonitored places for bits and pieces left by the alien, and how this would make the job of Mars Office a hundred times more complicated. They would surely need more police and investigators. Could it mean an earlier promotion?

Nakamura continued. “As you can imagine, it's frustrating how much we don't know and may never know. Was the alien an especially talented illustrator in their culture, or did everyone in that species have the skill to make such a clear record? Were the paintings made merely to be a journal, a record of its existence, or do they have some religious or social significance?”

Oluseyi interrupted, “I imagine many big companies from Earth would be glad to assign expert staff to ‘help us' figure out the meaning of the pictures, if they learn of their existence. We managed to remove ourselves from under corporate control once. We may not want to give them an excuse to attempt to take us over a second time.” Murmurs of agreement could be heard around the Council chamber.

Nakamura hesitated, but didn't take the bait. He went on as if Oluseyi hadn't spoken. “If I may, I want to share a few more of the team's first tentative ideas.”

Nakamura's projector displayed new holographs as he continued, “Here, in the first few panels, the aliens are seen aboard their ship. Unless it's artistic license, the aliens are either part of some group organism, or they are crowded together in ways that would be intolerable to us. Different aliens are
decorated in different colors, but we don't know if this is skin color, some kind of clothing, or just artistic embellishment. At present, we are unable to discern if they have different sexes. However, the different colored crests do help to differentiate our alien, the one who eventually comes to Mars, from its companions.”

Forrest was seeing the details in the pictures for the first time along with the Council. He didn't know much about art, but he had to admit the paintings were clear and beautifully done.

“In the seventh painting,” Nakamura continued, “the Mars alien goes, or is put aboard the smaller ship that separates from the main vessel. Then we see the alien on the surface, setting up a tent-like structure near his ship. The next few paintings seem to be a survey of some of the more interesting sights on Mars. It's hard to miss the contrast between the crowding in the earlier paintings of the mother ship and the sense of being alone in these later pictures.” Nakamura turned again to Dr. Aleyn. “Dr. Levinson, the psychologist who accompanied Dr. Aleyn and his team, has a theory about this particular aspect of the pictures. Dr. Aleyn?”

Aleyn had remained near Nakamura during the discussion, and spoke with less hesitation this time, “We all wondered why, among the thousands of aliens crowded into the mother ship in the early paintings, this particular one came to be on Mars alone. It's hard to know from the pictures if it was here by choice, or if it was being punished. Why would they leave only one of their number behind? Even if they don't reproduce the way we do, one is a very small number for founding a colony. So, Dr. Levinson had a suggestion. Maybe this alien was not normal in some way. What if the aliens inclined toward group
living or were some kind of group or hive mind? If that was the case, the one left on Mars had been born different, perhaps it needed to be alone. So, it could have been a merciful act, leaving it behind on some planet where it could be by itself without going mad—and without threatening the stability of the group.”

Just like Ciotti, Forrest thought. Maybe the black-crested alien couldn't take crowded conditions and had to get away, too. He wondered if Levinson's suggestion would ever get back to Ciotti, and if he would see the irony in his making the discovery.

Aleyn continued, “Of course there are many other possible explanations, some of which we haven't thought of yet. Maybe the Mars alien was sick and had to be quarantined. Even so, it must have lived a long time to create all these paintings, especially the ones that show the sights of Mars, which would have required considerable travel across the surface. So, sickness may have had nothing to do with it being here alone. Besides, a species that can travel between the stars probably has more advanced medicine, too.

“Our biggest question, then, is whether the Mars alien had a specific mission to fulfill. Were the paintings part of that mission? It could be some sort of religious testimony or sacrifice the aliens require as they pass new stars in their journey. So far, our preliminary analysis has found no clear explanation as to the Mars alien's goal, or if it even had one. But those who have thought deeply about extra-terrestrial life in the past have always warned us to anticipate aliens being really alien. In other words, we should not expect another life form to conform to our modes of thinking.”

“Dr. Aleyn,” Beckwith said, “one reasonable scenario could be that a single alien, dropped off on Mars, was there to spy on Earth and report back to its home planet in some way. Do any of the paintings show the alien building some sort of communication device or machinery?”

Aleyn exchanged glances with Nakamura and replied, “No, nothing that would be recognizable as a communication tool. But,” he quickly added, “we do have to be prepared for the possibility that its technology might not resemble ours in many respects.”

Beckwith shot back, “Well, its spaceship was clearly recognizable, wasn't it?”

Aleyn thought about the president's question. “Ye… Yes, Madam President. So, it is reassuring, at least for now, that none of the paintings show the alien building any type of radio antenna or messaging device. On the other hand, 300,000 years ago, there was no evidence of intelligent life on Earth that could be seen from Mars. So perhaps it didn't have much to report.”

Oluseyi spoke up again, “I had a different, but related thought, Madame President. I know it sounds like a plot from science fiction, but we do seem to be having a discussion that reminds me of the science fiction vids I used to watch.” He turned his attention back to the science team leader. “Dr. Aleyn, could there have been some kind of trip-wire in that cave, which we humans set off by going in there? Could some underground machinery, left by this alien be notifying its species of our existence right now?”

Nakamura stepped in. “If I may, we are now in the realm of sheer speculation. Let's return to the team's conclusions. It
appears that the alien who did the paintings must have died here on Mars a very long time ago, but thanks to the depth of the cave and the quality of the pigments used, the paintings have been preserved across the millennia. For now, the paintings are all we have. In a way, perhaps they are enough.

“Because of them, we have learned of the existence of an extra-terrestrial species, giving us our first proof that intelligent, technological life evolved elsewhere in the cosmos.” Nakamura began to pace back and forth along the dais. “Whether this species of alien is still alive somewhere or not, their existence in these paintings is very likely the evidence that so many have looked for. It shows that humanity's place in the universe is not unique.

“It's possible that further study will reveal what star system the aliens came from, or whether they occupied more than one star system at the time of their visit. However, we do know that this species had technology that we do not yet have, such as travel between the stars. The issue now before you, ladies and gentlemen, is what we do with that knowledge.

“As you may remember from the briefings you received when you approved the independent SETI experiments for Mars surface operations, our experts are divided about the effect the discovery ofadvanced intelligent life elsewhere would have on our world view. Some said that their example, or possibly their eventual help, could spur us on to a new era of discovery….”

Beckwith interrupted. “That was only the optimists talking, wasn't it? Don't I remember that there were other schools of thought?”

Nakamura, showing irritation for the first time, looked
directly at her and tipped his head. “You are right, Madam President. But please let me finish. Other experts fear that alien knowledge and technology, likely to be far more advanced than ours, would cause us to doubt and disparage our own achievements.”

Nakamura paused to see if Beckwith wanted to respond, but seeing no gesture on her part, went on. “Some scholars have also suggested the possibility that the discovery of such advanced life could give rise to new religions and social movements on Earth and Mars, perhaps with unintended consequences for human society.”

Beckwith nodded, looking at the Council members to see if anyone wanted to say anything. No one did, not even Oluseyi. She looked back at Nakamura, who continued. “You who govern us know better than anyone that our newly independent Mars Colony still defines itself in many ways by how it differs from Earth with its powerful and warring corporate states. Isn't it possible that our colony is too fragile at this early stage to deal with all the implications and consequences of this discovery?”

Forrest turned his attention to the Council members, some who were nodding in agreement.

Now Oluseyi spoke up, “As I said earlier, the top Terran corporate chiefs will probably all try to “offer” us their “help” when they learn of our discovery. But as usual, it'll just be an excuse to gain some business or political advantage over the other corporations.” He paused to look at Beckwith, and then scoffed, “And if we don't accept their help, there will likely be all kinds of corporate claims from Earth. They'll say that—for the sake of all humanity—these cave paintings need their protection.”

“Yes, Councilor,” Nakamura replied, “these are certainly concerns that my staff and I discussed after our preliminary investigation. And there are practical issues to consider as well. As I understand from Investigator Forrest, Mr. Ciotti only discovered the paintings because he was driven to solitude by the overcrowded conditions many Mars colony citizens experience. Currently, as you know, our infrastructure is barely able to sustain the number of people who emigrate to Mars. Can you imagine the drain on our limited resources when many others decide to join us, once news of the cave becomes public?”

Again, Nakamura had the attention of everyone in the room. “I hope you will agree with me that whether we announce this discovery to the public or not, is something that we will need to think through very carefully.”

Nakamura searched the faces of the Council to determine if his push toward caution was getting through. “So far, the knowledge that humanity is not alone in the cosmos is limited to a relatively small number of people—including the rescue team, Dr. Aleyn's science team, the Chief of Police, and those of us in this room. Can we all keep this secret? Should we? Mr. Ciotti might well be kept in indefinite detention, but I'm certain Dr. Aleyn and his team will object to any restrictions on their freedom to study the paintings.”

Nakamura paused and Beckwith spoke up. “All good points. We don't want to rush into a decision. But frankly, I also worry about the political fallout from our keeping this secret for an extended time. People will ask what gave us the right to control this discovery that affects everyone in the solar system.”

“Yes, Madam President,” Nakamura replied, “I share that concern. How long before our secret comes out? A week, a month, a few years? Will that short a time even matter for strengthening our colony's hand in the political upheaval that might follow the announcement of the discovery?

“On the other hand, if we announce the discovery soon, can we quickly find ways to restrict access to the site, so it is not damaged? We will need rules for letting in or keeping out our own citizens, as well as the flow of interested parties from Earth and elsewhere. Evidence of intelligent life could well be considered the heritage of all humanity, and any rules we set are likely to be challenged.”

Forrest looked from Nakamura to the Council members around the table. A few were just shaking their heads. Some appeared truly bewildered, overwhelmed with their sudden new responsibilities. It was going to be a long night.

Forrest knew he would do whatever Mars Office asked of him, but he was certainly glad not to have to make the decisions that were now required. Like the summer dust devils out on the martian plains, this discovery was certainly going to stir things up for all of them. When Ciotti had pushed that emergency button in the cave, it wasn't just his own isolation he was ending.

After the Mars Colony had declared independence, they all thought they would have time to establish a new order of things on the red planet. And, no less important, time to fashion a new relationship with Earth under rules and conditions they could control. But Ciotti's discovery, and the decisions the Council now made, would put Mars center stage in human history much sooner than anyone had anticipated.