Francis Meyrick

The Echo-ite Observations

Part 1: Sigma 610087 Epsilon Alpha

In his consciousness, he sighed deeply.
He felt puzzled, disappointed, and above all else, mystified. Instantly, he felt the warm, compassionate telepathy emanating from his Beloved. Like a warm embrace, her ever vigilant Echo-ite awareness sent him kindness, concern, and encouragement. In reply, he sent her the equivalent of a warm smile. Celesta 21268 and he had been together for… how long? Twenty seven hundred and forty two Galactic Life Periods. She knew him better than he knew himself, and she shared his passions and his academic obsessions. He loved her more than the Universe itself. He concentrated, and beamed her his puzzled thoughts.

“Darling, it’s Planet Sigma 610087 Epsilon Alpha again”.

There was a slight pause. She was formulating her reply. She was well familiar with the subject matter. Of all the billions of planets the Echo-ites routinely monitored, studied, and observed, there was maybe one hundredth of one per cent that were beyond fascinating. Of these, some twenty million so far had been discovered to exist in the habitable zone for the likely emergence of Basic Life. Of these twenty million, amongst the half million or so that had developed advanced life forms, a few stood out for the perplexing contradictions they exhibited. Unfortunately, some of these behavioral anomalies were highly dangerous to their mother planets. It was unspeakably saddening to watch primitive life forms emerge, flourish, and then destroy their own habitat in an inexplicable orgy of stupidity. It happened far too often.
Her reply arrived, and her calm, lucid thinking shone through as usual:

“You must not worry so much. Give them time. At least they have established the first stage of primitive mind-lock…”

He pondered what she had said. She was right of course. The residents of Planet Sigma 610087 Epsilon Alpha had, thankfully, in the very recent past, made those critical first baby steps towards establishing a methodology where by many of the planetarians could indeed communicate their thoughts and feelings quickly to one another. Albeit in a painful, archaic, stupidly simple binary form. But it was the first step. His mind replied to her, quietly, softly, and his thoughts sped instantly past Quasars and endless numbers of galaxies.

“I know. I’m just so happy for them. It fills me with hope. But…”

She already knew what he was thinking. Soothingly, she beamed her next thoughts.

“You worry too much. The latest robotic survey shows the probability of primitive thermo nuclear exchange is decreasing somewhat. At least it is lower than in recent time periods. Their basic start at mind-lock is a hopeful sign. The deterrent information is now, at last, slowly becoming more available to more of their population. More of their good spirits are armed with knowledge that can prevent a final catastrophe. Knowledge is power…”

He reflected on her thoughts. He pondered the reams and reams of data they had been absorbing from the latest robotic survey. Even now, his memory and processing functions were sifting through data to the 97th exponential from the last upload. It would take time to process everything. And they were a stubborn species to understand, warlike and cruel on the one hand, and compassionate and caring on the other. These primitives could dedicate fierce energies to their own destruction, and then equally, at the drop of a hat, turn around and surprise you with their gentleness and caring. The range of behavior was abnormal. On the Nguyen Scale, the primitives ranked from abysmally low, single digit numbers, all the way up to high triple digit numbers. That meant the one, lone planet occupied so far by this race, contained truly vicious killers, only one small step above brutish carnivores, who were highly unpredictable and dangerous. But right alongside them existed caring, compassionate, feeling types. Identified as primitive researchers, thinkers, artists. Their depth of knowledge, understanding, and feeling was still pitiful. And woefully inadequate to join the local Galactic Federation. However, those first critical steps towards communal mind-lock had been made…
He formulated his thoughts, and beamed them back to his beloved.

“I know. I feel it. They are increasing in knowledge. And knowledge IS power. But their cruelty and recklessness, and their disregard for their own habitat… it distresses me. And you know what happened on Beta Zulu 666231 Omega. That still haunts me…”

There was a pause. His and her awareness of one another, instant and everywhere, rejoiced in each other. They consoled. They reflected. They pondered. Celesta 21268 knew exactly the sad story of Beta Zulu 666231 Omega. She sighed, the soft, quiet, ephemeral sigh in the spirit. It had been a stunning disappointment. For a planet to have come so far, and still be lost. The Omegans, or rather the best of them, had advanced their mind-lock to the tertiary stage. They had managed to inter connect the residents of the entire planet. They had managed huge strides in all the Great Sciences of Life. They had seemed on the verge, on the absolute cusp, of blossoming into the Light of Understanding. Many of the Echo-ite Observers had expected soon to be able to reveal themselves to them, and to warmly welcome the Omegans into the Family of Light. And then…

She shuddered in the spirit, as she saw the images play through her memory banks. The Omegans had achieved much, but the overwhelming majority had been unable to root out the greed, the hatred, the jealousy, the envy, the vindictiveness, and the folly of the crazed few. Almost overnight, the situation had escalated from thermo nuclear blackmail, via initial limited exchanges, to a final, hate filled mutual annihilation. The unseen Echo-ite observers, friends in waiting, kindred spirits, aching to extend the embrace of friendship and love, had watched, in stunned disbelief, as yet another beautiful planet, with an outstanding biosphere, was plunged into the darkness of a nuclear winter. They had watched as great, angry clouds of fire and soot, acid and radio active, had covered the planet in a smothering, terminal blanket. All the Omegans had achieved, all they had almost become, all they had nearly attained to, was casually wiped out in one final, stupendous act of utter folly.

She felt the love of her partner, unspoken, but ever present, as he too pondered those final, haunting images. Dominic 52431 was a gentle soul, even by the ancient standards of Enlightenment of the Echo-ites. She had felt his pain, his soul tearing disappointment, for many a galactic period. He would often study the last images, the final act in a never-to-be-forgotten Tragedy.
Formulating her thoughts, she beamed them carefully, with feeling:

“Darling, what happened to the Omegans was terrible, but the Epsilon Alphas are different. They are not as advanced as the Omegans in many ways, but I do detect a more positive awareness amongst them. Remember that, unlike the Omegans, the Epsilon Alphas have in fact seen first hand the horror of thermo nuclear thuggery. They have seen the images of the mushroom clouds. They know. I believe they will…survive…”

There was another pause. In the quietness of Space, seemingly, for a moment, not a proton stirred. His measured thoughts, quiet and caring, arrived in her mind with the soft glow of their understanding.

“I know. But do you see the latest?”

The 27,492 images and recordings he was pondering at that moment floated sadly through her mind’s eye.

“You see? You see this country? You see they have made cardboard and paper models of nuclear missiles? You see them carrying them, while they dance deliriously through the streets? All painted up with religious slogans? Invoking their God? And then this country, here. Look at this. Do you see all these shattered satellite receivers? You know why that is? Because this particular government got angry when it found out that their citizens were using the primitive mind-link to reach out to their arch enemy. In friendship. So they ordered their thugs to go around to people’s houses, and smash the connections. And here, you see this….?

Another upload swamped into her mind. More images, more horrors. She had seen enough.
“Darling”, she beamed to him, softly, caringly.
“Enough. Come to me…”
He acquiesced. He too had felt enough pain, and horror. It was time.
In an instant, he was egressing his Pure Thought State, and being re-absorbed into his waiting body. He felt the usual surge of physical sensation, the awareness of feeling. He could feel the soft passage of air around him, and he could hear the quiet hum of ventilation. The carpet felt soft under his bare feet. His optical vision returned, and cycled through black-and-white to color. He felt his heart beating, and his nasal passages detected her presence, close by.

He turned around, and saw she was already lying on the bed, naked, waiting for him. She stretched out an arm. Wordlessly, he ran to her, his heart full of raw emotions, hurt, despair, sadness, compassion, all mingled feelingly with unspeakable joy…

Francis Meyrick

Last edited by Francis Meyrick on August 10, 2012, 3:48 am