8
Scientific advance inevitably carries a price. Artificial intelligence cost countless jobs. Life extension keeps crooked politicians around longer. The internet provides voices to people who had nothing to contribute other than vitriol. Flying cars gave us drunks at 2,000 meters. And the FTL drive opened travel between the stars not only for us but for any deranged species that might be out there.
—Mary Gordon, physicist, multiple prize winner, 10,964 CE
I picked up a copy of Skies on Fire and got completely hooked by the plays. The dramas were enough to bring tears to my eyes. And the comedies literally broke me up. They frequently portrayed characters getting caught in hypocrisy and lies.
Meantime Alex touched base with Chuck Dumas, Sam Carmody, and Jennifer Hancock. They all said they had no idea where Korella was. Carmody added that it was in the middle of the Orion Nebula. That was more or less like revealing that it was in the sky somewhere. Jennifer suggested we try Autumn Ulbrich.
On the assumption that Autumn might be more responsive if the request came from a woman, I offered to make the effort. She’d been teaching math at Andromeda University for several years before getting involved in the Harbinger flight. She was also a participant in an amateur theater group in the area. The university is about thirty kilometers southwest of Andiquar. I got a break: She was conducting seminars at several of the local colleges. The next one was scheduled at Hamilton in Brock City. I got in touch with the administration and asked if they were accepting visitors for her presentation. They were not.
The entire Hamilton campus was located inside a single building. It was about nine stories high (though it was a streamlined design that didn’t reveal individual stories) and stretched out over several blocks. An electronic sign provided directions to the seminar, which made it easy for me to determine which entrance and exit Autumn would use. I was waiting in the parking lot when she arrived. I had the timing on the presentation and was back when she came out through the exit. Several students and a couple of older people were with her. The group gathered for a few final comments and handshakes. Then they disbanded and Autumn headed for her vehicle.
The day was gray and chilly. I caught her eyes as I approached. She was wrapped in a dark brown jacket, carrying a notebook, and wearing a blue knitted woolen hat pulled down past her ears. We’d seen a good bit of her on the HV shows. She had hazel hair cut short and piercing dark eyes. She saw immediately that she had my attention, looked away, and picked up her pace.
I caught up with her as she reached her skimmer. Her expression indicated she’d had enough with media people or whoever the hell I was. She slipped into the vehicle. “Please, Ms. Ulbrich,” I said. “Just give me a minute.”
She had the link in her hand, but if she closed the door, it would have shut on my arm. “What do you want?” she asked.
“My name’s Chase Kolpath. I represent Rainbow Enterprises.” She shrugged. Never heard of the organization. “We want to find out what happened on Korella. As I’m sure you do.”
She needed a moment but finally managed to exhale. “So where’s this going?”
“We could use your help.”
“In what way?”
“Whatever you can tell us.”
“I assume you want to know where it is?”
“That would be good. Yes. We know you’re not a pilot, but we thought you might be able to provide some information. Do you know how we could find it?”
“I do. And I feel much as you do. But I’m sorry. I can’t say anything.”
“Ms. Ulbrich, do you really want to see the disappearance go unresolved? I mean, my understanding is that’s the reason the Visitation Project went out there in the first place. To find an alien civilization that had been sending radio signals for thousands of years.”
“In fact, Ms. Kolpath, the project has been looking for worlds we can colonize.”
“That’s the cover story, isn’t it?”
“No. That’s actually why they were there.”
“But you had a team trained specifically to manage first contact.”
“Look, the truth is that we’re not comfortable with what might be out there. We don’t want to do anything that could draw unwanted attention to us. Yes, I’m a Xenocon, but it’s only because when we encounter aliens, we want to have people who know how to respond. We’re very lucky the universe is so big and so empty. Let’s let it go at that. I’ll concede that our tendency to hide our heads on this issue doesn’t provide much of an image, but I think it’s the smart thing to do. So to answer your question: yes, I know where Korella is, but I’m not going to help anyone looking for it. I’m sorry.” There was a brief softening of her features. “I’m glad to have met you, Ms. Kolpath.” She waited for me to withdraw my arm. Then the door closed.
I should have realized that we were talking with too many people to keep everything quiet. Two days after my conversation with Autumn—if you could call it that—I was just getting ready to go home when Jacob informed us that the story was appearing on the media.
ARCHEOLOGIST TO HUNT FOR LOST ALIENS
Alex Benedict Plans Follow-Up to Harbinger Mission
We watched for a few minutes. Jill Faulkner, one of the Golden Network’s reporters, was talking: “We have no idea yet when they will be leaving,” she said. “We don’t even know who will be making the trip other than Benedict and presumably his pilot, Chase Kolpath. He hasn’t responded to our call for an interview.”
“They haven’t called us,” I said.
“They’re on the circuit now,” said Jacob.
Alex took it in his office. Two minutes later he was on the HV with Faulkner, stating that he had no comment and that he wasn’t an archeologist.
“So you’re not denying the story,” she said.
“At the moment, we have no plans to go anywhere. Sorry, Jill, I’m on the run.” He disconnected.
Faulkner rolled her eyes. “We’ll stay on the story,” she said.
I shut it down and heard Alex on the staircase. A moment later he walked into my office. “You see that?” he said.
“Yes.”
“Actually, we’ve been talking with so many of them, I’m surprised it took this long for someone to catch up with us. We have to decide what we’re going to do. And at this point I can’t see anything other than walking away from the whole thing.”
I had nothing to add, so I simply sat and let him see I was in full agreement.
That evening I watched the media reports from my cabin. It wasn’t the biggest story of the evening. That was the Gorman Webb scandal that had exploded when it was discovered that the governor had planted listening devices in an effort to get information on Manda Claver, who would be his political opponent in the upcoming election. Nevertheless, we were all over the networks. Interstellar was running images of Alex, while Lester Wilkinson predicted that he’d uncovered something. “Otherwise,” he said, “there’s no reason he’d be going.” The Action Network was interviewing Jason Albright, who’d been on the Columbia mission. Jason was laughing while he maintained that it would be a complete waste of time. I was about to change channels when Carmen informed me that a skimmer was setting down outside.
I wasn’t exactly dressed when they began knocking. “Arcadia Network,” Carmen said. I thought about having Carmen inform them I was in a conference somewhere. But that wouldn’t solve anything. I grabbed a robe and went into the living room while I thought about what to tell them. “Okay,” I said, “let them in.”
There were two of them. Both women. I didn’t recognize either one, but I don’t usually watch Arcadia. “Sorry to disturb you, Ms. Kolpath,” said the older of the two. “I’m Edith Zoriah. This is Ellen Collins. We’ve been informed that your boss is going to be heading up a mission to Korella. Can you confirm that?”
“Last I heard, they’re just talking about it.”
“Okay. Be aware, by the way, that you’re on camera. Do you know where we can locate Mr. Benedict? He seems to have gone out somewhere for a meeting.”
I had no idea. And I should admit I hated appearing on HV in a blue knit robe.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say we’d ignited a firestorm, but we did find ourselves in the middle of a loud argument. The Golden, Hochman, Arcadia, and Coastal Networks interviewed guests who argued against voyages that might encounter aliens. Stay where we are, they said. Leave well enough alone. There are thousands of worlds out there available to us if we need them, but let’s not go beyond familiar borders. They all favored exploration. But only in the local neighborhood. In areas that had always been quiet. There were some who disagreed. The noted physicist Juan Munson maintained that we had an obligation to do surveys as far out as we could. Not that we were necessarily looking for others, but that pursuing knowledge was what an intelligent civilization was all about. The Free Talk Network, which is a nonprofit corporation funded by listener contributions, admitted they just weren’t sure where they stood on the issue.
Gabe and Alex did what they could to keep their heads down. Journalists were informed by Jacob that they simply had no comment at the moment. They had to cut back on their activities outside the country house. No restaurants, no attendance at conferences, and no visits to the beach. The latter wasn’t a problem, since we were well past summer.
Gabe was in favor of announcing that the project had never been under serious consideration. But Alex was reluctant. Walk away from it, he maintained, and if we ever have a chance to pursue the damned thing, we’ll look as if we just couldn’t make up our minds.
The activity subsided. Henry showed up on The Gene Kilpatrick Show, which ran daily for two hours on the Free Talk Network, to say that he understood the passion to explore that we all have. But although he’d favored the effort most of his life, he’d decided that sometimes caution was the best approach. “To tell the truth,” he said, “putting on a few years makes me happy that we never really found what I was looking for.”
I had it on because they had announced he would be a guest. I routinely watched any show on which he was scheduled. Or McCann, who seemed to grow more despondent with every appearance. Free Talk was switching over to a fundraising segment when Jacob informed me I had a call. “From Robbi Jo Renfroe.”
She appeared in an armchair with a book in her lap. I recognized the cover: it was an Ulakan volume, Skies on Fire. “Hi, Chase,” she said. “I love the plays. Especially Korval.” Korval was a comedy about a guy who enjoyed wielding power but was desperate that others would like him. He constantly embarrassed himself by going too far. “I hope,” she continued, “that they stage that one. I kept thinking Mickey Denver would be perfect in the role. And I’d like to see Battle Clouds performed too.” Battle Clouds was a musical about a weather analyst who consistently makes the wrong calls, wrecking sporting events, wedding ceremonies, and fundraising efforts. “The Ulakans seem to live their lives much the way we do.”
“Some people,” I said, “have suggested the whole thing is designed to mislead us about who they really are.”
“You don’t believe that, do you, Chase?”
“No. For one thing, the plays are too good. They’re right on target. I don’t see how a species that doesn’t live more or less like us could create something that funny.”
“I agree,” she said. “When I first saw the titles, I was struck by the fact that there was a sacred book among them, Faith: Why Belief Still Matters. There’s nothing specific, nothing biblical, no accounts of an active God, but they struggle with the meaning of existence in the face of a relatively short lifetime. They want to believe life has a purpose. I’ve no idea how long their life span is. They mention a couple hundred years, but I don’t think anyone knows yet how long a year is for them. In any case, there’s a desire for something beyond physics, a rationale that would offset a universe that seems designed to kill everybody.”
By then I’d read most of the book myself and also been touched by the Ulakans’ approach to death. “I don’t guess any of us like the idea of drifting off into the dark,” I said. “Anyhow, did you want to set up a lunch? Or did you maybe change your mind about the mission?”
“I’m thinking about it. But I got the impression you guys have called it off.”
“Depends on which channel you’re watching.”
“Good.”
Our eyes locked. “Robbi Jo, what do we have to do to get you on board?”
“I won’t tell you where Korella is. But I’ll show you.”
“You want to go with us?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem.”
“Can you keep it quiet until we are out of here? The mission, that is.”
Alex was delighted. He informed Gabe but warned him to say nothing. I spent the evening with Chad and struggled throughout the entire two and a half hours to avoid telling him we were back on, and that it was largely because of the books he’d sent to Robbi Jo. She’d also purchased Living the Good Life from him. He mentioned that she’d been looking through the other Ulakan books. “I think she’s going to pick up a few more,” he said.
I smiled weakly and concentrated on keeping my mouth shut. The only thing I said was that I hoped she would enjoy them.
In the morning Robbi Jo arrived over the country house in her skimmer, descended into the parking area, and climbed out. Alex told me I should participate in the conversation unless Robbi Jo indicated she preferred I not be there. I’d have been surprised had anything like that happened. I took her into the conference room and got her a cup of coffee. Alex entered a few moments later and sat down with us around the table.
“Welcome aboard, Professor Renfroe,” he said. “I understand you’re an old friend of Chase.”
“Please call me Robbi Jo. And yes, that’s true. We’ve known each other a long time.”
“Excellent. Well, we’re certainly happy to have you join us. I understand you want to come along.”
“That’s correct, Mr. Benedict.”
“I’m Alex.” He pulled his chair closer to the table. “May I ask why you changed your mind?”
“I never agreed with the idea that Henry Cassell’s been promoting. That since we don’t know what’s out there, we should stay home and hide under the bed. In fact, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t believe it either. But it’s the politically correct position these days. He’s just not the guy I thought he was.” She glanced in my direction and shrugged. “I said no to Chase before because I didn’t want to get into trouble. This will mean the end of my career as a Xenocon, and maybe as an interstellar pilot. I don’t know.” She looked toward me. “Possibly you too, Chase. But we have an obligation to explore. I don’t believe anybody’s ever going to pose a threat to us. If they have intelligence enough to develop a higher level of tech than we have, they should be intelligent enough not to start stupid fights.”
“Like we did with the Mutes?” I said.
“In the end it didn’t amount to much.”
“Okay.” After all these years, I can read Alex pretty well. He still wasn’t sure she’d be willing to give up her career and ride back out to Korella. “Did you enjoy your flight on the Columbia?”
“No. It was a long, dreary ride.”
“And you want to go back there? Again? Why, Robbi Jo?”
She sat quietly for a minute, deciding how much she wanted to tell us. Finally she cleared her throat. “I’ve had a pretty fortunate life. Almost everything I’ve gone near has turned to gold. I used to walk around telling people I had no regrets. And they’d tell me only an idiot talks like that. But the truth is that I was getting everything I wanted out of life. I had a passion for astronomy, won a couple major awards, had a lot of good friends. I enjoy painting and I love teaching. And I was there when one of the biggest discoveries of the era was made.” She leaned back in the sofa, crossed her arms, and stared at the portrait of the old warship Corsarius that hung on the wall. Or maybe she was just looking in that direction. “I’ve done some dumb stuff. Hurt a few people unnecessarily. Caused problems. We all have things in our lives that we’d change if we could. But for me everything’s been pretty much minor league. The only thing I’d really like to get right is Korella. What happened to that village? I don’t want that hanging over my head for the rest of my life. Quaid feels the same way. He’d give anything to be able to get an answer.”
“I understand,” said Alex, “you were once a student of McCann’s. Is that correct?”
“He was one of my history professors at Andromeda University. He was the best teacher I ever had. He didn’t just put out information and dates and whatnot. He used to change events, like with Rodney Blanchard.” Blanchard was a ninth-millennium physicist who persuaded people on Rambuckle that they were poisoning the seas, and that there’d be a heavy price to pay. He almost got killed in a skimmer crash. He’d ask us what would have happened on Rambuckle if he hadn’t survived? What would the world there look like today? What would have happened if Blanchard had succeeded in his prime ambition, had carved a career for himself as a musician and composer?”
Alex focused on Robbi Jo. “Okay. So we know what’s happened since the Columbia mission. How do you feel about the claim that the whole thing was made up? That the village never really existed?”
She couldn’t hide her annoyance. “I was there,” she said. “I saw the village.”
“How do you explain what happened with the Harbinger?”
“I can’t. I’ve no idea.”
“Okay. Do you think we’ll be able to come up with anything different this time?”
“You probably won’t. But there’s a chance. Who knows?” Her hands had knotted into fists. “Alex, this thing has been haunting me. I still can’t believe that place just vanished. There must be an explanation. And this might be our last shot at getting it. At least during my lifetime.” She managed a smile. “So, if you’re going to do this, I’d like to go along.”
Alex never took his eyes off her. “Of course.”
“Thank you.” She got out of her chair. “I appreciate it. By the way, in case you’re not aware, the area where we saw the village gets cold. So we should all bring jackets.”
He looked across at me. “Chase, you have any questions?”
“Only one. Robbi Jo, when you’ve time, get me a list of your favorite movies.”
We finished with a few details, and I saw her to the front door. She got out onto the porch and stopped to watch a goose settle onto a tree branch directly in front of us. It rested there a few moments, then spread its wings, and suddenly, with a cluster of others that had been in a couple of trees and on the roof, it flapped into the air. We stared at them, watching them rise into the afternoon sky, flying in perfect harmony. Robbi Jo leaned forward onto the back of one of the chairs. “I wonder how they do that.”
I had no idea. But wherever there are birds, whatever world on which they live, there are some that do the same group takeoff.
Looking back now, I don’t think I ever believed until that meeting with Robbi Jo that we would actually make for Korella. So when Alex had checked with me initially about how I felt, I’d assured him it was no problem. He could count on me.
That had changed. We would need a few days to put the mission together. But we were going. No question now about it. I was thinking about Chad. And life in Andiquar. And two or three months sealed inside the Belle-Marie. I’ve never been able to hide anything from Alex. In his presence I feel much the same way I do when there’s a Mute in the room.
“We don’t know how long we’re going to be out there,” I told him. “I have a suggestion. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to stop at Delmonte. It’s not much out of the way, and we could top off the oxygen tanks. We might need it. Also, it’s about halfway, and by then we could use a break. Get out of the yacht for a while.”
“Okay,” he said.
“We should bring bathing suits.”
“Good enough.” He hesitated. “Is something wrong?”
“No. Why do you ask?”
“You don’t have to go, Chase,” he said. “I understand. I can get someone else. Truth is, we’d be better off if you stayed here and took care of Rainbow. Robbi Jo can do the piloting.”
I took a long pause before responding. “Let me think about it, Alex.”
Robbi Jo called me that evening. “I have a problem,” she said.
“What’s that?”
“I think you mentioned a boyfriend at one point?”
“I probably did. He’s Chad Barker. The owner of the Collectors’ Library in Salazar.”
“I’ve been thinking what my life was like during the months before we left on the Columbia. I was explaining to everybody who was close to me how I was going to be gone for several months. It seemed like forever, because until we got to Korella we were just wandering around out there. But I had to tell my folks, my friends, a couple of guys. I didn’t even know Chris that well yet.”
“Chris is your boyfriend?”
“Yes. Chris Baxter. Now I’m doing it again. And I realized the kind of burden I’ve imposed on you and Gabe and Alex. I’ve asked you not to tell anyone about the mission. That was severely selfish, and I’m sorry. Tell Alex and Gabe to do what they want. You too. I suspect you’ll be relieved to be able to let Chad—do I have that right?—let Chad know. And I’m assuming here that you haven’t already told him and sworn him to secrecy. If you did, you won’t have anything to worry about.”
“Robbi Jo, it’s okay. We can keep it quiet.”
“Let it go. I’m going to tell Chris tonight. He’s not good at keeping secrets.”