Clueless

“Clueless”, she thought.

We have postponed our decision, but not forever.  The most recent data shows no real will to improve. Their biggest country, the only one with genuine world-wide reach, is paralysed by petty politicking, and an infernal, suicidal individualism.  We have seen the symptoms before, many times, as you well know.  We are now also monitoring all their significant inter-governmental communication.  Their level of cooperation is abysmal, even in the face of great danger to themselves.  The political class is clueless; they don’t understand risk mathematics, and they mostly ignore, or worse, deny, scientific evidence, even when it stares them in the face.

Beginnings

Your judgement is so harsh.  I cannot believe you have forgotten our own beginnings.  How many times did we risk our own destruction?  How many times did we ignore the views of our sages?  How many times did we insult Her through our contempt for Her teachings?

Paradise

We know your opinion, Gabrielle, and in turn we think your judgement is failing. You have spent too much time on that world. Objectively our situation was very different; their world is – was – a small paradise compared with ours.  From the start we faced destruction, slavery. We progressed despite the hostility of everything around us: astronomy even was against us! 

Now, look at what those humans do. They build weaponry, but it does not come to their minds to use it for self-defence! They did not see our little rock coming, and they would have been impotent at defending their world against the big one that flew by… What does that tell us?  Does a species hell-bent on cruelty and violence towards itself, incapable of looking after its own interests, deserve to survive?

Fleeting

We must give them more time. Helga has met Julian and his companion; you have the ability to study them in depth now, at very close range. They are not unique, I would say, they are probably fairly typical of their generation… But Julian is also more than of fleeting genetic interest for us… 

Indeed, and we want to talk to you about this.  Melissa, your protégée, has given us a good insight in Julian’s antecedents, his upbringing, his culture, as you would say.  We are skeptical.  His memories of the war he participated in, show no real remorse.  He himself benefited from luck and the generosity of at least one fighter who spared him.

Satisfaction

What did he do?  He killed people regardless, like all the others.  In his intimate thoughts there is a lot about his own little person, the women he loves, his desires and his search for satisfaction.  You are absolutely right; he is typical of a species obsessed with egotistic wonderings, despite his specific qualities.  They have no sense of collective responsibility.  

We would be more optimistic about the women, and we don’t fully understand why they should be any different.  It may be as a result of their evolution, but we need more data. We meant to ask you the question, since we haven’t been able to get a satisfactory answer from Melissa.  Do you think they would survive if we eliminated sexual reproduction, eliminated their need for males and induced parthenogenesis on the genetic makeup of the rest of them?

Genocide

I am clear, and I tell you now: this would be genocide.  This level of criminal interference cannot be tolerated.  And you are telling me about human violence?

Humans are the results of a short evolution yet.  We must give them time.

Then you have to do more to convince us, Gabrielle.  Will you please give some thought to the following question: would their females consider a deal – we suppress the male side, with their agreement, and we guarantee them children, protect their world, eliminate hunger, war, diseases and calamities.  Forever.

You really have understood nothing of their psychology.  Perhaps Melissa could explain this better than me.  Their women would die fighting you with their bare hands and teeth if you wanted to kill their brothers, lovers, fathers, and sons.  You still have a lot to learn…

Picture: “Ascending cloud from Redoubt Volcano from an eruption on April 21, 1990. The mushroom-shaped plume rose from avalanches of hot debris (pyroclastic flows) that cascaded down the north flank of the volcano.” Source

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