The Unasked Question
Apr. 30th, 2016 07:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
avevale_intelligencerSlowly the great hall grew quiet as a myriad of muttered conversations died down. The various species that composed the audience waited expectantly as Flennish, the Chief Scientist of the Gyelri Science Fellowship, flowed to the podium and stood for a long moment, tentacles flexing slightly as he surveyed the multifarious variety of faces (or local equivalent) looking up at him. At last he sighed, consulted his notes and began to speak.
"Ladies, gentlemen, and others," he said. "Welcome to this extraordinary meeting. I expect you are wondering why I have called you all here tonight." There was a ripple of laughter, and the odd explosion from members of races whose reaction to humour was on the extreme side. "Between us, we represent the cream of the scientific community on a hundred worlds, so I hope you will forgive me if I spend some time going over what will doubtless seem to you the blindingly obvious.
"Our Galactic Federation has been in existence for roughly nine thousand years. By the miracle of transluministics we have forged a network of communications which spans the entire galaxy. We trade amicably with each other, we exchange knowledge, we manage--mostly--to live in peace with our neighbours. We help struggling emergent races to complete their maturation and join us as full members, as equal partners. We police the spacelanes and do our best to keep crime to a minimum, while recognising that if sentientkind is to enjoy any measure of freedom the possibility of crime is one that cannot be entirely expunged. Our philosophers have plumbed the mysteries of the universe and discovered, somewhat to our relief, that some of them remain forever unplumbable." Another murmur of laughter, but only one explosion this time. The being in question apologised, and Flennish nodded and went on.
"I see here among us Kuvalk, Osossen, Nordelli, Plath, Ugu, Mizzizzi, t'Trayzh, Gyelri like myself, and representatives of fifty-seven other species, all the principal partners in our great Federation. You all come from different worlds, from different cultures. Your histories have been long and frequently turbulent, but you have all, as species, attained enlightenment and civilisation unaided. Your cultures display great diversity--up to a point, but I'll come to that later--and you all deal with each other on a basis of mutual respect and fairness.
"Would you all agree with my summation of the position of affairs in our galaxy today?"
There was a mutter of general agreement.
"Good." Flennish sounded genuinely relieved. "Then, with the groundwork now out of the way, I would ask that you now regard the screen behind me."
On cue, the curtains parted and the huge screen flashed into life. On it, a smallish blue-green planet, veiled in wispy clouds, floated against the darkness of space, lit from one side by, presumably, its star.
A voice from the audience. "That's Earth." And again a rumble of agreement.
"You are sure?" Flennish said. "You positively identify this planet?"
The rumble was louder. More voices spoke up.
"Yes, that's it."
"Definitely."
"Everyone knows what Earth looks like."
"Very good," Flennish said. "Then my question to you, ladies, gentlemen and others, is this:
"Why?"
"Ladies, gentlemen, and others," he said. "Welcome to this extraordinary meeting. I expect you are wondering why I have called you all here tonight." There was a ripple of laughter, and the odd explosion from members of races whose reaction to humour was on the extreme side. "Between us, we represent the cream of the scientific community on a hundred worlds, so I hope you will forgive me if I spend some time going over what will doubtless seem to you the blindingly obvious.
"Our Galactic Federation has been in existence for roughly nine thousand years. By the miracle of transluministics we have forged a network of communications which spans the entire galaxy. We trade amicably with each other, we exchange knowledge, we manage--mostly--to live in peace with our neighbours. We help struggling emergent races to complete their maturation and join us as full members, as equal partners. We police the spacelanes and do our best to keep crime to a minimum, while recognising that if sentientkind is to enjoy any measure of freedom the possibility of crime is one that cannot be entirely expunged. Our philosophers have plumbed the mysteries of the universe and discovered, somewhat to our relief, that some of them remain forever unplumbable." Another murmur of laughter, but only one explosion this time. The being in question apologised, and Flennish nodded and went on.
"I see here among us Kuvalk, Osossen, Nordelli, Plath, Ugu, Mizzizzi, t'Trayzh, Gyelri like myself, and representatives of fifty-seven other species, all the principal partners in our great Federation. You all come from different worlds, from different cultures. Your histories have been long and frequently turbulent, but you have all, as species, attained enlightenment and civilisation unaided. Your cultures display great diversity--up to a point, but I'll come to that later--and you all deal with each other on a basis of mutual respect and fairness.
"Would you all agree with my summation of the position of affairs in our galaxy today?"
There was a mutter of general agreement.
"Good." Flennish sounded genuinely relieved. "Then, with the groundwork now out of the way, I would ask that you now regard the screen behind me."
On cue, the curtains parted and the huge screen flashed into life. On it, a smallish blue-green planet, veiled in wispy clouds, floated against the darkness of space, lit from one side by, presumably, its star.
A voice from the audience. "That's Earth." And again a rumble of agreement.
"You are sure?" Flennish said. "You positively identify this planet?"
The rumble was louder. More voices spoke up.
"Yes, that's it."
"Definitely."
"Everyone knows what Earth looks like."
"Very good," Flennish said. "Then my question to you, ladies, gentlemen and others, is this:
"Why?"