New Hope: Book 1

Elrael took a few steps toward Ellie.

“Don’t be afraid, touch me.”

The astronaut, with a mix of curiosity and fear, decided to react to the alien’s strange request and do as he asked. She extended her arm and brought it close to her companion’s hand. She expected to feel the soft material of Elrael’s apparel. Instead, her hand passed through his body like air.

“Oh!” said Ellie. “You’re not real!” she said in an almost accusatory tone.

Elrael smiled.

“I assure you, I’m very real. My body is the core of a quantum computer controlling this installation,” he explained. “I don’t have a physical body, because I’ve never needed one. My creators never thought there’d ever be such a need. The figure you are looking at is my holographic avatar. I had to disclose this to you so you’d understand that I have certain limitations and I’ll need your help to realize the plan I’ve devised.”

“Okay...” said Ellie.

“You need to understand, Ellie - the Protagonists didn’t want to make the same mistake with your kind as they did with the Sarassians. That’s why their presence in the history of your species was limited as much as possible. They didn’t interfere in your development, they merely watched you from a safe distance, without risking the contamination of the developing human culture, as it had taken place in the past.”

Elrael paused for a while, allowing Ellie to absorb all the information.

“You’ve already noticed that your DNA allows you to interact with the technology of the Protagonists. Indeed, along with the modification of the first human genome, my creators included special markers in it. They can be found in the non-coding part of every person’s DNA, which is a kind of junk genetic code. At least that’s what your scientists think for now... Along with the development of mankind as a species, with changes in thought, along with the progressing technology, these markers transform, subtly at first. As a result, they genetically bring humans closer to the genome of my creators,” said Elrael. “You are the first human being in whom sufficient changes occurred for the Protagonists’ technology to recognize you as a person authorized to activate it. This means that the human race is almost ready to take its due position in this entire jigsaw you mentioned before.”

“So, what now?” asked Ellie.

“In ordinary circumstances, you’d receive all this information directly from a real representative of my creators,” started the alien avatar. “However, the circumstances are far from ordinary. My systems were designed to inform the Protagonists once a sufficient evolutionary change in humans was detected. Then they should come to Earth and disclose their existence.”

“Then why am I speaking to you and not one of them? Something happened, am I right?” she guessed.

“My role was only to monitor your progress and report any significant events that could affect the natural evolution of your species,” replied Elrael. “You know – wars, that threatened the continued existence of your race, horrific pandemics, that could wipe you species out and so on. Therefore, my contact with the Protagonists was extremely rare. The last time my creators contacted me to obtain any information was almost 5000 earth years ago. Three months ago, when you touched the orb, as soon as my installation was fully activated, I sent the information to the Protagonists, expecting further instructions from them,” he paused.

“I haven’t received any reply to my message... And this could mean there was nobody to hear it,” said Elrael sadly.

“But you said the Protagonists settled in a different planetary system so the radio signal might not have reached them,” said Ellie, confused.

“The technology we have far exceeds what humans have right now. We don’t use radio waves to communicate but directional hyperspace transmissions. That way, the message reaches where it needs to, without being intercepted by others, as it takes place with radio waves, and additionally the information in hyperspace travels at much higher speeds than the speed of light,” he replied. “A reply to my message should reach me within a few minutes. The fact that it didn’t come at all may mean there’s nobody on the other side to give it. That’s why I decided to disclose the presence of this facility, hoping the people from your installation on the Moon will send the person who led them to my activation.”

“So all this was planned?” asked Ellie.

“As much as it could have been, yes. Nobody could have guessed when the right genetic variations would form in a human being. I knew that, sooner or later, this time would come. I just didn’t know if it would be tomorrow or in a hundred years. Our conversation is not something that was expected at all. We knew that intelligence would participate in the first contact. But nobody predicted it would be artificial,” he sighed. “I need your help, Ellie.”

“How can I help you? And, forgive me for saying this, but I must,” she added. “Why should I help you anyway? From what I’ve learned, the Protagonists seem to have earned their fate, interfering multiple times in the history of entire civilizations. Plus, my whole life was destroyed when their orb pulled my landing pod down to the Moon and caused its crash,” she pointed out in anger. “Why should I help you if everything related to your creators has brought me only pain and suffering?!”

“I’m sorry for everything you’ve suffered, Ellie, but there was no other way. I admit, bringing down your craft was an accident. It shouldn’t have happened that way. The Protagonists aren’t infallible and know-it-alls. They hadn’t predicted everything. But now,” continued Elrael, “when I know the Protagonists aren’t responding, we have to take into account the worst-case scenario, and I’m not able to do anything alone,” said the alien.

“What do you mean? What worst-case scenario?” asked Ellie in dismay.

“That the Sarassians found the Protagonists’ colony and annihilated it. That would mean they’re at the threshold of this planetary system and could invade at any time.”

This statement stunned Ellie to the core. She suddenly understood the alien was right.

“And if you’re right?” Ellie paused in thought, “Is there anything we could do to verify this? Maybe nobody’s responding because, I don’t know... A transmitter failed, or the star’s radiation is interfering with making contact? I know, I know, I’m making things up as I go and radiation probably doesn’t affect hyperspace communication... I’m just trying to offer some alternatives that are better than your worst-case scenario,” she said.

“Hmm, I’ve got to admit, your theory with the solar radiation isn’t all that improbable. If there was a strong enough coronal mass ejection on the star in the system the Protagonists went to set up a small colony, it could disrupt contacts, even for weeks at a time. Nonetheless, we still need to check this. If the cause is as simple as that, well, the first contact with real, living Protagonists will take place in their backyard. They’ll probably be a little surprised that people come to them and not the other way round, but essentially, this shouldn’t be cause for concern. However, if the worst did happen, we have to know about it to start preparing.”

“Preparing for what?” asked Ellie.

“For war. The Sarassians won’t let even one species be left alive in the galaxy to compete with them for the same resources,” said the astronaut’s companion.