General points:  19   Powerful Words   "I've never seen you happier," said Emma during one of their rare evenings together. "Oh," muttered Lincoln, deep in thought. She put a hand on his arm and smiled. "You're working harder than you ever have, you're right at the centre of this whole extraterrestrial business, you have about two hours off in three weeks, yet you're calm, completely unruffled, and loving every single minute. Even now, you're sitting here but at the same time you're far away, making plans, considering courses of action and reviewing progress. Well aren't you?" Lincoln looked at his wife and felt completely transparent. "I'm sorry, it's just that..." "Don't apologise," she interrupted, "I know how important all this work is and wouldn't have you give up or change any part of it. I want you to know that I'm proud of the way you're handling things." Lincoln laughed. "I'm a lucky man to have a wife like you, and you're right, I am happy. I never thought I'd be able to hold down a job with this sort of responsibility let alone enjoy it, but I really do feel in control, in tune with events, like a surfer riding a giant wave and in perfect balance." He laughed again, self-conscious at his uncharacteristic egotism. "Just ignore me, I'll probably drop a great clanger before long and have to resign in disgrace." "Not you," replied Emma confidently. "Now tell me what's going on, I only know what I hear on the news, my friends expect better than that from the wife of 'Doctor Lincoln'." She laid mock emphasis on his formal title, but it retained a hint of authenticity. 'Doctor Lincoln' was now indeed a household name. In his few short months of limelight he had achieved world renown and respect. He was a capable man, the right man for the job. "What's going on?" he repeated, at a loss to know quite where to begin. "The results are promising so far from the quarantine facility. In the eight days that they've been back all the foreign micro-organisms have practically disappeared from the body tissues that they had entered. They all seem to have been dealt with effectively by the body's own defences. The communication link is working well; we've sent them practically all our recorded knowledge simply by transmitting the entire contents of most of our public information banks. We don't know what they make of it really, they say they are receiving it all and storing it but for all we know they might be ignoring it. They certainly aren't asking any questions and don't mention any of the material. Unfortunately their knowledge is not available to us. They answer direct questions and occasionally give a brief explanation of some matter or another, so although we're learning a lot, we're missing a lot more. Another thing is the time, they don't seem to be able to spare the time to spend long talking to us; it's a bit disappointing. Still, I suppose it's understandable, after all there isn't much knowledge they can gain from us. To be honest I'm beginning to get the feeling that they're deliberately not giving us any information that we can directly use. We know they consider we are already too technologically advanced so perhaps they are justified. They are very diplomatic about it, but whenever anyone asks about their technological achievements for instance or about the fundamental nature underlying matter, energy, and life, they answer in such vague terms that we don't find out anything that we don't already know and often a good deal less than that. We've set up a world-wide question asking league," he laughed as he thought about it. "At first people from my own staff were asking the more obvious questions, but we were soon inundated with requests from others. They come mainly from universities and research organisations, but we also get a lot from various religious groups, generally seeking confirmation of their own particular beliefs. Ordinary individuals also send in questions, often about health problems, though we have had some useful ones from that source." He laughed again, "We had a call from a shopkeeper in Iceland who asked for a baby Scout as a present for his granddaughter." "Did you ask?" asked Emma, tongue-in-cheek. "No, we thought it better not to pass that one on, we were afraid they might agree! We soon set up a section to sort out the questions, to weed out the inadvisable ones and to reject duplicates, and to pass the residue on in order of priority and record the answers. They are all published, but the popular press usually pick out the more interesting snippets for wider circulation. "The major task now is not so much allocating priorities as checking whether the question has already been asked, perhaps in a slightly different way. The question section has a computer sorting, indexing, and cross-checking queries that have escaped the preliminary manual sort. Even with all that we are still disappointed with the results. We don't admit it publicly of course but we are hoping for a lot more progress when the quarantine restrictions are over. All the most intriguing points are still mysteries, the artificial gravity, their ability to curve space and light to create the effect of a flat plane in a spherical shell, even things like the generation of light within the vessel. They tell us what happens but not how it happens. They don't appear to share or fully appreciate our longing to understand such things. The only thing that really interests them is what happened to interfere with their manipulation of our ancestors." He put back his head as he tried to think of any other matters that might be of interest. At length he continued. "Between the question and answer sessions we've been arranging interchange programmes for aliens and humans. Groups of our scientists are being prepared to go aboard their craft to study their systems, their technology and way of life, and the aliens will come to earth in the form of Scouts under the direct control of the Guardians." "That's something I can't understand," said Emma, "we're told that while you are speaking to one of these Scouts it's actually one of the proper aliens that can hear you." "That's right; they use the Scouts as living robots, controlling them by an as yet unknown mechanism. Their senses signal directly to the Guardians and they in turn control their actions and speech." His wife still looked distrustful. "Could they take over control of us in that way?" "No, they have to have a brain capable of their special signal reception. The Scouts have been developed specifically for that purpose." Emma shuddered involuntarily. "It still gives me the creeps. I hope that's not what they mean by development, being able to control the poor creature they've interfered with." "Don't worry, we did consider that but dismissed it. Their system is effective over only short distances in astronomical terms." "But how do you know that they're telling the truth about the effective distance and so on?" "Their communication system is limited by the speed of light like everything else, so long distance communication is impracticable, and long distance control is impossible." "Perhaps their system travels faster than light?" countered his wife stubbornly. "Believe me, nothing but nothing travels faster then light." Emma still didn't like it. She had a vivid imagination and Lincoln could see when it was beginning to run away on a frightening path. He moved closer and put his arms around her. "Don't start allowing yourself to become frightened over something that can't happen," he advised gently. "Oh you know me," she responded, "my imagination can't resist a good horror story. What will they do when they come to earth?" "They want to research exactly what went wrong in their plans, why our intellectual and psychological development came to be out of balance. They want to determine why we have evolved in the way we have. Apparently we are full of anomalies from their point of view. In some respects we have made considerable progress, yet in other respects we are governed almost entirely by prehistoric instincts. They say that the growth in reasoning power that we have achieved should only have occurred after our prehistoric instincts had diminished." "But surely the conditions long ago meant that we had to become intelligent or die out, didn't they?" "Yes, but it's a question of having just enough mental ability to survive. We seem to have developed at a rapid pace without any obvious evolutionary need to do so. It's something they will have to take up with our anthropological people. It might give us some valuable insights into our own nature though." "How will they go about finding out these things?" Lincoln was surprised by his wife's curiosity, she usually had only a passing interest in his work, but now she was really engrossed. He decided that it was probably suspicion of the aliens' motives that lay behind it. "That's something we don't know for certain. They say they will investigate the earth's records, but precisely what they mean by that they don't seem able to express clearly in terms that we can understand. Anyway, we'll have to wait and see." Emma was silent for a few moments. "William wants a window ceiling in his bedroom," she said at length, "he wants to see the stars and the visitors' ship when he's in bed, I said I'd speak to you about it." That was more like it; she was back to normal again, concerned about things under her own direct control. "I don't see why not," he answered approvingly.  *************** "Don't blame me for all this fuss," said Ranjit Khan in response to Lincoln's accusing look. "I told the press to keep it simple." "All right," said Lincoln in resignation, "let's get it over with." He detested any form of ceremony. All he wanted was for Sharma to go back to his own people and Knight to resume his duties. It was a relief of course that there had been no harmful effects from their visit to the alien vessel, but that had been known with practical certainty for several days. He had known of course that it was hoping for too much to get away with so simple a release from quarantine. But in his opinion this was going to the opposite extreme. The press had devised and arranged a lavish celebration. They had made so much of the release date that the public demanded something special. Lincoln had hoped that he might be kept out of the formalities but as President of the WSA he was being drawn right into the centre. A gigantic clock had been erected outside the building, not telling the right time, but counting off the seconds to mid-day, when the doors would be ceremoniously opened and the two heroes would step out into the open. And who would open the doors? Why Doctor Arthur Lincoln of course, and he had to make a speech or the public would be disappointed. So at ten fifty he was on his reluctant way down to make the best of the situation. About fifty thousand people were crowded all around. Several speakers and screens had been erected so that no-one need miss any part of the festivities. The entertainment had been going on all morning. Singers, dancers, gymnasts and comedians had been brought in, and their efforts were well appreciated. When Lincoln stepped onto the makeshift platform a great cheer went up from the crowd. No matter how unnecessary the whole thing seemed to him he could not help feeling very moved by such a direct display of approval. In spite of himself he was becoming enthusiastic and would do his best to give the public what they wanted and expected. The usual preliminary speakers stood up and made some appropriate remarks. Several local dignitaries had been invited and also a popular talk-show host who was acting as master of ceremonies. They kept everyone interested for half an hour or so but the main spot was reserved for Lincoln. From eleven thirty he would address the gathering and then formally give back Sharma and Knight their freedom. They would each make some brief remarks about their experience and then amidst music from the bands they would hopefully get away to the main building and peace. Lincoln had prepared some notes for the occasion and scanned through them quickly before his turn to speak. He should have been used to public speaking by now but he always felt nervous. As he stood the crowd gave a thunderous welcome of applause, he had no idea that people thought so well of him. He felt tremendous warmth and gratitude for their eager support, his notes were forgotten; they were hopelessly inadequate to follow such a welcome. The crowd fell silent, and he began to speak, a little uncertainly at first, and then more confidently as his voice gathered strength and his convictions unfolded. He spoke of the most exciting event in the history of the world, of the inestimable value of life, of the end of our wandering alone in the emptiness of space and of our intimate link with all life. He spoke of the new-found harmony between all of earth's peoples that had already begun to blossom and would grow and grow until all differences were forgotten and true brotherhood and sisterhood were attained. He spoke of the age of light into which we were entering, where knowledge of the value of all life would be fundamental, and the end of the crippling belief that humanity's existence was no more than a chance occurrence in a harsh and indifferent universe. He spoke as he had never done before and his audience was spellbound. He listened to the words cascading from his own lips and was as moved by them as was everyone else. He knew that this oratory was from deep within himself. It came without conscious effort, straight from the soul, from the source of all truly original creations. It was as if his conscious mind was a member of the audience, as if he was hearing the voice of someone else. He did not realise it then, but his words would echo round the world, would be repeated over and over, and would themselves help to bring about the very unity that he was declaring as inevitable. From then on his position was unassailable; he would have world support for whatever he decided. He was the man in control, the right man at the right time in the right place, and would not be challenged. At five minutes to twelve he commended Knight and Sharma as the brave pioneers of the new age. They had dared to enter the habitation of gods. They had risked their lives to open the door of knowledge and understanding for which humanity had hungered since we had first drawn breath. He declared that they had started the process that would change totally the lives of every man, woman and child on the planet. At twelve hundred exactly he turned and opened the doors of the quarantine facility, proclaiming as he did so that this simple action symbolised humanity's entry into the age of peace and wisdom. It would be an age when no-one could ever again doubt their worth or their purpose. Then he stopped speaking, the doors were open, and Knight and Sharma stepped out proudly. From fifty thousand people there was not a sound. The silence lasted perhaps for two or three seconds, then someone began to clap. Quickly everyone took up the show of appreciation, the tumultuous applause combining acclaim for Lincoln's message, and a hearty welcome for Knight and Sharma. The celebration broke up quickly after that. Knight and Sharma recalled a few amusing incidents for the crowd's entertainment then departed with relief to the main building. Lincoln thought long and hard about his speech. He had heard of similar cases before but had never really believed them until now. He became aware of the power held within the subconscious mind, and gained a new respect for humanity's rarely demonstrated but very real latent abilities.   'Now we really begin,' thought Lincoln two days later. The exchange programmes were arranged and the first team of scientists, technologists, sociologists and trained observers was already on its way to Pleiades. He recalled the intense competition there had been for places. The choice had been made by considering diplomacy and politics rather than ability since there had been an abundance of eminently suitable candidates. He had been forced to enlist the help of a computer to make the final selection when the initial aptitude and medical requirements had been met, and as a result there were six groups of forty people briefed and trained, the first one led by Knight and ready to board the alien vessel very soon. Their main duty was to observe and record. It was not known how long the aliens would stay, so as many hard facts about them and their vessel had to be collected as quickly as possible. And to help in that task they were armed with the latest and finest instruments that technology could provide. Even if it was never fully revealed how the vessel functioned or came to be constructed, at least it would be known what it was made of, its dimensions, layout and appearance. There would be enough data to keep thousands of researchers busy for decades. Lincoln reflected on the initial reluctance to allow detailed observations. The aliens claimed they had nothing to hide but argued that human technology was already too highly advanced. They had eventually relented after persistent pleas from all quarters, probably realising that the human thirst for more and more knowledge was insatiable. Whatever their plans for the future this aspect of human nature would have to be fully taken into account. 'Communication room,' announced Lincoln's communicator. "Go ahead," said Lincoln. He had been expecting this. The Scouts must be on their way. Jack Arnold's smiling face appeared on the screen. "They're about to depart Arthur, they say they've already completed their preliminary survey work, so the Scouts are set to be dispatched to specific locations." "What are they?" asked Lincoln. "Wrong question," countered Arnold. "You should have asked 'How many?'" "All right then, how many?" "Brace yourself, eight thousand three hundred and six." Arnold waited for the inevitable reaction, and didn't have to wait long. "Eight thousand," repeated Lincoln softly, "surely not?" "Yes and the location list is coming in now." "Get a warning to them quickly. We can't prepare enough people for their arrival and some might be shot at or they might give people heart attacks. Advise them to land in only a few places so that we can arrange escorts, and let me know as soon as they reply." "OK, will do." "Eight thousand," whispered Lincoln thoughtfully. They hadn't said anything about sending such numbers, but then they hadn't said they wouldn't send so many, it had been assumed that manageable parties would be used. Lincoln decided to go down to the communication room, he couldn't settle to do anything else until he knew the aliens understood his warning and were acting upon it. As he arrived the reply was being received, so he read the hard copy as it emerged. "We note your warning but assure you there is no cause for concern. The Scouts will be on station in about two hours." Jack glanced at Lincoln with a 'we might have known,' look on his face. "Two hours to arrival, eight thousand of them, no cause for concern," summarised Lincoln, "nothing makes any sense, but they've been warned. If they get shot it's their own fault." Make a plot of landing sites on a world map so we can see where the major centres of interest are." "Will do," said Jack and immediately entered the code for Data Services. He was quickly connected to a suitable facility and then transmitted the sequence of co-ordinates sent by the aliens. Within five minutes the screen displayed a world map with dots indicating each location, and any degree of enlargement was possible by selecting areas of interest. The map clearly showed that the locations were generally quite diffuse, but with denser regions in the Mediterranean, Central Africa, Middle East, India and China. "They must be arriving in individual transport craft judging by the separation," observed Lincoln. "That's right," confirmed Arnold, "there are as many locations as Scouts." Lincoln thought for a moment; then asked, "Where is the nearest location to here?" Arnold enlarged the Queensland region and found two locations, one about fourteen hundred kilometres to the west and the other about eight hundred kilometres to the south-west. "That's the one," he said making a further enlargement." "How precise are the co-ordinates?" "Correct to within a hundred metres." Lincoln requested a hard copy and a printed duplicate of the displayed picture rolled into his waiting hand. "Arrange for an aircar to be brought to the front, then wait for me there please Jack, and thanks." With that he was gone. He raced up to Khan's office and burst in. "Come on Ranjit, we're going to meet a Scout!" Khan looked up, startled by the sudden intrusion. "What now?" he asked. "Now!" shouted Lincoln and dashed out again. Khan didn't need telling twice, and in ten seconds he was in the elevator that Lincoln was holding for him. It had been thought that when the landing sites were known researchers from the WSA might fly over to assist the Scouts, or at least observe them. But they had expected fewer sites and more time. As it was they could just beat their selected Scout to the target, but only if they hurried. The car was just arriving as they left the building. Arnold was already waiting and all three hurriedly climbed aboard. Lincoln handed the map to the pilot who took one look and asked "How soon do you need to be there?" "No more than an hour," answered Lincoln. "You'll have to justify the fuel," he pointed out. "Just get us there, I'll justify anything you want," Lincoln countered. "Hang on then," advised the pilot as he lifted the little plane smoothly a hundred metres into the air, then set the controls, and away they went, quickly reaching the craft's ultimate cruising speed. Khan was brought up to date on developments as they sped along and the pilot showed a keen interest as well. It seemed no time at all before their little craft began to slacken speed and then to lose height. "There she is," said the pilot indicating a very ordinary patch of scrubland, part of an identical area that stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. They stopped and the three jumped out. "Are you sure this is it?" queried Lincoln. "Dead ahead, twenty metres or so," said the pilot confidently. Arnold checked the time. "We've about twenty minutes to wait if their estimate was accurate." "That was only an average time I think," said Lincoln, "ours might be a bit early or late." So they all settled down to wait, searching the skies intently for any sign of a visitor. Â