“Sir, we have completely evacuated the planets. No human casualty is reported. All of them feel a little awkward on the new planet, but they would settle there quite soon.”
“What about the animals and plants?”
“You said that humans were first criteria.”
“What about them?”
“Till the time the last human infested craft could jump across the universe, the Ragnar exploded, it happens to be some 2 light years away. We can’t risk men with such improbability. None of the men or women is ready to hyper jump across back to our original planet with a risk factor just two years away.”
“So we have two years…”
“Sir you know the situation. We can’t distort space extremely near the habitable planet. So the safest probable distance before we distort the space lies some eight months travel away, the same is said for after the hyper jump for reaching the to-be destroyed planet. The probes and the crafts won’t last the return journey.”
The Transformer General ruminated over the matter. No animals! No vultures, no eagles, no whales, no crocodiles, no moths, no fire flies, no amoeba, no tape worm, no frog, no snake, no shark, no nothing. God damn it, they would be terribly alone in that already lonely universe.
“Isn’t it possible that in the return journey, you could cut short the time, and the place of hyperspace?”
“Sir, with the current hyperspace technology, we have to distort the space large enough to decrease the distances in the space blanket, and that is the reason we can travel faster light years away, though the hyperspace exists for extremely small time, a hyper space thus created would exert such high gravitation, as to suck the earth whole in, then the now dying earth would somewhat lay in the distance between its original position, and the hyperspace in this part of the world, which we would never be able to find, and even if we could, the life would be destroyed by the heat created during the distortion.”
“So there is no possibility in saving them?”
“With the current technology, I am afraid that the answer is no.”
The Transformer general looked dejected, utterly despondent. The Secretary felt it to be his duty to somewhat soothe the General.
“Sir, but they represent apparently no loss. We have long outgrown the phase where we are dependent on either of them for food. We have developed the Photosynthesis suit, where it manages to take some important nutrients out of the body, and with sunlight and constant water supply, we are able to create our own food, and we have ample of synthetic food to survive on. It is even better than the original.”
The General didn’t speak for some time. Then with a cold, icy voice he barged on him, “Can you by any God damn imagination, chalk out an existence without the surrounding animals and plants. The din in the background, the smell, the sight, the affection, the exuberance, they represented everything that any other world lags. My son had a dog, with which I played, that curved tail, that sloppy stance, those teary eyes; you could not just live without the wonder of animals around. That’s like being blind or deaf.”
“Sir, but only two or three generation will face such a problem. After that, when you haven’t observed the wonder of animals, you live without it.”
That, as it seems to me, the narrator, the tipping point where the Transformer General’s anger burst the dam. He said many of the unprintable words which I could not write out in a responsible blog as this definitely is. Finally the General asked him to get lost, which the secretary was happy enough to comply.
Some time may have passed, when the General ordered Kaplan to be called in his office. Now it seems to me that I have to introduce this guy properly. He was one of the fathers of the Synthetic revolution that killed the dependence on animals and plants. Of course, the self sustaining atmospheric plant came much before. He had almost single handedly found out all the ingredients necessary to develop a life. If he were given all the ingredients necessary, he would form out a life of his choice. He had of course voiced his idea as how to obtain the ingredients, but no government was enterprising enough to provide him the financial backing. Kaplan was as usual hoofing around to find some large backer, so his prompt arrival after the span of two days was not a thing to be surprised at.
“Have you found out the appropriate system?”
“Yes sir, it is quite in the neighborhood. The disc where the habitable life could exist around any sun is empty.”
“Can you form it?”
“I simply don’t have to do anything. I just need a small rocky base on which I could drop all the initial volatile material.”
“I can’t wait billions of years for life to evolve.”
“I am not asking you to. I just need the combinations. Rest then I could join them in any sort of creature you want. And it would be a small meteor sized rock on which I am going to drop planet full of initial material. Then with so much of material, we would obtain variety of different possible combinations of trillions of proteins, and in the process get billions of the right combination of life. Depending on the size of disc, I say two such planets could be adjusted.”
“And the cost?”
“Less than a sizeable jump.”
“I would consider it. You can go.”
Of course he did consider. After that they developed a habit of correspondence. I do have the following pieces of papers which shows their talks over the years.
Date- 23- 12- 15000
Dear General,
We have been able to initiate a launch of the rocks, with huge chunks of volatility burdening them. And I was so far right that they would not escape, as they themselves would coalesce to form a planet. It looks like a gigantic convection unit, as a mild agitator is placed around the rock, so the volatiles have a cyclic structure. Its lot more like churning. We have started having a slew of important organic materials. The probes are in constant business. We have so far found many important combinations that would wipe out major disease. Though the further progress would require time.
Yours truly,
Kaplan.
Date- 24-12-15000
From,
The Transformer General
Left city, Orlando
Planet X.
That’s good.
Date -12-05-15005
From,
The Transformer General
Left city, Orlando
Planet X.
It is rather shocking to see that you have such impertinence as not to choose to reply inspite of the repeated calls. If you don’t correspond soon, you may find your project would run dry of money.
Date – 24-05-15005
Dear General,
I am sorry that I could not reply soon enough. I was busy creating the first animal! Ah, I have quite succeeded in the task. Yah, I have obtained all the important combinations, the right amino acids, and what not. Now supported by the Quantum computers which have stored information of the entire gene map of all the life in general, we are in a breakthrough position where we are about to create a first animal. Though of course we won’t be able to send you that creature, as we would like to create as many clones as possible, so as to make their population sizeable, I would see that you get one of the clones.
Yours truly,
Kaplan
Date-03-09-15007
From,
The Transformer General
Left city, Orlando
Planet X.
That aliens whom you created was quite good, though I couldn’t see its nearness to a dog. Still carry on. You are performing excellent task. I am looking forward to a real dog.
Date-09-11-15013
From,
The Transformer General
Left city, Orlando
Planet X.
Contact soon.
Date-25-02-15017
From,
The Transformer General
Left city, Orlando
Planet X.
What the hell is happening there? I am getting some really disturbing reports. Is it true that the two planets are about to collide. Is that what you are hiding?
Date- 12-12-15017
From,
The Transformer General
Left city, Orlando
Planet X.
I now know that the planets in question have collided. You are fired.
Date-23-01-15018
From,
The Transformer General
Left city, Orlando
Planet X.
You have grossly violated my instructions. You have the temerity to hide when the officials came to carry you. Surrender immediately.
“Sir, this is the only possible message that can be made out of the transmission.”
“What is that?” General asked.
“SAVE YOUR ASS.” The official was somewhat embarrassed while saying so.
“That’s what Kaplan said. That frigging power loving bastard. So he thinks I am afraid of his alien army. Declare the state of war.”
“Aye, sir.”
Well, the message was quite true in the sad sort of way. Kaplan was afraid of me (i.e. Gaia), he declared a war on me that is the planet. He hurt my rocks. I had to destroy him before he could cause further harm to me. The General seemed to have misunderstood my message. He came along with his war machines, and caused huge damage on my surface. I had to destroy the entire horde of them. Till the time they came to know what was actually happening, they were completely destroyed. I happen to be extremely lonely. There happens to be no conscious being except me. Still my surface is constantly emanating out the signals, to search for life elsewhere. If there, please correspond. I am Gaia, the lonely conscious planet.
Alienman 