Echo-1 The Whale

31: A Short Talk about Earth

During his second year with us, Henry started pilot training. Jonas instructed him on managing all the Banga's systems. Henry rarely communicated with non-whale members of the crew with the exceptions of Uzi for security reasons and myself when I worked on his transmitter.

The Save the Whales gang tried to talk to Henry. Sunshine swam with him many times, but he shied away from her via the transmitter.

After I completed Henry's two-year tune-up Jonas appeared. I climbed up on his back and lay looking out the glass roof of the lagoon beach. Watching the stars overhead.

"The whales like to come here to look at the stars as well. Henry tells me he's been asking you about humanity and the Earth. I know you have questions the ship's data banks won't answer." 

He took in a large gulp of air through his blowhole and settled in the water. Laying on Jonas' back was the safest place on the entire ship. He really had an aura about him, if you believe in that kind of thing. I cleared my thoughts before I began.

"I know I'm not human, but I feel like I am. I have such a solid memory of my life before. Though it does seem to pale in relevance now that I know it was all Echo-1. I guess I have a part of me that feels like I should go to Earth and help the humans that still survive. I've learned so much and that I could teach them. I also wonder, why didn't they make it? Why aren't humans in space? Why didn't they develop spacefaring technology in time to avoid natural disaster?" 

I realized I was asking a lot, but those were my questions and he asked. 

"Are you familiar with the Earth theory of the Drake Equation?"

Jonas paused and my no answer told him I wasn't aware of it. He continued.

"It's a mathematical formula for measuring intelligent life in the galaxy. It takes into account time and whether a species will evolve enough to make advanced technology, disasters natural and otherwise, and communication potential. It falls short in its vision to predict the ability to become a spacefaring civilization. Which is, after all, the only way to survive over time in nature. Planets eventually die, stars do too. Species can outlive their solar system by becoming space travelers.

"The thing that the Drake Equation fails to look at is the number of habitable planets in a particular system, be it a single solar system, a binary system, or even a group of stars that form a larger system themselves. Think about the Varan system you recently visited. It's not unlike the Earth's solar system. It has one sun, inner and outer planets, and an asteroid belt. It also has a primary species that evolved to become technologically advanced. 

"Varan had the perfect set up, planetarily speaking. Early on in their technological development, they discovered that Varanidi, a second habitable planet in their system, also had life. This simple fact motivated them to travel there. It gave them a greater vision for themselves as a species and their place in the universe. They became explorers and colonized the second planet right away. Varanidi had life, but not technologically advanced life. The Varan came to see themselves as an advanced species but understood that life evolved naturally on different planets and became motivated to find more. They explored their system and found life in the asteroid belt and on smaller moons. 

"Space travel provided the added benefit of superior physical development that allowed for slow metabolism and extremely long lifespans. Over eons they evolved into the perfect space traveling species and continue to this day to push the limits of exploration." 

Jonas blew air out and sprayed me with water.

"Think about the oddity of a cold-blooded species that loves warm swampy places traveling in the freezing cold of space. Their second world, Varanidi, was an ice world. When they colonized it, they adapted. Now they can handle extreme cold without any problem. They used their environment to their advantage."