Contact across the Solar System

Another Trip

After traveling over North America, the Aurora headed to the Moon, and Sheila, Mark, Joe, and the other dignitaries settled in for the trip. "I never thought I'd be traveling aboard the object I'd discovered", said Mark about it.

On their way, they sent a video message back to the Earth, assuring everybody that they were alive and well.

After a few hours, the Aurora reached the Moon, traveling a few hundred kilometers above the Apollo landing sites. The Aurora's telescopes clearly showed the lower halves of the astronauts' landers, left behind as the astronauts departed in the upper halves. The telescope also showed the go-carts that some of the astronauts had ridden. "We thought you might like that," said Kalna about the site flybys. She then announced, "Next stop: an asteroid."

Not long afterward, the guests were asleep in their quarters aboard the ship. When they awakened again, the Earth was far behind, looking like a bright bluish-white star. The Moon was also visible nearby, looking like a somewhat fainter whitish star.

Sheila McKenna asked Ilmuth if she could talk about something in private. Ilmuth agreed, and the two went to Sheila's quarters aboard the ship.

"I have something that I want to talk to you about," said Sheila.

"Please go ahead," said Ilmuth.

She then discussed the anti-espionage movement and Senator Ferguson's grilling of her. As she told it, it was almost as if the anti-espionagers would not be happy unless she confessed that she would get to be the SSC's provincial governor of Planet Earth as the SSC enslaves the people of the Earth and makes them live the SSC's unnatural lifestyles. She also discussed how emotionally wearing it was to be continually vilified as a traitor and a quisling and an enemy of all that is good.

"Yes, lots of people like me and like what I'm doing, and I appreciate the love that they have shown for me, but all the hatred grinds me down. It's so disturbing that some people can hate so much."

Ilmuth listened sympathetically, and she could telepathically sense Sheila's anguish, but she kept quiet about that. No sense talking about how she could read everybody's minds. Not that the Earthers didn't already know that by now.

Sheila described how resigning from the Message Committee did not help very much. The anti-espionagers jeered at her and vilified her as an oversensitive crybaby and a drama queen.

She paused for several seconds, and she then said "I have been considering resigning from my foundation also."

Ilmuth responded "If you wish to, we will accept it. Please take care of yourself. Give yourself some more rest if you need it. You've done a great job introducing us to the people of your world."

Sheila thought a while, then said "I think I'll continue."

They then turned to their revealing when Ilmuth helped Sheila at the recent visit. "I don't even want to look at what the anti-espionagers are saying about me now," she said about it.

"We'll keep it away from you," said Ilmuth, smiling. "You've had enough abuse from them, I'm sure."

Sheila's mind drifted to the subject of mind reading, and she said, "Ilmuth, you've been reading my mind in all of this, haven't you?"

Ilmuth paused to choose her words carefully, and she said "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. I can't help but pick up other people's thoughts and feelings. It's the way we are, we people of the worlds. I'm sorry if I make you feel intruded on, but I can't help it."

"Very well. I knew that that's what we are in for with you, but it still makes me uncomfortable."

"Yes, I know that telepathy can be misused. But anything can be misused, and we learn to avoid doing it."