3:10 pm Sunday, 24th June 2029
Crew Room on the OCF
"How did you like our little toy?" Velan inquired.
"Very impressive," Summers responded. "But the force of the acceleration must crush anything inside it."
"That's why it can only be used for certain types of objects. The inside of the courier is filled with a special gel. The items to be transported must also be in a liquid-filled container and all air or gas excluded. When that is done correctly the contents suffer no damage."
"How do you programme it with a destination?" Rob asked.
"No need, wherever they are released they travel directly to the edifice of the Atikas."
"Does the edifice of the Atikas have a name?" Toby wanted to know.
"Yes, it is called Caranal."
#
When the meeting proper was underway, Velan nodded at Jayal and she got to her feet.
"You have probably wondered why a psychologist was included in our delegation," she began. "I was certainly surprised at being asked to be a part of it, but there are two good reasons.
The first is that we couldn't be sure that Dr Lee and Dr Jardine would be able to attend. You were requested because your papers proved that you both were open-minded and would be receptive to the somewhat disturbing information we had to disclose.
Other scientists may have had a hard time accepting what we had to say and refused to believe it, or been distressed by it. It was thought that my skills would be able to overcome any psychological difficulties of that sort. As things have turned out, I have not been needed."
"Don't be too hasty, Doc," Rob interjected. "I might need some therapy by the time we've finished!"
Jayal smiled but Summers scowled and indicated for him to shut up and let Jayal speak.
"The second reason has to do with the experiments that the Atikas conducted to enhance intelligence, and later to try and reduce aggression.
We thought those experiments had failed but for the last fifty years the Atikas have detected evidence from Earth that make them think they did have some effects, and not all of them desirable.
From news reports and articles published on your internet, they have perceived an increase in disorders of the brain. These include disorders such as dementia, Alzheimer's, epilepsy and autism, and they forecast that the incidence of these abnormalities will steadily increase."
"Why do they think their experiments caused those disorders?" Toby asked.
"Because none of these disorders have ever manifested amongst the Manitan on Vitu."
#
"That quite an admission to make," Toby remarked after they had digested Jayal's disclosure, "that they inflicted debilitating abnormalities on the people of Earth."
"Yes," she said, "and the Atikas regret it. They want to put it right before the problem gets much worse. They have concluded that the rise in mental defects poses a greater threat to mankind's future than your viral pandemics.
They believe that autism is the key dysfunction and that once they find the gene that triggers that, the others will follow."
"They actually think they can cure autism?" Toby said.
"Not cure exactly. The Atikas are accomplished at genetically modifying brain spindle cells. They are sure they can identify the faulty genes that cause these disorders and correct, or eliminate them, so future generations are not at risk."
Summers coughed politely to get attention and Jayal shifted her gaze away from Toby.
"Are you proposing that the Atikas come to Earth and perform brain surgery in one of our hospitals?"
"That would not be possible," Velan clarified. "The patients would need to be brought here for tests aboard our vessel. We have all the equipment necessary. The Atikas will then assimilate the results. Brain surgery will not be required, apart perhaps, from a simple biopsy."
"We hope," Jayal added, "that if the remedy is not too complicated, we may be able to train your own doctors to test for the faulty genes and neutralize them."
"That is true," Velan confirmed.
Toby looked at Charlie, who raised her eyebrows in approval before speaking.
"Just think how many millions of lives could be transformed if that was successful."
#
Velan described how the Atikas had scoured the internet and had found information about eight autistic individuals who seemed perfect test subjects. He knew their names and the towns or cities where they lived. The Atikas needed just three of them to agree to participate. Then he pressed the side of his neck, closed his eyes, and recited the list of names and places without a pause.
When Velan finished Charlie immediately indicated she had a question.
"Most of the names and places you just listed are in different countries. You do know these people may not speak English?"
"Yes, we know about your curious practice of dividing your world into separate territories and evolving different languages. It has always fascinated and mystified us why you do that. But, it shouldn't be a problem. Jayal was chosen for a third reason. She speaks several different Earth languages."
Toby regarded her in admiration and Jayal looked pleased.
#
Summers told Velan that a re-supply shuttle would arrive on Tuesday and that he would return to Earth on it to personally hand the recordings to representatives of the US Government. It would be up to them to decide if they were prepared to go ahead with any experimentation on human subjects.
"When the shuttle approaches," Summers said, "the flight crew might be able to see your spacecraft. We know from when you arrived that you have some way of concealing it. Can you do that on Tuesday?"
Velan thought for a moment before answering.
"Our vessel is not invisible. The electromagnetic drive makes it undetectable to your radars and radio telescopes. It works in the same way as Vitu's gravity screening. But that is only when the drive is engaged and we are moving. To remain unseen we would need to leave before your shuttle arrives."
"We could be observed from Earth by optical telescopes, for several seconds at least." Mutu pointed out.
"Thank you Mutu, I realize that," Velan said.
"Could you head off towards Mars?" Summers asked. "Then if anyone on Earth happens to be watching we could say it was a test flight of a prototype Mars transporter."
"Yes, we can do that, and also return from the direction of Mars."
"Good, that should deflect any awkward questions."
"We just better hope no one in NASA mission control is a stargazer," Rob remarked. "They know we don't have a prototype transporter yet."
"Don't worry," Summers told him. "They'll all be glued to their screens monitoring the Spaceplane telemetry. They won't have time for stargazing."
#
After dinner, they all sat around the crew room drinking tea or coffee and comparing life on Earth to life on Vitu. Velan insisted that the people on Vitu were much happier than the people on Earth. He waxed lyrical about their idyllic lifestyle, the absence of disease and the abundance of food. No one went hungry on Vitu he maintained.
"That's true," Mutu agreed. "But I like Earth food. There is so much choice."
"The food on Vitu is designed to fulfil all nutritional requirements," Velan countered. "These meals are very unhealthy."
"They may be unhealthy," Jayal said, studying the list of ingredients on the carton she had chosen. "But they certainly taste good."