I've got a list of names | Glowfic Constellation

Afen is disappointed in the universe. He bounds back and forth across his room explaining why to his wife, his infant granddaughter, the end table, and a reporter flabbergasted by her good luck and cringing silently against the wall in the hopes he won't remember she's there.

"There is no reason to suppose that a species evolving independently of Amentans, with their own evolutionary history and living mammalian species likely related to theirs, would end up looking like us. None. Every explanation every scientist has ventured to the press has been unimaginative and unconvincing retroactive refitting of bad models to baffling data. Aliens shouldn't look like us but with different hair colors. Aliens that are not made out of carbon at all would be unsurprising; aliens with only as much physiological dissimilarity as exists between us and animal species on our planet would be mildly surprising; aliens with opposable thumbs would be truly remarkable. This is not remarkable and biologically enlightening; this is just inconsistent with everything we understand about the universe. It doesn't teach us new things about evolution; it should make us rethink evolution. - don't quote that part, they'll take it out of context."

Reporter nods rapidly.

"All of that said, I've picked up three of the languages and I'm working on building a good machine translator, it's a challenge with as little as they've produced in the way of electronic records. I'm absolutely going there to meet them as soon as the politicians figure out what to do with themselves."

"Do you have any predictions about that?"

"About politics? Why would I have predictions about politics? They deliberately obscure relevant information, for one thing, and for another it's deathly boring."

"- I mean, sir, surely you hear from your son about -"

"I have seven children and some of them are very dense indeed but not quite dense enough to try to interest me in politics."

"I was referring to -"

"I know who you were referring to. If you want a statement from Aitim go bother Aitim."

"Thank you for your time."

"I did not alter my activities in response to your presence and therefore you can't yet be said to have wasted any of my time though you should go before you do."

...out skitters the reporter.

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"I'm not sure."

too-early-and-too-late

"Is there someone who definitely would have that authority?"

"No single person."

too-early-and-too-late

More water.

Cough cough swallow.

too-early-and-too-late

"Who would definitely have the authority to stop the executions?"

Cough. "Aitim could probably convince people if it were his first priority but he'd have to convince both the rest of the Anitam ruling council and the international community responsible for population control."

too-early-and-too-late

"Where does he live."

"Canada. I couldn't find it on a map. I would take a shuttle."

too-early-and-too-late

"Do skypeople carry identifying documents that would be checked if they were getting on a shuttle? Does he ever leave?"

"Not documents, electronics. He sometimes visits satellite locations for meetings but most people come to him."

too-early-and-too-late

"Why are population controls a secret from Earth's population? Are there other secrets?"

"They are unlikely to be popular and would create unrest we can't afford while we're working on more immediate priorities and might prompt people to have children in a boom now before we can implement them. There are no other things that we are actually forbidden to tell humans but there are many things we are choosing to deemphasize."

too-early-and-too-late

"Tell me those."

"We're not emphasizing the extent to which we plan to densify and settle the planet, the existence of non-Anitam countries back home or the fact that we must answer to the international community, our preference to stay away from polar and equatorial regions, the base on Mars, the history of the red caste, the exact extent and detail of our technological superiority, our disrespect for local religions, and the travel time necessary to get home."

too-early-and-too-late

"Is there anything you can tell me about those things that Aitim Neli will not be able to tell me."

"No."

too-early-and-too-late

"Were you previously aware, including rumors you dismissed, that there were humans with capabilities locally glossed as 'wizardry', mythical animals, a secret society of magic-users, anything like that -"

"No."

too-early-and-too-late

"I'm going to erase your recollections of this conversation. I can return them at some later date if relations between our people improve. Is it important to you that I do that if it's an option?"

"Yes."

too-early-and-too-late

He takes the water bottle, duplicates it, refills it with ordinary water.

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Will this hurt my baby?"

too-early-and-too-late