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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too-early-and-too-late

...Timothy takes a swig of the water in the glass. "If you try to ask me questions I'll hex you. I have absolutely no idea why our families seem to match each other in temperament as well as appearance but they do. My father is Finis and my mother is Nell and my younger brothers are Michael, Theodore, Aaron, Minor, James, and Samuel, and whenever something seems to match everything else does as well -"

"You still haven't introduced yourself."

too-early-and-too-late

"I was curious how much it would bother you. Sorry. Sort of. Timothy."

Sigh.

too-early-and-too-late

"Thoughts?"

"I hate it when you ask for thoughts I think the potion gives me less - formulation time - in that case and it doesn't give me much as is. I considered telling you my family's names as a rapport thing but you were considering dragging my father into this and I didn't want to remind you. There are half a dozen ways I know of you could have faked the drink but I will confess confusion about why you want me to believe that you're my mysterious human double when you're otherwise trying to give me usable information."

too-early-and-too-late

"Because it's true."

"Were you under the impression that asserting things twice is more evidence?"

too-early-and-too-late

"Honestly I find it very annoying that you look like me and sort of think like me, I was looking forward to extracting my answers from a terrible alien despot and then mind-controlling him to not be evil. If I get so far as liking you I won't be able to do the mind control and I like most people." He looks like he definitely did not intend to say that.

"Mind control that only works on people you dislike."

too-early-and-too-late

"They're called the Unforgiveables because you can't -" he waves his wand at himself. He stops talking altogether.

A minute later, "if you don't believe me you've got to be enjoying meeting the best actor you've ever met."

"'enjoy' is a bit strong but it's definitely a horizons-expanding experience. If your analysis of the industrial output question concludes like mine that Earth cannot be geared up inside a century to contest Amentan forces unless Earth has a substantial Amentan population, then what?"

too-early-and-too-late

"Then I figure out how to stop the executions and delay the population controls with all kinds of baffling apparent side effects and contest bad Amentan acculturation of the human population and manufacture whatever delays or experimental results or whatever you require to leave nomadic populations alone and we go full-tilt on industry and when it's at the point where you can't make excuses anymore we figure out what kind of reveal best deters Amentans from doing this to other places and restore Earth to a human government. And you can have part of Canada that doesn't have other people living there already, and Amentans who can tolerate their human rulers not insisting other people take five-hour showers can stay where they are, and Amentans who can't can come live here."

" - as terms of surrender offered by alien conquerors go, that's not bad."

too-early-and-too-late

"It's not an offer, it's how things might work out if there's really no good way to be rid of you all and still grow up fast enough to help the rest of the galaxy."

"You know what you are," says Aitim, "is greener - our idealists are all green - greener than I could ever have let myself be."

too-early-and-too-late

"Are you trying to make me like you so I can't do the mind control."

"Yes."