Adobe .pdf - Notes from An Alien

cottage. We'll be safe but she's going to need more medical care than I can give her when this is
over."
~~~
Seven were killed in the meeting hall fire. The six intruders, members of a new and thankfully
small group known as the Ultra-Science Front, were stunned and en route to Territorial
headquarters. Verluin and the family were fine. Delva was clinging to life.
Morna continued to run Delva's vitals through her circuitry until she saw the indication that
Delva was out of immediate danger. She alerted the hospital staff and Verluin and, before they
could arrive, she said: "Delva, what you did was spiritual."
Delva murmured something.
Morna began a complex and well-remembered pattern of cogitation—the attempt to find a
rationale for actions performed solely for the benefit of others. This time there was a path to add
to the pattern—performing actions that will protect the lives of your enemies.
~~~
In the months it took for Delva to return to full health, the Worlds' Council had approved the
exploratory flight of ShipFour to Angla-Palli. The research and development centers had installed
sophisticated sensors on ShipFour, the crew had conducted a full suite of orbital test runs of
critical equipment, and the laser that would power them home had been safely tethered to the
ship. Launch would happen when Delva, Verluin, and Morna were on board.
Delva had deputized a team of four Aklans to continue her scheduled visits to Local Councils. If
the voyage to and from Angla-Palli, plus the time spent exploring, didn't exceed two years, she
would only miss visiting twenty-four Local Councils. She'd made sure the visitation team was
clear about keeping their activities focused on social and economic issues and keeping their
religious practices private. She knew she could trust them.
Morna had found the Aklans rationality and equity interesting. Delva thought it was nearly a
miracle. She attributed the uplifting sanity and common sense of her husband to his training as a
doctor, not his religion. She had made many mental notes to have a deep and long discussion
about science and religion with Verluin and Morna. The slow voyage of ShipFour to a new World
seemed like what others called a gift from God.
~~~
There was a nearly constant news feed coming from ShipFour. Delva had been right—the mission,
beyond being of value in itself, had become a cultural bonding experience. It also was spawning
the birth of a few more radical groups. The Worlds' Protective Force was always ready for
intervention but, more and more, Local and Regional Councils were devising methods of selfdefense.
The Territory of Aklana had begun sending representatives to the Regional Councils to
help them implement social and economic initiatives that might serve to draw the somewhat
reasonable members of divisive groups toward more productive endeavors. It worked in some
regions and caused dangerous flare-ups of violence in others.
Most people realized that the exploration of Angla-Palli was going to introduce fundamental
change in the Worlds' culture. Fear of change needed more education in principles that some saw
as rational and scientific and others saw as moral and ethical. The radical groups saw this change
as evil.
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