The Great Destroyer Read Online Free Page A
Author: Jack Thorlin
aren’t sure where in the Solar System.”
Emma snorted with derision. “You think they’re going to be more interested in dead sand dunes on Mars than the only intelligent civilization in the system? No chance.”
Minister of Wildlife Andrea Brentwood asked, “And what was the purpose of the signal they sent?”
Korzov replied, “Our initial analysis suggests substantial difficulty in ascertaining—”
Emma cut him short. “We have no idea. It didn’t vary in power or frequency, so it couldn’t convey any data to us. Best guess, it was a measurement instrument, something they could shoot through our atmosphere to get some sort of advanced details about our atmosphere, surface temperature, something like that.”
Flower took control of the meeting. “While these are all interesting details, the question is what we should do about the incoming ship.”
“Does it pose a threat?” The fact that the question came from the Minister of Safety, Peter Redfeather, did not inspire confidence in anyone present.
This time, Korzov did not even try to answer. “Dr. Takagawa?”
Emma considered the question. “We don’t know. The images aren’t clear enough to discern obvious weapons ports on the ship, and even if the ship did have weapons, that wouldn’t be a definite signal of hostility.”
Equality Minister Tanya Eldridge said, “Why would aliens reach out to a foreign civilization just to start a war? The aliens must be so advanced that it would be like us seeking out an ant hill in Kansas to destroy.”
Flower saw Emma stir a bit at that. The Japanese roboticist said, “Don’t sell us short. Our planet has liquid water, a habitable surface environment, and, most importantly, intelligent life.”
Eldridge wasn’t convinced. “But not nearly as advanced as the aliens must be.”
Emma shook her head. “We are not as simple as you think. As early as the 1950’s, our various space agencies were examining methods of interstellar travel. Freeman Dyson had proposed using controlled nuclear explosions to propel a spacecraft to Alpha Centauri at four percent of the speed of light.”
The Equality Minister shuddered. “How barbaric. Freeman Dyson, ou was a white American, wasn’t ou?”
Emma ignored the irrelevance. “If we had seriously pursued Dyson’s idea or others like it, we might have sent a manned ship to another star hundreds of years ago. It could have been us sending a ship like this. This civilization may not be much more sophisticated than we were. They could very well be hostile.”
Flower probed, “But why come all the way here just to fight?”
“Resources and living space,” Emma answered. “We have discovered enough about the universe to know that an inhabitable world with an oxygen-rich atmosphere is extremely rare.”
The Equality Minister scoffed. “Why should they need anything of ours?”
Emma mused, “Maybe they need a new home. Maybe they’re expanding. The point is, it is entirely possible that they could pose a threat.”
Flower turned to Safety Minister Redfeather. “Peter, if the aliens are hostile, what could we do to—” the First Representative searched for the right word, “—withstand their challenge?”
The Safety Minister temporized. “We have never considered an issue like this, First Representative. I would need time to provide a useful answer.”
Well-versed in bureaucratic evasions of responsibility, the First Representative asked, “What would your preliminary guesstimate be?”
Safe in the knowledge that nothing he said could be held against him, the Safety Minister opined, “We have not had armed conflict on Earth in hundreds of years. There are some old weapons in museums, tanks and the like. We can probably find the old plans to make more. But our safety personnel have only minimal training in
Emma snorted with derision. “You think they’re going to be more interested in dead sand dunes on Mars than the only intelligent civilization in the system? No chance.”
Minister of Wildlife Andrea Brentwood asked, “And what was the purpose of the signal they sent?”
Korzov replied, “Our initial analysis suggests substantial difficulty in ascertaining—”
Emma cut him short. “We have no idea. It didn’t vary in power or frequency, so it couldn’t convey any data to us. Best guess, it was a measurement instrument, something they could shoot through our atmosphere to get some sort of advanced details about our atmosphere, surface temperature, something like that.”
Flower took control of the meeting. “While these are all interesting details, the question is what we should do about the incoming ship.”
“Does it pose a threat?” The fact that the question came from the Minister of Safety, Peter Redfeather, did not inspire confidence in anyone present.
This time, Korzov did not even try to answer. “Dr. Takagawa?”
Emma considered the question. “We don’t know. The images aren’t clear enough to discern obvious weapons ports on the ship, and even if the ship did have weapons, that wouldn’t be a definite signal of hostility.”
Equality Minister Tanya Eldridge said, “Why would aliens reach out to a foreign civilization just to start a war? The aliens must be so advanced that it would be like us seeking out an ant hill in Kansas to destroy.”
Flower saw Emma stir a bit at that. The Japanese roboticist said, “Don’t sell us short. Our planet has liquid water, a habitable surface environment, and, most importantly, intelligent life.”
Eldridge wasn’t convinced. “But not nearly as advanced as the aliens must be.”
Emma shook her head. “We are not as simple as you think. As early as the 1950’s, our various space agencies were examining methods of interstellar travel. Freeman Dyson had proposed using controlled nuclear explosions to propel a spacecraft to Alpha Centauri at four percent of the speed of light.”
The Equality Minister shuddered. “How barbaric. Freeman Dyson, ou was a white American, wasn’t ou?”
Emma ignored the irrelevance. “If we had seriously pursued Dyson’s idea or others like it, we might have sent a manned ship to another star hundreds of years ago. It could have been us sending a ship like this. This civilization may not be much more sophisticated than we were. They could very well be hostile.”
Flower probed, “But why come all the way here just to fight?”
“Resources and living space,” Emma answered. “We have discovered enough about the universe to know that an inhabitable world with an oxygen-rich atmosphere is extremely rare.”
The Equality Minister scoffed. “Why should they need anything of ours?”
Emma mused, “Maybe they need a new home. Maybe they’re expanding. The point is, it is entirely possible that they could pose a threat.”
Flower turned to Safety Minister Redfeather. “Peter, if the aliens are hostile, what could we do to—” the First Representative searched for the right word, “—withstand their challenge?”
The Safety Minister temporized. “We have never considered an issue like this, First Representative. I would need time to provide a useful answer.”
Well-versed in bureaucratic evasions of responsibility, the First Representative asked, “What would your preliminary guesstimate be?”
Safe in the knowledge that nothing he said could be held against him, the Safety Minister opined, “We have not had armed conflict on Earth in hundreds of years. There are some old weapons in museums, tanks and the like. We can probably find the old plans to make more. But our safety personnel have only minimal training in
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