Another Try

Nona and Glitch sat and stared glumly at each other. They took no notice of the main screen which displayed the image of the beautiful-looking planet that was the subject of the directive passed to them from High Command. They knew only too well that appearances can be deceptive, and as previous excursions had proven, they had decided that this mission was going to be doomed before they had even discussed ways to go about it.

“What do they mean, try a different approach?” Nona was exasperated.

“Well, I suppose we have to use our imagination on this one, although heaven knows we've tried many times before.”

“And have got absolutely nowhere. Oh, I know we've interacted with some of the humans, and for a while we thought we were getting somewhere. We even managed to teach them some basic technology, but then it all went wrong, and they misused it against each other.......”

“So that's where the different approach comes in,” Glitch interrupted. “We've got to make contact in a different way.”

“I'd rather make contact with a different species altogether,” said Nona. “And forget all about the crazy Earth inhabitants.”

“Just a moment...... I think you've got something there.” Glitch suddenly sounded excited. “A different species! The planet's teeming with all kinds of different animals. Maybe we've been ignoring them all because we concentrated on only one kind of life. When you think about it, that has always been rather a short-sighted way to go about trying to interact with alien life-forms, especially when there's such a variety to choose from.”

Nona waved a hand dismissively. “It wouldn't work, whichever we chose. We haven't even tried to communicate with anything else, because we assumed that humans were the most intelligent species.”

“Well maybe we were wrong. Perhaps we've been wrong all along.” Glitch began pacing around, trying to sort this new idea out in his mind. “ We need to find another life-form that displays some kind of intelligence, and see if we can achieve a rapport with it so we can communicate. You never know......”

“But we'll have to learn yet another language........” Nona began.

“Not necessarily. Have you forgotten about the thought transference method?” He paused, and then carried on before Nona could interrupt him again. “Yes, I know that approach didn't work with the humans, but it may well be that another kind of animal won't be quite so freaked out, and it may be easier in the long run.”

Nona spent a few moments considering this. “All right,” she said eventually. “I'll let you run with it. After all, if it fails we won't have lost anything, and you can be blamed for it, as it's your idea.”

“Oh, thanks a lot.” Glitch smiled ruefully. Then he took a deep breath and announced, “Right, we'll do it. Let's begin the selection process. We'll run a few specimens through the system and see which looks the most promising. But first I would appreciate your input. As you've been on more missions than I have, and must know more about the wildlife, do you have any suggestions?”

“I think the creatures that do already have some sort of association with humans would be more suitable, as they must have a degree of intelligence,” Nona answered cautiously.

“Excellent! Let's get to work!”

They spent the next two hours selecting and rejecting, until they found one specimen that they both agreed was the best possibility.

“There's just one problem,” Nona mused. “As with all non-human species, they don't seem to have evolved in the way humans have. I mean, they haven't improved their environment, or produced anything for their own wellbeing or comfort.”

“Why is that, do you think?”

“I hadn't considered that,” Nona admitted. Then she smiled. “maybe they're perfectly happy with what they've got, and can't see the point of striving for anything better.”

“But that applies to all the non-human creatures,” Glitch persisted. “It seems that everything they do is motivated by instinct. I don't think you could credit them with an intelligence over and above that.”

“Ah, but after studying this particular creature I've realised that they behave in ways that don't make sense in the ordinary quest for living the best life they can. I mean, they appear to do things which are quite unnecessary, and sometimes just for the purpose of annoying and angering other creatures, and even without any fear of retribution or danger to themselves.”

Glitch laughed. “That doesn't sound like superior intelligence to me. More an indication of stupidity.”

Nona persisted. “On the face of it, yes, I would agree with you, but my studies have shown that in most cases they come off best. Admittedly not all the time, but no creature is perfect.” Then she added, “But it does show an independence of thought process.”

“Well, it looks like the most interesting prospect, so we ought to give it a try.” Glitch felt ready for the challenge. “I'll beam down and you can track me and we'll see how the initial approach turns out.” He readied himself and initiated the beam sequence. Then he was gone.

Nona homed in on the screen that displayed Glitch's location on the surface. A few operations on the control panel opened communications.

“Have you selected a specimen?” she asked.

“I have,” came the answer. “I found one close to an area inhabited by humans, so it is probably used to associating with them, but there are no humans in the vicinity at present, so it's looking okay. Now I just need to concentrate, so I'll be quiet for a while. I'll open comms when I'm ready.”

“Received,” Nona replied, and sat back to wait.

After what seemed hours, Nona jumped when she heard Glitch's voice.

“I'm coming back!” He sounded excited, alarmed and actually terrified.

“What happened? Did you establish thought contact?”

“Oh, yes!” Glitch sounded breathless. “It was a struggle, but I managed it. I invited the creature to come aboard, and it attacked me, physically and with some very offensive language, so I had to defend myself. I'll give you a more descriptive account when we come back.”

“You're bringing it back? Is that wise?”

“Oh yes, you've got to see this for yourself.”

Nona watched the door behind the control console anxiously. It swished open and Glitch staggered into view. His clothes were torn to shreds, and as he limped towards her she could see blood oozing from his head and various other parts of his body, and one eye dangled out on its stalk. He collapsed into a seat, breathing heavily. “Don't worry. It's not too badly damaged, and is still conscious.”

He turned and gestured towards the door. After a few moments the creature appeared. It, too, seemed to have survived a battle. Damp, matted hair surrounded what looked like a pair of vicious eyes, and as it prowled around limping, it left drops of blood and spittle in its wake. Eventually it came to a halt, and bestowed on Glitch a menacing, baleful glare.

“Meow!” it said.