Yeerapen

Monday, October 6^th, 2070. 

Sawyer Brooke, quantum metrologist, walked onto the dark, cool stage at the center of the newly reconstructed subterranean Colorado Convention Center and targeted his seat at the furthest of the two tables, draped in burgundy aprons and separated by a single black podium. Nervous perspiration was dampening the shirt sleeves under his arms, as he found his way across the stage, acutely aware of the thousands of assessing eyes following him to his designated place between Aaron Davies and Amanda Simmons. Sawyer deeply admired both of these people. Aaron was literally the definition of perseverance and Amanda sparked more than admiration. He found her to be intuitive and bold in a subtle sort of way with a razor-sharp intellect and enjoyed every moment he was able to spend with her. He sat down between his two friends and squinted through the lights to examine the audience. The large room was filled with over three thousand computer scientists, physicists, neurologists, nanoengineers, students and reporters from around the world in attendance of the 53^rd annual International Conference on Software Engineering and Information Management to hear first-hand from the team of eight Colorado University scientists who had been shaking the global community with their recent and historic scientific discoveries. As the handful of his other friends and fellow scientists from CU settled into their seats, Nathan Klane remained standing and approached the podium. Sawyer leaned over to Amanda and whispered, “Are you ready for this?” Amanda stated what was known by the entire team and absolutely nobody else, “I don’t think anyone can be ready for this, Sawyer”. They each took a deep breath as the bellow of conversations dribbled down to a droning hum. Nathan squared himself to the crowd, allowed his natural broad smile to consume his face, cleared his throat, introduced himself and then the rest of the team. 

In June the world had been more than ready for the opportunities and optimism revealed with the publication of the discovery by a team of Colorado scientists, of a new particle, introduced as the Zhang Particle. A month later, the headlines of scientific journals and a few minor media networks tempted hopefulness again: "CU Team Discovers Brookes Field - The Zhang Particle Exhibits Wave-Particle Duality". Soon after that, the CU team published groundbreaking research in neuroanatomy "The Brookes Field and the Nucleus Lateral Geniculate". Last month, the team published an article titled "CU Team Completes Comprehensive Map of the Brain". For scientists and millions more it was a summer of promise after decades of political, social, economic, and environmental despair.

As Nathan thanked Dr. Zhang for her thoughtful and supportive leadership, Sawyer considered the audience and their desperate yearning for considerably more knowledge and perhaps a little hope. He wondered if the educated and dedicated people paying attention to his colleague at the podium were as burdened with thoughts of the perils facing humanity, as he was. He imagined how they had each set aside their own research, left the safety of their homes and communities and traveled thousands of desolate miles to hopefully contribute or participate in a possibility. “But we are so few”, he thought to himself.

Nathan held up a pair of heavy glasses to the crowd and said, “In April of this year part of our team took a trip to the Utah desert. Our goal was to combine a spring break camping trip with a little field research. A few of us were wearing these.”  He waved the glasses above his head. “We know them as QEWG’s - Queps Embedded Wireless Glasses. Our intention was to get as far away from any type of radio, cellular or satellite interference as possible, so we took them with us as we explored the various slot canyons of the San Rafael Swell. It was in one of these remote slot canyons in which we made our most significant discovery. You see, in the articles published earlier this year, it wasn’t so much that our team discovered the Zhang Particle or the Brookes Field. To be truthful, their actual names are the Ohmun particle and the Isyian Field and they were actually discovered 958 years ago. What we discovered that day in that remote slot canyon, ultimately led us to this new science. We don’t really deserve all of the attention and notoriety that we have been gifted.” 

The quiet attentiveness of the audience turned to a buzz of side conversations and Sawyer began to see consternation and skepticism appear on faces in the crowd. A few people actually laughed out loud, thinking it was, perhaps, a joke. For many of them, Sawyer observed, it was as if they were disappointed, or maybe they were feeling like they were being deceived or swindled. “Trust is a rare commodity these days,” Sawyer thought as he saw Nathan losing the attention and confidence of the audience. It was the specific, impertinent laugh of some man in the back of the audience that triggered Sawyer’s cynicism. He had lost any hint of sanguine expectation for humanity during the Civil War ten years ago. Witnessing the continued decay of an environment capable of sustaining any species, much less human, certainly hadn’t helped. And fighting against the frequent and brutal inhumane treatment of climate refugees escaping the equator for a better life in the Rocky Mountains, seemed to have erased any hope he was able to hold. He turned to Amanda and their eyes met. He knew she was sharing the same feelings of contempt. He also knew, those feelings were never going to interfere with her pragmatic sense of purpose.  She offered a forced smile that held encouragement for him to keep his mind on what might lie ahead.

The team had talked themselves up in the moments before they took the stage. Victoria Zhang, the department chair, had tried to bolster their moods and relax their nerves by impressing upon them the value of what they were about to do – “The role we are playing is pivotal”, she said. “The world will be different tomorrow.” Aaron, the most senior member of the team, who had survived more personal trauma and witnessed the possibly worst of humanity, pressed upon the team to recognize and accept their role as global change agents. “What we are doing is no longer about us. Our personal fears and ambitions are irrelevant. We were chosen. We accepted this responsibility.” 

Nathan cleared his throat in an attempt to regain the attention of the audience. “What we ultimately discovered that day was an intergalactic artificial intelligence named Yeerapen.” The room erupted with a chorus of jeers, laughter, groans, and booing. Nathan yelled into the microphone, “Please, please allow us to continue. Ladies and gentlemen, please.” His requests were obviously ineffective as Sawyer noticed people were actually beginning to leave the room. Nathan looked across the tables at each of his contemporaries, searching and finding the affirmation he needed to do the only thing they actually intended to do all along.

He looked up over his left shoulder and then his right as he signaled that it was time. The team of scientists stood up from their chairs and a collective moment of silence engulfed the auditorium. The audience, with their mouths agape subconsciously reached for their SPOT’s in an effort to record what they were witnessing. Gabhu was the first to drop down from their perch above stage left and settled onto the table near Sawyer. Then Eshu dropped from stage right and landed on the other table. A few moments passed as the team waited for the third. “Of course,” Sawyer thought to himself, “Owen, the fun-loving risk taker, was going to do something a little different”. Sawyer searched the room for them. He noticed the large screen at the back of the stage projected close-up images of the two Ekatie. Silence was being replaced with sounds of panic and fear. A woman screamed at the same moment Owen flew across the crowded auditorium. Their entrance was grand as they flew only a few feet above the heads of the attendees. Almost ten feet of leathery, opaque, alien wingspan cast a moving shadow across the crowd, as they approached the stage and landed on the table next to Gabhu.

Surprise quickly turned to panic as more screams engulfed the auditorium. Chairs were overturned and a few hapless victims fell to the floor as people hysterically ran to the exits. Some men pulled out weapons in an effort to protect themselves. The building’s security team, obviously well trained, immediately sprang to action and propped open the emergency exits. Victoria positioned herself in front of Nathan at the podium and began calling for calm. “It’s okay” she pleaded. “Seriously, its okay. You can trust them. They are peaceful and kind.”  Weapons and tempers were being brought under control by a handful of security teams. Sawyer was not surprised but still discouraged by the reaction. “Fear”, he thought, “it is what we humans do. “Fight or flight is almost a spontaneous response. Is it even possible for this species to transcend beyond the individual and think about itself as a part of a whole?”

As Victoria continued to appeal for the return of rational thought, images of the three Ekatie appeared on screens and in transmission and communications. Sawyer and his colleagues understood it would only be a matter of minutes before a global awareness would center on the room in which they stood. Millions of viewers would see the three alien creatures, perched calmly with their wings folded behind their bodies and arms wrapped around their knees. A moment of nervous energy rippled through the remaining crowd as Gabhu dropped off the table to stand behind Victoria at the podium. While perched, they initially appeared to be about the size of a medium sized dog, but when standing fully erect and with the wings hanging unfolded, they appeared to be about the size and shape of a small human. 

Cameras zoomed in for a more detailed inspection. One screen was filled with Eshu’s head, their facial features large and uncompromising. Their long, skeletal nose was most distinctive, being half as large as the rest of the head, separating their large eyes and overshadowing the less predominant mouth and chin. Under the tip of the nose are three, thin, pink, fleshy nostrils. The next thing most likely to capture the viewer’s attention are the three large cupola protrusions giving dimension to Eshu’s skull. These cranial outgrowths (Ormeuns) contain what earthlings would consider ears but actually enable the Ekatie to receive not only sound waves but a frequency currently unknown to humanity and central to Ekatie communication. The eyes of the Ekatie are mostly defined by precise and distinct vertical black pupils which bisect each eye like a seismic rift divides a desert landscape. These black scissure-like pupils divide large vibrant, iridescent jade green irises. Fortunately for most who were witnessing this encounter, the eyes, for whatever reason, were actually comforting and welcoming.

Victoria continued to call for calm. “Please, please. You are scientists. Be reasonable. This is a critical moment in the history of science, our species and our planet. Please allow us to continue.” Two thirds of the audience had already fled the scene. Fewer than a thousand people, who’s pragmatic curiosity managed to maintain control remained. Victoria concluded her petition for calm, the security teams restored order and Nathan, once again returned to the microphones. The auditorium began to pacify. He spoke, “Allow me to introduce our guests.” He gave the crowd a few more minutes and then said, “It is my sincere pleasure to introduce to you Gabhu Mayia-Jehyia from the planet Ekata.” Gabhu bowed to the audience. As Nathan extended his arm in a welcoming gesture he continued, “And this is”, Eshu jumped from the table and stood next to Gabhu, “Eshu Lania-Yiryia.” Eshu raised and opened his hands in a submissive manner and a few people actually began to clap. “And last”, continued Nathan, “but certainly, as you are now aware, not least, is Owun Faylia-Giyia.” More people clapped as Nathan continued. “There is one more. Their name is Bhaun Rayia-Vyrdia and they are at the controls of what they call a carreyo, floating somewhere above us right now. 

The room was, once again, silent as Nathan continued. “They have traveled almost 50,000 light years from a small corner of the Perseus arm of our galaxy on a mission of peace and benevolence. Specifically, they are here under the guidance of an artificial intelligence named Yeerapen, developed on their planet in our year 1377.” A collective gasp was heard from the crowd. “Furthermore, the intention of a long series of missions, which began in our year 1894, is the creation of, what we might consider, an intergalactic internet. Believe it or not people, the Ekatie have successfully connected almost 90,000 planets with intelligent life to Yeerapen.” Pieces of private conversations became audible. “The science we published this summer actually became available to us, via the Ekatie and Yeerapen, in early June of this year. Bhaun and this crew have already modified essential communication satellites orbiting Earth and the science and knowledge of thousands of planets and life forms, more advanced and sophisticated than ours, is now available to all of us.”

Thursday, October 16^th, 2070

Sawyer awakened to the first glow of the rising sun reflecting off the south-facing wall of rock opposite the canyon from his large bedroom window. He got out of bed and imagined the crowds outside of the CU complex in which he worked and he would ultimately need to negotiate within the next hour. Along with the news vans piled with communication equipment, protesters fearful of the aliens and counter protesters with welcome signs, hundreds of people hungry for a glimpse of an Ekatie filled the streets. Department heads across campus were overwhelmed with calls from peers and politicians. Slipping on some work clothes and shrugging off the chaotic images, Sawyer began to prepare for the day. For the first time in a very long time, he actually held a little hope. As he wiped down the kitchen counter, his SPOT buzzed on the table behind him. “Yes”, he said. “Sawyer, it’s Amanda. I got a call from Aliya and she wants all of us to meet at Aarons, as soon as possible.” “Great.” Relieved he could postpone the campus chaos he said “I can be there in fifteen minutes. Do you need a ride”? “No, I’ll catch a ride with Nathan. See you there.”

Sawyer dropped his SPOT in his pocket and stepped outside the terrace door. “Fetch”, he called. He heard the garage door open and the whir of his truck’s motor start. The truck pulled up, Sawyer climbed in the driver’s seat and said, “I need to get to Aaron’s quickly, Fetch.” The small, driverless, truck accelerated out of the driveway and headed up the canyon. When he arrived, he noticed Victoria’s large black SUV already parked outside alongside Liam’s small pickup. He walked in without knocking and found most of team, along with Gabhu, Eshu, and Owen deep in conversation on a lower deck. The atmosphere was somber. Aaron offered a cup of Frea and Sawyer accepted. A few minutes later, Nathan and Amanda arrived. 

After a few friendly greetings, Aliya addressed the group. The look on her face was not encouraging. “Gabhu, Owen, Yeerapen and I spent most of last night working here. Thank you, Aaron for your hospitality. We were crunching an enormous amount of planetary environmental data. We actually ran the numbers three times.  There is no other way to say it.” She paused and took a breath. “What we found is deeply disturbing.”  Her thoughts were suspended as she managed her emotions and wiped a tear from her eye. “Without immediate intervention, a planetary mass extinction is eminent. And, it appears, an immediate intervention is unlikely. Humanity is coming to an end.”

Sawyer found a chair and tried to collect his thoughts. He laughed and asked himself why he ever even allowed himself to feel hope. “Of course,” he mumbled under his breath. A few of his colleagues were crying. Then Owen said, “Homo sapiens may become extinct, but that doesn’t mean humanity has to end.” The team looked at him. “Bhaun, how soon before another planet could reach earth with assistance?” Bhaun thought for a moment. “Xestao is less than twenty light years. With their current technology, maybe six or eight years. They certainly know how to bring a planet back from extinction.” Aliya jumped in. “But our models are indicating a complete breakdown of physical infrastructure in less than five years. How can people survive? We have zero chance without Yeerapen and there is no Yeerapen without our technological connection.” Gabhu spoke next. “Connect organically.” “Can we do it?” asked Liam, obviously more familiar with the topic than others in the group. “Do what?” asked Aaron. Gabhu spoke again. “The Ekatie have always been able to communicate with Yeerapen organically.” Our Ormeun is capable of receiving and transmitting frequencies utilizing the Isyian field. The research we’ve been doing suggests humans could be augmented to have an organic connection to Yeerapen.”  Amanda jumped in, “A modification of our DNA for the development of an ohmun ganglia for future generations and implants for willing participants could be available within the next few months. It is possible for humanity to survive, if we can make it until the Xesto arrive. The odds definitely improve with Yeerapen. 

Sawyer looked admiringly at Amanda and knew he was looking at one of the last homo sapiens and one of the first homo augeretis. 

The End 

and 

The beginning.