Robin Sez: > While this is a wonderfully entertaining little SF tale, it doesn't > really make sense on a galactic scale. Why go to all the trouble of > growing "food" elsewhere, when it's much cheaper and easier to grow > it at home? Note that interstellar travel capability implies an advanced > technological society, certainly more than capable of growing all > the food they would need. > > ...and besides those species already visit us frequently, and we are > still around. ;)
Spoilsport! I'm sure Jed would agree with your assessment. ;-) For the sake of starting a pointless argument, just for the hell of it, let me counter with an observation that you have not asked this mysterious life-form why they do what it is that they do. There may be a "logic" behind such perceived madness. Actually, fables are often perceived as illogical, especially if taken too literally. It's the emotional content I was going for. A different set of rules apply. But thanks for your complement. I had some free time yesterday to misbehave. You and Terry gave me the excuse I wuz looking for. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks > >------------------------------------------------------------ > >A Science Fiction Fable, by Steven Vincent Johnson > >------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > > > > >Dinner Bell > > > > > > > >We wondered if we were alone. While we hoped that wasn't the case none > of > >our calls had ever been answered. > > > > > > > > Eventually, as our technology came to fruition we acquired the god-like > > power of space travel. In our tentative steps out into the cosmos we > > discovered, much to our delight (and relief) that life did exist in > > precious little pockets stashed here and there. We quickly discovered something > > that surprised us. Many life forms appeared to have evolved from the same > > singular genetic source, origins unknown. Statistically, in terms of > > how we understood evolution to work, to have encountered such a large amount > > of genetic uniformity made no sense to us. We assumed evolution would have > > naturally engineered more diversity. But what did we really know about > > how evolution worked; that's how we consoled ourselves. > > > We eventually discovered that some of these life forms had spawned > > civilizations. We finally discovered that some of the older > > civilizations were sufficiently advanced to have visited our solar system > > long ago, if they had really wanted to. Apparently, none had ever cared to > > do so. > > > >This lack of interest puzzled us. We decided to ask one of the advanced > >civilizations why they had ignored our queries. We chose one we had > >repeatedly transmitted greetings announcing our presence, a > civilization we assumed most assuredly must be aware of our efforts to > > contact them. > > > > On a fateful day we introduced ourselves in person. We asked our > > question. They were horrified. They told us to leave immediately. > > It was too late for > > us; that was their answer. They demanded we cease all forms of > > communication with them, especially anything that could possibly > > pinpoint their location. > > > >We raced home. > > > > It was too late. Menacing armadas laced our skies like swarms of hungry > > hornets. Black needles several kilometers in length spit out high > > energy beams slicing through continents and oceans as if cutting through > > soft butter. All life, bacteria all the way up to the most complex multi- > > cellular organisms were sucked into vast refineries. Complex molecular > > structures our planet had evolved over eons were unraveled and recombined > > into new matrices compatible to the nutritional requirements of some > > unknown life form. > > > > > > > > Eventually, after their storage facilities had been filled they > > sterilized the remaining surface area of our planet. The atmosphere > > was subsequently reseeded with a new strain of bacteria, a strain > > possessing a hauntingly similar singular genetic source. As quickly as > > they came, they left, content to let evolution once again take its course. > > > > We phoned only to discover we had rung someone's dinner bell. > > > > We phoned only to discover we were truly alone. > > > >--- Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
