Lost in Magadan: Extraterrestrials on Earth

Furier paused for a moment, and stared at the fire, before saying, “Yes. I have a mom and dad, but it’s not like human families. We are not as close. We don’t have marriage anymore. We did, a long time ago. But, the government got rid of marriage after life expectancies increased. People could not stay together for hundreds of years, it just wasn’t working. Now, some people mate for life, but it is rare. My mom and dad are no longer together, I see them when I can, but not really that often.”

“Okay, Okay. I hope you don’t mind me asking these questions?” Snap asked, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable.

“No. It’s okay. I am enjoying the conversation.”

“So, what do people on your planet do? When they are not flying around the galaxy in a space ship?” Snap asked.

“A lot like your planet. Everyone works. They enjoy outdoor activities and entertainment. We have less crime, war, and strife, than you have on Earth. Some are raising children, while others are exploring hobbies and developing new technologies. A few still observe ancient religions, but not as many as do here on Earth.”

“You said they don’t have corporations, like we do. Where do people work?” Snap asked.

“Most of the means of production are managed by what you would call a government, those ‘Administrators’ I was telling you about.”

Snap laughed, “Here, that’s called ‘socialism’. I can think of a few people that would have a problem with that.”

“Yeah, another tough transition. There is no way we could have moved from capitalism to socialism without the technological advances in genetic manipulation. But, after a couple of hundred years, the people began to trust the Administrators, they saw that they were fair, competent, and not greedy. Once we established that level of trust between the people and the Administrators, it was easy to turn things over to them. After all, they really could manage things better than the rest of us; in the same way the Captain of a starship can chart a course more accurately than a supply officer.”

“Well,” Snap said, thoughtfully. “What about the bad administrators, you mentioned?”

“What? What do you mean?” Furier asked.

“You know, you said some of the Administrators were better than others; but, they were held in check by the good ones, and you alluded to the fact that maybe the best ones were promoted.”

“I wouldn’t say ‘bad’, they are just not as skilled as the others. They do cause small problems from time to time; after all, we are not cookie cutouts of one another. The problem occurs when one of these less skilled Administrators gets to another planet, and is isolated away from our culture and processes. We have seen them lose their way, and begin to regress back into the old ways. Of course, they still have their genetic predisposition to be a good Administrator; but, without the constant reinforcement from the others, well, they slip. Genetic manipulation does not make us exactly the same, or perfect. It only predisposes certain attribute like intelligence, sex, physical features and general interests. Personal drive, ambition, and experiences play a part in the individuals development, an ultimately how useful they will become. You may be born a soldier, but you have to work hard to become a general.”

“How so? I mean, how do they lose their way” Snap prodded.

“They could lose their way, especially over decades of being away from their home world. They lose sight of their directives, and start to put their personal ambitions and desires ahead of the mission. We have seen it happen before.”

The conversation trailed off. Both were worn out from a hard day. Snap got up and rummaged around for some more wood to throw on the fire. Sparks raced up toward the stalactites when Snap dropped a piece of wood on the smoldering coals.

Even though he was exhausted, Snap’s mind could not rest. “Wow. So, this is where humans could be in 500 years?”

“Maybe. Maybe sooner. With our help, we hope to speed up the process. Help you avoid some of the mistakes we made along the way.”

“So, besides the genetic predisposition, what made you want to be the Quartermaster on an interstellar ship?” Snap asked with a weak chuckle as his eyes grew heavy.

“So, it doesn’t really work that way. I was not genetically predisposed to be a Quartermaster; I was genetically predisposed to enjoying the study of science and math. From there, my personal interests and studies could have led me to any number of fields. As a child, I grew up hearing about all these exotic worlds, I just wanted to see them for myself. We have billions of people on my planet, but only a fraction of them can travel to space. It requires years of special training.”

“I still can’t get over how much you look like us. I mean if you evolved on another planet, what, hundreds of light years from here, why do you look like us?” Snap asked, as he pulled a blanket up around his chin and curled into a fetal position.