Creative Destruction
by Bill Kowaleski
Creative Destruction is a sequel to the novel Brighter Than the Stars, in which Earthlings meet technologically advanced space aliens. The Cygnians come only to do business, but their schemes to sell fusion-powered generators become contentious and competitive.
Many human and alien characters return from the previous novel, including Jim McDermott and his team, who try to reduce the risk of societal upheaval that the new technologies threaten. Meanwhile, many different groups are either plotting to steal the technical advances for their own purposes or trying to destroy it and drive the Cygnians off of Earth.
| Cast of Characters and Species | Table of Contents |
Chapter 2: The Sociologist and Keyshawn
Alone in his office, Sociologist-Andrew sought out his resting pad, lay on his side, and sighed. It was so lonely on this strange planet, away from his herd and his family. It should have been easy to visit his home, he had only to walk through an altverse tunnel and, within a minute, he would be in the Cygnus Prime Tunnelport, a ten-minute walk from his herd’s grazing space.
But there was rarely any time. The introduction of the fusion reactors required an endless succession of meetings, decisions, and oversight. And even when there was time, the altverse tunnel was fully scheduled with the endless parade of personnel and materials needed to build-out and maintain the reactor site. Added to those impediments were the security measures, which took at least an earth hour every trip. With all those problems, he could visit home at most once every four fivedays.
He’d had perhaps a minute’s rest when his communicator chip made him aware that Keyshawn Washington had arrived in the waiting area. He sprang to his feet, happy that he could spend time with someone he truly liked.
“Keyshawn, my friend, please enter.” Andrew opened the door, stood on his hind legs, and embraced with gusto the skinny, boyish African-American.
“So, like, Andrew, how’s it going, dude?” Keyshawn spoke in his typical rapid-fire staccato, a mode of speaking that Andrew would never experience because he, like all members of his species, had no facility in his brain to interpret speech as communication. Cygnians were telepaths, and their electronic communicator chips were the only way they could converse with humans.
Keyshawn’s words formed in the speech area of his brain, and those signals went directly to Andrew through the communicator. Andrew thought his reply, it went into the communicator, which sent the thought directly to Keyshawn’s speech center, where Keyshawn “heard” Andrew talking. The illusion of sound was so convincing that most people never noticed that there was no real sound coming from Andrew. It was an incredible device, but it didn’t handle Keyshawn’s verbal tics very well, so Andrew had learned to ignore the extra “likes,” “dudes” and “OKs” that Keyshawn added to his basic messages.
Andrew came back down to four legs. “There is so very much to do, and it seems that I am involved in everything. But the facility is functioning, it is putting out power and, when all four generators are complete, it will be the largest source of electricity on your planet. I feel very proud of that. Tell me, Keyshawn, what are you doing now?”
“We’re, like, planning out the first true human-use tunnel now, Andrew. As soon as McDermott gives the OK to announce the fact that Cygnians are here on Earth working in the fusion plant, we’ll offer vacations on Tertia in a new human sector. It’ll be awesome!
“McDermott wants to be able to offer something interesting to people, to get them focused on the adventure of discovering new worlds rather than the fear of scary aliens like you Cygnians.” He smiled playfully when he said that.
The emotion transmitted through Keyshawn’s thought translator caused Andrew to send him a smile back: “Oh yes, we are so scary: herbivores who have never in recorded history attacked another planet. It is you who are scary to us!”
“Yeah, dude, like, I know what you mean! I gotta be honest with you, I’m, like, so nervous about how some of these religious types are gonna react to seeing you.”
“The security measures Mr. McDermott intends to take are most extraordinary, yet I do understand their purpose. We will continue to stay behind the firewall here in the plant and be exposed to humans only in videos.”
“Yeah, well, almost. Remember that you’re gonna do that press conference.”
“Oh yes, I do not feel any concern about that. I will speak truthfully. It will help to reassure humans, and the people in the room will be thoroughly screened.”
“Well, dude, like, uh, maybe. I think that most people are gonna be so busy just staring at you that they won’t hear anything you say or, I should say, transmit.”
“Please tell me more about the Tertia vacations.”
“The Eridaneans are building like mad. I was there last week. In a matter of a few weeks, they’ve built-out a whole human infrastructure: hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, a wax museum with all fifty-one species in the League among other things. It’s out on the side of Juturna closest to the Arcturan sector.”
Juturna was the capital city of Tertia, the League’s pleasure planet. It was a city partitioned into sectors for each of the twenty or so species that visited, some to enjoy its innocent pleasures, others to do things that would be illegal or socially unacceptable at home.
“And speaking of Arcturans, they have been sending me messages. They want to start up a human-only Extreme Fighting place. I told them I thought some people would like that when I met them on Tertia.”
“Oh my! That is truly frightening. We don’t much like them, you know. They’ve been known to eat us!”
“Yeah, I saw that with my own eyes and it still haunts me. But I still think that the Eridaneans will give them the permits to do it. They really want to expand their market on Tertia to include humans.”
“Did you actually see one of their extreme fighting tournaments when you were on Tertia, Keyshawn?”
“Dude!” Keyshawn exclaimed. “It was like a gory bloodbath! Those wolves tore each other apart, fighting to the death. I gotta tell you, it was too much for me, but there are humans who would love to watch oversized, intelligent, vicious jet-black wolves tearing each other apart.”
“Yes, as I stay here and observe your newscasts, I am more and more convinced that there are many truly vicious humans. It is as though you are two species, the kinder ones and the vicious ones.”
“We should talk about that sometime, Andrew. I’m, like, not convinced that that capacity for evil isn’t in most humans, if they’re stressed enough.”
“My, that is frightening!” Andrew replied. He paused for a moment. “But the same could be said for my species. Your comrade in the rescue mission, Dr. Peter Garoulis—”
Keyshawn put up his hand. “Andrew, I still can’t really talk about that, it’s too upsetting. I, like, really couldn’t believe it when I saw that Green Band dude just keep shooting and shooting until Peter was dead. I hope I never see anything like that again.”
“It was an instinctive reaction; he had no control over himself. He was repelling a predator; it is deep in our nature.”
“That’s what Ethnologist-Mark told me, he was there too, he saw the whole thing.” Keyshawn paused, looked away, then turned to face Andrew directly in his black, round eyes. “After that day, I wasn’t a child any more.”
They stood silently, lost for a moment in their private thoughts. Keyshawn sighed and broke the mood. “So, like, Andrew, I’m here for more than a friendly chat. Right after the press conference, McDermott wants to conduct the first human tour of Tertia. So, like, all these big-time types will be going, you know, politicos, CEO’s, a few reporters, they’re putting together a list.
“We gotta be sure that this goes well; no disruptions from anybody, OK? They’re gonna want to spend time in the Cygnian sector. Everybody’s gonna be curious about you guys, want to learn more about you, and it’s not practical to take this delegation to Cygnus Prime, so they’re going to Tertia. So, dude, like, could you tune me in to someone on your side who could help arrange the Cygnian Sector tour?”
Andrew sat a minute in thought. “Well, this is a most dangerous thing to do. Even in our sector there is a lot of craziness, and remember the antipathy many Cygnians have toward predators. The group could be subject to a lot of taunting or even physical danger.”
“Yeah, we’re, like, aware of all that, but McDermott says it’s gotta happen; part of the process and all that.”
“I will pass your request on to GFG management. I’m sure they’ll be able to provide someone for you. You may also consider involving the Eridaneans. After all, Tertia is their planet.”
“Yeah, maybe new Nigel.” Keyshawn reached out and placed his hand on Andrew’s furry head, carefully avoiding the sensitive eyestalks. “So, how’s it going for you, Andrew?”
“I count the days until I can say this assignment is complete. I am lonely and tired. But there is also much reward. The plant is operational and soon all reactors will function. My quota will be accomplished.”
“You guys really get satisfaction from meeting your quotas, don’t you?”
“Yes, it is just built into our nature. We must accomplish. Life is to further the goals of the herd, of the clan, of the company for which we work. It is what we are.”
Keyshawn paused a moment, taking a closer look at Sociologist-Andrew. “You know, dude, it’s so amazing that I can call a blue-grey-furred, panda-like creature sporting foot-long, olive-green eyestalks my friend, and yet I feel closer to you than to most people I know. People will come around. If we’re anything, we’re adaptable.”
“And I suppose that’s why Mr. McDermott is so insistent on these Tertia tours,” Andrew added. “It’s part of a process of desensitizing, of getting humans accustomed to the other species with whom they’ll soon be sharing the galaxy.”
“Yeah, for sure. OK, Andrew, I gotta go. I’ll come and see you again real soon.”
Copyright © 2019 by Bill Kowaleski
