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7/01/2008

Tuesday Tale #1

Report of the Extraordinary Committee to Examine the Evidence
of the SETI Archeologists
In Their Studies of the Demise of Seven
Extra Solar Technological Socities


SUMMARY and CONCLUSION


To summarize, our teams have discovered and examined a total of seven planets within the 100 light year boundary established by the Extraordinary Committee in order to minimze costs associated with the study. The oldest of these TS's (Technological Societies) is deemed to have existed at least a billion and a half years ago and the youngest approximately five million years ago. Extrapolation would seem to support the notion that TS's usually exist singly, separated by perhaps millions of years in terms of time, if not distance. Again by extrapolation, there have been hundreds of thousands of these societies.

Of the TS's studied, all exhibit traces of nuclear capacity of one sort or another, up to and including weapons. All the studied planets have areas of high residual radiation which can only be the result of surface testing of nuclear devices. All planets also exhibit structures which were obviously used to generate nuclear power. All, apparently, were destroyed in the same manner. All of these planets were visited by high numbers of rocky and icy bodies in a very short period of time. The source of these destructive visitors was in all cases, the outer reaches of the star system in which the planets are located. This leads our investigators to one inescapable conclusion. The gamma ray emissions from surface testing are apparently the trigger for the destruction visited on these planets. There must be, there has to be, a system of machines whose function it is to watch for the gamma ray flashes from nuclear testing and, in the face of that testing, which can be for one purpose and one purpose only, destroy the planet which sourced the gamma rays. The 'Watchers', as our teams are refering to them, are assumed to be machines because it is felt that biological systems would not last long enough, in form or purpose, to accomplish this task over the billions of years that we have seen demonstrated by the planets we have examined.

None of the planets examined seem to have colonized any other worlds. It is beyond our capabilities, at this time, to determine whether or not these Societies had actually developed space travel, except in one case where we did find evidence of habitation on a nearby moon, which ceased to exist at about the same time that the planet died. The questions which we ask, which we must ask, in this our conclusion, in the face of all that we have seen, are: Where are the Watchers? Why have they not visited destruction on us before now? Is that destruction still on its way? Could we stop it if it is?

This report and its summary and conclusions are to be considered secret and not for publication. Dissemination is restricted on a need to know basis to secret clearance and above. Violation of these restrictions is punishable under the Official Secrets Act and the Domestic Terrorism Reduction and Control Memorandum issued by the President.



This little bit of fiction has been germinating in my mind for some time. It is, actually, the basis for a book I'd like to write. This is the first time I have put any of this down, anywhere. That said, it is also the first of what I hope will be many "Tuesday Tale" posts. Some will be fiction. Some will be autobiographical. Some may be speculative, others may be documented fact. Who knows what muse will strike? They may be my ideas or they may be the result of ideas contributed by a reader. And, of course, any idea contributed by a reader will be properly attributed and the idea will always belong to that reader. So we should have fun, I think. That is, of course, if the world isn't struck by the proverbial bus.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

A book!
Now, that is exiting and I do love the theme :)!
Looking forward for more!

Christy said...

I always read books of authors I know. Just a personal rule.

Can you incorporate my new concept of Alien Jesus in your scenario? A new take on Chariot of the Gods?

tee-hee....maybe the machine is located in the Vatican...

Alice said...

Lou...babe...unfortunately it's the summertime and in the summertime, my pile of books to be read contains an awful lot of smut which your snippet was lacking. Maybe you could work in some hunky dudes for me or something.

Vikki North said...

Oh my gosh! I love this. You know I’m a space junky? This is great!!

I did one really silly little space blog, based on one of my paintings: Searching for Pluto.
http://redchair-vikkisblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/searching-for-pluto.html

I’m really excited about your story. I want to read more, Lou!
Vikki

Momisodes said...

Ooooooh....a book you say? I can't wait to read more :)

I'm with Alice. I do hope the urge to include some smut strikes you every now and then too ;)

Nan Sheppard said...

Isaac Asimov... Doris Lessing... Whatzizname... ans now, Lceel! Love it.

Unknown said...

nicole: I have a LOT of work to do on this idea before it ever becomes a book. But we'll see what happens.

Christy: That could be the lyric to a song: "I don't care if it rains or freezes, long as I got my alien Jesus,
sittin' on the dashboard of my car ...". Wait, I think it IS, actually - just substitute 'plastic' for 'alien'.

Alice: I'm shocked, Alice. Just shocked. (*whispers* tune in next week, but don't tell anybody)

redchair: More? Is going to take some work. I have had this idea, like forever. But I can't seem to see it in my head, yet - the book, that is. I just know where the story wants to go.

Sandy: What?? More smut? I am so shocked. (*whispers, again* come back next week. I'll give it a whack, so to speak.)

Unknown said...

Nan: I come after Whatzizname? But thank you. You have included me in rare company, which I'm not quite sure I'm qualified to join.

Soge shirts said...

hey lou cool book idea. When did you decide that writing a book was what you wanted to do and how did you come up with the topic?

the planet of janet said...

totally off topic, but i dont have an email addy to address personally the comments you left on my post this morning and this afternoon ;-)

yes i did get your comments. i am moderating comments tho. no one who has the right answer has been let through, to allow all to participate on an equal footing. so far, you are one of 4 correct responders!!!!

thanks for playing!!!

Christy said...

Oh yeah!

Alien Jesus doesn't have to be celibate

Alien Jesus loves sex. I think just having contact with AJ's sperm makes you intergalactically smarter.

(God, I hope so......)

Unknown said...

sogeshitsguy: I have ALWAYS wanted to write a book and ideas have flowed in and out of my mind forever. I am an SF fan. At one point, i read the scientists think that Tech Societies, if they exist, are probably separated by millions of years in time - that they don't exist simultaneously. The idea grew from there.

Janet: You're welcome. And you have the addy now.

Christy: I actually convinced the Real One liked sex, too.

Christy said...

In all seriousness, though.....the reason Earth hasn't been destroyed--in your story--must be a discerning intelligence, not a pass-fail mechanical "Watcher", at least not ONLY that.

So a Watcher in our midst, trying to see if we have any redeemable qualities.

And sexuality, love.....maybe that is something worth saving us for. Maybe even just for them to watch, or to figure out how to emulate us and our passion....

I kid, but I used to say that the nearest thing to heaven is lovemaking when it is with the right person....something like religion, love is.

Unknown said...

I'll try VEEERY hard to keep this brief and not hijack your post!

Alien Jesus who loves SEX!!?? Now that's a topic. I really, really need to get to know Christy. So little time.

You are SO brave to put your work on the internet. Not afraid somebody will steal it and publish the book you've worked so hard on? My brother has 20 or so books and short stories going on in his head and laptop at any given time--many involve space, quantum physics, aliens and the sort. I'd love to send him a link to this page, but fear he'll track me down through you.

Also, do you follow some of the live feed on youtube (they've been removed) from the Mars rover(might be called something else????) that caught pics of a full city on Mars? It was quickly removed, but not before many people saw it.

Queen Goob said...

MORE! MORE! MORE!

Although I must agree with Alice and tell you more hard-bodies alien hotties would be much appreciated.