Alice in Thunderland

The response of the governments of the blue world, once they realized that it was an interstellar force of some sort, was to go to a full military defense position. Several of their own flying machines which did not promptly identify themselves or strayed from their designated flight paths were shot down. Captain Hugon Roundoff made the wise tactical decision to abort the mission and return to home planet. Now Star Commander Roundoff was responsible for a more careful and measured second contact attempt.

It wasn't as if the science and research teams had not provided sufficient information for the first attempt. Multiple visits to the blue planet had obtained test specimens of most of the flora and fauna. The highest order inhabitants were bipedal mammals similar to themselves. DNA tests showed a remarkable similarity and rumors were rife among the scientists that the blue planet had been inhabited by a colony ship in the lost times before the last of the great wars. Several of the more extreme scientists even speculated that the genetic match was close enough to allow cross-breeding between the species. The full orders document filed in the Star Commander's desk allowed for the retrieval of potential breeding stock if circumstances warranted.

The problem with the first contact attempt was that there had been no way to assess the thinking process of the bipedal mammals in their native environment. All data had been obtained from captives, and a captive does not behave normally. The data was skewed and it was assumed that the paranoia and aggression were because of the captivity.

It was not.

Besides, the inhabitants of the blue planet had started to notice that individuals were being taken for observation and testing and that had added to the paranoia already present in the populace. Thus, the appearance of the contact team was met with an automatic, violent response.

What was needed was a way to find out more about the inhabitants of the blue planet without taking them into captivity or bringing them to the ship for study. The solution came when one of the younger scientists proposed that the tests take place in the guise of a mind game that people entered voluntarily and did not realize was off-world.

Mind games were popular on the home planet where a person's mind was linked directly into the game itself. After enticing the blue planet inhabitant to participate, the test subject's mind, but not body, would be waveported to the ship and downloaded into a special area in the ship's data banks in a modified form of the mind games. A similar process was already used to make a backup copy of a person's mind before they left on dangerous missions or so that skilled scientists, leaders, etc, could accompany deep space probes without adding to the life support requirements of the mission. The minds were stored and then accessed through special holographic computer imagery or, in extreme circumstances, downloaded into various volunteers as needed.

The difference, in this case, was that the mind was transferred rather than copied. A locator helmet was used to insure the exact coordinates for transfer. The porting embedded a distinct tag signature so that the return transfer could be made even if the helmet was removed.

Everything had worked exactly as anticipated except for one minor, but disastrous, detail. The first subjects were military leaders. They engaged in war games and were eventually defeated as had been expected. What had not been anticipated, however, was that when the embedded- rather than linked- mind died in the war game, it actually died and could not be returned to the body. Three minds were lost and that caused those initial test subjects to be discovered.

The blue planet governments knew that something was happening and that beings from beyond their planet were responsible, but they did not understand what was occurring or why. They did, however, began taking seriously the vague memories certain people had of having been taken to a strange world to participate in strange games.

Both problems were solved in the same way. Backups were made of all test subjects minds and the backup, not the original, was returned to the body. That required the deletion of the original mind file, which required a small bit of trickery.

To prevent accidental loss of any stored mind, they were placed in special mind-files that could only be accessed by special mind-file maintenance programs. The mind-file maintenance programs required that the mind itself authorize its own deletion by repeating the delete command three times. Thus, the release phrase to return to normal reality was given as "Delete me; delete me; delete me."

When the mind brought to the ship for study completed the game, and uttered its release phrase, it deleted itself and the backup was returned to the body with no memories of anything that had occurred. Hundreds upon hundreds of test subjects from all over the blue planet had been brought to the ship for full observation under almost every possible scenario. The computer even adjusted the scenario of the game to correspond to the thoughts and desires of the test subject.

Star Commander Hugon Roundoff customarily reviewed all of the mind scan data. He was now sure that he adequately understood the inhabitants of the blue planet. He would recommend that contact be made on the next mission.

Hopefully, he would be able to command that mission. He had argued to have a contact team accompany the current mission, but the best that Stellar Command would allow was the downloading of the backup copies of the previous team's minds for consultation during the mission. The current mission was now complete and Contact Ship Delta Twenty-Seven was ready to head back to the home planet as soon as all departure procedures were completed.

He was in the middle of one of the many checklists required when someone interrupted him. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of details that have to be checked and double-checked before departure, and as commander, he was ultimately responsible for all of those details. His lists were actually lists of reports indicating that the detailed steps had been completed, but still they were long and cumbersome requiring careful attention. An interruption meant he would have to go back to the top of the current list and redo those steps of the procedure. The chime itself, had already created that interruption, however, so Star Commander Roundoff said wearily, "Enter."

A young female ensign entered the room.

"What," he said with some irritation showing in his voice, "could be serious enough to interrupt a Star Commander during final departure process?"

She answered timidly, "We seem to have a serious problem that could delay our departure and I felt that you needed to know about it as soon as possible."

He looked up at her and they stared at each other in silence until he finally said, "Would you like to tell me what that problem is?"

"She won't leave, sir," the ensign sputtered. "The last test subject. She won't leave the game."

"Send her back anyway," he answered abruptly.

"We can't," the ensign almost wailed. "The backup mind is in waveport queue and we can't port the original mind unless the backup clears and we can't port the backup mind while the original still exists."

"Delete the backup."

"We can't. It is a self-protected mind-file and unless the mind in the file repeats 'Delete me; delete me; delete me,' it can't be erased.

"Reboot that processor in the computer."

"We would lose both minds," the ensign explained. "The games are kept in the most protected segment of the computer and that segment also controls the waveport. If we reboot, both files would be lost and her mind dies."

The Star Commander was beginning to get irritated, "Purge that portion of the game," he snapped. "Isn't that the standard secondary protocol?"

The ensign looked at the floor as she spoke. "Yes, that is the proper procedure, sir. And normally we would do that, but the game sensed something in this female's mind and added a another door."

She smiled weakly and shrugged her shoulders, "It sometimes does that. For this female, it created a sixth area based on a crew member's private game area."

There was a long pause after which she swallowed hard and raised her eyes slightly, "That area is security protected, sir, and we are unable to purge it. It requires too high a level of clearance."

"Whose area?" the Star Commander asked wearily.

The ensign returned her stare to the floor. After an even longer pause she finally raised her head and said in a timid, fearful voice, "Yours, sir."

Star Commander Roundoff's face went totally blank for just a moment. Then he smiled back at the terrified ensign, laughed, and said, "Ah, yes. ... Now I understand. ... In fact, that explains a great deal about the mind scan reports I have been receiving."

He then sat silently staring at the displays on the desk before him for several minutes. Finally he asked, "This is the blue planet female who created the biomass fuel cell?"

"Yes," answered the ensign.

"It is her mind reports that have been forwarded to me over the past several hours?"

"Yes," answered the ensign.

"Make preparations to waveport the female's body to the ship," he suddenly ordered. "Be ready to use a direct connection to return her mind to her body if I give the order to port her."

"But she would remember everything," the ensign sputtered. "And she would have knowledge of our ship."

"I am going to enter the game and speak with her," Star Commander Roundoff said calmly. "I will be totally honest with her and give her the choice of deleting herself or returning to home planet with us." He stood up and then added... "as my life-mate." He reached for his uniform jacket and said flatly, "Those are our only options."

"But when her body disappears," continued the ensign, "it will create even greater fear among the inhabitants of the blue planet."

"One problem at a time," he said. "One problem at a time. She may choose to delete herself. And if she doesn't, by the time a new contact ship returns, something else will have captured the attention of the blue planet's populace."

***

Alice continued to stand in the middle of the play room where the young guide had left her. She wasn't sure what to do, but she was sure that she did not want to leave. This was what she had been seeking her entire life and she was not giving it up without understanding what it was or how she could return.

A voice interrupted her thoughts. "Please return to the study, Alice." It was the voice of the Master.

She looked over at the panel and doorway through which she had entered this room hours- or was it days- before. Alice walked slowly through the opening and found herself back in the 18th Century sitting room. "Please be seated," the voice said.

There were only two chairs. The overstuffed chair in which Alice had been seated earlier was directly in front of her. It faced the back of the stiff-backed chair. It was apparent that the Master was seated in that chair. She sat in the overstuffed chair as instructed and waited.

After a few moments the voice spoke once again. "My name is Hugon Roundoff. I am a Star Commander for The Society of Free Planets. I believe that rank is similar to what you call a Fleet Admiral."

He stood up and turned to face her as he said, "I believe we have met... in a way."

Alice gasped slightly. It was the handsome Master, except he was dressed in a soft uniform of some sort and his eyes were huge- much too large for his head by human standards. His skin looked almost human except that it was a light shade of gray.

He smiled at her, laughed slightly, and said, "I also have one less digit than you on my hands and feet. But we are genetically very, very close. Except for color, our reproductive organs are identical to the inhabitants of the blue planet. The play room- and my projection into the game- was not originally intended for blue planet females and yet that seems to have... um... worked out."

He stepped forward to stand directly in front of Alice. He said, "Our scientists believe the blue planet may have once been seeded as a colony in the lost time before the great wars."

After a pause he continued, "It has been a long climb back from those days of destruction." There was great sadness in his voice as he said that.

"We have been watching the blue planet for many generations while our worlds debated between intervening or allowing you to go down the same path to destruction that we once took. The decision has been made to initiate contact, but all attempts to date have met with disaster."

He then went on to explain not only the loss of the first contact team, but the loss of the minds of the three military leaders as the current mission sought to gain more understanding of the blue planet people. "We do not want to repeat that with you," he explained.

He turned his chair to face hers and sat down so that their knees nearly touched. "We thought we had planned for every contingency, but we never anticipated that someone would be unwilling to leave the game. I believe the blue planet people call that 'The Law of Murphy.'"

Alice giggled slightly and replied, "Murphy's Law."

He chuckled slightly. It was a nervous laugh. "What was supposed to happen," he said, "was that you were to choose from five game areas. As you experienced the game, your thoughts were to be recorded for study so that we could better understand your planet. Then, when the game was over, you would delete yourself and a backup of your mind would be returned to your body. You would never know that you had been here."

"But I didn't want to leave," Alice said somewhat apologetically.

"No, you didn't want to leave," he answered. "Because you found something that you could not give up. The game sensed a need within you and used the private game area of one of our crewmen to create a sixth door... which you chose."

He smiled at her and said. "I am the author of the world behind that sixth door- at least the portion you experienced. So I have come into the game to explain things to you and ask if you are willing- for the good of your planet- to delete yourself and allow us to return the backup of your mind to your body."

"And if I don't?" she asked.

"Then we will bring your body to the ship and return your active mind with all the memories of this game and of this ship to its proper place." He paused and made an odd gesture with his hands. "Unfortunately, that would mean that we could not let you return to the blue planet. You would have to return to home planet with us."

He took her hands and said, "If you choose to stay, it could be as my life mate... if you were willing." He gestured at their surroundings. "This sitting room and the play room next door are based on actual rooms in my residence on our home world. What you have experienced here in Thunderworld, you could experience in reality with me." He paused, "But it is your decision."

"If I choose my happiness," she answered, "... and yours, then I would be risking years of planning toward first contact with Earth... the blue planet? Is that right?"

"Yes, I am afraid that is true." he answered.

"And if I delete myself, I will lose all of this? And we will lose each other?"

"Again, yes, I am afraid that is true, but those seem to be our only options."

"There is a third option," Alice said with a widening smile. "One that I think will be best for you, and for me, and for both of our worlds."

***

Colonel Morton nearly ran into General Hunnington's office. The secretary opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, the colonel and the three officers with him rushed past her and into the inner office.

"General Adams," the general said, rising from his chair to great them. Turning to the other two officers, he said, "Admiral Siraku, Commodore Markowski., I hope this means that you are fully recovered."

"I am not General Adams," the first officer said.

"Nor am I Admiral Siraku," added the female officer.

The third officer then spoke, "We are a contact team from a distant star system. Let me begin by expressing our condolences on the loss of such noble persons as General Adams, Admiral Siraku, and Commodore Markowski. The Society of Free Planets grieves that they were lost in a tragic accident as we attempted to properly contact this planet."

General Hunnington stood silently at his desk as the first officer continued, "So that you may be assured that we mean no intentional harm, our ship is leaving your solar system. We will remain behind to confer with your planet's leaders. The ship has dropped all concealment and will continuously transmit its coordinates as it leaves so that you may track its departure."

The female admiral spoke. "It was necessary to waveport the blue planet inhabitant known as Alice to our ship to prevent the destruction of her mind. I assure you, she remains there as a willing passenger. Our arrival here using your fallen comrades was her idea."

She then set a tablet display face up on the desk. "This contains designs and instructions for constructing an inter-stellar communications device so that our worlds may communicate. The three of us can work with your scientists to create it and other needed equipment. Alice will be able to report back to you as soon as the device is constructed. I am sure that she will tell you that she is happy where she is and has found what she has always been searching for."

She swiped an icon on the screen and continued, "In the meantime, she has a recorded message for you."

A 3-D image of Alice appeared above the tablet. She was wearing a gray uniform of some sort with a blue sash across her front. "I was told I would be speaking with General Hunninton," she began. "I hope that is correct. I assure you that I am staying here of my own free will. I also assure you that The Society of Free Planets is of no threat to earth, or as they call it, 'The Blue Planet.'"

An image appeared alongside her. "This is Star Commander Hugon Roundoff," she said. "The three people who are in your office are backup mind files of a contact team which was killed twelve years ago when they first tried to contact earth governments." She paused, "Both sides have lost good people trying to establish contact."

Star Commander Roundoff spoke, "It was Alice's idea to combine our contact team which had lost their bodies with your honored servants who had lost their minds. In that way neither of their sacrifices will have been in vain.

The contact team has the authority to speak for the Society of Free Planets. I have reported to home world that contact has been made. Once the communications device has been built, your leaders and our leaders may discuss what this means for your people and for ours. Until then, we will leave your solar system until we are invited to return."

Alice ran her hand across the blue sash on her chest. "They have given me the rank of ambassador from the blue planet until such time as an official representative can be appointed. Tell my family not to worry about me. I will be with Star Commander Roundoff. It is a very long story that I may tell some day, but he has already shown that he can give me everything that I have been seeking."

The images faded. General Hunnington said softly, "Be seated. We have a lot to discuss."

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