Post-Human Trilogy

this to me or leave.”

“We haven’t lied at any point,” the alien replied. James noted the extraordinary sincerity with which she appeared to speak. If this was just a computer simulation, the technology to mimic human expressions and to evoke feelings of trust in the listener was lightyears beyond anything humans had developed. “We came here to help you. We came to destroy the A.I. that had destroyed this nest.”

“Nest?” James reacted with surprise.

“Yes,” the alien nodded. “We were unaware of a human nest in this solar system until the communication from an artificial intelligence informed us that it destroyed the human population here and was seeking to branch out. We responded as quickly as we could and formed a response force. We cannot tolerate an artificial intelligence bent on destroying humans.”

James was flabbergasted. Something was horribly wrong, and an electric jolt of fear surged through his mind. “That can’t be true. You’ve been killing us.”

“We’ve killed no one. We’ve been responding to the circumstances in the only appropriate way.”

James shook his head as though he were trying to shake the alien’s words out of his mind. “Appropriate? I watched you take millions of people and dispose of their bodies in space. How can that possibly be appropriate?”

“We were attacked,” the alien began before being abruptly cut off by James.

“We were defending ourselves! You made no attempt to communicate with us!”

“We made every attempt. Our communication was not returned. We were attacked by nanobots and at that point had no choice but to proceed appropriately.”

“By killing humans?”

“By saving humans,” the alien replied. She moved closer to James, almost close enough to touch him, causing James to step away. “We were surprised that there were still humans here. We concluded that you must have somehow taken control of the situation and eliminated the A.I. threat. However, unable to communicate, we had to proceed with the assimilation process.”

“Assimilation?” James made what seemed like a thousand realizations all in the same moment. “You’ve been assimilating humans? You’ve been turning them into…machines?”

“We are humans,” the alien explained, “just like you.”

22

“If it’s true that you’re turning them into machines, then why are you taking the bodies into space?” James asked.

“We are destroying them. They are a threat.”

“Why are our bodies a threat?”

“They are contaminated,” the alien replied. She took a moment to examine James’s response; she seemed satisfied that James was finally ready to listen. She inhaled deeply before beginning her explanation. “My friend,” she began, “your species needed help. Although you cannot have realized it, you were facing the most dangerous time in your existence.”

“The A.I. had succeeded in destroying the species,” James replied. “It was devastating; it was a miracle that we survived. But we overcame the danger. We were fine until you arrived.”

“No, you were not,” the alien said. “Humanity does not only exist in your solar system. As you can see, it exists in great numbers all throughout the universe.”

“You’re not human. You’re machines,” James retorted. “You’ve mimicked humanity.”

“We have transitioned,” the alien replied, correcting him. “Humanity is the only form of life that ever reaches a state we would classify as being self-reliant. Life is a very difficult proposition. It can only occur in solar systems like this one, on planets that share the solar system with massive gas planets like Jupiter, and on planets that share a moon about the size of the Earth’s moon. Those ingredients make life difficult to find and civilizations are extraordinarily far apart, but the universe is more enormous than you realize.”

“So you’re saying all of the intelligent life in the universe is humanoid?”

“No. All of the naturally occurring intelligent life in the universe is human—not humanoid. When we reach the transition to a Type 1 civilization, our species always looks the same, on every planet. It’s an evolutionary and mathematical certainty.”

“What is a Type 1 civilization?”

“A Type 1 civilization is a civilization that has learned to use the resources created by the sun’s energy to power its civilization so it is no longer destructive and it stabilizes its home world,” the alien explained. “A Type 2 civilization is a civilization that has begun to venture out and explore space beyond its own solar system. The civilization I represent is a Type 3 civilization. When a civilization reaches this level, it no longer just explores the universe—it begins to exponentially reproduce and export itself throughout the universe.”

“So that’s what you’re doing?” James asked. “You’re spreading? So why do you need to assimilate us?”

“Because we are human,” the alien continued. “We want to help you. Our mission is to preserve the human species and to spread throughout the universe. This is how we explore.”

“Can’t you explore without assimilating?”

“Yes we can. We do not usually assimilate without the permission of the civilizations we find, but this was an extraordinary circumstance. You are under siege.”

“We were fine.”

“No. You were not.”

“You keep saying that. Why not? What was so pressing that you had to invade our solar system and assimilate us against our will?”

“I told you, all naturally occurring intelligent life in the universe is human,” the alien began. Her words suddenly became deadly cold and ominous. “However, I did not say all intelligent life in the universe is human. We are at war.”

James was transfixed now—a third player was emerging in this game—a previously unseen menace. “With who?”

“Not who. What.”

23

When they reached sick bay, it was already too late. Old-timer had James’s unconscious body in front of him as a shield as Alejandra remained close. Old-timer held his assimilator to James’s neck.

“Don’t do it!” Thel shouted desperately.

“I’m sorry, Thel, but I need you to listen. I’m trying to save your lives,” Old-timer said.

“Bull,” Rich responded. “You’re not Old-timer. Old-timer would never hold someone hostage—least of all James!”

“Please listen to us,” Alejandra pleaded, “we’re running out of time.”

“Give it a rest, tin head!” Rich shouted. “The person you’re impersonating is still alive!”

Alejandra had already seen her still-living body and was unsettled after seeing herself from the outside. It was surreal—she felt as though she was a ghost at her own funeral.

“That’s not her anymore,” Old-timer responded. “Rich, it’s us. It’s really us! And we’re here to save you!”

“From what?” Djanet demanded.

Suddenly, James came alive. Everyone in the room was astounded when his eyes opened and his body was no longer limp in Old-timer’s grasp. “Let go, Old-timer,” James said. “I know why you’re here. Let me explain it to them.”