Datime: 2206.12.15.16:45
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Thandi, the commission votes Tuesday. The team’s disappearance isn’t the key issue, but I don’t like how they’re rushing this. Help me out here, OK? Off the record.
Thread reply from Thandiwe SOLOMON
So tell me how that “billable hours” thing works for you lawyers. Because I might, I don’t know, actually have a job of my own.
Thread reply from Paul SRINIVASAN
Please! [Conceptual embed with caption: man bowing with hands pressed together] What do you want? Dinner? Vacation? Hours of mind-bending sex? Because I would do that for you, Thandi. No sacrifice is too great.
Thread reply from Thandiwe SOLOMON
You already told me you let your Spermicept patch expire. Stay the hell away from me. What happened to Wei’s personal logs?
Thread reply from Paul SRINIVASAN
Gremlins? The lag is pretty severe for this mission—two years. Not enough black holes for a better relay, or something like that. I’ll see if I can find them. So, they ate her, right? They totally ate her.
Thread reply from Thandiwe SOLOMON
No. I don’t think they ate her.
Datime 2204.1.22.10:10
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[All sensory recall except auditory suppressed to aid lightstreaming.]
“So what would you like to know, evaluator?”
“Tell me more of your people, Loves China.”
“If you don’t mind, would you call me Aihua, please?”
“Oh? Your assistant mentioned that your names sometimes have meaning.”
“Yes, but … [laughter] That doesn’t mean we like those meanings.”
About
N. K. Jemisin’s speculative fiction has been nominated for the Hugo, the Nebula, and the World Fantasy Award. The first book in her Broken Earth trilogy, The Fifth Season, won the 2016 Hugo Award for Best Novel. The Stone Sky, the third book in the series, comes out this August.
“Ah. Please forgive, Aihua. Your language still confuses.”
“I’m amazed by your facility with my language, actually.”
“We learned from First Contact team.”
“Yes, but we’ve had just as much time to learn your language, and … well. [WEI caption: Here I attempt to speak in Manka C. The Manka word for adaptation translates poorly. Its meaning is more like … submission? fitness?] We am still terrible/poor at adaptation.”
[RATCHETING SOUND. WEI CAPTION: MANKA LAUGHTER. THANKFULLY HE RETURNS THE CONVERSATION TO ENGLISH.] “It is true, you do not adapt quick as we. But that is expected. You are not evaluators.”
“Ah, yes. Since you mentioned that, if I may ask—what exactly is your role? I’ve asked Hashish, the nurturer who’s been showing me around, but it was … unclear.”
“I am evaluator.”
“But what does that mean? What do you evaluate?”
“Everything. People. World.”
“For what purpose?”
[SILENCE FOR 2.5 SECONDS] “I do not understand, Aihua.”
“On my world, people evaluate … processes, performances. For the purpose of improving them.”
“Yes. Improvement. Adaptation. Same with us.”
“I … see?”
“You do not.”
“Sorry, I—”
“It takes time for people so different to adapt. You do well. No need for fear.”
“Thank you. Ouch!”
“The shells of [RECALL BLUR. WEI CAPTION: LOCAL DELICACY, UNPRONOUNCEABLE] are sharp. You are injured? Shall I summon humans?”
“No, I’m fine, it’ll stop in a minute. Could you give me something to—yes, thank you. Most of your biologicals are harmless to us, and vice versa. I just hate that I’m bleeding on this lovely cloth.”
“It is unimportant. More?”
“Yes, please, it’s delicious. You’re an excellent cook.”
[Auditory recall ends. See gustatory recall, 2204.1.22.10:15, for continuation.]
Datime 2204.1.20.19:30
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My first professor in sapio told me never to “Earthropomorphize” xenospecies, but the first thing that leapt into my mind when I saw them was that the Manka look like upright cheetahs (cheetae?). Males and females are indistinguishable to my eyes, lean and deep-chested, while nurturers, the third sex, are noticeably more muscular and squarely built. I pride myself in that my subconscious at least selected a predatory Earth analogue, which should keep me from relaxing my guard too much.
Comment from WANG
It’s just “cheetahs.” And you have three PhDs?
Comment from WEI
None of them are in linguistics, OK? Shut up.
Datime 2204.1.23.11:50
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I could KILL Rafkind and the whole First Contact team! What Neanderthal decided to tell the Manka about Christianity? This is exactly why the UC banned Americans from TE teams.
Fortunately, the district potentate seemed more amused than anything else by the idea of one man’s death absolving the wrongs of a whole species. “Just one?” Cute.
Now I’m wondering what else FC screwed up.
Datime: 2201.4.7.14:40
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[Auditory embed with caption: Manka love song? Recallers: Multiple; public performance.]
My love sings behind me
And touches the nape of my neck
I do not look around
My heart flutters fast with fear.
Datime: 2201.5.13.9:24
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[Auditory embed with caption: Observed class 2 Deceptive ideation.]
“Whoa.”
“Whoa?”
“Apologies. A colloquialism.”
“Ah. We must learn more of your world so that we may adapt to these colloquialisms.”
“That would certainly be possible after Trade Establishment, Hashish.”
“Why did you express a colloquialism, John?”
“Uh, well … the male Manka walking by with that group of children. For some reason, when he looked at me, I got the cree—er, I felt uneasy.”
“That was an evaluator.”
“An evaluator of what?”
[RaTcheting sound. RAFKIND caption: I think that was a laugh?] “Many things, at many times. For now, those children.”
“Were all six of those the evaluator’s children?”
“There were three children, John.”
“Three? I didn’t get a good look, but I’m sure I saw more.”
“There were three children.”
[Recall ends.]
Datime 2204.1.24.12:40
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Did some extra scans of the southeast main continent today. Those palladium deposits … Have you guys seen the stock prices since the CogNet-Pallenergy merger? My God, I might actually get out of student loan debt before I die.
Also noticed an unusual concentration of calcium in several deposits around the city. Hector went with one of the locals to check out a nearby site and was shown an open-pit grave. [VISUAL OVERRIDE EMBED WITH CAPTION: LONG, ORDERLY ROWS OF SEVERAL HUNDRED CLEAN, POLISHED BONES, ORGANIZED BY TYPE.] Each pit is several hundred feet deep, bones layered with dirt. Local called bones “the price paid.” Ritual? Tag for sapiology review.
Oh—Hector has asked me to note for the official team log his hypothesis that the burial pits are “f__ing creepy.” So noted.
Datime 2204.1.24.13:10
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[All sensory recall except auditory suppressed to aid lightstreaming.]
“Forgive me for staring, evaluator. It’s just that you look so different.”
“I have striven greatly to adapt since we last met. Does my appearance please you?”
“I don’t really know what to make of it. You look …”
“More like you.”
“ … Yes.”
“This disturbs you.”
“Surprises me, evaluator. On my planet there are creatures that can change their coloration to blend in with the environment, but … [Visual override embed with WEI caption: The evaluator’s face. Note the shortening of the muzzle and repositioning of the ears, at sides of the head rather than the top.] ”
“It has been difficult, yes. Your people are strangely configured. Even more strange, inside.”
“How do you …”
“Your blood’s taste is most intriguing. [Pause] I have no intention of eating you, Aihua.”
[Laughter] “Uh, sorry. On my world … well. Our entertainment is full of scary creatures that want to gobble us down.”
“Entertainment? But your people are apex predators, are you not?”
“I suppose we are. Huh. Maybe that’s why the idea of being preyed upon doesn’t really scare us.”
[Series of harsh exhalations. WEI caption: The evaluator appears to be emulating human laughter.] “Yes, no need for fear! Tell me, Aihua. Why do you not have children?”
“What?”
“Why do you—”
“Sorry, I heard. The question just—it’s not something my people usually ask in casual conversation.”
“I shall remember and adapt. For now, will you answer?”
“Well, we have a problem with overpopulation and its effects: crowding, homelessness, starvation, worse. We’re correcting now, but the problem took a long time to develop, so it will take a long time to resolve.”
“And in the meantime, your people must simply suffer?”
“Unfortunately, yes. It helps that we’ve formed the Trade Network with other sapient species. That increases the resources available on my planet.”
“But with greater resources, your numbers will continue to grow. There’s nothing to make you stop.”
“We have our own sapience, which tells us that such growth is unsustainable. Because of this, only some of my people choose to reproduce. I’m one of the ones who chose not to.”
“I see. But if sustainable growth was possible?”
“Maybe I’d have a child. Probably. But it isn’t possible, so no kids for me. [Sigh] Now. Not to change the subject, but I’ve brought some delicacies from my own world to share …”
“Good. I am most interested in consuming some of your world’s delights. And if I may say, Aihua, the shine of your hair is very fine today.”
[Recall ends.]
Levl: Official
Prio: Medium
Init: Salim GILBERTO, FC Team Biological Surveyor
Datime: 2201.11.13.03:00
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Esteemed Survey members, colleagues, and friends:
You will see from my FC report that Dar-Mankana is home to a plethora of species—substantially more than our own, which has yet to recover from the advent of the Anthropocene. But a mere 2 million years ago, Dar-Mankana hosted three times more species than at present.
What could trigger such a holocaust? Evidence suggests an intrusion in several key food webs: a polyphagous predator which ate its way through tertiary and secondary consumers with such abandon that it likely caused its own extinction. “Superpredators” may be pop-science clickbait, but Dar-Mankana could represent our closest brush with one of these evolutionary bogeymen. The lingering damage is still discernible: a relative dearth of megafauna, skewed predator-to-prey ratios, insufficient biomass all around for the energy that this planet produces.
Further pre-TE study is strongly recommended.
Datime: 2201.7.7.6:32
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[Some data loss has occurred; recompilation possible in approximately 127 days.]
[Buffering … ] contrast to Dr. Gilberto’s assertions.
The crater is small—less than half the size of Earth’s Chicxulub crater, which is widely believed to have triggered the extinction of the dinosaurs. While certainly large enough to cause catastrophic local damage, this cannot explain the mass extinction.
Core samples from the ocean floor reveal an abundance of palladium and [Buffering … ]
Datime 2204.1.25.06:30
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Sorry if this is fuzzy. Can’t sleep. Theory time!
Why aren’t there more Manka? They’re ripe for Sagan’s “technological adolescence.” We’ve seen this on so many planets that it’s practically a law of nature; they should be bursting at the seams, same as us. But the Manka are precisely the right population size for their society’s resources. Nobody’s hungry. No idle youth. Plenty for all.
So. Unobserved social controls? The Kama Rhythm Method Sutra? Histocompatibility crisis?
Comment from WEI
Maybe they’ve already been through the tech teens. Gilberto’s extinction?
Comment from PRINCIPE
Two million years ago was tech infancy. Or pre-partum: The Manka precursors probably weren’t even tool-users.
Comment from WHETON
Off topic but you know what I keep thinking about? (Can’t sleep either.) The architecture. Four spires on every important building. Four lobes to every artistic motif. They got six fingers. Three sexes. WTF is with the veneration of four? What’s their math?
Comment from WANG
Base-8. Pain in the ass; had to recalculate all the potential royalties in my report. But yeah, another variation on four. Shit, I can’t do theory at oh dark thirty. Sleep, you apes.
Transl: English-Cantonese
Datime: 2206.12.16.20:02
Respectful greetings, Dr. Wu. My name is Thandiwe Solomon, with the Extrasolar Sapience department of Rhodes University. I was intrigued by your position paper in The Journal for the Study of Applied Sapiology. As someone who’s been in the field and seen how easy it is to make mistakes, I agree wholeheartedly with your recommendation for a minimum 10-year survey between First Contact and Trade Establishment.
Sir, it is my understanding that you were Wei Aihua’s mentor during her postdoctorate. Have you been briefed on her latest mission?
Thread reply from WU Li Bai
Indeed I have, Dr. Solomon—and so must you have been, if you’re asking me. I imagine your UC clearance is still active?
Thread reply from Thandiwe SOLOMON
It is, sir. Though in the interest of full disclosure, my level is only Secret.
Thread reply from WU Li Bai
I shall tailor my responses accordingly. What is your question?
Thread reply from Thandiwe SOLOMON
Was Dr. Wei lonely?
Datime 2204.1.26.10:30
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[All sensory recall except auditory suppressed to aid lightstreaming.]
“And then the old man said, ‘Why is it always the scholars?’” [Laughter]
[Laughter. WEI caption: the evaluator’s laughter sounds entirely human now. Noticeable accent reduction too.] “The tales of your people are so amusing.”
“My grandmother will be pleased to hear that.”
“Grandmother?”
“Female parent of my parent. [sigh] She may be dead by the time I get back. I don’t know whether to hope for that or not.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve been gone five years. She has cancer—a disease, untreatable in her case. That means a slow, painful death. My parents are taking care of her, but …”
“Your people have only males and females. These take on the nurturer role?”
“Well, it’s not quite as binary as that, but … When necessary, yes.”
“And no one fulfills the evaluator role? Your poor grandmother.”
“Well, I’m not sure— [pause] Oh my God.”
“Are you praying?”
“No, just—that was surprise. You’re another sex. Like male, like female, like the nurturers. The FC team got it completely wrong. Four sexes, not three!”
“Yes, those humans were very slow to adapt to Dar-Mankana. You are much more fit and clever.”
“Evaluator, I must confer with my people. But … ah … may I return to speak with you again tomorrow?”
“That would give me great pleasure, Aihua.”
Priority: URGENT
Datime: 2204.1.31.04:00
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[Sensory recall retained per URGENT protocol. Additional lightstream lag +185 days.]
Angela. [ping] Angela. Damn it, wake the fuck up! And pass this on to Aihua. Oh God, please pass this on to Aihua.
OK. Clear thoughts. OK. I went back to the burial site. Something’s been bothering me. This time I realized what it was.
Most of the bones are small. Children’s bones.
Theory time. Let’s say your species is threatened by an enemy so insidious that all the usual survival techniques are useless against it. It’s an enemy that can camouflage itself enough to get really close during hunting. Maybe it can fool you even up close. What if only specializing a full-time protector for the weakest members of your species, a nurturer, gives your people any hope of survival against an enemy like that? And what if even that doesn’t stop it? What if, in the end, you can’t beat them, so you join them?
Aihua said the evaluator’s appearance was changing. I’m guessing evaluators replace the male or female in reproduction—not all the time, just enough to perpetuate themselves. They’re not really male or female, though, because they’re fucking shapeshifters! Real Manka males and females are like us. The nurturers raise—and guard—the offspring until they’re old enough to show their real potential. Guess what happens then?
They go to the evaluators. Some of the children, the healthiest and the most adaptable, get to live. Only them, though. The rest—along with maybe the old, the sick—are the price the Manka pay for their prosperity.
Gilberto’s superpredators, Angela. Aihua’s been having dinner with one every night for the past week.
Datime: 2206.12.18.06:10
Ow. Public access streaming hurts my brain, literally. Anyway, that buddy of mine who works for CogNet-Pallenergy? Found out Wei Aihua’s personal logs did get lightstreamed. Somebody ordered them deleted.
Same person also slapped a bunch of restrictions on the TE SurveySat maps that Angela Wheton sent back. I can’t get through the restrictions, but I would guess they reveal the extent and location of those palladium deposits she mentioned. That’s why approval is being fast-tracked—UC’s getting a lot of pressure from Big Fusion.
Thread reply: Thandiwe SOLOMON
Are you kidding me? Did the UC pay attention to anything else in the damned dossier? Do they realize Wei Aihua probably isn’t dead?
Thread reply: Paul SRINIVASAN
It’s been three years since the TE ship blew up. Where’s she been all this time, if she’s still alive?
Thread reply: Thandiwe SOLOMON
I don’t know, but three years is plenty of time for Stockholm syndrome to set in. Especially if her captors become more and more human, and sympathetic, and attractive—
Thread reply: Paul SRINIVASAN
No. They’re a different species, Thandi.
Thread reply: Thandiwe SOLOMON
The Manka are a different species. The evaluators are whatever the hell they want to be. Human, if they want to be! You have to ask UC Command to quarantine Dar-Mankana.
Thread reply: Paul SRINIVASAN
If there were any survivors of the TE team, that would strand them.
Thread reply: Thandiwe SOLOMON
Yes. Especially if there are survivors.
Datime: 2206.12.20.15:45
[Lightstream-optimized by UCNet]
The United Communities of Earth also extend their heartfelt gratitude to the people of Dar-Mankana for their care of Dr. Wei in her days as the sole survivor of the TE ship explosion. Despite her eventual death in childbirth, your people’s valiant efforts to save her and her baby are to be commended. An endowed trust fund has been established in the name of Dr. Wei, Specialist Principe, and the entire TE team. The child born from their mission shall be welcomed home, loved, and honored as the heir to a heroic legacy.
In peace and hope, we look forward to our mutual future of prosperity.
The Fiction Issue
