Supernal

Chapter 15

3:10 pm Sunday, 24th June 2029

Crew Room on the OCF

"How did you like our little toy?" Velan inquired.

"Very impressive," Summers responded. "But the force of the acceleration must crush anything inside it."

"That's why it can only be used for certain types of objects. The inside of the courier is filled with a special gel. The items to be transported must also be in a liquid-filled container and all air or gas excluded. When that is done correctly the contents suffer no damage."

"How do you programme it with a destination?" Rob asked.

"No need, wherever they are released they travel directly to the edifice of the Atikas."

"Does the edifice of the Atikas have a name?" Toby wanted to know.

"Yes, it is called Caranal."

#

When the meeting proper was underway, Velan nodded at Jayal and she got to her feet.

"You have probably wondered why a psychologist was included in our delegation," she began. "I was certainly surprised at being asked to be a part of it, but there are two good reasons.

The first is that we couldn't be sure that Dr Lee and Dr Jardine would be able to attend. You were requested because your papers proved that you both were open-minded and would be receptive to the somewhat disturbing information we had to disclose.

Other scientists may have had a hard time accepting what we had to say and refused to believe it, or been distressed by it. It was thought that my skills would be able to overcome any psychological difficulties of that sort. As things have turned out, I have not been needed."

"Don't be too hasty, Doc," Rob interjected. "I might need some therapy by the time we've finished!"

Jayal smiled but Summers scowled and indicated for him to shut up and let Jayal speak.

"The second reason has to do with the experiments that the Atikas conducted to enhance intelligence, and later to try and reduce aggression.

We thought those experiments had failed but for the last fifty years the Atikas have detected evidence from Earth that make them think they did have some effects, and not all of them desirable.

From news reports and articles published on your internet, they have perceived an increase in disorders of the brain. These include disorders such as dementia, Alzheimer's, epilepsy and autism, and they forecast that the incidence of these abnormalities will steadily increase."

"Why do they think their experiments caused those disorders?" Toby asked.

"Because none of these disorders have ever manifested amongst the Manitan on Vitu."

#

"That quite an admission to make," Toby remarked after they had digested Jayal's disclosure, "that they inflicted debilitating abnormalities on the people of Earth."

"Yes," she said, "and the Atikas regret it. They want to put it right before the problem gets much worse. They have concluded that the rise in mental defects poses a greater threat to mankind's future than your viral pandemics.

They believe that autism is the key dysfunction and that once they find the gene that triggers that, the others will follow."

"They actually think they can cure autism?" Toby said.