CHAPTER 32
SHIP OF ICARUS
ALIEN CULTURE
Ship learned a lot from the alien experience he and Icarus had just gone through.
It was a full-on sensory explosion. The show, if Ship could call it that, made much more use of senses humans didn’t have. Yes, there were things to look at and sounds to hear. But it also made use of the aliens’ organ that sensed changes to magnetic fields, as well as their ability to sense in three-dimensional space through echolocation.
For Ship, it was like one of those experimental shows people watched at the museum. Only this wasn’t boring. Ship consumed the information eagerly.
The aliens’ version of the hapticgraphic projectors changed the shape of the room to tell a story about the history of the aliens.
What Ship learned would stay with him forever. These aliens were all female. At least they started that way.
They all had the ability to switch into a male version of themselves. The aliens on this world underwent a natural sex change when another alien creature entered them.
But these other alien creatures embued the aliens with other powers, too. This was where Ship was a little confused. He wasn’t sure whether it was a religious myth or if this was actually how it happened. Apparently, they treated these mythical aliens like some sort of god. And once they had been touched by this other creature, they could think faster, they were faster, and most importantly, they could impregnate other aliens.
Throughout the movie, these other aliens were mentioned as a type of god. And being touched by a god was the ultimate goal in life.
The room was returning to normal as Ship looked at Icarus. “Do you think they really get smarter?”
Icarus shrugged. “I believe it, but I got the sneaking suspicion we received the religions retelling of the truth. I struggle to believe it’s their only way of turning into males.”
Ship considered that for a moment. “You’re right. If the creature produces some sort of chemical that causes the Atua to change gender, then surely that something could be created in a lab.”
“I’m keen to see what the aliens in other countries believe. See if they look at things the same way.”
The door behind both of them opened once more, and the small alien from before came back.
“Did you enjoy the cinema experience?” she asked them. “You know, Tuktoktok passed away since this was filmed. Once the gods arrive, we won’t be able to show this video anymore because there will be some more chosen ones.”
“How does someone become a chosen one?”
She looked at them both with a mix of confusion and concern. “Are you Nuknuknoe?”
Ship didn’t understand the word but assumed it meant an idiot or some other slang for someone who didn’t know much.
“We are,” Icarus said.
“You poor child,” she said as she grabbed both of them by the fronts of their clothes and started to pull them forward. “I wondered why you were both acting weird. How long have you been out?”
Icarus did his best impression of an alien shrugging. “Not that long.”
“Please don’t take offense,” the alien said. “But I hope they shut down those communes. They don’t teach our true history. They are obsessed with creating life without gods. I’m glad you made it out.”
Ship was so confused. It sounded like they were an outcast group of this society. Or maybe they were people who believed in conspiracy theories.
“It’s sad really because you’re disqualified from being one of the chosen ones,” the lady said as she guided them toward a new door. “All because you were born inside of the Nuknuknoe. But it’s for the best; the gods were right to cut those people out of the bloodline.”
“Who are the gods?” Ship asked.
“You poor soul. They don’t teach you anything in there, do they?”
Both Ship and Icarus moved their necks in a circular motion, which was the aliens’ body language for no. They were picking things up quickly.
“Last cycle, one of the chosen ones was cast out by the gods for his blasphemous ideas. But he was still able to reproduce. He corrupted some females and created the Nuknuknoe. I would never think to question the word of the gods. But they choose to make sure none of you ever become chosen rather than smiting you all.”
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Ship realized this lady was suggesting the gods should have killed him and Icarus.
Icarus grabbed hold of Ship’s hand so they could talk in private. “I’m not sure the translator is working on what they call the gods.”
“Maybe they’re another country that enslaved these people,” Ship said. “I assume this is how they control what the population believes, by controlling who can breed.”
“You two head in there. I have a couple more movies to show you.” The alien pushed them inside. “Don’t worry, I’ll come grab you if the gods get here early.” She closed the door with an audible thud.
Ship and Icarus found themselves in an even larger cinema room. The title of the short documentary they were watching was roughly translated to The Dangers of Nuknuknoe.
Several short films later, Ship and Icarus had an even greater understanding of the Atua people. And they even had a better understanding of why this alien lady was treating them as children. In her mind, they had just escaped a cult and were still brainwashed. She was showing them this because she believed they needed reeducating.
Ship was grateful for this turn of events. He couldn’t believe how lucky they had been with this whole situation. He was starting to believe Icarus had been right when he’d pushed for them to come here. Yes, it was a risk. But none of this information was available on the television channels they had access to for free. Maybe it was because the television channels Ship and Icarus had watched were the limited free broadcasts, and so they weren’t able to watch the good stuff. But whatever it was, they hadn’t consumed anything nearly as informationally dense as this show they’d just watched.
It made Ship believe the next most important step was to figure out how to get into their internet. If they had something similar to a World Wide Web, then perhaps he could get access to it.
The door behind Ship opened, and he noticed it was the same alien as before.
“Do you have any more questions?” the alien asked. “I know that was a lot to take in. I know someone else who escaped the Nuknuknoe. They watched these shows too and didn’t know whom to believe. They became angry at the world afterward.” She looked at each of them earnestly. Ship was starting to understand the body language of these people a lot more. She was showing genuine kindness as she spoke. “It’s not your fault. A fish doesn’t control where the fishing nets are. A bird doesn’t control where the wind is blowing.”
Ship got the feeling she was sharing a parable that the translator wasn’t picking up properly. He assumed she was trying to say they had no control over where they were born.
Ship was starting to like this lady. He did the aliens’ version of a smile, which involved a guttural growl and a movement of the mouth—but he didn’t show the teeth; that would be a sign of aggression. “What’s your name?”
“Niomi-oku,” the lady replied.
Ship had to ask about the gods; he still didn’t understand who they were and whether they were real or not. He was so confused by the way the movies talked about them. “How much of that movie was real? Are the gods real?”
“I’m sorry, my child,” she said, grabbing them both, this time by their flippers, and leading them down the passageway. “I see now they didn’t explain anything to you. I know this is going to be confusing. The Nuknuknoe have brainwashed you. They told you all these lies.
“The gods are the ones that help us bring others into this world. When they come, they choose a few thousand to change.” She pointed at the chests of both Ship and Icarus, right where a special pouch was located. “They enter the chosen ones through there. They give the chosen ones powers. They give them the ability to create life. They give them knowledge of everything they know.”
Ship listened intently to her as she confirmed things he thought he knew. But seeing her talk about it made him realize everything was real. None of this was made up. These other aliens entered inside of their bodies and changed them from females to males. They gave them the ability to impregnate others.
“Where do the gods live usually?” Icarus asked her.
“Deep in the ocean. They cannot reproduce like us. They must hide from the world; otherwise they risk dying. And if they die, we will have no way to reproduce.”
“Are they intelligent?”
Niomi-oku did the alien version of a gasp, which involved swinging her head back rapidly. “You silly child, surely you know the truth.”
Ship tried to make his best impression of an apology.
“They built the world we live in. They gave us all the technology we have. We owe everything to them. Without them we wouldn’t have mathematics, science, technology. That’s why they’re our gods; they created everything for us.”
Ship opened his mouth to ask another question, but Niomi-oku raised her shoulders to signal she wasn’t done talking.
“Now, be careful talking to others about this. Others would kill you right away if they found out you were from Nuknuknoe. So don’t go offending the gods like that. I know the Nuknuknoe tell you lies about the gods controlling us. Or that there is a way to build artificial males through chemicals. But none of that is true. We provide nothing of value to the gods. They don’t have to share these gifts with us. They visit us and give us the gift of life, the power to think, and everything we have all for free. They seek nothing in return.”
Ship felt Icarus grab his hand so they could talk in private. “Oh my god, Ship. This planet gets better than I thought; there are two intelligent aliens on this world.”
Ship agreed. “Everyone we spoke to here seems humbler than that alien Atlas and the others met. It makes more sense that the alien they encountered was talking through the alien they met.” Ship decided to confirm that fact with a question to Niomi-oku. “Can the gods talk through the chosen ones?”
“Of course. How else would they share their knowledge? They control the bodies of the chosen and live among us for three cycles.”
“How do you get chosen?” Ship asked.
“Are you asking for yourself? Remember, you’re disqualified because you might be a Nuknuknoe spy. I’m not sure how the gods decide whom to take. I know that only the special get chosen, and if you’re chosen, it’s for a reason.”
A loud noise began playing over the speaker.
Niomi-oku looked up toward the speaker with a happy expression. “The gods are arriving to select the chosen ones. They’ll be crawling onto the beach on the southwest side soon. I suggest you go there.” She pushed them both toward one of the slides. “We’re closing the library for the rest of the day.”
Ship and Icarus were pushed out into the streets, where the city was alive with thousands of small aliens all racing in a similar direction. Ship assumed that was the direction the gods were coming from.