Ancient Alien Short Short Story (Flash Sci-Fi) : Male and Female, created He them.

Male and Female, created He them is ©2011 Krishna Singh Reynolds All Rights Reserved

This story is a sequel to : There Was a War in Heaven

"It's a funny thing how small things become lifesavers. It was whim more than necessity that Shabao T'Zali had took the cloaking device rather than the speed mods everyone and their dog had opted for. I guess he hated the idea of conformity, needed to make his mark."

"He sure did, you know. Always knew there was something in him. Now you say he's escaped you...you don't know how and you don't know what your people are driving... sloppy work there Admiral... are you getting tired or is something else entirely the matter? Should we be discussing your personal genetic profile or is this one of your famous oversights?"

The Admiral, whom on the vast fleets of spaceships was practically a deity; stood very still, despite a very natural urge to bellow in frustration. In these situations the genetic mix got very confused and the non-human genes suddenly sought expression in strange ways.

In truth, he was due for an upgrade, but that had its risks. He could end up, for example, as a menial depending on the whim of the Chief Elahi or any one of his inner circle. Downgrading was very visual in the Elahi.

Life was not as straightforward as he had thought all those cycles ago when he took his first initiation and he remained silent and as internally still as he could without falling asleep.

"Hmmm. Smart boy... fooled you with the time-dilation trick, didn't he." The old dragon cackles merrily. She is literally that, if you look at what is before you, but don't you dare call her "the old bat"... don't even think it...please.

"Which means that they are on the planet right now, waiting you out in fast time. So a cycle from now for you is going to be thousands for him. I bet you didn't think about that? Does that sound like shirking the job to you Admiral, cutting corners and all that... I'm sure there is a program to handle that?" She stares at him for a long moment before she continues.

"Your exo-systems report is very interesting, dear Admiral. I understand your not being a match to T'Zali, really I mean he is what he is and he was what he was in the Elahi because of those skills. A pity about all that valuable talent... sad, but extenuating circumstances or not...you have to admit that there is a pattern here.

Under your watch, one of my senior staff was allowed to ruin cycles of planning and execution, because your underlings were not sufficiently motivated to follow simple instructions and execute them. Scratch one first female. OK. You lost one to T'zali and you made another one - from the rib, eh? What are you? Making a statement about equality? Ho ho ho..."

The Admiral feels the bead of sweat form on his forehead and he feels its slow descent and knows it is going to end up in his eye. Stress has a way of making him prescient as the dressing down continues.

The Dragon punches an unbelievably thin screen with an unbelievably withered appendage more claw than finger. She reads a bit then she continues.

"What I really cannot understand, is how your security systems were unable to spot the shuttle.Cloak or not, a worldnet could not have been penetrated, or am I wrong there Admiral?"

She looks up and levels her glare toward the Admiral who blanches, admirably retaining his water.

"Had you set up a proper security perimeter instead of waiting for my reply we could have contained the situation. Now the sensor reports say that the female and now the male have eaten the gene fixer which means that you cannot program them anymore. Have you any clue how these animals will breed over the next cycle? Should I keep destroying them because you will not do your jobs? Do I really need to walk the decks again?"

The Admiral shifts from one hoof to another. The drug he has taken for this interview is losing its edge and he is glad he has had the foresight to strap his tail and his codpiece so they no not become distractions. The Dragon is very unpleasant about breaches of etiquette even in those who are genetically programmed to do so. Thus she runs her kingdom; a god in the heavens.

The Dragon is not finished yet, but she needs to renew her vigor. She reads for a long time, the cavernous hall silent, the ranks of Elahi as silent as church mice.

It is not often that a cultivated planet, as they are wont to be described, is lost because of a series of entirely preventable mishaps, each thought inconsequential until they added up.

The purists in the Elahi are clearly reveling in the new emphasis on the art of the Elahi and the accompanying downgrading of the mechanistic school. There is no doubt everyone will have to acknowledge that Artificial Intelligence working alone will not bring the required blur to the output of the Elahi.

A human intelligence is required to introduce that nuance and this is where the Artificial Intelligences erred.

Only a human could understand why we could not endow the apes with human intelligence.

What would be the point on a pleasure planet? Who does that with intelligent beings anyway?

Cleaning up the mess would be cycles long, starting starting with that asteroid belt the laser cannons created from a planet they thought was blocking T'Zali's shuttle but before they even get there, they have to first install a moon to prop up the planet's orbit.

Computers. Bah!