"My word," said Nat. The mountains were lit in fading sun, and a warm glow seeped from the windows of the round, adobe houses. The Orion Nebula massed purple-gold in the sky; evening began its fall in a sky swirl of coloured gases never seen in the atmospheres of home.
Even though they were high in mountains, there was a coastal feel to the sandy path they followed, and Shams told herself she would make sure she saw the Tethys Ocean before they left. It wasn't so far. The sun lay on the horizon, but the air lapped around them warm as balm. She hadn't seen evidence of transport, apart from the vast cavern in which the spaceship docked; she wondered how their hosts got around.
They found out soon enough. Cordially greeted by a small delegation, they mounted a magnetic air-train that whooshed through gentle peaks, and in the distance they saw other air trains like theirs, further still they could spy a circular airship resembling a hot air balloon. Strange birds of prey wheeled through the skies, flying close to the mountains in vertical lines, and then taking off across.
After a short while, the crew landed at a station a short walk from a vast circular building boasting countless lit windows.
"Of course we can arrange a tour of our planet," said Mahvir expansively, seated around a circular table of thick wood in a grand, spacious room the shape of a circle. The delegation was joined by two dozen men and women dressed in dark, sombre colours watched the crew, with some periodically consulting the data Nat had given.
The room was warm, the floor of softly burnished stone and the walls built from sandy rock. The lights were neither electric nor bare flame; soft globes of them were placed on the walls, in nooks of windows and on what little furniture the room boasted. Black curtains hung over a broad section of wall beyond the table, lapping at the floor. Shams watched the shadows pooling along the waves of cloth and wondered what lay behind.
"We could organise an expedition for you to view the great beasts of the southern continental plains. We have a well-established and fast air route," said Sarah, the universal decoding chip enunciating each word, it seemed to Shams, with a certain hardness. Wisps and drops of light suddenly appeared, projected into the space above the centre of the table; as the crew stared, the crystalline webs of continental routes faded, and the screen dissolved.
Shams waited.
"Southern continents," began Nat. "On earth, geologists consider Gondwana to have been one landmass. You consider what we call Gondwana to consist of two continents?"
"As your fascinating tablet so describes Asia and Europe," smiled a man who looked more as if he could be from earth. He was of a lesser height than the others, and his skin, although thick and shiny, appeared less luminescent. He looked white, Shams decided.
"What do you call your continents?" asked Joe.
"We call Laurasia Laurasia," said Mahvir, and a titter went round the table.
"And Gondwana has always been known to us as Indus in the East and Zeala in the West," said Sarah.
Shams mouthed the names, as if trying to taste them.
The delegation watched the crew.
Two Laurasians came in, bringing carafes of wine.
"We were fascinated to read about your world wars, and horrified," said Sarah. "Your earth has a history quite unlike ours."
"Geography appears to be destiny," said Mahvir.
Nat's diplomatic smile faltered before instantaneously resuming course. Research and development hadn't managed to pick up anything about Thetis nor provide any significant information about its cultures or history, despite an early establishment of cordial relations, albeit via the infrequent communications leading up to Elegiac's launch. Shams watched as the wine poured. It was red.
"There is so much ground to cover," said Joe. "Perhaps you wouldn't mind if we ran through an agenda?"
Shams shifted. Joe had been ill at ease ever since they'd flown into orbit around Thetis. Eric, by contrast, observed stoically enough. There was a heartiness to Eric, Shams thought. An emboldened state beneath the impassive white beardedness.
Nat threw Joe a look and began glossing over his words. "What we are hoping to do most of all is expand the store of your knowledge, and ours."
A murmur of approval wove through the Thetians. They thought nothing of muttering amongst themselves quietly; but whenever anyone addressed the crew, they would listen in strange unison, like a flock of birds.
"So you have no idea why our plate tectonics might be different to yours, given that this has not been the case in other earths you have found?" asked Mahvir.
They mapped silence as fast as a hive. Mahvir consulted the tablet before him. Each member of the delegation now had their own, and Shams noticed how their devices looked sleek, thin; different from the holographic tablets they had brought from earth. In any case, the information they had given to their hosts had been copied.
"No, we really have no idea. We estimate that this earth may be younger than ours, since the continental plates of Thetis correspond to one our earth formed over four hundred million years ago. But we would like to conduct some studies to find out," said Nat.
The man Shams had decided was white smiled.
"And you have discovered no other intelligent alien life? You have only found - let me see - four other alien earths? With matching solar systems, exactly like your own, and humans, exactly like us?" He looked up and gestured, the sweep of his arm encompassing crew and Thetians.
"Exactly. We have found no other form of intelligent alien life," said Nat. Her fingers interlocked on the table before her.
Shams could feel the tension gather in the crew. She watched Eric's face. Grizzled enough for a fifty year old engineering specialist whose main job was spaceship maintenance, he looked even older amongst the flawless Laurasians. She felt for him in that moment, millions of light years away from his student kids and his stoutly loyal wife.
Shams was the second oldest of the crew. She looked it, she was sure.
And yet, glancing discreetly around the table at the Thetis humans, she thought none of them looked young, either. Not young and yet not old. Nor middle-aged. They were smooth and yet arch; unlined, unwrinkled, but seamed with gravitas.
"And this has thrown your civilisation into crisis," read Sarah from her tablet. "You struggle with the concept of a great designer, not God, but -"
"A programmer or some other superior life form that has repeated a sequence of created simulations for reasons unknown," finished Mahvir. He looked up, and meeting Shams's eyes, smiled.
No other form of alien life. Not even a distant, scratching microbe. Nothing on any moon of their solar system, nothing on any other asteroid, comet, or planet. Nothing apart from humans on the five other earths found so far. Humans, and the animal kingdom they ruled over. The seemingly impossible that still nestled within the warm scope of semi-coherent chaos theory.
The crew held still. Eric's wineglass smeared the huge circular table, untouched. Shams could see Nat trying, unsuccessfully, to smooth her expression. Shams wondered if this species of human did beer. Eric might like them better if they did.
"You are not surprised by this? By the fact of our finding solar systems exactly like our own, with each one of its planets exactly like our own? This is massive," said Nat, in rare, frank puzzlement.
The Thetians did not murmur amongst themselves. Shams caught the eye of a woman, who smiled.
"But your mathematics - and thank you for such a generous donation of your learning, much of which exactly matches ours - proves that all of what you have seen falls squarely within the mathematically sound theory of -"
"Semi-coherent chaos," finished Joe, smiling through clenched teeth.
Shams watched. It was curious. Why did these people - these humans - not feel the crisis they felt? That all humans felt on earth? A crisis of bleak, dark unknowing.
"Exactly. So why the fuss?" Mahvir scrutinised the crew, one by one. His eyes were a liquid black, and in the lamplight he looked as exotic as a prince. Something from a fairy tale, Shams thought. Unlike Eric - and herself.
"Because it's too much of a coincidence, it's too strange!" exclaimed Nat. Shams cleared her throat. Nat was seven years younger than herself and at thirty-five, something of a prodigy. She had accelerated into leadership. Maybe too soon.
"My dear Nathalie, it all falls within the theory we devised ourselves hundreds of years ago. The basic premise of cohesion, which as far as we can tell is a replica of your theory of semi-coherent chaos. The universe is generous," said Sarah, smiling beatifically.
The crew were stumped. These people were not like the humans they knew on earth.
"So tell us about these other earths," continued Sarah airily. "Four, you say? So in total, there are so far six earths, including our planet and yours. Or six Thetises, if we may use the name for our home. Now, you have been looking diligently!"
"Not really." Shams spoke for the first time. "The first replica was found by chance. The theory of quantum entanglement - the theory that opened the possibility of Faster Than Light Travel - led us to the other earths. We found their signals. Each earth we've found is entangled on a quantum level with ours."
The inhabitants of Thetis congregated around the table nodded sagely. Shams could hear a light rumble rolling from the direction of Joe's throat.
"We notice that you did not provide the mathematics that has enabled you to come and meet us. The very mathematics that enables your travels through our common galaxy," said Mahvir.
There was a silence.
"And so, these other earths?" asked Sarah.
"Two are very warlike - much more so than our own planet in the past, even. Our approaches were met with hostility. Another earth, in the Lyra Constellation of Orion, has not yet developed advanced civilisation. Yet another - earth in Sagittarius - we are in contact with on friendly terms with a view to arranging an eventual visit," said Nat. A mechanical tone had entered her voice; Shams could tell she was weary.
"All fall within the galaxy, albeit some are very, very far," said one delegate, scrolling through the banks of information the crew had provided. "You sent communications to all of us before beginning your travels, I see."
"Yes, although in time we aim to visit wherever we are welcomed," said Nat. "It is our purpose to gather scientific data as far as we are able."
"But we are your neighbours, cosmically speaking."
"Yes."
"And are you the only ones to have developed Faster Than Light Travel?" asked Mahvir.
Nat's eyes widened in keen, friendly concentration, but still Shams found the millisecond of hesitation obvious.
"Yes. But apart from earth in Lyra, where multiple species of human still roam the continents of Eurasia and Africa, we have evidence of gigantic leaps in technological development on each earth, unique to each of them."
"Oh?" Mahvir placed his glass on the table.
"Earth in Centaur and earth in Perseus have developed devastating war technology, on a level capable of total self-destruction, including their planet, potentially even their own moon. Earth in Sagittarius, with whom we are developing cordial and mutually beneficial diplomatic relations, has developed robotic technology to perfection, and in common with us, earning money by working is a way of life that features heavily on a global scale as an impetus to human activity. We estimate that all of these leaps in technological development may have corresponded in time."
Shams took a sip of her drink.
"Interesting," said Mahvir.
"We just happen to have specialised in quantum technology," said Nat.
The Thetians around the table murmured amongst themselves.
"Where exactly did you say this friendly earth was?" asked Sarah, scanning her strange looking, sleek tablet.
"Far away," said Nat, slowly. "Orbiting a sun-like star in the Sagittarius arm of the Milky Way, deep in - "
"What we would really like to do is study," Joe interjected, and Shams noticed Nat's smile tighten and then smooth, her eyes still on their hosts. "Find out why your planet has this unusual continental formation - and if it's due to the relative youth of your planet. Potentially this difference could lead us to finding out why identical solar systems developed across the galaxy in the first place, and if the point of origin of each falls within the same physical space, even. But more than that, we would like to find out how much in common we have. If we have the same genetics, the same chemistry - if we have the same history -"
"We don't," smiled Sarah, and another titter went around the table.
Joe's mouth widened in a grimace. Eric pushed forward slightly on his seat.
"Whichever way the data goes, we want to try to disprove the theory in the spirit of scientific enquiry. The theory of semi-coherent chaos," Eric spoke loudly but calmly over the melee of voices, including Joe's.
"We hope to resolve the question of whether there is a designer or not. It's a question that takes up a lot of thought for people back home. Because there are many answers we're missing."
The Thetians listened, eyes turned on Eric, the occasional pair flickering over his grey beard.
"You know, on earth there is a lot of speculation about the extent of quantum entanglement. We have the technology to find replicated solar systems and the technology to come and meet you here, but there's still a lot of information we're missing. We don't know for sure if earth is replicated only in the Milky Way or in other galaxies as well. We don't know if quantum entanglement will one day lead us to a non-identical planet in a non-identical solar system. We don't even know if Venus in our solar system has quantum entanglement with every other Planet Venus, and our technology for the exploration of atmospheres toxic to us is still in development.
"We don't know if other intelligent species exist, or if all there is in the galaxy and beyond are humans like you and me. We don't know much, as you can see. And all we want is to find out more."
Shams's fingers went to the stem of her glass. The intensive training they had received in the months before the mission formed a thicker protective layer in Eric than it did in Nat or Joe. He was more persuasive. He hadn't even raised his voice. Perhaps it was his age, the friendly expanse of his belly and the white hairs of his beard.
The Thetians listened so intently, Shams could have sworn they buzzed, like a hive of bees.
"You can bring peace to your earth if you find answers," said Sarah, at last.
There was an awkward silence.
"Very well. We are happy to enable your search."
Glasses went up around the table, like on earth.
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