Chapter 36:

In August 2012, the Ions did an interview on a popular internet discussion group. Some questions were selected in advance, and there was an interviewer locally to ask follow up question. The round-trip light speed delay to Earth was about an hour and a half.

"Are you individually conscious, or collectively?"

Ions: "Not directly applicable. There needs to be a certain quantity of us in one place before your definition of consciousness might apply."

"Are you more similar to ants on Earth or other insects that have a hive organization?"

Ions: "No. It is ad-hoc. Any collection of us in one place becomes joined. As we move around that collection changes. Over time all knowledge is shared by all of us."

"Over time?"

Ions: "Our time scale is quite different from humanoids. While there are circumstance in which we move quickly, usually we move gradually and make use of natural flow patterns on Io."

"Is there any other life on Io?"

Ions: "No. We are the latest form of evolution there, replacing all earlier life. This means we are learning from your literature about concepts of how different species interact."

"Do you have a drive to replace other life?"

Ions: "No. Although given your science fiction, some of which we have read, our professing that we come in peace might not be believed.

To show an example of how we are not mindlessly expansionistic, there have been times that we could have sent a colony to jump to Europa, and yet we never did so. Its environment is livable for us, but not one for us to thrive, hence we never set up colonies there. Similarly we never expanded to Jupiter."

"Some on Earth believe that intelligence evolved through competition. That does not appear to be true in your example. Do you have an explanation?"

Ions: "Our environment is what you would call extreme. If you evolved due to competitors, we evolved due to the environment being only semi-suitable to our earlier evolutionary ancestors."

"What do you hope for the future as part of the United Solar System?"

Ions: "To learn from you. To learn about magic. To obtain resources not available on Io. To jointly defend our Solar System from external threats. To find new niches suitable for us to live on, perhaps when we start exploring other star systems.

More than that, to learn and evolve this new status of being in communication and cooperation with different forms of life. We are fascinated by your literature, philosophies, history. We are beginning to learn enough context to understand your videos, but that will take a little longer."

"Do you have a desire to help the other life forms in the United Solar System?"

Ions: "Yes. Reciprocity is part of our background. Actually for us it goes far beyond that, which is to join ad-hoc consciousness. If some of us went from one crater to another, we would become part of something different, while bringing with us the state of being and knowledge of our previous crater. Over time all of Io joins with every other part, but not at any given moment.

We have been studying what we can do to help. We have certain abilities to help improve environments on planets suitable for your form of life. We can survive long enough to accomplish this task before needing to be back in a suitable environment for us.

We also can live within some of the designs you have for spaceship engines. That would allow us to perform maintenance and repairs in highly radioactive environments and tiny spaces that your species cannot go to and which even your machinery cannot easily operate in."

[August 2012 planning committee]

Hermione handed out the agenda notes she wrote,

1. When is the Solar System ready for extra-terrestrial contact?

1a. Economic

1b. Societal

1c. Technological

1d. Sufficient quantity of space assets.

2. What to aim for during expected first contact with Vulcans.

3. Steps expected after first contact.

She said, "I won't accuse us of being meanies this time. However, in canon, I was upset on Spock's behalf when Vulcan meanies bullied him as a youth. Spock is/was/will be a half-human half-Vulcan who will be raised as a Vulcan."

Juan Singh answered, "Those bullies justified themselves with logic. We can be logical also but we do not reject our emotional side to motivate us to do what is right."

Tracey started on the first item of the agenda, "Economic. I combined several reports to give this summary.

We need to direct a significant percentage of global output towards Starfleet production and research. We have freed up much of the military spending that existed previously. Now we now only need armed forces for domestic security.

While we have new forms of taxation, it should be noted that policy of not charging customers for intellectual property, but instead compensating the owner from general funds, takes up a significant percentage of global output. It does however raise living standards and production.

The spell-caster work requirement with an option for payment instead, is unpopular but has been imposed without causing a revolt.

Our next step is going to be raising transaction fees on consumption that is regarded as non-essential. We are also adding work requirements for several forms of governmental assistance, while at the same time making sure that other benefits are not decreased if one should also work.

One positive note is that there are far more people wanting to go to space than places for them. Therefore all agree to the labor contract, which means they get to live in space in nice conditions including luxuries, and get a small number of credits for additional luxuries or to invest. They agree to train and learn as directed and to be given assigned duties as needed.

Overall we'll need more magic and automated technology to have self-sustaining production increases for space. We should also increase the space population since then they become Starfleet personnel and are under orders."

Daphne said "Societal.

The wizarding communities are perhaps resentful. They have been exposed and now are told that they need to work in order to live up to expectations given to non-magicals. However their special status, essentially outranking non-magicals has largely kept them satisfied. In addition the almost open ended opportunity to work additional hours and make a lot of credits has kept most too busy to think about causing trouble.

The non-magicals that were previously not well off have noticed a sharp increase in their living standards. Even the previously well off have far more magic and technology available to them.

The non-magical are also well aware of the precarious place Earth has in the wider galaxy and the need to work together to lift the Solar System up to the levels of our space neighborhood."

Hermione said, "Technological. First, as aside. In a previous meeting Draco mentioned that we cannot hide the gravimetric waves caused by sub-light speed ships. We posted that challenge to the list of technological inventions needed. We found a solution. With magic we can make things lighter or heavier. We tested making a spaceship infinitesimally light, zero was not possible. Then there is no detectable gravimetric wave. If a course correction is needed, it can be made the mass of a space rock and then a small correction can be made. That would be a little more detectable, but less so than for a full mass ship.

These technological challenges have replaced the popularity of puzzles found in many periodicals. Our difficulty is in sifting through the millions of responses we get."

Daphne added, "They also help in causing people to believe that they have a role in helping our planet and Solar System."

Hermione continued, "Before contact we want phasers, photon torpedoes, shields, and armor.

We have a design for a photon torpedo that can continue from warp. It would have stored plasma and a small plasma generator. It would generate a small warp field. Its fuel would also be its explosive and would be weaker the more its engine is used. It could be used as a kinetic weapon if it had no fuel left.

This, and engines need testing to perfect. We cannot do so without triggering first contact. Therefore we have a plan to have experiments setup and as soon as we generate a warp field, we'll rapidly perform all the other experiments we have been holding back. We'll then plan to rapidly perfect these technologies and deploy them."

I said, "Sufficient space assets. This means first to be able defend properly the Solar System. Next to have mostly completed ships, in which we would expect to add engines that would be perfected through testing that can only occur after we use warp engines. We plan to prepare these as soon as possible, and then upgrade them as we have newer technology."

During discussion about the Vulcans, Mestral was brought in.

Daphne asked him "How have your living conditions been?"

Mestral answered, "In 1957, my two surviving shipmates lied on my behalf when I remained behind on Earth. That is a more serious offense among Vulcans than it would have been among humans. Knowledge of those actions could have repercussions to even the families of those two.

Therefore it was agreed that my presence on Earth will always remain secret. That limits my activities outside of secure areas. My original disguise still works, so I still have some ability to travel, with security making sure that no-one figures out who I am and resolves the situation if they do. Those close to me are allowed to know my secret after magical agreements that prevent them from sharing that secret.

United Earth has been very generous in the resources devoted to my living conditions and I am quite satisfied with the arrangements."

I asked, "How do we let the Vulcans know that we are inviting peaceful contact, once we test warp engines?"

Mestral said, "You could invent subspace radio. In its absence, perhaps something like airport lights, a sequence of lights that indicate a flight path."

Khan said, "Perhaps we should add subspace radio as an essential technology. We can presumably hear existing broadcasts to test these radios. Even if they do not understand our language, they will understand that we are trying to communicate."

I added, "We cannot be known to have learned about Vulcan in advance, or they will immediately suspect that Mestral might have survived. We should however, have some intelligence officers learn Vulcan from Mestral, so they can analyze recordings, although I do not expect them to reveal much in the use of their language in front of us."

Mestral said, "Vulcans have a device with an ability to learn and translate languages."

Khan said, "Assuming we can manage to actually have a meeting with the Vulcans, we should express good intentions, then ask for trade. If they offer to supervise our development we politely decline. We do not let on our knowledge of them from canon. If some things we know become revealed to them due to our previous communications on Earth we acknowledge that magic provides information sometimes. We can use that as a source if there are things from canon that we do decide to disclose to them.

Assuming that they are skeptical about magic we can demonstrate it for them and also trade them enchanted objects in exchange for technology from them.

And finally what to plan for after first contact? I would like to colonize Centauri, and visit our two other neighbors, the Tellarites and Andorians. We must make it clear to the Andorians that we are not allies of the Vulcans."

Hermione said, "While steps 2 and 3 depend on reactions of others, we need more quantifiable definitions of step 1, what are the requirements for being ready for contact."

I answered, "Here is my view on the matter, For economic, we have a substantial and rising output of both Starfleet research and production. I wouldn't define it by credits spent, since it is possible to be more efficient with the use of magic and technology.

For societal I would state a public united behind our goals and united behind presenting a united front towards extra-terrestrials. We should not make contact if we expect elements of our society might work against the rest and on behalf of external powers.

For technological, as mentioned before. Clearly we will rapidly research once we reach warp, so need to be prepared for that.

For sufficient quantity of space assets, far more than in Star Trek Enterprise, where they had one starship and only other less capable ships. Many ships should be complete, just waiting for redesigned engines to be installed. We should have photon torpedoes, perhaps only sublight to start with, installed on each capital ship and each defense starbase. The explosives on nomad mines should be as powerful."