Free InterstellarNet: Origins by Edward M. Lerner Page B

many cultures, developed over millennia. Their national representatives debate how to introduce themselves to their newfound neighbors: us.
    “Will they present all their cultures, or the supposedly leading ones, or only their cross-cultural commonalities? Will each society describe itself, or must all groups agree to every description? Will their entire history be an open book, or will they withhold embarrassing episodes? What is to be said when two nations, one perhaps an ex-colony of the other, or former military adversaries, disagree about events? Will explanations be offered about contradictory religions and systems of economics? For those far-off beings cannot help but wonder: How will our society, or societies, react to theirs?
    “ET took more than thirty years to contact Earth after detecting humanity’s presence. We have all wondered why.” Dean slowly and deliberately made eye contact with each ambassador. Each COPUOS voter. “Perhaps the ETs needed that long to agree upon the one mutually acceptable description of their cultures…
    “Silence.”
    When Li Zhou Huang and Alex Klein simultaneously nodded, Dean knew that he, the task force, and humanity had won today.
    12
    People packed the United Nations auditorium and more thronged in the entryway. Charise recognized fellow COPUOS ambassadors, task force members, and talking heads from the networks. The waiters circulating with champagne and fussy little hors d’oeuvres struck her as being in the poorest possible taste, for the future was as likely to mourn as to honor this day.
    Twenty-one minutes and counting until the start of transmission.
    Charise pressed through the crowd toward Bridget Satterswaithe and Dean Matthews. Both looked exhausted. Refining and encoding Earth’s reply, then checking and double-checking it, had been ’round-the-clock efforts for two weeks. The Reply committee had borne the brunt of it—the final tweaks to the message had been made just that morning—but almost everyone on the task force had felt the crunch.
    And to what end? Charise wondered. She was not alone in her doubts. Thousands, maybe millions, continued to demonstrate in cities around the world. Scenes of protest would not appear in the outgoing message, of course.
    Charise reached her destination. “Doctors.”
    Satterswaithe looked up. “Oh. Ambassador.”
    “You look surprised.” And you, Dr. Matthews, look wary . Both reactions offended Charise.
    “I didn’t expect to see you today.” Satterswaithe said.
    I failed to prevent us from answering. That makes me responsible, too. “Where else would I be today?” Charise paused to glare at the man who had bumped her elbow while squeezing past. “What we do this day is important. We agree on that. And surely, as you expect, in the coming years we will learn many wondrous things. ET will, too. I hope that is all that happens.”
    “What else could happen?” Matthews asked.
    “I don’t know,” Charise candidly admitted. “Or rather, we don’t know. We can’t know. And yet, like ET before us, we would presume to gamble with the destinies of worlds.”
    “Driving a car is a gamble,” Matthews retorted. “Everything we do, every day, is a gamble. ‘I don’t know’ is no reason to stand in the way of progress. What can you possibly be worried about?”
    “Not all gambles have the same stakes,” Satterswaithe reminded, softly.
    A flicker of doubt? Charise wondered. If so, it came too late to matter.
    Hoping she was wrong and certain she was not, Charise said, “What do I worry about? That galactization will prove to be globalization on steroids, and Earth the exploited hinterlands.”
    ■□■
    Dean watched Charise Ganes stride away. “What the hell was that ?”
    “A reminder that we should be approaching today with some humility,” Bridget said. “I wonder if I’ve misjudged her.”
    There seemed nothing to add to that. Dean glanced at his watch. Fifteen minutes. They would be