Read Online Whatever Gods May Be by George P. Saunders - Free Book Online
Authors: George P. Saunders
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planet. With extraordinary conviction, he feigned surprise and disappointment at finding no immediate landing point.
The Sentinel Stinger was a brilliant actor. After ten thousand years, he had rehearsed his part to perfection and honed the expected reactions of disappointment to a fine performance. It was a convincing coup; an impressive deception. Any observer or participant would have been suitably duped by the Sentinel Stingers well-meaning wiles. Throughout, he kept his attention on the pinpoint of light that none of his companions had yet noticed, but which would shortly become a spot of disturbing familiarity to them - and to himself - for a few more years to come.
Few creatures in the universe could surpass the perfection of mind and body that comprised any one of the Ten Thelerick Stingers. But already, the Sentinel Stinger was racing ahead of his fellows in ways that he was totally unaware of and which they quite possibly would never discover.
They would be needed shortly.
And so would he.
Only time would tell whether fate - or destiny - had made the correct choice.
In their hurry to gluttonize themselves on the bevy of suns in the constellation of Sagittarius, the great Stingers almost bypassed one intriguing, average star of this new galaxy's periphery. A rush of excitement passed through the Ten as they decelerated to sub light and entered the new solar system. Here was a sizable family of satellites to consider, circling a stable sun that would survive for at least another five billion years. Nine planets could be discerned by the Stingers' senses; from their past experience with stars in their own galaxy, it was an enormous group of worlds for a sun to possess.
The ten Thelericks passed the four outer gas giants disinterestedly. The enormous, swirling globes of ammonia and methane would certainly not do for a new home. With the gas balls well behind them, the Stingers next met with a barrier of floating, asteroid debris. Some mild entertainment was derived out of dodging the great chunks of airless rock but the Thelericks would need more substantial surfaces to wander on other than a few miles of moon junk.
Exiting this chunky wilderness, the Stingers were delighted to find the first, serious consideration for a new world. It was a small, red planet, scarred by intermittent trenches that looked titillatingly artificial. From miles out in space, the symmetrical web of lines stenciling the surface looked skillfully crafted and constructed. It was certainly an appealing little world for the Thelerick Stingers, but the obvious question was what if it should be inhabited already? If this were the case, then they would have to continue their search. The Ten had agreed in the beginning not to usurp another peoples world, or for that matter, even reside on an already populated planet. The Thelerick code of ethics simply wouldn't allow such an imposition, even if the Stingers were to have been invited to stay. An inherently private race, the Thelerick Stingers enjoyed solitude (of which they had plenty in their vacant galaxy), but more than this, they wished to respect the rights of others as much as possible. Up to now, such polite attention had not been bestowed on other races, because the Stingers had not encountered other civilizations aside from their own. But the Ten had sworn to themselves that their moral principles would be upheld in this new galaxy more than ever --even at the cost of refusing an attractive world which already belonged to someone else.
Orbiting the red planet several times, the Stingers hissed a collective, 'lets hope for the best', before descending to the surface.
The red planet had a thin atmosphere - one not unlike that of the home world - and the surface was sheer delight! Miles of soft sand and rock glazed the entire land regions, interrupted only by two frozen mounds of ice at the poles, and one or two active volcanoes. The 'canals'
The Sentinel Stinger was a brilliant actor. After ten thousand years, he had rehearsed his part to perfection and honed the expected reactions of disappointment to a fine performance. It was a convincing coup; an impressive deception. Any observer or participant would have been suitably duped by the Sentinel Stingers well-meaning wiles. Throughout, he kept his attention on the pinpoint of light that none of his companions had yet noticed, but which would shortly become a spot of disturbing familiarity to them - and to himself - for a few more years to come.
Few creatures in the universe could surpass the perfection of mind and body that comprised any one of the Ten Thelerick Stingers. But already, the Sentinel Stinger was racing ahead of his fellows in ways that he was totally unaware of and which they quite possibly would never discover.
They would be needed shortly.
And so would he.
Only time would tell whether fate - or destiny - had made the correct choice.
In their hurry to gluttonize themselves on the bevy of suns in the constellation of Sagittarius, the great Stingers almost bypassed one intriguing, average star of this new galaxy's periphery. A rush of excitement passed through the Ten as they decelerated to sub light and entered the new solar system. Here was a sizable family of satellites to consider, circling a stable sun that would survive for at least another five billion years. Nine planets could be discerned by the Stingers' senses; from their past experience with stars in their own galaxy, it was an enormous group of worlds for a sun to possess.
The ten Thelericks passed the four outer gas giants disinterestedly. The enormous, swirling globes of ammonia and methane would certainly not do for a new home. With the gas balls well behind them, the Stingers next met with a barrier of floating, asteroid debris. Some mild entertainment was derived out of dodging the great chunks of airless rock but the Thelericks would need more substantial surfaces to wander on other than a few miles of moon junk.
Exiting this chunky wilderness, the Stingers were delighted to find the first, serious consideration for a new world. It was a small, red planet, scarred by intermittent trenches that looked titillatingly artificial. From miles out in space, the symmetrical web of lines stenciling the surface looked skillfully crafted and constructed. It was certainly an appealing little world for the Thelerick Stingers, but the obvious question was what if it should be inhabited already? If this were the case, then they would have to continue their search. The Ten had agreed in the beginning not to usurp another peoples world, or for that matter, even reside on an already populated planet. The Thelerick code of ethics simply wouldn't allow such an imposition, even if the Stingers were to have been invited to stay. An inherently private race, the Thelerick Stingers enjoyed solitude (of which they had plenty in their vacant galaxy), but more than this, they wished to respect the rights of others as much as possible. Up to now, such polite attention had not been bestowed on other races, because the Stingers had not encountered other civilizations aside from their own. But the Ten had sworn to themselves that their moral principles would be upheld in this new galaxy more than ever --even at the cost of refusing an attractive world which already belonged to someone else.
Orbiting the red planet several times, the Stingers hissed a collective, 'lets hope for the best', before descending to the surface.
The red planet had a thin atmosphere - one not unlike that of the home world - and the surface was sheer delight! Miles of soft sand and rock glazed the entire land regions, interrupted only by two frozen mounds of ice at the poles, and one or two active volcanoes. The 'canals'
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