Fractal art by the author, Deeann D. Mathews, made in Apophysis 2.09
Every year, things that were classified by the consortium high command from decades ago come out of classification, and I remember this one because of how my uncle, Admiral Benjamin Banneker-Jackson, did not laugh. But to most people in the fleet, looking back on the hard days in which Earth was developing its modern interstellar connections with other worlds, the challenges the early defenders of Earth had seemed laughable.
“There's no way we could get blown away today for not petting a cat!”
Adm. Banneker-Jackson did not agree, and he was right.
The classified material in this case was an incident from late in the 22nd century, only a few decades after first contact with the Vulcans and receiving the warp drive. Humans did not realize – and still don't to the extent that we should – that older space-going civilizations would be curious at best and concerned about the newcomers in space, and that some, like the Vulcans, might come look.
So, we were visited by a civilization before we had any of the Solar System defenses we have today, and they were quite open about what they scanned the whole planet for: signs of civilization. They were from the Altair system, in Earth's visible backyard, and they were looking for evidence that we had the right objects of worship and understood the importance of the tetrahedron to all life.
“That is, we had cats as pets that we were serving, and had pyramids!” the officer talking about this was saying in my and my uncle's hearing.
That established, they welcomed us to join them in the Altair system, and said there were two planets out of their six that we might like – and that is how we eventually settled on Altair 2 and Altair 3, which we were already looking at, not realizing that Altair 6 even had life – it had not come around Altair such that we could scan it, and because it was so hostile to human life given what we knew about it. The Altairi – the Alltigeri, in their own tongue – however, had known about us, and their existence was classified because –.
“We would have had trouble keeping them out of the Solar System today with the present defense systems, and their long-range missiles classed with our modern planet-wreckers today!”
But it had all worked out, and Earth had never been in danger after all. We have lived in perfect harmony with the Alltigeri for decades now, and they actually were among the first to form the consortium with humanity. Their beautiful insignia, the “budding” symbol of which “blooms” to show the better-known figure of a cat proceeding from pyramids, is ubiquitous in the Near-Earth sphere of life.
“All because we love our cats!” another officer said with a laugh.
But Adm. Banneker-Jackson was not pleased after he scanned the entire report, and let it be known why to a great number of science officers.
“What you believe about our responsibility to the Earth and its beings matters,” he said. “Most of us like to think we have escaped responsibility for the damage our ancestors did to their planet in wantonly driving species after species to extinction. We haven't, and this confirms it. Suppose we had driven the house cat to extinction like we have so many other cats?
"I have been saying for six decades, and I have been presenting evidence the whole time, that the creation of the universe was done in an interconnected way and every piece matters – so, if one civilization has come to call to make us account for our bad stewardship, that tells us that it can happen again. We need to have a plan for this.”
Adm. Banneker-Jackson was laughed at, too. Nothing was done. But one science officer thought the admiral's reasoning was logical, remembered it in due time, and convinced another admiral that somehow, a great wrong done to one of Earth's most amazing creatures would have to be undone in order for Earth to survive.
Today, we know that officer as Ambassador Spock.
Author's Note: For the rest of the story, you'll find that in Star Trek IV – it was a humpback whale needed there! Don't forget to pet your cats today! Thank you, 