Thursday, March 25, 2004
Esterilman Experience 2
Before I tell you about the experiences of the Esterilman voyagers on Earth, I will be failing in my duty as the chronicler of this event if I were not to tell you at this juncture the composition of the group. The crew consisted of the Captain of the ship, Captain Zemobius; the pilot/navigator, Histarel "Hit" Maxter; the communications expert, Xanth Maxter (yes, they are brothers!); the security incharge, Major Kantzon; the medico, Elswane Vold; and the "hardware" guy who looked after the general upkeep of the ship's various mechanisms - Jandrez Migaston. In addition to the crew, there were also: a representative of what can best be translated as the Federal Government of Esterilma - Councillor Dravond, a Secretary in the Central Governing Council, and his secretary, Mirdy (it is surprising how young secretaries all around the universe are addressed only by their first names with no mention of their last names); Dreston Gombolin, an affluent businessman in Esterilma; and Samlena Corotis, an anthropologost specialising in the leading emergant races of the universe. For those of you who are wondering as to how the Esterilmans planned to communicate with Earthlings, they had what can best be described as the two-way equivalent of the Babel Fish, made popular on Earth by that magnum-opus, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". So the problem of communication or rather the lack of it was not a significant issue for the Esterilmans.
While they were still crossing the Rings of Saturn, the Esterilmans analysed the atmosphere of the Earth and, with wrinkled noses, had their first inkling that all was not well with the Earth. As they got closer, they surveyed the demographic distribution on the surface of the planet to decide which would be the best place to start their trade negotiations. Understandably, they decided to make their landing at the Big Apple - New York City - that great amalgam of Wall Street Big Money and the mugger-infested 'backlands' of the Bronx. Given the sensitivity of their tissues, long used to pure air, they found the ambience stifling, to say the least. But while they were still preparing to land, events were underfoot to prepare for their 'reception'. The US Army was on top-emergency alert, while the various intelligence networks of the world were swapping allegations at first and information later in a frenzy. Inspite of all this, surprisingly when the landing did take place, it was the media that got there first, pipping all the enforcement agencies. This came about again by sheer coincidence - something I think has become all-too-familiar by now to the readers. The landing took place near the regional office of a well-known round-the-clock news station. Now, you may well imagine the kind of media circus that such an event as the landing of an inter-galactic spaceship can create...
While they were still crossing the Rings of Saturn, the Esterilmans analysed the atmosphere of the Earth and, with wrinkled noses, had their first inkling that all was not well with the Earth. As they got closer, they surveyed the demographic distribution on the surface of the planet to decide which would be the best place to start their trade negotiations. Understandably, they decided to make their landing at the Big Apple - New York City - that great amalgam of Wall Street Big Money and the mugger-infested 'backlands' of the Bronx. Given the sensitivity of their tissues, long used to pure air, they found the ambience stifling, to say the least. But while they were still preparing to land, events were underfoot to prepare for their 'reception'. The US Army was on top-emergency alert, while the various intelligence networks of the world were swapping allegations at first and information later in a frenzy. Inspite of all this, surprisingly when the landing did take place, it was the media that got there first, pipping all the enforcement agencies. This came about again by sheer coincidence - something I think has become all-too-familiar by now to the readers. The landing took place near the regional office of a well-known round-the-clock news station. Now, you may well imagine the kind of media circus that such an event as the landing of an inter-galactic spaceship can create...
