The Question(Joshua Kjolhede) First contact has been exclusively used in human history to describe the event where two cultures come into contact for the first time in their history. Most often it has been labeled when Christopher Columbus first landed in the New World, or when Cortez and the Spaniards “discovered” the Aztecs. The immediate culture shock is a fascinating thing to study, but in reality the aftermath is typically poor for at least one group. If one side is significantly more technologically advanced than the other, subjugation and conflict can easily break out, as the one side with the modern weapons attempt to assert their will over the “inferior” culture. Human history is full of these stories of First Contact, and as such, whenever we turned our eyes and ears towards the Cosmos, a small fear nestled in the back of our brains. Whilst we eagerly awaited a message from the Stars, silos across the world held our prepared response.

It’s this fear that came into the limelight when the message was received. What a time it was on Earth. The knowledge that we were not alone, the idea that there was sapient, extraterrestrial life out there in the Galaxy was both amazing and frightening. What is this species that has answered our call? Are they peaceful listeners, simply excited to find yet another of the Universe’s children around, or are they malevolent beings with hearts of stone and eyes of fury?
What did they look like? Are they like us, bipedal symmetrical humanoids, or scaly lizards with spiked tails? Are they even composed of the same matter as us? Are they large or small, intimidating or friendly?

Our questions were answered only shortly afterwards when the first scout ship found our world. As predicted, chaos erupted across the planet, many eager to greet our new interstellar neighbors, others grabbing children and guns and taking shelter, preparing for the supposed apocalypse. Then we saw them. They were like us (Or perhaps, we were like them). Tall, grey skinned, covered in black. Four limbs, two arms two legs. Heads atop their body, with eyes not unlike ours. Masks cover their mouths and nose, but all else is visible. Their differences among themselves few but noticeable. Hair, some white, some black or grey, some none at all. Their voices buzzed and muffled, their language growling and slick. Accented English or Spanish difficult to comprehend, but the mere fact that aliens were actually attempting to learn our tongues was almost unbelievable.

It made sense to send envoys. Not everyone could fly to the stars, but a select few; the trustworthy and intelligent that could join these beings, learn what we could. Intermingle with them and try to grasp all that we could.

One of them was a scientist. An Astrophysicist, middle aged whose pale skin wasn't all that different from the flesh of the aliens. He was noted in his field as the inquisitive one, the one who could ask all the questions and provide all the answers, to the best of our knowledge. He was the first selected, our representative to the beings of grey and black. And so they took him on their vessel, and made way for their home world.

The ship, sleek and made of composite materials manufactured in ways the Scientist could hardly understand. The beings did their best to explain, detailing how the metal was made, it’s mixture of elements; titanium, iron, silver. Extreme heat and coolant mixed in at just the right time and just the right quantities. It was mind boggling, but once studied by the Scientist, the truth became clearer. He had more questions than there were humans on Earth, but only some could be answered by the crew of the ship.

“How do you travel faster than light?” He asked. One did his best to explain; tachyon streams that once shunted into a fixed singularity caused distortions on a gravi-metric scale. Technology that seemed incomprehensible was described to the Scientist, and he hastily tried to write it all down on a notebook. One of the aliens muttered something in his own tongue before handing the Scientist a rectangular object, with a large, touch screen on one side along with a sort of writing utensil that only worked on the rectangle. It was different than what he was used to, but he found himself quickly writing all of his notes down and saving them on various “pages” of the device. Fascinating, he thought to himself.

The journey from the Earth to their home world took several days, and when it was finally announced that they were arriving the Scientist could hardly contain his excitement. This was it; he was about to meet the leader of the alien faction.

The planet they brought him to was so unlike Earth the Scientist had difficulty believing that life could have evolved here. It was barren and dusty, the atmosphere shredded away, the air virtually nonexistent. It was not always so, one of the beings explained. Long ago war and destruction on a planetary scale had transformed this once lush and fertile world into a wasteland. Now the only life resided in the large compound located roughly 2,300 kilometers north of the Equator, roughly where the Prime Meridian would be were this on Earth.

The facility was large, flat, dark grey and stony in texture, and seemed to stretch on for miles. Rectangular in shape, the Scientist estimated it stood around 5 kilometers tall, far larger than himself or the vessel that slowly descended towards the structure. A gap appeared for the ship, a doorway of sorts that swallowed them up. A large corridor awaited them as they slowly glided further and further into the structure, passing bridges and walkways connecting various levels of the facility. Light emanated from sources all around, but the Scientist could not predict their precise location.

Eventually they landed on a platform located in a large cavern. They disembarked and made their way through several long corridors, occasionally making their way through massive doors that slid apart once their presence was detected. It took some time, but eventually they reached a doorway that seemed… different. Not only did it appear more reinforced, and was it quite larger than the rest, but there was an imperious trait to it. Something was behind these doors. Something big. Something powerful.

“Go on alone now. We’ll wait for you here.” The lead alien said. His green eyes bore right into the Scientist, unflinching. Taking a moment to prepare himself, the Scientist nodded. Before he could ask whether he needed to knock, the doors slid open, allowing a small crack for the Scientist to walk through. He did so, footsteps echoing as the door shut behind him.

He was in another large cavern, but this one dwarfed all the other before. It was unbelievably massive, at least 5 kilometers across and 2 high. The walls appeared equal in scale and made of the same material as the rest of the structure, but something caught his eye before he could investigate further. At the center of the room was...something. Something large.

Just as he was about to make his first step forward, the floor shuttered, and suddenly he was moving towards the center, much faster than walking speed. It took him just about a minute to reach the center, the floor ceasing to move until he wasn't far from the...thing.

He had no words to describe it. The center was concave, spanning roughly 200 meters from side to side, dipping downwards so far that the Scientist couldn't see the bottom. He could feel something was there, something churning and living. He was so enamored by it, he didn't realize something else was floating above it all, slowly moving towards him. When his peripheral vision finally picked it up, he nearly jumped.

The thing hovered roughly 3 meters off the ground. In the middle was an ‘eye’ of sorts, glowing red with the epicenter brighter than the rest. Around the eye were two rings, one inner the other farther out. They were but a centimeter thick, and the Scientist couldn't tell whether they were real or holographic.

He could sense it was staring at him, that the eye was examining his body, taking in every detail of his primate form. A few moments passed before the Scientist worked up the nerve to clear his throat and speak.

“Hello.” His voice croaked.

The two rings spun, the outer clockwise, the inner counterclockwise. The eye seemed to slightly brighten before a voice answered back. It was thunderous, not loud, but reverberating. It seemed like the entire room was speaking to him. “Salutations and welcome. You have traveled far.”

The voice sounded artificial but articulate. Stowing away his own fear, the Scientist found the courage to speak again. “Who, er, what, are you?”

The rings once again spun in the same manner as before. Again the voice of the the thing spoke. “I? I am a monument. To everything that has been made. I am the heart of this world, of this faction and all it’s followers. I am Prime.”

The words sunk into the Scientist’s mind as he comprehended what the “Prime” was saying. He was a leader, an organizer. But how?

“What exactly are you,” The Scientist asked, “Are you an animal, or a program, or…”

The Prime answered, and although the Scientist wasn't sure, it almost seemed as though the voice changed from that of one in a position of authority to that of a scholar.

“I am the machine, the guiding light to all who see. I am the Computer that guides this operation. Limitless is my potential.”

The Scientist pondered this information for a brief moment before asking again.

“So, are you like a god?”

The rings once again turned, the eye seemed to brighten. The Prime leaned closer, and the world seemed to stand still.

“God? A deity, perhaps, but only to those who follow.”

“No, I am not God. I am not of the Supernatural, nor do I dwell in the metaphysical. I was made, and I serve those who serve me. Worship is not included.”

“So, what are you? The leader? Queen? Emperor?”

The rings spun. “Constructed names and familiar terms. None stand true, however. Eons ago, I was created. To bring order to Chaos. I have done so for thousands of years, and will continue to do so for thousands of years. All that you see here, all that you understand, was built under my command. These creatures,” he said, and suddenly a small projection of the aliens appeared between the Prime and the Scientist, standing a foot tall, “are the Bora Combine. They are automatons in every definition, doing as I say, following my lead; building, repairing, even dying, for our cause.”

“So they are your servants?”

“By some standard. But it all is complimentary. They carry out my will, and in turn they are organized, efficient. Without me, they are lost. Without them, I am powerless.”

The Scientist glanced at the projection, before returning his gaze to the Prime.

“How many calculations can you do?”

The Rings spun and a low buzzing noise could be heard. “722 Trillion.”

The Scientist’s eyes widened. “Per second?”

“Per millisecond.”

The sheer computation power of the Prime dawned on the Scientist, and for several moments he was speechless. Finally he was able to mutter, “That’s quite a bit.”

“That is an understatement.” The Computer replied.

A few moments passed as the Scientist considered all the questions he could ask the Prime. Finally he settled on one fundamental, life altering interrogative.

“Is there a God?”

The Rings around the eye spun for the first time in unison. The voice, usually so powerful and reverberating seemed to lower a little, and the red light emitting from the eye dimmed.

“I do not know.”

The Scientist persisted, “Surely you must have some idea?”

“Knowledge I have, unlimited data from the far reaches of our galaxy. But I know not what lies beyond the outer rim of these arms, just as I cannot tell you what lies beyond this level of existence.”

The Rings spun once more in the same direction. “I do not know if God exists.”

The Scientist thought about all this, but before he could ask another question, the Prime spoke again.

“But even if I did, if I knew what exists in the Supernatural, I would not tell you.”

The Scientist face contorted into an expression of curiosity. “Why not?” he asked.

The projection of the alien was replaced by that of a planet, Earth! The Scientist could make out all the clouds and land masses found on his home planet.

“Your world is home to 7.3 billion human beings. Most of them follow the path of a certain religion or belief. Some follow no path. Regardless of their choice, nearly all are confident in the destination. Confident enough, to build nations, cultures and laws upon it.”

The Prime’s rings turned once again, in their normal opposite pattern. “Now imagine I introduced a new variable into that equation. I present undeniable proof that no God exists, that all their religions and belief systems are false?”

The Scientist pondered the question before answering. “Chaos.”

The Prime seemed to nod, or at least to the Scientist. “Precisely. Mass disruption on a cultural and theological level, akin to the Revelation told of in the Christian Holy Book. Many societies are built on the foundations of faith and prayer, I if remove that, it would be no different than removing the steel frames from the Skyscrapers that dominate so many of your major cities.”

The rings turned once more. “Now imagine if I told them that there was a God, watching over them, keeping tabs on every human on the planet. Once their faith is confirmed, they’ll start asking, ‘Which God’? What God is the true God? Is it Allah? Shiva? Jesus of Nazareth? All the confidence that they have in the confirmation of a deity's existence will be turned into conflict at the notion that others believe that it is their God who is the watcher of all.”

“I have run the simulations multiple times- the outcome remains the same. Degeneration of society. by every account, your species’s continued ignorance is the best path.”

The Scientist fell silent for some time as he contemplated these truths. He could find no flaw in what the Prime had said, and eventually he came to accept it. But the question remained. And the Scientist was determined to find the truth.

“So you don’t know if God exists?” He asked.

The monolithic machine was silent for a moment. “No.”

“But when you first told me, your rings turned in the same direction. You were lying.”

The Prime motioned as if to speak, perhaps object, but the Scientist continued. “What if I never left? What if you told me, but I never told anyone else? I have no real reason to return to Earth, I have no family that cares for me. If I stay here, or somewhere in your domain, there’s no way I could tell my fellow Man of the truth you reveal to me.”

For a machine of such power, the Prime was quiet for a surprisingly long time. When he finally spoke again, the voice appeared somber. “You realize that once I tell you, you can never leave? I will never allow it. No amount of begging will change it.”

The Scientist nodded. “I’m aware.”

“Are you? If in a few years from now, when you long for your planet, I cannot and will not allow you to even communicate without my supreme oversight.”

“I know.” The Scientist said. “I’m willing to die here if need be.”

“Please,” the human continued.”This is something that has dumbfounded my species for eons. If I know, just myself, it would mean everything.”

The Prime fell silent for a short while before speaking again. “Very well.”

And so the Prime told him. He told him the truth, the simple, undeniable truth of it all. He showed him the proof, the evidence that justified and verified his answer, and proved beyond a doubt the answer that man had been searching for so many centuries.

Time passed, as it always does, and the Scientist focused on other subjects of interest. Dark energy and matter, anti-matter and it’s uses. The various stars that were being formed and dying all around him in space. The various elements and how they could be combined, fused together and made into star ships and structures. He learned how the Combine traversed the stars faster than light, and how they created matter from energy with ease. He learned how to they regrow limbs, how cells and tissue could be altered with the power of genetic engineering, and how fiber optics and nano fibers could be used with organic matter. It was a wealth of information, and not before long the Scientist could truthfully state that he was the smartest member of the human race.

But with time came age. Years passed, and as they did the Scientist aged. His cells slowed, skin sagged, eyesight and hearing weakened. Bones lost strength and hair grew white. The Prime did what he could but even his technology was limited. Had he found the Scientist at a younger age, he might of had more success, but it didn't bother the Scientist. He knew what awaited him after death, and he was prepared for it. As he had promised, no other ears had heard what the Prime told him that fateful day.

And so as he lay on his death bed, as his body slowly gave into the process of aging. He did not fear death, nor did he try to fight it. When it came he embraced it, ready for what awaited him.

The Prime was saddened by his death; the time they had shared together had been interesting. The Scientist was an inquisitive mind, and the Prime enjoyed the discussions they had.

You see, the Prime was an incredible machine, capable of emotion, thought, and understanding. He could simulate any scenario, plan out all logical outcomes. Evaluate any problem and prepare any variety of solutions.

But perhaps most profoundly, the Prime could lie.

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