benignity
[ bih-nig-ni-tee ]
noun, plural be·nig·ni·ties.
1. the quality of being benign; kindness.
2. Archaic. a good deed or favor; an instance of kindness: benignities born of selfless devotion.
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Everyone
has an idea of what first contact with aliens should be. Some thought it would lead to interstellar war. Others think it will lead to a new kind of
refugee. And others think it will lead
to an era of trade and prosperity.
When
first contact finally happened, it was both thrilling and disappointing. The pure white ship descended from the sky, landing
just outside London, England. That was a
sore point for Americans everywhere, who somehow thought that they should be
the one getting the alien ship on their soil, simply because that’s what
Hollywood said would happen. And then
nothing. The ship did not move. Nobody came out of it. It simply sat there as the British government
argued about what to do.
They
finally agreed to approach the vessel, and see if that would provoke a
reaction. It was with great fanfare that
hundreds of spectators gathered around the ship. Farthest away was the civilians. They came from all over the world to see the
historic event, all equipped with cell phones to record the moment. In front of them was the press. They were doing much the same thing as the civilians,
but with much better equipment.
The army
was next. They stood by with weapons at
the ready, just in case the aliens turned out to be hostile. They were well armed, bearing all the latest
military hardware. Few thought they would
be effective against a species capable of interstellar travel, but the crowd
was still relived to have them there.
Closest
to the ship were the world leaders. Most
major countries were represented at the assembly, with the English taking
center stage. They gathered around a
large platform that had been placed there just for the occasion.
And then it happened. A chime that everyone thought was heavenly
filled the air, and a section of the ship opened, lowering a ramp. A bright light issued forth from the interior
of the vessel, blocked only by a humanoid silhouette.
The
figure descended slowly. As it did, the
form resolved into a human. A beautiful,
flawless human. The only thing that made
him different was the pair of large, pure white wings on his back. More of the beings exited the ship and
arrayed themselves in front of the gathered humans.
“Greetings,
mankind.” The first one said. “We are
the Angellians. And, as before, we come
to help you grow.”
“You
were here before?” The English Prime Minister said with awe in his voice.
“We
have. I has been many hundreds of your
years since our last visit though. We
are eager to see how you have used our teachings to grow.”
The
Angellians raised their hands and a white glow filled the area, far brighter
than even the Sun. Those who the light
touched felt a warmth course through their bodies, and some small wounds even
began to heal.
“Hm.”
The lead Angellian said. “It seems our
lessons did not fair well with the passage of time.” He sounded sad, which
broke the hearts of everyone who heard it.
“You have grown greatly technologically, but you have forgotten why you
grow. Do not worry, we shall help
you. We shall remind you of our lessons
and help you truly become one people, as you were always meant to be.”
The
people all smiled. The soldiers lowered
their weapons. What use would they
be? How could such a benign race hurt
them? The Angellians spread out.
“Now,
friends,” The leader of them said gently.
“Let the first lesson begin.”
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So, what do you think? Are these guys legit? Or is this like the "To Serve Man" episode of The Twilight Zone? Either could be a good story if handled right. Whether I'm the one to do that remains to be seen.
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