

A TV programme is started, called 'Life on Mars', which generates the funding to send the first humans to settle on Mars. Mariada de Villiers, a South African physicist, is chosen for the first group to leave on this one-way trip.

While the settlement on Mars is developed, a break-through is made on Earth into faster space travel, and her group is replaced and they return to Earth after four years.

Alexander Zhivago is a marine biologist based at Plettenberg Bay on the southern coast of Africa. He has done extensive research into the languages and communication of dolphins and whales.

Breakthroughs are made internationally as cetacean languages are decoded and understood, and humans begin to communicate meaningfully with these ancient and wise beings.

Humans overcome the barriers of travelling to deep space and other solar systems at a most opportune time, as it appears that life on Earth is increasingly tenuous and threatened.

A habitable planet, similar to Earth and called Earth 2, is found, while travelling to it in a few months becomes possible.

Once again, Mariada is chosen for the first group to settle there, and so is Alexander. Their friendship is finally able to grow much deeper. At the same time, they discover that the local dolphins have deep connections in space and time, and have very important messages to share.

## MESSAGES FROM THE DEEP

### THEO. MARAIS

COPYRIGHT © 2016 by THEO. MARAIS

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

ISBN 978-0-620-71303-0 (e-book)

Smashwords Edition

Special thanks to:

Marie-Anna, my wife, supporter and adviser.

Adriana, our daughter, who inspired and helped with a big part of the idea, and on whom a central character is partly based.

Alejandra Vargas-Fonseca, cetacean researcher, who is in at the deep end.

Elaine Finkelstein, psychologist, for information on near death experiences.

Manou Marais, my niece, for the cover design.

### CONTENTS

PART 1. GOING OUT - MARS (2024 - 2030)

PART 2. COMING IN - CETACEANS (2030 - 2044)

PART 3. EARTH 2 (2044)

PART 4. DEEP MESSAGES (2045 +)

PART 1

GOING OUT - MARS (2024 -2030)

"Arion leaped down into the waves... a dolphin did submit his arched back to the unusual weight; seated there, Arion grasped his lyre and paid his fare in song, and with his chant he charmed the ocean waves. The gods see pious deeds: Jupiter received the dolphin among the constellations, and bade him have nine stars."

Ovid. 43 B.C. - A.D. 17

### CHAPTER 1

Mariada de Villiers is lying in bed, bathed in the light of a full moon shining through the open window. She is dreaming as her eyelids flicker and her lips move slightly.

She sees her parents, with her father saying, "Do what you love best, what challenges your brain to the limit, and what will help develop all life on Earth."

She sees her grandparents, with her grandmother saying, "Work hard, look up to the stars, give your love and laugh a lot."

She sees her Huguenot ancestors fleeing Catholic France and, on arrival at the Cape, being told,

"Speaking French is not allowed here. From now on, you speak Dutch." And one replying, "My wine will speak for itself."

Many faces then flash before her, appearing to go far back in time, until the face of a dolphin surfaces and speaks directly to her. "Go beyond Earth. Go beyond Mars. Go to a planet like Earth. You will find me there."

A presenter at a large conference introduces the next speaker. "At this special sitting in 2024 of the International Space Administration, we call upon Mariada de Villiers to address us on 'The history of the Life on Mars mission.' "

Mariada, a woman of about 40 years, begins her talk. "I am honoured to have been selected to be one of the first group of four to be sent, in one week's time, to start a settlement on Mars."

As she talks, a giant T.V. screen shows archive footage of the events she describes.

"The Russians were the first nation to send rockets beyond Earth's atmosphere, and the first human in space was Yuri Gagarin in 1961 in Vostok 1. In 1969, America was first to land people on the Moon, to take off again, re-unite with their orbiting space-ship and return safely to Earth, all within a period of about a week.

Mars was the next target at the turn of the century and three robot-controlled vehicles with cameras were exploring the Martian landscape and analysing soil samples.

The Life on Mars mission started in 2013 as a private initiative, raising funds as a proposed Reality-T.V. programme which will show our journey to Mars, settling on the planet and our daily activities thereafter in establishing a permanent settlement. Advertisements were published globally, calling for volunteers, and thousands responded. By 2016, a preliminary group of 16 volunteers was chosen, and I was elated to be one of them."

### CHAPTER 2

Mariada's parents switch on their T.V. at home and the title of the programme is 'Life on Mars'.

A presenter announces, "For the selection of the final 16 crew, our show, 'Life on Mars', will be screening a series of elimination rounds of the last 100 candidates now in 2016. This is a system where the voters are in three groups, consisting of the candidates themselves, the T.V. viewers, and a panel of experts. At the end of each week for 10 weeks, they will vote to eliminate the 10 weakest for the first four weeks, and then the five weakest for the next six weeks, thus eliminating 70 candidates over the 10 week period. In addition, each week the top 10 candidates will be voted for 'promotion' on the basis of excellent performance.

The final 16 will be chosen from the remaining 30 candidates according to the most promotions achieved.

The locations for the elimination rounds have been chosen in order to subject the candidates to almost every conceivable psychological and physical situation, to see how they cope and to test their resilience in these extreme conditions."

The background footage shows examples of what is being mentioned.

"In this first week, all 100 candidates were subjected to basic medical and physical tests and exercises, with rigorous recording and evaluation of results. They were also evaluated regarding ability and knowledge in First Aid, emergency care, diagnosis and treatment of a variety of medical conditions, nutrition, medicines and other areas."

The footage shows some candidates in a simulated clinic's emergency area. A 'patient' is brought in so that each candidate, in turn and unseen by the others , is asked by a doctor, "What diagnosis seems likely at first inspection?" and, "What treatment seems best?" The first patient is a classic First Aid case, an apparent deep cut to the arm which is bleeding profusely. When the doctor asks the first question to the first candidate, a somewhat over-confident young man, he takes one look at the blood-like substance dripping on the floor, starts swaying on his feet and, with his legs starting to buckle, has to be ushered to a chair.

"Based on all the votes cast, the top 10 for promotion are Mariada de Villiers..." As this is shown, her parents can't contain their excitement and they leap around the lounge, shouting and laughing.

Her parents are back for each week's announcements for the next nine weeks.

"Week two was about the technical knowledge and abilities of the 90 candidates left and covered areas like fixing and making mechanical and electronic equipment, hydrology and plumbing, gardening and so on. It soon showed us that some are all thumbs and are eliminated, while others have green thumbs and earn a promotion."

Some candidates are in a large, enclosed 'tunnel garden', with transparent sides and roof, such as is used to grow tropical plants. One candidate nearly cuts off her thumb, while another has invented a good system for watering all the plants with minimal effort.

"Week three was a week-long encounter group, where the 80 candidates were divided into eight groups of 10 who almost never left each other alone day and night, and were told to share their feelings about themselves and each other. We had some encounters which led to an angry outburst and an instant red card and others where things got too hot with some close encounters."

One group of 10 is in a room only slightly larger than the area taken by the 10 mattresses they use to sit and sleep on. There are no windows, only an air conditioner, and the lighting is harsh. A door leads to the bathroom with two toilets, basins and showers, and the other door leads to a small dining room and then a door outside, which is 'no-man's land' for the week. An older man is shown shouting angrily at another, waving his fists as though about to throw a punch. An official is shown escorting him out. Two younger women are shown doing a bit more than cuddling up after the lights are dimmed. They are confronted about this transgression the next morning.

"Week four was a series of obstacle courses where the 70 candidates, in seven groups, had to solve problems and show resilience, patience and stamina in difficult situations. Some panicked while others were too cool."

One group is negotiating an obstacle course with various challenges, such as is used by military trainees. They reach a wall which looks about 4m high and needs to be crossed by the whole team. Two of the members calmly take charge and help to make a pyramid with five members, and the other five then climb up them and over the top. It is clear that some hate heights and freeze with fright, while others act rashly.

"Week five was spent in Dome Town in Hawaii on the slopes of a volcano. The settlement was divided into three separate villages for the 60 left, and was a simulation of a settlement on Mars. Candidates needed to continue with the planning and management of all daily activities, such as using melted ice to make hydrogen and oxygen for the air to breathe, growing food in gardens, and recycling all waste and using it to fertilise the gardens."

One village has too many cooks who spoil the broth by trying to boss everyone around, without doing any work themselves. When nothing works properly, they blame everyone else.

"Week six was spent in the Himalayas, to test reactions at high altitudes, with low oxygen levels and in sub-zero temperatures. Some of the brightest intellects became zombie-like, while a few others went off at tangents as though high on L.S.D."

This is the first test of coping with very low temperatures, and it is clear that some candidates just cannot adapt to a climate so different to home. Others seem to come alive as they tramp through snow and ice and try to cook food.

"Week seven was in the Sahara Desert for the remaining 50 candidates, with extreme temperature changes, searing hot in the day and below freezing at night. Some had never experienced such aridity or been in such smothering sand-storms, as may be found on Mars, where sand somehow gets between your teeth, your toes and into your nose.

Week eight was in Antarctica, where co-operation within the group was critical. The 45 candidates were flown in to McMurdo Station on Ross Island in October, as soon as Spring brings slightly warmer weather than the normal Winter temperatures of —50 degrees Centigrade, at which petrol freezes. The base is also 3000m above sea level, adding to the discomfort index. Breathing is painful and the long hours of darkness can cause depression, aggravated by Vitamin D deficiency and 'seasonal affective disorder' (Winter blues). The group was divided into three groups of 15, each in quarters normally used by 10 researchers, so the more cramped conditions added to the stress and tensions for the week. Some candidates were pleading to leave after a few days."

Footage shows candidates becoming disorientated about sleeping and waking hours as they struggle to get up in the morning.

"You're joking! It's the middle of the night," says one.

Walking outside becomes a major excursion.

"Week nine was spent in submarines, in very cramped, claustrophobic conditions, with no fresh air, or chance to exercise, and with complex, cognitive tasks to perform day and night."

The pressures of the past few weeks build up and tempers become frayed and stretched to breaking point.

"Week 10, the final elimination round, saw the 35 survivors put into space-craft simulators for a week, experiencing the extreme gravity of blast-off, weightlessness and living in a space-suit with no toilet or shower."

Some candidates relish this final challenge.

The promotions earned by the final 30 during the 10 weeks were then added up and the top 16 finally announced. Mariada had the highest number of promotions and final votes cast.

The camera pans from Mariada to the other 15 finalists in turn as they are introduced.

It was carefully explained that they were not chosen according to a cast-iron quota system of equal representativity of gender, race, nationality, culture, religion etc, but it was remarkable that this was, in fact, more or less the end result. The top 16 had nine females and seven males, some from the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australasia, some black, brown, white and yellow in complexion, a mix of religions and beliefs and career experiences and skills.

### CHAPTER 3

For the next seven years, 'Life on Mars' continued to show how the top 16 were being trained in all the skills that are needed for long-term survival on Mars, including the areas covered in the elimination rounds, such as medical, pharmacological, mechanical, electronic, agricultural, nutritional, emotional and so on. An added challenge was to explore who should be in the first team of four to land on Mars, and then who should be in the next team to follow in two years' time.

The two year gap is because the solar orbit of Mars has a close approach to Earth only every two years, known as the 'Hohmann transfer'. It could also happen that, if one member of a team proved to be unsuitable, the whole team could be replaced by the next team, because of the importance of group-work, and so the whole system needed to have both precision and flexibility.

A second round of applications started, with the top 100 chosen to undergo another set of elimination rounds, down to the next final 16.

Mariada still seemed to be the top candidate, and the team she was in seemed to be the most positive and vibrant of the four teams.

In early 2024 the first team to leave for Mars in a few months was announced, and it was no surprise that Mariada's was chosen. There was a large media turnout at the 'Life on Mars' studio as the team was presented to the world. The three others in her team comprised Aziz from Egypt, an electronics and engineering wizard, Martin, an African-American gifted in all medical issues, and Noriko from Japan, expert in areas from diet to group dynamics.

The rocket with its precious capsule of four astronauts at the tip is poised for take-off on the launch-pad. 'Life on Mars' has been following every move since they woke up this morning.

Now each astronaut is sitting in the capsule, almost like racing car drivers in the seconds before the start, but these will be racing into space at about 30 000 kph, then at about 18 000 kph cruise speed.

Mariada thinks back to an interview with her parents. A reporter asks, "As her parents, how do you feel about her going to Mars, maybe never to return?"

Her mother answers, "She has pointed out that some of our ancestors, French, Dutch and German, came to South Africa 350 years ago, on a similar mission, also about a seven month, one-way trip, as most knew they would never return to Europe, and were going to a place barely known and with huge challenges of survival, something like Mars is to us now.

So we are fully behind her and very proud to be her parents."

Mariada is being interviewed.

"What do you think you will miss most about Earth?"

"Well, of course, I will miss my family and friends and being together with them. But we will still be able to talk, in a delayed sort of way. I'll miss meals and parties with steak and wine and the occasional cigar. I'll miss the solitude of walking in the mountains and swimming in a clear pool, or body-surfing in the sea. Hearing birds. Playing with dogs. We will have a recording with us on Mars of all the special sounds of Earth, like thunder and rain falling, excited children, crickets chirping at night, and so on."

The space-craft is on its way and three fixed cameras show, in turn, Earth as it slowly recedes, the control area of dials and lights, letters and numbers, and the astronauts either sitting or carefully moving around in the confined space.

Mariada speaks to Aziz next to her, "While we were waiting for lift-off, I kept hearing this poem from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam:

'And, as the Cock crew, those who stood before

The tavern shouted — "Open the door!

You know how little while we have to stay,

And, once departed, may return no more." '

I suppose it's a bit late now though, as the door has opened and we have departed, but somehow, I feel we will return."

Mariada says to camera and is viewed back on Earth at the 'Life on Mars' studio and in people's homes, like her parents', "At the moment you can talk to me and it takes a few seconds for your voice to reach us, but do you realise that, in six month's time, when we are near Mars, it will take about twenty minutes? So when we tell you we're about to have supper, by the time you hear it, we will have finished. And by the time your next message arrives, we may be asleep."

Noriko says to the other astronauts and is shown on camera, "At about the half-way mark, there is a point of no return, where there is insufficient fuel to return to Earth, so there is only one way and that is forward. This is likened to the dilemma Caesar had of 'crossing the Rubicon' with his army. It is also something like the ships in the old days crossing the Equator, crossing from the better-known Northern to the lesser-known Southern hemisphere. I will let you know when we are there and we'll have a small party, with a Mars bar each."

### CHAPTER 4

'Life on Mars' has made four biographical videos featuring each of the astronauts, in the months leading up to the launch. Now they are showing each one to the whole world and simultaneously to the astronauts as they make their silent, dark way outward to Mars.

Each week on Earth, one of the videos is shown in the country of origin of that astronaut, to a local audience chosen after a competition to test their knowledge of all the astronauts.

The rest of the world also watches the 30 minute video and then watches as the top five contestants from the audience compete in a quiz show about the video just shown. There are 15 questions about various details of the person's life. After the first five questions, the weakest contestant is eliminated, and another after 10 questions, so that the last three contestants have five questions left.

At the end, the highest total score wins, with more questions if there is a tie. The winner is given the option of being in the top 100 for the next round of choosing candidates for Mars.

On the space-ship, the three astronauts not featured in the video also answer the questions, with a winner being found, the prize being relief from all routine duties for a day.

When Mariada's turn comes, Cape Town is the city she has chosen as her home base as she spent many years there. The video shows that, after being born in King William's Town, her parents moved to Pietermaritzburg.

"I loved hearing stories and, while stories were being read to me, I followed the print and taught myself to read, from the age of about three years. I liked nearly all school subjects so I tried to take as many as I could, doing nine subjects for the school-leaving certificate.

For my choice of study at university, I would have loved to do Art or Music, but I decided to follow the biggest intellectual challenge, it seemed, Quantum Physics, after enrolling for Astrophysics at the University of Cape Town. I loved it but, after spending my whole life studying, I decided to travel and work overseas. In London I met a young Japanese woman who suggested I should see Japan. We became such good friends that I stayed with her and her mother in Fukuoka in a tiny apartment. As her mother spoke no English but loved to talk, I had a crash-course in the kitchen in Japanese. I was also teaching English at a pre-school and so I had a perfect opportunity to keep learning not only oral but also written Japanese. After one year I was reasonably proficient and fluent.

I heard of a course in making cocktails for up-market clientele and at the end of it was offered a lucrative position at an exclusive night-club where my bilingualism was valued. After two years I returned home to start on my PhD at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, which I was awarded at about the same time as I heard that I was in the top 100 for Mars."

Cape Town City Hall is the venue for the quiz show and is looking magnificently colonial under the 'table-cloth' cloud on Table Mountain. The place is full to capacity with an enthusiastic audience, and the top three contestants are young and highly motivated to win the grand prize.

The winner is a young, female, final year, BSc student from the University of the Western Cape. She vividly recalls how Mariada gave a talk at her township school on the Mars project, and how inspired she was to excel at Maths and Science after that. She has no hesitation to be a candidate for Mars.

The quiz in space that follows is also a closely-contested affair, watched by millions.

### CHAPTER 5

Six months have passed and the craft nears Mars. As it approaches, the heat shield protects the craft as it enters the Martian atmosphere. Parachutes open at six km altitude. Retro-rockets fire at 1.5 km, slowing the craft to zero speed as it lands. The craft weighs about 40 tons, considerably more than the four tons of the Curiosity rover with its science laboratory, so the sense of relief at not having a crash-landing is palpable. Aziz does a quick check of all the main communication and electronics systems and pronounces them all in perfect shape, a huge relief as the craft will be the data and communication centre on Mars and will be right in the middle of the settlement area.

Mariada is the first to alight and repeats the version, with a few alterations, of Neil Armstrong on stepping onto the Moon 55 years earlier:

"One small step for a human, one new planet for humankind to live on."

There is, in fact, a partly functional outpost there already, with a breathable atmosphere of 0.7 bar pressure, 3000 litres of water, 240 kg of oxygen stored, and a communication system to monitor these resources. The crew is soon busy connecting the additional housing materials and solar panels that they have brought with them, including systems of pipes, cables, machinery and even cameras. One camera will remain in the space-craft and three others will be in the housing complex of three areas: the living area, the bath and sleeping area and the garden area. The living area is divided into a laboratory and a kitchen-dining-meeting area.

Heaps of frozen soil are being brought by a conveyor belt into the garden area. Each ton of sand yields 20 litres of water after being exposed to microwaves and then collecting the condensed vapour. Some of the water is for drinking, some is converted to oxygen and some is used for irrigation. Garden beds are being fertilised and sown with seeds and the recycling plant is working. The first seeds begin to germinate.

Sexuality issues in space have obviously been thoroughly discussed beforehand, with the final analysis being roughly as follows: Regarding contraception, the men consented to have reversible vasectomies. The policy of no births on Mars, with no real Martian as yet, will apply indefinitely. If you really can't resist sleeping together, although it is strongly discouraged because it can have divisive effects, and probably could not have happened in the space craft before now anyway, well, nobody can really stop you. But if your relationship gets in the way of any duties we have or the smooth functioning of the unit, and we will tell you if it does, that is not on. If you do not heed the warning, it will be officially recorded in the log book.

'Life on Mars' has a 'delayed live' interview with Mariada as she replies to a question from Earth.

"What are our main areas of research? Well, they are both practical and very theoretical. Practical research is basically about our survival here, ensuring that we will continue to generate electricity, thereby creating water from ice, to drink and irrigate our crops and, by electrolysis, to generate oxygen to breathe. Each one of these areas is crucial to our survival here, so we need to study every possibility of how to improve our systems, or how to prevent or deal with possible problems in future.

For example, how would we deal with a sandstorm, quite common on Mars, and which may block out sunlight for a few days, so we can only generate minimal power from the panels.

Well, we have a portable nuclear device to use in emergencies. We have become hyper-aware of how precious every single thing is that we have. You can't just go out and buy another light bulb. But we do have a 3D printer which can make many useful objects, like tools and nuts and bolts.

A major area of concern is that of the blood groups of members. The reason is that, if somebody is injured and needs blood, at least one other member should have compatible blood to donate. The ideal is that everyone is O positive, with the least chances of rejection.

Then, of course, the big question of our research here — Is there, or was there, life on Mars?

So we analyse samples of soil, looking for any small sign of (previous) life. But that raises the question, 'What is life?' Will we know, when we see something, that that thing is evidence of life?

Because, you see, life on Mars may have been or be very similar to or even exactly the same as life on Earth, or it may be very different. Imagine if it is different — that could mean that there may be a multitude of other life forms on other planets in our galaxy and other galaxies.

We think we have found evidence that there was life here, in the form of fossilised material, like bacteria and fungi, and if we could dig deeper, we may still find living organisms.

Just as we know that there were dinosaurs on Earth millions of years ago, probably wiped out by an asteroid strike, there may have been life forms, even perhaps a previous civilisation of humans or 'alien' hominids or humanoids, here on Mars. However, it seems that Mars was hit by massive asteroid strikes and everything that had been here, including probable oceans or lakes, was destroyed. The magnetic fields around the planet were dramatically weakened and their function of shielding a planet from solar radiation and helping to reduce evaporation of gases and water was greatly reduced. This means that the atmosphere that Mars may have had was lost into space and, even now, the thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide easily escapes and there is high solar radiation. Unfortunately, the suggestion that we should try to create an atmosphere here is therefore problematic. There has been a proposal to explode a series of fusion bombs over the poles, vaporising carbon dioxide ice to make an insulating atmosphere, but it is not clear how effective that would be. The fear that the soil and water on Mars is dangerously radio-active is unfounded because the heavy metals like uranium need to be processed to cause that."

### CHAPTER 6

In 2026 the second group of four crew arrives and the settlement expands.

Early in 2028 a message from Earth arrives.

"We have an announcement to make. As you know, there has been a build-up to a breakthrough in the speed of space travel. Trials have shown that the new fuel being tested will not only enable astronauts to reach Mars in about six weeks instead of seven months, but there will be enough fuel to land safely and then take off again and return to Earth. The new system works on electromagnetic energy and is known as VASIMR (Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket).

It has also been decided, mainly for reasons of your safety and health, that each group should spend only four years on Mars. This means that the first group will be leaving after the new crew of eight arrive on a new craft in a month's time."

The new craft arrives with the new crew and two pilots, and the first crew, including Mariada, leaves for Earth. They are all elated to be returning to Earth after having experienced, literally, life on Mars.

They arrive back on Earth and have to undergo a few days of tests, to check bone density, lung capacity, blood cells and much more. They all appear to have suffered no long-term effects of being in space and on Mars for four years. Mariada describes the feeling of the sun and wind on her face as the best feeling she has had for years.

A presenter for 'Life on Mars' interviews Mariada.

"What would you describe as the biggest challenge the team had on Mars?"

"As you have seen for yourselves, some of the most interesting things to happen on Mars were about us and how we coped with the basics, like sharing our minimal resources, catering for each person's quirks and eccentricities and doing without all the things we take for granted on Earth, like eating chocolate or having a swim or even a bath. What had been agreed on Earth did not necessarily happen on Mars. Sometimes there was an attitude shift, as though the system of ethics and justice used on Earth did not always apply here. Maybe it was because we were all aware that there could be no prison or 'time out' as everyone is essential all day. There could be no fines as we had no money, and what rewards or punishments can you give? If you neglect or abuse something or somebody, do you have to do extra gardening or cooking or something, or not watch T.V.? There was that tacit threat that if you did not behave responsibly like an adult, you may have to be treated like a child. But, thankfully, nobody flipped out or smashed anything important, and we all came back fairly healthy and sane, I think.

I feel we have learned two crucial things : One is that we are much clearer as to the human element of these missions and the biggest weak points in terms of difficult situations and behaviour. It's nothing ground-breaking really.

Just the usual stuff like being flexible, consultative, problem-oriented, generous and so on. The other is that we have a huge realisation of the importance of looking after the whole being of planet Earth. That everything is precious, deserving respect, inter-connected and part of an even bigger universe. We have a moral imperative to live the most responsible and caring life that we can.

Since arriving back, I have been continuing with research into quantum biology issues like photosynthesis and how we can harness the sun's energy more efficiently, and how to use nuclear energy more safely. But I am also interested in issues of psychology, ethics, law and spirituality."

Using Mars as a 'refreshment station' and taking over a year, a space-craft finally reaches the furthest 'planet' in our Solar System, Pluto, also with huge resources of ice as on Mars, and a settlement starts there in 2030. This time, however, it was decided that only robots would be sent as there had been such huge advances in robotics, and as the most problematic area in any settlement is the human factor. Robots do not need oxygen and water, are less affected by radiation, and do not have feelings or make mistakes.

### CHAPTER 7

Mariada is staying at the family beach house at Keurboomstrand near Plettenberg Bay.

She is out paddling on her paddle-ski in the bay and is passed by an exuberant school of dolphins. She remembers the dream she had before leaving for Mars, where a dolphin speaks to her, saying that she will find it on a planet beyond Mars, like Earth. She cannot get the image out of her mind, until a boat draws up nearby, and the skipper greets her.

"Hi there. Sorry to interrupt your conversation with the dolphins. Did any tell you anything interesting?"

"Actually, yes. Apparently, there may be dolphins in outer space. And I may have a date with one."

"Well, before you do that, would you like to come and visit our research station here? Maybe you can teach us how to communicate with them. By the way, my name's Alex."

"That sounds interesting. I'd love to. And my name's Mariada. See you tomorrow."

PART 2:

COMING IN — CETACEANS ( 2030 —2044 )

"Perhaps we have some things still to learn from the natural world around us before we turn to the far shores of space and whatever creatures may await us there."

L. Eisely. 'The long loneliness'. 1960

"We, as relative newcomers, may be asking too much of ourselves to communicate meaningfully with minds as ancient as those of the whales and dolphins."

J. Lilly. 'Man and Dolphin.' 1961

### CHAPTER 1

In the laboratory at the Marine Research Station at Plettenberg Bay, Alex and Mariada listen to an expert cetacean linguist explain a recording of a whale song. She plays it in short bursts, explaining that she is translating it loosely and creatively, with names especially. She plays the first few seconds.

"I am Aristotle. I like to think deeply and develop our knowledge of history. My mother is Helen, who was abducted when young by another clan, but brought back by my father. My grandmother was Diana, killed by whalers."

The linguist explains, "This song went on for about 40 minutes and, as each whale generation is about 20 years on average, five names covers about a hundred years.

We counted about 80 names, the last of which could refer to a period almost 2 000 years ago. However, we have found that there can be variations of these 'family history' songs, and they can sometimes skip many generations and only refer to those who lived in periods of major events.

The most often-mentioned dramatic events of the fairly recent past, besides deaths from whaling, involved bombs, referred to as being like a large number of whales landing on the water after breaching, or a combination of a thunderstorm and earthquake. The period referred to was clearly around the time of World War 2, and the most notable bombs referred to were probably the nuclear explosions of 1945 in Japan and later in the Bikini atoll area. Links were also made with events like major earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and so on. When a reference was made to the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., it was realised that the 'memory' of whales could go back thousands of years."

### CHAPTER 2

Mariada and Alex are walking on the beach at Keurboomstrand and pass under the arch of Arch Rock just before the Matjes River mouth. They climb the path up to the Matjes River Rock Shelter and read that it is one of five national monuments of Stone Age sites in South Africa. Later Stone Age people, ancestors of the Khoisan, lived here periodically from about 12 000 to 1 000 years ago.

More than 100 adults and children were buried here, some with painted stones, bows and arrows and fishing gear. The middle of the last Glacial Period (Ice Age) was about 18 000 years ago, when the air temperature here was about five degrees Centigrade cooler, the sea level was 130m lower and this area was, therefore, about 100km inland. When the polar ice started melting, from about 16 000 years ago, the sea level started rising until it reached the present level about 12 000 years ago, when people started using the shelter.

Alex wonders, "Who knows what settlements, and maybe cultures, were submerged by the rising sea, like the legend of Atlantis? And if our own era of global warming continues, most of our major cities will become flooded, causing massive disruptions and an economic melt-down."

Alex is on the balcony of the research station, looking out to sea towards Keurboomstrand. The East wind has been blowing for a few days, bringing colder water and causing a heavy bank of mist over the sea, so he can't see Keurbooms across the bay from town. He wonders if she will disappear from his life or if he will disappear from hers.

He SMSs her, 'missing you lets live for today', and she replies, 'make my day', so 10 minutes later, he is on the way there.

They are at the mouth of the Matjes river again, but this time the sky has fallen into mist all around them. The huge rocks near Cathedral Rock swirl in and out of view.

Mariada says, "You think I may disappear, so let me disappear and you try to find me after counting slowly to 100. OK?"

Alex faces the rock and starts to count as she walks backwards towards the sea, where her steps disappear in the shallow water. She walks towards the far side of the rock and then runs around it to the side near where she started. She peeps over the top and sees him looking at her footprints going towards him, so he traces them back for a while. But then he stops, laughs and shakes his head and follows them to the sea. He looks left and right, correctly chooses left and then disappears behind the rock. She quickly goes around to the place where they started and sits down casually. Not long after, he comes jogging around the corner and nearly falls over her.

"What?!" he says.

"I had a swim and then I came straight back here. Didn't you see me?" she says nonchalantly. They both burst out laughing like lunatics and she runs off screaming, closely followed by him, into the sea. They both disappear but you can still hear them splashing and laughing.

It is a few days later and the weather is wonderful again, with the sea deep blue and sparkling. They are walking around Robberg peninsula and visit the cave there, then move on to Nelson Bay shelter, another famous site. They start discussing their relationship.

Mariada says, "We live in the here and now present and at this moment I have deep feelings for you and would like to become even closer. But you must also know that if I were to be called to go back into space, I would go, with or without you. I would miss you terribly but I've left Earth before and I would do it again. Do you accept that, dear Alex?"

"Of course I do, Ada, and I would support you even if it means the end of us being together.

Actually, I have a confession to make, something I haven't told you about because it only happened recently. I have applied for the Earth 2 mission which, as you know, proposes to send people there in a few years' time, when that sort of travel becomes possible and safe, which is looking likely now. My research here seems to have reached a peak and, while I want to wind down a little, I also long for a new challenge. I made up my mind a few weeks ago after I had a life-changing experience, when I nearly drowned.

I was swimming at Keurbooms at second beach, beyond the restaurant, where we have swum so many times. But that day I shouldn't have swum there as it was Spring high tide, with some big waves at times. But the water was crystal clear and just the right temperature between cool and warm, so I went in anyway. I would stay within my depth of standing comfortably and just dunk myself a few times. Well, it was great and I enjoyed diving under each wave that came in, then standing again before diving under the next one, until I felt OK, enough, time to get out now.

Just then, a bigger than usual wave came in, a dumper that had a washing machine effect on the currents behind it. Before I could try to go towards the shore, I found myself powerless to avoid being sucked into deeper water by the retreating backwash of the wave.

I was coughing up some water when the next wave hit me and, not having taken a breath first, I soon found I was choking for air. Not sure whether I was upside-down or not, I must have inhaled more water. I started to panic as I wasn't even sure if I should try to swim for the shore or rather to swim further out, beyond the waves, hoping a current would take me around and back to shore somewhere.

I chose the latter but I was getting exhausted and could sense that I wouldn't be able to keep going much longer. I looked towards the shore but it seemed far away and totally deserted, so it would have been a waste of energy to shout for help. After that, I remember giving up trying to swim and just floating, letting go of all care and anxiety about what may happen to me, going peacefully into the unknown around and inside me. I was surrounded by pure love with no intruding thoughts in my head. I felt so at one with the water that I could leave my body and see myself floating there.

I was being drawn towards a very bright light, not blinding, but warm and comforting.

I saw my deceased grandparents, relatives and close friends who could communicate with me without words, like telepathy I suppose. Some were welcoming but others seemed to be telling me to go back, it was not my time. Strangely enough, one was a dolphin, saying it would see me later, in space.

I found that I was experiencing, at lightning-fast speed, all the main events of my life, feelings, thoughts and relationships. I could even see and feel the effects and repercussions of my actions on others, and so I was able to judge myself as to how ethically or not I had lived my life.

I had a sense that this was the 'hell' we imagine if we feel extreme guilt and shame.

Just then, a power, something like my parents and loving spirits combined, confronted me and told me to 'go back now !'

I felt a huge jolt, like an electric shock, and when I opened my eyes I found I was in one of those little gullies near the restaurant, and I was able to dog-paddle and crawl to the shallows and beach. I lay there coughing and retching the last of the water from my lungs, too weak to cry properly, as I felt my whole being flooding with tears of thankfulness, not only that I was alive, but also for the revelation I had had and still feel deeply now. And for you being a part of my life, Ada.

I have started feeling confident that somehow we can both have our careers and have each other.

I have had a verse from a song by The Incredible String Band, called Painting Box, in my head for a week now. Would you like to hear it? OK then.

'The purple sail above me catches all the strength of Summer,

Fishes stop and ask me where I'm bound.

I smile and shake my head and say my little ship is sinking,

But I kind of like the sea that I'm on and I don't mind to drown."

Alex and Mariada are at The Heads in Knysna.

He finally tells her, "I heard from Earth 2 today. It's hard to believe that I am telling you that I'm going into deep space without you. When they asked me about that, about you, I mean, I told them that you would make the same choice, to go. So that's that. But I will always love you, Ada."

A few weeks later, Mariada and Alex are at Storms River Mouth, standing on the foot-bridge across the river.

She finally tells him with a huge grin, "I also heard from Earth 2, today. And you won't believe what they asked me to do!"

### CHAPTER 3

It is 2044 and Alexander Zhivago, the 60 year old Marine Bio-Linguist at Plettenberg Bay, is giving a talk to the International Marine Institute at a conference in Cape Town, on 'The history of decoding cetacean communication.' Behind him, a giant screen shows visuals relating to what he describes.

"I have given many talks at schools recently, and it's very pleasing to see that children often ask questions that are radical — they get to the root of the issue. And so today I will start each section of information with a radical question or two that children have asked.

Are cetaceans as old as dinosaurs, and are they as intelligent as humans? No, they are not quite as old, but they came relatively soon after dinosaurs, and before humans. About 70 million years ago, the terrestrial ancestors of whales and dolphins re-entered the ocean where life originally began. About 30 million years ago, cetaceans evolved brains the present size of the human brain, which we have had for only about 100 000 years.

The main conditions for human intelligence — a large brain, a convoluted cerebral cortex, a complex system of social interaction and communication — may be greatly exceeded by cetaceans.

How long do whales and dolphins live, do they have families and how do they talk to each other?

Whales form stable, matrilineal groups, some offspring staying with their mothers for life, and live for 50 to 80 years, like humans do. Groupings of extended families form clans or bands, with common calls, something like our dialects.

Sounds, made in water and air, consist of a blow, moan, growl, burp, wheeze, groan, bellow, grunt, yelp and snort, amongst others. The male has 'songs', used for communication, for fun, sometimes for mating, and probably also in following migratory routes.

Dolphins use mainly whistles and clicks, the whistles using a narrow FM band of signals for communication, and the clicks on a broad band of pulses for echo-location. They have unique 'signature' whistles, seemingly to identify and call each other, a slight variation of the mother's call and is developed early.

Whales express bursts of air from as low as 20 Hz up to 9000 Hz in frequency, and at 100 to 180 dB in volume, in their songs.

The notes are in phrases which are repeated, before the next phrase follows, a phrase sequence forming a theme, and there being five to eight themes per song.

They can repeat a song exactly, much later, even when the song was more than half an hour long, and they can change the song in methodical ways, at varying times. The songs can be sent over huge distances, especially at the level of the deep sound channel, about one kilometre deep.

Dolphins can redirect the attention of another dolphin by using an acoustic 'flashlight', which is like pointing to indicate something. They can learn human sign language, including a long sentence of four or five instructions, and can understand chronological order. They can categorise objects through visual and acoustic discrimination and matching.

In an experiment, they took the same time as humans to learn what was required, which was to produce novel behaviour, and clearly showed self-awareness.

How do you learn whale and dolphin languages, and when will we be able to talk to them?

Cracking the codes of cetacean languages and communications has been an arduous process. As dolphins have lived in captivity in dolphinaria for many decades, and as we have formulated increasingly sophisticated theories about the content of their communications, we have had a much better idea of the meanings of dolphin sounds than of whale sounds.

For example, if a single captive dolphin in a group is instructed to do something, whether verbally or in sign language, it tends to repeat or pass on that instruction to the other dolphins in 'delphinese', enabling us to make an educated guess about the meanings of the sounds used. We could then look for these sounds in other communications and see if they mean the same things, thus gradually building up a vocabulary.

While dolphins can roughly copy some human sounds and understand the meanings of the words they form, and therefore they can converse with us to a limited extent, the converse is usually not true — our attempts to copy dolphin sounds do not get us too far, as the dolphins usually greet these attempts with contempt, judging by the snorting and spitting sounds that follow.

This difference in ability to copy sounds and words led some in the past to believe that, instead of us battling to learn delphinese and whale language, we should rather concentrate on captive dolphins and teach them to communicate with us in English. Maybe then they could teach us dolphin language and thinking, and maybe also how to understand whales.

However, Robert Stenuit, in 'The Dolphin, Cousin to Man' (1968), expressed it succinctly:

"All researchers today agree that the future of cetacean sonar research does not lie in the tanks of institutions.

To make a serious study of marine mammals it is necessary to study them in their natural environment, in the sea. In captivity animals do not use their total normal vocabulary nor the full reach of their sonar; moreover, the echoes sent back by the walls of the tanks confuse the recordings."

It must be noted that dolphins, while having a larynx, have no vocal cords, flexible tongue or lips as we have for speech, so they cannot correctly reproduce human sounds. However, they have a range of sound frequencies so wide that we need sophisticated electronic equipment to record and analyse them for us.

So, research became more focused on collecting high-quality data with cameras and hydrophone and air sound recorders to capture the images and sounds of passing dolphins. Boats were and still are used as they can get close enough for you to get clear recordings, but the engine noise and the fact that you are intruding in the dolphins' space could easily change their natural behaviour. To counter this, hydrophones, which are under-water microphones, have been placed in areas where cetaceans often visit or pass by. If you can have simultaneous sightings with clear images to accurately identify individuals, you can then link the sounds recorded to specific subjects.

Some studies have used trained dolphins who co-operate with researchers in the open sea and may interact with other dolphins.

The U.S. Navy has been doing this off the Bahamas in a specially-equipped boat called Sea Hunter. Some subjects have been tagged, in order for us to follow their movements and know exactly where they are, and some have even had microphones and cameras implanted, giving continuous recordings for the researchers.

What did we do with all this information?

Endless records of whale and dolphin sounds were collected in oceans all over the world and at different times of the year, and then analysed, classified and stored. Some studies were longitudinal, seeing how sounds and behaviour of individuals and groups changed over time; and some were cross-sectional, comparing different groups at the same times.

In the early 2020s, breakthroughs started happening in decoding cetacean language and communication.

Research into whale and dolphin sounds showed that they use

3D imagery in much of their communications, making a type of sono-pictorial or quasi-holographic language. Sound-pictures can be shown in a rapid sequence, something like the individual frames of a film. This language could convey subtleties even more complex than our own, rather one-dimensional, human languages.

Whale and dolphin researchers and watchers around the world were reporting a propensity by some, especially older matriarchs and lone males, to come closer to boats and show more interest than usual, with more eye-contact and sounds produced, often almost human sounds. This gave researchers new hope of progress in communicating with cetaceans."

### CHAPTER 4

"What are the latest developments in understanding and communicating with cetaceans?

After closer contact between humans and cetaceans, many people became very excited, and money from sponsors poured in as never before.

Marine linguists converged on a few notable spots for cetacean contacts all over the world, from California to Costa Rica, Argentina to Ireland, South Africa to Australia, and Samoa to Japan. In the Southern hemisphere, late Winter to early Summer is a time when most whales do not feed or have to go anywhere in particular, other than for some to calve or mate, so they have some 'free time'. One of those spots was in my home-town of Plettenberg Bay, a well-sheltered sweep of curving shoreline and well away from the underwater noise of the shipping lanes and fishing boats.

We had hydrophones and a reliable network of spotters on a stretch of coastline about 150 kilometres long, from Knysna to Robberg, 'Plett', Keurboomstrand, Nature's Valley and Storm's River.

Have I ever made friends with a whale or dolphin, and what type of personality (or 'dolphinality') did it have?

I have always found cetaceans friendly when the situation is right and they don't feel threatened.

While we monitored all recordings closely, we also went out in boats, and found that whales and dolphins were coming closer as they got to know us better. We had already learned some basic communication skills, including having our own 'signature calls', and had established relationships with some of the 'regulars'. A whale, an old loner male whom I had come across many times and with whom I had talked before, known as Aristotle, was the first to arrive. He was in good spirits and seemed deeply appreciative that I was there. He related directly to me and looked me straight in the eye at all times, seeming to convey subtle nuances of expression by moving his eyeball or pupil slightly as he made each sound. He encouraged me to talk a lot and listened intently as I spoke, his eyeball flickering in rhythm with my speech.

If I stopped, he would imitate my last few words in urgent tones, as if to spur me on again. But he also realised that I had an understanding of whale language and would use sounds that I understood, and would teach me a few new expressions, which I would record and store in the memory of the whale voice synthesiser which we used for talking 'Whalesh'.

We were also fortunate to have with us a well-known and gifted animal communicator, who uses telepathy and thought projection, giving and receiving images and ideas rather than exact words and sentences. She could inform me, when I was stuck in translation or had lost the plot, what the general idea or feeling was that the whale was trying to convey, and could similarly inform the whale what I was trying to say. She had the whale emit distinct chuckling sounds sometimes.

The growing success of our efforts over the weeks led to Aristotle becoming very serious, saying he wanted to tell us a story, which can be loosely translated as follows:

"I had a mate some time ago called Angel because she was so kind to all, but there really was something special between us and we liked to be together. One year we mated and she became pregnant. Some other males also mated with her but I had a feeling I was the father. She went off with an old midwife to give birth, but I stayed nearby to give any help, like chasing off any sharks.

But even worse, the day after the birth, a whaling ship came by and spotted her. They chased her because they knew that mothers with young calves will not leave the calves, and so they have to swim slowly, and are then easily harpooned. I tried to help, to push the baby faster, in vain, as the whaler was catching up fast. I told Angel to leave the baby and escape with me, but she refused. She begged me to leave them and save myself. I was so desperate that I wanted to turn around and try to capsize that ship, but I knew it was too big.

When the first harpoon struck Angel, my raw instincts took over and I swam away from them as fast as I could, but then hating myself as I made my escape. I know that Angel is dead, but I don't know what happened to our baby. After the ship had left, I looked around the area for days but did not find her. I still think that I may find her one day."

I could only say how sorry we were that some of our people had been so cruel to them; and that we hoped he would find his child.

That first time that Aristotle really talked to me was the most amazing month of my life and I did not want it to end, but of course it had to. One day he said that he had a very important meeting to attend, far away, and that he would be leaving the next day. However, he promised to be back at the same time next year, and thanked us profusely for the efforts made.

It was time to reflect on what we had achieved and how we had achieved it. I had pretty much used an approach that went from the known, already understood sounds and ideas, to the unknown and not yet agreed, and from the specific and concrete to the more general and abstract concepts and ideas. It was becoming a type of 'esperanto' language of English and whale sounds, or what is known in South Africa as 'fanakalo', a mixture of popular words from most of the languages we speak, with a simplified level of grammar and syntax used.

I passed on my more positive results and tips for the future to the researchers at the other stations who, in turn, gave us their results and new ideas. By doing this, we made rapid progress, and we found that certain whales and dolphins shared our enthusiasm, staying for longer periods and coming back with new methods and ideas, as though they had consulted some of their wisest members.

By the mid-2030s, we could claim to be having meaningful exchanges with cetaceans. We learned the most amazing things, including about the history of Earth and the possibility that aliens have visited us in the past."

### CHAPTER 5

Alex is talking to Mariada on the beach at Nature's Valley.

"Apparently, Beethoven said that music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman.

Well, his music often does both of those to me, so maybe we are all masculine and feminine in varying degrees. I loved many of my dad's collection of rock music from the 60s and 70s, maybe because I had heard them loud and clear from the womb and had no choice but to dance along with my mom. I remember all five of us singing The Beatles' 'Eight days a week' with gusto on regular occasions. One that usually still brings tears to my eyes is Blind Faith's 'Sea of joy'.

'Following the shadows of the skies, Or are they only figments of my eyes?

And I'm feeling close to when the race is run.

Waiting in our boats to set sail,

Sea of joy.'

These days I imagine the next verse could be sung by a dolphin.

'Once the door swings open into space, And I'm already waiting in disguise.

Is it just a thorn between my eyes ?

Waiting in our boats to set sail,

Sea of joy.'

The open sea has always been like eternity to me, with endless deep water stretching all around under me, and endless sky going into deep space above. We are a small speck in the immensity of space and time, but feel so complex at the same time.

As a student I used to wonder if I could discover the 'real me' inside all the layers of socialisation I had already been clothed in; so that I would really know if I was being totally 'honest and true' to what I was 'supposed' to be doing with my life. Maybe thinking of Wordsworth's Ode, Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood.

'Our Souls have sight of that immortal sea

Which brought us hither,

Can in a moment travel thither,

And see the Children sport upon the shore,

And hear the mighty waters rolling evermore.'

I suppose I found that there are few, if any, static 'truths' in life, that we are constantly changing and must just follow our intellect, intuition and conscience in trying to make a better world for all. Not so profound, hey! Or is it?"

"Yes, it is, Alex, but not always so easy to live like that, without being stupid and selfish at times."

"Exactly, Ada. One needs to have self-awareness, of where these intuitions and instincts are coming from, and awareness of how they are affecting others. Otherwise, one can go through life just repeating cycles of unconscious behaviour, always with the same motives and being quite predictable. As though you have been conditioned like Pavlov's dog or programmed like a robot to repeat history; to be living in the past, as it were, instead of in the present with full awareness of yourself and others. It's something like the analogy of the cave in Plato's Republic, where one sees reflections or shadow images on the wall, but not the real thing in the full light of day."

"Yes. Where 'All the world's a stage', as the bard put it, with us echoing predictable lines in predictable stages of life.

### CHAPTER 6

The marine linguist at the Marine Research Station at Plettenberg Bay is completing her translation of Aristotle's song-history :

"Our ancestors say that, at that time (about 15 000 years ago, it seems) at the end of an ice age, Earth was increasingly hit by asteroids, with much destruction and loss of life.

One day, large craft like ships but flying in the sky, appeared. People, like humans but not exactly the same, had contact with us and dolphins. Legend has it that dolphins claimed that four of their number were taken onto the ships, never to be seen again. The aliens also took many samples of fish and other sea life."

Alex completes his talk with the following conclusion:

"And here I am, about to leave next week for Earth 2 as the Chief Marine Biologist."

PART 3:

EARTH 2 ( 2044 )

"And when the day comes that we can communicate intelligently with dolphins, they may introduce us to the concept of survival without aggression, and the true joy of living, which at present eludes us."

H. Dobbs. 'Follow a Wild Dolphin'. 1977

### CHAPTER 1

Mariada is dreaming again, this time while lying on a beach at Keurboomstrand.

She is going out into space, to the edge of a 'Black Hole', from where she is transported to a planet in another solar system, which is like Earth but in pristine condition, a 'paradise'.

But then she 'reverses' back through space to the polluted, poisoned, flooded, over-heated and asteroid-hit Earth. She wakens and is relieved to find that the sand is not soaked with oil as in her dream.

Mariada is, once again, 20 years after her Mars talk, giving a talk to a special sitting of the United Nations general assembly, in 2044, on 'The History of the Earth 2 mission'. Visuals of what she describes appear on a screen.

"A fundamental question is, what is our purpose in spending huge amounts of money on space exploration? Are we trying to escape from Earth?

After the Moon landings from 1969 onwards, space expeditions were mainly to see if stations could be established in space and on our Solar System planets. After constructing an International Space Station, settlements were made on Mars from 2024 and then on Pluto from 2030.

After that, we could only hope that we would eventually be able to explore other solar systems in our Milky Way galaxy. However, the nearest star, or sun, Proxima Centauri, is 4,3 light years away but with no known habitable planets. The huge star, Betelgeux in the Orion constellation, is 300 light years away, possibly with habitable planets, and the nearest known habitable planet, Kepler 452B, is about 1 000 light years away. These distances from Earth are so great that it would take many generations of travel to reach them, even travelling at close to the speed of light.

What has made space exploration become an urgent priority is that life on Earth appears increasingly threatened and tenuous. Pollution of the air, earth and water has poisoned the planet. Greenhouse gases have added to global warming. Destruction of phytoplankton in the polar regions, which produce 70% of our oxygen, as a long-term effect of whaling, and of rain forests has caused a dangerous drop in oxygen levels and a rise in carbon dioxide. Melting of polar ice fields has led to sea levels rising, with widespread flooding of coastal areas and some of the biggest cities in the world.

There is spreading desertification of huge inland areas which used to be the centres of food production. These are just some of the ravaging effects that humans have had on our planet as we continue to multiply and over-populate the environment.

In addition, Earth is increasingly being bombarded by asteroids, causing destruction and further earthquakes and tsunamis, far worse than the effects that nuclear weapons and previous natural disasters ever had.

Where is the money coming from to pay the huge costs?

It should be remembered that the first Mars mission was substantially funded by the TV programme 'Life on Mars' and assisted greatly by companies such as Elon Musk's for use of rockets. When good deposits of highly useful and rare minerals and metals were found, there was an agreement that they should be mined and used by all the nations contributing to the further development of the space programme. These and other legal and economic issues were managed by various sub-committees of the United Nations. For the first time in human history, the 'super-power' nations have been co-operating fully with each other, using their 'defence' budgets to fund our space programmes. The main challenges have been to find faster methods of space travel, using nuclear power, electro-magnetic force fields and more. Considering the distances of the nearest seemingly habitable planets as potential sites for human settlement if our future here is threatened, we would need some totally new method of travel, like the teleportation you see in science fiction movies.

Will it only be a matter of us saying, "Beam me up, Scottie"?

Unfortunately, not yet.

However, the next major breakthrough came when researchers, mainly quantum- and astrophysicists, learned how to use the enormous power of the 'Black Hole' at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy. In particular, the 'Wormhole' proved to be the gateway to travel to different places and even times.

It was 'just' a matter of about six month's travel to the outer edge, the 'event horizon', of the Black Hole, and then, using the energy available in the Wormhole, to 'project' the craft further. By altering the speed and precise direction of the craft at critical times, one can zone in on one's destination.

Where are we going?

Last year, in 2043, when I was 60 years old, an unmanned space craft was projected to the nearest habitable planet, already called Earth 2, the pun being intentional of it being so similar to Earth that it was Earth too.

Here was a planet which could save humanity and some of our flora and fauna. The craft orbited the planet, photographing in minute detail the surface, and then touched down in a number of places to gather samples of soil, vegetation and insect life.

The conditions for life to flourish are all there : an atmosphere with oxygen and an adequate shield against radiation, stable temperatures and general climate similar to Earth's, fertile soil with permanent streams, rivers and fresh-water lakes, as well as salt seas, regular alternation of day and night, and minimal destructive forces like violent winds, dust storms, floods or droughts.

Incredibly, while there are some differences, the flora and fauna are similar to Earth's, with grass, trees, insects, reptiles, birds and fish, but no large predators.

There was even a sighting of a school of bottle-nose dolphins surfing the swells.

A few month's later, the first human was successfully projected and then returned, with no ill effects, and so we are ready to live in another solar system.

When are we going?

I am elated to have been chosen, yet again, as a pioneer with ten others, to leave next week on a major mission for not only humanity but for life on Earth, and we thank all nations for the combined effort to make this possible."

### CHAPTER 2

The space craft blasts off on its six months' journey to the outer edge of the Black Hole.

Mariada is being interviewed for a new T.V. programme called 'Life on Earth 2'.

"Last year I was at a crossroads in my life. We had cracked the codes of using Wormholes in space travel, of photosynthesis in optimally harnessing solar energy, creating oxygen and growing highly nutritious plants, with minimal environmental damage.

I was also nearly 20 years older than on our departure for Mars, and while I lacked the raw energy I had then, I now had the deep confidence of experience gained in the most trying conditions, but had no particular project to channel it.

In my younger years, my research and studies had precluded the possibility of any serious, long-term romantic commitments, and I had decided to forego the thought of settling down one day, so I was available for some new challenge.

The space programme director came straight to the point one day.

"As you know, we have an excellent team ready to go to Earth 2 next year. We asked them to suggest one person that they felt would make the best addition to the team, as an anchor, an adviser, a wise old consultant; and you will probably not believe whom they chose — you! So I have the honour of asking you if you would be prepared to retire on Earth 2, but as a part-time consultant."

I had absolutely no hesitation, and so, here I am, on my way to a new solar system."

'Life on Earth 2' is running a series of game shows in the tradition of the old programme 'Life on Mars', based on videos made on each of the astronauts before departure. Alex is next and he has chosen Knysna as the venue for his show, at a site over-looking the town and the famous 'Heads' where boats leave the lagoon for the deep sea in the direction of Antarctica.

"I grew up in the marine environment of Knysna, where I spent much of my youth fishing, surfing and sailing.

As I didn't really play the traditional boys' sports of rugby and cricket, and as I loved reading and studying, when I went to a secondary, boarding school in George, I was seen as 'different'. In fact, I was bullied by seniors in the hostel in my first year or two, until I learned to stand up for myself and they picked on others. In 2000 I went to Stellenbosch University for a BSc in Marine Biology as I have always felt passionate about marine conservation and have a special interest in cetaceans, as I have often encountered them when sailing and surfing. Dolphins seem to trust me and I often find I can paddle among them while I try to talk to them. I have always fancied that, one day, like Dr Dolittle, I will be able to understand and communicate with them.

My Honours and Masters degrees had taken me to all the centres of involvement with cetaceans, from Walvis (Whale) Bay in Namibia to South Africa's West Coast at Saldanha Bay, from Cape Town and Hermanus to Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and Port Elizabeth, from East London to Durban and Kosi Bay on the border with Mozambique.

For my PhD, as I had also done Linguistics and Communication, I focused on cetacean languages and communication. I was fortunate to be awarded scholarships which enabled me to travel globally and to visit and assess marine research institutes regarding the progress they had made in this field.

I visited dolphinaria and university and state marine research centres from Australia to Zanzibar, analysing the effectiveness of these endeavours.

By 2030 some progress had been made and South Africa established sophisticated research centres, one of them being at Plettenberg Bay, where I have been based for the past 14 years. We have made huge strides in cracking the codes of cetacean languages and today, with the help of computer programmes, we are able to understand and communicate with cetaceans."

The 'Life on Earth 2' quiz show in Knysna is a huge success. The winner is a young Marine Biology student at the University of Stellenbosch, just like Alex was. When he was at primary school in Knysna, Alex and a few other local surfers used to come and fetch him and some other township youngsters and take them to the beach and teach them how to surf. Alex fired his enthusiasm and then passion for marine conservation, besides also becoming a top junior surfer. He thanks Alex for taking him off the streets and away from the influences of the gangs who rule their neighbourhoods.

On the spaceship, the 10 other astronauts compete enthusiastically to win the prize of no routine duties for a day.

### CHAPTER 3

The craft nears the outer edge of the Black Hole, then enters a Wormhole and the entire craft and crew are projected to Earth 2.

Mariada is being interviewed by 'Life on Earth 2' again. This time, it is very 'delayed live', by about a week.

"It's almost impossible to describe the passage of time in the Wormhole, as though time was literally standing still, while we hurtled through space. Or was it that we in our little space ship were standing still in space while time rushed past ?

We landed exactly where planned and everything is in perfect working condition. It was unbelievable to step out of the ship without a space suit and breathe the air of Earth 2 with its strange new smells and hear the singing of the insects and birds."

Once again, Mariada is the first person to step on the planet and she announces a new variation of the Moon-landing speech:

"One small step for a human, one new solar system and planet for humans to live on."

And adds, "This is not only another station on the way to somewhere else, this is somewhere else for us to live. We have brought with us some samples of life from Earth, especially threatened and key species for maintaining the food chain, like bees, butterflies, frogs and so on, and future settlers will bring further specimens.

It was such a sobering thought to hear a child say, many years ago, that if humans were to become extinct on Earth, it would actually make a positive difference to the proliferation of life, as we are definitely the most destructive force on Earth.

I am the official photographer, so that gives me a good excuse to poke my lens in the various activities happening, and to be available for 'consultation' when needed, which is seldom. We prepared very thoroughly for the tasks to be done on arrival, in order of priority, so it was a pleasure to be doing them at last.

What an honour it has felt for me, to be the first known person on Mars and Earth 2. I say 'known' because who knows what or who once may have lived on either planet ? Here, at least, there would be a better chance of finding evidence, as the planet does not appear to have suffered any major catastrophe.

The first main tasks revolve around constructing waterproof dwellings, using the local resources, basically making log cabins with thatched roofs, as only later will we start making bricks, and then later finding iron ore to smelt and make more metal tools, equipment etc, besides the basics we brought with us, like spades, rakes, hammers, saws and knives, and a 3D printer. There are very strict criteria for mining or even collecting natural resources. The general idea is that only clay, sand and stones may be collected, in suitable places, with excavation not exceeding 1m. Rock with iron ore is to be mined only as far as replacing essential tools. There will be no other mining, such as for coal.

Energy needs must be supplied by, at first, the solar panels brought from Earth, and then also by natural means such as wind and water turbines.

Water is a priority, so finding the best ways to collect and store water from the nearby river is very important.

Further, we need to find an area to develop fields to grow the crops so crucial to our survival. Luckily, we have found a spot with natural damming up of the river, from where we can dig a trench to lead water down to the large, natural field nearby. Once we have cleared, dug over and fertilised our garden area, we will lead water down the canal to irrigate the waiting seeds.

Organising our waste disposal without pollution is next, then setting up the solar panels for our energy supply and connecting up all our equipment, lights etc.

We also have to do regular checks on the levels of oxygen and other gases in the atmosphere, radiation levels and so on, so the laboratory has to be up and running quite quickly. As on Mars, we have started off by using the space craft as our communications and records centre, as everything was there already and easy to use.

### CHAPTER 4

At the end of most days, especially if the weather is warm, we head for the beach only one kilometre away, and have a relaxing swim. One day I was alone, floating on my back in a small bay, when I became aware of something or someone nearby. I looked around and saw a dolphin just metres away, looking directly at me. I was mesmerised as it looked so intently at me, surrounded by what seemed like a golden aura, shimmering with energy.

Reflexively, I said 'hello' and it actually piped what sounded like 'hello' right back at me ! But then, some of its pod came by, and they all went off at high speed.

Naturally, we have Alex, the Marine Biologist from Plettenberg Bay, as part of our team, who has extensive experience of cetacean languages and communication on Earth, so he is obviously interested in these dolphins too. He joined me the next day to see if the dolphins would return to the small bay. We had been floating around for a few minutes, calling to each other both in and above the water, and slapping the surface with our hands, just as dolphins and whales do sometimes with their flippers and tails.

We started to hear clicking and whistling noises approaching from the deep sea until one dolphin, probably the one from the previous day, came closer and engaged me as before. After greeting me with a 'hello', it went into a series of sounds, amazingly like a song, a simple ditty like a children's nursery rhyme or a sailor's jig. To show my understanding, I repeated the notes and then added another 'verse' off the top of my head. The dolphin seemed delighted and repeated my verse, ending with what sounded remarkably like cheering and laughing, while 'clapping' its flippers on the surface a few times.

Alex and I continued to go to the bay at the same time each day, where we saw the dolphins again, each time finding them more trusting and more eloquent. But still, we did not understand most of their apparent speech, and Alex said that he found the more natural dolphin sounds they make to be different from those he has studied and used on Earth. But we did not have the sophisticated technical equipment like the receivers used to record and programmes to analyse dolphin sounds. So he decided to record their sounds for a few days, playing some of it back to them, first to their consternation, then to their delight as they appeared to understand what was happening.

After about a week of daily contact, we went to the bay one day and realised that they had gone.

So Alex sent the recordings back to Earth for analysis, even though it would take many months for a response.

Alex and I know each other well from many years of seeing each other on and off during my holidays at Plett, but we discovered that we have a very special bond now and, for the first time in my life, I feel that I could settle down and just enjoy being with this very special man every day."

### CHAPTER 5

Alex is reporting to 'Life on Earth 2' about what they do all day.

"Well, we have pretty much only what we could bring with us, very limited to the essentials, of course.

Other than in the Communications and Data centre, each person only has like an iPod, linked to the C.D. centre, so there is access to anything you want. There is also a large screen in each building, mostly used for watching news, sport and films. But most of our day is taken by doing routine manual labour, like weeding the fields and laying down pipes and so on, so by the end of the day, most of us like to get together and chat about how the day has been and just chill out a bit. We have tested our first new home-brew here and all agree that it's the best we have ever tasted on the planet ! The cabins, or rondavels or bungalows, mostly made from wood and thatch, form a large circle, with some facing in- and some outwards. The area in the middle is a garden and play area, and in the centre is a meeting place with seats around a fire-place, where you can cook or just enjoy the warmth. Sometimes we have special evenings of music, singing or dancing, or poetry readings or telling stories, or all of these, non-stop for 12 hours. We have filmed some of these and you may have seen them on late-night TV, so keep watching."

A small group of the settlers is lounging around the fire. Alex has the gift of the gab or has kissed the Blarney stone tonight.

"I have always been intrigued by the interface of understanding between species of animals and with humans.

A legend that has always felt important to me is that of Androcles and the Lion. The runaway slave showed understanding and love to the injured lion and so it trusted him to remove the thorn in its paw. Later, when they were captured and put together in the arena to fight to the death, it spared his life as they recognised each other, and it came up to him to lick his hand. Allegedly, they were both freed, or so I like to remember.

As a young boy, sometimes I had a dream where I was being chased by a lion and my legs never ran fast enough and I knew it was going to catch up to me, so I woke up terrified. After waking my parents a few times in the middle of the night, my dad suggested that, next time, instead of running, I could try standing still, facing the lion and see what happened. After all, I would have nothing left to lose (ha! ha!). So, I'm not sure if I actually had the dream again or if I just thought about it enough to imagine that I may, at least, have day-dreamed it. I stopped running, stood still and turned around. I faced the lion, like a man, looked at it and asked, 'What do you want, Mr Lion?' in as calm and caring a way as I could manage. The way it looked at me made me realise it meant me no harm. It walked slowly up to me and then licked my hand.

Many years ago, it was reported that three animals had been found, an American bear, an African lion and a Bengal tiger.

They had grown up together for 15 years, but had been badly abused by the owner. They were the best of friends, showing empathy and love for each other, like a close family. Some animals are very sensitive to the health and feelings of humans, as though they may have a sixth sense. Equine therapy has been very effective in helping in a wide range of human problems, from physical palsies to psychiatric challenges. And, of course, swimming with dolphins has been widely reported to be healing. It has worked for Mariada and me too. And we are still absorbing the fact that a dolphin told both of us, Ada in a dream and me when I nearly died, that it would see us later, on another planet. Which is exactly what has happened."

Mariada adds, "Yes, I also feel the distinctions that many people draw between humans and animals are artificial, literally man-made, and are often based on fallacies, which often come from religious texts; for example, that we are more important than other life, that we have 'dominion' over nature. Well, if that means that we are the loving guardians of nature, responsible for protecting it and living in harmony with it, as one godly entity, then I agree, otherwise not.

Gandhi said, 'The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.'

I once heard a therapist at a school addressing the whole assembly of children and staff, and asking them, "What is more important: trees or humans?"

Can you believe that somebody could ask such a naive question? Well, of course, the correct answer was 'Humans' (with a capital H), because we are God's Special Creation.

I had been invited to speak about some of my research, to inspire children, which I think I did, but I couldn't help making a reference to the therapist's short sermon near the end of my talk. I asked everyone, "Do you know that humans and in fact, nearly all life, depend heavily on trees and plants to create the oxygen for us to breathe and the food for us to eat, and so stay alive?"

"Yes, of course!" nearly everyone asserted.

"Well then, what would happen if all the trees and plants disappeared?" I asked.

"We would all die / starve / choke to death", was the general consensus, and also a "no weed" from near the back.

"And what if everything was like it is now but then all humans were to die?" I asked.

There was some hesitation. Some smiled at me like it was a trick question. One child ventured,

"Nothing would happen?"

Another chipped in, "Maybe nothing would happen for a while. I feel sorry for all the animals and plants which depend on humans to survive. Maybe the animals would escape from the farms and learn to look after themselves."

Another child took it to its logical conclusion. "And the natural forests and plants would grow back again. The rivers would flow again. Insects and animals would live in peace again. I think the world would be a better place without us!"

I was very pleased that the children were able to say it for themselves and I told them so. I added, of course, that this conclusion goes to show that we need to live responsibly with nature if we are ALL to survive."

Alex adds, "I also sometimes gave talks at schools. When talking about evolution, I was careful to emphasise that most species, from all the evidence we have, appear to have changed or evolved over time. I often gave the wonderful example of dolphins and whales who came from the water to live on land, and then went back to living in the water. Children are fascinated. Why would they do that? Maybe when they saw early humans! And I'm very careful when talking about very early humans not to emphasise our simian qualities, because I know how offended some people are when you suggest that their ancestors, a very long time ago, may have lived mostly in trees and not always have walked upright.

One child very pointedly asked me, possibly prompted by a teacher, if I believed in God. When I asked what she understood by that, she said 'to give your life to Jesus'. I explained that many scientists may have spiritual feelings, a feeling that there is a very great power in the whole universe, even if they don't belong to any church or religion; that science is not a religion but only a positive way to ask questions about life and the world; to wonder about the wonderful ways that life and the world work; to show how great that power is that could cause life to exist in all its forms, including us, who try to understand it all."

### CHAPTER 6

A community meeting is held to debate the issues of mining and technology on Earth 2. The facilitator for the meeting is Rasta, who is often chosen for such functions as he has a powerful way of calming everyone while being respectful and firmly democratic in his interventions. He introduces the topics.

"As you know, we have a policy here of minimal, limited mining for only essential items. From aerial surveys done and from our own geological investigations, it seems that there are very limited resources near the surface for us to mine superficially as we do now. Any further mining would generally require deep drilling with equipment that we would probably never receive from Earth. Earth 2 is not like Mars for mining, with huge areas of denuded and exposed surfaces of rock, and almost no life or ecosystem that can be harmed by mining.

Our policy here is to have minimal mining, to minimise environmental damage and to live in harmony with all life. We are not on a planet to be exploited like Mars, with maximum mining. However, concerning the second issue of technology, we are, therefore, dependent on Earth for the manufacture and delivery of our technological equipment. So far, we only have our computers and the equipment in the space capsule, but we don't have proper laboratories and everything else we need to do more advanced research or projects.

What do you propose on these issues?"

Mariada puts her points with passion.

"We didn't come here just to multiply and live in peace and harmony until we vegetate. Or just make a place that would be suitable for the elite on Earth to escape to one day when they finally kill our beloved mother planet.

We are all intelligent humans and we need to develop and make progress. But it's probably not in the interests of the politicians on Earth for us to do that. So they will try to keep us docile, disadvantaged and backward compared to Earth.

We could become independent of Earth if we start with more serious mining and manufacturing. We could focus on exactly what we need for our own progress; while still avoiding most of the unnecessary environmental damage we caused on Earth. Would they send police or the army to try to stop us? What would we have to lose? Paradise is not just living like hippies on a commune; not for me, anyway."

Alex has been waiting for a chance to express what looks like exasperation.

"But that's exactly where our ancestors went wrong. They believed that more and more technology would show how intelligent we are and make us feel more and more satisfied. But is that really intelligence and are we really making progress? Is there really such a thing as responsible mining? Doesn't it all just end in destruction and pollution?

We have found a pristine planet where life has co-existed harmoniously for millions of years. Dolphins were brought here from Earth thousands of years ago and have adapted and thrived happily. Instead of looking outside of themselves and developing gadgets that will help them go somewhere else, they have focused their growth inwards and into their community, developing complex language and thinking skills. They can even use their echo-location to diagnose medical conditions, like we use x-rays, ultra-sound and angiograms. We should be trying to develop these skills. I sometimes think that, when we finally meet aliens, they will find us very slow and simple in our thinking, language and communication.

My proposal is that we continue with our policy of minimal mining and technology, and rather focus on developing our mental skills and environmental awareness. After all, we have a school of dolphins to teach us."

The others seem less split into two opposing camps now and there is little animosity. It is agreed that 'Mariada's group' will not do anything rash like make a unilateral declaration of the independence of Earth 2. But they begin to compile a list of frustrations that will be sent to the United Nations. There must be a cure for the Summertime blues.

### CHAPTER 7

A cetacean linguist at the research station at Plettenberg Bay plays a recording.

A male voice says, "The woman is amazing. Clearly she is not young, maybe like a grandmother. She has a very active mind as I see many images when I focus on her brain, and her body is very healthy but she has lost some suppleness and strength as the muscles have started to atrophy, and she does not ovulate. She is passionate about sharing and trying to talk with us and shows good respect. She listens very carefully, with her mind and her heart, and she shows love. She is close to her male friend. She calls him something '-ex' and he calls her 'Ada', and they are happy as they talk and play. What do you think about the man, '-ex'?"

A female voice says, "Oh, yes! The same, mostly. He is about the same age and is fit, healthy and clever. He seems to know something of our language and is trying to talk with and understand me. He also shows love and, you know what ! His testes and so on are still active, especially when he is with her. But with other people he seems careful of showing much feeling. She seems to have a painful emptiness in her womb, as though she has lost people in her life and wants to find the parts of herself she has lost with them. I think she feels she may find them with him."

PART 4:

DEEP MESSAGES ( 2045 +)

"In ancient Greece it was thought ... they (dolphins) were once men, who had lived in cities, along with mortals; that they had exchanged the land for the sea; but that they had retained...human thought."

Horace Dobbs. 'Dance to a Dolphin's Song.' 1996.

"The Greeks held that killing a dolphin was tantamount to killing a man, and it was punished with the same penalty as murder."

Brenner and Pilleri. 'Dolphins in ancient art and literature'. 1977.

### CHAPTER 1

In 2045, the International Marine Institute announces that they have received a report from the special task group, which comprises the main findings of research into communication with cetaceans. This information was built up by researchers in numerous countries and after decades of collaboration and reviews of theory and practice in the field. Relevant visuals accompany the text.

"The following information is a summary of the main findings of researchers into the messages that whales and dolphins have been giving us for the past 20 years, but which we have only recently been able to understand, and also about the interactions and exchanges we have had with them.

Scientists had to deal with reluctance by cetaceans, whales especially, for many years, to trust humans. After all, they had been hunted inhumanely almost to extinction, and were not ready to co-operate with ease and to the extent needed. Humans also had a tendency to try to dominate, to order cetaceans to do things at their command, like to find ancient, flooded ruins in a far-off ocean, without much sensitivity about their own needs, patterns of movement and social interactions, so essential if they were to survive.

The greatest on-going threats to their survival on Earth were pollution, especially oil and plastic, entanglement in fishing nets and lines, over-fishing of their prey, noise emissions from boats, and military use of sonar and seismic noise. And now too, instead of being hunted by whalers, they were being hunted by whale-watchers and people wanting to swim with dolphins, the whole affair being so over-commercialised in some areas that they are suffering stress, disruption and even injury and death. But after much negotiation with cetacean representatives, compromises and agreements were reached with the relevant authorities."

### CHAPTER 2

The 'Life on Earth 2' T.V. programme announces that the recordings of the dolphins on Earth 2 have arrived on Earth.

"We have heard that, at first, scientists could not make head or tail of them as they seem to be so different from the dialects of Earth dolphins. When the recordings were played to our dolphins, they were enraptured but could not understand them properly at first. One imagines that a period of possibly 15 000 years in which a small pod of young dolphins is totally isolated from its original community, will give rise to the development of new forms of grammar, syntax, concepts and meanings. Would a small group of children who were isolated on a far planet, or even on a desert island, also develop new languages and ideas? Hopefully, they would not turn it into another 'Lord of the Flies' or 'Clockwork Orange' scenario. But these dolphins seemed more intelligent.

Earth dolphins developed some good ideas about their Earth 2 cousins' language and formulated a response that they believed would be understood. They also made some suggestions about how they could communicate more easily in future. These were recorded and sent to Dr Alex Zhivago on Earth 2.

We also sent the following message: Marine scientists at Plettenberg Bay asked us to tell you that the whale called Aristotle came by recently. He said that he had finally found out that his daughter had managed to escape the scene of her mother's death and had been found by a passing pod of whales.

They 'adopted' her because they could not find her family as they use a different migratory route. But the story got around the grape-vine and he was finally re-united with her a few days ago."

Alex sends the following report back to Earth after many months.

"When our dolphins finally returned to the little bay and we played the recordings sent to us, they could understand most of the messages and ideas and were so emotional about finally having some answers about their origins and long-lost family that they really were 'sobbing' and 'laughing' at the same time. They could fully accept that they originally came from Earth and had been brought here by aliens, just as their ancient legends had always said.

Most importantly for us, we now had methods whereby we can communicate directly with each other and develop our own 'fanakalo' language. After weeks of 'workshopping', we could ask and answer questions quite easily. As we built up mutual understanding, we developed trust and respect.

The first thing the dolphins told us was that the Earth dolphins had warned them of the cruelty and destructive disregard humans had shown towards them, their second cousins, the whales, and towards marine life in general.

Their first non-negotiable was that, at the first sign of any aggression or disregard for any marine life or the environment as a whole from us, they would stop co-operating with us as a first measure. Further, as yet unspecified measures could be taken if matters deteriorated further. Coupled with this was the warning that the same conditions would apply on Earth, and that we had to facilitate regular communication with cetaceans on Earth in this regard.

Our minds were reeling with the implications of what we were hearing. Was their legend of the aliens bringing them there really true? There did seem to be a direct connection between the dolphins on the two planets, but how could there be a connection with such a vast distance between them? How did our dolphins have such strong prejudices and fears against us from their legends, when we had only recently met them? How did they know of other cetaceans, their 'cousins', on another planet? What was giving them such confidence and power that they could warn and threaten us, demanding changes in our behaviour? Changes that we have only relatively recently realised were necessary for the survival of us and all life on Earth, and which we have been struggling so hard to implement effectively.

The dolphins kept us guessing for ages.

Then one day we heard what the origin of the legends was, and it was almost word-for-word what Aristotle, the whale, had told us a few years ago at Plettenberg Bay. It seems that two pairs of juvenile dolphins were brought to Earth 2 after being 'abducted' by aliens from Earth, possibly 15 000 years ago. The reason appears to be that life on Earth was threatened by massive asteroid strikes, and the aliens were trying to re-locate as much life as they could on the nearest habitable planet, which already had its own flora and fauna. It appears that they deliberately did not bring humans or other large predators.

Fortunately, the first four dolphins had produced eight off-spring by the time they died, leaving a large enough gene pool for their long-term survival, and indeed, they thrived in their new environment. But now, they had mixed feelings about seeing humans. They were happy to share the planet with other intelligent beings, but they had heard from Earth cetaceans about our history, and so they were worried that we may do the same here on Earth 2. Had we really learned anything about the urgency of the need for us to change our ways? Would we try our utmost to redeem ourselves on Earth where we still had a slim chance? Would we make a truly new start on Earth 2?

Their final message, and the source of the threats of the 'unspecified measures' they could take in future, was that the aliens had visited them again fairly recently and had learned to communicate with them. They had warned the dolphins that humans could be arriving and settling soon, and had promised to return in a few years to check on developments. They had promised the dolphins that they would deal decisively with humans if they had started repeating their previous sins on Earth. However, if the dolphins gave positive reports about human activities, the aliens had said that they would make contact with them and start sharing their vast store of knowledge and skills with them."

### CHAPTER 3

A pod of mostly senior dolphins meets near the small bay. A senior female, who has arranged the meeting, welcomes all warmly by name and they respond heartily.

"As you know, we are meeting here today to discuss the human settlement, whether we think it is positive or negative for our planet, and so whether to support it or not."

A younger female responds, "Earth dolphins have warned us about humans' past destructiveness there. Do you really think they are likely to have changed? I feel ambivalent."

An adult male reasons, "We have only a small group of humans here and they have only relatively recently arrived.

So it is very difficult to predict how they will behave in future, when there are more of them and they want more food and start making big towns and factories like on Earth. Will they eat all our fish and pollute the rivers and the sea and the sky again? While we should keep these questions in mind, I believe that we should give them a chance."

"This is outrageous!" bursts out a younger male. "We have seen that this is not just a small settlement for a short time. We have seen more settlers arrive, making about 50 of them now, and they are building more and more houses, to make a small town. I tell you, comrades, these are not just settlers, these are colonialists, and they want to take over our planet and ignore our wishes.

They talk with us and pretend to understand us, but they carry on doing things that harm our environment. They started by chopping down trees, changing the flow of the river, making fires and some have been hunting and killing birds and small animals, besides eating some of our fish. Watch out for these intruders, comrades!"

The most senior dolphin calmly intercedes. "We are understandably concerned about these newcomers to our planet, considering that we know some of their past selfish, greedy and cruel behaviour. You are fortunate you grew up a dolphin and so have learned to control these same urges, so we live peacefully most of the time".

The last few words are directed at the younger 'comrade' male, with a chuckle. "However, they do admit to these past wrongs and seem genuinely remorseful and want to live much more responsibly now. So far, they have tried to start a settlement in the least harmful ways. We cannot deny them their basic necessities. They are not like us in not needing any shelter, clothing, fire, fresh water, toilets, tools, technology and factories. They have behaved responsibly, planting more trees, recycling all their waste, not polluting the rivers or wasting water, using solar energy rather than fire wherever possible, farming responsibly and organically, and trying to disturb the whole eco-system as little as possible. They have listened to us and shown us respect and love. Further, they have managed to convey our messages to Earth and have had a positive effect on human behaviour there, as we have learned from our family there. The conditions set by the aliens about human behaviour appear to have been met.

I feel that these humans are really genuine about living in harmony here and on Earth and should be encouraged. I propose that, while we should continue to be vigilant, we should tell the aliens when they come again, that the humans are willing to learn from them and develop further. And we should tell the humans of our decision.

Who supports this motion? As I hear that nearly all of you do support this, we will all meet with Alex and Ada later today, to tell them the news."

Alex and Mariada hear that the dolphins have assembled in the bay and have called for them to come to a meeting. They walk into the water to a depth where the dolphins are comfortable. Alex is wearing his home-made, portable decoding and transmitting device, his ears and voice for communicating with the dolphins. The most senior dolphin addresses them.

"We have noticed your seriousness about living in harmony with all life here, and that you have helped to make a difference on Earth. Therefore, most of us believe that, up to now, you have satisfied the conditions that we and the aliens set for your future here. We will inform the aliens of this when they visit us again. We welcome you here officially and hope that our good relationship will continue. Thank you."

When the whole group of Earth 2 humans hears the news, they are overjoyed and celebrations continue for a few days, with singing, dancing and all sorts of games. The old restrictions about sexuality on Mars do not apply here and pregnancy is not a problem.

### CHAPTER 4

Mariada calls another community meeting, to discuss developments on the issue of technology.

"As you know, some of us have been frustrated about being dependent on Earth for our technology needs. We even thought of a defiance campaign of starting deep mining and developing industries and factories. We communicated these frustrations to the relevant committees of the U.N., requesting their proposals for solutions. At last, we have had a reasonable response that requires our approval.

Earth 2 will be used both as a settlement, which will grow gradually, mainly with research scientists, and as a refreshment station on the way to other planets. However, the 'refreshment' will be mainly in the form of fresh food, water and accommodation for a week's holiday break.

Some of our younger members will be selected to join these missions, after studying training manuals and doing practicals in preparation. We will also be sent mini-laboratories and equipment to further our research here. We should make lists of our most urgent needs in this regard.

What do you think of this proposal from Earth?"

There is general agreement that this is a fair proposal.

"We can continue with research here, with at least basic equipment; we can be trained to join other space missions; we can open up a Backpackers Beach House Lodge, self-catering, and meet some new people for a change," are some of the comments.

### CHAPTER 5

Mariada and Alex both start to find that they are winding down in their respective careers and are not feeling as driven as they used to feel, with little time or inclination for leisure and pleasure. They have reconciled their differences about mining and technology, since the proposal from Earth was such a reasonable compromise. Mariada seems more happy with 'vegetating' a little, sometimes. They spend more time swimming and playing with the dolphins in the bay and studying the teeming life on their new planet.

They are rowing in a little dug-out dinghy up a river which is similar to the Keurbooms River. Mariada muses.

"I have been wondering how ethical it would be to have a baby in your 60s, especially if you have a good chance of living for another 30 years. Then again, you may be a better parent than you would have been in your 30s, when your career came first. And even more, if you don't have the constant stress of living on Earth, and you can see a positive future for raising a child, would that not be an ethical decision?" (Mariada has been reading Plato and loves using the Socratic method of debate.)

Alex replies with a smile.

"I wonder who the you is that you mention? You sounds like you but it also could be me. And it sounds entirely ethical to me if you need a mother like you and a father like me. The only problem I can think of is the tiny matter of an egg, but I do know from certain tests done fairly recently that a fertile father is no problem. Where do you find a fertile egg?"

Mariada clicks her fingers as though summoning the final synthesis.

"Back in the 20s, before I went to Mars, I had some of my ova frozen, just in case something like this ever happened. I can get them sent here and I'm sure, with a small contribution from you, our good Doctor Zeus can organise a get-together which can be transferred to me. What do you think of that?"

"I have to admit that technology does have its benefits and, if it will help to make us parents, let's start the count-down. In the meantime, how about trying the usual way, just in case that may still work?" says Alex, rowing the boat straight for a small beach with some shady bushes.

The eggs finally arrive and two are fertilised in vitro and implanted in utero. Zeus later tells Mariada that, when he introduced the sperm, after a few seconds two of the ova gave off tiny sparks as they were fertilised. It was these two that he selected.

A few weeks later, Mariada and Alex are swimming in the little bay. Mariada has developed a close friendship with the dolphin that greeted her first after their arrival. She has named her Corky as she loves to stand upright in the water, bobbing up and down like a cork as she talks excitedly. Just then, as though she knows they are talking about her, Corky appears out of the blue. Mariada has not told her or, in fact, anybody else, of the implantation as she fears it may not work. Corky suddenly becomes very quiet, so Mariada comes closer.

"What's up, Corky? Shark got your tongue?"

"You're pregnant, Ada. Do you know?"

"I have been hoping, but how do you know, Corky?"

"I'm not deaf, you know. Anybody with sonar could hear and see that. But maybe something you don't know is that you're expecting twins. At your age. Just when I thought I was starting to understand you humans."

Eight months later, Mariada gives birth in the shallow, warm water of the little bay, ably assisted by the doctor and Corky as midwife. The babies, a girl and a boy, are the first people to be born on another planet.

A few months later, as they sit on the beach with their babies, Mariada feels as though her grandparents are with them. She sees her grandmother at nearly 98 years old, a matter of weeks before she died, but radiating so much positive spiritual energy that she was already almost not of this Earth, and her grandfather at 99 years, asking her if she had seen gran because he had seen her nearby, even though she had died a year before, and then he also died.

And now her parents are the same age, and she realises that she has done all that she ever hoped to do.

A pod of dolphins swims up to them, showing great excitement, and saying that they will have visitors very soon. They notice a bright, pulsating light coming straight down out of the sky, materialising as a space ship about as big as an ocean liner. Aliens alight and greet them warmly and peacefully...

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

1. HOW DID THE HUMAN CHARACTERS DEVELOP ?

Mariada de Villiers' background and application for the 'Life on Mars' mission is clearly based on Adriana and 'Mars One', for which she gave permission. Adriana's great grandmother was a de Villiers. Her grandparents did live until almost 100 years old. But everything else from the present (2016) onwards is obviously fictitious.

Alexander Zhivago's background is partly based on a variety of people, and so his initials go from A to Z. But my inspiration for the character came from Alejandra Vargas, hence the similar name and research interests. I have been inspired by her dedication to believe that it may not be long before we can communicate with cetaceans.

Noriko, one of the Martians, is the name of Adriana's friend in Japan. Konichiwa!

Aziz is the name of a man who trusted and trained me during the anti-apartheid years in London. Viva!

2. WHAT INSPIRED SOME OF THE INCIDENTS?

Adriana has generously passed on her knowledge of Mars and space travel to many people, and there are a few references to this in the story. It was also easy to imagine Adriana as Mariada on Mars and beyond.

On reading about dolphins, I was amazed by the knowledge of the ancient Greeks and Romans, like Aristotle and Ovid, about them; about their evolution on land and in the sea, their intelligence, the belief they are the equals of humans in law, and their love of music. Ovid inspired me to put dolphins on Earth 2, like Jupiter did.

The incident recalled by Alex when he nearly drowned at Keurboomstrand is based mainly on Adriana having had a close shave there, but fortunately not the near death experience described.

The dream of being chased by a lion was my own, but the advice given was not by my dad but by me to children when they tell me about similar dreams. Just hearing that advice seems to help, as I reserve judgement on whether one can actually script one's dreams. ("Dear brain, Tonight I want one lion chase dream, with full confrontation, but no sticky ending, please.")

3. WHAT ARE THE MAIN THEMES OF THE STORY ?

I was inspired by a short film I saw in the early 70s, where the viewer goes through a mosquito into the human body, down to the smallest cell, and then back out to the skin and into outer space, through the Solar System and the Milky Way to the furthest galaxies, and then back again. It seemed to show the immense complexity of the inner journey of deep microbiology and the beginning of life, and the outer journey to deep space and the origin of life in the Big Bang. The link between these inner and outer worlds was a smooth continuum, showing that we are an integral part of the universe. Within you and without you, we are one.

That is why the first two Parts refer to 'Going Out - Mars' and 'Coming In - Cetaceans'.

While the plot covers space exploration and research into cetacean languages , and there are various themes related to these pursuits, the main theme is environmentalism and the need for humans to live harmoniously with nature and each other, or face extinction. The search for alternative planets to live on seems fuelled by this fear, but also by our hunger to explore and grow, as shown by Mariada and Alex.

Similar themes relate to mining and technology and whether we are simply going to do the same to other planets as we have done to Earth, including largely to disregard other species.

4. WHAT ARE OTHER THEMES AND REFERENCES ?

Two of the literary and musical references are to a door opening. One of Adriana's early sentences, at 18 months, was for us to "open the door" as she did not want to sleep. She has always wanted to open doors of perception, experience and opportunity, even if it may seem 'impossible'.

There are references to voyages at sea or in space, of no return or drowning.

Fear of, exploitation of and communication with animals are constant themes.

The reference to 'Lord of the Flies' and 'Clockwork Orange' is a reminder of how savage humans can be.

The expression 'behaving like an animal' is ironic since it is extremely rare, I understand, for an animal to kill an animal or human out of some obscure malice or greed or for 'fun', as we humans do. We should rather admit and rectify our unacceptable behaviours, or be censured by law.

5. MUCH OF THE STORY SEEMS LIKE A FILM. WHY?

Considering that the 'Mars One' mission seems largely based on funding through a Reality-TV programme, I saw much of the 'Life on Mars' and 'Life on Earth 2' missions through a TV camera lens, because that seems the main way the public will see it in future. I would watch a programme like them, and I seldom watch TV. 'Survivor' would seem like an image on the wall of the cave, because this would be the real thing.

I hope a local film producer will film it entirely here in South Africa, with South African actors, from the Garden Route on the Southern coast around Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, to Cape Town, to the Richtersveld in the Northern Cape, something like the Saharan or Martian landscape, to Hole in the Wall on the Wild Coast for the Obstacle course selections, to Sani Pass and the top of the Amphitheatre in the Drakensberg in July, for a touch of Antarctica, the Himalayas or Mars, to Kosi Bay near the border with Mozambique, for Earth 2. What a wonderful invention are the fish-traps in the Kosi estuary, made entirely from local natural resources and able to supply many local people with a constant supply of fish. Will future astronauts be able to make something like this? Actors could pretend they can for the film.

I'm not sure how the director will get whales and dolphins to co-operate, certainly not in a dolphinarium anywhere. I suppose technology with special effects will be needed.

I also wonder what the prospect of doing the story as an eComic would be, to condense it into about 25 pages of pictures with dialogue. Loads of work for a graphic designer and script-writer, but would there be reasonable reward?

6. WHY DID YOU WRITE THIS STORY?

I was excited by a lot of new info on space travel and cetacean communication. When the ideas of linking some characters and making a story came to mind, I just started writing. Then the characters came more to life and the dialogues started in my mind. That was fun for a while, as I got quite 'high' on the power it gave me to create a quasi-real person. More ethical issues than I had considered also started to arise, and I have probably omitted or not fully 'unpacked' a whole lot more.

But when the story reached its present form of a short novel or novella of about 20 000 words, it felt finished. What the aliens may do and say, and what the future is for the twins and the rest of humanity on the two Earths, is another story, possibly.

I hope it helps to get Adriana to take that step onto Mars, and back again onto Earth, and then...who knows?

I also hope it helps to improve Maths and Science at schools, and Geography, History, English, Life Skills, Swimming and Emotional Intelligence!

Talking of taking steps, here is a thought from Taj Mahal's 'Take a Giant Step':

'Remember the feeling as a child,

When you woke up and morning smiled,

It's time you felt like that again.

There is just no percentage in remembering the past,

It's time you learn to live again and love at last.

Come with me, leave your yesterdays behind,

And take a giant step outside your mind.'

Peace and love.

Theo.

I would love to hear from readers. Contact me at: theomarais49@gmail.com
