Morning came quickly. The dew silvered the grassy patches around Martin. High pink cirrus stood at the edge of dawn. A whispering column of smoke slowly lifted skyward over the embers in the henge. It fed a lazy layer that flattened out over the plain. A ground fog receded to the sea cliff hiding the separation of land and sea. Deer calmly grazed the plain belying the fervor of the night before. A new dawn had set in.
ANGL: All systems are go.
In the tree line on the far side of the plain wisps of smoke rose lazily from early morning cooking fires. This side too, had its share of morning activity. Martin, though not a coffee drinker coveted the thought of a pot brewing over the campfire. He could have gotten into the mood even more had it not been for his plastic suit, pee pouch, swill pack and the matching upper and lower PTFE underwear set. It was time to face reality.
He packed away his air pad and pointed himself down hill. Another few hundred feet descent to the edge of the open field lay ahead. He wanted to get closer to the henge, and maybe even to sneak up to the site unnoticed in the haze. A well-worn path lay near his campsite. Almost as soon as he began his descent ANGL sounded an alert.
ANGL: Four or five individuals are approaching from the rear. They seem to be about thirty yards back.
Martin spotted an area where he could step off the main trail. He initiated the cloaking function on his suit and stood motionless, waiting.
What looked like a family group came into view. The male adult led the way with a walking stick, followed by a woman and a preadolescent girl; last came a young male, also with a walking stick. As the man came directly opposite Martin on the trail he stopped, as did the others. He stood about twelve or fifteen feet away. He looked straight ahead and without obvious cause turned his head to look straight at Martin. Then he slowly cocked his head, checking for sounds. All four looked in Martin’s direction.
Martin; ANGL, help me out here.
ANGL: No indication of any fear or aggressiveness. There is much being said but it may take a moment to extract meaning. It is not entirely clear that they have seen you.
Martin; I don’t see any lips moving.
ANGL: No, and more than four voices are communicating. No additional individuals are presently detected. Maintain your silence.
At that moment the man made two steps toward Martin then reached into a pouch at his side. He scooped out what looked like a handful on wheat kernels. He stooped down and carefully laid the kernels on a flat stone. Returning to the trail he proceeded to renew the march down the path. Just as Martin began to feel safe and successfully concealed the young girl turned and glanced at Martin. Then she casually smiled and raised her hand to wave goodbye as they continued their trek.
When they had moved on out of sight, Martin returned to breathing.
Martin; ANGL?
ANGL: The grain is likely a gesture of acceptance more than an offering. It is clear that even if they couldn’t see you they somehow knew you were here. After all you are standing in the sun.
Martin turned and looked behind me. The strange and truncated shadow cast upon the ground and boulder behind him would have been a total giveaway.
Martin; My cloaking gear was good for most terrain but apparently it would have been well for me to have paid better attention in the hardware briefing. Do you think the cloaking gear did any good at all?
ANGL: These people seem to depend more on what they sense then what they see. Their communication level declined when they left. It is now evident that the background radiation that has been present since our arrival is in fact the on going communication of many voices.
Martin; Why didn’t you mention this before?
ANGL: The din of this radiation has been quite foreign to the translator. Besides, they weren’t talking to you. In the 21st century the background din is unrecognizable chatter, no one is listening. Here the radiation is coherent and valid but initially the translator misunderstood.
Martin; What do you mean?
ANGL: Communication is the exchange of transactions between two intelligent sources. If one speaks and no one listens then the fact of communication is not exacted. In this situation the communication is coherent only for the individuals who are addressed. This population is capable of a high level of extra-sensory communication. In crowds humans generally tune out conversation that is not directed at them. It is somewhat the same with extrasensory communication.
Martin; Am I missing something here?
ANGL: Yes and no. They are not talking to you.