Coyote Horizon (20 page)

It was only then that Rice realized that the
hjadd
wasn’t actually in the chamber with him. Yet the hologram was so realistic that the only evidence of intangibility was the lack of shadow. He also noticed that, when heshe spoke, hisher voice didn’t match the movements of hisher mouth, but instead came from some indirect source. Apparently a translation device was being used.

“No reason to apologize,” he said, stepping around the recamier to approach the holo. “I . . .”

“My name is Jasahajahd Taf Sa-Fhadda,”
the
hjadd
continued, as if Rice hadn’t spoken.
“You may address me as Taf. I am the Cultural Ambassador to the Coyote Federation from Hjarr. Our Prime Emissary, Mahamatasja Jas Sa-Fhadda, has given me the privilege of meeting with you.”
A brief pause.
“I understand you wish to discuss a matter regarding our spiritual beliefs.”

“Um, yes . . . yes, I do.” Nervously straightening his shawl, Rice tried to collect himself. “A few days ago, I had a visitor at my church . . .” Realizing that the alien might not understand such human terms, he stopped and tried again. “Among my kind, a church is a place of worship. We believe in the existence of a divine creator. The Church of the Holy Dominion—”

“Forgive me, Reverend, but I should let you know that our knowledge of your race isn’t limited to your languages.”
Taf’s eyes twitched independently of one another, a mannerism Rice found disconcerting.
“We know what a church is, as well as the Church of the Holy Dominion . . . a denomination of Christianity, which in turn is one of the major monotheistic religions of your world.”
Hisher head weaved back and forth on hisher neck.
“A curious belief, particularly for a starfaring species . . . but please, continue.”

“Yes, of course.” The last comment roused Rice’s curiosity, but he decided to let it pass, at least for the moment. “As I was saying, a young man recently visited my church, stating that he’d met one of your kind. Our meeting was brief, and he didn’t tell me his name, but he informed me that he’d been given some sort of information retrieval device that was apparently . . . well, a holy book, much like our own Bible, which described your own religion.”

“I believe I know this person.”
Taf’s fin rose slightly.
“In fact, if it is the same individual whom I met shortly after I arrived on this world, it was I myself who gave him the object of which you speak.”

“You did?” Rice tried to hide his astonishment. “What’s his name? As I said, our meeting was very brief, and I’d like to know who he is. Perhaps . . .”

“If this individual chose not to identify himself, then he must have had a reason to do so. If that is the case, then perhaps it’s best for me to observe diplomatic jurisprudence.”
Hisher head cocked to the left.
“However, I will tell you that I believed him to be someone who was in need of spiritual guidance, which is why I decided to give him a gift.”

Taf held out hisher left hand. A moment later, a small object materialized in hisher palm: a tiny jar suspended within a pedestal-mounted gold frame.
“This is a
Sa’Tong-tas
. . . literally, the Book of the
Sa’Tong
. It is an interactive teaching device, containing the wisdom and knowledge of
Sa’Tong
as passed to the races of the Talus by its Great Teacher, the
chaaz’braan
.”

Rice stepped a little closer to examine the
Sa’Tong-tas
. It didn’t look like any sort of book he’d ever seen; indeed, if he hadn’t been told what it was, he might have mistaken it for little more than an interesting curio. “So this thing”—a short, angry hiss from the
hjadd
as hisher throat sacs inflated slightly—“pardon me, the
Sa’Tong-tas
. . . it’s about your religion?”

“Yes, except that your choice of words is in error.”
Taf seemed to relax, because hisher throat resumed its former appearance.
“
Sa’Tong
is not a religion, or at least not as you define it, but rather a system of spiritual beliefs. More akin to a philosophy, although even that is not an accurate description.”
A pause.
“Call it a higher form of ethics, if you will.”

“Then”—Rice hesitated—“if
Sa’Tong
is not a religion, then I take it that you do not believe in God?”

“Do you mean to ask if I believe in the existence of God?”
Again, the sputtering hiss that Rice had come to recognize as
hjadd
laughter.
“Then, yes, I believe in God. How can I fail to do so? After all, I am God.”

Rice stared at himher. “What?”

“I am God.”
The
Sa’tong-tas
faded from hisher palm, and Taf pointed a finger at him.
“And so are you.”

“What?”

“I am God. You are God. So is everyone in this embassy and outside these walls. Indeed, every sentient creature in the known universe, and even those we have yet to discover, is God.”
The
hjadd’s
heavy-lidded eyes slowly blinked.
“This truth is self-evident. As I said earlier, it is rather surprising that an advanced species such as your own has not already determined this.”

“No, we haven’t!” Rice felt his face grow warm. Unable to conceal his disgust, he took a step back. “In fact, I’d have to say that it’s blasphemy! How dare you . . . ?”

“My apologies, Reverend.”
Taf held up a placating hand.
“It was not my intent to offend you. I forgot that your race still adheres to deistic beliefs.”
Heshe paused.
“It is only that the notion that the universe is the creation of a divine entity is . . . shall we say, immature.”

Rice’s first impulse was to stalk angrily from the room. Leave the place behind and return to his church, there to pray for God’s mercy and forgiveness. Yet he remembered that his role as a missionary was to bring the word of the Lord to those who’d never heard it. Surely that would include extraterrestrials as well as humans. So he took a deep breath and tried again.

“No need to apologize, Ambassador,” he said. “It’s just that what you say doesn’t make sense. If you and I are both God . . . or gods, rather . . . then who created us?”

“I use the word God in the singular sense, as a term for a collective presence.”
Taf’s head bobbed slightly.
“Furthermore, your question is based on the assumption that God created you, when the fact of the matter is that you created God.”

“Not an assumption at all. It’s clearly stated in the first chapter of Genesis, the first book of our Bible . . . ‘So God created man in his own image, in the image of the God he created him; male and female he created them.’ ”

“Interesting.”
Taf seemed to reflect upon this for a moment.
“Obviously, I do not look like you. Also, I’m not strictly male or female, but instead periodically change genders for purposes of mating and reproduction. Therefore, according to your scriptures, God did not create me. Is that correct?”

Rice had no immediate answer, or at least none that was not potentially embarrassing. “My Church has recently decided that God may have created other beings that were not in His own image,” he said carefully. “However, this does not necessarily mean that the
hjadd
aren’t part of His Holy Dominion.”

“Yes. Of course.”
Taf’s eyes moved apart from each other.
“It may surprise you that this is a typical assumption, usually made by primitive races that haven’t yet progressed to the point where they become aware that their existence is not unique. Allow me to demonstrate . . .”

Hisher mouth silently moved. Whatever Taf said wasn’t translated, but a moment later, heshe vanished, to be replaced by another hologram: an enormous
hjadd
, twice life-size and completely naked, exposing the ridged external spine that ran down hisher back. The
hjadd
was surrounded by a nimbus of soft light, and Rice noticed an expression in hisher eyes that could only be described as maternal.

The creature abruptly bent over and spread hisher thick legs apart. The fin on hisher head extended to its full height as hisher throat sacs rapidly puffed and deflated; the
hjadd
opened hisher mouth and emitted a strangled cry, and a second later a large egg, speckled blue and white, emerged from an orifice between hisher legs. The egg fell to the ground beneath the
hjadd
, and as heshe turned to gaze at it, the egg cracked at its center and burst open. From within its shell, stars, planets, entire galaxies rushed forth, spewing outward to fill the entire chamber.

The hologram faded, and Taf reappeared.
“That was a representation of the creation myth of my own culture. Many centuries ago, before my race developed the means to leave our homeworld, our dominant religion stated that this was the way the universe was born . . . as a giant egg, conceived and hatched by a god that, not coincidentally, looked exactly like us.”
Heshe peered at Rice.
“Are you saying that this is inherently wrong, because it contradicts what is stated in your own scriptures?”

“Well, I . . .”

“No need to be polite. Of course it is wrong. We now acknowledge it to be nothing more than a myth, concocted by an infant culture trying to make sense of its place in the universe. Much the same goes for every race we have encountered. There are variations, naturally . . . the primitive
soranta
had a creation myth that was wonderfully complex . . . but the pattern almost always remains the same, with everything else predicated upon that essential belief.”

Hisher head moved up and down.
“Yet as our race matured, gradually developing the scientific means to study and understand the nature of the universe, the truth became obvious. Our god did not create us . . . we created our god. In time, we discarded our old beliefs, simply because we no longer needed to have a religion to comfort us with the notion that we were unique. The
hjadd
are unique, as are humans . . . but the truth remains that we are not alone in the universe.”

“So you have no religion.” Although he was discomfited by what he’d just seen, Rice nonetheless felt a certain pity for the
hjadd
. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Taf’s fin rose slightly.
“You should not be sorry. For my part, I am amazed to learn that your race continues to believe in the existence of an omniscient entity which, in turn, created you in its own image.”
Heshe paused.
“It is . . . amusing, if you’ll forgive me for saying so.”

Rice’s face felt warm. “No. I’m sorry for you. Without religion, you have no belief in a higher power . . . something that gives meaning or purpose to your life.”

“Another fallacy.”
Hisher fin lowered again.
“
Sa’Tong
teaches us that, once you accept the fact that God is your own creation instead of the opposite, then you yourself are God, and so is everyone else you may encounter, regardless of their race or origin. That is to say, you are responsible for your own actions, and therefore your own destiny.”

Rice raised an eyebrow. “Then you don’t pray?”

He smiled. “Then you do believe in a higher power.”

“But . . . then all you’re doing is praying to yourselves.”

“No. We pray to one another, in hopes that those around us will make the correct decisions.”
Taf’s eyes twitched.
“We have found that we are more likely to get a response that way.”

Rice was no longer smiling. Feeling an urge to sit down, he rested upon the recamier behind him. “But without religion, you have no . . . no moral center. No means by which to determine the difference between right and wrong.”

“Yet another fallacy.”
Taf folded hisher hands together within the sleeves of hisher robe.
“Through the teachings of the
chaaz’braan
, we have learned that
Sa’Tong
has five Codicils. The First Codicil, you have already heard . . . you are God, for God is the creation of the self. The Second Codicil states that, if you accept this principle, you must also accept the fact that everyone else is God, and therefore must be treated as such, with the same amount of reverence and respect. The Third Codicil states that, in order to obey the Second Codicil, you must never take any action that will harm others or yourself. Likewise, the Fourth Codicil forbids any inaction that will lead to others being harmed, or which in turn will do harm to yourself. And the Fifth Codicil states that wrongful acts must be atoned for with righteous acts of equal or greater proportion.”

The
hjadd
paused.
“This may sound simple. Indeed, many religions have complex social codes and commandments. Nevertheless, the Codicils provide a guide to moral behavior. Accept yourself as your own higher being, respect others as if they are higher beings themselves, do no harm to anyone or to yourself, or tolerate lack of actions which, in turn, will result in harm to yourself or others around you, and make amends for your failures. As I said, this a philosophical stance more than it is a religious belief, but you cannot say that it is immoral.”

“I’m sorry, but I disagree.” The reverend shook his head, “Without faith in the Lord, there can be no morality.”

Taf cocked his head sideways, a gesture that seemed to echo Rice’s.
“Do you really believe this? If so, then ask yourself . . . how many wars have been waged in the name of your god? How many nonbelievers have perished because they have refused to submit to a dominant religion? I confess that we are unfamiliar with the details of human history, but if it is similar to those of other races that once worshipped a supreme deity . . . my own race included . . . then I have little doubt that much blood has been shed. And is not murder the most immoral of all acts, and war an evil that must be avoided?”