Tuesday, December 15
#50 - others
It is the mid-21st century. Undoubtedly the most shocking event of the past decade, and likely the entire century, was the discovery of the lost city of Atlantis.
The city, which in actuality functions as a larger undersea society, is populated, and it was the Atlanteans who first made contact several months ago. Not much is yet known about them or their culture, but it seems that their way of life is fairly comparable to ours. However, having limited space in their sea bottom location, they have focused on advancements in technology and the arts (and architecture for their watertight cities). In fact, it was a remarkably complex electronically produced shroud that allowed them and their world to remain undetected for so long. They are fluent in many languages.
Physically, the Atlanteans appear very similar to land-dwelling humans. They walk upright on two legs (and are not mermaids/mermen as most of the tabloids initially speculated). One noticeable difference is the presence of gills on the side of their neck, which allow them to breathe underwater without any external apparatus. Scientists are divided on whether or not the Atlanteans can be classified as homo sapiens and their origins are unknown.
Thus far, all interactions with the Atlanteans have been civil. There is no way to be sure of their intentions, but their claim is that they revealed themselves in order to partner with the human race in protecting earth's environment. Their main wish is to be recognized as a nation, thus having a voice in world events and international affairs. Not surprisingly, opinions and attitudes on this subject vary widely, running the gamut between welcoming and extremely cautious (many have urged the president and other world leaders to act as they would if earth had made extraterrestrial contact).
You are serving as an ambassador of the United States. The president has dispatched you to meet briefly with the Atlanteans in a neutral location and wants you to return with your recommendations.
How do you deal with the Atlanteans? What questions might you ask of them during your meeting? Assuming that everything seems "on the level", do you recommend giving Atlantis nation status?
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2 comments:
How interesting -- I would want to read some of their literature and their history and see their art. What kind of a society are they? Do they practice a religion? What sort of ethical concepts have they agreed upon as a group? How long have they known we were "up there"? Why wait so long to make contact?
That's what I'd want to know first.
I would want to find out as much as I could about the beginnings of their civilization, all the while trying to get a sense of how peaceful they are (or have been throughout their history).
I would be less inclined to recommend nation status for Atlantis if the Atlanteans were indeed non-human, but maybe it is a "Time Machine" type situation, where they were once human.
I feel as though some level of partnership could be reached, even if they were not an official nation. At any rate, the amount of political considerations that would need to be weighed for something like this would be pretty involved.
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