On the distant planet Nydor there was a civilization that had made
great progress in technology, having recently developed rockets,
television, and computers. But in one respect this culture was very
backward: it still had the institution of slavery. All of those with
black skin served as lowly slaves, serving the white-skinned
majority. The government taught that this was the proper order of
things, saying that the black-skinned people were all inferior.
This planet Nydor was the second planet in a solar system of five
planets. After the people on Nydor developed large telescopes, they
began to study the third planet in their solar system, named Selnia.
The people of Nydor could see green patches on Selnia, the signs of
life. The people of Nydor began to dream about one day traveling to
Selnia to see what was there.
The scientists of Nydor began to develop the rockets they would need
to travel to Selnia. But they knew that to get funding for the
expedition, they would have to ask the ruler of their planet, who was
known as the Planet King.
“Why should I give you all this money you are asking for?” asked
the Planet King.
“Great Lord, you are the ruler of all our planet,” said the
expedition organizer. “But if we explore the third planet, Selnia,
then one day your dominion may be increased, and you can be the ruler
of two planets. Also, perhaps we will find black-skinned people on
this planet, who we can bring back in chains to our planet, to serve
us as slaves.”
The King was thereby persuaded to fund the great mission. A great
interplanetary rocket ship was built in orbit. From a list of 1427 applicants, three
pale-skinned men were chosen to go on the mission: Alor, Dren, and
Velnus.
To the cheers of ten thousand watchers, a rocket ship launched the
three men into space. Their ship docked with the orbiting
interplanetary craft designed to take them to the third planet
Selnia.
“Looks like we won't have much room to move around in this craft,”
said Alor. “But we won't have to put up with these cramped
conditions for long. In three months, we'll get to Selnia.”
Burning its rocket engines, the interplanetary ship went off to
Selnia. Two months into the voyage, the ship's radio antenna was
destroyed by a micro-meteorite, a tiny piece of rock traveling at high speeds.
“That kills our radio,” said Alor. “We'll just have to tell
them what we discovered when we get back.”
After a three month voyage the ship reached orbit around Selnia, the
third planet. Alor and Dren moved into a landing craft that would
travel to the surface of the planet. Velnus stayed behind, manning
the interplanetary ship as it orbited Selnia.
The landing craft landed successfully. Alor and Dren took a few
readings with their instruments.
“The atmosphere is just like our planet,” said Alor. “We won't
even need to wear space suits.”
The men got out of their landing craft, and began exploring. They
were soon greeted by intelligent black-skinned beings, who spoke some
language Alor and Dren couldn't understand.
The black-skinned beings gestured for Alor and Dren to come with
them. Through hand gestures, the two men were wordlessly invited to
live with the black-skinned beings. Alor and Dren consented. The
black-skinned beings began trying to learn the language of Alor and
Dren. After only about three weeks, the black-skinned beings were
able to learn the same language Alor and Dren spoke.
“Dren, they've managed to learn our language in only three weeks,”
said Alor. “What do you think that means?”
“I don't know,” said Dren.
“Strangely enough, I think it means that these beings are a lot
more intelligent than we are,” said Alor. “Think of it-- how long
did it take you to learn a language the last time you tried? Maybe
two years? If they can learn our language in three weeks, they must
be far more intelligent than we are.”
“Black people far more intelligent than white people?” said Dren.
It surprised him because on his planet the black people were all
slaves, and were regarded as less intelligent than whites. The Planet
King taught that this was how God intended things, for the whites to
rule over the blacks.
Alor began to ask some questions of the local mayor of the
black-skinned Selnians.
“Do you have any king who rules over you?” asked Alor.
“No,” said the mayor. “Here we follow democracy. We elect our
own leaders, who serve no more than two years.”
“But what about religion?” asked Alor. “On our planet, the king
is not only our political leader but also our spiritual leader, who
commands us what to believe about God.”
“We have no spiritual rulers,” said the mayor. “On our world
each person believes as his own reason compels him, not because any
authority compels him to do so.”
“Do you keep any slaves?” asked Alor.
“Perish the thought!” said the mayor. “Our society is
structured to insure that all enjoy the same social status and the
same economic status. We have no division between the rich and the
poor, no division between the favored and the unlucky. We make sure
that all enjoy the blessings of our planet equally.”
“Is there war on your planet?” asked Alor.
“War?” said the mayor. “We haven't had a war in 2000 years. We
don't even have crime.”
For several weeks Alor and Dren studied the culture of the
black-skinned Selnians, and the men learned all about a society which
was far more advanced than the society Alor and Dren had come from.
Finally the two men returned to their landing craft, and blasted off.
They docked with the interplanetary craft orbiting Selnia, which then
set off to return to the second planet Nydor, their home world.
“Just wait until the people at home hear about what we've
discovered,” said Alor. “This will change everything. The winds
of change will start blowing.”
Three months later the three astronauts returned to the surface of
Nydor, the second planet. The three astronauts were met
enthusiastically by some assistants of the Planet King.
“So tell us, what did you find on the third planet, Selnia?”
asked the assistants. “Were there any black-skinned creatures we
can bring back to our planet in chains?”
“You won't believe it!” said Alor. “The third planet is
inhabited by a black-skinned race. And the amazing thing is: they are
superior to us in every way. They are much smarter than us. They
follow democratic ways. They have no slaves. They have an egalitarian
society, with equality for everyone. They have a more intelligent
approach to religion. They have neither war nor crime. Their
technology is far more advanced than ours. This black-skinned race
has so much to teach us! They are far better than we are.”
The assistants reported these findings to the Planet King. There was
a five hour delay.
Finally the king's assistants returned and spoke to the astronauts.
“Good news,” said the assistants. “You will be flown to see the
Planet King himself. He wants to hear all about your findings.”
The three happy astronauts got in an airplane, which took off into
the sky. After flying for twenty minutes, something very surprising
happened, while the plane was passing over a mountain range. The
pilots of the plane put on parachutes, and jumped out of the plane.
“What the hell did they do that for?” asked Alor. The three
astronauts went to the cockpit of the plane, and tried to fly the
plane themselves.
“God help us, we're out of fuel!” said Dren.
As the Planet King had commanded, the airplane had been deliberately
supplied with only a tenth of the fuel needed to reach its
destination.
“Glide it, we'll have to do a crash landing!” said Alor.
But soon the plane approached a mountain. The astronauts tried to
steer the plane away from the mountain, but without any fuel, they didn't
succeed.
The plane crashed into the mountain, killing all three astronauts in
a giant explosive fireball.
A representative of the Planet King announced the results to the
public.
“The Planet King is very saddened by the most tragic death of his
heroic astronauts,” said the representative. “They died in an
accident while traveling to the King to report the results of their
expedition. But from their spaceship's records we have been able to
determine what they discovered on the third planet, Selnia. They
discovered only plant life and some small animals, but no signs of
any intelligent life.”
A few years later the Planet King discussed what had happened with
his chief adviser, one of only a few who knew the truth about what
had happened.
“It was unfortunate that I had to take such drastic action in
regard to those astronauts, and give the command which led to their
deaths,” said the Planet King. “But I really had no choice. It
was unthinkable that my subjects should learn that some other race
was more advanced and more intelligent than our race. Think of how it
would have undermined faith and weakened the people's confidence that
I am their rightful ruler in all matters political and spiritual. And
for the people to have learned that a black-skinned race was superior
to our own – that would have caused an upheaval in people's
thinking that might have shattered my rule and overturned our
institutions.”
“You did what you had to do, wise ruler,” said the chief adviser.
“Our holy sacred institutions such as slavery must be preserved at
all costs.”
A few minutes later, one of the king's ministers came into the room.
“Great ruler, something astonishing has happened,” said the
minister. “Our scientists have detected a huge spaceship coming
from the third planet, Selnia. It is heading for our planet. It is a
thousand times larger than the spaceship we sent from our planet to
Selnia.”
The Planet King's jaw dropped, and his open-mouthed expression
persisted for several seconds. He then covered his face with his
hands.
“So what do we do now?” asked the chief adviser. “Planet King, you
told everyone there is no intelligent life on Selnia, and that all of the
black-skinned are inferior. So how do we explain it when the superior
black-skinned Selnians land on our planet?”
The Planet King had tried to bury the truth, but now the truth would
bury him.
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