“I know.”
“Have you been accepted yet?” Sharon asked more seriously.
“She will be,” Morey answered cheerfully. “Her grades are excellent, as you well know, and she wrote them a very pompous letter.”
Lissa glared at him. “And what does that mean?”
“Only that they want to hear from people who seem sure of themselves.”
“How many apply?” her mother asked.
“Fewer than fifty,” Morey answered, “and there are openings for over a hundred. As long as she has the grades and shows ambition, they’ll give her a try.”
“Do you have to make it sound so awful?” Lissa demanded. “From what I know, very few people actually apply, and the Institute is picky besides.”
“Darling daughter,” her father said sternly, “it will be what you can make of it, and you know what I think.”
“We wish you well, dear,” her mother said, sipping some tea, “but we’ll always be here when you need us.”
Lissa tensed. “You could show more confidence in me.”
“It’s not you,” Morey said, “it’s the field of work. It could go on for centuries without results.”
Lissa pulled back into herself. “I don’t admit that. They’re out there, talking to us, and we have to keep listening and trying to understand, because what they have to say may be the most important thing in all human history.”
“Let’s hope you’re right,” her mother said as her father sighed impatiently. “You’ve given up the usual amount of dating and socializing, and you’re willing to go to Earth to study—not that it’s a bad place, but people your age don’t think it fashionable to go there. With all that and the dedicated interest you’ve shown, I think you deserve to do what you want.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Lissa said, pleased by the firmness of Sharon’s support.
“Is there any more food?” her mother asked.
“I’ll get you some,” Lissa said.
The mail-alert was flashing on the screen when Lissa came into her room after dinner. She sat down at her desk and touched her thumb to the personal lock. The alert faded, and she saw that a communication had arrived from the Interstellar Institute. It was the formal letter of acceptance, together with some orientation material. She felt a thrill as the title of the brochure appeared over a picture of the Himalayan mountains:
THE INTERSTELLAR INSTITUTE
[ENTER YOUR PREFERENCE FOR VOICE NARRATION OR READING TEXT AND STUDY THIS MATERIAL CAREFULLY]
She chose to read, because reading always conveyed more than a voice-and-picture program, but she hoped there would be at least a few pictures.
Lissa read:
THE INSTITUTE IS LOCATED IN NEPAL, NEAR THE BORDER BETWEEN THAT LAND AND THE INDIAN STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH. HERE, AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THE FABLED “ROOF OF THE WORLD,” THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS, STUDENTS FROM ALL PARTS OF SUNSPACE ARE TRAINED FOR THE IMPORTANT TASK OF INTERPRETING A MESSAGE FROM THE STARS.
THE INSTITUTE’S LOCATION AND GROUNDS WERE MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF THE FAMILY OF ADRI SHASTRI, THE PROMINENT INDIAN SCIENTIST WHO FIRST PICKED UP THE ALIEN SIGNAL IN 2064. DR. SHASTRI’S FAMILY, WHO OWNED THE LAND AND BUILDINGS WHERE THE INSTITUTE IS SITUATED, CONTRIBUTED THESE HOLDINGS, AS WELL AS SOME OF THEIR WEALTH, FOR THE RESTORATION OF THE STRUCTURE, TOWARD THE FULFILLMENT OF THEIR SON’S DREAM—A SCHOOL WHERE THE UNUSUAL AND CREATIVE STUDENT COULD BE TRAINED IN WHATEVER KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNIQUES MIGHT BE NEEDED IN INTERPRETING THE ALIEN SIGNAL. IT IS HOPED THAT A STUDENT TRAINED HERE MIGHT BE THE ONE WHO WILL ONE DAY REVEAL THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS TO ALL HUMANITY.
THE INSTITUTE ITSELF IS HOUSED IN A STRUCTURE ONCE USED AS A MONASTERY. IT IS PERHAPS APPROPRIATE THAT, IN THIS MOUNTAINOUS, ISOLATED SPOT, WHERE A COMMUNITY OF MONKS ONCE PONDERED THE REALMS OF THE SPIRIT, STUDENTS NOW PONDER A MYSTERY AS DEEP—A SIGNAL FROM AN ALIEN CIVILIZATION.
STUDENTS ARE HOUSED IN THE MONASTERY ITSELF; AND IN AN INSTALLATION DEEP WITHIN THE MOUNTAIN UPON WHICH THE MONASTERY RESTS, STUDENTS, TECHNICIANS, AND VISITING SCIENTISTS MAY COME TO VIEW THE ALIEN SIGNAL.
THE NEAREST VILLAGE IS IN THE VALLEY BELOW THE INSTITUTE. IT IS INHABITED BY BOTH CITIZENS OF NEPAL AND A FEW PEOPLE FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD, MOST OF WHOM PURSUE A SIMPLER FORM OF LIFE AS FORESTERS AND HERDSPEOPLE. THE VILLAGE CAN BE REACHED BY FOOT OR ON HORSEBACK. STUDENTS MAY, DURING FREE MOMENTS, ARRANGE FOR TRANSPORTATION TO THE NEPALESE CAPITOL OF KATMANDU, BUT SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THE NEPAL OF INTERNATIONAL AND INTERPLANETARY TRAVELERS IS NOT WHAT THEY WILL FIND IN THIS SUBDUED SETTING OF MOUNTAINS AND FORESTS. STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO CONDUCT THEMSELVES WITH RESTRAINT IN THE VILLAGE, AND TO TREAT ITS PEOPLE WITH COURTESY SHOULD THEY CHOOSE TO SPEND TIME THERE. THESE PEOPLE LEAD LIVES QUITE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE MOST STUDENTS HAVE PURSUED, AND TEND, QUITE UNDERSTANDABLY, TO REGARD THE INSTITUTE WITH SOME AMUSEMENT.
UNLIKE OTHER UNIVERSITIES AND INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING, THE INSTITUTE SELECTS A GROUP OF STUDENTS ONLY ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS. THIS IS SO THAT EACH GROUP CAN START FRESH AND FIND ITS OWN WAY WITHOUT THE INTERVENTION AND GUIDANCE OF OLDER AND MORE EXPERIENCED STUDENTS. AT THE END OF EACH THREE-YEAR PERIOD, A NEW GROUP WILL BE CHOSEN. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE PLACES FOR AS MANY AS ONE HUNDRED STUDENTS AT A TIME, THE INSTITUTE WILL TAKE ONLY AS MANY STUDENTS AS IT FEELS ARE QUALIFIED. APPLICANTS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THE STANDARDS ARE AS HIGH AS AT MOST SELECTIVE SCHOOLS, AND THAT ACADEMIC ABILITY ALONE WILL NOT ENSURE THAT AN APPLICATION WILL BE ACCEPTED. A GROUP OF STUDENTS MAY NUMBER AS MANY AS A HUNDRED, OR AS FEW AS FIVE. EACH APPLICANT IS EXPECTED TO SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING:
1) A RECORD OF GRADES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT ANY SCHOOL HE OR SHE HAS ATTENDED.
2) A PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE.
3) A RECORD OF HEALTH.
4) AN EMPLOYMENT RECORD, IF ANY, ALONG WITH A BRIEF ESSAY ABOUT WHY THE JOB WAS TAKEN.
5) TWO LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION. THESE MAY BE SUBMITTED BY TEACHERS, EMPLOYERS, OR ANY ADULT NOT RELATED TO THE APPLICANT WITH WHOM THE APPLICANT HAS HAD PROLONGED CONTACT, OR ANY PERSON OF HIGH ACHIEVEMENT WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE AN ADULT. WHEN REQUESTING SUCH LETTERS, APPLICANTS SHOULD POINT OUT THAT THE INSTITUTE IS INTERESTED IN IMPRESSIONS OF AND FEELINGS ABOUT THE APPLICANT, AS WELL AS IN HOW THE APPLICANT HAS PERFORMED IN THE PAST. CAREFUL THOUGHT SHOULD BE GIVEN AS TO WHOM ONE SELECTS TO WRITE SUCH LETTERS; THAT CAN BE AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT IS STATED IN THE LETTER ITSELF.
6) A WRITTEN ESSAY ABOUT THE APPLICANT’S REASONS FOR WISHING TO ATTEND THE INSTITUTE.
7) A RECORDING OF THE APPLICANT’S IMAGE AND VOICE, IN WHICH THE PROSPECTIVE STUDENT RELATES THE MOST SIGNIFICANT OR FORMATIVE EXPERIENCES IN HIS OR HER LIFE. THIS RECORDING, LIKE THE ESSAY, MAY BE AS LONG OR SHORT AS THE APPLICANT FEELS IS NECESSARY. IF THE APPLICANT CANNOT AFFORD TO SUBMIT SUCH A RECORDING OR HAS NO ACCESS TO SUCH EQUIPMENT AS MAY BE NECESSARY, HE OR SHE MAY SUBMIT A REQUEST IN WRITING FOR EXEMPTION FROM THIS REQUIREMENT. SHOULD THE INSTITUTE FEEL THAT THE APPLICANT SHOWS PROMISE, AN INTERVIEWER WILL ARRANGE TO VISIT THE APPLICANT IN HIS OR HER HOME OR A PLACE NEAR IT.
8) ANYTHING ELSE THAT MAY GIVE THE INSTITUTE A PICTURE OF THE APPLICANT. THIS INCLUDES RECORDS OF ANY HONORS GIVEN, A PIECE OF ARTWORK OR A SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENT DONE BY THE APPLICANT, A POEM OR A WORK OF FICTION, RECORDS OF ATHLETIC ACCOMPLISHMENT, OR AN ESSAY ABOUT HOBBIES AND SPECIAL INTERESTS.
PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS ARE ADVISED
NOT
TO VISIT THE INSTITUTE, EVEN IF SUCH A VISIT IS FEASIBLE. THE ABILITY OF A STUDENT TO ADAPT TO A NEW AND STRANGE ENVIRONMENT IS AN IMPORTANT REQUIREMENT OF THE INSTITUTE’S PROGRAM.[SPECIAL NOTE: IF YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED WITHOUT FULFILLING ALL THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS, PLEASE SUPPLY THE MISSING ITEMS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE]
APPLICANTS SHOULD BEAR IN MIND THAT THE INSTITUTE’S PROGRAM DIFFERS FROM THE MORE FORMAL AND STRUCTURED COURSES OF STUDY IN OTHER CENTERS OF HIGHER LEARNING. MUCH OF WHAT IS LEARNED WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE STUDENT, WHO WILL BE ENCOURAGED TO EXPLORE MANY AREAS.
EACH STUDENT WILL BE GIVEN A PERSONAL AI [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] AND, WITH THE AID OF THIS ENTITY, WILL PURSUE VARIOUS SUBJECTS. THE AI OR A VISITING SCIENTIST MAY OCCASIONALLY SUGGEST AN ASSIGNMENT. TUTORIALS AND SEMINARS WILL BE HELD AT INTERVALS WITH DR. SHASTRI OR ONE OF HIS ASSOCIATES, AND STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REQUEST SUCH TUTORIALS AT ANY TIME WHEN THEY FEEL THEY WANT TO PURSUE A SPECIAL LINE OF INQUIRY. STUDENTS WILL ALSO BE EXPECTED TO SPEND TIME EXAMINING THE ALIEN SIGNAL DIRECTLY. AS THE STUDENT PROGRESSES, IT WILL BE NATURAL THAT HE OR SHE WILL CHOOSE TO WORK ON SOME SUBJECTS TO THE EXCLUSION OF OTHERS. AT THE END OF THE FIRST YEAR, EACH STUDENT WILL CONFER WITH DR. SHASTRI AND REACH AN ASSESSMENT OF THE STUDENT’S PROGRESS. EACH STUDENT WILL BE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE A TENTATIVE PLAN FOR HIS OR HER FUTURE STUDIES AND THE REASONS FOR CHOOSING SUCH A COURSE.
NO GRADES ARE GIVEN AT THE INSTITUTE. ABOUT EVERY THREE MONTHS, THE STUDENT WILL RECEIVE A WRITTEN EVALUATION BY DR. SHASTRI OR ONE OF HIS ASSOCIATES. ALTHOUGH MOST STUDENTS COMPLETE THEIR THREE-YEAR COURSE OF STUDY AT THE HIMALAYAN CENTER, OCCASIONALLY ONE MAY BE GIVEN A CHANCE TO LEAVE BEFORE THAT TIME FOR ONE OF THE INSTITUTE’S OTHER BRANCHES IN SUNSPACE, WHERE STUDENTS WILL STILL BE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THEIR STUDIES.
UNLIKE MORE CONVENTIONAL UNIVERSITIES, THE INSTITUTE ARRANGES NO CLUB MEETINGS, SOCIAL EVENTS, TEAM SPORTS, OR ASSOCIATIONS. STUDENTS ARE FREE TO FORM SUCH CLUBS OR GROUPS THEMSELVES AND TO ARRANGE FOR THEIR OWN SOCIAL LIVES, IF THEY SO CHOOSE. VISITING RESEARCHERS AND SCHOLARS WILL ARRANGE FOR SEMINARS AND MAY BE INVITED TO ANY SOCIAL FUNCTION PLANNED BY STUDENTS. MOST STUDENTS HAVE FOUND THAT THE DEMANDS OF THEIR WORK DO NOT ALLOW FOR AN ACTIVE SOCIAL LIFE, AND THE ISOLATED SETTING DOES NOT OFFER MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOCIALIZING. PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS SEEKING A VARIED SOCIAL LIFE ARE ADVISED TO LOOK ELSEWHERE. MAVERICKS WHO CAN RELY ON THEIR OWN MENTAL RESOURCES AND CAN SEEK THEIR OWN AMUSEMENTS WITHOUT THE SUPERVISION AND GUIDANCE OF OTHERS MAY FIND THE INSTITUTE A CONGENIAL PLACE.
BECAUSE THE INSTITUTE HAS NO FORMAL COURSE OF STUDY AND NO SET REQUIREMENTS, STUDENTS ARE GRANTED DEGREES WHEN, IN THE INSTITUTE’S JUDGMENT, THEY HAVE MET THE HIGHEST STANDARDS FOR SUCH A DEGREE. A FEW STUDENTS HAVE ALREADY ACHIEVED ONE OR TWO DOCTORATES AT THE END OF THEIR COURSE OF STUDIES, WHILE OTHERS LEAVE WITH A BACCALAUREATE ONLY. EACH STUDENT IS EXPECTED TO SET HIS OR HER OWN PACE, WHILE KEEPING THE INSTITUTE’S PURPOSE—THE BREAKING OF THE ALIEN SIGNAL—FIRMLY IN MIND. INSTITUTE STUDENTS LIVE FOR THE FULFILLMENT OF THIS HIGHEST AMBITION.
ALL STUDENTS CAN BE ASSURED THAT THEY WILL RECEIVE AN EDUCATION EQUAL TO ANY IN SUNSPACE. THOUGH FEW CHOOSE TO LEAVE THE INSTITUTE FOR ANOTHER SCHOOL BEFORE COMPLETING THEIR THREE YEARS, THOSE WHO HAVE DONE SO FIND THAT THEY ARE EASILY ADMITTED TO EVEN THE MOST SELECTIVE SCHOOLS, PASSING RIGOROUS ORAL AND WRITTEN EXAMINATIONS. MANY OF THE INSTITUTE’S GRADUATES HAVE FOUND A RICH AND INTELLECTUALLY REWARDING LIFE IN ITS OTHER BRANCHES, WHERE THEY CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DIFFICULT MULTIGENERATIONAL JOB OF SOLVING THE MOST PROFOUND MYSTERY EVER PRESENTED TO OUR SPECIES.
The brochure ended. It still sounded a bit pompous to her, but she again felt the thrill of possible accomplishment in confronting the unknown and unmasking it. Her own written essay had probably sounded just as pompous.
She turned off the screen. It was almost time for sleep, and she still had to shower.
The graduation ceremony took place on the lawn behind the Riverbend High School gym. A hundred students, their parents, and a band turned out at 10:00 A.M., June 1, 2080. Mr. J. W. Molly, the Principal, gave a short speech about city-states in history, drawing obvious parallels with the Free Space Settlements throughout Sunspace. He reminded his audience that Sunspace included all the inhabited worlds of the Solar System—the natural planets; the artificial habitats in the Asteroids and around Jupiter and Saturn; the industrial community around Mercury; the domed cities on Mars and Venus; the Lunar Settlements; and, technically speaking, even Earth itself. Bernal One had been one of the earliest space colonies to be built in the Moon’s Orbit, he pointed out, and was nearly as old as the century. A number of the other habitats in the Bernal Clusters of L-4 and L-5 were almost fifty years old. Ten new O’Neill Cylinders were under construction in Solar orbit. No one would ever run out of room out here, since new worlds could be built as population increased. Total population beyond Earth was well over 10 million and growing, and 3 million were right here at L-5 …
Lissa sat in the first row, waiting impatiently for the diplomas to be handed out. She looked up at the giant triangle of Skytown, ten kilometers across from Riverbend on the inner equator of the hollow sphere that was Bernal One. There was a graduation ceremony going on there also. Most of the college-bound graduates were going to Dandridge Cole University, or to one of the technical colleges on Luna. She was the only one she knew who was going to Earth.
“I’ll also be going to Lunar Backside,” she explained defensively during the reception that followed the ceremony, “as soon as I’m done with my preliminary studies on Earth. The Institute has branches all over Sunspace, you know.” Elena Tomasino, her physics lab partner, smiled politely and wished her luck, obviously not caring much about whether it was true. Earth just didn’t have much of a reputation as a place to live. Sunspacers liked the idea of visiting, but they kept in mind the fact that this was a world that killed more than half a million people a year with natural disasters, accidents, and crime. Sunspacers were used to clean, orderly environments that they could control to a high degree, and that was just not possible on a natural world.
As her class milled around on the lawn, Lissa sat down in an empty chair, feeling guilty about Henry Baum. He just didn’t attract her, even if she hadn’t been going away. She spotted him with his parents in the crowd, but he looked away from her.
“Why do you want to go to Earth?” he had asked her a week ago. He was the closest to a boyfriend she had ever had, or had permitted herself to have, and she had realized suddenly that he was really upset about her going away. “My dad says Earth’s crowded and smelly, and it has weird diseases that resist treatment.”