GENESIS

Nadia watched the creature on the other side of the nano-door with a sad expression on her face. As the nano-door was transparent only from her side – Nadia could see the creature, but from where it was standing, only a large boulder could be seen, naturally blending with the mountainside it was embedded in and the lush vegetation surrounding them. Behind her, the corridor continued for hundreds of meters into the mountain, leading to the vast underground research complex.

This area around them, with its rich flora and fauna, mirrored the state of affairs on the entire planet that they were standing on. Such scenery was the theme everywhere on its surface. But the biosphere of this planet was not simply lush and plentiful – it was perfect. And the existence of the creature on it was no accident.

In fact, the creature was the very reason for Nadia’s own presence on this planet, one of many in the galaxy-spanning empire they had created. This particular planet, however, was unique among all the other planets that they had settled on. No other planet in the empire had the perfect biosphere that this planet had. Perfection that had been attained using highly advanced technological means – and through the enormous efforts by many of Nadia’s kind over these past centuries.

Too many.

Every organism on this planet, every animal or bacterium, existed as part of an ideal symbiotic harmony that extended across the entire planet. No organism here ever harmed another, as flawless chains of energy transfers connected them to each other and to the entire biosphere. The sentient organisms fed only on the non-sentient ones – the planet’s flora – no predator nor prey.

The entirety of the planet’s surface was a captivating mosaic of colors stretching as far as the eye could see. A patchwork of shades of green, from forests to grassy hills, occasionally interspersed by majestic grey mountains. Golden shores gently touching deep blue seas and azure lakes. The planet’s waters were also rich with life, while its watery organisms continued the same harmonious symbiotic chains as their land-based brethren.

Such was this planet. A gorgeous and plentiful garden enveloping an entire world.

Maintaining such a subtle balance of an entire planet’s biosphere, however, was a different story. A highly demanding, never-ending task that required many resources and constant preservation efforts. The price was too high. And this planet could not continue to exist in this way.

Nadia’s kind needed to find another solution.

And thus, the idea was born. An idea that had slowly materialized over decades, until it came to be – literally – in the flesh. The intricate work required from Nadia and her colleagues to this end over these past decades of her life had to be delicate and precise. And now, the fruit of their labor was standing before her as she watched saddened. Despite all their work, this planet’s fate was sealed. Nadia looked for consolation contemplating the alternatives, the paths not taken. No, it was better this way. There was no other way. It was just not meant to be.

As the creature was entirely naked, the organ dangling between its legs was clearly visible. That was the one essential and most important difference between the creature’s body and Nadia’s. That organ was the focus of her work and the center of her thoughts for so many years now. Not exactly the organ itself, of course, but rather what it meant.

Unlike the creature, Nadia’s body – like the rest of her kind – did not contain a reproductive system. It was not possible at all, nor was it necessary, since her body was not built as a natural organism.

Nadia’s body was the sophisticated result of highly advanced technology. Her muscles were nano-fibers. Although the creature possessed a prominent muscular physique, Nadia’s body was hundreds of times stronger. Her skin was an elaborate weave of nano-units covering her from head to toe. Her body required no food, containing enough energy to maintain its function for years without needing to recharge, which it was constantly doing anyway, since it fed on any type of radiation that hit her skin at any given moment. The creature, on the other hand, would have to consume organic nutrients from its surroundings each and every day or its body’s functions would gradually diminish until they came to a halt, and it would cease to be.

Nadia’s brain was an incredibly complex system of nano-neurons that had a million times more synaptic connections than the creature’s organic brain could ever hold. Her mind retained perfect knowledge in many different disciplines – math, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and many others. She knew every detail of the history of any planet in their empire. Nadia was over three hundred years old – very young by the standards of her kind. Her body would continue to exist for thousands of years.

There was just no way of building such a perfect body as Nadia’s and her kind using biological cells.

Organic systems were too weak, limited – inferior. Like the creature standing now before her. Which is why they had given up on biological systems for their bodies hundreds of thousands of years ago. At first, they used genetics, enhancing their organic bodies by manipulating their own genetic code. When they reached the limits of what biological systems alone had to offer, they turned to cybernetics. But the artificial was held back by the organic. And so, in the end they simply transferred themselves to fully synthetic bodies, artificial nano-cells completely replacing their inferior biological predecessors. Surpassing them a hundred-fold in every possible aspect.

That also meant that Nadia’s kind were no longer born – they were made. They were manufactured using enormous, exceptionally advanced factories. The resources and energy required for making even a single one of them were extremely high. But even that wasn’t the main reason why they had created so few of themselves. The process of population engineering was itself a delicate balancing act. The different personalities of each individual, their different skills, talents, and realms of knowledge – as well as the division between male and female members of the species – all had to be taken into account. A carefully calculated blend that left them without hate, without jealousy, without anger. Without violence.

They had co-existed harmoniously with each other for hundreds of thousands of years. But in order to preserve this harmony, adding any new member to the species required careful calculations. As a result, there were only several hundred thousand of them. In fact, there were only hundreds of them on most planets in the empire, and no more than a few thousands on the most densely populated ones. Any attempt to manufacture more of themselves could violate this subtle equilibrium and risk the whole endeavor. Given their immense power, should they ever devolve into war, they would undoubtedly destroy themselves along with most life in the galaxy.

But to conserve the pristine biosphere of this planet, the combined work of many would be needed.

Nadia’s kind had to constantly monitor the planet’s organisms – ensure they had enough food and that they did not evolve into patterns of harming each other. If any organism migrated to a different area, things would have to be reassessed. The flora in every region of the planet had to sustain the multitude of organisms inhabiting it. No organism could be allowed to multiply too much – or too little. Any evolutionary step by any one organism could trigger thousands of evolutionary changes to other species. Not to mention the relationship between the organisms and their environment – which, in turn, could influence back the organisms living in it.

This planet’s perfect biosphere, like any biosphere, was constantly striving to change – but every change had to be examined carefully. The task of maintaining this delicate order was a boundless and relentless undertaking.

Initially, Nadia’s kind turned to automated machines. But such machines proved to be limited in their abilities – and most importantly – in their executive functions. More significant, however, was the fact that the machines also were non-organic constructs. Manufacturing and maintaining them was costly and damaging to the very biosphere that they were meant to look after. They were not part of the planet’s biosphere – but a foreign and unnatural element painfully embedded in it.

Worse still, in order to turn the biosphere of every planet in the empire into a perfect one, as they had done here – their highest aspiration – would require millions of individual units working together. But such agents could not be Nadia’s kind, and neither could they be automated non-organic machines.

No, to do this, the entities that would maintain the perfect biosphere would have to be themselves a native part of that very same biosphere. Their bodies would have to be made of biological cells. They would be like any other organism on the planet, feed on its rich vegetation. They would have to multiply using no factories and no advanced technologies – their bodies would contain a reproductive system, and they will reproduce on their own. Biological machines – organic agents maintaining and preserving the plentiful biosphere that they themselves would be a part of.

What could be better than the guardians of the perfect biosphere being biological entities that are a natural part of it?

At its core, the idea was simple. Nadia’s kind would take an existing life form and upgrade it only so slightly. The empire had many planets containing semi-sapient organisms. Nadia and her colleagues elected one of these organisms from a water-rich planet with a cruel biosphere – predators and prey, harmful micro-organisms, storms, deserts, icy mountain caps. A virgin planet, discovered by Nadia’s kind many years ago in a desolate corner of the galaxy and, given how unimpressive it was, never having been colonized. Its harsh conditions giving rise to particularly resilient life forms.

They copied and modified this genetic code. Adding some intelligence, slightly altering the body structure, making all the necessary changes. They repeated this process over and over again – as something was missing at each iteration. As they enlarged the brain, they realized changes to the body were needed – only to discover that the result was still not intelligent enough for the task at hand. And so they went on. They did not mean to add much intelligence – only enough to allow them to fulfill their intended role. After all, they weren’t supposed to be fundamentally different from the automated machines. They were meant to be their biological equivalents.

But the final outcome was entirely different than what they had ever intended…

The creature’s naked body was similar in its overall structure to Nadia’s: bipedal, two hands, a head. Standing upright on its two feet. But that’s where the similarity between them ended. And yet, this resemblance was not accidental – in order for it to be able to fulfill its role, Nadia’s kind had to create him in their own image.

On the planet Eden stood the first human – Adam.

This was their name for their perfect planet, and that was what they called their creation – standing now before Nadia, as she looked at him with gloomy eyes and contemplated the long journey that had brought them to this point.

In that same instant, emerging from the wall of plants and leaves behind him, the female emerged. Nadia shifted her gaze to her. They created her from genetic material that they had taken from him, from the side of his body, below one of the ribs. An insignificant detail that held no special meaning, just something that Nadia remembered now. They called her Eve.

As Eve was also completely naked, Nadia could spot the reproductive organ between her legs as well. Eve’s reproductive organ wasn’t as visible as Adam’s. Nadia knew every detail of their reproductive system. She knew that even though, externally, Adam’s reproductive organ appeared larger, Eve’s was mostly inside her body and larger than his.

Nadia’s gaze now fixed on Eve’s lower abdomen. That was where truly the wonder of creation would take place. There was the intricately designed beauty – the culmination of all her work over these past many years. Without the need for any large factories or any advanced technology, these two beings could multiply – eventually becoming millions. As a result of the work of Nadia and her kind, Eve would be able to give birth to intelligent beings.

Eve approached Adam, gently touching his shoulder. He turned to her, smiling. Then he pulled her closer to him and kissed her softly. In her hand, Eve held a red, succulent fruit that she had already taken a few bites from. She offered it to Adam, who took a bite as well. Nadia’s heart skipped a heartbeat. There it was again – right in front of her eyes. They had noticed it several weeks ago. Love. Affection. Thought. And ever since they noticed it, Nadia had been following and observing them from afar. Witnessing their love, as the anger rises up within her.

How could they have been so blind? How had they not anticipated this possibility?

Adam and Eve had evolved into a far more intelligent life form than they were supposed to be. Capable of love and sadness. Clearly sapient, and free of thought. Once Nadia and her colleagues realized this was the case, Adam and Eve’s fate was sealed, as was the fate of the planet Eden.

Beyond all the superior physical and mental capabilities that their artificial, nano-cell based bodies provided them with, Nadia’s kind could also communicate with each other remotely. Sound waves were an inferior method of communication, used only by organic entities due to the limits of their biological nature. Nadia’s kind, however, were not limited in such a way. While they weren’t capable of communicating over the vast distances of space on their own, each planet in the empire was connected to a faster than light communications array. A galactic network that they could always tap into at will from any planet of the empire that they were on.

This meant that, while they were all individual entities, they were also a part of a galaxy-wide hive mind. Each acting as a single neuron of the brain, a vast shared consciousness of their multitude of voices. Conversing with each other with mere thought. Sharing knowledge, beauty, and emotion. And above all – constantly debating with each other over any question that the empire faced. Deciding together. The many as one, the one that is many.

Long it had been since the hive mind was challenged so by a decision that they had to make. What was to be done with the humans now? What would be the fate of the planet Eden?

There were many voices.

At first some suggested that the humans’ genetic code be changed again and their intelligence reduced somewhat. But they quickly decided against this course of action, as it would constitute harm done to the humans. No, from the moment Adam and Eve existed, and existed in the form that they did, they had the right to continue existing in this way, just as they were. Modifying them would be an immoral act. They were clearly capable of evolving, of learning. Becoming something more than what they were right now. There was no way of knowing what they could become. But preventing such a future from happening, eliminating it – would be the same as killing this future version of them.

So, if the humans’ intelligence cannot be reduced, perhaps it could be better directed, echoed other voices in the endless chasm of thought. Many possible mechanisms had been proposed. Some suggested genetic modification again, not harming their intelligence, simply shifting their desires ever so slightly. Others suggested cybernetic implants that would limit or direct their thoughts to the task at hand by stimulating pleasure. And then there were the voices that pointed out that none of that was necessary, that the humans’ brain had already contained inherent flaws that could be used to direct them where needed. Psychological aspects that would combine together into sociological patterns when they multiplied. The carrot and the stick. Mental imagery that they could be convinced of. Mathematical models proving all of this were shown.

But these avenues were also quickly abandoned. How could they even be considered? Nadia wondered. Limiting the humans’ freedom of thought or choice, or otherwise manipulating their true desires was perhaps even worse than limiting their intelligence. Any way this would be done, it would be slavery – plain and simple. And enslaving a sapient, intelligent life form was clearly an immoral thing to do. Unthinkable, in Nadia’s eyes. This option was also eventually cast aside by the hive mind.

Perhaps their ability to reproduce should simply be removed? Adam and Eve would spend the rest of their lives happily and peacefully on the planet Eden, incapable of reproducing and multiplying. Nadia’s kind could try again, create a new life form, while the first two humans died of old age, it was suggested. They ruled this one out as well as an immoral harm directed at Adam and Eve. How could they prevent the joy and right of creation from their own creation?

A small minority of voices offered the most dreaded thought of all inside the Mindspace. Nadia’s kind had created the humans – surely, they had the right to cease their existence! One moment the humans would exist – and the next they would be gone. Exactly as they were created from one moment to the next, just in the opposite order. No pain, no limit of freedom, thought, or ability to reproduce. No slavery or coercion. Just a painless, instant non-existence – identical to their state prior to their creation by Nadia’s kind.

This option was also rejected.

Many other thoughts came and went. Each one laid heavily on Nadia’s heart. The mere thought of those possibilities ever having been echoed and considered in the hive mind filling her with grief.

And while this was going on, another thing was becoming clear to Nadia’s kind. Regardless of what would be of the humans – they could not try again. There was no point in starting over since it would lead to the same result. The humans’ story would repeat itself. In fact, even if there was no certainty that it would, just the mere chance of Adam and Eve’s story happening again meant that taking that risk would also be an immoral act. Every time Nadia’s kind would try and create another intelligent life form – a mere biological agent for the purpose of serving their own needs – they would run the risk of creating another Adam and Eve. A life form born not as intended, not fit for its purpose – but which would now be entitled to continue to exist. Nadia’s kind had no moral right to roll this cosmic dice.

As the list of potential courses of action grew shorter, the only valid answer became more and more apparent in the Mindspace.

The humans must be set free.

The option that disheartened Nadia so, except for what small consolation was offered by the knowledge that none of the other options would come to be. Her precious humans would not be enslaved or harmed in any way. But they also could not stay on planet Eden.

Planet Eden would be abandoned, the doors leading to the vast underground complex behind her that had given birth to the human species, shut forever. Without their constant supervision, the biosphere would slowly degrade back to what it had been hundreds of years ago. The perfect beauty of Planet Eden would be lost forever.

The humans would be transferred to another planet – that same planet from which Nadia’s kind had taken the genetic code that was used as the basis for Adam and Eve. Earth, it was called. There the ship would land, set Adam and Eve free – and leave them there to their fate.

Nadia insisted on escorting them on their final journey. They would not be conscious during the voyage, of course. In fact, they would know or remember nothing. In the Mindspace, Nadia’s kind had also made the decision that no further interaction with the humans will take place. No ship would enter their solar system. "Their" solar system, Nadia thought, as if they knew what a solar system was.

No contact with Adam and Eve or their offspring would be allowed. This was the only way to ensure that the humans would be free to evolve in whatever way they were meant to evolve. The only way they would be really free, whatever their path may be. A path which, Nadia’s kind knew perfectly well – had a high likelihood of ending in a self-inflicted annihilation. Regardless, Nadia’s kind would not intervene.

On the other side of the airlock, Adam and Eve went on with their doings. Smiling to each other and being in love. But something caught Nadia’s attention… something was not right. She sensed that the humans’ behavior was somehow different. Nadia kept watching, as the sight unfolded before her eyes. A small animal was walking in the area. Furry and stubby, waddling along slowly on its short legs, its belly almost touching the ground. Without any warning, Adam and Eve lunged at it, pinning it down, clubbing it with their fists! Nadia cried out in terror, but there was no one to hear her. She dropped to her knees, unable to look away as the poor animal tried helplessly to defend itself. But life forms on planet Eden had no claws or fangs to defend themselves with. They had no need for them. The ferocity of Adam and Eve’s attack increased – Adam lifting large rocks and dropping them on the wounded animal. Eve pulling on its legs. One leg was torn off from its body. Then another. Eventually the poor critter was limbless, bleeding, mortally wounded – trying to crawl away on its belly. It squealed in pain and terror, but Adam and Eve responded with laughter. Nadia screamed, but no one heard her. She could have tapped into the Mindspace and share the horrific moment with the rest of her kind, but she was frozen by the sight, unable to do anything other than continue watching. Then the next boulder dropped on the poor animal’s head appeared to almost finish it off. It was dazed. It stopped fighting, only making slight movements now.

What Nadia witnessed then shocked her to her core. Adam and Eve started feasting on the still living creature! Carving it up with a sharp stone, removing its skin while it was conscious, drawing its terminal breath. There was blood all around, their hands and faces painted red. They smiled to each other, then kissed again while consuming the animal’s flesh. When they were done, they fashioned rough clothing from the animal’s fur, wrapping them around their reproductive organs. The same reproductive organs that Nadia had worked so diligently all these years to design for them so perfectly. Now they were covered in blood.

Still on her knees, Nadia wanted to cry. But she couldn’t. Her body had never been designed to do so, as her kind hadn’t had the need for it for hundreds of thousands of years.

Eventually the humans were done. They got up and disappeared between the trees and bushes of planet Eden’s perfect biosphere. The human’s intelligence meant that they could do things their bodies weren’t originally designed for, such as killing another creature and consuming its flesh. Fashioning tools for such a grotesque act. Feeding on the nutrients from a sapient organism’s muscles and organs – when they were supposed to feed on the planet’s flora.

Intelligent life forms can manipulate their surroundings. Use a planet’s biosphere the way they want. Use other organisms as they see fit, for their own ends.