Universal Explorer in the Outer Milky Way Galaxy: 1985 AD, Earth Time

Dom was concerned, as was the Collective Intelligence. Seala and he had been watching in horror as most of the beings on the fragile planet they were listening to were engaged in a brutal killing spree that was threatening the planet itself. They had detected an explosion, on a small island named Japan on the edge of the largest ocean, that had destroyed a place called Hiroshima, along with its inhabitants. It had been preceded by two other explosions. They knew it was coming. Still, it was a shock.

The explosions meant that the beings, who called themselves "humans" whose images they had been getting in simple monochromatic scans for sixteen rotations, had developed the ability to manipulate atomic structure. It foretold a very dangerous period for the inhabitants of the blue planet, a time when the planet, itself, could be destroyed, or all of its life poisoned.

In the rotations that followed, they were relieved to learn that the Japanese had surrendered, and the conflict that had pained them for eight cycles appeared to be subsiding. Still, they now knew that a beast in the form of nuclear energy had been released. In the hands of humans so violent, would it lead to their demise? The signals were much stronger now. They painted a picture of an estranged planet, with many branches of the human form vying for control and power. Even after the great war, many small conflicts flared. The messages they got out were varied and fleeting, but they showed an intelligence that was still primitive and unyielding. Humans had no idea how to think like the Collective.

Dom could see that the great war had accelerated the development and use of technology. The Universal Intelligence had taught them that rapid technological development could do great damage to a planet, threatening life itself. Even with the meager information the Senses were getting, it was obvious that the biosphere that supported life on the planet was threatened by the burgeoning human population and its unbridled use of technology. While human beings saw war as a destructive force, they failed to see their own success as a species as a threat too.

Images were coming in too. While broadcast radio had given Dom, Seala, and the Collective a lot to think about, broadcast television was giving them images of what these human beings lived and looked like. The images were moralistic and stereotyped, like and imitation of reality, but they showed that these beings were capable of good and loved humor. The news stories were more realistic, but seemed to depict a planet perpetually in peril. They were closing, but still too far off to affect the outcome of a foolish decision or set of circumstances. Most heartening was the formation of the United Nations. Most disheartening was the schism the appeared between a nation called the United States and a collection of nations called the Soviet Union. Testing of nuclear technology by explosion by both of these entities cast an ominous cloud over the optimism of the Collective.

While the Senses still provided forced diversion to keep everyone healthy, fascination with the blue planet grew. Every electronic signal was gathered, stored, and analyzed. The Collective was amazed at the wide variety of languages, religions, and forms of government. While humans occupied every land mass on the planet except the large ice covered one, called Antarctica, their diversity of thought was attributed to geographical isolation. It appeared that technology spread much faster than ideas. The misuse, and abuse, of technology was widespread. Human beings used materials like there was an endless supply. There was no time to lose. Dom wished that the Universal Intelligence had provided them a way to go faster than the speed of light. He went back to visit the model often. It was now much larger and growing detail rapidly. By the time they would arrive, the Collective would have total knowledge of the planet and its inhabitants. If the Universal Intelligence was correct, and his own experience was true, they would know far more than the humans who claimed the planet as their own. They already had sensed a struggle between good and evil. Fear often overcame rational thought. Territory meant more than life. It was obvious that these people needed relief.