text: The audience was silent. The lecture had completed over a minute prior, but no one made a sound. Scientist 8QZ5 expected a bad reaction. But this was somehow worse. Behind him, his embarrassment projected on a massive screen. “The possibility of an advanced heterogenous civilization,” a simple yet controversial topic, had frozen all the scientists in attendance. It was unthinkable and disrespectful to all the homogenous races represented in the room. 8QZ5 walked off the stage. Part of him knew he would fail, but part of him hoped that his data and evidence would have allowed at least a few scientists to open their minds. He could not have been more wrong. Back at his domicile, 8QZ5 stared at his life’s work, and wondered what he could have done differently. But the true answer was much simpler: His life’s work was a joke. And the greatest offense was that 8QZ5, a member of the progenitors, suggested it. The progenitors were the first race to develop interstellar space travel 243 kurlinqs ago, or approximately 100,000 years. As they explored nearby star systems, they began to find similar races to their own. And those races were given the gift of space travel. But they also found some planets with lifeforms that were...dissimilar. Very dissimilar. The xenobiologists quickly discovered two types of dominant lifeforms. One, like the progenitors, were races who worked in harmony with each other and their ecosystems. These were the homogenous races. The hallmark of these races were the abhorrent reaction that each homogenous lifeform had to the death of another sentient lifeform. The homogenous races developed technology slowly. So slow in fact that the progenitors measured a kurlinq as the time between their first written words and their first space flight. Like the other races, they only developed new technologies when resources were running low, and they needed new ways to acquire or process their resources. The progenitors systematically explored out from their home world. Most new star systems were devoid of any life. Few had life, and even fewer had lifeforms worth contacting. In over 240 kurlinqs, 984 homogenous races were discovered. The discovery of the first heterogenous lifeforms was not from first contact. The progenitors landed on Planet CD4589 as part of a resource survey. No life was detected from orbit. And no life was on the planet. But there were ruins. At first the xenobiologists looked for evidence of some natural cataclysm that could have wiped the lifeforms out. But no evidence could be found. Then they discovered a planet with a completely different kind of lifeforms. These lifeforms battled one another for resources. Even among their own species, even among their own families, these lifeforms were willing to destroy anyone, anything for more resources. It was a controversial suggestion that Planet CD4589 was barren because of the lifeforms. How could they kill themselves, their own species, and their entire planet? But the preponderance of evidence amassed over dozens of kurlinqs, from Planet CD4589 and other heterogenous races, proved the horrific point that the progenitors could barely understand: Some lifeforms were capable of total destruction. The absolute disgust that the progenitors had for the “heterogenous” races was only tempered by the fact that no heterogenous races had ever gotten close to space flight. Most would develop the ability to smelt metal, and very few had discovered some basic chemistry. It seemed that Planet CD4589 had progressed the furthest, with the most dire of consequences. Scientist 8QZ5 had hoped the community would be more open-minded. The first scientist to suggest that CD4589 was destroyed by its own lifeforms was ridiculed during her lifetime, and long after she was deceased. Even still, her name is synonymous with non-constructive thinking. The scientific community put little effort into studying the heterogenous races. Once a planet was identified as heterogenous, the solar system was entered into a “blacklist” of interstellar travel. Occasional follow-up surveys were performed, which almost always found the planets to be in worse shape than prior surveys. 8QZ5 lobbied for a more comprehensive study. There were hundreds of heterogenous worlds, and he wanted to understand how such horrific environments could be created. It was not easy for 8QZ5. The horror of lifeforms slaughtering other lifeforms never diminished for him. However, he was a scientist, and he felt he was doing everyone a favor. It was a filthy job, but 8QZ5 felt that knowledge could only be beneficial. At first glance, the only thing that heterogenous worlds had in common was a complete lack of commonality. Planet sizes, weather patterns, star classifications, atmospheric compositions...none seemed to be the key. Even factoring in all available data, 8QZ5’s AI computer systems could not find any pattern. Then 8QZ5 started examining similarities between the more “advanced” heterogenous races. There he started seeing a window where a hypothetical heterogenous race could advance and perhaps thrive under a very narrow band of factors. With a nominal amount of natural resources, a moderate climate, and a fast but controllable fertility rate, 8QZ5 could mathematically envision a race that could achieve space flight. No matter how pure his statistical models were, 8QZ5’s ideas amounted to heresy of the highest order. No race could imagine such barbarism leading to the technological apex of civilization: Space flight. The fall of 8QZ5 was as painful as it was quiet. He was quickly reassigned to a remote station that studied the properties of a variable pulsar. No thought was needed there. He would record data for the rest of his natural life, and if the establishment had its way, he would be forgotten before he died. For years, the plan was executed to perfection. 8QZ5 woefully but dutifully compiled data and packaged it back to the major research organizations. Even he tried to forget his terrible failure, his ridiculous dream of a thriving heterogenous race. He never spoke a word of his hypothesis again. Ten years later, interstellar expedition 99HBT was yet another survey of a solar system. Long term scans indicated that there was a 2.3% chance of hosting any type of life. As expedition 99HBT entered the solar system, they detected rudimentary communication signals being broadcast. Less than 1% of the lifeforms ever encountered had discovered radio communication. One planet, provisionally designated XW66S, was already more advanced than expected. 8QZ5 followed the systematic reports from each expedition. Part of him always hoped that one day during his lifetime he would be partially vindicated. At best he hoped for a planet as advanced the infamous CD4589, but prior to destruction. But it was a fool’s hope, just a small ember to keep him motivated while trudging through pulsar data. The second progress report from the expedition mentioned the detection of radio signals. This was only the second time in 8QZ5’s life that a new civilization had attained radio communication prior to contact. 8QZ5 was excited to hear about the new homogenous race that would be brought into their interstellar society. When expedition 99HBT’s third progress report did not show up at its proscribed time, 8QZ5 assumed that there was a disruption in the communication network. This was a rarity, and was always fixed in short order. But other data from the network was still being transmitted. No fourth progress report. No fifth. 8QZ5 became sickened to think that expedition 99HBT had been destroyed. This had occurred only four times in the past due to violent natural phenomena, but that had not occurred for dozens of kurlinqs. The next message that 8QZ5’s outpost received was short and cryptic. “Prepare for arrival of flagship.” When the flagship of the progenitor fleet showed up at 8QZ5’s remote outpost, he did not even have time to process the irregularity. He was transported to the flagship immediately. No one would tell 8QZ5 what was occurring. When he would ask, he would get the coldest reaction his race could muster. 8QZ5 was solely told that he was ordered to the captain’s quarters. Was 8QZ5 in trouble? Did the scientific community wait this long to enact their final punishment? He never spoke of his theories after his lecture. He didn’t even write anything down, nor even look at any of his former work. But he always feared this day would come. Now 8QZ5 was in the quarter of the fabled Captain NNG4. The legend. The only captain to navigate out of a singularity. Her nickname, which she hated, was, "The Master of Space." Her unflappable reputation even reached 8QZ5's exile. NNG4 did not look at 8QZ5, and said nothing. She could only look at her computer terminal. She seemed emotional, the opposite of what 8QZ5 expected. After what seemed like an eternity, she simply said, “You were right.” NNG4 activated her terminal to show 8QZ5 the planet, formerly designated XW66S, but now called by one of its local names: Earth. A heterogenous race dominated the planet. And they had achieved rudimentary space flight. 8QZ5 scanned the planetary data. The planet and its dominant race matched many of his mathematical models. The correct climate, the right fertility rates, everything his math suggested. But he was unable to imagine the other horrors. AS 8QZ5 examined further, he now saw what all his colleagues saw: The scariest thing imaginable. The Earthlings were more violent than 8QZ5 predicted. Examining Earth’s historical data, 8QZ5 found so many atrocities that he became physically ill. They actively destroyed their environment for progress. And they were acutely aware of the problem, and simply dubbed it pollution. War. There was no equivalent phrase in any known race for the scale of systematic destruction that Earth had inflicted upon itself. And Earth’s history had thousands of examples. They were even utilizing radioactive materials! For weapons, and energy! Every other race immediately saw the destructive potential of radioactive materials, and feared the outcomes. But Earth used them despite the catastrophic damage it did to its people and the environment, even though their star produced ample energy. 8QZ5 could not comprehend the complex monetary systems in place on Earth. The “economy” was another foreign concept. The homogenous races simply shared was needed. Earth created nonsensical values for various resources and activities. Barter systems had been observed in some heterogenous races, but no race had created “currencies” that had no intrinsic value. The subdivisions, called Nations, made no sense. They were all the same race, why were there hundreds of localized populations? Why did they wall themselves off from other populations based on incoherent borders? Yet they thrived. In spite of their constant warring and fighting, they thrived. It seemed that Earth progressed faster during conflict, which was counter to the history of every known homogenous race. Somehow the native selfishness of the Earth race intersected with progress to solve problems. 8QZ5 did not feel vindicated. He did not feel righteous pride after being ignored and shunned for so long. He actively wished that he was wrong, and that he could return to his simple life on the outpost. He was no longer naïve enough to think that his theories were harmless. When 8QZ5 stepped out onto his home world, the place he thought he would never return, he was no longer an outcast. He was their last hope, the only member of 984 races that could fathom the possibility of Earth. Perhaps he could explain how such an abomination could exist, and how they could be protected from Earth. As 8QZ5 entered the enormous lecture hall of the interstellar academy of science, he was struck by the same utter silence as when he left the tiny auditorium all those years ago. Every scientist looked to him for hope and understanding. 8QZ5 started his speech with his summary of everything he had learned about Earth. “The heterogenous planet known as Earth has a 56.2% chance of destroying itself before they can achieve interstellar space travel.” There was a long pause before 8QZ5 could muster his next observation. “If Earth achieves interstellar travel,” he said, while trying to keep his composure, “I do not see a long-term outcome where Earth can coexist with our races.” “If they leave their solar system, we are doomed.