“The Rise of Intelligence” was my first working title. I would seek to explain why man, after walking the Earth aimlessly for millions of years, suddenly rose to civilized status six or seven thousand years ago, relatively simultaneously, in remote areas of the globe. I would use plausible history with a dose of fiction. My formula was set. Now for the details – no mean consideration. Many writers, like Kurt Vonnegut, a prolific and wildly popular science fiction writer, have written of Earth’s ancients being influenced by extra-terrestrial life. Vonnegut’s approach had the aliens coming to the Earth intentionally, interacting with our ancients and then leaving - with plenty of evidence in their wake. I, on the other hand, wanted to promote the universal randomness of a possible accidental encounter with an intelligent race of beings. An encounter somewhat different in “tone and purpose” than Vonnegut’s alien’s purposeful encounter – one that purportedly left evidence which, in my opinion, seemed a bit contrived.
My race of aliens would leave no discernable evidence of their encounter with Earth’s natives, but would none-the-less leave the human race profoundly changed. The story would answer some known unsolved historical mysteries to boot. I felt that since the human race would be so profoundly changed by my aliens, I would start by laying out a cultural history of the accidental interlopers. They wouldn’t arrive by interstellar rocket ships, but by an asteroid entrapped in a decaying, Earth-orbit. The alien characters would be presented as “groups of beings” – scientists, politicians, astronomers, anthropologists, cartographers and holy men (their churches and beliefs). In short, their wide sweeping history would be told so that the reader could form a bond with this race of beings, if not the individual members. The first section of the story then would concentrate on the aliens’ survival from the threat of certain extinction upon their asteroid’s entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
The plan of their survival would be detailed through descriptions of their politics, their spiritual beliefs and their scientific approach to survival and all of the critical thinking that went into their plan. This would be a story of process. The reader would be there, step-by-step, to see the plan for survival unfold.
