He took a long time to answer. “My…father is a powerful man. He was once Minister of Trade and Industry, before he became the ambassador from my country to the United States. Later he was a senior advisor with the Ministry of Science and Technology. He was largely responsible for the period of intense cooperation and technology exchanges between Japan and the United States after the UN War, you know.”
“I do know.”
“There was, of course, an almost frantic scramble to reinterpret our understanding of history and of human origins against the backdrop of the discoveries on Mars and on our own moon. A very few artifacts and certain large, architectural wonders were now seen either as constructs by alien colonizers or as structures raised by humans under alien tutelage or cultural influence. Some of our dating conventions had to be completely revised. At the same time, we needed to be very careful not to fall into the old cultist trap of believing that every invention, every impressive structure, every ancient mystery was the result of alien interference in human prehistory. The remains of extraterrestrial colonization attempts on Earth are really quite minimal, and all have been extensively reworked and rebuilt over the ages.” He smiled, becoming more animated. It was clear that the wonder, the mystery of ancient human contact with extraterrestrials held him in its siren’s call. “At Giza, you know, the pyramids were once truncated, and reached their current stature only slowly, over thousands of years and through several redesigns. And the Sphinx did not acquire a human face until, we think, the Fourth Dynasty. An records uncovered on the Moon show that it began as a great stone lion facing the equinoctial rising of the constellation we call Leo over twelve thousand years ago.
“In any event, I grew up at a time when interest in ancient architecture, in ancient alien visitors, was exploding across Japan. How could I avoid it? By the time I was in university at Kyoto, a great deal of work was being done at Yonaguni. You know of it?”
“Somewhat. An ancient monument of some sort, submerged off the Japanese coast?”
“Exactly. An immense structure submerged since the ending of the last Ice Age, at least ten thousand years ago, probably more. It was first recognized as anomalous by divers in the 1980s. As we learned what it really was, it became an object of considerable national pride, you see. The Ancients had visited us as well as Egypt and Peru, Lebanon and Iraq. I learned to dive expressly to visit the monument. Later I joined the Navy and became an expert in small submersibles. I am afraid my father—how do you say it?—pulled strings to get me into the JDF programs I wanted.
“In the years since I have done research both on the moon and on Mars, at Cydonia and in Planitia Utopia. When they needed a submarine expert to study the Singer phenomenon, I was the logical candidate as Senior Researcher.”
“I see. Excuse me for bringing this up, Doctor, but…you lost a brother in the UN War, didn’t you?”
Ishiwara’s face again became an unreadable mask. “Yukio Ishiwara. One of the Six Eagles. A hero in my land.”
“He died attacking an American space station, before Japan changed sides and came in with us against the UN. How do you feel about working with Americans, Dr. Ishiwara?”
“That was…a long time ago. I tend not to be political in my thinking, Major. Or in my attitude toward others.”
“And yet we have a political situation here. Who will make first contact with living extraterrestrials? Us? Or the Chinese? No, I should restate that…because you, Dr. Ishiwara, will be in a position to lead that contact no matter who wins this fight. If the Chinese take over this facility, I imagine they will value your expertise. You could easily end up working for them.”
“Is that why you have denied us access to the Manta submersibles? To block us if we are forced to work for your enemy?”
“That’s part of it. We were also looking at using their electronic components, if need be, as spares. And…they may have suffered some damage in the battle. I have our SEALs checking them over now, to make sure their hulls are tight, their systems intact.
“But I’ll tell you this frankly, Doctor. If there’s a danger that they’re going to overrun this facility, or if we’re forced to surrender, I will destroy both Mantas to keep them from falling into enemy hands.”
“I…see.”
“And how about you? Are you political enough to see the dangers of letting the Chinese make first contact with a technologically advanced civilization?”
“First of all, we still don’t know that the Singer represents such a civilization. We understand very little about it at all. I’ll also say, frankly, that I fear that the Chinese intend to force contact with an intelligence which, so far, has remained completely aloof. That could have devastating consequences, for all of us. We could be like insects attempting to awaken a slumbering and ill-tempered man.