Kristiana fussed over her outfit and hair. The dress was one of her favorites, artfully draped rose-grey alpaca cloth with a matching shawl. The edges dyed a darker deep red. Natural colors from the animal had a subtle glow and variation that dyes could never recreate.
It went well with her official white and pale blue sash with red & white floret as President of the Union. And the cloth was from the same herd that Katrina's wedding gown had been from.
And then she added the family heirloom necklace from Katrina - five rubies surrounded by small diamonds in a platinum setting. She had looked so wonderful with it. I hope I look as well. According to family legend, her so many great grandfather had traded 40 kg of smoked fish, some antibiotics, two good quality paring knives and a dozen pairs of cheap eyeglasses for it on a trading trip to Nuwinga. Quite a bit of the world's jewelry had ended up in the Union.
Well, ready to go. The opening was an hour and a quarter after sunset on Saturday, which would allow observant Jews to attend. The theater was just 3 blocks away, but still a chilling walk without an overcoat. Taking the tram would still mean 3 blocks of walking. Using the pedestrian tunnels would have clogged the tunnel with her entourage and the endless delays shaking hands and saying Hello. So walk it will be in 7 or 8 C weather with a good wind.
As she walked along silently with her entourage, her mind wandered to the history books about culture and how even the Danish women once wore uncomfortable and impractical shoes for display. Not as bad as Chinese foot binding, but the thought, with the wind, made her shudder.
As she rounded the corner, she saw the marquee - "The Alien Invitation". In the North, "The Alien Invitation" had been shown in all the theaters and had had a major impact on the public debate and consciousness. A debate that eventually lead to a decision for "Yes". But the Alien Invitation arrived just after a Grand Convoy had sailed to Antarctica, and all that could be transmitted were a few still photos and descriptions. Which apparently had no effect on the South.
Three years later, when the next Grand Convoy south sailed, it carried several copies of the Grand Invitation movie. But they were stored in the Archives and no one apparently bothered to even look at them. Well that was about to change as she entered the theater and handed off her overcoat.
She had purposefully arrived much too early, to thin crowds, in order to reduce the crush her presence could bring. She had discovered that the Antarcticans tended to be a bit more aggressive and pushy than the people of the North.
After an endless round of handshakes, greetings and introductions that she immediately forgot, she was seated in what had been quickly assembled as a "royal box" in the front center of the second level of seating. She was joined by the President of Antarctica, the Prime Minister and their spouses. A half hour passed with small talk - and a few more serious comments - as every seat filled up and the excitement mounted. She was told that everyone wanted a ticket to the premiere, even though the Alien Invitation movie would be shown again and again till everyone had a chance to see it.
Finally the curtain rose to the Seal of the Union on the screen and then Þröstur Eysteinsson appeared in the film. In less than perfect Danish, he identified himself as Head of both the Reyholt Radio Observatory and the Tau Ceti Conversation Group. He explained that humanity had been in contact with Tau Ceti ever since the Old World, over 300 years. But with 24 years between question and answer, most of that time had been spent just creating a common language to talk with. He went on about the world of Tau Ceti, with some fantastic photos we had received and what we had learned - and hoped yet to learn. He emphasized that Tau Ceti knew of no other alien civilization but that of Earth.
Then he explained why the Alien Invitation was so remarkable. They had already learned our languages and had technology far advanced to either Old World Earth or Tau Ceti. And they had wisdom distilled from epochs, millions of years, that they were willing to share. And he mentioned that Questions and Answers to Delta Parvonis would take even longer, 40 years, instead of the 24 years in Tau Ceti conversations.
"Our old friends on Tau Ceti - and that what they have become - have decided to say "Yes" to this same invitation. And they said that they would just be talking to their new friends - and not us - unless we also joined the larger conversation."
And with that he introduced the Invitation as it appeared on a computer screen. For the film, they reran the invitation computer program and chose the Danish language when asked by the program.
She was surprised at the audience reaction as the Alien Invitation was shown in the theater - much unlike the North. Some nausea and people rushing out, a few curse words in the air, anger and fear seemed mixed with curiosity and awe in the audience.
As the Alien Invitation ended, Þröstur walked out on stage. A lump formed in her throat.
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