Space Mowgli

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Title Space Mowgli

Illustration from 1975 Russian edition.
Author	Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
Original title	Малыш
Translator	Roger DeGaris
Country	Soviet Union
Language	Russian
Series	Noon Universe
Genre(s)	Science fiction novel
Publisher	Macmillan
Released	1971
Released in English	1982
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
ISBN	ISBN 0-02-615250-9
Preceded by	Prisoners of Power
Followed by	The Kid from Hell

Space Mowgli also known as The Kid (Russian title: Малыш, Malysh) is a 1971 sci-fi novel by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky set in the Noon Universe.

[edit] Plot summary

The novel tells about the "Ark Project" of 2160 and the first (as well as the last) contact with Ark Megaforms. The story is told by Stanislav Popov, the technician of the ER-2 team, one of twelve ecologist teams that were working all over Ark to make the planet suitable for the Pantians. The latter were supposed to be transferred from their own planet to Ark after preparations were complete.

The story begins as the ER-2 (consisting of Popov, Gennady Komov, Maya Glumova and Yakov Vandehuze) sets out on a routine scouting mission to explore the environment in the region. Popov is left at their base with the spaceship, and soon strange things start to happen. First, the building droids start to malfunction. Without being ordered to, they leave the building grounds (they were supposed to build a permanent base for the Earthlings) and stand on standby until Popov finds them himself and sends them back to work.

After a few hours of droid tuning, Popov tries to have some rest and suddenly hears a human baby crying. This is impossible, since no humans of this age are allowed even to leave Earth. Stanislav must admit he's having an auditory hallucination, since he cannot locate the source and the crying ceases just as suddenly as it started. Popov continues to work on his droids, but soon he hears a woman's voice pleading for help (although it is addressing someone named "Shura" rather than Stanislav). Again, he cannot locate the source. Soon the rest of the team returns to base and tell him they have discovered an Earth spaceship wreckage with two dead humans inside.

The next night, the ER-2 members compose an official report to the orbital base about their discovery. However, all of them are heavily affected by this and start to manifest symptoms of psychosis and paranoia. The most severe case is that of Popov, who can't force himself to tell the others about his hallucinations (since this would mean his immediate ban from field operations) and now has psychedelic nightmares.

As the team has breakfast in the morning, someone who appears to be a ghost visits the spaceship kitchen. Popov notices it first but considers him just another hallucination. However, Komov notices him, too, and the chase begins. The "ghost" (visually identical to a 13-year-old human boy) escapes the ship, closely followed by ER-2 members, and strolls through the landscape, soon leaving the Earthlings far behind. After returning to the ship, Komov orders Popov to tell them "everything" and, in turn, tells about similar incidents he registered himself. They send a full report to the orbital base and receive a reply signed by Leonid Gorbovsky himself. The ER-2 location is declared a "zone of possible contact" and the Ark Project objectives are changed to contacting the local sentient race.

Shortly after this, a message from the Space History Institute arrives. It says that the spaceship ER-2 found was once called the "Pilgrim" and belonged to Alexander (the official form of the intimate name "Shura" in Russian) Semyonov and Maria-Luisa Semyonova. It disappeared in 2133 (which is obviously a mistake, the correct date would be 2147) after setting off into unknown regions carrying the couple and their new-born child, Piere Semyonov. Komov immediately deduces the identity of the "ghost" they all saw.

Komov leaves the ship to scout the surrounding landscape, but soon Piere Semyonov comes to the spaceship himself. Apparently, he tries to communicate with humans but they don't understand him and he disappears again. Judging by his behaviour, Komov expected him to have been raised by a local non-humanoid race. The latter don't wait long before demonstrating themselves by raising huge, segmented (insect-like) antennae of unidentified structure over a distant mountain range. Although no connection between these and the Ark Megaforms is ever confirmed, it's clear that this is an act of intimidation.

It soon becomes apparent that the local civilization of Ark wants the ecologists and progressors to leave the planet as soon as possible. Since a simple intimidation didn't achieve its objective, they start diplomatic negotiations. Piere is, of course, made their agent and visits the Earthlings several times, allowing them to study and question him about his "foster parents" in exchange for a promise to leave the planet immediately afterwards. The main problem during these negotiations is Semyonov's personality that combines the traits of both human and "Arkian" psychologies. The progressors wanted to understand him and his nature, while he only wants them to leave.

In the end, the scientists grow frustrated of having to struggle for every little bit of information about "the Kid" (the official nickname given to Piere Semyonov - hence the book title) and the Ark Megaforms, so they use the most straightforward and tactless method. By presenting him a portable video/audio transmitter, they track his movements as he walks to the "Pilgrim" wreckage, levitates (!) through the air to some remote canyon, and enters the depths of the planet. At this moment, Maya Glumova stops the transmission by remotely turning on the flash-lamp built into the transmitter (it was designed for explorers, who get lost on an unknown planet, to locate them even from the orbit). Whether this was done accidentally or on purpose is disputed. Later, Komov takes the responsibility for this on himself.

Later that day, Gorbovsky contacts Komov personally and tells him that most likely Earth will not be able to establish a full-scaled contact with the Ark Megaforms, since they are a so-called "closed civilization" that doesn't want any contact with others at all. The Kid is considered a sole and unique exception. Moreover, Gorbovsky informs Komov that COMCON's ruling was based on the discovery of Wanderer technology in Ark's orbit - namely, an ancient artificial satellite programmed to shoot down any ships within the planet's immediate vicinity. This was what shot down Semyonov's spaceship 13 years ago. COMCON concluded that the Wanderers wanted to prevent other civilizations from "bothering" the Ark Megaforms.

In the epilogue, Stanislav Popov talks with the Kid via videophone and reflects on the decisions made by COMCON. It is revealed that Earth has decided to pull off from Ark but not to abandon hope of contacting the local civilization. To maintain the status quo, Popov (as well as Piere's grandfather, who is still alive, and some of Stanislav's colleagues) is permitted to talk with Piere regularly, however, carefully avoiding any themes that consider the Ark Megaforms themselves. How the "Ark Project" was completed is left open.

[edit] Publication history

The English translation was included in a single volume entitled Escape Attempt with the other Noon universe stories Escape Attempt and The Kid from Hell.

[edit] English releases

1. Strugatsky, Arkady and Boris. Escape Attempt (Best of Soviet Science Fiction) translated by Roger DeGaris. New York: Macmillan Pub Co, May 14, 1982, 321 pp. ISBN 0-02-615250-9. LCCN: 82000029.