This is a message not of pessimism but of realism. The outcome of the expedition is a sobering reminder to those who eagerly await our first visit to an inhabited planet: we're human, so we are probably going to screw it up. The Rakhat expedition is the first of its kind Emilio's linguistic adventures with remote groups of humans are the closest anyone comes to having first contact experience. So much of our history of space travel has been dominated by government organizations that sometimes we forget civilians, with the right technology and resources, can venture into space too. They are brilliant priests and scientists, to be sure, but none of them are astronauts, and they are amateur anthropologists and diplomats at best. The members of the Jesuit Rakhat expedition are amateurs. The mission to Rakhat was undertaken not so much secretly as privately-a fine distinction but one that the Society felt no compulsion to explain or justify when the news broke several years later.
It acted on its own principles, with its own assets, on Papal authority. The Society asked leave of no temporal government. Within this prologue, however, is a reminder, a sort of caveat that hangs over the book: The Sparrow begins with a concise prologue, so unassuming that I overlooked its significance. It has been a while since a book made me cry.
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