Carl Sagan had been right. The first signal of extraterrestrial origin that SETI received was mathematical. A series of pulses grouped into sequences; 1… 2… 3… 5… and so on. The first one hundred primes. Then ten pulses, then a repeating sequence.
But he had been wrong about the source. It wasn’t Vega. What the telescopes showed when they swung around to view the origin of the signal was not a star, but a previously unknown patch of hot gas that appeared to be travelling towards the solar system at high speed. The conclusion was obvious. This cloud of ionised hydrogen and oxygen was the exhaust plume of a rocket engine pointed towards us. Someone was paying us a visit. And that someone was saying hello.
Of course, the news leaked. First into the internet, then out into the mainstream news media. ET was phoning our home. Religious and political leaders appealed for calm but, contrary to their expectations, there was no rioting. No mass-panic. Instead, there was a sense of joy and elation with the world. Joy that we are not alone, and an excited anticipation and speculation about this incredible visit. Who are they? What do they look like? What stories do they have to tell? What can they teach us?
The wheels of politics ground away in secret and, independently, the
What came back was a brief set of instructions specifying a radio frequency and modulation. Then, on that band, was another more detailed message. A message of greeting from the travellers to the people of Earth. But not really the message we had been expecting. There was more. It was also a distress call.
There had been an accident. When the travellers had started the deceleration phase of their journey, part of the propulsion system had malfunctioned. The explosion had destroyed the ship’s main drive and environmental systems, and killed most of the crew. Only a few hundred had survived. Trapped in the remaining part of their vessel and with dwindling supplies, they needed our help.
The calm atmosphere that had gripped the world for a week evaporated in an instant, replaced first by stunned disbelief, then grief and anger at further news. We confirmed that the travellers were just under two light-days from us and travelling at just under twenty percent of the speed of light. There was no hope of rescue.
Again, the world’s political and religious leaders called for calm, but this time there were riots. Anger, despair and frustration at the unfairness of fate. Desperation to find someone or something to blame, to make some sense of tragedy and reconcile the loss of hopes and dreams ripped away so cruelly.
The next series of transmissions contained instructions on how to build hydrogen fusion reactors and how to use them as drive systems for spacecraft. One of the traveller technicians had added a humorous note on the end that we should keep a careful watch on the engines as it seemed they could be a little temperamental.
Humanity responded with a message of regret and despair. The technology that we had available to us meant we were unable to help. Even with the instructions we had received, we wouldn’t be able to construct a rescue ship in time. All we could do was watch helplessly as they died.
The response to this message was also not at all what humanity had been expecting. It read simply:
“We know. Don’t worry.”
The four day time lag meant that only one more transmission was received before the ship fell silent. This message was a detailed description of the travellers’ ship. How to enter it; how to use the libraries and other technology and its flight path through the solar system and beyond. Within twenty or thirty years it should be possible for humanity to construct a craft to reach the travellers’ vessel, then make preparations to bring it back to Earth. Contained within the archives, we would find a history of the travellers’ people, their technology and their cultures.
The final part of the message was directed to the whole of humanity. It was written in English and read as follows:
“Time is short for us. Do not regret our deaths by blaming yourselves for being unable to save us. Accept that some things are beyond your control. Remember us with love. Remember that we are thankful to have known your kindness, compassion and empathy. We thank you for being a part of our lives. If there is regret, it is ours for not having made ourselves known to you sooner. When we asked for your help, you provided it. You did all that you could possibly do under the circumstances. You offered us your kinship. You let us know that we do not die alone. You let us know that we will not be forgotten. You let us know that you will miss us and grieve for us and that our being here meant something to you.
“And for that gift, we thank you.”
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