text: January 20, 2023, at 11:59:59 PM Eastern Time - A communication was received by the Green Bank Radio Telescope located in Green Bank, West Virginia located in the Allegheny Mountain Range. --- The round-the-clock surveillance team was working and sifting through normal noise picked up by the radio telescope when intern Bobbie Sagan noticed something unusual. The data coming through was in English. She thought she was dreaming so she called her colleague over. Dr. Phillips sauntered over thinking something was wrong with their equipment. “What’s going on, Bobbie?” “Uh...I’m not quite sure. This message just came through and...” “And what?” “It’s in English.” “English? Let me see that,” as he ripped the paper from her hand. “It makes no sense,” she replied. “Someone’s playing a joke,” Dr. Phillips insisted. “Who? There’s no way.” “There’s no way a message comes from space in English,” he insisted. “Don’t think for a minute that it was me,” she glared. He stared at her not surprised, “Then who? It’d be funny if it was you.” “I swear, it wasn’t me.” “Rerun the transmission.” “Will do.” “According to the data, the transmission emanated from more than 25,000 light years away. This makes no sense.” “I know, that’s what I’m saying. I’ve confirmed and rerun everything several times. There’s no way someone could fool the system.” “Hello to the children of planet Earth. Long story short, I’m the one who received your communications. I’ve spent the last three earth seconds composing a response...,” Dr. Phillips read aloud. “I’ve read it several times; it makes me uncomfortable.” “What the hell...get Dr. Shaw on the phone.” “Certainly,” Bobbie said reaching for the phone. “1974...1977?” Dr. Phillips continued. “Hello, Dr. Shaw? This is Bobbie Sagan from Green Bank. I’m sorry to wake you but we’ve received a communication that doesn’t make sense. I mean, it makes sense, but it doesn't.” “What? You’re not making sense,” Dr. Shaw replied in a half-awake voice. “I know, I know. You need to get over here right away. Dr. Phillips is here also and he’s not sure what to make of it either.” “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” Within twenty minutes, Dr. Shaw had arrived and the three read the message aloud several times and confirmed the origin of the message. They all agreed that the message seemed authentic and that no one could have sent the message from earth. It was unsettling and they were all very troubled. They decided to call in General Hensfield who then decided to call the President. The five of them jumped on a video call and General Hensfield deferred to Dr. Shaw who explained the situation and then read the message aloud. --- Hello to the children of planet Earth. Long story short, I’m the one who received your communications. I’ve spent the last three earth seconds composing a response and in the correct format. You see, I’m the one responsible for deciphering and evaluating communications from different regions. I hope you can appreciate that I must keep this communication short, because I’ve strict policies against long and drawn-out communications. I’m more a ‘get to the point’ being. I’m referring to your ‘Arecibo message’ that you transmitted in earth year 1974 and aimed at, what you call, Messier 13 (aka M13). I’m also referring to the ‘Voyager message’ that was conveniently sent on a phonograph record and transmitted in earth year 1977. It’s great stuff, but I’m well aware of your progress, as I’ve run reconnaissance missions periodically to your earth and every object in that region for that matter. I exist in a place where time and space are not measured. I’ll always exist, because I’m able to regenerate myself periodically. It’s basically a super-evolved method of cloning. I’m asexual and can reproduce once every one-hundred earth years. Essentially, I reproduce - or clone - myself. I birth myself in perpetuity. It may sound strange, but it’s how I’ve evolved. At the risk of saying too much, I have a system of oxygen collection and processing in a fluid form, which makes my body less susceptible to external pressure forces. I have a layer of oxygen receptors in my skin. Beneath that skin, is a layer of oxygenated fluid that moves through my body to my lungs. I don’t breathe air - think of it as liquid breathing. Additionally, every twenty-five earth years I am subjected to an involuntary toxic wash, which is a process of purging and regenerating the oxygenated fluid. It is intended to keep me from aging and preserves my vitals to get me to the cloning stage. I’ve just entered my five-thousandth cloning and have never felt better, but I digress. Your evolution in intellect has been critical to your success. It has led to numerous advancements in areas such as, communication, travel, survival, and emotion. You’re learning the hard way that everything comes at a cost and that’s where you struggle. With the advent of fire came overuse of earthly resources. Overpopulation is another problem. Water has become scarcer, and the sustainability of life seems in question. Pollution is just a waste; you really need to figure that one out. If that’s not enough, your earth is headed toward a cycle of extreme warming. Soon your earth will be covered with water. Your mountains will shrink, and you’ll be forced to take to the water, but taking to the water in any form is not the best path. You may not completely see it, but technology is your friend if managed correctly, or safely. Kudos on your advancements with robotics by the way. Robots certainly have a place in your survival, but it must be policed and not by robots. To that end, while you’re in the infancy of artificial intelligence, it’ll be your guiding force in space travel. I feel obligated to inform you that your travels from your earth and into space is your best course of action - your path. Your medical advancements to date will certainly assist in your survival, but you lack focus or advancement in three main areas. First, while Nuclear Fusion needs to be achieved, it must be controlled. It is a steppingstone to what happens next. The earth’s sun will guide you. Be ever so careful and cautious. Second, a more durable space-travel material does exist and you’re circling all around it currently. Third, and I think most importantly, you must perfect a breathable liquid. It will extend your space life to the next stage of evolution and provide unlimited options for future travel. I’ve taken great risk in sending this message and hope you follow the path necessary to continue your journey to the top of the mountain. --- The President blurted out, “What the hell was that? Is this a joke? There’s no way this is real.” Dr. Shaw exclaimed, “I don’t believe it’s a joke, sir.” General Hensfield replied, “Tell me again you confirmed it.” “Yes, we’ve confirmed it,” Bobbie chimed in. “There’s nothing to prove it isn’t real.” “What does this all mean?” replied the President. “The top of what mountain?” Bobbie immediately responded, “Man seeks his maker and strives to survive and reach the pinnacle of knowledge to that end. We’ve always climbed that mountain.” “We can’t let this get out,” ordered the President. “No one’s going to believe this.” Dr. Shaw fired back, “Sir. With all due respect, this is monumental. We can’t sit on this.” “If I may,” Bobbie interrupted. “We need to get other opinions on what all of this means. The five of us can’t in good conscience make a decision on behalf of mankind.” “General...I’ll call you back,” offered the President. “No one’s going to believe this.” The remaining four stood staring at each other in utter disbelief. General Hensfield looked to the stars, rubbed his face with both hands and said, “No one’s going to believe this.” Dr. Shaw followed suit, “Yeah, no one’s going to believe this.” Dr. Phillips also followed suit, “You’re right, no one’s going to believe this.” Bobbie remained silent. “Bobbie?” asked General Hensfield. “Yes, sir.” “What say you?” “No one’s going to believe this?” General Hensfield placed his arm around Bobbie’s shoulders, “Let’s go for a walk.”