The Multiple Worlds Connect
Three Months Earlier
Robert Hennessy ran to see his boss,Director Bethny Hogarth and tell her the news. He had checked the information thirty times and confirmed it. It wasn't a fault in the programming, it wasn't a glitch in the radars that tracked deep space. It was unbelievable yet his team had confirmed it.
The director of the installation looked up as Robert ran in. "You're excited about something. Why the urgency?"
"Director, we have found a galaxy with multiple solar systems showing planets with life. The planets are communicating with a type of high powered laser that can only be made by technology."
"What distance from Earth approximately?"
"We estimate twenty four thousand light years. The Crab Nebula hid it in its vast dust clouds and remnant pulsar radiation signals. It has been suggested by some on the team...."
Director Hogarth waited for the embarrassed look on Hennessy's face to fade. He continued"...it has been suggested that the Crab Nebula explosion over a thousand years ago may have been caused by artificial means, to hide this newly discovered galaxy. It in a line of sight directly to Earth. Of course this is an absurd idea, the power required, the distances involved, it's impossible. And why do it? Some of my team read too much science fiction I suspect."
"What led to the speculation of the artificial destruction theory?"
Hogarth was an eminent astrophysicist, and knew Hennessy was unlikely to encourage wild theories without some basis in evidence.
" Our readings of expanding debris behind the Crab Nebula shows strangely regular features, almost structural like vast arcs constructed of empty space and walls of dust fifteen light years long. These walls of dust are only visible through ultra violet and infrared images being put through the computers and enhanced. It's like a most unimaginably vast dragon had blown a smoke ring through space approximately the two parsecs diameter. It's the damnedest thing."
"Yes, but now the debris field of the Crab Nebula has cleared and we can see signs of life, planets with intelligent life?"
"Yes, it's incredible. The signals are faint, but there will be a huge effort to translate the traffic we've picked up. Veerdonhelm suggests the mathematics of the signals shows it's very basic communication, a bit like aircraft identification signals. It may be interplanetary guidance for spacecraft to use, like light houses on Earth to guide navigation, prevent collisions at high speed, that kind of thing."
"Thank you Robert, you realize I must now follow the Asimov protocol and inform the President and the Space Executive Unit of the United Nations Security Council? "
"Yes, of course."
"How many know about this? Are they aware of security procedures?"
"The fifteen people who have analyzed the data are all up to date with procedures, and have volunteered to be isolated until the official release of the news. They're like kids in a candy store going over the data. Although it's only a matter of time that other deep space radar astronomers stumble on the discovery. We guess we have about a month before the other facilities have all this."
"Very well, I will be talking to General Kershaw after my calls to the President. Please get a briefing paper organized by Maria Petrowski and her team. Thanks Robert, this is a day that will change everything. Please thank everyone and expect me to talk to them all individually soon."
"Great, that'll be appreciated. I'll get right on it."
After Hennessy left the room, Hogarth rang the White House and booked an urgent call with President Constance Arroyo-Jeffries, fifty second President of the United States. Forty minutes later the two women discussed the discovery. "Connie," said Bethny " the world and human race have today changed forever. We are not alone in the universe."
"So the day we've planned for has arrived." replied the President "I better dust off the folders and crank up a good speech for the television networks. This will be a massive story."
"Yes, and it's good to see the billions spent over the years has paid off at last. There's been many attempts to shut it down and call it a bad joke."
"That's all in the past. With this discovery the world needs to focus on a response if these aliens get in touch with directed signals. Vice President Winton has always backed your work, and will be wanting to give you and your team Congressional medals. And I'll be happy to sign the nominations."
"Thank you Madam President, that's very kind. I best keep it brief, so goodbye for now."
"Goodbye Bethny, and good work."
As Bethny Hogarth put down the phone her office door opened. A technician she didn't recognize entered and said " Hello, Bethny Hogarth, human leader of this facility, I'm Arrinooh-vardua, an alien from the planetary system your team have discovered. We need to talk."
Robert Hennessy ran to see his boss,Director Bethny Hogarth and tell her the news. He had checked the information thirty times and confirmed it. It wasn't a fault in the programming, it wasn't a glitch in the radars that tracked deep space. It was unbelievable yet his team had confirmed it.
The director of the installation looked up as Robert ran in. "You're excited about something. Why the urgency?"
"Director, we have found a galaxy with multiple solar systems showing planets with life. The planets are communicating with a type of high powered laser that can only be made by technology."
"What distance from Earth approximately?"
"We estimate twenty four thousand light years. The Crab Nebula hid it in its vast dust clouds and remnant pulsar radiation signals. It has been suggested by some on the team...."
Director Hogarth waited for the embarrassed look on Hennessy's face to fade. He continued"...it has been suggested that the Crab Nebula explosion over a thousand years ago may have been caused by artificial means, to hide this newly discovered galaxy. It in a line of sight directly to Earth. Of course this is an absurd idea, the power required, the distances involved, it's impossible. And why do it? Some of my team read too much science fiction I suspect."
"What led to the speculation of the artificial destruction theory?"
Hogarth was an eminent astrophysicist, and knew Hennessy was unlikely to encourage wild theories without some basis in evidence.
" Our readings of expanding debris behind the Crab Nebula shows strangely regular features, almost structural like vast arcs constructed of empty space and walls of dust fifteen light years long. These walls of dust are only visible through ultra violet and infrared images being put through the computers and enhanced. It's like a most unimaginably vast dragon had blown a smoke ring through space approximately the two parsecs diameter. It's the damnedest thing."
"Yes, but now the debris field of the Crab Nebula has cleared and we can see signs of life, planets with intelligent life?"
"Yes, it's incredible. The signals are faint, but there will be a huge effort to translate the traffic we've picked up. Veerdonhelm suggests the mathematics of the signals shows it's very basic communication, a bit like aircraft identification signals. It may be interplanetary guidance for spacecraft to use, like light houses on Earth to guide navigation, prevent collisions at high speed, that kind of thing."
"Thank you Robert, you realize I must now follow the Asimov protocol and inform the President and the Space Executive Unit of the United Nations Security Council? "
"Yes, of course."
"How many know about this? Are they aware of security procedures?"
"The fifteen people who have analyzed the data are all up to date with procedures, and have volunteered to be isolated until the official release of the news. They're like kids in a candy store going over the data. Although it's only a matter of time that other deep space radar astronomers stumble on the discovery. We guess we have about a month before the other facilities have all this."
"Very well, I will be talking to General Kershaw after my calls to the President. Please get a briefing paper organized by Maria Petrowski and her team. Thanks Robert, this is a day that will change everything. Please thank everyone and expect me to talk to them all individually soon."
"Great, that'll be appreciated. I'll get right on it."
After Hennessy left the room, Hogarth rang the White House and booked an urgent call with President Constance Arroyo-Jeffries, fifty second President of the United States. Forty minutes later the two women discussed the discovery. "Connie," said Bethny " the world and human race have today changed forever. We are not alone in the universe."
"So the day we've planned for has arrived." replied the President "I better dust off the folders and crank up a good speech for the television networks. This will be a massive story."
"Yes, and it's good to see the billions spent over the years has paid off at last. There's been many attempts to shut it down and call it a bad joke."
"That's all in the past. With this discovery the world needs to focus on a response if these aliens get in touch with directed signals. Vice President Winton has always backed your work, and will be wanting to give you and your team Congressional medals. And I'll be happy to sign the nominations."
"Thank you Madam President, that's very kind. I best keep it brief, so goodbye for now."
"Goodbye Bethny, and good work."
As Bethny Hogarth put down the phone her office door opened. A technician she didn't recognize entered and said " Hello, Bethny Hogarth, human leader of this facility, I'm Arrinooh-vardua, an alien from the planetary system your team have discovered. We need to talk."