Stopping for a Visit

To their credit, they called ahead, asking if they could stop for a visit.  They were very polite about it all, and they apologized for not being fluent in our language.  But really, they did alright considering that we have so many different languages.  They thought we would only have one.  It could be forgiven that they chose Mandarin.  That hurt the rest of us though.

As they got closer, their massive ship detected by radar and our large telescopes, they asked, again very politely if they could enter our atmosphere and land somewhere without causing any trouble.  But then when they fell into an orbit around us they told us that they didn’t want to take any chances of inter-contamination, noting that our genetics differed significantly.  They felt more research was warranted before attempting physical contact.

They asked questions about our history, culture, and technology, but we were hesitant to tell them too much.  They apologized for making us feel uncomfortable and sent us a library of information about themselves.

They said they were going to ask for water, but realized that our ocean were full of living organisms and would go elsewhere for it.

They apologized again for any inconvenience or distress they may have caused by visiting our planet so abruptly.  They said goodbye, wishing us well.

And they left.

To their regret, there are billions of nervous people not sleeping very well tonight.

The Last Entry of Commander Richard S. Johnson, Scout Ship 1352, United Interstellar Fleet.

The commander’s face appears on the screen.

 “2347.01.12.11.43.  Our engines are down, main power is down, batteries are running low.  We have contacted the fleet and have been told that help is on its way.  Our calculations tell us that they will not get here in time.  Life support will fail 17 hours before they get here.  Bio-restoration protocol will need to be employed.

 “It’s not dying that is the big concern here.  It’s what we see in our forward view screens.  There’s nothing out here.  It’s just empty.  There’s nothing for us out here.  We can live out here as long as our technology is working.  Some say we can live out here very well, comfortably.  But we cannot touch it, hold it, or breath it.  But, we just want to go home.  We want to back away from this indifferent emptiness of space, beneath the reassuring blanket of an atmosphere, in the grasp of a home world’s gravity, and feel solid ground beneath our feet.  We want to look out the window and see life around us.  Now all we see is darkness.

 “I know this report will go on my record.  I know I will be evaluated for fitness for command… or space travel.  I am sorry about that.  This has been an adventure.  It’s just that we have had some time to think about this hull and the windows, about what exists outside the ship, and what exists inside.

 “And… We just want to go home”