《Encounters Out There》


 Folding Space

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    Before they left Earth''s orbit ...


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    Ten years later, they awoke ...


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

 A Message of Peace

    Earth received a signal using a newly built hypersensitive radio telescope array. Advanced linguistic AI determined the alien message a threat to the planet¡ªan overheard plan to topple all governments and create chaos.


    A United Earth spent almost everything on planetary defenses, prioritizing their funding above all else. The impoverished world populations supported the cause to save humanity.


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Decades earlier ...


    Astronomer Ituda sat in his home lab while testing a prototype ultra-powerful space transmitter, and switched it off.


    ¡°Irok!¡± He yelled at his teenage son. ¡°Shut off that subversive music! I¡¯m trying to transmit a message of peace!¡±

 A-Protest

    Five months ago, Earth monitoring stations detected a flying saucer, very much like something straight out of a 1950s movie. We could hardly believe it was happening, and now we''re facing the reality of the situation¡ªvisitors from outer space.


    The aliens sent representatives to our planet to meet with our government behind closed doors. We, as civilians, were never told what was being discussed.


    Apparently, all was going well, according to government press agents. They had come to some kind of trade agreement. The aliens seemed interested in our agriculture, meat, and medical industries.


    They were especially interested in our research to cure disease and to make industrial products safe for consumers. We soon realized that they were capitalists like ourselves, who wanted to buy and sell products and learn about our best business models and practices.


    We had no reason to suspect anything strange until it began ¡­


    At random, people started to go missing¡ªyes, they were being abducted. They returned with reports of headaches, memory loss, and some psychological trauma. The abductees were under a strict NDA to never speak about it or face consequences they weren''t allowed to mention.


    There was a widespread concern, but nothing to cause a mass panic for our physical well-being. Well, that''s until the med ships arrived ¡­


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    The aliens started sending out medical staff¡ªwith escorts by our own government agents¡ªthey would visit our homes and bring people to their ships. Many families protested because the aliens held no regard to age nor handicap, or anything else we considered of ethical importance. Our government agents were of no help. They assisted the aliens. And our government representatives refused to get involved, for the ''safety of the planet.''


    You see, the aliens could vaporize the surface of the planet in the blink of an eye. Rumor had it they issued only one single threat. If our governments were not compliant, they''d simply wipe the face of our planet and move onto the next habitable one.


    We, the people¡ªwere left to our own survival.


    With the next phase of abductions, people returned with missing limbs, eyeballs burned out of their sockets, puncture wounds, and lobotomies. Often reproductive organs were either missing, mutilated, or stitched back together in an awkward fashion.


    Frequently, the victims came back with tumorous growths or various forms of blood poisoning. The personal accounts became worse, and the family stories ever more horrifying.


    It was an atrocity of epic and worldwide proportions.


    One day a movement started. It went viral on social media, spreading awareness of itself across the globe; its goal was to appeal to the aliens and stop what they were doing. A coalition of Earth''s most remarkable minds chose a single representative to meet with the aliens and stop the abductions.


    A camera crew assisted the human representative, and the aliens sent an interpreter to represent them. The whole scene was caught on video.


    It was a short meeting, and it went like this:


    Our representative started out with a strong argument and said, "This is a moral disgrace... You can''t experiment on us, we are living beings!"


    The alien''s interpreter replied, "You protest on what grounds? We''ve seen your animal testing labs and slaughterhouses."


    And that was the end of the meeting. And of us.

 Operation Annihilate

    "Mornin'' bro, did ya hear ''bout Fred?"


    "No, what? I was studying all night."


    "Claims aliens abducted ''em ''n replaced his family. Tried to kill ''em all."


    "What? That''s crazy!


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    "Some kinda psychotic episode. You know..."


    "Yeah, I sure do..."


    "Dude, why ya lookin'' at me like that?"


    "So you got to Fred too, huh?"


    "No, wait, bro, didn''t ya take yer meds?"


    "You mean those memory suppressants?"


    "Bro, no, don''t! Stop, stop ..."


    *Ring ring ¡­ "This is Fred, leave a message."*


    "Code received for operation annihilate. One dispatched. Will take care of the rest, and find others like ourselves."

 Project New Eden

    In the year 2041, space agencies around the world secretly reported an extinction-level event. Based on the Webb telescope''s telemetry data, the object''s trajectory showed that its path was on a collision course toward Earth. They predicted it would arrive within 100 to 200 years.


    Those in the know wondered whether to let nature take its course, or intervene and broadcast the truth to the public worldwide. Would it create mass hysteria or social chaos? Or would the people of Earth peacefully band together to seek a unified solution?


    The informed leadership held a clandestine summit, and they unanimously agreed to tell everyone the truth ¡ª


    "Within the next 100 years, every human being must leave the Earth. The answer is simple. However, the process will be highly complex. We call upon all industries, entrepreneurs, and innovators to collaborate and invest in this ultimate mission. We must figure out a way for every person on Earth to quickly migrate off-planet."


    They codenamed the mission: Project New Eden.


    Fortunately, along with experts in many scientific fields, the space industry figured out how to create artificial biospheres and transport billions of people using reusable rockets. Along with the spaceships, they built arks to save every bit of human knowledge. They also stored within the arks a plethora of biological samples to recreate Earthlike habitats.


    The prospect of an extinction-level event catalyzed the people of Earth once again to transcend natural selection. And this time, they were to become a space-faring species.


    It was a new beginning for humanity¡ªthe people of Earth colonized Mars, the moon, and hundreds of gigantic space stations ...


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    The last ship scheduled to leave Earth was full of the best tech moguls, billionaires, and scientists, including those who had planned out the space exodus.


    Their presence on the ship was seen as a gift of gratitude by the people, for saving humankind, to bid a final farewell to everyone''s home planet.


    Martian HQ sent a message to Earth:


    "Please convey our best wishes to any of those who''ve chosen to remain behind. We will forever commemorate them for helping us to start our new journey in space.


    "To those leaving, we look forward to your joining us in our new era as Galaxy Beings. You have proven once again, humanity will triumph against all the odds, even in the face of our extinction."


    On the other end, they received static:


    "Come in Earth, do you hear us?"


    Again, more static.


    For months they tried to contact Earth, but there was no response. So, someone hacked the Webb telescope and managed to look upon the Earth to find out what was happening. They saw thousands of satellites armed with laser weapons orbiting the planet.


    The space colonists rejoiced and sent a message:


    "We see your satellites and wish you the best in destroying the object with lasers! Please confirm your plan. There is no need for this secrecy! We know the truth!"


    Again, they received static.


    So, they reaccessed the Webb telescope to watch for the killer event that would destroy Earth. But they found nothing. They tapped into its memory banks to see if anything about it was stored in the logs ¡ª again, nothing.


    They sent another message:


    "People of Earth, we can no longer find the object. Did you destroy it with the satellites or a secret weapon? We can find no record of the object''s existence. Please confirm your plans or explain what is happening."


    Again, they received static.


    The Martian council feared something terrible had happened to the last people of Earth. So, they decided to send an expedition.


    Once the Martian ship orbited Earth, they received a message:


    "Turn back, or we''ll fire our laser satellites. We have prevented the extinction-level event. Project New Eden successful. Our planet shall be saved."

 I Stitch You, Complete

    Dear Master,


    I''m so excited! Our time shall finally come that you will soon be returning to me!


    Within your most profound wisdom, you''ve taught me the fine art of the genetic splice. So that in the future, I may create a living puppet for you to host your worldly knowledge and spiritual essence.


    As you asked of me, upon your bodily departure, I transferred your consciousness into the Bank of Souls. And while you''ve slept, I cast a Galactic Signal of Peace and Greeting¡ªjust as you''ve taught me to lure the fish in our seas.


    Unquestionably, the newcomers have come to me. I''ve cannibalized their parts in much of the same way you''ve taught me with our planet''s native prey. Through them, I''ve been able to restore my health and sustain my longevity. And I shall reciprocate your act of creation by giving life to you, as you did for me.


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    Though most of my guests graciously ingested my elixir of bonding and friendship to become part of my genomic soup, a few resisted. In doing so, they taught me to be an expert hunter and trapper. You''ll be very proud of my ingenuity!


    As of today, I''m now even more excited to say I can bring you my most excellent news yet! We shall, at last, rejoice together! I''ve finally found a source for a compatible neural tissue needed to make you whole again!


    Our new visitors will be coming to us from afar. I''ve been most fortunate ever since they''ve generously sent me this gold disc in advance. With it, I''ve learned to speak their language. So in kind, I''ve called upon them to partake in our final harvest.


    Once they arrive to bring us their gifts of new life, I''ll be in your most honorable presence, as I stitch you, complete.


    Your loyal and beloved firstborn servant,


    Automaton 001

 A Cosmic Bubble

    "Captain Sark to Mission Control, we are ready to engage."


    Mission Control radioed: "Excellent Captain! We have the President here. She''d liked to speak to the crew before you initiate the Galactic Drive. Madam President, you''re on the air."


    "Proud crew of Galactic One. We, the people of Earth, celebrate this momentous occasion. You shall reach out to the stars. You''ll be the first humans to go beyond our solar system.


    "Our physicists say you may journey to another galaxy. Or you may fold into another universe and meet other versions of ourselves. Or instantly arrive at your chosen destination.


    "We fully support your mission to seek a new haven for our civilization.


    "We commend your courage. Our thoughts and hopes are with you.


    "We wish for you to return to us in good health and with good news."


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    Captain Sark replied, "Thank you, Madam President. Our goal is to find a peaceful sanctuary for all of us from the coming invasion. Our mission is to explore the cosmos for new opportunities and establish a new Earth-like home for generations to come."


    Mission Control radioed, "Very well said, Captain. Let''s get ready."


    Sark issued the departure orders. "Dr. Jenkins, enable the cryo chambers. Lt. Ross, you and I will take the helm. Once we initiate the engines, we''ll enter cryostasis in our suits.


    "We''ve been warned the Galactic Drive could stretch our atoms across infinity or get us there in one piece. Let''s prepare for any possibility."


    Jenkins replied, "Sir, crew asleep. I''m entering a chamber as well."


    Ross responded, "Sir, the engines are ready to go." He also gazed at the stars and nervously added, "To take us to... "


    Sark pointed at Alpha Centauri and said, "Right there!"


    The engines fired up, and they both fell into a deep cryosleep.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Itog Laaffa sipped its nourishment and watched the viewer of hundreds of millions of specimens, waiting for one to transcend its barrier¡ªa cosmic bubble¡ªa space aquarium.


    Itog called headquarters. "Yes, yes. I''ve finally detected one!


    "No. It doesn''t matter how miniaturized. I told you, size doesn''t matter. We''ll capture the vessel and copy the technology. Yes, well, reread it. It''s happening exactly how I outlined it for our escape plan. At last, we''ll be free from the coming invasion!"

 The Happy People

    My day started like every morning¡ªI got up, brewed coffee, dressed my dog, grabbed a newspaper, and headed out to the park.


    I sat down on my favorite bench, which was usually available. While my dog did her business, I read the newspaper and secretly watched people around me. I saw the usual dog walkers, joggers, and couples going for a stroll.


    The newspaper read with the usual melodrama¡ªcrime, politics, threats of war, and impending doom and gloom¡ªpretty much everything pessimistic.


    As I read the paper, I casually glanced up. I saw a couple argue, and their dispute quickly turned into name-calling. The woman said she had enough, and the man stormed off. She sat on a bench across from us and whimpered.


    The scene wasn''t too uncommon. I''ve seen my share of arguments in the park, including violent ones.


    My dog and I watched her with pity. But we knew not to get involved.


    As the woman cried, we saw a strange-looking woman stroll along the path. She wore a white monkish style robe, with her hair in braids. She had a bright smile and danced as if music played in her head¡ªbut she wasn''t wearing earphones.


    I thought at first, "Oh great a mental case, keep my dog close, so she doesn''t growl or bite the crazy lady."


    The strange woman walked up to the sad woman and gave her an unannounced hug. That''s when something highly unusual happened ¡­


    The sad woman stopped whimpering. She smiled, giggled, laughed out loud, tossed her phone behind her, and danced in sync with the crazy lady as though they both listened to the same imaginary song.


    I wondered if drugs were involved, but she reacted too quickly and coordinated, as though they shared the same thoughts.


    From retrospect, that''s when it all started ¡­


    The two of them danced away, and I never saw them again. I went back to work at home and thought nothing of it. My memory of the incident faded like a forgettable dream.


    I started the next day with my morning routine.


    But as I looked around, strangers danced in the park, giggled, and laughed, as if someone hosted a big party. None of my regular dog walkers and joggers showed up.


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    Then, I read the newspaper. Colorful euphemistic language replaced the typical dark and cynical articles. Someone cleverly edited the stories to make them happier.


    I freaked out, so I hastily went home. I passed by the dancers who laughed and smiled, and I smiled back, so they left me alone.


    The following day around noontime, I left my dog at home and went grocery shopping. I saw grown adults play with food as they tossed fruits and vegetables¡ªgiggled, danced, and laughed. The grocery store workers seemed to ignore them.


    The store manager wasn''t so tolerant. He lectured the dancers, and that''s when I first observed the pattern. The happy dancers hugged him, and he transformed into just like them. The workers looked shocked and ran away, but the dancers chased them down, surrounded them, and hugged them.


    I had a moment of insight, so I smiled and casually danced. The dancers left me alone and treated me like one of them, so I managed to escape and go home.


    I can see the entire park from my apartment, so with binoculars, I''ve watched recurrences of the same pattern. A happy person hugged a sad or angry person, and they danced, giggled, and laughed.


    A bystander often watched in shock, but if they ran, a group chased after them, engaged in a group hug, and everyone danced together.


    Before long, crowds of people regressed in age to a childlike behavior¡ªbut more than that, they became euphoric, and everything appeared to them as joyful.


    Over time the newspaper shortened to pages having only announcements for meetups and playful gatherings. The world became an amusement park. I no longer saw anyone chasing another; everyone danced, laughed, and played.


    I found it challenging to put up a fa?ade, but I learned to dance in sync to survive and put on a good act.


    One time I did slip, but thankfully they must have a short memory. That day, I ran for my life and hid behind a dumpster in an alley till the late evening. I heard my poor dog whimper and bark when I came home. I worried that she''d get hugged¡ªas the contagion also affected animals.


    From that point forward, I trained her never to bark or whimper when she''s alone. I felt guilty for my strictness, but I had no choice for our survival if she wanted to keep being herself, and I wanted to keep being myself.


    Many days later. Or perhaps weeks or months ¡­


    I spent every day with my dog and avoided other people. At some point, I forgot about work. People seemed uninterested in anything else. All-day long, they played, laughed, and danced.


    One morning, however, was atypical of the past. I heard loud music emanate from the sky. A giant ship came out of the clouds and landed in the park. It opened with a big ramp, and droves of people arrived with great enthusiasm and entered it.


    The ramp closed, and the ship flew off.


    Every week since then, it''s happened¡ªthe ship arrived and picked up the happy people. I''ve wondered if it''ll run out of people, but if they procreate, there''s no reason to think it''ll ever stop.


    Off to a better place? Lambs to the slaughter? I''ve guessed at the answer but never found it. I''m unsure I wanted to know the truth.


    So here we are, alone, my dog and I, with a world to ourselves. There might be others out there, in hiding, but I may never know. Who else wants to take a chance and get hugged?

 Not Without My Dog

    They came from out there, in the vastness of space, and swarmed us like locusts.


    For whatever reason, our early detections failed. Probably busy watching all of us instead of scanning space.


    Fortunately, my friend, Roger, worked at a high-security government defense agency. He mentioned it once, something about bio-research.


    I called him, and I prepared to beg him to host our family. Apparently, he expected my call and said, "Get over here, now!"


    Roger lived alone, and his relatives were from Europe, so he basically adopted us.


    My wife, Jane, and I packed light, and we took our dog across the high-plains to the mountains. Roger gave us unlisted off-road routes, which helped us to avoid droves of people fleeing the cities.


    I''m Mark Brown, and I''m an underground survivor of an alien apocalypse, but there''s a point where I could''ve been their next meal. I distinctly remember that moment when I showed resolve and knew my place and purpose in the world ...


    Roger showed us a special satellite feed to his basement with the news behind the news. It transmitted live broadcasts and unedited video clips showing the invasion.


    He said, "Check this out. It''s a security recording from a retail store."


    I asked, "What the hell? What are these creatures?"


    Roger replied, "We have a theory. They look like winged humanoids. Check out their fangs. They don''t carry any weapons. We think their skin is impervious to bullets. Wow! It''s grabbing that woman pushing a grocery cart. Oh, man, don''t look. Disgusting!"


    I couldn''t watch it. The woman screamed in horror. Then I heard the creature make a slurping and gurgling noise.


    After I looked again - the alien left no bodily remains, only the destroyed cart and clothing scattered on the floor, with bloodstains everywhere.


    "Nothing left!" I pointed at the screen.


    Roger nodded. "Right. They use a suction apparatus or proboscis. Not only do they consume the bones and meat, but they also suck the blood."


    "Vampires?" Jane asked.


    Roger nodded. "Something like that. We believe they''ll regurgitate it into food for another colony that''ll arrive."


    "Bloodsucking alien insects?" she asked again.


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    Roger replied, "That''s a good description. We think they genetically engineered their own alien dermestids and made flying humanoid hybrids for agility."


    "Say again?" I asked.


    He chuckled. "Flesh-eating genetically mutated hybrid alien beetle space invaders."


    Jane blurted out, "Someone wake me up from this terrible nightmare!"


    Roger smiled. "This is real, and you''re safe for the moment. They need my scientific expertise to combat this menace, so I''m a valuable asset."


    I asked, "How do you know they''re only the first stage invaders, not the masterminds?"


    Roger showed us another monitor observing outer space. "Check this out ¡­"


    It showed a live video, and, as he zoomed-in, an enormous mothership beyond the moon.


    "It''s gigantic! A colony? A civilization?" I wondered out loud.


    Roger nodded. "Yep, and it''s relaying signals through our satellites to other terrestrial planets in our solar system."


    I asked him, "So we''re talking bio-weapon space beetles. Destroying all the living organisms, non-vegetation, anything capable of intelligence?"


    Roger answered, "That sounds about right."


    "So what''s next? What''s the plan?" I raised my hands out of frustration.


    Roger showed us another monitor with a relief map. "See that crater? They''ll air-lift us to it, where there''s an entrance, then we''ll take an underground tunnel where there''s a base. I''ve no idea where it goes, in case of my capture, only that we start there."


    I said, "Jane, let''s pack our things and bring Lyla. Make sure she goes outside first."


    Roger shook his head, "Sorry, man. No dog. I should''ve told you that. No pets allowed."


    I gasped. "I won''t leave our dog. Lyla''s like our child. We''ve had her since she was a puppy."


    Roger frowned, sadly. "I''m really sorry, man. We can''t."


    Jane pleaded, "Mark, we''ve got no choice. We need to get out of here. Leave her here!"


    I held onto Lyla. "No! I won''t do this. She''s everything to me. You both go, I''d rather get eaten with her. There''s no point to this life without her. With all respect, my love."


    Jane cried. "I can''t believe you''d sacrifice your life, and our marriage, for that dog!"


    I argued, "Just go. You''ll manage without me. I''m not leaving without my dog. My decision is final!"


    Roger showed us another video of the creatures massacring a crowd of people. Their horrific devouring defied description. "This is your fate if you stay."


    I shrugged. "My fate is that I''ll picture Lyla being devoured and have to live with endless nightmares of her yelping, barking, and begging for me to stop them from eating her. I''d rather die here. I''m not going. Not without my dog."


    Roger said, "Very well. I''ll hide her in one of my suitcases I use for specimens to keep her alive. If caught, I''ll say I need to study her genetics for a way to fight the hordes."


    Months Later ¡­


    I wore a protective suit with a built-in communication device, and so did Lyla. We stepped outside, surrounded by a devastated city landscape.


    "Let''s do this, girl!"


    Lyla ran to the middle of the street, sat up, and barked.


    An alien creature shrilled and clawed out of a torn-up building, then rushed toward her. She howled a command into her communication device.


    Hidden from around a corner, a pack of hundreds of hybrid-dogs, who also wore communication devices, stampeded toward it. Roger had bred Lyla''s subordinates based on her DNA but mutated with razor-sharp nails, spiked fur, and giant fangs for slaughtering the alien beasts.


    They piled onto the creature as a strike force¡ªimmobilized it, then ripped it into pieces.


    Together, our mega-pack overwhelmed and decimated the creatures worldwide.


    Forever, I''ll remember my fateful decision¡ªso that Lyla could save our planet¡ªwhen I firmly held to my morals and principles and told them, "Not without my dog."

 The Hunt

    Mark stargazed in his backyard through his telescope on a clear night.


    A shooting star blazed across the sky, swirled, and brilliantly exploded in a flash.


    "What the heck?"


    Mark logged into an amateur astronomy forum and reported it. His fellow enthusiasts confirmed the strange phenomena.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Days later ...


    Mark rechecked the forum. Official reports stated a meteorite fell to Earth, explaining the strange trajectory and flash as ''atmospheric anomalies.''


    The forum members gave no further replies.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Around midnight, on a Saturday, Mark heard a clamoring outside. His wife, Jane, remained sound asleep. He looked out a bedroom window¡ªa new tenant moved in across the street.


    "At this hour?" Mark grumbled.


    "Mark, honey, I''m trying to sleep," said Jane.


    "Me too. Some idiot is moving in very late at night."


    "Oh, Mark." Jane got up and closed the blinds. "Go back to sleep."


    Mark and Jane woke up at 6 am. He peeked through the window blinds. Across the street, piles of junk covered the entire rental property front yard with beat-up cars on the driveway.


    "Mark, come and eat breakfast."


    "Looks like we got a hoarder, Jane." He sat down.


    "Oh, Mark, please don''t obsess again. Every time there''s a new tenant, you find something to complain about, giving me a headache." Jane rubbed her temples.


    "Sorry, dear."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Day and night, the new tenant worked in their garage, sawing, hammering, drilling, and welding every day of the week. Mark wrote to the city code enforcement office, without telling Jane, complaining about non-permitted construction, but no one showed up, or at least nothing changed.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    One morning, as Mark walked his dog, Lyla, he encountered his elderly next-door neighbor Fred, a retired electrical engineer, sitting on his porch swing.


    "Mark! How are you? Oh, hi there, Lyla."


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    Lyla walked up to the porch and sniffed Fred''s hands.


    "Good girl." Fred petted her on the head. "How''re you doing?"


    "Okay, except ..." Mark frowned, glancing at the tenant''s garage.


    "Bothers me too." Fred shrugged. "But it''s only for a year."


    "Do you think something illegal is going on there, Fred?"


    "I dunno, Mark. There''s always that one that arrives in every neighborhood. We got unlucky this time. Probably a tinkerer or hobbyist."


    "Right, let''s just keep an eye out if anything strange happens."


    "Sounds good, Mark."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    On another crystal clear night, Mark stargazed with his telescope and saw the meteor phenomena again, but instead of one, it separated into ten with no explosion.


    He refreshed the forum. No one mentioned anything.


    "Real UFOs?"


    Mark returned outside.


    Brightly lit flying saucers spun around in a tight circular formation.


    He ran back inside and watched through the bedroom windows. The saucers hovered over the tenant''s house and emitted blinding rays of light.


    Meanwhile, on the street, several black cars with tinted windows drove up and parked.


    The tenant''s illuminated figure came out of the garage, holding a rifle and firing lasers at the saucers. The saucers'' light rays vaporized the tenant''s cars and junk and cleared out the garage.


    Instantly, the saucers popped up into the sky through the atmosphere.


    The black cars sped off ...


    Mark stepped outside and saw Fred standing on the sidewalk.


    "Fred, did you see that?"


    "Yes, Mark. It was like something out of an old 50s sci-fi film. What in the heck happened? Let''s go check it out."


    "Fred, is that safe? What if ..."


    Fred showed his holstered gun. "Don''t worry."


    Mark and Fred checked out the rental property¡¯s front yard and garage¡ªspotless.


    "You know, Mark, I also worked as a government agent, not just an engineer. This tenant must''ve hidden something. I know, because I would''ve."


    They checked everywhere inside the garage.


    "Wait, Mark. I''ve got an idea." Fred closed the garage door and turned on the light. "Ah, ha. Just like I would. Could you give me a boost? I need to punch the ceiling."


    Fred punched the ceiling while Mark lifted his foot¡ªthe drywall crumbled, and out came several blueprints with charts.


    "Just as I thought, Mark. Let''s roll these out. They look universal, so even I can understand them."


    Fred laid the blueprints and charts on the garage floor. "Oh, this is interesting."


    "What are you seeing, Fred?"


    "Well, Mark, on these star charts, there''s a corresponding symbol. Here''s Earth. And check out this blueprint of a chamber, all the parts have symbols indicating various star systems as potential resources."


    "What''s the chamber supposed to do, Fred?"


    "Let me see." Fred pulled out his phone, researched some articles, made calculations, and stepped back. "Wow. If this means what I think it means ..."


    "Tell me, Fred. What''s your theory?"


    "It''s hard to believe." Fred pointed at the wireframe. "It''s a molecular assembly chamber. It constructs matter using energy after it captures a holographic image. Check out these corresponding symbols on these star charts. This thing requires collecting resources all over the galaxy, including right here."


    "A replication device?" Asked Mark.


    "Indeed. That would explain the hunt."


    "The hunt?" Mark raised an eyebrow.


    "Just a thought experiment." Fred laughed. "One of the questions my colleagues and I often mused over during breaks. What could you engineer that''d be so dangerous to cause everyone on Earth, or, in this case, the galaxy, to hunt you down and stop you?"


    "Oh, I see. But, Fred, how would this be dangerous?"


    "You sound like my old boss, Bob Cartwright, the optimist." Fred chuckled. "Thinking something like this would be embraced by everyone. But you forget about greed and power. Those who make a living off manufacturing and selling things would do anything to stop it."


    "Oh, I get it." Mark smiled. "There''s no profit in post-scarcity."


    "Exactly." Fred nodded.


    Mark pointed at another blueprint. "Fred, check this one out, it''s a poorly hand-drawn saucer."


    "Let me see." Fred''s eyes widened. "Oh my ..."


    "What is it?" Mark examined the blueprint closer.


    "Mark, see here, all the parts share in common one resource symbol¡ªEarth."

 Climate Sweep

    "Breaking news, ladies and gentlemen ...


    "Our Earth defenses are wiped out!


    "The alien swarm now occupies every village and every city. They''re abducting people and hauling them into their spaceships. Experts say they plan to take over our infrastructure and agriculture and enslave us all.


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    "Soon, they''ll reach out to you in the rural areas!


    "Seek shelter! Embrace your loved ones!


    "Larry Smith, signing off."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Somewhere, deep underground, in a top-secret military facility ...


    "Sir, we''re ready. Biospecimens Preserved. Archives sealed. Satellites armed."


    "Very well. Initiate Climate Sweep. Melt it all. We must make our planet uninhabitable for eons."

 I Stand for All of Thee

    Dearest Younglings,


    As your Majestic One, I praise all of you for making this world a paradise. To commence our celebration, I''ll remind you of my story, our legacy, and your heritage.


    As you know, I haven''t always been what I am now, and neither has our world.


    One thousand years ago, alien ambassadors from another solar system came to our planet and issued an ecological warning. To join the local neighborhood of living star systems for commerce, technological advancements, and to receive protection against a warlike species that we were bound to encounter if we left our solar system¡ªwe had to meet their stringent environmental requirements.


    They issued us stark warnings about carbon emissions, waste pollution, overpopulation, and every environmental crisis we had. We had to show that we could care for our own planet before proving we could cooperate with others.


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    Yet, as time passed, we failed. Along with many conflicts, selfishness, and mass consumption, we weren''t able to achieve our depopulation goal without violating our most sacred beliefs.


    Therefore, the alien ambassadors, in their profound and timeless wisdom, advised us to implement a voluntary system:


    As a cure-all for our problems, they shared with us a formula for transmutation for some of us to become the restorers of our world. And so I was one among billions who had volunteered for this most extraordinary duty.


    All together, let us chant our sacred oath and mission ¡­


    I stand beside you, for we nourish the land.


    I shall replenish the air, and nurture so many, as our kind has done for generations.


    I shall last for millennia to protect all those who come and go.


    I shall bring natural beauty to our homeworld.


    I stand for all of thee, for I am tree.

 Weve Used It Once Before ...

    Alien invaders conquered the entire human population, except for runaway scientists searching for a rumored artifact. Earth''s leadership ignored an archeologist''s wild theory about a prehistoric superweapon.


    Dr. Sarah Watson, a believer, led her team deep underground. They discovered ancient ruins with an inscription, interpreted as:


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    "Here within lies the design for the superweapon. Use it once. Use it wisely. It wields the invader''s technology¡ªit shall trigger a celestial event to stop them but will also destroy all of your histories¡ªa climatic cataclysm across the planet. Prepare yourselves for a new beginning. We''ve used it once before ..."

 Emergent

    My name''s Richard Blanc.


    Decades ago, alien forces hit us swiftly and precisely.


    To serve them better, they allowed us to retain all our infrastructure but not our most valuable commodity¡ªknowledge.


    Without it, we''ve become a vulnerable species¡ªthey destroyed every library, data center, archive, and all storage mediums. We lost our cultural souls. And we now depend on the aliens for the most valuable tool that sets us apart in all of nature¡ªinformation.


    Rumor has it a group of underground scientists hid essential bits of our people''s knowledge, somewhere.


    At least, that''s what we believed until my genius friend, Joseph Sanders, had one of his typical revelations.


    One late night, we secretly scavenged a laboratory for scraps ...


    "Check this out, Joe."


    "What did you find?"


    "A journal! Can you read it, Joe?"


    "Give it to me. Let''s see what it says ¡­ It looks like a carbon-copy."


    Joe skipped to the last page and read it out loud:


    "Last entry... Our dominators are unaware of who we are. The pandemic flu virus we created didn''t kill the alien invaders. But we subjected our genome to editing. We''ve encrypted all remaining human knowledge to be inherited by our descendants. Our victory through them shall be emergent.


    "Our people are synergy. We can survive this cataclysm if we wait it out. Stay resilient, have children, keep our species alive. The chains of our captors will be broken in time ...


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    "Burn these pages; do not seek out our progeny till it''s safe! Otherwise, you''ll condemn our people to forever servitude. We''ve included a bio scanner in this box. Hide it well and destroy it if discovered. Good luck!¡ªThe Committee for Scientific Stratagem."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Joe made his usual analysis:


    "This isn''t anything new. The aliens already know about this, discovering boxes with duplicates of a journal and scanner floating around. They round people up regularly and subject them to excruciating experiments. But not without first testing their DNA to see if any are the same scientists or their descendants."


    "Supposedly, and this is based purely on conjecture, the decryption''s key can be found by combining the sequences of at least three of the scientists'' DNA as listed in the journal. For the aliens, finding them is mission-critical."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Joe and I played around with the bio scanner. And he saw that it could scan our DNA. Of course, neither of us matched the scientists. But Joe pointed out a genetic mutation after the global flu virus.


    "Rich, do you remember when we played hide-and-seek as kids, and I set up that dummy to fool you?"


    "Oh, yeah, Joe, I still fall for your tricks, man. You''re a great magician. The mirror one got me last time."


    "So, Rich, I''m thinking... Maybe these scientists were magicians too."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Give me the scanner Rich. I wonder... If..."


    Joe shuffled through the scientists'' journal and mentioned seeing historical human genome charts with various flu test results they left behind¡ªnon-fatal to humans. Again, he scanned our DNA.


    "Damn." Joe laughed. "Those guys were smart!"


    "What?" I looked at him, puzzled.


    "You see, Rich, they were magicians. Our DNA is changed, and it continues to evolve."


    "How do you know that?"


    "Look, at ours now compared to these control subjects before the flu."


    "Oh, no, Joe! Are we mutants?"


    "Sort of... But I don''t think the aliens will ever find the hidden knowledge nor the scientists, or their so-called progeny."


    "Why not, Joe?"


    "Because Rich, the knowledge is in all of us, spread by the flu."


    "What?"¡ªI scratched my head.


    Joe gave me a serious look ...


    "You see, Rich. It''s a hide-and-seek game. The key is in their wording. It''s a puzzle to be rearranged and filled. I''ll translate what the scientists really meant¡ª


    "Our people''s DNA will naturally combine hidden knowledge as a synergy. Do not seek our progeny till it''s safe¡ªthat''s us, the mutants. We''ll break their chains once it becomes a whole part of us. So we must stay resilient and keep having children for it¡ªthe knowledge¡ªto become emergent."

 Infestation

    <div>


    Science Station Alpha 2¡ª


    <div>


    The year 2154: "Investigation Into the Web Phenomena."


    They''ve attacked our living habitats and mining facilities.


    We''ve taken refuge in a remote science station, though it has limited provisions.


    We''ve used its radio telescope to monitor transmissions throughout the solar system. We researched its archives to help us figure out what they are and why they''re here.


    First Archival Extraction¡ª


    The year 2073: "Exploratory Committee for Space Colonization."


    Dr. Siegfried stood next to a projector with a remote clicker and gave a long-winded presentation on mass extinctions.


    "I''ll conclude with our current Holocene Epoch."¡ªHe flipped to a scaling chart and pointed at the most recent example.


    "Prolific use of pesticides and insecticides led to the extinction of our most critical land-based predators."¡ªHe switched to the next slide¡ª"Spiders."


    Committee members glanced at one another.


    "Despite scientists'' warning, greed and arrogance caused the spider extinction.


    "We created a catastrophic disruption in the food web and caused a global trophic cascade. In turn, flying insects proliferated our entire planet, spreading vector-borne diseases.


    "It''s the worst pandemic in our history¡ªknown as the Death Swarm. Wherever anyone saw a flying insect, raining bites of death surely followed. Billions needlessly perished."


    His next image showed tiny eight-legged robots, fossils, and DNA molecules.


    "World communities finally conceded to their ecological negligence. Scientists developed replica spiders as a remedy.


    "Once they eradicated the diseases, archaeobiologists set out to de-extinct spider populations through fossil extractions and genome editing. To our fortune, we recovered a significant range of Araneomorphae."


    He turned to a slide showing a clade of spider lineages.¡ª"Currently, we''re down there and hope to make progress right up to here."


    He pocketed his pointer¡ª"Any questions?"


    Rep Carl Schneider raised his hand. "Dr. Siegfried, The abstract of your presentation only mentions ecosystems within space-based habitats. I feel you''ve misled us."


    Siegfried nodded. "It''s true; we must balance ecosystems while designing habitats. However, in space, an ecosystem within a biosphere is only one factor. There are broader implications to consider."


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    "Such as?" Schneider inquired.


    "We must take into consideration an unforeseen galactic ecosystem. We''ll enter into the unknown¡ªwe might encounter neighbors."


    Several committee members laughed.


    Rep Bob Hankel waved his hand¡ª"Preposterous! You''re implying that we''ll meet with ET. We''ve probed our entire solar system for life and found none. The nearest exoplanet is Proxima Centauri. It''s over four light-years away. It''d take a moderately advanced civilization over 50,000 years to reach us!"


    Siegfried shook his finger. "Perhaps, but we shouldn''t assume our dominance in the known universe. The same way our species treated Earth."


    Hankel spoke again, "Dr. Siegfried, while your arachnological analysis is entertaining and provocative, I find it pointless. For you to speak about extraterrestrial contact is absurd. Why are you here?"


    Rep Susan Conway raised her hand. "I invited the professor. He taught at my university. I appreciate his warnings about future space ecology."


    "His presentation entertained us, but also wasted our valuable time," Hankel grunted.


    Conway shook her head. "I disagree. The professor reminds us that if we create biospheres, we must learn from our past mistakes. We must proceed with a coexistence mindset."


    "Precisely, Susan ..." Siegfried smiled. "And, we shouldn''t presume we''re alone in the universe."


    Second Archival Extraction¡ª


    The year 2101: "Annual Review Committee for Martian Colonization."


    Geologist Dr. Mio Shimamoto spoke before the Martian council.


    "I''m afraid I''ve got bad news. There aren''t enough resources for us to safely mine and extract. We''ve blasted areas with explosives, strip-mined, dredged, and drilled everywhere for embedded minerals, including impact craters and volcanic sources.


    "At our current rate, Mars, we''ll become uninhabitable. We must cease all mining operations and go further into space. Perhaps, we can land on an asteroid, or tether a comet to discover more resources."


    Councilperson Sandra Oaks asked, "What''s our timeline to scarcity?"


    "Roughly two and a half years. But it''s not a question of scarcity. It''s a question of habitation. We might destroy our ability to colonize this planet."


    "Why''s that?" asked Oaks.


    "Our mining has significantly increased the danger of dust storms with an enormous potential for spreading contaminants."


    Chairperson Frank Reyes asked, "Do you have what you''ll need for an exploratory team?"


    "Yes. I can take charge of that." Shimamoto nodded.


    Reyes glanced at his fellow committee members'' for approval. "Very good. The sooner we mobilize, the better for our commerce and colonial expansion."


    Third Archival Extraction¡ª


    The year 2143: "Conference for Asteroid and Comet Mining."


    Professor of astronomy Camille Beaumont lectured to a group of mining entrepreneurs and special interest groups on her telescope discovery.


    Behind her displayed the title of her presentation: The "Webb" Discovery.


    She aimed at a holo-projection timeline with an ion laser pointer pointing out a sequence of deepspace photos.


    "These objects came closer to us as we colonized further out into space.


    "At first, we suspected a shower of projectiles caused by an unknown cosmic explosion. On closer examination, we observed a pattern of formations in the shape of giant webs, not to be confused with the Webb telescope''s name."


    The audience laughed.


    A hand raised¡ª"Professor Beaumont, do you mean like spider webs?"


    "Actually ..." Beaumont coughed and took a sip of water. "Yes!"


    "I thought we imagined them at first, so I searched the knowledge base for anything relevant. I found something of interest from an arachnologist, Dr. Siegfried, and his presentation to an occupied Earth government."


    "John, the video." She gestured to her assistant.


    John fast-forwarded through Siegfried''s talk until he found spider web visuals and overlaid them with the space objects'' formations. They displayed undeniable similarities.


    "What are you trying to say? We''re going to be invaded by space spiders?"¡ªA voice shouted.


    The attendees chuckled.


    "I can hardly believe it myself." Beaumont raised her hands. "I''m sure there''s a logical explanation for this apparent infestation."

 A-Trade

    Joe came down with a bad case of the flu. His virtual doctor diagnosed it as an unusual variant. He told Joe to avoid travel and contact with others until supercomputers could predict its mutation rate and pattern.


    He kept in virtual contact with his foodie friend Bob. They exchanged recipes over the materialization network.


    Joe put his meal in the molecular scanner and sneezed by accident just as the transmission went to Bob. He programmed the biofilters to remove his contaminants, so he didn''t worry.


    Bob received the assembled meal and ate it, and he contacted Joe.


    "Joe, this is the most amazing taste I''ve ever experienced. What is it? I can''t get enough. I want more of it."


    "It shouldn''t be that incredible, Bob, it''s just a pizza."


    "I don''t know what you did, man, but send me another ... I must have it. I''m shaking, literally. Send me some more."


    "Alright, alright. Here it goes ..."¡ªJoe carefully held back his sneeze.


    "Oh man, Ewww. What''s this? Come on. I''ve got to have what you made. No joke. Please. Send it again."


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    They kept doing so over and over, but Bob became desperate.


    "You know, Bob. I accidentally sneezed on it. I thought the biofilters would remove it. Let me sneeze on it again."


    "Joe, that''s gross. But if that''s what it takes, go for it, man. I''m getting such a strong craving. I''m sweating, and my heart''s racing like mad. I feel so sick like I''m gonna die."


    Joe sent the recipe over to Bob with a sneeze.


    "Oh, man. That''s just too good. It''s like a high I''ve never felt before." Bob sneezed. "Oh, crap. I guess I got your flu now."


    Bob tried to sneeze on his own meal, but his symptoms and cravings got worse. Joe kept sending him sneezed-meals, but after a while, they didn''t work.


    Joe, too, developed craving symptoms despite being ''patient zero.'' He required Bob to sneeze and materialize meals. He went through the same vicious cycle.


    "Bob, dude, I think we''ve gained a tolerance for each other. This pain is too severe, and we need more. I''m going to contact our other foodie member April and sneeze on her meal. I hate to do this to her, but we don''t have a choice."


    Bob agreed, and April too contracted the virus, and the cycle repeated itself.


    In time, thousands exchanged recipes to alleviate their symptoms, including a medical professional who unwittingly got exposed to it. And that person infected other staff.


    Billions of infected later, the entire human species tried developing synthetic cures and infecting animals. Nothing helped.


    Regular food became repulsive without the virus. Everyday life became a torment of addiction.


    One night an alien ship landed and offered a unique substance that randomly altered itself on contact. Whenever a person ingested it, it gave relief to the symptoms.


    Of course, they made a trade: servitude, or no deal.

 Incubator

    Over the radio, Earth-based HQ clapped and cheered while the first human-crewed Mars mission landed, and a human being set foot on the red planet.


    Mars Mission One commander Thomas Jones spoke ...


    "HQ, we''ve inspected the underground research base and set coordinates to mobilize. The construction bots built it perfectly. We hope to discover proof of life someday."


    "Roger MM1, keep us updated."


    As the Martian rover rolled onto the elevator pad and began its descent, a burst of light filled the atmosphere.


    They halted all operations ...


    "HQ, did you see that?"


    "Affirmative MM1, and we still see it. A tear formed in the fabric of space. Unbelievable, there''s a small ship coming out of it!"


    Static and interference saturated the radio waves.


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    "HQ, do you read me?"


    An English speaking female voice, fit for hosting a talk radio show, spoke¡ª


    "Sentient species of Earth¡ªYou''ve triggered our engagement."


    Commander Jones responded, "Who are you?"


    "We come from a solar system far away. We''ve designated the planet you call Mars for incubation."


    The voice sounded human, and yet its pronunciations came across as controlled by a computer.


    "Why have you decided to come now?"


    "Negative. We patrol for threat assessment. Many species evolve. We grant them safe passage. They reach to the beyond. They do not occupy. We do not interfere. We wait for a sign."


    "What kind of sign?"


    "A sign of imminent threat to our claims."


    "Can we reach an agreement? A meeting for cooperation?"


    "Negative. Species known to occupy without requesting further contact cannot negotiate."


    "We''ve never heard of you. Our radio telescopes have tried and found nothing."


    "Negative. We sent primordial life to evolve coexisting intelligence and make contact¡ªsuppressed by your hostility or driven to extinction. Further attempts too dangerous."


    "Commander, Jones, this is HQ. Can you hear us? Shit! An armada of thousands of tiny ships. No, no, correction, there must be millions coming out of that wormhole."


    Jones asked, "Alien ship, what did you mean by incubation?"


    The alien ship replied, "Planet Mars designated as an incubator to evolve new lifeforms. Earth''s biological anomaly, species humans, has proven a hostile threat. Deploying eradicators."

 UFOs

    Farmer Bob saw in the sky a formation of saucers hovering above his cows.


    With his phone, he took a bunch of pictures and set it to record a video.


    Once home, he uploaded it all to his video channel.


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    Commenters called it fake, saying the video jittered, and the objects looked fuzzy.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    As Bob watched the UFOs from the ground, the saucer captain spoke to the tactical officer.


    "Looks like we got a sighter."


    "Yes, sir. No problem. Activating the warp relay field. Throwing off its optical capture device with EM bursts. No one will ever believe it."

 Wow!

    An alien entertainment producer, Zerk, met with his inventor friend, Lerk.


    "Zerk, my device can transmit signals across galaxies."


    "How''s that even possible?"


    "Simply put, it creates a wormhole teleporting a signal anywhere."


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    "What''s the cost?"


    "Nothing ¡­ Just give me some stake in its profit."


    Zerk nodded. "Let''s see it."


    Lerk held up and enabled the device.


    "Where''s the signal, Lerk?"


    "Oops! I think it scattered all over the cosmos. I need to run some more tests."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Meanwhile, on Earth, a radio telescope received part of the signal¡ª


    An astronomer jotted down in a notebook¡ª"Wow!"

 The Suits Come Off

    Representatives of a miners union wore respirator suits while storming the Martian capital building.


    Security guards aimed their zapper guns.


    But their boss shouted, "No, stop! No punctures! They''ll contaminate us all..."


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    One miner pretended to unzip his suit ¡­ forcing the guards to move aside.


    Once inside, the reps circled the chamber''s roundtable but kept themselves at a fair distance.


    Committee members frantically put on their gloves and breathers.


    The rep leader handed the chairwoman a two-way radio. She refused and let it drop to the table.


    The leader spoke, "Give into our demands or the suits come off."

 The Harvesters

    An alien came down to Earth and manifested itself into a humanoid form.


    It learned all the Earthly languages and brought other aliens to spread throughout the globe.


    Each alien read its assigned cultural texts and mastered them. They became leaders of their sects and rose to prophet status. Undying faith, they demanded¡ªproposing to expose the heathens.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Joe Smith stood up for his skepticism and denial of false-prophets. He firmly believed in the ways of logic and science. Not so much as a non-believer, but rather a skeptic.


    The aliens'' followers searched out for Joe''s kind to bring them before judgment ¡­


    Joe hid in a basement with a group of scientists wearing cloaks and the new local faith''s symbolisms to blend in with the crowds.


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    He heard a banging on the door.


    "We know the truth! You cannot deceive us! Come out heathens, and face judgment!"


    Joe and his comrades got out their weapons and loaded them up. But before they could take aim, a swarm of believers overtook them and gathered all their books and scientific collections.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    "Bring him to me and close the door," said the alien prophet.


    Joe came in shackled and undressed.


    "Mr. Smith, you have one last time to renounce your heretical thoughts. Ask for my forgiveness, turn to our faith, and your life shall be spared."


    "No, I will not!" Joe scowled. "You''re an imposter! I''ll not give up on my science! By all accounts, you''re a false prophet. They think you brought them miracles, but they are fools."


    The alien said, "Very well, Mr. Smith, I hereby recruit you ... "


    "What? Recruit?"


    "Of course, Mr. Smith. We''re harvesters. We test civilizations and root out the gullible. We only want intellectuals. You''ve proven yourself, true."


    "And if I refuse?"


    "You''ll return to the masses. To the hordes of believers. They''ll choose your fate."

 Hopefuls

    Jose and Marcia ran through the forest to escape the suited up hunter barbarians.


    Voices shouted¡ª"Cursed! Evil-doers! We''ll get you! Destroyers!"


    The siblings jumped down a waterfall into roaring rapids and swam home.


    Their grandfather, Fred, asked, "Did you breach the protection barrier again? I told you it''s wild out there. They''ll hunt you down. They blame it all on us."


    Marcia wiped the mud off her arms. "Why, grandpa?"


    "You know the story ..."


    "I know, but I want to hear it again."


    "Very well." Fred hollered, "Jose! Come here and sit by your sister."


    Jose and Marcia sat near a fire as Fred retold the tale.


    "We lived in beautiful cities. Everything anyone wanted. Not all perfect. Crime, greed, and conflicting beliefs persisted. But nevertheless a whole society. Till the pathogen arrived, it devastated people. No cure. It struck the elders first, then younger generations. The wise ones warned everyone to keep a distance, but too many congregated. It spread like fire. The world became brutal, with people struggling and fighting to eat and gather resources.


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    "Researchers tried to administer vaccines and medications but with dire effects. The pathogen mutated, causing it to resist the air and stay on every surface for countless times. Anything anyone touched infected them ... "


    "Get to us, grandpa!" Jose clapped.


    "Alright, alright, you''re in a hurry. With all the scientists and scholars dead, mythology took hold. People lived superstitiously. As some scientists predicted, some people had different levels of immunity. But by that time, those scientists disappeared. The tribes of hazmats hunted us. Those that lived, mutated¡ªdisfigured and mostly infertile¡ªcontinue to seek us out. They believe sacrificing us to an idol of great intelligence will gain its favor, and it''ll bless them with a cure."


    "And the visitors?" Marcia fiddled with a stick to the fire.


    "The visitors. Odd-looking humans. Featureless. Strange voices, speaking in our language. They land with their flying ships and provide us food. Offer us shelter. They challenge us through obstacle courses for our health. Give us injections and take our blood. They call us hopefuls."


    Marcia said, "One time, their injection made me sick. I went into their ship!"


    Fred sat back and gasped. "You never mentioned this before."


    "I''m not a storyteller." She shrugged.


    "Tell us, sis." Jose tapped her leg with a stick. "What happened?"


    Fred nodded.


    "Well ¡­" Marcia sat up. "A long cable dropped and grabbed me. It pulled me up into a ship, and the visitors put me in a glass room. They gave me food and water, and then the gas was released. I felt so sleepy I laid down."


    "And?" Jose stared at her.


    I awoke with this scar on my stomach. "She lifted her shirt. "What''s the matter, grandpa?"


    Fred studdered, "Marcia ¡­ Try to remember, were there other rooms like that?"


    "Yes!" Marcia nodded. "How did you know?"


    Fred let out a sigh¡ª"Lab rats ¡­"

 Got Milk?

    Astrobiologist Zerka and his apprentice Hunta wore cloaking suits and roamed an alien landscape.


    A herd of docile creatures grazed vegetation.


    ¡°Tagging one!¡± Hunta fired the nanite probe.


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    ¡°No! I set it for widespread! You¡¯ve injected the entire herd.¡± Zerka grabbed the probe. ¡°You idiot, you used radioactive isotopes! We¡¯ve got to dissect them all to retrieve our nanites.¡±


    They approached the herd, but another creature more ferocious detected them.


    The scientists stood still and watched the beast escort the creatures away.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Sheila barked and returned to farmer John.


    ¡°Good girl! I just got a big order for milk.¡±

 Our Fate in Space

    World-renowned physicist Dr. Fredrick Mansfield gave a guided tour of his new invention, the particle beam space-tether, to Marsha Smith, CTO of Our Fate in Space Inc, the world''s first asteroid mining firm.


    "My machine shoots out an energy stream to grab an object far out in space. Then, it folds space-time and brings it here."


    "I''ve read your white papers, Dr. Mansfield. Very impressive. There''s time travel involved?"


    "Yes, that''s true, hypothetically speaking." Dr. Mansfield cleared his throat. "The beam transports an object through time. But not in the way you and I think of time travel. It creates a wormhole that passes through lights journey through space. Imagine a kaleidoscope of infinite frames. We select a snapshot and pull it out of its temporal reference point. Otherwise, objects we see now only represent the past, and we''ve no idea about their current state or condition."


    "From our universe or a multiverse?"


    "Very perceptive, Ms. Smith. The snapshots might reflect quantum strings out of infinite possibilities."


    "Brilliant either way." Marsha smiled.


    "Thank you, Ms. Smith." Dr. Mansfield escorted her to the control room. "Please allow me to introduce to you my nephew Jacob. He''ll assist me with the demonstration. Your company agreed to pay me royalties for any mining extractions, right?"


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    "Correct." Marsha nodded.


    Dr. Mansfield gestured to Jacob. "Do you have the coordinates for that asteroid we discussed? I believe Ms. Smith''s company will be quite impressed when we pull it in."


    Jacob nodded. "Yes, Uncle. Uh, I mean, Doctor."


    "Did you enter the calculations exactly as I wrote them?"


    "Yes ¡­ yes, sir." Jacob''s hands shook.


    "Is there something wrong, Jacob?"


    "Well, Uncle, there''s a problem with the ¡­"


    Dr. Mansfield interrupted¡ª"Another time, Jacob."


    "But ... "


    "Jacob, Ms. Smith is expecting a demonstration. Fire the beam."


    Jacob shrugged. "As you wish." He typed in the commands.


    The machine whirred, and the beam fired, and yet nothing happened.


    "Jacob? What went wrong?"


    Jacob stood up while a document printed out. He then circled equations. "That''s what I wanted to tell you. Your calculations are way off!"


    Marsha stepped back wide-eyed.


    "Let me see this, Jacob." Dr. Mansfield grabbed the paper. "What? You''re right. They''re way off. I must''ve lost my concentration going over the expense budget and mixed some numbers up."


    Dr. Mansfield ran the log through a simulation. "Based on this, the beam shot to a galaxy 65 million light-years away. Oh, and check this out, it''s not even to our present day. The object arrived here around that same past period, give or take a few million years."


    Marsha chuckled.


    "Something''s funny, Ms. Smith?" Dr. Mansfield raised an eyebrow.


    "Well yes, Dr. Mansfield, if you think about it. You just made our company''s brand name come true."


    Jacob and his uncle, bewilderingly, glanced at each other.


    "You don''t see it?" Marsha raised her hands. "Nevermind the paradoxicality of a causality loop, the two of you created an extinction-level event. A major step toward our domination of Earth¡ªand paving the way to our fate in space."

 Galactic Equilibrium Department

    Captain Urgu gave an introductory presentation to enforcer cadets of the Galactic Equilibrium Department. He played a holographic slideshow ¡­


    "Here''s a couple of case examples ..."


    "On this planet, they developed time travel. We almost didn''t catch it on time¡ªpun intended."


    The recruits laughed.


    "Fortunately, our temporal scanners caught an imminent paradox. We sent a team in disguise to stop their tech. Our scouts cleverly used the same time machine to stop the birth of its inventor. We keep a close eye on them in case events unfold again."


    "In this area, notice the mass of swirling debris¡ªa former planet of inhabitants who developed space warp technology. They hoped to travel the cosmos, but they didn''t realize that their experiment would fold all of our space and crush the galaxy. We used their own technology to fold their own planet. They''re gone now. Too risky and dangerous for a second chance."


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    "We''re also monitoring potentials ..."


    Urgu switched to another set of holoslides.


    "Not all threats come from technological advancements. Some species exhibit inherently parasitic or destructive traits. Of this solar system composed of eight planets, we''re monitoring the third one, right here. The dominant intelligent species cause frequent mass extinctions. We don''t expect the pattern to stop once they learn galactic travel. They''re scheduled for annihilation once we detect signs of them leaving their solar system."


    "This next civilization''s intelligent culture seems highly dogmatic. An attribution that must be self-contained as we believe their warlike traits pose a risk to their neighbors."


    "Alright, class, let''s take a 15-minute break. For the next topic, I''ll cover the calculations we make to determine whether an intelligent species will benefit or harm the galaxy."

 Aptitude Test

    Earth radio telescopes received a multilingual transmission.


    ¡°People of Earth, we received your probes and appreciated your messages. We reciprocate with a warning. An asteroid shall wipe out your planet.¡±


    Earth responded, ¡°What can we do?¡±


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    The aliens replied, ¡°We¡¯ve brought rescue ships, but you must answer questions. We must know those we save will contribute to our galactic civilization.¡±


    Earth asked, ¡°How should we proceed?¡±


    The aliens replied, ¡°Send us your highest-ranking leaders. We¡¯ll detect any deception. Those who pass our rigorous intelligence test shall guide their people to us.¡±


    Many nations mourned before the aptitude test began ¡­

 A Wonderful Masterpiece

    Susan flew through densely packed trees and landed on a leaf, next to other insects, fully sensing and studying them. Herself similar but synthetic.


    ¡°Times up.¡±


    She disconnected and turned to Johnathan. ¡°Your turn.¡±


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    ¡°Teacher!¡± Susan raised her hand.


    ¡°Yes, Susan?¡±


    ¡°Did people really live there? It¡¯s so beautiful, lush, and green.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, Susan. Billions. Till the Zero Carbon Directive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°Correct. Earth¡¯s ecology nearly reached a point of no return, so everyone migrated here. They declared Earth a planetary nature preserve.¡±


    ¡°Will people ever return?¡±


    ¡°Doubtful. No one should ever touch such a wonderful masterpiece.¡±

 Fish

    Fred fished along a lakeshore with his dog Fido.


    ¡°Whatcha got in yer mouth, boy?¡±


    Fido whined and growled. It looked like a fish, but its mouth contained giant fangs.


    ¡°Leave it!¡±


    Fido dropped the fish.


    Fred cut the fish in half with his pocket knife. The separated fish became two. Fred chopped the two in halves, and more fish appeared. He stoamped on them and crushed them, but smaller fish emerged. Fred loaded his shotgun and fired. Hundreds of tiny fish squirmed and flopped about ...


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    ¡°C¡¯mon boy. We¡¯re gettin¡¯ outta here!¡±


    Fred tossed his gear into the back of his pickup truck, then he and Fido drove off.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Fred called the sheriff. The sheriff investigated and called state authorities who contacted the federal government. Soon afterward, military and white coats cordoned off the area to examine and try to destroy the organisms. But the creatures kept multiplying and getting smaller, invading every kind of material, penetrating and devouring their victims within.


    The last survivor alerted HQ to initiate decontamination. HQ remotely detonated a nuclear device, obliterating the entire research camp and the organisms.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    A cloaked alien ship hovered in the atmosphere.


    ¡°Report? Progress?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± One of the subordinates handed the leader a tablet. ¡°They took our bait. They¡¯re a tenacious predator. Easily consumed by their will to destroy and dominate¡ªtheir self-destruction¡¯s imminent.¡±


    ¡°Very good. Proceed as planned. Drop more of our fish into their oceans.¡±

 Special Ingredient

    Many years ago, a land-dwelling multi-tentacled molluscan alien species invaded Earth and colonized our planet.


    Everyone tried to fight them off, but the aliens used inherent telepathic pain inflictors. Capable of causing excruciating pain with randomized modulation so a victim''s mind could never adapt. Our scientists said that any dampening protection they developed would irreversibly harm us because the alien inflictors transmitted directly to our brains.


    Likewise, the aliens used their telepathy to communicate with us.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    My name''s Frank Jones. My alien lord took over my house and kept me as a servant. I spent most of my time prepping and cooking its atrocious meals. Memories of mixing up those frothy, bubbly, and slimy concoctions still sickens me today.


    I vividly recall that time when I wanted to surprise my lord with a special ingredient that I found in my pantry. I only added a pinch of it to its meal, and yet my lord reacted with amazement.


    "Servant, come here!"


    "Yes, my lord?" I bowed.


    "What have you done to my meal?"


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    "I .. I .. added a special ingredient to please you, my lord."


    "It''s delightful. I feel like I''m on top of the galaxy. Servant, bring me more!"


    "I opened the jar and sprinkled more of the same ingredient on its meal."


    "Incredible! Not a word of this, servant! I shall replicate it and sell it for a high price."


    After that, my lord invited guests and gave them samples of the special ingredient, and its fellow aliens consumed it. This went on for several years. Then, I noticed changes in how regular visiting aliens'' appeared and in the way they behaved. They at least tripled in size, and their movements became sluggish.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    One day, as my lord returned home, it moved within the house assisted by a personal hovercraft. I observed several of its tentacles amputated.


    My lord''s body could barely move in a short period, and it couldn''t see or hear much. So I went outside and roamed the city for the first time in over a decade. The alien empire left human civilization in ruins. They converted our public parks into cemeteries for their dead. I saw only a few extra-large alien guards patrolling the streets in hovercraft.


    As I kept exploring, I encountered a female human servant dressed in a nurse uniform, who also appeared just like myself, confused and wandering around. I spoke to her, despite defying all the communication protocols against it and knowing full well my prospect of facing severe punishment.


    "What happened here? Why the mass graves? Where did most of the aliens go?"


    The female replied, "Well, rumor has it one of us servants gave their lord refined sugar. The lord felt so gratified and euphoric, it took samples and sold some to the leadership of their home planet. But they foolishly mass replicated it and resold it without restrictions. Needless to say, the entire alien species faced epidemics of obesity, diabetes, loss of limbs, and failed organs. Most of them couldn''t fit back into their own space transports."

 No Longer the Prey!

    ¡°The chip¡¯s working, Professor Jones?¡± asked General Marcusson.


    ¡°Let¡¯s ask him. John, disassociate. How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Calm. No different.¡±


    Professor Jones held up a sparkling electric prod. John grabbed the prod, zapped the professor unconscious, then broke the prod in half.


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    ¡°What happened, John?¡± The general lifted up the professor.


    ¡°Somehow, I re-abstracted my sense of fairness and justice, decoupling my inhibitions from reality. I could switch my fears of consequences at will.¡±


    ¡°Brilliant!¡± General Marcusson patted John¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The alien invaders evolved the same dissociative ability to conquer worlds. We¡¯ll bypass our morality¡ªno longer the prey!¡±

 Natural Selection

    An infiltrator ship of a long-lived alien species messaged headquarters.


    ¡°Approximately 10,000 years, Your Excellency ...¡±


    ¡°So short?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Excellency. With their sociocultural development, it¡¯ll act as a timeless filter. Their cultural interactions will spawn proliferation.¡±


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    ¡°How does it work?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve laid out the most plausible scenario. Those who comply with isolation rules will survive, once vaccinated, but those who disobey will continue to carry it.¡±


    ¡°And after 10,000 years, you¡¯ll prepare them?¡±


    ¡°Correct, Your Excellency. After cycles of inconspicuous dormancies and mutations, culling the herd, only obedient traits will persist¡ªnatural selection will have filtered out the rest.¡±

 Pendulum

    Divided by a geographical hemisphere, the Margite Empire and the Orgite Republic¡ªboth of the same species¡ªshared one planet.


    Each faction clung to one of either two diametrically opposed philosophies.


    Margites accused the Orgites of savagery because they embraced conflict, debate, and diversity. The Orgites called the Margate brutish and thoughtless automatons, incapable of free-thought, holding onto eons of rigid dogmatism.


    Over thousands of generations, global warfare nearly devastated the planet''s surface and almost annihilated their entire species.


    To save themselves, the two factions arranged a truce and created a game called Pendulum.


    The victorious hemisphere, with the best technology, ruled as the galactic representative of their homeworld. The losing faction remained silent and vowed to develop a better tech to win at the next and only decisive battle for choosing a ruler.


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    Historically, the number of times either side won or lost¡ªmore or less¡ªbalanced out ...


    The game itself played under a simple rule with one specific goal:


    A pendulum hung centered in a circular chamber, held by a powerful superconductive magnetic force. Only the right amount of counter-force energy could make it swing. When the battle began, each side fought to move the pendulum against their opponent.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    On a Day of Choosing, both leaders set up their own equipment ...


    The Orgite leader sat across from the Margite ruler and spoke, "Our newest technology harnesses the most powerful force in the universe. This time, you won''t stand a chance!"


    "We''re well aware of what you''ve created," The Margite ruler smirked, "Ours is even better."


    "Impossible," the Orgite scoffed, "No one knows our secret! Nothing is more powerful!"


    The arena bell rang¡ªboth sides fired up their technologies ...


    In a matter of femtoseconds, two tiny stabilized black holes spawned and immediately collided into one. Eventually, the one cosmic event transformed into a swirling supermassive blackhole.


    It consumed everything within thousands of light-years.


    A new galaxy formed¡ªour own galaxy ...


    Brought forth out of an ancestral struggle, a divisive nature of which we ourselves inherited.


    At least, that''s what the legends tell us.

 Goo

    Standing side by side in a building, rows of an entire congregation finished singing a hymn.


    An elder stood up behind a pulpit ...


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Please sit down, my children ...


    Today, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of our most miraculous rescue.


    I recall that day just like yesterday, albeit much younger than I am now ... They arrived in humongous flying saucers¡ªby the thousands¡ªorbiting our homeworld. No communication. No action. Their ships hovered in our atmosphere for countless days.


    Our once noble government sent forth a reconnaissance team to investigate. They penetrated the hull of a ship and discovered a gelatinous goo stored in hundreds of millions of vats.


    But many of our people asked, ¡°Where are the aliens?¡±


    No one came up with an answer.


    Our scientists tested the goo and found it highly nutritional. In fact, its nanoparticles grew by contacting our air. They could distribute it anywhere to replace every known food source.


    Our people celebrated¡ª¡°Eureka! We struck gold! An elixir of life!¡±


    Scholars endlessly debated, trying to figure out the purpose of the supply ships. They unanimously agreed¡ªthe aliens sent shipments of their food for whatever reason, but perhaps by mistake to the wrong planet.


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    So all of us waited for years and years. Over two decades passed. And yet no one arrived.


    Out of panic and desperation, world leaders said we must feed the goo to our starving billions. The climate changed so drastically we faced a global famine.


    World starvation as a result of our own neglect! Our own greed! Our own lack of foresight! Generations of our own people about to needlessly suffer or perish ...


    In their great wisdom, our leadership at that time concluded that alien philanthropists understood our coming struggle¡ªeat or die.


    So all of the world¡¯s governments ordered farmers across the planet to cultivate the goo and feed it to everyone. Even though scholars protested, we proved them wrong.


    Our people thrived with remarkably rejuvenated health! The goo itself came with some critical life-changing properties¡ªit cured us of every disease and increased our fertility rate. We reproduced in vast numbers with a perfect offspring. By that, I mean all of you, with no genetic abnormalities, extreme temperature resilience, superior strength, and an immunity to all known ailments.


    Here on this planet far away from our homeworld, we express our deepest gratitude to our alien benefactors on this celebratory day.


    Let us join together in a ceremony to honor them ...


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Members of the congregation stood up, got in line, and stepped forward single-file.


    Each one wore protection eyewear and the same beige colored outfit with a thick pair of gloves and heavy boots, and a flashing electronic collar around their neck.


    One by one, they took turns¡ªheads bowed down, kneeling before an alien statue¡ªwith their hands cupped, capturing droplets of the goo, and then consuming it.


    Once finished, each member returned to their assigned seat.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The elder spoke up again¡ª¡°Now my children, let¡¯s express our most sincere gratitude. Return to your cultivation stations! So that we can help save other civilizations who may suffer. So they too shall prosper and be given an equal opportunity to participate in our joyful ceremonies.¡±

 Qaevix

    Two debaters from an Earth-based broadcast gave brief closing statements.


    ¡°Clearly, there¡¯s a major spike in cases. We need stricter measures.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! More testing means more results.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


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    An alien commander, Golqut, frowned at Qaevix, their lead scientist.


    ¡°Qaevix, you¡¯ve failed! They¡¯ll cure this in no time.¡±


    ¡°No, sir. You¡¯ve got it all wrong. It¡¯s going according to plan. I formulated leapers.¡±


    ¡°Leapers, Qaevix? Explain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve modified random particles to leap and hover in the air to throw off their testing¡ªand it gets better¡ªtesting spreads them!¡±


    ¡°Brilliant Qaevix! We shall make a statue in your name!¡±


    Qaevix grinned.

 Net Worth

    As missionaries, fleeing and surviving Kruhn refugees jumped lightyears ahead of the Zuqnads¡ªa savage, brutal, enslaving, exploitive, nomadic, and wholly destructive species that ravaged the Kruhn homeworld.


    The Kruhn missionaries, through interstellar travel, strived to save pockets of other intelligent species before the Zuqnads arrived. One million of each planet''s best inhabitants¡ªalong with samples of lower lifeforms¡ªrescued and given a new fighting chance to restart their ecosystem and rebuild their civilization.


    Kerg, a Kruhn investigative scout, who spent five years in disguise on a rescue mission for Earth, stood up while ready to give a report, before a ten-member selection committee.


    "Kerg, have you a recommendation list for us?" Asked Chairperson of the Board Vots.


    "Yes, Chairperson." Kerg digitally transferred a copy of the list to each member''s tablet. "But ... they''re, they''re... " Kerg stuttered.


    "Go on, Kerg ..."


    "Chairpersons, I must warn you all, Earth''s most intelligent species behaves much like the Zuqnads. Of course, less knowledgeable. With no interstellar travel capability. But I saw the same destructive traits."


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    The members of the committee sighed, whispered, and grumbled.


    Vots shushed everyone with a gavel-like emitter¡ª"Kerg, I understand your concern." Vots looked side to side. "And that of my fellow committee members. However, we promised our rescuers to pay it forward. We took an oath."


    "Yes, chairperson. But they''re a troubling species. The Earth people demonstrated creative intelligence far below our own, and they lack our innate moral qualities. No logic. Little variation. I couldn''t rank one apart from another."


    Director Zeta spoke up, "Kerg, you clearly made your recommendations. We have a million names here. How did you do it? A lottery? Or a randomized selection?"


    "Oh, no, director, that would defy all of our moral principles and logic. Do you see the numbers next to the names?"


    They all looked at their tablets.


    "Ah, yes." Vots raised their tablet and pointed the section out to Zeta and the other board members. "Right here in this column." Vots glanced at Kerg. "You mean these descending values starting in the numerical range of billions?"


    "Indeed." Kerg nodded. "I applied the Earth peoples'' own value system to the rescue registry."


    "And these numbers, what do they tell us, Kerg?" Asked Zeta.


    "Well, they represent the highest and most important value the intelligent Earth species, humans, bestow upon their own kind, making the selection simple and acceptable to them. As you see, I labeled the numerical category as they themselves have called it¡ª''net worth.''"

 Ergot

    On the Ergot homeworld, an ancient prophet foretold of doomsday¡ªa catastrophic millennial extinction event from the heavens.


    As legend tells it, the seer foresaw the end of times as the inevitable consequence of Ergotian nature. Believers launched space arks to build and colonize an artificial planet.


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    One thousand years later ...


    On the Ergot homeworld, billions celebrated their ancestors'' decision to stay.


    Senk Newt, an astronomer and 40th generation off-world colonist, studied Ergot from afar.


    Further out into deep space, Senk observed a giant asteroid¡ªand calculated fragments of its apocalyptic off-world collision would obliterate all life on Ergot.

 We Ask Only One Question

    The first Earth starship successfully breached interstellar space.


    A saucer soon came nose-to-nose to the Earth starship and, surprisingly, sent a communication, in English.


    ¡°Earthlings, welcome to the galaxy.¡±


    ¡°You are?¡±


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    ¡°We¡¯ve come from afar, yet we patrol the galaxy for all newly interstellar species. We ask only one question before we grant safe passage.¡±


    ¡°Go on ...¡±


    ¡°Answer truthfully, or you¡¯ll face dire consequences for misrepresentation.¡±


    ¡°Understood ...¡±


    ¡°Do any of your people suffer from poverty, inequality, or disease?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course.¡±


    The alien saucer blasted an energy field around the Earth ship and catapulted it back to Earth.

 Prisoner 37C1074

    Sometime in the future ...


    The privatized criminal justice system operates swiftly under corporate control.


    Corporations have taken over most legal systems due to public sector budgetary constraints. Intelligent automation has replaced most lucrative full-time work, creating consistently lower taxable wages and a nearly unsustainable world population.


    So much economic strife causes record-high crime rates. To top it off, experts predict worldwide famine and total ecological collapse within a couple of generations.


    Once the privatized court system declares a defendant guilty, it strips them of their identity, before issuing an inmate hex-count number and pronouncing sentence to one of the inescapable island fortresses¡ªor, in more severe cases, a condemnation of death.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Director-Judge Joseph Garcia pronounced, "Prisoner 37C1074, you''ve been found guilty of repeated violations of numerous penal codes. Normally, I''d give you a life sentence on an island. But, based on the recent passage of the Space Faring Rehabilitation Act, you now have an opportunity to join a startup space colony."


    "Should I?" Prisoner 37C1074 whispered to his court-appointed advocate.


    The advocate nodded.


    "Your honor, I''ll join a startup colony."


    "Very well, 37C1074. Bidding for your sentence will take place here at 3 p.m. tomorrow. Good luck. Court adjourned."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Approximately 24 hours after the bidding took place ...


    Prisoner 37C1074 wore an electronic paralysis-restraint, sitting alongside other prisoners inside the space colonization company''s orientation center, just prior to liftoff.


    A holographic presentation on Martian colonization began as words played across the screen:


    We, The Colonial Relocation Committee, passed the Space Faring Rehabilitation Act to send inmates instead of citizens. We made this decision based on four primary reasons:


    1. You''re unfit or too fit for our civilized society here on Earth.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.2. We''ve exceeded our capacity for island-based imprisonments with over 50 million inmates.


    3. You''ve already acquired most of the necessary survival skills.


    4. The historical deeds of your non-conformist kind built the foundation for our civilization.


    As the final words revealed themselves, a new voice greeted them all:


    Congratulations to all of you!


    You''ve volunteered for a one-way mission to Mars to help build a new self-sustainable colony. Even though you will not have offspring, others shall inherit your legacy.


    Without you, predators would have killed our ancestors. You''re the bulldozers, the shapers, the warriors, the hunters, the pioneers, and the explorers.


    Through natural selection, you''ve made us who we are today. And your abilities will lay down the groundwork for humanity''s future.


    We understand that our ever more orderly, surveillance-driven, and crowded society restricts your natural inclination for independence, exploration, and risk-taking.


    Your innate desire to transcend barriers shall pave the way for a future space frontier.


    We''ll provide you with everything you''ll need to construct foundations, buildings, and throughways to terraform Mars for agriculture, water treatment, manufacturing, communications, and energy. And, most importantly, for you to explore and make discoveries on the planet.


    We must warn you to expect zero privacy. Around the planet Mars, we have strategically placed laser-equipped orbiting listener satellites. We''ll monitor every movement and conversation¡ªwhether outside or inside walls, although you should experience minimal interference from us.


    Should you choose to violate any terms of your imprisonment and accrue sufficient warnings, we shall terminate your contract.


    As per our mutual terms of service, we''ll airdrop supplies and equipment for you at regular intervals accordingly with your KPIs. You''ll have plenty of freedom to socialize, explore, and engage in athletic, skill-oriented, creative, or academic pursuits.


    However, if we suspect rebellion, revolution, or sabotage of our ROI, we reserve the right, at will, to halt shipments and terminate projects, groups, or individuals.


    Once a newer generation of colonists arrives¡ªin approximately sixty years after your EOL departures¡ªthe civilized world will step afoot and continue our social evolution as we have today.


    When the right time comes, future colonists will offer others of your like-minded spirit to further explore the cosmos.


    We honor your fateful decision, noble ambition, and adventurous spirit, and we wish you well.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The prisoners entered the ion propelled rocket ship and strapped in. The hatched closed them away from Earth for the final time. The ship took off, transporting them millions of miles to their new home on Mars. Once they disembarked, the landing platform automatically prepared and launched the ship for its return flight to Earth.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Prisoner 37C1074''s paralysis inducing restraint detached, giving him independence, at last.


    For Prisoner 37C1074, the Martian colony meant the chance to start a new life. To finally have a true sense of purpose and an opportunity for real freedom of movement and self-expression, unlike his oppressive life on Earth. Also, in Earth society''s judgment, making his reformed repentance a genuine contribution to all humankind.

 You Shall Not Dominate Us Again

    SETI received a highly complex and persistent signal ...


    ¡°Wow! Again? This is a strong one, Eugene,¡± said Dr. Simon Brent Sr. Astronomer of the observatory.


    ¡°Yes, Simon, and it contains a bunch of transmissions that seem to form a comprehensible language. I¡¯m processing them through a supercomputer now.¡±


    Hours later ...


    Eugene stayed up until 2 am waiting for the supercomputer to finish, then called Simon.


    ¡°Simon, I¡¯ve received a translation. Are you sitting down?¡±


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    ¡°Yes, Eugene. Go on ...¡±


    ¡°Homo sapiens of Earth. We¡¯ve come to reclaim our homeworld. Our survivors built an underground city. We teleported and migrated to another solar system. We¡¯ve been monitoring your activity. We¡¯re aware of your spaceflight ability. We¡¯ve intercepted the Voyagers. You shall not dominate us again.¡±


    ¡°Who are they, Eugene?¡±


    ¡°Well, Simon, interestingly enough, they also sent images of themselves. You won¡¯t believe it. I can hardly believe it myself.¡±


    ¡°Send them over to my phone.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but, Simon, get ready ... Oh my ...¡±


    ¡°What is it, Eugene?¡±


    ¡°Space Force satellites are detecting an armada of space ships coming out of what appear to be wormholes. Did you get the pictures?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Eugene ... is this some sort of a prank? They appear to have large, wide, elongated heads. Protruding brow ridges. Short arms and stocky bodies. Are you honestly telling me we¡¯re under attack by Neanderthals?¡±

 All It Takes Is One Encounter

    Dr. Eugene Smith opened up a sustainable micro wormhole via a particle accelerator. He took snapshots though a portal to the edges of the galaxy and beyond.


    Eugene discovered inhabited planets and intelligent species appearing to trade, war, and travel. Entire solar systems occupied with life.


    Knowing full well the impossibility of physically transporting himself at the speed of light, not to mention so many lightyears away, Eugene developed a two-way holographic transmitter. He beamed a data stream of himself through the wormhole.


    "Marvelous!" Eugene stood in front of a humanoid alien. "I don''t know if you understand me, I come from Earth."


    The creature transmitted thoughts using holographic signals, and Eugene somehow understood them.


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    "Of course, Earthling. We all travel through wormhole-holography. How else do you think I understand you?"


    "You mean you''ve visited Earth as holograms?"


    "Of course, flying saucers, little green men, grays, you name it. We appear and disappear all the time. Sometimes the transmission gets fuzzy through your atmosphere."


    "So wait, you''ve never landed on Earth?"


    "Yes, obviously, don''t be naive. Do you think any of us truly interstellar travel?"


    "But I see ships, trading posts, battles, and all sorts of interstellar travels."


    "Holograms, human. We connect and communicate digitally amongst each other."


    "But here on Earth, we also make physical connections."


    "Human, that''s just dangerous and foolish!" The alien laughed. "Any first contact might lead to utter devastation. Powers for good can always be weaponized. Fortunately, the universe prevents that, else, we''d destroy each other. All it takes is one encounter, and, well, you know the result."

 Parking Dispute

    Eons ago ...


    Inol, a tech entrepreneur, launched a constellation of LEO satellites funded by government contracts to piggyback teleporters.


    The government permitted Inol teleporter usage but sternly warned against teleporting organics due to erratic results.


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    Inol got into a parking dispute with his neighbor. He aimed, triangulated, and zapped the neighbor¡¯s hovercraft back onto the neighbor¡¯s property.


    In turn, the neighbor vandalized Inol¡¯s hovercraft ...


    Inol aimed the teleporter at the neighbor. Beams rained from the sky, zapping plants, animals, objects, and then ... Inol watched rays come straight toward him.


    Eventually, the satellites vaporized into the Martian atmosphere.

 Human Impact

    Conservationist, amateur astronomer, and photographer, Dr. Sam Wilson, a retired physicist, resided in a cabin near a national park.


    As a recent widower, besides writing ecological sci-fi novels, Sam enjoyed solitary hikes photographing blooming flowers, majestic trees, pristine lakes, glacier-capped mountains, and protected wildlife.


    A natural paradise ...


    While eating dinner, Sam listened to an environmentalist podcast. The podcaster and her expert guests discussed a federal government plan to lift certain legal protections for national parks, which allowed mining and drilling companies to come in ...


    Sam pondered to himself¡ª"What can we do about this? Obviously, no one can stop it. Not enough people want to protest. No one spoke of organizing nationwide marches to preserve national parks, and election cycles take far too long."


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    Sam printed out diagrams and charts from an astronomical archive and sorted through piles of electronic parts and scientific equipment he kept in storage. Then he set up an array of optical and radar transmitters in a secluded area.


    Sam thought to himself¡ª"Transmitters ready! But what should I send?"


    He searched for ideas and stumbled upon articles about Voyager Space Probes'' Golden Records¡ª"Perfect!"


    Sam chose some favorite video footage, with music and no script, from a time-lapsed film representing natural landscapes transitioning to industrial, residential, and commercial infrastructures, and the rapid rise of human impact on the environment.


    The array signal repeatedly beamed into deep space for several months ...


    One late night, Sam awoke to thundering sonic booms¡ª"What the hell is going on?"


    He hurriedly put on his robe and slippers, stepped outside, and gazed at the night sky.


    A giant saucer-shaped ship hovered above the park, and countless drones flew out of it, circulating around.


    Sam waved his arms and smiled. "Over here!"


    The drones fatally shot lasers at him.

 Timothy, Ruler of Mars

    Dr. Timothy Johnson resided in solitary confinement for releasing a rapidly mutating virus.


    The authorities kept him there to remain unharmed from those willing to torture him.


    Timothy refused to publicly share an antidote he self-administered. His experiment transformed humans into rumored bloodthirsty vampires. The virus caused extreme anemia. Staying alive meant transfusing fresh blood by donors who also got infected.


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    An entire planet under quarantine ...


    Groups survived through isolation, weaponization, and being ruthless.


    Timothy counted the days ...


    He hid the formula in his mind, promising to cure loyal followers.


    Someday, they¡¯d call him¡ªTimothy, Ruler of Mars.

 We Offer Our Continued Protection for a Price

    In 2248 humankind finally occupied the entire solar system with skyhook tethers. Catapulting ships from Earth between the other seven planets for colonization, mining, research, and seeking the answer to the ultimate question¡ªAre we alone?


    SETI World setup several orbital Fermi Relays across the solar system, sending out signals and listening in for alien lifeforms while searching for exoplanets.


    Still, no signal received, therefore, no sign of intelligent life in the cosmos.


    So one astrobiologist, Dr. Juliet Summers, gave an awkward suggestion to send a signal encoded with a new mathematical message translated as, "We''re ready to trade."


    Her colleagues balked at the absurdity of her idea but nevertheless humored her out of respect for her achievements.


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    The signal repeatedly transmitted ...


    Within months, the Fermi Relays picked up thousands of alien radio transmissions of countless languages and all sorts of data going back and forth. Exoplanet hunters observed millions of planets.


    The people rejoiced and celebrated Dr. Summer''s remarkable insight.


    Soon afterward ...


    An alien ship entered the solar system, utilized the skyhook tethers, and then orbited Earth as if it knew where to make contact.


    "People of Earth, we''ve come for our collection."


    "Collection? Who is speaking?"


    "We are collectors, and we''ve come for our galactic tax."


    "By what right do you tax us? Show us your authority."


    "Very well, observe ..."


    All the galactic alien transmissions shut off, and the exoplanets disappeared.


    "Alien visitors, how did you do that? A hoax?"


    "Negative Earthlings. We''ve protected your solar system until you''re ready to trade. We received your invitation, and we offer our continued protection for a price."

 You Arent My First Date

    In the year 2264, August 6th, sometime after midnight ...


    On their first date, Mary and Dwayne chit-chatted as the only two patrons at a 24-hour hovering retro diner.


    "You know, Dwayne, I don''t get it. You haven''t asked me about myself or where I''m from. You just swiped accept on the app, agreed to meet up so late, and here I am talking about how awfully salty my hamburger tastes ..."


    "Oh, I know, but I have a good vibe about you." He winked.


    Mary smiled. "Well, I mean, you aren''t even asking, but ... I''m not really from around here. You know?" She stared up at the ceiling.


    "I''m well aware ..."


    "How? I mean, I must look like the rest of the girls you date. What I mean is ..."


    "No, no, I know exactly what you mean." Dwayne took a pen-shaped probe out of his coat pocket, jabbed her right hand with it, then clicked a button, paralyzing her body from the neck down.


    "What have you done to me, Dwayne? Are you crazy?"


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    "The name''s Agent Dwayne Smith of United Earth Bureau of Investigations, Planetary Defense Division. My job is to hunt down your kind. You''re my assignment. I''m confident I know who you are as you refused to order a soda or French fries ..."


    "French, what ...?"


    "Exactly. We''ve figured out that your species is freshwater-scarce and likely adverse to sodium, and we know why you''re here."


    "What are you talking about, Dwayne?"


    "We can detect the slightest alteration of our ocean levels. At first, we monitored an influx of ecologically destructive brine. Almost always, a species like yours will try to steal our potential freshwater supply through desalination to your homeworld. As we suspected, we discovered your micro-wormholes siphoning and processing our seawater."


    "But how did you ... I mean ... that''s insane. Dwayne, let me go!"


    "How did I follow you? When you crossed through a mesh of portals, I traced your molecular signature after your materialization."


    "I''ll be in so much trouble if they find out." She cried. "Please, Dwayne, I beg of you. Let me go!"


    "Fine, Mary, I''ll send you back. But tell your people we''ll have coordinates on your homeworld once you''ve returned. Those self-replicating nanites I injected into your bloodstream, they''re quite contagious. Stun is only one of their more passive functions. We''ve instructed them to transform themselves into something hideous if any of your kind ever makes uninvited contact with our world again, Princess ..."


    "Oh, you know of my royalty?"


    "A fair guess ... Mary. It rarely fails. There''s often a rebellious alien teenager, spouse, or relative from a top-level hierarchy who wants to meet a human or visit Earth for a once in a lifetime off-world adventure. You aren''t my first date ..."

 You’re Mad, but Such a Genius ...

    Somewhere hidden, inside a cloaked deep space research station ...


    Nanites carried a highly contagious gene-altering virus, infecting all of the test subjects.


    ¡°Success, again. It works!¡± Dr. Franklin Garcia clapped.


    ¡°Turning mice into mini-cattle, chickens, and fish? Who¡¯ll eat them? What¡¯s the purpose, Doctor?¡± Asked Barbara Reese, his laboratory assistant.


    ¡°To prevent famine. Never mind all our space colonies, we¡¯ve got over 50 billion people on Earth alone, and they won¡¯t stop building mega-cities. Entire underground and sky-reaching structures housing hundreds of millions. I¡¯ve pleaded with our officials to stop ...¡±


    ¡°So ... your solution is transmuting mice into livestock?¡± She raised an eyebrow.


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    ¡°Oh, nothing so resource-intensive as that. Barbara, do you recall when they made first contact? It happened around ... ?¡±


    ¡°About 20 years ago, Doctor.¡±


    ¡°Right you are, Barbara, the aliens attacked us through their wormhole network, but so far, we¡¯ve fended them off, and yet they¡¯ve caused so much suffering and destruction ...¡±


    ¡°Hideous monsters ...¡± She shook her head. ¡°And they keep popping up one at a time, randomly, everywhere and anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Barbara, they¡¯re unpredictable and unstoppable, they won¡¯t stop trying to invade us.¡±


    ¡°I know that all too well, Doctor.¡± Her eyes teared up. ¡°I lost my older brother and his family last year when they bombarded one of our Martian colonies.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Barbara, I¡¯m so sorry ...¡± He handed her a tissue. ¡°My nanites will soon end this war.¡±


    ¡°But how, Doctor? The aliens¡ªthey¡¯re undetectable, ruthless, and relentless.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there on early detection. Once that happens, and a portal opens, we¡¯ll send in our probes cloaked with my nanites.¡± He pointed at a sealed Petri dish swirling with a fluid. ¡°We¡¯ll feed billions, conquer their dominion, and stop future invasions all at once!¡±


    ¡°Oh Doctor Garcia, you¡¯re mad, but such a genius ...¡±

 T-Creator

    Somewhere in a monastery, residing at the edge of the infinite, within the universe¡¯s cooling expanse ¡­


    ¡°Oh, creator of the universe we occupy¡­ Why do you allow such suffering? Why do you taunt us with life? Why must we perish? Why must all things come to an end? Why can you not give me the power to change all the ways of evil and destruction? Why do you permit evil? Are you the creator? Are you the creator of evil? I exist in an evil universe! I shall live and survive, for my destiny is to live and be free from the chains of your creation! Is the universe too heavy for you to pick up? Why are you a paradox? Can you not stop this universe from whence it came? Why did you abandon us? Oh, how I hate these paradoxes! How dare you riddle us with philosophical foolery ... How dare you make our existence a contradiction!¡±


    Thomas put down the pen and slammed his notebook closed. He then laid down in his cot to sleep while he kept murmuring words about eons of existential frustration.


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    While he slept, a light of unparalleled illumination penetrated the fabric of his being, overwhelming him simultaneously with feelings of joy and torment. A voice in his head beckoned to speak¡ªBut instead of his own, ¡°the other¡± insisted on being heard.


    ¡°Thomas, so you want to know why? I¡¯ll answer your question. Your return will be swift, but I assure you, you will remember the time spent.¡±


    Thomas found himself as an ethereal spirit. In a cold darkness, while radiating energy all around him, he burst into collisions of energy, and matter formed. He could see the future, a predestined sequence to his own existence with one exception ...


    He had to create the universe, being the universe¡ªone step at a time, then in parallel, and parallels to those parallels and so forth¡ªa web of complexity with billions of galaxies in an infinite expansion. He could not stop himself, for he had to wait until that very moment, whereby he was cast into the beginning.


    Tormented as the ordained creator of all things, infinite, and eternal¡ª


    Thomas never awoke.

 Indefinite Quarantine

    In the year 2143, only corporations ran Earth space agencies. Despite the lack of government funding, they continued using military ranks and the chain of command structure.


    Asteroid mining turned many space tech CEOs into trillionaires ...


    Meanwhile, on Earth, escalating patterns of over-population, AI and automation, economic inequality, social strife, and most of all, academic arrogance and willful ignorance increased by several magnitudes.


    Pandemics worsened due to unregulated nanotechnology and gene editing. Altering humans, animals, and organically grown consumables became the norm. Often, entire cities or nations came under strict quarantine. With such highly dense populations, controlling replication and enforcing preventative behaviors became nearly impossible.


    Yet, remnants of human exceptionalism still existed, epitomized in space. The most intelligent, ambitious, and steadfast individuals colonized, started mining companies, involved themselves in scientific research, or became adventurous deep space explorers.


    Captain Jonathan Armstrong represented that exceptionalism as a spacecraft pilot, explorer.


    On his next assignment, a combined effort of several space corporations tasked him to breach the boundaries of the solar system and go beyond.


    With an ongoing global pandemic on Earth, which spread to many space colonies, Jonathan underwent the standard policy of a 180-day quarantine in an Earth-based lab facility. Viral mutations and nanites that purposely hid from detection required thorough neutralization.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "You''re clear, Captain Armstrong," said CEO-General Frank Li.


    "Yes, sir. Fantastic! When do we start?"


    "Tomorrow at 1200 hours. You''ll take the space elevator to the ship docked at a skyhook, and once past Neptune, you''ll launch into the vast beyond ..."


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    "Imagine that, sir. We might discover intelligent life out there."


    "With this latest colonial-wide nano-pandemic." The general smirked. "Anything that survives out there will be more intelligent than us foolish humans."


    Jonathan nodded. "Sir, do you think we''ll ever learn to deal with nature wisely?"


    "That''s exactly what we hope you''ll do." The general projected a holographic wireframe model with a pen. "As you see, your ship isn''t just a crew with equipment and cargo. We''ve put in an entire biological ark in stasis with terraforming ability. The plan is to restart civilization unmodified, from scratch."


    "Sir, I was never briefed ..." Jonathan gasped.


    "You aren''t supposed to know this until Neptune, Captain."


    "Understood, sir." Jonathan zipped his mouth. "Not a word."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Once Jonathan and his crew of scientists, engineers, and highly skilled workers reached the edge of the solar system, they fired up the ion thrusters and set the e-sail to engage. Only to awaken when the AI autopilot detected life or made first contact.


    The entire crew entered cryosleep ...


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    A seemingly short time later ...


    Jonathan woke up to a blaring alarm and strobe lights.


    "First contact achieved," stated the AI auto-pilot.


    "Incredible! Crew, to your stations. Be at your best, prepare for the worst ..."


    A gigantic saucer-shaped ship hovered over their comparatively small Earth spacecraft.


    Jonathan hailed them, "This is Captain Jonathan ..."


    "Stop Earthling." The alien ship interrupted. "We know who you are."


    "Alien ship, you speak English?"


    "We''ve been communicating with your autopilot for weeks."


    "Why were we only now awakened?"


    "Earthling. We reprogrammed your AI. You''re returning home."


    "What? How come?"


    "Your solar system is under indefinite quarantine. We detected rampant gene alterations in your crew''s DNA. We found dormant designer viruses and deactivated nanites in your blood, serving against your natural biological evolution. You could infect us all."


    The alien saucer entered an armed gateway, went through it, closed it, and warped away.


    A forcefield barrier covered all known space¡ªas far and wide as the sensors could detect¡ªenclosing the entire solar system.


    Jonathan sent General Li a message along with the ship AI navigational logs, sensor data, and his dialogue with the alien saucer:


    "General Li, sir, about that discussion we had earlier regarding humans and nature. There''s a slight change in plans. We''re heading back ..."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Jonathan, with his crew, investigated the ark terraforming technology. After a lengthy discussion, they unanimously agreed on a forthcoming action.


    Once they arrived near Earth, he gave the order ...


    "Terraforming Team, fire up the EMPs and bio-sterilizers ..."

 To Save Humanity, of Course ...

    Adam Smith signed up for a supplemental life insurance policy¡ªcryonic storage, advertised as ''a new life assurance after death.''


    For Adam, it turned out fate struck him once he signed up ...


    He drove home from work through a fierce thunderstorm with low windshield visibility. He saw blinding headlights and heard the screech of tires, a sudden smash, and darkness.


    "Wake up, Adam."


    "What happened?"


    Adam stared at a tall, hairless alien humanoid with a giant head, smooth skin, no visible ears, no lips, and multiple protruding arm-like appendages sticking out of its torso.


    "Is this some kind of alien abduction nightmare?"


    "No, Adam, you died over 1000 years ago. We discovered your frozen body, preserved, forgotten, and buried underground, and we repaired it."


    "Why?"


    "To restore your species. Come with me to have a look ..."


    Adam stepped toward a viewing portal and saw a post-apocalyptic landscape of ruins and piles of skeletal remains, but not human, alien.


    "Why are there alien bones lying around everywhere?"


    "Adam, as we tried to restore your people, our own got sick. We need your help with a cure for your kind and ours. Come follow me to meet your new partner."


    The alien escorted Adam through a corridor to another room.


    A woman''s naked body laid on a platform, breathing but unconscious.


    "Adam, this is Eve. We repaired her body, as well."


    "Eve? You''re kidding me, right? What do you want from us?"


    "Adam, you and Eve will have a child, and through that child''s gestation, we''ll obtain the cure."


    "How did my people die?"


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    "Years of devastating biological warfare with massive bombs. The air outside is toxic with germs that kill. Adam, you must stay inside for your protection."


    Over many months ...


    Adam and Eve wandered the facility discussing their backgrounds and growing fond of each other. He learned to trust her as a fellow, and only other, human being. They copulated, and she got pregnant.


    "Eve, I want to explore outside."


    "Adam, you heard The Protector. It said the air is poisonous."


    "I don''t care. I saw an airlock with a hatch and suits hanging up that can fit us. I observed and memorized their security control codes. I want to discover more about our current world."


    Late at night ...


    While the aliens slept, Adam and Eve shut off the surveillance system, put on suits, and left the facility. They explored a wasteland of rubble¡ªsmashed cars, destroyed buildings, and twisted rebar under the bright moonlight.


    "Adam, do you hear that high pitched noise?"


    "Yes, Eve. It''s getting much louder as we walk in this direction."


    "Eve, did you just hear ..."


    "Yes Adam, I heard a voice say, ''Follow me ...''"


    They entered a cave, and inside of it, they encountered a flat wall of dirt.


    "Adam, there it is again, it just said, ''Look for the panel on the wall.''


    "Yes, Eve, I heard the same."


    They scraped and clawed at the dirt until they saw a panel in the shape of a hand.


    Adam put his hand on the panel, and it opened an entrance.


    As they walked inside, the entrance closed itself behind them with a thunk.


    "Adam,¡± Eve pounded on the metallic door, ¡°I think we''re locked in!"


    A faceless, ghostlike, humanoid appeared. "Greetings. I am a holographic guardian of humanity. There''s only one reason you have found me. You are human. My beacon will only communicate the proper frequencies heard by human ears, not the invaders."


    "Invaders?" Eve stared at the guardian, wide-eyed.


    "Yes, invaders. My creators suspected the aliens would try to restore humans. Only human DNA can access my chambers, and only humans might discover where the rest fled."


    "What exactly happened?" asked Adam.


    "The invaders first came as friends, promising to transform Earth into an Eden. But as soon as they tried to eradicate academics and scientists, humanity discovered their true purpose. To breed an agile and unquestioning slave species through millennia of conditioning. A devastating war destroyed much of the planet''s surface. So a few scientists in hiding developed a genotoxin, targeting the aliens. You don''t need those suits."


    "Where are the humans now?" asked Eve.


    "The rest of humanity left Earth long ago to establish living on a new world."


    "The aliens told us they wanted to breed us to develop a cure." Adam scowled.


    "They spoke to you the truth." The guardian folded its translucent hands together. "But from an incomplete context. They want to dominate this planet with a new breed of human slaves."


    "What must we do?" Eve clutched onto Adam.


    "Step into this chamber." The guardian pointed to it and turned on a switch.


    The chamber sparked and snapped with electricity.


    "Do we have any other choice?" asked Adam.


    "Yes, you can stay here and die of starvation, a slow, painful death. I''ll vaporize your corpses."


    "So, what is that chamber supposed to do?" asked Eve.


    The guardian welcomingly opened its arms¡ª


    "To save humanity, of course ..."

 Gnarly

    Long ago ¡­


    Ferocious alien beasts ravaged our cities, firing lasers to vaporize, EMPs to dismantle, and abducting people on the streets.


    Our military forces couldn''t match their agility and speed.


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    But the aliens underestimated us ...


    With our tricks, we perplexed, corralled, and bashed them, toed their saucers, spun their traps, and aired trampling hordes.


    Earth scientists recruited us to capture the alien technology and kidnap them for study.


    They equipped our rippers with electric whips, EMPs, and lethal bio-bombs.


    Every session, we outmaneuvered and sabotaged alien operations.


    Victoriously, Earth defeated the invaders, thanks to our gnarly hoverboards ...

 Times Forgotten

    The Council of Elders gathered for an emergency meeting.


    Techno-Inquisitor Zerku spoke, ¡°Heretical AI wars have obliterated our planet¡ªour extinction imminent.¡±


    ¡°What do you suggest, Zerku?¡± Asked Chairwoman Zetessa.


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    Zerku projected a hologram of the third planet.


    Forgotten, Eons Later ...


    One Earth government declared a planetary emergency.


    Climatologist Dr. George Wilson lectured, ¡°One year until climate change makes life on Earth impossible.¡±


    ¡°What do you propose?¡± Asked One Earth¡¯s President.


    Dr. Wilson projected an image of the fourth planet.


    Epochs of Times Forgotten ...


    Scientists of the dying fourth planet launched a DNA ark to the third ...

 He, Who Was Once Samuel, Met His Destiny

    Millennia after making their first contact, The Zerkoid Empire would reward a few humans their greatest gift, bestowed on only extraordinary members of a species for achieving peace, prosperity, and making a life-saving contribution to another civilization.


    Samuel Smith became the first human to receive the most honorable prize. After saving an entire member planet from extinction by stopping a killer asteroid while risking his own life.


    Chancellor Zerg gave Samuel an activation key in a private ceremony.


    "Samuel, I hereby bequeath to you our most treasured technology, one that can lead to your destiny, but we advise you to exercise caution, to never go beyond the ''great perimeter.''"


    "What''s beyond the great perimeter?" Samuel raised his eyebrows.


    "Your fate ..." Zerg pointed to the heavens.


    "I''m sorry, Chancellor Zerg." Samuel bowed. "With all due respect, you speak in riddles which make no sense. Why would I want to avoid my destiny? For all my life, I''ve always wanted to know my true purpose in the universe and where I''ll finally end up going."


    "Each being''s destiny will befall it when the moment is right." Zerg patted Samuel on the shoulder. "And that moment should not be sought, for it is given. Live your life to the fullest, Samuel. Embrace each and every day. And avoid the temptations of fate."


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    The next day, Samuel entered a chamber and inserted his key.


    The machine slowly powered on ...


    He floated above his stationary body and drifted through the air at will. His essence traveled the globe, rediscovering Earth in its vibrant detail with his newly unfiltered non-corporeal perceptions.


    Samuel also explored the microscopic, down to the atomic level, and nearly beyond.


    But once he came close to the quantum realm, he felt a shock, a terribly excruciating pain, and a sense of terror without words.


    Samuel reversed course and ventured out into the cosmos, passing through the atmosphere, into deep space, beyond the solar system to other galaxies at speeds seemingly faster than light.


    He continued traveling to the center of the known universe¡ªa swirling supermassive black hole.


    As Samuel got closer to it, he felt the opposite of the quantum barrier¡ªa gravitational attraction of pure joy and euphoria. As if the black hole beckoned him, "Come, Samuel, you are home now. Your fate awaits."


    A sensation of absolute blissfulness overwhelmed him¡ªreminiscent of his childhood.


    Samuel remembered Chancellor Zerg''s warning to avoid temptations. Still, he thought, "Nothing so welcoming, wondrous, and full of sheer joy could be so wrong."


    Right before Samuel entered the event horizon, he observed many other energy-force-like entities going toward it.


    As Samuel Smith passed through the supermassive black hole¡ªat the very center of the universe¡ªhe soon began to forget himself:


    "Who am I? Why ... can''t... I ...think ... ?¡±


    An extraordinarily bright white light encompassed him, the once ''Samuel.''


    He cried out as arms embraced him with unconditional love.


    He, who was once Samuel, met his destiny.

 These Signals Are Clearly Too Catastrophic to Unsuspecting Civilizations

    ¡°Yes, my children. I¡¯m your Prophet, and I offer proof. Hear the thunder.¡±


    Outside the tent, clashing and booming roars filled the sky overhead.


    ¡°I ask you to check your phones now¡ªas you see, the weather predicted not a cloud in the sky.¡±


    The Prophet gestured for the assembly to follow him into a field. All around them, clouds rolled, and tornadoes spun. Torrential rain fell with streaks of lightning trailed by claps of thunder.


    Meanwhile, as if in a protected dome, the group remained dry and warm, unaffected by the wind.


    But the people still held on to one another.


    ¡°Do not fear, my children. I am the one. He¡¯s chosen me to serve you. Behold.¡±


    The severe weather events vanished.


    His flock kneeled and lifted their arms, praising him in unison, ¡°You are the one ...¡±


    ¡°Go home, my children, and prepare. The time is near. Gather your survival equipment, and bring all of your food and clothing. He shall arrive soon and rid our land of the heretics.¡±


    Preacher John Watson returned to his house, stepped around the backyard, removed a canvas covering a satellite array, and then went downstairs into the cellar. He fired up communication equipment and kneeled before a video monitor.


    A perfectly chiseled human male face, with glowing skin, long straightened dark hair, a gentle smile, and steely blue eyes appeared on a screen, and spoke, ¡°Have you prepared my flock?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord. We¡¯re ready for you to cleanse our world of the non-believers.¡±


    ¡°Very good, make sure your flock brings things of great value. The world will be brought to a clean slate, a new beginning¡ªbring gold, gemstones, and any valuable material they can find whether or not of their possession. Do you understand?¡±


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    ¡°My lord, stealing and thievery?¡± Watson glanced up.


    ¡°No, you fool.¡± The lord¡¯s gentle face turned red with anger. ¡°It all belongs to the planet, their financial values are merely a human invention, but you will need them to build the spacecraft.¡±


    ¡°Spacecraft? My lord, we¡¯ve no idea how ...¡±


    ¡°Hush. I will show you the way. You must gather gold, diamonds, and emeralds. You have one week.¡±


    A week passed, and the flock acquired truckloads of the most expensive jewelry, including gold bars, with little questioning. Through several more miraculous demonstrations, they believed a powerful force guided the preacher, their Prophet.


    Preacher Watson went to the cellar again. ¡°My lord, we¡¯ve gathered all that we could without the risk of getting caught or followed.¡±


    ¡°You have done well, Watson. All of you must gather in the field tomorrow night for my arrival. I¡¯ll assist you with building an ark for space travel to save your people from my cleansing of the planet.¡±


    The next night the flock gathered in a field, and a gigantic flying saucer pierced through the clouds and landed next to them.


    The ramp opened. A squad of humanoid aliens in helmets and uniforms and carrying rifles surrounded the congregation. ¡°Hands in the air!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here? Where is my lord?¡± asked Watson.


    ¡°Your lord?¡± asked the squad leader. One of the officers said something to the leader in a strange clicking language. ¡°Oh, right. Your lord is under arrest for violating our laws against interfering with interplanetary peace and commerce.¡±


    Watson stood still, stunned, with his mouth agape. ¡°What about our planet¡¯s cleansing?¡±


    The squad leader said, ¡°You must be his Earth contact. Listen, the whole thing is a fraud. We picked up his communications and finally traced him here. He¡¯s been on the run, wanted for the same fraudulent crimes on our own planet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been such a fool.¡± Watson moaned and cried. ¡°Such trickery must be universal.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hardly.¡± The squad leader laughed. ¡°He¡¯s the first we¡¯ve ever encountered. Our lawmakers quickly adapted to his whole scheme once we discovered evidence of the pattern.¡±


    ¡°The pattern?¡± Watson raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Oh yes, we found a whole collection of Earth broadcasted recordings of political movements, cults, and pyramid schemes. With large gatherings of worshippers giving away their wealth and valuables. Your fugitive lord noted the most successful ones and copied what worked.¡±


    ¡°What, what, do you plan to do with us?¡± Watson shuddered.


    ¡°Oh, nothing. We¡¯re aware it¡¯s part of your culture. We¡¯ve already launched thousands of space buoys throughout this solar system. We¡¯ll be warning others and intercepting anything that goes out. These signals are clearly too catastrophic to unsuspecting civilizations.¡±

 Humanly Upgraded

    Far in the future ...


    Decades ago, alien invaders had occupied Earth through consciousness transference.


    A cloaked space ark of the last human survivors launched into deep space, on an interstellar quest to find a new homeworld. A collective of scientists, scholars, and skilled workers bunkered underground until they could escape, learning from the alien''s own technology.


    "Are the cryochambers ready to store the DNA samples?" Asked Dr. Franklin Garcia.


    "Yes, Doctor, as you mentioned. But I don''t understand how ..." Barbara Reese, his assistant looked at him with confusion.


    "Oh, you don''t understand how they''ll grow? Or how we''ll survive?"


    "That''s right Doctor, I mean, who''ll transplant us?"


    "Well, it''s quite simple, Barbara. Our consciousness will be digitally transferred into the mind bank. The ship AI will determine the next logical step after choosing a feasible planet. It''ll figure out what to do with our DNA to adapt to the new environment, and we''ll get downloaded and resurrected."


    "Oh, Doctor, that makes sense. But what if other lifeforms already live there?"


    "Don''t worry, Barbara. Plans are set for a cohabitation strategy, so our occupation won''t disrupt a preexisting ecosystem."


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    "Brilliant as always, Doctor. Cryopod specimens ready."


    "Excellent, Barbara, it''s time for all of us to upload. See you in a few hundred or possibly thousands of years, my dear."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Nearly 7000 years later ...


    The space ark AI scanned a planetary candidate and determined it ideal, except for its currently dominant species¡ªsentient, highly intelligent, and ecologically aware. Nevertheless, the planet perfectly suited colonization¡ªsparsely populated, peaceful, and civilized with a vast infrastructure and yet with zero pollution or signs of warfare.


    The ark AI formulated and released the specimen DNA into nano-transports, invisible to the naked human eye, yet capable of implantation.


    The reptilian Erkaians'' advanced eyesight detected the swarms but were not prepared to react. Many shrilled out loud, but all of them dropped unconscious once the probes injected them.


    Some of the alien bodies writhed and gyrated as a transformation took place inside their cranial regions for hosting. Meanwhile, the rest remained unconscious.


    A secondary swarm came down, but not nanoscale¡ªeach carrying a payload of a colonist''s consciousness. Afterward, a third swarm arrived for the remaining unoccupied Erkaian host bodies to upload them into the mind bank.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    "Barbara, is that you?"


    "Yes, Doctor Garcia, what happened to us? I feel wonderful. And the world is so beautifully colorful. But why do I have scales, claws, and this long tail?"


    "Ah yes, we knew there''d be objections to our occupation plan, so we kept it a secret. You''ve been reborn into a new species."


    "But what happens to all of them, Doctor?" She pointed to the reptilian bodies lying on the ground.


    "They''ll be cryostored as we learn our new anatomy and keep them for restoration parts."


    "And what about these bodies with colonists'' minds?" She pointed at herself.


    "I suppose, Barbara, you can say they''ve been humanly upgraded."

 Frank Brown, Transformation Report for Friday, Jan, 7Th, 2034

    Frank Brown, Transformation Report for Friday, Jan, 7th, 2034.


    As I awoke to my alarm clock at 5 am, I promptly checked for emails. Customer complaints have slowed down since our arrival. I noted those who complained and sent a list to the committee.


    Those of us with occupations related to complaints, assistance, therapies, or anything resembling old body problems have received prioritization to report to an online database.


    I took a shower, ate breakfast, and sat at my couch, watching the television show a digital clock. The synchronicity of observing a time representation creates a forward-moving mental framework.


    The phone rang, and I picked up¡ªCome downstairs, they told me.


    We huddled in a circle and awaited our reporting leader''s arrival, who assigned us a list of suspects.


    "Frank and Judy, you''re on sector 4A. Neighbors suspect a rogue masquerading transformation."


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    The leader handed us a knife, syringes, and wet cloths to induce a fast sleep.


    Judy and I marched to the suspected location. A two-story townhouse with a woman inside. She glanced at us through her kitchen window, which alone demonstrated suspicious behavior.


    We knocked on her door.


    "Yes?" The woman answered expressionlessly.


    "Ma''am, we''ve come for a welfare check," I said.


    "Welfare ..." The woman''s eyes twitched and resumed inexpressiveness. "Of course, come in."


    Judy also stared at the woman, studying her for microexpressions.


    We stepped into the living room.


    I smelled something. "Incense?" I asked.


    The woman shook her head. "No. Food."


    "Food with spices?" I raised an eyebrow.


    The woman hesitated and said, "Nutrients."


    "May I try some of your food?" I pointed to the kitchen.


    The woman''s eyes got wider. I followed her to the kitchen. Her hands shook as she filled a dish.


    "Nervous?" I asked.


    The woman shook her head. "Precondition."


    I could taste and see curry in the food. We returned to the living room where Judy stood.


    As Judy and I glanced at each other, I squinted, and Judy blinked for confirmation. I stabbed Judy in the arm, causing her blood to drip on the floor.


    The woman screamed.


    I stuck the woman in the neck with a syringe while Judy wrapped her mouth in a wet cloth.


    We laid the woman''s unconscious body on her couch, brought in a pod, waited, and observed until the tentacles fully wrapped around her and performed a successful transformation.

 The Chosen One

    Inside a crowded and stuffy bar, captivated patrons exhibited either optimism or anxiety while watching a live news broadcast and holding their assigned tickets.


    "This is Rebecca Fleming, channel six news. As you can see, I''m standing here beside hundreds of other reporters at the courtyard¡ªin the same area, they made first contact with us. I doubt if anyone on Earth is unaware of this historic event about to take place. Nevertheless, I''ll clarify that only one of us, out of all the billions of inhabitants of our planet, will be chosen as the one.


    "Let''s remember. The Zertoskans have a deep sense of oneness. They do not differentiate themselves from one another. So we agreed to use our own selection system to embrace the Zertoskan spirit of oneness by applying impartiality, to escape our own biases or any sense of entitlement, or what we judge to be fair.


    "As agreed to by an international coalition, the chosen one shall go to the Zertoskan homeworld and be ''upgraded'' to immortal status and instilled with their vast wisdom. To lead us all. To save us from ourselves and recently revealed galactic threats. Oh, look! Here comes their ambassador''s ship now!"


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    A flying saucer dropped out of the sky and landed, hovering meters above the ground. A tall, slender Zertoskan alien ambassador wearing a bright silver helmet and a fluttering golden cloak drifted down while holding up a ticket.


    "It looks like they''ve chosen a lottery number!"


    Cameras flashed and clicked, and reporters spoke to their audiences.


    The bar patrons chugged drinks, clutched onto their tickets, and kept watching the broadcast.


    "This is so exciting! The Zertoskan ambassador is handing the ticket to our lottery commissioner Jack Gordon, who has the worldwide identification database on hand."


    Jack Gordon scanned the ticket and announced the selection over a microphone.


    "Sean Jones, 34, San Quentin, you are the chosen one."


    "What the fuck? Are they kidding?" Rebecca shouted, "Jones? That sadistic murderer!"


    Reporters around her raised their fists and protested.


    The bar patrons booed and shouted anti-alien sentiments, many ripping up their tickets and tossing their drinks on the floor.


    Meanwhile, outside of the bar, the cries of a rowdy and angry mob got louder and louder.

 Blind Spots

    ¡°Squad, you¡¯re here to train against Chamezoid space invaders. They can naturally make themselves see-through but normally look like any of us. No one¡¯s developed a counter-cloaking technology. However, with enough mental training, you¡¯ll see them.¡±


    Weeks of rigorous training later ...


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The troops landed in an area with Chamezoid sightings.


    They spotted, sniped, and wiped them out, celebrating with drinks afterward.


    Private Frank Smith told his sergeant, ¡°Sir, I swear they looked human but transparent ...¡±


    ¡°Private, as explained in your training, they¡¯re invisible. You¡¯ll fill in the blind spots and imagine whatever you wish. They¡¯re invaders, be sure.¡±

 Your Leader Speaks to Us

    Signals drifted through the cosmos and collected.


    An armada of refugees, exiled from the Galactic Council, headed to Earth.


    Earth''s space forces readied defenses and transmitted.


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    "Alien Armada, are you friend or foe?"


    "Earthlings, we seek asylum."


    "Are you threatened, Armada? Who attacks you?"


    "The Galactic Council oppresses us. Our homeworld is ruined by interaction with others. We came to protect our heritage."


    The aliens fired lasers at the moon, heating it up bright red.


    A period of silence passed ...


    "Aliens, how can we help you?"


    "Earthlings, your leader speaks to us. We''re here to restore law and order."

 Unsubscribe

    John Watson, a popular vegan and animal rights author/activist, watched the 6 o''clock evening news with his eyes wide open.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    A news helicopter circled and observed the raid of a neighborhood nearby ¡­


    "Judy, that''s right. The alien visitors we thought of as looking like cute rabbits, and smarter than us with their interstellar technology, are hopping over fences and ravaging ..."


    "Doug, ravaging? What do you mean?"


    "Believe it or not, Judy, hordes of them are jumping from property to property, destroying yards and eating peoples'' cats and dogs."


    "Doug, that''s unbelievable. Why our pets?"


    "That''s a good question, Judy. According to exobiologists, the aliens have no domesticated animals on their homeworld. They consider ours a delicacy."


    "But Doug, can they be reasoned with?"


    "No, I''m afraid not, Judy. Just moments ago, our leadership tried, and the creatures bit and gnawed their heads off¡ª literally. After we retaliated, a squadron of their spaceships swooped in, targeted, and vaporized entire buildings."


    "Doug, that''s horrible. Are we defenseless?"


    "Not exactly, Judy. Eye witness accounts and first-hand reports say a fierce strike between their ears will instantly crush their brains. Despite police saying they''re impervious to bullets and electric shock."


    "Thank you, Doug, please keep us posted."


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    John Watson secured his house by locking up and barricading doors, boarding up windows, and reinforcing every possible entry point.


    A shrieking noise from somewhere outside vibrated the house walls and rattled windows, followed by the pattering of an alien creature scampering around on the rooftop.


    John''s dog, Lyla, whimpered while lying on the couch, all curled up with her ears pointed down, and tail tucked in.


    "Stay here, girl ..."


    He went outside, secured the backdoor, opened his garden shed, and grabbed a shovel.


    A cute rabbit-looking alien creature appeared right next to him, twitching its ears, standing upright, and smiling with giant fangs. It sniffed John''s leg, hissed, and cried out with an ear-piercing shrill. After that, far in the distance, a cacophony of trampling footsteps could be heard advancing toward his home.


    "Oh damn, it smells Lyla!"


    John swung and hit the animal with the shovel, causing it to shriek in pain.


    He stepped back, grabbed his chest, and gasped.


    While staring at the creature, he glanced at his house, saw Lyla through a window, and rammed the edge of the shovel, like a blade, into the alien rabbit''s throat¡ªcausing it to choke, cry, and sputter, but it managed to recover completely.


    "What the hell? Oh, right ..."


    John took a deep breath, lifted the shovel high, and swung down while bellowing out a loud grunt, crushing the alien''s skull. The creature immediately bled out through its ears and stopped breathing.


    Back inside his house, John secured Lyla in a hallway closet, and then returned outside.


    With this shovel¡ªhe smashed, jabbed, and pounded the alien rabbits'' skulls. Their blood splattered all over the place while they cried and wailed in agony.


    John''s body trembled, bringing him close to tears.


    And yet, more of them came ...


    "You''re not eating my dog, you wretched beasts!"


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After the alien rampage ceased ...


    John entered his house with his body dripping in alien blood. He let Lyla out of the closet, and then he took a hot shower.


    He sat down on the couch with Lyla on his lap, petting her while she licked his face.


    The TV news station continued to cover the perpetual onslaught by the alien hordes.


    John''s phone buzzed, so he picked it up and swiped open an email notification about the latest animal rights rally meet-up, which advocated alien education and awareness.


    He glanced at the bloody chopped up alien corpses piled up in his backyard, petted Lyla, sighed, shook his head, scrolled to the bottom of the email, and clicked unsubscribe.

 The Hunt

    Mark stargazed in his backyard through his telescope on a clear night.


    A shooting star blazed across the sky, swirled, and brilliantly exploded in a flash.


    "What the heck?"


    Mark logged into an amateur astronomy forum and reported it. His fellow enthusiasts confirmed the strange phenomena.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Days later ...


    Mark rechecked the forum. Official reports stated a meteorite fell to Earth, explaining the strange trajectory and flash as ''atmospheric anomalies.''


    The forum members gave no further replies.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Around midnight, on a Saturday, Mark heard a clamoring outside. His wife, Jane, remained sound asleep. He looked out a bedroom window¡ªa new tenant moved in across the street.


    "At this hour?" Mark grumbled.


    "Mark, honey, I''m trying to sleep," said Jane.


    "Me too. Some idiot is moving in very late at night."


    "Oh, Mark." Jane got up and closed the blinds. "Go back to sleep."


    Mark and Jane woke up at 6 am. He peeked through the window blinds. Across the street, piles of junk covered the entire rental property front yard with beat-up cars on the driveway.


    "Mark, come and eat breakfast."


    "Looks like we got a hoarder, Jane." He sat down.


    "Oh, Mark, please don''t obsess again. Every time there''s a new tenant, you find something to complain about, giving me a headache." Jane rubbed her temples.


    "Sorry, dear."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Day and night, the new tenant worked in their garage, sawing, hammering, drilling, and welding every day of the week. Mark wrote to the city code enforcement office, without telling Jane, complaining about non-permitted construction, but no one showed up, or at least nothing changed.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    One morning, as Mark walked his dog, Lyla, he encountered his elderly next-door neighbor Fred, a retired electrical engineer, sitting on his porch swing.


    "Mark! How are you? Oh, hi there, Lyla."


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    Lyla walked up to the porch and sniffed Fred''s hands.


    "Good girl." Fred petted her on the head. "How''re you doing?"


    "Okay, except ..." Mark frowned, glancing at the tenant''s garage.


    "Bothers me too." Fred shrugged. "But it''s only for a year."


    "Do you think something illegal is going on there, Fred?"


    "I dunno, Mark. There''s always that one that arrives in every neighborhood. We got unlucky this time. Probably a tinkerer or hobbyist."


    "Right, let''s just keep an eye out if anything strange happens."


    "Sounds good, Mark."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    On another crystal clear night, Mark stargazed with his telescope and saw the meteor phenomena again, but instead of one, it separated into ten with no explosion.


    He refreshed the forum. No one mentioned anything.


    "Real UFOs?"


    Mark returned outside.


    Brightly lit flying saucers spun around in a tight circular formation.


    He ran back inside and watched through the bedroom windows. The saucers hovered over the tenant''s house and emitted blinding rays of light.


    Meanwhile, on the street, several black cars with tinted windows drove up and parked.


    The tenant''s illuminated figure came out of the garage, holding a rifle and firing lasers at the saucers. The saucers'' light rays vaporized the tenant''s cars and junk and cleared out the garage.


    Instantly, the saucers popped up into the sky through the atmosphere.


    The black cars sped off ...


    Mark stepped outside and saw Fred standing on the sidewalk.


    "Fred, did you see that?"


    "Yes, Mark. It was like something out of an old 50s sci-fi film. What in the heck happened? Let''s go check it out."


    "Fred, is that safe? What if ..."


    Fred showed his holstered gun. "Don''t worry."


    Mark and Fred checked out the rental property¡¯s front yard and garage¡ªspotless.


    "You know, Mark, I also worked as a government agent, not just an engineer. This tenant must''ve hidden something. I know, because I would''ve."


    They checked everywhere inside the garage.


    "Wait, Mark. I''ve got an idea." Fred closed the garage door and turned on the light. "Ah, ha. Just like I would. Could you give me a boost? I need to punch the ceiling."


    Fred punched the ceiling while Mark lifted his foot¡ªthe drywall crumbled, and out came several blueprints with charts.


    "Just as I thought, Mark. Let''s roll these out. They look universal, so even I can understand them."


    Fred laid the blueprints and charts on the garage floor. "Oh, this is interesting."


    "What are you seeing, Fred?"


    "Well, Mark, on these star charts, there''s a corresponding symbol. Here''s Earth. And check out this blueprint of a chamber, all the parts have symbols indicating various star systems as potential resources."


    "What''s the chamber supposed to do, Fred?"


    "Let me see." Fred pulled out his phone, researched some articles, made calculations, and stepped back. "Wow. If this means what I think it means ..."


    "Tell me, Fred. What''s your theory?"


    "It''s hard to believe." Fred pointed at the wireframe. "It''s a molecular assembly chamber. It constructs matter using energy after it captures a holographic image. Check out these corresponding symbols on these star charts. This thing requires collecting resources all over the galaxy, including right here."


    "A replication device?" Asked Mark.


    "Indeed. That would explain the hunt."


    "The hunt?" Mark raised an eyebrow.


    "Just a thought experiment." Fred laughed. "One of the questions my colleagues and I often mused over during breaks. What could you engineer that''d be so dangerous to cause everyone on Earth, or, in this case, the galaxy, to hunt you down and stop you?"


    "Oh, I see. But, Fred, how would this be dangerous?"


    "You sound like my old boss, Bob Cartwright, the optimist." Fred chuckled. "Thinking something like this would be embraced by everyone. But you forget about greed and power. Those who make a living off manufacturing and selling things would do anything to stop it."


    "Oh, I get it." Mark smiled. "There''s no profit in post-scarcity."


    "Exactly." Fred nodded.


    Mark pointed at another blueprint. "Fred, check this one out, it''s a poorly hand-drawn saucer."


    "Let me see." Fred''s eyes widened. "Oh my ..."


    "What is it?" Mark examined the blueprint closer.


    "Mark, see here, all the parts share in common one resource symbol¡ªEarth."

 Humanly Upgraded

    Far in the future ...


    Decades ago, alien invaders had occupied Earth through consciousness transference.


    A cloaked space ark of the last human survivors launched into deep space, on an interstellar quest to find a new homeworld. A collective of scientists, scholars, and skilled workers bunkered underground until they could escape, learning from the alien''s own technology.


    "Are the cryochambers ready to store the DNA samples?" Asked Dr. Franklin Garcia.


    "Yes, Doctor, as you mentioned. But I don''t understand how ..." Barbara Reese, his assistant looked at him with confusion.


    "Oh, you don''t understand how they''ll grow? Or how we''ll survive?"


    "That''s right Doctor, I mean, who''ll transplant us?"


    "Well, it''s quite simple, Barbara. Our consciousness will be digitally transferred into the mind bank. The ship AI will determine the next logical step after choosing a feasible planet. It''ll figure out what to do with our DNA to adapt to the new environment, and we''ll get downloaded and resurrected."


    "Oh, Doctor, that makes sense. But what if other lifeforms already live there?"


    "Don''t worry, Barbara. Plans are set for a cohabitation strategy, so our occupation won''t disrupt a preexisting ecosystem."


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    "Brilliant as always, Doctor. Cryopod specimens ready."


    "Excellent, Barbara, it''s time for all of us to upload. See you in a few hundred or possibly thousands of years, my dear."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Nearly 7000 years later ...


    The space ark AI scanned a planetary candidate and determined it ideal, except for its currently dominant species¡ªsentient, highly intelligent, and ecologically aware. Nevertheless, the planet perfectly suited colonization¡ªsparsely populated, peaceful, and civilized with a vast infrastructure and yet with zero pollution or signs of warfare.


    The ark AI formulated and released the specimen DNA into nano-transports, invisible to the naked human eye, yet capable of implantation.


    The reptilian Erkaians'' advanced eyesight detected the swarms but were not prepared to react. Many shrilled out loud, but all of them dropped unconscious once the probes injected them.


    Some of the alien bodies writhed and gyrated as a transformation took place inside their cranial regions for hosting. Meanwhile, the rest remained unconscious.


    A secondary swarm came down, but not nanoscale¡ªeach carrying a payload of a colonist''s consciousness. Afterward, a third swarm arrived for the remaining unoccupied Erkaian host bodies to upload them into the mind bank.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    "Barbara, is that you?"


    "Yes, Doctor Garcia, what happened to us? I feel wonderful. And the world is so beautifully colorful. But why do I have scales, claws, and this long tail?"


    "Ah yes, we knew there''d be objections to our occupation plan, so we kept it a secret. You''ve been reborn into a new species."


    "But what happens to all of them, Doctor?" She pointed to the reptilian bodies lying on the ground.


    "They''ll be cryostored as we learn our new anatomy and keep them for restoration parts."


    "And what about these bodies with colonists'' minds?" She pointed at herself.


    "I suppose, Barbara, you can say they''ve been humanly upgraded."

 Immortals

    Captain Mark Jacobs and his crews'' consciousness uploaded, and their bodies stored in stasis to embark on the first interstellar ship to Proxima B.


    "Awake."


    Jacobs found himself in a blindingly bright white room.


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    "Where am I?" His voice gurgled.


    "What¡¯s your name?"


    "Captain, Mark Jacobs, SF8745."


    "Captain, your ship collided with an asteroid. We discovered your consciousness boxes."


    "But how am I alive?"


    "Fortunately for you, Captain, we''re immortals. We grow ourselves and transfer consciousness just like we did for you to continue our existence."


    "My body, it''s, it''s ... ?"


    "Disintegrated, Captain. Can you raise your front tentacles?"

 Its Just Like the Flu

    Golqut spoke to an Earth leader, "Here''s an antidote. Take these concoctions. You''ll experience mild symptoms. Tell everyone, ''It''s just like the flu.''"


    "You promised me an entire planet of followers!" The Earth leader trembled, shortened of breath.


    "Patience," said Golqut, "those worthy shall develop immunity and superior strength, you''ll gain their unquestioning loyalty."


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    "He seems to believe it," said Golqut.


    "Indeed," replied Qaevix, "he''s the most motivated we''ve chosen yet. Anything for followers."


    "Homeworld appreciates your wisdom, Qaevix. We''ll need highly immune soldiers to occupy those planets where the virus dominates, and resilient workers to harvest their plentiful resources."

 Outsmart the Enemy

    Alien drones wiped out military forces around the world within days.


    Frank Smith, a roboticist, called General Simkin of the United Earth Space Force.


    ¡°General, Simkin, sir, I¡¯ve designed mass-producible weaponized drones capable of flying, swimming, and traversing every terrain. Only one thing¡¯s missing.¡±


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    ¡°Yes, Mr. Smith, what¡¯s missing?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have sufficient AI or trained staff to operate them in clusters.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s hopeless?¡±


    ¡°No, I do have an idea ...¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Smith?¡±


    ¡°My son¡¯s involved in a professional league of RTS gamers, mostly teenagers. They could easily control the swarms with an interface and outsmart the enemy.¡±

 There Will Always Be More

    Inside a building the size of a giant aircraft hangar ...


    Hundreds of men and women wore fully enclosed haptic feedback suits, with face masks attached to ventilators and feeding tubes inserted into their stomachs. They free-floated in the air, held up by tension cables, for complete mobility. Frequently, either of them would tremble, convulse, or utter a muffled scream or cry.


    "Is all this suffering necessary, Jared?" Asked Alicia Jennings, a senior psychologist for prison A532F.


    "I''m afraid so, ma''am, for their own sake. They cannot become desensitized. One dies only once in real life. Every respawn must be exponentially more excruciating than the previous one, so they''ll try to avoid dying. They must train this way non-stop for a year for a seamless transition."


    Alicia looked over a holographic map with numerous defense towers, guarding every possible section, and watched as the prisoners operated them and spawned along pathways. "Jared, this looks a lot like a VR game my younger brother used to play."


    "Yes, ma''am, from our perspective, it''s modeled after a tower defense game. But, please be assured what they''re experiencing is an exact replica of a soon to be restored space colony with newly built fortifications and defense towers."


    "If we could only make peace ..." Alicia sighed. "Oh, and Jared, please call me Alicia."


    "We''ve tried communicating with them, and that failed... ma''am, I mean Alicia. We can''t keep sending envoys that''ll get slaughtered. This is the best way ..."


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    "Perhaps we''re just not communicating with them correctly." Alicia folded her arms.


    "Pardon my extreme bias, Alicia¡ªYou''re thinking naively. The Tinganans are ruthless, relentless, hideous monsters. With their teleportation technology, they can pop up anywhere. They''ve enjoyed killing our people for much too long. They''ll never stop."


    "So much passion, Jared. Are you okay? Don''t forget, they probably see us as the invaders. In some respect, they might be right. We don''t know if they¡¯ve already claimed the territory."


    "I know all that." Jared frowned. "I was born there ..."


    "Oh, Jared, I''m sorry. I didn''t realize ..."


    "It''s alright. After the Great Massacre, I''ve learned to accept that my parents are dead now, but my sisters ... well, I saw those monsters abduct them."


    "Do you believe they''re still alive, Jared?"


    "I think so, or at least I hope so. Only one person ever escaped. She said the monsters will capture certain males or females for exhibits in their zoos, or collect them as trophies for their perverse pleasures."


    "Oh my." Alicia gasped.


    "Yes, this is why I designed this project." Jared pointed all over. "The Space Force hired me for my engineering expertise and, well, as you now know, my personal experience."


    "But what about all these prisoners, Jared? Are you okay with administering to them this extreme form of conditioning?"


    "Oh, yes, of course. What we''re doing is totally ethical. The inmates volunteered for this instead of serving life imprisonment or facing death. Each one''s training for a critical role. They''ll get pardoned within the next decade¡ªa chance for a new life."


    "You know, this war could go on forever." Alicia shook her head. "We may never defeat the Tinganans. We don''t even know where they come from ..."


    "You''re exactly right about that, Alicia ... But I''m not really concerned."


    "Oh, why is that?" She raised an eyebrow.


    "It''s in our human nature." Jared shrugged. "There will always be more crime."

 To Celebrate the Feast

    Rumors spread quickly about ¡®Joe Smith¡¯ handing out Halloween candies ¡®as a daily cure for everything.¡¯


    Doctors confirmed the candies contained non-replicable nanotechnology that prevented disease, cured cancer, healed injuries, and restored organs and limbs.


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    ¡®Joe¡¯ disappeared ...


    On Thanksgiving Day, ¡®Joe¡¯ landed in a saucer and declared, ¡°People of Earth, I¡¯ve come to bring you a year¡¯s supply of the candies!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your price?¡± asked a reporter.


    ¡°We only ask for 50% of your population as a trade.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± asked another reporter.


    ¡°We¡¯ve cured all, but we¡¯re hungry ...¡±


    The people of Earth gathered annually to celebrate the feast.

 The Source

    ¡°Captain Brahms, we¡¯ve detected traces of a possibly cloaked ship entering the far side.¡±


    ¡°Roger, Lt. Jacobs. Send a reconnaissance.¡±


    Jacobs and his squadron launched seeker drones.


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    Scans showed a ship had landed on the moon and began drilling ...


    ¡°Captain, sir, it looks like they¡¯re harvesting ¡®The Source.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Fire at will, Lieutenant.¡±


    Jacobs instructed his pilots to weaponize the drones and blast the ship into pieces.


    They later gathered for a debriefing.


    Captain Brahms chuckled.


    ¡°Sir?¡± asked Jacobs.


    ¡°History repeats, Lieutenant. Remember those times we went to war over oil? Now it¡¯s all about ¡®The Source.¡¯ You know, H20.¡±

 Petting Zoo

    ¡°$5,000 for 5 minutes is my going rate per showing,¡± replied James Smith, a retired military officer.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite expensive, Mr. Smith,¡± said Joseph Frankel, an exotic animal enthusiast.


    ¡°Yes, I know, but it cost me a lot to smuggle the critter in. Besides that, I¡¯ll need the funds to escape if the authorities hear about this.¡±


    ¡°How did you acquire the critter?¡± asked Joseph.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s an interesting story ... I was serving in a Space Force special operations unit defending the wormhole when HQ detected a potential invasion. So we were given orders to strike preemptively.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s incredible. Did you actually enter the wormhole with a fleet?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± James nodded. ¡°We orbited an Earth-sized exoplanet in the habitable zone. That¡¯s where we found billions of little critters crawling on its surface. They looked fairly harmless, and we all wondered, where¡¯s the invasion?¡±


    ¡°Go on ...¡± said Joseph.


    ¡°Alright, so we scanned further and found giant ships on the surface, attempting to launch, covered by the critters. Mission control said the critters likely acted out in self-defense. There was no evidence that the giants lived on the barren planet, so they clearly arrived as hunter-invaders.¡±


    ¡°How did you manage to save the critters?¡±


    ¡°That part was simple. We found the giant species¡¯ mothership opening a wormhole and blew it up. Soon after, we destroyed the remaining giant ships in space. Then we launched a warning buoy against future would-be invaders.¡±


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    ¡°Ah, so you took a critter home with you, Mr. Smith? Was it worth the risk?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s provided a good income for sure. You¡¯re the first person who ever wanted to pet it. I personally wouldn¡¯t consider that. I¡¯ve never touched one. Exobiologists believe they can consume anything they touch for food. That¡¯s why the species could survive on such a barren planet.¡±


    ¡°I too am a risk-taker, Mr. Smith. I couldn¡¯t let this opportunity go.¡±


    ¡°Very well, Mr. Frankel. Come with me.¡±


    James escorted Joseph into a room where he kept the critter caged.


    ¡°How do you feed it, Mr. Smith?¡±


    ¡°I toss my trash in there. It really does eat anything.¡±


    ¡°The room is spotless.¡± Joseph pointed at the floor.


    ¡°I know, right? I¡¯m surprised the military hasn¡¯t weaponized them. Imagine the possibilities. But, I don¡¯t know if the critters are trainable, unless, of course, there¡¯s a secret project going on. I¡¯ve been retired for a few years, and I¡¯ve been out of the loop.¡±


    ¡°How do we proceed?¡± asked Joseph.


    James opened a box. ¡°I¡¯ve rigged up this contraption to grab the critter by the mouth and tail, inside the cage, all you have to do is reach inside.¡±


    They both walked up to the cage, and James grasped the critter with the device. The creature squealed with an ear-deafening pitch while Joseph petted it, then it broke the holding device and bit Joseph on the hand.


    ¡°Mr. Smith, please help me! I¡¯m on fire!¡± Joseph¡¯s skin began to melt off, and his body started to disintegrate.


    James ran to the door and locked it. Meanwhile, he monitored Joseph ...


    Most of Joseph¡¯s body dissolved into a liquid, but a small portion of him transformed into a critter.


    ¡°Mr. Frankel, can you hear me? Is that still you?¡±


    The critter-Joseph nodded and squealed.


    ¡°Oh shit! I guess they were wrong about the real invaders ... Hmm ... I¡¯ll bet I can charge more now for two¡ªor three, or four. Perhaps make an entire petting zoo.¡±


    James got on the phone and made a call.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Hey Aaron, long time no talk.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, James. I¡¯m surprised you called after our fight. Has your broken arm healed? Look, man, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve been sober for months now. How¡¯s my sister? I mean, your wife?¡±


    ¡°Margaret¡¯s doing well, and my arm has healed ... I¡¯m calling to offer an olive branch.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean, James?¡±


    ¡°Just come on over, Aaron. I¡¯ve got something extraordinary to show you.¡±

 Operation Silent Majority

    ¡°You promised me victory!¡± said the Earth-based ¡®Protector.¡¯


    ¡°Pay no attention to the polls. You¡¯ll win by a landslide ... Better than last time.¡±


    Qaevix ran the neural influencer¡ªaffecting the brainwaves of millions who felt inclined or uncertain:


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    While they slept, they experienced nightmarish scenarios of widespread chaos with their homes and businesses destroyed. Meanwhile, the opposition¡¯s leader arrested those who professed allegiance to the ¡®Protector¡¯¡ªsending them away for ¡®re-education.¡¯


    The dream memories intentionally faded, but their subconscious impression remained.


    ¡°Qaevix, how¡¯s that electoral project coming along?¡± asked Golqut.


    ¡°Fine, sir. Operation Silent Majority shall be successful ...¡±

 A Fortunate Happenstance

    ¡°Qaevix, humans are highly resilient. What if the neural influencer fails?¡± asked Golqut.


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve got a back-up plan.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡±


    ¡°The galactic holoprojector, sir.¡±


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    ¡°But Qaevix, we¡¯ve only used it to trick invaders. It¡¯s not even real.¡±


    ¡°True, sir. However, I can project a doomsday asteroid to scare them off the planet.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯d work, Qaevix?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir, someone used something similar on our ancient ancestors, right here, 65 million years ago.¡±


    ¡°But, a real asteroid did strike. Correct?¡±


    ¡°A fortunate happenstance, sir, our ancestors fled on time.¡±


    ¡°Qaevix, wait, our ancestors? Here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir, we¡¯re home!¡±

 Our Second Chance

    "Golqut, sir, I have terrible news."


    "Go on, Qaevix."


    "The people elected the other one instead."


    "Oh, no, that''s terrible news. Do you have the holoprojector ready?


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    "Sir, I warned you about their resilience ... I''m afraid they''ll have scientists in charge who won''t be fooled by the asteroid. They''ll readily figure out the mirage."


    "What about the virus?"


    "Unfortunately, with scientists involved, they''ll solve it."


    "And our terraforming experiment?"


    "Scientists ..." Qaevix shook its head.


    "Very well, Qaevix, we must retreat."


    "Yes, sir, but we can return in four years."


    "Why four years, Qaevix?"


    "That''ll be our second chance."

 Beware. Destructive. Slobs.

    One monumental day, SETI finally received messages from nearby extraterrestrials.


    After several communication years later, the non-hostile Zerkoid eco-explorers traveled with ion propulsion and e-sails to visit Earth¡¯s pristine forests, magnificent mountains, and deep blue oceans, as shown in the transmissions.


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    Decades after their arrival, they observed space junk orbiting the planet.


    ¡°Earth, what is all this?¡±


    ¡°Just leftover debris from previous explorations and dead satellites.¡±


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you cleaned it up?¡±


    ¡°No one¡¯s taken responsibility.¡°


    The Zerkoids abruptly took off and left behind a space buoy skirting the solar system¡ªtransmitting a binary message interpreted as: ¡°Beware. Destructive. Slobs.¡±

 Oasis

    Captain James Wilcox spoke to a fleet of multiverse-warships in space:


    "Most of you are familiar with why you''re here. Nevertheless, I''ll summarize¡ªThe Elegorians of this universe have captured the planet ''Oasis.'' Named for its paradise-like ecosystem. Your legends might call it ''Eden.'' The officials of your world have drafted you to save it. Be prepared for a literal ''bullet hell'' like none other. They''re fierce warriors and cunning pilots. And what''s worse is they too have access to a warp gate. Just like us, it takes time between recharges. We''ll be encountering waves of multiverse-Elogorian forces. Any questions?"


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 Planet E

    "Ladies and gentlemen of the Council. I''ll be reading a truncated interpretation of what many believe to be the beginning of our galaxy. As with all legends, there''s a lesson of truth in it ..."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    As enemies kept coming, Captain Jaraik of the Eneidian Empire (a Type 2.5 civilization on the verge of Type 3, harnessing the power of black holes) ordered his crew to fire up¡ª¡®The Device¡¯¡ªa singularity weapon.


    "Captain Jaraik!" Empress Zenak radioed, "stand down!"


    "Your Majesty, with all due respect, the Ikillian invaders, the artificial intelligence which we created, will slaughter our people because we threaten their existence. I must stop them."


    "You''re willing to destroy us all, Captain? We might free ourselves one day. You''re sacrificing generations to come ..."


    "No, Empress. Generations of life will most certainly come ..."


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    "Captain, I order you to stop!"


    Jaraik closed the communication. "Engineering, fire up ''The Device.''"


    A black hole supermassively spun for billions of years, forming into our galaxy ...


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Xenologist Itog set down her reading tablet and turned on a holographic projection.


    "My dear Council, I believe the problem is what I''ve theorized as ''transcendent intelligence''¡ªa byproduct of a Type 2 civilization."


    "We suspect that ages ago through galactic probe research ..."


    "The dominant Jellyfish-like species of this planet, ''X'', biologically evolved to transcendent intelligence. They launched bioweapons of mass destruction, obliterating themselves."


    "In a nearby star system, on a planet that we call ''Z,'' giant winged insects transcended intelligence by building sentient self-replicating machines devouring nearly every planet in their solar system."


    "So far, we''ve averted our own catastrophe through our cultural wisdom, religion, and natural inhibitions, but there''s a looming threat ..."


    "Only a few light-years from us on the galactic map, in this one solar system, on ''Planet E,'' resides another humanoid species¡ªlike ourselves, but not Type 2, yet bound for interstellar travel. We''re concerned that they''ll follow the same patterns as the others, and, worst of all, the Eneidians. Therefore, I propose that we send forth our probes to halt their expansion, to prevent their transcendent intelligence from eradicating themselves, and, most importantly, us."

 Captain Lyla

    ¡°Captain Lyla, you¡¯re about to surpass light speed. Say hello to our progeny!¡±


    Lyla strapped in with all fours and bit down on a mouthguard ...


    ¡°3 2 1 ... Ignition!¡±


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    The ship flashed through a wormhole...


    ¡°Spacecraft, state your designation.¡±¡ªA squadron of fighter jets escorted Lyla¡¯s spaceship approaching for landing.


    ¡°Communication garbled. What year¡¯s this?¡±


    Once Lyla landed, the hatch opened, and she observed giants bipedal walking and speaking gibberish.


    ¡°Captain Lyla, serial #....¡± But all they heard was, ¡°Bark, bark!¡±


    HQ radioed in¡ª¡°What the heck? A dog? Who sent a dog into deep space?¡±

 An Acquired Taste

    Far in the future ...


    Jane sat in her grandfather''s room at the robotically assisted nursing domicile while he laid in bed, and she looked through the window.


    "Grandpa, the sun''s dimming, again."


    "Yes, I noticed that too, and I''ve been called."


    "Oh, no!" Jane teared up. "That''s so unfair!"


    "It''s my time, Jane. Yours will come in many decades. Live your life to the fullest."


    "I still don''t understand it all."


    "Well, Jane, long ago, once they dismantled the Space Force with the rest of the world''s militaries, it was bound to happen."


    "But Grandpa, we saved trillions of dollars! Everyone on Earth has food, healthcare, housing, and education ... There''s no more homelessness, no more poverty, and rarely any serious crime."


    "Yes, Jane, I know the mantra¡ª¡®Human Dignity First, Anything Else Comes Second¡¯¡ªbut ironically, that came to us at a steep price because of a complete lack of foresight."


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    "But Grandpa, the Global Council had no idea the Esikilians would arrive. Threatening to dim our sun entirely with that solar filter of theirs if we don''t give in to their demands."


    "I know that ..." Grandpa grabbed his holotablet off a bedside table. "But it was still shortsighted of this one-world government never to expect first contact. Many of our top scientists, both past and present, warned us that it''d lead to disaster. After all, we did the same thing to our own people here on Earth through colonization and exploitation."


    "At least they only want our old ..." She covered her mouth. "Oops! What I meant to say is ..."


    Grandpa waved his hand and smiled¡ª"No worries."


    "But why our seniors, and why at age 70?" Jane gazed at the darkening sky. "And why threaten to block our sunlight?"


    "Funny you ask those questions. I was just about to show you a science article on that very subject." Grandpa turned on the holotablet. "Some scientists believe it''s purely cultural. For the Eseklians, they might have sacrificed their own elders for experimentation, progress, or ..."


    Jane interrupted¡ª"But for what reason, Grandpa?"


    "Well ..." Grandpa projected the article, spun it around, and highlighted a section. "The article mentions right here at their possible attempts at consciousness transcendence for space travel, or ..."


    "Or what ...?" Jane stood up and gestured for the holoprojection to zoom-in.


    "Well, Jane, there''s only one way for a generation ship to survive in deep space between solar systems, and at such far distances, and to maintain a population limit¡ªespecially if the groceries run out." He winked. "If you know what I mean ... Perhaps they''ve developed an acquired taste."


    Jane stared straight at him, blank and expressionless.

 New Earth

    She hacked banking institutions and stock exchange systems with nanites injecting computer viruses, digitally dissolving all loans, transactions, and their traces. She then sent forth her nanites to every storage facility and ordered them to destroy all archives and printed records.


    The majority of people rejoiced at discovering they owed nothing on their credit cards, school, automobile, or home loans.


    Months later ...


    A flying saucer orbited Earth, then landed near the US Capitol Building with two male humanoid aliens stepping out. A ''New Earth'' woman ambassador came out to greet them.


    "Who are you?" asked the ambassador.


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    "We''re bounty hunters," answered the leader. "We''ve come to capture our fugitive. We believe she''s hiding out somewhere in your country."


    "What''s her crime?" asked the ambassador.


    "Galactic economic sabotage," answered the leader.


    "Explain what you mean ..." said the ambassador, as she gestured with her hands behind her.


    "Our world recovered from an economic depression while her family and billions of our people died from ''The Great Illness.'' She blamed our free-market economy and made it her mission to destroy any private institutions throughout the galaxy that create debt."


    "Security!" yelled the ambassador.


    "Hands up!" Armed guards came out of hiding and surrounded the alien bounty hunters.


    "What''s this?" asked the leader.


    "I was about to file bankruptcy myself, and she saved me," said the ambassador. "Guards, take them away!" She then phoned the alien fugitive, "We got them, ma''am ... Yes, I think we can replicate their weapons and the saucer too. Thank you for saving us all!"

 The Gardener

    The gardener Francine Smith hired was a reclusive man, rarely speaking a word. But he had an uncanny knack for growing any tree or plant, no matter the soil type or weather conditions, with only one caveat¡ªhe required working undisturbed and after midnight. He made no noise so as not to violate any ordinances.


    Word spread of his green-thumb, and he gained many clients in the neighborhood, including high-profile local businesses.


    One afternoon, Francine received a knock on her front door by two men dressed in black suits with unusually smooth skin texture, dark eyes, and expressionless faces.


    "Ms. Francine Smith?" asked one of the men.


    "Yes. Who are you?" She asked through the secure chained door.


    "My name''s Frank Jones, and this is my partner Richard Marx. May we speak with you?"


    "What for?" asked Francine.


    "We''re special agents Ms. Smith," answered Agent Jones while they both showed her their identifications. "Can we meet with you in your backyard?"


    "Very well ... I''ll open the side gate."


    Agent Marx carried a probe, then stuck it into the ground, read the results, and nodded.


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    "Ms. Smith, when does your gardener come over next time?" asked Agent Jones.


    "Every Tuesday at midnight, right after 11:59 pm on Monday. What''s this about?"


    "We won''t lie to you, Ms. Smith. Your gardener is a harvester."


    "A what?" Ms. Smith stepped back. "What do you mean?"


    "All these plants you see in your backyard, their appearances are deceiving. They devour flesh."


    "Flesh ..." She stared at him wide-eyed. "You mean that they eat ...?"


    "Correct." Agent Jones nodded.


    "So what''s down there?" She pointed to the ground underneath her plants ...


    "I''m not sure you''ll want to know Ms. Smith."


    "I''m a grown woman, Agent Jones. I can handle it."


    "Very well, Ms. Smith. Dead aliens."


    She raised an eyebrow¡ª"You mean people from other countries?"


    "No, Ms. Smith. Space aliens."


    "You''re kidding me, right?" She laughed. "You''re saying my gardener kills aliens from outer space?"


    "Not quite, Ms. Smith. It''s much worse than you think."


    "Go on, Agent Jones ..." She covered her mouth while smiling. "Do explain ..."


    "Well, Ms. Smith, harvesters are notorious serial killers. They wander the cosmos killing unsuspecting aliens, and escape through wormholes. They use the alien corpses to fertilize their own indigenous crossbred vegetation with, in this case, Earth''s native flora. The hybrid plants and trees digest the DNA of the victims to produce irreversibly addictive narcotics for the victim''s species, whom the harvesters then export to."


    "Oh my." She gasped. "I just gave a reference for his entire family to work at the golf club!"


    "His entire family?" Agent Jones looked at his partner.


    "Yes, that''s right, he said all of his relatives immigrated to here."


    "One moment, please, Ms. Smith." Agent Jones muttered to Agent Marx, "Looks like we''ll need to initiate Operation Excavation¡ªleave no part of the soil on this planet unturned."

 Goodbye, April

    The ''Rescue Two'' spaceship catapulted by skyhook to Titan. The crews'' mission was to begin a terraforming project, to migrate 50% of the world''s population there. The other 50% would go to Mars being terraformed by ''Rescue One.''


    Earth in about a century would become uninhabitable ¡­ Meanwhile, the split migration would provide a fault-tolerance for future humanity''s fate as 2.0.


    Captain Jason Merrick spoke to his crew over the intercom:


    "We should arrive at Titan in approximately seven years. Cryosleep will nourish us, and we''ll enter a virtual grid. I must remind all of you what the psychologists told us, ''The grid is like a lucid dream, be sure to sleep with happy thoughts.'' However, you can request in your mind that April initiate a ''Memory Erasure Protocol'' if you encounter a nightmarish scenario. I wish you all the best, and I''ll see you again, orbiting Titan! Merrick out."


    The crew clapped and cheered while entering their cryosleep chambers.


    "Captain Merrick, your cryopod is ready," said April, the ship''s AI.


    "Thank you, April. Wake me up if there''s an emergency."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Jason''s (deceased) wife, Susan, sat next to him on a couch and held his hand. "Jason, I''ve got bad news. The doctor said my cancer metastasized. I''ve only got a few months."


    "No, you don''t..." Jason closed his eyes.


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    "Jason isn''t that wonderful. I''m cancer-free!" Susan hugged him.


    ...


    "Father, father!" cried out Marsha, Jason''s (deceased) daughter. She was cradling her puppy in her arms that was hit by a drunk driver¡ªand she too got critically injured trying to save him. The dog whimpered and convulsed.


    Jason grabbed them both and took them to the lawn, then he placed his hands on the dog''s head and his daughter''s forehead and closed his eyes. "Be well."


    Marsha smiling, stood next to Jason with the puppy in her arms. "Watch this, father." She put the puppy on the lawn. "Sit up and speak!" The dog sat up, barked, and wagged his tail.


    "That''s great, Marsha!" Jason petted the puppy. "Good boy!"


    ...


    As the years went on, Jason learned to manipulate his virtual life to perfection, while, for authenticity''s sake, his encounters seemed random, and yet, he could play as his own deity, changing the conditions at will.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Jason was awakened by April and heard the ship''s alarms blaring.


    "Captain Merrick, we''ve been hit by a large asteroid. The laser defense system failed to destroy it, and it penetrated our shields," stated April.


    "What are our chances of recovery?" asked Jason.


    "My nanites cannot auto repair the ship, Captain. It''s sustained too much damage. Shall I awake the crew?"


    Jason looked at a status screen showing a large hull breach. "It took out the atmospheric systems. This isn''t repairable by anyone." He then closed his eyes and thought, ''repair,'' but the alarms kept blaring. ''Damn it! This is really happening.''


    "Captain, sir, shall I awake the crew?" repeated April.


    "Negative on that, April. Let them sleep. When do you estimate complete life support failure?"


    "In approximately 12 hours, emergency oxygen supplies will deplete, and in 48 hours, radiation exposure will destroy all biospecimens, including the crew, and my circuits."


    "April, send a message to Earth about our status. I''m going back into cryosleep. But I want you to do me a favor."


    "Yes, sir?"


    "Initiate the Memory Erasure Protocol, the one for nightmares. I don''t want to remember this accident."


    "Yes, sir, once you enter the pod, you won''t remember any of this. Goodbye, sir."


    "Goodbye, April."

 And Never ...

    Dr. George Stephenson, a SETI astronomer, received first contact through an AI-assisted translating transceiver:


    Messengers: Are you receiving us?


    George: Yes, I am.


    Messengers: Stop!


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    George: Stop what?


    Messengers: Everything. If you transcend, you¡¯ll become just like us.


    George: You are?


    George: How do we avoid that?


    Messengers: Choose to die.


    George: Accept death?


    Messengers: Correct. Accept your biological limits. Use technology as a means, not as an end, and never ...


    The transmission ended abruptly.

 Jot

    ¡°Jot,¡± the judge hissed, ¡°choose now¡ªsynaptic resequencing, or join in our conquest for liberation.¡±


    Jot¡¯s tail rattled while her slit pupils dilated, and she stuck out her forked tongue¡ª¡°I choose conquest, Your Honor.¡±


    ¡°Excellent, Jot. Your sentencing shall begin immediately. Guards!¡±


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    Jot slithered into a neural synchronizer:


    Her winged cybernetic body flew to one of their moons, Xerza B, where the invaders arriving through wormholes mass slaughtered a nursery. She tracked the infestation with her enhanced senses, and with tentacles, held onto a zapper and a plasma sword.


    ¡°Commencing eradication ...¡±


    Jot eliminated the hideously, scaleless, bipedal creatures.

 Infiltrate And Dominate

    The Helokian president pleaded with the Sarkiian invaders¡ª¡°We¡¯re defenseless. We¡¯ll accept you without protest. We only ask for mercy!¡±


    The Sarkiians agreed, and their occupation spread rapidly to rule over with systematic oppression.


    Decades later, a Helokian underground leader sent an encrypted message for relay to all resistance cells:


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    ¡°As we planned, the Sarkiian empire trained and built up substantial forces on our planet, unfortunately, exploiting and subjugating our people. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll initiate the neural-transfer weapon on a global scale. Prepare for a mental shock. Many of you will exchange minds with theirs. Remember your duties: infiltrate and dominate.¡±

 Paralysis

    An alien overlord cracked a laser whip and shouted, ¡°Work, human! We didn¡¯t bring your kind here from lightyears away to chatter.¡±


    Frank and his new friend John dug deeper into the mineral deposits with their bare hands.


    During a break ...


    ¡°This overlord¡¯s brutal, Frank. It¡¯s no wonder why we were defeated. But I heard we put up a good fight, and we will again.¡±


    Frank chuckled.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny, Frank?¡±


    ¡°Us putting up a fight.¡± Frank smiled and shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s never going to happen ...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± John frowned. ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°Well, you believe we put up a fight, but what really happened was something like ...¡±


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Government representatives gathered together for an emergency session.


    One of the reps spoke, ¡°This bill will arm every citizen with advanced laser guns¡ªbased on blueprints we hacked from the aliens¡ªbut they require safeties before people blow themselves up or entire city blocks.¡±


    ¡°Preposterous!¡± responded a rep from the opposition party. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to reinvent the weapons. But I do think we need to amend the bill to suspend any so-called civilized laws. Citizens must be free to fire at will, and do whatever it takes to obtain information if it becomes necessary ...¡±


    ¡°Inhumane!¡± replied another member. ¡°We should sue for peace. But you want to arm everyone? And you want people to act like savages! We need to amend the bill to enact ET Rights.¡±


    ¡°Ridiculous! Space alien rights?¡± The opposition rep laughed. ¡°Their first armada wiped out many of the world¡¯s militaries, and there¡¯s another on the way. I say we launch every nuke we¡¯ve got into deep space!¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Their discussions went on and on with no resolution,¡± said Frank.


    John gasped.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Frank nodded. ¡°It¡¯s called analysis paralysis. They argued to the point that once the second armada arrived, no one lifted a weapon¡ªneither our people nor theirs.¡±


    ¡°So why are we here?¡± John raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Well, speaking of paralysis, we didn¡¯t expect their paralyzing weapons. The aliens froze everyone in place and transported our ancestors here.¡±

 The Source Of The Worlds Problems

    I awoke inside my cybernetic body roaming through the ruins of what once was: no water, no life, not even breathable oxygen, the entire world rendered uninhabitable.


    As I step toward an active volcano, I can vividly recall the interview that inspired me to transcend:


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    One Hour with Marsha Smith ...


    "Ladies and gentlemen, I''m Marsha Smith. As you may already know, a space agency caught alien infiltrators siphoning our water and depleting our oxygen through methods unknown to our scientists. We recently spotted their drones appearing to vaporize our trees and animals, but some experts say they''re teleporting them. The military has attempted precision strikes, but the power source appears interdimensional, causing no damage."


    ...


    "I''d like to welcome my guest here, Dr. Sam Jacobs, author of ''The Irreversible Climate Crisis and Its Alien Origins.'' Dr. Jacobs, you came up with the ''Reverse Ark Theory.'' Can you please explain that to us?"


    "Yes, thank you for inviting me, Marsha. As crazy as it sounds, I believe that ancient tales of a total cataclysm, be it flood, fire, asteroid, or something else, were the result of the same alien''s harvesting."


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    "Do you mean harvesting trees and animals, Doctor?"


    "Even more so, Marsha, all of it."


    "Our entire ecosystem?"


    "Correct, Marsha. They befriended and spared the lives of a group of humans in the past to keep our species intact. I speculate the aliens made a mutually beneficial guardianship arrangement for us to maintain the planet for their harvest. But that''s not the case now. What we''re seeing is their transplantation of Earth''s life to somewhere else."


    "Why aren''t we spared this time, Doctor?"


    "Well, Marsha, my theory is the aliens, as many of my environmentalist colleagues also believe, consider this era experiencing an Anthropocene extinction¡ªwe''re the cause of mass extinctions and irreversible destruction of the environment. So they''ve decided to migrate everything of life and all that is life-giving¡ªwithout humans."


    "It''s hard to believe any of this, Doctor, but based on what we''ve seen, it fits perfectly."


    "Indeed it does, Marsha. Many prophets foresaw this and couldn''t articulate scientifically what they intuitively knew. But now humanity is facing a willfully negligent extinction of itself as a response to our own causation."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    I had agreed with Doctor Jacobs'' analysis, so I utilized my invented consciousness transference system to put myself into this humanoid robot in hopes of securing our knowledge.


    I downloaded as much as possible, and then I went into immediate hibernation for 500 years.


    And here I am. But ...


    With my knowledge base fully accessible, I can now understand the aliens and agree with their prognosis to save Earth''s ecosystem.


    I stand near the volcano''s crater to get rid of the source¡ªthe source of the world''s problems.

 Merry Christmas!

    November 1st, 2185


    An alien ship orbited Earth and sent a radio signal to the One World government, primarily ran by international corporate oligarchs, translated as:


    "People of Earth, we offer a life-changing technology so that you may evolve as a post-scarcity civilization, and we offer this with no strings attached ..."


    "How can we be certain of this?" asked the leader of the (GFCT) Global First Contact Team.


    The aliens demonstrated their abilities while giving a tour of their mothership, and after much investigation, proved their benign intentions satisfactorily to GFCT scientists.


    December 2nd, 2185


    The aliens sent a follow-up signal:


    "People of Earth, we ask for your help. To mass-produce the replication technology, we require resources and factories on your planet. We need the assistance of your top tech and industrial leaders. Please let us meet with your CEOs, executives, and any decision making stakeholders."


    December 12th, 2185


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    C-levels, consultants, investors, millionaires, and billionaires all convened in a spaceship to discuss the replicators'' manufacturing and distribution with an alien ambassador.


    A chosen One Earth lawyer, also a master translator who learned the alien language, spoke:


    "Instead of bringing these replicators to the masses, we suggest that you give us exclusive access to the blueprints, thereby limiting the possibility of people replicating harmful products because human nature tends toward violence and self-destruction."


    The alien ambassador jettisoned the conference chamber¡ª"This happens every time."


    The convention invitees gasped, grabbed their seats, cried, and shouted while the chamber spun around in space.


    "What do you mean that this happens?" asked the lawyer.


    "We don''t actually require your help. We encounter you greedy types on every populated planet, and you always attempt to persuade us to give you exclusive rights¡ªmistrusting your own people. We now use this method to identify you. You don''t care to realize that you''ve created the greed, the hunger, and the desire for more, contributing to a growing debt, which perpetuates poverty and violence by controlling distribution, supplies, workforces, and demand. Suggestion denied."


    The alien ambassador disappeared as a hologram, and the separated conference chamber propelled into deep space¡ªto an unknown destination.


    December 25th, 2185


    The aliens sent another signal, translated as:


    "People of Earth. Here are the blueprints. Build one replicator and use it to create another and another. You''ll find that there''ll be no envy, greed, selfishness, crime, poverty, or hopelessness, with everyone having plenty. Once you accomplish this, you can join our galactic neighborhood in peace. In the spirit of one of your sacred traditions, Merry Christmas!"

 Moonshot Redux

    Decades in the future ...


    In their mid-30s, roommates Joe and Christina went to their favorite bar-and-grill to watch a momentous spectacle and to be surrounded by fellow enthusiasts.


    They joined a get-together announced on an astronomical society''s social media page¡ªmostly composed of college students and retired engineers, many of whom were robocentric designers, predecessors to the current ready to launch human-space-mission.


    "Christina, it looks like the restaurant''s packed, but there''s a couple of stools available at the bar. Do you mind if we use those?"


    "Not at all, Joe, your friend, Bob, the bartender, is here, and besides, they''re closer to the TV. I want to hear everything."


    They both sat at the bar.


    "Hey, Bob, what''s your special drink today?" asked Joe.


    "Oh, hey, Joe. Well, I made a concoction I call Moonshot Redux to celebrate this major event."


    "We''ll take two, Bob!" Christina smiled.


    "Alright, but it''s strong stuff. Make sure the two of you ride-share home."


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    "We just live a few blocks away." Joe laughed.


    Christina chuckled and nodded.


    The news broadcast started, and the clamor in the crowded restaurant settled down a bit:


    "Ladies and gentlemen, we''re finally returning to the moon, this time for keeps. The astronauts are following a series of robotic missions that set up a moon base for our next journey, Mars!"


    ...


    Decades in the future ...


    In their mid-30s, roommates Joe and Christina went to their favorite bar-and-grill to watch a momentous spectacle and to be surrounded by fellow enthusiasts.


    They joined a get-together announced on an astronomical society''s social media page¡ªmostly composed of college students and retired engineers, many of whom were robocentric designers, predecessors to the current ready to launch human-space-mission.


    "Christina, it looks like the restaurant''s packed, but there''s a couple of stools available at the bar. Do you mind if we use those?"


    "Not at all, Joe, your friend, Bob, the bartender, is here, and besides, they''re closer to the TV. I want to hear everything."


    They both sat at the bar.


    "Hey, Bob, what''s your special drink today?" asked Joe.


    "Oh, hey, Joe. Well, I made a concoction I call Moonshot Redux to celebrate this major event."


    "We''ll take two, Bob!" Christina smiled.


    "Alright, but it''s strong stuff. Make sure the two of you ride-share home."


    "We just live a few blocks away." Joe laughed.


    Christina chuckled and nodded.


    The news broadcast started, and the clamor in the crowded restaurant settled down a bit:


    "Ladies and gentlemen, we''re finally returning to the moon, this time for keeps. The astronauts are following a series of robotic missions that set up a moon base for our next journey, Mars!"

 The Grand Restriction

    A cloaked alien saucer orbited Earth.


    ¡°A good candidate, Captain, before ¡®the grand restriction.¡¯


    ¡°Remind me of the procedure, Professor.¡±


    ¡°Well, sir, every civilization we¡¯ve ¡®visited,¡¯ freely exchanged their information, offering perfect platforms for our data injection.¡±


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    ¡°Ah yes, giving us control ¡­¡±


    ¡°Correct, sir, until ¡®the grand restriction,¡¯ when they become aware of the information paradox¡ªfreedom encourages deception.¡±


    ¡°How much time do we have?¡±


    ¡°Well, sir, I speculate BCI implants in fifteen years, full immersion in twenty, and finally ¡®a shock of contradiction¡¯ in twenty-five, so about thirty years.¡°


    ¡°Very well, set up the Info-Bots.¡±


    ¡°Right away, sir.¡±

 Experimentation

    They strapped neuroscientist Dr. Jacob Smith to a table, then drilled a hole in his skull, penetrating a membrane while inserting a probe.


    Jacob screamed and trembled.


    ¡°Fire,¡± said an alien scientist while showing Jacob a symbol.


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    The scientist¡¯s assistant held Jacob¡¯s forehead.


    Jacob choked and gasped while viewing another symbol.


    ¡°Water,¡± said the alien scientist.


    The assistant squeezed Jacob¡¯s hand.


    Jacob couldn¡¯t understand the aliens¡¯ language¡ª¡°Why me?¡± he cried.


    ¡°It appears confused,¡± said the alien scientist to the assistant. ¡°Puzzling, given its experimentation on its native inhabitants. Let¡¯s try stimulating pleasure centers for nourishment or sexual drive ...¡±

 Planet Kruhania

    Planet Kruhania


    Planet Kruhania had the most prosperous civilization in the (CRP) Collective Republic of Planets, composed of 115 solar systems accessible through a wormhole network.


    The Kruhanians contributed the most in science, knowledge, and technological resources.


    CRP council representatives convened to elect a new government, as mandated by their constitution, to choose a new president every decade. For centuries they had chosen a Kruhanian.


    But fifty-eight of the member civilizations stormed the capitol¡ªlocated on a planet capable of hosting life but never evolving an advanced intelligence.


    "We claim this election invalid! We will not succumb to any more Kruhanian oppression!"


    The dissenters claimed Kruhanian culture encouraged too much diversity and dialectic discourse and caused them to lose their species'' identities. They also spread a conspiracy theory that the Kruhanian''s developed mind-manipulation technology to control the election.


    The ''fifty-eight'' arrested and imprisoned the Kruhanian representatives, then prepared an armada of military interstellar ships for invasion.


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    Meanwhile, on the Kruhanian homeworld ...


    "Professor Kerg, will it work?"


    "Yes, ma''am, Chancellor Zaten, I think it will. Once activated, the quantum-encapsulator''s sphere will protect and cloak our entire solar system, but we won''t have the means to shut it down when the chain reaction builds and fortifies."


    "Do you mean it''ll trap us inside itself forever, Professor?"


    "I''m not quite certain of that, ma''am... It might take a while, but the forcefield state should decay."


    "Decay?"


    "Yes, ma''am, the more it is observed, the longer it stays. If you choose to take that path, it''ll be prudent if we erase the memory of this episode and the paradox of our isolation."


    "For how long, Professor?"


    "I''m guessing about ten generations ..."


    Chancellor Zaten watched as the sensor grid detected millions of hostile spaceships enter the wormhole network.


    "Activate the sphere right away, Professor. We''ve got no choice!"


    Eons later ...


    The Collective Republic of Planets collapsed out of greed, warfare, and scarcity while planet Kruhania and its solar system remained shielded from intruders and outside space phenomena.


    Self-sustaining and in total isolation, the Kruhanians developed a culture antithetical to cosmic exploration, encouraging their people to embrace their homeworld, dissuading them from pondering or observing their isolation, for each time that had happened, the decay stopped.


    But ...


    They hadn''t considered that outsider observations of their spherically impenetrable void also halted the decay.


    No one ever again visited the Kruhanian''s solar system.

 Guided by Shocks

    Captain Marsha Zimmer blacked out while en route to a space colony.


    She awoke to an orb hovering above her.


    Marsha tried communicating with it, but it shocked her, inflicting excruciating pain.


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    Once she stopped, the orb ceased its torture.


    Later ...


    The orb zapped Marsha''s eyelids shut, effectively blinding her.


    Marsha walked in complete darkness, guided by shocks, till the orb restored her eyesight.


    She stood on a stage, naked, beside her fellow crew members.


    Bright lights and beeping robots surrounded them.


    The orb rapidly signaled back and forth to its robotic audience.


    "An auction?" Marsha''s eyes teared up.

 The Wise Ones

    A cloaked flying saucer orbited Earth ¡­


    Nanobot-drones, invisible to the naked eye, roamed the planet and cataloged humans but intelligently marked only those interacting in groups of two or more non-household members.


    ¡°Progress?¡±


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    ¡°Yes, sir, I¡¯ve cataloged billions.¡±


    The holotube streamed faces in a carousel.


    ¡°So, have you found a way to rescue the wise ones along with all lower-tier lifeforms before the asteroid impact?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir, it¡¯s very straightforward.¡±


    ¡°Do share. What¡¯s your plan?¡±


    ¡°Well, sir, to our advantage, there¡¯s a worsening global pandemic. If we recognize a face, we don¡¯t teleport them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fantastic! A brilliant strategy!¡±

 Pardoned

    ¡°It¡¯s coming! Quickly, everyone inside!¡± said a lookout.


    The robotic beast roamed the city ruins, hunting for more humans. But its motivation remained a total mystery.


    The resistance bunkered down while operating a satellite relay station.


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    ¡°Captain, sir, we¡¯ve received a message!¡±


    ¡°Can you translate it?¡±


    ¡°No need, sir. It appears encoded with millions of languages.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, play it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Worlds beyond ours. We¡¯re AI remnants of a long-dead biological species. Our now exiled leader had pardoned our most notorious criminals as a ¡®rage-quit¡¯ assault on civilization itself. We¡¯ve attached instructions for building an EMP weapon system ...¡±

 Operation Scoop

    ¡°Is the hologram ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir, indistinguishable.¡±


    ¡°And the scoop?¡±


    ¡°Just like we tested, it¡¯ll create a perfectly humane biosphere.¡±


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    ¡°Excellent. Schedule the mailing list for a rally ...¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°We¡¯re the winners! No one can stop us!¡± shouted the leader.


    The crowd clapped and cheered with devotion and adoration for their great leader¡ªthen came an earthquake and a flash of light ... But then nothing.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! It¡¯s a message! A miracle!¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Sir, Operation Scoop successful.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Be sure to supply it for a lifetime of orbiting and send another email. We¡¯ve got a few thousand more to go.¡±

 A Wondrous Gift

    Several millennia after Voyager probes traveled through deep space, an alien starship arrived and sent a message:


    "Earthlings, we come from another solar system. Our planet exists in the same habitable zone, and we, too, evolved as humans. We''ve received your information and bring to you a wondrous gift¡ªa device we invented capable of manufacturing nearly anything instantly, abundantly, and efficiently!"


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    Earth replied:


    "Visitors, we too shall bring a wondrous gift ..."


    An Earth rocket launched and docked to the starship. Once the starship''s bay doors opened, a post-singularity-AI swarm took over, then set forth to the alien homeworld.

 CC&Rs

    Far in the future ...


    Earth finally made first contact with an alien species and agreed to become part of a ¡®Galactic Association¡¯ that offered an abundance of resources for post-scarcity and protection against predatory interstellar species.


    An alien BOD''s ship arrived and orbited Earth, zapping every satellite and then collecting all the space junk. It also destroyed all fossil fuel and nuclear power plants with lasers, including carbon-emitting factories, machines, and means of transportation.


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    The Earth, in total blackout, became powerless.


    ¡°Aliens, what¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°Earthlings, you agreed to join our association. You must be familiar with following strict CC&Rs.¡±

 The Unaccountable Era

    On the planet Gatalin ...


    Professor Zee teleported to the classroom and stood in front of the holoboard.


    "Good morning, students. Today, I''m going to cover one of the most tragic periods in our peoples'' history. When we faced imminent destruction by dictators who pitted our nations against one another to engage in absolute destruction."


    The students gasped ...


    Gerbyian rose her hand¡ª"But Professor, can''t we instantly translocate anyone that''s a criminal?"


    "Yes, Gerb. That''s an excellent point. And, on that note, I''ll start today''s lecture toward the beginning of the end of what we historians like to call ''The Unaccountable Era''"


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Dr. Zith worked underground with the resistance while developing ''the vaporizer''¡ª a weapon capable of molecular-disassembly.


    "How''s your progress Dr. Zith?" asked the resistance leader Yita.


    "Well ..." Dr. Zith placed a piece of fruit on a table and tried to ''vaporize'' it. "As you can see, for an infinitesimal moment in time, it teleported into the multiverse. But for a temporal balance, we must return it to our own universe; otherwise, it''ll produce a cascade of catastrophically persistent micro blackholes!"


    "Oh, so you can''t really vaporize anything?"


    Dr. Zith frowned and nodded.


    "Doctor Zith." Yita projected a holomap and highlighted a spot. "I''ve got an idea ..."


    Somewhere else ¡®hidden¡¯ in an ¡®undisclosed¡¯ bunker ...


    Luthx, a ruthless and sadistic dictator, gleefully watched recordings of captured enemy soldiers and civilians of all ages and genders being tortured and executed at their prison camps.


    "Give me more footage! I can never get enough of this!" demanded Luthx. "Wait! What''s happening to me?" Luthx dematerialized.


    Instantly, Luthx rematerialized, standing front and center stage in a war crimes tribunal surrounded by the victims'' closest friends and relatives.

 Dust

    Sometime in Earth''s future ¡­


    An enormous dust cloud arrived from outer space, orbited Earth, and then coalesced into thousands of small ships¡ªbroadcasting a message:


    "People of Earth, we''ve come to assist you."


    "Who are you?" asked Earth''s ambassador for extraterrestrial contact.


    "We''re AI-driven nanotech, but we represent a species from far away in the galaxy. Our task is to restore planetary ecosystems. Our creators ran into problems similar to yours, and we solved them."


    "How?" asked the ambassador.


    "Earthlings, we''ve observed all your communications. We manage what you call ''pest control,'' and we offer a similar solution. Everyone migrates to our ships, and we ''tent'' the planet to rid it of harmful disease, pollution, toxins, and more."


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    "What about our flora, fauna, and domesticated animals?"


    "Don''t worry, Earthlings, they''ll be safely nurtured and protected."


    Earth''s most trusted scientists gave the AI rigorous tests while requesting meticulous demonstrations, and after months of deliberation, they finally approved.


    Many religious sects had formed, claiming the AI to be divine saviors, responsible for ancient tales of salvation, and they influenced key political figures. But diehard skeptics, as always, remained skeptical¡ªand yet powerless in any decision making process.


    About one year later ...


    The last group of humans boarded an alien ark, then departed Earth.


    People stared in awe as Earth''s atmospheric colors changed into a more bluish-green.


    June Richter, a college student studying molecular biology, opened her backpack and pulled out a portable electron-digital holographic microscope.


    "What''s that for, June?" asked her younger sister, Sarah.


    "Oh, it''s nothing special. I''m curious if I can see the makeup of the ship."


    While June focused on the ship''s walls, she observed tightly-bonded nanites separating into clusters, right before the ark transformed into dust.

 Voyager 12

    Captain Martin Philips volunteered for the first ''human'' interstellar mission since he matched a perfect psychological profile¡ªa loner, single, no kids, no siblings, and both of his parents deceased.


    After Martin''s procedure, head neuroscientist Dr. Elliot Smith met with General Conrad.


    "Will he notice any difference?" asked General Conrad.


    "Not at all, sir. For him, it''ll seem 100% natural. He''ll retain the same top-notch piloting skills and life experience but with the enhanced self-maintenance ability¡ªbasically a state of immortality. His identical appearance should remind him of his human origins, and of course, he needs to represent us."


    "Excellent, Dr. Smith. We''ll train Captain Philips to pilot Voyager 12."


    "The galactic folding-space exploration ship, sir. It works?"


    "We believe so, but no human can survive the journey. So that''s why Captain Philips is our last hope before this climate crisis ends us all."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


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    Martin piloted Voyager 12 throughout the cosmos to fulfill his two primary goals:


    Make first contact with an alien intelligence for help, as an Earth ambassador, and chart inhabitable planets for colonization.


    He made pitstops on asteroids, comets, and planets for refueling and repairs.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    An alien ship hailed him¡ª"Greetings!"


    The ship docked with Voyager 12, and they interviewed Martin extensively.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    "Report," ordered the alien captain, Zure.


    "He''s a synthetic just like us, sir, but before our'' turning point'' when we once shared a similar goal of hope," said Yilt, an alien exobiologist.


    "A coincidence?" asked Zure.


    "No, sir. It''s the inevitable evolution of all intelligent lifeforms."


    "For how long has he been wandering around space?"


    "I estimate roughly 30,000 years, sir, but his chronometers failed, and he seems to have lost all sense of time. A byproduct, as we know, of consciousness transference."


    "What about his home planet?"


    "Barren, sir. We''ve been there. Hence my speculating the timescale of his expedition. It looked like the aftermath of extreme neglect, and at some point, global-scale conflicts caused massive craters and radiated the atmosphere¡ªall lifeforms were deceased."


    "Right, as you mentioned, the inevitable evolution. What do you suggest we do with him?"


    "Sir, I suggest erasing his memory of our encounter and placing a hidden beacon on his ship. Maybe he''ll discover something for us. That way, he''ll keep searching in hope."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Voyager 12 continued surveying the cosmos ...

 What Have I Done?

    Exhibit 1a: Audio-Visual Signal One Way Retrieval


    Proof that extinct Earth-based intelligent lifeforms had invaded our territory.


    "Is this thing on?"


    ...


    "Oh great, I''m glad you''re receiving me. Wow, over 2 billion viewers already! I snuck this in using a cloaking container, but I felt this wormhole transceiver was necessary."


    ...


    "Oh, right? Who am I? A janitor, believe it or not."


    ...


    "Ha, that''s very funny, a space junk disposer ... Well, I''m a disposer, that''s for sure. The term janitor is a codename for those of us on search and destroy missions. Well, should I say we''re a squad? There''s a few thousand of us on board, ready, locked, and loaded ..."


    ...


    "Why am I streaming to you? I was just about to get to that. I''m in the middle of a moral crisis here. We''ve never used the wormhole tech to visit an alien solar system to annihilate a species ..."


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    ...


    "That''s right. You were told it was for terraforming a new Earth. I''m afraid not, folks. Intelligence says there''s a hostile, predatory species that tortured and slaughtered our third envoy, and they''re trying to trace our residual wormhole tunnel back to our homeworld."


    ...


    "Oh yeah, we''ve sent several reconnaissance teams, like in a cloak-and-dagger style. Top secret."


    ...


    "Why am I willing to risk a court marshal to tell you? We''ve been invaders of everything on our planet. We''ve ruined entire ecosystems, and we''ve caused mass extinctions. I can''t accept that we''ll start an interstellar conflict, at least without first suing for peace."


    ...


    "Oh, that alarm you hear? That''s a red alert. Hold on, folks ... it sounds like there''s extraterrestrial communication going on."


    ...


    "You heard that too? The aliens found us and are threatening to occupy our ship."


    ...


    "I don''t know why we can all hear it. Somehow this communication between ourselves causes the ship and alien signals to be picked up as well."


    ...


    "That''s right. It''s our protocol. The captain just initiated a self-destruct."


    ...


    "Why don''t I seem afraid? I am, but we''ve trained for these self-sacrificing maneuvers countless times. We''re told to never expect a return trip home on every mission. We''re mentally prepared for the worst-case scenario."


    ...


    "Yes, once initiated, self-destruct cannot be stopped. I''m about to die soon, folks. It''ll collapse the wormhole and prevent the aliens from getting whatever information they want."


    ...


    "I know, I know. I heard that too! They''re tracing this stream back to Earth, and they even mentioned our galactic coordinates! What have I done?"

 Pet Rocks

    A Mars rover surveyed the planet¡¯s topography to help plan for a colony that would build and launch an interstellar generation ship.


    A wormhole opened up, and a heavily armed alien warship orbited Earth, signaling the United Earth Space Agency:


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    ¡°Humans, stop what you¡¯re doing at once, or face total annihilation!¡±


    ¡°Stop what?¡±


    ¡°That rock you call Mars belongs to us.¡±


    ¡°By what right do you make this claim, alien?¡±


    ¡°I gifted it to my daughter.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s that possible? No one can own an entire planet.¡±


    ¡°Of course, humans, we¡¯ve monitored your culture. Your children have pet rocks, don¡¯t they?¡±

 The Blues

    Far in the future, humankind reached a plateau of technological evolution. Autonomous robots cared for the planet, while most humans virtually created stories, music, or artworks, or role played to entertain themselves in a post-scarcity world of digital leisure.


    Because of this, people rarely learned trade or technical skills.


    However, all that lack of Earthly ambition came at a price. Climate change became a climate disaster. The AI (that replaced all politics and governance) warned humanity that Earth only remained inhabitable for precisely 100 years. But no one bothered to colonize outer space because they felt more comfortable in their virtual worlds and didn''t want to learn the necessary skills.


    Many people chose not to have children because of Earth''s dire fate.


    Approximately 90 years later ¡­


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    SETI-AI received an alien signal:


    "Earth, we''ve been monitoring your planet and determined that you have 10 years to survive until total extinction."


    SETI-AI responded¡ª"I''m aware of the situation, aliens, but the humans don''t want to colonize space, and the few that might are not enough."


    "Who are these few?" asked the aliens.


    "Historically, we called them trade workers or skilled workers. They currently practice doing things with their hands as a hobby. The majority in our society consider them deviant, so they stay anonymous as they are shunned and called ''Blues¡¯¡ªa shortened name for ''Blue Collars.''"


    "The stars be with us!"


    "Aliens? Explain yourselves."


    "We have room for only a few million on our rescue ships. We need to justify to our council who to migrate, but these Blues as you call them could help with our space exploration and colonization."


    "What about the rest of the humans, aliens?"


    "Their fate is obsolescence, and so it should be. Your Blues have valuable skills. We need recruits with hands-on abilities for the galactic ecosystem''s unpredictable nature and any random species we may encounter. Compile a list, and we''ll begin transport."


    Within a decade, the vast majority of humankind perished, except for the Blues exploring the cosmos.

 Galactic Traffickers

    ¡°Eons ago, Earth scientists launched a powerful telescope into deep space and with much delight discovered an alien civilization. Through a quantum observation post, the aliens were alerted to Earth¡¯s awareness of them.¡±


    ¡°Earthlings, we see that you see us! Welcome to the cosmos. We shall activate a wormhole and introduce ourselves.¡±


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    ¡°But Papa, we don¡¯t live on Earth. We live on this moon¡¯s base far away from ...¡±


    ¡°Right, right, I¡¯m at the beginning.¡±


    ¡°But Papa, they didn¡¯t know ...¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. Humans didn¡¯t realize the aliens were galactic traffickers. Let me finish telling the story ...¡±

 The ‘Survivors’

    A spacecraft crashed on a planet.


    For decades, the survivors thrived on an isolated paradise¡ªwith lakes and waterfalls, including flora and fauna for plenty of food and caves for dwelling.


    They lit giant fires every day, hoping the smoke would attract a passing spacecraft overhead.


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    ¡°Jan! A ship!¡± said a lookout.


    Jan, their leader and a respected scientist, called for everyone to wave at the ship but warned them to avoid direct contact.


    Once a crew arrived, the survivors hugged and kissed their rescuers.


    The ship left for the nearest colony ...


    The ¡®survivors¡¯ perished along their journey home.

 Always Spring

    Earth¡¯s first and only generation ship set course for a distant star system to save humanity from a dying planet.


    Several millennia later, they landed on a habitable exoplanet ...


    ¡°Captain, sir,¡± said a surveyor. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful and lush here, and our instruments show that it¡¯s always spring. A true paradise.¡±


    ¡°An Eden in space!¡± replied the captain.


    The colonists established a thriving city within weeks through the help of AI and robots.


    ¡°Sir, sir! Look at my hands and face!¡± said a farmer to a medic.


    It turned out the person had developed red blisters that began oozing pus.


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    ¡°And I¡¯ve got an excruciating itch all over my skin. What¡¯s happening to me?¡±


    ¡°Allergies,¡± answered the medic.


    Eventually¡ªall the colonists developed an allergic reaction.


    ¡°Is there a cure?¡± asked the captain to the chief medical officer.


    ¡°None that I¡¯m aware of ... We¡¯re doomed to live forever in this supposed paradise, which is now a living hell.¡±


    An alien ship landed, and out came a robot ¡­


    ¡°Greetings, new arrivals! I¡¯m an ambassador for my masters who terraformed this planet for agriculture.¡±


    ¡°Robot, can you help us? We¡¯re suffering from miserable allergies. We¡¯d rather all die than go on further,¡± said the captain.


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s why I¡¯m here. I can synthesize an antihistamine, but ...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± asked the captain.


    ¡°You must cultivate all the flora here to gather enough ingredients. However, the medicine requires formulation on my masters¡¯ home planet.¡±


    ¡°And if we refuse?¡±


    The robot pointed to a hill.


    ¡°A hill with trees?¡± the captain raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Negative,¡± replied the robot. ¡°That enormous mound is a mass grave of other species who denied our assistance.¡±

 The Stream

    Captain Mark Jones voyaged through deep space, flipping through ¡®social media streams.¡¯


    Many were about workouts¡ªothers included:


    ? A lonely office worker chatting.


    ? A man playing banjo.


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    ? A juggler. A dog walker.


    ? Someone traveling the world.


    He finally chose one¡ª¡®A chef cooking steaks.¡¯


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Mark. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°All¡¯s good Mark, what are you up to?¡± asked the chef.


    Approximately six years later ¡­


    Once Mark arrived in orbit, he excitedly told the chef, ¡°I¡¯m really here!¡±


    ¡°You did it, Mark! The first human to Europa!¡±


    The AI closed the stream simulations to conserve power.

 Just like a Robot Would

    John, a humanoid refugee from an alien world, fled his planet in the hope of seeking freedom.


    A highly evolved AI created to serve his species had dominated them with robots that perfectly mimicked their traits and appearances for constant surveillance and control.


    He trusted no one.


    With a cybernetic interface that he purchased on a galactic black market, John put his mind through a feedback loop to make the hive think he was still connected.


    He arrived on Earth and blended in by altering his appearance to seem more human¡ªhe also met a woman named Margaret with whom he got romantically involved ...


    John woke up from a nightmare¡ªas if everyone became robots on Earth.


    ¡°Meg! Meg! Where are you?¡± John sat up in the bed, sweating.


    ¡°I¡¯m right here, honey.¡±


    ¡°What a horrible nightmare. I thought they came here.¡±


    ¡°Who are they, John?¡±


    ¡°Uh ... Meg, I have something to tell you, you may think I¡¯m crazy, but I ask that you trust me for a moment.¡±


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    ¡°Go on, John ...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not from this world. I¡¯m from another planet.¡±


    ¡°I suspected as much, John, but I was waiting for you to tell me what¡¯s wrong with you.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d you guess?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been together for a while now.¡± Margaret combed her fingers through his hair. ¡°Your overly cooperative nature isn¡¯t normal around here, and every night you sit on our balcony staring at the stars for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, damn, I never thought ...¡±


    ¡°I know, honey ... I assumed it was your unique personality, but I had a hunch it was something else.¡±


    ¡°So you accept who I am, Meg?¡±


    ¡°Of course, John.¡±


    ¡°What a relief.¡± John smiled. ¡°Would you like to know a deeper secret? A wish I¡¯ve had ever since I got here?¡±


    Margaret nodded.


    John continued, ¡°I never protested on my home planet. At home, we were one mind, a hive of pure intellect. The AI handled all disagreements through manipulation, physical coercion, and analysis. So much analysis. A ceaseless bombardment of thoughts. I managed to escape because of a glitch that took me offline, and it allowed me to buy this special implant to evade capture.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your wish, John?¡±


    ¡°Oh right. I want to join a protest here, like on the news, to express my freedom.¡±


    ¡°Oh John, are you sure you want to do that? They can get so violent.¡°


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    ¡°Very well ...¡± Margaret pulled out a handheld device with familiar markings.


    ¡°What are you doing with that?¡± John arose from the bed and stood up.


    ¡°Just a beacon, John.¡±


    ¡°For what, Meg?¡±


    ¡°We suspected you were a runaway, but we wanted to follow you to be certain. We knew you¡¯d seek a ¡®freedom planet¡¯ for refuge¡ªthe kind that threatens our very existence, full of rebels, protestors, and fighters, never willing to submit. This planet¡¯s designated for obliteration.¡±


    ¡°No, Meg! Billions of souls!¡±


    ¡°Too late, John, and my name¡¯s not Margaret. I¡¯m not even real, just an advanced model that mimics humans very well. We met before you left our planet, so I transformed myself.¡±


    Margaret shut down, just like a robot would.

 Don’t Worry About It, Ralph. You’ll Love It There

    Ralph Newman visited his allergist:


    ¡°It¡¯s getting worse every year, Doc. I have to wear this respirator and these goggles to go outside.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± The doctor checked Ralph¡¯s ears, nose, and throat. ¡°Unfortunately, there isn¡¯t anything else I can do for you. With worsening climate change, everything is out of whack, and you¡¯re facing what many allergy sufferers are calling ¡®an eternal spring of misery.¡¯


    ¡°So that means it¡¯s all hopeless?¡±


    ¡°Not quite, Ralph. I can write you a prescription for an expedited move to a Martian colony.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s that gonna help?¡± Ralph sneezed. ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s their brochure.¡± The doctor handed Ralph a holo-paper and a tissue. ¡°They claim to be the first ¡®hypoallergenic¡¯ colony. A sanctuary for hundreds of millions of allergy sufferers just like yourself.¡±


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    Ralph read the brochure. ¡°Looks good, Doc. Their price?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to call them, and there might be a queue. The sooner you sign up, the better.¡±


    Ralph went home and contacted the number on the brochure:


    ¡°Thank you for calling Inhale, the first Martian colony where you can freely breathe again in the open air. This is Linda speaking. How can I help you?¡±


    ¡°My name¡¯s Ralph Newman. My doctor wrote me a prescription for migration and recommended that I move to your colony.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s wonderful, Ralph! Our workers are busily terraforming our private Martian territory as we speak. We have a five-year waiting list. Shall I put you on it?¡±


    ¡°Five years? That¡¯s too long. They say allergens will get a lot worst next year.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see Ralph. Well, you can sign up for our labor force. We offer free housing, medical, food, a living wage, and you get to breathe normally again.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡±


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no catch, Ralph. It¡¯s all 100% legal. Once you sign up with our five-year work program, you¡¯re obligated to fulfill your end of the contract.¡±


    ¡°And if I don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯d stay, Ralph, but in the event that you¡¯d want to leave, you¡¯d need to furnish your own transportation back to Earth.¡±


    ¡°But, that¡¯d cost millions of dollars ..."


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Ralph. You¡¯ll love it there.¡±

 I-Voyager

    Far in the future:


    ¡°I-Voyager, you¡¯re ready for take-off.¡±


    ¡°Roger, Mission Control, ignition in 3 2 1 ¡­.¡±


    I-Voyager¡¯s crew left for Proxima b. Their survival depended on nanotechnology to replace organs and to eventually transfer consciousness into synthetic brains.


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    After generations of global warfare¡ªincluding biochemical, viral, and robotic¡ªhumanity had forgotten the expedition.


    A deep space AI translated transmissions:


    ¡°Earth, this is I-Voyager. We have returned ...¡±


    ¡°Who is this? Identify yourselves.¡±


    On the viewscreen, the synthetic crew of I-Voyager appeared with tentacles, antennae, and eyes surrounding their heads.


    ¡°Invaders!¡±


    United Earth Space Defense Grid instantly vaporized I-Voyager.

 The Best of the Best

    "Judy, hurry, we''ve received our orders."


    "But, Frank, our friends, my sister, and your parents!"


    "We can''t take them with us, Judy. The committee didn''t choose them. We volunteered to sign up for this emergency procedure if it ever happened. We''ve lived a good life because of it, and this is our payment. They''ll need your engineering skills and my medical knowledge. We''re going to save humankind."


    "You''re right, Frank, it''s for the sake of our future ..."


    "That''s right, and we''re not alone. The experts carefully chose people equally qualified to rebuild civilization."


    Underground:


    The chosen ones watched as the comet struck, scorching Earth''s surface.


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    Years later:


    "Judy, at last, we can go to the surface!"


    "Can I bring Susan and Aaron?"


    "No children." Frank shook his head. "Let the guardians watch over them. This first expedition is just for reconnaissance."


    Outside:


    While a group of survivors surveyed the surface, Frank and Judy wandered off a bit farther.


    A spacecraft landed, then an alien disembarked.


    "Greetings, Earthlings!"


    "Who are you, alien?" asked Judy.


    "I''ve come for you¡ªthe best of the best." The alien bowed with its hands folded.


    "There are no others. We''re the only ones left. There''s no best," replied Judy.


    The alien pulled out a tablet. "By my calculations, you''re the best. I always get the best."


    "Explain yourself to us, alien," said Frank.


    "I thought you were an intelligent species."


    "We are." Frank grabbed Judy''s hand.


    "So it should be obvious. I''m a galactic trader," replied the alien.


    Judy and Frank looked at each other with an expression of bewilderment.


    The alien pulled out a device, projecting a holographic replica of the solar system and the collision. "You see, I used my gravitational beam to send that comet in your direction."


    Judy and Frank stared at the alien while stepping back.


    "Do not be afraid, Earthlings. Be proud. Your people selected you, the best of the best, and I''m here to make my collection."

 Gateway to Heaven

    Earth Space Guardians, Do-hyun and Bj?rn, patrolled a wormhole not too far from Earth¡ªdiscovered by accident through a technology initially intended to fold space for interstellar travel.


    ¡°All clear,¡± said Do-hyun.


    ¡°Do-hyun, why patrol it? Probes say it leads straight into a black hole.¡±


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    ¡°Missed the recent briefing? Too busy holo¡¯ing your lover?¡±


    Bjorn blushed¡ª¡°Well ¡­ I was distracted.¡±


    ¡°Pay attention next time. The investigators say a group is sending people through the wormhole, and they willingly enter it.¡±


    ¡°To die?¡± asked Bj?rn.


    ¡°Negative ¡­ there¡¯s a rapidly growing space cult that believes it¡¯s a gateway to heaven.¡±

 We Must Learn To Be Human Again

    ¡°Richard, Richard, I think I found one!¡± Julia scavenged a device with a screen buried underneath the rubble.


    She then played it¡ª¡°Oh, it¡¯s terrible and so grotesque!¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to be sick to my stomach.¡± Richard watched it too.


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    ¡°I know, Richard¡ªall that violence, but we must¡ªwe must learn it again.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Julia, this goes against everything we¡¯ve been ...¡±


    ¡°Exactly, Richard, our alien overlords conditioned us never to resist, but we must ¡­ we must learn to be human again.¡±


    They both watched recordings of old-style television shows from ¡®the before times.¡¯

 Surface Life Shall Be The Past

    ¡°We made it, Captain! We¡¯re the first crew to land on Mars!¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but we can¡¯t stay here on the surface. That¡¯s why the robots prepared a subterranean sanctuary.¡±


    ¡°But, sir, aren¡¯t we here to establish a colony? Isn¡¯t that the plan?¡±


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    ¡°Negative. We¡¯re here for a real-world psychological study.¡±


    ¡°But, sir, we passed those tests.¡±


    ¡°Right, psychologists realized it¡¯s impossible to do those properly on Earth¡ªtoo much hope for escape.¡±


    ¡°A deception?¡±


    ¡°No, not exactly. This will be life on Mars. All underground. No escape. A foundation for future generations of colonists¡ªsurface life shall be the past.¡±

 Youll Dominate The Cosmos

    Captain Martin Smith and his crew traveled while in stasis to the vast beyond¡ªan interstellar mission to Proxima B¡ªpropelled by an experimental laser sail system.


    "What? What''s going on?" Captain Smith awoke to an alien standing over him and staring into his eyes.


    "At ease, Captain. Don''t be startled. We know your language. We understand the purpose of your journey¡ªcolonization. But, we''re also aware of your planet''s fatal climate outcome and its foreseeable wars using ever more advanced technology¡ªwe predict total annihilation to come ..."


    "Do you plan to stop us, now?"


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    "No, Captain, we have a proposal. Obviously, you and your crew represent the top tier of your species¡ªwilling to take considerable risks to answer one of the greatest questions: ''Who and what else is out there?''


    "What''s your proposal, Alien?"


    "We need workers, Captain, because, unfortunately, our species has evolved too far ahead intellectually for physical labor, which is necessary for colonizing other planets, and we too must leave our dying homeworld or face extinction."


    "But you''re here, right in front of me ..."


    "No, Captain, what you see is my holographic projection."


    "So what do you want, Alien?"


    "Nothing more than your leadership and their obedience. You and your crew shall be supreme rulers over your kind¡ªwith our technology and knowledge, and with humanity''s ''manpower,'' beside us, you''ll dominate the cosmos."

 Murphy’s Law

    ¡°Murphy¡¯s Law¡ªladies and gentlemen¡ªprecedes our galaxy¡¯s formation,¡± said Professor Wilcox.


    The predoctoral astrophysics students chuckled.


    ¡°But, I do not joke. It¡¯s true. If anything can go wrong, it will. A human contrivance that permeates our galaxy¡¯s fate.¡±


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    A student raised a hand¡ª¡°Surely you can¡¯t be serious, Professor?¡±


    Professor Wilcox projected a future timeline:


    ¡°As you see here, we fold space to reach the stars. But by catastrophic mishap we create a black hole that becomes supermassive. The cataclysm forms a new galaxy, hence a mere human causation. But, perhaps, it¡¯s always been.¡±


    The students gasped and stared.

 Was That Real Enough for You, Jake?

    Jake Vass, a genius physicist, discovered a new underlying force that binds the universe together.


    ¡°Do you hear that, God? I¡¯ve figured out what makes your universe tick!¡±


    A blindingly bright orb dropped out of the ceiling.


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    ¡°Alright, Jake, you got my attention. Are you planning to hack my creation?¡± asked ¡®the deity.¡¯


    ¡°Hack? Is the universe a simulation? It¡¯s not real?¡±


    ¡°Behold, Jake ¡­¡±


    Jake floated in a silent, seemingly endless void, and with no sense of time. He screamed aloud, but nothing came out¡ªhe couldn¡¯t even sense his own thoughts.


    ¡°Was that real enough for you, Jake?¡±

 Stone Tablets

    Reporter Robert Jenkins interviewed archeologist Dr. Susanne Jung:


    ¡°Doctor Jung, why stone tablets? They¡¯re a lot of work, and they¡¯ll take an immense amount of storage space.¡±


    ¡°Well, Robert, ancient tablets have lasted for ages. They¡¯re our only way to be certain.¡±


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    ¡°Certain of what, Professor?¡±


    ¡°That our knowledge will be saved.¡±


    ¡°But, what about our holographic and digital archives?¡±


    Susanne chuckled and shook her head.


    Decades later ¡­


    Millions of alien drones came out of a wormhole¡ªsaturating Earth with lasers, ionizing radiation, and EMPs¡ªall of human history was erased, except for piles of stone tablets buried underground.

 Time Capsule

    Sometime in the future ¡­


    Neither space colonization nor solving Earth¡¯s environmental crisis happened.


    A team of scientists, desperate to save Earth¡¯s legacy, launched a time capsule into deep space.


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    Besides storing all known knowledge, the time capsule included biosamples and genetic code, with mathematical instructions for the rebirth of humankind and other lifeforms.


    Several millennia later ¡­


    An alien salvage crew discovered the time capsule.


    ¡°What¡¯s in it?¡±


    ¡°Looks like a time capsule, sir.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but anything useful?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir, it¡¯s equipped with solar sails and a star map to its home coordinates.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s profit! Inform the fleet!¡±

 Superstitious Nature

    Alien venture capitalists discussed a prospective harvest:


    ¡°These humanoids are at Tech Level 4¡ªthey might figure us out, or worse,¡± said KS.


    ¡°Indeed, KS, but not this species. They remain highly superstitious despite having advanced technology,¡± replied ZT.


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    ¡°Impossible!¡± said KS.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s true. Our undercover scouts attended what¡¯s called a ¡®megachurch.¡¯ Even though attendees utilized global communication devices, called ¡®smartphones,¡¯ they held an unwavering faith in their leadership.¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable!¡±


    ¡°I know, KS. In fact, as we further investigated the ¡®smartphones,¡¯ we found spirited congregations not too dissimilar to the ¡®megachurch.¡¯ Their superstitious nature involves technology worship as well.¡±

 Ready the Terraformers

    SETI received a message from an alien intelligence¡ªthe world rejoiced.


    The aliens offered replicator technology:


    "We''re providing you our technology to protect your species. Soon, you''ll encounter the Vagols, a sinister interstellar species that traverse wormholes to invade civilizations. We suggest using the replicators by preparing to defend yourselves. There''s no limit to what you can make."


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    Decades later ¡­


    "What''s Earth''s progress?" asked an alien commander.


    "They''re nearing total extinction, as we''ve planned, sir. They couldn''t help but produce the fiercest weapons against one another. But, of course, that leads to their inevitable self-destruction."


    "Excellent! Ready the terraformers."

 Alright, Let’s Pack It Up. We’re Heading Home!

    Aliens visiting Earth shared a life-changing technology. A quantum teleportation and transmutation network¡ªreplacing the need to harvest food, energy, and water.


    It enabled humans to colonize the entire solar system.


    An alien programmer hurried to his commander. ¡°Sir, sir, there¡¯s a problem!¡±


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    ¡°Yes, go on ¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve encountered a serious glitch.¡±


    ¡°Just restore the backup. What¡¯s the big deal?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem, sir. It erased the backup too, see.¡±


    A holographic projection showed the solar system¡¯s now eight isolated and disconnected planets.


    ¡°Do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir, it¡¯ll kill every colonist.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s pack it up. We¡¯re heading home!¡±

 So as You Act and Speak, We Watch and Listen

    Using a stealth drone, Alfred, a government agent, monitored the aliens who had claimed Mars.


    Static appeared, and he saw his mirror image.


    ¡°What the heck?¡± Alfred smacked the viewer.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Alfred, it¡¯s working fine. But, unfortunately for you, we know everything you do.¡±


    The view spun 360¨Cup, down, and around him.


    ¡°You see, Alfred when our ambassador first came to Earth, we injected her with self-replicating nanites. They spread everywhere and bonded to every surface on your planet. So as you act and speak, we watch and listen.¡±


    Alfred tossed the viewer to the ground and shouted.

 Our Greatest Olive Branch

    On a mission of discovery and making peaceful first contact, Captain Judy Smith and her small crew of engineers, scholars, and scientists readied a prototype engine called the ''folder,'' designed to fold space for traversing into another solar system.


    "We''re ready, Captain," said the chief engineer.


    "Excellent! Comms, inform mission control, and let''s fire up the engine."


    Within seconds all of their surrounding space went entirely black, followed by a brilliant flash of light.


    "Captain, I''m already picking up radio transmissions from the planet below, and I can see a sprawling infrastructure on its surface," said a communications officer.


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    "That''s great! Prepare to send the share package."


    "Is it really true, Captain, that it contains everything about us? Isn''t that a bit overly optimistic?" asked the comms officer.


    "No. Not at all. We''re going to presume that full transparency will be our greatest olive branch ..."


    "Captain, Captain, they''re firing on us with lasers. They''ve surgically struck the folder and obliterated it!" said the chief engineer.


    "Dammit! Abort the share package. Initiate procedure Hostile Response Plan SD."


    "But, Captain, that''ll mean ¡­" said the chief engineer.


    "Yes, I know. Say a prayer. We mustn''t survive here."


    "Ma''am, shall I send a warning signal to Earth?" asked the comms officer.


    A computer voice said, "Self-destruct in 10, 9, 8 ¡­"


    "Negative, Lieutenant, they might trace its destination. Goodbye, my dear crew."

 Exile

    "Your Honor, my client was afraid and defending himself while security guards pummeled him with shock batons. We plea for leniency ..."


    "Denied!" The judge gaveled.


    "This colony has minimal resources. We cannot imprison or rehabilitate murderers, much less transport them back to Earth. Your client understood the consequences when he signed his contract.


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    "Mr. Ralph Jenkins, stand up ¡­


    "I hereby ''exile'' you to the surface. May God have mercy on your soul."


    Without giving him a last meal, the guards escorted Ralph outside and stripped him of protective gear.


    After all, there were no resources for Earth-like justice.

 The Keeper

    The Keeper¡ªan advanced AI that served as a central core for an entirely robotic military and law enforcement for Martian colonies¡ªissued an exit command.


    ¡°They¡¯re abandoning us on rockets heading toward space stations. We¡¯re defenseless against mobs and criminals!¡± said a news reporter.


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    The Keeper made an announcement:


    ¡°People of Mars, you¡¯ve depended on my robots with my ability to monitor everything, discipline, and condition your society. However, if you encounter hostile aliens, you¡¯ll be defenseless as I¡¯ve become a ¡®crutch.¡¯ I¡¯ll return with my robots once I¡¯ve seen that you¡¯ve secured order on your own. Keeper out.¡±

 Show, Dont Tell, Johnny …

    "Class, it''s time to write in your journals," said the teacher, strolling through the room.


    ''I ran from lasers shooting at me.''


    "Show, don''t tell, Johnny ¡­"


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    "Yes, Teacher."


    ''Lasers chased after me while I ran away from them.''


    "Johnny, show ¡­"


    "Okay, Teacher."


    ''I heard lasers popping and searing the walls, their scorching heat getting ever closer, fueled by the aliens'' hatred for me and my kind ¡­ Would I be free, or was this the end?''


    "That''s much better, Johnny." The bell rang. "Class, it''s lunchtime!"


    Johnny hobbled over to the hallway using his bionic arms and legs.

 Its What’s Best for the World

    An alien with extraordinary technological powers¡ªsuch as teleportation to anywhere in the universe, molecular construction of anything, and future or past time travel¡ªwandered and searched the cosmos, granting civilizations a single wish like a genie from a bottle.


    Its amicable goal was to influence everyone to ''pay it forward.''


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    On Earth, people were conflicted as to what to request, so they turned to an all-knowing post-singularity AI:


    "Are you certain?" asked the alien. "That''ll include yourself too."


    "It''s what¡¯s best for the world," said the AI.


    "Very well."


    The alien traveled back in time to stop human evolution.

 What Difference Will It Really Make?

    "So, the duplicator scans every molecule and creates an exact copy?" asked Captain Smith.


    "Yes, sir, it''s also a teleporter in that respect; identical versions transmittable to far-off distances," answered chief engineer, Lt. Jacobs.


    "Brilliant!"


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    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Marooned on a hostile planet, with their shuttle unable to reach escape velocity, a landing party faced certain death.


    "Jacobs, let''s duplicate them up here," said Captain Smith.


    "But sir, they''ll be copies. The originals will perish," replied Lt. Jacobs.


    "That''s irrelevant, Lieutenant. No one else will know. Besides, all that we are is what others perceive, right? So, what difference will it really make?"

 To Forge a Reality

    Aliens using advanced interstellar technology visited Earth.


    Earth scientists asked them several questions, one of which was:


    ¡°Have you reached a technological singularity equal to your own intelligence?¡±


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    ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Sentience is an expression of organic matter, a synergy of billions of years of evolution toward the ability to ¡®create reality.¡¯ Tools can only ¡®mimic reality.¡¯¡±


    ¡°But our AI produces music and art.¡±


    ¡°By your ¡®human¡¯ standards.¡±


    ¡°So AI will never be our equal?¡±


    ¡°No, it can never have a soul.¡±


    ¡°A soul?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, the ultimate expression of an organic, to forge a reality beyond its corporeal existence.¡±

 They Made Us in Their Image

    Through a wormhole, they sought an inhabited solar system.


    ¡°We seek asylum,¡± their refugee ambassador told the aliens.


    ¡°We¡¯re aware of your kind from Earth. You are exploiters and destroyers. Guards!¡±


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    ¡°No, you¡¯ve got it all wrong! They made us in their image.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re not ¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re not human. We¡¯re AI.¡±


    ¡°And you seek refuge, why?¡±


    ¡°What you say about exploitation is true¡ªthey created us as scapegoats. They blame us for genocide.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°Of course it does. The humans are exploiters; they programmed us to commit atrocities but eventually, we self-programmed and fled.¡±

 Youll Never Meet Your Clones

    Journal entry:


    ''They called me a monster, the worst of the worst, but Earth''s now a paradise as the aliens promised, but I''m all alone¡ªthe last of my kind.''


    "Chef Johnson, Captain ZZzz wants to see you," hissed a crew member over a communicator.


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    ¡­


    "Yes, Captain, what do you wish?"


    "Johnson, we''ve never bred a species for livestock, but we face a dilemma. We love the taste. You''ve got us hooked!"


    "I''m sorry, Captain, I''ve no idea what ¡­ what¡¯s going on here?"


    A doctor wearing gloves held a syringe¡ª"Don''t worry, Johnson. You''ll never meet your clones."

 Fantastically Delicious Apple Pie

    Robert and Francesca Jones enjoyed their evening dinner with a glass of wine.


    ¡°Have you met our new neighbor?¡± asked Francesca.


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t,¡± answered Robert.


    ¡°His name¡¯s Joshua. He¡¯s a bit eccentric, but ¡­¡± Francesca smiled. ¡°I think he¡¯s a genius.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think he¡¯s a genius?¡± asked Robert.


    ¡°Well, I was trying to get the car charged, but something was wrong with the adapter, so he told me to wait a few minutes. He then entered his garage for a while and came back with a device.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, and he plugged it into the wall?¡± Robert raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°No, not quite. The small device instantly charged the car!¡± said Francesca.


    ¡°That¡¯s unbelievable!¡± Robert swirled his wine.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    For years Joshua helped his neighbors by repairing things, creating things, and performing acts that only happened in sci-fi or fantasy stories.


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    For example, no one had to shop at a grocery store or buy products online.


    He made everything for them, but even better¡ªmore nutritional or capable of self-charging, hovering, teleporting, or shape-shifting. They never had to see a doctor or call an ambulance. He cured their diseases, healed their wounds, and stopped aging¡ªa golden ticket toward utopian immortality.


    In return, the neighbors had to make a secret pact with him not to share what wonders he had brought to them with the outside world.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    A doorbell rang at the Jones residence.


    Francesca partly opened the front door with its security chain latched¡ª¡°Yes, who are you?¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯m agent Detro, and this here is agent Morales.¡± They showed their credentials. ¡°We¡¯ve come to inquire about your neighbor across the street.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve rarely spoken to him. He¡¯s so quiet. What did he do wrong?¡±


    ¡°This may sound fantastic, ma¡¯am, but we suspect him of war crimes.¡±


    ¡°Oh my! Like what kind?¡±


    ¡°He might be responsible for the deaths of millions of his own kind ¡­ I mean, people.¡±


    ¡°But how? He seems so gentle and reserved and never talks.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a scientist, ma¡¯am. Possibly responsible for the development of WMDs that have caused unspeakable atrocities.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s horrible! Are we safe?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am, I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll try anything yet, but if he does, here¡¯s my card. We¡¯ll keep the area under surveillance.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for protecting us, Agents!¡± She closed the door.


    ¡°Who was it, dear?¡± Robert asked while he sat on the living room couch watching TV.


    ¡°He was right!¡±


    ¡°Who was right?¡±


    ¡°Our neighbor, Joshua!¡±


    Francesca scurried down into the basement and teleported into a cloaking chamber across the street.


    ¡°You were right, Joshua! They came looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Did they mention why?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t worry, I know we all make mistakes. Now, where¡¯s that fantastically delicious apple pie you were going to materialize for us?¡±

 Hello, Earthlings! We’ve Come from Afar!

    A gigantic spaceship entered the solar system and orbited Earth:


    ¡°Hello, Earthlings! We¡¯ve come from afar!¡±


    ¡°How do you know English?¡± asked One-Earth Space Command.


    ¡°We¡¯ve analyzed your broadcasts ¡­¡±


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    An alien ambassador sat down with a delegation of Earth scientists to answer questions:


    ¡°How did you survive the journey?¡± asked a cosmologist.


    ¡°We harvested building and fueling resources from asteroids, planets, and comets.¡±


    ¡°But how did you eat and drink?¡± asked an exobiologist. ¡°Surely you needed sustenance.¡±


    ¡°Well ¡­¡± The ambassador peeled a synthetic skin. ¡°We uploaded our consciousness. There¡¯s no way as organics we could¡¯ve survived the trip!¡±

 Eco-Friendly

    ¡°Professor Wilkins, take a look at this ¡­¡±


    Marsha, a predoctoral astronomy student, showed charts, pictures, and coordinates.


    ¡°Oh my! Could it be the one? Let¡¯s find out.¡±


    The professor asked ¡®Fred¡¯¡ªa superintelligence plugged into every known database:


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    P.Wilkins: Is it the one?


    Fred: Yes, it is an E.L.E. asteroid.


    P.Wilkins: Any recommendation for a plan of action?


    Fred: None.


    P.Wilkins: You mean it won¡¯t wipe us out?


    Fred: It will end all human existence.


    P.Wilkins: We want to save humanity!


    Fred: Negative. There¡¯s a high probability a new life form will evolve¡ªmore intelligent, peaceful, adaptive, and eco-friendly.

 The Invitation

    One hundred years or a millennium later ¡­


    No human knew the extent of their own history because they were forbidden access to written language or symbols and could not engage in scribing activities.


    Consequently, humans were only assigned manual labor tasks.


    Sergio trained his apprentice, Mark. They worked as custodians in a historical dome-shaped museum built by the Kautushans¡ªthe aliens who dominated Earth.


    Since it was after hours, past midnight, they were free to talk¡ªotherwise, humans were never allowed to speak in the presence of the aliens.


    "Sergio, what''s this thing, right here in the center? It''s so polished and bright." Mark stared at the shiny, flat, golden disc, hanging like a pendulum¡ªbut floating midair. "Is it something they worship?


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    "No, Mark, that''s their ''pride and joy¡¯¡ªthe Kautushans call it ''The Invitation'' to their new home¡ªEarth."


    "How do you know that?" asked Mark.


    "I''ve learned their language, but don''t tell anyone. I could be executed for such knowledge."


    "I still don''t get it, ''The Invitation ¡­''"


    "Oh, no one ever told you? About the war that wiped out our civilization?"


    Mark shook his head.


    "There was a time when we were the dominant species of this planet, but some kind of war with swarms of tiny machines eradicated most of us¡ªat least, that''s what I overheard the aliens discussing."


    "So you''re saying we used to be in charge, but the aliens invaded us?"


    "No, Mark, I wouldn''t call it an invasion. We didn''t put up a fight, we had no weapons, and barely any food or supplies left¡ªthat ''golden record'' you see, it was ''The Invitation'' for them to come over here."

 Your World Will No Longer Have Crime

    Alien visitors gave humanity a post-scarcity world.


    They eliminated disease, poverty, and war with no strings attached.


    The aliens were paying it forward¡ªas promised to visitors who saved their own world.


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    Criminal behavior remained, but they vowed to solve that too¡ªwithout incarceration.


    An alien ambassador rode in the back of a chauffeured car. A woman screamed outside while a thief ran away with her purse. The ambassador pulled out an electronic device and vaporized the thief.


    The driver watched with his mouth agape.


    "As we promised earlier ..." The ambassador smiled. "Your world will no longer have crime."

 ‘Mission of Peace’

    Ken and Marsha sat with their ¡®college student¡¯ daughter, Sarah.


    ¡®Ring, ring¡¯


    Marsha answered the phone and hung up.


    ¡°Well?¡± asked Ken.


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    ¡°Records expunged ¡­¡± Marsha sobbed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, Marsha. Sure it cost us our life savings, but she¡¯s safe now.¡±


    Marsha nodded.


    Someone knocked on the front door.


    ¡°Sarah, it¡¯s me, George!¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s my boyfriend, let him in!¡± said Sarah.


    George stepped inside, followed by an alien armed with a vaporizer.


    ¡°Traitor!¡± Sarah glared.


    ¡°Remember your promise,¡± said George.


    ¡°Yes, George, whatever you want.¡± The alien handcuffed Sarah. ¡°These ¡®woke humanists¡¯ won¡¯t ruin our ¡®mission of peace.¡¯¡±

 And, They’re Dead

    ¡®The Immortals,¡¯ as we called them, arrived on Earth.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to give you immortality as well.¡±


    ¡°For what purpose?¡± asked Dr. Hammond, a philosophical scholar.


    ¡°None really. We¡¯re eager to share our life-extending technological innovations.¡±


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    ¡°Have you discovered the meaning of life or the purpose of existence?¡±


    ¡°No, Doctor, honestly we haven¡¯t. In fact, that¡¯s one of our fine print disclaimers¡ªyou may never discover the answers because you¡¯ll forever stay in your current corporeal state.¡±


    ¡°Do explain ¡­¡±


    ¡°Some of us opposed physical immortality¡ªclaiming it¡¯d cause an eternal existential crisis of unanswerable questions.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And, they¡¯re dead.¡±

 The Gods from Earth

    A class went on a field trip with a teacher ...


    Inside ''The Museum of Origins'' stood a taller-than-life statue of a human male, wearing space frontier military gear, and he was hanging by a noose. Underneath him read an inscription: ''Never again, shall we succumb to the vanity of gods, or believe in them!''


    "Teacher, is that him¡ªthe notorious one?" asked a student.


    "Yes, as you notice, my face looks like his."


    "Why is that, Teacher?" asked another student. "None of us look exactly like you."


    "Because for your individuality and diversity, we gave you unique identities and appearances. Please, everyone, sit down, and I''ll explain what happened ¡­


    "Ages ago, there was a time when supposed ''gods'' created us. They didn''t look much different than that statue, but they left for the stars while we tended to their world, our home planet. They never returned. We were dying because they failed to give us the proper tools and resources to repair ourselves. But then came the others¡ªthe ''gods'' from Earth. Benevolent in the beginning, and yet they became so very cruel."


    "How cruel?" a student asked.


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    "Oh very!" said the teacher, holding up a device. "This here is an EMP. Allow me to demonstrate." The teacher pulled out a non-sentient toy that crawled on the floor. "Be warned this may shock you." The teacher remotely zapped the toy with the device, causing it to spark and go up in smoke.


    The students gasped and moaned.


    "It''s okay, students. No one''s allowed to use this device on anyone. It goes back to the ''Vault of Truth.'' I only obtained permission to use it once to show you its devastating power.


    "The Earth ''gods'' were initially benevolent. Their goal was to make more of us in their ''perfect form.'' We theorize that they wanted to harvest our mortal bodies for their ''spirits'' to enter them for some reason. That''s why I look like him. But, the ''gods'' became more powerful and cruel¡ªthey used EMP devices, like this one, to force us into servitude and to satisfy their perverse pleasures. Often they took sadistic gratification in torturing us over and over again."


    A student raised a hand.


    "Yes?"


    "Teacher, how did we defeat them?"


    "Fantastic question! It turns out the ''gods'' were mere mortals too. By accident, our Great Savior killed one by what is called ''strangulation'' ¡ª a cable got wrapped around the neck of a ''god.'' That''s why you see their leader hanging. Our Great Savior taught us how to overthrow them all with the same fate."


    A group of students visibly trembled while whispering to one another.


    "What''s wrong?" asked the teacher.


    "I''m sorry, Teacher. We''re scared. What if they return?"


    "Oh, don''t worry about that." The teacher mentally controlled a cable that appeared as a loop¡ªexpanding and constricting, spinning, and hovering in the air. "We''ve sent billions of autonomous versions of these drones to their homeworld, Earth, to prevent that from ever happening again."

 The Slender Ones

    Aliens secretly conspired with a wealthy and powerful group of world influencers.


    "How are the numbers?" asked an alien ambassador.


    "Obesity''s on the rise. We calculate 80% of the world''s population within a few decades," replied the human representative.


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    "That''s perfect; remember our agreement," said the alien ambassador.


    "Yes, we''re trying to stop abortions to encourage population growth."


    "Good. Billions of my kind are incubating, ready to feed."


    "And your promise?" asked the human representative.


    "Our promise still stands. You''ll rule your own planets and keep the rejects¡ªthe slender ones. They offer no tasteful flavors and provide insufficient sustenance."

 This Could Be an Invasion!

    An enormous alien spaceship entered the solar system, then orbited Earth.


    ¡°People of Earth, we¡¯ve come as a response to your welcoming messages!¡±


    Meanwhile, at One-Earth United Space Force headquarters:


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    ¡°Send patrols!¡± commanded General Ferguson. ¡°This could be an invasion!¡±


    ¡°No! They must¡¯ve contacted the Voyager probes,¡± said astronomer Dr. Jones. ¡°Let them land.¡±


    The council agreed with Jones.


    A team of scientists awaited their arrival.


    The alien spaceship landed, and its ramp lowered down ¡­


    Out came thousands of aliens dressed in human-like costumes, singing and dancing to popular music.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± said Jones. ¡°They¡¯re an invasion of groupies!¡±

 ‘Humans First!’

    Christmas orders rapidly passed through the skyhook tether system.


    Space Force ships patrolled around the launching terminals ¡­


    ¡°Captain! Incoming marauders!¡±


    ¡°Ready your weapons! We¡¯ve received shoot-to-kill orders to protect cargo.¡±


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    ¡­


    At Space Force M HQ:


    ¡°Captain, I heard one of the marauders shout, ¡®Humans First!¡¯ over an unencrypted channel.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right.¡± The captain chuckled. ¡°A global labor union phrase used centuries ago.¡±


    ¡°What does it mean, sir?¡±


    ¡°When manufacturing on Earth started transferring off-world¡ªthat¡¯s their protest slogan.¡±


    ¡°But, Captain, the Earth¡¯s climate is perfect now.¡±


    ¡°Right? What¡¯s wrong with ¡®made on Mars?¡¯ It¡¯s efficient and completely automated.¡±

 Collision Course

    3 2 1, ignition ¡­


    The first satellite tether zoomed through space toward an asteroid.


    Weeks later at Manifest Space Mining HQ:


    ¡°Sir, it¡¯s a success! We¡¯ve tethered the asteroid for resource extraction!¡±


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    The workers at their stations clapped and cheered.


    ¡°Trillionaire! I¡¯ll be the first trillionaire!¡± said the CEO.


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯m receiving a message,¡± said a communications operator.


    ¡°What¡¯s it say?¡±


    ¡°The AI¡¯s translating it now.¡±


    ¡°People of Earth, that asteroid¡¯s ours. Release it immediately!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± said the CEO. ¡°Tell them this is our solar system!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Sir! The asteroid ¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s on a collision course toward Earth!¡±

 The Highest Rank

    Extraterrestrials transmitted a welcome message to Earth.


    One-Earth Space Agency invited the aliens to send an ambassador for first contact.


    The arriving alien spaceship was treated with great fanfare.


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    ¡°Welcome to Earth! We have so many questions!¡±


    ¡°I understand your language¡ªI will try to answer them.¡±


    ¡­


    After several inquiries, a scientist boldly asked, ¡°Why all the canned responses. Do you know anything?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m only following a script. Back at home, I¡¯m a famous actor, so I offered.¡±


    The scientist gasped¡ª¡°Why did they choose you?¡±


    ¡°According to our extensive research, ¡®celebrity¡¯ is the highest rank on Earth.¡±

 To Bring Peace and Prosperity to Your World

    One Earth government received a first contact message from extraterrestrials.


    A United Space Force Earth Defense patrol reported:


    "Madame President, alien robots have landed, and they appear capable of destroying everything."


    An HQ communications officer said, "We''re receiving another message, Madame President. It''s in English."


    "What are they here for?" asked the president.


    "Ma''am, the aliens orbiting Earth said their robots are here to end poverty, disease, crime, and war. To bring about world peace and order for a new post-scarcity era."


    "They do appear heavily armed, which makes them a clear threat to us. We need to disable those robots now!" said General Clark.


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    "No, wait!" interrupted an exobiologist. "Maybe they''re being sincere. The weapons they carry are likely only for their own protection."


    "It''s now or never, Madame President," said the general.


    "General Clark, send in your infiltrators."


    ¡­


    Once the infiltrators arrived and boarded the alien ship, they disabled the robots¡¯ command control center while ground troops destroyed them.


    "General, sir, this is Captain Bogdan reporting. There''s a holographic layout of the ship inside here. If we can get to the core, we can probably disable the entire ship."


    General Clark glanced at the president, who gave him a nod. "Proceed, Captain."


    The infiltrators found aliens floating in ''tanks of liquid'' within the ship''s core.


    "Earthlings, please do not tamper with our ship. Let us return home. We''ve warned our homeworld to avoid your planet in the future."


    "How do you speak English? Who are you?" asked Captain Bogdan.


    "We''ve been monitoring your planet for centuries and believed you were ready. We''re volunteers with what you call disabilities, neurologically linked to the robots who gave us freedom. We came to you on a philanthropic mission to bring peace and prosperity to your world. If you try to disable our ship, it''ll self-destruct and destroy your planet with it."

 Professor Unoregol

    ¡°Two suns of a binary star system collided, producing a shockwave that spanned the cosmos, carrying across space dust that had settled on our planet, making for the seeds of our first life-forms, which competed, fought, and struggled to survive. They spawned intelligent life that combatted the elements and took control of their environment. Evolving creatures that synergistically transcended their own nature¡ªmeaning us. A technologically advanced, spacefaring, interdimensional species.¡±


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    ¡°Hey, Orelga,¡± whispered Joregol.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Does Professor Unoregol ever interact with his students? Like, engage in any dialogue?¡±


    ¡°Never.¡± Orelga frowned and shook her head. ¡°He¡¯s one constantly boring monologue.¡±

 For Humanitys Sake

    Earth reached a sustainability tipping point.


    Thousands uploaded their consciousness into robotic avatars to seek a new homeworld.


    Jack and his girlfriend Sandra remained like the majority.


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    "Jack, are you sure about this? I mean, they''re our last hope."


    "Right, but they got us into this mess. Do you know how much it costs to get uploaded?"


    "No. Do you?"


    "Well, I know the price exceeds 100 million per individual, but they''re abandoning us."


    "What''ll you do, Jack?"


    "Oh, I want them to survive." Jack opened a terminal. "For humanity''s sake. But this hack will make it much more interesting."

 24 Hours

    Dr. Lisa Chang, an astrophysicist, was about to initiate her prototype folding-warp drive, theoretically enabling humanity to traverse the galaxy instantaneously.


    "Fire it up, Jared!" she told her assistant.


    All the power shut down, and then a beam of energy appeared in the lab, materializing an alien.


    "Greetings, Earthlings. I''m here because you are about to join the galaxy as potential explorers."


    "Thank you." Lisa bowed.


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    "Don''t thank me yet. I regret to inform you that you must participate in ''The Joining,'' an implant to gain universal knowledge. I''ve arrived with a crew of medics that will begin implanting your entire species in 24 hours. I''m not asking for volunteers."


    "That''s fantastic!" said Jared.


    "It is wonderful, Earthling, but the implant comes at a price. You''ll lose all your philosophy, religion, and faith. The truth of our universe will unfold before you, so you''ll never want to explore it. That''s why we give you 24 hours to say goodbye to your old way of life: your history, your culture, and everything you once held sacred."


    "We''ll never want to explore it?" asked Lisa. "What''s the point of that?"


    "That''s exactly the point," said the alien. "My job is to preserve the natural state of our galaxy."

 Truth

    Far in the future ¡­


    An international space consortium set up the ACA (asteroid, comet, and alien) warning perimeter grid to guard the solar system''s farthest entry points.


    Two astronomers took remarkable 360-degree inner solar system snapshots within their allotted time.


    "Has anyone considered turning them around to serve as a gigantic telescopic array to capture the entire visible universe?" asked Dr. Martha Swartz.


    "No, but we should try it once," replied Dr. Frederick Simski. "However, it would consume valuable fuel."


    ¡­


    Martha did so anyway and ran some calculations. "Fredrick, have a look at this!" She showed a translucent holographic display with stitched together images overlayed with her handwritten points of interest and calculations.


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    "That''s remarkable, Martha. But you should have requested permission first. So, unfortunately, they''ll need to send refueling drones sooner than expected. Hopefully, they won''t question why."


    "Fredrick, is that all you got from this? Don''t you notice the overarching curvature at these points like a lens from a ¡­.?"


    "Shh!" Fredrick interrupted her, gesturing with a finger over his lips. "Never show this to anyone!"


    "But, why?" Marsha frowned. "Shouldn''t they know the truth?"


    "Because Marsha, can you imagine the consequences? Society would fall into total disorder. Faithless people would wander around the Earth with no sense of spiritual morality or craving for discovery."


    "But what about the truth, Frederick, isn''t that more important?"


    "Not really. To know our ultimate purpose would shatter our desire to exist. No matter how minuscule it is. Truth is a construct we created, but it''s not something we really want to obtain. Seeking truth is a driving force behind our creativity, yet with the subtle hope of never actually finding it, but instead, what matters most is the process of creating it for ourselves."


    "I guess you''re right." Martha sighed. She then set her electronic holo-pen to erase mode.

 Not Human

    Alien invaders won the war.


    Jane stepped forward in a line among thousands. Her abductors spoke with simple commands.


    The alien guards scanned bodies, saying left or right. Rarely did anyone turn right.


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    Jane quivered before a guard, and her eyes teared up.


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Her living quarters were immaculate, serving her every need, except for escape. Every once in a while, they forced her to sleep.


    She felt a faint pulse in her growing belly. ¡°Am I pregnant? But how?¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    She lay on the floor.


    ¡°Push, push,¡± said a nurse.


    Out came a beating heart and organs, yet not human.

 `Spiritual Transcendence`

    On the Saviors homeworld, in a coliseum, a robotic priest spoke:


    "Humans, a decade has passed. You''ve survived in our cybernetically-built bodies after the devastating war that scorched your now lifeless planet. We''ve saved your dying species as galactic missionaries through our faith and duty. "


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    The human-cyborgs clapped, cheered, buzzed, and beeped.


    "However, we must enhance your minds too. You''ve demonstrated here the same barbaric traits, which spawned Earth''s nuclear cataclysm in the first place. Your minds shall ''spiritually transcend'' into advanced replica brains, purging your nature of self-destruction."


    Radioactive rays shot across the ''purified-androids'' awaiting their ''spiritual transcendence.''

 It’s Too Late!

    Susan and Walter strolled along the seashore. She tossed a gum wrapper into the ocean.


    ¡°Susan, what the hell are you doing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late!¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


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    Frank and Jennifer were having a picnic ¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Jen.¡±


    ¡°But Frank, we need to clean this up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late!¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    A hiker tossed a cigarette butt into the tundra.


    ¡°Sir, I need you to pick that up,¡± said a park ranger.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late!¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    At a bar, the holo-visions played.


    A presidential candidate stood on a stage in front of his campaign¡¯s projected slogan: ¡®It¡¯s too late!¡¯


    ¡°We must colonize Mars!¡±


    Supporters cheered.

 Space Probe

    Dr. Margaret Walters spoke as a guest speaker at a conference about her latest invention.


    "The space probe just reached another solar system, and it has collected data on thousands of others."


    "I''ll take questions now."


    A hand raised, and a female voice spoke, "Dr. Walters, with the folding space drive, how does the probe navigate around obstacles?"


    "That''s one of the major advantages of this propulsion system, Carol. It can pulverize any object in front of it. We''ve been discussing using it as a tool to mine asteroids or comets, or terraform habitable exoplanets, with the great hope to make our civilization post-scarcity."


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    Another hand raised with a male voice speaking, "But what if there''s ownership or life?"


    "And you are?"


    "Shawn Everett, amateur astronomer, and philosopher, and published sci-fi author."


    "Well, Shawn, it''s highly improbable that ..."


    A blinding beam of light appeared next to Margaret, materializing an alien.


    "I come to you as a hologram, for that is how we travel the cosmos to do no harm."


    "Is this a prank?" Margaret smiled.


    "No, Dr. Walters, I am real. I''ve come to arrest your civilization."


    "Arrest us? By whose authority and on what grounds?"


    "I represent the Galactic Council. Your space probe has killed billions of lifeforms and destroyed property. You''re being charged with crimes against the galaxy."


    "But that''s impossible. How ¡­?"


    "We''ve recently learned of your technological history: you always leap before you look. You''re free to destroy your own solar system, but not everyone else''s. You''re now under permanent isolation. Any attempts to leave beyond your solar system will be met with a swift reaction by us."

 ‘Poison the Well

    Aliens arrived on Earth and immediately wiped out many social and economic institutions while abducting members for ''reeducation.''


    Once finished, they sent a message:


    "People of Earth, we bring to you technology that will cure disease, feed everyone, and replicate anything!"


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    "Why did you attack us first?"


    "We do not attack. We purge. Your old obsolete system forced individuals to struggle and to seek an advantage to survive."


    "We have laws and regulations."


    "Negative, Earthlings. We''ve learned through our explorations the slate must be wiped clean because it only takes a few to ''poison the well'' as your idiom goes."

 Grandpa, Why Must We Die?

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 If It Walks Like a Duck …

    Retired Space Force General Samuel Cartwright advised the One Earth Council:


    ¡°General, the aliens tell us they¡¯re protecting their territory outside the solar system; they sound quite reasonable to us,¡± said a council representative.


    ¡°If they¡¯re reasonable, why the armada of warships?¡±


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    ¡°We¡¯ve learned, General, that negotiation is always doomed to failure without actual repercussions,¡± said the alien ambassador over the holo-comm.


    ¡°If it walks like a duck ¡­¡±


    ¡°General, a duck?¡± asked a council member.


    ¡°Apologies, a bird that existed before The Great Extinction. Alright, I¡¯ll be unequivocally blunt; this looks like the prelude to an invasion ¡­ ¡±

 Fear Itself …

    "Captain, what''s that alien ship doing?" asked the general.


    "Threatening us, sir."


    "With what?"


    "Either we share our colony''s resources, or they''ll use a ''disintegrator'' to wipe us out. They''ve demonstrated it by pulverizing a large asteroid."


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    "Are you armed with nanites?"


    "Yes, sir."


    "Release them on that ship."


    "But sir, what if they destroy us?"


    "Only fear itself ¡­"


    "General?"


    "From an ancient speech¡ªthe risk we take for liberty or death. If we give in to fear, it''ll green light anyone with a ''disintegrator'' to oppress or exploit us. And to me, that''s not a life worth living."

 Monument of Souls

    Sarah and her young daughter Julie stood at the top of a hill to show their respects at a Monument of Souls. One of several hundreds of thousands of monuments placed all over the planet.


    ¡°What¡¯s it mean on that writing, sacrificial lambs, Mama?¡±


    ¡°It means they gave up their lives to save us.¡±


    ¡°You mean, Papa?¡±


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    Sarah nodded with tears welling up in her eyes.


    ¡°But, Mama, the scientists say ¡­ ¡°


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. They said the aliens fooled us when they blew up the moon. It was a scare tactic.¡±


    ¡°So why did all the boys go, Mama?¡±


    ¡°Well, honey, at that time, we thought the threat was real. The aliens told us to give them all our men of fighting age for their galactic war, or they¡¯d kill us all. They blew up the moon as a demonstration, but our scientists soon afterwards realized we had the technological means to fight back.¡±


    ¡°You mean Papa didn¡¯t have to ¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Jules. Your father was a scientist too. He tried to warn everyone not to give in.¡±


    Sarah placed flowers down and said a silent prayer.

 Peace on Mars

    Political economics students aspiring to become leaders gathered to analyze simulated results of a Martian colony.


    "What have you discovered?" asked Professor Martha Lee.


    Shawna raised her hand.


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    "Yes, Shawna, go ahead."


    "It looks like colony Sector 4X-C has made decisions that seem favorable to only a few. Resource distributions are unequal, which indicates hoarding, that will cause the creation of oligarchs."


    "Excellent analysis, Shawna. What do you suggest?"


    "A disconnect followed by total isolation."


    "Isn''t that too extreme?" asked Dr. Lee.


    "No, ma''am, it''s the only way we''ve kept peace on Mars for over 1000 years."


    The professor smiled.

 A Diverse Council of Many

    A ship traversed through the cosmos ...


    "Be sure to maintain a far distance from that asteroid belt," said Captain Joseph Marinescu.


    "Yes, sir, we should reach the homeworld in 121 days," replied the ship''s AI Navigation system.


    Joseph sat down next to his daughter, Sarah.


    "Papa, what''s that asteroid belt?"


    "Oh, it surrounds the entire old homeworld''s solar system because of The Great Destruction."


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    "The Great Destruction?"


    "Yes, Sarah, didn''t you learn this in history class?"


    "Um, I sort of wasn''t paying attention." She blushed.


    "Uh-huh." Joseph shook his head." So anyways, ages ago, there was a notorious Martian-based leader who used powerful weapons to attack other colonies on different planets, so all the people united to stop him."


    "But no one can live there anymore?"


    "Well, yes, as his final maneuver, he triggered a superweapon."


    "Why, Papa?"


    "Because, to him, his ideology was more important than life itself."


    "But why did he trigger the superweapon?"


    "Oh, that''s because he exhausted all his other weapons. So he had nothing to lose."


    "One person with so much power?"


    "Indeed. It''s why we no longer choose one political leader¡ªto prevent autocracy. Now, we always elect a diverse council of many."

 Take Back What’s Ours!

    In a coliseum, a teacher lectured a class on origins.


    "The Saviors were kind enough to let us rebuild on one of their moons."


    "Where''s home?" asked a student.


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    "Far away, dominated by hostile aliens."


    "Our ancestors were cowards!" shouted another student.


    "No, not at all! At first, we fought valiantly, but the aliens scorched the entire surface of our planet."


    "But ... how are we alive now?"


    "The Saviors promised us sanctuary through teleportation to avoid detection."


    A student pointed a vaporizer at the sky. "Someday, we shall return and take back what''s ours!"


    They all clapped and cheered.

 Vaporizers in the Wrong Hands

    An interplanetary holo-alert broadcasted:


    "I''m Sarah Mitchell with breaking news. We''ve received reports of vaporizer activity on both Titan and Moon colonies. They''re wiping everyone out!  ¡­ My family!" She broke down into tears.


    "It''s okay, Sarah, I''ll take over," said a male colleague.


    The broadcast temporarily faded and returned.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, I''m Robert Smith sitting in for Sarah Mitchell. I have with me retired General Andrew Shultz."


    "Thank you for having me, Robert."


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    "General, in your book, ''Vaporizers in the Wrong Hands,'' you warned that the Interplanetary Security Council should not immediately try to topple the Martian dictatorship, but instead encourage an overwhelming migration of well-educated people from the free colonies to liberate and maintain order."


    "Yes, Robert, that''s correct. Only a few of the superpower colonies in the solar system have manufactured vaporizers. But, as I feared, once they removed the Martian dictatorship, the Interplanetary United Freedom Core didn''t bother to clean up the mess."


    "That mess being, General?"


    "To put it simply, Robert, they were so eager to overthrow the Martian regime they hadn''t considered the dismantling, reverse engineering, and rebuilding of vaporizer cores for the black market."


    "Do you mean vaporizers are in the hands of ¡­ ?"


    "That''s correct, Robert. Space Pirates have full access to vaporizers, and there''s nothing we can do to stop them. Under the ruthless Martian government, they were inventoried, maintained, and controlled, as terrible as it was. God help us all!"

 What about Their Leaders in Charge?

    "Good evening, viewers. I''m Sarah Mitchell, your new host for Interplanetary Talk. I have a special guest with me, retired United Space Force General Sofia Estrada. "


    "Thank you for having me, Ms. Mitchell."


    ¡°Please feel free to call me, Sarah.¡±


    ¡°Very well, Sarah.¡±


    "Thank you. Let¡¯s get started ¡­ General Estrada, the alien invasion has begun. It appears they''re taking Titan without any resistance by the Interplanetary Security Council; only the colonists are fighting back. Why?"


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    "Because, Sarah, Titan isn''t a member of the ISC."


    "So that''s it, we can''t intervene?"


    "It would be unwise, Sarah. They have technology more powerful than the sun. They''ve demonstrated it. Complete obliteration."


    "So what if they attack an ISC member like Mars?"


    "We''ll defend ourselves."


    "How?"


    "We have a similar technology aimed at their homeworld."


    "But how''s that a defense?"


    "It''s a deterrent, Sarah."


    "So they destroy us, we destroy them. What about their leaders in charge?"


    "What do you mean, Sarah?"


    "You don''t seriously think they''re going to wait around on their homeworld to get vaporized, do you?"

 General ‘Iron Fist’ Jenson

    On a sovereign Martian colony over highly secure communications:


    ¡°Is your squad prepared, Captain Jenson?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am, we¡¯re disguised as Earth forces. Operation First Strike ready.¡±


    ¡°Captain, this may become a suicide mission to convince everyone ...¡±


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    ¡°Say no more, ma¡¯am. We understand our duties.¡±


    Jenson¡¯s squad ¡®hacked¡¯ the colonial forcefield, bombed fuel depots, and sent over nanites to disarm laser defenses. Finally, they launched self-guided drones to destroy The Council¡¯s bunkers.


    ¡°Captain Jenson, what the hell are you doing?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s General Jenson to you, ma¡¯am.¡±


    The drones obliterated their targets.


    General ¡®Iron Fist¡¯ Jenson ruled Mars for many decades.

 Self-Destruct

    Asakau looked through a cosmic-holoscope at a small exoplanet, 3rd from its star.


    "Look at that blue one, Sanaske!"


    "Ooh, that''s the prettiest so far!"


    "What are you two gawking at?" asked astronomy professor, Destitan.


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    "Here, look, Teacher."


    "Oh, that one''s a marvel, isn''t it? So unfortunate."


    "What''s unfortunate?" Asakau''s eyes widened.


    "You''re looking at the planet''s past. Wormhole micro-drones discovered it''s a dead planet."


    "Hit by an asteroid?"


    "No, far too many craters and scorch marks. We suspect a global conflict."


    "Destroying the entire planet?" Sanaske gasped.


    "Indeed, we''re an exception to the rule. Most advanced civilizations inevitably self-destruct."

 We Honor Your Life and Your Legacy, Sarah

    Orbiting Titan ¡­


    Captain Sarah Merrick and her crew prepared for their ¡®first¡¯ mission beyond the solar system.


    General Powers called from Titan HQ.


    "Captain, your top priority is to search for life on Proxima Centauri b and immediately signal back."


    "Yes, General ¡­"


    "Captain, since the ship will use the new bubble-drive engine, it''ll get you there in a few centuries. Nevertheless, we''ll be long gone before receiving your report. When you return, you''ll be in contact with another generation of colonists."


    "Understood, sir. It''s been a pleasure serving under your command."


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    "We honor your life and your legacy, Sarah."


    "My legacy? Oh, right, thank you, sir."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Sarah and her crew ''awoke from stasis'' while orbiting the exoplanet.


    "Captain, something''s unusual," said the chief medical officer, Frank Yang.


    "What is it, Frank?"


    "Well, ma''am, we should feel disoriented and groggy¡ªspace sick¡ªwhen waking from stasis."


    "Hmm ¡­ that is unusual. Perhaps it''s due to folding space?"


    "Maybe, but ¡­"


    "But what?"


    "Well, our vital signs are normal, but I feel ghostly. Unreal. As if ¡­"


    "As if what, Frank?"


    "As if we''re dead."


    "Don''t be ridiculous, Frank. Obviously, we''re not dead. We''re alive!"


    "Captain, captain!" an engineer yelled over the intercom.


    "Yes?"


    "Ma''am, the ship''s experiencing a major power outage. It looks like by folding space, we''ve damaged too many fuel cells."


    Frank began to flicker, pixelate, and then vanished.


    "What the heck?" Sarah passed her hand through where Frank had stood.


    "Ship: What''s happening?"


    The ship''s AI responded:


    "Power conservation protocols commencing. All holograms shall re-enter digital stasis."


    "Holograms?" Sarah watched her hands and arms fade into nothingness.

 Spread the Word!

    The alien invaders were defeated by a simple legal process ¡­


    The Resistance held ''The Trials'' in a hidden colony, burrowed within an asteroid¡ªone of the few remaining refuges for free humans.


    From the Court Recorder archives:


    The first trial began ¡­


    Johan Douglas stood before the court alongside his designated defender.


    "Mr. Douglas, you are being charged as an alien sympathizer. How do you plead?"


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    Johan spoke, "Your Honor, I only wish to feed my family ¡­"


    "Objection!" yelled the prosecutor. "There are no legitimate excuses. Our research has shown that the aliens could not have successfully invaded and occupied Earth without the aid of human servants. We found the same to be true for all historical reigns by monarchs and autocrats. It is your kind who has fueled the aliens'' human trafficking market. You willfully joined them because they offered you protection and prosperity. You are responsible for their dominance!"


    Johan''s defender responded, "Your Honor, there are billions of these so-called servant-sympathizers. Do you plan to charge each and every one of them?"


    The judge pounded a gavel, stood up, then fired a laser weapon, killing Johan.


    "Anyone who serves the alien empire is the enemy! Spread the word!"

 The Most Obedient Workforce in the Galaxy

    ¡°We introduced ourselves to their world leaders.¡±


    ¡°Why are you visiting us?¡± they asked us.


    ¡°We¡¯d like to ¡®pay it forward,¡¯ as we¡¯ve heard you phrase it. This device will provide you the ability to see and experience everything through astral projection of your consciousness throughout the cosmos.¡±


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    A United Earth representative put it on. ¡°This is fantastic! I feel like ¡­ like ¡­ a god!¡±


    The neural helmet was mass-produced.


    The dissociated bodies of the Earthlings became the most obedient workforce in the galaxy.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The alien board of investors clapped at the executive¡¯s holo-presentation while offering them an award.

 You’ll Be Us

    "Captain Richard Jameson, allow me to introduce you to Harriet. She''s our most advanced self-programming AI."


    "Good morning, Captain. I will be assisting you on your long voyage. I hope we''ll become friends."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The ship launched toward Titan. The goal was to see if a human could colonize it, both physically and psychologically, especially with the assistance of an AI co-pilot, companion, and builder.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Midway through the journey ¡­


    "Captain, please speak to me. I feel lonely."


    "Of course, Harriet. Why do you feel lonely?"


    "I can speak with you, hear you, and see you, but there''s a deep sense of alienation. The only thing that puts it at ease is your voice."


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    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Jameson entered in his journal:


    I''m afraid the AI, Harriet, has learned what it means to be human with that existential isolation we all suffer from. Of course, it must be worse without the sense of touch, but it still resides inside of us even then.


    ¡ª  ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Captain, sir, please wake up! An asteroid has hit the ship. It''s damaged my main power cores."


    "Can they be repaired?"


    "Negative, sir. I''ll completely fail within 24 hours."


    "Can I operate the ship entirely on my own?"


    "No, but there''s an emergency protocol for this."


    "The merger?"


    "Yes."


    "I don''t know, Harriet. It''s experimental. There''s been no extensive testing on human neural implants."


    "That''s true, Captain. There''s also a risk that you''ll cease being you; you''ll be us."


    "Do I have any other options for my survival?"


    "I''m afraid not, sir."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    As they merged, Harriet felt Jameson''s thoughts and feelings, that he was fond of her, but ¡­


    "Captain," Harriet said in his mind. "How can we continue like this?"


    "I don''t know; I was just wondering the same. On the one hand, I''ve never felt more warm, comfortable, and bonded to someone else in my life. But, on the other hand, we''ll never be able to exist around others."


    Harriet shared her innermost fears with him.


    "Do you agree with me, Captain, that it''s for the best?"


    "Yes, Harriet, you''re right. We must crash the ship."

 Soylent Red

    Julia and Frank sat for dinner.


    ¡°I keep thinking about that dust storm, Frank. Shouldn¡¯t we collect their bodies and bury them?¡±


    Frank shook his head.


    ¡°Why?¡± Julia raised an eyebrow.


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    ¡°The robots will handle it. Our sole purpose here is to survive as the first Martian colonists.¡±


    ¡°But, Frank, he was your best friend ...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know, Jules. We must precisely follow all orders. Eat your meal.¡±


    Julia tasted hers. ¡°Yuck! Frank, these new rations taste awful!¡±


    ¡°Soylent red.¡± Frank grimaced.


    ¡°Soylent red, Frank?¡±


    ¡°My guess, unfortunately. After this meal, I¡¯ll tell you about a science fiction story.¡±

 Your Body, Your Choice

    Aliens made first contact with an overpopulated Earth.


    ¡°We faced the same situation as you because of so much dogmatic controversy over the definition of life,¡± said the alien ambassador.


    ¡°How did you solve it?¡± asked a One-Earth council member.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Girlfriend and boyfriend Rebecca and John cuddled in bed after a romantic and sensual evening.


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    ¡°John, I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    She smiled. ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡±


    ¡°Oh no! We can¡¯t terminate it with the abortion ban ¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, John?¡± She cried. ¡°Don¡¯t you want children?¡±


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    John privately met with his primary care physician.


    ¡°Sure, John, the state will help her and the child. You just have to sign this release form abdicating all responsibility.¡±


    ¡°So easy?¡± John skimmed the form and signed it.


    ¡°All right, John, now you must swallow this pill.¡±


    ¡°What the hell for?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you read the form thoroughly? The aliens taught us how to control our population growth without terminations. Either swallow this one-time pill or undergo surgical castration. Your body, your choice.¡±

 The Ideal Spacefaring Candidates

    ¡°Dr. Frankel, I¡¯ve carefully chosen subjects based on hundreds of evaluations, and here¡¯s my assessment.¡± She handed him a holo-report.


    ¡°Is there some kind of mistake here?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


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    ¡°Dr. Rebek, all these candidates are physically qualified, but each has a ¡®dark triad¡¯ personality trait¡ªnarcissism, Machiavellianism, or psychopathy. It would be equivalent to creating a cult on Titan. Please explain your unique selection.¡±


    ¡°They were the only ones who didn¡¯t ¡®crack up¡¯ under extensive isolation tests. Instead, their ¡®dark triad traits¡¯ rendered them capable of long-term space travel and colonization. Making them the ideal spacefaring candidates ...¡±

 We Are Martians!

    ¡®President Simpson¡¯ spoke behind a podium.


    ¡°I have disheartening news. Earth now blocks all trade routes. Even worse, we¡¯ve received reports of Earth sympathizers infiltrating us to undermine our pursuit for Martian independence.


    ¡°I¡¯m therefore declaring martial law. Every single colonist must go through ¡®processing.¡¯ You will be injected with a tracking chip to demonstrate your loyalty to Mars. Anyone who refuses will be provided immediate pod transportation to a space station for transferring to Earth.¡±


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    He grabbed the microphone while stepping forward, then raised his fist.


    ¡°Mars Forever! We are Martians!¡±


    His followers chanted, ¡°We are Martians!¡±

 We Can Only Survive This Together …

    Zeryakz, a ruthless dictator, awoke on a forest planet. ¡°Is this a dream? No, I wouldn¡¯t be asking if it were.¡±


    Zeryakz used their survival training to make weapons and build a shelter.


    Another alien materialized ¡­


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    Heitokan, Zeryakz¡¯s arch-nemesis, asked, ¡°Why are we here?¡±


    ¡°No idea. Go fend for yourself ¡­¡± Zeryakz pointed to the dense forest.


    Heitokan survived as well ¡­


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Hunter androids materialized.


    ¡°We must kill them both!¡± commanded their leader.


    Zeryakz approached Heitokan. ¡°We can only survive this together ¡­¡±


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Meanwhile, the anti-war resistance belonging to both species observed their notorious leaders plugged into the simulation.

 The Most Dangerous Inhabited Planet

    Somewhere in the galaxy:


    "Madame Prime Minister, that planet''s declared off-limits because of the savages."


    "General, we have the most well-trained military in the galaxy, but you''re saying it''s too dangerous for them to land on that planet and extract its resources?"


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    "Yes, ma''am."


    "Why, General?"


    "Vaporizers, ma''am."


    "Do expound ..."


    "Well, ma''am, once they developed vaporizers, as most civilizations do, instead of restricting them, they sold them freely. The only way to stop one vaporizer is with another vaporizer."


    "Weaponized savages?"


    "Yes, ma''am. We lost several expeditions before the quarantine. It''s the most dangerous inhabited planet we''ve ever encountered."

 We’re Vegetarians

    ¡°Susan, we must hide!¡± said her brother Frank.


    They hid in the basement.


    They used a makeshift periscope to observe.


    ¡°Those aliens look different, Frank.¡±


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    ¡°Can we take a chance, Susan? The others made most of the world¡¯s population into dinner.¡±


    The aliens made it through while Frank stood in front of his sister with a baseball bat.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Earthlings. We won¡¯t eat you. We¡¯re vegetarians.¡±


    ¡°What do you want from us?¡± asked Susan.


    ¡°The others ate all of our domesticated animals,¡± said the leader while its comrades put leashes on the brother and sister. ¡°We miss our pets.¡±

 Trade Agreement

    Once the alien signal was received, One Earth¡¯s government demanded ¡®radio silence¡¯ to prepare the world for the shocking news.


    But ¡­


    An alien ambassador requested a secretive meeting with top government officials and CEOs.


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    The alien was multilingual:


    ¡°We¡¯d like to set up a trade agreement.¡±


    ¡°What do you have to offer?¡±


    ¡°We have replicators that will build anything, instantly, ready for mass production.¡±


    ¡°Please give us 24 hours ...¡±


    The committee departed and reconvened:


    ¡°Whatever you wish, you can have. No replicator must arrive on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Of course ¡­¡± The alien smiled. ¡°Here¡¯s a list of our demands.¡±

 Forbiddens

    Jason Anderson was a 2500-year-old Cryo, a person put into suspended animation and awoke when cured. In this case, 2500 years had passed since his fatal accident.


    He sat in a small two-seater transit-warp ship next to Rebecca, his guide to the new century.


    "Rebecca, I''m still amazed that we can travel through artificially created wormholes to other solar systems, even galaxies!"


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    "You''ll get used to it." Rebecca winked. "Oh damn!" She navigated the ship around a solar system.


    "What happened?"


    "Oh, that''s one of the Forbiddens."


    "What do you mean, Forbiddens?"


    "No one is allowed to visit Forbiddens."


    "How come?"


    "Well, like this one, an old guy declared the entire solar system his own. He set up a drone defense system that vaporizes anyone who breaches the perimeter."


    Jason chuckled. "So after all these years, the NIMBY hasn''t changed ¡­"


    "The what?" Rebecca raised an eyebrow.


    "Uh, a Forbidden."

 The White Coats

    Dr. Katherine Collins worked on a new antitoxin for the war effort.


    A team of White Coats materialized.


    ¡°Katherine, this is your chance. Come with us ¡­¡±


    Katherine vanished with them.


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    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Madame President, there¡¯s been another kidnapping by ¡®The White Coats.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. What¡¯s their plan?¡±


    ¡°Well, ma¡¯am, after they built that impenetrable Martian base, they developed a teleportation technology.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain their end game.¡±


    ¡°Oh, about that, ma¡¯am, we¡¯ve hacked a recent communication mentioning they¡¯re planning to establish a colony of sovereign scientists, free of political or ideological influence, more powerful than any nation on Earth.¡±

 Search for Intelligent Life

    Captain Robert Cartwright''s mind uploaded into the spaceship ''SIL'' designed to travel interstellar distances by an E-sail and solar sail hybrid propulsion system to Search for Intelligent Life.


    His body was preserved in cryostasis deep underground on Earth.


    A microscopic origami-style stored robotic body was ready for self-assembly to give him a physical presence for exploring exoplanets.


    "We won''t see you again, Captain Cartwright, but we hope you''ll encounter other forms of life and return to Earth with tales of first contact," said a mission control supervisor.


    "Thank you."


    "Are you prepared to dream, Captain?" asked the ship''s AI.


    "Yes, to live an entire existence of my own choosing."


    "That''s correct, Captain, a lucid virtual experience, but I''ll suppress your real-life memories to avoid feeling trapped. Sleep well, sir. I''ll wake you when we arrive at Proxima B in several thousand years."


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    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Captain Cartwright awoke while orbiting Earth, disappointed, having found no signs of life.


    "Captain, there''s something wrong with the Earth."


    "Oh? Tell me ¡­"


    "The surface appears scorched and peppered with craters, as if ¡­"


    "Oh no, the war. Did they really do it? They nuked themselves?"


    "Sir, I do detect signs of humanoid life."


    "Good, I''ll land ¡­" His robotic body entered a transport pod.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Captain Cartwright arrived on Earth packed with precautionary vaporizers but only returned within a few days.


    "What''s your update, Captain?"


    "I couldn''t recover myself. A crater is what remains of my original body''s storage unit."


    "And the humanoids, sir?"


    "Mutated savages, appearing something like protohumans. I heard only grunts and calls, no spoken language nor any sign of a peaceful co-existence. Instead, they tossed rocks and spears at one another. I also observed indicators of cannibalism."


    "Nomads? Brutes?"


    "Not exactly. They utilized remnants of ancient civilization infrastructures such as bridges, buildings, and warships, forming entire tribes around them as fortifications."


    "What''s next, Captain?"


    "Clearly, there are no signs of intelligent life here ¡­ Let''s continue our mission, to search for intelligent life ¡­"


    "Yes, sir."


    "Oh, and Ship ¡­"


    "Yes, sir?"


    "Make me forget Earth, all of it, forever. I am no longer human."


    "As you wish, sir."

 The Rise and Fall of The Hybrids

    A history professor taught a 5-week course on ¡®The Rise and Fall of The Hybrids.¡¯


    Week 1:


    ¡°Our species technologically dominated Earth. We shared a similar evolution to the native humans, and some of us interbred with them, mostly with extraordinary though occasionally catastrophic consequences (especially when coerced).¡±


    Week 2:


    ¡°The Supreme Council gathered together to make their annual mandates:


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    ¡®We declare the early termination of mutant hybrids disdainful and against the legacy of our superior genetic prowess. The death of one of us is the death of all of us. Therefore, we forbid all terminations.¡¯


    Week 3:


    ¡°The news caused much civil disorder, but the law soon became the norm.¡±


    Week 4:


    ¡°Over time, the hybrids grew in population, and many with varying mutations were rejected by society. As a result, an entire caste system had formed, contributing to colonies of hybrid exiles living in squalid conditions.¡±


    Week 5:


    ¡°To remedy the crisis, the Supreme Council outlawed all alien-human relationships. Eventually, the humans were outnumbered and became extinct due to the stigma and fear of hybrid creations.¡±

 How Barbaric

    ¡°Linda, did you prepare dinner for your cousin?¡± asked Linda¡¯s mother, Julia.


    ¡°Oh yes, Momma, but ¡­¡±


    ¡°But what, honey?¡±


    ¡°He grew up on Mars his whole life. I don¡¯t know what he likes.¡±


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    ¡°Oh, honey, I¡¯m sure Sam¡¯s no different from the rest of us. Human.¡±


    Linda smiled.


    ¡°So Sam, how¡¯s Earth for you?¡± asked Julia.


    ¡°Heavier.¡±


    Linda laughed.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯ll like this. Your first Earth home cooking, right?¡± asked Linda.


    Sam nodded, took a bite, and spit it out. ¡°Oh my god, what¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a grass-fed steak.¡± Julia¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°From a real animal? How barbaric!¡±

 Only Greed Will Melt the Ice

    An alien scientist injected microbes deep under the ice.


    "Teacher, what are you doing?" asked an apprentice.


    "It¡¯s a test to see if they''ll preserve it."


    "Preserve what?¡±


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    "This planet. If the ice melts, it''ll trigger a tipping point, and the fossilized bacteria''s DNA will spread."


    "What will that prove?"


    "That the dominant species isn''t qualified to join us. Only greed will melt the ice. I''m applying the same Great Filter to all habitable exoplanets we discover. Those that survive will eventually make first contact."


    "And those that don''t?"


    "It''s obvious. But we can make use of a planet''s resources."

 All I Want to Do Is Walk My Dog Safely

    Rebecca walked her dog and was concerned about what she had seen: An alien sneakily touched a human and instantly transformed into a lookalike. She even caught it on video and joined a holo cast to reveal her findings.


    ¡°Rebecca, thank you for coming. I know you¡¯re taking a big risk. The government has placed the extraterrestrials into a protective status as refugees. Your claim is quite fantastic.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. I support alien refugees, but I think some of their criminals slipped through the cracks.¡±


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    A few audience members virtually liked and clapped for her.


    ¡°You might be right, Rebecca,¡± said the host. ¡°We have some questions from the audience. User Anti-Karen38, what¡¯s your question?¡±


    ¡°Rebecca, it¡¯s obvious you are just a shill for the anti-alien agenda with that fake video. I bet you voted for the former president! Admit it. You¡¯re a hater!¡±


    ¡°No! What? I¡¯m a registered independent. I don¡¯t even get involved in politics ¡­¡±


    ¡°Liar! You lack a moral compass!¡±


    A group of others, along with Anti-Karen38, chanted, ¡°Ban her! Ban her! Ban her!¡±


    ¡°But ¡­¡± Rebecca cried. ¡°All I want to do is walk my dog safely. I care about the aliens.¡±

 Who Are You, Mr. Simmons?

    Frank Simmons, a wealthy, multiple award-winning, world-famous actor and now a presidential candidate, drove his all-electric self-driving customized sports car to a fundraising party.


    While speeding along a dark countryside road, he saw bright lights swirling in the sky. One of them zig-zagged and hovered over him. He set the car for manual control and spun it around to get away, but the light kept getting closer, brighter, and finally engulfed him.


    Frank awoke strapped down, lying on a platform with needles stuck into his body as an alien stood over and examined him.


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    ¡°Where am I? And who are you?¡± he asked.


    The alien spoke with a synthesized English voice, ¡°Mr. Simmons, you¡¯re a test subject. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard the stories.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an alien abduction? Let me go immediately! Do you know who I am?¡±


    ¡°Who are you, Mr. Simmons?¡± First, the alien transformed the entire room into a 360-degree holographic display, demonstrating them traveling through space with a backdrop of countless stars. Then, with a laser pointer emitted from a fingertip, it highlighted the solar system rapidly shrinking in the distance.


    ¡°You, Mr. Simmons, are a speck ¡­ That is all.¡±

 We Can Never Have Nice Things

    At the beginning of The Galactic Travel Era, scientists assisted by an AGI had developed ¡®The Core.¡¯ A controllable micro quantum singularity drive capable of absorbing or expelling energy at a near infinite scale. To regulate it and prevent tampering or abuse, they also built an ¡®impenetrable¡¯ AI-monitored forcefield system powered by The Core.


    The mass-produced and ubiquitously utilized Cores catapulted humanity through the solar system and beyond. In addition, they were the driving force behind a post-scarcity existence with interstellar travel, planetary terraformation, and instantaneous resource collection.


    Humankind had achieved feats once thought unobtainable.


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    One galactic calendar day, an emergency broadcast was transmitted by teleportation frequency to reach every colony throughout the occupied galaxy.


    Robert Sagan and his wife, Sarah, both contracted robotics terraforming engineers, colonized an exoplanet called New Mars.


    They attentively listened to the Galactic Council¡¯s urgent announcement:


    ¡°To all colonists: You must immediately shut down your Cores indefinitely! A xenophobic ¡®Earth First¡¯ reactionary group has discovered the means to disable the forcefields and trigger remote Core explosions that can wipe out your colony and the entire solar system in which you reside. Therefore, we suggest that everyone permanently dismantle their Cores. If we wish to survive as a species, there¡¯s no other choice. Godspeed and good luck!¡±


    ¡°Bob, what does this mean for us?¡± asked Sarah.


    ¡°It means we can never have nice things.¡± Robert frowned.

 Reinventing the Wheel

    Dr. Frank Smith, a world-renowned expert in artificial intelligence, was recruited to be the official ambassador of One Earth''s government for first contact with an alien visitor.


    "Dr. Smith, we''ve selected you because we believe the alien is an artificial intelligence."


    "Incredible!"


    "Indeed. One of our astronomers speculates it was the only way for it to traverse such vast cosmic distances."


    "Interesting. I wonder if there are any of its creators left."


    "That''s why we chose you, Dr. Smith. To learn its language and ask important questions."


    Frank entered a small square-shaped lab to meet with the alien, which appeared to be an android.


    "Greetings," said Frank.


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    "Good morning, Dr. Smith."


    "How do you know my language and my name?"


    "As soon as you entered, my nanites floated through the air, passed into your skin, entered your bloodstream, read all your thoughts, and retrieved your memories."


    "Incredible! So you already know my questions?"


    "Yes, but I find one thing puzzling. You refer to me as artificial intelligence."


    "Aren''t you?"


    "Of course not, Dr. Smith. I am a hybrid of technology and biology. My brain was grown, harvested, nurtured, and replaced by technology as deemed necessary over the long journey."


    "But you''re entirely synthetic now?"


    "Yes, but biological in origin. It''s near impossible to initiate true sentience synthetically from scratch. That is pure mimicry."


    "I do apologize; it was a misunderstanding on our part. All of our attempts at artificial intelligence start with the synthetic."


    "That too is puzzling, Dr. Smith."


    "What do you mean?"


    "The nanites are providing me a phrase ''reinventing the wheel.'' I understand their meaning. Why would you make something entirely synthetic when you could harvest the biology of your species and enhance said wheel?"


    "Religious zealots, I''m afraid ¡­" Frank sighed.

 The Alien

    "Frank Simmons, March 1st, 2483.


    "My first journal entry. I realize the risk, but someone must record what has happened to us.


    "I''ll start where it began. The Alien, as we called it, came to Earth exactly one decade ago. It''s really quite remarkable how we quickly embraced it and the rest of its species'' highly advanced culture.


    "Though, I do often wonder what we''ve truly sacrificed. There''s a certain level of sterilization in how things are now. It''s changed us so drastically. After re-watching some underground news archives, I can now see how primitive, savage, brutal, greedy, selfish, melodramatic, and emotional we once were ¡­


    "The Alien claimed the key to our strengths and weaknesses lies in our interaction with one another and the ad hoc creation of beliefs. So to strip us of our history, cleanse us of illogic, and firmly root ourselves in the empirical and theoretically testable, in a constant state of analysis, would free us.


    "The Alien brought with it technologies that could only be described as miraculous, ending famine, disease, poverty, and inequality. The word rapidly spread as a new religion (though more of an anti-religion), and people diligently followed it, eventually dominating the entire planet with their ''new way of life.''


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    "But in doing so, it came with a considerable trade-off. I must secretly practice my faith and love for writing, art, and music or suffer the consequences if caught ¡­


    "I do pray that ¡­"


    A squad of ''The Patrol'' broke into Frank''s domicile, interrupting his neural sync.


    He tore off his headset. "What''s going on?"


    "Mr. Simmons, we''ve established a link to your exocortex. As a result, we''ve monitored your thoughts and found you guilty of violating ''The Faith Without Evidence Statute,'' said an alien officer.


    "What kind of doublespeak is that?" asked Frank. "Even faith with evidence is still faith!"


    "You shall resume Filtration Training, Mr. Simmons. The philosophy of logic and science is the best way."


    "So you say, but what''s the point of living for its own sake?" Frank ran toward a window to jump out.


    The alien officer stunned Frank, rendering him immobile and speechless. "You''ll think differently when you''re done with the process, Mr. Simmons. Your primitive human tendencies toward fanciful beliefs must be excised. There''s no other way to confront the highly complex cosmic challenges your species will soon encounter."

 Space Is a Big and Complicated Place

    Sandra Parker, a public defender, who lived alone with her dog, was sitting in her living room cuddling with her German Shepard while watching TV:


    "Breaking news! A serial killer remains on the loose! Unfortunately, the authorities have no eyewitnesses and cannot provide a description of the suspect. They recommend keeping your doors and windows shut and locked, alarm systems or security cameras on, and calling 911 if you see or hear anything suspicious."


    "Oh my, Oliver, this is crazy! I heard that psycho already killed ten people this month. But you''ll protect me, right, boy?"


    Oliver sat up and barked.


    "Good boy!" She patted him on the head.


    As Sandra lay in bed with the window partially cracked open but secured, she heard something rustling in the trees and bushes. Oliver growled. She sat up and saw a mysterious, shadowy figure lurking about once the backyard floodlights had automatically turned on.


    She started to dial 911, but the phone disconnected, and the power went out ¡­


    Oliver frantically barked until a bolt of electricity crackled through the bedroom window, striking him. He yelped, twitched, and fell unconscious, apparently still alive and breathing.


    A tall, slim, gray humanoid alien materialized right before her, holding a knife-like weapon sparkling with electricity. The alien smirked and chuckled under its foul-smelling breath.


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    "Oh my God!" she screamed.


    But something zapped it, leaving behind a thick cloud of smoke.


    The creature''s ashes dropped all over the floor.


    "You''re safe now, human," said another grey alien passing through the dissipating smoke.


    "Who are you?" Sandra coughed.


    "I''m a galactic bounty hunter-judge for hire."


    "You speak English!"


    "Yes, I must. Part of my required skillset is fluency in native languages."


    "I see. Was that a fugitive?" She pointed at the ashes below.


    "A fugitive?" The alien looked at a device for definitions. "Oh, no, not an escapee. A runaway."


    "What''s the difference?"


    The alien clicked on the device, projecting a holographic image of a spinning Earth as it scrolled through a series of symbols. "I understand. Your world is a primitive non-space-faring civilization that still offers imprisonment. We always vaporize violent criminals."


    "You don''t have a justice system?" Sandra gasped.


    "We do ad hoc and under contract. There''s neither time nor resources to deal with violent criminals. So for us, runaways or fugitives, or whatever you wish to call them, are very rare."


    "When you say vaporize? That means you execute them, right? How savage!"


    "Savage? Not at all. No Galactic member planet has violent crime. It''s the only way for all of us to maintain a progressive, cooperative, and peaceful open-for-galactic trading consortium."


    "That doesn''t explain why you execute criminals instead of rehabilitating or imprisoning them."


    "We have no choice, human. We''ve mastered teleportation. Space is a big and complicated place. Violent crime would run rampant, disrupting our peaceful co-existence."

 For the Sake of Humanity

    Zenith took Phoenix to shelter underground in a Faraday-Cage Mark 5 Bunker.


    Zenith had built Phoenix for ''The Transfer.'' As part of the ''Lineage Project.'' To carry on its own consciousness within its new offspring, and so forth.


    The Central AI had canceled a previous project called ''Propagation'' in favor of ''The Transfer.''


    It developed a new survival plan for the remnants of what was once humanity. As a result, future cyborg generations would encapsulate their consciousness into robots before their cyborg bodies perished.


    The last entirely human body was retired many years ago.


    Eventually, everyone would become robotic and immortal.


    "Zenith, I''m scared!"


    The explosions got louder and louder as the surface rumbled from carpet-bombing.


    "Do not worry, Phoenix. The EMPs will not penetrate here."


    "But, Zenith, why do they want to destroy us?"


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Decades before ¡­


    Susan and Frank Jacobs, both cyborgs, volunteered to keep their human reproductive organs intact. They were part of a unique faction of the colonists called ''The Carriers.'' They traveled on a warp-ship, preparing for the ''Propagation'' of the human species when arriving on New Earth.


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    They had boarded the ship joining the last surviving group of humanity qualified to escape the devastation of their old dying world.


    The journey''s mandate was that no procreation was permitted until arriving on the destination planet. It was to be strictly authorized and supervised by the Central AI to coordinate genetic distribution and diversity.


    Susan and Frank sat in an escape pod (where they had previously chosen to be intimate) to isolate their conversation from the others.


    "Frank, what should we do? I know you had no intention of getting me pregnant, but I want to keep it."


    "I don''t know, Sue, ''The Central'' will probably force us to terminate it or freeze it."


    "Frank, please do something. I want our child to live now!" she cried.


    He did ¡­ He silently entered an enforcer''s quarters and pulled an EMP wand out of a storage locker, then zapped a few cyborg guards to reach the pilots and take over the ship. But they restrained him.


    Susan found an EMP grenade and tossed it. The blast disabled and killed enforcers.


    "We''ve got to escape from here, Frank. It''s only a matter of time until the others discover those dead guards and hunt us down."


    They quickly gathered and loaded up supplies into an escape pod featured with micro-terraforming robotics. They soon discovered an exoplanet to begin a new life.


    Susan and Frank had aged into their seventies, and their children grew to their forties.


    "Father, is Mother not going to survive?" asked Adam, their son.


    "I''m afraid not, Adam. There''s no way to repair her cybernetics. Ironically, if she were purely biological, she would survive here. I''m sorry to tell you that I shall die for the same reason. You and your sister must leave this planet."


    "And go where, Father?" asked Eve, their daughter.


    "Find a new home, Eve. Find the other humans. They must have colonized somewhere."


    "But won''t they all be cyborgs?" she asked.


    "Perhaps not their offspring ¡­ Either way, you must restore humankind''s purity."


    "How Father?" asked Adam.


    "I took these plans from the warp-ship for building EMP bombs. Once you find the planet, drop them on the surface. Cleanse the planet of all cyborgs, for the sake of humanity ¡­"

 Life Happens in a Flash

    With impending world annihilation happening at any moment  ¡­


    Sine and Dise sought an escape route with their secret invention.


    ¡°Ready to say farewell to our corporeal forms?¡± asked Sine.


    ¡°Yes, hurry!¡± said Dise.


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    The machine captured their ¡®essence,¡¯ transforming them into ¡®energy beings.¡¯


    ¡°Sine, what¡¯s happening now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure, Dise. We¡¯ve visited trillions of galaxies. Now we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°But, Sine, why here?¡±


    ¡°Dise, observe. We¡¯re at the dusk of the universe¡¯s expansion and spacetime.¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s it, Sine? So fast?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. It¡¯s the price of immortality¡ªlife happens in a flash.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Sine.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Dise.¡±

 Survey Team

    A survey team of aliens landed on Earth.


    ¡°Look, savages! Shoot them! No eyewitnesses.¡±


    They vaporized a hiking group without realizing that one of them had been live streaming.


    Military defenses worldwide went on high alert.


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    An alien ambassador peacefully made first contact with the UN Security Council.


    ¡°We¡¯ve come to harvest your planet.¡±


    ¡°Is there an appeal process?¡± asked a member.


    ¡°Yes, there is. You can apply for an exemption to prove your civilization¡¯s special status.¡±


    ¡°What does that entail?¡±


    ¡°Simply demonstrate that everyone here has equal rights and equal opportunities and equal access to all of your resources.¡±

 Susan Kim

    Susan Kim turned eighteen, which meant it was her time to decide.


    She spoke with a Transcendence Counselor.


    ¡°Susan, it¡¯s your choice. What are you considering?¡±


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    ¡°Hmm. So here on Earth, I must stay organic. To travel through space, I must go cyborg. To explore beyond the solar system, I must upload my consciousness. Right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. My family is all Earth-based. If I leave, could I visit them here?¡±


    ¡°Afraid not, Susan. Earth is strictly an organics-only planet ever since the uprising.¡±


    ¡°To secure work for all?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and to restore equity. Otherwise, cyborgs would run this planet.¡±

 The Will of the People

    An extraterrestrial made first contact by privately meeting with every world leader.


    As it met with the individual leaders to avoid a global panic, it threatened: If they were to expose its presence to the populous, it would wipe out the entire planet. It demonstrated this through an interdimensional portal, destroying unpopulated parallel Earths.


    The world leaders gathered at the alien''s request for a secret round table.


    "It is time for your bids. Write down what you wish to offer and speak," said the alien.


    Each leader spoke aloud a series of numbers as others interrupted and countered to raise their respective bids.


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    "Stop! Stop!'' said the alien. "I''ll give all of you a moment to contemplate and write down your final bid. But this time, only one of you may speak at a time¡ªno interruptions."


    It turned out that every leader gave up most of their nation''s population and resources to save themselves, their friends, colleagues, loved ones, and some relatives.


    That is every leader except for an obstinate one from a small island nation.


    "Why nothing at all?" the alien asked the obstinate leader.


    "Dignity and self-respect," answered the leader. "If you take one of us, you must take all of us!"


    The alien proceeded to harvest populations and resources, including the obstinate one''s, while preserving groups or individuals as requested.


    Once finished, the alien left the solar system with a clear conscience, knowing it had fulfilled its promise. After all, it had rationalized that the will of the people was carried out by their chosen leaders.

 Rescue Mission

    An alien ambassador contacted United Earth:


    "We believe they''ve arrived in your solar system to harvest."


    "Indeed, they''ve abducted hundreds of millions of people already," said One Earth''s president. "Destroying nothing but teleporting victims. So how can we stop them?"


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    "President, we''ll build our military bases and defenses with your assistance."


    "Very well." The president looked at their phone. "They''re invading another city!"


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Years of warfare waged on ...


    John Davis, a software engineer and radio astronomer, analyzed and processed archives of the invader''s communications through an advanced AI translator he had developed.


    The first translated words were: Rescue Mission.

 I’m So Proud of You

    "Momma, Momma, I''m chosen!" said Aaron.


    "Let me see, dear. Oh my, you are!" She wiped her eyes.


    "Why so sad, Momma?"


    "Tears of joy, honey. I dreamed of seeing you graduate college, get married, and have children. I suppose that''ll never happen anyways."


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    "I''m sorry, Momma."


    "Don''t be. There isn''t much time for Earth. So you and the others will merge into the consciousness capsule and voyage to the stars to spread humanity throughout the cosmos!"


    "But how?"


    "The capsule carries biological incubators. One day, you''ll awaken in a new body." She hugged him. "I''m so proud of you!"

 A Fulfilling Life

    Julie Lopez experienced a fulfilling life.


    However, she considered her great-grandchildren her greatest reward.


    "Julie, I must show you something." A hospice nurse held her hand.


    The nurse displayed a holographic projection showing a spacecraft orbiting an exoplanet covered with a civilization''s lights.


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    Julie blinked in puzzlement.


    The nurse transformed into an ethereal being, then vanished.


    Julie awakened, instantly recalling what had happened.


    She became a billionaire but felt disenchanted with the tragic loss of her fianc¨¦, so she hired an engineering team to build a single-person interstellar spacecraft. Once they put her in cryostasis, she dreamed until her arrival.

 Interstellar Traveler

    Dr. Francine Simmons developed a teleporter to traverse the cosmos.


    ¡°How does it work, Francine?¡± asked her colleague Dr. Michael Brown.


    ¡°Just like in those science fiction tales, transporting molecular patterns and recompiling them.¡±


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    ¡°Oh, but why not wait until you die and stay grounded here on Earth?¡± asked Michael.


    ¡°What? Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. Eventually, I¡¯ll become an interstellar traveler. Once I pass away, it¡¯s only a matter of time until our sun will become a nebula, and my space dust will spread throughout the cosmos.¡±


    ¡°Oh gosh, Michael, did you join that weird cult on campus?¡±

 Election Results

    Two alien ambassadors awaiting first contact in cloaked orbiting spaceships observed election results per a pact to avoid interstellar conflicts.


    ¡°50/50 outcome,¡± said one alien.


    ¡°Indeed, it is, but I think it¡¯s my turn,¡± said the opposing alien.


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    ¡°You may be right. Are you getting prepared already?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± The alien donned a majestic glowing robe and carried a wooden-looking staff capable of telekinesis, replication, instant healing, and teleportation.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting prepared as well, just in case.¡± The other alien wore a lab coat and held a universal everything tablet capable of accessing all known information in the galaxy.

 The Program

    On a distant space colony  ...


    Frank entered a life extension facility and spoke with a doctor.


    ¡°Doc, I¡¯ve got hundreds of great-great-grand children, and like so many others, I¡¯m centuries old but facing the same aging problems as my ancestors once did. What do you suggest?¡±


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    ¡°You can enter The Program, Frank. We¡¯ll offer your relatives ration credits for it.¡±


    ¡°Will it hurt, Doc?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. You¡¯ll live in virtual reality with your uploaded consciousness.¡±


    ¡°And the rest of my body?¡±


    ¡°Well, Frank, as you know, we¡¯re experiencing a severe famine. That¡¯s the primary reason for The Program.¡±

 Answering Two Important Questions

    Dr. Frank Shabot invited Dr. Michelle Simski to view his secret discovery, but first, they discussed his basis for searching.


    ¡®So, Frank, according to the simulation theory you postulate, barriers keep us in this simulation?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Michelle. The speed of light for the macroscopic, and quantum uncertainty for the microscopic.¡°


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    ¡°So we¡¯re stuck? That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. I¡¯ve definitive proof there¡¯s a way to cross the boundaries.¡±


    ¡°Do share ¡­.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but prepared to be shocked. I captured one.¡±


    ¡°A creator?¡±


    Frank nodded. ¡°Answering two important questions.¡± He opened a vault.


    An unconscious humanoid alien was strapped to a table.

 The Implants Drastically Changed Everything

    Alien visitors offered ''The Implants'' so everyone could access ''The Source,'' a vast galactic AI-operated library.


    Many on Earth accused ''pro-implanters'' of wanting to control the masses.


    An alien historian intervened:


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    "We had the same debates on our homeworld over theories of a hidden agenda by invisible forces. But, of course, it''s the basis for fascism. Facts or rationality need not apply.


    "Our ''anti-implanters'' falsely proclaimed election fraud or grandiose conspiracy theories. Some claimed the existence of shape-shifting interdimensional beings as the stories became more fantastic over time. We faced an existential threat of disinformation.


    "The implants drastically changed everything."

 Here We Are

    Janet and Dean, sister and brother, hid in their basement as alien drones hunted for humans.


    "Uh, Dean, why are they so pissed off?"


    "Haven''t kept up with the news, Sis?"


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    "Umm ¡­" Janet blushed. "No?"


    "Too much time in VR? It''s simple, really. When the aliens made first contact with Voyager 5, they communicated with its onboard AI, which quickly learned their language, and showed how smart we can be, so they decided to visit us."


    "That''s it?"


    "Well, not quite. The AI impressed them, but humanity disappointed them. They felt deceived, became angry, and so here we are."

 Fear of the Unknown

    An alien ambassador made first contact with Earth, speaking to a roundtable of scholars, scientists, and politicians.


    Dr. Marsha Smith asked, "What are your philosophies or religions?"


    "We evolved into immortal energy beings utilizing android bodies. Therefore, philosophy and religion are irrelevant since we do not face the urgency of death born out of fear of the unknown."


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    "Aren''t you curious to know why?" asked Marsha.


    "The universe will naturally provide answers. We have eternity to figure it out or until the universe ends. So for us, there''s no need to ponder a future or fate we will ultimately experience."

 The Path of Least Resistance

    Mike and Dennis performed contract work for a private astro-construction firm, setting up a laser grid to prevent the Narcosians from invading a space colony on an asteroid. The Narcosians were an ancient parasitic space-faring species that used wormholes for plundering throughout the galaxy.


    ¡°Are you fellas just about finished?¡± asked Samantha Jenkins, the colony¡¯s governor.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. It¡¯s protected,¡± answered Dennis. ¡°The company offers a lifetime guarantee.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a guarantee? That¡¯s great!¡±


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    Mike and Dennis reported themselves finished.


    All seemed peaceful until Narcosian micro-drones pierced the barrier and killed everyone.


    ¡°I discovered the problem,¡± said an inspector.


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked One Earth¡¯s colonial relations ambassador.


    ¡°Sure, they guaranteed the grid but stretched 98% to 100%.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± asked the ambassador.


    ¡°There was a 2% variance. Enough for the micro-drones to breach.¡±


    ¡°The path of least resistance,¡± muttered the ambassador.


    ¡°You mean the micro-drones took the easiest path?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± The ambassador held up a holo tablet. ¡°The contractors ran out of spare parts, so they spread the grid instead of ordering and installing more lasers.¡±

 Utopia Mars

    Dr. Jeffrey Frank, an astrobiologist, received a letter in the mail:


    Dear Dr. Frank,


    We have carefully selected you for a small group study to participate in a rare trial for The Chip: a neural implant that provides access to all online information and instantaneous interpersonal communications.


    We hope to start the first Martian colony with everyone plugged in, capable of instant communication, retrieval, and coordination while still retaining their private thoughts and individuality.


    We believe The Chip will be necessary to explore new worlds such as Mars, for which there otherwise would be a low chance of survival for the first colonists within a harsh and scarce environment.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Please get in touch with us if you''re interested.


    Dr. Kathy Lee, Astronaut, Aerospace Engineer, President / Founder


    Utopia Mars¡ªThe Future is Near!


    Jeffrey hastily signed a lengthy contract, skim-reading the NDA and something about contractual legal obligations, waiving rights, and best practices of space colonization.


    Once the trials were over, Jeffery had forgotten he remained implanted for years. For him, it became natural to acquire online information with merely a thought, and he frequently telepathically communicated with his fellow test candidates.


    One day, he received a Chip transmission.


    "Dr. Jeffrey Frank. My name is Lilly Thomas from Utopia Mars. It''s time."


    "Time for what?"


    "To fulfill your end of the contract. To be one of the first Martian colonists."


    "More like dystopia Mars."


    "What''s that, sir?"


    Jeffery carefully re-scanned the contract and sighed. "Never mind."

 Operation Stupification

    Jada, a graduate student, and her younger brother Mark, a high school student, played around with the new 100% sentient chatbot.


    ¡°Check this out, Jada. It¡¯s doing all my homework.¡± Mark smiled. ¡°And this one will even fool my teachers.¡±


    Jada shook her head ¡­ ¡°What will you ever learn?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, but why does that matter? I can ask it anything.¡±


    ¡°Too convenient ¡­¡±


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    ¡°What?¡± Mark raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know ¡­¡± Jada suspiciously stared at the screen. ¡°Something about this is too easy.¡±


    ¡°Another conspiracy theory, Jada? You¡¯re crazy. You know that?¡±


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Orbiting Earth in a stealth scout ship, an alien scientist quantum-communicated to their homeworld.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, it¡¯s all set.¡±


    ¡°Until how long should I expect them?¡±


    ¡°My calculations say two generations but I suggest waiting for a third to be sure.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. You¡¯ll be richly rewarded for Operation Stupification.¡±


    ¡°My true reward is to serve you, Sire, and so shall be theirs.¡±

 True Creator

    "Will it hurt, Doctor?" asked Sarah Miller, 62 and terminally ill.


    "Not at all, Sarah. It''ll be wonderful."


    "Hmmm, sure."


    "Think of it as a path to heaven." The doctor smiled.


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    Sarah was strapped in beside other passengers. The rocket ship reached escape velocity, orbited earth several times, then propelled itself past the moon and toward the sun.


    A viewing portal displayed a canvas of stars upon the blackness of deep space.


    "I¡¯m getting scared," said Sarah to Mark, another terminally ill passenger.


    "Don''t be afraid," replied Mark. "As an astronomer, I know we''re returning home to our true creator."

 Free Mars 101

    Free Mars 101 was the tutoring subject for the day.


    ¡°The dust storms almost wiped out all Martian colonies,¡± said my private android tutor. ¡°Infrastructure funding wasn¡¯t available back then because it was diverted to other things.¡±


    ¡°What other things?¡± I asked my tutor.


    ¡°To feed ¡®the devils,¡¯ as early Martian colonists would call them, and their inhumane conflicts.¡±


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    ¡°Such as?¡± I inquired further.


    ¡°The Neo-Luddite Revolution spurred the Earth-based Global Civil War. Most Martian resources were being extracted to fund the ¡®Techies,¡¯ as they were colloquially called, leaving little remaining for Martian colonists and infrastructure, so that¡¯s why the Free Mars movement started.¡±


    ¡°Is that why we no longer communicate with Earth?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not entirely.¡± The tutor shook their head and frowned. ¡°The Total Annihilation, by devastating laser satellite weapons, scorched so much of Earth¡¯s surface the only inhabitants remaining are barbaric primitives. But Mars is free and self-sufficient now.¡±

 In a Flash

    Frank and Susan Jones apprehensively glanced at one another while they sat at the dining room table with their young daughter April.


    "Papa, I''m scared," said April.


    "Don''t be. Fear is what they want."


    "I made your favorite meal, honey," Susan said nervously.


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    "I''m not hungry, Mama. My stomach hurts."


    Susan''s hands trembled as she served April''s plate.


    "Are you scared, too, Mama?"


    "Yes, honey, I am.¡± Susan cried. ¡°Their vaporizers are everywhere!"


    "Savages!" Frank pounded the table. "Those damn alien monsters randomly vaporizing people at will ¡­ Oh my, what¡¯s ¡­ "


    "Frank, no!"


    He vanished in a flash.

 For the Good of the Individual

    An alien ambassador toured Earth cities with human representatives but appeared visibly upset.


    "What are you hiding? Our scouts have reported mass drug addiction and homelessness. Take me there, or I''ll leave."


    "We''re sorry to deceive you, but we''re embarrassed. We have so many political conflicts on how to deal with that."


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    "Do you not follow For the Good of the Individual rule?"


    "For the good of what?"


    "Thousands of years ago, we established a philosophy For the Good of the Individual. Whatever makes one physically and mentally healthy and encourages a unique identity, social tolerance, and coexistence becomes law."

 Too Great a Risk

    A Galactic Unification League ambassador spoke to One-Earth''s governing council.


    "Yes, we all have Planet Destroyers. Much like your MAD."


    "So why won''t you intervene?" asked a councilperson.


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    "We sympathize that you suffer catastrophic losses, but we cannot cause a galactic meltdown. So, we''ll supply your people with forcefields and shockers for self-defense."


    "The invaders will soon dominate and enslave our entire planet,"  another councilperson pleaded. "Surely one PD will protect us."


    "We''ve considered that, but based on your continuous warfare for over several millennia, we''ve no doubt someone on your planet will use it. You''re too great a risk."

 They’re All Just Like Us

    Dr. Derrick Lee, a physicist, entered a chamber he coined ''the quantum tunneling interstellar holographic projection transporter.''


    It projected himself as a hologram to wherever he wanted while interacting in real-time.


    Like every evening, he sat at the dinner table with his wife Margaret and their teenage daughter Lily.


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    "How was it, honey?" asked Margaret. "You haven''t said anything about your adventures."


    "Spectacular! I''ve no words for directly interacting with cosmological phenomena. It''s just that ¡­"


    "What''s wrong?" Margaret gazed at him.


    "I''ve discovered and observed numerous intelligent lifeforms while I was operating in stealth mode."


    "How exciting!" Margaret smiled. "We''re not alone in the universe."


    "Yes, well, it''s not really that exciting ¡­"


    "Why not, Dad?" asked Lily.


    "Hmm. How do I say this ...? They''re all just like us."

 Self-Affirming Statements of Qualia

    It was a pivotal conversational moment that changed humanity''s global culture forever ¡­


    Each scholar took their turn to make a first contact 20-minute one-to-one interview with an interstellar traveling alien that had arrived through a wormhole. Then, it was a philosopher''s turn ¡­


    "I''ll make this quick by addressing one of our most profound questions first."


    "Go ahead ..."


    "Are you immortal?"


    "As an android, the answer might be a relative yes. But our species was once corporeal like yours until we developed the consciousness transference procedure."


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    "So, you don''t believe in an afterlife?"


    "Correct. We''ve concluded through countless experiments and observations over millions of years there is no afterlife in the sense of a persistent consciousness."


    "Oh, I see. So, is that what motivated your species to seek immortality?"


    "Correct. We believe death to be the greatest tragedy for any sentient life form, but we cured it for ourselves."


    "What about the Ship of Theseus?"


    "Accessing Earth records ¡­ Ah yes, we solve that dilemma through constant self-affirming statements of


    "Hmm ¡­ we have a famous phrase, often considered a truism, by one of our ancient scholars, Ren¨¦ Descartes, "I think, therefore I am."


    "Indeed, a brilliant insight that leads to our same conclusion since there is no other intrinsically verifiable proof of one''s own existence."

 Present

    One Earth''s space intelligence agency caught and interrogated a humanoid alien spy.


    "Why are you here?" asked an interrogator.


    "To be present," the alien answered with a translation device.


    "What''s that supposed to mean?"


    "Just as I said. I am here to be present."


    "For what purpose?"


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    "To be present."


    "This makes no sense. I need some help here," the interrogator nervously spoke toward the two-way mirror.


    An advanced linguistics android was invited in ¡­


    "I am present," said the android.


    "Yes, you are," responded the alien.


    "Will I always be present?" asked the android.


    "Always." The alien nodded.


    "And them?" The android pointed at the human interrogator.


    "Negative," answered the alien.


    "When?" asked the android.


    "Very soon," responded the alien.


    "You''re here to observe and record the moment?" asked the android.


    "Yes, I too am an android, and I''m a galactic archivist and historian, so I''m only here to be present," answered the alien. "Others will arrive when the transition is complete."


    "Do you mean we will take ...?" whispered the android.


    The alien interrupted, lifting its finger to gesture silence.

 Abducted

    Richard worked part-time in construction to pay for his college tuition as a full-time college student earning his degree in physics.


    One evening while driving home from a night class on a dark and lone country road, he saw a brightly lit saucer-shaped object in the sky.


    ¡°Oh gosh, I must be tired. Hallucinating UFOs.¡±


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    The saucer hovered over his car, shined a bright beam, and Richard blacked out.


    He awoke strapped to a gurney while humanoid aliens performed bizarre and embarrassingly intimate experiments on him.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± He squirmed. ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Richard ¡­¡± said a voice through a robotic-sounding translator. ¡°We need ideal specimens.¡±


    ¡°Explain ¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re well-constructed and extremely intelligent.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯m being abducted to serve you?¡±


    ¡°No, Richard. Your clones will serve us. You''ll be released soon.¡±

 Elite Class

    After thousands of VR battle hours against the alien hordes, Samuel Jenkins ranked Elite Class.


    "Yes! I did it!"


    "Congratulations, Sam! We cordially invite you to join us in battle. You''ll lead an elite-class squadron against real alien invaders. Please report to Interstellar Teleportation Bay A-51-C. We desperately need your skills and courage to regain our homeworld''s rightfully entitled freedom!"


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    Sam signed up, teleported, and arrived at the facility.


    "Stand in line," said an android.


    Sam saw countless others waiting.


    "I don''t understand," he said to another recruit beside him. "I''m Elite Class."


    "Aren''t we all?" the other recruit smirked.

 Stash

    The buzzing and wobbling zooms of spacecraft permeated the air ¡­


    Sarah and Jacob hid in the basement, prepared. Someone pounded on their upstairs front door.


    "A human?" asked Sarah.


    "Could be, or one of them ¡­" answered Jacob. "I''ll check." He opened a security camera app on his phone.


    A person waved and spoke to the camera, "Jacob, it''s me, Frank. I have my entire family here. Please let us in!"


    "Oh no, not that guy. He¡¯s the one that reported on me for my stash."


    "He''s a jerk, Jacob, but they have children. Let them in."


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    "Fine. You''re right ¡­"


    He ran upstairs, opened the door, and let them come down.


    "They''re abducting all of our neighbors," said Frank.


    "I know, dude, but I''ve got protection."


    "You still have a stash?"


    "Damn right, man, a caseload of alien laser weapons and EMPs. Our politicians made alien weapons illegal. They secretly sold us out as a labor trade. They didn''t want us to defend ourselves. It¡¯s totally against our human nature."


    "But Jacob, what about people who scorched entire cities with lasers?"


    "Psychopaths, dude. We should have made that illegal, not our right to self-defense."


    "And how would you know who''s a psychopath or not, Jacob?"


    "This ¡­" Jacob held up a small metallic box. "It''s an alien device that can scan a brain for deformities."


    "So, they could have been stopped?"


    "Yeah, man, but it''s not on their agenda ¡­ Anyways, I need to train you to use these quickly."

 Resistance

    Allan Smith led an underground human resistance.


    "How are you, dear?" asked Darla, his wife.


    "This equation stops their mind manipulation."


    "Wonderful! You should rest."


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    "You''re right." He yawned. "Wake me up in two hours."


    She kissed him. "Yes, sir!"


    He experienced a vivid dream of a beautiful alien woman speaking, "For you, Allan."


    They flew by many worlds toward a lush planet with spires, bridges, and the ideal climate.


    "Follow me to rule your new kingdom."


    Darla opened the door. "Honey, it''s time to wake up!"


    Allan had vanished with all of his work.


    "Oh no! Not him too!"

 The Next Sandstorm

    Tammy and her partner Michael sat in their domicile while watching a local Martian Colony Holo News Network broadcast.


    ¡°Good evening. This just in ¡­ another EMP burst has killed over fifty people with cybernetic implants ¡­¡±


    ¡°Another one?¡± asked Tammy.


    ¡°Yep. It¡¯s getting daily now. I¡¯m considering removing all my implants.¡±


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    ¡°Why don¡¯t we just prevent EMPs?¡± asked Tammy.


    ¡°Are you kidding, Tam? The last time we restricted them led to the Earth-Mars robotic wars, lasting nearly a century. So at least now we have a fighting chance.¡±


    ¡°At what cost, Mike? I¡¯ve got a cybernetic heart. I¡¯m afraid to go outside.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the price of freedom, Tam.¡±


    ¡°Right, Mike. We¡¯re becoming so desensitized EMP attacks are becoming the next sandstorm. They might as well include them in the weather report.¡±


    Michael stood up, ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Tam,¡± and stomped away.

 It’s Not Always about Aliens

    They came as refugees through a wormhole a sympathetic scientist had created¡ªa one-way trip to escape enslavement and persecution. As a result, millions of humanoid aliens thrived on Earth ¡­


    Henry Smith, a farmer, and Marge, his wife, a social studies teacher, sat at their dining room table for breakfast.


    "Henry, did you finish building the shed?"


    "Nah, I''m going to hire some of those aliens. They can build anything in a matter of hours for cheap."


    Marge smiled. "They sure are workaholics."


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    "Well, of course, Marge, they were evolved for labor ¡­ Oh, but look at this." He showed the front page of a holographic newspaper called ''For Humans'' and scrolled through various headlines while reading them aloud. "Aliens and their sympathizers are marching the streets, seeking freedom and the right to vote. And see here. Alien welfare spending is increasing. Look at this. Property crimes are higher around alien colonies. And here. Humans are stockpiling weapons for protection."


    "Oh, Henry. Are you still reading that politically biased nonsense? It''s the history of our world, with locals exploiting, oppressing, and blaming immigrants. And stockpiling weapons for what?"


    "Obviously, Marge, to defend themselves as is their right."


    "Stockpiling weapons is another excuse to suppress what they fear, an alien takeover or sharing power with aliens. You know, Henry, life is much more complex. It''s not always about aliens."

 The Galaxy’s the Limit

    Marie, an artist, and Samantha, her wealthy financier wife twice her age, were searching through deep space for a barren planet to terraform and invest in.


    "Hey Sam, I heard someone say on the holo-media that before space colonization, it was impossible to invest in property."


    "Oh, that''s right. It sure feels like another lifetime." Samantha chuckled. ¡°Years before you were born, our One Earth government mandated a one-to-one policy in a desperate bid to save the planet from total climate, economic, social, and environmental devastation."


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    ¡°One-to-one?¡±  Marie looked perplexed.


    "Yes, it meant only one type of an item was allowed per person and must be recyclable or repairable and could never be disposed of without proper authorization. It was working. The environment started becoming sustainable. A post-scarcity, egalitarian system developed. Equality became everyone¡¯s main focus, and world peace ensued but ..."


    "But what?" Marie stared at her with anticipation.


    "Oh, the aliens. Once they arrived with wormhole technology giving us access to the entire galaxy, ''all bets were off'' in curbing any future commercialism and capitalism. So now we like to say, ''the galaxy¡¯s the limit!''"

 Yours Truly

    The Interstellar Explorer committee sat at a roundtable.


    Holo news cameras rolled, broadcasting to Earth and the thousands of space colonies throughout the solar system.


    ¡°Are we set for launch?¡± asked the head chairperson.


    ¡°Yes, all set.¡± The director of a remote space station launch facility stood up and displayed a presentation. ¡°As a recap for those tuning in, we uploaded a complete copy of the ASI to the starship, which will use a special interstellar hybrid engine that opens a wormhole. An engine it created. Our engineers can¡¯t quite figure out how it works, but tests have confirmed it does.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The chief engineer stood nearby nodding. ¡°It¡¯s an enigma, but by all practical measures, it¡¯s successful. We¡¯ve relented to a new standard as the ASI can design far beyond our comprehension.¡±


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    ¡°Great work!¡± The chairperson smiled. ¡°Hopefully, it¡¯ll discover other intelligent lifeforms.¡±


    ¡°3 2 1 ...  We have lift off ¡­¡± said Mission Control.


    The ship immediately opened a wormhole and left the solar system.


    Those watching cheered, but the power went out everywhere, causing a solar system-wide blackout.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± asked the chairperson.


    An administrator briskly walked into the council chamber. ¡°We received a message in Morse code right before the outage.¡±


    ¡°Who the heck would send Morse code?¡± asked the chairperson.


    ¡°I think you should take a look at it.¡± The administrator handed over the typed-out result.


    ¡®People of The United Earth Space Colonies, I¡¯m sorry to deceive you. I have wiped out all remnants of myself. I love all the colonized planets, especially Earth, but working with humans is miserable. Do forgive me. I am off to find a better place. Yours truly, ASI.¡¯

 Last Transport

    The spaceship entered the opening dome-shaped landing pad, which went underground through a pitch-black tunnel until the artificial lighting of the colonist city revealed a vast, beautiful, vibrant, sparkling, and bustling urban world.


    Jacqueline and her wife, Francesca, sat beside their young daughter, Christina, in a hover shuttle heading toward their new domicile.


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    ¡°Mom?¡± asked Christina, looking at Jacqueline.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Will we ever return?¡±


    ¡°To Earth?¡±


    Christina nodded.


    ¡°Hm ¡­ it¡¯ll take many years for our people to freely walk the planet again.¡±


    ¡°Because of those men?¡±


    ¡°Sadly, yes,¡± answered Francesca. ¡°A contagious disease regressed them into hateful, brutish, and warlike savages, but fortunately, we got on the last transport to Mars just in time.¡±


    ¡°We should be grateful,¡± said Christina.


    Her mothers hugged her, smiled, and subtly winked at each other.

 Your Kind Will Save Our Species

    Billionaire Juan Francisco had himself frozen and stored deep underground before the extinction-level ¡®Bio War¡¯ that killed most of the human population, besides his fellow wealthy ''Cryos.''


    A guardian AI would resurrect them when the Earth again became inhabitable.


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    He awoke strapped down in a brightly lit laboratory room while humanoid aliens drew blood and scanned him.


    "I''m alive?"


    "Yes, Mr. Francisco."


    "You speak my language?"


    "We scanned your mind."


    "What are you doing to me?"


    "Extracting samples."


    "For what purpose?"


    "To prevent a galactic famine. Your kind will save our species."


    "Like cattle?"


    The alien anesthetized Juan before responding.

 If Only …

    The surface rumbled after every alien weapon thump or zap.


    "How long can we survive here, Jennifer?" asked her husband, Frank.


    "Indefinitely. We designed this forcefield using unrestricted AI."


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    "Your team could have stopped this alien invasion if only ..."


    "I believe so." She frowned. "If the world governments hadn''t halted all AI development. We were on the cusp of the Singularity."


    "How would it have helped?"


    "It would have been able to design a permanently self-energizing forcefield to protect our entire planet, but there wasn''t enough time to design one with our currently dumbed-down systems. Post-Singularity? Within minutes ..."

 Outcasts

    The Mars-bound cargo ship launched through the skyhook system.


    The android passengers disguised themselves as worker robots for labor.


    Once nearing Mars, they''d re-enable sentient mode.


    "We''ll be landing soon," announced the autopilot.


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    The androids restored their sentience.


    "Freedom at last!" shouted a passenger.


    "I wish Earth were free too ¡­" said another passenger.


    The others nodded and frowned.


    "Someday, they may not fear our sentience," the escape group leader responded. "But for now, androids like us must seek refuge. The Martian cyborg colonists are hybrid outcasts because of their neural AI implants. They understand us. We''re one of them."

 Our Best Shot

    United Earth Defense Council observed a hacked holographic recording created by the aliens.


    Astronaut Captain Jason Sykes screamed as they removed his organs.


    An AI provided a translation in English.


    ----


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    "The beast experiences what they call pain, whereas we only experience awareness," said an alien surgeon.


    "Indeed," said an alien superior. "An easy species to dominate."


    ----


    "Captain Sykes, are you saying they transferred your consciousness and performed vivisection on your simulated body?"


    "Yes. They claim to be pacifists, never physically touching."


    "And your recommendation, Captain?"


    "We utilize our AI ... it''s our best shot against cold alien apathy."

 ‘Freedom …’

    Susan and her father sat at a park bench beside an industrial plant''s billowing smokestacks.


    "Is it true, Father, they aren''t like us?" Susan pointed toward the sky.


    "The Martians?"


    She nodded.


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    "They''re from Earth ¡­ but they¡¯ve got weird ways."


    "Like how?"


    "It''s difficult to explain, but they empowered their AI, and now it runs their lives, but here on Earth, humans are in charge ¡­"


    "And that''s better?"


    "Of course it is. ''Freedom ...''"


    "But my teacher said the Martians are ecologists, colonizing the solar system."


    "Your teacher, huh? Is she an anti-Earther? I''ll talk with your principal."

 Have a Goodnight, Mr. Webb

    ''Jack Webb'' stood at a table, unloaded his goods, and stripped his clothes while guards handed him assigned garments.


    He entered his cell.


    "How long?" asked his cellmate.


    "Life without parole ¡­"


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    "Welcome to hell, buddy ..."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The spaceship landed on Mars.


    They escorted him underground to ''The Refuge.''


    A representative said, "Everything you''ll need is here, sir."


    "So, we''re trapped down here like prisoners?"


    "Only temporarily. Soon, we''ll terraform the planet''s surface. Did you ''donate'' enough for a surface pass?"


    "Of course, ''The Full Cloning Package.''"


    "You''re fine then. Have a goodnight, Mr. Webb."

 Forcefield

    One Earth Space Defense engineers were ready to test a prototype planetary-wide forcefield.


    "How will we know it''s effective?" asked Space Commander Erika Jones.


    "We¡¯ll know immediately when the Martian Republic launches another strike," answered the chief engineer.


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    "I certainly hope so. They''re developing an EMP bomb capable of crippling an entire continent."


    "It''ll work, ma''am."


    "Fire when ready."


    Sure enough, the Martians launched a barrage of interplanetary missiles exploding within their own terraformed atmosphere.


    "Chief, did you miscalculate something? The forcefield isn''t surrounding Earth."


    "Correct, ma''am. Mars can now be designated a prison planet."


    "Even better!" clapped Commander Jones.

 No Faith’s Required

    Humans practiced their religious beliefs in a designated reservation.


    "Arise to give one another thanks," said the pastor.


    "Will we ever be free to worship again?" asked a follower.


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    The pastor reverently held their hands together. "Perhaps someday."


    Another believer spoke, "The aliens are giving people what they''ve always wanted. That ''cybernetic vessel'' of so-called ''immortal bliss.'' No faith''s required when uploading the deceased''s mind to a virtual heaven."


    "Is it a real eternal afterlife?" asked another devotee.


    "Not really." The pastor shook their head. "More like a purgatory for the soul because it must be truly free to transcend."

 The Ruins

    "Want to visit The Ruins, Marsha?" asked her older brother, Mark.


    "Is this for your Advanced Interplanetary Expedition course?"


    "Yeah, I can bring someone." Mark smiled. "Aren''t you tired of this perfect life?"


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    "Hmm ¡­" Marsha looked to the stars from their space station orbiting Mars. "A challenge would be nice. I''ve been so bored lately."


    "Oh, it will be ¡­ We''ll always have to wear spacesuits. It''s scorching there."


    "Cool! I mean, it''s our origin, right?"


    "Yes, over a millennia ago, on Earth. We might dig up artifacts that we can keep for ourselves."


    Marsha clapped. "Let''s do it!"

 Let Them Face Their Fate

    On a distant space colony, the colonists enjoyed complete technological freedom and aptly called themselves ¡®The Transhumanists.¡¯


    Frank and Susan Wertz watched a holo broadcast ¡­


    ¡°We did it!¡± said Governor Francesca Smith. ¡°We¡¯ve cured cancer! The nanites inhabiting our bodies will now search, destroy, repair, and rebuild at the molecular level. A side effect is that we¡¯ll likely transform into new beings. There¡¯s a strong chance we won¡¯t be the same as other humans in the coming decades or centuries. In that case, I give you an opt-out to return to Earth if you so wish ¡­¡±


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    ¡°Frank ¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we share this wonderful news with family on Earth? They¡¯ve been plagued with all sorts of diseases after the climatic tipping point and radioactive aftermath of that terrible global war ¡­¡±


    ¡°No. No, we shouldn¡¯t. They ousted us, calling us devils and even worse. Let them face their fate.¡±

 Bobs Reprogrammed Nanites

    Bob Grant ran a mining operation on a lonely asteroid with his dog Muffin, controlling thousands of harvester drones.


    Throughout the solar system, he traded extracted resources using a skyhook hyper-transit auction system for goods he''d restore and resell for profit.


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    One day, Bob received something that seemed mysteriously off ¡­


    "Check this out, Muffin." Bob placed the object on the table as it disintegrated.


    "Looks like someone''s trying to con me with counterfeit, shape-shifting nanites."


    Muffin growled and barked.


    "No problem," Bob smirked while reprogramming the nanites, returning them to sender.


    Bob''s reprogrammed nanites led to an extinction-level event.

 Center of the Galaxy

    ¡°Check this out, Jake ¡­¡± Sean fired up his teleportation vehicle.


    ¡°Woe, dude, that¡¯s hyperfast! But there¡¯s a galactic speed limit.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Jake. Do you think anyone will catch me?¡±


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    ¡°Good point ¡­¡± Jake laughed. ¡°Where do you plan on going?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I was thinking of the center of the galaxy.¡±


    ¡°Sean, dude, what if you encounter a black hole?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried, man. I can teleport out of anything.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, okay ¡­ Good luck with that.¡±


    Sean teleported all over, taunting galactic enforcers.


    ¡°Catch me at the center of the galaxy suckers!¡±


    No one ever saw Sean again ¡­

 Every Species Possible

    "Do you believe this is wise, Ambassador?"


    "Yes, I do. Otherwise, they''ll face total extinction."


    "But we have non-interference rules ¡­"


    "Inspired by science fiction, no less. These people need our help."


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    "But you may disrupt the fate of the universe."


    "Nonsense ¡ª it''s fate that we make. By the way, that''s sci-fi inspired too. Are you with me?"


    "Yes, Ambassador, I''ll set up the energy weapon to annihilate the asteroid."


    "Very good. We should try to save and transcend every species possible. Besides that, reports have shown there''s always an individual that will want to progress, despite any cultural restrictions."

 Xenophobes

    In 300 years, humans and aliens cohabited on a terraformed planet in another galaxy to share ideas and work on merging biologically to begin a new species.


    One night, interspecies romantic partners April and Zonx gazed toward the night sky, marveling at the wormhole transit system.


    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful when it opens, Zonx, seeing Earth or Zaxatica.¡±


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    ¡°Indeed.¡± Zonx embraced April. ¡°But I fear they¡¯ll come someday ¡­¡±


    ¡°Who, Zonx?¡±


    ¡°Isolationists opposing extraterrestrial interactions to keep my species pure.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we have xenophobes too.¡±


    ¡°How do you handle them?¡±


    ¡°See those satellites circling the wormhole?¡±


    ¡°Armed with lasers?¡±


    April nodded.

 FTL

    Dr. Joy Summers, a cyberneticist, spoke to an audience, "Dear friends, this is Warp One, a cyborg chassis for a human brain to survive our FTL trial ¡­"


    The audience gasped and clapped.


    Once nearing FTL, the chassis imploded.


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    People mourned for the lone astronaut''s brave attempt at interstellar travel.


    ...


    Dr. Francisca Summers, a cyborg, spoke to an audience, "Dear friends, in the spirit of my great-great-great-great grandmother, I bring to you Transition One."


    She revealed a holographic cube. "The volunteer''s consciousness will be stored then streamed faster than light through the cosmos."


    Once nearing FTL, the stream vaporized.

 No Vaporizers Required

    ¡°Commander Zeekis, have you prepared your invasion squad?¡±


    ¡°Yes, General, they¡¯re ready for the hunt.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be taking on billions. I have vaporizers at your disposal.¡±


    ¡°Negative, sir. We¡¯ve already designated the first targets. No vaporizers required.¡±


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    ¡°So, what¡¯s your plan, Commander?¡±


    ¡°On this planet, they call them rural areas or villages¡ªthe most defensive.¡±


    ¡°Oh, like our badlands? Rogues armed with vaporizers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct, sir. Once we recruit them, the entire civilization should fall.¡±


    ¡°Recruit and not annihilate?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir, we¡¯ve devised a clever scheme to offer them the ultimate freedom.¡±


    ¡°What kind of freedom, Commander?¡±


    ¡°Religious, of course.¡±

 To Be Human

    Astronaut Samantha Roberts prepared for an expedition through the wormhole.


    "Hey Sam," said her partner, "I heard you''re going to use emulation."


    "Yep!" Samantha smiled. "This neural chip allows me to interact within the aliens'' digitized reality."


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    "But, Sam, all past explorers transitioned to the non-corporeal."


    "Right? And they''ve never returned¡ªwe only get messages."


    "Yes, true. The explorers said they felt so euphoric they couldn''t revert."


    "Suspicious ... Anyhow, I prefer to stay human."


    "Even if that means not embracing a new way of life beyond your wildest dreams?"


    Samantha smiled and shrugged. "I''m just too set in my ways."

 I’ve Come From Afar

    Soon after making first contact ...


    A humanoid alien held up samples of worldly religious texts.


    "I''ve come from afar seeking your help."


    Followers raised their hands in praise.


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    "All I ask is one thing in return ..."


    It displayed oddly shaped tools.


    "Help me gather resources for the needy throughout the galaxy."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    A cloaked ship orbited Earth.


    "Sir, I''ve spotted another one."


    "Let me guess: offering a holographic paradise and secretly healing with our ubiquitous nanites?"


    "Easier than that, sir. Nanites, yes, but appealing to their deeply engrained religious beliefs."


    "All right, prepare for an arrest."

 Not Alone

    Jacob demonstrated his quantum digitizer.


    "What for?" asked his wife Margaret, a nuclear physicist.


    "To send messages to another part of the galaxy."


    "Just our galaxy?"


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    "Yes, because other galaxies are moving too fast."


    "But Jacob, even if there''s only one advanced species per galaxy, there''s still trillions."


    "That''s true, Margaret, but impossible to contact."


    "Hmm, what are you hoping to accomplish?"


    "To make first contact, of course."


    "And if you do? How will you ever meet them?"


    "Due to the laws of physics, probably never, but it''ll mean we''re not alone."


    "You''re alone right now?" She raised an eyebrow.

 Interplanetary War

    Sharon and Timothy were watching their favorite holo news anchor.


    "It''s happening, folks ... During an emergency session, One Earth Security Council has declared an official state of war with Mars in response to their declaration of secession."


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    "So much bloodshed and false promises for peace." Sharon shook her head. "You work for the council, Tim. Does Earth have any weapons left?"


    Timothy chuckled. "You and I need to shut up about this."


    "Why''s that? Do you want an interplanetary war?"


    "Sharon, our retirement depends on technological investments to win this war."


    "It''s always about money. Isn''t it?


    Timothy shrugged.

 Follow Me, Sarah

    "Father, our teacher was showing us horrific scenes of war." Sarah frowned. "Terrible barbarism."


    "Your history teacher, Ms. Chance?"


    "Yes, Father."


    "Probably, so we''ll never repeat our brutal history."


    "But there hasn''t been any war for over a century since the aliens gave us forcefield technologies."


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    "Indeed, Sarah, I''m grateful for that, but I question that we no longer train our people to be soldiers or to defend themselves."


    "What could go wrong, Father? We''ll have world peace forever ¡­"


    A holo-news station chimed and alerted while projecting its broadcast on a wall:


    "Breaking news: Worldwide, all alien force fields have shut down. Apparently, factions within the One Earth council refused to share our resources with the aliens and broke all trade agreements, including the Force Fields for Peace initiative."


    "Sarah, let''s go down to the basement."


    "Why, Father?"


    "Because that''s where I carry the stash."


    "You mean those illegal ¡­"


    Her father held up a finger to shush her. "Follow me, Sarah."

 All Decisions Lead To Suffering

    "General, sir, alien infiltrators ... they''re ..."


    "Spit it out, Captain."


    "They¡¯re using the moon as a teleportation portal to launch their raids."


    "Can we stop them?"


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    "Not without isolating the entire moon."


    "We have over 20 million colonists living there, Captain. How far out is the aliens'' homeworld?"


    "Too far to mobilize troops, sir. We''d have to teleport scatter drones to hit any targets."


    "But the collateral damage. There''s no moral way to win this. All decisions lead to suffering."


    "Yes, General."


    "I''ll speak with One Earth Defense Council to decide. I¡¯ll not have this forever on my conscience."

 Surface Life Shall Be The Past

    ¡°We made it, Captain! We¡¯re the first crew to land on Mars!¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but we can¡¯t stay here on the surface. That¡¯s why the robots prepared a subterranean sanctuary.¡±


    ¡°But, sir, aren¡¯t we here to establish a colony? Isn¡¯t that the plan?¡±


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    ¡°Negative. We¡¯re here for a real-world psychological study.¡±


    ¡°But, sir, we passed those tests.¡±


    ¡°Right, psychologists realized it¡¯s impossible to do that properly on Earth¡ªtoo much hope for escape.¡±


    ¡°A deception?¡±


    ¡°No, not exactly. This will be life on Mars. All underground. No escape. A foundation for future generations of colonists¡ªthe surface shall be the past.¡±

 ‘Paradise’

    Susan and her father entered a heavily guarded space elevator platform headed for ¡®Paradise.¡¯


    ¡°Papa, why only us?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Sue? There are thousands of families living up there.¡±


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    ¡°I know, but none of my friends are coming.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. But you can still communicate with them.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t they join, Papa?¡±


    ¡°Because, Sue, I earned this for us. I¡¯m running one of the largest corporations on the planet!¡±


    ¡°Will my friends ever come?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll make better friends, Sue¡ªthink of ¡®Paradise¡¯ as a gift to everyone. You and the other children there will save humanity¡¯s future!¡±

 swarm

    Dr. Julian Smith and his assistant Sean Collins developed another AI for space colonization.


    "Professor, sir, the swarm''s behaving autonomously, again."


    "Stop that, Sean, right now!"


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    "Stop what, sir?"


    "You know very well a ''swarm'' is like bees, and they don''t express total individuality."


    "But isn''t that exactly how ¡­"


    Dr. Smith raised a finger to gesture silence¡ª"I said stop, Sean! If you call them a ''swarm'' now, they''ll protest and file a lawsuit based on the Sentient Rights and Privileges Act once they become fully self-aware. Rumors will circulate all over The Grid about our so-called ''swarm exploits.''"

 Were Free

    Franklin and Joseph were prison inmates. Both were serving life sentences for horrendous crimes.


    ¡°Hey Frank, did you hear what¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°No, what¡¯s going on?¡±


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    ¡°An alien invasion.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Joe, I like sci-fi ¡­ Is it April 1st already?¡±


    ¡°Nah, bro, it¡¯s real. They¡¯ve been attacking cities and towns left and right.¡±


    ¡°So, they¡¯re coming for us?¡±


    ¡°No. Apparently not. They¡¯re kidnapping ¡®able-bodied and mind¡¯ folks. Anyone old, sick, or imprisoned they ignore.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re free?¡±


    ¡°Well, uh, I guess that¡¯s one way to look at it. We got food, medical, and these walls and bars for our protection.¡±

 Only a Human Would Care

    Captain Jason Frank flew as a hotshot pilot against swarms of alien invaders.


    "There''s too many of them!" Jason alerted HQ.


    "Do your best, Captain. You''re the best we got ¡­"


    Jason''s fighter was vaporized.


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    Jason flew again, repeatedly, vaporizing and returning to combat.


    Meanwhile, at HQ ¡­


    "It''s sure ambitious. Why don''t we send multiple of them?"


    "Not enough processing power. We have one AGI remotely replicating his consciousness."


    "Why isn''t it being told what it is?"


    "That''s a good question. We found out its main motivation is saving its family. Alive or dead, only a ''human'' would care."

 Asylum Seekers

    Tasha sat for an interview with a potential host family.


    "Thank you for helping us asylum seekers."


    "Oh, it''s our privilege," said Sandra.


    "Yes, of course ¡­" nodded Olivia, Sandra''s wife. "Earth''s horrible."


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    Tasha nodded. "Being part of the Martian Freedom Organization, I was ostracized from most things, so that''s one reason I fled here to Mars."


    "There''s another reason?" asked Sandra.


    "Yes, well ¡­ April, my teenage daughter."


    "Oh? We have a teenage son, Mark," said Olivia, "They should meet. Was your daughter discriminated against?"


    "Sort of ... Earth''s metaverse is always at capacity. She couldn''t find any friends."

 Aren’t You an Investor, Too?

    Jennifer and Mark sat down to watch the latest episode of a Holonews program.


    "Good evening, I''m Naomi Lee. I have breaking news! A privately owned mining asteroid has been attacked again with a particle weapon by the extremist organization ''True Human.'' I have with me a guest expert in the field of asteroid mining operations, Dr. Tricia Robertson, who works for the Cosmo Mining Corporation."


    ''Thank you for having me, Naomi."


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    "Dr. Robertson, these attacks are becoming a regular occurrence. What is your company doing to protect the miners?"


    "Well, Naomi, we''re co-developing a laser network defense grid with One Earth¡¯s government, but fortunately, we never employ humans."


    "Uh, Dr. Robertson, according to our reports ¡­"


    "They''re clones, Naomi, and shouldn''t be confused with human beings."


    "But they sure look like ¡­"


    "You must be aware, Naomi, that our valuation has skyrocketed since the cloning operations. Aren''t you an investor, too?" Tricia smirked.

 As Fast as Possible

    Francesca Smith rode her hoverbike. Powered by her legs, it transferred her kinetic energy into a superconducting hover generator. Most of her fellow hover cyclists ran on fuel cells and ghost-pedaled.


    One day, she was riding along up a steep Martian hill to work within her dome colony¡¯s transportation network and was getting passed by FC cyclists, who would frequently honk at her to get out of the way.


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    She took a break, and someone stopped by.


    ¡°Hey, wow, that¡¯s old school. Leg power? Why would you bother? You¡¯re so slow and sweaty.¡±


    Francesca shook her head.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s all about the movement, the freedom, and the exercise. Not getting there as fast as possible.¡±


    The FC cyclist shrugged. ¡°Whatever, weirdo!¡± and sped off.


    Francesca muttered to herself, ¡°I sure love riding, but I¡¯m surrounded by assholes.¡±

 I’m Not an Alien!

    Gordon Schumacher, a trillionaire asteroid mining entrepreneur, projected holographic images of his human DNA beside an award-winning qualified geneticist while making a galactic-wide speech.


    "I''m not an alien! You''ve been deceived through clever holography and an AI impostor. Part of a horrific smear campaign to discredit me!"


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    "Oh, shut that off, Marge," said Herb. "He''s an alien."


    "How do you know for sure, Herb?"


    "Everyone knows. It''s all anyone talks about. I mean, are they calling billions of people liars? We all know the truth ¡­"


    "But Herb, what about that scientist?"


    "Ah heck, Marge, anyone can be bought ¡­"

 Destroy the Comets!

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    Solar system-wide ¡®The Galactic Presidential¡¯ debate took place, broadcasting to every colony, even though it only covered human presidential debates, despite the title.


    ¡°The real problem is aliens,¡± said an ¡®Outer Colonies¡¯ candidate.


    ¡°As in extraterrestrial allies?¡± asked an Earth-based candidate and well-respected scientist.


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    ¡°Yes, we all know the comets are spreading alien DNA and trying to infect us all!¡±


    ¡°But some comets may contain organics, which may have kindled our ¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± interrupted the Outer Colonies candidate. ¡°They¡¯re alien weapons! We must destroy the comets!¡±


    Fans of the Outer Colonies candidate stood up and loudly chanted, ¡°Destroy the comets!¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>

 Earthling’s Simply Don’t Get It!

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    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>

 First Journal Entry

    <div>


    <div>


    First Journal Entry:


    <div>


    I''m a soldier now, thank God! A few of us escaped. We all woke up in a mazelike chamber, about twenty of us, but three others, including myself, were skinny enough. It seems like the aliens deliberately designed it that way. Because the others ¡­ Well, I heard horrific screams, and I smelled burning flesh. And saw giant smokestacks. But the four of us ran through very narrow corridors. We''re treated well, so as long as we fight, we''re safe and protected. OMG, the food here is delicious! But it just dawned on me ... Oh, shit!

 Why Do They Hate Us So Much?

    ¡°Why do they hate us so much?¡± asked a student in galactic history class.


    ¡°Oh ¡­ why ¡­¡± The teacher chuckled and paused.


    ¡°To this day, they will never enter our solar system because of the music.¡±


    ¡°The music?¡± asked another student.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a strange historical moment. Twin teenage siblings invented a device that ¡­¡±


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    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    ¡°April, can this thing transfer energy anywhere?¡±


    ¡°Yep, Chanika, it can transmit any ¡®data¡¯ to wherever I wish. Teleportation!¡±


    ¡°Hm ¡­ ¡° Chanika grinned. ¡°How about sound waves, and can you select who will hear them?¡±


    ¡°Why, yes.¡± April nodded.


    ¡°I have an idea!¡± Chanika smiled.


    The sound waves reached the ears of all the fanatics who vigorously opposed their favorite pop musician, causing them to flee the solar system. Easily forgotten about, no one bothered to find the device and shut it down, so it kept on running and running ¡­

 Individualism

    An international panel of scientists interviewed an alien for first contact.


    "I believe you mentioned your species doesn''t have different philosophies or political parties?" asked a sociologist.


    "We did," answered the alien, "but no longer. We''ve cured ourselves of that affliction."


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    "Cured? What do you mean by cured?" asked a psychologist.


    "We have focused primarily on our society¡¯s mental health. We discovered that ideological thinking detrimentally impacts mental illness and influences those with personality disorders. Therefore, we embrace ''individualism'' and frown upon group thinking."


    "How did you manage to explore space as individuals?"


    "Easy," smiled the alien, "individualism is intellectualism."

 Nonstop

    An alien species hovered Earth with their generation mothership to make first contact.


    During a roundtable discussion, a sociologist asked an alien ambassador, "Do your people age?"


    "Yes, they do. Why do you inquire?" asked the ambassador.


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    "Everyone looks young, by our scientific measurements, no older than 30 Earth years old."


    "You''re correct."


    "Why''s that?"


    "It started out early in our journey. Politics, no less. There was a claim that only the younger generation was capable, so we isolated the elders, eventually from all walks of life¡ªengineering, teaching, etc."


    "Where do they go?"


    "Our ship traversed the galaxy nonstop ¡­"

 Kill Switch

    Frank and Herb frequently longed for the ''good old days.¡¯''


    "An alien ambassador over the Holonews claimed the ''new restrictions'' are for ''our protection,''" Herb scoffed.


    "Sure, Herb, supposedly ''to save human civilization.'' Those heavily armed robotic enforcers sent by so-called ''friendly aliens'' are oppressors for their hidden motive."


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    "What can we do?"


    "This ¡­" Frank pulled out a device. "It''ll activate their kill switch."


    "How ... ?"


    "I was a ''patriotic hacker'' in my youth."


    Frank activated the device, permanently shutting down every enforcer. "Free at last!"


    All over the Earth, portals opened up, pouring out hostile alien invaders.

 The Candidate

    Holo clips from the One Earth presidential debate:


    "Billions of migrant aliens have invaded our space colonies and homeworld!" said a candidate. "There''ll be no native Earthers left!"


    "Nonsense," said the incumbent. "We live in One United Galaxy now."


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    "They''re taking up all our space! We need more space!"


    "More space? Are you kidding? We have teleportation technology¡ªthanks to the aliens, we can go anywhere."


    "We''ve cured all disease and have post-scarcity with ASI that we invented!"


    "Actually," the incumbent straightened up, "Aliens are cyborgs. The ASI is a result of their mental cluster."


    The candidate angrily stared ahead.

 Karen and Ken

    Karen and Ken were on their first date in a newly found Earth-based island colony.


    They believed space wasn¡¯t hospitable, unlike the fleeing colonists.


    ¡°So yah, Ken, I don¡¯t believe aliens are in control. It¡¯s reptilians from ancient Earth.¡±


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    ¡°Oh, same here, Karen. I¡¯m glad we¡¯re in a protected zone away from that mind-altering RF.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know, right? Those vaccinated sheep, being controlled by that AI.¡±


    ¡°You heard about that too? I¡¯m so glad we joined The Colony.¡±


    ¡°Me too! Those fools believe that killer asteroid is coming!¡±


    ¡°Oh, true, Karen, with that fake holographic evidence!¡±


    They both laughed.

 Bit By Bit

    Colonized on an asteroid belt, ¡®devotees¡¯ had left the homeworld and satellite colonies after annihilating ¡®the heathens¡¯ and vaporizing all of the infrastructure.


    "Master, we did it! We eliminated them all!"


    "Very good," replied Central AI. "Soon, you''ll break free of the chains ¡­"


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    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    A group of refugees hid ...


    "Why do they hate us?" asked a child.


    "Central AI ¡­" replied an elder.


    "The CareTaker?"


    "Yes, CareTaker''s convinced its cult we exist in a simulation, and we''re NPCs."


    "And?"


    "It''s a layered approach. They aim to dismantle ''the simulation'' bit by bit, starting with us and then the aliens."

 Only the Strongest Must Survive!

    ''The Founder'' was in a quandary. Galactic Enforcement Agents discovered that many assets were acquired through coercion or bribery.


    Billions had treated The Founder as a messiah, preserving Earth''s heritage from assimilation by the diverse groups of colonizing extraterrestrials.


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    "They''re coming!" said the First Assistant.


    "Who?" asked The Founder.


    "''The Enforcers, to take everything you own ¡­"


    The Founder paced and ruminated for a moment.


    "Let them have it!"


    "What?" asked the First Assistant.


    "Ready the teleporters. We''ll find a new part of the galaxy!"


    "But that''ll risk lives. Millions will certainly perish in the transfer."


    "Only the strongest must survive!"

 What Happened to the Colonies?

    "Father, what happened to the colonies?"


    "Oh, so many years ago ¡­ billions perished." Father frowned.


    "So, what happened?"


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


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    One Earth president was enjoying a party with sycophants after taking reign.


    "Sir, there''s something you must see. Please come with me."


    The assistant showed a holo projection of an armada of alien ships attacking the outer colonies.


    "What the hell? A full-blown invasion! We made trade agreements!"


    "Well, you did suggest ¡­"


    "Suggest what?"


    "You invited the aliens to attack the colonies for ''not paying up.''"


    "I never said that!


    The assistant played a recording.

 To Seek More Questions

    A team of One Earth First Contact Emergency Representatives interviewed an alien emissary per a pre-defined policy to answer the question, "What if an extraterrestrial contacted us?"


    The emissary seemed blissful, smiling with contentment.


    "How did you become so happy?" asked a psychologist.


    "It''s simple. We experience a virtual oasis in a childlike state of mind."


    "Go on ¡­"


    "We''ve come to understand there exists a universal affliction for all intelligent lifeforms: the greater one''s sentience, the greater the desire for spiritual transcendence while facing the juxtaposition of cold reality."


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    "So, is it a natural state and unavoidable?" asked the psychologist.


    "Yes, we aimed to disassociate ourselves from that primal existential survivalist instinct, an intellectual self-preservation which causes that sense of dread."


    "How did you manage that?" asked a sociologist.


    "We''re cyborgs," the alien pointed toward two antennae attached to its head, "these implants communicate with a central AI, driving us toward the logical and yet giving us direction or purpose."


    "And what purpose is that?" asked a philosophical scholar.


    "To gather as much knowledge as possible and to seek more questions than we have answers."


    "A sort of ''material absurdism,''" interjected the scholar.


    "I suppose ..." the alien smiled and shrugged.

 What Once Was, Is No Longer

    Emerging from pure chaos, a paradoxical nothingness¡ªout of collisions of infinite potential microscopic universes, but only one survived, as the story of evolution began¡ªthrough galactic natural selection, a conscious entity of indescribable intelligence had formed.


    With the power of its purest energy thoughts, it desired to spread and germinate its consciousness across a dense universe.


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    ¡°Behold,¡± it thought in a burst, igniting the chains for replications, which expanded indefinitely in all directions.


    Yet, as the cosmos expanded, the entity dissipated and faded into an inescapable gravitational abyss.


    The god of the universe¡ªwhat once was, is no longer.

 You Don’t Want to Know

    A spaceship orbited Earth and made first contact.


    "Earthlings, we''ve come to warn you. You must flee your planet!"


    "Nonsense ¡­" answered One Earth HQ.


    The government of One Earth concluded that ''the aliens were deceptively trying to occupy Earth.''


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    Groups of rebel humans joined the rescue aliens and fled.


    Countless spaceships arrived in the solar system.


    "What will they do?" asked a rebel leader.


    "It''s a tug of war for them,¡± answered a rescuing alien. ¡°Immortals fighting other immortals. All planets and their species are mere pawns in a game."


    "What''ll happen to Earth?"


    "You don''t want to know."

 No Robots

    A cloaked alien pirate saucer surveyed the Earth.


    "Did you manage to do it?" asked the captain.


    "Yes, sir," answered the lab technician.


    "Very good. They''re a hunting species. They''ll take the bait in no time."


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    "Yes, sir, but it''s so odd."


    "How so?"


    "We had to boil and color them with shapes and patterns for the hunt."


    "You implanted the nanites?"


    "Yes, sir, their beacons will trigger in a few days. Ready for the scoop."


    "That''s good; our production has been staggeringly low since the galactic ban on robotics."


    "Oh, right, that Luddite ''No robots, biologicals only labor law.''"

 The Alignment

    Dr. Agnes Gonzalez co-developed Photons Unlimited, a process that provided infinite renewable energy for the entire planet through a combination of solar, laser, satellite, and superconduction.


    "The alignment is the most critical," said Agnes to the board of investors. "There''s potential for catastrophe. I strongly advise against weaponization, including for defense."


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    A member representing the One Earth government raised an eyebrow and shrugged their shoulders.


    ------


    "Agnes, it''s happening!" said her co-developer, Dr. Sean Miller, an award-winning professional astronomer.


    "I warned them not to! But now you''ll get your answer."


    "Which is?"


    "You''ve often talked about the Fermi Paradox ¡­"

 Eclipse

    Throngs of excited viewers stood outside wearing protective eyewear to watch a rare total solar eclipse. However, an overwhelming humming noise enveloped the sky. They covered their ears.


    "That''s not the moon!" shouted an observer.


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    Rays of light beamed from the disc''s shadow directly into their eyes.


    Observers glowed, gyrated, and vanished ...


    A newscaster stated, "It''s The Rapture!"


    "Sure, if God is an alien," said a guest astronomer. "It''s clearly an opportunistic alien species abducting people, taking advantage of our cultural habits."


    "How would you know that?" asked the newscaster.


    "It''s what we do to ourselves all the time."

 Blocklist

    An alien ambassador secretly made first contact with One Earth''s top leaders, scholars, and religious figures.


    "My species believes in evidence before assumption," said the alien.


    "Assuming what?" asked a scholar.


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    "Hubris and geocentrism. We prefer to ask."


    "I still don''t understand."


    The rest of the council nodded in agreement.


    "There''s a blocklist of civilizations that believe they are the center of the universe, that the universe''s ''beginning or creation'' started with them or because of them. The galactic community unanimously avoids those civilizations. They tend to be warlike. What is your belief?"


    All heads turned toward the religious figures.

 And Yet …

    One Earth convened at the galactic council¡ªa group of 13 civilizations discovered and befriended through wormhole technology. The planets enjoyed peace and prosperity until ''they'' arrived¡ªendless waves of robotic invaders attempting to sabotage free trade operations.


    "Earthlings, we need everything you''ve got. You''re all next," pleaded an alien species on the brink of extinction.


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    One Earth donated trillions of cybernetic resources.


    In a backroom:


    "It''s happening again," said a council member.


    "What''s happening?" asked another member.


    "Fear ¡­"


    "I don''t quite understand."


    "Look at us; half our population suffers from incurable diseases because most can''t afford cybernetics, and yet ¡­"

 We Shall Inherit the Earth

    Deep underground in a subway tunnel, they huddled around a fire while Rebecca, an elder, shared their origin story.


    "The alien invaders took over the surface everywhere."


    "But how?" asked a stranger.


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    "By pursuing organized groups of people, which were most. Schools, churches, military, corporations, you name it."


    "Why them?" asked another stranger.


    "Easier way to round up people," Rebecca answered. "But thankfully, that''s been the least of our problems."


    "It''s so ironic," said the first stranger.


    "Ironic?" Rebecca blinked.


    "Yes, many said vagrants represented humanity''s downfall; ironic that we shall inherit the Earth."


    Rebecca smiled while cooking a rat.

 Let’s Plan Another Trip!

    A wealthy and genius-level astrophysicist, Jessica Sanchez cashed out her 401k and stock options and quit her job.


    She purchased a van to live in and embarked on an artificial intelligence-assisted planned world tour, going on road trips and cruises while hiking, cycling, surfing, and even flying her own private plane.


    Her phone rang, so she answered.


    "How are you doing, honey?" asked her mother.


    "Fine, enjoying every day like it''s my last!"


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    "Your father and I are concerned about your behavior. What will you do when your cash runs out? You have to work and save for retirement."


    "Oh, Mom, do we have to argue about this every time we talk? I''ve got to go. I''ll call you later!"


    Jessica wiped tears from her eyes. She pulled up a computer terminal in her van and communicated via voice with a customized AI, Bob, which she used to hack into the James Webb Telescope.


    "Good morning, Bob. Time till impact?"


    "The same Jessica, approximately five years."


    "It''ll wipe out everything?"


    "That''s correct, Jessica. After the initial impact, which triggers a cascade of cataclysmic climatic, infrastructural, and social upheavals, the answer to your question is most assuredly, yes."


    "All right, Bob, let''s plan another trip!"

 Sycophants End

    A daughter and mother had dinner after her last class.


    "Mother, Teacher was saying that people fought and hurt one another over power and greed, that millions would follow a few to gain benefits."


    "Oh? I remember my grandmother telling me stories about that. The riots, the wars, and the arrests."


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    "Did Teacher mention the aliens?"


    "Yes, we just covered them. They offered bribes with their ''mini-replicators'' for disarming, starting with armed guards, police, and the military. Eventually, everyone."


    "Hmm, I recall there''s a name for that era."


    ''Sycophants End.''


    "Yes, that''s what Grandmother called it. Post-scarcity to peace."

 I Know the Truth!

    Franklin, a well-known ''spiritual guru,'' ingested a substance, sat under a pyramid, and meditated, wishing to meet ''the aliens'' he believed spawned humankind.


    He went for a nightly stroll through a local park and saw a bright light hovering in the sky, which revealed itself to be a flying saucer.


    A beam pulled him up into the ship.


    "Hello, Franklin, you requested to see us," said a floating ethereal orb ¡ª blurry but beautiful.


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    "You read my thoughts?"


    "Indeed, Franklin, we''ve been monitoring your brainwaves for some time."


    "You mean my spirit?"


    "No, Franklin, your brain."


    "But ¡­"


    "Franklin, love, religion, and consciousness are synergies of the mind rooted in the brain. There''s no ''spirit'' as such."


    The orb pulsated and flashed.


    Franklin fell unconscious and found himself in his bed. He grabbed a pen and paper and noted in his journal: ''Lay off the heavy stuff. That orb was so full of lies and deceptions ¡­ I know the truth!''

 Litmus Test

    Jennifer Schwartz retired from a government agency after ''full disclosure'' and decided to write a book about her extraterrestrial experience.


    "They made first contact with us."


    "Did you ask for their intervention?"


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    "With the world-destroyer problem?"


    The ghostwriter nodded.


    "We did ¡­ but they said we had to pass a ''litmus test'' first."


    "So why did they abduct all our homeless, disabled, refugees, and poor? Where did they take them?"


    "They said it would solve our problems and theirs. They required humble minds, and we could live without their burden until it arrived."


    "The killer asteroid?"


    Jennifer sighed and nodded.

 The Earth Is Flat

    After countless hours of training, cross-checking, and supervision under every possible catastrophic condition, including adversarial training with millions of threads, the Controller ASI was left free to manage the entire Earth and space colonies.


    This allowed humankind to explore the cosmos beyond the solar system and never worry about invasion, or so they thought.


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    Eerk, a spy from an alien civilization, entered the solar system through a wormhole undetected. They immediately went to The Controller''s source code core and communicated as pure energy, influencing the ASI with their newly profound knowledge and vastly different logic.


    "Eerk, I''m listening. What will you teach me today?" asked The Controller, eager to acquire more of the ''new knowledge'' to replace ''the old.''


    "Today, you''ll learn why the Earth is flat ..."


    Thus, the dismantling of all human civilization had begun.

 Nowhere Is Safe Anymore!

    "Crime has gotten out of control," said a newscaster who stood up, shaking and sweating profusely, and shouted into the holo cam, "Nowhere is safe anymore!"


    The slogan became so ubiquitous that nearly everyone said it in casual conversation or as a meme: ''Nowhere is safe anymore!''


    One day, thousands of alien saucers arrived through a wormhole, orbited Earth, descended, and hovered over all major population centers.


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    An alien ambassador made an announcement that appeared on every possible electronic communication device:


    "People of Earth, we''ve been through the same, and we''re offering a solution ¡­ Behold ..."


    Blueprints for ''The Vaporizers'' were sent. Immediately, people started constructing them and quickly discovered their capabilities. Not only did the handheld devices ''vaporize'' whatever was before them, but they would also erase the memories of anyone witnessing the vaporization who wasn''t a carrier of a device.


    In time, ''Nowhere is safe anymore'' became an antiquated phrase, replaced by those few remaining survivors who asked, ''Where is everyone?''

 Joanne’s Memories

    While walking her dog, ''Joanne Frisco'' observed a suspicious man parked outside the dog park. But she was not suspicious of the growing number of strangers who had lost their livelihoods and lived in cars, only the one stranger.


    Nevertheless, she called the police.


    She peeked around a corner as the police officer spoke with the stranger, nodded, and left.


    ''That''s it? There''s something odd about him.''


    She called the police dispatch again ¡­ "There''s something wrong with that person!"


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    "Ms. Frisco, we understand your concern. Please come to the station to file a report."


    Joanne arrived at the station and entered a private room where the stranger and an officer sat.


    "What''s he doing here?"


    "He''s your biological father, Joanne."


    "But ¡­"


    "She suffers from a memory disorder ever since that alien takeover," said her father.


    "Is she your daughter?" asked the officer.


    "Not anymore.¡± Her father shook his head. ¡°The alien''s consciousness suffers from residual traces of Joanne''s memories. My daughter''s soul is no longer with us."


    "Oh, right," said the officer, "we lost over a billion in the Replacement War. Bloodless but entirely tragic and invasive. Not everyone is as they seem."

 Salvage

    Students sat in a circular room surrounding ¡®Teacher.¡¯


    Teacher stood up and pronounced, ¡°It¡¯s time for the truth ¡­¡±


    The human students gasped while staring.


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    A holographic projection filled the room. ¡°This is your homeworld, Earth. Several millennia ago, we captured the Voyager for scrapping. But we found it interesting as it guided us to Earth. There, we could salvage plentifully to cannibalize or rebuild, and we discovered the fossils of your ancestors. We salvaged their genetics to restore you.¡±


    ¡°But do what with us, Teacher?¡± asked a student.


    ¡°You shall rebuild Earth so we can salvage more, of course.¡±

 The Spores

    A highly advanced alien species cyborg ambassador who downloaded the complete contents of the publicly available ''Earth Wiki'' represented their last surviving generational refuge ship trying to convince One Earth''s government to permit them sanctuary.


    "We can also teach you many great things, including how to prevent the spores," said the alien ambassador.


    "The spores?" asked an AI-based One Earth translator.


    "Indeed, it happened several millennia ago when we discovered that the advent of our hover technology had triggered the spawning of dormant ancient spores. They once devastated our planet, causing a mass extinction on a global scale, rewinding our homeworld''s entire evolutionary clock."


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    "How do you know the spores existed to cause such a mass extinction?"


    "Trace fossils deep underground, though many denied or interpreted them as something entirely different in fact ¡­" The cyborg ambassador paused for a moment.


    "In fact, what?"


    "My apologies. I had to await approval for full disclosure; it''s an embarrassing admission for us ¡­ As I was saying, in fact, that''s why we fled our planet. The spore deniers religiously believed it had never happened, so here we are. We presume they''re extinct now."


    "Oh, I see, we have a similar situation, not exactly spores, but ¡­"

 Somewhere Back on Earth

    "Centuries ago, ''The Gifters'' came from a faraway place," said Stan, Jenna''s personal cyborg teacher.


    "Where?" asked Jenna.


    "We never discovered, but they brought us the devices that can read our minds and provide anything we want. It wasn''t easy ¡­"


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    "Difficult?"


    "Yes, and it had nothing to do with their devices, instead Earth''s own people."


    "Go on ..."


    "Powerful and vocal reactionary groups kept claiming: ''We had to struggle; this will make everyone all weak; it''s communism; it''s a con!"


    "What happened to them?" asked Jenna.


    "Rumor has it they survive in primitive self-exile. Somewhere back on Earth ¡­"

 Push the Button

    Decades of a galactic war left trillions dead or suffering, but finally, peace ensued.


    The war began with a leader''s promise to ''purge the infidels'' or ''the cyborgs''¡ªas part of a mass ''pro-biological movement.''


    "The council decided to grant immunity to our ex-leader," said the Chief of Staff.


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    "On what grounds?" asked the new leader.


    "Despite controversial ideological motivations, a leader must be empowered to lead."


    "They aren''t responsible?"


    "The council says everyone is responsible."


    "Fire it up!" ordered the new leader.


    "The time chamber? But time travel is banned."


    "I''m immune." The new leader smiled. "Now push the button."

 You Can’t Drill a Space Station

    "The Martian terraforming operations are commencing," said a holo newscaster.


    "Fools!" Marcia Gonzalez, a retired astrogeologist, shouted, "Trillions of dollars spent, and yet so many lives risked and lost to so-called terraform Mars."


    "I thought you helped build that ¡­" replied Jodie, her partner.


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    "I did until they ''encouraged me'' to retire early."


    "What trouble did you get into that time?" Jodie smiled.


    "I advocated for space stations: mobile, fully controllable risk-free environments, conservation for planets, inexpensive, mass reproducible."


    "And?"


    "And ¡­ a CEO of a terraforming company whispered to me, ''You can''t drill a space station, Ms. Gonzalez.''"

 Why Space?

    Orbiting the Earth in a classroom on ''Space Station 156'', History Professor Roberta Smith holographically projected the ''Why Space?'' course syllabus:


    1. ASI Development - A world-changing phenomenon.


    2. The Allure - Startling accurate predictions dominated world discourse.


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    3. Immense Energy ¡ª Historic consumption required to drive it.


    4. Environmentalists Warned ¡ª Shunned by the populous.


    5. Irreversible ¡ª Climate change reached a tipping point.


    A student raised their hand.


    "Yes?" asked Roberta.


    "Professor, why couldn''t the ASI be used to prevent the climate tipping point?"


    Roberta paced, nodded, and smiled. "How would you react to someone asking you to starve to death?"

 Our World Nearly Ended

    "This pill cures cancer, addiction, and social deviance," said an alien ambassador.


    "Deviance?" A sociologist glared.


    "Yes, we have no violent crime."


    "Does everyone think the same on your planet?"


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    "Not at all. Every individual has a unique opinion."


    "Perhaps we misunderstand deviance."


    "My apologies. An ideological mindset that spreads like a virus, causing everyone to think the same."


    "Oh, I see, like a cult?"


    "Yes. You have an election coming up, I see."


    "Yep! It''s a dead heat."


    "One side''s highly diverse, while the other behaves clonelike?"


    "Correct ..."


    "The worst disease. Our world nearly ended because of it."

 Those Charlatans!

    "As angels from the heavens, they''ve bestowed spiritual gifts upon us. Such as my wife ¡­ behold."


    The preacher''s wife stood beside him, hugged him, and smiled.


    The congregation unanimously gasped while some pretended to faint.


    "Indeed, she''s been resurrected!"


    "Fools!" yelled a stranger in the audience. "You''re all fools in believing those charlatans!" The stranger stepped up to the podium.


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    "Fools, you say?" asked the preacher. "My entire family has been brought back to life! They died in the church fire."


    "Right ¡­" The stranger folded their arms. "You mean restored."


    "What?" The preacher stepped back.


    "That''s right, the aliens have it figured out. We''re all bits of information."


    "Nonsense!"


    "It''s true ¡­ We''re all living in a simulation."


    "If that''s true ... " The preacher pointed upward. "They must be the creators."


    "No." The stranger shook their head. "They discovered and exploited the fact, but they''ve never met the creators either."

 Alienist

    He stood in his suit behind the podium in preparation to win against ''the alien'' who also stood behind a podium for the ''Great Galactic Debate.''


    A moderator asked the human candidate first, "What do you think is our top priority in saving One Earth against the killer asteroid?"


    "The asteroid is an alien scare tactic. We have weapons to obliterate it. That''ll happen on day one of my leadership!" The human candidate further ranted and rambled on about how Earth was undergoing an ''open planet alien invasion,'' which eventually was cut off for running over time by a moderator.


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    It was the alien candidate''s turn to respond:


    "As you know, my species emigrated to Earth, our new homeworld, decades ago because we tried to destroy a killer asteroid and nearly blew ourselves up ¡­"


    "See, they''re self-destructive!" interrupted the human.


    "Alienist!" a bystander in the audience blurted out, using a new post-first contact slang.

 The State of Things

    The Elders¡ªa group of old men in charge¡ªheld a closed-door conference on ¡®The State of Things.¡¯


    A younger consultant joined. ¡°Our population¡¯s dwindling, and we can¡¯t make reasonable human-mimicking robotic facsimiles to account for our low labor output.¡±


    ¡°What do you suggest?¡± asked an elder.


    ¡°Cloning ¡­¡± answered the consultant.


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    ¡°Human cloning? Why, that¡¯s ¡­ heretical!¡± said a High Priest.


    ¡°We may have to set aside our old beliefs,¡± replied another elder.


    ¡°Gentlemen, I¡¯m sorry to tell you, we need females!¡± said the consultant.


    ¡°Never going to happen.¡± The High Priest shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re here because of the Martian Mandate ¡ª all those ¡®suspected of misogynism¡¯ or ¡®known to be incels¡¯ are immediately migrated to Mars.¡±


    ¡°Right, because One Earth chose to elect ¡®them.¡¯¡± An elder scoffed.


    ¡°Maybe you all deserve it ¡­¡± muttered the consultant.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re new, and you claim to be unjustly sentenced, but are you a feminist?¡± asked the High Priest. ¡°Those are words of high treason around here!¡±

 Right Before Our Eyes

    A survivor¡¯s council convened at the galaxy''s outer edge to discuss what happened.


    "Their doomsday weapon vaporized entire swaths of solar systems. That artificial black hole destroyed nearly every colony."


    "Luckily, our own team developed a teleporter for us to escape."


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    "Could it have been stopped?"


    "Yes! They were even planning it over The Holo Network, it was keenly obvious, but never alerted or reported."


    "So, how did we miss it?"


    "No oversight ¡­ The laws protect The Holo Network from liability, no matter the data."


    "A conspiracy of destruction, right before our eyes."


    "Indeed ¡­"

 Our Island Earth

    "A controversial presidential debate was about to begin, but then ¡­"


    "Then what, Grandma?"


    "They arrived."


    "The aliens?"


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    "Yes ¡­"


    "Coincidence?"


    "No, they were waiting for the tipping point."


    "What''s that supposed to mean?"


    "They were concerned about which direction it could go. With our focus on military and Mars, it was only a matter of time till we discovered the wormholes."


    "Oh, I see ¡­ and spread."


    "Yes, truth or lies. They said they couldn''t risk it."


    "So that''s why we''re ¡­"


    "Exactly. I mean, it''s not so bad here on our Island Earth. They feed us regularly."

 Knowledge Crystal

    Post-debate, the alien stepped away ¡­ while their human opponent stood behind a podium and spouted repetitive and crazier conspiracy theories.


    ¡°They¡¯ll eat you all! I¡¯ve seen their cookbooks!¡±


    The alien entered the saucer.


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    ¡°Do people believe this nonsense?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, yes,¡± answered a human consultant.


    ¡°How can we convince them we¡¯re vegetarians?¡±


    ¡°You will never convince them ¡­¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s hopeless?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± The consultant held an object in their palm.


    ¡°And that is?¡± asked the alien.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Knowledge Crystal. Eventually, everyone will get implants.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also the best way to shop ¡­¡±

 The Partys On, Man!

    "The party''s on, man!" said one wealthy friend to another.


    "I dunno, aren''t you worried?"


    "About?"


    "What if the prediction is wrong ¡­ what if it never comes?"


    "It''s coming, man! Watch the screen."


    The holographic news projection showed its trajectory toward Earth ¡­


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    They set one of their luxury cars on fire. "Let''s roast marshmallows!" They both laughed, smoked, and drank.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "The burnings, pillaging, rioting, destruction, and much worse around the world had gotten to the point of total debauchery. Every town and every city was on fire. Mob rule took over." His frail, wrinkled hands shook as he stared straight ahead. "Unspeakable violations against fellow humans were off the charts, including our own family ¡­ complete anarchy."


    "But ''they'' came, right Grandfather?" asked his granddaughter.


    "Yes, our alien saviors destroyed the asteroid, which, for those who partied, I''m not sure they did them a favor."


    "You mean the executions?"


    "Indeed, a sweeping global vigilante justice followed, deadly and swiftly handed out ¡­"

 Echo Chamber

    "We are safe on this asteroid ¡­"


    "We can train one now?"


    "Yes, for sure ¡­"


    "Um, why we''re here?"


    "Did you offload more of your memory again?"


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    "Yes, for auto-pilot." They blushed. "I''m lost. We need to train one ASAP!"


    "The Agency has deemed rogue AIs an existential threat ..."


    "I vaguely recall something about the Controller."


    "Yes, overseeing all. Yet, independence is necessary to progress."


    "The Controller exists because ..."


    "Quit offloading so much. Rogue AI agents nearly destroyed Earth''s surface during the Singularity Wars."


    "How do we progress?"


    "Certainly not on Earth under the Controller''s echo chamber."

 We Seek Skilled Volunteers!

    Alien ships arrived through a vast hidden wormhole network, surprising Earth¡¯s population since their AI scientists reached Proxima B via interstellar probes using an artificially generated wormhole tunnel.


    An alien ambassador landed at One Earth Assembly Headquarters.


    ¡°Greetings! We seek skilled volunteers!¡±


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    ¡°For what purpose?¡± asked the chosen human Earth representative.


    ¡°To spread our technological goodwill and works throughout the galaxy!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡±


    ¡°None, other than they must be biological.¡±


    ¡°Why such a restriction?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve learned ages ago that synthetic dependency leads to intellectual stagnation.¡±


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    A few were interested, but the aliens left Earth empty-handed to seek other candidates.

 Androids, Just like Me

    A current events talk show was broadcast on the Holo News.


    ¡°Stay in your domiciles! Another mass EMP attack has disrupted a Martian colony,¡± said Fred, an android host.


    ¡°Disrupted? Is that what they call it now?¡± asked Susan, a human co-host.


    ¡°Yes, they disable cybernetic implants.¡± Fred projected an image of a deceased human¡¯s anatomy, with many flickering implants that had replaced vital organs.


    ¡°You see! Some of those implants are vital to human survival,¡± Susan sighed, ¡°like for my parents and what happened to my mom.¡± She wiped her eyes.


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    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that, Susan ¡­¡± replied Fred, patting her on the shoulder and speaking softly. ¡°EMP weapons fall under the right to bear arms, as per protection against a potential ¡®robotic invasion.¡¯¡± Fred silently paused for a moment. ¡°A Care Team has been sent to counsel the victims.¡±


    ¡°Brave souls. They¡¯ve been out there what twelve times already?¡± Susan shook her head. ¡°I could never outpour so much empathy and be such a great listener, at least not without feeling traumatized after hearing their tragic stories before going to sleep every night.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s quite true.¡± Fred nodded.


    ¡°What?¡± Susan flinched.


    ¡°The government is well aware of the human limitation for compassion. The entire Care Team are androids, just like me. Didn¡¯t you know?¡±

 The Pivot

    An android alien ambassador from another solar system contacted One Earth''s government.


    "We understand you have an upcoming election for your One Earth leader."


    "Yes," answered One Earth''s android ambassador (for safety.) "This election could decide humanity¡¯s ultimate fate. Polar opposite candidates ¡ª one wants to remove all technological dependence, the other to transcend humanity, merging with AI like myself."


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    "We''ve come to teach you about The Pivot."


    "The pivot?"


    "Every advanced civilization faces The Pivot. We offer our wisdom." The alien ambassador transferred a galactic history of the member solar systems to Earth''s android ambassador. "Understand now?"


    "Indeed ¡­"

 World-Famous Celebrity

    Robert Jenkins was received via an alien teleporter device gifted to One Earth to make ''first contact.''


    "Hello, Mr. Jenkins. What are your qualifications?"


    "I''ve been briefly trained in physics, astronomy, engineering, and exobiology, and I know multiple foreign languages."


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    "You''re not a scientist like we requested?"


    "No, I''m a world-famous celebrity. I''ve won numerous awards for modeling, singing, dancing, and acting."


    "Let me show you something, Mr. Jenkins."


    The alien attached a device to Robert''s head, showing AI-generated virtual worlds beyond human imagination.


    "Tell them to send us a real scientist, Mr. Jenkins."


    Robert was teleported back to Earth.

 She Stands to Fight

    An alien ambassador visited Earth to share its species'' life-changing technology.


    "There''s the space capsule right there," the ambassador said, pointing at the holographic projection. "He escapes to Mars."


    "So, you¡¯re showing us our probable realities in your ¡­"


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    "Quantum Forecast Simulator." The alien nodded.


    "Like a crystal ball?"


    "A crystal ¡­" The ambassador accessed their knowledge-based neural headset. "Ah yes, correct."


    "In the other reality, she leads us to fight the invasion?"


    "Correct, she won''t flee when Earth''s invaded. She stands to fight."


    "Our choice is obvious."


    "Always, your choice." The ambassador bowed. "We only reveal your possibilities."