The United States, Russia, the European Union, and China, Dev thought. The four great world powers. That was surely no coincidence. It suggested that the aliens had been studying human culture and society for a while. For how long? That was just one of a thousand questions he wanted to put to the visitors. He hoped he would have the opportunity to ask at least a couple of them. Meanwhile, he had one more query for the increasingly impatient Lackland, who by now was plainly eager to be rid of them, send them on their way, and be freed of the responsibility of preparing them for their upcoming endeavor.

“One last thing, Colonel. Why us?” He indicated his fellow civilians. “Why we five?”

Before Lackland could reply, the Army representative spoke up. “You’ve all been carefully vetted, at least as thoroughly as we could, given the intense time pressure. Being NASA’s main man in Washington, the choice of you, Mr. Mukherjee, should be obvious. Ms. Pavesi has an eidetic memory, or as near as one can have these days, and is a long-term government employee. She will record everything you see, say, and do in the event the visitors do not allow electronic devices in their presence. Mr. Reed is an ex-SEAL who has spent time in more countries than any of us here will ever visit. He is a—military analyst. Dr. Jakob Zimmer is a linguist of world renown and his wife, Dr. Katou-Zimmer, an anthropologist whose reputation matches or exceeds that of her husband.” He managed a slight smile. “I don’t know these things for a certainty: I’m only restating the information that has been provided to me.

“One more thing,” the Colonel added. “None of you three—Mr. Mukherjee, Mr. Reed, or Ms. Pavesi—are married or living in an ongoing relationship. None of you including the Zimmers have any ex-spouses or children. Other individuals besides the five of you, some with more impressive credentials, were considered for this enterprise. One reason many others were rejected was because it was decided that external personal entanglements might prove potentially detrimental to the work.”

And because if we end up dying in the course of ‘this enterprise,’ Dev told himself, there will be fewer if any to mourn our termination. But he didn’t voice his concern. Doing so would have accomplished nothing. It certainly wouldn’t have swayed the opinion of any of the military or government functionaries in the room. He and his quartet of companions had been nominated, voted on, and suborned to positions of importance they could not resign. Not that he wanted to decline. But he would have liked the opportunity to say goodbye to a few friends, and to the stray cat he fed daily outside his building. He knew someone would take care of the cat. As for his friends, they would doubtless manage without him.