They watched a couple strolling across a small bridge. The couple stopped in the middle and stood looking down at a stream. They talked and then they embraced.

One of the villages had a sports field with overhead lights. They were playing a ball game of some sort, something that resembled volleyball, while several hundred of the creatures watched from the stands. Barry focused the scope on it.

It appeared to be a world of villages. Of small towns. “But look at the architecture,” said Ken. “The cabins. Whatever.” All the structures, from the smallest to the largest, were smooth and polished with flowing lines. They could have been offsets from a piece of artwork.

Barry broke in. “Captain, we’re receiving a transmission. This one, I believe, is aimed at us.”

“Crunch time. Okay, Barry, put it on.”

“First, I should tell you it’s not coming from the same sources as the other signals.”

“What do you mean? Where’s it coming from?”

“It appears to be from the moon. May I take control of the telescope?”

“Yes. Of course.”

The cabins blinked off. When the picture came back, they were looking at a set of five connected dome-shaped buildings located on dark gray rock. Several dishes stood on the rooftops, and another very large one was inserted near the lip of a nearby crater. The buildings were dark.

“What kind of signal are we getting?”

“It’s a voice.”

“Can you understand any of what it is saying?”

“Not at the moment. But I believe if you allow me some time, I will be able to establish a means to exchange data.”

“How long will you need?” Derek said.

“Ten minutes should be sufficient. If the transmission continues.”

•  •  •

Each of the buildings had windows. “Barry,” said Hutch, “can you tell whether you’re talking to an AI?”

“Yes,” he said. “I believe that is the case.”

She and Derek went back into the cabin, where they could watch on the display. Wally was wearing a big smile. “Whatever’s going on, at least we’ve found them. And we know some of them got clear of the black hole.”

Derek was ecstatic. “I love those towns. Look at the way they live. And they have exactly the right background. They know what it was to have a black hole bearing down. If anyone can help us, it should be these guys.”

“It happened seven thousand years ago,” said Hutch. “These guys may not even remember it.”

“I think we’ve got something else,” said Barry. “Just coming over the horizon.”

Derek could not have been happier. “I see it.”

“Barry, increase magnification.”

The object morphed into view. The front porch responded with applause. Derek joined in. It was a space station.

•  •  •

“I have the moon logged in,” said Barry. “Whoever’s out there talking to us calls himself Korquit.”

“So, what do we do now?” asked Derek

“Barry,” said Hutch, “can we talk to him yet?”