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Back The Long Sunset Save as PDF
Chapters (51)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. Prologue
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  49. Epilogue
  50. About the Author
  51. Copyright

“Major scientists—Stephen Hawking, Marie Bradford, Eliot Thomas, Karl Unterkoefler—have been warning us for two and a half centuries about other places, about what might lie beyond the solar system. We may feel safe because we’ve been to a handful of worlds and so far encountered nothing resembling a threat. But there are countless worlds of which we know nothing. It’s time we got smart. Time we listened. Time we decide to stay away from unknown places.

“Therefore, I have signed the Centauri Initiative. We will be submitting it to the World Council. If passed, it will require authorization by a special commission for travel to any star not previously visited and cataloged.

“Let me be clear. This is a vital matter. Once we reveal ourselves to an advanced, and potentially hostile, civilization, it will be too late to make adjustments. We have an opportunity now to step in, to safeguard the future. We do not wish to let it slip away.” The laser gaze softened. “Thank you. And God bless the North American Union.”

Twenty minutes later Hutch watched herself admitting that aliens couldn’t follow her home “as far as we know.”

The Mark Farmer Show

Friday, February 15, 2256

FARMER: Our guest this evening is Professor Teri Shaw, chairperson of the physics department at Oxford University. Teri has written numerous books on space exploration and on various aspects of interstellar life. Her latest is At Home in the Milky Way. Teri, welcome.

SHAW: Nice to be here, Mark.

FARMER: Well, I can’t imagine who’d be better equipped to deal with some of these issues. Let’s start with the question that’s on everyone’s mind. Are we looking at a spacefaring civilization out there? Near Calliope?

SHAW: It’s impossible to say with the information we have, Mark. It certainly appears as if we are. But keep in mind, that signal passed through the Calliope area seven thousand years ago. It may not even have originated there. If there’s anybody there, they might have gotten the same surprise we did and tried to track down its source. But, sure, that was probably where the transmission originated. We’re inclined to assume they would have kept evolving. If human history teaches us anything, though, it’s that no civilization, no culture, ever manages to improve over an indefinite time period.

FARMER: Is it a good idea to go out there? And maybe reveal ourselves to whoever’s there?

SHAW: Mark, I’ll let you know after we see how things turn out.

FARMER: What would you recommend we do?

SHAW: Exactly what we are doing. Take a look. Find out what’s going on. My gut tells me it’s nothing. It’ll turn out to have been a reflection or something. But we’re going to find out, one way or the other. Let’s just hope we’re careful.