Space Diary of Elizabeth Goodall

4th Vlog 18:31 Day 231

Hello!

Looks like I have too much time on my hands. They should have given me more work on this ship.

I was thinking about talking about our first contact with aliens. After all they have been watching us from space since the beginning of our travels.

You have probably heard about the Santa Claus incident? It happened when Apollo 8 went around the moon and Lovell told ground control "Roger, please be informed that there is a Santa Claus." A simple code for something following them. Aliens. Extra-terrestrial life. Unknown. The code was used since then to convey the message of having something behind the spacecraft. Something not exactly terrestrial or human.

You of course heard all about Area 51, right? So I won't meddle on this matter for too long. America did not have aliens locked up there but saying that aliens do not exist is stupid and immature. It's like taking a spoonful of ocean water and saying "there are no sharks in the ocean because there are none in this spoonful of water". Absurd.

By the sheer statistics there must be so much life in our universe. If we take that every star in our galaxy has only one planet (which it doesn't. Most have multiple) and then calculate with that number (between hundred and four hundred stars) we get that we have at least 100 civilisations on our level in just our galaxy. And that's pure underestimation. First most stars have multiple planets, then there can be four hundred billion solar systems and not all life is carbon-based. There are probably planets with living and thinking rocks. Just think of all of the possibilities!

Though I get why would governments hide things like this from people. A person is smart, people are stupid. People will panic and we will get another toilet paper shortage. They tried getting people ready to accept the truth about aliens; they exist and they know about us.

But our first contact came before we were completely ready. There was this weird cracking coming from our radio stations. All frequencies spoke in unison: "Hello Terrestrial beings! We come in peace. We studied your Voyager and learnt how to speak. Excuse our language as our translators aren't completely ready. We are called Arg'an specie from solar system around Proxima Centauri. We are coming in peace. WE want to meet you at Stonehenge at 9.00 local time in two days. We are coming in peace and not bringing any weapons."

Just like that there was radio silence once again. Slowly the music and news started coming back as people were sitting in their cars, shocked to the core. People sitting in their chairs in nursing homes, people on the streets, at the hairdresser's. All with wide open eyes and fear in their minds.

We expected more panic than there was actually. Surprising most people accepted it quickly. I think my generation is a bit too chill about everything. Government's and telephone's in presidents' offices were ringing nonstop for the next two days.

We prepared our best diplomats, generals, prepared speeches, actions, we left nothing to surprise us. They landed two minutes before the set time and came out of the spaceship on time. It was the first real contact with aliens so this meeting was streamed all around the world as we met the specie of Arg'an which we later learnt, rules over the Galactic Parliament of Milky Way.

They were tall, almost-skeletal looking specie with six limbs, walking on the last two just like us. They had similar structure to us except having an exoskeleton around their chest area. Each of their four "hands" was divided in six claw-like fingers at the end. But there was something we realised rather quickly. They were prey on their planet. The way they moved and their overall structure was that of prey. Their eyes set on both sides of their bald heads and the second pair of eyes being a bit behind the first, they were able to see almost full circle around.

Their movement was implying they were scared. They didn't have that confidence of predators. Them knowing they could kill us with ease. They were actually scared. Even if they were towering over us for about five meters.

Our head diplomat, chosen by the governments was doctor David Hawkings specialised in math and physics. He is a calm and fearless man but also a genius.

He spoke first "Greetings, friends," his voice streamed over TVs, radios, internet, everywhere. "I am a human called David Hawkings and I was chosen to represent Earth as a diplomat for this meeting. This people around me are my colleagues," he waved over groups of astronomers, psychologists, diplomats, politicians and generals. "We have been waiting for you and we wish for friendship with your specie and any other yet to come to our beautiful marble."

"Greetings to you too diplomat Hawkings. My name is Wan'isi'la and I am a representative of my specie of Arg'an and a representative of the Galactic Parliament we lead." His translator was rolling over unknown vowels; "It's a pleasure to finally meet you eye-to-eye."

"Why are you here? Why now?" Hawkings was speaking slowly so their translators could catch up with his words. "For millennia we were watching the stars and hoping someone is out there. We were so lonely and you knew about us. We knew you were watching us and yet you never made contact with us."

"You, humans, were star gazing and hoping somebody will help you solve your problems. Wars, poverty, starvation of whole continents. You were fighting each other; how could we expect you to be any different with different species if you cannot handle just one specie. Whenever we tried making contact you brutally tortured each individual. You were not ready to join our Parliament."

"Most people didn't know you came here. Probably they would greet you much warmer than the governments. But we shall speak of the past no more. Let's create a future together." Hawkings simply closed the theme.

"I hope you are speaking the truth, human. You should call your leaders and let them decide on our proposal of you joining the Parliament. It's on you, humanity. We shall land here again in seven days to receive your response. Godspeed for now human."

"Godspeed to you too. We shall wait for your return." Hawkings bowed as aliens turned towards their ship and disappeared into the light.

Those seven days were crazy but at the end the humanity was united in the decision to join the Parliament. We still rule over our planet and colonies and control our battleships but we have the help and force of the Parliament behind us.

We started flying further away from our home and started hitchhiking other non-human ships (yeah space hippies and all that. But humans are rather useful in space I shall say).

We were building more colonies side-by-side with other similar species, we were creating the galaxy we wanted to see. But that's a story for another time.

All I can say is that this was the beginning of our work with other species and we are proud of it. We were finally happy.

Godspeed listeners,

Elizabeth Goodall is logging out.