Secret numbers and hidden codes feature in this story about how cultural differences can affect even things that are supposed to be universally true. Originally published in Fantasy Magazine and reprinted in Looking Glass and Cosmos.

Chet Eubanks is Employee of the Year! Episode One Four years ago, Earth became the latest member of a vast, galactic alliance. Governments and corporations are struggling to understand how to interface with alien worlds, but for the people of Earth, not much has changed. The novelty of First Contact has worn off. Almost no one has seen an alien or a spaceship. Theories abound that the whole thing was just a ruse by news networks to drum up ratings. But Chet Eubanks believes in First Contact. From the moment he saw the footage of alien emissaries addressing a joint session of congress, he knew that he needed to figure out a way to get into space. He got his first job at his local fast food joint and started saving money for a starship. Spoiler: this doesn't happen, but something else does. This is the first episode of a serialized space opera that follows Chet Eubanks from small town South Dakota into worlds never before explored by humankind. The story is a celebration of classic science fiction, Americana, and average, everyday people.

How does an artificial being with the innocence of a newborn and the mind of a supercomputer confront humanity?