Science, through the ages, has opened a wide assortment of doors. It has given us guns, nuclear weapons, and technologies that brought us very close to plundering the Earth. Thousands of terrestrial species no longer exist as a result of technological advances. Science made possible the efforts of corporations and politicians to control what people think and ultimately to harvest sufficient wealth and power to manipulate the lives of tens of millions. Some doors should not be opened.
—REV. AGATHE LAWLESS, SUNSET MUSINGS, 1402
In the morning, Belle told us we’d picked up a second signal. “It’s coming from the same direction. But there’s a problem. There’s nothing in front of us within the habitable zone.”
“It’s a ship,” said Gabe. “Or a space station.”
“Belle,” I said, “can you determine whether both transmissions are using the same language?”
“I am trying to make that determination now. But I will need some time. One of the transmissions has stopped, by the way.”
They went on and off. The voices changed. Sometimes Belle could identify a speaker as someone who’d been part of the conversation earlier. And finally she told us we were still tracking the signal: “The transmissions are not coming in from this system. They are coming through the system. From somewhere else.”
By then it hadn’t been a surprise. “Where is it coming from?” I asked.
“A G-class star. GRD43991.”
“How far?” Gabe asked.
“About six hours.”
• • •
When we arrived, we saw immediately that there was something strange about the sun. We were close to it, barely a hundred million kilometers out, and Belle was showing us telescopic images of artificial objects closer in. “They appear to be in orbit,” she said. “And I should add that we are receiving multiple transmissions.”
“I don’t believe this,” said Gabe. “I think it’s a Dyson Sphere.”
“What’s a Dyson Sphere?” I asked. I’d heard the term but I couldn’t remember what it meant.
“It’s an artificial system used to gather solar energy. A giant structure composed mostly of solar panels or other types of energy collectors. They surround a star, pick up some of its energy, and transmit it to a place that uses it to power a civilization. Or whatever. It’s named for a third-millennium physicist.” He paused. “Belle, you say we are receiving multiple transmissions?”
“Yes.”
“How many?”
“Hundreds.”
“And a Dyson Sphere,” said Gabe.
“Do you wish to get a better look at the objects?”
“It’s not safe,” I said. “They’re too close to the sun. The locals are seriously high-tech. If they can put together something like this, they’re way ahead of us.”
“There would probably not be a problem with the sun,” said Belle. “It’s a class K, which means we should be able to approach within twenty million kilometers. Heat will not be sufficient to damage the ship.”
“I’m wondering,” I said, “whether we should be hanging around at all.”
“That’s the whole point,” said Gabe. “They’re highly advanced. As societies progress they should become less inclined to attack others.”
“That’s the theory.”
“Yes. I think we’ll learn that’s characteristic of intelligence generally. Intelligent beings understand the value of cooperation. That attacking each other is stupid.”
“I hope so, Gabe.”
“My bet is that Harding came out here, landed somewhere, and went back home with the trophy.”
“You think that’s what happened? That he went down to say hello and they gave him a prize?”
“Yes. That’s probably exactly what happened.” He folded his hands together and smiled at me. “I think we’re perfectly safe. But your concerns are valid. Let’s just go in and take a closer look. I don’t mean get closer to the sun but to the planets. But I won’t insist. It’s your call, Chase. If you want we’ll go home and I can set up a mission.”
He knew there was no way I’d back off that kind of proposal. I didn’t think it was a good idea. But I was in a corner. “Belle,” I said, “do you see a planet in the habitable zone?”
“I do not. But that doesn’t mean much. I’ve been concentrating my attention on the Dyson Sphere. Is that really what it’s called?”
“Yes,” said Gabe.
“Interesting. If you wish me to search for planets, we will need some time.”
Gabe couldn’t take his eyes off the display. “Let’s concentrate on the Dyson Sphere for now.”
“As you wish.”
Gabe could not have looked happier. “The additional transmissions. Can we tell if they’re in the same language?”
“I haven’t really had time to do a general analysis. But judging from what I’ve seen so far, I suspect they are one language. Or at least, they were.”
“What do you mean, ‘were’?”
“They have been shutting down over the last few minutes.”
“Since we arrived . . . ?”
“It would seem so.”
“Gabe,” I said, “I think it would be prudent to leave.”
He crunched down on his teeth again. I hate it when he does that. “Belle, are you detecting any movement anywhere? Any vehicles?”
“Negative, Gabe.”
“It’s only been a short time since we got here,” I said. “They haven’t really had time to react.”
“Other than close off their communications. What blows my mind is how whoever lives here could have put those things so close to the sun.”
“The transmissions are now stopping,” said Belle. “The sky is going silent.”
“They want us to leave,” Gabe said.
“I agree. Absolutely. If they’d wanted to say hello to us they’d have done so. I think we should take the hint.”
“I didn’t mean we should just bail out.”
“Oh.”
“Chase, you don’t really want to leave, do you?”
I did. I saw no way, if we proceeded to poke around, that this could end happily. But I’d already let Gabe know how I felt, and I couldn’t bring myself to insist that we pull out. If I did that, he’d always remember that I’d screwed up what should have been a historic discovery. “Your call,” I said.
“Thank you. I know this isn’t easy for you, Chase. But we’ll take every precaution, okay?”
“I’ve located two planets so far,” said Belle. “One is in the habitable zone. But it’s on the other side of the sun.”