Prologue
On March 5,1979,planet Earth was obediently following its orbit around the Sun as it had done for 4 and a half billion years. Accompanied by its silver moon,it moved at 64,800 mph,thus creating day and night. Its axial tilt of 23 and a half degrees to its equator created seasons. In its northern hemisphere winter was ending,in its south autumn was beginning.
410 million miles from Earth,a robotic emissary by the name of Voyager 1 was about to fly past the giant planet Jupiter. Passing the orbit of the Jovian moon Ganymede,it spotted off in the distance a silver star that passed the Jovian system at a fast pace.
The star continued on towards Earth,drawn inexorably by the pull of Earth’s gravity. It was actually a spaceship,shaped like the space shuttle NASA hoped to begin flying in the next year. It fell past the orbit of Mars,coasting silently on through the night of space.
As Voyager 1 far away rounded the bulk of Jupiter,radars on Earth noted the approach of the probe. It passed the orbit of the Moon,then five minutes later it fell into the atmosphere over the American Midwest. Through the line of dawn the probe fell,into the calm waters of Lake Superior.
———-
7:30 pm
The White House
President James Carter was a confused man. In front of him stood Zbigniew Brzezinski,his National Security Advisor,and the tale he bore was astounding.
”You say that this strange spacecraft,which absolutely no one cataloged before,and fell like a meteor over our airspace,contained people? How many?”
”200 all told,sir.”
”Where are they? Are they all right?”
”Yes. They’re at the Buffalo General Hospital,being observed. A fair few of them sustained injuries of some description. Apparently some come from the year 2008. Some come from someplace called Westeros,some more from a magical world,and the rest from Sweet Valley,in California.”
”Get real,Zbigniew.”
”I’m not stringing you along,Mr.President.”
”What of their spacecraft?”
”Mostly destroyed in the impact. Enough has survived for us to analyze it. It resembles-resembled-the Space Shuttle. But it’s bigger. And more streamlined. Like a spaceship out of a Bond film.”
”Have them come to the White House so we can meet them.”
”Very well,sir.”
Brzezinski left. Carter stared into space. I have a feeling something momentous is about to happen.
——-
Here’s the spaceship:
