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| - Peter Bliggs noted the tentacles of the Centaurian on the computer screen flashed scarlet. The Centaurian looked young, near his own age. Did the Centaurian like the Terran suggestions? Peter could never quite understand Centaurian expressions. Hopefully he clicked the computer for an analysis. No. That shade of scarlet meant derision. Then Peter set about typing the translation. Here it is. “What’s the matter with you Earthlings? You think you should develop Ramjets OR Beam Propulsion. Can’t you see what’s obvious? Use both together in the same craft.” Momentarily Peter put his hand in front of his face. He turned to his assistant and spoke. “They despise us. They don’t even send some alien in authority. Will we ever get their respect?” Sadly Peter carried on translating. The team helped him find English terms for the insults the alien kept hurling at them. Mercifully the alien stopped. “How will the public take this? Should we release it?” he asked his companion. “We’ll have to the team leader” pointed out. “Too many private individuals have radio receivers and have their own translations.” The following days were the worst so far in Peter’s working life. At erratic times that alien transmitted yet more. Regularly the alien tentacles flashed some shade of scarlet. For those who could read alien emotions what the Centaurian expressed was almost worse than what he said. There was an all pervasive sense that the Centaurian had power over the Earthlings. The Earthlings could do nothing about it and the alien enjoyed that. The alien told them how disappointed the Centaurian community were. The Earthling failure proved they were not much better than the lowest inhabitants of the planet Porrila. When Centaurians arrived at Earth it was hoped the Earthlings would understand their inferior status and act accordingly. So it went on and on. The alien told them Earthling bodies were as ugly and stupid and Earthling minds were ugly and stupid as well. Earthlings just had those ridiculous straight limbs that bent awkwardly at elbows and knees. Earthling skin was so rough and dry, none of those cool flexible slippery Centaurian tentacles. Then there was that awful stuff Earthlings had on their heads. What did they call it? Hair? At least they didn’t have fur all over their bodies like Earthling animals. The Bliggs team translated. They looked at each other miserably. Surely Centaurians were scientists. Yet they didn’t look at what we are. They only looked at an exterior that they found unnatural. They didn’t care enough about us. Terrans were trying so hard to see the creative intelligence that went with slimy, tentacled Centaurian bodies. Centaurians didn’t respect us and wouldn’t even try to do the same. Perhaps Centaurians did know how hard we were trying to stop seeing them as weird and ugly. Perhaps that just made them even more angry. Away from work life was hardly better for Peter. Family, friends, even strangers asked him about the aliens, hoped for some reassurance. He could give them none. Places of entertainment started showing old 20th Century films about alien attacks and alien domination. Audiences flocked there due to fascination with the horrible. Other people could not easily bring themselves to walk past a place where such a film was shown. A few people got a bit obsessive about tentacled Cthulhu and imagined the aliens much bigger than they really were. There were many sightings of The Yellow Sign. Some liked to imagine they had the upper hand playing traditional, “Zap the aliens dead” games. Deep down they knew it was just imaginary. Then the governments of the world put a stop to those games. On no account must the aliens get the wrong impression about Earth. Serious scientists looked into how to combine Ramjets and Beam Propulsion in the same craft. Governments, universities and other institutions asked the most capable scientists to transfer from other important work to this project. The people of Earth wanted to do everything they could to prevent aliens of Porrila looking down on humans. Scientists decided combining the two systems in one craft was a promising suggestion. Drag from the interstellar medium could seriously weaken a Bussard ramjet. A beam propulsion system from earth would accelerate the interstellar medium even more effectively than it would accelerate the spacecraft. This could potentially reduce or eliminate drag. Then the ramjet would work more effectively, like a dream. Scientific papers were prepared and transmitted to the Centaurian System. These transmissions would of course not reach Proxima Centauri for four years. Insulting transmissions from the alien continued. The team of Peter Biggs tried to translate carefully. They couldn’t help remembering 20th Century history and Nazi Germany. Was the alien really suggesting that Terrans had no right to exist? The Terrans could have kicked themselves. How did they overlook it all? How much worse could this become? An older Centaurian was in the computer screen this time. Peter saw this alien was in authority and expected to find out clearly what the aliens planned. Peter fought with all his strength to keep his voice steady and his manner controlled. He could feel a tremor in his hand holding the computer mouse and hoped he would use the mouse steadily. Peter, his team and the whole of humanity waited to hear if they faced a certain death sentence.
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