5 PM

Vehicles continuously pass through this intersection regardless of the time of day. This is the busiest intersection in the city, 24/7/365. No one pays any attention to a small reflection in the center of the road. In reality, this sparkle under the traffic light is a miniature probe monitoring Earth. It has been here for more than 100 years. The probe is waiting for a specific sequence of variables to become true simultaneously. Patient, monitoring and silent until this afternoon at 5 PM. Every link in the chain of events has been forged; the chain is complete.

Bill Williams, whose parents thought it would be cute to name a child William Williams, drove his old, rusty, trustworthy pick-up truck home from work on the same roads each day for the past several years. He knew the pattern of the traffic, the timing of the traffic lights, the joggers and walkers, even the pets and their owners along his route. He knew when someone bought a new car. He knew when repairs to structures were made. He is aware of the slightest landscaping change along his path. The drive may be only 7 miles, but he knew every inch of it. For the past few months, he had noticed the glint of reflection as he passed through the intersection, but did not allow his mind to dwell on it.

This afternoon, Bill left work a few minutes early; he was in a hurry to get home. Not just to avoid the traffic from those who also quit work at 5 PM, but to take part in a special event. A few hours from now, at 7 PM, there was to be a community parade. Bill applied to the town and was approved; he was selected as the master of ceremonies. The contest was a simple paragraph, in fewer than 100 words, recounting why he felt he would make a good host and representative for the annual event. Bill won the contest. It meant a great deal to him, and the feeling within him was ingrained in his short paragraph and heard by the judges.

The prized position was nothing spectacular, just shoot the starter’s pistol, deliver a canned speech, and give the band the old one and a two to get them started. A “figurehead,” he always called it. But this year it was him; he is the figurehead, he was chosen. This year, the Master of Ceremonies was an important person, a VIP, Bill Williams.

As Bill passed through this particular intersection at precisely 5 PM today, everything was perfect. The ambient temperature was 82 degrees Fahrenheit, and the atmospheric composition contained the exact amount of oxygen and pollution it needed. The sunlight was shining on the object with precisely the amount of infrared and ultraviolet illumination expected from a slight ozone depletion. The mixture of road chemicals covering the object was proper and exact. All that was needed was a precise amount of physical pressure, and this glimmer of light would become active.

As the front left tire of Bill’s truck rolled over the tiny object, it animated, and legs extruded from its body. The eight legs gave the object the appearance of a small spider crawling across the intersection to a grassy area, the median. The median represented a safe space, an area where the object knew it would not be damaged. The small spider made it safely to the median and proceeded to the top of the street light, where it perched at the highest point on the assembly and welded the ends of its legs, its feet perhaps, to the top of the pole. The legs extended to their full length, 5 centimeters, and the object froze in the exact position. It all started because of a precise combination of physical events that had never occurred in Earth’s history until that very moment in space and time.

The object became active and silently transmitted its signal into the sky. Up and out of the atmosphere, past the Moon, past the orbit of all planets in our little corner of space. This signal was unlike any ever transmitted from Earth. This signal was a beacon, a log file, and an alert all rolled into one pulse. It contained all the information the spider had accumulated about the conditions at this very moment and sent it home to a distant point in space, hundreds of light-years away, including video images of how the activation occurred. The video of Bill and his truck rolling over the device.

At that point in space, on a small bluish planet encircled by clouds, in a structure at the highest point in the northern hemisphere, on a panel, on a console on the top floor, a light began to flash, and a soft beep could be heard. The beacon has become active. The symbols representing the word Earth were imprinted below the flashing light.

The race of nonhuman life forms, similar in appearance to Earthlings but far more advanced, who were interested in humanity and followed human history so they could learn more about themselves, but only after humanity reached a certain level of technology. This object required an exact number of variables to be true to activate and send its call to the visitors of ages past.

Across space at the monitoring station, the panel began to blink, signaling that Earth was ready to be visited and join its forefathers in the far reaches of the universe, as of this afternoon at 5 PM Earth Standard Time.

The woman at the console glanced up and looked at the panel. Seeing it was the Earth probe, she smiled brightly and opened a communication link to the director. “Sir, Earth probe 79 has begun transmitting.”

“Excellent.” The director replied. “Please notify the expedition director to prepare for departure.”

“Yes, sir.” Moving her right hand’s fingers slightly, she pressed six buttons and was connected to the expedition director. “Sir, I am calling to inform you that probe 79 on planet Earth has begun transmitting. Please prepare for departure.”

“Acknowledged.” It was the only response she expected, and the only response she received.

A few hours later, the fleet of starships was on a course that would land them in North America in the middle of the country. The probe is now being used as a homing beacon. Guiding the fleet to a remote point in space, Earth.

The fleet would arrive tomorrow, Earth time. The commanders of the other 79 ships are to land simultaneously in the vicinity of the other 79 probes and make similar contact with the Earth people. Landing in a populated area, so as to announce itself to humanity and ensure there are no hostile intentions, is always their intent.

On Earth, Bill started the parade, the music, and the dancing, and closed the event for the night. He and all the others went home for the evening, eager to return in the morning to start the next day’s celebration, hopeful to get in some quality sleep before the light of dawn peered through the bedroom window.

Saturday morning, Bill arrived at the festival early to help set up the day’s events. Being the MC was more work than he thought it would be.

At the festival in a very large field on Saturday, Bill kicked off the starting events. Jugglers, singers, dancers, and music; food, drink, and games, and fun were being had by all. Until the sky darkened and a hum was heard amid the crowd’s noise. The hair on your arms began to stand up and get prickly. Something was happening. Everyone looked up as the ship descended. Everyone looked at Bill; after all, he was the leader for the day.

As the ship approached the ground, the sound lowered in pitch, lower…lower, then stopped. A door slid up and out of the way of what seemed to be a solid wall. The ship landed and missed all the people, all the concessions, and all the power and telephone lines. Amazing for its size.

As the humans of Earth and the humans of space met face to face for the first time, there was instant recognition and a sense of family. Bill became the “ambassador” mainly due to his temporary position as MC of the festival, but also because he made a connection with the aliens.

No longer would humanity be locked away in its secluded corner of the universe. From now on, we will take our place among the stars and become a great race, Terrans, to the rest of the universe, whose compassion and desire to help others would be accepted gratefully and thankfully by people we can only imagine. Our creativity, zeal, and lust for life would go down in history as both our greatest asset and our Achilles’ heel.

We were planted here millennia ago by our brothers to develop a unique and distinct mental capability that would have been hindered if left to the rest of the known planets. And now it is time for the children of humanity to lead humanity.

Humans of the Earth were left to develop their mental, emotional, and leadership capabilities, as well as their charisma, to add flavor to the universe. This is a 180-degree difference from the stoic, impersonal mental and emotional makeup of the rest of our brothers. Perhaps they can learn from us?

Perhaps we can learn from them? Space travel…sufficient food for everyone…no more greed or envy… could be a pretty fantastic adventure. But is humanity ready for the challenge? Our brothers are here to guide and teach us.

We are ready. Let’s go help.

“We are from the planet Erthana, and we have been observing you for millennia. Your planetary population is the careful cultivation of our doing.”

“In order for you, the humans of Earth, to take your place among the star systems of the Alliance, we needed to plant you in a remote sector so as not to influence your evolution in the least. You have emotions we cannot imagine. You have joy, happiness, love, compassion, and sympathy. On the opposing side, you have greed, deceit, sadness, sorrow, and anger.”

“These emotions combined in the human mind have created something we had not considered. You have loyalty, ambition, drive, curiosity, and other qualities we are just learning to visualize. In the grand scheme of the cosmos, or as you put it, in the big picture, humans can rapidly become a major power in the Alliance.”

Bill asked, “That is the second time you mentioned the Alliance. What exactly is it? And why am I the main focus of your species?”

The person from the ship walked to Bill and extended his hand, “You called us, without knowing it. We set up this meeting before you were born, and we are here to take you, help you, and guide you into your future. We are here to aid you into the universe, where humanity will teach and educate the people of the Federated Alliance of Planets.”

Bill took his hand and smiled, “Cool!”