The Fermi Paradox had long been a source of fascination and frustration for the scientific community. With hundreds of billions of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, many of which were likely to have Earth-like planets, the probability of life existing elsewhere in the universe was statistically overwhelming. Yet, despite decades of searching, not a single signal, not a single whisper, had been detected. The silence was deafe...

Seattle, Washington, had become the hub of intergalactic travel, thanks to the innovative and revolutionary technology of folding and unfolding. The concept was relatively simple for someone who was engineering-minded: create a temporary rift in the fabric of space-time, whereby a ship could travel vast distances in a matter of seconds. The process, however, was extremely complex and required precise calculations to avoid...

Captain's log, personal entry: "In the exploration of the seemingly empty places in outer space, there are often challenges and wonders while venturing into the very vast, unknown reaches of the void. There is a certain thrill of encountering beings or entities previously unknown that are hopefully benevolent, overcoming their skepticism of our intentions through diplomatic discussions, the dialogue leading to sharing of...

Halfway through lukewarm coffee, sandwiches, and routine patrols, county units get a call over their radios: "We've got a 10-32 out by the old mining road, some kinda aircraft down. Units in the area, respond." Sheriff David Clouse sighs, placing the styrofoam cup into the cupholder as his cruiser kicks up dust along the desert highway. "Probably some just some experimental junk," he mutters. As he squints, he sees the di...

It's late afternoon when the alert chime sounds. First once, then again, after that a relentless staccato. "For goodness sakes, Valerie, turn that thing off..." Arthur starts to say, but she's already leaning forward, fingers dancing across the holographic display. "Signal's real," she murmurs, her breath fogging the screen's edge. "Deep space origin, unmodulated, repeating in... if you can believe it, prime number interv...

You're elbow-deep in the festival's ceremonial broth, stirring the thick violet sludge that'll supposedly grant the next generation of Æpidorians their telepathic bonds, when the comms array buzzes to life behind you. "Archivist!" shouts one of the younger acolytes, nearly tripping over their own ceremonial robes in their haste, "the old machine, the one that sings in pulses, it's speaking again!" You wipe your hands on y...