Encounters Out There

One monumental day, SETI finally received messages from nearby extraterrestrials.

After several communication years later, the non-hostile Zerkoid eco-explorers traveled with ion propulsion and e-sails to visit Earth’s pristine forests, magnificent mountains, and deep blue oceans, as shown in the transmissions.

Decades after their arrival, they observed space junk orbiting the planet.

“Earth, what is all this?”

“Just leftover debris from previous explorations and dead satellites.”

“Why haven’t you cleaned it up?”

“No one’s taken responsibility.“

The Zerkoids abruptly took off and left behind a space buoy skirting the solar system—transmitting a binary message interpreted as: “Beware. Destructive. Slobs.”