Signal Static Interference

 

It likely would have been a dark and stormy night had the Voyager 2 not been adrift in the empty vacuum of open space where any distinction made between night and day held little meaning. The probe slowly transmitted what data it could from its waning electrical power supply while its instruments were systematically shut down one at a time under orders from NASA. This is precisely why the extraterrestrial contact remained unnoticed, and humankind remained blissfully unaware of the intruders heading our way. By the time everything was up and running again, and receiving data, it was too late.

 

Unidentified Call Waiting

 

The alien technology absorbed three of the outer solar system’s ice encrusted moons: Ganymede of Jupiter, Enceladus of Saturn, and Triton of Neptune. The changes in characteristics to the water-based surfaces were not immediately apparent, nor did anyone on earth think to look for them. The tentacled horrors’ return to their previous colonies, which had been long ago abandoned, remained undetected. Strange weather formations and clouds began to blot out the night sky, but scientists attributed this to environmental distress: global warming, volcanic activity, wildfires, melting glaciers... The researchers had other concerns between funding cuts, abandoned programs, and waning popularity.

 

Please Hold While We Try That Connection

 

The alien presence reawakened an innate primal fear of the dark from decades past. People grew even more restless and uneasy without identifiable cause. They became volatile, brooding, and distrustful, self-isolating and obsessing over various conspiracies. They targeted their fear at one another, science, and technology as they prepared to go to war, not with the unseen aliens but pitting nation against nation once again. Ambrose Dexter stared at his watch as another shadow crept across the moon, muttering under his breath, “About time.” He stared at the dark night sky and smiled. “Welcome back, we’ve been waiting for you.”