"Well, that's it." Jacob said definitively. "No different than the first time I watched it. As you can see the extraterrestrials that pursue the Ark are a force far beyond anything we can hope to defend ourselves against." He was looking at Tomiya and I now, his face was resigned, his eyes tired yet undeterred.

"How are we supposed to be any help against that?" I said back to him as well as towards the screen, as if I were responding to the Ark itself. "Seriously though Jacob, these ships are the size of cities, with weapons clearly more advanced than anything we have ever built, I assume. In what way can we stand a chance against them?"

"I don't know. I haven't asked the Ark that question yet." Is all he had to say. We three stood for a moment in silence staring blankly ahead.

"I think it's time we contact the Pentagon." Jacob stated, directing his attention to Tomiya now.

She nodded in reply. This is when things would inevitably begin on a path that we could not predict, nor control. We all feared what would happen when we turned all of this over, but at least we had Tomiya. Her influence in the government along with the role Teebler Corp. would have to play, was likely to keep us in the loop to some degree.

Tomiya stood by my side as she made the call on her encrypted phone. When she was finished, she told us we were to stay where we were. They didn't want to risk sending any of this data over unsecured networks. Not twenty minutes later did we hear the sound of helicopters approaching. We had one helipad. But to our surprise the roads had already been blocked off a quarter mile from SETI headquarters. Blacked out SUVs parked in the middle of the road, allowing for the helicopters to land on the streets rather than our pad. The first person to approach us was a uniformed man of significant ranking, he spoke with Tomiya while Jacob and I lingered back at the entrance of the building. It was brief and Tomiya returned to us quickly. It seemed no one here was yet made aware of the situation. That was good, they were only here to secure the site. The Vice President, as well as the Secretary of Defense were en route. They were the only people we would be sharing this classified information with. Once they confirmed the information, they'd be the ones to present it to President Rickner.

About an hour later we heard the sound of their chopper on the horizon. It was dawn now and the sun began to sparkle over the Charles in the distance. I had seen this view so many times. It became a comforting sight in my younger days. I used to like going to the outskirts of the city back then to clear my head. I often found myself in quiet areas walking, usually listening to recorded course lectures. The walk along the Charles was one of those places that relaxed me back in those days. It was still as beautiful of a sight this morning as it was then. Though, looking at it this time signified a very different feeling, the helicopter approached like a dark sentencer in the light of the rising sun. That image would forever be different for me, because my mind, and my world were now shifted into a reality I never imagined I'd see. One of secrets, of fear, and of things beyond all that I have ever understood.

Vice President Stacy Murdock and Secretary of Defense George Harden were escorted out of the helicopter designated Marine Two. Their secret service stayed behind as they approached the entrance of SETI where Jacob, Tomiya, and I stood waiting.

"Madam Assistant Secretary" The Vice President said to my wife. The three of them exchanged brief formalities and then the attention was turned to us. Well not so much me as it was Jacob. He was of course a well-known figure, not only in the government but also a borderline celebrity around the world.

"Please, let's go inside." I said. No point in wasting time here. Plus, I was still tired as hell, and ready to brief them so I could catch some sleep and begin to think properly once again.

I started with my part. Telling them about how Oshie, our daughter, noticed the object first. And then after some system tests we were able to identify it as an "unknown phenomena." Jacob chimed in, continuing on about how we were able to run some more tests once he arrived. One of which included us trying to contact the object. There were some raised eyebrows when this was mentioned. But in truth, with the matter at hand and all of the urgency involved, that was the least of anyone's concerns. Next, we showed them the message from Lady Izla. Astonishing enough on its own.

Tomiya as well had yet to see this video of the lone woman in her final days making her desperate voyage to Earth. She put a hand to her mouth in order to hold back a gasp when that final bit of evidence proved this was no massive misinterpretation. The three of us exchanged glances knowing what they were in for next. The messages between the Ark and Jacob followed lady Izla's transmission, and then finally the last video.

I couldn't believe that I was able to stay awake to watch through it all over again. But it's one of those things that despite exhaustion, is impossible not to witness. Many times throughout it they wanted to stop and speak, or ask questions, but we all insisted they get to the end before we talk on it. And that's how it went. After it was all over, the same look we previously wore on our faces could be seen on theirs. Once again there was an extended moment of silence in the observatory room of SETI headquarters. Jacob was first to speak.

"As you can see, this matter is extremely time sensitive. I must speak with President Rickner immediately." Jacob was beyond manners now. He spoke with a tone that was simple and straight to the point.

"Mr. Teebler," said the Vice President, who was clearly shaken by what she had seen. "We recognize the value of what you have contributed to this country and the endeavors you have taken to help protect the wellbeing of both the United States and the world. But we need to have specialists at the Pentagon analyze all of this data before we start taking any action. Also, you, and Mr. Olivera here, are technically private citizens and should from this point on, not be in any way involved in the progression of this matter unless instructed to do so."

I could see the color drain from Jacob's face when she said this to him. He was never good at arguing. He was too smart for it. In his head he was miles beyond anything these two people could have even hoped to bring to the table, in terms of contributing to a solution. Luckily, I knew Jacob pretty well and could always see when his temper was beginning to boil over, usually ending in him storming out rather than rationally presenting his perspective to people who couldn't hope to make sense of it anyway. So, like the old days when we were grinding away, trying to secure deals and convince investors of our cause, I took my queue to step in.

"Listen, Madam Vice President, Mr. Secretary." I looked them square in the eyes, doing my best to remain calm and collected, with more than a hint of impatience added on top. Though I might not know all that goes through Jacob's head, I know it better than anyone else, and I knew his next moves would be the best moves we could make. "This may clearly be a matter of national security, but this craft is going to be here in less than 25 days, whether we like it or not. We need to have a plan in place for when that happens." I knew a big item for them right now was the fact that, so far, we were likely the only people in the world that knew anything about this. Not that it was right, but for the sake of keeping us close to the decision makers I exploited that fact.

"The U.S. government is going to need to work with Teebler Corp., with Jacob and myself, to do what needs to be done. We will need to be calling the shots to our employees in order to help handle this situation without raising any suspicion. Meaning you'll need him, and I say this with the utmost respect for you both:" not that I had much for either of them after the hints Tomiya had thrown my way over the years. "You'll be lucky to have his advice, because when it comes down to solving a problem, he's the best strategist you're going to find."

I didn't hit the head of the nail quite as hard as I intended, and I blame my lack of sleep for that. But I got my point across. And bought Jacob some time to regain his composure so that he could properly explain the beginnings of what he was thinking. Plans which I didn't have the slightest clue as to what they were in the first place. So, like the old days Jacob took over from there. Speaking down to the two of them, in a borderline condescending tone he began to explain.

"Like James said, this craft, carrying knowledge and tech far beyond our own, will be here in under twenty-five days from now. It is apparent that this is an unavoidable fate, as the prime objective of the Ark is to protect the people of Ezgar. So, first step; to avoid mass panic, as well as conflict between nations, we will need to intercept the craft before it is made visible to the rest of the world."

I saw the eyebrows of the two nearly lift off their faces in their intrigue. Strange that in such a moment of uncertainty and possible annihilation, the politicians will still salivate at the thought of power. Jacob knew this would be the reaction. So. he just spun it in a way that didn't seem so bad. For our sake.

"This is why I will need to speak directly with President Rickner. I believe the Ark will accept our terms to continue towards the path of its people's best outcome. Which will be to have the United States be the first to handle its "sensitive information" before sharing its secrets with the rest of the world."

He definitely had them in the palm of his hand now, he was telling them exactly what they wanted to hear and more. Seems he's picked up some new skills since we were younger.

He paced back and forth in front of them as he often did while in thought. "Like I said, I believe the Ark will accept these conditions and allow us to intercept the craft in space. But I think I should be the one to speak with it. The matter will be extremely delicate and there can be no mistakes made here. If the Ark decides we are not its best-case scenario, it's possible that it could try to make contact with China, Russia or whoever else it wishes. Clearly, we don't want that now, do we?" They nodded in absolute agreement. Our inclusion in this crisis was now set in stone. Next step was the White House.