THE SWORD AND SICKLE

PART TWO

CHAPTER-SIX

EON-I

"Thank you, Dr. Gibbon. Yes, I can tell you more about that aspect. At the current time, NASA is busy having its eyes on manned ventures to Mars, but humans are out there—maybe not in their bodies, but our sensors are everywhere we know how to reach. However, we don't have the appropriations to fund a feasibility study of such a project; Eon-I is it for now. Sending a craft to Jupiter is an incredibly difficult project with many hurdles. To go there and return with a massive payload would expend an extreme amount of energy, even if it were pure gold. NASA would hardly move on such a project. Gold is tempting if it is on Earth. If you want crystals, become a rockhound. Suppose that we manage to mine the object for its gold and return such a payload to Earth. Such an abrupt glut of gold would depress the entire gold market. What you would be coming home with is a payload whose properties are equivalent to dirt, and that's hardly worth the effort of anyone. I am sure the same would apply to private industry. Now, I am certain there will be gold fever, and it will run rampant for a while, and maybe some attempts to build such a craft by private space groups who will move their eye off the goal of humans on Mars, but to me it would be a waste of funds, next."

"I am Bill Hartford of the Christian Monitor. I find that the timing of the discovery coincides with a telepathic message sent on the morning of April 12th of this year, which is more than coincidental. Many people are curious about this thing, and many religious people around the world attach strong feelings to these events, no matter what religion. Some believe it is the end of the world, the Apocalypse, and many other theories. What do you say to those people, Dr. Harden?"

"Mr. Hartford, I am not a preacher. My views are only scientific. This object, though unusual, poses no threat to us. As for the telepathic message received by people, I believe it is more like mass hysteria. Once something like this occurs in a society, other people actually believe they heard the message. This is a normal thing, like many that have happened in the past; the sky isn't falling, Mr. Hartford. This has happened before, and it will happen again in history. This is my view on the subject, and I am sure people will find ways of arguing the point, but I guarantee you that the message did not come from this object. No signal has been detected from this object since we first started tracking it, either telepathic or otherwise."

"If I may, I would like to follow up with another question. Is it possible to track a telepathic signal?"

Hardin replied, "Any communications from space require a signal. The mind receives these communications via alpha, theta, or beta waves; these are just three of a host of wavelengths of brain waves that our brains use to process thought, but you'll need to talk to your local neurologist for more detailed information on the matter. I've read articles that speak of governments experimenting with telepathic communication as far back as the Cold War era. The government does know this is possible, but to my knowledge, it is not possible from space, and we at NASA don't have these types of 'ears' in space. We have enough trouble getting money from Congress, and I am sure they wouldn't want us to read their minds. NASA has experimented with many types of communication for use in space travel and between astronauts for better communications, and one is quantum communications from a probe to Earth that's instantaneous. We've had some success in the transfer of thoughts, and I'm sure you are keeping up with China's success with quantum communications from Earth to their station, and so on. Humans are out there to stay. We are no longer just visitors, and perhaps someday we will also be space miners, and we do listen, just not for human thought waves."

"Couldn't God transmit a signal undetectable to humans through space?"

"Whoa, now you are really asking a question above my pay grade." The reporters giggle. "I happen to be a scientist who believes in God. Yes, there are a few of us around. In my opinion, God can do anything, but I do not believe this object of ore and silica to be anything other than what it appears to be. From what I believe, God is spirit and does not need a ship for transportation."

Director Alton spoke, "Any more questions of a scientific nature? Go ahead. Please, no more religious questions for the team. Yes, you."

"I am Berry Bowden of the St. Louis Voice. I was wondering where Dr. Santos is. Isn't it true that the images were doctored by the government, so we'd believe it was a chunk of gold ore and silica? In reality, the object is the City of God, which was predicted in Revelations to come to Earth at the End of Days. The Church of the Voice is planning to release the true images when the time is appropriate to reveal that this is a government cover-up and that you are hiding this object's true nature. How else can you explain the reports from astronomers that say that this object traveled at such a high velocity and should have received a gravity assist as it passed Jupiter and swung back into the outer regions of the solar system? However, that is not what happened; instead, it was captured by Jupiter's gravitational field. From our source, the object slowed down to insert itself into an orbit around Jupiter, and that is not possible for a normal space rock, as you call it, to do. The object doesn't wobble or spin because it is a ship with internal navigational controls, and the reason the government is hiding this from the people of Earth is to prevent panic.

You could feel the tension in the room as Director Alton responded, "As head of NASA, I guarantee you that NASA is not in the business of fabricating facts. What you see in this image," he points to the monitor, "is what is orbiting Jupiter at this very moment. If you have images that show any other object, then, as I say to you, those images are altered. As for it not spinning or wobbling, we do not understand this as of now. But then again, we have never seen an object splinter like this before, and we don't understand its properties. Our mathematicians are working on a theory, and as far as Dr. Alicia Santos is concerned, she is ill and unable to attend today. I am sure she is at home listening to your questions at this very moment to your questions. This news conference is finished. I thank everyone for attending, and we are sorry we didn't get to the internet questions today."