For one year our radio telescopes picked up broadcasts transmitted from another world. A world 4.3 light years away. Our linguists deciphered their language. And our scientists found a way of getting us there. My partner and I trained extensively, for the twenty-year mission. We were ready to go. After arriving and orbiting the planet, debris struck and damaged our ship. Descending, we crash-land in a desert. In and out of consciousness, I heard a cacophony of machinery and voices. And one loud voice, saying, “Clean this up, leave nothing and take these two, to Area 51!”
As Mary left work early, the red sun grew larger and brighter. Tom, who had taken the day off from work, was already mixing drinks and setting up lawn chairs on the roof. The moment Mary arrived, he thrust a drink into her hand. “Tom, remember the first time we met?” “Of course, you were working on that terraforming rig. And I was there performing a safety inspection. That day you looked very hot in that tight green jumpsuit and red hair.” “Well not as hot as I am today.” They laugh. Thousands of drones fly overhead recording and televising to the non-existent. “It won’t be long now Mary. You don’t get to see this every day.” “Tom, I have something to tell you.” Their robotic eyes darken to block out the red giant's increasing luminosity. “What is it, Mary?” “What I’m trying to say is, I don’t love you, Tom.” “Why are you telling me this now?” Tom sounding confused. The temperature climbs, bleeding the atmosphere from the planet. “Remember we promised to have those empathy chips