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M h contdown for blast off x
minus five four three two x minus one

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Fire from the far horizons of the
unknown come transcribed tales of new dimensions in

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time and space. These are stories
of the future adventures in which you'll live

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in a million, could be years, on a thousand, maybe worlds.

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The National Broadcasting Company, in cooperation
with Street and Smith, publishers of Astounding

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Science Fiction, presents he minus minus
on Tonight's story. First contact by Murray

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Lemester. They had been in space
six months now, moving with the incredibly

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faster than light speed of the overdrive. In six months they had gone from

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Earth outward and outward to the crab
like Nebula with the twin Stars, a

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routine flight of exploration and scientific research. Solid object about ninety thousand miles away,

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sir, located door exactly identify it
a small object, Sir Captain.

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I've never seen anything like this before. Whatever it is out there is coming

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tortous at an incredible speed and retreating
to zero just as rapidly. What's the

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mass of the object, dord It
varies with the distance from us, Sir,

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Step up the scanners. Nothing,
sir, absolutely nothing shows out there,

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and yet there must be something.
Those alarms are fool proof action stations,

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and all weapons condition of extreme alert, and all departments immediately Captain,

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what is it? Dort? I
ran into the same thing once before on

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the Earth Mars run. We were
being located by another ship, and their

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locator beam was the same frequency as
ours. Every time it hit it registered

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to something solid and monstrous. Captain, We're the only earth ship in eighteen

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light years around. How I didn't
say it was another Earth's ship out there,

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Dord. Another race. That's right, there's a space ship out there,

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all right. It's not manned by
human beings. It had been contemplated

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and speculated upon. Mathematically it was
almost a certainty that such a race existed,

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But an eighteen thuds thousand earth years, no human spaceship had ever encountered

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them. Now the situation was precipitated, and somewhere outside the Earth vessel there

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was an alien race of what sheep, of what quality? Of what psychology?

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It's moving, sir, heading right
for us? That speed will be

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in touching ten minutes, heading right
for us. Eh. Just what we'd

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do if a strange ship appeared in
our hunting grounds? Friendly or maybe we'll

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try to contact them. We have
to do that. Friendly. Thank the

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Lord for the blasters. They may
not be hostile, sir. They may

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be. That's what I'm paid for, put on this job for to worry

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about the troubles. It may never
happen to all hands. Now hear this.

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A ship is approaching man by an
alien race. I'll give the signal

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for attack or defense if it be
necessary. There'll be no move made unless

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I give the order. I do
not wish to provoke trouble. Stand by.

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Their ship is slowing down, Sir, it's stopped. Weapons Department report.

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Weapons Department report, alien ship remarked
target fixed weapons alert. Communications Department

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report. Communications Department report. We're
receiving a modulated short wave, sir.

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Frequency modulated apparently a signal, not
enough power to do with any harm.

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We'll try to make some sense out
of it. Report any progress to me

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immediately. One thing in their favor, sir. They didn't attack immediately,

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without question. They're trying to establish
contact. That seems to indicate they're reasonable,

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and we'll see. We'll see what
are they doing now? Can you

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make out the locator screen? Bring
that power up? They're doing something,

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na sir, there's a section of
the hull opening, probably an analys if

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they breathe there, they're letting something
out. It's round a bombser, a

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known object released from alienship, observed
by weapons department, then targeted stand by.

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See what they're doing, sir.
They've left the object out there,

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right where they were, and now
they're withdrawing the ship. There's no reason

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why that object couldn't be a bombers
to do it intended to let us think

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precisely as your thinking right now.
I just have a hunch, sir.

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I think they're friendly. I think
whatever it is out there is a means

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of communication, probably right, but
I won't gamble the ship on the probability,

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Sir. I'd like to volunteer to
go out there and look that thing

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over. You understand, whoever does
examine it is expendable, yes, sir.

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Requisition of lifeboat if it's all right
with you, Sir. I'd prefer

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just a suit with the drive in
it. It's smaller and the arms and

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legs won't make me look like a
bomb, and I'll carry a scanner.

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Sir. You may leave when you're
ready, Thank you, sir. I'm

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already clear the lock and let me
out. Weapons Department reporting to the captain.

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Mister Dort located, mister Dort is
targeted. Stand by that object out

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there is a device to capture one
of our people for observation and questioning.

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It'll be blown out of existence,
including mister Dart. Stand by, mister

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Dart. Mister Dart, report,
object is you can see on the scanner,

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Sarah, is covered with many small
horns, like the detonating horns of

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the obsolete mines formerly used in naval
warfare. Is that their purpose? Do

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you assume, mister Dart. I'm
gonna find out, sir. I'm going

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to grab one, mister Dart.
I'm here, sir. I don't think

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this is a mind circle it so
we can see it completely through your scanner.

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Deadlock, sir. Nothing to report
that the scanner hasn't shown yet.

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Oh wait a minute, sir.
A section of the autohol seems to be

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opening. Do you see it?
Very good, Dart, hold that.

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I'm sure it's a communications device,
sir. It looks like it. Fix

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your scanner, so it'll focus on
that communications device. Returned to the ship

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Communications Department. Communications Department Progress Report
we've established communication, sir. Is there

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a psychologist on the team down there
with you? Yes, sir, mister

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Burns is working with us. Both
of you please report to the bridge at

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once you look tired, dork.
We've established fairly satisfactory communication, sir.

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They seem to have highly developed thought
patterns. We've got a satisfactory translation from

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the machine on the fourth attempt.
We can say almost anything we want to

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say to each other now, because
how much of what they tell us is

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the truth? We have no way
of knowing, mister Burns. You're the

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psychologist. What do you think?
Well, I don't know, sir.

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They seem to be completely direct.
They haven't let slip even the hint of

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the tenseness we know exists. They
act, as they were saying, up

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a means of communication for friendly conversation. But well, there's an overtone that

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well, mister Burns, I have
a decision to make. On the one

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hand, opening contact with the friendly
people of a vastly different culture could only

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be beneficial to us of Earth.
On the other hand, if they're hostile,

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I had to bless amount of existence
without any other preliminary But, sir,

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you cannot talking to you Dor.
It's not warranted yet, sir.

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Yes, now hear this. All
departments, hear this, all departments.

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This ship is on an extended alert. Provisions will be made so that personnel

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can have maximum rest and nourishment.
Communication continued by means of the artificial language

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set up arbitrarily between the Earthman and
the aliens, decoded by the mechanical decoders.

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Disobeyed orders. He lived on powerful
stimulants so that he could stay with

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the communications machine, talking, talking, talking to the aliens. Other people,

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other people. Are we being received? We are receiving your message.

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The chief of this ship wishes to
speak with the chief of your ship.

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The message is heard by the chief
of this ship. The chief of this

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ship communicates that he will hear the
message of the chief of that ship.

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Go ahead, Sair, people of
the other ship, I'd like to say

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the appropriate things about this first contact
of two dissimilar civilized races, and of

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my hopes that a friendly intercourse between
the two peoples will result. People of

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that ship, what you say is
all very well, But is there any

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way for us to let each other
go home alive? That's all, Sair.

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They've stopped sending very direct people,
very direct, But Sir, I

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don't follow. I didn't know what
that meant. You know, is there

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any way for us to let each
other go home alive? It means what

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it says, Dort. So what's
to stop us from just cutting communication and

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leaving and they can do likewise?
What's to stop us? Simply that whichever

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ship leaves first will be followed by
the other. If they find Earth and

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get back to their own planet,
and we don't know where that planet is,

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Earth will be completely at their mercy. If they leave first, we'll

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follow them. We'll attempt to find
their home planet, Dort. Could you

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swear to any decision that the policymakers
on Earth will come to sir? Even

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if they do follow us. The
closer we get to home, the more

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of our ships and weapons they'll face. They never get away. Well,

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how do you know that they can't
communicate with their home planet without returning?

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We can't, sir. How do
you know they can't? They don't,

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sir. So that's the situation.
We'll sit out here, facing each other,

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trying to out guess each other do. Time wears us out, and

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we'll have to face the fact either
they destroy us or we destroy them.

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Navigation officer attention. Navigation officer attention. Every star map on this ship is

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to be prepared for instant destruction.
The chief of this ship wishes to know

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whether the chief of that ship can
suggest an answer to the problem concerning us

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both. Do you want me to
answer that, sir? I'll answer it

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myself. Tell me when to talk
now, sir, I am giving that

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matter personal attention. Every effort will
be bent to the solution of this problem.

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Will you consider a temporary truce in
the meantime? What would a truce

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gain? Would we trust you?
Would you trust us? I suggest that

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we continue as we have up to
this particle of time? I agree,

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sign off doing weeks went by,
and during the weeks the exchange of information

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continued without let up. What particle
of time? Are the people on that

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ship at the resting time? All
rest except myself and others on alert duty.

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Same on this ship. Your people
of that ship are very similar in

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many ways. Do you have a
family, I have a mate. I

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have a mate and three offspring.
It is too bad for them, as

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well as us, to have to
kill each other. This ship can't see

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any way out of it. Can
that ship if we could believe each ship,

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yes, our chief would like it. But we can't believe you,

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and you are afraid that we do
not tell truth, although we do.

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This ship would trail you home.
If this ship able to, that ship

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would do the same. But this
ship feels sorry about it. I believe

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you're a friend. I share your
belief and like you, but there is

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a possibility that you were put to
make a trap for me. I will

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stop now and think it over.
Sit down, Do art control yourself.

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We're all under tention. Doesn't do
any good to pace like some caged animal.

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Yes, sir, all right now, I've read the complete transcription of

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your conversations with this one alien.
What does it prove, Dard, sir?

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These people are so much like us, and they're thinking, well,

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so they're likable. They're likable,
and they breathe oxygen. Their air is

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twenty eight percent oxygen instead of twenty. You do very well on Earth be

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a highly desirable conquest for them,
geord. I must set against violence as

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you are. I don't see any
way out of us, and I think

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we've got to break this status quo. So if in seventy hours we don't

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see any other way, then I
have no further choice. I'll blow them

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to bits. Will that ship receive
communications? Will that ship receive communications?

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This ship is listening. It seems
to me better to communicate than to sit

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by the machine silently. I would
have called you, but you signed off.

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Before the problem goes around and around, I find no answer. Perhaps

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we could turn our thoughts to other
things. The psychologist of this ship tells

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us that you people on that ship
have a threshold of tolerance to tension.

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He tells us that you will be
forced to take one action or another in

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a period of less than one hundred
time particles. I have no communication on

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this matter. So the ship is
not trying to extract unwilling information from that

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ship. A truth is mentioned in
passing. A report of this conversation will

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be carried to the chief of this
ship. It would be so we are

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prepared. If only the people of
this ship could meet in direct contact with

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the people of that ship, it
might be better. We could not communicate

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them. The communications machine is too
large to carry from place to place in

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direct contact. The peoples of the
two ships would be further apart than now.

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That's true I am said, much
that is pleasant has passed between us.

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I am sad too. We are
not yet ready for each other.

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Get ready for each other. It's
hard, isn't it, Dort? Well,

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Captain, I'm sorry. I didn't
know you were here, so I've

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been here for quite a while.
He's dropping. I'm afraid. It's all

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right, sir. Nothing can be
personal in a situation like this. That's

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00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:23,399
right. How long is one hundred
time particles dirt? Pardon sir? That

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00:16:23,639 --> 00:16:30,200
reference he made to us not being
able to stand tenderness? Interesting? Their

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psychologist seem to make more out of
us and we do out of them,

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don't they, Yes, sir,
they hit the nail right on the head,

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Yes they do, I think,
Dort. We will just have to

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push our timetable up a bit.
No further communication with the aliens under any

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circumstances. That's clear, isn't it, yes, sir, sir? If

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they know so much about our psychology, isn't it possible that remark was intended

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to make us act more quickly?
Probable? Dort? Probable? Why would

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they do that? Why you tell
me? Why do it? All of

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a sudden I have an idea,
sir, and that's crazy, and it

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doesn't matter how crazy. I'll listen
to it, Sir. I think these

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00:17:11,559 --> 00:17:15,799
people are playing some kind of a
joke on us. Joke, a joke,

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Dort, Yes, sir, Over
and over again. I've noticed what

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I think is a sense of humor, a highly developed sense of humor.

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Do you recall when we went to
all the Trouble to set up a fictitious

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star map, and then they just
sent us back a mirror image of the

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same one. I think somehow they're
playing a joke on us. Maybe you're

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right, in which case you've seen
practical jokers dirt. Their jokes aren't always

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funny. Sometimes they hurt people.
All departments, Man instant Alert, All

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00:17:59,599 --> 00:18:03,960
department. It's a man instant alert, Report instantly, report instantly. Women's

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Department alerted. Target the enemy ship
on target, Sir, stand by fire.

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They're gone, sir. Not a
trace of them left, not a

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00:18:22,039 --> 00:18:38,599
tiny trace. Now we can go
home. Communications to captain, Communications to

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captain. Report, Sir. I'm
picking up new signals, same frequency as

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the original Indian signals. That's impossible
that ship was destroyed. I'm receiving signals,

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sir. Set the machine up.
We'll be down there in a minute,

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mister dork, come with me,
please. It's good to be on

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the way home. Yes, it
is good. Do you suppose we'll ever

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figure out what happened to the other
ship? Never a blinding fashion and they

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were gone. I suppose they couldn't
figure a way out of the situation.

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An unstable people, they had no
sense of humor to cope with the situation.

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They exploded themselves out of existence.
It seems reasonable. They must have

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had powerful weapons to destroy themselves so
completely. Yes, what a shame.

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In a way, I grew to
like them. This isn't meant for us,

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sir. I don't know what's happening, but I think we're overhearing a

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private conversation. Understand or be quiet, will you? Many things might have

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come out of a relationship with that
people. They were describing a disease they

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called cancer. I think it is
similar to the Frogrin syndrome. We might

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have helped them. They might have
helped us, too well. Too bad,

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we'll never find them again. I
think the odds of such a chance

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meeting in the vast space of the
whole universe. There are no figures for

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such odds turn it up door,
turn it up louded. That's all there

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is. The signals stopped there,
Sir. I don't know how, but

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somehow when we fired at them,
we didn't destroy them, but we did

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set up a condition whereby they've become
invisible to us and we've become invisible to

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them. Captain to Engineering Department,
Halt forward motion. Captain, why are

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we stopped? Listen? Do you
say they're in r but they're not destroyed

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because we just heard them. They're
out there somewhere invisible. You heard them,

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so they're heading for home. We're
invisible to them too, Sir.

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How do you know, Dord?
How do you know this whole thing isn't

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set up? Suppose that's true,
Captain, you heard their conversation. They

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weren't talking like any monstrous people.
They seem decent and warm, just as

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decent and warm as we. How
do you know this conversation wasn't planned deliberately

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set up? For rest or here? How do you know that? Dort?

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Yes, sir, you're right.
They may be out there and they

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may not. They may be telling
the truth, or they may be trying

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to trick us. They may be
friends, or they may be the most

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deadly enemies. You said they had
a sense of humored Dort. What a

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joke to play, to deliberately set
up a situation where we wouldn't know fact

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from fantasy, truth from lie.
Wouldn't that be a joke, Dort.

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But we don't know that they did
that, sir, And we don't know

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that they didn't We don't know anything, sir. Does that mean we never

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go home again? I don't know. I have to think about it.

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I have to think about it.
You have just heard X minus one,

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00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:56,359
presented by the National Broadcasting Company in
cooperation with Street and Smith, publishers of

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00:21:56,400 --> 00:22:04,000
Astounding science fiction. Tonight by transcription, X minus one has brought you First

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00:22:04,079 --> 00:22:10,240
Contact, written by Murray Leinster and
adapted for radio by Howard Rodman. Featured

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00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:14,599
in the cast were Wendell Holmes,
Bob Hastings, Clark Gordon, William Lalley

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00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:18,319
and Stannerley. Your announcer, Fred
Collins. X minus one was directed by

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00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:41,480
Daniel Sutter and is an NBC Radio
Network production. Next week, at this

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00:22:41,599 --> 00:22:47,000
time, over most of these stations, NBC will present This Is Carnegie Hall,

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00:22:47,519 --> 00:22:49,680
a special concert featuring the Symphony of
the Air orchestra,