Link — Wayne Williams

Imagine you're the commander of a fleet of intra-galactic spacecraft, each from a different planet, each searching for other spacefaring cultures like themselves. Imagine that each of these crafts is home to thousands of people for whom you are responsible. Imagine that each of these spacefaring cultures has been traveling within your galaxy for generations, and in all that time only four other cultures have been contacted. Now imagine that suddenly, out of nowhere, a strange gigantic craft appears directly in your path. It just sits there, unmoving, silent. What do you do? Arm yourselves? Put the others within your fleet on high alert? Prepare to defend? Prepare to attack? Then, just as suddenly, before you have time to react, a message comes to you. It penetrates you and every other individual to your core. It is beyond emotion. It is beyond comprehension. Yet it seems to touch your very soul: "I KNOW MY OWN. YOU HAVE BEEN TRIED AND FOUND WORTHY." This is the story of the origin of mankind. It is unlike anything you have ever imagined.