Ancient Whispers from Tomorrow — J. Richard Jacobs

First alien contact. We’ve dreamed of what that may be like over a long time and several answers have been proffered. None of them have been as bizarre as this. None of them taxed the imagination as much as Ancient Whispers from Tomorrow does. It is difficult enough to take in the idea of coming face to face with something truly alien, but this book gives us a ringside seat to just such an event. Walk the regolith of Mars and see the thing at North Head City. If you dare.Tina Tamran, Chief Areologist for the Martian Colonial Council at Ascreus Station, is heading up a group of scientists who have been sentout to a small crater north and west of North Head City. They arecharged with investigating the sudden presence of an alien structurethat sprang up there almost overnight. Where it came from and what its purpose is remains unanswered. It is known simply as the thing at North Head City.Unwillingly tossed into the mix is Dr. Michael Baird of the Earth Allied Council’s Central Command and World Astronomical League. He is known as Earth’s foremost authority on Alien Contact Protocol and is largely responsible for writing the book on the protocols and providing the foundation for the WAL Accord on Alien Contact. He does not want to be on Mars...but he was given no choice. That the Martians do not want him there, either, is made abundantly clear from his arrival at Ascreus Station and onward. It does not take long for him to realize that the less he tells his colleagues and enemies alike on Earth about the thing at North Head City, the better.The alien structure remains curiously silent and inactive, raising suspicions that its purpose for being there may not be so friendly. When it begins making noises and producing vibrations, fears and concerns mount. It fires a small sphere at Earth, then goes dormant again.A week later, another structure similar to the thing at North Head City goes up in a small crater named Bruce on Earth's moon. Tensions grow on Earth and the government controlling the Western Bloc of Earth decides, unilaterally, to do something about it. That proves to be a disastrous mistake.