I remember reading an excellent short science fiction story years back about first contact with intelligent aliens. I can't for the life of me remember the author or name of the story, but I remember the plot and wanted to find it again. I tried to Google but no joy with the key words and phrases I remember.

It was in an old copy of Analog magazine. The premise is that aliens detect our radio signals, only to discover that our star is about to go supernova (or turn into a red giant? I don't remember which).

Anyway, they race over here at faster than light speeds (I know, I know) to mount a rescue and save as many of us as possible. But they find the Earth is empty. No sign of the intelligent race that sent those signals.

They investigate and discover fast satellite arrays sending real-time video of panoramas from around the Earth and beaming them to a point in space. Apparently humanity is recording the end of the world for posterity.

They follow the signal and find a massive fleet of slower-than-light ships at the edge of our solar system, heading off to the stars. We'd seen it coming for some time and through vigorous birth control had managed to get the population down to a size that could move by ships.

The aliens are stunned that a civilization that didn't exist a million years before (they'd done a survey of Earth at that time) could go from radio signals to interstellar travel in only a couple centuries.

The story ends with one of the aliens commenting to the other something to the effect of :

"We'd better be polite to them. After all, what if they don't like our little galactic federation. We only have them outnumbered a billion to one," he laughed.

50 years later, it didn't seem so funny any more.

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Anyone remember this? I can remember basically everything about it except the title and author.

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I found it through Google. It's "Rescue Party," apparently the first short story Arthur C. Clarke ever sold.

Actually, it's even online.

And it was only 20 years later.

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As above, so below

Yep, definitely one in the, "I am monkey, hear me roar!" category.

And a hundred million to one

Oh, and ten planets!

And, George, "The sun's light was white no longer"

And, "For the culture of cities, which had outlasted so many civilizations had been doomed at last when the helicopter brought universal transportation. Within a few generations the great masses of mankind, knowing that they could reach any part of the globe in a matter of hours, had gone back to the fields and forests for which they had always longed."

PS: Smiley-free posting for the past **023** posts

A fun read. If you click the 'contents' link on the top or bottom there are a couple more stories. 'Hunting Problem' was nice too, and I've always loved the background in 'The Menace from Earth'.

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"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge" -- Charles Darwin
"Ignorance convinces" -- slang's dad
"Your right to hold an opinion is not being contested. Your expectation that it be taken seriously is." -- Jason Thompson

Thanks for the link Jens.
I am going to dedicate a few minutes (of my life) and read the short story. It reads beautifully.

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This whole internet thing is probably not a passing fad.-Ronald Brak
While speech might be free, consequences cost.-Doodler

Done!
Brilliant.
I like the way it ends, you are left wondering "what did we do to them".

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This whole internet thing is probably not a passing fad.-Ronald Brak
While speech might be free, consequences cost.-Doodler

Thanks for finding it Jen, would have drove me nuts for weeks trying to think of it.

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It may be just a typo, but it got me wondering, because Neverfly was talking about the same thing. I wonder how many people think that I am female.

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As above, so below

Ah, my bad, you're not Jen, you're Jen's, as in you are the property of a woman named Jen.

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I know that this is off topic, but someone once asked about a Harry Turtledove story, "The Road Not Taken". I found it on this page: http://www.etext.org/Zines/ASCII/The...stice/tanj.070

Now all I have to do is find the sequel, "Herbig-Haro".

David.

HEY!
When I first read Rescue Party many moons ago
I grinned at the last sentence then puffed
out my chest and thought Yes! mankind will
give a good account of ourselves if aliens
come knocking. And it has been a theme in
half of all startrek shows I should think

Monkeys indeed!

I'm starting to realize just how much science fiction is or was in the, "I am monkey, hear me roar," category. It seems less common now however.

<chuckle>
Again... Hogans "giants" series...

It has more monkey roar than Planet of the Apes

I for one , thought we are the same species ..

As my name is Jean and you are Jen .

You both ARE of the same species

Well.. I mean , the same " GENDER".


sorry ..

Yeah, a lot of people seem to miss the "s" at the end. It's kind of important, because Jens is the Danish or Frisian version of "John". I grew up in the US, so almost never met another person with the same name, but I often saw Olympic athletes (inevitably skiiers!) with the same name.

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As above, so below

Yeah . Sorry for mistaking your identity.

Well, my name have 2 pronounciation in regards to determining if that is a male name of a female name.

Jean - as pronounced like Jean - Luke Picard , then I maybe male.
I think this name is mostly used in Europe countries as a male name.

and ..
Jean - as Jean Grey in X-Men , then I'm a female.
Which is commonly used here in Asia.