Exhibit 1a: Audio-Visual Signal One Way Retrieval
Proof that extinct Earth-based intelligent lifeforms had invaded our territory.
"Is this thing on?"
...
"Oh great, I'm glad you're receiving me. Wow, over 2 billion viewers already! I snuck this in using a cloaking container, but I felt this wormhole transceiver was necessary."
...
"Oh, right? Who am I? A janitor, believe it or not."
...
"Ha, that's very funny, a space junk disposer ... Well, I'm a disposer, that's for sure. The term janitor is a codename for those of us on search and destroy missions. Well, should I say we're a squad? There's a few thousand of us on board, ready, locked, and loaded ..."
...
"Why am I streaming to you? I was just about to get to that. I'm in the middle of a moral crisis here. We've never used the wormhole tech to visit an alien solar system to annihilate a species ..."
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
...
"That's right. You were told it was for terraforming a new Earth. I'm afraid not, folks. Intelligence says there's a hostile, predatory species that tortured and slaughtered our third envoy, and they're trying to trace our residual wormhole tunnel back to our homeworld."
...
"Oh yeah, we've sent several reconnaissance teams, like in a cloak-and-dagger style. Top secret."
...
"Why am I willing to risk a court marshal to tell you? We've been invaders of everything on our planet. We've ruined entire ecosystems, and we've caused mass extinctions. I can't accept that we'll start an interstellar conflict, at least without first suing for peace."
...
"Oh, that alarm you hear? That's a red alert. Hold on, folks ... it sounds like there's extraterrestrial communication going on."
...
"You heard that too? The aliens found us and are threatening to occupy our ship."
...
"I don't know why we can all hear it. Somehow this communication between ourselves causes the ship and alien signals to be picked up as well."
...
"That's right. It's our protocol. The captain just initiated a self-destruct."
...
"Why don't I seem afraid? I am, but we've trained for these self-sacrificing maneuvers countless times. We're told to never expect a return trip home on every mission. We're mentally prepared for the worst-case scenario."
...
"Yes, once initiated, self-destruct cannot be stopped. I'm about to die soon, folks. It'll collapse the wormhole and prevent the aliens from getting whatever information they want."
...
"I know, I know. I heard that too! They're tracing this stream back to Earth, and they even mentioned our galactic coordinates! What have I done?"