Captain Martin Smith and his crew traveled while in stasis to the vast beyond—an interstellar mission to Proxima B—propelled by an experimental laser sail system.

"What? What's going on?" Captain Smith awoke to an alien standing over him and staring into his eyes.

"At ease, Captain. Don't be startled. We know your language. We understand the purpose of your journey—colonization. But, we're also aware of your planet's fatal climate outcome and its foreseeable wars using ever more advanced technology—we predict total annihilation to come ..."

"Do you plan to stop us, now?"

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"No, Captain, we have a proposal. Obviously, you and your crew represent the top tier of your species—willing to take considerable risks to answer one of the greatest questions: 'Who and what else is out there?'

"What's your proposal, Alien?"

"We need workers, Captain, because, unfortunately, our species has evolved too far ahead intellectually for physical labor, which is necessary for colonizing other planets, and we too must leave our dying homeworld or face extinction."

"But you're here, right in front of me ..."

"No, Captain, what you see is my holographic projection."

"So what do you want, Alien?"

"Nothing more than your leadership and their obedience. You and your crew shall be supreme rulers over your kind—with our technology and knowledge, and with humanity's 'manpower,' beside us, you'll dominate the cosmos."