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715 - How to Comunicate with Alliens 101
🕑 Added 2024-09-06 10:22:50 +0000 UTCEarth, CUBE.
In the expansive room atop the highest floor of the CUBE, Aron, Rina, Henry, his parents, her parents—his father recently released from prison a few months ago—the heads of the three ministries, Sarah, Felix, the head of all agencies collaborating with ARES on first contact, were gathered.
Unlike their usual VR instances, everyone was physically present this time.
The same with Nova, Nyx, Gaia, and Athena who were attending in their nanomachine bodies, seated around the massive table with the others.
Despite their strong confidence in the security of the quantum network, they weren't willing to take the risk of being trapped in VR. The possibility of being imprisoned in a virtual space and used as leverage for an unfair agreement was not zero, especially when their lives, and not a random citizen’s, were on the line. Such a decision, if made under duress, would be far harder to resist when they themselves were the targets.
As a result, Aron decided that all interactions related to the Visitors would be conducted face-to-face. The quantum network would serve only as a communication and monitoring tool. This approach was mirrored across the empire: everyone in VR was forcefully logged out, with access to VR suspended. Only AR and other non-VR functions were permitted. This precaution was implemented after a thorough explanation was given about the potential risks and the necessity of ensuring their security.
In front of them was a massive screen displaying various views and data from the ship. This was the only advanced piece of technology aboard, though its outer exterior still emitted some radio signals to maintain a facade. The room was filled with a tense mix of anxiety and excitement, as this was the moment they were initiating their first actual contact.
As they watched in silence, the audio of the command given by the ship's commander came through: "Start sending the communication signals."
This marked the point of no return, causing everyone in the room to take a deep breath. The next developments would determine their approach and interaction with the Visitors.
Amidst the ball of anxiety and silence in the room, Henry turned to his brother and asked, “Brother, how do we communicate with species that we don’t even know how they look, how they talk, or what their language is?” Despite his whisper, almost everyone in the room heard the question due to their heightened senses.
“Good question,” Aron replied, his eyes leaving the screen as he addressed his brother. “What needs to happen for two conflicting sides to reach an agreement?” he asked, using this approach to guide Henry's response.
“A common enemy risking both sides’ bottom line?” Henry answered, unsure where Aron was going with the question but continuing with the flow knowing there was a reason behind it.
“Good, a common enemy,” Aron said, “which means they now have something in common that brings them together. And here we are, using something common to both sides, something we both have regardless of the circumstances.”
Before he could elaborate further, Henry asked, “What is it?” sensing that this was the next piece of the puzzle needed to reach Aron’s answer, as his brother often responded to such queries in his explanations.
“What is the most abundant element in the universe?” Aron asked, his smile unwavering.
Henry thought for a moment before responding, “There’s mana, but since our understanding of it is still limited, I’d say dark matter by mass and hydrogen by the number of atoms.”
“Exactly,” Aron said. “All of those are correct. However, we need something that doesn’t require special equipment to discover or interact with. That’s why we chose hydrogen, which makes up about ninety percent of all the atoms in the universe.”
“So how are we going to use that to communicate?” Henry asked, looking at Aron with curiosity.
“Watch closely,” Aron replied, extending his hand over the table. The nanomachines embedded in the table immediately activated, projecting a hologram to assist with his explanation.
“We’re utilizing the hyperfine transition of neutral hydrogen,” Aron began, as the hologram displayed a visual representation of the process. “This occurs when the electron in a hydrogen atom flips its spin relative to the proton. This flip causes a small release of energy, emitting a photon with a wavelength of 21 centimeters and a frequency of 1,420 megahertz.”
As Aron spoke, the hologram illustrated the transition and its associated wavelength, making it easier to grasp.
“This gives us three things,” Aron continued. “The first is the understanding of binary, which is fundamental. It’s something that any technologically advanced species should be able to comprehend. We’ll use the 21-centimeter wavelength as a representation of ‘1’ and the absence of this wavelength as ‘0’.
Once this binary system is established, we can determine a reference time and distance—0.7 nanoseconds which is equal to one full oscillation of the transition for time and 21 centimeters wavelength for distance.”
Henry watched intently, absorbing the information as the hologram showed how these principles fit together.
“With these three elements—time, distance, and binary systems—set as our standards, we can introduce mathematical concepts, a universal language that transcends species and civilizations to form a common ground that can bridge gaps in understanding, regardless of the differences in appearance or spoken languages which will eventually lead to establishing a common language,” Aron concluded.
“But won’t that take a long time?” Henry asked, having processed Aron’s explanation.
“If it were a direct exchange between species, yes, it would be quite time-consuming,” Aron acknowledged. “However, we’ll have our AI and their AI handle the initial communication. They can form a basic language between themselves, which we can then use as a bridge for communication with us. This process will be faster, provided they’re not hostile and don’t immediately launch an attack.”
Aron’s gaze shifted back to the massive screen, which displayed their ship sending out the same signal at regular intervals. The repetition was intentional, accounting for the time it would take for the Visitors to detect, capture, and begin interpreting the signal. This time frame could range from a few minutes to several days, depending on the sophistication of the Visitors’ technology.
Amidst the explanation, Felix, Sarah, Rina’s and Aron’s parents listened attentively. They had joined the meeting at Aron’s invitation and had not been briefed on the details beforehand. Despite their unfamiliarity with the specifics, they found the explanation fascinating and easy to understand even for those who were not very knowledgeable in the field of communicating with aliens.
“Now, how are you going to respond?” Aron asked in a low voice, tapping on the table as he refocused on the data streaming across the screen.
