The arrival

Julia sat on the edge of her bed, and recalled the events of three weeks ago. At that time, she was the press secretary to the President. She was hard nosed, and took no prisoners which earned her a lot of respect with the White House press corps.

It was a day like every other day, or so it seemed. Summer had just begun, and it was bright and sunny. Well, sunny until something big blotted out the sun over the White House. A craft of unknown origin hovered over the White House dome, causing mass panic within the building. Secret Service agents were scrambled and assembled out on the White House lawn, while military battalions and Air **** squadrons were placed on high alert.

Julia was in the Oval Office when it all happened. The Secret Service rushed in to whisk the President and his staff out of harm's way. This, of course, included Julia. They were quickly ushered out of the White House to a waiting Marine One. But before they could make it there, another strange event occurred. Everyone racing toward marine One was stopped dead in their tracks by what materialized right before their very eyes. Four large beings now stood before them. One of them was carrying a rather large book that had strange runes, or glyphs on the front cover. He held up his hand in a peaceful gesture.

"We come in peace," he quickly stated. "We are the Kanamit, and we have traveled long to reach the Earth, so that we may be of service to you." He looked at all the Secret Service agents who had weapons drawn as they surrounded the President. "Please. We mean you no harm." He bowed low as a sign of respect. "May I ask which one of you is the President?"

The President cautiously stepped forward. "That would be me," he said as he signaled his agents to stand down. "You will have to forgive us. We're not used to people just dropping in unannounced."

"That is quite understandable," the Kanamit with the book smiled. "Earth has been known to us for a long time. We have been watching your development from afar. The reason why we are here is to offer you our service. We have noticed your societal changes. Some of which are very good. Others which put mankind on a perilous path." He held up the book. "This is our guide book on how to serve man. We only wish to help you." He stepped forward, and presented the book to the President. "Please accept this copy as our gift to you."

The book for being as big as it was seemed lighter than air. Or at least it seemed that way to Julia when the President handed it to her. He took a step forward after handing the book to her, and held out his hand in a gesture of friendship. "We gratefully accept your gift, and accept your friendship."

The news of the Kanamit landing at the White House, and their peaceful intentions spread like wildfire around the world. Soon a special assembly of the UN was called, and every world leader was summoned to meet with the Kanamits to hear what they had to say. They talked of world peace, ending world hunger, and cures for all known diseases. They proposed cultural exchanges which would find Kanamits and Humans exchanging places to see how each other lived. The Kanamits even called it The Golden Age of Man.

Many people were overwhelmed and excited about the possibility of interstellar travel. Millions signed up to be the first humans to visit the Kanamit home planet, As it turned out, Julia Chambers was one of those people.