Mankind's long dream and secret fear had at last come true

The americans were the first to pick up the transmission. Radio pulses from the vicinity of Jupiter, they had a regular pattern and frequency never encountered before.

Then the orbiting telescope, the Big Eye, showed an object circling Jupiter. Not a moonlet or captured meteorite, it was an artificial craft, the product of intelligent life.

At once an absolute security screen was imposed. When the Russians picked up the signals, they also realised the implications. and imposed a total security blanket.

But the alien craft changed its orbit, moved away from the huge planet and set its course for Earth. Intelligent life was coming to meet intelligent life and no security system devised by Man could keep the news secret.