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A cosmic signal vanishes when you move the beam off source. Local interference stays — that's how you tell them apart.
The VELA‑7 radio telescope array sits on the edge of the Atacama desert, listening to the sky around the hydrogen line (1420 MHz) for a signal nature can't make. Every night brings a new, random target and a fresh field of signals. Most nights are empty. But sooner or later — a narrow line that can't be explained. You're the operator. Director Dr. Mira Halden believes someone is listening; analyst Tomas thinks it's all noise.
In their shadow stands the Aldous Vrenn affair — a scientist ruined thirty years ago by one premature announcement. That's why one rule holds here without exception.
Find a real carrier and you'll decode its message and talk to the species behind it (some friendly, some not). The game runs as long as you like; New target takes you onward. Open the Codex and Dossier top-right. Mind your credibility — false alarms shut the program down.
Every source has its signature. Compare the shape in the waterfall with these examples.
We recorded 437 bits repeating in a loop. The sequence can be assembled into a picture — but only if you guess the correct grid width. The sender chose it so the bit count has only one meaningful division.
The signal from Proxima wasn't alone. The moment the channel opened, other voices answered from the deep — a network of worlds that has whispered for centuries. Some want to talk. Who they are and what they want — you must judge for yourself. The rule holds here too: appearance is not proof. Listen, ask, and watch who you tell what.
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