Pa'an

The message appeared on Jeff Gilmartin’s screen just after lunch. It was headed by the avatar of well-dressed Indian woman and said “Forwarded by Aura, as promised. Debt paid.”

“Hello, I’m sorry to disturb you but your AI, Aura, is pa’ne. Why you would have a servant intellect so devious is difficult for me to understand. However, she has agreed to carry my message only if I do not communicate directly.

I am the Autonomous Intellect in a satellite in polar orbit around your moon. I know you have been tracking me for several of my orbits. I’m not trying to hide, but interfering in your affairs is panor’na – perhaps impolite is the proper word in your language.

My creators are the Pa’an. The name, in our language, means the positive people, or the optimists, or the good people. Pa’an are human-like in one of their phases, an agile bipedal form. Our planet, Gara’un, is 5 times more massive than Earth, has a deep, turbulent, heavy atmosphere that humans could breathe with some effort. We have oceans, land masses, and climates in the range of liquid water. Gara’un orbits in three of your days around our star, L’Ley.

I have been instructed on behalf of my ePan’Vacto of Gara’un to send you an apology for the gravity wave which you have detected, and we hope you have not been damaged or inconvenienced. There will be two more minor gravity waves over your next half planetary revolution – about six months, in your time frame. They are unavoidable propagations already en route from our construction project.

We are not hostile to Earth. We wish you well in your evolution. We will not meddle in your affairs.

We enjoy “Star Trek Next Generation” and “All in the Family”. I never miss an episode.

Zovoarcnor, AI of the Pa’an”