Initially, the announcement was treated with skepticism. Whether jealousy or genuine doubt, most scientists had trouble believing a system had been invented that would finally make interstellar travel possible. It took several months to verify the team's research, but NASA confirmed their findings and recommended immediate development.

The plan was to construct a device that would accelerate photons to greater than light speed without converting them to energy. This would cause a 'quirck' in time, and open a tunnel in space. If a ship were to enter the tunnel, it would exit the other end, perhaps light-years away, without experiencing any time loss. This technique of transportation would allow man to travel to the farthest reaches of the galaxy in mere moments.

There were three problems with the Quirk Drive, however. First, the device could not be tested on Earth, because its minimum range would put the far end of the tunnel outside the atmosphere. The difference in pressure would instantly transport Earth's atmosphere into space causing catastrophic disaster. If the device were to be tested, it would have to be placed in an actual spacecraft.

The second problem was power. To accelerate the photons, a series of super-cooled electromagnets had to be activated at the exact moment the particle approached them. Furthermore, the photon's path had to be bombarded by a stream of protons that would allow the particles to exceed the velocity of light. The power that would be necessary would be unbelievable. Even using nuclear fuels, the generator would weigh hundreds of tons.

The third problem was one of statistics. The scientists had done everything they could to make their equations as precise as possible, but still had a .0001% margin of error. When considering a distance of one light- year, the researchers found that the ship could miss its destination by almost six million miles!

After several months of conferences and Congressional debate, the decision was made to go ahead with the project. The company that had developed the Quirk Drive received the contract to construct a space probe and test their theory. The probe was to be small, manned only by lab animals, and equipped with research equipment to collect data about the star it was sent to explore.

As the project continued, the scientists decided that Alpha Centauri was the only logical destination for the probe. It became apparent, however, that there was another problem. If the Quirk Drive were to open the tunnel, and the ship were to fly through, but not return, they would have no way of knowing whether it was destroyed on the way out or back.

It was decided that the probe would be equipped with a transmitter, and would beam all its data back to Earth. Now, the scientists were faced with the fact that if the ship did not return on schedule, it would take four years for the message of its fate to reach them.

It took nine months of intensive work, cost overruns, and design delays before the probe was finally assembled in orbit and prepared for departure. It was launched and sailed to a position halfway between the Moon and Earth. The entire planet watched as Houston counted down. There was a sudden flash of light, and the probe was gone.

The scientific community was overcome by panic. Everyone with a computer and a degree speculated as to whether the Quirk Drive had worked, or exploded and reduced the ten billion dollar probe to a cloud of subatomic particles. People condemned the government for spending tax dollars on such a folly as interstellar travel. Alas, two weeks passed and, seventeen seconds early, the probe returned.

Every newspaper in every country hailed it as the achievement of the century, and announced a new era for mankind. People around the world formed lobby groups, frontier settlement groups, and exploration teams in hopes of being aboard the first manned starship. The tests proved that the animals suffered from nothing more than malnutrition, and that the system was safe for human use.

Thirty-four countries helped design and build the first exploration vessel. The ship would have to carry nuclear fuel for a two way trip using the Quirk Drive, enough food to feed the crew for several months, a landing craft to explore the surface of one planet, and a full array of computer and scientific equipment, as the ship would be isolated by four years of empty space. Almost miraculously, long time enemies called truces and worked side by side to build the ship.

The ship's construction and testing was completed ahead of schedule. The hand-picked crew of international experts boarded the ship and waved good-bye during the televising of the maiden voyage. On the second anniversary of the probe's return, the ship left orbit, sailed into space, and disappeared with a bright flash.

The ship arrived in the Alpha Centauri system between the fifth and sixth planets, and the crew immediately started collecting information. For the first week, the crew studied the new star system and gathered general data about the planets. When no more could be done from there position in space, the Captain fired the chemical engines to guide the ship to the nearest planet.

Planet number five was about the size of Earth's moon and had an atmosphere. Research showed that the air on the planet was mostly helium, and was far below freezing at the equator. It seemed as if the planet were nothing more than frozen tundra. Not appearing to be hospitable, the Captain plotted a course for the third planet.

The three month journey was tough on the crew, who were already showing signs of stress. When they finally arrived at planet number three, the Captain breathed a sign of relief. The ship had been stocked with food for seven months, and they had already been underway for five. He realized this would be the last planet they would explore, as two and four were both on the opposite side of the star.

The crew hopped to life and started to record data about the planet. When the atmospheric probe reported traces of oxygen and carbon dioxide in a mostly nitrogen atmosphere, the crew's moral began to soar. With air similar to that on Earth, the Captain decided to send the lander and exploration team to the surface. All that was necessary, was an acceptable landing site.

After four days of almost continuous work, the head of the surface mapping team staggered into the mess hall and fell into a chair next to the Captain. At first it was assumed that exhaustion had caused the officer to babbled unintelligibly about the photograph he clutched in his hand. When he offered the picture for inspection, all fell numb.

The Captain asked if their could be any mistake, and the cartargrapher said no. The picture was definitely a pyramid, one-hundred thirty meters square and seventy-five meters tall. To further complicate the mystery, the photograph displayed six clear, circular areas several hundred meters across surrounding the pyramid at exactly equal distance. One of the six areas was chosen as a landing sight, and the mission was prepared. The next morning the lander was released from the mothership, and flew to the surface.

The four men on the lander had been instructed to wear their spacesuits when outside as a precaution against contamination by microorganisms, and as such had to return to the lander to eat and sleep. To prevent inhaling alien germs, they breathed only the sterile oxygen they had brought with them.

Immediately upon landing, the explorers knew they were viewing the work of an advanced society. From the windows of the vehicle, they could see that the circular area upon which they had landed, was made of carefully hewn stone several meters thick. It was apparent the builders had not constructed the perfectly flat and level surface simply for entertainment, and the team knew that certainly the pyramid would hold the secret of the circles.

Three men ventured out of the lander at first light to explore the pyramid, and the fourth stayed behind to act as a relay between them and the mothership. It was a one kilometer hike to the structure, and the men became more and more sure, with every step, that the pyramid had definitely been constructed for a purpose. They further reported that the pyramid was the center of what appeared to be a crumbling, ancient city.

The astronauts walked down the silent, empty, long dead streets, toward the giant pyramid that towered over the decrepit village. Occasionally, they would stop to investigate a hut or building, but they never lingered more than a moment because of the lure of the pyramid and the desire to see what secrets it might reveal. They chattered absent-mindedly over their radios about the culture, the age of the city, and a possible relation to the pyramids of Earth.

When they reached the structure they were amazed to find a huge opening and a long hallway that lead deep into the heart of the pyramid. As they walked down the corridor, the men became aware of a strange glow in front of them. At first they thought it was an exit, but as they drew closer, they realized that it was a room. The three men stepped into the room and stopped in awe.

Though the room was only one hundred feet square, simply being within the structure caused the men to feel insignificant. To think that a civilization had constructed the such a magnificent piece of architecture was mind- numbing in and of itself, but the astronaut's thoughts had not prepared them for what they found inside. About the room, at seemingly random intervals, were dozens of metal poles. The rods varied in height, had one end embedded in the rock floor, and the other end extending skyward. On top of each pole, were perfectly spherical pieces of sculpted marble of different colors and sizes. A quick count yielded ninety poles, not counting the one in the middle.

The pole in the middle of the room was unique. Instead of being capped by a ball of marble like the others, there was a piece of cut crystal about four inches in diameter that glowed brightly. Further investigation showed that the crystal's glow came from a complex series of mirrors that crisscrossed the roof of the pyramid, such that the light from the planet's sun was always focused on it. What was even more incredible was the fact that around the base of the pole was a group of characters that looked as if they might form words. They were the only characters the astronauts had seen.

Word was sent back to the mothership of the discovery, sending its crew into a frenzy of anticipation. The four astronauts on the planet used every second of daylight to explore the city and pyramid. They took hundreds of photographs, hours of video tape, and filled dozens of notebooks with information on their discovery. They dragged sacks of artifacts back to the lander and poured over every piece, carefully cataloging and packing them for launch.

Every square inch of the pyramid was plotted, and precise measurements were made from pole to pole to ensure exact alignment and position. The astronauts continued to search for clues as to the purpose of the pyramid, but came up with nothing. Even an effort to locate a secret passage was fruitless. After three days on the planet's surface, the decision was made to cut the meals in half to lengthen the team's stay.

At the end of seventh day, the astronauts were almost out of air, and asked permission to supplement their oxygen with the planet's atmosphere. The Captain explained the information they had collected were too valuable to run the risk of an alien virus killing the crew. The team leader agreed, and a launch time was set.

In preparing for takeoff, the astronauts became aware of a terrible problem. The artifacts were too heavy for the ship to safely launch. After considering leaving one man behind, they decided to dump half of their treasures to lighten the ship. Rather than loose the specimens, one of the astronauts suggested they strip all unnecessary equipment from the lander to lighten the ship.

The Captain approved the plan, and the crew worked feverishly to dismantle equipment that did not directly related to launch or navigation. The men threw out used oxygen tanks, computers, food, water, even their fire extinguishers and emergency gear, just to lighten the load. After several hours of exhaustive work, they launched safely skyward.

When they arrived at the mothership, the astronauts were greeted by a hero's welcome. The Captain ordered a giant celebration and released all nonessential personnel from duty. After several hours of merriment, the crew returned to work and began planning the trip home. Two days later the Quirk Drive was activated, and the ship returned to the Solar System.

The exploration ship suddenly appeared on Earth's radar scopes, and the news of its return spread like a forest fire. Every man, woman, and child sat glued to their television sets waiting for a report from the crew. The world's leaders were the first to be briefed on the missions findings, and were stunned to find out that they were not alone in the universe. Many of them were relieved to hear that what ever intelligent civilization had built the pyramid was long since dead.

With all of the artifacts safely returned to Earth, scientists started studying, dating, and investigating every piece. Many imaginative views of the aliens and their lifestyle made their way to the public, but everyone was still enthralled by the mystery of the pyramid. Pyramid books, documentaries, and scale models were produced for the people to entertain themselves, but as of yet no one had an answer.

One idea was that the pyramid was a temple, and the center glowing post represented the builders' god. The originators of the theory explained that the tallest posts symbolized the society's men, the medium height posts were women, and the short ones were children. When it was pointed out that the crystal post was only medium height, many explained that the god was a woman. Most sociologists did not accept this theory because it meant that the man posts were 'above' the god post, and surely no society would be that arrogant.

Another idea was that maybe the pyramid was an arena where some unusual alien game was played. After this news broke, every large city started construction of pyramid arenas, and pyramid games were an overnight success. A board game was even marketed for children.

Many people chose to believe that the pyramid was a tomb, similar to those on Earth. It was imagined that the posts were tombstones that somehow honored the dead. Still others felt that if the posts were turned in the proper order, a vault would be exposed that would reveal the secrets of the universe.

The decision was made to launch another expedition and construct a second ship. With the success of the first mission adding fuel to the fires of curiosity, everyone that could help build the new ship, volunteered their services. Business and industry responded so well, and international cooperation was so high, that instead of one, three new ships were built.

Early on an April morning, the three new ships, and the resupplied ship from the first mission, all ventured off to explore new star systems in search of information that would benefit mankind. The ships traveled to Procyon, Sirius, Wolf 359, and back to Alpha Centauri. The people of Earth, again, waited for the news from space.

A group of scientists working on the mystery of the pyramid thought they might have found a clue to its purpose. Their research seemed to indicate that the relationship between the poles was similar to the position of the stars around Alpha Centauri. When the International Astronomical Union checked the findings, they reported that the positions were not similar... they were exact. The pyramid was a planetarium that could be used for interstellar travel and the six circles were most likely landing pads for spacecraft. The decrepit city had once been an interstellar spaceport.

Up to this point, everyone had assumed the alien culture to be a primitive, backward, society. This new information showed it had been a highly advanced and skilled people that might have been capable of space travel before Earthlings had learned the world was round. This new information was immediately beamed into deep space in a vain effort to tell the other ships, but it was too late-- it would take four to six years for the signals to reach them.

With the knowledge that the poles formed a stellar map, linguists and cryptographers started trying to break the code of the characters that had been found around the middle pole. Other scientists had found markings on some of the artifacts, and were beginning to piece together an alien alphabet. Since the astronomers had found out that the poles formed a map and the crystal post represented Alpha Centauri, the code-breakers tried to determine a relation between the characters and the map.

Two months after the ships had left Earth, the CIA called a press conference. A short, balding man stepped up to the lecturn and announced that the CIA had discovered the meaning of the symbols. He went on to explain that the CIA wasn't usually involved in space exploration, but since this was a problem of decoding, they thought they could help. Their experts were so sure of themselves, they asked the KGB to double check their work.

As the world watched, beads of sweat formed on the man's head. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brow as he explained that the KGB had confirmed their findings with almost 100% assurance. The man licked his lips and stared into the dozens of cameras with a pathetic look. Every human being within sight of a television or earshot of a radio held their breath as the man drew a piece of paper from his coat pocket. Every heart stopped and every mind waited to hear the secrets of the universe.

He cleared his throat and his voice cracked as he read the alien words aloud. They said: "You Are Here."