after many years of research and countless failures, we have finally created a machine that utilizes captured neutrinos and can map out the whole universe and scan for other signs of life and make contact with them. my lifelong dream was finally going to be complete, and we would know finally if there is anyone other than us.

there were protests from religious groups and a minority whom believed we were trying to gain authority and economy advantage over even more countries, although our research was purely the result of the curiosity of us scientists and the funding were from private companies. there were also few absurd groups whom believed the second coming was approaching that their "heavenly father" (aliens) would come back to earth and bring them "home". people whom claimed to have be abducted by aliens pleaded us not to continue with the launch, afraid that our actions might be offensive to the other beings.

the launch went ahead nonetheless. as the satellite rose into the clouds i wondered what we would find. perhaps we would make contact and establish a peaceful relationship with relatively nearby beings. or maybe there will be intergalactic wars with similar humanoid beings who decide that their own planet isn't enough.

when the scan was complete, we received the most accurate map ever drawn out of the universe. every single planet was mapped out to astonishing detail, from the most massive star to the smallest moon. eerie landscapes ever unseen appeared on our screens and mesmerizing patterns formed on the surfaces and new elements and materials were discovered. people were amazed and looked through the maps in awe spending days and nights at our website that only showed a small portion of the information we have.

after the initial amazement subsided, we looked for traces of water and life. there were planets that had environments exactly like ours, but no carbon-based life forms developed. there were planets that rained and had a similar water cycle, but no life, just rocks and water and air. there were no life-forms based on other elements either, the types we thought were theoretically possible never really appeared on the other planets, just in our dreams and imaginations. perhaps there might be intelligent beings even further out, or just behind the edge of our universe, but what we saw there was just nothingness, no stars, no planets, and the space just fades off forever.

so all the while the people who claimed abduction by aliens were lying, perhaps dreaming or simply nuts. people had always been scaring themselves, getting stressed over photos of cigarette smoke, water drops, exhaled breath, film glitches, light leaks, developing drips and even camera straps that fell over the lens, so why not get scared about aliens too?

after a while i thought about it, and i got depressed. we are alone in this vast, endless universe, and there is no one else. we live, we die, nothing happens. we are pointless.