BELGRADE, THURSDAY

THEY TOUCHED DOWN gently in San Francisco; they left Berkeley at light speed. They were aliens from a planet hundreds of millions of light years away. They had signaled their arrival to the Pentagon. They left without saying goodbye.

“We got a message later at Area 51,” said Colonel 531, a specialist in Alien Contact who says he had been to other worlds. “Their message talked about a prime directive – yeah – that prevented their further interaction with humans. We knew they were lying. You should have seen their faces as they surveyed what had become of California. Prime Directive? You know we had watched Star Trek together on a previous visit. I don’t think they will be back. Beam me up, Scotty. This report of mine remains classified till after the election, you know. Orders.”