Okay, Yulia. The message is indeed the same, the frequency corresponds to the transmission frequencies in space
From the spacecraft to Earth, Yulia added.
Yes, the doctor confirmed Yulias remark, but we caught this message. The source is near Kanchenjunga. Maybe there was a mistake in the coordinates?
Yulia rolled her eyes.
There could be a mistake in the coordinates, or in the decoding, or even in the signals Im receiving now. It could be a repeater error, or just a set of radio data, electromagnetic activity, etc. But thats too much error for a system that just needs to be hung on the ceiling. And that! she pointed to the old speakers, which were playing another batch of international hits.
Dr Capri stood up and stretched his shoulders. He looked at Yulias computer monitor, then out the window, then at the wires going into the control box. He yawned with fatigue and covered his mouth with his hand.
If were at a blind alley, I have to tell Dr Lamichen, Tulu-Manchi said.
Maybe I should call my boss first? doubtfully, Yulia said.
Yes, you can call him. On that computer, Dr Capri pointed to the old white computer in the corner, there is the Internet. Meanwhile, Ill go downstairs.
Yulia was left alone and felt despair creep in. What the hell is going on here? she thought. She copied the data onto a flash drive. Mozarts Magic Flute. Aria of the Queen of the Night played on the speakers. Yulia didnt like the pressure of this music. She turned down the volume and went to the computer on the opposite wall. There Yulia launched Skype and typed in her bosss username.
Hello, said Yulias boss, hows work going?
Mikhail Nikolaevich, we installed the system, but we are getting strange data. Can I send you the information, so you can check?
Tell me in words what happened, Mikhail asked doubtfully.
Well, to make a long story short, after the installation the system went crazy. It found an anomaly, not a space anomaly, but here, on the ground. The source is somewhere in the mountains. The system shows a large emission of energy and electromagnetic radiation.
So
I decoded the signal. It was an audio signal on a long-range frequency. The signal Yulia turned to her laptop and heard faint sounds of music, the signal is a golden record from Voyager. Remember, music, greetings, sounds of Earth? she became confused.
Mikhail Nikolayevichs face changed. It was apparent, even with the poor Internet bandwidth and the low quality of the picture, that he did not know how to respond. He was still waiting for Yulia to continue.
Its kind of weird, Mikhail said, singing the words a little bit.
I checked everything, the system works properly. Its not the settings. The system must have reacted to the frequency of the signal.
She knew that none of the Roscosmos executives dont like it when employees cant make assumptions on their own to solve a problem. And emergency situations were not something Mikhail Nikolayevich liked.
All right, Yulia, send us all the data, well check it now.
I already did.
Mikhail Nikolaevich checked the mail, saw the letter from Yulia, clicked the forward icon, typed a few words and sent the letter.
Stay by the computer, Ill call you back, said the boss goodbye.
Yulia, disconnected. She sat by the computer, trying to figure out how disappointed the boss was, until scraps of the sounds of the ill-fated recording reached her. Its a bug, and I cant explain it, Yulia thought.
Dr Capri and Dr Lamichen came up to the room. Tulu-Manchi was explaining the situation to him in Nepali. Giyanu Lamichen quietly listened to his colleagues story and nodded approvingly. Nothing seemed to bother him. Yulia could only understand words like Voyager and Bach in the doctors words.
Right, Dr Lamichen said in English. Yulia, you need to look into the causes of this mistake. It is very important for us. Please start over. Ill call the workers, and you can reinstall the whole system.
But Yulia began, its not about the installation. Its about the signal. Either its some kind of experiment by the Chinese, or its a reflection of the satellite signal, she couldnt believe what she was saying, but she continued on. I informed my supervisor, and he is checking the signal now. Hell check with the Chinese if he needs to.
Then continue, Dr Lamichen said in English, looking at Tulu-Manchi.
Dr Capri nodded back at him, and Dr Lamichen left the room.
What does your boss say? Tulu-Manchi asked Yulia.
He said he would call back when he checked the signal.
Yulia, what else do we know about this signal? taking a seat next to him, Dr Capri asked.
Well, lets start from the beginning, Yulia sighed heavily. First of all, its on the frequency we use to transmit the signal from spacecraft to Earth. Second, along with the information signal, a powerful magnetic pulse emanates from the same place. The signal is very clear and stable. This does not happen when we are talking about a signal from space.
Okay, assessing Yulias words, the doctor said. What do we know about the information in this signal? he asked the question and started answering it himself. This is the recording that was on Voyager. We were able to get the audio signal, but you say that there are pictures and something else.
Yes, Yulia confirmed, I think in an hour well be able to find out all the exact information when my boss checks the signal through the Roscosmos channels.
Lets check the exact coordinates for now and try to find the nearest village or town on the map, suggested Dr Capri.
Together they went to the old stationary computer. Yulia saw that there was a Skype message from her boss, Call you back in a minute.
She sat down beside the computer. Dr Capri looked at her carefully and asked:
Bad news?
No, Yulia shook her head, he said he would call back in a minute. But for some reason, I am not happy.
A message popped up on the screen indicating an incoming call. Yulia answered and moved closer to the monitor.
Yulia, Mikhail said sharply, barely appearing on the screen.
Noticing Dr Capri, he said in English.
Hello. Ill quickly tell Yulia the information in Russian, and then she will translate it for you.
Dr Capri nodded incomprehensibly and sat down next to Yulia on the chair. The boss began to say something very quickly to Yulia, and she answered briefly.
When did you get the signal? he asked.
An hour or an hour and a half ago.
The signal is stable and strong. We have contacted the Chinese, they can see it. The European Space Agency also confirms the signal. NASA is still saying nothing.
So its not a mistake?
Yulia, what have you found out? Mikhail asked briefly, distracted by the people around him.
We defined the exact coordinates. It is a mountain in Nepal.
Thats already there. Next, looking at the sheets in front of him, Mikhail said.
In addition to the audio signal, the devices show magnetic radiation
Yulia, everything is there. Pictures from Voyager, recordings. This is the whole golden record, and its not something that is posted on the Internet on NASAs website, its the one itself, the original. The signal is very strong and accompanied by very strong magnetic radiation.
What? Yulia turned to Dr Capri and looked at him hopefully.
Dr Capri responded to her gaze, but could not help her. He didnt understand the Russians conversation.
How did the detection work out? Yulia and Tulu-Manchis silent dialogue was interrupted by her boss.
We started the system, and I turned on the search. The equipment started giving me a targeting error. They tried to point again and again, but they couldnt. I turned off the telescope and the system started getting a steady signal through the antennas. I used an audio simulation program, and we heard music. Then we realized it was something familiar Yulia didnt have time to finish her thought.