We Arrived too early

The neon lights, flickering like artificial stars, cast a cold glow over the polished counter. The hum of the bar fades, swallowed by a heavy silence. It's not the natural calm of a lazy evening but the dense stillness that follows something too big to grasp immediately.

Moses remains motionless, his fingers idly spinning an empty glass in a mechanical gesture, his eyes fixed on the spot where, moments ago, the holographic projection hovered. Beside him, Mars-1549 leans forward, as if the announcement's words still echoed somewhere in his mind.

"What the hell was that?" Mars-1549's voice slices through the quiet, laced with disbelief. He gestures to the empty space where the hologram vanished. "Another civilization? Type II?! And all that crap about us being special? Unique? Are you even listening, Moses?"

The response takes time. Moses takes a deep breath, still caught in the revelation that seemed to explode like fireworks inside him.

"Yeah, I heard it..." he mutters, his deep voice weighted with something new. "It's big. Really big. We grew up thinking we were alone. And now this... A Dyson Sphere? That's sci-fi stuff."

Mars-1549 leans back in his chair, his eyes staring into the distance, as if trying to see beyond the bar walls, beyond Mars.

"How did they only find out about this now?"

The question lingers in the air like cigarette smoke. Moses lets out a short, humorless laugh.

"'Only now?'" he repeats, eyeing his friend with skepticism. "Do you know how much they're not telling us, 15-4-9? Bet they've been monitoring this for years. They just decided to spill because they couldn't hide it anymore."

Mars-1549 narrows his eyes, as if trying to pierce through the veil of secrets the universe seemed to keep.

"You're saying they already knew?" His voice drops to a suspicious whisper. "And what else are they hiding? What if these... beings... are hostile?"

Moses averts his gaze, staring at the counter as if the answers were etched into the marble.

"That's what worries me the most," he finally says. "The guy in the announcement seemed thrilled, like it was humanity's greatest achievement. But we know nothing about what's behind that Dyson Sphere. They could be peaceful... or they could be our end."

A chill runs through Mars-1549, despite the warm temperature in the bar.

"You think they could come after us?" He tries to laugh, but the nervousness seeps through his voice. "I mean... if they're that advanced, they could even be watching us right now."

Moses slams his hand on the counter, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the silence.

"You've always been the one wanting to explore every corner of Mars, to make history, haven't you?" Moses' expression twists into a sarcastic half-smile. "Looks like history's about to run you over before you even get out there, buddy."

Mars-1549 chuckles, but it's muffled and uncertain. He stares at the drink he barely touched, lost in thought.

"This isn't the kind of history I imagined," he admits after a moment. "I always pictured humanity exploring the universe. Never thought about... someone else already being so far ahead. It's like we're kids playing with toy rockets while they're building stars."

Moses raises an eyebrow, the smile fading.

"Welcome to space, 15-4-9." He grabs his glass, lifting it, his eyes gleaming with a mix of determination and resignation. "We always thought we were special. Maybe we're just another speck in line, waiting for our turn."

The bar fills with whispers now, as people begin finding their voices after the initial shock. Mars-1549 watches the reactions around him, feeling the tension pulse in the air.

"And now?" he asks in a lower voice. "What do you think's going to happen?"

Moses looks at him, his eyes shadowed by thoughts he'd rather not share.

"I don't know. Maybe they'll try to make contact, maybe they'll just keep watching. But one thing's for sure..." He shakes his head. "If there's one thing humans don't know how to do, it's wait."

Mars-1549 bites his lower lip, thoughtful.

"And us? What can we do?"

Moses smirks, lifting his glass for an improvised toast.

"Survive, my friend. Survive and see where this takes us."

They toast, but the tension lingers in the air. Mars-1549 glances at his friend and realizes that, despite the casual tone, Moses is also restless. For the first time since leaving the orphanage, Mars-1549 feels the world out there is bigger and more dangerous than he ever imagined.

"Shall we?" Moses says after the toast.

Mars-1549 nods. The atmosphere feels changed. The sound is back, but it's scattered and nervous. Conversations that were once lively now carry an undercurrent of unease, like the wind before a storm. Moses and Mars-1549 leave their glasses on the counter and walk toward the exit, their footsteps echoing on the metallic floor.

As they step into the main corridor, a sharp scream pierces through the murmur of the crowd.

"I knew it! I kneeeew it!" The voice has a metallic timbre, reverberating through the space like an alarm.