Free Ancient Birthright by Kendrick E. Knight

you can work on this worthless theory. The waste receptacles have gone un-emptied all cycle, and I am receiving complaints about it. This is your primary area of responsibility. I knew this would happen when I agreed to Command Prime’s request to take you on. I can’t even rely on you to complete that simple task. See to it immediately.”
    Seething, Saigg completed the sequence modification and transmitted it before going to empty the waste receptacles he’d cleaned out an hour ago. Well...all but one. That container was also in the waste-recy bin since he’d kicked it so hard the side had caved in, making it useless.

Chapter-9
    Socorro, New Mexico: Transjump plus 0 years, 184 days:
     
    Beldon studied his latest data file from the VLA. The object he’d found was coming toward Earth. The radar data showed the object just under four point seven billion miles away, and it was on a course that would intersect with Earth’s orbit. The current VLA system projection was that the two masses would cross paths in one hundred and forty-six years at current velocities. His data tonight showed clearly, that the object’s current velocity was changing. It was accelerating toward Earth. Each day of acceleration shortened the time until it intersected Earth’s orbit. He calculated an impact or near miss in a little less than five years if the rate of acceleration remained constant. When he opened the sequence tag file, he smiled and jammed his clenched fist in the air. The information was changed to vertical lines rather than the horizontal ones he’d transmitted. This meant the intelligence on the receiving end found his pattern and displayed it, then recognized it for the pattern it represented. He could now attempt to send a scanned picture. He just had to break it down to equal length lines of data.
    Beldon found a book with a reasonable graphic of the solar system. He scanned it on his flatbed scanner and converted the captured image into the ones and zeros he’d need to transmit the picture. Before transmission, he added an arrow that pointed at Earth on the graphic.
    Seven hours later, his heart pounding, he displayed the returned picture on his computer monitor. It showed the picture he’d sent. Now, not only did Earth have an arrow pointing to it, it had a smaller second satellite much smaller than the Moon and a circle that showed the second object closely circling Earth.
    “Dust off the dining room table and tidy up the teepee, company is coming for a visit,” Beldon said.
    He rubbed his temples as he thought. It’s time to get serious with the communications, and find out what their intentions are and where they’re from. The next transmission should be something that will give us common ground to build on. We’re communicating in binary or base two, the language of Earth’s current computer systems.
    Binary is unlikely to be the normal number system used by the approaching object unless it’s totally computer controlled. Current theory holds that humans use a base ten counting system because we have ten fingers. I can start with a page of base ten numbers and see what comes back. I’ll send the same information I sent as the example binary sums where the last two numbers aren’t added together.
    First, I’ll need to send a page with the numbers zero through nine and several examples showing how the symbols progressed past nine. Then I’ll need to include the binary equivalents to ensure they understand my meaning. On the bottom half of the page, I’ll include the previously transmitted numbers and sums along with several new unsolved problems.
    Less than an hour later, Beldon clicked the transmitter activate button on his computer screen.
    #
    Beldon looked at the stack of homework he had to complete before tomorrow morning and groaned. It had been almost a year since he started his search using the radio telescope system. These all night sessions working with the VLA antennas, were beginning to take