The Visitor now began communicating directly with the U.N. The Russian military released the nature of the mission and identified the responsible parties. The acceptance of responsibility was as close to an apology as could be expected. The Visitor seemed satisfied and asked only that all hostilities cease. The U.N. was functioning at a high level with the cooperation of all nations. A formal exchange of diplomatic recognition was offered to The Visitor. The Visitor accepted the recognition but when asked for formal identification replied that it was content to use the title of "The Visitor." Communication protocols were established and an official communication channel was opened. The Visitor remained vague as to its world of origin. It also provided no visual images of its species or even the interior of its ship. The intimate knowledge The Visitor had of the social customs and traditions of the member nations implied an extensive period of observation. When questioned, The Visitor replied that it had been monitoring the radio signals emanating from earth for more than 20 years. It also shared the fact that its mission began after the intense signals from the explosion of nuclear weapons during and after World War II had reached their monitoring station.
The end-of-the-world concerns moderated significantly with the explanation that The Visitor was here to prevent the spread of nuclear destruction with possible loss of human civilization. Most people welcomed The Visitor as a peace maker, but as expected, many viewed The Visitor as a threat or potential dictator here to enslave them. Factual information was dispensed freely from the U.N. communication center, but the rumors and sensationalism escalated. The religious communities were divided and confused regarding The Visitor. Most major religions quickly adapted to the existence of The Visitor and the knowledge of extraterrestrial life, changing their theology quickly. The presence of The Visitor was seen as proof of God's power. The conflict between creationism and evolution became much more interesting.
After less than two weeks of formal exchange, The Visitor requested that a meeting of the U.N. Assembly be called to consider a formal trading relationship. It would not discuss the details of this relationship, other than it was proposing a partnership. The Assembly was called to order by the Secretary General who began the meeting with a short summary of the events leading up to The Visitor's request for the meeting. The Visitor appeared on the large projection screen only as an image of its spacecraft. The voice that emanated from the speakers was powerful but could not be identified as to gender or age. The message was translated into the regional language of all represented, bypassing the U.N.'s translation service.
The Visitor began by explaining that the interstellar community had instituted the monitoring of regional sectors for the telltale signs of nuclear explosions. Many civilizations had been brought to the brink of extinction after developing atomic power. It was common for societies to develop technological capability that exceeded their social capabilities. Any society capable of releasing the force of the atom warranted monitoring. The direct interference or manipulation of a civilization to prevent their progression to the nuclear age was not permitted. Once a civilization attained the status of nuclear capability it was placed in a category of intense observation and intervention was allowed if the threat to their civilization was significant. The Visitor left its hiding place behind Jupiter because it had determined that the spread of the nuclear war was eminent. Preventing mass destruction and loss of life was a concern of the larger community. Earth was now being offered partial membership in this larger community.
In return for including Earth in this larger community, the government of the Earth would have to agree to sponsor an expedition of volunteers to another world to assist that world in its evolutionary process. In addition all nations would have to agree to complete nuclear disarmament. In exchange, The Visitor would provide, to all the peoples on Earth, the methods of harnessing fusion power. The change over to fusion power would equalize the inequities of geology and remove energy as a cause of conflict. Monitoring of the treaty would be the mutual responsibility of the U.N. and The Visitor. The Visitor summarized by saying that it was time for Earth to take the first step toward becoming a member of the larger community.
Questions were numerous, but were concerned mainly with the ongoing independence of individual nations and the responsibilities of sponsoring The Visitor's mission. The Visitor assured the Assembly that it had no intention of interfering with the governing bodies. The mission would require 30 to 40 volunteers who met mission requirements. The mission would be lifelong. The actual task and destination were not disclosed. After a long period of questions, which The Visitor answered more or less, it announced that it would expect a response within 72 hours. With that the special assembly was closed.
The Security Council met immediately following the General Assembly. The members were disturbed at the requirements for total nuclear disarmament but did not feel they had any real choice and voted to proceed. The General Assembly was again called into session and the Secretary General requested a motion to proceed with the "trade." The oil producing nations had the most to lose and they were the most hesitant to proceed. The Secretary General had hoped for a unanimous vote but settled for a near-unanimous decision to proceed.
The vote was relayed to The Visitor who expressed satisfaction with the outcome. The Visitor then advised the U.N. that a large ice comet would be arriving and enter Earth's orbit followed by a much smaller metallic asteroid. These two components would be the basis for the spacecraft that the volunteer crew would occupy during their journey. A general plan of construction would be forwarded for evaluation by Earth engineers. A global goal provided a further impetus for all nations to work together.