A
Radio Announcer: Here is the news for February 30th 3050. Today the Academy of Future Sciences held a meeting on the thinning of the atmosphere. As everybody knows there is less and less oxygen in the air every year. In another fifty years, by the end of the 31st century, there will be no air left. Plans for evacuating the Galaxy are progressing well. Here is our scientific correspondent.
Correspondent: There has been a migration before: it was in the 23rd century when the air on Earth ran out and the population had to leave and go to another galaxy. We do not know very much about this migration, except that several thousand people died because they were left behind. But there is no need to worry this time, as –
B
Student 1: Why did you turn it off?
Student 2: Everybody knows all about that! Look, have you noticed? I’ve already started to fill up the cupboards here in the spaceship with food and drink.
Student 1: What? Already?! I haven’t even got a spaceship yet. I’ll have to look around for a second hand one. Anyway there’s lots of time…
Student 2: …Ah, this is the life! What a life! Yes, indeed, it’s a lovely evening for space fishing, isn’t it?
Student 1: Yes, there’s a clear view all the way to the Solar System.
Student 2: That can’t be the Solar System. The Solar System was near Andromeda in 3044.
Student 1: Oh, of course!
Student 2: That was the year I got my degree in archeology at the Great Bear Central University. Oh, yes –
Student 1: Hey! What’s this? I’ve caught something at last! It’s jolly heavy, it must be a space shark at least.
Student 2: Press the pull-in button and see!
Student 1: Oh… it’s only a big box, throw it back.
Student 2: Oh, hang on a mo! Let me have a look… It looks like a 23rd century space capsule. Yes, that’s what my prof is specializing in. You know my prof, don’t you?
Student 1: Vanessa Middlebrow? Everybody knows her! She’s one of the best linguists on the English Planet.
Student 2: In the whole Galaxy! Let’s go back to the planet. I must take it to the lab at once.
* * *
C
Student: I’ve just been space fishing and I’ve found this. I wonder if you’re interested in it, Professor.
Prof Middlebrow: How many times have I told you to wear safety gloves!
Student: Er… well… um…
Prof: Stop thinking up excuses, and put your gloves on. You can’t be too careful with these finds. And now let me see. Ah! 23rd century space capsule. Um… mid-twenty-third century, I’d say. Let’s have a look inside. It’d be nice if this helped us with our research… Give me a hand. See if you can open it.
Student: Oh!… Prof, look, there’re lots of packets! Whatever can they be? And there’s a safe, too.
Prof: Let me have a look. The safe’s locked.
Student: I’ve never seen a lock like that before. Surely it isn’t 23rd century?
Prof: No, it’s much earlier… 20th century, I’d say… It’s a dial lock. It opens with a code.
Student: What sort of code?
Prof: Codes in the 20th century were usually letter combinations.
Student: Well, let’s open it then.
Prof: Wait a minute – we don’t know what the code is.
Student: Well, let’s have a look at the packets and perhaps we’ll find the code. Shall I open them?
Prof: No, no! Don’t cut the string, undo the knots.
Student: I can’t possibly undo them with safety gloves on.
Prof: Give it to me… Ah! Some envelopes, several tapes and a cassette.
Student: Whatever are tapes and cassettes?
Prof: They’re old types of sound recording. They recorded sound on tape in those days.
Student: How complicated!
Prof: The funny thing is the tapes look much older than the cassette. I should say the tapes are the same date as the safe. About 20th century.
Student: What about the envelopes?
Prof: Definitely 20th century. Open them carefully… Fantastic! This is written in early Hungarian, probably 20th century. It’s just the language and period I’m most interested in.
Student: What shall we do now?!
Prof: 20th century tapes, 20th century envelopes and a 20th century safe… Then why on earth is there a 23rd century cassette, and why are they all in a 23rd century capsule? What we should do next is to listen to the cassette.
Student: But how?
Prof: The institute has some special recorders for historical research. Come with me.
* * *
Prof: This is the machine. You put the cassette in this slot, press the button and wait… (strange noise)
Student: Good lord, is that human?!
Prof: Well, hm. I don’t know… Perhaps we’ve found a new language.
Student: Really? How exciting!
Prof: … No, wait a minute. I’m afraid I put the cassette in the wrong way round… Yes, I did. All right, let’s try again.
D
Cassette: I am N. O. Hope. Today is Thursday 27th May in the year 2278. I have at last realized that I cannot break the code and I am going to die. So I am going to put my great-great grandfather’s safe, his tapes and texts as well as my diary into a capsule and send it into space. Perhaps someone will find it in some future age and discover the code and open the safe. My great-great grandfather was a Hungarian scientist who lived in the 20th century. He was worried about pollution and its effect on the oxygen in the atmosphere. He was afraid that the oxygen would run out. But he discovered a way of stopping it. Nobody took him seriously, so he put his invention into a safe, locked it with a dial lock and hid the code in the texts of the tapes and the papers. He died unexpectedly at the age of 46, and his last words were: “… the safe… the code is hidden in both tapes and papers… 13 expressions …” and his very last word was “coincidence”. The oxygen is running out fast, but I can’t break the code, and I daren’t blow the safe open. Most people have already gone into space to look for another planet to live on. I stayed behind because I’d hoped to find my grandfather’s invention and save the Earth. But now there’s no hope. If anyone finds this capsule they should try to open the safe. Perhaps humanity can be saved from another migration. While I can, I shall go on trying to break the code and I’ll record my findings. All I know is that the Hungarian texts have to be translated into English… The first tape is about –
Student: Oh, why did you stop it?
Prof: This is the find of the century! This is going to save us. We must report it to the President at once!
* * *
E
Secretary: The President is sorry, but he is, too busy to see you at the moment. Can you come again tomorrow?
Prof: Tell him, please, that what I have to report is probably the most important thing that has happened this century. Do you understand? This century!
Secretary: I understand but… well, wait a minute. I’ll try again.
Prof: (to herself) This is exactly what happened to N. O. Hope’s great-great-great grandfather. No one would take him seriously. Not even the president…
Secretary: You may go in now.
Prof: Good afternoon, sir.
President: Well, what is it? It’d better be important.
Prof: I think we have found something that will save our Galaxy. I think we can stop the oxygen from running out.
President: What makes you think so?
Prof: Well, sir… may I sit down?
President: Sit down! Well?
Prof: Well, sir. Today one of my students was out in his spaceship fishing.
President: Why wasn’t he studying?
Prof: Today is a half holiday, sir. He caught a space capsule by mistake.
President: I keep telling them that space needs tidying up a bit. All the rubbish! It’s polluted, I tell you! I hope he didn’t throw it away again and make more rubbish!
Prof: No, he thought it might be a 23rd century space capsule, so he brought it to me to have a look at.
President: And is it 23rd century?
Prof: It is. And what’s more, there are several very interesting things inside it.
President: What?
Prof: There is a 20th century safe and thirteen 20th century tapes in English and 13 papers in Hungarian. There is also a cassette put in by a person called N. O. Hope, who sent the capsule into space in the 23rd century.
President: Well, you’d better listen to it.
Prof: I have. It says the safe contains a scientific invention to stop oxygen running out. Listen.
Cassette: My great-great grandfather was a Hungarian scientist who lived in the 20th century. He was worried about pollution and its effect on the oxygen in the atmosphere. He was afraid that the oxygen would run out. But he discovered a way of stopping it. Nobody took him seriously, so he put his invention into a safe, locked it with a dial lock and hid the code in the texts of the tapes and the papers. He died unexpectedly at the age of 46, and his last words were: “… the safe… the code is hidden in both tapes and papers… 13 expressions” and his very last word was “coincidence”.
President: What date did you say the capsule and cassette were?
Prof: 23rd century.
President: Hm. That’s when the migration from Earth took place.
Prof: Exactly!
President: Then why didn’t they use the invention to save themselves? Professor Middlebrow, you are wasting my time. If it was possible to stop the thinning of the atmosphere, they would have done so.
Prof: They couldn’t open the safe. The cassette says so. The code is hidden in the tape recordings and the papers, but they couldn’t break the code.
President: That’s impossible!
Prof: They didn’t have much time, it happened very quickly. A lot of people died because it happened so quickly in the end. We have more time. I think, sir, that if we could break the code and open the safe, we might be able to save our Galaxy.
President: It’s too much of a coincidence. Why should a bit of space rubbish be able to save the Galaxy, when our scientists have been working for years to stop the oxygen running out?
Prof: I know it sounds strange, sir. But I think it’s worth trying to find the code. Of course I’ll need help. Someone who can speak fluent Hungarian… Someone from the Hungarian Planet… perhaps Greg Martin, the engineer… and I’ll need equipment. Perhaps if you could let me have a grant of –
President: Money for a thing like that! It’s ridiculous. No, Professor, it’s a waste of your time. There are far more important things to do. You are too busy. If you want to do it in the evenings in your spare time, I can’t stop you, but not in working hours.
Prof: Is that your final word, sir?
President: It is. You may go.
* * *