First Contact

The story presented here was written in 1945 and has not lost its interest for science fiction lovers even to this day. A spaceship of Earth explores the area of the Crab Nebula and suddenly discovers another ship—clearly of non-Earth origin. This is the first contact of the Earthlings, the first chance to befriend another civilization, exchange knowledge. But who are these beings? Are they hostile? What are they thinking? Can they be trusted? And, most importantly, how can one establish first contact for one’s own benefit—yet without accidentally revealing Earth’s location, if they turn out to be hostile?