The room was dark, the air was still, and my mind was racing. The dim glow of the distant stars were the only lights that filled my room. The rest of the crew was asleep in their own quarters, but not me. I couldn't sleep in this weightlessness. There must be something about gravity that gives people a sense of security, they just don't realize it until it's gone. I don't know how the others could sleep. Perhaps they're just enjoying the novelty of sleeping in space. Perhaps they're just as awake as I am.

I slipped out of my room and made my way through the dimly lit corridors leading to the main dining hall. It has the best view on the entire ship. From the right side of the large panoramic window that filled an entire wall rose the Earth. It's such a big place, but it looked so small. Just a fragile blue marble nestled in an impossibly black sheet of nothingness gently dancing along the thick glass that separated us from each other. The swirling white clouds seemed to cradle it like a mother with her child. The soft glow from the atmosphere caressed the interior of the room washing everything in a soft blue hue. And as quickly as it came into view, it fell away beyond the left side of the ship. All that was left was the tiny points of light that I've gotten to know all too well by now.

This emptiness wouldn't last long, however. From the right of the window arose an unfamiliar golden light that instantly flooded the large room. Suddenly, the light faded and an object became visible. It was a ship of some kind, perfectly round and covered with polished gold, reflecting all of the sun's light in every direction. What a magnificent sight. It was if it was crafted from the most precious jewels in heaven by God himself. Its very presence seemed to completely illuminate the black empty void surrounding it. It seemed to glide through the heavens as if it were being carried on the shoulders of angels. Piercing through its glimmering surface were hundreds of bright white lights whose beams seemed to extend on forever. What a divine sight to behold. It was our destination.

As it made its way across the dark nothingness of space, I couldn't help but think what secrets it might contain. We know absolutely nothing about it and it was our job to find out. There must be a reason as to why it came here of all places. The object slowly set beyond the side of the ship but its shimmering golden glow still lingered, if only for a few seconds. I continued to ponder as to the nature of the craft. Perhaps a vast celestial library filled with the infinite knowledge of the gods only to be passed down to a small and humble people such as ourselves. I continued to sit in the dark room and watch as the Earth rises in one corner and sets in another with the golden object soon following suit. It was a peaceful and rhythmic sight like the hands of a clock ticking around in a perpetual circle or a shallow stream of crystal clear water flowing past a solitary stone. It was so serene.

Suddenly, a sharp cracking sound pierced the silence as the fluorescent lighting filled the room with its sickly green hue. The humming of the electricity flowing through them drowned out the silent songs that the stars danced to. Through the corridors I could faintly make out the sounds of the crew's alarm clocks going off. I must have been sitting here for hours. As the golden object centered itself in the window, a deep humming noise emanated through the ship causing everything to vibrate . The engines had fired up. The object was approaching closer. The time has come to face what could possibly be the discovery that changes humanity forever.

I could feel my hands tremble in anticipation. The sudden realization that I would be a part of such a tremendous piece of human history was finally catching up to me. The treasures concealed within the object's shimmering hull seemed to call out my name just waiting to be revealed. My excitement was truly, in all sense of the word, insurmountable. As we drew closer, the astonishing size of the object was made clear. If seeing the object was measurable to witnessing God, then uncovering its secrets would be peering into the very soul of the creator himself. All of the secrets of the universe, the divine knowledge of a grandiose civilization long since passed, all within humanity's grasp. Our thirst for knowledge has never felt so unsatisfied. I only hope that we don't use this charitable gift from the heavens as a means of great evil.