Its stealth mission if indeed it is that, may be to
puzzle out what could be worth probing its inventors'
curiosity in seeking planetary intelligence.
But then who can say how extraterrestrials weigh
intelligence? And how might we here on Earth
judge theirs if their great scientific minds felt
that rough camouflage might suffice to shield
their inspection from discovery? A mission meant
to study life forms in other galaxies perhaps
not intentionally targeting Earth but any
viable prospects to beam back data gleaned
through bypasses in the greater interests of
acquiring knowledge -- just as SETI here has
in situ attempted. If so a Trojan horse device
surely hints at an aversion for direct contact.
Unconvinced but suspecting, Earth's excited
astronomical community has named the
suspect laboratory disguised as an asteroid
Oumuamua, on guard for emissions to betray
its purpose -- that strange object defying
Breakthrough Listen and Stephen Hawking
to halt its 195,000 miles per hour trajectory
as it zooms toward this planet, rotating its
outer shell of space-derived rock concealing
its planetary sourcing-detection devices furtively
approaching a night sky near you and near me.
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