Orbitalis Press
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Orbitalis Press
Pioneer 10, Alien First Contact, and the Message That Changed Humanity Forever.
by Tony Carrucan
A signal has returned from deep space. It should not exist.
Decades after NASA lost contact with Pioneer 10 — humanity's first messenger to the stars — something answers.
Not with noise. Not with static. But with a message.
"We see you. We are coming."
In 1972, we launched a silent ambassador into the void — Pioneer 10. No weapons. No crew. No expectations. Just a simple plaque etched in metal — a message to whatever might be out there, drifting towards the stars on the faint hope that someone, somewhere, might one day find it.
For decades, Pioneer 10 travelled through deep space, alone and forgotten. Scientists moved on. The world moved on.
Until now.
What follows is not an invasion in the way we imagined. It is something far more unsettling. Because whatever found Pioneer 10 didn't just receive our message — it understood it. It studied us. And when the reply finally comes, it carries a meaning that no one on Earth was prepared for: we have been seen, we have been understood, and something is already making its way towards us across the vast silence between stars.
Grounded in real astronomy, real space missions, and real technological trajectories, We See You, We Are Coming spans from the Apollo era through the rise of artificial intelligence to humanity's eventual transformation into post-biological consciousness. This is first contact, not as a sudden catastrophe but as an unfolding reckoning — one that forces us to confront our place in the cosmos, the nature of intelligence itself, and the limits of what it means to be human.
The message was sent in hope and innocence.
The reply is already on its way — and we are not ready.
A signal has returned from deep space. It should not exist.
Decades after NASA lost contact with Pioneer 10 — humanity's first messenger to the stars — something answers.
Not with noise. Not with static. But with a message.
"We see you. We are coming."
In 1972, we sent a small spacecraft into the unknown carrying a simple greeting, never expecting a reply. We assumed silence meant we were alone. We were wrong.
Something found Pioneer 10. Something that didn't merely receive our message — it understood it. Studied us. Learned from us. And after decades of patient observation, it has made its decision.
This is not the first contact we imagined. No sudden invasion. No moment of arrival. Just a signal — and the slow realisation that we have been watched for a very long time.
Grounded in real astronomy and plausible futures, We See You, We Are Coming unfolds across decades, tracing humanity's journey from the Space Age to the edge of something far greater.
The message was sent in hope and innocence.
The reply is already on its way — and we are not ready.
“A haunting, beautifully crafted vision of humanity's future. 'WSY, WAC' asks the biggest questions—What does it mean to be human, and what are we willing to become to survive? Carrucan weaves hard science with deep emotion in a story that will linger long after the final page. Such an original novel. I'm a fan.”
Malcom Brown
“This is another WHAT IF book from Tony Carrucan, but unlike the previous one which dealt with a wobble in the orbit of a planet, it takes on contact with aliens and a possible scenario of the fate of humanity and the cosmos. That's a very ambitious agenda, but he manages to pull it off. What he predicts could happen, although the odds are long in many respects. His fictional predictions are quite possible. He has thought deeply about cosmology and blends that with history, climate science and fiction in a way that creates a great many scientific rabbit holes – or perhaps we might say wormholes. At first, like his other book, it reads like science history but then diverges into science speculation. He does, however, manage to create quite a bit of realisation of fictional characters – quite a task with the time scope of the book exceeding any human lifespan. Humanity has pondered the 'Are We Alone?' question for all of history. When that question is answered, it changes the way humanity thinks about itself. The question posed by Pioneer 10 is answered ambiguously, ' We See You. We Are Coming.' Is that a greeting, a friendly contact or a threat? No one is sure. How soon are they coming? What are their intentions and what are they? Tony's treatment of the probable effects of climate change on the Earth in the near future is well researched and frighteningly described. This section should be read carefully. Many otherwise intelligent people I know don't understand the meaning of Net Zero 50, including many TV channel hosts and politicians (exclude the 'otherwise intelligent' tag from many of the latter). Tony also understands the limits of chemical fuel and carbon-based passengers in interstellar space travel along with the incredible distances involved. I don't want to give away the ending of the book, but it's not all doom and gloom. Think of the continuance of our species. It also turns out that the Earth can be repaired, but not in the way you would expect. While reading the book, I considered other works of fiction on similar themes. Think Dune, The Saga of the Exiles, Highlander – who wants to live forever? Friends come in boxes and Star Wars. Tony has successfully created a scenario of the future of humanity which, while fictional, has a ring of possible truth and is to be congratulated for his creative thinking.”
Frank Carrucan
Joined books.by 6 months ago.
Tony Carrucan, founder of the Orbitalis Press, is an Australian author who blends cutting-edge science with compelling fiction. With a keen eye for detail and a deep respect for scientific accuracy, he crafts stories that explore how astronomical forces—and human decisions—collide. A member of The Planetary Society, Tony’s background in planetary science and storytelling converges in his debut novel, A Fatal Attraction: Venus Charts a Path to Impact Earth, which imagines a scenario where Venus alters its orbit and threatens Earth. He lives in Melbourne, where he continues to research and write his next space-driven thriller.
When Venus breaks free from its ancient orbit, Earth’s fate hangs by a thread—until one unthinkable moment rewrites everything we thought we knew about survival.
Venus, brilliant, beautiful, and long misunderstood. Once thought to be Earth's twin, it is now known as a hellish world of superheated skies and crushing pressure. But what if that hell were no longer confined to its orbit?
When astronomers detect a subtle yet alarming shift in Venus’s trajectory, the world takes notice. At first, it's only amateur stargazers who raise the alarm. But soon, professional observatories confirm the impossible: Venus is accelerating—toward Earth.
As panic spreads across the globe, scientists scramble to unravel the mystery. What could cause a planet to defy billions of years of orbital stability? Can anything be done to stop it? Or is humanity witnessing its final days beneath a sky that no longer plays by the rules?
Blending hard science with speculative drama, A Fatal Attraction takes readers on a gripping journey through cosmic disruption, global crisis, and the raw edge of human resilience. From backyard telescopes to world summits, this is a story of fear, wonder, and the fight to survive a threat we never saw coming.
Perfect for fans of Andy Weir, Neal Stephenson, and Michael Crichton, this science-driven thriller will leave you gazing at the night sky with new eyes.