◆ SpookStack

13.1 Phase One: Observation From a Distance (Remote Sensing and Observation ?) It seems reasonable to think that our earthling explorers have received a mission to peacefully observe these worlds and/or conquer, purely and simply, these new territories in order to establish a line of descendants there (cf. 13.4 below). The state of advancement of the local populations will likely dictate the manner of obtaining, as well as the nature and duration, of these observations, and the initial observations will, of course, be for analyzing: - the living organisms, the manners in which they think and live, their languages, their religions and beliefs, their arts, sciences, techniques and weapons, their political institutions, their social organizations, and their histories in general, - the environments in which these populations live, [and] animals, plants, minerals, etc. This first phase, which excludes any physical or material contact, would be that of scientific, in vivo laboratory observation: electronic surveillance, remote sensing, recording, decrypting of languages, analyses, evaluations, etc. It is important to emphasize that this period could last one year, ten years, a century, [or] a thousand years, why not ? Actually, what better scientific experiment - Jato sensu - than that of having more or less civilized, stagnant or evolving populations, either at peace or at war, organized in a hundred different manners, no doubt having languages that are foreign to one another, each one assuming, in its own way, the organization of ts terrestrial and celestial cities. In a word, we would be in the situation of observing ourselves! 13.2 Phase Two: Jn situ Sampling and Furtive Appearances The interpretation of the data collected can only be complete when a second phase has been implemented, during which sampling and analyses of mineral, plant, and animal elements, and perhaps even elements from evolved beings, are performed. Consequently, the question is raised as to-the types of contacts that would be appropriate to establish and the political, psychological, and religious implications for the local populations that might result from these contacts: furtive and covert contacts, visible and overt contacts, continuous or intermittent contacts. If the furtive and covert mode of operation is initiallyselected, it nevertheless could not - at least based on the present state of our technology - go completely unnoticed by the indigenous populations. It is permissible to consider that the psychological and religious impacts may vary according to the different types of political organizations and the levels of moral and scientific development encountered on the same world. 13.2.1 Impacts on Preindustrial-Age Civilizations Individuals or masses from preindustrial-age civilizations might note the passage and/or landing of our ships or our remote-controlled craft. They might collectively view them equally as natural, divine, extraordinary, supernatural, aberrant, or diabolical phenomena (frescoes in the Yugoslavian monastery at Detchani, spheres in Nuremberg and Basel in 1561 and 1566 - cf. Appendix 6). Furthermore, the collective memories of these peop:es and their imagination in general could be more or less sharply marked by such manifestations if they are accompanied, in particular, by the sighting of our astronauts, 7)