By: Martin Lochman.

The alien device was a godsend.

It provided clean, unlimited energy, instantaneously ending the global dependence on fossil fuels. It allowed for an unprecedented increase in food production, solving world hunger once and for all. It enhanced theoretical and practical knowledge in medicine, engineering, and natural sciences, catapulting humanity centuries into the future.

Then the aliens came and took it away—no negotiations or complex explanations, only a short message in their native language left in their wake. Even after a decade of relentless efforts, the best linguists were able to translate only three single words:

Wrong. Delivery. Coordinates.

© 2025. Martin Lochman

Martin Lochman is a Czech science fiction author, currently living and working as a university librarian in Malta. His work appeared in New Myths, Kzine, XB-1 (Czech SFFH magazine), and other venues. You can find him at: martinlochmanauthor.wordpress.com, or Twitter: @MartinLochman.

Posted April 30, 2025.