I worked for 20 years as a research assistant in a government secret project known as the Project Olympus. It’s main goal is to know how humans will become part of the intergalactic community and convince the extraterrestrials to accept us as equals. In short, to walk among the gods.

For hundreds of years, different types of aliens have been in connivance with leaders of the world to keep their existence hidden from the public.

On earth there are already twenty alien species that are doing business with us and with the other alien species staying here.

The most popular are the Greys, we call them Zeta Reticulans but they call themselves, Izho’karya. Then there’s the Reptilian humanoids or Draconians, but they call themselves Zygerethion. Another species you can mistaken to fays and elves, with almost ethereal features, we sometimes call Pleiadeans, but their race known to them as the Qartholan. And many more.

These three major aliens are hard to deal with. They have superiority complex. The Greys consider themselves as highly intelligent beings and mingling with humans are an insult to their intelligence. The Draconian are a fascist and xenophobic race. Anyone who is not them doesn’t matter. While the Qartholan were nearly immortals, they tend to just observe every life in the universe.

But the specie the governments are in constant communication with are the octopus-like creatures, known as the Khe’plan. They walk upright with bipedal legs, almost humanoid but they have extra boneless limbs protruding at their backs and two thin and long tentacles on their sides. They have bulbous heads, a pair of eyes in front flat nose, gills on the upper neck and beak for a mouth. They evolved to be amphibious creatures. And they are here as tourists. Earth is a known tourist destination to them.

“Asan’rho!” Shouted the President, as he entered the receiving room. A Khe’plan is sitting on the sofa, patiently waiting for us.

“Mr President. I hope you are doing well.” He stood and offered his hand for a shake but the president gave him a hug.

“I’m all well. Why it took you three years to pay me a visit? You were not here in my inauguration.” Mr President asked.

“You know i’m only here on vacations. I never would have thought you’ll become president!” Asan’rho answered.

“I prepared us a dinner, join me.” The president offered. Asan’rho shape-shifted into an old man wearing business suit before we could even leave the room.

The two had long conversations, trying to catch up with each other. The president canceled all his appointments that night. Then their conversation went to intergalactic community.

“You know one of my dreams is to be known as the president who brought Earth in the intergalactic community. But the Greys, Draconian and Pleiadeans still look down on us. If only one of them considered us as equals, the whole intergalactic community will accept us too.” The president said.

“I considered you as our equals. We both have so many similarities.” Asan’rho replied.

“I know that. And I appreciate it too. But we both know, the Khe’plan can’t recommend us to join the intergalactic community.”

“I’ll let you in on a secret. The intergalactic community doesn’t really consider humans as ‘sentient’ in our standards.”

“Why not? We can talk, we can communicate, we built communities, empires, orders. We created structures for ourselves.”

“Ye-ah, but ants, bees and termites does that too. But did you consider them sentient in your standards?”

Looking defeated, “Then how can we meet this standard you are talking about?”

“Humans doesn’t know how to Keeneetaa. Once you learned to Keeneetaa, you’ll be considered as one of us.”

“I don’t even know what Keeneetaa is, how am I supposed to achieve it if I don’t even know it?”

“I also don’t know how to explain it in a simple way.”

“What?”

“Okay, so, keeneetaa is like a severed mind. That you should be able to access in command. It is a network of hive mind connected to the great source and the cosmos. It sounds like tripping but you can compare it to almost dreaming. You can only access the network by simple leaving your conscious mind.”

“I still don’t get it.”

“Why do you think humans haven’t discovered space travel yet? Or at least stop believing in nonsensical religions? Or legends and mythos? You kinds hasn’t reach the keeneetaa that’s why you are still bonded by superstitious beliefs.”

“But by the way you were describing keeneetaa, it sounds like superstitious.”

“Keeneetaa is a network between hive minds gathered by the great source. When you die, your mind will merge with the keeneetaa and be one with the great source. The mortal body only gives us individuality. But your kind is so severely disconnected to the network by your worldly nature and the only chance you get to achieve keeneetaa is by dying.”

“So, you are telling me, all members of the intergalactic community has the ability to connect to this network of minds?”

“Yes, even the fascist Zygerethion can do keeneetaa, they just don’t usually do it as many of us do. You can mistaken keeneetaa to a sabbath day to you humans. But we do keeneetaa to refresh our minds.”

“Unless we learn to keeneetaa, we won’t be part of the intergalactic community?”

“Keeneetaa is the reason why there is an intergalactic community. Do you really think it is possible for millions of intergalactic species to live a harmonious life with one another? Without being connected in a web of understanding? That’s why other species are afraid to give you all our technologies. Once you have all of our technologies without being connected to the keeneetaa, you will only bring war on a galactic scale. Everyone knows that.”

“That’s a bit harsh. You also agree we only cause wars?” The president asked.

“Hey, i’m just being an honest friend here. Even you know how humans were in a short span of ten thousand years. Civilization rise and falls, wars broke thousand times. You can’t blame us for not including you in our community.” Asan’rho answered.

The Khe’plan visitor left the next day to continue his vacation on our planet, leaving our president pondering on what he learned.

But his dream is more important than the connection to keeneetaa. He will be known as the president who brought humans to the intergalactic community whatever the means are.

The Project Olympus was dissolved and replaced by Project Columbus.