November 4, 1976

Pattern analysis on T76-089 continuing.

The repeating element is 7.4 seconds exactly.

Not 7.3. Not 7.5. Always 7.4.

Too precise to be natural. I'm certain now.

Interference from terrestrial source?

Satellite echo?

Instrument error?

Ruled out. All of them. R. agrees.

* Pattern repeats every 7.4 seconds - WHY this number?

The modulation isn't random. There are clusters.

Three distinct groupings. Consistent across all samples.

If I had to guess, I'd say: subject, verb, object.

But that's crazy. That's what I want to see.

November 12, 1976

I was right.

Subject-verb-object. It's there. It's real.

Mapped 14 distinct "phonemes" so far.

No - not phonemes. Frequency-modulated units.

Call them markers.

Some markers repeat. Some appear only once.

The repeating ones might be pronouns articles grammatical particles.

* Always between 2-4 AM. Why? Their schedule or ours?

Showed my analysis to Director REDACTED.

He didn't say anything for a long time.

Then: "Keep working. Tell no one else."

February 1977

Progress.

24 markers identified. Mapped relationships.

The grammar is consistent but the syntax is wrong.

Or rather, it's right in a way we don't use.

They structure sentences around the listener, not the speaker.

Every message assumes you already know what they're going to say.

As if time moves differently for them.

Or as if they've sent this message before.

→ They don't ASK. They CONFIRM.

First partial translation attempt:

"[unknown] listening [unknown] you are not [unknown] first"

The word I can't place - it's directional. It points.

Points at us? Points past us?

April 13, 1977

T77-031 came in last night. 31.2 seconds.

I translated it in one pass.

"...we know where you are... stop..."

STOP.

Stop what?

Stop transmitting?

Stop listening?

Stop existing?

The message was a warning. I'm certain of it.

But who is warning who?

* Vance says equipment ran hot all night after. Instruments "excited."

I asked Director if we should respond.

He said: "We already did. That's the problem."

August 1977

They're talking about shutting us down.

Not because we failed.

Because we succeeded.

* We found what we were looking for. Now they wish we hadn't.

I've been thinking about the syntax. The listener-centered structure.

What if they're not speaking TO us?

What if we're just... overhearing?

The signals were never aimed at Earth specifically.

They pass through. We happened to catch them.

If that's true, then who were they talking to?

And who is "they" in "They can hear you now"?

Not the senders. Someone else.

August 16, 1977

It's over.

We received the termination order yesterday.

Equipment being dismantled now.

But something came in last night. After shutdown.

The equipment was supposed to be off.

Vance recorded it. He's keeping it separate from the others.

I couldn't translate it.

The structure is different. Wrong.

Like the grammar changed. Or like it's a different language entirely.

→ Different sender?

If they heard our messages, they weren't the only ones listening.

We opened a door.

I don't think we can close it.

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