Coffee with Some Aliens

An agreement on sharing scientific discoveries looks closer tonight, as Russia and China join talks at the united nations. Meanwhile, financial markets across the world are in crisis as the Dow Jones industrial average fell over 2,000 points... Morning. Colonel? Gavisti. He says it means an argument. What do you say it means? A desire for more cows. Pack your bags. All right. Give me twenty minutes? Takeoff in ten. Dr. banks. Right this way, please. Contact and ready to approach... Excuse me, Dr. banks, let me make sure you're properly secured. You okay? Sorry, I couldn't hear what you were saying. "Language is the foundation of civilization. "It is the glue that holds a people together. "It is the first weapon drawn in a conflict." Louise, this is Ian Donnelly. Louise banks, Ian Donnelly. That's quite a greeting. Yeah, well, you wrote it. Yeah. It's the kind of thing you write as a preface. Dazzle them with the basics. Yeah, it's great. Even if it's wrong. It's wrong? Well, the cornerstone of civilization isn't language, it's science. Ian is a theoretical physicist from Los Alamos. You'll be reporting to me, but you'll be working with him when you're in the shell. That's what they're calling the ufo. Priority one: What do they want and where are they from? And beyond that, how did they get here? Are they capable of faster-than-light travel? I've prepared a list of questions to go over, starting with a series of "handshake" binary sequences... How about we just talk to them before we start throwing math problems at them? This is why you're both here. I'll bring the coffee. Coffee with some aliens.