They filed the first reports in mid-December. Through January, residents of eastern Colorado and western Nebraska claimed they saw swarms of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). The objects flew in groups and grid patterns in the night sky. Reports described large drones with blinking lights and six-foot wingspans flying over farms, towns, and open fields. Unexplained sightings, unverifiable flight plans conducted by unknown operators prompted a federal investigation and rampant speculation.
“Aliens,” some declared. Others blamed the military, oil and gas companies, Uber, Amazon, private aerospace corporations, and mischievous hobbyists. No one is claiming responsibility. Investigations revealed nothing. Law enforcement did confirm four cases where they encountered something “unidentified” flying overhead. The remaining sightings they chalked up to atmospheric conditions, planets, stars, and commercial aircraft.
Last week, the Department of Defense released three Navy videos. They said, “the aerial phenomena observed in the videos remain characterized as ‘unidentified’.” It makes me wonder. Highly trained U.S. Navy fighter pilots can’t identify the objects on their displays. Weird? Right?
They instruct fantasy and science fiction writers to tell believable stories. We must ground our tales in fact and plausibility. If I were an alien with the capability of zooming around another planet, I would. Imagine observing and studying a sentient being’s evolution. History is full of cultural myths of life among the stars. I think the sea of credible facts has just expanded my storytelling possibilities. Maybe I’ll create an invasion of murder hornets. Oh, wait. That has already happened.
What weird ideas are you exploring?
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Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer