Há um conto específico de uma coisa do tipo antologia que estou procurando dos anos 50 até os anos 80 (desculpe, é um alcance tão grande).
"Doorstep" por Keith Laumer , publicado pela primeira vez em Galaxy Magazine , fevereiro de 1961 , disponível no Internet Archive . Você pode ter lido em uma coleção Laumer como Nine por Laumer ou O melhor de Keith Laumer , ou na antologia < href="http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?276716"> Jovens Extraterrestres também conhecido como Extraterrestres aka Extraterrestres de Asimov . Alguma de essas capas é familiar?
A história é que havia um monte de pessoas que encontraram uma caixa
The general dropped the phone back on its cradle and absently peeled the cellophane from a cigar. He had moved fast, he reflected, after the State Police notified him at nine forty-one last night. He had his men on the spot, the area evacuated of civilians, and a preliminary report on its way to Washington by midnight. At two thirty-six, they had discovered the four-inch cube lying on the ground fifteen feet from the huge object—missile, capsule, bomb—whatever it was.
com algo alienígena dentro de você.
"What the devil's that racket?"
"That's the sound we were getting from inside before, General. There's something in there, alive--"
Havia uma mensagem codificada que ninguém conseguia descobrir.
"We'll review that matter at a later date. What I'm calling about is more important right now. The code men have made some headway on that box of yours. It's putting out a sort of transmission."
"What kind, sir?"
"Half the message—it's only twenty seconds long, repeated—is in English. It's a fragment of a recording from a daytime radio program; one of the network men here identified it. The rest is gibberish. They're still working on it."
"What--"
"Bryant tells me he thinks there may be some sort of correspondence between the two parts of the message. I wouldn't know, myself. In my opinion, it's a threat of some sort."
As pessoas falam sobre os perigos do que a forma de vida alienígena poderia trazer e o que eles deveriam fazer com ela. Eventualmente, eles decidem matar o alienígena.
He looked at Major Greer. "I'm neutralizing this thing once and for all. There'll be no more men killed."
Lieberman stood up. "General, I must protest any attack against this—"
Straut whirled. "I'm handling this, Professor. I don't know who let you in here or why—but I'll make the decisions. I'm stopping this man-killer before it comes out of its nest, maybe gets into that village beyond the woods. There are four thousand civilians there. It's my job to protect them."
O tiro, e ele escoa pela caixa.
The mortar fired with a muffled thud. Straut watched tensely. Five seconds later, the object erupted in a gout of pale pink debris. The lid rocked, pinkish fluid running down its opalescent surface. A second burst, a third. A great fragment of the menacing claw hung from the branch of a tree a hundred feet from the ship.
Alguém que estava trabalhando no código e havia saído voltou. Sem perceber que o alien estava morto, ele proclama que ele decifrou o código.
The telephone rang. Straut picked it up.
"General Straut," he said. His voice was firm. He had put an end to the threat.
"Straut, we've broken the message," General Margrave said excitedly. "It's the damnedest thing I ever . . ."
Straut wanted to interrupt, announce his victory, but Margrave was droning on.
". . . strange sort of reasoning, but there was a certain analogy. In any event, I'm assured the translation is accurate. Here's how it reads in English . . ."
Ele grita que disse algo como "Por favor, cuide da minha filha para mim."
Straut listened. Then he carefully placed the receiver back on the hook.
Lieberman stared at him.
"What did it say?"
Straut cleared his throat. He turned and looked at Lieberman for a long moment before answering.
"It said, 'Please take good care of my little girl.'"