Arrival of Our Long-Lost Cousins

To the people of the earth, we convey this greeting. We are quite anxious for this long-awaited meeting. Coming in peace, we are your cousins, as once before. In a few hours, we’ll be reunited once more. You will recognize us; our appearance you will know. We see the sun we once shared ten million years ago. The planet’s orbit remains between Venus and Mars. History is forgotten, but we remember ours. Our first arrival was with the great reptiles roaming. Something happened, and we could not save them from dying. Your entire world was completely warm and tropical. This appeared to be the ideal place for our people. Our interstellar travel made us masters of space. However, we knew nothing of climate in this place, or evolution and genetics within our race. Your planet is in a section of isolation. It takes many years to reach your civilization. Our starships would be bringing news from the galaxy. They would land three or four times in every century. Your earth was once a constant tropical paradise. However, climactic changes covered it with ice. A strange phenomenon caused some harmless mutations. Some of us were immune. There were no alterations. This did not kill, or cause destructive physical harm. It did start to arouse inevitable alarm. Two separate groups arose over thousands of years. Suspicion was perpetuated and caused great fears. Those who did not leave earth sank into barbarism. Envy, discord, and conflict were caused by the schism. We had thought the end came for your civilization. Your first radio signals gave us indication that your culture has survived all these millennia. This discovery has given us euphoria. We see you have made your long ascent from savagery. We are here to restore the long-lost fraternity. We have uncovered much since we abandoned the earth. Now that you are re-discovered, there will be much mirth. Perpetual tropical climate, we will restore. You won’t have to withstand freezing winters anymore. With genetic mutation, there’s no need to endure. For your offensive, yet harmless plague, we have a cure. For what is now wrong, we have the power to make right. Only let us know how many of you are still white. Based on the short story "Reunion" by the late Arthur C. Clarke