On June 23rd, 1774, quite the peculiar encounter took place in the English Channel near the coast of Kent that would leave natural philosophers perplexed for years to come.

The crew of a merchant vessel named the Sussex Spice were going about their business in the midday sun when the lookout spotted a most peculiar sight on the horizon. Through his spyglass he saw an orb of shining silver floating just above the waves. As the ship drew nearer, the orb grew in size and detail, revealing it to be a massive sphere, seemingly constructed of some polished unknown metal.

The captain ordered the ship come about for a closer inspection. But just as they were within hailing distance, the orb began to rise slowly into the air. Gasps rang out across the deck as round openings began to appear across its surface, and strangest of all, faces visible within the orb's metallic frame- faces not of men but of oversized heads with hairless round craniums and eyes giant and black as polished coals.

The merchants looked on in disbelief as the orb floated higher, revealing fine filigree and panes of glass allowing glimpses of the odd "creatures" moving within. After several moments of silently observing the humans below, a grating sound like nails on slate began emitting from the sphere. Though no translation was possible, the intent seemed interrogative in nature.Receiving no reply but gawking from the crowded deck, the orb tilted slightly and glided away to the northeast at a swift pace, soon lost from sight beyond the wispy clouds.

The men of the Sussex Spice returned to port with wild tales that sparked frenzied speculation across the land. Though history offers no further clues, the mystery of that shining silver sphere and its peculiar passengers remains unsolved to this day.