by Tori Harris
"Maybe they’ll loan us a couple of those cannons, or better yet show us how to build them," Admiral Sexton said, only half-jokingly. "The next part of the ‘Flash’ message that I’m sure got everyone’s attention was the ‘all destroyed with one exception’ portion of item two. We’re assuming this refers to the single ship we saw transition out immediately after the squadron arrived. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that we shouldn’t be too concerned about that for the moment."
The CNI took her boss’s bait and chimed in with the obvious question, "Why not, Admiral? That part scares me to death."
"Well, two things come to mind, Tonya. Unless I miss my guess, even one of those ships we saw in the video would be more than a match for us at the moment, and I doubt there is a whole helluva lot we could do about it if they attacked. Second, our previously silent partners, the Pelarans, seem to be willing to take on a more active role in our defense, if necessary. Once again, it’s very clear from the video that they, in turn, are more than a match for those unknown ships. That brings us to the part about the Pelarans inviting us to send Ingenuity out to the scene for some sort of recovery operations. Admiral Patterson, would you please continue?"
"Aye, sir. At 0730, I briefed Ingenuity’s Captain Prescott and Commander Reynolds on the situation and dispatched them to the scene of the battle. I discussed this course of action with Admiral Sexton prior to their briefing. As he just alluded, we don’t have much to lose at this point by taking the Pelarans up on their offer."
There were a few looks of surprise and concern around the room on this point, but no one ventured a comment.
"Ingenuity departed Lagrange point 1 at 0750 UTC and arrived at her destination at 0757 UTC. I don’t want to lose the significance of that accomplishment in the middle of all this other news. She averaged over seven times the speed of light on that trip, which is nearly double her previous best speed."
Hearing this news, Admiral Sexton began a round of applause, which the assembled officers happily joined. "It’s easy enough to become cynical about how big of an accomplishment that ship represents for Humanity. There are certainly plenty of folks in the media who claim it shouldn’t have taken so long to get to this point, given the so called ‘Pelaran Boost.’ But they don’t know what every person in this room knows, and that’s what a truly staggering technological leap forward this project has required, even with design help from our alien allies. We may find ourselves in a world of hurt sometime in the near future, but I’m proud of our accomplishments and just ask that you keep coming to work every day and doing what you’ve been doing." The CINCFTC nodded once again to his CNO. "Please continue."
"After arriving on station, Ingenuity scanned the area and identified a three-hundred-meter-long piece of debris that appeared to be the bow of one of the destroyed ships. A combat EVA team attempted an approach to a possible access hatch, but discontinued their approach after detecting movement near the hatch. Further exploration with one of their RPSV units resulted in …" Kevin Patterson took a deep breath here before revealing the only piece of information no one in the room had seen yet, with the exception of Admiral Sexton. His pause once again focused the attention of everyone in the room.
"Resulted in what?" Admiral White asked anxiously.
"In that," Admiral Patterson replied, turning to stare at the screen, which now displayed live video of the first (living) extra-terrestrial biological entity ever encountered by Human beings.
Chapter 4
TFS Ingenuity, Near the Jovian Orbital Path
(1115 UTC - 9.5x108 km from Earth)
Captain Prescott strode across the flight deck to meet his XO. As he did so, he was keenly aware that he was being closely watched by his ship’s new guest, still working with EVA equipment and medical staff near the personnel airlock. The guidelines for first contact were just that – guidelines. No one could possibly predict the specifics of how Humans would first encounter a species from another world. A significant theme throughout TFC’s guidance, however, was to project an air of confidence and strength without appearing pompous or arrogant. It was never entirely clear how one was supposed to pull this off, so for now Prescott worked on consciously holding his shoulders back and trying to project his command presence. He hoped to be able to do so while still respecting and welcoming his ship’s guest, to the extent such a thing was even possible.
"So how are we doing so far? Can we talk to him yet?"
"Yes, sir, we can, and it’s a ‘she,’" Commander Reynolds said, flashing what her captain thought was a rather smug smile for his benefit. "For now, you can just grab a tablet to provide translation."
Some of the first detected ETSI data streams included what appeared to be lexicons containing the vocabulary, grammar, and rules for thousands of different languages. In each case, the corresponding translations to various contemporary and traditional Human languages were also included. In the months and years immediately following detection of the data streams, it was assumed that the vast quantities of linguistic data heralded an imminent first contact event, or indeed multiple events from multiple species. In spite of the fact that physical contact had not taken place before now, the branch of linguistics known collectively as Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or CETI, advanced rapidly as a direct result of the ETSI data. Even though its roots could be traced back to the mid-twentieth century, today was the first practical application of the entire branch of science.
Reynolds eyed the user interface for the translation app on her tablet suspiciously, noting that it currently displayed an error probability of less than one percent. "Of course, we’re not sure if this thing gives us a one-hundred-percent-accurate translation, but our conversation seems to make sense so far. She also hasn’t attacked anyone yet, so that has to be a good sign, right? In all seriousness, she’s a little rattled, sir, as you can imagine. She’s also concerned that our ship might also be destroyed if we remain in the area."
"Captain?" Doctor Jiao Chen, chief of Ingenuity’s small but surprisingly well-equipped medical staff called out as she approached from the direction of the airlock. "Can I have a word, sir?"
The medical staff was nominally assigned to Terran Fleet Command for shipboard service, but, unlike all other members of the crew, they were nonmilitary employees contracted through various health organizations around the world. Just like their military counterparts, however, they underwent a stringent selection process and represented the top echelons of their respective fields.
"Of course, Doctor, you were next on my list. I take it our guest is not a biohazard for the crew?"
"Not at all, Captain. In fact, decontamination has gone surprisingly well. Since the translation AI allowed us to begin communicating immediately, we were able to explain to Nenir, that’s her name by the way, how the process was going to work. She understood immediately and indicated that it was much the same on Wek ships. That’s what her people are called. It’s not a very pretty name, I’m afraid, although she herself is gorgeous."
"Nenir the Wek, huh? You are quite the font of information, Doctor Chen. What else have you learned?"
"Quite a bit, actually. The protocols require a complete bioscan and whole genome sequencing. We literally look at the structure of every cell type in the body as well as parasitic agents and organisms like viruses and bacteria. All of the foreign species data gets cross-referenced with the Human genome to look for the potential of any cross-infection. By the end of the day, we will know more about Wek physiology than we did our own until …"
"About fifty years ago?" Prescott interrupted, with a raised eyebrow.
"Hah, you guessed it, Captain. In Nenir’s case, the only potential for infection is due to agents that are so similar to those we’ve already been exposed to that it won’t be a problem. As you can see, she’s mammalian. I have to say that I’m astounded at how similar her anatomy is to ours. Her respiration requirements are similar enough that she won’t require a suit, but she mi
ght find it a little chilly. Otherwise, our gravity is a little higher and our air pressure a little lower than she’s used to, so she will probably tire pretty easily at first. Otherwise, she should be perfectly fine."
"Every time I talk to you, I’m pretty much blown away, but you’ve outdone yourself today, Doctor. Thank you."
"Not a problem, sir. I’m sure you have much to discuss with her, but let’s not forget that she has just undergone an unbelievably traumatic event, and is still doing so for that matter. As soon as possible, I’d like to give her a mild sedative and allow her to sleep. I also recommend she be confined to quarters and kept under guard. She seems perfectly lovely and rational, but I wouldn’t want to face her in combat. Pound for pound, I would give us the advantage in strength, and perhaps endurance, but she has a much higher percentage of fast twitch muscle tissue than Humans do. I’m betting she’s unbelievably quick and agile when she needs to be."
"So, are we going to stand here talking about her all day, or go and say hello?" Reynolds asked.
"By all means, Commander, you can introduce me."
"Captain Prescott to the bridge," the ship’s synthetic voice announced over all tablets and intercom systems in the vicinity. Prescott noted that the voice sounded more urgent than he had heard it sound before. He was aware that the system was designed to convey a tone appropriate for the situation, but always wondered about the specifics of how the AI would go about making that decision.
"I don’t like the sound of that, Commander. Please make my apologies to Ms. Nenir and let her know that I will be with her as soon as I can. In the meantime, turn her over to Doctor Chen, but see that she is secured, preferably while still giving the impression that she is a welcome guest. Until she proves otherwise, that’s exactly what she is. Please join me on the bridge as soon as you can get away."
"Aye, sir, be there shortly."
***
"They are hailing again on several different frequencies, sir. They are also attempting a laser comlink. Should we respond?" asked Lieutenant Dubashi, this time with more urgency than the last time she had asked just ten seconds earlier. She turned around in her seat to look Lieutenant Commander Schmidt in the eye and see for herself if the pressure of the situation had cowed him into a potentially dangerous state of indecision.
Thomas Schmidt found himself in the unenviable position of being the very first Human being who just happened to be in temporary command of a starship at the exact moment when the very first alien ship attempted first contact.
Shit, seriously, he thought, why did this have to happen right now? He knew the captain would be on the bridge momentarily, but also didn’t want to appear incapable of handling the situation himself. The first contact guidelines were, as usual, a bit vague on this situation as well, stating only that the commanding officer should handle all formal communications whenever possible. "Do we have a video carrier signal, Ensign?" he finally asked, hoping that his delaying tactic wasn’t quite as obvious as he assumed that it was.
"Aye, sir," Lieutenant Dubashi replied gravely, unconsciously jutting her chin in his direction and tilting her head as if trying to force Schmidt into taking action by sheer force of will. "Shall I open the channel?"
Schmidt glanced again at the view screen, now displaying an image of the approaching alien vessel, which was nearly three times Ingenuity’s size. "Open the …"
"Report," Captain Prescott said, interrupting Schmidt before the bridge door was even open wide enough for him to step through.
"Sir, that ship came out of hyperspace right on top of us. Since then, they have been holding position. They haven’t done anything else other than trying to hail us."
"Well, did you answer?"
"I was about to, sir."
"Let’s try not to keep them waiting until we piss them off, shall we, Thomas? Dubashi, can you give us video?"
"Aye, sir, opening channel," she replied, inwardly pleased that Schmidt would in the very least end up on the receiving end of a tongue lashing for his indecisiveness.
The window displaying the alien ship was reduced in size and moved to a less conspicuous location on the right side of the bridge view screen. It was immediately replaced by an image of the only alien species that was now at least somewhat familiar to the crew. This Wek was almost certainly male. Although difficult to judge from the video, he appeared to be significantly larger, and certainly more intimidating, than Nenir. From a Human perspective, the comparison that immediately came to mind was the difference in appearance between male and female lions.
"This is Captain Tom Prescott of the starship TFS Ingenuity." Prescott had a fleeting thought that he should offer some sort of welcome, but quickly dismissed the idea of saying any more than he had to until he figured out exactly why they were here.
The Wek paused for a moment before replying, most likely waiting for some sort of translation to occur on his side. Prescott sincerely hoped that this formidable-looking Wek was hearing a translation that was as accurate as his was. Misunderstandings in situations like this struck him as running a high risk of potentially catastrophic consequences.
When the Wek finally did reply, Ingenuity’s communication AI translated his dialog in real-time. In addition, the translation was delivered using a synthesized facsimile of the alien’s actual voice, including subtle details of volume and intonation. The delay introduced by the processing was so short as to be undetectable to the Human ear. The only problem, of course, was that the translated audio did not match the video on the screen. The effect was similar to watching a poorly dubbed foreign film, which, unfortunately, could strike some people as uproariously funny at precisely the wrong moment. During training with this system, officers were given the opportunity to get their initial reaction to this rather comic effect out of their systems and warned repeatedly that giggling was generally inappropriate while communicating with a potentially hostile alien species.
The Wek’s sonorous voice was a perfect match for his appearance, giving the impression of confident authority along with disciplined control of physical power. "Greetings to you and your people, Captain Prescott. It is indeed an honor to be the first of my kind to meet you. I am Admiral Rugali Naftur of the Wek flagship Gresav. We have much to discuss, Captain, but, regretfully, I cannot risk spending more than a few moments here with you today. Please do not take the terse nature of this conversation as a lack of interest or decorum on our part."
Prescott said nothing, but simply inclined his head politely and waited for the admiral to continue.
"My species is one of seven member species of a coalition called the Sajeth Collective. I must save the details for another time, but my people traditionally handle military operations on behalf of the other members of the coalition. I was dispatched to your system with a squadron of thirteen ships." Admiral Naftur paused and breathed deeply, releasing his breath with what might be described as a weary sigh. The deep, mournful sound, which was reminiscent of what one might expect to hear in the distance during a night on the Serengeti plains of Africa, caused every member of Ingenuity’s bridge crew to stop what they were doing and stare momentarily at the view screen.
"Please forgive my emotional response," he continued. "Of our original thirteen ships, only the Gresav remains. There were over seven thousand souls aboard those vessels. Please understand that the loss of our squadron was deemed more likely than not, and yet was still considered an acceptable risk to accomplish our mission."
"I don’t know what to say, Admiral Naftur. Please allow me to express our deepest regrets for your losses. Our sensors initially detected explosions in the area. Once the light arrived at our world, we were able to witness the battle itself. Our ship was then sent to investigate."
"A battle, you say? No, Captain, I assure you that the destruction of our squadron was nothing less than a slaughter," Naftur growled. "The Gresav is one of our most advanced warships, but her escape had more to do with subterfuge and the sacrifice of the other twelve
ships than any additional capabilities or weaponry she possesses. Had she been present when the attack occurred, she would have been destroyed just as easily as the others. We, of course, cast no blame on your world for this cowardly attack." The admiral paused to gauge Prescott’s reaction before continuing. "I’m also aware that there is more to your story than you are revealing at the moment, but I appreciate that you are wisely withholding certain details without resorting to outright dishonesty. This speaks well for your people, Captain, and bodes well for our potential to forge a lasting relationship."
Prescott nodded without comment. "You mentioned a mission, Admiral. May I ask the nature of your mission in the Sol system?"
"You may indeed, Captain Prescott, since providing your species with much-needed information is the essence of that mission. I am here to accomplish three tasks. The first was to have this conversation with you, face to face. Throughout the histories of all of the spacefaring civilizations we have encountered, the species with whom they make first physical contact tends to hold a lasting significance, credibility, and status. There are a few dramatic exceptions where first contact led to centuries of war, but long-term cooperative friendships are more common, and more beneficial to both, I might add." At this, Admiral Naftur’s expression changed briefly to something that looked vaguely like a grin.
"May it be so with our peoples, Admiral," Prescott replied.
"Nothing would please me more, Captain. The second task was the placement of Nenir Turlaka aboard your vessel."
Prescott felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Had he been tricked into compromising the safety of his ship immediately after she was commissioned? He furrowed his brow, staring directly into Naftur’s eyes without responding.
"Please don’t be alarmed, Captain Prescott. Nenir is nothing more than she appears to be, a dedicated representative of our species to yours. In fact, you might consider her our first diplomatic ambassador to your world. You will quickly learn that she is an expert in such things, and should be of great value in furthering your species’ knowledge of the Wek as well as the others members of the Sajeth Collective."