Arrival (FT Closed)

[Vipra]

Iretaria, Aras System,
Airbase Zeehn Seventeen

The conversation with this azoni had just taken a turn for the worse Lestik noted. The fact that they wouldn’t offer aid, and were courting the south, was far from what he had hoped for. It seemed that hopes and expectations were only conceived solely to be aborted. The brigadier did his best to keep his disappointment internal and did a fine job of it, simply reaching out and pouring himself more of the fiery liquor and jugging that instead of making an immediate comment. Dealing with these gods or aliens or whatever the hell they were was draining, and the drink helped to put some fire in him.

He swirled what remained in his glass for a moment before downing it, “Well, that is beyond disappointing. Here I was hoping we could be the best of friends and not just have you sitting by and making a bad situation worse by hoping on down at the worst time possible.” In any other situation Lestik would have bitten back the snark, but right now he was getting tired of dealing with an alien that had a chip on her shoulder and had been party to duping his ancestors for centuries.

Now he just had to ask the obvious, even though it pained him to do so, a sigh escaping his lips before he spoke, “And what might this ‘option two’ be eh? Come on down with spaceships and soldiers? Simply let us bomb each other into oblivion and sort out what remains? Or is there something else I am missing here.”

[The Azoni]

Iretaria, Aras System,
Airbase Zeehn Seventeen

As soon as she finished her sentence, she could sense the disappointment emitting from the lizard as he tried to mask it in pouring another drink. Not that she couldn't understand the disappointment. Being told that the only spacefarring race that you're aware of, which uplifted you to your current place wouldn't side with you in a cold war would be pretty disappointing, or at least Atara figured it. Not wanting to point out the obvious, she figured it would be best to let the lizard admit himself.

"No, no. I believe you may of misinterpreted my words Brigadier" She said quickly, cutting him off. "It is partly my mistake, but the "two nations" I was referring too was both your nation ruled by the Vukali and the southern nation. From my seven centuries of diplomatic experience, I am fairly certain that your problems can be solved by merely talking things out."

She paused, a bit reluctant to answer his question. "I cannot reveal much of it... classified information, as a military man, I am sure you understand this. I can reveal, however, that you do not want option 2 to happen"

[Tuthina]

As the signal from the approaching alien shuttle arrived at the Sobornost vessel, the crew of two had already arrived near the hanger located at the “lower” parts of the anterior end of the main axis, directly below the bridge. The placement was to ensure that even in the worst case scenario, of which the crew had to eject itself with the bridge from the rest of the vessel, there would still be a decent facility for the rescuing boarding party. At the same time, it also made the hanger further away from the fusion engine and generator of the vessel, which was not entirely safe, especially in the case of a leak.

At one of the compartments surrounding the hanger, Wilhelm and Theodora, both of them already suited in the skin-tight, pressurised vacuum suit, were standing - or more accurately, floating slightly above the walkway leading to the gravity-free main hanger. In front of them, though, was a line of about 10 women, all suited in the same vacuum suit, and frozen in an upright position, as if they were soldiers standing in front of their sergeant.

From a casual glance, apart from minor variations, all these women were almost exactly the same as Theodora, up and including the headdress with cat ears on it. Like the one used by their leader, these pairs headdress were a collection of transmitters and receivers of electromagnetic waves of various frequency, which, when combined with the implants and cyber-brains inside their cranium, would effectively allow them to see through most material, and to create a composite three-dimensional image of the scanned area. The software installed inside the cyber-brains, as well as implants of the crew, also enabled them to share information (more) efficiently through the mesh network covering the entire vessel. Even in the unlikely case of a hostile boarding, the crew of two would be able to command and coordinate each other to fight against them.

Despite arguments both for and against such philosophical definition, these “Furies” were not inhabited by true sentient beings. Instead, they were given synthetic brains that simulated the actions of a real brain with electronic machines, and installed with limited and purpose-built artificial intelligences for their duties, such as, in this case, security and utility works. Without the ability to defy orders from authorised individuals, they were not considered part of the 12 million citizens of the Sobornost, and with an order from either Vilhelm or Theodora, they would tear themselves into shreds of flesh, blood and steel without hesitation, and the crew would not be in any trouble, as long as they proved it was deemed necessarily. In effect, these Furies were but tools with humanoid bodies.

“The alien shuttlecraft has arrived. Initiating automatic docking protocol.” The on-board AI informed Vilhelm that the first contact had begun, as the sound of hydraulic pumps opening and sealing various gates of the main hanger spread across half of the vessel, including the compartment the crew was at.

“Well, this is it. We will have first contact with a previously-unknown, space-faring species in anytime soon.” Vilhelm said, as the various pop-up windows occupying his vision kept him informed of the docking oval-shaped vessel.

“Let’s hope the first thing that lands here is not a bomb or a marine squad.” Theodora laughed, as her hands swiftly patted the kinetic pistol hoisted at her thigh. While this was obviously a joke - one which was not perceived well by Vilhelm, as his stare towards the cat-eared colleague showed - this was also a scenario that must be taken into consideration. While Futura Sobornost had not entered a war with another country yet, they were cases of pirates or privateers attacking and boarding Sobornost vessels under the guise of marooned civilian ships, and precautions must be taken. In fact, the existence of the Fury guards was mostly to defend the real and valuable crew of the vessel, with their live, if necessary.

As the gate of that alien ship emerged from its wall and opened, warning flooded the entire hanger compartment - literally, as the water from the interior of the alien vessel flushed into the dry and sterile white hanger, quickly forming droplets and bubbles in the microgravity environment. At the same time, more than a dozen alarms were triggered, as the piercing noise of them filled the mind of both Vilhelm and Theodora. After the alarms were turned off, though, the female crew broke the awkward silence with a laughter, while the male counterpart sighed.

“I cannot believe that I just let the vessel of a water-based life form to dock without precautions.” He said to himself, before turning to the on-board AI and gave off the obvious command. Like the door of the alien space vessel, numerous smaller doors emerged from the white interior walls of the hanger, as they started to suck off all the excessive water to a elaborate waste disposal system that was equipped precisely for this reason, and to store it as part of the valuable water resource of the ship - after several layers of decontamination and filtering, of course. However, the next thing that entered the multimedia feed did not provide much comfort for them either.

“What is that?” Vilhelm asked, as he looked at the black steel tube that slowly moved into the wet hanger.

“A bomb?” Theodora joked.

“It is not the time for that.”

“Sir, our sensors cannot acquire meaningful information concerning the interior of the unidentified alien object.” One of the Furies reported, as all ten pairs of ears were pointing towards the main hanger. Even disregarding the thin layer of aluminum between, which would render most available scanning method useless, initial scan report from the ship itself was sufficient to conclude that the steel tube could not be penetrated for a scan, unless extremely high frequency wave, such as gamma ray, was used, and pointing a gamma way towards a potential alien ambassador was not exactly a good idea.

“Should the emergency cargo ejection protocol be initiated?”

“No. Resume the docking protocol. Once the air pressure has been normalised, and no toxic material was detected, open the door and let us approach the aliens.” After thinking for a fraction of second with the implanted information and protocol for a quick and safe judgement, Vilhelm decided to take the risk and approach the black tube. After all, even if it was intended to annihilate the entire vessel, even he and Theodora could be resurrected by downloading the backup of their “soul” to another body, and not much would have been lost. However, screwing up a first encounter event might cost things of invaluable worth to be lost forever, in one way or another.

“Understood. Proceed.”

---

It took a while for the scanning and cleaning of water to be clear, as the aluminum gate between the crew and the alien slided open quietly. After clearing his throat anxiously, the dozen humans slowly approached the alien, as they floated towards the black steel tube. Theodora, while noticeably more relaxed than Vilhelm, still had her hand near her thigh, in case the sidearm was needed. Like her, the Furies were all equipped with emergency weapon as well. However, instead of pistols, their weapon was built into their arms. With a swift punch and a simple command, inches of cold steel, coated with several paralysing agents, would extend between their fingers and impale most soft targets. However, they would not lift a finger without authorisation.

“Initiate translation. Real-life broadcast from hanger PA system.” The captain said, as they stopped several feet before the tube. Then, as he started to speak, his speech was translated based on the available information, and broadcasted across the hanger as soon as the translation was mostly likely correct.

Ambassador, we are the crew of this vessel of Futura Sobornost, and we welcome you to enter our vessel.
Like we said before, we mean no harm, and aim for a peaceful relation between our people and your people.
We use your information to translate our language into your language, so please forgive us if there are mistakes. We will be correcting them as our contact continues.

Apart from the somewhat standard welcoming speech, information about the crew of two was also given to the possible ambassador, including their name, role, as well as comparisons between them and the “standard” human given in the first contact information pack. As the broadcast finished, the crew waited patiently for any response, while all sensors in the hanger tried to record everything and sent them back to Futura.

[Inaris]

The Ambassador upon scanning the creatures and the vessel noted most of them were armed; however he understood security was needed in first contact. The level of genetic modification and use of AI in this culture surprised the Ambassador. This was a curious society that had taken the opposite steps as the Confederacy who limited genetic modification upon fears of blurring the lines between what was what, Ofla Huari or something else entirely.

The Ambassador replied, through speakers on the top of the tube and through translation programs written on the ship, "Thank you for welcoming me. Your nation intrigues me from what little we have learned; we surely aim for peaceful relation as well. I am Haijb Ambassador of the Inaris Confederacy. If possible we would like to start more in depth talks on the recently colonized planet Osu. Yet for now it would be best if we forwarded data files containing most of our language to help you finish translation. "

The tube then floated in a circle slowly looking at the ship. The ambassador spoke again, "A well made vessel, but for my inquires regarding your people I must ask about the level of genetic engineering in your nation, it is far beyond anything attempted or allowed by the Confederacy, why do you do this?"

((Hilariously short but i am merely talking so.))

[Tuthina]

As the slightly distorted voice from the black tube filled the somewhat wet hanger, it was clear that the alien was doing the same thing as them, as they tried to translate their language into the one of Sobornost, which was a pretty good sign, as it would assist the communication. Seeing that the ambassador confirmed its peaceful intention, as well as the fact that it did not blow up in their face for now, both Vilhelm and Theodora seemed to be relieved, as her hand was removed from her thigh, now crossing her arms beneath her breast. At the same time, the Fury guards were more concerned about the remaining droplets that escaped the draining system, as ten pairs of cat ears continued to point towards several droplets around.

“Thank you for your help, ambassador.” Vilhelm nodded to the steel tube as it transferred the data files that would greatly help with the translation process. While an echo of the translated version of his sentence was broadcasted soon afterwards, the native language of his seemed to be simple enough to be recognised by the alien itself.

“Data transmission initiated. Transcription and integration will be in process once individual data packs are received.” The internal AI message replied in the mind of Vilhelm, although with all the radio-based wireless network covering the entire ship, it would not be difficult for the alien to receive it as well.

As the ambassador asked about the genetic engineering level of Sobornost, which was arguably one of the most notable traits of the Sobornost itself, and most likely being incorporated inside the first contact message, Vilhelm and Theodora looked at each other, before turning back to the ambassador.

“Why is this always one of the first questions we encountered?” Vilhelm asked Theodora in his mind, as numerous official records of first contacts tend to begin with similar inquirys.

“Perhaps it has something to do with us wiping the face of every alien with it. Or the breasts.” Theodora remarked, which caused Vilhelm to let off a small sigh, before starting to reply.

“Thank you for your praise, as this is one of the most common and versitile ship of the Sobornost, designed for its utility and adaptation to different missions that we might have to undergo.” Vilhelm said, as his speech was translated. The cross-examination of both speeches would be a good material for the translation algorithm of the alien. “Concerning the widespread of genetic engineering, we consider it one of the most useful tools to increase both our life quality and personal freedom. Since accompanied with many other related technology, we can effectively design our own body for whatever use, appearance, or even fetishes that the user might be interested in, it enables us to maximise our personal freedom, for our circumstance at birth and at growth do not hinder us anymore. In fact, my current body was designed and built specifically for this moment, as it enhances my ability to extract and analyse information with my mind, thus to ensure it would not go wrong.”

“At the same time, my colleague here, Theodora Boveta, had her body designed for maximal somatic skills and ability, so that she could assist me for heavy works, as well as utility works that might need super-human strength.” Vilhelm said, as he patted the shoulder of Theodora. “I hope this brief answer is enough for your inquiry. If not, you are welcomed to ask more question, which we will be more than happy to answer.”

[Inaris]

“Thank you for your praise, as this is one of the most common and versitile ship of the Sobornost, designed for its utility and adaptation to different missions that we might have to undergo.” Vilhelm said, as his speech was translated. The cross-examination of both speeches would be a good material for the translation algorithm of the alien. “Concerning the widespread of genetic engineering, we consider it one of the most useful tools to increase both our life quality and personal freedom. Since accompanied with many other related technology, we can effectively design our own body for whatever use, appearance, or even fetishes that the user might be interested in, it enables us to maximise our personal freedom, for our circumstance at birth and at growth do not hinder us anymore. In fact, my current body was designed and built specifically for this moment, as it enhances my ability to extract and analyse information with my mind, thus to ensure it would not go wrong.”

“At the same time, my colleague here, Theodora Boveta, had her body designed for maximal somatic skills and ability, so that she could assist me for heavy works, as well as utility works that might need super-human strength.” Vilhelm said, as he patted the shoulder of Theodora. “I hope this brief answer is enough for your inquiry. If not, you are welcomed to ask more question, which we will be more than happy to answer.”

The Ambassador inched his tube slightly closer and responded, "Indeed this is sufficient. Of course we understood that you had genetic modification but not exactly why and to what exact extent. The Confederacy is very against genetic modification in any large form. it is a highly regulated science that is limited to medical research, anything further is considered highly illegal with punishment of permanent incarceration. I admire your pursuit of science but do not share it, our people do not participate in such genetic practices for a reason. We feel that once you begin that path it blurs the lines of what is and is not an intelligent and worth creature to live, what is truly intelligent and what isn't more or less."

The ambassador paused and began again, "I must say though this should not hinder any relations with the Confederacy, our beliefs and yours though contradictory have no need to clash, people respect each others decisions in the Confederacy, we respect yours. Is there anything at all you need to ask of me? It would be my privilege to answer any further questions before a more experienced emissary replaces me. I assume you are following our ship to Osu as mentioned?"


((Disgusting posts but im not in personal contact posts))

[Tuthina]

The Ambassador inched his tube slightly closer and responded, "Indeed this is sufficient. Of course we understood that you had genetic modification but not exactly why and to what exact extent. The Confederacy is very against genetic modification in any large form. it is a highly regulated science that is limited to medical research, anything further is considered highly illegal with punishment of permanent incarceration. I admire your pursuit of science but do not share it, our people do not participate in such genetic practices for a reason. We feel that once you begin that path it blurs the lines of what is and is not an intelligent and worth creature to live, what is truly intelligent and what isn't more or less."

The ambassador paused and began again, "I must say though this should not hinder any relations with the Confederacy, our beliefs and yours though contradictory have no need to clash, people respect each others decisions in the Confederacy, we respect yours. Is there anything at all you need to ask of me? It would be my privilege to answer any further questions before a more experienced emissary replaces me. I assume you are following our ship to Osu as mentioned?"

"Of course, instead of what is different between us, we should focus more on what is common between our people." Vilhelm nodded and smiled, as he realised that perusing on the topic of genetic engineering would not be a very good idea, given the vast difference of attitude concerning the subject. However, as long as they do not insist on such differences, it should not be too difficult to forge a friendship between the two people.

"Well, we still need some time to fully analyse the information pack we received from your people, and to construct a more... accurate translation algorithm between our languages. Therefore, I believe that we can save our conversation until a more official meeting. Of course, we will follow your ship." Vilhelm pondered for a while, before answering the alien. "There is one thing that we are interested, though, and if it would not hinder your further action, we would be grateful to receive your answer. It seems that your people have a strong focus on philosophy, if we are not mistaken. We would like to know about how your people perceive the issues of mortality, such as life and death, as well as issues in between?"

[Casl]

"Of course, instead of what is different between us, we should focus more on what is common between our people." Vilhelm nodded and smiled, as he realised that perusing on the topic of genetic engineering would not be a very good idea, given the vast difference of attitude concerning the subject. However, as long as they do not insist on such differences, it should not be too difficult to forge a friendship between the two people.

"Well, we still need some time to fully analyse the information pack we received from your people, and to construct a more... accurate translation algorithm between our languages. Therefore, I believe that we can save our conversation until a more official meeting. Of course, we will follow your ship." Vilhelm pondered for a while, before answering the alien. "There is one thing that we are interested, though, and if it would not hinder your further action, we would be grateful to receive your answer. It seems that your people have a strong focus on philosophy, if we are not mistaken. We would like to know about how your people perceive the issues of mortality, such as life and death, as well as issues in between?"

The ambassador respectfully responded, "Of course, we fully understand you will take time to translate to a better extent. As for the question you have chosen to ask we indeed do, to not question what science cannot answer is to leave a great hole in our knowledge, we seek to rectify that hole constantly. As for the issues of mortality and death this is a subject that Ofla and Huari vary greatly on. You see the Ofla believe that all creatures share an essence and only have their part for a time. The Ofla believe that this essence is constantly growing as more and more creatures exist in the universe. It is Ofla belief that this essence is crucial to maintaining the universe, and without creatures, life, nature everything would fall in on itself. The Ofla believe that once a creature died its essence blends with the greater essence, and they live forever as an aspect of a single great mind." The ambassador stopped for a moment and continued, "Now as another thing the Ofla believe that is a creature is treated well its essence will be stronger and when it dies will contribute far more to the universal essence. This is a belief that has prevented expansion to planets by the Confederacy up until now. Lately there has been a concession simply to avoid the rampant overpopulation on the home worlds."


The ambassador spoke again, "The Huari believe that every sentient creature has an individual soul, and that this soul upon the creatures death will be carried to another plane of existence where the creature will live another life. The Huari believe that this happens forever and a single soul lives and dies in cycles forever as it becomes more and more pure and wise. A much less complex belief than that of the Ofla but one that most Huari hold onto extremely close."

The ambassador finished, "Is there anything else you would like to know before we arrive shortly?"

[Inaris]

"Of course, instead of what is different between us, we should focus more on what is common between our people." Vilhelm nodded and smiled, as he realised that perusing on the topic of genetic engineering would not be a very good idea, given the vast difference of attitude concerning the subject. However, as long as they do not insist on such differences, it should not be too difficult to forge a friendship between the two people.

"Well, we still need some time to fully analyse the information pack we received from your people, and to construct a more... accurate translation algorithm between our languages. Therefore, I believe that we can save our conversation until a more official meeting. Of course, we will follow your ship." Vilhelm pondered for a while, before answering the alien. "There is one thing that we are interested, though, and if it would not hinder your further action, we would be grateful to receive your answer. It seems that your people have a strong focus on philosophy, if we are not mistaken. We would like to know about how your people perceive the issues of mortality, such as life and death, as well as issues in between?"

The ambassador respectfully responded, "Of course, we fully understand you will take time to translate to a better extent. As for the question you have chosen to ask we indeed do, to not question what science cannot answer is to leave a great hole in our knowledge, we seek to rectify that hole constantly. As for the issues of mortality and death this is a subject that Ofla and Huari vary greatly on. You see the Ofla believe that all creatures share an essence and only have their part for a time. The Ofla believe that this essence is constantly growing as more and more creatures exist in the universe. It is Ofla belief that this essence is crucial to maintaining the universe, and without creatures, life, nature everything would fall in on itself. The Ofla believe that once a creature died its essence blends with the greater essence, and they live forever as an aspect of a single great mind." The ambassador stopped for a moment and continued, "Now as another thing the Ofla believe that is a creature is treated well its essence will be stronger and when it dies will contribute far more to the universal essence. This is a belief that has prevented expansion to planets by the Confederacy up until now. Lately there has been a concession simply to avoid the rampant overpopulation on the home worlds."


The ambassador spoke again, "The Huari believe that every sentient creature has an individual soul, and that this soul upon the creatures death will be carried to another plane of existence where the creature will live another life. The Huari believe that this happens forever and a single soul lives and dies in cycles forever as it becomes more and more pure and wise. A much less complex belief than that of the Ofla but one that most Huari hold onto extremely close."

The ambassador finished, "Is there anything else you would like to know before we arrive shortly?"

((THIS WAS ME))

[Tuthina]

The ambassador respectfully responded, "Of course, we fully understand you will take time to translate to a better extent. As for the question you have chosen to ask we indeed do, to not question what science cannot answer is to leave a great hole in our knowledge, we seek to rectify that hole constantly. As for the issues of mortality and death this is a subject that Ofla and Huari vary greatly on. You see the Ofla believe that all creatures share an essence and only have their part for a time. The Ofla believe that this essence is constantly growing as more and more creatures exist in the universe. It is Ofla belief that this essence is crucial to maintaining the universe, and without creatures, life, nature everything would fall in on itself. The Ofla believe that once a creature died its essence blends with the greater essence, and they live forever as an aspect of a single great mind." The ambassador stopped for a moment and continued, "Now as another thing the Ofla believe that is a creature is treated well its essence will be stronger and when it dies will contribute far more to the universal essence. This is a belief that has prevented expansion to planets by the Confederacy up until now. Lately there has been a concession simply to avoid the rampant overpopulation on the home worlds."

The ambassador spoke again, "The Huari believe that every sentient creature has an individual soul, and that this soul upon the creatures death will be carried to another plane of existence where the creature will live another life. The Huari believe that this happens forever and a single soul lives and dies in cycles forever as it becomes more and more pure and wise. A much less complex belief than that of the Ofla but one that most Huari hold onto extremely close."

The ambassador finished, "Is there anything else you would like to know before we arrive shortly?"

"That is indeed an interesting difference between your people, as well as yours and our people." Vilhelm nodded as the alien speech was translated into their language. Even without the flavour of an extraterrestrial philosophy, the mere thought that one should NOT live forever, like what every Sobornost citizens effectively do, itself is an intriguing thought. To a certain extent, the concept of "soul" itself is not a very popular belief, seeing that believing in something that constituted "one" beyond thought patterns, memory, skills, and other tangible information would have shook the foundation of the entire Sobornost being an immortal paradise. However, the Sobornost ambassador decided not to push this question further, beside nodding along.

"I believe the rest can be reserved for the following meeting. One thing we would like to know, though, is how is the environment of the meeting, because if it is the same as your... natural habitat, we will need to prepare for it, since we cannot breath in liquid." Vilhelm asked.

[Inaris]

The ambassador responded, "Oh no preparations of yours need to be made, we have created an environment that you can live in with a large window to ours, the room should not be an issue. We should arrive soon, around nine minutes how will you be landing on the planet? Shuttle or otherwise?"

The Ambassador could tell that the differences between the Confederacy and the aliens were large, although he didn't ask about their culture he knew that the negotiator would. The ambassador hoped that everything went good, Inaris had never been in direct contact with aliens, this was an extremely unprecedented, and war would be a horrible first start.

((Time passing post really)