If there was one thing that was true about Gue'rach, he was a workaholic. More than likely, the thought of looking forward to the end of one's shift had never crossed his mind. Granted, even he knew the importance of a long rest, but that didn't change the fact that the sense of duty had been permanently carved into his consciousness and persona due in part from his rigorous KIDF conditioning regimens. This is why he was compelled to fill in the scheduling hole the late-Rod had left from his passing. Of course, with the Prize having docked with Deep Solar 3, his temporary position would no doubt prove even more uneventful.

Although, the caveat to the job was that it permitted him to explore the ship. His Tactical officer duties essentially regulated him to a single position, which so happened to be the bridge. The only other places that would deem his presence suitable were the multiple areas throughout the ship pertaining to the Prize's weapon hardpoints and shield projectors. However, these sections were usually handled by the many engineering officers aboard and the only thing he could very well do was simply inspecting them and ensuring they were being maintained properly. This was however something he expected the more senior of the engineering staff to ensure. Perhaps in some specific situations, meeting with the Chief of Security and their staff regarding the defense of the ship and away missions would be relevant to his position as well. But all those cases were uncommon for him and thus, it was the bridge where he truly belonged.

Part of his patrol path crossed into the second level of the engineering deck, where upon arrival, Gue'rach would observe an interaction with several engineering officers in a collaborative meeting with the station's maintenance and repair crews. The Tactical officer was not within distance to listen in on the actual conversation, but the holographic visuals projected at the center of their meeting displayed a simple representation of the I.S.S. Prize where several red-highlighted scars appeared over different areas on the external hull. It was probably safe to assume the different staff below him we discussing how to treat and repair each section. With his curiosity satisfied, he immediately continued on his way down the catwalk before eventually exiting the engineering deck.



It wouldn't be too much longer until an anomaly came before him. Or rather, she, had crossed into his path. While entering into a 'T' shaped intersecting hallway that lead to the residential deck which housed all the crew about the Prize, Gue'rach's four eyes were set on a woman whose face he hadn't recognized before. Although with a few hundred souls aboard, it would be difficult, even for him, to remember everyone's name and facial visage. He had just barely scathed by with a victory against Ensign Lorenzo during a team-building exercise-turned-competition where the goal was to match the names to all the correct faces of the crew.

The woman before him appeared dressed in something resembling Starfleet fatigues, something like a causal, off-duty uniform. She appeared legit in that respect, although the purposeful and careful slowness to her walk, along with her presumably curious, or uncertain, facial expression hinted to him that she probably wasn't sure where she was. Or perhaps she was trying to find something. Gue'rach allowed the thoughts to speculate further as he approached the stranger. His large form, paired with his increased pace would have given himself away to anyone in the vicinity as the floor slightly resonated the thumps of his heavy footfalls. Given their individual heights, Gue'rach had to space himself about a couple-feet away, careful not to unintentionally present an imposing or hostile posture while respecting the officer's personal space.

"Excuse me," he began, trying to sound courteous, "I could help but notice you wandering. Is there something I can assist you with?"

To be honest, Elm was surprised how quickly both her companions agreed to her suggestion. She hadn’t dared to guess what Korax's response would be, as his species’ mentality was truly alien (of course the humans could say the same thing about the Lavathulin), but she assumed that Nick would very politely refuse. After all, he was the highest ranking officer on the ship and it would be understandable if he wanted to maintain some distance from his subordinates. She certainly didn’t expect his excited and even playful reaction. ‘Humans will never cease to surprise me,’ she thought to herself as she followed the captain to sector G-37.

She had to admit that whoever designed the Low-Gravz knew what he was doing, because it looked pretty awesome. The big dome was located at the edge of the station’s outer ring, which made it easier to artificially lower the gravity inside. The plating around the dome was made mostly of see-through safety panels, which allowed visitors to enjoy truly breathtaking views of space around the station - countless stars flickering in the distance, the system’s orange sun, and of course the planet below. Elm regretted that they didn’t have more time here, otherwise she would definitely want to visit the planet and study its scarce vegetation. But they weren’t on this mission to spend weeks studying plants on already known and explored planets. They were here to go where no one has gone before. And study the plants there, of course.

A nice lady greeted them at the entrance to Low-Gravz and explained how it works inside to them. There were basically two sections that looked almost the same - big space was filled with colorful obstacles (padded for bigger safety) located on the ground, walls, ceiling and even suspended hanging mid-air. The only difference between the sectors was that first was just a playground where visitors could explore the possibilities of lower gravity, jump around and exercise. The other part was an arena. The players entering were equipped with a special laser weapon and some sort of body sensors for counting the hits.

To be honest, Elm didn’t really listen very carefully to that part, as she had no intention to into that part. Also the hostess wasn’t really talking to her, but mostly to Nick, smiling a lot. Elm noticed that the woman was fairly pretty by the human standards and assumed that the smiles were part of some human mating ritual. Not wanting to disrupt it she quickly paid the entrance fee and carefully stepped inside the playground part. There were already some visitors in both sectors, fortunately not enough to make it crowded.

She immediately felt lighter and had to focus on maintaining balance. It was an odd feeling - she made a step and it turned out to be a long graceful jump instead. The landing was not so graceful and Elm had to grab onto a railing to keep herself from stumbling to the ground. A two or three smaller jumps later she was slowly getting the hang of it. Her stomach was protesting a bit at the start but fortunately she got used to the low gravity quickly. She knew that the military part of the Prize crew most likely had some Zero-G combat training and that she must look pretty ridiculous, but to her surprise, she was actually having fun.

She tried to jump higher, this time grabbing onto a ladder on the wall a few feet off the ground. Pushing herself off the wall, she aimed for a platform hanging mid-air, but missed and ended up rolling on the floor. Fortunately it was also soft enough to dampen her fall, so she just giggled, got up and tried again.

---

The Prize, pride ship of the Terran Starfleet, was threatening to shake apart. Again. And, this time, it wasn't because of pirates or torpedoes. They had finally entered into Kepler's Passage, the stable wormhole on the edge of ISA space. It was... magnificent. Magnificent, and scary.

This ship is the first ISA vessel to travel through any wormhole, so Captain Carabello had no idea what to expect. All the models bravely proclaimed that the Prize would pass through intact, but one could hardly guess what it would look like inside.

What the Bridge crew saw is hard to explain. From the outside, the "wormhole" looked more like a sphere filled with lights, like a crystal ball. On the inside, while traveling through it, they could see their destination on the horizon, but it was bordered by colorful, distorted rings of stars. It was surreal. Nick briefly wondered if they really would pass through it alive...



...and then they did. With a jolt, the Prize was deposited on the outer edge of a foreign solar system. None of the stars outside were familiar. Neither are the three suns orbiting eachother at the center of the system. Or the large, Earth-like planet that sensors are already picking up.

And amidst all this, a little ship is approaching. It's too small to carry more than one or two Terrans, but there's no telling what the natives of this system look like. It does not appear to be armed. After a moment, a crewmen tells Carabello that they're receiving an audio-only hail from the vessel.

"Good," Nick replies, "We might have friends already. Hailing frequencies open." When the affirmative is given, he speaks up: "This is Captain Niccolò Carabello," he starts, "of the ISA ship ISS Prize. We have ju-"

"Are you the ones foreseen?" A voice from the shuttle interrupts. "You must tell me now."

"...I'm sorry?" Nicks asks. He wanted to ask a lot more than that, but that would not be diplomatically wise.

"Are you the ones foreseen? The ones the Holy Vei saw?" The voice was coming through clearly: she was a woman, very excited, but there was this undercurrent of anxiety in her tone. "The Travelers who come through the passage?"

Tricky. This "foreseeing," plus the use of a word the Universal Translator calls "Holy," sounds like religious speech. If it is, then no answer can be safe until you know what the religion believes. For all Nick knows right now, the "Travelers" are set to be executed.

"Well," the Captain answers slowly, "we are travelers. And we did come though the passage. We call it Kepler's Passage, actua-"

"I knew it!" the excited woman exclaims. "You're them!" And before Nick can say a word back, the line's cut.

Ominous.



An hour later, a loan ship appears out of FTL. It's massive, but not in a way that reads as a threat. It might be armed, but to Nick's eyes, it seems less advanced than the Prize. And a quick scan confirms it: the ship is armed, even bigger than the Prize, but with weapons that look like Alliance equivalents about 70 years ago.

Before they can be hailed, the aliens transmits a text-only message: Follow.

Captain Carabello complies. Contacting new life is a major part of the Prize's mission. Whatever these aliens might be, or might believe, they haven't threatened yet.

So they follow. Their alien escort leads them towards the Earth-like planet. As they draw closer, one can see the tell-tale signs of advanced life: lights that must be cities web across the land, obscured by a faint haze of pollution. But there's something else. Where Earth would have swathes of green, representing forests and jungles, this planet has a shade of blue so bright that it's nearly glowing.

About halfway into orbit, Carabello tries hailing the escort. Maybe they could finally see the alien's faces? But they don't pick up. He tries again. They don't, again. "Maybe they don't have the technology for video hails?" Nick wonders aloud. "Try a text-only message, like their ship has been sending."

That doesn't work either.

So, either the aliens are even less advanced than they seem, or they're ignoring the Prize. Is there a way to find out? "Divert our course," Carabello orders the pilot, "just a bit. I'm testing them."

At first, nothing happens. But as the Prize moves further and further from their course, the alien vessel is more and more agitated. They try drifting in circles around the Prize, to force them back on course towards the planet, but the smaller ISA ship slips by them. Then they try catching up, but can't quite match the Prize's speed.

After about 10 minutes of this, the aliens seem to give up. Their outdated engines power down, and the escort ship hangs aimlessly in space, defeated. Nick feels kind of bad for them. Then another text-only message comes in: Follow.

Well, they're persistent. Maybe now they'll talk back? Nick sends something back to the aliens: Why?
There's a delay, for about a minute, before the aliens respond. But at least they do. Because you are the Travelers, the reply reads.
How do you know? Nick sends back. Who are the Travelers?
Follow, the aliens helpfully answer.

Fine. Nick orders to follow them again. All the way down, pass the two moons that orbit, through the hazy atmosphere, and into a prepared clearing in the middle of a massive forest. While they comply with a signal to land, the Bridge crew can get a clear view of their surroundings.

And... wow. Nick is nearly stunned. The forest really is bright blue, and the plants really do glow. That hadn't just been a trick of the atmosphere. The trees are taller than any on Earth, going up at least 100 meters, and little vines scurry along their base. Instead of grass, the Prize is set down on a luminescent floor of roots and moss. Off in the distance, Nick spots a silhouette of stone huts that look ancient and abandoned. The escort ship stays hovering overhead.

Finally, the Prize receives a hail. It's audio-only. "At least it's not text again," Carabello remarks. "Answer it."

The voice that speaks sounds identical to the one from the shuttle. "Travelers," she addresses them, "the Holy Vei must speak to you. Prepare a delegation to meet her. A transport will come to take you. Soon."

Before anyone can ask any questions, the line is cut. That was really getting old.



A few more minutes later, the Captain is standing in front of a Situation Room meeting. All the Away Team and other senior staff were invited, of course. Plus Elm, the Botanist who Nick had met back on Deep Solar 3, and the Medical Anthropologist named Denise. The former because of this planet's unique plant biology, and the later because of her anthropological and spiritual experience.

For any who weren't present on the Bridge, Nick runs down everything that happened. From the strange meeting with the shuttle, to the strange escort ship, right down to the strange instructions to assemble a delegation.

"It's... strange," Nick continues. "But the optimist in me wants to believe that these people have good intentions. They've asked us to meet with someone who sounds like their leader. So I'll be going to see her, along with anyone else who feels they should come. We don't know anything about this Holy Vei's intentions, however, so I will understand if anyone is hesitant. I'm asking for volunteers.

"For the rest of you: there's still work to be done here."

He clears his throat.

"For one, we don't know anything about this planet. While our friends are odd, I don't believe they are hostile." Hopefully not, anyway. "So I would like to assemble a few parties to scout the nearby area. Study the forest, or look into the stone ruins nearby. See what we can learn about this world." He frowns. "Of course, it looks like they've dropped us in the middle of nowhere. I doubt you'll run into any people."

The Captain sits down, now. "And that's where we're at. This isn't how we usually meet new races, but First Contact procedures still apply. We're going to try to make friends with these people, if we can."

One last bit. Almost done. "So," Nick finishes, "any questions? Comments? Complaints?"

---

In a small lab near a corner in the lower bowels of the Prize, a machine whirred loudly in a flurry of titrations. It was a shame the lab was outfitted with some of the most outdated, least efficient equipment on the ship. But Denise had grown accustomed to such inconsiderate treatment from the ISA. They would ALL see the true value of her work sooner or later.

For now, the Medical Anthropologist pushed those thoughts aside to make some calculations as quickly as Divonly possible. The secretion she had purchased on Deep Solar 3 could degrade in its harmon quotient in such a spacetime-jarring event as going through a wormhole unless she prepared its amplified isotope right away.

Just as the blonde woman noted the number of succussions achieved so far, a notification blared through her communicator stating that the Prize would enter Kepler’s Passage in ten minutes. Denise nearly cursed, but she paused and corrected her frown into a smile. She had been planning for a 1000c tincture, but she supposed 800c would have to do. Perhaps some alien species they would meet would fare better with a lower potency. Everything happens for a reason.

As the time drew near, the titration and agitation machine shut off automatically after the reprogrammed 800 mixings of solute droplets and deionized hydrogen dioxide solution. Denise winced slightly as the still-hot vial burned her fingers, but there was just no time to wait for it to cool. She capped the solution in the one large vial for the time being and admired her handiwork: a harmoniously crystal-clear 800c homeopathic tincture of the sebaceous secretions from a Plizothian Arsenica-Snouted Adder. A valued remedy for symptoms of cancer, radiation poisoning, itchy feet, Ignean Crusting Disease, and death.

Denise held the rare tincture tightly in her hand as she made her way to a the nearest turbulence chair. She strapped herself in for preparation for who-knows-what kind of wormhole turbulence just in time. The lights of the lower deck dimmed as the ship went through never-before-experienced strain, causing strands of Denise’s hair to display their faint blue-violet glow. The enlightened being closed her eyes and smiled peacefully, meditating as the life energy of countless stars washed through the ship in record time.



Denise smiled serenely as she listened to Captain Carabello’s briefing. Her official role on the starship had been small so far, the most interesting being a chance to check on the health of some rescued hostages, one of which was lucky to receive a generous free sample of Denise’s premature balding remedy. Of course, the abundance of free time had given the Divon an opportunity to prepare a surplus of treatments and hold some consultations with a few crew members, and she did not resent any such opportunities the Universe provided. But now that the Prize was about to meet some unknown intelligent species, it was truly the Medical Anthropologist’s time to shine!

“It will be an honor to join the team meeting this blessed Holy Vei,” Denise declared in her wispy voice. She stood up with a smile, making slow and graceful hand gestures as she spoke.

“For those whom I have not yet had the pleasure to meet, I am Denise Bploopcphyer, Lifebringer of the Sixth Realm and Medical Anthropologist. As a studier and participant in hollistic medicine myself, I will seek to promote respect, understanding, and the pursuit of truth on all sides. I would love to exchange knowledge with these fascinating people and learn how their wisdom can amplify the lives of the I.S.A., just as our wisdom can amplify their lives.”

The round woman’s gaze wandered away for a few seconds, dazzled by the brilliant blue glow of the massive foliage. It was not unlike her own hair, actually. The people here must have no problem with the kind of mental fungus that so often plagues the human body’s third eye, as a possible remedy seems to be filtering into the air around them at all times.

Speaking of…

“If I may add one insight, upon first glance it seems this species may be flooded with a large influence of the fifth and sixth chakras, as suggested by the prevalence of blue and blue-violet color on their planet. To explain briefly, these chakras preside over speech and intellect. That is, assuming the chakras in this species conform to the alignment in most known humanoids… but I have a good hunch this is the case. This may explain their brevity in speech – it is important for them to choose their words carefully and efficiently. If we are to make a good impression, we should strive to approach everything from a logical and intellectual standpoint, and to speak only after careful consideration. It is especially vital to avoid the natural human inclination toward complex emotional motivations, as a culture originating from a greener planet.”

Denise gave a satisfied nod and took her seat.

Francesca had spent most of the time while the ship was in for repairs to go shopping. It was both a way to have fun and a way to train her senses by haggling. A good haggling could tell you a lot about a species, a culture, and the individual themselves. Thanks to her mental talents she could also gauge if she was moving in the right or wrong direction when in negotiations with a seller. By the end of her shopping trip she had scored 4 new outfits, 3 types of cosmetics, and a variety of sweets to test what kind of tastes other species had. Needless to say not everything was compatible with a human palate.

Unfortunately her fun was cut short with a massive headache which forced her to return to the ship and sleep it off. Before long they were through the wormhole and into unknown territory.



It was quite the exciting first contact, though disappointing that she had had no chance to actually talk with or see the aliens for that matter. They were being led to the planet to see the Holy Vei. Her best guess was that the Holy Vei was a high religious figure of some kind, perhaps something like a high priest or even a Pope! It was strange how no one seemed willing to actually talk with them, other than to lead them to the Holy Vei and the brief initial contact, this seemed to indicate that the Holy Vei wanted to be the first one to properly converse with the visitors and that their followers had been forbidden to say more than necessary.

Francesca was about to share her thoughts with the captain and those present when Denise spoke up first. As an ambassador she remained completely composed as the individual rambled on about chakras and the like. At least she was very on board with the whole understanding and learning for a new culture part. Frankly Francesca didn't know what to think about her and was beginning to wonder if her volunteering would be a good idea, in the end it was the Captain's decision of course.

"From our brief interactions we can assume them to be a religious people but aside from that we have no knowledge. From their tone they must respect this Holy Vei quite adamantly and put great faith in her foresight. As we have no information I suggest that all members of the delegation to meet with her holiness dress in a conservative matter. It is much easier to dress down than to dress up if the need should arise after all. Plus, if they are rather conservative in nature we want to reduce any chance at offending them."

Francesca's advice was carefully reasoned out, though the reality of it was they were going in blind, still better to have everyone wearing similar attire then to have an odd one out who could offend them unknowningly.


"I will of course be with the delegation to meet with the Holy Vei; however, I do believe that you, captain, should be the one to initiate contact. Afterward you may relegate your duties of diplomacy to me. You were the first to talk with them so it is better to start with the first person they have spoken with as they will at least be slightly familiar with you."

Returning from their outing, Astrid caught a brief glimpse of someone she didn’t recognize wearing a technical patch. Could be good, maybe a new tech she could shove some of her more boring work onto. Or it could be bad, as it might as well have been someone higher up the ranks who would shove some of their boring work onto her. Either way, she hoped Ve’tame’s presence was enough to get the new arrival looking the other way. Their group of senior engineering staff, all out of uniform, in various stages of inebriation and needling each other like siblings was hardly a good first impression of the ISA’s pride and joy. Or maybe it was - there was good atmosphere and camaraderie on board!

---

For the engineers, the trip itself was mostly uneventful. Sure, they all had a minor, collective heart attack when Prize entered the wormhole and stuff started to fly off shelves - and in a few instances, people off their feet. But the transit eventually stabilised and they could all start breathing again. Astrid couldn’t be happier - Finally off to where they were supposed to be, wherever that was, and the patched up hull held as strong as Helvetic faith. She made sure to record the approach and trip through the wormhole, getting footage from several external cameras as well as one inside the engineering section. Should they survive to return home, those recordings would be worth the Prize’s weight in platinum. Well, maybe not the engineering section feed. A bunch of supposedly elite enlisted and officers breaking out into song in the middle of a historical milestone like this wouldn’t be good PR.
At least they all started acting the part when an alien ship showed up right on the other side of the passage, and an even bigger one not even an hour later. Fortunately, they wanted to talk instead of fight, at least for now.

---

And all that led to this moment - grounded on a strange planet with no backup, though that part was to be expected from the initial sales pitch, and with an alien ship they might have annoyed - actually, one they’ve definitely annoyed - hovering over them, the Prize completely defenseless. “My gut tells me to stay on the Prize, because this sounds like the movies where the characters are invited to a feast and wake up in a dungeon if they’re lucky, or a lab if they are not. Alas, I’m not going to learn much from a bunch of rock huts. One - I’m not a geologist and two - The most advanced things they have are going to be wherever their leader, or leaders, are going to meet us. You know, posturing. So that’s probably where I’ll be most useful. But I will of course defer to the proper chain of command.” That last bit with a look at Nick, wondering when or if he would realize torpid leadership rarely led to a happy crew and grow a spine.

Then the snake oil merchant spoke up. “Hey, we used to use wisdom to amplify the lives of others back in the day too, and parts of mother Terra are still a burning pile of shit because of it. You can’t just give neanderthals morphine and laser rifles.” Astrid stated flatly, “Figuratively speaking.” She added quickly, figuring she’d better be careful around someone who thought chakras made a lick of sense. Just hearing Denise speak made Astrid preemptively cover her injured cheek, disguising it as resting her chin against her palm.

“Specify ‘conservative manner’ Ambassador. I was thinking arms and armor, but either way, that which we consider moderate or in any way polite might be perceived offensive to the highest degree by these people.” She spoke up, admittedly out of her field of experience, but figuring it was better to ask then not. “Besides, as we seem to be dealing with theocracy, half of the stuff they do and say might be complete nonsense.”

Elm was making last preparations in the lab for the wormhole passage. It was supposed to be a bumpy ride so she made extra sure that all equipment and plant specimens were secured (of course except still unreclaimed greenhouse 7, which would have to wait). Finally, she and her two assistants strapped themselves in safety chairs and hoped for the best. Botany section had no windows, so they couldn't enjoy the spectacular view. Elm just closed her eyes as the ship shook like it should fall apart, listening to mumbled prayers from people around.



Everything happened so fast. Only a brief time through the wormhole and already they were contacted by an unknown species, apparently fairly advanced. While their behavior was strange, Elm, also being an 'alien', knew that each culture had their own habits that might be hard to understand at first. The ambassador aboard the Prize seemed pretty confident and capable of handling the situation so Elm didn't worry about the alien civilization.

She had her own worries. The planet's flora was astonishing and unique even by the first glance. Elm couldn't wait to start studying it, collecting and categorizing samples and most importantly just walking around and taking in the atmosphere of the new, both figuratively and literally speaking. She was already putting a plan together in her head on how to most efficiently divide the work while other team members spoke. She had no idea what chakras are and why is their color important, but since the crew was comprised of experts in each field, Elm assumed that the blue-haired woman knows what she is talking about.

"I would like to lead a small expedition to explore the immediate area of the ship," she said when others finished talking. "The local flora seems unique and we don't know what else might be hiding in the forests around. I believe colleagues from the biology section would also like to join. If it's not too much trouble, we could use a few men to accompany us, both to ensure our safety and also to do some heavy lifting carrying the necessary equipment," she turned to Carabello, hoping her request isn't too presumptuous.

Korax, First Officer

As events transpired Korax was calm, deliberative. It issued orders when the Captain was distracted with the main business of their exploration, and made sure there was a steady hand. That was its job after all, though there was not much to do as they passed through the wormhole.

But on the other side things soon became complicated. A vessel approached, citing some kind of spiritualist text with regards to their arrival. That was strange, but at least Korax was not alone in thinking so.

The arrival of the large ship was more surprising, both in its size and the technology with which it was equipped. It understood the Captain's orders to follow the vessel, especially since there had not been any attempts of violence or threats against them. Until that occurred, it was sensible to address things in a diplomatic manner. This species did not seem particularly aggressive anyways, perhaps aside from the size of their ships.

Now they merely had to prepare a delegation to meet with a spiritualist figurehead. As far as Korax was aware this was in the rulebook prepared by the Alliance, so it should be a simple task.

Nonetheless they had gathered in the meeting room. Korax was silent as the Captain laid out the situation, and asked for volunteers. The Lifebringers talk of planetary chakra was merely confusing, but the rest of the suggestions were more sensible. Of course, if the Captain was going to go and speak with the Vel, it would remain on the ship. There were no other pressing matters, and someone with command experience would have to remain in case an emergency did arise.

"It is unclear if their 'Vel' figure has predicted these travelers to be hostile. Context appears to indicate that is not the case, as they have not resorted to force or surrender. There is a strong probability they will request aid with some matter of importance," Korax observed as he looked to the Captain. "This one would be wary of involving the Prize in a conflict that is beyond the current scope of the Alliance's understanding."

Mentions: @ShiningSector

Not too long into her adventure, Beatrice came across a member of the ship, one that made quite the initial impression on her. He stood tall, towering well above her. To anyone witnessing such scene, their encounter may seem almost comical due to such contrasting heights. But going beyond appearances, she was addressed in a rather polite manner. Not that she was expecting any sort of hostility to begin with. When inquired about her whereabouts, Beatrice introduced herself with her name and position, even going as far as showing her orders assigning her to the Prize. Such action wasn't required, but it was merely a formality she was used to whenever arriving somewhere new. Once that was over, Beatrice voiced her concern. She honestly had no idea where she was going, although in hindsight she could have very easily pulled up the ship's blueprints as such data would not have taken more than mere seconds to be accessible through her pad. Oh well, could have should have. At least now she had met a crew member and she wouldn't be a complete stranger to them anymore. Beatrice was not a fan of being the "newbie", for lack of a better term. But after all was said and done, she had been shown where her quarters was located. She was beyond thankful for the help, and she made sure to express her appreciation with her own kind words in return.

Once alone, it didn't take long for Beatrice to get comfortable. Without a doubt that moment had been the best part of her day. Second best would probably be whenever she got some food in her system, but that would be addressed later on. Beatrice had some work to do as well; the thought in the back of her mind kept nagging at her as if she were one to forget things easily. That would be true in some instances, but not all that likely with work. The very next thing to do was set up shop, which honestly wasn't much to begin with, and she could link up to the ship's system.

---

The jump through the wormhole jolted Beatrice in her chair. She tensed up momentarily before relaxing again. Regardless of the number of boring trainings she'd sat through, the woman could never not react.

Later on, when they were all gathered, Beatrice sat quietly listening to the briefing. She was looking forward to getting off the ship and exploring whatever technology this planet had. The challenge in figuring out alien tech was one of the reasons Beatrice enjoyed doing her job, and even though she was eager to get moving, she listened to some ideas the others were discussing. The had good points, though given her position her routine would consist of accompanying Carabello and whoever else would join out there in order to meet this Holy Vei. But her business couldn't be rushed either. She would have to wait until some form of understanding was reached before even thinking about bringing up any sort of talk regarding their level of technology.

"Captain, if I may, I'd like to join you. If nothing more, it'd give me a chance to take a look at what these individuals are working with."

For Beatrice, it seemed a bit odd to refer to Carabello by rank. They'd been good friends in the academy, always joking about one of them ending up working for the other, and now their back-and-forth had become reality. Their relationship was on good terms when they both had to go their own separate route for work, and whenever they had some free time, Beatrice planned to pick up where they'd left off, or somewhat close to it at least.

Captain Carabello listened along while his crew spoke. Denise stood up first. That's brave, for a lower officer. Nick was glad. He wanted everyone to feel comfortable to speak here. And this one spoke about learning from eachother's wisdom- basic stuff, but good. The Holy Vei, if she really is a religious type, would probably eat it right up.

But Nick had to suppress a smile when Denise brought up chakras. Apparently spiritualism is the theme of this week. He'd actually heard that kind of talk before, but not from her. Carabello's father had been a spiritualist. He taught Nick the basics of a lot of religions, including the tradition of chakras. Is Denise a Hindu, or a Buddhist? Or is she one of those outside of them who has incorporated chakras into her faith? It was interesting, but it would be inappropriate to put her on the spot by asking right now. He simply nods back at her and says "Thankyou, Denise."

A flurry of more traditional advice followed: Francesca thinks conservative clothing is appropriate, Astrid thinks it's all nonsense, and Korax thinks they might be dragged into conflict.

Carabello agrees with Francesca with a slight nod. "As Astrid mentioned, we can't know what might be offensive to them. They might not like heavy clothing, or the color purple, or something else. But like you say, once we get there, it'll be easier to dress down than dress up." He smirks, remembering that certain neo-pagan rituals involve nudity. "I guess we could always just strip."

Elm was the first one to ask for a search party assignment. Which is great, because she's the one he wanted leading it. "Glad you brought it up, Elm. You should definitely be leading one of those parties. Maybe we could get some nice glowing roots in greenhouse 3. Take all the guys from security or maintenance that you think you need."

Astrid and Beatrice, the techies, wanted to be with the Captain. He'd be flattered, except he knew they probably just couldn't do anything out in the forest. Trees don't have wires or engines, normally. He mentally adds both of them to his delegation, plus Ambassador Francesca.

And hey, it was Beatrice! Bee! Now Nick knew why the name was familiar. She was an old friend from his Academy days. She'd been a few years younger than him, but they clicked well. Nick always said he would make Captain first. He'd have to gloat later.

As the I.S.S Prize entered through the wormhole, Gue'rach kept all four of his eyes fixated on his terminal, oblivious the visuals of the trinary star systems they had been deposited in. Briefly, he afforded one eye to look up to take in the local sensory information before withdrawing it back to the tactical readouts. Intriguingly, it had not taken them long to make first contact with an alien species. A single, rather small shuttle-type craft was on approach towards the Prize's vector though Gue'rach had already reported this find to Carabello several minutes prior. It was evident that the craft posed no threat to the ISA vessel.

The same couldn't be said regarding the much larger ship had jumped in from warp-travel and came to meet the Prize bow-forward at about a few kilometers apart. The vessel certainly seemed imposing but after several initial scans completed the assessment of the large unknown with the results appearing on his console, Gue'rach allowed some tension fade away. Despite its size, the alien's power output was notably inefficient in comparison with the Prize. Additionally, comparison scans had also identified a number of design issues that plagued the vessel's key systems; the issues in question were mainly equivalent to outdated technological leaps which have since been resolved nearly a less than a century ago. Despite there being no hostile intent, getting into a fight with the larger underpowered ship would nevertheless be an ugly venture, but one they could surely win.

While the tactical officer didn't approve of Captain Carabello's antics of annoying the escort by straying away from the guided path, the seemingly antagonizing gesture, at the very least, furthered the apparent oddball behavior of the aliens as they continued to speak through broadcasted text and kept their dialogue overly-simple and cryptic. It was quite clear they were religious sorts and Gue'rach had spoken with many religious leaders in the past and gathered a decent view of their practices and how they worked. If the behaviors witnessed were reflective of their culture and religion, he undoubtedly admitted they were by far the weirdest he had yet encountered.

---

Per First Contact procedures, diplomacy between representatives of each group was ideal. Niccolò Carabello would possess the authority to speak on behalf of the ISA and was therefore key to the delegation that would meet with the natives. Gue'rach on the other hand, given his role as a tactical officer and his naturally large and imposing presence, would not be an ideal participant in negotiations. A soldier in the midst of a political delegation and a conceivably scary one at that could give the wrong impression; Gue'rach was all too familiar with previous encounters which either spooked or unintentionally antagonized opposite delegates during such meetings. As such, he sought to bring his usefulness elsewhere.

"Since our current situation does not presently involve any dangers to act against," Gue'rach began, "I would opt to accompany Lan'thar in her studies and provide the manpower and logistical support required. I will also advise our security teams of the nature of our operation and assign members to accompany our two groups should they be required,"

---

Mason hadn’t really spent much time on the space station. While there were many trinkets and attractions, not much of it caught Mason’s eye, nothing really wowed him. Most of the food was too salty or sweet, so he didn’t enjoy much of the cuisine either. In the end though, he was able to actually relax some and get his mind straight. Rod’s death still weighed on him, especially since he was at fault for the mangled corpse the ISA had to collect once the mission was over. He didn’t expect to forget him, but he didn’t need that kind of thought to hinder his performance. He eventually convinced himself that there was nothing he could do, and Rod’s sacrifice was a boon towards the success of the rescue. He had died a hero, and not as a moron who put his face too close to a loaded weapon.

Now, the wormhole beckoned, and Mason was prepared to see what lay on the other side. No one could know, and the new found motivation he had when he first joined the mission returned. The Prize would be repaired shortly, and Mason was ready to go.



Mason remained in the medical bay throughout most of the travel through the wormhole. He did watch the spectacular light show through his computer monitor. He had to deal with some idiot who tried to break into Greenhouse 7 shortly before they departed for the wormhole. Apparently, it had been locked and the dufus tried to bypass it by messing with the wiring, which backfired spectacularly. The kid wasn’t a part of Elm’s collection of botanists that Mason could tell, but he didn’t bother to ask much about it. He just treated the burns and monitored the kid as he recovered in one of the beds. There wasn’t any lasting damage, but the kid was out cold. Mason technically didn’t have to stay in the medical bay, having opting one of the few nurses to keep an eye on him, but he hadn’t anything better to do, so opted to do it himself. The camera’s quality was enough to satisfy his curiosity.

Shortly after exit, Mason found himself in the situation room with everyone else. Surprisingly, they already had an encounter with another alien species capable of space travel. They had hailed the Prize and had led them to the nearby planet. Mason was no astrophysicist, but the system had three suns. It intrigued Mason about how the planet had not burned to a crisp. He decided to leave the answer to space magic.

Mason could not help but roll his eyes when Denise spoke. It was hard enough dealing with her when he first joined the Prize. Thankfully, since then he hadn't really had to interact since then. Now there seemed to be an entity which, and Mason could not believe he was thinking this, Denise would actually prove useful. He was most asured that chakras had nothing to do with why the planet was like it was. Mason just ignored her mostly, and listened to everyone else voice their thoughts. Mason didn't have any of his own, mainly thinking to don't do anything stupid to get yourself killed. His attention was peaked when Elm began to speak, however.

“If it’s alright with you, Captain, I’d like to join Elm on her endeavor. I admit it’s outside my level of expertise, but I’m more than capable of providing technical support when it comes to the treatment of living tissue. Of course, I understand if you’d have me stay on the ship.” Commented Mason. If allowed, it would also be a good opportunity to study the physiology of both the Auval’kotor and Lavathulin. Not only that, but the odd color scheme, and structure of the plant-life surrounding the Prize greatly fascinated him. A medical doctor he may be, but to explore the displays of the different planet was not an opportunity he’d want to miss.

"A question, though. What is the average temperature and atmosphere concentrations of the planet? I presume we'll need oxygen suits to manage if it's toxic."

[Prior to the Wormhole entry]

Robin moved through the cave with her claymore sword in her sheath. The only light being provided was from the lake of lava, and even with it she saw the massive dragon Fakcoth laying there asleep. Robin took a deep breath as the creature turned it's head with his massive green eyes wide open. Fakcoth said, "Have you come to die human?"

Robin shook her head and replied, "Not this day monster! For today I avenge my brothers and sisters in arms, the villages you have laid to waste, and most of all..." She unsheathed her sword and said, "With my father's blade his spirit will know peace this day. I will avenge him!" She steadied herself and said. "Prepare to be vanquished foul creature!"

The dragon raised up and was 10 times Robin's height. He towered over her as he said, "Such brave words little one. Perhaps I will keep you as my pet, or merely dispose of you as easily as your father. If I could remember who he was."

Robin let out an almost primitive yell as she charged forward. Just then Fakcoth vanished into a fine mist along with the cave leaving Robin standing in an empty holo-chamber. Wearing a holo-suit (think a motion capture suit) and holding her sword she looked around. Robin yelled with great exasperation, "Computer! What the Hell is going on? I am still technically on leave for another one hour and fifty minutes! Ten minutes to slay the dragon and then about an hour and a half to celebrate, and then ten minutes to get to ready to go back on duty. I had this thing timed down to the minute!"

The computer replied, "The Prize is preparing to enter Kepler's Passage within the next thirty minutes. Bridge crew is to report to stations."

On one hand Robin's scientific mind was quickly engaged in what was about to happen. On the other hand, she had been working on this holo-program for months to finally reach the mighty Fakcoth. She rolled her eyes and said, "Fine. Computer save program authorization Commander Robin Pearson 126-068 Kappa Epsilon Nu." The computer replied, "Acknowledged. Program saved."

Robin slung her sword over her shoulder and exited the holo-chamber. She should've been on duty three days ago, but Nick always made sure Robin got three additional days if she was undergoing treatment on her unit. He didn't think it was fair that not only was her body of out of sync after being under for two days but so was her mind. So Nick always granted her three days of downtime on the ship, and this holo-chamber excursion was her way of letting loose. Nick was the only person on the ship who knew how to find Robin during her recovery time. Everyone else was not to even think of trying to find her unless it was an emergency, and it was Nick's decision as to what was an emergency. Walking down a hallway with a sword over one's shoulder usually would be cause for concern, but not in this case. Everyone else was getting ready for the trip down the wormhole as Robin made her way to her quarters.

Robin entered her quarters and said, "Computer shower on usual setting" The shower came to life as Robin put her sword in the sheath in her closet. Her great grandmother said that it had belonged to one of her ancestors, and she felt that Robin had earned it when she graduated commando school. Robin stripped out of her holo-suit and stepped into the shower. She did enough to get the sweat off of her and washed her hair.
___

Once she had her uniform on Robin was practically in a wind-sprint to the Bridge. She had heard stories about people who failed to strap in before entering a worm hole, and how badly they were thrashed about. Someone told her it was like trying to ride a bucking bronco from underneath the bronco. She had no intention of becoming another story as she finally arrived on the bridge. Without even saying anything Robin strapped into her seat, said a short prayer, and then turned her attention to her instrument panel.

The messages and everything else made Robin's mind spin somewhat. On one hand the scientific aspect was fascinating. On the other hand, the way everything was unfolding Robin's commando training was making the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Once the Captain finished his briefing Robin said, "I'll be joining the surface team with your permission Captain."

She looked over at Elm and said, "Dr. Robin Pearson ship's science officer welcome aboard."

Robin paid attention to everything Mason said. When he finished speaking Robin said, "I'll get the gear in the science lab ready to go within the hour. If we follow standard 'First Contact' procedures we should be prepared for just about every contingency." She raised one eyebrow and said, "In theory of course."

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Elm was getting nervous but tried her hardest not to let it show since this was really not the right moment for that. Originally she was just planning to take her two assistants and two or three men from the security team and wander around in the surrounding forests for a couple of hours before ambassador Lunarius and her team finish the first negotiations with the local aliens. But now it seemed that she had suddenly become a leader of a large expedition involving a number of senior personnel, something she hardly had the right skills for. But Nick seemed confident in her abilities and she decided to try and do her best.

She was relieved when tactical officer Ve’Tame also volunteered to join the survey party. That way she could leave the military stuff to a much more competent person and just focus on the scientific part. She hadn’t had a chance to get to know him better yet and he seemed very intimidating, but Elm knew Nick and was sure that he would only pick the best for the Prize crew senior staff, so she wasn’t worried. “I am glad to have you accompany us, Lieutenant,” she replied to him. “By the way, it would be ‘doctor’ Lan’thar, but I really just go by Elm.” She really wasn’t the type to dwell on titles and ranks, but since almost everyone here was either a high-ranking I.S.A. officer or had a degree in a scientific area (or both things at once), she didn’t want to look incompetent.

She nodded when doctor Daniels spoke, glad that they would have him around in (hopefully very unlikely) case that a medical emergency occurred.

It wasn’t a surprise that doctor Pearson also wanted to join the expedition. “We are glad to have you,” Elm replied to her. There were never enough science people in a party like this. To be honest, Elm would expect Robin to be the leader of such expedition, since her expertise was much wider than just Elm’s focus on botany. She really hoped that Nick hadn’t given her command just because she spoke up first.

Dozens of things were already running through her head, mostly about what equipment to bring, how to plan the route, what would be the best approach to collect samples and scan for data to gain the most knowledge about this strange planet. “With your permission, Captain, I would also like to contact the ship's biology and geology department in case they would like to send their representatives to join the survey group,” she said to Nick and then turned to Geu’Rach. “I think it would be beneficial to have a short meeting of the group members before embarking on the expedition to plan the route and decide who will be going, what equipment to bring and how many security personnel we will need.”

Just as Nick was explaining to Mason that the planet seemed, fortunately, to be Earth-like enough to require no specialized equipment- Nitrogen-Oxygen atmosphere, similar gravity, etc- he was interrupted. A small alert sounded off from the Captain's ever-present datapad. An alien transport had arrived, just outside the Prize.

"Well, delegation team, sounds like our ride is here." He stood. "Francesca, Denise, Beatrice and Astrid- you're all with me. If anyone needs any supplies, now is the time to get them. Elm, feel free to contact the other science departments. Then you and your team should prepare to begin scouting the surface. Good luck, everyone."

---

The transport shuttle was a bit like the escort had been: rectangular, outdated by ISA standards, and oversized. The word clunky almost springs to mind, except that the builders took time to color the shuttle's exterior in black and a shade of blue that reminded Nick of the planet's luminescent vines. Along the bottom of the craft, symbols and shapes were drawn in a manner that hinted at language. On the whole, it made the shuttle feel odd to look at. The shape was far from elegant, at least to a human, but the stylizing hinted at artistic expression. Like painting roses on a military tank. Maybe the engineers and the designers got different memos?

The back of it opened up as the delegation approached, either automatically or because someone inside saw them coming. There were no seats, or anything else that might hint at what these aliens looked like. There were windows, but they seemed a little too high. Nick had to stand on his tip-toes to look through them. The ceiling was high too, come to think of it.

"I guess our friends are tall," he mused out loud. Even while the Captain spoke, the shuttle was lifting them off the ground, and flying quickly into an unknown direction.

As the meeting was interrupted by the alien vessel's arrival, it was getting harder for Elm to hide her nervosity from leading the survey team. She was glad that the planet had breathable atmosphere, that will make things much easier since they didn’t have to deal with life-support gear outside. “Okay,” she took a deep breath. “Let’s get ready to go outside. Doctors Daniels and Pearson, grab whatever gear and equipment you think you will need. Lieutenant Ve’tame, please gather a security team. I will leave the size of it and their weaponry completely up to you, but I do suggest that while there might be some dangers outside, we don’t want to look like an invading army. I will contact other science departments and find out who they will want to send with us. Let’s meet in Briefing room 3 in about an hour.”



Elm headed to the botany lab to grab a multi-purpose scanner and some equipment to gather tissue samples. She connected her tablet to the ship’s computer and loaded it with all the currently available information about the planet and immediate area around the ship. “Antonio,” she turned to one of her assistants, a bulky hispanic man who looked more like a bouncer than a botany student, “you can come with me. Grab your gear and go get ready.” After that she went to her quarters to change into a uniform that was more suitable to wander around in a potentially hostile environment than her current lab coat. Through all this, she was exchanging messages with other science department leaders.



Once everyone was gathered, Elm stood up. She had spent a big part of the past hour thinking about what she should say, but it didn’t make her any less nervous. “Okay, let’s start by introducing our science reinforcements from other departments, just in case you haven’t met them before. This is doctor Mizushima Izumo,” she nodded in the direction of a short and thin man with white hair and long white beard. “Our ship’s expert on alien history, archeology and all things connected to it. And this,” she pointed to another man, “is doctor Henry Jenkins, leader of Prize’s biology section.” She hoped that her disappointment didn’t show up in her tone. Henry Jenkins was by far the most arrogant and self-absorbed person on the ship. She was hoping that this kind of field work was too low-level for him and he would send someone else to get the hands dirty instead, but apparently he was in a mood for adventure. Or getting famous by discovering some new animal species and having them named after him.

“This is the initial model of the Prize’s current surroundings, compiled from what scanners were able to pick up while landing. We could launch a survey drone to cover more ground, but that could be viewed as a hostile act, so for now, we are left with just a rough scan of the immediate area. We are on a clearing in the middle of thick forests with no apparent signs of civilization anywhere nearby, except for a group of stone structures a bit north off the ship. They seem very old and have probably been abandoned for a long time, but since this alien civilization seems to be highly religious, we have to be careful in case they are some sort of sacred ground. We will head there first, doctor Izumo will start his research there and the rest of us can use it as a base to explore the forest. Any questions or suggestions?” she asked and sat down.

Korax, First Officer

And so the time came. The meeting broke up, and the two expeditions departed. One was on a scientific mission, the other on a diplomatic one. Only time would tell how both ended up resolving themselves.

On the bridge of the Pride, Korax watched the two groups departed the ship. Its face was expressionless, not that 5there was much expression there in the first place. While they went about the missions at hand it would oversee the ship. If assistance was required by either party it was the Pride which would have to provide it. That was why it had stayed here.

Korax then turned from the viewscreen, moving to stand near the Captain's chair. "Carry on with your duties as normal," it informed the bridge crew present. "They will alert us if any difficulties arise."

Beyond presenting an air of calm, it was for the best. A prolonged state of alertness would have a deleterious effect upon the crew, leaving them tired for the times when an actual emergency might arise. They were on potentially hostile territory, but it wanted to ensure that the crew did not stress themselves too much during the course of this mission. Who knew, the Captain might depend ion it in the future. It would also make for a useful precedent in future encounters. The crew would know what its leadership was like and be able to react accordingly.

For now Korax began its silent vigil, reading reports and handling issues as they arose. Otherwise, it waited for the Captain to return. Hopefully all would go well.

---

Mason wandered around the medical bay preparing for his excursion out into the alien planet along with Elm and his other colleagues. As he was packing, he was speaking the nurse who was on rotation. He was mainly explaining what to do in cased of emergency where she’d need to reach him, and quizzing her on use of the autonomic medical equipment that Mason could remote connect to.

Mason didn’t want to be entirely bogged down with medical supplies, so he just brought his satchel with portable first aid, and a couple of auto syringes of sedatives, just in case. He also packed a quarantine mask. Strapped in boots, and environmentally sealed outfit, he was ready to go. Since the planet had an earth-like atmosphere, his attire wasn’t bulky in the slightest, just had a few less opening than any normal outfit would have. Just as he was about to leave, he paused, and turned to the nurse again.

"Oh, and out idiot friend there. Once he wakes, he’ll be good to go, just send in a report about his tampering with the electrical grid, and then discharge him. Hopefully having that much electricity flowing through his body will make him think twice about doing that again.” And Mason was out.

He met up with the excursion team again in Briefing room 3 where Elm had also recruited a couple of the other scientific departments as well. First was Izumo. Mason hadn’t really gone to know Izumo, but his inclusion on the survey made sense. The other was Henry Jenkins.

“I’ve met Jenkins.” Said Mason coldly. Mason didn’t hate Henry, more so he was a bit annoyed from him. Jenkins was a brilliant biologist, but his arrogance got to Mason. Especially when conversations with him would eventually lead a lecture on anatomy and physiology. Half the time his lectures were condescending. Mason usually avoided him because of them. It didn’t seem like he was the only one. Mason could only guess, but it seemed like Elm might have had a few run ins with the doctor as well.

As Elm explained their plan of attack, Mason slowly nodded. Mason didn’t have much knowledge when it came to running an expedition, so he relied on Elm knowing what she was talking about. Also since Geu’rach would be joining them, he’d trust any concerns he also might have. Mason looked at his datapad with the rough map that the Prize was able to make. The ruins were a bit away, but didn’t look too far as to require a transport.

“I’m sure I’ll have questions eventually, but as of now, everything sounds good to go. I’m prepared for an emergency in case one should occur, but lets try and not injure ourselves, at least not to the point I cannot mend.”

As they gathered to leave the Prize, Astrid’s gaze wandered between them - Herself, Beatrice, Francesca and Denise - and the Captain. “Think the locals might get some wrong message from this?” The engineer grinned. On a subjective note, she could see no way anyone would ever consider Denise to be part of a harem, but hey, weird aliens, anything was possible. And since anything was possible, Astrid decided to rather be safe than sorry and donned the Interior Maintenance Uniform - a combination of soft and hard armor meant to protect from the hazards of shipboard engineering, but Astrid figured it was better than nothing and certainly good enough if some of the flora they encountered on the way was prickly. While Daniels and Lan’thar would probably like to study exotic herbal toxins, she didn’t care one bit to be the guinea pig. And such a suit could be a good way of passively letting the aliens - fuck, they were the aliens here - the suit was a good way of letting the locals know antagonizing the Prizes’ crew would lead down dire straits. It also supported a holster for a sidearm and pouches for spare battery packs.

Not long after, Astrid found herself following the contact team into an alien shuttle. “Tall or overcompensating. Religious organizations and delusions of grandeur? Never before seen.” The sarcasm was almost dripping from her tongue as she spoke. “Hmm. Blocky, aerodynamics knowledge might be a bargaining chip with this lot. Must be a bitch to fly, or dependent on computer control. Windows. Structural weakness. Decent acceleration for its shape though, good thrust-to-weight ratio. It’s either light or boasting some monster engines. Chemical rockets or fusion drives. Mmmaybe not fusion drives given the look of the rest of their things.” She mumbled to no one in particular as she paced back and forth through the shuttle’s cargo bay, not even trying to look out the windows on account of her height.

She finally stopped pacing and turned to Nick and Francesca. “Sooo… What’s the game plan? Politely stand our ground, don’t mention anything about home field defenses and don’t share any information that could be weaponized?” Astrid did her best to try to sound calm, but her injury once again undermined her efforts.

Astrid always seemed- well, not paranoid, but constantly bucking for a fight. She's wearing borderline armor. She's criticizing the locals before she's met them. And Nick had noticed the irritated glances when he let the crew pick their own assignments. It was all a bit aggravating. "Lieutenant Faust," he says slowly, "we do not need to assume the worst about these... people. I don't see anything to 'stand our ground' about, honestly." He shook his head. "So far, they only want to speak to us. When they challenge us to a duel to the death, I'll let you know."

Before Astrid responds, Nick craned his neck to check out the window. "I think I'm spotting some buildings," he said. "You guys would never guess it- they aren't rectangular!"

About a half-dozen, closely huddled buildings sat in a fenced-off clearing. Again, they were bigger than what humans would typically build, but Nick was beginning to suspect that this race was just large by nature. What was more intriguing was the design. They were outdated, like the ships, but in a completely different way.

The foundations were heavy stone bricks, and the walls were wood (or something like it) that matched the coloration of nearby roots and trees. The sloping, wide rooftops reminded Nick of Japanese architecture, and steps led up to the doors. Sloping rooftops and elevated entrances suggested lots of rain and flooding, respectively. Each of the 6 or 7 structures were huddled around a large pit filled with ash and something burnt- a fire pit?

Nick had to push away a sudden mental image of being burned alive by religious extremists. They probably just like campfires, right? Yeah. The delegation will just have to offer them Earth's finest smores recipes.

A few moments later, the shuttle has landed right outside the fence, which looks a lot more modern than the buildings. It's metal all the way around, with a gate that opens as automatically as the shuttle does.

"They opened the gates for us, crew," Nick commands, "let's head in."



The inside of the compound (village? campsite?) could have passed for abandoned. Nick didn't see anyone standing by the gates, or anyone outside the buildings, or anyone to greet them. All doors were closed. The gate shut itself behind them. He began to wonder if maybe Astrid was right to be worried. It was all beginning to feel like the start of a horror story.

In fact, the Captain had to stop himself from jumping when the doors to the largest structure swung open. "Come in," an unreadable voice called from inside.

The furnishings within the structure were very sparse, almost non-existent. There was only a large wooden rectangle rising up from the floor, which must serve as a table, judging from the very human-style chairs in front of it. The walls were all wood and the floor was all stone. Very simple, except as with the shuttle, everything had those symbols carved into it.

Of course, that was what the delegates would expect by now. So the real shock would be the alien sitting on the opposite end of the table. She (Nick was pretty sure that was the correct pronoun) was as tall as they had guessed, at least 2 meters and a quarter. Humanoid, on the whole. She had 4 arms that Nick could see over the table, all resting calmly in front of her. Her rough-looking skin was an array of blue, green and brown, splattered in spots. She had no hair. Her eyes were totally black, like the robes that were draped over her torso.

"I am Holy Vei," she said slowly. Something was off about the way she was speaking, but Nick couldn't quite place it. "I have a question for all of you," she continued. He did not expect what she said next:

"Why are you here?"