The line rings true. Nothing about these aliens indicates they have ever encountered a technologically superior enemy before. It's a subtle thing, only visible in the implications of things they [i]don't[/i] do, but the impression will build up over time. For as exotic as much of their technology seems there also appears to be massive and basic holes in their development. For example, there don't seem to be shield emitters anywhere on their starships. They certainly have the power output from the cruiser to fuel quite a good one but there is no indication they have any ability to project one, and that seems like such an easier technology to master than the gravity drive they use.

How strange must their technological development have been, to master gravity before working out a 1.0 deflector dish? Or is it a conscious choice?

The impression continues after one of the crystals is bought in from a long range Gate. This crystal is [i]incredibly[/i] designed - it's a magnificent crystal lattice made to microscopic specifications; a starburst of jagged spikes set to some incredible artistry. The manufacturing capability to produce something like this is the work of a high tech production fab. But it's also dead and inert. It's not a store for magic, there are no microchips, no spells on it, nothing that would obviously make it a weapon. 

The purpose of these remains a mystery until the aliens start testing their array. The orbiting spheres fire their communications lasers into one of the nearby crystals - and then, brilliantly, the beam is cut and reflected through a grid of a thousand mirrors. The laser flows through the nodes over seconds and then descends down onto the planet, pulsing down a sequence of blinking lights to the base on the surface. Further tests see them place laser dots at various places in both the planet and in space. 

The ability to design and manufacture these crystals and perform the orbital mathematics to set up this optical relay grid again speaks to an advanced species, and the decision to not use [i]radio[/i] for the same purpose implies bizarre priorities. For the purposes of planetary communication this is frankly garbage; the bandwidth is sharply limited and messages can only be sent to or from certain locations. It's resistant to military strikes but even then only through quantity of targets. Again the typewriter analogy comes to mind.

*

Ten kilometers out from the base visual contact is finally made. A work team of around fifty aliens are building something.

They are setting up a large empty hoop five meters in diameter. The interior side of the hoop is marked with the same glowing '>>>' glyph pattern as the exterior of their spaceships, and the whole thing is held five meters off the ground by metal pylons. The structure is unpowered but nevertheless those symbols glow.

The work crew themselves are heavily armed and armoured despite engaging in physical labour, and the physical strength they are demonstrating is superhuman. Some of them are carrying those five meter metal columns on their shoulders like they're weightless. They have a set of five more of those large hollow rings, hovering off the ground on some kind of sled made from four antigravity orbs, also marked with the '>>>' sign. 

The majority of the aliens are bipedal canine-like creatures. Many of them forego helmets, showing thick fur and wolflike facial structures. Their armour is painted in dark blue tones over a golden metallic substance. They are all armed with spears and tower shields in a curiously bronze age set of military kit. However, each trooper is also armed with a one-handed grenade launcher and wears a bandoleer of ammunition for it. Their armour is unpowered. Their entire formation is unpowered; no electrical signals from them at all. Finally, in addition to packs filled with miscellaneous gear, each soldier has a... spike on their left shoulder. Some sort of antennae looking thing, about thirty centimeters tall.

There is an officer for every ten soldiers, marked with a distinctive crested helmet and a lighter shade of blue armour. And there is also the unit leader who is a different species entirely. This is a serpentine naga creature, wearing elaborate and segmented armour a brighter blue still than the wolf officers. It's clear it is the leader but it gives few orders to its subordinates, leaving most of the talking to its subordinates. Upon its shoulder, coiled alongside the spike, is a small crystalline dragon, scales similar in sheen to the orbital crystal encountered earlier.

[Friction: roll 1d6 1-2 means the Azura have an advantage, 5-6 means you have an advantage, 3-4 is a mixed result
Friction Roll: [b]5[/b] The Fallen Soul has evaded Azura observation during this first contact and can observe, bypass, or ambush this work party as desired.]