by Doug Farren
Everyone's head turned to find Cheryl floating down the passage at a near suicidal speed. As she approached, she used several hand holds in succession to reduce her speed until she came to a halt a few feet from the group. “Mrs. McCallister?” the captain said then waited for her reply.
“For the record,” Cheryl began puffing a bit from the exertion of her trip. “I wish to point out the fact that you will be exposing yourself to any diseases these aliens may be carrying. Our immune system might not be able to adequately defend against an alien infection. You could die from the Tholtaran equivalent of a common cold. Although I am in favor of establishing contact with an alien species, I strongly advise against doing it in person.”
“Your objection is noted doctor,” the captain calmly replied. “However, I think if there was any possibility of us contracting a deadly disease from contact with the Tholtarans they would not have invited us aboard their ship. We stand as much a chance of infecting them as they do us.”
The captain turned around and gestured toward the door with his right hand. The chief engineer stepped forward and with the press of a button the inner door cycled open. The group entered the airlock and a press of another button closed the door. Just before the door closed Jay heard Cheryl wish them luck. A moment later the outer door slid open. The group found themselves looking down a long tube of apparently solid construction. At the other end of the tube was an opening into the other ship's airlock.
Jay inhaled deeply. “The air smells different,” he remarked.
“Yeah, cleaner,” Simatowski added.
The captain pushed himself forward into the tube. “I’m sure they have a much better air recycling system than we do.” Simatowski followed the captain into the tube next with Jay bringing up the rear.
Instead of floating down the center of the tube as he had expected, the captain found himself being pulled toward what appeared to be the floor. He twisted himself in mid-flight and landed on his feet. He bounced lightly, took another step and found himself standing upright. “There’s a light gravity field here,” he announced as he took three quick steps forward. With each step he felt himself gain a little more weight.
Jonathan performed a similar ballet and also landed on his feet. Jay, however, did not have the zero-G experience of the other two and found himself landing on his hands and knees. It was a gentle landing and no physical harm was done but he was embarrassed by the experience. Jay stood up and joined the others as they continued toward the door at the other end.
By the time they arrived at the alien ship’s outer airlock the gravity had become noticeably stronger. The outer door leading into the other ship’s airlock was open but could not be seen. Apparently, it slid into a space inside the ship’s hull. Without hesitation, the captain entered the airlock. As soon as all three were inside, the outer door closed and a moment later the inner door opened.
A wave of heat assaulted them. The interior lighting of the Tholtaran ship seemed to be much dimmer than the Starfire’s and the air temperature seemed to be near 35 degrees centigrade. Thankfully, the humidity did not appear to be very high.
The Humans found themselves inside a room roughly four and a half meters square. Spacesuits hung along two of the walls. They looked remarkably similar to their own. The wall in front of them seemed to contain lockers for equipment storage. A single Tholtaran, presumably Captain Shoomut, stood in the center of the room.
He was shorter than most Humans but not so short as to be considered a dwarf. His face was also very Human-like but presented a leathery, weathered appearance. His eyes were small and there were prominent ridges above them giving him an almost Neanderthal look. He was wearing a tan shirt decorated with several metallic items most likely indicative of his rank. His pants were of an identical color. There was what appeared to be a weapon of some sort hanging from his left hip. He was standing in front of a low table with several small devices on it. The Humans approached and stopped just in front of this table.
Captain Shoemaker moved forward a bit. “I am Captain Shoemaker. I am…”
The Tholtaran captain raised his hand in an unmistakable and apparently universal sign. Once he was assured he had Captain Shoemaker’s attention, he reached down and picked up one of the devices. It consisted of a small metallic disk on a lanyard which the Tholtaran placed over his head like a necklace. The alien then picked up another device consisting of a much smaller disk set into a nearly invisible clear elastic band. As they watched, the alien captain placed this part of the device on his head and positioned the small disk over his right ear. He then indicated, using hand gestures, that the Humans should do the same.
Captain Shoemaker picked one up and said, “I think these are translators. Everyone put one on.”
After everyone had equipped themselves with the devices the Tholtaran spoke. Jay clearly heard the alien as he spoke in his native language and simultaneously heard a clear voice in English in his ear. It was the same voice they had heard when Shoomut had spoken to them over the radio. It required a bit of skill to listen only to the English and not to the gravely Tholtaran language. “I am Captain Shoomut tey Pyomist. In the name of the Tholtaran Republic and the Consortium I wish to greet you in peace and welcome you aboard my ship.”
Shoomut then surprised his guests by offering his hand in a completely human gesture. Captain Shoemaker stepped forward, reached across the table and shook hands. “It is indeed an honor sir to be the first Human to make contact with another civilization. I hope this will be the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship. The person to my right is Mr. Jonathan Simatowski, my chief engineer. The other individual is Mr. Jay Kauffman. He is the inventor and chief architect behind our faster than light drive.”
Captain Shoemaker found the Tholtaran’s handshake to be firm and friendly feeling. The alien’s skin seemed quite warm and very dry to the touch, like a warm leather glove. Withdrawing his hand, Shoomut continued, “It is an honor to meet you, especially you Mr. Kauffman. This meeting comes as a surprise – we had not expected your race to develop an FTL drive for at least another fifty years.
“The lighting in this room has been dimmed in order to prevent damaging your skin and retinas. Our home world receives considerably more ultraviolet radiation than you are accustomed to. A conference room has been prepared that is more hospitable to your species in both temperature and ultraviolet radiation. If you would please put on these glasses and follow me we will go there now.”
Shoomut had opened a small box containing what appeared to be oversized sunglasses. Each person in Shoemaker's group took one and put it on. Captain Shoomut then turned and led the small group through a door and into a large, spacious, very brightly lit passageway. The Humans had to squint despite the dark glasses.
The Tholtaran ship did not appear to be much different than one of Human construction other than it was obviously much larger and less cramped. The passageways were about 1.5 meters wide and at least two meters high. The illumination seemed to come from all areas of the ceiling. They walked only a short distance before Shoomut pressed a button to open another door. They had encountered no other Tholtaran’s on their short journey.
The room they entered could easily have been mistaken for a conference room on Earth. The lighting was tolerable and the temperature was much cooler. An oblong table capable of seating fourteen occupied the center of the room. The walls were bare and painted a light shade of green. Tall glasses of clear liquid were set at three of the seating positions.
Shoomut removed a long sleeve jacket from the back of one of the chairs. While he slipped into it he said, “Please have a seat. The glasses contain purified water. The lighting and temperature in this room have been adjusted to accommodate your physiology.”
As the others seated themselves, Shoomut continued. “Your civilization was discovered roughly 137 years ago by an Omel mapping mission.” The automatic translator seamlessly converted the Tholtaran years into equivalent Human years. “Acco
rding to established treaties, your star system was classified as being occupied by an advancing non-FTL civilization. A short time later, an automated monitoring station was placed within your star system. This station has monitored the technological progress of your world by eavesdropping on your communications and performing periodic scans of your planet. It was this station that reported the successful test of your faster than light drive.”
“I would hardly call it a success,” Jay interjected.
Shoomut turned to look directly at Jay. Kauffman saw what he thought was surprise on the captain’s face. “You generated a stable stardrive field and propelled a ship at faster than light velocities. I would classify that as a successful test,” Shoomut countered.
“We weren’t supposed to move,” Jay replied, trying to make his point. “We were performing a zero velocity full field test and we flew off in an uncontrolled direction. That’s why we are limping back home under conventional propulsion. There’s no telling where we might end up if we fire that drive up again.”
Shoomut surprised the Humans by smiling. It was becoming apparent that the Tholtaran range of emotions closely matched that of Humans. “Control problems are common with new drive technologies. We have often experienced similar problems when testing more advanced drive systems. If your civilization can adapt to existing with the other races in the Consortium you will have access to expert help to solve your problems. Before that can happen though, your planet must first make some fundamental changes before any member of the Consortium will consider entering into a treaty with you.”
“We cannot speak for the governments of our world,” Shoemaker piped in. “We can, however, carry any message you may have for them back with us and present it to the appropriate authorities.”
“I understand,” Shoomut replied and moved his head back and forth in what was most likely the Tholtaran equivalent of a nod. “When the monitoring station picked up your drive wake it was an indication that your culture had developed a stardrive. This event caused the Consortium to initiate contact with your world.”
“The Consortium?” Shoemaker interrupted. “What is that?”
“There are several cultures which have developed faster than light drives. These races have all signed mutual peace and trade agreements amongst themselves. We refer to this collection of cooperative cultures as the Consortium. As your closest FTL-capable neighbor, my race was the most logical choice to initiate contact with you. We will also be your sponsor to help guide you if you decide to join the Consortium. I was selected for this mission, briefed on your planet’s current status and culture, and dispatched to make first contact. It is fortunate that your ship is still en-route back to Earth otherwise the process would have been more difficult.”
“You are not a diplomat then?” Captain Shoemaker inquired.
“No. All high ranking Tholtaran officers are trained to represent the government in most matters of state. We have no real need for diplomats in my society although we do have some individuals who serve in that roll more or less permanently.”
“Interesting!” Jonathan spoke up. “That puts your culture light-years ahead of ours right off the bat.”
“Are there no other members of the Consortium here with you?” Shoemaker asked.
“There was insufficient time to put together a proper delegation from all the participating cultures. In the interest of speed it was decided to send only this ship in the hope that we would be able to find your ship while it was still in space. We are aware of your planet’s current political situation. We are also keenly aware of your world’s current phobia against extraterrestrial contact. It is why neither this ship nor any other will approach your world unless invited.
“The fact is, according to the treaties under which the Consortium functions, your civilization may elect to remain apart and separate from the Consortium. In that event, all space from your home star out to a distance of ten light years is yours to explore and develop without further interference.”
“And beyond that?” Shoemaker asked.
“Beyond ten light years is considered open space, not owned or controlled by any specific civilization. The treaties of the Consortium have specific rules governing the use and control of open-space. Non-Consortium races are not protected by any treaty outside their ten light-years of owned space. I am not sure how you would be treated since this situation has not occurred in the history of the Consortium.”
“How many species are members of this Consortium?” Jay asked.
“There are currently eleven separate races which have signed the Consortium treaties.”
“I take it you have some sort of recorded message we are to present to our various governments?” Captain Shoemaker asked.
“Yes. Before you leave we will give you a number of devices so you can distribute the requirements to the various governments of your world. You will also be provided with several transceivers that can be used to contact us. Be advised that tampering with these devices will result in their deactivation and the destruction of their internal components.”
Jonathan sat up a bit straighter in his chair, looked at his captain and said, “Pardon me for being so bold Captain Shoomut, but would you be willing to resupply us with some oxygen? We did not anticipate being away for so long and we are stretching our supplies.”
Captain Shoemaker looked sharply at his chief engineer and started to reprimand him when Shoomut interrupted. “It’s quite alright captain. I will, in fact, do better than that. In a moment you will be given a short tour of this ship. Afterwards we will make arrangements to deliver any needed supplies such as oxygen, water, or fuel to your ship. I’m afraid I can’t offer much in the line of food though as our dietary requirements are very different.”
“The offer is greatly appreciated captain,” Shoemaker replied. “May I ask what type of ship this is?”
“You are aboard a light cruiser.”
“A military vessel?”
“Yes. Prior to the advent of the Consortium there were incidents of warfare between various cultures. As such, many races prefer to maintain a strong military presence in space. There is also the ever-present possibility of encountering a technologically advanced and hostile civilization during our explorations. It pays to be prepared.”
Jay and Jonathan glanced at each other and each had a worried look on their faces. Seeing the exchange Shoomut said, “It’s not as bad as you might imagine. The member races of the Consortium have roamed the stars together in relative peace for the past thirty years or so. And now,” he said standing up. “I would like to give you a tour of my ship.”
Before starting the tour, Shoomut explained that the Humans would likely receive a sunburn from the amount of ultraviolet contained in the normal Tholtaran lighting. Since the tour would last less than an hour everyone agreed that a slight sunburn would be more than compensated by what they would be shown.
The first stop was the bridge. It was a large semi-circular room with a command chair perched on a raised dais at the center. Positioned in front of the command chair was a double row of control consoles. About a third of the consoles had Tholtaran operators sitting at them. Several looked up and regarded the Humans for a moment then went back to their duties.
A large view screen took up the entire front section of the bridge. A section of the Starfire could be seen in the left corner of the screen. Most of the consoles had complex computer generated displays on them. The bridge was busy and quiet but appeared to be very efficient. Captain Shoomut pointed to and explained the functions of the various consoles.
“These two consoles are for navigation and helm control. Over here is communications. That area is engineering which includes power generation and distribution, damage control and internal ship services. Those over there are the three science stations.”
Captain Shoemaker’s practiced eye took in every tiny detail. When Shoomut stopped talking, he pointed to a section of currently unmanned consoles and asked, �
�How about that section?”
“Weapons and defensive systems,” Shoomut answered in a neutral tone. Taking a seat in the captain’s chair, he continued, “Let me show you the galaxy your race is about to become a part of.”
Shoomut entered a series of commands on his personal console and a three dimensional image appeared in front of the now darkened view screen. It was a detailed star map containing hundreds of stars and it seemed to float in mid-air. A blinking blue light could be seen. “The blue indicates our current position. The white dot next to us is your star.”
Shoomut entered another quick command and several lightly colored spheres appeared. “These spheres represent the space owned by the races nearest your star system. This particular map covers an area of approximately 400 light years.”
Shoemaker stared at the map, amazed at its detail. The implications of such a detailed map covering such an enormous volume of space were staggering. It meant that not only were Humans not alone, but their immediate neighbors had been traveling through and mapping a tremendous area of space for many decades. Suddenly, Captain Shoemaker felt almost primitive in comparison to the technology the other races might possess. It was a humbling thought that did not sit well with him.
The map clearly showed the solar system and the spherical volume of space that belonged to Earth. Beyond it were patches of unclaimed open space and seven other spheres indicating the space owned by other races. One of the spheres nearest that belonging to Humans was pulsing a light blue. “Is the pulsing area your race’s space?” Shoemaker asked.
“Yes. As you can see, we are practically neighbors.”
“How far away is your home world?” Kauffman inquired.
“My race’s home planet is located just over 83 light years from your planet. I was not born on Tholta so my personal home world is located 68 lights years from here.”
Shoomut entered another series of commands and the image vanished. “Let us proceed on to our next destination.”
