First Contacts

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Really unpolished and I'm not sure how to end it, but the HUMANS thread got me thinking about this again. Unlike other posts, I would appreciate a heads up before copying, bending, folding, or stapling this.



Unidentified object detected in the region of [untranslatable]. Initial analysis indicates highly regular structure exhibiting bi-lateral symmetry. Does not conform to any known standards for starcraft. Trajectory indicates impact with [untranslatable] at .85c absent any interference or changes in velocity. Impact deflection team dispatched. First contact liaison also on board, in the event it is a vessel of some kind.

First contact liaison reports anomalous patterns of radiation over long end of electromagnetic spectrum. Communications team assigned to interpret data.

Impact defection team approaching object. Emission patterns from the object have changed to a looping pattern which the Communications team believes to be based on a geometric constant. First contact liaison has recommended attempting to broadcast an identical signal to the object before interception. Equipment for broadcast is being assembled.

Long wave electromagnetic transmission sent.

Pattern of long wave electromagnetic transmissions from the object has changed in response to broadcast. Existence of intelligence confirmed. As of now it is unclear whether the object itself is intelligent or if it is in fact a vessel for smaller intelligent beings. First contact liaison recommending soft interception measures.

Full first contact team assembled. Impact deflection team will match speed with the object and intercept if necessary.

First contact team away.

Object has reduced speed. Several small structures on the exterior of the object have been identified as propulsion mechanisms. Impact deflection team matching speed. Communications team reports continued patterns based on mathematical concepts. The object will broadcast a looping pattern until it is repeated back to them, and then will change to a different one.

Communications team reports strange new pattern from the object. Linguistic analysis suggests it may be some form of data transmission.

First contact team arrives at object. Team has informally dubbed the object "Little Star Spawn." Velocity of the object has continued to drop. Impact deflection team staying in the vicinity to support first contact team.

Communications team reporting potential breakthrough in analysis of earlier long wave electromagnetic transmissions. The emission patterns before the mathematical broadcasts may have encoded data representing visual content. The reconstructed transmission seems to indicate a being with bi-lateral symmetry opening and closing one large orifice and two paired smaller ones. First contact team is now examining the object for evidence of an entryway.

Using the methods established by the communications team, the first contact team is now attempting to interpret incoming transmissions from the object. New data again shows a being with bi-lateral symmetry opening and closing three orifices. Communications team believes there may be more data in the transmission and is continuing analysis.

First contact team has decided to create a new broadcast based on the object's attempts to communicate. They have encoded an image of a white circle with a black ellipsis and two black circles arranged in a manner similar to that of the being depicted in the object's broadcasts. This data is being sent to the object.

The object has responded with a burst of activity. New transmission shows the round being with three orifices that then moves away from the recording device, showing a much larger organism. The beings exhibit bi-lateral symmetry over the whole body. The central trunk has two long appendages below it that turn at a 90 degree angle towards the ends, and articulate mid-way through was well as at the point where they connect to the trunk, and two shorter appendages near the top of the trunk that also articulate near the middle and at the point where they connect to the trunk. The ends of these shorter appendages branch into five smaller appendages, one of which is smaller than the others and further removed. These sub-appendages are highly articulated. The part of the being that was initially visible rests at the top of the trunk on top of a narrow connector. Additionally, the communications team believes that the additional data in the transmissions may be vibrational data. These vibrations coincide with the motions of the larger visible orifice.

There is more than one organism on board the "Little Star Spawn." New transmission shows multiple beings making vibrations with their large orifice and moving appendages.

First contact team has created a new transmission. The new transmission encodes visual data based on our new understanding of the organism's shape and also contains vibrational data based on mathematical patterns exchanged with the object earlier.

New transmission shows one organism touching its trunk with one upper appendage, making vibrations, and then pointing towards the recording device. Communications team says that the organism is repeating this action, and the message itself is not a loop. First contact team believes this is an identifying vibration of some kind.

Entryway discovered in the object. First contact team hesitant to engage at this stage in communications.

First contact team has created a transmission encoding visual data based on the organisms and simplified visual data of their own appearance. Transmission shows the organism making touching its trunk and making the vibration recorded, then gesturing to our stand-in character. This character then touches its trunk and makes a vibration. The team has decided to use the old [untranslatable] vibration for "learner" as their identifying vibration.

No transmission from the object since latest broadcast.

What did you think? Did you really expect a bunch of little green men or guys with crap glued on their foreheads?
I wasn't expecting that!
The fuck do we do?
We can't run away, that net'll have us in no time.
I don't think they're trying to catch us, they've really been trying to communicate.
And if that screeching is how they communicate it's been an uphill battle I'm sure.
I don't think they're going to try to hurt us, if that was the plan it would have happened already.
Do they have weapons?
They got two ships here in the time it took us to slow down, I'm pretty sure they could blow us up if they wanted.
We don't have any choice here, we were sent to explore the planet and make contact if there was anything there. Clearly, something's there.
I don't like this.
The atmosphere's almost identical to ours, we should be able to at least breathe the same air. And that means we can sit together and try to talk.
This would be so much easier with a translator.
Well, tell you what, how about you get kidnapped and enslaved for a while and then they can use you as a translator when the next ship shows up.
Taylor!
What? It's how it used to get done.
We're going to be okay.
Okay, well, how do we do this?
How big are they?
What?
Well, I mean they made the cartoon look the same size as us, but they don't know how big we are and I don't think we can exactly introduce them to the metric system with how far we've gotten communications-wise.
Shit.
One of us should go EVA.
What, and just wave at the ship?
Would you rather invite them on board and find out they're too big to fit?
We should go to the planet
And do this around more of those things? No thank you.
I'll go. I'll go out there and if they let me on their ship I'll try to relay communications back to you guys.
You don't have to do this.
We have to do this.

Activity at the entryway.

One of the organisms has emerged from the entryway. It appears to have some kind of outer equipment providing propulsion. It is moving towards the first contact vessel.

The organism has stopped halfway between the object and the first contact vessel.

[untranslatable] from the first contact team has volunteered to meet the organism.

[untranslatable] and the organism are engaging in physical gestures. [untranslatable] is confident that contact is proceeding well.

[untranslatable] has communicated to the organism that it should come to the first contact vessel. The organism is following. Contact will continue in a sealed room on board the first contact vessel to prevent any contamination in the event that the organism is emitting or carrying anything hazardous.

The organism is on board.

The organism is no longer moving. First contact team believes it is deceased. Awaiting full report.

First contact team report:
Organism A came aboard the vessel after communicating through gestures with [untranslatable]. Organism A removed one piece of equipment, which we believe to be a propulsion device and not necessary for life support. It was permitted to retain all other equipment, including what we now believe to be a protective outer garment. [untranslatable] and Organism A boarded directly into sealed contact room, and did not interact with any other crew members. Shortly after coming on board, Organism A began gesturing towards its upper, round appendage with the two upper-trunk appendages. It removed the top portion of the protective outer garment, exposing the top appendage. The large orifice was open and making intense vibrations and the two smaller paired orifices were closed and remained so. The two lower appendages bent at the middle and the articulation points came down to touch the floor. It then bent just above the point where the lower appendages meet, folding over itself. The vibrations continued for a brief period, followed by the organism tilting to one side and ceasing all movement. It was observed that Organism A was leaking a small quantity of fluid from two previously unknown orifices on the top appendage. After screening for potentially harmful gasses and microorganisms, it has been decided that Organism A is non-toxic and dissection is scheduled.

Dissection results:
Organism consists of soft-walled cells containing smaller organelles. These cells are grouped together based on function. Soft tissue is attached to a hard interior system of support structures. Support structure is comprised of inflexible hard tissue connected by stretchy materials at articulation points. Large orifice in the top appendage connects through the support tube to both the digestive system and a pair of spongy organs that may process gas. Smaller paired "orifices" actually small openings that house round organs of unknown importance. It is potentially possible that these are sensory organs for detecting electromagnetic radiation. Two additional orifices discovered in the top appendage connecting to the larger one through a series of internal filters. The two orifices on the sides of this appendage appear to be too badly damaged for speculation as to their purpose. Organism is filled with several different types of fluid, although the primary fluid appears to be the one that it was leaking at the time of death. A small, possibly vestigial orifice was discovered near the center of the torso, more of an indentation than anything else. Potentially an old battle wound? Below this, a soft, tubular appendage much smaller than the others that did not contain any support structure, and a loose sac containing two organs of unknown purpose. A final orifice was discovered behind these that was later identified as the end of the digestive system. The organism was wearing a protective outer garment in addition to several layers of soft, presumably decorative garments. The only areas exposed before removal of these decorative garments were the ends of the upper-trunk appendages, the top appendage, and the connecting tube. It has been observed that these areas are most used in the organisms' attempts to communicate.

First contact team recommends further deliberation before a second attempt at contact.

First contact team is struggling with the best way to communicate to the remaining organisms about the demise of Organism A. [untranslatable] is concerned that current proposed methods may be interpreted as threatening.

You heard him.
The fuck did they do?
I don't know.
What do we do now, just wait for them to come in here and kill us all.
I don't think they did it on purpose.
How do you accidentally do that to someone?
We don't even know what happened to him
They fucking murdered him, that's what.
Maybe there was something on the ship
He started screaming before the helmet came off, long before.
It could have been something the suit didn't protect against, something they didn't even know was a
Oh my god will you stop apologizing for those fucking monsters!  They killed him, what more do you need?
What are you going to do, then? You gonna start shooting things? Where does that get us?
At least we can take a couple of them with us.
And if it was an accident?
How the fuck is that an accident?
Guys, stop it. This isn't getting us anywhere.
Kill or be killed, you know it.
We can't kill them, we don't even know what they're made of.
How many do you think are on there?
We can't fight them, guys.
Do you want that happening to us?

First contact team is operating under the theory that the physical structure of the organisms may be damaged by [untranslatable] communication. Organism A began displaying what is now believed to be signs of distress when [untranslatable] other team members. All future contact with the organisms will be conducted through vibrations and no [untranslatable] will be permitted within the vicinity of the organisms.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Awwwww!

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I really like this.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Thanks!

The cut aways to the human dialogue I'm not sure about keeping or not, it was mostly there so I could figure out how to move along the story when I got stuck.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Thanks!

The cut aways to the human dialogue I'm not sure about keeping or not, it was mostly there so I could figure out how to move along the story when I got stuck.

I like them, it's a good way to convey what the humans are thinking.

[McGrupp]

Thanks!

The cut aways to the human dialogue I'm not sure about keeping or not, it was mostly there so I could figure out how to move along the story when I got stuck.

I like the dialogue. Actually for the first dialogue I wasn't immediately sure whether it was from the humans or the aliens point of view, which I think added to the story.