(BSN Shinokage,
Unknown Space)
I was standing on the ‘Flag Bridge’ of the Shinokage. Well,
that’s what people called it, since it was the backup control center for the
ship, and I was out of the Captain’s hair here. It also allowed me to look at
the strategic situation without stepping on the Captain’s toes tactically.
Looking at the status of my fleet, I smiled. The Nightforge and the other ships were
hanging back, well-protected with the flotilla of gunboats in place, and
fighters ready to launch from my carrier. Shinokage,
my four Assassins, and two squadrons of Raptor stealth fighters led the way to
the super-Earth planet that seemed to be where the colony ship Juan Ponce de Leon had wound up. How it
ended up damn near to the galactic core, in another arm of the galaxy, was
something many of us were very eager to find out.
First, though, we had to deal with the defenses around the
world, and find some way to introduce ourselves without either getting blown up
or wiping out their defenses. Since they had taken the trouble to put that many
weapon satellites in orbit, something told me that the defenses were very much
necessary. Blowing them to hell would not put us on good terms with the locals,
and I would feel rotten if we left them defenseless against some other
attackers.
“Raven, what do we have?”
“The satellite network is used for communications, but it
seems the primary purpose of the network is for planetary defense. Comparing
passive scan data to historical weapons systems, I believe we’re looking at two
types of weapons on these platforms. Primary standoff weapons look to be
ballistic in nature, along the same idea as the main weapon on Shinokage and the Assassins, but not
nearly as powerful. However, they are likely able to fire more rapidly than we
are, giving them the ability to ‘shotgun’ an area of space with weapons fire.
Secondary weapons are missile launchers equivalent to mid-22nd
century space-based nuclear missile launchers. Unless they have improved the warheads
considerably, it would take two, maybe three hits to destroy an Assassin. Once
inside the ballistic envelope and into their own weapons range, the Nightforge would be safe from anything
the defense network could throw at them before destroying the platforms.”
“So their tech hasn’t improved any from when the Ponce de Leon left. Interesting. The
historical records show that they at least had an industrial plant to start the
colony with, but I suppose whatever brought them all this way out here may have
left them with limited options.”
I shook my head. That was a question that could wait for
answers once we were talking to the people on the ground. “You’ve detected
communications, yes? Have you been able to break the encryption and discern the
local language?”
“Communications have been decrypted, yes. They are using
encryption that is very advanced compared to what was available when they left
Earth, but is still a thousand years out of date for us. Ironically, if we had
not been supplied with older encryption codes from the historical database, the
method of encryption would likely have been too primitive for the advanced
decryption algorithms to make sense of.”
I chuckled at that. “A thrown rock, properly aimed, can make
you just as dead as a modern rifle with all the bells and whistles. Make a note
that all communications officers, tactical officers, and assault teams are to
familiarize themselves with period codes, weapons, and tactics. If they can
outwit our algorithms by using old tricks they don’t know to look for with
their communications, they can do it in other ways, too. Now, what about their
language?”
“That is trickier, Commodore. The Juan Ponce de Leon was funded by business interests from South
America following the Quito earthquake of 2135. While many of the colonists
were from the local Spanish-speaking population, the financiers and leaders of
the expedition, along with about 25% of the colony population, was Japanese or
of Japanese descent, due to corporate involvement in the area. It appears that,
during the trip, a fusion of the two languages was born amongst the general
populace. Translation software for all personnel has been set to adaptive
rotating language, but we will likely miss a good deal of context from the
different syntaxes combining in unusual ways.”
I blinked, a little stunned. “They went and did WHAT now?
Ugh, that has a damn politician’s fingerprints all over it, no doubt. Probably
a whole committee of the fuckers. This is why you don’t let committees handle
basic things like this. No sane person would think that combining those two
languages was a good idea!”
“It takes a certain level of insanity to launch oneself from
star to star at sublight speeds, knowing only your grandchildren might live to
see the destination. Or to go through an energy vortex you don’t understand the
workings of to a place you only hope will be on the other side.”
“Yeah, yeah. Fair point, I guess.”
Raven cocked her head to the side, and said, “We are
receiving a message from the planet, Commodore.”
“We as in Shinokage,
or we as in the fleet?” There were certain ramifications he didn’t appreciate
if they had found Shinokage and
determined it was the command ship for his fleet, after all.
“Sorry, sir. Communication is old-style broadcast radio.
Seems to be directed at the Nightforge,
which makes sense as she is the least stealthy ship in the fleet, and the
largest. The fighters patrolling the area are also based more on tactical
superiority than stealth.”
“Understood. Message contents?”
“A mathematical series of pulses, sir. It matches one of the
old ‘first contact’ packages that used to be used before humans discovered
actual alien life forms in 2212.”
“So, they’ve spotted us, but our ships aren’t like anything
they’ve seen before. We haven’t come in guns blazing, so they’re trying to
talk. Good, that gives us some hope we can have an actual relationship with
these people.”
I considered for a moment, and then said, “Route
communications through the Nightforge.
No need to tell them about Shinokage just
yet. Send the next string of the replies, and then the final string of the
package. Then text, in English, Japanese, and Spanish, asking for technical
details on data transmission, video capability, and so on, so we can talk more
effectively. If possible, get them to send along proper translation guides for
their language. Also, I want you to add this…”
(Command Bunker)
“You are certain of this?”
“Yes, Captain. The vessel answered the mathematical series,
and then skipped ahead to the last line of each series that we would have used
in our first contact package, in the exact order we are supposed to run the
series. They have to have come in contact with Humans before.”
“And they must have had some kind of contact with them that
didn’t involve gunfire and whatever those damn Demons do to the poor souls they
capture.”
“Captain, more transmissions from the unknown ship. Message
is text-based, instead of pulse tones. Does not appear to be encrypted…
Computer suggests that they are using a language called ‘English’ from the
historical records. Message now repeating in Japanese, and in Spanish. They are
asking for technical data, and local language translations. They… Captain, I
think these might actually be humans!”
“What makes you say that, Lieutenant?”
“The message ends each time with the following: Hello Cousins. Nice to see the Children of
the Juan Ponce de Leon weren’t lost
as had been thought.”
“By the kami, that bastard did it.”
“Captain?”
“That ‘explorer’ Espina, who stole a shuttle and ran through
the Demon Gate. He always said that the Gateways could be used to get in touch
with Earth again, but no one believed him. He stole the recording device that
the Founders brought with them on the colony ship. If they know we are of the Juan Ponce de Leon, then Espina must
have found someone on that side, and they had enough contact with Earth that
they knew who they were looking for.”
The captain considered, and said, “On my authority, send the
technical specifications they asked for. They want to talk, lets make sure we
can talk. And send them a primer on Nihon-Espanol. And make sure the computers
are set up to translate the languages they used. I want us to be ready to talk
when they return contact.”
With that, the Captain walked into the office they used as
commander of the bunker where deep space transmissions were monitored, and
picked up a secure comm device that worked via landline. “Switchboard, get me
the Premier. Highest possible urgency. Codeword: Kikyo.”
(BSN Shinokage,
Unknown Space)
Captain Inatumal looked up as I entered the bridge with
Raven at my heels. I nodded to her, and took up a position next to her chair,
“Status, Captain?”
“We have received confirmation from the Nightforge, Master. The government of the planet is somewhat
excited to meet with us. As you commanded, we’ve given them enough hints to let
them know that we at least have communication with Earth. They just transmitted
their reception capability, so we can send video transmissions when you are
ready.”
“Excellent. Time until their next transmission?”
“Approximately two minutes, Master. They are supposed to be
getting the leader of their planet to the secure station where they’ve been
broadcasting to us from.” The captain looked confused at that part.
“They’re being cautious, Captain. If we turn out to be evil
aliens bent on world domination, then following the source of the signal will
give us a location…” I paused and looked at the map, “about twenty kilometers
from the nearest civilian settlement, instead of the center of their
government. And if something goes wrong with the first meeting, then they can
sweep it under the rug instead of having it blow up in the media. It will be
just like the old UFO conspiracies on Earth.”
“Weren’t most of those proved to be true, though?”
“Oh certainly. Just not for several centuries after their
existence had been relegated to the stuff of conspiracy theories and myth,
along with outright hoaxes like crop circles. By the time people found out the
truth, the truth didn’t matter any more to the organizations involved. Humans
had already met ACTUAL aliens, so the stories of aliens from centuries ago
didn’t interest them.”
The comms officer coughed to get our attention, and said,
“Captain, Commodore, incoming transmission from the surface, full video. I
believe it is their Premier this time.”
I nodded, and said, “Take transmission from Shinokage directly instead of bouncing
off Nightforge, but repeat to the
entire fleet so people have a record of this meeting. Decloak the stealth ships
and fighters as we begin transmitting. Tactical, do be kind enough to let me
know if they start targeting us, yes?” I winked at Inatumal, and said, “A bit
of theater, Captain, to set the tone for future negotiations.”
There was a flurry of activity, and then everything was
ready, as I stood in the center of Shinokage’s
bridge, the main screen came on, showing a group of three women, one of whom
was in a military-type uniform, the other two looked to be civilians. The
civilian in the center was a bit older looking, more statuesque than beautiful,
like a tempered blade. I offered a slight bow, as one leader might make to
another in Japanese culture, and said, “I am Commodore Mirikon Mollen of the
Black Star Navy, and owner of the Black Star Company. Who am I addressing?”
The woman was exotic looking, to be sure, as one might
expect with a mix of Hispanic and Japanese blood. She returned the bow, and
said, “I am Premier Fukuya Talia of Nuevo Edo, the colony founded by the Juan Ponce de Leon. We have long hoped
for contact from Earth, but how is it you came through the Demon Gate?” There
was a pause as someone whispered something to the military woman, who
stiffened, and then whispered to the premier.
Decent response time on detecting our ships. I looked to the
tactical officer off screen, who shook his head slightly. No weapon locks. A
good sign.
Premier Fukuya looked back to the screen, and said, “Am I
correct in assuming that the ships that just appeared on our scanners are
yours, Commodore?”
“You are, Premier. Given that you have a network of defense
satellites in place, we decided on a more cautious approach until we found out
how itchy your trigger fingers were.”
“A test on first contact, Commodore?” She sounded a mix of
amused and put out.
“Indeed. In my experience, having a weapon is fine,
especially for those who expect to be in a position where they might be
required to use that weapon. But those who react to surprises by reaching for
their weapon first are not the kind of people I wish to associate myself too
closely with. Simple misunderstandings can become hazardous to one’s health at
that point.”
“And are we people you would like to associate with,
Commodore?”
“Oh, from what I’ve seen so far, there are definitely
possibilities. But perhaps it would be good to meet in person and speak? My
scanners indicate that there is a large quarry approximately two kilometers
south of the bunker you’re currently transmitting from that is not currently in
use. Since I doubt you have proper spaceport facilities, and you may feel
allowing ships to land nearer to your primary settlements an unnecessary risk
at this early stage, it would be a suitable location to begin discussions, no?”
“Hmph. It would seem you’ve been doing a good bit of thought
on this, Commodore.”
“I just happen to remember how… touchy humans can be when
encountering the unknown. This way, we both get some security, and neither of
us lose face. It is the best way to begin a conversation, I believe.”
“Well, you might not be that alien to us after all,
Commodore. Welcome to Nuevo Edo.”
Previous Chapter Table of Contents Next Chapter
Be sure to read my published works!
Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):
Frozen Soul https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT
Tales of the Void Traveler https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37
Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):
Volume 1 - Tutorial https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VPRNDB
Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X
Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y
City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1
Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF
The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T
No comments:
Post a Comment