A hanar exploration vessel detects signals emitting from a rather dim yellow dwarf, and determine an unknown species resides there. Initial survey attempts reveal a once beautiful planet starting to become sickly, and the hanar won't let that happen again, not after the drell.
A Song of the Shallows (Mass Effect AU)
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Chapter 1 - Mutual Detection
Aboard the ICV-E Riptide.
3961 ABE - Third Bloom - Day 13 - 11:041
Interstellar Space within the Ikkyn Th'ulk
Sensor Observer Rank 4 - Irtil Kilkthomt
Irtil rested on the stool in front of its work station, lamenting at the luck of being on the night-shift for the next several days. The artificial light above its workstation was a pale imitation to its natural habitat in the bright shallows. It could not wait until it was on [shore-leave] and could relax in a warm and shallow tide-pool on Kahje, or even on Belan. Irtil amused itself by creating patterns in its [finger bioluminescence patches] under its purple outer membrane as it fantasized about the future.
Irtil shifted at the sensor observer station, its [lesser-eyes] wandering from the screen and briefly roaming the ceramo-metallic walls and eventually landing on the box of non-toxic electronics wipes, boringly labeled Non-Holographic Display Aquatic Cleaning Wipes in several languages, including non-hanar ones. Irtil did not know the reason non-Hanar languages were included, as only the hanar would ever use them.
It manipulated the boxes with its [fingers], turning over to the back to read the warnings and diagrams. Do not consume. Be responsible and dispose of in recycler! Irtil decided to be productive, which was more difficult than usual due to the late hour, and wipe down the display that had accumulated a minor amount of smudges from its usage.
As it wiped down the screen, a sudden flash that shined through the wipe told it something had happened. A spike of fear and nerves caused Irtil's [non-language communicatory bioluminescence patches] to cease emitting and its [tentacles] to tingle as they needlessly prepared Irtil's venom. Fearing it may have pressed something on the display when it was cleaning, Irtil focused all of its eyes on the display.
At first, Irtil thought it was just background radiation from the surrounding stars, but closer inspection revealed distinctly artificial spikes and troughs in the signal. Irtil's four [arm-tentacles] swam over the display input, orientating the sensors in the direction the signal was originating from, and selecting algorithms to try and refine the signal into something more understandable. Perhaps it was the quarians, it thought, or even a pirate vessel, trying to think of a reason there was a signal so deep in unexplored space. Irtil quickly wrote out a simple notice to the control bridge, informing them of the situation and receiving a confirmation message back.
While it was usual for known signals in Citadel, or even Terminus, space to be automatically recognized, it was not out of the realm of possibilities for manual interference to be needed. As it went down the list of decryption protocols in order of probability, it eventually reached the end with no luck.
Addressing an urgent note to its superior officer and attaching a recording of the signal, Irtil briefly detailed the steps it had undertaken already. Irtil started running through the known decryption measures again, just incase it had made a mistake. The signal was still ongoing, and with some further analysis, Irtil was able to determine it was definitely not of hanar, elcor or turian origin, and not likely of quarian, asari or salarian.
A flash of light notified Irtil that the Sensor Coordinator was on their way, and it better not be a joke. Irtil went back to its work, trying again for a third time to decode the decayed radio signal.
Before Irtil was finished, Sensor Coordinator Lebdyr swam through the open doorway to the sensor office.
"This one hopes that you are not wasting its time." Coordinator Lebdyr said, its [non-language communicatory bioluminescence patches] flashing in irritation. Its outer membrane was a lighter purple than Irtil's own, with spots beginning to develop along the top of its [head-body] as it began to enter its later stages of life.
"This one promises honest intentions. The signal is being emitted approximately 50-80 light-years away, potentially within these three systems judging by the triangulation results" Irtil highlighted the relevant stars, using its [tentacle-legs] to begin gently floating, making way for the coordinator to replace it at the work-station.
Irtil watched as the coordinator began analyzing and refining the work Irtil had already done, using techniques Irtil knew should have been obvious to it. The coordinator narrowed down the scope of the investigation to the furthest system, a slightly dim yellow star. Irtil was sure its bioluminescence showed how intrigued it was, as the coordinator opened a command window and began creating its own decryption algorithm, obviously writing something from memory if the glow on its spotted [head-body] was any indication.
The coordinator swam upright, and turned its [greater-eyes] to face Irtil.
"This one congratulates Sensor Observer Kilkthomt on the potential discovery of a new species." The flashes in the coordinator's body told Irtil it was both hopeful and, surprisingly, almost scared. Irtil understood.
"Be prepared to present this to the [shoal-leader]." The coordinator warned, not unkindly, and embarrassingly, Irtil was sure his lights had extinguished briefly, a sure tell of his nervousness at the prospect.
Oval Office, Washington D.C.
November 10th, 2015 4:45 PM
President of the United States - James Harden
James sat behind his desk, reading through his upcoming schedule. Meetings with Senators, lawyers, and advisors. Only a few more hours until he could 'retire' for the night, which mostly meant finishing his work closer to his family.
The phone on his desk suddenly rang, startling him. After a few rings, he picked it up to the voice of his secretary. "Mister President, the Director of NASA, David Banner is here to see you. He says it is an emergency, sir."
"Send him in, Marsha, thank you." It seemed like his day was going to become much more interesting. He idly thought about what it could be… A solar flare? Asteroid?
He looked up as a firm knock sounded at the door and the secret service member listened to his earpiece, and let the Director of NASA inside. His face was flushed and slightly sweaty, and he was holding a thick manilla folder.
"What is it? An asteroid?" James went straight to business.
"This morning, one of our telescopes, specifically Gemini Observatory South, detected movement around Saturn where it was studying its rings. We verified it with several other telescopes and we confirmed there is an object, or objects in the outer solar system moving under thrust, towards Earth" Banner said, almost in one breath.
"Thrust? So it's artificial? Is it Chinese? Russian?" James's thoughts were racing.
"N-no, Mister President. It's too large for any current human capability, or even anything 50 years in the future. Best we can tell, it's approximately 200-300 meters in length and made of a non-ferrous alloy. Even if we could make something that big, we could not produce the level of speed it is traveling at." Banner explained, briefly taking on a lecturing tone.
Reaching out for the folder, he began flipping through it, taking note of the rather blurry images and data sets, but still being able to determine that something was out of the ordinary. "So it's alien? And you said it's moving towards Earth? How long until it gets here? Have they transmitted anything? Demands? Have they done anything suspicious?" James said rapidfire, already thinking of a list of people he'd have to get onboard. He'd have to contact the Chinese, the EU, the Canadians, the Japanese, everyone… The public would panic if they didn't get this under control - riots, looting, suicides.
"We believe it's alien, yes. Maintaining current speed, it should be arriving tomorrow morning at approximately 10 AM. There's potential it can travel faster, as nobody detected the object coming in from the Oort cloud, but that could just be based on luck." Banner paused for a deep breath, and James braced himself. "There haven't been any transmissions, at least as far as we can tell. The craft orbited Saturn for almost 2 hours, although we are unsure of why but-"
Suddenly, Banner's phone beeped and their eyes met, both sets wide. With a shaking hand, he reached into a pocket, prompting rustling from the secret service agents, and pulled out his phone.
"It's not just one craft… There's four: one about 330 meters in length, another 190 meters, and two 160 meters. We must not have had the resolution to distinguish them separately." James thought that through, and came to the sinking realization that even with nukes, if the aliens were hostile Earth didn't have much of a chance.
"Sir, we should move to the bunker." An officer interrupted. Reaching out for a handshake, James nodded at the Director and let himself be led away, the folder pressed under his arm.
Several hours later…
Harden moved to the White House Bunker - NY Times
Chinese ships spotted leaving harbours across the South China Sea - EurAsian Times
Starly prepares in Ottawa for first international incident since being sworn in - CBC News
3961 ABE - Third Bloom - Day 13 - 11:041
Interstellar Space within the Ikkyn Th'ulk
Sensor Observer Rank 4 - Irtil Kilkthomt
Irtil rested on the stool in front of its work station, lamenting at the luck of being on the night-shift for the next several days. The artificial light above its workstation was a pale imitation to its natural habitat in the bright shallows. It could not wait until it was on [shore-leave] and could relax in a warm and shallow tide-pool on Kahje, or even on Belan. Irtil amused itself by creating patterns in its [finger bioluminescence patches] under its purple outer membrane as it fantasized about the future.
Irtil shifted at the sensor observer station, its [lesser-eyes] wandering from the screen and briefly roaming the ceramo-metallic walls and eventually landing on the box of non-toxic electronics wipes, boringly labeled Non-Holographic Display Aquatic Cleaning Wipes in several languages, including non-hanar ones. Irtil did not know the reason non-Hanar languages were included, as only the hanar would ever use them.
It manipulated the boxes with its [fingers], turning over to the back to read the warnings and diagrams. Do not consume. Be responsible and dispose of in recycler! Irtil decided to be productive, which was more difficult than usual due to the late hour, and wipe down the display that had accumulated a minor amount of smudges from its usage.
As it wiped down the screen, a sudden flash that shined through the wipe told it something had happened. A spike of fear and nerves caused Irtil's [non-language communicatory bioluminescence patches] to cease emitting and its [tentacles] to tingle as they needlessly prepared Irtil's venom. Fearing it may have pressed something on the display when it was cleaning, Irtil focused all of its eyes on the display.
At first, Irtil thought it was just background radiation from the surrounding stars, but closer inspection revealed distinctly artificial spikes and troughs in the signal. Irtil's four [arm-tentacles] swam over the display input, orientating the sensors in the direction the signal was originating from, and selecting algorithms to try and refine the signal into something more understandable. Perhaps it was the quarians, it thought, or even a pirate vessel, trying to think of a reason there was a signal so deep in unexplored space. Irtil quickly wrote out a simple notice to the control bridge, informing them of the situation and receiving a confirmation message back.
While it was usual for known signals in Citadel, or even Terminus, space to be automatically recognized, it was not out of the realm of possibilities for manual interference to be needed. As it went down the list of decryption protocols in order of probability, it eventually reached the end with no luck.
Addressing an urgent note to its superior officer and attaching a recording of the signal, Irtil briefly detailed the steps it had undertaken already. Irtil started running through the known decryption measures again, just incase it had made a mistake. The signal was still ongoing, and with some further analysis, Irtil was able to determine it was definitely not of hanar, elcor or turian origin, and not likely of quarian, asari or salarian.
A flash of light notified Irtil that the Sensor Coordinator was on their way, and it better not be a joke. Irtil went back to its work, trying again for a third time to decode the decayed radio signal.
Before Irtil was finished, Sensor Coordinator Lebdyr swam through the open doorway to the sensor office.
"This one hopes that you are not wasting its time." Coordinator Lebdyr said, its [non-language communicatory bioluminescence patches] flashing in irritation. Its outer membrane was a lighter purple than Irtil's own, with spots beginning to develop along the top of its [head-body] as it began to enter its later stages of life.
"This one promises honest intentions. The signal is being emitted approximately 50-80 light-years away, potentially within these three systems judging by the triangulation results" Irtil highlighted the relevant stars, using its [tentacle-legs] to begin gently floating, making way for the coordinator to replace it at the work-station.
Irtil watched as the coordinator began analyzing and refining the work Irtil had already done, using techniques Irtil knew should have been obvious to it. The coordinator narrowed down the scope of the investigation to the furthest system, a slightly dim yellow star. Irtil was sure its bioluminescence showed how intrigued it was, as the coordinator opened a command window and began creating its own decryption algorithm, obviously writing something from memory if the glow on its spotted [head-body] was any indication.
The coordinator swam upright, and turned its [greater-eyes] to face Irtil.
"This one congratulates Sensor Observer Kilkthomt on the potential discovery of a new species." The flashes in the coordinator's body told Irtil it was both hopeful and, surprisingly, almost scared. Irtil understood.
"Be prepared to present this to the [shoal-leader]." The coordinator warned, not unkindly, and embarrassingly, Irtil was sure his lights had extinguished briefly, a sure tell of his nervousness at the prospect.
Oval Office, Washington D.C.
November 10th, 2015 4:45 PM
President of the United States - James Harden
James sat behind his desk, reading through his upcoming schedule. Meetings with Senators, lawyers, and advisors. Only a few more hours until he could 'retire' for the night, which mostly meant finishing his work closer to his family.
The phone on his desk suddenly rang, startling him. After a few rings, he picked it up to the voice of his secretary. "Mister President, the Director of NASA, David Banner is here to see you. He says it is an emergency, sir."
"Send him in, Marsha, thank you." It seemed like his day was going to become much more interesting. He idly thought about what it could be… A solar flare? Asteroid?
He looked up as a firm knock sounded at the door and the secret service member listened to his earpiece, and let the Director of NASA inside. His face was flushed and slightly sweaty, and he was holding a thick manilla folder.
"What is it? An asteroid?" James went straight to business.
"This morning, one of our telescopes, specifically Gemini Observatory South, detected movement around Saturn where it was studying its rings. We verified it with several other telescopes and we confirmed there is an object, or objects in the outer solar system moving under thrust, towards Earth" Banner said, almost in one breath.
"Thrust? So it's artificial? Is it Chinese? Russian?" James's thoughts were racing.
"N-no, Mister President. It's too large for any current human capability, or even anything 50 years in the future. Best we can tell, it's approximately 200-300 meters in length and made of a non-ferrous alloy. Even if we could make something that big, we could not produce the level of speed it is traveling at." Banner explained, briefly taking on a lecturing tone.
Reaching out for the folder, he began flipping through it, taking note of the rather blurry images and data sets, but still being able to determine that something was out of the ordinary. "So it's alien? And you said it's moving towards Earth? How long until it gets here? Have they transmitted anything? Demands? Have they done anything suspicious?" James said rapidfire, already thinking of a list of people he'd have to get onboard. He'd have to contact the Chinese, the EU, the Canadians, the Japanese, everyone… The public would panic if they didn't get this under control - riots, looting, suicides.
"We believe it's alien, yes. Maintaining current speed, it should be arriving tomorrow morning at approximately 10 AM. There's potential it can travel faster, as nobody detected the object coming in from the Oort cloud, but that could just be based on luck." Banner paused for a deep breath, and James braced himself. "There haven't been any transmissions, at least as far as we can tell. The craft orbited Saturn for almost 2 hours, although we are unsure of why but-"
Suddenly, Banner's phone beeped and their eyes met, both sets wide. With a shaking hand, he reached into a pocket, prompting rustling from the secret service agents, and pulled out his phone.
"It's not just one craft… There's four: one about 330 meters in length, another 190 meters, and two 160 meters. We must not have had the resolution to distinguish them separately." James thought that through, and came to the sinking realization that even with nukes, if the aliens were hostile Earth didn't have much of a chance.
"Sir, we should move to the bunker." An officer interrupted. Reaching out for a handshake, James nodded at the Director and let himself be led away, the folder pressed under his arm.
Several hours later…
Harden moved to the White House Bunker - NY Times
Chinese ships spotted leaving harbours across the South China Sea - EurAsian Times
Starly prepares in Ottawa for first international incident since being sworn in - CBC News
Chapter 2 - Preparing
White House Bunker, Washington D.C.
November 11th, 3:14 AM
President of the United States - James Harden
James hung up the phone as he listened to the activity around him. Papers were strewn across desks, the bunker filled to the brim with what seemed like every government official crowded inside.
James had ordered various diplomats to keep him updated on their respective countries' situations, trying to force some order into this chaos. Canada was on board for almost anything he could do, besides firing nukes. He was collaborating with the EU, trying to figure out the best plan to get themselves safely to the other side of this mess. The Chinese were raring at the bit, openly preparing for outright war which he thought was a bit short-sighted as the aliens could interpret it as a sign of aggression, but they were open to working together on a diplomatic mission, assuming they could get a few seats aboard.
Someone had leaked that he was in the bunker but the whole situation seemed to be under wraps. Wild speculation was filling the media, wondering if North Korea or some other dictatorship was threatening to launch nukes.
He had communicated with the UN, and they had decided to transmit a signal to the vessel as soon as it passed Mars' orbit. James reread the third final draft, as the time ticked down. The vessel had indeed maintained a constant speed with a direct bearing towards Earth. The UN had stressed a text-based letter, in several languages, to avoid giving the impression that one government was dominant on the planet.
There was a limited word count, considering it was difficult to transmit to something so far away and moving so fast. There were arguments within the scientific advisors about the wording of the letter but time was ticking.
Greetings unidentified vessel,
We are hopeful that you come in peace.
We would prefer if you remained in orbit around our planet for further discussions to be had.
Please state your intentions with our solar system.
Sincerely, the humans of planet Earth.
Everyone waited with bated breath as the transmission was successfully sent and they wouldn't know if it had been received until the vessel deigned to respond. Nearly every sensor on the planet was pointed at the ship, although a few were still scanning the rest of the sky for any more ships as a safety measure.
Eventually, ten minutes had passed, more than enough time for a round trip at light-speed to happen. Every person in the bunker and in the teleconferences were on the edges of their seats. "Everyone, we have contact." sounded out as the UN speaker received the response, "It's a letter, in English, Mandarin, Spanish… and more languages than we sent out."
That surprised James, but it also told him more about the unknown species. They had been listening to transmissions or had already landed on the planet, enough to be able to translate into, he checked, ten languages. He opened the attached file sent out in the UN teleconference, noticing around the room various people had already begun reading it while he was distracted.
Salutations humans!
These ones, of the vessel Healing [Hands], do humbly greet you! These ones are a diplomatic envoy of the Illuminated Chorus, and have been sent to open communications with Earth! The other vessels in our entourage are escort vessels for both of our safeties.
These ones required to be within closer proximity to communicate in a manner you understand - there was no intention to frighten!
These ones would like to hold an in-person diplomatic meeting, either aboard one of our ships or on the surface of your planet, whichever is more preferable for you! Either way, environmental suits would be provided if needed!
The Illuminated Chorus began in the shallows of our cradle world, Kahje. These ones began swimming in the stars approximately 3000 of your years ago.
These ones were wondering if Earth would be open to trade, or if the planet would like to be left alone.
Kindly regards, the Illuminated Chorus!
As far as alien species went, James thought they had lucked out so far. The aliens seemed to be rather nice and understanding of the situation, and willing to listen to Earth. It could just be a ruse but it seemed almost pointless. If they had truly been spacefaring for over 3000 years, they must have more than four ships.
James's eyes flew to the top of the page - "escort ships." Why would a race need escort ships unless there was something to defend against? There must be something, or somethings, not as nice as these- these hanar. Maybe the hanar were recruiting for a war against something? James would be damned if humans became foot soldiers for alien overlords' whims and fancies. Or maybe they were just being cautious about Earth…
Both the UN teleconference call and the bunker around him gradually erupted in voices, as everyone wanted their piece heard.
Aboard the ICV-D Healing [Hands].
3961 ABE - Fifth Bloom - Day 4 - 3:072
Orbiting Earth
High Diplomat Ontyl Zininder
The Healing [Hands] was a diplomatic vessel, specifically built for First Contacts. The escorting shoal included a cruiser and two frigates, just in case 'pirates' attacked en route. Its other purpose was as a mobile hospital and transportation unit, just in case evacuation had to take place. The hanar had learned from their experiences with the drell and the Citadel Council. Currently, the seawater was being removed from several important areas and prepped for human habitation as a precaution. Capable of carrying over ten thousand individuals (if at a bit of a squeeze), it would be likely that genetic diversity could be maintained in most populations, disregarding obscure mating practices like the asari.
Ontyl looked over the data briefing put together by its support staff once more. Humans as a species were terribly conflict driven, with over 200 different factions vying for supremacy - whether regional or global. The oceans were rather nice, but had already begun warming and acidifying due to irresponsible industrial pollution. It reminded Ontyl of the drell, and their sickly world with billions of people vying for limited resources. Earth wasn't quite that bad just yet, and they were certainly more advanced than the drell had been but the planet's climate would keep getting more destructive.
[Mammalian] omnivores with a calcium-rich endoskeleton. Bipedal, the humans were similar to most of the Citadel races. Ontyl lamented, having hoped that they would discover another aquatic species but it was not to be. It supposed the asari could count, but they were mostly terrestrial and required air to breathe.
It seemed that generally, humans gravitated towards capitalist social representative democracies. Ontyl was saddened that the human governments weren't like the Illuminated Chorus, where every hanar had a voice and was entitled to food, water, and shelter. Even the quarian's government would be better. Ontyl supposed that at least they weren't quite as bad as the volus, and its thoughts were reflected on its outer membrane, the lights roiling in disgust.
However, the standing operating procedure for First Contact by the Illuminated Chorus was to gradually uplift the newly contacted species and to help protect them from external threats. Eventually, they would have to contact the Citadel and the variety of races about the humans, but it could be delayed by several years. Maybe the elcor or the quarians would be interested as well, helping out a new species.
Ontyl dreaded the moment the asari, salarians and turians discovered the humans. The asari would swiftly infiltrate their markets and influence their governments, silencing those who opposed them. The salarians would infiltrate their governments and whatever technological advances the humans would ever make, would be used by the salarians before the humans could even manufacture more than a prototype. The turians would intimidate and take tithes in the name of galactic security, and threaten that any expansion of the eventual human fleets would upset the balance of the galaxy. Even the volus, the disgusting capitalist scum motivated solely by money, who would dismember their own broodmothers for even a single credit, would absolutely destroy human's sovereignty.
There were some worrying similarities to the batarians, with their history in slavery and other marginalized groups. It seemed there was still a somewhat secret slave trade was still occuring world wide, which would have to be fixed before the hanar decided to truly embrace the human race. It would not do to have another species aligned with the batarians - disgusting creatures that they were.
The endurance of the humans was likely second only to the krogan, seemingly evolved as pursuit hunters that chased their prey down until exhaustion over several days. Ontyl supposed a sufficiently conditioned vorcha might be able to compete as well, or even a drell in an arid environment.
Ontyl had been able to exchange some information with the humans, who had decided to invite the hanar to the surface of their planet. The humans had helpfully included a composition of their atmosphere and their gravitational strength, which while unneeded did show some care put forth. Less argon and oxygen, more nitrogen, with a lower pressure and gravity. The diplomatic team would have to attend in the standard terrestrial suits, with the antigravity counterweight, biological isolation protocols, and a thicker than usual outer film containing ultraviolet screening molecules to prevent burns, or Enkindler's forbid, an accidental envenoming.
Preventing transmission of diseases from hanar to humans, and vice versa, would be a top priority. While extremely unlikely, there had been instances in the past where diseases had jumped between species, most of which involved the quarians or batarians. Allergic reactions to the local biosphere were also a considerable concern.
A tentative agreement with the humans promised that after their first meeting, the rest of planet Earth would be informed of the hanar's existence and that they had no ill intentions towards the humans.
The diplomatic meeting would contain itself, two guards, three human diplomats and ten human guards. Ontyl felt it was best the humans felt they had the advantage, when in fact the two hanar guards would be capable of killing all thirteen of the humans in under several human seconds, even on land.
With a flash of blue light, Ontyl's omnitool indicated the humans had finally finished deliberating where exactly the landing was taking place. The downsides of having so many different factions all vying for supremacy.
A rather beautiful country had been chosen, New Zealand, and Ontyl read the report the aides had scrambled to put out. It reminded it of the islands of Kahje. Mostly neglected on the world stage, it seemed the little country was deemed sufficiently isolated to avoid the hanar landing ship to be spotted.
Ontyl prepared itself for a long and arduous day.
November 11th, 3:14 AM
President of the United States - James Harden
James hung up the phone as he listened to the activity around him. Papers were strewn across desks, the bunker filled to the brim with what seemed like every government official crowded inside.
James had ordered various diplomats to keep him updated on their respective countries' situations, trying to force some order into this chaos. Canada was on board for almost anything he could do, besides firing nukes. He was collaborating with the EU, trying to figure out the best plan to get themselves safely to the other side of this mess. The Chinese were raring at the bit, openly preparing for outright war which he thought was a bit short-sighted as the aliens could interpret it as a sign of aggression, but they were open to working together on a diplomatic mission, assuming they could get a few seats aboard.
Someone had leaked that he was in the bunker but the whole situation seemed to be under wraps. Wild speculation was filling the media, wondering if North Korea or some other dictatorship was threatening to launch nukes.
He had communicated with the UN, and they had decided to transmit a signal to the vessel as soon as it passed Mars' orbit. James reread the third final draft, as the time ticked down. The vessel had indeed maintained a constant speed with a direct bearing towards Earth. The UN had stressed a text-based letter, in several languages, to avoid giving the impression that one government was dominant on the planet.
There was a limited word count, considering it was difficult to transmit to something so far away and moving so fast. There were arguments within the scientific advisors about the wording of the letter but time was ticking.
Greetings unidentified vessel,
We are hopeful that you come in peace.
We would prefer if you remained in orbit around our planet for further discussions to be had.
Please state your intentions with our solar system.
Sincerely, the humans of planet Earth.
Everyone waited with bated breath as the transmission was successfully sent and they wouldn't know if it had been received until the vessel deigned to respond. Nearly every sensor on the planet was pointed at the ship, although a few were still scanning the rest of the sky for any more ships as a safety measure.
Eventually, ten minutes had passed, more than enough time for a round trip at light-speed to happen. Every person in the bunker and in the teleconferences were on the edges of their seats. "Everyone, we have contact." sounded out as the UN speaker received the response, "It's a letter, in English, Mandarin, Spanish… and more languages than we sent out."
That surprised James, but it also told him more about the unknown species. They had been listening to transmissions or had already landed on the planet, enough to be able to translate into, he checked, ten languages. He opened the attached file sent out in the UN teleconference, noticing around the room various people had already begun reading it while he was distracted.
Salutations humans!
These ones, of the vessel Healing [Hands], do humbly greet you! These ones are a diplomatic envoy of the Illuminated Chorus, and have been sent to open communications with Earth! The other vessels in our entourage are escort vessels for both of our safeties.
These ones required to be within closer proximity to communicate in a manner you understand - there was no intention to frighten!
These ones would like to hold an in-person diplomatic meeting, either aboard one of our ships or on the surface of your planet, whichever is more preferable for you! Either way, environmental suits would be provided if needed!
The Illuminated Chorus began in the shallows of our cradle world, Kahje. These ones began swimming in the stars approximately 3000 of your years ago.
These ones were wondering if Earth would be open to trade, or if the planet would like to be left alone.
Kindly regards, the Illuminated Chorus!
As far as alien species went, James thought they had lucked out so far. The aliens seemed to be rather nice and understanding of the situation, and willing to listen to Earth. It could just be a ruse but it seemed almost pointless. If they had truly been spacefaring for over 3000 years, they must have more than four ships.
James's eyes flew to the top of the page - "escort ships." Why would a race need escort ships unless there was something to defend against? There must be something, or somethings, not as nice as these- these hanar. Maybe the hanar were recruiting for a war against something? James would be damned if humans became foot soldiers for alien overlords' whims and fancies. Or maybe they were just being cautious about Earth…
Both the UN teleconference call and the bunker around him gradually erupted in voices, as everyone wanted their piece heard.
Aboard the ICV-D Healing [Hands].
3961 ABE - Fifth Bloom - Day 4 - 3:072
Orbiting Earth
High Diplomat Ontyl Zininder
The Healing [Hands] was a diplomatic vessel, specifically built for First Contacts. The escorting shoal included a cruiser and two frigates, just in case 'pirates' attacked en route. Its other purpose was as a mobile hospital and transportation unit, just in case evacuation had to take place. The hanar had learned from their experiences with the drell and the Citadel Council. Currently, the seawater was being removed from several important areas and prepped for human habitation as a precaution. Capable of carrying over ten thousand individuals (if at a bit of a squeeze), it would be likely that genetic diversity could be maintained in most populations, disregarding obscure mating practices like the asari.
Ontyl looked over the data briefing put together by its support staff once more. Humans as a species were terribly conflict driven, with over 200 different factions vying for supremacy - whether regional or global. The oceans were rather nice, but had already begun warming and acidifying due to irresponsible industrial pollution. It reminded Ontyl of the drell, and their sickly world with billions of people vying for limited resources. Earth wasn't quite that bad just yet, and they were certainly more advanced than the drell had been but the planet's climate would keep getting more destructive.
[Mammalian] omnivores with a calcium-rich endoskeleton. Bipedal, the humans were similar to most of the Citadel races. Ontyl lamented, having hoped that they would discover another aquatic species but it was not to be. It supposed the asari could count, but they were mostly terrestrial and required air to breathe.
It seemed that generally, humans gravitated towards capitalist social representative democracies. Ontyl was saddened that the human governments weren't like the Illuminated Chorus, where every hanar had a voice and was entitled to food, water, and shelter. Even the quarian's government would be better. Ontyl supposed that at least they weren't quite as bad as the volus, and its thoughts were reflected on its outer membrane, the lights roiling in disgust.
However, the standing operating procedure for First Contact by the Illuminated Chorus was to gradually uplift the newly contacted species and to help protect them from external threats. Eventually, they would have to contact the Citadel and the variety of races about the humans, but it could be delayed by several years. Maybe the elcor or the quarians would be interested as well, helping out a new species.
Ontyl dreaded the moment the asari, salarians and turians discovered the humans. The asari would swiftly infiltrate their markets and influence their governments, silencing those who opposed them. The salarians would infiltrate their governments and whatever technological advances the humans would ever make, would be used by the salarians before the humans could even manufacture more than a prototype. The turians would intimidate and take tithes in the name of galactic security, and threaten that any expansion of the eventual human fleets would upset the balance of the galaxy. Even the volus, the disgusting capitalist scum motivated solely by money, who would dismember their own broodmothers for even a single credit, would absolutely destroy human's sovereignty.
There were some worrying similarities to the batarians, with their history in slavery and other marginalized groups. It seemed there was still a somewhat secret slave trade was still occuring world wide, which would have to be fixed before the hanar decided to truly embrace the human race. It would not do to have another species aligned with the batarians - disgusting creatures that they were.
The endurance of the humans was likely second only to the krogan, seemingly evolved as pursuit hunters that chased their prey down until exhaustion over several days. Ontyl supposed a sufficiently conditioned vorcha might be able to compete as well, or even a drell in an arid environment.
Ontyl had been able to exchange some information with the humans, who had decided to invite the hanar to the surface of their planet. The humans had helpfully included a composition of their atmosphere and their gravitational strength, which while unneeded did show some care put forth. Less argon and oxygen, more nitrogen, with a lower pressure and gravity. The diplomatic team would have to attend in the standard terrestrial suits, with the antigravity counterweight, biological isolation protocols, and a thicker than usual outer film containing ultraviolet screening molecules to prevent burns, or Enkindler's forbid, an accidental envenoming.
Preventing transmission of diseases from hanar to humans, and vice versa, would be a top priority. While extremely unlikely, there had been instances in the past where diseases had jumped between species, most of which involved the quarians or batarians. Allergic reactions to the local biosphere were also a considerable concern.
A tentative agreement with the humans promised that after their first meeting, the rest of planet Earth would be informed of the hanar's existence and that they had no ill intentions towards the humans.
The diplomatic meeting would contain itself, two guards, three human diplomats and ten human guards. Ontyl felt it was best the humans felt they had the advantage, when in fact the two hanar guards would be capable of killing all thirteen of the humans in under several human seconds, even on land.
With a flash of blue light, Ontyl's omnitool indicated the humans had finally finished deliberating where exactly the landing was taking place. The downsides of having so many different factions all vying for supremacy.
A rather beautiful country had been chosen, New Zealand, and Ontyl read the report the aides had scrambled to put out. It reminded it of the islands of Kahje. Mostly neglected on the world stage, it seemed the little country was deemed sufficiently isolated to avoid the hanar landing ship to be spotted.
Ontyl prepared itself for a long and arduous day.
Chapter 3 - First Meetings
Aboard landing vessel
3961 - Fifth Bloom - Day 4 - 5:012
Descending to New Zealand
High Diplomat Ontyl Zininder
The hanar diplomat jostled in its straps as the craft lowered into the atmosphere, the inertial dampeners working their hardest. The destination was a manor in rural New Zealand, far outside of any human settlement. It was rather curious to see a human dwelling, although it would not be the typical one.
Looking out the window, Ontyl observed the blue sky and the bright green vegetation, and it felt that Earth was truly beautiful, and it would hopefully remain so for centuries to come. It could see the manor they were heading towards, made of brick of all things, and with an expansive garden enclosed in hedges and tall metal fences.
The craft soon began to slow down, lowering over a section of flat vegetation groomed into stripes. The cabin barely jostled as the skilled pilot set the craft down, and Ontyl began preparing itself to finally meet the humans, nervous despite the many years of experience it had with diplomacy it was its first first contact.
As protocol dictated, Ontyl's guards were the first to leave the vessel, scanning the surroundings for anything suspicious and silently relaying them to the diplomat through bioluminescence. Their black and teal armour covered them completely, a strong but extraordinarily flexible weave encased each of their [tentacles], all six of their eyes had lenses covering them - embedded with holographic displays that analyzed and scanned everything around them. They were each equipped with two automatic pistols, a light machine gun, a grenade launcher, and extendable blades sharpened to a single molecule attached to their two primary [tentacle-arms]. Each had a personal barrier capable of stopping anything the humans could think of attacking with.
Most of the galaxy disregarded the hanar's combat abilities, but the joke was on them. Despite each [tentacle-arm] being capable of only lifting [5 kg /11 lb], technology could be used to overcome that. The constrictive strength of their [tentacle-arms] was second to none, filled with venom that could kill almost anything on Kahje, and affected alien races in a variety of ways - from mild skin irritation to flesh sloughing off bone. It was unknown how it affected the humans at this point, so caution was advised.
Ontyl's own suit was much more subtle. It was mostly transparent, showing off its vibrant purple flesh and its bright bioluminescence. The hanar did not have much concept of nudity, since their language required most of their body to be bare, but around aliens one had to adapt. The suit transitioned to a beautifully patterned cyan fabric under the hanar's [skirt] and extending halfway down its [tentacles]. Ontyl felt rather handsome.
The two guards simultaneously indicated that it was safe to descend the ramp, nothing glaringly obvious. There were certainly tiny cameras, microphones, and a myriad of other sensors embedded through the field and surrounding them, but it was nothing obtrusive. One notable example was a camera hidden inside of a fake [mammal]-like creature, one of the guards expressed humorously. The humans were probably trying to gain everything they could from this encounter, no matter the outcome. Quite practical, it approved.
Ontyl gently floated down the stone path, towards a trio of humans emerging from the door of the building. Each side of the path was a rather beautiful garden, filled with vibrant flowering vegetation. The enviro-suit relayed the sound of buzzing insects to its ears.
The humans stopped short of meeting them, letting the hanar observe them. A variety of skin tones and textures, the odd [sea-grass]-like covering on the top cut short to their heads or covered by a garment. Ontyl wondered if they had any sensation in it. It seemed to be two guards and a diplomat, unless it was misunderstanding the formal dress codes of humans. The two potential guards held primitive chemical firearms, protected by a thick fabric of some sorts. The human diplomat had darker skin and was shorter and squatter than the guards, with a rather interesting garment covering its head, exposing only its face. A female, the hanar guessed and the accompanying guards confirmed it. The humans' eyes kept a close watch on the hanar group.
The hanar stopped [10 feet / 3 meters] away from the humans and bobbed in the air, which was returned by the humans bending at their waist slightly. "This one is joyous at our first meetings. This one's name is Ontyl Zininder, and I'm accompanied by Guard Telold and Guard Mendura." The diplomat gestured to its left then its right, the guards bobbing once as they were introduced. It was only polite to introduce those responsible for its safety. They had different jobs, its arguably more prestigious, but all three were equal under the eyes of the Enkindlers.
"It's an honour to meet you, Diplomat Ontyl Zininder, Guards Telold and Mendura. My name is Jawaria Ibrahim, and I'm joined by Lieutenant Charles Reid and Sergeant Marcelo Sandoval." Each of the human guards made an odd gesture with their hands as they were mentioned. "We are happy to welcome you to Earth. If you'd follow me, the rest of the meeting shall take place inside."
"This one will happily follow you, Diplomat Jawaria Ibraham."
_
Inside the manor
High Diplomat Ontyl Zininder
Following the human through the hallways of the manor, Ontyl admired the primitive decorations. It would not have been out of place in an elcor historical drama, besides the proportions.
The hallway opened to a room full of the rest of the humans. There was even more variance in skin colours and hair styles. The human guards were stationed at the doors and windows of the room, and two other humans were seated at a large table. They rose as the hanar approached. Guard Telold indicated that the room was also filled with cameras and sensors.
One of the human diplomats, a male with no [kelp] covering its spotted and shiny head, besides a fuzzy structure above its mouth, approached Ontyl and thrust out its right hand and left it there. A moment passed, before Ontyl decided to be honest with its confusion. "This one is not sure the purpose of this action. Is it a greeting?" The [kelp]-less human rather interestingly turned red in the face and on the odd structures on the sides of its head. The female diplomat and the other male shared a look and the human guards rustled.
"It's a - it's a handshake. To introduce ourselves to each other." The human stuttered out, looking nervous. Ontyl decided to take pity on the poor human.
"This one understands. However, this one does not have an endoskeleton, so this one requests you to be gentle. This one is titled High Diplomat Ontyl Zininder." Ontyl extended a [tentacle-arm] and the human embraced it with its own hand, shaking the pair up and down several times. Ontyl did not understand the point, but supposed it might be more impactful on a species without venomous barbs.
"I am Secretary Dean Wilson, representing the United States of America for this meeting. It's a pleasure to meet you, High Diplomat Zininder." And once again, the humans showed how divided they were, that in a first contact between species they would bring up the divisions within theirs. Unwise, and the humans were lucky it was the hanar they had met. Dean Wilson's pronunciation of Ontyl's name was abysmal, but that was excusable.
The female stepped forward next, introducing herself again. "I am Secretary Jawaria Ibrahim, representing the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is a pleasure to host you on our planet." Ontyl shook the human's hand, feeling much more comfortable and its lights showed happiness in succeeding in the human custom.
The other male was next, his head covered by [kelp] and had differently shaped eyes. He bent at the waist slightly before the hanar, which the hanar returned with a bob. He extended an arm and introduced himself. " I am Secretary Liao Yun, representing the People's Republic of China. It is a great honour to meet you, Diplomat Ontyl Zininder." This male's pronunciation was much better than the first, but his grip was uncomfortably tight on Ontyl's [hand]. It conveyed to the guards that there was no response needed, for now.
The humans took a seat on the other side of the table. Pads of some sort of writing surface sat in front of each the humans, with primitive writing utensils set beside. The chair provided for it was extremely uncomfortable but Ontyl made do, curling its [tentacles] under itself. A silence passed as Ontyl waited for the humans to say something, It did not want the humans to feel rushed by it.
The humans exchanged glances and a few of the guards shifted again. The [kelp]-less human spoke, its furry mouth part quivering with every word. "We, the people of Earth, are wondering why you have come to us, and why specifically now." The other humans seemed content with that query.
"This one's people had an exploratory vessel in the relative vicinity of your system, and detected signals originating from here. The vessel returned to Hanar space and relayed the information to the Illuminated Chorus, the Hanar government. The Illuminated Chorus sent this one and its companions as a diplomatic mission." Ontyl explained, hopefully alleviating their worries.
"How are you speaking English? And how did you translate our languages so quickly? And in such vast amounts?" The wrinkled male asked, his eyes narrowed at Ontyl.
"This one is not speaking English. This one is speaking the Hanar Common Language, with a computer translating everything into what you hear. Regarding our level of preparation, Earth is not the first First Contact that has happened. By some standards, this is going quite well. The diplomatic party of the Asari, another species, was massacred and eaten by the industrial society they were meeting with as they did not have a complete understanding of the Yahg's psychology, biology, or even language. This one's people like to err on the side of caution." Ontyl was honest about the Yahg and Asari meeting, it had nothing to lose. The humans' faces twisted, what it interpreted as surprise. "The Healing [Hands] sat outside your system for approximately a week of yours, translating signals to develop a lexicon." That definitely caused the humans to shift, probably wondering at just what had been heard.
The female opened her mouth to speak, but the [kelp]-less male spoke over her. "What exactly do you want with Earth? Resources? Subjects? Slav-"
The female interrupted back. "Enough Charles! You will not jeopardize this meeting! I, and the humans of Earth, sincerely apologize for his accusation." She spoke rapidly, but Ontyl knew it was mostly a farce. A true politician, this one. She would be at home on Thessia with a bit more practice. She wanted to know the answer too. Ontyl wondered if this had been rehearsed, and deemed it probable. Humans were showing their potential at almost every turn. The other male made no comment.
"This one took no offense, it is a valid concern. The Illuminated Chorus does not condone slavery, and as a species, Hanar actively oppose it. Our government has a client species, yes, but that is due to the Drell homeworld's ecological collapse and the subsequent evacuation and resettling organized by the Illuminated Chorus. The Drell have repeatedly expressed their gratitude to the Hanar, and all of their independence referendums have failed by a large margin." The humans appeared calmer and calmer the more Ontyl spoke, and it hoped they took no offense to the next part, "Earth is a beautiful world, yes, but it is not unique in resources or in life. Uninhabited systems would be much better targets for large-scale resource extraction, and with much less opposition." Ontyl might have overstepped in stressing that, it might've made the humans insecure.
"Diplomat Ontyl, you mentioned a few other species… The - ahem - Azari and Yag? How many races are there? What are their governments like?" The [kelp]-less male asked, and Ontyl prepared its bioluminescence for the upcoming speech.
"The largest power in the galaxy is the Citadel. It contains approximately 40% of the galactic area, and the majority of the population. The Citadel Council has three seats, for the asari, salarians and turians. The Hanar, drell, elcor and volus are all non-voting members of the Citadel. The elcor, Hanar, and volus have all had embassies on the Citadel, a large space station where the seat of the government is, for over two thousand of your years." The humans looked a bit worried, sharing glances.
"Outside of the Citadel races, there are the quarians. They travel the galaxy in the Migrant Fleet, approximately 50,000 vessels. The krogan have a small population, after they lost a rebellion against the Citadel. The batarians are the most powerful of the three, with an area of influence rivalling that of the Citadel, but they are considerably less friendly." Ontyl felt a bit bad simplifying those scenarios, but promised itself it would explain more in depth at a later time. The humans seemed a bit relieved, probably thinking there were other viable options than the three-party dictatorship that was the Citadel Council. Ontyl missed when the Hanar were that naive.
"There are the Terminus Systems, lawless systems filled with petty warlords and crime. And of course, there is a considerable number of industrial or pre-industrial species, such as the Raloi, the Vorcha, or the Yahg, to name a few. As a species, you have been deemed advanced enough to be contacted by the Illuminated Chorus." It had been the dream of the hanar to meet another space-flight capable aquatic species to share their water worlds with, but they had only swam into, at best, tribal 'civilizations' under the oceans. The elcor were good friends, but their method of communication was not compatible with being underwater and they preferred solid ground under their large feet.
"Where are we located, relative to these other powers?" The female asked, and Ontyl prepared for them to be afraid and disappointed.
"The Sol System is relatively close to the border of Illuminated Chorus controlled space, approximately a thousand light-years away. To the opposite direction, approximately three thousand light-years away, there are the batarians who thankfully do not seem to be expanding in this direction lately. This system is also in proximity to the outer reaches of the Terminus Systems, this one is sorry to say." The humans' faces went from tentatively happy at the proximity to the Hanar, to nervous, to outright scared at the last sentence.
"What can we expect from the batarians and the Terminus Systems?" The wrinkled male asked, his mind working as fast as it could trying to consider all the possibilities.
"The Terminus System pirates and warlords could potentially be bought to leave the Sol System alone, but the batarians will be interested in you once they learn of you." Ontyl braced itself to break the spirits of such a young race, "The batarians are slavers, unfortunately. It is a status symbol to them, part of their culture. The other galactic races have tried to curb them, to stop their tyranny, but they are firm in their beliefs. Even the batarians themselves aren't immune to being enslaved."
"We've dealt with slavers before, fought wars against them, in fact. I'm sure the Citadel could help protect us, surely?" The [kelp]-less human asked. This kept getting worse and worse, for both parties.
"This one does not mean to minimize your struggles as a species, but what you experienced was rather tame compared to what the batarians do. The majority of your slavery happened before technology could truly bloom. The batarians control their slaves with implants, brutally imbedded in their brains with no anesthesia or anything resembling medical care. These implants can control the slaves thoughts to a degree, and can trigger extraordinary pain at the will of their masters. For all of their many faults, the batarians are rather good at neuroscience." Ontyl said morbidly, thinking of what could be if the batarians used their skills for good.
"Do you have any proof of these claims? Something to take to our governments?" The female asked, her forehead skin furrowed into an interesting pattern of wrinkles. Very expressive faces, these humans had.
"Certainly. This one can provide you with the Galactic Codex, maintained by the Citadel Council. Additionally, this one shall provide photographic and video evidence of the claims about the batarians. It shall have to wait until this one arrives back on the Healing [Hands]." Ontyl took pity on the humans, it didn't want to overwhelm them but it was unavoidable. "This one proposes arranging another meeting, potentially with more people on both sides, to help figure out some finer details."
"That sounds amendable, High Diplomat. It was an honour to meet you." The wrinkled male said, the sentiment echoed by the other humans.
Another round of the odd 'handshakes,' and Ontyl returned to the vessel.
It relaxed against the comfortable seat, letting out a bright flash of bioluminesce as it stretched its stiff [tentacles]. If conversations with the humans were going to continue, Ontyl would have to begin bringing its own seats. It was not as young as it used to be.
_
U.N Security Council meets for unknown reason, no details available - Wallstreet Journal
Reports of an unknown illness spreading in rural Otago, New Zealand. Area quarantined by Ministry of Health - NZ Herald
NASA budget spontaneously increased, insiders say - USA Today
3961 - Fifth Bloom - Day 4 - 5:012
Descending to New Zealand
High Diplomat Ontyl Zininder
The hanar diplomat jostled in its straps as the craft lowered into the atmosphere, the inertial dampeners working their hardest. The destination was a manor in rural New Zealand, far outside of any human settlement. It was rather curious to see a human dwelling, although it would not be the typical one.
Looking out the window, Ontyl observed the blue sky and the bright green vegetation, and it felt that Earth was truly beautiful, and it would hopefully remain so for centuries to come. It could see the manor they were heading towards, made of brick of all things, and with an expansive garden enclosed in hedges and tall metal fences.
The craft soon began to slow down, lowering over a section of flat vegetation groomed into stripes. The cabin barely jostled as the skilled pilot set the craft down, and Ontyl began preparing itself to finally meet the humans, nervous despite the many years of experience it had with diplomacy it was its first first contact.
As protocol dictated, Ontyl's guards were the first to leave the vessel, scanning the surroundings for anything suspicious and silently relaying them to the diplomat through bioluminescence. Their black and teal armour covered them completely, a strong but extraordinarily flexible weave encased each of their [tentacles], all six of their eyes had lenses covering them - embedded with holographic displays that analyzed and scanned everything around them. They were each equipped with two automatic pistols, a light machine gun, a grenade launcher, and extendable blades sharpened to a single molecule attached to their two primary [tentacle-arms]. Each had a personal barrier capable of stopping anything the humans could think of attacking with.
Most of the galaxy disregarded the hanar's combat abilities, but the joke was on them. Despite each [tentacle-arm] being capable of only lifting [5 kg /11 lb], technology could be used to overcome that. The constrictive strength of their [tentacle-arms] was second to none, filled with venom that could kill almost anything on Kahje, and affected alien races in a variety of ways - from mild skin irritation to flesh sloughing off bone. It was unknown how it affected the humans at this point, so caution was advised.
Ontyl's own suit was much more subtle. It was mostly transparent, showing off its vibrant purple flesh and its bright bioluminescence. The hanar did not have much concept of nudity, since their language required most of their body to be bare, but around aliens one had to adapt. The suit transitioned to a beautifully patterned cyan fabric under the hanar's [skirt] and extending halfway down its [tentacles]. Ontyl felt rather handsome.
The two guards simultaneously indicated that it was safe to descend the ramp, nothing glaringly obvious. There were certainly tiny cameras, microphones, and a myriad of other sensors embedded through the field and surrounding them, but it was nothing obtrusive. One notable example was a camera hidden inside of a fake [mammal]-like creature, one of the guards expressed humorously. The humans were probably trying to gain everything they could from this encounter, no matter the outcome. Quite practical, it approved.
Ontyl gently floated down the stone path, towards a trio of humans emerging from the door of the building. Each side of the path was a rather beautiful garden, filled with vibrant flowering vegetation. The enviro-suit relayed the sound of buzzing insects to its ears.
The humans stopped short of meeting them, letting the hanar observe them. A variety of skin tones and textures, the odd [sea-grass]-like covering on the top cut short to their heads or covered by a garment. Ontyl wondered if they had any sensation in it. It seemed to be two guards and a diplomat, unless it was misunderstanding the formal dress codes of humans. The two potential guards held primitive chemical firearms, protected by a thick fabric of some sorts. The human diplomat had darker skin and was shorter and squatter than the guards, with a rather interesting garment covering its head, exposing only its face. A female, the hanar guessed and the accompanying guards confirmed it. The humans' eyes kept a close watch on the hanar group.
The hanar stopped [10 feet / 3 meters] away from the humans and bobbed in the air, which was returned by the humans bending at their waist slightly. "This one is joyous at our first meetings. This one's name is Ontyl Zininder, and I'm accompanied by Guard Telold and Guard Mendura." The diplomat gestured to its left then its right, the guards bobbing once as they were introduced. It was only polite to introduce those responsible for its safety. They had different jobs, its arguably more prestigious, but all three were equal under the eyes of the Enkindlers.
"It's an honour to meet you, Diplomat Ontyl Zininder, Guards Telold and Mendura. My name is Jawaria Ibrahim, and I'm joined by Lieutenant Charles Reid and Sergeant Marcelo Sandoval." Each of the human guards made an odd gesture with their hands as they were mentioned. "We are happy to welcome you to Earth. If you'd follow me, the rest of the meeting shall take place inside."
"This one will happily follow you, Diplomat Jawaria Ibraham."
_
Inside the manor
High Diplomat Ontyl Zininder
Following the human through the hallways of the manor, Ontyl admired the primitive decorations. It would not have been out of place in an elcor historical drama, besides the proportions.
The hallway opened to a room full of the rest of the humans. There was even more variance in skin colours and hair styles. The human guards were stationed at the doors and windows of the room, and two other humans were seated at a large table. They rose as the hanar approached. Guard Telold indicated that the room was also filled with cameras and sensors.
One of the human diplomats, a male with no [kelp] covering its spotted and shiny head, besides a fuzzy structure above its mouth, approached Ontyl and thrust out its right hand and left it there. A moment passed, before Ontyl decided to be honest with its confusion. "This one is not sure the purpose of this action. Is it a greeting?" The [kelp]-less human rather interestingly turned red in the face and on the odd structures on the sides of its head. The female diplomat and the other male shared a look and the human guards rustled.
"It's a - it's a handshake. To introduce ourselves to each other." The human stuttered out, looking nervous. Ontyl decided to take pity on the poor human.
"This one understands. However, this one does not have an endoskeleton, so this one requests you to be gentle. This one is titled High Diplomat Ontyl Zininder." Ontyl extended a [tentacle-arm] and the human embraced it with its own hand, shaking the pair up and down several times. Ontyl did not understand the point, but supposed it might be more impactful on a species without venomous barbs.
"I am Secretary Dean Wilson, representing the United States of America for this meeting. It's a pleasure to meet you, High Diplomat Zininder." And once again, the humans showed how divided they were, that in a first contact between species they would bring up the divisions within theirs. Unwise, and the humans were lucky it was the hanar they had met. Dean Wilson's pronunciation of Ontyl's name was abysmal, but that was excusable.
The female stepped forward next, introducing herself again. "I am Secretary Jawaria Ibrahim, representing the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is a pleasure to host you on our planet." Ontyl shook the human's hand, feeling much more comfortable and its lights showed happiness in succeeding in the human custom.
The other male was next, his head covered by [kelp] and had differently shaped eyes. He bent at the waist slightly before the hanar, which the hanar returned with a bob. He extended an arm and introduced himself. " I am Secretary Liao Yun, representing the People's Republic of China. It is a great honour to meet you, Diplomat Ontyl Zininder." This male's pronunciation was much better than the first, but his grip was uncomfortably tight on Ontyl's [hand]. It conveyed to the guards that there was no response needed, for now.
The humans took a seat on the other side of the table. Pads of some sort of writing surface sat in front of each the humans, with primitive writing utensils set beside. The chair provided for it was extremely uncomfortable but Ontyl made do, curling its [tentacles] under itself. A silence passed as Ontyl waited for the humans to say something, It did not want the humans to feel rushed by it.
The humans exchanged glances and a few of the guards shifted again. The [kelp]-less human spoke, its furry mouth part quivering with every word. "We, the people of Earth, are wondering why you have come to us, and why specifically now." The other humans seemed content with that query.
"This one's people had an exploratory vessel in the relative vicinity of your system, and detected signals originating from here. The vessel returned to Hanar space and relayed the information to the Illuminated Chorus, the Hanar government. The Illuminated Chorus sent this one and its companions as a diplomatic mission." Ontyl explained, hopefully alleviating their worries.
"How are you speaking English? And how did you translate our languages so quickly? And in such vast amounts?" The wrinkled male asked, his eyes narrowed at Ontyl.
"This one is not speaking English. This one is speaking the Hanar Common Language, with a computer translating everything into what you hear. Regarding our level of preparation, Earth is not the first First Contact that has happened. By some standards, this is going quite well. The diplomatic party of the Asari, another species, was massacred and eaten by the industrial society they were meeting with as they did not have a complete understanding of the Yahg's psychology, biology, or even language. This one's people like to err on the side of caution." Ontyl was honest about the Yahg and Asari meeting, it had nothing to lose. The humans' faces twisted, what it interpreted as surprise. "The Healing [Hands] sat outside your system for approximately a week of yours, translating signals to develop a lexicon." That definitely caused the humans to shift, probably wondering at just what had been heard.
The female opened her mouth to speak, but the [kelp]-less male spoke over her. "What exactly do you want with Earth? Resources? Subjects? Slav-"
The female interrupted back. "Enough Charles! You will not jeopardize this meeting! I, and the humans of Earth, sincerely apologize for his accusation." She spoke rapidly, but Ontyl knew it was mostly a farce. A true politician, this one. She would be at home on Thessia with a bit more practice. She wanted to know the answer too. Ontyl wondered if this had been rehearsed, and deemed it probable. Humans were showing their potential at almost every turn. The other male made no comment.
"This one took no offense, it is a valid concern. The Illuminated Chorus does not condone slavery, and as a species, Hanar actively oppose it. Our government has a client species, yes, but that is due to the Drell homeworld's ecological collapse and the subsequent evacuation and resettling organized by the Illuminated Chorus. The Drell have repeatedly expressed their gratitude to the Hanar, and all of their independence referendums have failed by a large margin." The humans appeared calmer and calmer the more Ontyl spoke, and it hoped they took no offense to the next part, "Earth is a beautiful world, yes, but it is not unique in resources or in life. Uninhabited systems would be much better targets for large-scale resource extraction, and with much less opposition." Ontyl might have overstepped in stressing that, it might've made the humans insecure.
"Diplomat Ontyl, you mentioned a few other species… The - ahem - Azari and Yag? How many races are there? What are their governments like?" The [kelp]-less male asked, and Ontyl prepared its bioluminescence for the upcoming speech.
"The largest power in the galaxy is the Citadel. It contains approximately 40% of the galactic area, and the majority of the population. The Citadel Council has three seats, for the asari, salarians and turians. The Hanar, drell, elcor and volus are all non-voting members of the Citadel. The elcor, Hanar, and volus have all had embassies on the Citadel, a large space station where the seat of the government is, for over two thousand of your years." The humans looked a bit worried, sharing glances.
"Outside of the Citadel races, there are the quarians. They travel the galaxy in the Migrant Fleet, approximately 50,000 vessels. The krogan have a small population, after they lost a rebellion against the Citadel. The batarians are the most powerful of the three, with an area of influence rivalling that of the Citadel, but they are considerably less friendly." Ontyl felt a bit bad simplifying those scenarios, but promised itself it would explain more in depth at a later time. The humans seemed a bit relieved, probably thinking there were other viable options than the three-party dictatorship that was the Citadel Council. Ontyl missed when the Hanar were that naive.
"There are the Terminus Systems, lawless systems filled with petty warlords and crime. And of course, there is a considerable number of industrial or pre-industrial species, such as the Raloi, the Vorcha, or the Yahg, to name a few. As a species, you have been deemed advanced enough to be contacted by the Illuminated Chorus." It had been the dream of the hanar to meet another space-flight capable aquatic species to share their water worlds with, but they had only swam into, at best, tribal 'civilizations' under the oceans. The elcor were good friends, but their method of communication was not compatible with being underwater and they preferred solid ground under their large feet.
"Where are we located, relative to these other powers?" The female asked, and Ontyl prepared for them to be afraid and disappointed.
"The Sol System is relatively close to the border of Illuminated Chorus controlled space, approximately a thousand light-years away. To the opposite direction, approximately three thousand light-years away, there are the batarians who thankfully do not seem to be expanding in this direction lately. This system is also in proximity to the outer reaches of the Terminus Systems, this one is sorry to say." The humans' faces went from tentatively happy at the proximity to the Hanar, to nervous, to outright scared at the last sentence.
"What can we expect from the batarians and the Terminus Systems?" The wrinkled male asked, his mind working as fast as it could trying to consider all the possibilities.
"The Terminus System pirates and warlords could potentially be bought to leave the Sol System alone, but the batarians will be interested in you once they learn of you." Ontyl braced itself to break the spirits of such a young race, "The batarians are slavers, unfortunately. It is a status symbol to them, part of their culture. The other galactic races have tried to curb them, to stop their tyranny, but they are firm in their beliefs. Even the batarians themselves aren't immune to being enslaved."
"We've dealt with slavers before, fought wars against them, in fact. I'm sure the Citadel could help protect us, surely?" The [kelp]-less human asked. This kept getting worse and worse, for both parties.
"This one does not mean to minimize your struggles as a species, but what you experienced was rather tame compared to what the batarians do. The majority of your slavery happened before technology could truly bloom. The batarians control their slaves with implants, brutally imbedded in their brains with no anesthesia or anything resembling medical care. These implants can control the slaves thoughts to a degree, and can trigger extraordinary pain at the will of their masters. For all of their many faults, the batarians are rather good at neuroscience." Ontyl said morbidly, thinking of what could be if the batarians used their skills for good.
"Do you have any proof of these claims? Something to take to our governments?" The female asked, her forehead skin furrowed into an interesting pattern of wrinkles. Very expressive faces, these humans had.
"Certainly. This one can provide you with the Galactic Codex, maintained by the Citadel Council. Additionally, this one shall provide photographic and video evidence of the claims about the batarians. It shall have to wait until this one arrives back on the Healing [Hands]." Ontyl took pity on the humans, it didn't want to overwhelm them but it was unavoidable. "This one proposes arranging another meeting, potentially with more people on both sides, to help figure out some finer details."
"That sounds amendable, High Diplomat. It was an honour to meet you." The wrinkled male said, the sentiment echoed by the other humans.
Another round of the odd 'handshakes,' and Ontyl returned to the vessel.
It relaxed against the comfortable seat, letting out a bright flash of bioluminesce as it stretched its stiff [tentacles]. If conversations with the humans were going to continue, Ontyl would have to begin bringing its own seats. It was not as young as it used to be.
_
U.N Security Council meets for unknown reason, no details available - Wallstreet Journal
Reports of an unknown illness spreading in rural Otago, New Zealand. Area quarantined by Ministry of Health - NZ Herald
NASA budget spontaneously increased, insiders say - USA Today
Hyacinthium
Writing about sad cannibals as we speak.
- Location
- Bedroom
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I've legitimately never seen a fic focused on the hanar. Very interested in seeing more of these big squishy (communist???) space squids (anti-slavery communist space squids! Dope!).
- Location
- Postcard from the Root
I've never seen the Hanar take center stage in a Mass Effect fic before so this is certainly a treat. I'm really looking forward to how this first contact plays out.
- Location
- Seattle, Washington, USA
Well, maybe. While they're not even up to stone age tech levels, dolphins might be smart enough for a Citadel-level translation program to work on their language. Chimpanzees and gorillas can both be taught sign language and carry out simple conversations in it. Giant octopuses communicate in a way very similar to how hanar do it, and are smarter than dogs.
Humans are the only post-industrial species on Earth, but with Citadel tech translators, there might be a few surprises.
Blasto is a running gag in the games, but any species that can build starships can certainly build effective weapons.
This. Between range limits of their FTL drives due to static buildup and the Mass Relays leapfrogging over thousands of light years at a time, and the Citadel laws against opening closed relays, they really don't control 40% of the galaxy. And saying the Citadel controls 40% of the explored galaxy gets a lot less impressive when you consider they've explored less than 5% of it.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
The one thing keeping various cephalopods from full on civilisations is the shitty hand evolution dealt them with their absolute bodily collapse after reproduction, which prevents them from a) ever developing more than a child, and b) never being able to pass on anything to their children. Theoretically, Mass Effect's genetic manipulation technology might be able to fix that.
Chapter 4 - Digging (Swimming?) Deeper
Headquarters of the United Nations
November 15th, 2015. 9:03 AM
Alien Ambassador Yoon Jung-ho
Jung-ho still had trouble coming to terms with the fact that the human race had made contact with an alien race. He had been appointed as the ambassador to any alien contact years ago, and despite developing protocols for this exact scenario, he couldn't help but feel a bit lost. He drummed his fingers on the darkly stained wooden table before him, and straightened his tie and jacket.
The Americans and Chinese had raised a fuss about who would be the first to talk to the aliens and demanded that their representatives would be there despite his position.
The fact that there were many races out there already established wasn't a groundbreaking idea, but it wasn't his ideal scenario. The vast differences in technological level was already apparent just by looking at the clothing and armour the aliens had worn. Powered armour beyond the capabilities of humans by decades but realistically centuries.
Jung-ho had declined any guards for this meeting due to that very fact. The Hanar might be finding their attempts at weaponry amusing, like a child playing with a new toy. He had no doubt that the Hanar guards could easily defeat the majority of what humans could muster, despite how silly he thought they looked.
The Hanar diplomat was a few minutes late to their agreed talk but Jung-ho decided to cut the jellyfish some slack. It was already a pain coordinating between countries using the same clock but different time zones. The secretive nature of this meeting also added a considerable amount of time to the ambassador's transit.
The door to the boardroom opened and the Hanar diplomat walked - or rather floated - gracefully inside and bobbed in front of Jung-ho. He rose from his chair and bowed his head slightly in return.
"Good morning, Ambassador Ontyl. I'm Yoon Jung-ho, the ambassador chosen for further talks with your species." Jung-ho reached out a hand for a handshake and the Hanar returned the gesture. The jellyfish's tentacle was rather squishy under whatever coating surrounded it.
"It is a beautiful morning indeed! It is great to meet you, Yoon Jung-ho." The Hanar's musical voice flowed out. It was very disconcerting not being able to see a human face or even a mouth for the source of the sound, but the changing lights in the diplomat's body were quite interesting. Jung-ho did not know where to focus his eyes as he could not see any visible eye-like structure on the alien. Jung-ho had decided on asking some simple questions first, ones hopefully without the risk of offending the diplomat.
"What planet are the Hanar from, Ontyl?" Jung-ho asked. Effectively useless information by itself, especially when humans were planet-bound and had no idea of the location of it.
"The Hanar are from Kahje. Its surface is almost 93% covered by oceans. It orbits an energetic star and provides a near constant cloud cover across the entire planet." Jung-ho watched the lights flash inside Ontyl's body, flickering almost faster than his eyes could see.
"Are you aquatic? Humans are land mammals but we do enjoy swimming recreationally…" This question would hopefully relieve some of his superior's concerns about resource or habitat competition, but could make their worries even worse.
"Indeed, this one is aquatic. The Hanar evolved in the shallows but are capable of venturing much deeper. This one is gladdened that another race enjoys the waters of their world. The company is rather dry among the stars." Jung-ho smiled slightly at that, wondering if the alien meant it as a joke and at the initial implications. It was less likely that the Hanar would try to drive the humans off their land in an attempt to expand, but it opened the door to more worries about other terrestrial species.
"And how are you speaking human languages? Did you learn it before landing?" Governments around the world were worried about how long the Hanar were listening in on their conversations, and what they had learned.
"This one is speaking with the assistance of a digital intelligence. It translates this one's bioluminescence and emits it as sound. It is very helpful." There was no answer indicating how long the aliens were listening, but it wasn't a direct question anyways. Plenty more time to find an answer to that question.
"If I may ask, and please forgive me if this is offensive, why do you refer to yourself in the third-person?" He had thought about mimicking the alien's pattern of speech in an attempt to form camaraderie, but decided against it as he didn't know the reason behind it.
"This one's people believe it is improper to refer to one's self in first-person, but are understanding of other race's preferences. This one does not take offense to the human manner of speech." The Hanar said reassuringly, or so Jung-ho thought. It was hard to determine the intonations of the musical voice, and the body language was simply, well, alien.
Jung-ho continued to ask questions, hoping to build up to the more important ones.
_
"Are the Hanar open to trade?" Jung-ho asked.
"Indeed, this one's people are willing to begin trading agreements with the people of Earth. There would be some restrictions on what we do trade, at least initially." Jung-ho thought that was reasonable.
"What would you be willing to trade for? What goods or services could we offer you?" Human economic output was almost definitely dwarfed by the Hanar's, and Jung-ho was honestly curious as to how Earth could provide something for the Hanar they couldn't get better or cheaper somewhere else.
"The Illuminated Chorus is willing to donate medical and agricultural technologies, computing advances, atmospheric and oceanic cleaners, renewable energy sources and grid storage." Donate? There had to be some sort of ulterior motive here. Or were humans the victim of interstellar preformative activism?
"And for trade?"
"The Chorus is willing to help build nuclear reactors and several space elevators for human use. Additionally, the Hanar offer to survey your surrounding systems and provide you with the results. A connection to the Extranet is also a possibility." That would be quite the boon, thought Jung-ho. While it would remove the excitement and mystery behind space research and exploration, knowing exactly what was in the surrounding systems would allow governments around the world to prioritize the most beneficial of the systems or planets. Jung-ho's attention returned to the alien as its lights began once again. "In exchange, the human race will take a harder stance against slavery and more actively fight against it."
"Slavery is already outlawed in almost every country in the world, Diplomat Ontyl."
"Laws don't stop everyone, and humans must be aware that slavery is still alive on your planet. The Illuminated Chorus is not interested in further relations with a slaving power." Despite Jung-ho's initial desire to vehemently deny the accusations, he stomped down on it. He thought through the implications… It was good that the Hanar were against slavery, simply because they wouldn't enslave humans. He thought of the mention of another race from the previous meeting, about how Earth was approximately halfway between the Hanar and the Batarians. The Batarians seemed like they would be much more willing to enslave humans, and Jung-ho was thankful that the Hanar had been the first to contact them.
"You mentioned that there was another race out there… the Batarians? How worried should we be about them being so close to us? Could you help defend us from them? Or provide us with weapons or defences to fight against them?" Jung-ho's first priority was ensuring that the human race remained healthy, happy, and alive, and if he had to beg, he would.
"At the moment, not very. Your system is out of the way of any routes the Batarians frequent. They have not expanded in this direction for several centuries, but that could always change. The Illuminated Chorus would be willing to help defend your species from any slaving raids." The Hanar stopped there, shifting in its seat. Its lights were more sporadic and varied, and its tentacles were idly curling. "However, the Illuminated Chorus would not provide your race with any substantial weapons unless you made serious efforts towards unification. Frankly, it is for your own good. Any schism in your people would be exploited readily by other races. The Illuminated Chorus will not become an arm's dealer for a thousand petty powers fighting over scraps." The Hanar was seemingly vehement.
"Who do these Batarians usually target? Are the Hanar regular victims?" While the Galactic Codex provided by the diplomat after the prior meeting had a wide variety of information, it lacked depth, so Jung-ho decided to fish.
"The Vorcha's home planet has been repeatedly and constantly targeted by slavers, with some efforts to build a space station to ease the process. From what historians have been able to decipher, they had just begun to practice metallurgy when they were discovered by the petty powers of the Terminus systems.
"The Volus and Quarians are too fragile with their enviro-suits and diets, so the Batarians generally try to ransom them, and if that fails, kill them. The Elcor are useful for manual labour, until the low gravity of Batarian worlds causes their bones to lose density and their organs to fail - they are generally left without medical treatment and die in pain.
"The Asari are prized for their long lifespans, and for their bodies. They are generally household or personal servants… The Salarians reproduce quickly and are rather impressionable when young - if their mother can be made loyal, which is truly difficult, so will be the majority of the children. They are behind most of the scarce technological advances the Batarians have made. The Turians are left mostly alone, as their diets make them an expensive slave to tend to, but they are used as involuntary soldiers or fighters in tournaments.
"Initially, the Batarians regularly targeted Drell worlds, before the Illuminated Chorus made them aware of how foolish a decision it was. However, there are still semi-regular raids on the outer Drell colonies, and individuals inevitably slip through our safeguards."
"And the Hanar?" Jung-ho asked, aghast.
"The Batarians and the Illuminated Chorus have what one would call a rivalry - and the Batarians cherish their power hierarchies. They love anything they can use to call themselves better than us. Any Hanar unfortunate enough to be captured would quickly find themselves tortured, their eyes gauged out, and eventually eaten. This one has heard we are quite the delicacy in Batarian Space and the Terminus Systems." The Hanar diplomat was obviously distressed or feeling a strong emotion, even to Jung-ho's untrained eyes.
"They eat you? What the fuck?" Jung-ho sat up in his chair and let out a curse, but he didn't care one bit, "Do you have further proof of your claims?"
"This one could provide video evidence of numerous occasions. The Batarians see it as the height of wealth and power. Both owning a chef that can prepare and remove our venom glands, and access to a Hanar to consume is a status symbol. To the Batarians, what good is wealth if nobody else can see it?"
"Does the rest of the galaxy allow this to happen? Why haven't you fought back? Surely the rest of the galaxy isn't okay with this…"
"Hanar space is on the edges of Citadel space, which puts us in close proximity with the Batarians and the Terminus Systems." The Hanar gestured with its tentacles while it spoke. "The Council does proactively put a stop to any slaving operations within their species' borders, but it seems they think of us as a shield against the Batarians' aggressions, or blame us for aggravating them when we fight back… Or they blame us for any pirates or slavers that slip through our space into theirs - while simultaneously refusing any requests for us to expand our fleets, defences, and capabilities." The Hanar looked dejected as its body? head? bobbed slowly.
Jung-ho was at a loss for words, but his shock was slowly turning into anger as the alien spoke. Righteous anger, and any human worth anything would be feeling the same once they heard of this.
"I'm truly sorry to hear that. And I say this as both a fellow sapient being, and as a representative of Humanity; this cannot be allowed to go continue. Humanity will try to end this abomination." Jung-ho would probably be yelled at in dozens of meetings for his words and promise, but he truly meant them. An idea came to him, one that would convince anyone of the evil of the Batarians.
"Ontyl, I'm unbelievably sorry to ask this, but could you send me one of those videos?"
AN - Hi everyone, been awhile. Maintained my 4.0 (woop woop), got a full time co-op postion, life is good. Hope this update finds everyone well. Enjoy!
November 15th, 2015. 9:03 AM
Alien Ambassador Yoon Jung-ho
Jung-ho still had trouble coming to terms with the fact that the human race had made contact with an alien race. He had been appointed as the ambassador to any alien contact years ago, and despite developing protocols for this exact scenario, he couldn't help but feel a bit lost. He drummed his fingers on the darkly stained wooden table before him, and straightened his tie and jacket.
The Americans and Chinese had raised a fuss about who would be the first to talk to the aliens and demanded that their representatives would be there despite his position.
The fact that there were many races out there already established wasn't a groundbreaking idea, but it wasn't his ideal scenario. The vast differences in technological level was already apparent just by looking at the clothing and armour the aliens had worn. Powered armour beyond the capabilities of humans by decades but realistically centuries.
Jung-ho had declined any guards for this meeting due to that very fact. The Hanar might be finding their attempts at weaponry amusing, like a child playing with a new toy. He had no doubt that the Hanar guards could easily defeat the majority of what humans could muster, despite how silly he thought they looked.
The Hanar diplomat was a few minutes late to their agreed talk but Jung-ho decided to cut the jellyfish some slack. It was already a pain coordinating between countries using the same clock but different time zones. The secretive nature of this meeting also added a considerable amount of time to the ambassador's transit.
The door to the boardroom opened and the Hanar diplomat walked - or rather floated - gracefully inside and bobbed in front of Jung-ho. He rose from his chair and bowed his head slightly in return.
"Good morning, Ambassador Ontyl. I'm Yoon Jung-ho, the ambassador chosen for further talks with your species." Jung-ho reached out a hand for a handshake and the Hanar returned the gesture. The jellyfish's tentacle was rather squishy under whatever coating surrounded it.
"It is a beautiful morning indeed! It is great to meet you, Yoon Jung-ho." The Hanar's musical voice flowed out. It was very disconcerting not being able to see a human face or even a mouth for the source of the sound, but the changing lights in the diplomat's body were quite interesting. Jung-ho did not know where to focus his eyes as he could not see any visible eye-like structure on the alien. Jung-ho had decided on asking some simple questions first, ones hopefully without the risk of offending the diplomat.
"What planet are the Hanar from, Ontyl?" Jung-ho asked. Effectively useless information by itself, especially when humans were planet-bound and had no idea of the location of it.
"The Hanar are from Kahje. Its surface is almost 93% covered by oceans. It orbits an energetic star and provides a near constant cloud cover across the entire planet." Jung-ho watched the lights flash inside Ontyl's body, flickering almost faster than his eyes could see.
"Are you aquatic? Humans are land mammals but we do enjoy swimming recreationally…" This question would hopefully relieve some of his superior's concerns about resource or habitat competition, but could make their worries even worse.
"Indeed, this one is aquatic. The Hanar evolved in the shallows but are capable of venturing much deeper. This one is gladdened that another race enjoys the waters of their world. The company is rather dry among the stars." Jung-ho smiled slightly at that, wondering if the alien meant it as a joke and at the initial implications. It was less likely that the Hanar would try to drive the humans off their land in an attempt to expand, but it opened the door to more worries about other terrestrial species.
"And how are you speaking human languages? Did you learn it before landing?" Governments around the world were worried about how long the Hanar were listening in on their conversations, and what they had learned.
"This one is speaking with the assistance of a digital intelligence. It translates this one's bioluminescence and emits it as sound. It is very helpful." There was no answer indicating how long the aliens were listening, but it wasn't a direct question anyways. Plenty more time to find an answer to that question.
"If I may ask, and please forgive me if this is offensive, why do you refer to yourself in the third-person?" He had thought about mimicking the alien's pattern of speech in an attempt to form camaraderie, but decided against it as he didn't know the reason behind it.
"This one's people believe it is improper to refer to one's self in first-person, but are understanding of other race's preferences. This one does not take offense to the human manner of speech." The Hanar said reassuringly, or so Jung-ho thought. It was hard to determine the intonations of the musical voice, and the body language was simply, well, alien.
Jung-ho continued to ask questions, hoping to build up to the more important ones.
_
"Are the Hanar open to trade?" Jung-ho asked.
"Indeed, this one's people are willing to begin trading agreements with the people of Earth. There would be some restrictions on what we do trade, at least initially." Jung-ho thought that was reasonable.
"What would you be willing to trade for? What goods or services could we offer you?" Human economic output was almost definitely dwarfed by the Hanar's, and Jung-ho was honestly curious as to how Earth could provide something for the Hanar they couldn't get better or cheaper somewhere else.
"The Illuminated Chorus is willing to donate medical and agricultural technologies, computing advances, atmospheric and oceanic cleaners, renewable energy sources and grid storage." Donate? There had to be some sort of ulterior motive here. Or were humans the victim of interstellar preformative activism?
"And for trade?"
"The Chorus is willing to help build nuclear reactors and several space elevators for human use. Additionally, the Hanar offer to survey your surrounding systems and provide you with the results. A connection to the Extranet is also a possibility." That would be quite the boon, thought Jung-ho. While it would remove the excitement and mystery behind space research and exploration, knowing exactly what was in the surrounding systems would allow governments around the world to prioritize the most beneficial of the systems or planets. Jung-ho's attention returned to the alien as its lights began once again. "In exchange, the human race will take a harder stance against slavery and more actively fight against it."
"Slavery is already outlawed in almost every country in the world, Diplomat Ontyl."
"Laws don't stop everyone, and humans must be aware that slavery is still alive on your planet. The Illuminated Chorus is not interested in further relations with a slaving power." Despite Jung-ho's initial desire to vehemently deny the accusations, he stomped down on it. He thought through the implications… It was good that the Hanar were against slavery, simply because they wouldn't enslave humans. He thought of the mention of another race from the previous meeting, about how Earth was approximately halfway between the Hanar and the Batarians. The Batarians seemed like they would be much more willing to enslave humans, and Jung-ho was thankful that the Hanar had been the first to contact them.
"You mentioned that there was another race out there… the Batarians? How worried should we be about them being so close to us? Could you help defend us from them? Or provide us with weapons or defences to fight against them?" Jung-ho's first priority was ensuring that the human race remained healthy, happy, and alive, and if he had to beg, he would.
"At the moment, not very. Your system is out of the way of any routes the Batarians frequent. They have not expanded in this direction for several centuries, but that could always change. The Illuminated Chorus would be willing to help defend your species from any slaving raids." The Hanar stopped there, shifting in its seat. Its lights were more sporadic and varied, and its tentacles were idly curling. "However, the Illuminated Chorus would not provide your race with any substantial weapons unless you made serious efforts towards unification. Frankly, it is for your own good. Any schism in your people would be exploited readily by other races. The Illuminated Chorus will not become an arm's dealer for a thousand petty powers fighting over scraps." The Hanar was seemingly vehement.
"Who do these Batarians usually target? Are the Hanar regular victims?" While the Galactic Codex provided by the diplomat after the prior meeting had a wide variety of information, it lacked depth, so Jung-ho decided to fish.
"The Vorcha's home planet has been repeatedly and constantly targeted by slavers, with some efforts to build a space station to ease the process. From what historians have been able to decipher, they had just begun to practice metallurgy when they were discovered by the petty powers of the Terminus systems.
"The Volus and Quarians are too fragile with their enviro-suits and diets, so the Batarians generally try to ransom them, and if that fails, kill them. The Elcor are useful for manual labour, until the low gravity of Batarian worlds causes their bones to lose density and their organs to fail - they are generally left without medical treatment and die in pain.
"The Asari are prized for their long lifespans, and for their bodies. They are generally household or personal servants… The Salarians reproduce quickly and are rather impressionable when young - if their mother can be made loyal, which is truly difficult, so will be the majority of the children. They are behind most of the scarce technological advances the Batarians have made. The Turians are left mostly alone, as their diets make them an expensive slave to tend to, but they are used as involuntary soldiers or fighters in tournaments.
"Initially, the Batarians regularly targeted Drell worlds, before the Illuminated Chorus made them aware of how foolish a decision it was. However, there are still semi-regular raids on the outer Drell colonies, and individuals inevitably slip through our safeguards."
"And the Hanar?" Jung-ho asked, aghast.
"The Batarians and the Illuminated Chorus have what one would call a rivalry - and the Batarians cherish their power hierarchies. They love anything they can use to call themselves better than us. Any Hanar unfortunate enough to be captured would quickly find themselves tortured, their eyes gauged out, and eventually eaten. This one has heard we are quite the delicacy in Batarian Space and the Terminus Systems." The Hanar diplomat was obviously distressed or feeling a strong emotion, even to Jung-ho's untrained eyes.
"They eat you? What the fuck?" Jung-ho sat up in his chair and let out a curse, but he didn't care one bit, "Do you have further proof of your claims?"
"This one could provide video evidence of numerous occasions. The Batarians see it as the height of wealth and power. Both owning a chef that can prepare and remove our venom glands, and access to a Hanar to consume is a status symbol. To the Batarians, what good is wealth if nobody else can see it?"
"Does the rest of the galaxy allow this to happen? Why haven't you fought back? Surely the rest of the galaxy isn't okay with this…"
"Hanar space is on the edges of Citadel space, which puts us in close proximity with the Batarians and the Terminus Systems." The Hanar gestured with its tentacles while it spoke. "The Council does proactively put a stop to any slaving operations within their species' borders, but it seems they think of us as a shield against the Batarians' aggressions, or blame us for aggravating them when we fight back… Or they blame us for any pirates or slavers that slip through our space into theirs - while simultaneously refusing any requests for us to expand our fleets, defences, and capabilities." The Hanar looked dejected as its body? head? bobbed slowly.
Jung-ho was at a loss for words, but his shock was slowly turning into anger as the alien spoke. Righteous anger, and any human worth anything would be feeling the same once they heard of this.
"I'm truly sorry to hear that. And I say this as both a fellow sapient being, and as a representative of Humanity; this cannot be allowed to go continue. Humanity will try to end this abomination." Jung-ho would probably be yelled at in dozens of meetings for his words and promise, but he truly meant them. An idea came to him, one that would convince anyone of the evil of the Batarians.
"Ontyl, I'm unbelievably sorry to ask this, but could you send me one of those videos?"
AN - Hi everyone, been awhile. Maintained my 4.0 (woop woop), got a full time co-op postion, life is good. Hope this update finds everyone well. Enjoy!
Chapter 5 - The Burden of Proof
Headquarters of the United Nations
November 16th, 2015. 1:51 PM
Ambassador Yoon Jung-ho
Finally able to sit down to have some lunch that was brought to his office by his assistant after being grilled by what felt like every single diplomat in the world, Jung-ho leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, breathing out a sigh of relief as the stress in his back slightly decreased. He hated getting old.
He had decided on getting a large slice of New York pepperoni pizza, something he only indulged in on rare occasions, which this one definitely was. The smell was very appetizing, and he lifted the slice to take a bite. Just before it came to his mouth, the computer in front of him beeped with a specific notification and he immediately dropped the slice back onto the cardboard plate.
With a bit of finagling, the Hanar had been able to create a secure email address that would be used to increase the ease of communication, rather than just relying on transmissions that had the, slim but existing, potential to be detected by amateur radio hobbyists. Jung-ho had set up an alert that notified him immediately with a unique sound if there was any email from the Hanar address.
To: Yoon Jung
From: Ontyl Zininder
Date: Monday, November 16th, 2015. 1:53 PM EST
Subject: Regarding the Question of Proof
Greetings Ambassador Yoon,
It was a pleasure meeting you during our recent diplomatic meeting, and as requested, this one has provided video and supporting evidence of one of the atrocities the batarians have committed against the Hanar.
As a warning, the video, by nature, is quite graphic. Should you have any technical difficulties, questions, or wish to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Regards,
Ambassador Ontyl Zininder
Attachment: The Zymlas Family Incident - Occurred Late 2013 - Video Format
Attachment: Autopsy Report - Thulin Zymlas - Age ~43 in Earth Format - PDF
Attachment: Autopsy Report - Enner Zymlas - Age ~8 in Earth Format - PDF
Attachment: Autopsy Report - Hilnir Zymlas - Age ~8 in Earth Format - PDF
With a morbid curiosity, he opened the video and clicked 'Play,' and one of the worst sights he had ever seen began unfolding before his eyes.
Headquarters of the United Nations
November 16th, 2015. 6:10 PM
Ambassador Yoon Jung-ho
"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed delegates, I come before you today with a matter of utmost concern." The ambassador's voice echoed through the vast chamber, "As everyone here already knows, humanity is no longer alone in the universe." Jung-ho looked around the chamber, analyzing some of the faces in the room. Their faces varied from nervous to confident, from happy to angry.
"During my meeting with the Hanar diplomat, Ontyl Zininder, they had mentioned that there was animosity between the Hanar and another race of aliens, the Batarians. According to Ambassador Ontyl, the Batarians are the aggressors and are persistent in their behaviors." He pressed a button on the podium, and the projector screen behind him began lowering from the ceiling.
"I requested proof of these accusations, and it was provided earlier this afternoon. It has been verified as authentic by several independent contractors, as well as the South Korean government." Jung-ho said, and audibly swallowed, preparing himself for what he had to explain next. "The video evidence provided is very, and I emphasize, VERY, graphic in nature, and anyone with a weak stomach is welcome to leave and receive a written format of the video in several hours. I will resume in several minutes."
Only a few of the ambassadors left the room as discussion between the members grew until it became a dull roar in the room, some gesturing animatedly, some with worried expressions on their faces.
With several taps to the microphone, the room quieted down. "With that, I will begin the video…"
Having seen the video before, Jung-ho dedicated the duration of the watch-time by watching the audience as their faces went from curious to abject horror and disgust. Even having only watched it once, Jung-ho vividly remembered the teeth of the Batarians, which reminded him of an anglerfish, tearing into its 'food.' Several more members got up and left in a hurry, one of which was holding his mouth and gagging. Many more were covering their eyes or ears as the scene continued to play, on and on.
-
As the video concluded, the ambassador turned back to the assembly, his gaze unwavering as he looked at the pale, and in some cases, green faces in front of him, "We cannot afford to underestimate the gravity of this situation. We must decide swiftly on how to address this threat before it is too late."
"According to the Hanar, we are placed approximately 1000 light years away from them, and in the other direction, approximately 3000 light years away from the Batarians. Therefore, we are placed between the two races. The Hanar have confirmed that both species have access to Faster-Than-Light travel, capable of traveling over 10 light years a day."
"The Hanar discovered our signals approximately 80 light years away, simply by chance. If one species can do it, so can another, and the next time might not be as friendly…"
Headquarters of the United Nations
November 17th, 11:03 AM
Before the assembly sat what was apparently one of the foremost minds in astrobiology and evolutionary biology, Dr. Andrew Chang. His field had suddenly gotten much more attention in recent days. He was one of a dozen experts contacted in various fields to try and get a better understanding of the situation the human race found itself in.
"Dr. Change, from the video, what are you able to tell us about the aliens observed in them?" The UN speaker asked.
"I would like to preface this presentation by saying that these assumptions are based on theories developed on Earth, using only life on Earth as evidence. It is definitely possible that there are unforeseen reasons for any of the adaptations and traits these aliens exhibit. Essentially, take this information with a grain of salt." Dr. Chang explained, before looking back to the speaker.
"Understood, Dr. Chang. Please, continue with your presentation." The speaker said.
"Starting with the batarians, it is noted that they have four forward facing eyes. On Earth, forward facing eyes are generally signs of predators, or species with a great need for depth perception. In prey animals, their eyes tend to be on the sides of their heads in order to give a greater field of vision to defend against predators. It is unclear what advantage having four eyes over two eyes gives, besides redundancy in case one or more are damaged." The scientist undertook a lecturing tone that did not hide his interest in the situation. There was a rough presentation slide projected behind the man, obviously quickly but thoroughly made, showing a zoomed in capture of a batarian face from the video.
"Furthermore, it was hard to determine the scale of the aliens, but given the measurements of the Hanar in the autopsy reports, the height of the Batarians can be roughly calculated to 195 centimeters, or 6 feet and 5 inches. They appear to be broader than humans, and likely stronger based on the clearly visible muscles on several of the subjects. It is unclear if these individuals are representative of their species." The room was filled with an abundance of whispers as that information was absorbed. Several more photos were included on the next slides.
"From their teeth, the Batarians are likely obligate carnivores, or the vegetation on their planet is exceptionally tough. As it was, the Hanar were the 'main course', but there were several other dishes that appear to be meat based as well, with vegetation present only as what appears to be garnish. While only the front teeth are visible, there seems to be several rows on both the bottom and top jaws. The closest Earth analogue would be sharks, however their teeth are generally more triangular in shape, rather than needle-like." A helpful diagram comparing the anatomy of a shark's mouth to the batarians accompanied those words.
"Moving on to the Hanar, they have helpfully provided several diagrams of their anatomy. They have 3 pairs of eye-analogues, with one set being forward facing and the other two sets along their flanks, allowing them a very wide range of vision. They likely evolved as prey to several larger predators, requiring them to be constantly aware of their surroundings."
"They are visually similar to jellyfish species, but their oral arms, or tentacles as you might call them, appear to be more akin to limbs than a feeding mechanism. They do possess an endoskeleton, but it is mostly composed of a thick skull encasing their brain. Their tentacles do have venom glands and are capable of stinging, the potency of the venom on humans is unclear. It is possible that the venom evolved as a defense mechanism against predators."
"Additionally, the bright color of the hanar may be an example of aposematism, where an organism advertises that it is not worth attacking. An example on Earth would be poison dart frogs, where their bright color indicates that they are poisonous to consume."
"Their diet is unknown, but they are likely not filter feeders as there are no structures that may suggest that. They may be herbivores or omnivores."
"In summary, the batarians are likely obligate carnivores and are physically strong, probably superior in strength compared to an average human male," That comparison unsettled the assembly even more, eventually causing the speaker of the house to demand the room quiet down so the presentation could continue, "The hanar, on the other hand, appear to be prey items on their home planet, and with no endoskeleton to provide leverage, the strength in their limbs is likely not considerable."
"Thank you for your time, Dr. Chang. Unfortunately, there is no time for questions, as the next presentation is set to start soon."
-
Take-out sales near Pentagon and other government facilities spike drastically - The Washington Post
(Video) Unknown signal in New Zealand [Removed] - 1.2K - r/amateurradio
UN insider says to prepare for some big news in the coming weeks - New York Times
-
AN - Hi everyone! Been a while! I've wanted to updated this so much but I just never had the time and the motivation to sit down and crank out a chapter! I didn't wanna break rules about graphic violence by describing the video, but I feel leaving it vague makes it more impactful almost, because you have to imagine what is happening based on the audience reactions.
November 16th, 2015. 1:51 PM
Ambassador Yoon Jung-ho
Finally able to sit down to have some lunch that was brought to his office by his assistant after being grilled by what felt like every single diplomat in the world, Jung-ho leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, breathing out a sigh of relief as the stress in his back slightly decreased. He hated getting old.
He had decided on getting a large slice of New York pepperoni pizza, something he only indulged in on rare occasions, which this one definitely was. The smell was very appetizing, and he lifted the slice to take a bite. Just before it came to his mouth, the computer in front of him beeped with a specific notification and he immediately dropped the slice back onto the cardboard plate.
With a bit of finagling, the Hanar had been able to create a secure email address that would be used to increase the ease of communication, rather than just relying on transmissions that had the, slim but existing, potential to be detected by amateur radio hobbyists. Jung-ho had set up an alert that notified him immediately with a unique sound if there was any email from the Hanar address.
To: Yoon Jung
From: Ontyl Zininder
Date: Monday, November 16th, 2015. 1:53 PM EST
Subject: Regarding the Question of Proof
Greetings Ambassador Yoon,
It was a pleasure meeting you during our recent diplomatic meeting, and as requested, this one has provided video and supporting evidence of one of the atrocities the batarians have committed against the Hanar.
As a warning, the video, by nature, is quite graphic. Should you have any technical difficulties, questions, or wish to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Regards,
Ambassador Ontyl Zininder
Attachment: The Zymlas Family Incident - Occurred Late 2013 - Video Format
Attachment: Autopsy Report - Thulin Zymlas - Age ~43 in Earth Format - PDF
Attachment: Autopsy Report - Enner Zymlas - Age ~8 in Earth Format - PDF
Attachment: Autopsy Report - Hilnir Zymlas - Age ~8 in Earth Format - PDF
With a morbid curiosity, he opened the video and clicked 'Play,' and one of the worst sights he had ever seen began unfolding before his eyes.
Headquarters of the United Nations
November 16th, 2015. 6:10 PM
Ambassador Yoon Jung-ho
"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed delegates, I come before you today with a matter of utmost concern." The ambassador's voice echoed through the vast chamber, "As everyone here already knows, humanity is no longer alone in the universe." Jung-ho looked around the chamber, analyzing some of the faces in the room. Their faces varied from nervous to confident, from happy to angry.
"During my meeting with the Hanar diplomat, Ontyl Zininder, they had mentioned that there was animosity between the Hanar and another race of aliens, the Batarians. According to Ambassador Ontyl, the Batarians are the aggressors and are persistent in their behaviors." He pressed a button on the podium, and the projector screen behind him began lowering from the ceiling.
"I requested proof of these accusations, and it was provided earlier this afternoon. It has been verified as authentic by several independent contractors, as well as the South Korean government." Jung-ho said, and audibly swallowed, preparing himself for what he had to explain next. "The video evidence provided is very, and I emphasize, VERY, graphic in nature, and anyone with a weak stomach is welcome to leave and receive a written format of the video in several hours. I will resume in several minutes."
Only a few of the ambassadors left the room as discussion between the members grew until it became a dull roar in the room, some gesturing animatedly, some with worried expressions on their faces.
With several taps to the microphone, the room quieted down. "With that, I will begin the video…"
Having seen the video before, Jung-ho dedicated the duration of the watch-time by watching the audience as their faces went from curious to abject horror and disgust. Even having only watched it once, Jung-ho vividly remembered the teeth of the Batarians, which reminded him of an anglerfish, tearing into its 'food.' Several more members got up and left in a hurry, one of which was holding his mouth and gagging. Many more were covering their eyes or ears as the scene continued to play, on and on.
-
As the video concluded, the ambassador turned back to the assembly, his gaze unwavering as he looked at the pale, and in some cases, green faces in front of him, "We cannot afford to underestimate the gravity of this situation. We must decide swiftly on how to address this threat before it is too late."
"According to the Hanar, we are placed approximately 1000 light years away from them, and in the other direction, approximately 3000 light years away from the Batarians. Therefore, we are placed between the two races. The Hanar have confirmed that both species have access to Faster-Than-Light travel, capable of traveling over 10 light years a day."
"The Hanar discovered our signals approximately 80 light years away, simply by chance. If one species can do it, so can another, and the next time might not be as friendly…"
Headquarters of the United Nations
November 17th, 11:03 AM
Before the assembly sat what was apparently one of the foremost minds in astrobiology and evolutionary biology, Dr. Andrew Chang. His field had suddenly gotten much more attention in recent days. He was one of a dozen experts contacted in various fields to try and get a better understanding of the situation the human race found itself in.
"Dr. Change, from the video, what are you able to tell us about the aliens observed in them?" The UN speaker asked.
"I would like to preface this presentation by saying that these assumptions are based on theories developed on Earth, using only life on Earth as evidence. It is definitely possible that there are unforeseen reasons for any of the adaptations and traits these aliens exhibit. Essentially, take this information with a grain of salt." Dr. Chang explained, before looking back to the speaker.
"Understood, Dr. Chang. Please, continue with your presentation." The speaker said.
"Starting with the batarians, it is noted that they have four forward facing eyes. On Earth, forward facing eyes are generally signs of predators, or species with a great need for depth perception. In prey animals, their eyes tend to be on the sides of their heads in order to give a greater field of vision to defend against predators. It is unclear what advantage having four eyes over two eyes gives, besides redundancy in case one or more are damaged." The scientist undertook a lecturing tone that did not hide his interest in the situation. There was a rough presentation slide projected behind the man, obviously quickly but thoroughly made, showing a zoomed in capture of a batarian face from the video.
"Furthermore, it was hard to determine the scale of the aliens, but given the measurements of the Hanar in the autopsy reports, the height of the Batarians can be roughly calculated to 195 centimeters, or 6 feet and 5 inches. They appear to be broader than humans, and likely stronger based on the clearly visible muscles on several of the subjects. It is unclear if these individuals are representative of their species." The room was filled with an abundance of whispers as that information was absorbed. Several more photos were included on the next slides.
"From their teeth, the Batarians are likely obligate carnivores, or the vegetation on their planet is exceptionally tough. As it was, the Hanar were the 'main course', but there were several other dishes that appear to be meat based as well, with vegetation present only as what appears to be garnish. While only the front teeth are visible, there seems to be several rows on both the bottom and top jaws. The closest Earth analogue would be sharks, however their teeth are generally more triangular in shape, rather than needle-like." A helpful diagram comparing the anatomy of a shark's mouth to the batarians accompanied those words.
"Moving on to the Hanar, they have helpfully provided several diagrams of their anatomy. They have 3 pairs of eye-analogues, with one set being forward facing and the other two sets along their flanks, allowing them a very wide range of vision. They likely evolved as prey to several larger predators, requiring them to be constantly aware of their surroundings."
"They are visually similar to jellyfish species, but their oral arms, or tentacles as you might call them, appear to be more akin to limbs than a feeding mechanism. They do possess an endoskeleton, but it is mostly composed of a thick skull encasing their brain. Their tentacles do have venom glands and are capable of stinging, the potency of the venom on humans is unclear. It is possible that the venom evolved as a defense mechanism against predators."
"Additionally, the bright color of the hanar may be an example of aposematism, where an organism advertises that it is not worth attacking. An example on Earth would be poison dart frogs, where their bright color indicates that they are poisonous to consume."
"Their diet is unknown, but they are likely not filter feeders as there are no structures that may suggest that. They may be herbivores or omnivores."
"In summary, the batarians are likely obligate carnivores and are physically strong, probably superior in strength compared to an average human male," That comparison unsettled the assembly even more, eventually causing the speaker of the house to demand the room quiet down so the presentation could continue, "The hanar, on the other hand, appear to be prey items on their home planet, and with no endoskeleton to provide leverage, the strength in their limbs is likely not considerable."
"Thank you for your time, Dr. Chang. Unfortunately, there is no time for questions, as the next presentation is set to start soon."
-
Take-out sales near Pentagon and other government facilities spike drastically - The Washington Post
(Video) Unknown signal in New Zealand [Removed] - 1.2K - r/amateurradio
UN insider says to prepare for some big news in the coming weeks - New York Times
-
AN - Hi everyone! Been a while! I've wanted to updated this so much but I just never had the time and the motivation to sit down and crank out a chapter! I didn't wanna break rules about graphic violence by describing the video, but I feel leaving it vague makes it more impactful almost, because you have to imagine what is happening based on the audience reactions.
Lol. The jellyfish are actually apex predators, bit are amused that them humans portray them otherwise. This one recognizes that this makes for better PR in the short term. Nothing gets HFY humanity together like a good crusade against xenos. I wonder if the Mars archive exists in this continuity, and whether humans will sneak around the AI ban out of pure belligerence against the council? I could totally see humans faking Batarian armor for their crusade to hide their involvement and get the citadel species to think its an internal batarian dispute.