FIRST CONTACT: LEMURIANS (BOOK ONE)

CHAPTER 2

FTL dropout was minutes away. Everyone was at their stations. The atmosphere on the bridge was heavy with anticipation. As this was Ellie’s first FTL dropout in an extrasolar system, she whispered to Captain Chris, “Is it always this intense right before dropout?”

“It’s always intense, but not as much as this one.”

“I don’t understand. Why is this one more intense?”

He hadn’t thought about it until she had brought it up. He finally replied, “This is the first time this crew has dropped out in a system that probably has a habitable planet. All of our other dropouts were in systems where we knew that habitability was unlikely.”

“Would you mind if I tried to break the tension?”

“Be my guest.”

Ellie turned to face the rest of the bridge crew. Robert noticed a little smirk on her face as she watched them one by one. Eventually, they all were looking at her, realizing she had something to say. Ellie said in a very dry, deadpan manner, “Do you all realize that we drop out of FTL extremely far away from planets to give them their… space?” Robert noticed how she had emphasized the word ‘space’ very distinctly.

A long silence followed. After about ten seconds, the ship’s second-in-command, Commander Edwards, chuckled. Eventually, the entire bridge crew was chuckling along.

Chief Engineer Fant asked her, “That was an awful dad joke. How long did it take you to come up with that?”

Ellie replied in a quite serious tone, “Twenty years.”

The bridge crew erupted in laughter. Tears were flowing.

When the laughter finally subsided, Ellie stated in her deadpan delivery, “The twenty-year joke only took me a nanosecond to come up with.” Ellie then winked.

That did it. The new eruption of laughter made the previous laughter seem like a serious discussion about a terminal illness. The laughter was still going when the ship alarm went off, signaling that FTL dropout was one minute away. Captain Chris brought everyone back to their duties with the simple statement, “It’s time, people.”

The professionalism of the crew was immediately apparent, as the laughter ceased almost instantly, with all eyes on their stations. Captain Chris said to the navigation officer, Lieutenant Grace Johnson, “Please give us a countdown from ten, Grace.”

As Grace started counting down, the tension seemed to come back, with ten seconds feeling like forever. At zero, the FTL cut out, and the ship dropped into standard space.

The captain looked over at his science officer, Lieutenant Tran Lee. “Tran. Sitrep, please.” Lieutenant Lee was quiet for longer than Captain Chris expected. “Lieutenant…?”

“A moment, Sir. The readings are not as expected. I want to confirm what I’m seeing first before I give my report.”

More silence followed.

“Tran… The suspense is killing me. I need your report.”

“Yes, Sir. It appears that Planet 442b experienced a nuclear winter. I believe an all-out atomic war occurred between one hundred and one hundred fifty years ago.”

Lieutenant Allen, the communications officer, spoke up. “Captain, we’re receiving a transmission from a rapidly approaching ship.”

“Did you just say a ship is approaching?”

“Yes, Sir. This system appears to be inhabited.”

“This just got really interesting. On speakers, Lieutenant.”

“Human ship. I am Admiral Nolnacs of the Lumerian Navy. You have entered Lemurian space without permission. In addition, Humans are known criminals responsible for a great genocide perpetrated on the citizens of Lemuria. Your ship will be boarded if you do not comply with all demands. If you resist, your ship will be destroyed. If you cooperate, you will be given a fair trial.”

Captain Chris looked around the bridge. He motioned to Lieutenant Allen to mute comms. When Bryon nodded, he asked, “Ellie, has any Human ship been here that I don’t know about?”

“No, Sir. My memory banks contain the logs of all Human ship missions outside of Sol. We have never had a ship to this system. This is the first time we have even been near this part of the galaxy.”

Robert asked, “Do you have an explanation for how they know about us and how we could be responsible for a genocide on their people or planet?”

“I do not, Sir.”

“I guess I’m going to have to wing it.”

“Give me comms back, Lieutenant.”

“Admiral. I am Captain Robert Chris of Discovery Vessel 129 on a voyage of exploration. We could not possibly have committed genocide on your people. We’ve never visited your star system, met, or even heard of a Lemurian. This is our first trip to this part of the galaxy. Our mission is peaceful.”

The Admiral replied, “Human broadcasts were sent out into space. These broadcasts included your culture, science, and all that is Human. From you, we learned a great deal. One of the things we learned is that you are a war-like, barbaric species. A species that cannot be trusted. Our society wasn’t ready for the corruption your broadcasts were responsible for. Our former and current leaders believe you sent the broadcasts out intentionally, knowing they would lead to our wars. You were quite successful in causing our near destruction. Are you here to finish us off and take our planet for your own?”

“We do not need your planet, Admiral. We have found space to be filled with resources, thus making the conquest of a planet or a species unnecessary. And… What corruption? I do not understand.”

“E=MC2, Captain. Do you not recognize the equation of your greatest scientist?”

“I do. How is that equation a corrupt…” The captain paused, realizing that the Lemurians were blaming Humans for the global atomic war that Tran had mentioned the planet had experienced.

He continued, “Admiral…I know from our scans that your planet suffered through a devastating atomic war. However, Humans are not responsible for the shortcomings and shortsightedness of your leaders. Earth was on the brink of experiencing the same devastating war, but our leaders kept their wits and avoided the destruction of our planet. We eventually destroyed all of our atomic weapons. Your leaders are the cause of your genocide, not Humans.”

“Will you comply with our demands, Captain?”

“I will not submit to demands that endanger my ship or crew. I will not submit to a trial. I will request a dialogue. We have technology that is most likely far beyond what you have. We would be willing to discuss giving you the technology and knowledge to cleanse your planet’s soil, water, and atmosphere of the contamination from your war.”

“You will submit to a trial, Captain!”

“I will not. Lieutenant Allen cut the transmission. Grace, back us off. Give us room to maneuver. Be prepared to go to one-quarter light speed in any direction that is away from the planet. I prefer to avoid a fight. Ellie, man the weapons station, but do not fire unless I order it so.”

“Backing away, Sir.

Commander Edwards spoke up, ‘Sir, they just launched five missiles at us. They’re nuclear.”

“Initiate jump. Take us two light minutes away and open comms.”

After the jump was completed, Captain Chris replied, “Admiral, I’ll overlook your attempted attack this time. You won’t be able to hit us with a nuclear missile based on the speed and maneuvering capabilities of my ship.” He was expecting a two-minute wait until they could reply.

At that moment, the Lemurian ship appeared close in, and a new missile was launched at near point-blank range. The Lemurian ship then vanished into FTL as the missile struck. The explosion was immense. Those not in their seats were knocked to the floor of the bridge.

As he was getting back to his feet, Robert heard Ellie report, “Severe damage to cargo bay three, Sir. Luckily, no one was in that section of the ship. We are still fully operational.”

Captain Chris ordered, “Navigation, one-quarter light speed in random directions. Get us away from all planetary bodies. Keep doing that until instructed to stop. If they come close, Ellie, I want lasers fired at non-critical areas of their ship. Don’t fire our Neutron Beam unless absolutely necessary. I don’t want to destroy their ships. I only want to deter them without harming them.”

It took about twenty-five minutes, but the Lemurian ship caught back up to them. Ellie fired the lasers and jumped the ship in a random direction. The Lemurian missile missed. The lasers struck the Lemurians. The strike was near their engines but did not cripple the ship.

“Open comms again.”

“Comms open, Sir.”

“Admiral, we have a sentient AI aboard our ship. You could not possibly hope to react as quickly as she can. If you continue this foolish aggression, we’ll be forced to destroy you.”

Silence followed. Captain Chris leaned over and whispered, “Opinion, Commander?”

“I’m not sure, Captain. I’m pondering some possibilities, Sir…one, they may be evaluating their chances if the fight continues as is…and two, they’re could be waiting for backup…lastly, they’re crafting a response to your last comm.”

Lieutenant Fant asked, “Captain, should I send a repair crew to cargo bay three?”

“Not yet. Keep everyone away from the outer areas of the ship for now. The cargo bay isn’t critical. It can wait.”

A member of the galley crew showed up on the bridge with a tray of coffee and pastries. He said, “I just came from medical, where I took them coffee and pastries. Doc said to tell you that there aren’t any injuries from that jolt. Also, the crew is all awake, Captain. I thought during this lull, you might need some caffeine and calories here, too.”

“Thanks, Henry.”

“You’re welcome, Sir.”

Just then, the speakers sounded with the voice of the Admiral. “Captain, my leaders have agreed to your offer of a dialogue. If you do not fire on us, we will not fire on you. Is this acceptable?”

“It is. How do you suggest we proceed from here?”

“There is an outpost on the largest moon orbiting our fifth planet. You’ll find that it is not a military outpost. We require fifteen of your hours to make repairs to our ships. How long do you require?”

The captain glanced at Lieutenant Fant. He nodded. “Admiral, that is sufficient. However, I’d like to request twenty-four hours to give my crew time to rest and eat. Is that acceptable? “

“It is, Captain. You’ll receive a comm from us upon your arrival at our outpost.”

When the comm closed, Captain Chris began issuing orders. “Lieutenant Allen, open ship-wide comms.” When Bryon nodded to the captain, he started speaking. “All hands, the second shift will take over for the first shift. First shift, you can take eight hours to rest and eat. We have an agreement with the Lemurians for a twenty-four-hour truce, followed by a meeting to hash out our differences.”

After the ship-wide comm had closed, he addressed the bridge crew. “When your relief arrives, update them on anything they’ll need to know for their shift. Do not leave anything out, even if you don’t think it’s pertinent. This is the first time we’ve had a shift change during a critical time. We can’t afford any miscommunications. After your relief takes over, meet in the bridge conference room before leaving to eat and sleep. Commander, you have the bridge until your relief arrives. I’ll see you all in the conference room shortly.”

Robert went to his quarters to wash his face and think. He needed a moment alone. He had about fifteen minutes before everyone would be in the conference room. As he was drying his face off, he mumbled to himself, “I’m a research captain, not a warship captain. How am I going to lead this crew and not get us all killed? I can’t talk to any of the crew about my doubts. They need to see a strong, confident leader, not a leader who is always questioning every decision he makes. I need someone to talk to.”

He looked in the mirror again and thought, “The angels were right about a few things. Aliens are definitely real, and if I extend my hand at the wrong time, I’m bound to lose it.” He then wondered, “Infinity is the Key. What does that even mean?”

The captain was waiting as the bridge crew filed into the conference room. When the last person sat, he stood and addressed them. “I’m not comfortable with this situation. I sense a trap. Thoughts? You first, Grace.”

After a few moments of thought, Grace said, “I sense a trap, too, Sir. The fact that they could get right on top of us the first time before we could react caught us by surprise. However, if they get us close to a gravitational field, it diminishes our maneuvering ability. I think they realized that we could maneuver and fire our weapons more quickly than they could. In addition, if I may be so bold. I think it was a mistake to tell them about Ellie and her abilities. They might be able to use that knowledge against us.”

“Good observations, Lieutenant.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Bryon, you’re up. What are your thoughts?”

“Well, Sir, I agree with Grace about revealing Ellie. I would suggest that we begin proactively searching their communications, both in space and on Lemuria. I’m fairly certain that their military communications are encrypted. However, theoretically, we’re approximately one thousand years ahead of them in terms of technology. We shouldn’t have too much trouble cracking their encryption. The more we learn about them, the better we can plan. Also, if this is a trap, we might learn about it in their communications.”

“Make that happen, Lieutenant. Please stop by and get your second started on that after our meeting…Tran?”

“Sir, I think we need to learn about their military capabilities. Are nuclear missiles all that they have? How robust is their ship design? Are there any weaknesses we can exploit? The locations and numbers of warships, types, sizes, etc., would be vital for us to know. We have a lot of work ahead of us. We are only one ship. We need to know how many ships we can face at one time. We might be able to win against multiple ships. However, if we come out of a fight crippled, we would be a sitting duck if they have reinforcements.”

“Same orders as Grace. Get your second started on that, Lieutenant. You’re up, Cody.”

Well, Sir, we need to learn about their ship propulsion. What is their top speed? How good is their maneuvering ability? We need to know about their computer system capabilities, too. I’ll get my team on all of that.”

“Ellie, you’re turn. Thoughts…?”

“I’d like to play devil’s advocate, Sir.”

“Go ahead, we’re listening.”

“I don’t think it was a mistake to tell them about me.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Sir, we have been open and honest with them so far. We have not lied to them about anything. An omission would still have been a lie. We gave them fair warning. It made them stop and think. Could it be a disadvantage and cause us trouble? Maybe…maybe not. I have done the calculations, and the earliest they could have learned about us was about three hundred thirty-two years ago. We have had a huge jump in our technological capabilities between 1920 and now. We had at least twelve hundred years' head start on them when they learned about us. They have only had those three hundred thirty-two years at most to play catch-up. I agree that we need to learn how much they have caught up, but what I fear most is their ship numbers, since we do not have reinforcements. Telling them about me might be the first step towards peace. Your offer to assist with their atomic contamination clean-up is also a great step. I agree that we have to be cautious about a trap. My advice is to go to their designated meeting point, but be ready to retreat quickly if necessary.”

“Thank you, Ellie. Commander…?”

“I agree with everything for the most part. The only thing I’m ambiguous about is telling them about Ellie. She might be right, but it’s water under the bridge now. Let’s hope she is right. I want to suggest that all investigative reports be sent to me, and I’ll compile them into one cohesive report. I would also suggest another meeting of this team before we arrive at the meeting point. Captain Rosale should be in attendance. I don’t think going to the meeting without a security team is wise. Could you send me your suggestion as to who should meet with the Lemurians so that I can get Captain Rosale up to speed on how to provide security for our meeting?”

“Good thoughts, Commander.” I’ll give the first contact meeting attendee list some thought and get back to you. Does anyone have anything they’d like to add?... No? Very well. It’s 22:15. The meeting with the Lemurians is at…” As the captain was trying to think…

Ellie jumped in, “21:10 tomorrow, Sir.”

“Meet here again at 19:00 tomorrow. Dismissed”

As Robert headed to his quarters to shower, he couldn’t help the nagging feeling that they were going to be in for a hell of a fight tomorrow. He wasn’t a military captain. He was the captain of a research vessel. He had training in military tactics, of course, but research was his specialty, not fighting a war. He doubted his ability to handle this situation. Maybe he should give the order for his ship to leave and never come back here.

The accusations the Lemurian Admiral nagged at him. It was like a fog in his brain that wouldn’t lift. Were the Lemurians correct? Did Humans destroy the Lemurians’ world with our recklessness? He didn’t think so, but the Lemurians were adamant about it. Even if the knowledge the Lemurians gained led to their world wars and destruction, how could Humans have known that the knowledge could potentially destroy another culture’s planet?

No, he knew it couldn’t be Humanity’s fault. The Lemurians needed to take responsibility for their problems. Atomic weapons may have been the weapon that destroyed their planet, but the Lemurians were the ones possessing and using those weapons. Humans didn’t drop the bombs. The Lemurians dropped the bombs on themselves. He knew this was true, but why did he have such a deep sense of guilt about it? He wasn’t even alive when those broadcasts went out into the universe.

The captain was in the shower, trying to scrub off the guilt, when the alarm sounded.

‘Now what?’ he thought.