Contact Part One

Nalwar rose, preened and donned her uniform. She then regarded herself in the small mirror the cabin allowed. Hair good, whiskers trimmed and antenna erect. Ready for another day. She grimaced, opened the door and made her way through the cramped ship corridors to her workstation. 

As usual, Fesha was already up and at work on her terminal. She looked up, antenna crossing in salute. “Xenologist,” she said.

“Fesha.” replied Nalwar, half-heartedly saluting.

“Ready for another day?” said Fesha brightly.

Nalwar wondered if the young Invar was being sarcastic or joking. She scanned her for the usual humour tells and saw nothing but keen anticipation.

“We are still in transit. There is little for us to do.”

“Nonsense, there's so much to do. Why, I haven't finished the journals sent to us at Cesari. Take this one on Brillomar physiology, fascinating.” 

Nalwar recalled that most news regarding their near neighbours concerned the deteriorating relations between the Ascendancy and the Concordiat. Soon, there would be war, they said. Yet here her assistant was concerned only with their physiology, not their abhorrent philosophy.

“The Concordat are war-mongering lunatics,” said Nalwar.

“Interesting war-mongering lunatics. Look, cobalt based oxygen supply, empathic networking, multiple graspers.”

“Ugly as they are horrible.”

“Well, they are aliens. We should learn all about them. That’s what we’re about. Exploring strange new worlds, seeking out new life and new civilisations.” quoted Fesha.

Nalwar stared, “You like that, that melodrama?”

Fesha nodded, “It’s why I joined the corps. Is that why you joined too?”

Nalwar checked her assistant again, there were no tells of guile, the young woman was sincere.

I just wanted to be alone. Away from the bustling, busy Union and well, everyone. The Scout Corps provided just that. However, explaining that to her more normal sisters was difficult.

“Yes, I guess that’s why we’re all here,” she said weakly.

“Great, isn’t it. Look only three hours till transit. A trinary system, I’ve never been to one.” Fesha said, purring in anticipation.

Nalwar shrugged and suppressed the rising complementary purr. It’s nothing, she thought. Been to one dead trinary and you’ve been to them all.




“Xeno Nalwar, report to the bridge. Xeno Nalwar to the bridge.” The announcement roused Nalwar from her nap. She looked at the comm blearily. The message repeated. She activated the comm.

“Yes?” she said.

“Xeno Nalwar. We’ve found something.” came the voice of Commander Viskar. 

“What sort of something?” she said.

“Alien transmissions, low theta bands.” 

“Low theta? Who uses that?" said Nalwar. 

"Aliens. Which is why I need you up here. There's a lot of it." said Viskar. 

"Alright, I'll be there," grumbled Nalwar as she rose. 

"Excellent. Forward the Ascendancy," said Viskar and the comm cut. 

"Yeah, Forward the, oh never mind," said Nalwar. 

As she left Fesha perked up. "Did I hear that, real aliens?" 

"Yeah, real alien transmissions over theta. Probably just a pulsar blast," said Nalwar. 

"A pulsar, you think so?" asked Fesha. At Nalwar's nod. "Cool. Send everything down here. Forward the Ascendancy." she added and saluted. 

Nalwar gave a half-hearted salute and replied tiredly, "Forward the Ascendancy." 


There was a repetitive booming sound on the bridge as Nalwsr entered. It appeared to be coming from a strange device set atop the navigator's console. 

"What is that awful sound?" asked Nalwsr. 

Oleni the Navigator stood up and saluted. "It's the aliens ma'am. I mean Xenologist," she said. 

Nalwar looked at the device. She tried to think, but the constant booming was distracting. "What, what is that?" 

Oleni purred, "CM receiver Xenologist. It's a bit crude, but it turns thetas directly into sound." 

"Is there a volume control?" 

"Um, no, wait." Oleni fiddled with the device and the noise subsided. "Better?" 

"Much better. Now, you are sure it's not a pulsar?" said Nalwar. 

"Nearest pulsar to give this sort of signal is over here," said Viskar pointing to a map. "While our definitely not a pulsar is coming from here." she continued, indicating another point. 

Nalwar looked at the map. It indicated a young main sequence yellow dwarf. "Kalawan? Are you sure?" 

Viskar nodded, "Only system in that direction and in range." 

Nalwar called up the information glyphs for the putative star on the map, "Look here, only 4.6 billion, she's just a baby. We're half a billion years early for anything interesting to be there unless you're a microbiologist."

"So who's on the theta there?" said Oleni. 

"I don't know. An old scout beacon. Someone else has been here, found nothing and logged it." said Nalwar. 

"On theta?" said Oleni. 

"Precisely, which is why we're going to look," said Viskar. 

"Getting a course for you now! There's a sweet grav trough between here and Kallawan. I'm guessing 70 hours, real quick." said Oleni. 

"Get to it then," ordered Viskar. 

Nalwar looked at the two and the other crew as they began calculating the hyperspace jump to Kalawan. "But, but…" she began before being interrupted. 

“Antenna up. We’re going to a strange new world, to seek out new life and new civilisations. Isn't that what we signed up for?” said Viskar to a chorus of affirmations.

Mad, you’re all bloody mad, thought Nalwar.



Almost seventy hours later the entire crew was buzzing with excitement. The corridors thudded with the booming sounds of the translated signal. The crew was awash with speculation about the strange aliens, their possible forms and biologies. 

Nalwar was seriously considering an EVA sans suit. 

“For the last time, that’s simply ridiculous. Why would an alien need another alien for its reproductive cycle? How could that possibly evolve?” she said to Galzi, the engineer.

“What if they look like us but have a sex drive ramped up to eleven? We could all become alien sex slaves,” said Falzor the quartermaster.

“Again, same problem. Even accounting for an extreme case of parallel evolution we would be totally incompatible. Simply impossible.” said Nalwar tiredly.

“Aww, you’re no fun. You're the Xenologist, don’t you have any ideas?” said Falzor.

“No, an alien will be an alien. It is best to have no preconceived notions at all. Especially ones that are the fault of bad entertainment.” she said.

“What, none at all?” said Galzi.

“No, and that’s the idea,” repeated Nalwar.

“Warning, transit in thirty minutes. All crew to stations.” interrupted the comm. The crew quickly responded with Nalwar trudging to the bridge behind them.



“Transit! Oh my saints and mothers!” said Oleni. 

The system was a riot of thetas. While there were some scattered about the various planets and lesser bodies the majority were centred on the third planet. The ship aligned its sensors to focus on the noisy body.

“Distance from primary 90 million kilometres, size 10,000 kilometres diameter, she’s a big un, definite heavy world. Looks like an ox rich atmosphere, don’t go lighting any fires down there. And, look at that!”

At that moment the planet’s terminator crossed the ship's line of vision. As parts of it fell into darkness, lights appeared, millions of bright, artificial lights. The crew stared in wonder as the nightside came alive.

“Looks like an alien civilisation to me,” said Vikar and patted a gaping Nalwar on the back. “You're on, Xenologist.” 



“They’re mad. They’re completely mad,” said Nalwar after three days. She was tired, having not slept since the alien civilisation was confirmed. 

‘What’s mad?” said Fesha.

“Oh, I just identified another distinct language. Making fifty-seven so far.” 

“Are you sure they’re not dialects?” 

“Quite sure, look here. Language alpha, language alpha-two, and then three through ten. All sounding similar but totally distinct.” said Nalwar. Across the screen, the ten languages, still represented by sound graphs appeared. 

“Okay, all sounds like mooing to me,” said Fesha.

Nalwar shook her head, “Then there’s beta group, gamma group and bloody delta.” 

“Delta?” 

“It’s everywhere. Most languages are being beamed from specific locales. Alpha from here, beta here, gamma here and here, but delta? It shows up everywhere. Insanity.”

“Could it be a trade language?”

“So why doesn’t it resemble any of the main groups?”

“Religious or scientific?”

“Possibly, possibly, but then why is it the only language from here, here, here oh, and here as well?”

The console beeped again. Nalwar looked at the new results and snarled. ‘Oh fine, another bloody language group, nominating zeta.” she sighed.

After some coaxing from Fesha she was convinced to go to sleep. When she awoke the language count had hit 126.


Several days later a tired Nalwar staggered onto the bridge. “I’ve got it.” she declared.

Viskar looked at her, antenna twitching. “A breakthrough?” 

“I’ve decoded one of the major languages, epsilon-three. Spoken here,” she said pointing to the massive subcontinent.

“We can communicate with them?” said Viskar. 

“Well, I wouldn’t attempt a philosophical discourse just now, but we should be able to say hello,” 

“Which is what you want to do.”

“As do you I think,”

“Yes, this doesn’t happen every day.”

“So, what do we do?”

“We go by the protocol. Land somewhere open. Then we say hello.” 



It took two days to approach the planet and make orbit. All the while, they were bombarded with theta transmissions in almost all the two hundred and forty-eight languages. If they were anything like the two they could translate the messages were ones of greetings and well-wishing. It was a relief that the Kalawanese were friendly. 

As they descended from orbit into the atmosphere there was a flurry of activity from large fixed-wing aircraft. Many raced to meet the ship, they were large with sinister large pods and what could only be massive cannons.

“Very strange configuration. Surely a smaller design would serve better,” opined Oleni.

“Then they wouldn’t carry those oversized cannons, I wonder what they’re for?” said Viskar. 

“Well, they’re just following at the moment. Hopefully, they don't test them on our hull,” said Oleni.

“Our hull is rated for up to class 6 micrometeorites, surely they will stop any projectile a primitive fires,” said Viskar.

“Uhh, hate to correct you sir but have you seen those cannons? The aperture could fit a class 1 meteor,” said Oleni. 

Viskar checked the scanners. The navigator was correct. “Well, they’re still being friendly.”

“Hate to meet their enemies, sir.”



The ship continued to descend. It landed in a field near what Nalwar assured everyone was a primitive Starport. They then waited while the natives approached in giant ground effect vehicles.

“Why are they so big?” said Galzi.

“Combat vehicles?” asked Viskar.

“They don’t have anything that looks like a weapon. There’s something we have missed,” said Nalwar.

“What is it?” asked Viskar.

“I don’t know. If I knew it wouldn’t be a missing thing,” snapped Nalwar.

“Heh. They are almost here. Time to make contact.” said Viskar.

The Invar walked to the exit port and waited for it to open. They adjusted their breathing filters and stepped down onto Kalawan. As they did so, the sides of the massive ground vehicles opened up and from the nearest one a gigantic limb appeared, it was quickly followed by a massive torso and other body parts of the Kalawanese natives. Quickly sixteen of the massive aliens were in front of the Invar delegation, looming over them like monsters from a bad story. One of the monsters stepped forward and spoke, the translators quickly changing Epsilon-three into Galactic four.

“On behalf of all the peoples of Earth, I Sandeer Anand of the Republic of India welcomes you,” it said.

There was a pause and Nalwar realised she was expected to speak.

“Greetings fellow sentient. I Nalwar of the Invar welcome you on behalf of the Ascendancy of the Union.” she said, the formal phrase overcoming any current worries.’

They’re so huge she thought. She tried recalling any known intelligent megafauna, but her memory failed her. 

“If I may be so bold, what is your purpose in coming to our world?” said the giant Sandeer.

It thinks we may be invaders or expansionists. How could they be worried? They’re ten times our size.

“We are explorers. We were charting a nearby star when we heard all the signals coming from this area of space. We came to investigate and here we are.”

The Kalawan native nodded, “I see, clearly there is much for us to speak about. One question though, why here. Why not America?” 

The last word made no sense to Nalwar, it was probably another place on the planet. 

“Your’s was the first language our computers formed a translation of. It has structural similarities to Galactic Four. So, to make contact we would first speak to you. As we learn other languages we will speak to others on Kalawan.”

“Kalawan? Is that your name for us?” 

“Yes, this is the Kalawan system. What do you call yourselves?”

“Manav. That is the Hindi word. However, if you asked me who I was I would normally say that I am Indian.” 

Nalwar twitched, “Who you are and what you are is different?”

The Kalawan native flashed its teeth, “Yes, is it not the same? I find it strange that one could simply identify as their species. As if it were an American television program.” said Sandeer.

There was that alien word again, another clan or polity perhaps?

“Most Invar are members of the Ascendancy of the Union. To be Invar is to be part of the Ascendancy. I suppose were I a subscriber to a different philosophy I would identify myself as such. For example, I could be Nalwar, an Invar of the Grace of the Infinite.” she explained.

“Wait, you said philosophy. Is the Ascendancy of the Union not a nation then?” said Sandeer.

It took some time and patience but the large alien managed to explain the term.

“I see. You are united not so much by form, but by ideology,” said Sandeer.

“Yes, although these ‘nation-states’ seem very similar. I would be interested in your history. Contact with pre-flight species that do not follow Galactic norms is very rare.” said Nalwar.

“I see. What normally happens in that case? Will we be seeing warships or colony vessels in our sky soon?” said Sandeer.

The idea did not translate well, when it did Nalwar was shocked. Well, they were primitives. No doubt they thought that way.

“No. We would ask if you wished to join the Ascendancy freely. If you did not then we would assist in registering as an independent philosophy.” said Nalwar.

Again the giant smiled, and then it rubbed the lower part of its face, a little like preening.

“What is your job?” Sandeer finally asked.

“I am a Contact Specialist, a scientist,” said Nalwar.

“Hmm,” said Sandeer.