Ramsey ran a hand over herwiry brown hair, before musing, “Since the message from Tolu isable to breach the planet’s defenses, there has to be a way for usto do the same….” She studied the data on her console for a momentlonger. “I’m guessing there’s a receiver that recognizes nativetechnology. If you give me some time, I could rig up acommunication stream that could mimic the one from Tolu and slipthrough with it. Kind of like a Trojan Horse, I’d guess you’dsay.”
Impressed with heringenuity, Ricci said, “You have the time. What else do youneed?”
“Avery and Brodie’sassistance,” she answered, in a perfectly flat tone, though withthe tiniest bit of smirk.
Ricci, acknowledged thequip with a nod, then said, “What else do you need, that Ican actually arrange for you?”
Ramsey looked at Kaplita.“Could you get me all of Brodie’s notes on the original datatransmission?”
“Of course, sir.” With aswipe across his console, Kaplita announced, “Here theyare.”
While Carla workeddiligently at her task, occasionally conferring with Kaplita aboutseveral points of her plan, Ricci, covertly impatient, did his bestto appear serene. At last Ramsey announced, “It’s ready. What,exactly, do you want the message to say, Captain?”
“Good question.” After amoment he said, “VICI, record the following. This is Captain MatteoRicci of the Uniterrae Defense Corps. We have made contact with theship Aurora andhave news about the crew’s well-being. We also have questions abouttheir origins, which we believe you can answer. We’d like todiscuss these matters with you – in person, ifpossible.”
The message was sent and afew minutes later Evans reported receiving a transmission. Ricciinstructed her to put it on the main view screen and was informedthat it was an audible-only file. “Let’s hear it,Lieutenant.”
The transmission turned outto be a robotic voice, instructing, “Provide proof of your claims.Include the means by which you located Jileesa.”
Ricci considered themessage for a few seconds before saying, “So, they’re shy – and notall that friendly.”
Lieutenant Bayer asked,“Why are they more concerned with how we found them than why we’rehere? Kind of a suspicious, and possibly hostile, question, isn’tit?”
“Not necessarily hostile,” Ricci said. “Isuppose if one expends an enormous amount of effort into remainingunnoticed, which the Lignatians apparently do, you’d want to knowwhere those efforts failed.” He scratched the back of his headwhile murmuring, “Proof of our claims….” Finally he looked at Evansordering, “Put this together and send it to them: the holo-vid fromour initial meeting with the crew of the Aurora, Uniterrae’s handshakepackage for first alien contact situations – Sasaki has that,and…Commander Ramsey can deliver a summary of how we located theirplanet.” He said to Carla, “You can provide that, correct?” Whenshe answered in the affirmative, Evans got to work and withinfifteen minutes she’d sent all the materials to Jileesa.
Ricci waited anotherfifteen minutes for some slight acknowledgment of the data packet.When silence was all that was forthcoming, he advised his bridgecrew to turn over their stations to beta shift. “I’m sure theLignatians need time to look those data over—”
Evans interrupted him toannounce the receipt of another message. At Ricci’s command, sheplayed it for the entire bridge. “Your proof is acceptable. Youwill be granted admittance.”
“Admittance to what?”Jacoway wondered.
“I have no idea,Commander,” Ricci said. “Stand by.”
“Captain,” Kaplita said.“I’m detecting a change in the integrity of the asteroid field….”His hands skated over his console and he shook his head inpuzzlement. “It appears that the field is…collapsing?”
“Put it on-screen andmagnify, Kaplita.”
The bridge crew watched inawe as the field cracked open like an egg, revealing a hazy bluecore underneath.
“What the hell is going onhere?” Ricci asked.
While studying his datascreen, Kaplita said, “I believe what we’re seeing now is theactual planet Jileesa…which was previously completely covered bysome sort of outer shell of asteroids.”
“An outer shell that theycan open and close at will?!” Bayer blurted out.
“It sure looks that way,”Jacoway responded.
“Okay, here we go. Jileesais in reality a methane planet,” Kaplita reported. “The atmosphereis composed mostly of nitrogen, with some thirty-percent methane.Average temperature around…negative one-hundred. Definitely notsafe for human life. Approximately two-hundred-thousand alienlife-signs and….” His voice grew slow with disbelief as hefinished, “And several thousand human life-signs.”
“How is that possible?”Ramsey asked.
Ricci said, “Let’s findout. Jacoway, take us down into a close orbit around theplanet.”
Evans again reported anincoming transmission, which would allow for two-way communication.The same robotic voice rang out across the bridge. “Your audiencehas been granted. Send no more than four human representatives tothe planet surface.”
“How will this audience bearranged?” Ricci asked. “We can’t survive on yourplanet.”
“Directions to access thehuman containment area will be forthcoming. Endtransmission.”
The captain exchanged adubious look with Ramsey. “Human containment area? Doesn’t thatsound inviting?” he quipped.
“Sounds neitherinviting nor benign, sir,” Bayer said.
“Don’t worry, Bayer,you’ll be one of the four human representatives.”
***
A short while later,Jacoway was piloting the L2 shuttle towards the coordinates givento them by the Lignatians. As they got closer, he reported, “I’mdetecting an area with a human-inhabitable environment. How it’sbeing sustained, I’m not certain.” After checking his data outputscreen, Tal said, “Oh, it’s behind a plasma barrier. Not sure howwe’re going to breach that without losing all power, though—”
From the seat next to him,Ricci advised, “Proceed to the destination and we’ll seeif—”
As he made sense of the newdata he was receiving, Jacoway exclaimed, “There’s a bubble openingup!”
“A bubble?” Kaplitaasked.
“That’s the best way I candescribe what I’m seeing here. The read-out indicates an extremethinning of the plasma barrier…if I’m right, it will serve as avirtual air-lock.” Upon getting the go-ahead from Ricci, Jacowaypiloted the shuttle into the region he’d detected. The air-lockworked precisely as Tal had anticipated and he was able to enterthe warm, oxygenated environment and land at the precisecoordinates the Lignatians had specified.
When the landing partyemerged from the shuttle, they found themselves next to a largedock overlooking a calm blue sea. “What is that odd smell?” Bayerasked. “It’s not really unpleasant but…it sure doesn’t smell like abeach.” Tal concurred with her assessment, noting an almostastringent quality to the air.
After scanning the generalvicinity, Kaplita announced, “It’s coming from the sea – it’s notactually water, it’s…something artificial.”
“Everything on this sideis artificial,” said a mechanical voice. They all whipped
