Stars, Dust & Dreams

We Are Not Alone

(Author's Note: my entry for Round One, Part One, of the Ultimate Science Fiction Smackdown. Prompt is the image above. This story is a stand alone but follows on somewhat from the previous story, my qualifying entry. Word count 1497 not counting this note)

"Humanity, we are not alone," whispered Harlo, his blue eyes shining.

"But what is it?"

"It's the wrong shape for a ship, surely?"

"Could it be a terminal? A sort of space station?"

"Honestly, it could be anything. Perhaps something we haven't even imagined! There's only one thing we know for certain, it wasn't built by us," announced Captain Sul with authority.

The Explorer's small crew of six, and the four scientists who accompanied them, were crowded onto the bridge, staring at the strange object on the viewscreen. Orbiting the star system's lone planet, the structure was infinitely more exciting than anything they had expected to see. They had left Earth for the neighboring system of Kentaurus 341 a few weeks ago, anticipating the thrill of new discoveries, but along the lines of astrophysics and chemistry. Not this.

Every eye was fixed on the view before them, the alien object growing larger on the screen as they approached. Resembling nothing so much as a large silver wheel, the outer rim was tubular, its smooth surface unbroken by aerials or solar panels or indeed any sort of extrusion, apart from the multitude of spokes leading inward to a round hub in the centre.

"Are we getting any signals from the structure?" Sul asked Nylan, her Communications Officer. "Any sign of activity?"

Nylan shook her head. "Nothing, Captain." She paused, then added conscientiously, "At least, nothing that registers on our systems."

Rather to her surprise, Sul's initial reaction was relief. Exhilarating as it would have been to meet an alien race, her first responsibility was to the safety of her crew and passengers. They weren't equipped to handle any encounter with an alien race. Who knew what risks they would run? Even if the aliens were well-disposed to welcome strangers, how could they communicate? Not to mention all the other issues around communication, such as cultural customs, taboos, all of which were tricky enough to negotiate, even on Earth.

No, it would be far safer for them all if the structure was uninhabited.

Sul looked around at her crew, gauging their reactions. Nylan was focussed, her bottom lip protruding as she concentrated on her control panel, searching for a response of any kind from the structure. Harlo, her Second Pilot and youngest person on board, looked as if he were struggling with disappointment. Filled with enthusiasm and positive thinking, she was sure his idea of aliens was based on those ancient classics like E.T., Close Encounters and Hello! not the scary ones she couldn't help picturing herself.

Everyone else looked excited, especially the scientists, itching to get closer and start work.

"Well, even if it's been abandoned, this is still the opportunity of a lifetime, right?" Harlo pulled himself together. "I wonder if we can get inside?"

Explorer was closing in, preparing to match the craft's orbit, when they received an unexpected communication from Earth. One of the benefits of the quantum drive was the ability to send and receive messages while in space. Placed inside a metal tube, hard information could be transported with far less complications than a ship with live contents. Every hour, a cylinder containing current data was sent from Explorer to Earth and once a day, one would be received, containing current news and occasionally messages from home. Evidently their recent discovery had caused a major upset.