Post by Lorpius Prime on May 24, 2010 0:58:57 GMT -5
After brief consideration, Xi Feng decided to go with "Hello."
"I acknowledge your greeting, Commodore Lee of Earth Fleet," the voice said.
"I see you got my name, then. May I ask yours?"
"My name is not detectable by your sensory organs, nor does it render into another signal using this message protocol. I do not predict a need to distinguish among myself and my companions, and so this problem may be ignored."
It took Xi Feng a moment to parse all of that. The voice put an equally small pause between every syllable, and without any sort of inflection it was difficult to separate out individual words, much less sentences.
"Okay," she said once she'd caught up. "Then for now I'll refer to you as 'Kyhyex vessel'. You are the Kyhyex, correct?"
"My vessel currently contains one hundred twelve individuals of the species known as Kyhyex."
Xi Feng ignored Hiram Wade as the XO rolled his eyes.
"Kyhyex vessel," she said, "thank you for altering your acceleration."
"We did not intend to communicate a hostile purpose. We are not a threat to Humanity or the Organization of Earth States or Earth Fleet."
"I am pleased to hear that," Xi Feng said truthfully. "However, I would like to know why you were on the previous course."
"We have elected to consume the vessel named Diligence."
"Excuse me?" Xi Feng's incredulous tone was probably lost on the alien.
"We have elected to consume the vessel named Diligence," the Kyhyex repeated.
"That is a hostile purpose."
This may have come as a surprise to the Kyhyex, because the alien took longer to respond than could be accounted for by the light-speed lag alone.
"Diligence is predicted to contain many desirable minerals, and so we intend to consume it. We do not intend violence against Humans."
"Diligence is a Human ship."
"I will advise Human passengers and crew to leave before we begin to consume Diligence."
"I will not allow you to 'consume' the Diligence or any vessel in this task force."
Another pause, then, "I do not understand."
This comment was enough to cause Lieutenant Cheyo to burst out laughing. Commander Wade implored him to settle down with a gesture.
"I will not tolerate your consumption of the Diligence," Xi Feng explained. "If you attempt to approach, I will order my warships to destroy you."
"Humans have claimed that the Organization of Earth States and Earth Fleet have no hostile intentions towards Kyhyex. Is this no longer true?"
"We have no hostile intentions towards the Kyhyex, but we will still defend ourselves against acts of aggression. And we will view an attempt by the Kyhyex to 'consume' one of our ships as an act of aggression."
"Why?"
"That would be the equivalent of destroying the ship," Xi Feng hoped she was actually responding to the Kyhyex, but she felt that they were probably just talking past each other. "You would be taking one of our ships, and we do not wish to lose any of them."
This pause was even longer than the previous two. Xi Feng tried to keep her frustration out her expression, mostly for the benefit of her watching crew than for the Kyhyex.
"I am considering possibilities previously judged unlikely," the alien said at last. "The distance between the star Sol and the vessels known as Task Force One is currently greater than four astronomical units. Are you aware of this?"
"Yes, we are travelling to Uranus."
"The planet Uranus is more than nineteen astronomical units from the star Sol."
"I am aware." Xi Feng's frustration was growing. All of Humanity's limited communications with the Kyhyex had been somewhat strange. But usually they were at least direct, not cryptic. Xi Feng felt she was missing something.
"Please verify Human policy," the Kyhyex said. The image of its spacecraft abruptly vanished from Xi Feng's monitor.
In its place was a video recording of a Human man in an Earth Fleet uniform. He was sitting behind a bare desk, with a large PDA resting in his hands. His gray hair was cropped close to his scalp and his eyes were slightly asymmetrical, which served to emphasize his scowling expression. Xi Feng immediately recognized him as Joseph Casales, Lavrentiy Kozlov's predecessor as Admiral of Earth Fleet.
"I am Admiral Casales," he said, "speaking on behalf of Earth Fleet and the Organization of Earth States. This message is intended for all alien species currently occupying this solar system, especially the races known as the Kyhyex and the Charterlings." He cleared his throat, though it sounded almost as if he was growling, and looked down to the PDA in his hands, which must have been displaying a speech.
"Three weeks ago, Earth Fleet warships interdicted and destroyed an alien vessel making an unauthorized approach of the dwarf planet 1 Ceres, which contains a restricted Earth Fleet outpost. We have since learned that the destroyed vessel was operated by the Kyhyex, and contained an unknown number of Kyhyex crew, all of whom are presumed dead."
Casales glanced up briefly before continuing. "While Earth Fleet regrets the loss of life in this incident, we make no apology for our actions. No alien vessel is permitted to approach any Human territory without explicit permission from OES authorities, and Earth Fleet is tasked with enforcing this policy, with lethal force if necessary.
"However, in the interest of avoiding future misunderstandings, the OES has agreed to issue this statement clarifying the boundaries of Human territory. From this point forward, the volume of all space within four astronomical units of the Sun is considered Human territory, regardless of proximity to any astronomical bodies. Any alien vessel crossing into this sphere without explicit prior authorization from the OES will be subject to destruction without warning. This policy applies equally to manned and unmanned spacecraft, and Earth Fleet accepts no responsibility for any loss of life or property which may result from the enforcement of this boundary."
The set the PDA down in front of him and inhaled visibly before turning his eyes back to the camera. "Thank you for your cooperation," he finished.
The video of Admiral Casales winked away, and the bizarre interior of the Kyhyex spacecraft returned.
After almost a minute of silence, Xi Feng decided the aliens were waiting for her to speak.
"The declaration of 2069 remains official Earth Fleet and OES policy, yes," she said.
Admiral Casales had delivered the message shortly after Xi Feng was selected as the first commander of the Uruguay. The "Ceres incident" that year had been the final push that brought Russia into the OES. With that and the first deployment of Earth Fleet's new cruisers to bolster Humanity's confidence, it had seemed like time to start taking a firmer line with the aliens. One of Xi Feng's very first missions had been a tour around the BeltCOM outposts, starting with Ceres.
"Then the vessels known as Task Force One are no longer Human territory. We will consume them," the Kyhyex said, still without the slightest inflection.
They can't seriously believe that kind of false logic, can they? Xi Feng screwed up her eyes, more out of astonished skepticism than anger.
"We are no longer travelling through exclusive Human territory," she told the alien, "but these ships are still Earth Fleet property. I will not surrender any of them to you."
"Task Force One is no longer in Human territory; therefore Task Force One is in Kyhyex territory. We assert possession, we will consume the vessel Diligence."
"If you attempt to—"
Xi Feng stopped and closed her mouth. The video conference window on her monitor had gone blank. She looked a question at Lieutenant Raptis.
The comm officer shrugged helplessly, "The signal's… gone, Commodore."
"Uh, Commodore," Xi Feng turned to her sensor chief who seemed almost as confused, "the Kyhyex vessel has stopped acceleration. But it sort of flared up real bright there for a moment, too."
"Sir," Lieutenant Cheyo turned around in his chair, "I think they just blew up."
"What?"
"It looks to me like they exploded, something destroyed them."
"External or—"
"Shit, new contact!" Sarkisian yelled from sensors. At the same time, Raptis said, "Another incoming comm!"
The two station officers looked at each other.
"Sensors, report!" Xi Feng snapped.
"Aye sir, on the plot," Sarkisian, "still a ways out, accelerating at maybe ten gravities. They're not heading for intercept, though; they'll cut across our course still a thousand klicks out. Um, detection's from EM emissions, probably just whatever comm they're pointing at us." She glanced towards Xi Feng looking slightly ashamed, "I doubt we'd be noticing them otherwise."
Xi Feng nodded, she could (and would) worry about her sensor officer's performance later. "All right," she said, "comm?"
"Yes sir," Lieutenant Raptis said, "it's another video request link. One of our current protocols, this time."
"Very well, anyone see any immediate threats or concerns before I answer it?" she looked around her bridge.
"I'm keeping my eye on that Kyhyex ship, or the pieces of it," Cheyo said, "but I think we're green for the moment, Sir." The XO and Lieutenant Donaldson both nodded their agreement.
"Acknowledged," she took a deep breath and nodded to Raptis once more, "Okay, Lieutenant, let's see what this one's about."
"Aye, sir."
It took a few seconds for the comm officer's confirmation to produce any results. But then the comm window on Xi Feng's monitor maximized and winked to life again.
She actually bit her tongue to stop herself from cursing. This is getting ridiculous.
"Commodore Lee," the Charterling said, "my apologies if we've startled you. On behalf of the Royal Navy, I'd like to offer my thanks for your assistance."
"I acknowledge your greeting, Commodore Lee of Earth Fleet," the voice said.
"I see you got my name, then. May I ask yours?"
"My name is not detectable by your sensory organs, nor does it render into another signal using this message protocol. I do not predict a need to distinguish among myself and my companions, and so this problem may be ignored."
It took Xi Feng a moment to parse all of that. The voice put an equally small pause between every syllable, and without any sort of inflection it was difficult to separate out individual words, much less sentences.
"Okay," she said once she'd caught up. "Then for now I'll refer to you as 'Kyhyex vessel'. You are the Kyhyex, correct?"
"My vessel currently contains one hundred twelve individuals of the species known as Kyhyex."
Xi Feng ignored Hiram Wade as the XO rolled his eyes.
"Kyhyex vessel," she said, "thank you for altering your acceleration."
"We did not intend to communicate a hostile purpose. We are not a threat to Humanity or the Organization of Earth States or Earth Fleet."
"I am pleased to hear that," Xi Feng said truthfully. "However, I would like to know why you were on the previous course."
"We have elected to consume the vessel named Diligence."
"Excuse me?" Xi Feng's incredulous tone was probably lost on the alien.
"We have elected to consume the vessel named Diligence," the Kyhyex repeated.
"That is a hostile purpose."
This may have come as a surprise to the Kyhyex, because the alien took longer to respond than could be accounted for by the light-speed lag alone.
"Diligence is predicted to contain many desirable minerals, and so we intend to consume it. We do not intend violence against Humans."
"Diligence is a Human ship."
"I will advise Human passengers and crew to leave before we begin to consume Diligence."
"I will not allow you to 'consume' the Diligence or any vessel in this task force."
Another pause, then, "I do not understand."
This comment was enough to cause Lieutenant Cheyo to burst out laughing. Commander Wade implored him to settle down with a gesture.
"I will not tolerate your consumption of the Diligence," Xi Feng explained. "If you attempt to approach, I will order my warships to destroy you."
"Humans have claimed that the Organization of Earth States and Earth Fleet have no hostile intentions towards Kyhyex. Is this no longer true?"
"We have no hostile intentions towards the Kyhyex, but we will still defend ourselves against acts of aggression. And we will view an attempt by the Kyhyex to 'consume' one of our ships as an act of aggression."
"Why?"
"That would be the equivalent of destroying the ship," Xi Feng hoped she was actually responding to the Kyhyex, but she felt that they were probably just talking past each other. "You would be taking one of our ships, and we do not wish to lose any of them."
This pause was even longer than the previous two. Xi Feng tried to keep her frustration out her expression, mostly for the benefit of her watching crew than for the Kyhyex.
"I am considering possibilities previously judged unlikely," the alien said at last. "The distance between the star Sol and the vessels known as Task Force One is currently greater than four astronomical units. Are you aware of this?"
"Yes, we are travelling to Uranus."
"The planet Uranus is more than nineteen astronomical units from the star Sol."
"I am aware." Xi Feng's frustration was growing. All of Humanity's limited communications with the Kyhyex had been somewhat strange. But usually they were at least direct, not cryptic. Xi Feng felt she was missing something.
"Please verify Human policy," the Kyhyex said. The image of its spacecraft abruptly vanished from Xi Feng's monitor.
In its place was a video recording of a Human man in an Earth Fleet uniform. He was sitting behind a bare desk, with a large PDA resting in his hands. His gray hair was cropped close to his scalp and his eyes were slightly asymmetrical, which served to emphasize his scowling expression. Xi Feng immediately recognized him as Joseph Casales, Lavrentiy Kozlov's predecessor as Admiral of Earth Fleet.
"I am Admiral Casales," he said, "speaking on behalf of Earth Fleet and the Organization of Earth States. This message is intended for all alien species currently occupying this solar system, especially the races known as the Kyhyex and the Charterlings." He cleared his throat, though it sounded almost as if he was growling, and looked down to the PDA in his hands, which must have been displaying a speech.
"Three weeks ago, Earth Fleet warships interdicted and destroyed an alien vessel making an unauthorized approach of the dwarf planet 1 Ceres, which contains a restricted Earth Fleet outpost. We have since learned that the destroyed vessel was operated by the Kyhyex, and contained an unknown number of Kyhyex crew, all of whom are presumed dead."
Casales glanced up briefly before continuing. "While Earth Fleet regrets the loss of life in this incident, we make no apology for our actions. No alien vessel is permitted to approach any Human territory without explicit permission from OES authorities, and Earth Fleet is tasked with enforcing this policy, with lethal force if necessary.
"However, in the interest of avoiding future misunderstandings, the OES has agreed to issue this statement clarifying the boundaries of Human territory. From this point forward, the volume of all space within four astronomical units of the Sun is considered Human territory, regardless of proximity to any astronomical bodies. Any alien vessel crossing into this sphere without explicit prior authorization from the OES will be subject to destruction without warning. This policy applies equally to manned and unmanned spacecraft, and Earth Fleet accepts no responsibility for any loss of life or property which may result from the enforcement of this boundary."
The set the PDA down in front of him and inhaled visibly before turning his eyes back to the camera. "Thank you for your cooperation," he finished.
The video of Admiral Casales winked away, and the bizarre interior of the Kyhyex spacecraft returned.
After almost a minute of silence, Xi Feng decided the aliens were waiting for her to speak.
"The declaration of 2069 remains official Earth Fleet and OES policy, yes," she said.
Admiral Casales had delivered the message shortly after Xi Feng was selected as the first commander of the Uruguay. The "Ceres incident" that year had been the final push that brought Russia into the OES. With that and the first deployment of Earth Fleet's new cruisers to bolster Humanity's confidence, it had seemed like time to start taking a firmer line with the aliens. One of Xi Feng's very first missions had been a tour around the BeltCOM outposts, starting with Ceres.
"Then the vessels known as Task Force One are no longer Human territory. We will consume them," the Kyhyex said, still without the slightest inflection.
They can't seriously believe that kind of false logic, can they? Xi Feng screwed up her eyes, more out of astonished skepticism than anger.
"We are no longer travelling through exclusive Human territory," she told the alien, "but these ships are still Earth Fleet property. I will not surrender any of them to you."
"Task Force One is no longer in Human territory; therefore Task Force One is in Kyhyex territory. We assert possession, we will consume the vessel Diligence."
"If you attempt to—"
Xi Feng stopped and closed her mouth. The video conference window on her monitor had gone blank. She looked a question at Lieutenant Raptis.
The comm officer shrugged helplessly, "The signal's… gone, Commodore."
"Uh, Commodore," Xi Feng turned to her sensor chief who seemed almost as confused, "the Kyhyex vessel has stopped acceleration. But it sort of flared up real bright there for a moment, too."
"Sir," Lieutenant Cheyo turned around in his chair, "I think they just blew up."
"What?"
"It looks to me like they exploded, something destroyed them."
"External or—"
"Shit, new contact!" Sarkisian yelled from sensors. At the same time, Raptis said, "Another incoming comm!"
The two station officers looked at each other.
"Sensors, report!" Xi Feng snapped.
"Aye sir, on the plot," Sarkisian, "still a ways out, accelerating at maybe ten gravities. They're not heading for intercept, though; they'll cut across our course still a thousand klicks out. Um, detection's from EM emissions, probably just whatever comm they're pointing at us." She glanced towards Xi Feng looking slightly ashamed, "I doubt we'd be noticing them otherwise."
Xi Feng nodded, she could (and would) worry about her sensor officer's performance later. "All right," she said, "comm?"
"Yes sir," Lieutenant Raptis said, "it's another video request link. One of our current protocols, this time."
"Very well, anyone see any immediate threats or concerns before I answer it?" she looked around her bridge.
"I'm keeping my eye on that Kyhyex ship, or the pieces of it," Cheyo said, "but I think we're green for the moment, Sir." The XO and Lieutenant Donaldson both nodded their agreement.
"Acknowledged," she took a deep breath and nodded to Raptis once more, "Okay, Lieutenant, let's see what this one's about."
"Aye, sir."
It took a few seconds for the comm officer's confirmation to produce any results. But then the comm window on Xi Feng's monitor maximized and winked to life again.
She actually bit her tongue to stop herself from cursing. This is getting ridiculous.
"Commodore Lee," the Charterling said, "my apologies if we've startled you. On behalf of the Royal Navy, I'd like to offer my thanks for your assistance."