On Jupiter's moon Io, a ship was being christened at the capital city and foundry, Tvastar. The craft rested on its rear end, with sturdy struts holding it in place, and large tarps hid it from view. The launch pad and surrounding structures were lit by an orange glow. Volcanoes on the horizon erupted mutely, as vast machines captured their violent energy. The grey coverings were host to a magnificent mural of light thrown off by the eruptions and magnetosphere of the planet. Brilliant purples and golds washed over the concealed ship like the sheen of oil on water. To the onlookers in the closest tower, a kilometer away, it could almost have been the main event. Inside, a large gathering of people watched, but their attention was elsewhere. They were there for what this ship meant.
Mostly human, several metallic bodies of androids dotted the group, and a separate group of aliens nearby. These were the Glint, the first civilization Humanity had found apart from themselves several years ago. They were shorter than most of the humans present and wore suits similarly tailored, but accented with subdued purples, blues, and reflective patterns of white. What truly stood out was the eyes. Each and every alien's eyes glowed and flickered in coloured pairs. Apart from their eyes, one would notice that they resembled large lemurs standing on their hind legs. They seemed quiet, and anxious at the scene before them. In contrast, many of the humans present were chatting animatedly, and engaged the odd straggler from the Glint throng.
The androids among the humans flowed around and didn't linger talking with anyone for too long, but would gravitate towards any Glint and Human talking. Their polished bodies reflected the light from outside and each Glint's glowing eyes hypnotically, and seemed to keep the murmur at an almost religious quiet. Even this group could be seen to make quite human gestures and ticks. Some even gazed at their wrists when checking a notification only they saw.
That was a common occurrence as a stage was slowly being raised from the floor in front of the largest window. The ship before them had been slowly spooling its engines as they waited, and the covers keeping it hidden fluttered at the exhaust. It would soon be time for the representatives of both races to speak. Chatter in the room slowly dwindled to silence as watches were checked, assistants whispered in ears, and elbows nudged a few boisterous individuals. At the stillness, two figures strode in front of the window and turned towards the crowd.
A tall, aged and white haired man in a deep navy blue suit, with his back stood straight in defiance of his age. His counterpart was a slim Glint, with tawny fur and sea green eyes who stood almost at shoulder height with the man. The man was Edmund Basque, the first Ambassador of Sol, the other Yula Mayger, the first Ambassador of Torc, the solar system of the Glint.
Ambassador Basque cleared his throat and spoke, his voice amplified by speakers, “We two races of the Interstellar Union are here today for a momentous occasion! We are gathered to mark the first Human-Glint expeditionary mission beyond our stars.”
His gaze traveled the room as Ambassador Mayger's high voice continued for him. “We have overcome much on our own, from the crushing ennui of belief that we were alone in this cosmos, to wars amongst our own species before we left our own home systems, to the events that brought us together, and the conflict when we found each other.”
“Those are in the past! Now we prepare for the future and seek more to share this universe with,” they said together.
Basque spoke further. “We lingered on deciding a name for this vessel. It needed something that spoke of what we envisioned it would accomplish, yet also stated the drive that propels its mission forward.”
“In homage to the long years we spent alone, hoping for others, we are proud to reveal and name, The Tempered Longing! The first of the expeditionary class ships, a class dedicated to expanding our borders of knowledge, science, and what we wish for the most. More people to know and share in life with,” finished Ambassador Mayger.
At the naming, the obscuring tarps fell away, and two objects were launched at the obscured ship. A champagne bottle and large red fruit crashed against the ship, and the vessel's name lit up in a crimson glow.
What had been beneath was a graceful ship. It rested against the struts like a dancer waiting for their cue. Its shape overall gave the impression of an inverted tree trunk, with its branches and foliage intact. Quicksilver panels were offset by dusty brown accents, and exposed pipes and machinery gleamed in polished blue metal. Along its longest flat panel was a mural of the first meeting between Humanity and Glint, two ships meeting over a ruddy brown planet. The back of the ship was lifted several meters above the ground, and a stream of thrust was building now that the engines had spooled. The cones, nozzles, and other trappings of the rear section amalgamated together like thickly packed branches and fruits of a tree.
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“The Tempered Longing is our first invitation to anyone else that may be alone in the vast void of space! The first of many such invitations we hope,” said Basque.
Mayger continued the rehearsed speech, as the Tempered Longing continued to build thrust in the background, “This hope is not unfounded, our joined research and teams of scientists have merged our species knowledge of astronomy together. We have uncovered many points of interest to visit. The closest of which the Longing will leave for today.”
Basque replied, “None of this would have been possible alone as separate civilizations. Individually, we played the lottery of hope, yearning to find someone else. We drew that lucky ticket! Now that it's happened, we know what to look for. Together, we no longer pull random tickets. We know the first of the winning numbers.”
A roar of noise accompanied Ambassador Basque's last word, as the ship ascended smoothly towards space. The crowd cheered, and corks popped from bottles.
“Speaking of a lottery, what do you think the odds are that they find someone on the first planet?” whispered Basque to Mayger.
Mayger considered the question and grabbed a drink from a passing waiter as they stepped off the dais and said, “I'm not a lucky one, but I'd say they have a good chance, considering the crew's track record. After all, they were the ones who met aliens for the first time ever.”
“Hah! I suppose it does set a precedent, even if the crew met the other part of the crew.”
“Exactly, doubling their odds I think.”
At that, the two Ambassadors grinned like children and raised a toast to the *Tempered Longing*.
—————*Aboard the Tempered longing, just before launch*—————
A group of Glint and Humans were spread throughout the ship, waiting for an order. At the front, or top of the Longing in this orientation, was the bridge. In the white walled room, at the command console, was a chestnut furred Glint, Commander Saule Squaebe, one of the first Glint on the voyage that had met the Human Explorer. A stocky man with wavy brown hair and of Martian descent was in the pilot's sconce, Michael Amundsen. Saule hadn't yet gotten a read on him, but he came highly recommended from Pluto.
On Amundsen's left sat two tan furred Glint, one spotted grey, the other with two long brown stripes, Wensley Kulashk and Stuhkey Jumas. The two scientists specialized in biology, and astrophysics respectively. Wensley handled co-pilot duties in addition to his regular tasks, while Stuhkey manned the communications array.
All four in the small, cozy bridge sat with rapt attention to a broadcasted view of the two Ambassadors' speech. They were under instruction to start the launch count down when Ambassador Basque reached his closing statement. The crew elsewhere on the Tempered Longing were braced for the blast off and monitoring vital systems.
Several sections away in the larger meeting area was Yors Juok, a steel blue furred Glint, and Ozmac Tibur, with a white coat of fur. Both astrophysicists, Yors had focused solely on stellar radiation, while Ozmac in faster than light travel. They were joined by Patricia Collins, a tall, thin lady with thick black hair and tanned skin. She was their designated diplomat for when they encountered another alien species, and one other Glint. Tall for his race, his name was Riyn Eming. He was the combat specialist and security personnel. Both roles were accentuated by his imposing stature. His brindled grey fur and piercing orange eyes accentuated a severe face topped with two scarred ears tipped with white.
From the meeting room, colored lines led away to different sections of the ship through tubular hallways lined with ladders. Green lines to the canteen and hydroponics, yellow for crew quarters, and finally, a thick red one led to the rear for engineering and maintenance.
In the engine bay were two Glint, a light grey dappled Naytani Hokker and Flik Haybur, a dusty yellow. Naytani was the ship's primary engineer, with Flik as her assistant. The two of them were responsible for the bulk of the Longing's systems and design. Naytani had developed the chemical rockets that were just now idling to stable temperature before the order to launch was given. Meanwhile, Flik kept a watchful eye on fuel expenditure and systems for any leaks.
Both were joined by a human, but not just any human. The one who had been the contact point between Glint and Humanity at first contact, Duilim. He was a digital human, and currently wore a custom chassis in the shape of an old earth pressure suit, complete with a helmet that held the hologram of his face. At the moment, he was connected to the ship's network and monitored the connection with the tower of Tvastar.
Saule watched the speech from the tower, with a script on hand and order prepped. The rest of the crew waited with baited breath, each member keeping an eye on a task or monitor. Below conversational level, the Ambassador's speech drifted through the air.
“...First invitation to anyone else that may be alone in the vast void of space…”
At the word 'Invitation' Saule gave the order, and Amundsen started to feed power and fuel to the thrusters.
———
From the tower, everyone watched intently with a hungry hope in their eyes as years of cooperation and difficulties solved began to rise. Blue jets of flame kicked up swathes of the moon's yellow dust. The covering tarps had been reeled back into rolls and secreted away under large concrete moorings, while the supporting struts folded away like origami structures. For the barest moment, the Tempered Longing hung in the air, suspended like a feather on a breeze. Then the jets beneath focused and screamed white hot as the ascent truly began.
Like an arrow, the Longing flew towards the void of space. A trail of vapor quickly crystallized to ice in the moon's cold atmosphere, condensed from the ship's passage. That ice quickly fell to the surface of Io as a sprinkling of crystal.
——— Elsewhere ———
Rain poured off leaves in rivulets. A large broad red leaf below caught the runoff and held it until it hit a tipping point and drained the liquid onto a creature below. It shook the offending water off and cocked its head upwards at the source.
It wiped its eyes with two large antennae, and continued trudging through the forest. The underbrush gave it difficulty with its four legged gait, and even using two fore limbs to part the foliage aside helped the creature little. Still it continued on a straight path, only deviating to skirt puddles quickly growing deeper, and stopping when a strange sound echoed through the trees. After a long period of time, the rain stopped, and then the thing reached its destination.
A large coarse textured vessel rested against a hill, with smoke leaking from a gash in its side. Dirt and stone partially covered its form, but what could be seen was a maze of tubes and bulbs connected haphazardly. More creatures swarmed over it, some concealing it with more detritus, others excavating portions.
Hurriedly, the creature made its way over. Finally free from the thick rain vegetation, two pairs of wings unfurled from its back. A heady thrum accompanied it as it took the damp air and flew towards the stricken craft.