The Diplomatic AI speaking to them in the briefing room was one of the most advanced allowed in the Sapient Union.

It projected a hologram of a very average individual with short dark hair, brown eyes, and brown skin. They appeared androgynous, the heavy blue robes they wore further hiding their details.

With him in here, Brooks saw over three hundred officers and volunteers, who would be heading down to the planet’s surface.

Every one of his commanders had volunteered. A poll among the population of the Craton had shown that 17%, almost 6,000 people, were willing to go down to the planet. Among the rest, 98% reported as being willing to be involved in some capacity in the rescue operation.

Only a fraction of people had the necessary skills, but it was heartening to know that they all cared.

Of his command officers, he’d had to order many to stay on the ship. She still needed a command crew.

Among the people in this room he immediately noticed Professor Thompson, who taught Urle’s girls, Lieutenant Srul, who he had worked with on the Kilimanjaro, and Aoks Darhan, who had run against him for mayor in the last election. Of the 6,000 who had volunteered, only these three hundred had the requisite skills.

It was not just a matter of diplomacy, but survival skills as well; Ko was a hostile world, with megafauna that surpassed the largest in Earth’s history.

Urle sat to his left, and on his right was Kai Yong Fan, the only two of his command officers he felt the Craton could spare.

“The !Xomyi are a small species, with typical heights between 1 and 1.3 meters, and a weight averaging 35 kilograms,” the instructional AI said.

The image changed to a highly detailed model of a !Xomyi.

“The !Xomyi appear very mammalian. Evolving from nocturnal, flying ancestors similar to bats on Earth, they used echolocation to hunt.”

The face of the !Xomyi reminded Brooks more of some of the tinier primates on Earth, like a tarsier. It had very large eyes and small, roundish ears on the sides of its head, which twitched and moved around to face different directions.

“As environmental pressures caused a change from nocturnal to a diurnal lifestyle, the !Xomyi lost this echolocative ability but its vestiges remain in their languages including many click consonants and noises pitched outside of the human range.

“Along with this, the !Xomyi lost the ability to fly. Though young of the species are capable of gliding for short distances, as they near adulthood this ability is lost altogether, and the wing membranes shrink. In some cultures of Ko, these membranes are fully removed as a form of ritual body modification as an indication of adulthood. In others the flaps find new use as decorative surfaces for tattooing or body paint.”

Images showing these different forms appeared next to the original.

The examples varied as much as any historical human culture from across Earth, Brooks thought. Some wore feathers, their skin and fur in a light shade, almost pink, while others wore shells or leathers, and had darker fur and skin, like the color of wine or raisins.

“Thus far, Humans, Dessei, and Sepht have all interacted with !Xomyi. In such encounters, they responded most positively to humans and most negatively to Dessei, whose large eyes may be viewed as intimidating. Reactions to Sepht were more confused, with a higher likelihood of avoidance or threats of violence. Therefore, teams will all consist of humans.”

The image changed from the !Xomyi to a person sitting on the ground, with a neutral expression.

“When introducing yourself to the !Xomyi, it will be a good idea to sit down, to reduce the height difference. While a light smile is acceptable, do not show teeth, as this may indicate aggression.”

Brooks raised a hand. “Do they bare teeth to show aggression?”

“Not that we know,” the AI replied.

“Is our lack of smiling just an assumption based on similarities to Earth mammals, then?”

The AI paused a moment. “Yes,” it finally answered.

Brooks put his hand down, frowning.

A lot of effort had surely been put into researching the !Xomyi. But not enough. They should not be guessing what these beings found aggressive. The lives of the !Xomyi and the teams tasked with speaking to them hung in the balance.

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For a moment he consoled himself thinking how historically people had far less information in other First Contact situations. Then he recalled how often those relationships had turned bloody and exploitative.

“Will we get a chance to meet any of the !Xomyi that have already come up?” Urle asked.

“Such an action was considered, but for consideration of their health, it was decided against,” the AI replied. “Now, each of you have been given all available data on the group you will be contacting. Let us go through a refresher on general First Contact procedures . . .”

Brooks had taken these lessons several times – they were genuinely fascinating. This time he listened with as fresh a set of ears as he could manage, trying to consider every angle.

This course, he knew, was not theoretical. First Contacts had occurred, and hard lessons were drawn from each and every one. Not solely their own contacts; the Bicet were the greatest of diplomats in the Union – the force that had brought the disparate species together.

Their view on such events was not clouded by sentimentality or the weight of a dark imperialist past. They simply focused on how to achieve the goals of peace and friendly relations.

“The mindset of a new species will be alien to your own. You must try and understand them through their material conditions first of all. Their existence was formed by those conditions, and though sapience is not solely bound to the practical, especially at a low level of economy it is a very powerful force.”

And how true that was. Strip from mankind their technology and they were just animals. They had basic needs. That alone was a unifying feature of all life in the universe.

He thought of Shoggoths and Star Angels for a moment.

Well, basic needs were a unifying feature of most life in the universe.

“Despite their culture not being technologically advanced, do not make the mistake of believing that these people are stupid. Do not underestimate them. They are a resourceful species, who will have their geniuses, innovators, visionaries and leaders just as we do today. They will be intimately attuned to their world – they live in it and know nothing else. We are visitors, and we must treat them with respect if we hope to earn theirs.”

The AI gestured towards the door. “There are many questions you must have, and among these I know there are considerations of your own health and safety. For that, I invite Dr. Y to join us.”

Y entered, coming to stand next to the AI projection.

“Greetings,” he said. “I will not bore you with a long talk and will get directly to the point. Firstly, while Ko is a world that has a breathable atmosphere, it is actually quite uncomfortable for humans. The average global temperature is 22 degrees celsius, which is quite warm, though tolerable. Its atmosphere is also 60% denser than Earth’s and is heavily laden with moisture. These qualities combined will mean that a human, in normal clothing, will be unable to regulate their internal body temperature. In other words, you will overheat and die, even if you are inactive in the shade during the day.”

Brooks frowned. Dark, he hated being hot.

“For this reason, we will be providing all team members with coolsuits. These suits will keep your body temperature within acceptable ranges, allow your skin to perform all its normal tasks, and they are self-cleaning. For this reason, we recommend against taking them off for the duration of your stay. They require minimal power, are quite durable, and your mission batteries will be able to recharge them.

“Beyond that, each group sent to contact a !Xomyi group will be provided with a custom drone that – we hope – the !Xomyi will not find threatening. It is possible they will view the drone as some type of spirit, and while we should not encourage falsehoods, it may be useful to not correct them on this point.”

Y paused a moment, glancing over the room for nods, then continued. “These drones are autonomous, can administer basic forms of first aid, and can be recharged from standard atomic batteries. However, they are also connected to a satellite network we are placing in orbit. Through these, I will be able to remote-view and control the drones as needed. That is, you will have me at your disposal, should you need it.”

He sighed. “I do wish I could be there on a team, but I will be medical liaison for all 2,600 teams going down to the surface. For that reason, my attention may, at times, be somewhat split. If there is a major medical emergency, I will do what I can but also call in support on your behalf.”

He held up a metal hand. “But there is the possibility that we may lose parts of our satellite network through collisions with debris. If this should happen, I may not be able to reach your drones. As we come closer to the time of Omen breaking up, this will only grow more likely. We will attempt to restore lost functionality as quickly as possible. But the possibility is there.”

Brooks heard a murmur of concern go through the room.

He eyed the people present – he wanted them to see him looking. Would anyone back out?

The instructional AI’s holographic avatar stepped forward.

“Your individual assignments have been sent to your systems. Please study them – they contain all relevant information we have on the groups you will be approaching.”

Y spoke again. “You will be leaving in twenty-four hours for the surface. I recommend that you all spend some time studying your assignments, and then get as much rest as you can.”

Brooks glanced at his tablet. He had been assigned to a group that called themselves the !A!amo, on the far side of the Easternmost continent. It was more of a large island, he thought, bisected by large mountains in the middle. On one side was a desert that had no permanent !Xomyi inhabitants, but the other side, facing the winds that brought moisture, was a lush rainforest.

He looked at the tab that showed his team. Besides himself and the drone, it was just-

“Hey, I’m with you,” Kai said, just as he read her name.

“It seems so,” he replied.

“I thought I’d be leading my own team,” she said softly.

“I could pull some strings if you want,” Brooks joked.

“No, no. I’m your security detail.” She smiled wryly. “Great, supervising an arrogant officer, just what I wanted.”

“I’m not sure why I would even need a security detail,” he said.

“I’ve heard a few researchers were attacked,” Kai replied. “One was reportedly killed. I can’t confirm that, though.”

Urle leaned over. “Did you see your times for your operations?”

“What?” Kai asked.

Brooks looked, then raised his hand. “Doctor, are these operations what I think they are?” he asked.

Y, still standing up front, nodded, clasping his hands behind his back. “They are, Captain. I will be seeing you at 0700 tomorrow for your procedure.”