The Tolian people were so alike to Humans that some believed they might have be a long lost relative, they were identical in almost every way, seemingly they shared the same biological makeup and evolutionary path just on a different planet. What set them apart however was their glittering pale blue skin.
Unlike the Humans of old, the Tolians were a peaceful race living as one with nature and the animals found native to their planet, Beldor. Lush green forests covered about half of the habitable land. Their technological level was a few centuries behind the Humans, as they were still a pre-warp species. They did have their own large orbiting space-station and multiple habitats on all their moons.
After the initial discovery and study of the people, the first contact responsibility was given to the Humans. The Galactic Council thought that the uncanny similarities between the two species would make the process easier and allow them a quicker path to access to all the known galaxy had to offer.
A small automated shuttle was parked just outside of the Tolian system and a simple message of welcome was sent to start a dialogue. It was also to be used as a relay station for communications before actual face-to-face contact.
A single Tolian, Professor Xilquin, found the signal and acknowledged the welcome, then quickly informed the government of the discovery. Since he was the first and by pure coincidence the most qualified, Xilquin was picked to act as the Tolian ambassador and given a small team to help him decipher the communication and language guides that were sent as part the a welcome pack. Xilquin was an amateur radio enthusiast and historical language professor.
From the Human side, as the Galactic Council representative, Special-Ambassador James Wallace was given the mission. He was known throughout the known galaxy as the best Ambassador the Council had. He had single-handedly brought over one hundred new systems into the galactic fold, expanding the Council membership. He had also brokered peace between many different warring factions, saving trillions of lives in the process.
This assignment was an easy one for James, something he could have done in his sleep, however he was coming off a particularly difficult and long running assignment that this was seen as a way for him to relax a little.
Using the communications relay, James and Xilquin spoke quite often over the first couple of months, getting to know each others language and laying out the groundwork for a full diplomatic mission. The longer they spoke the more relaxed they were as each side got to know each other better. Over the many recorded and real-time video calls both James and Xilquin had gotten on well enough to call each other friends, each speaking the others language fluently enough.
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This was an unknown for James - he would not normally get so attached to a new species, but the fact that they were practically human made it so much easier for him to relax and talk freely with them. His 'all business' persona was dropped and he became much more friendly.
After a year of video contact, a face-to-face meeting was finally organised and set.
* * *
Coming out of warp, James saw the large space station ahead of him. It was a massive circular structure shaped like a filled doughnut approximately 10km wide. Clustered in the middle were several large towers extending above and below the surface. Over half of the roof of the station was made from glass, letting in natural light and giving a great view of the stars. James could see countless shuttle craft moving in and out of the station delivering passengers and cargo from the planet surface or from one of the three moons.
His console notified him of an incoming communication "Unidentified vessel, this is Tranquillity Station, please identify yourself."
"Hello, I am Special-Ambassador James Wallace of Earth. I am here on a diplomatic mission from the Galactic Council to meet with Ambassador Xilquin and his team."
"Welcome Sir, we have been expecting you. Please wait a moment while we send a drone to escort you to your docking platform. You will be landing on platform one," they replied.
"Thank you."
James sat at the console of his shuttle fidgeting with excitement, this would be the first in-person diplomatic mission between the Humans and the Tolians and he would get to meet his friend after all this time. A minute later and a small drone with large flashing lights zipped up to James's shuttle and showed a " Follow Me " message before slowly flying back towards the station. James followed as instructed.
Ten minutes and a couple of security scans later, James landed on a rather large and elaborately decorated platform near one of the towers. It was not the sort of place a normal shuttle would land. The platform descended slowly into the station and an air-lock door closed above him.
Once the platform had stopped, James stepped out of his shuttle and saw two rows of guards standing at attention either side of a long red carpet. The guards wore a highly polished ornate silver armour with red and gold highlights. They each held a ceremonial sword up in salute. Behind the guards stood a large hushed crowd of thousands, all wanting to see their first glimpse of an alien. Camera flashbulbs were firing like fireworks.
One of the guards stepped forward and approached him, "Sir. I am Captain Avroin, please allow me to escort you."
"Thank you Captain."
James made his way along the carpet at the end of which stood a single woman dressed in a long flowing white and gold dress, her pale-blue skin sparkling brightly. Her fiery-red hair was cut short and James could see a band of gold on her head which was decorated with a single large deep-blue stone set in its centre. James was stunned by the image of her.
Captain Avroin stopped and turned, "Special-Ambassador James Wallace of Earth, may I present Princess Sara Of Beldor"
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