Subject: Ship-Head Uleena
Species: Urakari
Description: Reptilian humanoid, no tail. 5'3" (1.6 m) avg height. 135 lbs (61 kg) avg weight. 105 year life expectancy.
Ship: RSV Lowelana {Fights with Honor}
Location: Sol
The bridge was silent as we all watched the holographic display of the massive ship that had come to our rescue. The armor plating of the ship gave it the shape of driftwood. Or something an artist would try to create with driftwood before they gave up part of the way through. Flat-semi round and very, very thick plates covered almost the entirety of the vessel with the exception of a few spots. It took me some time to realize that those spots were likely weapon ports. Or maybe even fighter bays.
There were four obvious weapons, two at the top and two at the bottom, pointing in separate directions. Judging from the shape, they had to be some sort of magnetically accelerated cannon. They were bigger than the Lowelana.
"Sir, part of the unknown vessel is opening up and something is detaching from the interior," Kriin informed me in a voice just above a whisper. "It looks like... it's another ship."
A ship that was a little larger than our own separated from the unknown vessel and positioned itself alongside the Lowelana. An even smaller ship then left that one and began a course for us.
"We're being hailed by the small vessel," Liwna croaked, struggling to find his voice.
I cleared my throat and said, "Put them through."
The speaker crackled to life and the voice on the other end said, "RSV Lowelana this is Lieutenant Sergey Babanin of the USSS Valor. Please respond."
"We're here, Lieutenant Sergey Babanin of the USSS Valor. I am ship-head Uleena and this is the RSV Lowelana. You have permission to come aboard," I said, trying to mask the tension in my voice.
This was the worst-case scenario for a first contact from a species outside of the Republic. Indebting ourselves at first contact is definitely going to have some political backlash, especially with some of the more xenophobic member species. You would think that going to war would be, but being indebted to someone you don't know is usually a lose-lose scenario. Either we're out something by repaying the debt, or we don't repay the debt and go to war anyway.
"Uh, well..." Lt. Babanin began hesitantly, "we're not quite ready for boarding yet. We're showing several hull breaches and your structural integrity is... well..."
"Our frame is damaged, we know."
"It's not just damaged, capt... er... ship-head. It's cracked. Your frame is being held together by your hull and your hull has holes in it. If we're not extremely precise with our docking maneuver you're going to fall to bits."
I gave Liwna a bewildered look. He returned my stare with one of his own before looking back at his instrument panel.
"By the Suns, he's right. Apologies ship-head, the damage is much more severe than we originally assessed," he said.
"What can we do?" I asked, trying not to sound panicked. I don't want to lose any more of my crew.
"I... I don't know," Liwna said, nearly losing his composure.
"Don't worry too much ship-head, we're going to be able to extract you," Lt. Babanin interjected. "We are just going to need precision guidance. We're downloading the software required right now."
"Do you have compatible docking equipment? Clamps and such?" I asked.
"Well, we're currently waiting for the download to finish to solidify our plan of action, but I think our best bet is to use an umbilical. Looking at your ship's layout and the holes in it, we can probably attach to the hole in your... I think that's your living quarters? It's the room near your bridge."
I did some mental mapping, "Yes, that's right. That area's sealed off due to depressurization though."
"That won't be a problem," Lt. Babanin said cheerily. "We've brought enough gas to repressurize your entire ship. Once we're attached and the room is repressurized you'll be able to unseal it and exit through the umbilical."
The plan was solid but one thing bothered me, "If you're going to be using an umbilical then why do you need precision guidance software?"
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"We're not familiar with your ship's construction methods or composition," he began. "For all we know just getting close to your ship can cause it to break apart due to the forces generated by our proximity. We'll need to be in a position far enough away that we won't be affecting you, aim and guide the umbilical to the proper position, and fire it gently enough that it won't send a shockwave that will shatter your ship."
"Understood," I said, satisfied by the explanation.
"Alright. Do you have pressure suits available?" he asked.
Liwna shook his head and said, "We don't have pressure suits but we do have respirators. They won't last long if we're exposed to vacuum, though."
"Well, that's better than nothing. I suggest you prep them. We'll be in touch when we're ready to begin."
"Acknowledged. Ship-head Uleena, out."
The comms light winked out as the connection was severed. The crew sat in silence for a time, unsure of what to say. Something was bothering me about that interaction, but I couldn't quite place it. It was Kriin who made it click into place.
"Their sensors must be much more advanced than ours," she said in a hushed tone.
"What do you mean?" asked Liwna.
I spoke up, "They were able to tell that our frame was fractured before we were. They were also able to determine our ship's layout to a degree that allowed them to formulate a rescue plan without consulting us. Not only that, but they were able to scan our databases well enough to be able to extrapolate and translate our language."
More silence. We hadn't just indebted ourselves in first contact with an unknown alien species. We'd indebted ourselves with a more advanced unknown alien species. I spent the next few minutes wondering what I should wear to my hearing. I took solace in the fact that what's left of my crew might live.
"We're being hailed, sir," Liwna informed me.
"Open a channel."
Lt. Babanin sounded more cheerful as he said, "We're ready to rescue you. Turns out my plan held up to scrutiny so we'll be proceeding with it. The only change is that we'll be sending some of our people aboard to assist with the evacuation, and I'll be joining the away team. Once everyone is safely off the ship, the USSS Thanatos will scoop it up so we can begin repairs."
Even though it was likely a very accurate description of what will happen, something deeply bothered me about the idea of a ship that can crew 50 people being 'scooped up'.
"Understood," I replied. "You have my permission to board. We'll begin evacuation preparation immediately. I'll see you on the bridge, Uleena out."
The comms light once again flashed off and the crew gathered around the holographic display in anticipation. We watched as the alien ship expertly maneuvered into a position far enough away that its magnetic fields and gravity wouldn't effect us enough to break us into pieces. We held our breath as the umbilical was fired and slowly traveled the distance between us. There was a time delay of half a second so we actually heard the ever-so-soft thud of the umbilical making contact before we saw it.
"The umbilical has hit its mark, and we're holding steady!" Kriin said joyfully.
The tension in the air evaporated as the crew allowed themselves a little celebration. For my part, I exhaled the breath I had been holding in. We're almost safe.
"Don't celebrate too heartily. We'll be having guests soon, and I want everyone on their best behavior. No staring," I said with a smile.
"Short-band signal coming in, sir," Kriin said, holding her hand to her ear, "it's the lieutenant. He and his team are proceeding through the umbilical."
"Okay everyone, respirators on. I want the injured evacuated first. Then the non-essentials. Kriin, Liwna, you'll be evacuating with me," I said with as much authority as I could muster.
"Yes, sir!" the remaining crew said unanimously.
"Sir, they're aboard. The lieutenant is headed this way," Kriin said.
I heard the thudding footsteps before I saw what they belonged to. The first one through the door was huge. I was fooled at first because it had to slump through the door, but then it rose to its full height. At least 6'5" {195 cm} and very wide. It was obviously wearing a pressure suit, but the suit looked more like body armor. The helmet was completely opaque, with what looked like lights and cameras installed. There were thick plates strategically placed on what looked like a rubbery weaved body suit. The body suit was black, but everything else was navy blue.
We were all staring in a shocked silence when the other two monstrosities crouched through the door. They were both 7' {216 cm} tall and wearing a similar pressure suit but in olive drab. Even under such seemingly cumbersome attire, it was obvious that their musculature would put our most avid body-builders to shame. I fought my fight-or-flight instincts as I briefly wondered if they were even organic at all.
"Air's safe, lieutenant," one of the green monsters said.
The one in blue took off his helmet to reveal soft, beige skin with golden high-cut hair. His piercing blue eyes scanned the room like a predator before he affixed his gaze to me. His lips curled in what could be mistaken for a snarl, showing four pointed teeth and several flat ones. This actually set me at ease because I recognized the expression as a smile. Several primate species have similar expressions. Even the Urakari have our own variation.
"You must be cap... ship-head Uleena," it said.
"Y-yes. And you must be lieutenant Babanin. W-welcome aboard," I said, trying my best not to stammer.
"I'm sorry if we look frightening. These are designed to do that, but they're all we had on hand."
"I understand. You're... uh... quite larger than we pictured," I said as I rubbed the back of my neck nervously.
One of the green monsters chuckled slightly. The other turned to look at him with what I assume was a glare.
"The suits add to our size by an inch or two. It doesn't sound like it makes a difference, but it definitely does," he gestured to his left, "This is Corporal Simmons," then he gestured to his right, "This is Lance-Corporal Johnson."
"Nice to meet you," Johnson said in a gruff voice. I nodded in acknowledgment, unable to speak.
"Well then, let's get you rescued, shall we?" Lt. Babanin said with another smile.
I was about to agree when the proximity alert chimed again. This time I definitely recognized the sound. I had been hearing it more and more lately, and the last time I heard it was right before we found ourselves in this situation. My hearts skipped a beat.
Kriin looked up from her station and shouted, "SIR! OMNI-UNION SHIPS!"