The Dark Ages

Not only were we not alone but apparently the universe is full of those who have never managed to evolutionarily develop a "Not a raging dick" mutation. - High Mutator Dunahd

"Object is being labeled Object Alpha-One," tactical called out.

"Alpha-One is slowing and changing course for a least-time intercept," sensor stated, their voice flat and calm.

"Electronic tightbeam incoming. Performing analysis trials," the communications tech stated.

Several mini-holotanks went live, showing the different analysis of the tightbeam.

All of them but two quickly discovered the mathematics behind the tightbeam. Those two were replaced with data analysis mutations and restarted.

Time seemed to drip by slowly.

"Put us at an escape trajectory but do not go to superluminal nor take evasive action," the High Mutator stated.

The Navigator nodded. "I will adjust it so it looks as if we are going broadside to Alpha-One and extend sensor antenna seventeen to make it appear as if we are merely adjusting to better receive their tightbeam," he stated.

The High Mutator nodded. "An excellent mutation. Keep it up."

"Tightbeam is mathematical. Suggested response?" the communication specialist asked after consulting with his peers, all of whom put forward their own opinions based on the fast-run trials they had performed so that they could advise the High Communication Specialist.

"Are there ways to reply that the tightbeam is understood?" the High Mutator asked.

A quick whispered conversation. "Advise Mutation Sixteen. Mutation Alpha. It will make it seem as if our ability to reach that far may be compromised and provide a reason for antenna extension. Bravo says to use standard signal strength. Charlie states low power. Delta states too much power."

The High Mutator nodded. "Reply with Communications Reply Mutation Sixteen. Option Mutation Bravo."

Dunahd felt himself tense.

"Antenna array extended. We are now ready for shift," one of the other communication specialists stated.

"Shifting course."

"Slow and easy, helm," the High Mutator stated.

"Replying. Replay should be received in twenty-two minutes," the communications expert stated.

Dunahd got up and moved about to try to work off his nervousness.

High Mutator Bernak looked over at Dunahd. "Being doing backup trials in case these are a friendly people attempting to speak with us. I will perform the neutral trials against our first contact protocols."

"I am in the process of running aggressive or belligerent species first contact," the tactical officer confirmed.

Dunahd sat down, bringing up what the scans had revealed.

Builder material (scavenged or the other species had managed to develop methods of working it or fabricating it) for hull composition.

Particle shielding at twice the strength of this ship's battescreens.

Possibly a battlescreen in case the Lamderl Ecognosis was belligerent or aggressive.

Drive strength was many multiples of the Lamderl scientific vessel.

Drive signature was unknown.

Ship design was unknown.

"Basic math exchange completed. Moving to basic concept comparison for lexicon swamp," the communicator stated.

Mutator in Mutation Dunahd checked his work.

Base eight mathematics.

No unusual formula.

Binary used at base.

Dunahd nodded. Binary made sense in space, where errant radiation could effect communications. Determining off or on was easier than attempting to guess multiple states.

Four times signal repeat showed that the other species was familiar with stellar communication and how a section could be lost.

Base eight with four times.

Dunahd suggested that while they had base eight, the species only had four fingers or four had another biological resonance with them.

The Builders repeated things five times and had four fingers and a thumb for five digits. Two hands for ten.

Dunahd put up that possibly these newcomers had only three fingers and a thumb.

At one point, Dunahd went in and took a quick nap, resting for an hour before returning to the bridge.

Video codex and audio codex had been exchanged. Visible light differences had been accounted for. Audible sound frequencies had been accounted for.

Everything was ready.

The High Mutator ordered everyone out from behind him and that the outgoing feed put him in front of a standard Lamderl Ecognosis flag.

The holotank flickered.

A sentient in an obvious vacuum suit. It was furry in the face with large eyes. Below it, on the chiron, was "Captain Thistlerun HSF Juniper" scrolling by.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Greetings from the Hikken Consortium Systems," the being stated, their lips out of synch with the words.

The High Mutator had ordered the AI overlay that would make their body language and lip movement synch up with Lamderl movements in order to record and understand their movements.

"Greetings. I am High Mutator Bernak. We do not name our ships out of utility. The ship's hull number is 881235E235L if that is necessary," the High Mutator said.

"Is it permissible if we append a name to it, as is our custom?" the Captain asked.

"If you wish. It seems very unoptimal, however," Bernak stated. "However, we understand that custom must be observed," the High Mutator paused. "We have not had time to decode much of the lexicon besides language. What is the Hikken Consortium Systems?"

"A group of planets, held by the Hikken people, banded together under a coalition of economic and industrial consortiums," the Captain stated. He paused. "You are investigating The Builders, correct?"

The High Mutator nodded. "Indeed. The Eruption of Heaven that occurred after the Digital Omnimessiah arrived to save us from the Shade Eruption has long been a cornerstone of our people," the High Mutator nodded. "We were knocked back to the era of steam engines and gunpowder, but we knew we were not alone in the universe and thus worked to reach out and find The Builders."

The Hikken nodded his head and "Motion of Understanding/Assent/Interest" appeared.

"The Shade Eruption was over twenty-thousand years ago," the Captain said. "It set us back also," the Captain gave an odd expression. "It set everyone back. If not for the Great Flashbang the Cygnus-Orion Spur would be devoid of life."

"We have searching for life other than ourselves now that we have accomplished space travel and faster than light movement again," the High Mutator said, leaving out the part about colonies.

"An admirable goal. That, and searching out The Builders," the Captain said.

"Of course. Have your people had luck?" the High Mutator asked.

The Captain shrugged. "According to ancient datastores and some archeological sites, we had contact with the Builders," he shrugged again. The computer reported it as "unsure/doubt/unenthusiastic agreement/indifference/uncertainty".

"Our First Contact protocol stresses initial face to face transmission followed by a time period that we examine one another's lexicons," The High Mutator said.

Dunahd watched the alien closely.

The alien nodded. Again, the computer reporting assent.

"Very well. We will keep a million kilometers distance and would prefer you do the same," the Captain said.

"Agreeable," the High Mutator said.

"Until the time period expires," the Captain said.

"Indeed."

The holotank went out.

"More lexicon data being transmitted and requested," the communication's expert stated.

"My Mutators to my discussion and verbal trial room," the High Mutator said. "Return ship to guarded status."

Dunahd followed the High Mutator from the bridge.

0-0-0-0-0

"They are called 'Hikken' and are one of nearly fifty different species. Some of these species supposedly have histories that extend back millions of years, such as the Treana'ad, the Mantid, the Lanaktallan," Dunahd said, looking up from his datapad. "The Builders are listed."

"Terran Descent Humans," High Mutator Bernak stated. "Not to be confused with Kra'at Descent Humans, the Sons of Tyr or Tabula Descent Humans or Telkan Descent Humans or Smokey Cone Descent Humans."

Dunahd signaled assent. "Humans are apparently tough and adaptable, but have no star nation of their own besides the Tabula Nebula."

The High Mutator paused his review of the data and gave a barking laugh. "It appears, Mutator in Mutation Dunahd, that you were correct in your mutation of theory regarding The Builders. There are three phrases: Hey, Mom, watch this! Hold my beer! and Victory or Death; Either is Fine!"

The gathered Mutators chuckled.

Dunahd tossed an image into the central holotank. "I was right. They did not have a biological warrior caste like most other races. Their species is able to switch between specializations. While some are better at certain specializations than others, their ability to mutate their own skills and methods of thought to adhere to different jobs and tasks is another strength."

The other nodded.

"Mutation of thought and drive as well as the ability to modify their bodies with cybernetic, genetic, and biograft mutations with the best ones being adopted by others," one of the other Mutators, which Dunahd hadn't learned the name of, said while nodding. "The Builders were very much like us."

Dunahd listened as they went over the various species. From the Akltak to the Zofforwey, the lexicon was full of various space dwelling species. The ship's virtual intelligence helped in making profiles of the various species, categorizing them multiple different ways.

Dunahd went back to the Hikken.

There wasn't much in the database out them.

1.5 meters tall. 50 Kilograms. .5 meters wide. 1.1-1.5 centimeter body hair that covered the entire body except the groin and buttocks and, for females, six spots on the chest. Standard for mammalian females. Body temperature of 23.9 Celcius.

Of course, it took him a moment to get the conversion from Freedom Units to Bonger Units to Eurogoon to FrankyLanky Units to Maximum Mantis then Maximum Mantis <Greenies Rule> version and then to Ice Cream Social Units.

Perhaps the mixing of multiple types of measurement systems is a trial to see if the recipient is capable of actual data analysis or a race that merely parrots what others transmit to it. Dunahd thought.

Life expectancy of 325 years. Double his people. Average female was capable of 35 children over lifetime but rarely had more than 3.25 over lifetime through the last few millennium. Although he did spot what looked like a slight spike followed by a drop of only 0.95 over life cycle.

Below replacement rates.

It could be a bit of disinformation, but he still filed it to the side to be analyzed.

Birth to walking was six months. Weening was at nine months. Parental separation at 22. Age of Rational 10. Senility often came in at the last ten years of life due to over-connection of memories.

The tech of the Hikken species and the vast network of interconnected aligned goverments was dizzying. It was obvious even to Dunahd that there was large gaps in technological descriptions. A lot of the tech was juuuuuust higher than Lamderl technology, juuuuuust high enough to do a job, or even lower than Lamderl tech if they had discovered a way to do things with lower tech than the Lamderl.

Dunahd began examining the tech closely.

It was there noticed that the majority of the screens were cathode ray tubes with amber lettering. Magnetic storage on iron oxide tapes. Cartridge systems. A lot of hand carrying data any distance further than 25 Goonymeters.

He found a cartoon that had been erased by the image left behind. It was two columns. One had a Hikken save the data to a magnetic cartridge "8-Bit-Trek Tape" and carry it the 100 Goonymeters to the next computer with the Hikken smiling and eating a fruit at the bottom. The other column had the Hikken try to transfer the data across a cable. A Shade jumped out, killed him, and the final panel at the bottom had the shade wearing the Hikken's face, which had a sad expression.

Easy to understand.

The Lamderl had solved that by putting a sodium laser repeater every twenty units to prevent shade infestation. They had also solved it by using rapid oscillation sine waves so that the shades couldn't hide between the ones and zeroes.

He dove back into the tech and cross-referencing with what Hikken history had been included.

He noted, sadly, that they had little data on the Eruption of Heaven and wondered if it was that important to them.

0-0-0-0-0

The Hikken Captain looked at the High Mutator.

"It's agreed. In ninety days both sides will meet here as well as a Confederacy representative. Both sides are allowed military escort and both side's representatives are allowed to be aboard heavily armed and armored vessels.

"The Confederacy will show up with a standard Confederate Space Force Diplomatic Task Force, as detailed in the document.

"The Confederacy will be sending a gold mantid diplomat," the Hikken finished saying.

"The Lemderl people will show up with no more than three and no less than none battle squadrons as well as no less than one and no more than four diplomatic missions," the High Mutator said.

"Agreed," the Hikken said.

"Agreed," the High Mutator said.

"Welp. Good luck. Lotsa trouble-making to do," the Hikken Captain said before snapping off the visual.

"High Mutator, the Hikken vessel has made the jump to Ghostspace."

The High Mutator turned and looked at the Navigator.

"We'll return home, but jump through the last system we were in to make them take a bit longer. Leave the refueling station here," the High Mutator said.

He stared at the viewscreen for a long moment.

"First Contact," was all he said.