‘Bipedal life form detected within 25 foot radius of the pod, sir.’

“You have got to be kidding me.”

‘Sir, I am not kidding you.’

“That was rhetorical Io.” Winters replied sarcastically, grabbing the auto rifle from its holster on his right. Better to have it and not need it. He mused, pointing the barrel down and checking the holo sights. Despite the commotion of the day, they were undisturbed. He loaded a magazine, enjoying the satisfying ping as the first round chambered. Patting the pistol on his hip, Winters leaned backwards and punched a button below his fuel gauge. He felt the familiar magnetic pull of his hand-to-hand weapons snapping into the appropriate mag-locks on his upper back. Feeling suitably prepared for whatever might await him Winters consulted Io once more. “Io, what are the sensors showing us? What are we about to walk into?”

‘Bringing available environmental readings up for you now sir.’

“Alright then…” Winters muttered. “Ground seems stable, humidity and temperature indicate temperate climate, if a tad cold. No apparent acid rain, volcanic activity, sandstorms, lightning storms, or miniature black holes. I can work with that. Io, change the temperature to freedom units please.”

‘Sir?’

“Fahrenheit.”

‘But-’

“You were just using feet as a measure of distance. Humor me Io?”

‘Very well sir, adjusting all relevant measures to imperial units. Barbarian.’

“Excuse me?” Winters cocked an eyebrow and chuckled, surprised at how quickly Io had changed since her activation when the Lancer had left Earth. He’d often use humor and sarcasm as a coping mechanism in trying situations. Today was no different and Io was picking up on it. Definitely not a use of the auxiliary CPU that brass would approve of. Winters smiled. The lack of an extra magazine or weapon in his armor’s spare leg module had sometimes hurt his scores in simulator combat, but his recon and survival scores more than made up for it. Extra computing power was always an asset. He’d spare Io any reprimand for now, given his survival in no small way depended on her.

‘It’s nothing sir. Given pod atmospheric sensor damage and incomplete readouts, I would recommend a sealed armor sortie.’

“I was thinking the same. Well, here goes nothing!” Winters made ready to blow the door when a small yellow light blinked next to his ruined front console. “Proximity warning? Well I’ll be. It’s a curious thing, isn’t it?”

‘Sir, I’ve confirmed foreign lifeform has made physical contact with the pod.’

“Well, I guess we can give it a show then.” Winters said as he pulled the lever for manual hatch control and put his boot square on the broken screen in front of him. With a quick push, the pod’s door detached and fell to the earth with a metallic thud. A sense of both relief and intense anxiety filled Winters as he finally stepped out of the dull red confines and into what appeared to be afternoon sunshine. A few fluffy white clouds drifted overhead, reminding him of the countryside of upstate New York and immediately setting him more at ease. To the left, ignoring the mini-firestorm his pod had ignited, he saw he’d landed in a field of dull green and gold grasses. In the distance he could make out the leafy tops of what he supposed were trees. Closer examination would be required. A frightened gasp snapped Winters’ attention back to his right where he finally beheld the alien that had found his pod. Whatever courage it had mustered in its approach had long fled, as it now trembled on the ground with eyes tightly shut, clearly anticipating injury or death. Winters felt an involuntary stab of guilt.

“Well, shit.”

At those words the alien’s eyes flew open and locked on his. Winters froze, feeling suddenly unsure of himself. He’d never experienced a first contact with an intelligent race. Hell, to his knowledge, outside first contact with the Ghaelen, no one had. No amount of rescuing science teams from primitive carnivores could have prepared him for this, and he hadn’t even done that more than a handful of times outside the simulators back on Earth. He gazed at the alien, the being’s facial structure similar enough to his that he could clearly make out the fear etched into every line and contour. This…is not good

‘Sir,’ Io’s voice interrupted the pregnant silence. ‘You’re projecting.’

“Yes I realized that Io, thank you.” Winters replied, using his eyes to shut off any sort of external communication systems via his HUD. Swearing, through an Aegis Mk II helmet speaker no less, was not the sort of first impression he’d wanted to make; as it was now abundantly clear the creature in front of him was intelligent, scared, and not a threat. A wooden bucket wasn’t going to do much against his alloyed armor plating.

Winters took a moment to check his HUD as his suit’s sensors compensated for the data the pod had been unable to obtain. Oxygen levels at 25%, 1.1 atmospheres, no apparent toxins…that’s way too convenient. Might even be beneficial if I have to exert myself for a long period. Well, never look a gift horse in the mouth they say. “Io, I’m going to attempt communication again. I want you on standby. If you detect threats to our safety or the pod, notify me immediately by shocking my left foot or something. Otherwise don’t interfere. It’s bad enough we frightened it. Our best chance of survival here is making friends.”

‘Yes sir.’ Io made no indication it disagreed with him. They’d already broken first contact protocol to pieces.

Winters tucked his rifle behind him, feeling the satisfying click of the weapon aligning with the mag-locks on the small of his back. Taking a deep breath, he slowly brought his hands up to the base of his helmet and disengaged the locks. He felt the cool unfamiliar air of the planet rush into his helmet and he tentatively exhaled and took another breath. Nothing seemed to change, a good sign. Encouraged, Winters took a knee, figuring the posture would indicate less aggression and re-established eye contact with the alien before him, getting a good look without any HUD elements crowding his view.

The alien, realizing that he hadn’t harmed it and seemingly had no intention to, also took a kneeling posture. From what Winters could discern based on facial expression; assuming it expressed itself in any way similar to a human, it was clearly surprised that he could remove his helmet at all. I suppose I’d be freaked out too if my armor were my skin. Taking the time afforded by the creature’s innate curiosity, Winters looked the alien up and down. Cat was the first thing to cross his mind, followed quickly by Leopard and female…wait…maybe? Can’t know that for sure. Would have to find a ‘male’ of the species, but the profile is pretty feminine I guess. It's definitely not heavily muscled.

It looked to Winters as though a jungle cat from earth had gained the ability to walk on two legs and assimilated some avian characteristics to boot. Its fur was a dusky gold, with black striping evident on its limbs and neck. Winters couldn’t see if the pattern extended to its torso due to the sleeveless ‘dress’ of what appeared to be stitched animal leathers that extended down to the creature’s knees. Its legs appeared to be plantigrade from his viewpoint, but he would have to see it walk to confirm. The creature’s forearms each sported a set of long black and gold feathers, with a similar, grander plume originating between its ears and extending down to the base of its skull. Focusing on its face instead, Winters noted additional black accents on the tips of its ears, which were located atop its head; as well as small black spots, almost like freckles, that dotted the area under its eyes and across the bridge of its nose/snout. It didn’t protrude as much as a dog’s muzzle would, but it was certainly more prominent than a human’s. Its eyes broke from the feline theme, sporting circular pupils as opposed to slits; surrounded by light brown irises and dull white sclera. Leaning slightly to the right, Winters noticed the alien had a tail that was currently coiled tightly behind it; as well as three smooth black stone bands that adorned the outer edge of its right ear.

Ok, so, what can we conclude here? Winters considered, absentmindedly scratching his chin as the alien continued to watch. First things first, never ever take it…her? Yeah, her sounds better than it. At least until I can confirm how this species works. Anyway, never take her to Japan. Second, likely has better hearing and smell than I do, though that could imply I have better vision given the similarities of our home planets and eye structure. She’s very lithe, even with the fur coat, though I can’t know if that’s specific to her or characteristic of her species. I could snap her like a twig if I needed to, so likely minimal risk of physical damage. But I have no idea if she has claws or not. If so they appear retractable. Will have to watch for that. Both jewelry and clothing, even though the species has fur and decorative plumage, indicates at least some similarities between their society and that of tribal humans; modesty and the desire to stand out, to be unique. I guess that’s all humans really. And…it looks like the silent theater might be coming to an end here.

The alien had begun fidgeting as he had. It started looking over his shoulder at the pod, to his helmet on the ground, and the weapons on his back. Mostly though it looked nervous, like it was debating the merits of making a run for it. Unwilling to entertain that outcome and suddenly eager to know more about the being in front of him, Winters cleared his throat and spoke. “Hello.”

Veera managed not to squeak, gasp, or squeal in fright. She’d done quite enough of that in this thing’s presence already, and its tone sounded much more natural and softer without that bulky face cover in the way. She’d been looking at it just before the thing spoke to her again. It was truly unlike anything she’d ever seen before, to say nothing of the alien inside the…suit. It was relieving to see the creature was made of flesh and blood like her, but the similarities seemed to end there. At least, she figured they did. All she could see was its face. She saw pale skin over a well-defined structure, a square jawline, dark blue eyes, and short black fur atop the thing’s head. There were also two smaller patches, one above each eye. With little fur and no scales or plumage to be seen she had no idea if the thing before her was male, female, or neither. Its voice seemed deep, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. If she wanted to know more she’d have to respond, attempt to communicate.

But did she want to know more? Much as she tried, she could see how the thing before her could be anything but a servant of Kel. It was not yet dusk so the Twin Moons, Elur and Auril, likely weren’t behind this. Veera couldn’t believe the creature would have any association with Valta the Huntress or Uthos the Sentinel. It had come from the sky, but its entrance was angry, unlike the rains, snow, or even lightning and thunder of Felen. That left only Seil, the Light and Lifegiver; and Kel, Lord of Death and the afterlife. White coloration aside, she didn’t see how Seil would be associated with something that seemed so dangerous. True, it hadn’t made any advances on her but if it did she was sure her only hope would be to outrun it. Even that seemed a poor prospect. The being was tall, appeared strong, was well armed…and was trying to speak to her. I suppose it couldn’t hurt. And if I am to face death today, I will do so bravely.

The alien in front of her repeated that word. “Hello.” While it did so it raised a hand, palm facing toward her. It also had five digits. Four were long compared to a Cauthan’s. The other was shorter, offset, and appeared to be useful for gripping. Was this some sort of greeting? Veera figured she could try the same. “Selah.” She spoke softly, also holding a hand up. The creatures lips curled at the edges and it bared its teeth at her. Veera immediately dropped her hand, eyes widening with renewed fright. Would it eat her after it killed her? Was it just playing with its food? But upon seeing her reaction, the being quickly returned its mouth to a closed neutral position and tried addressing her again. “Hello.”

“Selah.” This time the lips curled, but no teeth were shown. The skin around the being’s eyes wrinkled a bit. Is it…happy? It’s trying not to scare me, I think. Veera wondered as her interlocutor moved its head up and down. She wasn’t sure what that meant. Perhaps it used head motions to compensate for its lack of feathers? Maybe this… Veera tried raising her crest plumage at it. Its eyes widened slightly before it moved its shoulders up and down once. This thing sure enjoys vertical motions. Nothing more was forthcoming though. Had her greeting been successful? Or were they back to square one? Veera was about to try again, when the thing stood slowly. It held out its hand towards her, palm up, and gestured. Veera eventually understood it wanted her to stand too, and she did so. They had been kneeling longer than Veera had thought, feeling pins and needles as circulation returned fully to her legs. Lifting her gaze slightly, as the creature now had a small height advantage on her, Veera noticed its eyes move down to the three small talons that tipped each of her feet. Friendly or not, it sure wasn’t letting anything go unnoticed. What do you want now? What’s the next move? Why are you even trying to communicate with me?

It was moving its hand again, palm still face up, but in a longer motion from the top of its head as low as its arm could go. It spoke another word, “Human”, and repeated the gesture as if to indicate all of itself. Veera clapped her hands together in understanding and her feathers vibrated happily. Quickly, she signed the same gesture and spoke the word for her species, “Cauthan”. The ‘human’ again showed happiness on its face and moved its head vertically. Veera watched eagerly as the human took its left hand and made a fist, leaving its index finger to point directly at its chest. “Russell Winters”. Was that its name? Did it really have two names? Would the servant of a god even have a name if it was already called human? Or did the fact that it identified itself generally and then specifically indicate it wasn’t divine at all? Wouldn’t a divine know her language? Veera was more confused than ever, her head feeling like it would burst, but the experience of communicating with an alien being was proving to be exhilarating as well. She mimicked the human and pointed at herself. “Veera”. The human did the thing with its head again, pointed at her and repeated “Veera”. She did the same, attempting to speak the first half of the human’s name, “Russell.” The human reacted as expected and Veera confirmed that the vertical head motion indicated an affirmative response. An idea sprang to mind as she pointed back at herself. “Russell.”

A moment of silence fell between them as the human simply looked at her. It rubbed a hand through the fur atop its head and glanced to the side and up, a gesture Veera couldn’t discern any meaning in. Then a light of understanding appeared in its eyes and it shook its head side to side. Alright, once more to confirm. Veera thought to herself, pointing to the human. “Veera.” Again, it shook its head, pointing back at her. “Veera.” It spoke and moved its head up and down. Veera confirmed using the human’s gesture, finding the moving of her head to be more emphatic than subtle changes of her plumage. She now knew ‘yes’, ‘no’, and this human’s name; not to mention a handful of other non-verbal indicators. It was more than she started with, and a lot better than being dead. Emboldened, she figured she would try one more expression she’d seen the human make. Slowly, she tensed the correct facial muscles and bared her teeth to the human, trying her best to mimic the upward curl of the lips. It was strange, feeling unfamiliar muscles stretch, but she found it quite agreeable. The human responded immediately, opening its mouth and emitting a great noise that sounded almost like a bark or howl. It then spoke directly at her; a phrase she couldn’t understand but a tone that could have only been one of approval.

“I think I like you Veera.”