The time had come and the three Tarraxen ships entered the fringe of Earth's solar system. As they neared their goal they passed the abandoned Mars colony and much to their surprise a beautiful sight welcomed them. Earth was once again bright blue and green.

In the centuries following the departure of the Gaia station and her lucky chosen, the remnants of Earth had unified and in time discovered technologies able to cleanse their home. The old bio-domes once used to shelter the people from the toxicity and radiation of the planet were now obsolete and some were converted into botanical gardens. High above the planet was a space station, not overly large it was similar in proportions to the Sarrat class. There were no apparent signs of propulsion, the station was clearly fixed in orbit dismissing Felix's first thought that it may be another generational station for exploration like Gaia was.

"We are receiving a signal. Shall I open a channel?" asked Erranos.

"Please do," responded Lloyd.

A crackling sound could be heard as the signal was altered to play aloud on the bridge. A recording began to play;

"Greetings visitors. Be warned if you wish harm upon us, we will defend ourselves."

"They are indeed serious. I have detected silos on the station preparing to launch," advised Erranos. Bligh and Gaia entered the bridge of the Lotar, and the recording was played for them also.

Felix jumped up and cleared his throat. "Hello, can anyone hear me?" The recording stopped broadcasting seconds later.

A voice then replaced it. "Hello? You speak English? Who are you?" the voice questioned frantically. Felix and Lloyd snickered, finding the humour in their situation.

"My name is Felix, I am human and I wish to speak to your superior," Felix commanded in a firm but approachable tone. There was only static in response for a moment.

"OK, I'll try to get someone for you. Hold please," replied the voice. They waited for a few minutes as the worker manning the communications station woke his supervisor.

"Hello Felix, my name is Silvia Barton. You have activated our planetary defence grid, tell me why I should have it stand down?" Silvia's voice was stern, apart from having just been woken she was clearly and understandably apprehensive about having three alien vessels now before her.

"Silvia I'm sure this will be a tough pill to swallow but please listen carefully," Felix pleaded.

"I'm all ears," she replied half yawning.

"To begin with, we come in peace. We are here seeking asylum. We are what remains of the Gaia station," explained Felix.

"Gaia station?" she exclaimed nearly falling from her chair, "remains? What happened to the station?"

"Perhaps it would be easier if we could speak in person. May we dock the smallest of our ships?" asked Felix.

"Whoa whoa, hang on there cowboy. I don't have that kind of authority, besides I don't even know if you're human. You could have attacked the Gaia station for all I know and made your way here to attack us." Silvia was now sounding less grounded.

"Yes true, you don't have a reason to trust me. Is there someone with more authority I could speak with?" Felix remained calm. Even if they did fire at them, the shields would prevent damage to the ships, according to Erranos at least.

"Look, this is way over my head. We only ever shoot down asteroids on collision courses. I'm not saying you're lying but I'll have to pass this further up," reasoned Silvia.

"Please do. We have thousands of scared people on board in need of a new home," explained Felix.

"Understood. Someone will contact you shortly," responded Silvia.

"Thank you Silvia. And sorry for waking you." The channel closed and Felix looked to his friends. "Well I think that went well," he nodded enthusiastically.

"At least they haven't fired on us, yet," surmised a cynical Eva.

"I'm sure it will work out," stated Felix.

"I'm with you buddy. Once they see we are human it will all be OK," reassured Lloyd putting his arm around Felix, "just have to play the waiting game I guess."

They waited for hours with no response. Erranos closely monitored the activity on the planet's surface. Clearly the presence of visitors had put them on edge. There were many things happening as a result of their visit. Out of fear of a potential attack, gunships were mobilised and thousands sat ready to launch and intercept the Tarraxen ships.

Eva grew more uneasy. She feared they would be attacked without even attempting further contact. But finally they were hailed by the surface this time.

"This is Joseph Mott. I'm a representative of the United Earth Colonies Government. Whom am I addressing?"

"Hello Mr Mott, my name is Felix. We have come seeking asylum, will you receive us?" asked Felix

"Felix, I have a team standing by with a shuttle. With your permission I'd like to come verify who you are. After that my superiors will make their decision," requested Joseph.

"That's a great idea, we will prepare for your arrival," advised Felix.

"Very well then, ETA is one hour," responded Joseph and the channel closed.

Felix was most pleased with the outcome, obviously the government would rather check them out before they even landed which Eva pointed out to be quite a logical step given the circumstances. Lloyd asked Erranos to activate the life support systems on the Sarrat as they would more than likely be giving them the full tour.

The entire group left the Barooda again boarding the Lotar to prepare to receive the shuttle from Earth. Within the hour the shuttle was closing in. The port side of the Lotar opened revealing a landing bay more than six times the length of the tiny shuttle. Without hesitation the shuttle entered and the massive doors sealed behind it. Erranos programmed red lights to flash in the landing bay until a safe atmosphere had been established. Once safe to disembark the lighting reverting to normal and the shuttle opened. There were five on board, all sealed away in protective CBRN suits. It was quite clear they did not wish to take any chances. They stepped out into the landing bay to find a group waiting to receive them.

Felix and Lloyd stood in front with Maddison and Eva by their sides. Councillor Bligh was there seeing as she was all that remained of the High Council. Erranos was also there, though his appearance came as a shock, Felix thought it best to explain about the Tarrax off the bat rather than have too many surprises to muddy the waters as they progressed.

Felix stepped forward, "welcome, I am Dr Felix Carlisle."

The group of five consisted of two men and three women. One of the men stood forward. "I am Joseph Mott, a representative of the United Earth Colonies government." He gestured to the woman at his left, "I have brought with me my colleague Ruby Torres and these are Doctors Simmons, Walden and Dowd."

Felix nodded as each guest was introduced. He was the perfect candidate for diplomatic encounters, his abilities served him well to read far beyond people's body language alone. "Nice to meet all of you. Let me just start by saying that you may find your visit here to be bizarre, perhaps even outlandish but please try to stay calm and keep open minds." As he finished his sentence he noticed that the Doctors seemed more curious, the officials however remained nervous, though slightly reserved. "All that remains from the High Council that once governed Gaia is this woman here," Felix stated as he gestured toward Bligh. "Her name is Councillor Helena Bligh and given her advanced years she tires easily, so she has graciously allowed me to conduct this meeting in her stead."

Joseph smiled at Bligh, "very well then. A pleasure to meet you Councillor," Bligh nodded and smiled in return.

"So if you will all follow us we will sit down to discuss a few matters first," requested Felix as he approached the door.

Joseph nodded and they proceeded out of the landing bay, making their way to a meeting room that had been prepared prior with adequate seating. They all entered and took seats around the oval shaped table. The guests noticed as Erranos entered the room with them and this caused them to feel nervous and apprehensive instantly.

"Surely we don't need security to be present at the table," declared Ruby hinting at Erranos as he took his seat at one of the table ends.

"Let me just stop you there," snapped Felix bluntly while still trying to be polite. "I do not intent to be rude, but I was just about to introduce him." Ruby's face was shocked but she kept her mouth shut.

"Him?" enquired Joseph perplexed.

"Yes, him. His name is Erranos and these three ships belong to him. Now I'm sure you will all be just full of questions, but if you would please hold them, I'll try to nutshell the story first." Felix could feel Lloyd struggling to keep from laughing so he shot him a quick glance. "Erranos is quite clearly not human. He is one of few survivors of an ancient race known as the Tarrax. To begin with their race were once biological but over time due to many reasons they came to utilise synthetic bodies. So let me make it clear that he is not just a robot." Felix felt as Ruby withdrew emotionally from being chastised even though she wasn't especially singled out. "Now, long story short. Gaia station was attacked and destroyed by an alien entity known as the Scourge. We can fill in details about that later but to be brief, the Tarrax have been fighting the Scourge for thousands of years. When we were attacked, Erranos stepped in and saved as many people as he could. And with no home left we requested to be brought here hoping you would take us in."

"My, that is quite a story," started Joseph, "so you never found a new planet to call home?"

"Unfortunately no," answered Felix.

"Well, as you can see, since your ancestors left we have found ways to clean the Earth and restore her to her former beauty," boasted Joseph most obnoxiously.

"Yes, it truly is quite a breathtaking sight. All of Gaia's children grew up with access to images of old Earth from before the great war and post as well, which to be honest the latter is what we were expecting to find," Felix admitted as he rubbed his head grinning.

Joseph then stood and turned to face Erranos with his head high, "Erranos, on behalf of the people of Earth, I extend my gratitude to you for saving our brothers and sisters of Gaia," Joseph finished with a slow bow.

Unsure of Earth human customs or culture compared to what he knew of the Gaia-born Erranos decided it best to reciprocate. He also stood, "you are most welcome Mr Mott," he responded then bowed. Felix watched intently as he felt a sincere feeling of admiration come from Joseph.

"Well," stated Felix as he stood, "now that all that business is taken care of, I assume your doctors would like access to the refugees for medical screening and perhaps you and Ruby would like the grand tour Mr Mott?" Felix asked in an almost coy fashion. He knew there would be bureaucratic red-tape to navigate and tedious hurdles on their path to being accepted on Earth. He had done well to remain professional for the meeting but he was quickly approaching his limit.

"You assume correctly. And yes, I think we would certainly enjoy that," responded Joseph as excitement crept into his voice.

"Splendid, follow me then," requested Felix as he headed out into the corridor to lead them toward the refugee quarters. The Earth Doctor's were left with Maddison, Gaia and Emelia, though they weren't informed that two of their hosts were not even human.

Bligh returned to her quarters, exhausted from having been on her feet for a few hours now. Eva escorted her leaving Felix, Lloyd and Erranos to give the tour to Joseph and Ruby.

As the tour proceeded through the ship Joseph and Ruby were mystified by everything they were exposed to. Even the dozens of Tarras they encountered in the corridors were enough to make their minds expand and their hearts race with anticipation and wonder. Felix monitored them closely, he knew well that their application for asylum hinged on the information they returned with, almost more so, the overall impression they would leave with. Felix had requested that Erranos explain each of the ships main systems to their guests in the hopes it would help them to realise that the Tarrax were indeed powerful from a technological standpoint but still benevolent in the way they viewed other races.

The medical screenings were progressing well, although only able to examine a few dozen of the refugees in the interim, the Doctors were confident that they were each in good health and not harbouring any unknown or sinister pathogens. Dr Walden attempted to give Gaia an examination given her advanced years, Maddison tried to interject but Gaia raised her hand to dismiss her.

"Your name is Gaia?" asked Dr Walden utterly puzzled. Gaia looked her in the eye saying nothing. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm sure lot's of the Gaia citizens named their children after the station," ranted Dr Walden nervously.

Gaia chuckled, "none actually. I am the one and only Gaia," she informed Dr Walden with a cheeky grin.

"Oh, alright then. Well how about we do a quick exam and I draw a little blood then we can head over to the next section?" asked Dr Walden politely.

"I'm afraid there's no need dear," Gaia smiled.

"No need? Excuse me, but we were informed we would have the full cooperation of all persons on board," stressed Dr Walden.

"Why yes dear, and you have it. However, and I must stress this, I am not actually a person. I am Gaia," without allowing her response time to sink in Gaia reached down and grasped her left wrist. Without any force her left arm detached and sat cradled in her right hand. Dr Walden promptly lost consciousness. Her colleagues checked on her as Gaia chuckled to herself.

"Gaia don't scare them, they're already under the pump here emotionally as it is," pointed out Maddison scowling disapprovingly.

"But how else was I going to convince her?" Gaia cackled. Maddison rolled her eyes as she realised there probably wasn't a faster way to do so, though she would never admit it.

Dr Walden came to and found that Gaia again had both her arms and was smiling. For a moment she considered the possibility that she had only imaged it until Gaia apologised for startling her. "So you're an android?" she asked as she poked at the synthetic skin of Gaia's arm, "I had no idea their technology had advanced so far. You look completely real."

Gaia beamed, "well that satisfies me immensely. Yes dear, I am an android although I'm actually a construct of Tarraxen technology."

"Oh, well that seems to make more sense. But why were you built?" enquired Dr Walden still trying to comprehend the situation before her.

"Well that's easy, because I wanted hugs," Gaia confessed. Maddison smiled as she thought back to the first time she was able to hug Gaia.

"You what? Hugs? You're not making any sense," sputtered Dr Walden dumbfounded. By that point Dr Simmons and Dr Dowd had then given up with their present examinations and stood all ears waiting on more details.

"OK, think I'll step in here now," decided Maddison, "she is telling the truth, albeit going about it oddly." Maddison scowled at Gaia before she continued, "this is Gaia, she is surrogate mother to all born within her station, she was the AI that once ran the entire station. After we were attacked, we managed to salvage her programming and Erranos allowed her to build herself a body."

Dr Walden's face appeared focused, almost to the point of discomfort as she tried to wrap her head around the astonishing story. "Wow," she finally managed to vocalise, "it's so crazy it must be true, just make sure you keep all your limbs attached. I don't need more patients from others feinting," laughed Dr Walden nervously. Gaia smiled as she nodded.

Maddison sighed, "well there's one hurdle out of the way I guess."

When Joseph and Ruby had finished with their tour they were escorted to the living quarters to collect the Doctors. All five of them now had satisfied though rather unsettled expressions, they were each thinking to themselves that the others wouldn't believe what they had seen. Felix found their thoughts quite entertaining and looked forward to when he could share with his friends.

The party moved back to the landing bay to prepare for departure.

"Well Felix, we thank you for your hospitality. I do of course want to remind you that all I can do is advise my superiors and make recommendations. At the end of the day we personally will not be making the decision," explained Joseph.

"Yes of course, we understand. We hope you enjoyed your visit and look forward to hearing from you," responded Felix. "Oh, I almost forgot," Felix handed an information pad to Joseph, "I prepared a report on the Scourge for you."

"Ah that should make for interesting reading, thank you and farewell," bid Joseph and with that the five boarded their shuttle and the others cleared the landing bay.

The shuttle headed back to Earth and they watched it disappear from view from the bridge.

"I'd say that went well. They do appear genuine, although it's impossible to tell how their superiors will react," claimed Felix.

"Time will tell," added Lloyd.

Felix then spent the next hour describing all he could from what he had read from their guests. Maddison's story about Gaia's arm was the stand out and humour aside they all shared every piece of information they had acquired about the Earth's Government.

"You must have left a good impression," stated Erranos. They all looked at him unsure. "The shuttle is yet to land but the planetary defence system has just stood down."