Chapter 2 Is time really important?

Act 1 Eons of the same.

Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming, swimming: whrah, whraah, whrahh, whraaah! No, I still can't say what I'm thinking; In a planet of gas a being shadowed by clouds moved through it slowly, as any creature that size should move, yet it gave out sounds too low for its gigantic but slim eel like frame.

I kept moving, going into the dark place, getting faster, and then going through the bright place, until I'm out of the cloudy place. and closer to the blue ball, yet I always end back on the cloudy ball. . . I kept doing this over and over. until I saw something moving closer, it was slow, but it was getting closer.

Until I jumped, I felt it. . . a large something bonked me, it stopped moving, as I stopped moving. I looked towards the blue flaming ball, it was still too far.

I looked back at the thing that kept me from moving towards the blue flaming ball. . . I took a bite on its crunchy surface. It tasted salty? No, something else. . . it tasted nutty and earthy, it was good, I kept biting and chewing at the thing.

But then I took another bite and then started chewing something very crunchy. . . it was good, but as I ate my thoughts faded again. damn, why does this keep hap. . pen. . . ing.

- - - - -

Where? I felt heavy, I was moving, just like my last time awake, my body moves even though my mind sleeps. . . sweet, a thought passed me, I looked around and realized I was feeding on the yellow clouds again. except I felt stronger and larger.

I looked up and then started swimming, this time as I broke free from the clouded place. I wasn't being forced to go back. I felt no pull strong enough that I needed to fight it. . . no, it's still there. I followed that pull, and then I was back inside the bright part of the cloudy place.

I went outside again. And just stayed there swimming forward, close to the clouded place. I looked at the blue fireball. I can feel like I reach it this time, even without igniting that ember I feel inside me.

I looked away from the blue thing, and saw more of those meaty things but they were around another cloudy ball. I looked back at my cloudy ball and then I started swimming towards the other cloudy ball with a ring of nutty things.

But as I did, I felt everything moving farther than me, the cloudy place I was going to was getting farther as I moved closer, then I looked back and saw that my cloudy place was closer to me as I moved away from it. . . I stopped moving, and then just floated on the surface of my cloudy place, being moved by it's pull.

For once I closed my eyes, I started to look inside of me, not just in my mind and thoughts, but also inside my new flesh. and felt for the pull that I know was there. and, it was very weak, but I tried and let it pull me. I opened my eyes and now I wasn't moving. My cloud place was getting farther as the other cloudy place was getting closer and all I needed to do was wait.

Act 2 The observer.

Log date, 3 o by 5199 of 119 AMH

It has been 3 orbits of this system since I found a peculiar stellar life form. I have been going through this star cluster, as an exploratory agent, my human support fleet is still a few systems away so I kept surveying the system.

While watching as the large lifeform attempted to reach the star of this system it kept trying and trying but then an asteroid came by and struck the lifeform but it wasn't squished by the asteroid as first suspected but simply bounced off the lifeform.

And then I saw it starting to eat the asteroid. It took 4 cycles before it finished eating the whole space rock but it did and then it went back to the gas giant it kept returning to everytime it jumped and then it stayed there.

Buzz- - - Buzz - - -Buzz

Log date 125 AMH by 5299.

It's been 6 galactic years since anyone entered the space life preservation system-005. But then the sensors activated and showed a large organic life signature, I was close by when I received the signal.

The protocol for this was already established 5 galactic years ago, the first contact protocol which states that every race that has gained the ability for space travel is permitted to be contacted and supported by members of the Star Council.

Elder Niyal. . . Elder. Are you there? We're nearing our destination Elder; I looked away from the data screens and looked down and saw my support team. There were a dozen humans inside the observation chamber.

They were working using data screens sitting on chairs or inside those aquarium-like tubes they said that they were using to keep themselves alive longer, it was odd seeing humans just floating asleep while working.

While the rest kept moving around. . . I prefer the ones inside those aquariums; Elder? The one trying to get my attention was already on the higher platform, which humans called the navigation seat. Keep the cloak on, navigator Samantha, will do another full survey of the system before initiating first contact.

I vibrated the translator on my chest to translate my thoughts into words that the human would understand, and she did, as she gave me a nod; Yes Elder, acknowledge. everyone back to your stations full sweep before we meet the space whale! 

Cheers erupted through the observation chamber as we finally got out of the hyperlane. It was a simple 1 star system with two gas giants, one of them has a heavy iron asteroid ring. 3 barren planetary bodies, and a system wide glacier ring.

Typical type 1 system. The humans mostly use these kinds of systems as an extraction point or resource depot and at best they build a system station to control their extractor drones. At worst they leave the system alone and set up a remotely operated Sensor station.

This one the human's listed as a type 6 system because of this colossal lifeform. so they made an observation station at the edge of the system and it was on the face of a large glacial asteroid smaller than our ship, orbiting with the glacial ring. It took a few minutes to get there at sublight speed and an hour for my technicians to connect to it. They told me the tech on the station was older than the ones they were using, and the dumb digital AI inside it was going through the redundant protocols.

But for me it only felt like a few moments of waiting. data started to flow through my computer screens, and I read through them, as my support team worked on a remote survey using drones.

Then one of them spoke; Elder! Look at this; The young human male sent me an image. It was an image of the "Space Whale" lifeform; it was larger than the last image taken of it. The natural armor was new, and from the scans the armor's material has the same composition to those iron rich asteroids. on the gas giant, it's slowly swimming too.

Act 3 They can talk? And they want to talk to us!

krraaak, krak, kraak; I was eating one of the smaller crunchy rocks, it was good. I was enjoying it as I felt a new pull inside me, not my old cloudy place, nor the flaming ball. It's not even like the crunchy rocks I'm eating. But they are similar.

It was getting closer and then it was in front of me, it was shiny, smooth in a shape unlike the crunchy things, but it feels cold. So I Ignored it and kept eating. . . 

Elder? Yes Navigator Samantha? What do we do now? Elder, were supposed to land on the planet or on the atmosphere and then start doing a language exchange. . .

The human's right the last few contacts we've done were less this. . . and more fear, happiness or aggression. . . not blatant indifference; one of the human crew stood up.

Ma'am! I found something, listen to this! A recording from one of the gas giants; whrah, whrash, wshh, whraaah. . . Deep vibrating sounds came from the speakers, everyone listened to it, and all the humans had the same thought.

It really is a whale! One of the humans yelled, she was smiling as she tapped away at her outdated computer screen. Her left eye glowed as she processed data.

Hmm. . . Those vibrations might be. Navigator Samantha, please move the vessel into orbit. Communication Officer Kimiko, please, prepare the instruments. Everyone, prepare for first contact.

Whaaaaaah! Great vibrations echoed through the iron dusted filled asteroid belt, after the large creature finished eating its rock and then dived back inside the gas giant.

Those vibrating echoes felt heavy, yet it wasn't a roar of fear, or challenge it was as if it said. . . Sleep? No this can't be, is this space whale, similar to me? To my race? I should try; The large 10 metered six armed Xeno moved with grace as her humans tried deciphering the sounds the space whale made.

Elder? What are you making? Samantha asked. We are now trying to see if any whale songs we know of can be used to get the attention of the space whale; The elder looked below her as 3 of her eyes continued looking at her work, but as her focus is separated her hands slowed to the point the humans can see the actions being done.

Hold for now N.Samantha. Let me finish the modifications I'm making to the translator. It seems this life form has a similar way of communication as my people, but unlike ours it is more simple, with complexities in its ionic charges, rather than the molecular vibrations.

The room quieted from my revelation. ha ha ha! My laughter came as a cheerful vibration of the air around me. It's always amusing seeing them like this. but that silence only lasted a minute, as they went back to work, but this time with a solid lead on the direction they needed for communication.

Then done, the thing I made looked like a hexagonal flute with needles, with dozens of polygonal holes; C.O Kimiko, please replay the recordings we have in this frequency; I vibrated my finger as the communications officer used a device they called a microphone except this one was large with many sensitive hairs on a signal dish at the speaking part.

I placed my finger closer to the device as she looked at the numbers showing at her screen; Alright Elder, you may stop. Here, C.O Kimiko place it near your audio device. I gave her my modified translator. While placed on a spare, on my chest.

She did as she was told but was helped by 3 more humans, as the device I made was bigger and denser than it needed to be. If I had more time it could have been human compatible.

But this contact was time sensitive as we do not know when the next emergence of this creature will be, once it goes through another hibernation period. And I really want to be the one to make first contact as my older sister made first observations.

Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. . . The song kept playing on repeat, this was one of the recordings from the other gas giant. Kimiko used another recording and then another, it was all simple songs about eating, swimming, things being sweet, dark or bright. . .

It was all so beautiful sounding like an opera singer singing nursery songs. Samantha thought. I rubbed the forming tear on my eye as I looked up at the head advisor of this exploratory space vessel. I was smiling brightly; Elder! We did it! Do we begin contact!

Before the elder spoke, a man spoke up. He was one of Kimiko's assistants. Ma'am! Look at this! We've gone through the last recording and it said it's gonna sleep! We need to hurry!

I listened to the last translated recording and it did say sleepy. . . alright we need to do this now. Kimiko, prepare translation. Hector, prepare video screen projection. Martin, prepare first contact scripts. David ready the defenses. Call when ready. 

It took only minutes before everyone gave the already signs but as we moved closer to the space whale puffing gas giant gas and ignoring lightning strikes. Elder Niyal spoke.

N.Samantha, cut off the impulse engine once we reach communication range the engine's ionic discharges would affect our communications output.

The order went through and after an hour of preparation we engaged; I am Navigation Captain Samantha Pravateer. We of the Council fleet come in peace, good to meet you fellow star sailor. . . 

The Live video projected, the sounds came in the same deep echoing vibrations; The whale life form looked toward the projection of a human, and then went back to smoking gas giant clouds.

The crew was quiet. . . So what do we do now? Wait! No look! We all looked onto the observation screen. The whale took a really deep breath, the clouds around it cleared for a second revealing the acidic sea below. The crust of this gas giant

And then it moved, it was slow, very slow, might be a fourth of the impulse speed the vessel I navigate can manage, but it was fast for something organic life can do.

Then we heard its whale song as it translated; Food? Its translated voice was masculine and deep. That's not, Ideal. The elder spoke, her voice, was very disappointed. At Least they want to talk to us? Kimiko said encouragingly to our Captain Adviser.