Heron, Byron and Nelson were gathered around their table and discussing the test results.
"Not counting Cow, we have three fails and a pass by King Lance," said Heron, "This should get the Off Limits rating. We should get paid a small bonus which isn't too bad."
"One day they will be good enough to join the Federation, I suppose," said Byron.
"It's highly unlikely," said Nelson, "Even the pass is only a bare pass. Making them Off Limits is just a waste of time."
"What do you mean a waste of time?" asked Heron, "It may take some time, but it is better than being declared Non Compatible. Then the HTI will come in and wreck the place."
"Hunting Tours Incorporated - or HTI as you call them - do a wonderful job," said Nelson, "If a planet is Non Compatible they are of no use to anyone, often not even themselves. At least HTI provides many services which benefit the Federation."
Byron looked between Heron and Nelson. There was more going on here than he understood.
"Who are HTI?" Byron asked.
Nelson quickly responded before Heron could answer, "Hunting Tours Incorporated provides a valuable service to the Federation of Planets. For years members of the Federation would do secret hunts on various undiscovered - and discovered - planets. It was all very illegal and many good citizens of the Federation were injured or killed by these illegal tours. So about five hundred years ago, following a large public outcry, hunts were made legal so that no-one would get hurt. 'Safe, Legal and Rare' was the cry and HTI has been on the forefront in safe hunting for centuries."
While Nelson was giving his brief history lesson, Byron saw Heron get more and more upset. When Nelson finished Heron added his thoughts, "HTI has been organising hunts on planets with people - intelligent beings - for all this time. The number of hunts is greater than it ever had been and whole planets suffer from their depredations. Imagine HTI being let loose on Dirt! Although all our specimens were pretty hopeless, they don't deserve to be hunted."
"Bah!" said Nelson, "If they were declared Non Compatible then they don't deserve our worries or concerns."
"So if you were declared Non Compatible, could I hunt you?" Heron asked Nelson.
"Don't be silly," said Nelson, "Of course not. I am a citizen of the Federation of Planets and as such, have rights. Things from Non Compatible planets could never arise to such membership. It is just like hunting meat animals for food. What's the difference? You eat meat like we all do."
"Yeah, but my meat doesn't talk back before it is killed!" answered Heron hotly.
Byron spoke up, "Look, none of this matters. Dirt is definitely Off Limits so there are no problems, right?"
Nelson looked nonchalantly at Heron and went back to his bunk sipping some Fizzy and reading his tablet. Heron sighed and started work on his report. He had heard rumours that HTI had powerful friends in the Federation of Planets High Court and were always looking for new hunting planets. It had been said in the unofficial news sources that planets which had reasonably intelligent residents made better hunts and earned HTI more hunting fees with related merchandise and media rights. They even had their own entertainment network which showed exciting movies and documentaries on the joys of hunting and the benefits the Federation received from this perfect outlet for aggression.
Some hours later, Heron completed his official report. He placed the memory chip into the Drop Pod and set it aside. He had spent quite a bit of time providing additional evidence that although the result from the samples was less than stellar, the potential based on all they had seen of the planet indicated Off Limits would be the best result. Then he went to a well earned rest.
Once all was quiet, Nelson softly padded to the Drop Pod and pulled out the memory chip. He inserted it into his tablet and quickly went to work. A short while later he took the memory chip out of his tablet and replaced it into the Drop Pod. Then he placed the Drop Pod into the appropriate receptacle in the Control Panel and pressed SEND. The Drop Pod was sucked into the control panel, a cover slid over and in moments it was ejected from the ship and made haste to get to the Imperial Exploration Service HQ. Nelson then placed another memory chip into a second Drop Pod and sent that one the same way - but to a different destination. He then softy padded back into his bunk and lay down, pondering his bright new future.
*****
A short distance away (astronomically speaking) the crew of the International Space Station were doing their regular tests and communication checks.
Hans, a German scientist, sat up straight in front of his controls and called to his American companion, "Jim! I just saw something go shooting out of the junk orbit!"
"What?" replied Jim, "Are you sure, Hans?"
As they both looked another object went shooting out of the same location away from Earth into the depths of space at a speed space junk does not normally go.
Years of experience together meant not a word needed to be exchanged as they started tracking telemetry and scanning the source using their various instruments. Connor, another American astronaut and the leader of the crew came up behind them and watched the progress.
"That is not normal space junk, guys," said Connor.
"Since leaving orbit both objects have continued to accelerate. We are tracking their heat signatures but we will lose them soon," said Hans.
"Anything at the site the objects came from?" Connor asked Jim.
"I can't detect anything, but I think something is there by the way the junk is behaving," Jim answered.
"Behaving? How?" asked Connor.
"Well, the junk normally just goes along at predestined trajectories. We have them all recorded in our database. But some of the junk is not where it is supposed to be," Jim said, pointing at a close up of the area, "Look! One of the bits of junk bounced off something. I'm zooming in."
The picture on the screen showed the normal space junk but there was an area that was empty of space junk and as they were watching another piece bounced off the area.
"We've lost track of the two objects," Hans said, "They picked up speed extremely quickly."
"Boys, I think we have a spaceship hiding from us," Connor grinned at his companions, placing his hands on their shoulders, "Tell Houston we have a bogie!"
Captain Connor had been a fighter pilot before joining the space program and never thought he would get to use that phrase in space. He had a bogie!
"ISS. Please repeat," Houston asked after being told the news.
"Take a look at the scans we have sent down," said Connor, "We have a something in the junk belt in asynchronous orbit. It sent out two small objects which sped away at incredible velocity and are now lost to our detection. Can we investigate?"
"You're not in a fighter jet, Connor," said Houston.
"Well, it's not as if you can send a spaceship to have a closer look, can you?" said Connor, "How about we just manoeuvre a little bit and just have a little look?"
"One moment please, ISS," replied Houston.
"Guys, work out what we need to do to get closer. We're going to see a spaceship," said Connor quietly to his companions.
"ISS," announced Houston, "You have a go."
"Yes!" replied Connor pumping his fists in the air.
"Just don't wreck anything, Connor," added Houston.
"Who, me Sir?" replied Connor innocently.
"Let's sneak up on that sucker and see what he's doing," said Connor eying up his target and imaging a flashing target square over the mystery ship from his totally unarmed space station.
****
Byron awoke after a very restful sleep, rolled out of his cot and looked out the screen of Exploration ship. He then stopped stretching his arms and quietly spoke, "Heron! Nelson! Guys! Wake up!"
Heron rubbed his eyes and looked at Byron, "What is it, Byron?" and then stopped.
Looking past Byron and out into the space in front of them he didn't see the bits of space junk and then Dirt and space. He was looking straight into the faces of three Dirtlings looking at them from their stupid space station.
"Nelson! Wake Up!" Heron yelled as he rushed to the controls and frantically looked around.
"Where is the Data Pod?" he asked excitedly.
Nelson replied airily, "Oh that? I sent it off last night."
"What?!" cried Heron, "Why? I was going to make a few changes. Argh!"
"I was bored and woke up last night and thought I would do you a favour. Sorry for helping," said Nelson, still under his covers.
"Look out the window, Nelson!" cried Heron.
Nelson poked his head out and realised what was outside the ship.
"Oh," Nelson said in surprise.
"Oh indeed!" said Heron, "Let's get out of here."
****
"Will you look at that?" said Connor as they moved closer to the mystery ship. It certainly looked alien and it was all very black or non reflecting. It was no wonder they hadn't seen it.
"Do you think it's manned or just a drone?" asked Hans.
"Manned or Aliened?" replied Jim.
"Let's manoeuvre a little more and see if there is a front screen or something," instructed Connor as Hans manipulated the controls accordingly.
"Oh my Lord," said Connor as he zoomed in his video camera, recording everything for posterity, "It has a cabin … and controls and … it looks like there must be crew but we can't see anything."
"ISS, we are getting everything you are sending," piped Houston, "Go around and see what type of engines they have."
Connor nodded to Hans who moved the extremely clumsy space station around the explorer ship. Bits of space junk were brushed aside as all three astronauts winced at the scraping and bumping. The International Space Station was not designed with this type of mission in mind, but they couldn't miss the opportunity. In about an hour or so they had made a full circle around the ship, clearing away all the junk with only minor damage to themselves and were back looking into the alien cabin.
There wasn't much they could determine as the alien ship was inert, just floating in space with very little energy being used. Connor was not surprised they had not spotted it before. They were lucky they had seen the two objects sent from the ship.
As Connor zoomed in and carefully scanned the interior, he picked up movement from one of the corners of the cabin. A large blue alien rolled out of what could only be a bunk and stood up on his four legs. The alien then stretched his four arms in the air and in a circle around his body and then stopped. Connor let his camera slowly drop as he and the alien locked gazes.
"That's definitely alien!" Connor said.
"We're not alone!" said Jim and grinning broadly fist bumped Hans next to him.
Hans looked up at Connor, "Do we have any first contact protocols?"
"Houston, are you getting this?" Connor asked.
"Yes ISS, we are reading you loud and clear," answered Houston.
"Any First Contact advice?" Connor asked.
"One moment please, ISS," Houston said.
Meanwhile, another alien awoke, paused and then raced to the control panels, working frantically at the various buttons.
"They're going to fire!" yelled Connor, "Get us out of here!"
Hans quickly pressed the controls and the International Space Station went as fast as possible. It would probably take about an hour to get out of range.
Connor realised that if the aliens fired they were going to die.
He looked at the first blue alien who was still standing there staring at him. He paused and said to himself, "Why Not?"
He waved and gave a big smile.
****
While Heron was frantically waking up the ship so they could get away, Byron was still staring at the Dirtling in the other ship.
Then the Dirtling did a strange thing. He waved and smiled.
Byron waved back and smiled too.
Before anything more could happen, Heron had the ship moving. The Dirtling who had smiled lost his smile and stepped back as the explorer ship moved forward. The Explorer ship then banked and moved away from Dirt and back to the outer edge of the system.
Byron waved goodbye at the Dirtling. The Dirtling waved back.
Byron thought that perhaps they could be friends.
****
As Connor watched, the blue alien smiled back and waved at him.
"Well, what do you know?" muttered Connor, surprised that his first contact was so simple.
Then the alien ship began to move and came towards them. Connor, Hans and Jim all ducked futilely behind their controls out of instinct while their minds told them it wouldn't make any difference if the alien ship hit them. Then the ship banked and moved away.
Connor's last vision was of the blue alien waving at him, so he waved back.
"So, do you reckon we could be friends?" he asked his crew.
"I hope so," said Jim.