The evidence of the Noah's existence
and nature had all been located and brought to the representatives of
the countries in which the items were found. Through much discussion
and debate, a neutral location was chosen for the items to be brought
together and examined. A place where further debates can be made
without any one country having a home turf advantage. Each
representative would have two security personnel and a scientific
adviser with them. The small number in each party was determined to
balance the size from each nation and not overtax the limited
resources readily available at the chosen location. The lack of
native population, military presence, or cultural influence meant
that Antarctica would be an ideal meeting place for both
international and interstellar guests despite the harsh environment.
Shelters were set up for each group to
participate in their respective activities. The scientists shared
notes on the items that had been found, their theories regarding the
materials the items were made of, and possible methods for
translating the strange script engraved on them. The various
governmental representatives met in small committees that attempted
to establish proper protocols and priorities for future meetings.
Very little was said about the signal that had brought them all
together. Off duty security personnel simply lounged around and
discussed various travels they had been on and former comrades that
had been lost to one foe or another, sometimes speaking with the
fatal individual themselves. Mere weeks had passed since the Noah's
signal had first been detected and received. Most of the world's
population assumed that bringing all of these differing people
together so fast meant they could quickly come up with a solution to
the problem of the Drag'kun that would benefit everyone. Two things
nobody realized was how long it would really take the politics to get
anything accomplished and that the two year deadline mentioned by the
Noah was an overestimation.
While all the talking, discussing, and
theorizing was happening, the Noah continued approaching the Earth.
They finally settled in an orbit slightly larger than that of the
moon. They monitored military, civilian, and commercial
communications frequencies with much intensity. Partly out of their
natural curiosity for the residents of this planet, and partly out of
a hope for a reply to their initial broadcast. All of their
attention was focused on the blue planet below and, with the help of
its residents, protecting as much of the population as possible.
The Drag'kun scout probe continued on
its path, approaching the fourth planet of the system and keeping it
between them and the Noah battleship as they begin their arc away
from the sun. The captain of the craft closely watches the occupied
planet and the other ship to ensure they aren't detected as he begins
to transmit a directed signal to the fleet. His estimation was that
a medium sized attack force would be sufficient. The only real
opposition would come from the Noah battleship. The planet itself
couldn't raise more than a few simple nuclear missiles that were best
suited for harming the planet itself. No real threat to a force in
orbit.
Technological rewards would be at a
minimum, but natural resources would more than make up
for the lack of usable parts to replace damaged ship components. The
significant amount of slave labor the prominent intelligent species
offered would keep the captains of all the attacking ships more than
satisfied. If nothing else, all the animal species of the planet
could be used to replenish food stores through the majority of the
fleet.
All of this was transmitted from the
scout pod to the Drag'kun in charge of the large fleet. The signal
was sent in a series of small, quick bursts to minimize the chances
of detection and interception by anyone else. This procedure was
followed despite the small chance that anyone else in the system even
knew they were there.
By the time the scout ship rejoined
them, the attackers would be done with their efforts and splitting
whatever spoils they obtained amongst themselves. He knew there
would be some rewards for him and his crew, but the best choices
would be kept by the attacking captains for their own enjoyment.
Unbeknownst to the captain, a small
robotic probe on the red planet below the Drag'kun craft and its
orbiting relay satellite operated on a frequency complimentary to the
one the scout captain used. The satellite picked up the transmission
and automatically relayed it to monitoring station. Only a single
person noticed the odd signal embedded in the usual feed from the
scientific instruments of the robot. It suddenly struck her that she
was looking at another signal from an alien species. With all the
top scientists in Antarctica, could she get anyone's attention?
Would they understand what this other signal meant? Did she
understand what it meant?
Once again, to be continued.....
On a side note, my calendar is in the shop so I should have the next post up on Wednesday as promised, not Thursday.
