NationStates Jolt Archive

A tiny glistening dot of flesh sat upon the vast expanse of space over the blue orb below. It made its chitinous living noises as sacs across it body filled and emptied with the various pastes and liquids needed for its continued survival in space. It had a purpose, contact, the first of its kind to do so.
IndentBeing possessed of such a small animal intellect it, and its brothers, were unable to comprehend the use of tool and technology. By accidental experimentation the first of these creatures had been spawned, they carried the hundred voices of a dense universe, intercepting the transmissions of Empires, Traders and Brigands.
IndentCasting its mirrored black eyes into space, it began to listen, separating the many voices until only a selection remained, these were the few nearest who would listen, it closed its eyes tightly as it shifted muscle mass and concentrated its synapses. Suddenly it let out a horrific shriek, piercing over the many frequencies of this universe, calling attention to its position. This was the emissary.

The ship that responded was not the one that heard the message – for the necrontyr had countless spy satellites – but it was apparently the first on the scene. Shaped like some primative arrow-head, the vessel was two hundred and fifty meters long – a light vessel, more a patrol the next-smallest vessel was over a kilometer wide.

This vessel emerged from hyperspeed several light minutes from the source of the transmission; it had no wish to engage with such things itself – and released a drone, a small object, a meter wide, with its own propulsion system. This, it teleported into place a thousand kilometers beyond it, as it decelerated, so that the drone would have its own initial velocity toward the object. The beetle-shaped drone accelerated, speeding toward its destination, as its parent vessel turned its sensors on the object.

The creature set its bug eyes on the interloper and watched it with intense curiosity as it made its way closer. The creature listened, trying to receive as much as it could of the alien vocabulary and mannerisms.
IndentAs the drone approached the creature began its next spawning cycle, convulsing heavily, as if to appear in a state of spastic fit. A second, quieter, shriek was released from the creature, its lower appendages tearing open a growing sac below its main body mass. Pale ooze seeped out into the vacuum of space, preceding the bulk of the gestation.
indentA singular oddly shaped womb drifted out from the sac, its contents wriggling free, piercing the thin membrane. Slowly it revealed the ugly wyrm inside. It took a singular struggling breath, as if already dying, then focused on the drone, "Good welcome aliens!" It announced through means unknown, in the best way it could understand the alien language, "Your curiosity is well met." It shuddered under the heavy weight of its powers, "we come for a meeting of traded resources and diplomatic unity." It took another sharp breath, shuddering again and keeping a focus on the drone as it continued its approach.

The Scout Cruiser Redemption heard the signal during a routine patrol around the edge of the Defesian Trade Republic's border, and as protocal demanded, they entered warp-drive in order to investigate.
They sent a transmission back of their current status before they entered warp-drive, to ensure the Home World would not throw the entire empire into a state of war panic if they disspeared suddenly.

The ship warmed up its engines, and entered warp drive. Nearing the strange signal. Jonithian Smith was the ship, its previous owner being killed in a duel on the homeworld...

http://www.fallingpixel.com/products/1205/mains/aspaceship-1.jpg

The Salaructuninthilwas interested in how quickly the alien picked up speech from its opening transmissions, and replied. On close analysis, it was quite repulsive, by the legacy aestetic standards which its machine-mind had inherited from its long-ago creators.

“Greetings. I am a representative of the Imperial Necrontyr Ship Salaructuninthil, from a distant part of this galaxy. What is it you wish to trade?”

Meanwhile the drone decelerated, coming to a relative stop a light second from the object, and waiting…

Repeating its process, the creature began to birth another linguist, in the face of a second expedition. The gruesome process followed its twin brothers creation perfectly, and now there were two of the alien creatures floating in the depths of space. This second creature, like its brother, took sharp breaths before focusing on the newest patrol.
Indent"I greet you explorers!" It welcomed the interest these aliens had in communication. "As my brethren does I do to. Our species seeks trade and diplomacy in this cold universe." It shuddered. "We wish you are here for the same."
IndentThe original son of the emissary ignored his brothers creation, listening to the response directed for him instead. "Good welcome representative of the Imperial Necrontyr Ship Salaructuninthil. I am without name." It paused to rest its fatigue. "Our species requires large quantities of sugars and water. Our return offer is in bio fuels, natural oils and if need be; the colonist rights to planets no longer required by the swarm." It took in a sharp breath and awaited the response.