now up to the four of you to prepare the world for their arrival. Control will suppress everything, so it'll be your word against theirs. You're going to face ridicule, persecution and more, but you have to let them know. Both species will come together, it is now unavoidable...”
Crackling dominated the communications link as the gasses in the upper reaches of Onn ionized around the hull of Nia-1. Nia-2 was gone. The cabin fell silent, save for the gentle hissing of the gas system. The crew exchanged glances, their lights muted with loss and uncertainty.
Dorn stared straight ahead at nothing, his eyelines dimmed, and then darkened as he slipped deep into thought. He pondered not the outcome of the inevitable contact, nor the explanation he would have to provide to the families of those on the lost ship and his superiors. Dorn floated aimlessly through his mind, desperately searching for a clue as to how he would convince the world that not only do intelligent aliens exist, but that they are coming.
The End
Afterword
Extremophiles explores the common trope of The Aliens are Scary, a prevalent theme that has dominated science-fiction and horror as far back as I can remember. In Extremophiles, humans are the scary aliens. I've always tried to imagine the initial response of an extraterrestrial species, a less advanced species in this case, discovering us. Even sight unseen, as in the story, the knowledge of life on a planet as alien as the Earth is to say, Saturn, could trigger a wide range of responses and conflicts.
How might intelligent beings emerging from the depths of a gas giant envision us? Will the aliens run away in fear, knowing all too well the manner in which more advanced species treat those lacking in technology? Will they see us as lava-breathing monsters, in comparison to their own biology? Will our probes landing on their moons and orbiting their worlds provoke or offend? What if the aliens think we're monsters?
*****
“I write because I'm terribly unhappy if I don't...” - W.P.
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