11
Contact
Rammel Garcia marveled at the clear blue sky, the green grass and the yellow flowers that adorned the path he and his party was following, hopefully to a place where they could obtain transport. It had been many cycles since he’d seen such wonders and seeing Earth in such splendor gave him great determination to make his mission a success. There had been much debate on how to make contact with the government of the United States. There had never been contact between these two worlds and everyone knew the wrong approach could be catastrophic.
The Deep Space Authority or DSA, had been sending probes to Earth for many cycles to study the planet and its people. Though there had been no landings on Earth, much was learned from the vast amounts of radio and electronic communications intercepted by the probes. In fact, Rammel had learned English and was anxious to try it out on the first humans he encountered now that he had finally made it to Earth.
As they came to the crest of a hill they saw a small town in the distance. There were eight in the party and they had no weapons. This was a peaceful mission and they wanted to be sure there was no doubt about that, so they left their laser rifles and other personal armaments in their ship. They could have brought a hover vehicle for transportation, but that would have prematurely made it apparent that visitors had arrived from another world.
They had brought many things with them, though—gifts for the U.S. President, their credentials, a letter from the Chancellor, and things that would prove they came from another world. They knew that it might be difficult for the government to accept the fact that human life existed in other solar systems. If they weren’t convincing they knew they could easily end up in a prison cell for the rest of their lives.
The initial approach was critical so they had decided to make their first contact with the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. They felt if anyone would listen to them and believe what they had to say, he would be the man. Their immediate problem, however, was to get into town unnoticed, obtain transportation, local currency, and get something to eat. None of them had eaten for over a year!
Although they’d been fed during their voyage from Tarizon it wasn’t by mouth and they longed for some good solid food. On the outskirts of town they hid their luggage and walked into town like they’d been out on an afternoon stroll. Although many people looked at them in their unusual attire as they passed by, nobody seemed alarmed or distressed that they were in town. So far, their arrival had been perfect. They hadn’t stuck out. Now they needed local currency and their plan was to find a pawn shop or jewelry store.
They got directions and found a jewelry store where they were able to sell an assortment of precious stones for pennies on the dollar. The proprietor must have thought he’d gotten the deal of a lifetime when he showed them out the door having parted with less than $5,000 for stones worth ten times that. But they’d gotten enough money to buy a used car, get new clothes, gasoline, food, and a hotel room when they got to New York City.
They arrived on a Sunday a few days before the next session of the United Nations General Assembly. Now the question was how to approach the Ambassador. It wouldn’t be easy to get a meeting since he was always surrounded by an entourage of diplomats and support staff, not to mention his security team. They’d have to call and try to make an appointment, but they couldn’t tell his staff the truth or they’d think it was a prank call or a lunatic had gotten hold of a telephone.
Rammel was nervous when he picked up the telephone to make the call. He was not used to the clumsy American telephones as all communications on Tarizon were hands free. The operator finally connected him to the Ambassador’s Secretary.
“Hello,” the voice said.
“Hello. Hi. This is Rammel Garcia.”
“Who?”
“Rammel Garcia, an emissary from Turvin. I’d like to make an appointment with the Ambassador.”
“What’s the nature of your visit?” she asked.
“I’ve come all the way from Shisk. We’d like to obtain membership in the United Nations and wanted to see if the United States would support us.”
“Well, I’ll discuss the matter with the Ambassador but he’s very busy. I can’t promise you he’ll be able to see you.”
“Tell him our government has much to offer in return for his support.”
“Well, okay. I’ll do that. Give me your number and we’ll get back with you.”
Rammel gave the secretary their hotel telephone number and then took his small delegation to the library. He knew there wouldn’t be a return call that day. In fact, he didn’t really expect a return phone call at all since, when the Ambassador tried to find Turvin and Shisk, he obviously wouldn’t have any luck. His intention was simply to get the Ambassador curious. In the meantime they had decided to learn as much about Earth and America as they could. The library was the obvious place to start, but the lure of the city soon got them out onto the streets amongst the hustle and bustle of New York City life.
The following day Rammel called the Ambassador’s office again and was told the Ambassador had gotten his message but hadn’t been able to fit him into his schedule yet. This went on each day for a week until the secretary finally asked. “Where is Turvin anyway? The Ambassador says he’s never heard of it.”
“It’s a new nation very rich in oil and diamonds. If the Ambassador will see me, I’ll show him where it is on the map and let him see some of the stones mined in our great nation. I have a gift for the President too, from our Chancellor.”
“A gift?”
“Yes, something quite magnificent. We were hopeful the Ambassador would see that he got it.”
“Well, he might do that. I’ll tell him what you said and get back with you.”
“Thank you. And tell him again that we can provide the United States much in return for its support.”
“Alright. I’ll remind him.”
Two days later the secretary called back and said the Ambassador could see them for ten minutes during the noon recess of the General Assembly. They were instructed to meet him at one of the conference rooms in the United Nations building and told them where they could get credentials and directions to the room.
Rammel was ecstatic that he’d finally gotten his audience with the Ambassador. He knew the Ambassador would be very skeptical about this nation of Turvin that nobody on his staff could find on a map, but he was sure his curiosity would give him a few minutes to make an impression. He’d didn’t think he’d need long.
The following day the delegation went to the United Nations Building as instructed, picked up their badges, went through a security check, and were escorted to the conference room where they were to meet the Ambassador. He hadn’t arrived yet so they were asked to wait. While they were waiting a young staff member questioned them.
“Where is Turvin, anyway? We couldn’t find it on any map. Is it in Africa?”
“No. It’s a very small nation. It’s not on the map.”
“So why do you think there is any chance it could get a seat in the United Nations General Assembly? The ambassador doesn’t have time to waste on hopeless causes.”
“It’s not a hopeless cause. Believe me, we will make it very worth while for the United States to support us.”
The young staff member was about to ask another question, when the Ambassador walked in. Rammel stood, smiled and bowed to the Ambassador. The Ambassador nodded and motioned for them to come into the conference room. The young staff member shook his head and walked away. Rammel and his delegation followed him in the conference room where the Ambassador’s staff was already seated. Security guards were posted at the door.
“Okay, tell me about this mysterious country called Turvin.” the Ambassador said.
“Yes, actually Turvin is a continent like North America. Shisk is the capital city of Soni which was once an independent nation but now is a state on Tarizon.”
“What? Tarizon? I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
&n
bsp; “Tarizon is not of this world. It’s a planet in another solar system. We have traveled for more than a year to get here.”
The ambassador started to laugh. “Is this some kind of joke?” He looked at his assistant. “Who put you up to this?”
“I assure you, Mr. Ambassador this is not a joke,” Rammel said strongly. “We have been sent by the Chancellor of the Tarizon World Council to establish diplomatic relations with the United States. I have a letter from the Chancellor himself if you’d like to see it.”
The Ambassador laughed again and glanced over to his assistant again. The assistant shrugged. The Ambassador turned back to Rammel, took the letter from him, and opened it. It was in Tari so the Ambassador handed it back and said, “Would you read it for me. I speak eight languages but certainly not one from another world.” He stifled another laugh and then forced himself to listen.
Rammel pulled out a small square metallic object from his pocket and placed it on the table. “Actually,” he said. “The Chancellor will read the message himself.” Rammel tapped the box and immediately a circular area on the top of the object lit up; a hologram of the Chancellor appeared above the box. He immediately began giving his message in English.
To the Most Honorable United States Ambassador to the United Nations:
Greetings from the people of Tarizon.
Forgive me for the manner in which we made first contact, but I think you can understand the need for the greatest discretion. Because our two worlds know nothing of each other and the greatest fear humans can face is fear of the unknown, we are making this first contact with you, America’s greatest diplomat, and have sent our most esteemed emissary, Rammel Garcia to bring our message. We trust that the two of you can breach the great gulf that stands between our two worlds so that a great alliance can be forged.
My emissary will explain our predicament and what assistance we will require. We pray that you will hear him out and help us in this time of great crisis. Your nation’s aid will be remembered and rewarded tenfold. I look forward to a long and profitable relationship between our worlds.
Malnor Artiss
Chancellor of Tarizon
Protector of the Supreme Mandate
The image disappeared and the room was so quiet you could have heard a feather drop. The Ambassador looked at Rammel and then at one of his staff members. Finally he spoke. “Well, that is quite a little device, but that doesn’t prove you are from another planet. Scientists have been working on holograms for years but, I’ll admit I haven’t seen one quite like that.”
“We knew you would be skeptical so we brought a lot of proof to convince you,” Rammel said. He took a stone out of his pocket and tossed it to the Ambassador. “Give this to your geologist. I think they will attest there is nothing like it on Earth.” Before the Ambassador could respond Rammel snapped his fingers and one of his female staff members came forward, put her arm on the table and pulled out a small knife. The security guards drew their weapons. The Ambassador gasped and came to his feet. Before anyone could stop her, the woman slashed the knife across her forearm. Blood immediately began to bubble out of the wound. The Ambassador looked at Rammel in horror.
“Don’t be alarmed Ambassador,” Rammel said. “This is just a simple demonstration of some of our medical technology that we hope to be able to share with your government.” Everyone in the room gathered around the woman to watch Rammel, who had pulled out a small jar and unscrewed the lid. The woman wiped the blood away with a rag and Rammel began applying the white liquid contained in the bottle on the wound. The bleeding immediately stopped and before their eyes the skin began repairing itself. In just a minute the horrible gash was gone.
The Ambassador looked up in astonishment. “Very impressive.” He laughed. “Your going to make a believer out of me yet.”
“Yes, but I can see you’re not a hundred percent certain quite yet. I think what I’m about to show you will change that. I’ll need a glass of water for this next demonstration.”
The Ambassador motioned to one of his aides. The aide produced a glass of water and handed it to Rammel. The woman who was still standing amongst the eager onlookers began to disrobe. The Ambassador looked around nervously. Some of the male aides were unable to stifle their amusement until the Ambassador gave them a dirty look. When the woman was finished she was standing before them in a bikini. Beneath the bra there were gills that were slowly moving in and out as the woman breathed. Several of the onlookers gasped in amazement.
“Lucilia is one quarter Seafolken. The Seafolken are a race of humans on Tarizon that has adapted to life in the sea. A full blooded Seafolken has a tough light green skin, feet and hands that become webbed while in water, and is amazingly strong. Quite interestingly the quarter breeds can look almost like you and I, except for the gills.” Rammel took the glass of water and began pouring it on Lucilia’s feet. Immediately they began to transform until they were much wider and webs began to form between her toes. Again there were gasps from the onlookers. Lucilia extended her hands and Rammel poured water on them as well. They began the same sort of transformation. “A quarter-breed can swim underwater for up to twenty minutes without surfacing. A full blood Seafolken can stay under water for hours.”
The Ambassador shook his head. “All right. I’m a believer. Can I see your ship?” he said smiling broadly.
“Of course, “ Rammel replied, “but only when we leave to go back to Tarizon. We can’t disclose its location yet.”
“I understand,” the Ambassador said. “This is indeed a momentous occasion. I am honored that you chose to make first contact with me. I promise I will do everything in my power to persuade our government to assist you in any way it can.”
Rammel bowed. “Thank you, Mr. Ambassador.”
“Tony,” the Ambassador said to one of his aids, “I want you to assign a full security detail to our guests and I want you to move them to the Hilton. No one is to talk to them. Put them on their own floor. Also, contact the director of the CIA and tell him I have to meet with him ASAP and I’ll need to see the President!”