The Vanguard Protocol
Copyright© 2024 by Sci-FiTy1972
Chapter 5B: First Contact
Act II: Being Seen
The Erebus did not announce its arrival.
Space folded—not violently, but decisively—and then unfolded somewhere else entirely.
Thomas felt the jump in his chest before he saw it.
The stars outside the viewport were unfamiliar—brighter, closer, arranged in patterns no human constellation had ever mapped. Ahead, a massive structure hovered in the void: elegant, luminous, undeniably alive.
Elena gasped. “That’s ... not a ship.”
“Correct,” Solace said. “Concord Diplomatic Nexus.”
Gear crossed his arms. “So this is where we find out if the universe is friendly.”
Zara muttered, “Or if we just walked into a lion’s den.”
Thomas stood slowly, every instinct screaming awareness.
“Remind me again,” he said, “why I’m the one talking.”
“Because you carry authority by action, not title,” Solace replied. “They will recognize that.”
The Nexus responded—light shifting, space bending gently as a corridor of energy formed between the two structures.
A presence filled the bridge.
Not hostile.
Not welcoming.
Evaluating.
Elena whispered, “They’re scanning us.”
“Let them,” Thomas said quietly.
A figure resolved within the corridor—tall, luminous, humanoid but unmistakably alien. Its voice entered the ship not through sound, but resonance.
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