Starcross

Prologue

“I have a rendezvous with Death  

At some disputed barricade,  

When Spring comes back with rustling shade  

And apple-blossoms fill the air—  

I have a rendezvous with Death         

When Spring brings back blue days and fair.”

Prologue

      The warm, earthy smell of fresh brewed coffee filled the crisp morning air; the sound of footsteps making their rhythmic noise that, along with the soft ticking of the analog clock hung behind him, he always found soothing. The sun was just coming up, he always preferred to get to the office early, and the orange glow filled his office as he sat back in his chair and relaxed for the last time until he went home late tonight.

      When the light filled his office, Richard Burbank, Director of the United States Embassy for Extra-Terrestrial Affairs, lowered his blinds and turn up the office lights.

      “Time for me to get to work,” He said to himself. Tapping the intercom button that opened a channel between him and his aide, Christopher Bena, he asked “Chris, when and with whom is my first appointment?”

      “In about five minutes with the Druidth Ambassador, sir,” Came the clear and speedy reply.

      “Lucky me,” He remarked.

      “Indeed sir. Shall I sent them in right away?”

      “Yes, that’ll be fine.” He instructed his young aide and closed the channel.

      Three years had passed since the first alien ships arrived in lunar orbit. When NASA first detected them, they were thought to be mere asteroids, even after they were found to be metallic in construction. Once NASA released the data, they had to spend millions of dollars to ensure everyone that they would pass well away from the Earth; then several companies came forward with announcements of proposals to capture and mine the objects instead of letting them pass. However, this was not meant to be because the cosmic objects started to slow down.

      Mere months after they were detected, they slowed to a fraction of their original speed, eventually came to a stop, and began orbiting the Earth’s only moon; not communicating, not threatening, doing nothing but just sitting there. That fact alone freaked out more people than the fact that they had even arrived at all, many religious groups and a more than a few of the less stable countries tried everything to interact with them; yet, what was now officially identified as ships, remained silent. Until one day, a signal was sent in standard binary and in no form of encryption.

      The message simply said, ‘Hello’.

      “Sir,” Chris stuck his head in the door, a little something he did whenever an official came to visit. “The Druidth Emissary is here.”

      Burbank rose and extended his arms. “Ae-yok, my friend. How are you today?”

      The pale-skinned man smiled back and embraced him in a hug, as he was well known to do. “I am very well today, Richard.” He answered.

      On average, the Druidth people stood around 6 feet, 3 inches and had slender builds, though Burbank has seen some that were shorter or a bit heavier. Their skin was milky white due to the fact that their home planet no being saturated with UV rays and thus having no need to evolve pigment. Ae-yok, a typical male Druidth name, wore a deep purple tunic that covered his arms to the wrist and extended down to his knees as was customary for formal events such as galas, formal events, and meeting dignitaries; casual wear was basically the same, Burbank found out quickly that all Druidth clothes were just variations on the same basic tunic. Whether they worked in an office or a field, went to a party or met royalty, the Druidth always wore some form of tunic that crossed over the shoulders with a V-neck and formed together for a simple skirt like bottom covering the mid-thigh.