Species 5319: Salvation

By Dalton S. Hendra

Dr. Malcolm McKinnon and his team have successfully made first contact, although that monumental step is just the beginning. Each new discovery about the aliens raises new and potentially devastating revelations. For the moment, a divided Earth teetering on the edge of economic collapse and anarchy has avoided complete destruction, but how long will that last? And how much longer can the US government keep this incredible discovery secret from the public? Earth needs to be saved and protected from a threat that nobody was anticipating, a threat with the potential to destroy the planet and write the final chapter in the history books.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dalton S. Hendra
• Release date: Jun 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463717004

Dalton S. Hendra

Dalton S. Hendra is a science fiction writer based in Canada. He enjoyed watching TV shows and movies and being in nature, especially at the beach. Dalton S. Hendra is a pseudonym.

Book preview

Chapter 1: Alien spaceship, near the Moon

We are approaching the alien’s mothership. Do you copy Mission Control? Dr. Malcolm McKinnon frowned as static filled his earpiece. The radios operated on multiple frequencies and were supposed to work inside of a ship. ‘A human ship,’ he thought as he glanced at the aliens for a moment and the holographic controls they were using to guide their ship. Dread filled him for a moment as he realized someone at the Pentagon was probably already assuming the dead air meant the aliens had made a hostile action, which would precipitate an attack by Earth.

Can you hear me? Lee asked. The former astronaut’s voice was filled with tension and he looked scared, which was unusual given the number of missions he had served with NASA and the Air Force. Those experiences were usually enough to make anybody immune from any kind of fear. Mal, do you copy, can you hear me?

Affirmative, he replied, relief surging through him as he realized part of the system was working, at least. There is some static but you are relatively clear. It’s just eternal signals that are not working.

Major, do you have anything on the, uhh, other channel? The military officer assigned to his team had a military-only channel that he didn’t have access to and wasn’t technically supposed to know about. It seemed to provide a direct line to the Pentagon and hopefully used a different frequency that could transmit through the alien’s ship and any shielding they had in place.

No, nothing. We’re almost at the ship, Major Ramiro Avilo said, an edge to his voice that seemed sharp enough to cut through steel. Malcolm looked back at the huge holographic display filling most of the empty interior of the small, wedge-shaped ship they were traveling in and realized he was right. The alien’s mothership looked tiny compared to the moon, a small cube silhouetted against the black void of space, yet it was far larger than anything the human race could manufacture.

Remember to do lots of sweeps to get as many visuals as possible, the leader of the First Contact Team said into the internal system as he intently watched the two aliens monitoring their approach to the cube-shaped ship. Cameras and microphones embedded in their suits were recording every moment in high definition. Someday the footage would be probably be turned into a video that would blow away all records set by Hollywood or online videos. That depended on whether any of this eventually saw the light of day, of course, which was far from certain.

‘If we make it back home,’ he thought as he mentally reviewed the plan to get them back to terra firma. Hitching a ride with the aliens down to the surface was desperate and anything but a sure thing, and yet there was no other way. Inviting the aliens down to the planet’s surface before meeting them face-to-face was incredibly dangerous, a risk that even he wouldn’t take. The Dragon capsule they had used to get into orbit didn’t have the range to get to the Moon and any other option Earth had available would take months, if not years of development.

The sad reality was that, despite the hundreds of billions poured into space programs around the planet, the human race had barely advanced in space technology. They were only here right now because of SpaceX, the private company founded by technology billionaire Aton Hurk, which was another failure of inadequate funding from Congress. Species 5319 had probably quickly realized how primitive their species was and were probably taking pity on them by giving them a ride. ‘If they understand human emotions,’ he thought as he made a mental note.

What is the name of your ship? Lee asked through the external speakers, the noise making him jump as a new image caught his attention as he looked down at the floor. A kind of visual illusion had erased the smooth surface, replacing it with a real-time feed of the smaller ship approaching the mothership. An indent was cut out of the top side of the ship, which seemed to match the exact dimensions of the wedge-shaped ship they were currently traveling on. That allowed the ship to retain its uniform cubed shape, although it was probably technically difficult to construct the docking indent.

Scout … class … vessel, the aliens replied in a voice that was very similar to his, although it was impossible to determine which one had spoken. He had featured in videos sent to the aliens when first contact was established and they had selected his voice for verbal communication. In another setting it would probably be an honour but right now it felt creepy and weird. A faint shudder reverberated through the ship as it slowed on approach to its docking station. Malcolm let his mind race for a moment as he examined the indent, wondering just how it had been constructed.

Most science fiction shows had the smaller landing craft stored within the spaceship, not on the outside, although those were purely fictional. In real life having an internal landing bay would waste a lot of valuable space inside of a ship and was probably more costly and difficult to construct. On the other hand, building the indents could compromise hull integrity if not done properly and meant the landing ships would take the brunt of any kind of attack, which meant any means of escape would be lost.

Brace yourselves, he warned as the landing ship rapidly approached the mothership. More shudders vibrated through the hull as he bent his knees and prepared for a big jolt. Sweat trickled down his face and his heart raced as he watched the two ships merge in the holographic display, two faint thuds marking the moment when they finally joined into one. Soft lights illuminated the interior as the aliens slowly loped towards the door. ‘That was smooth,’ he thought as he stood up straight and looked at the other members of his team.

Come in Mr. McKinnon, this is NASA Mission Control. Dr. McKinnon, do you copy? The message repeated in his ear as the static suddenly vanished, relief surging through him as he realized the signal was not being blocked anymore.

Loud and clear, Mission Control, he replied with a grin. It’s good to hear your voice. We have, uhh, just docked with the alien spaceship, the doors are opening right now. They, uhh, the ship is called a Scout-class vessel according to Species 5319. We haven’t learned anything else about them, though. Are you getting video as well?

Yes, we are. Confirm the name ‘Scout-class vessel,’ is that exactly what they said?

Yeah, that’s right, he said as he suddenly realized the implication of the name. The aliens were using the internet, most of which was basically unencrypted, to research and understand human culture, but also to learn their language. The term ‘scout’ was something they would have selected and implied, to him at least, a military term. ‘These guys are the advance team,’ he realized as he wondered who was following them. The next ship could be a warship or even an entire fleet, a realization that caused his stomach to clench into a knot.

Dr. Malcolm McKinnon … after … follow. There was no sign which alien had made the statement as they both paused at the door, their oversized heads swiveling to look at the humans before it opened silently and they walked through it. McKinnon took a deep breath before following, his heart racing as he realized that he was the first person in history to step onto an alien spaceship.

Dr. McKinnon, this is Mission Control. Do you have any readings on the atmosphere inside the vessel? ‘Don’t forget the mission,’ he castigated himself as he tapped one of the instruments on his arm to start the analysis protocol as he looked around. There was very little to see in the stark hallway, which had no decorations of any kind and no joint welds or bolts that even hinted at how it had been constructed. So far the entire ship appeared to be carved out of a giant piece of metal, although that was probably just an appearance.

It’s breathable, he replied as he read off the figures from the small screen. Higher oxygen content than Earth but it’s well within tolerances. I don’t see any kind of breathing apparatus on the aliens which suggests they have a similar oxygen requirements to ours.

I don’t understand how they have artificial gravity without a rotating ring, Lee Ackers muttered in a low, tense tone. They must have, uhh, some kind of technology that we don’t know about. The leader of the First Contact Team nodded silently as he followed the aliens into the ship. That was just one of many questions they had for their extraterrestrial visitors and one that could wait for later.

We’re going down a stairwell, he narrated as the aliens swiftly descended down the large, oversized stairs. There was no railing which meant they only had the smooth, slippery walls for support. After going down two levels he walked through a doorway and into the huge gymnasium-like room at the heart of the ship. In the middle was the Mars rover Curiousity and six other aliens, forming a semi-circle in the middle of the room. The two that had escorted them on the smaller ship joined the group, all of whom were staring at the three humans.

We can see you, Dr. McKinnon, Mission Control said after the rover’s main camera silently swung in their direction. The only sound filling the room came from the rover, whose fans were working in overdrive to keep its powerful computers and internal systems at a safe operating temperature. It had been designed for Mars’ frigid temperatures, not the warmth of the alien ship. There had been several attempts at reprogramming its systems to use less heat before they were abandoned in favour of running the fans on overdrive.

Welcome … Dr. Malcolm McKinnon, the aliens said as one of them stepped forward, its lower hand extended. They were about 8-feet tall with long, sinewy bodies capped with a large, oversized head. Two sets of long, lean arms and slender fingers with matched by bi-articulated legs with both a forward knee and a reverse knee. He slowly walked forward, his eyes flashing from the seemingly identical aliens to the rover’s camera to the huge room they were standing in.

Hello Species 5319, he said in a loud, clear voice that echoed in the large, empty space. Thank you for inviting us onboard your ship. He paused again as he gently shook the alien’s hand, his heart hammering as the flexible fingers wrapped around his, feeling more like snakes than digits. McKinnon took a deep breath, trying to savour the moment as his mind worked in overdrive to process everything that was happening. It is a pleasure to meet you in person. You have come a long way to be here. Several aliens started typing rapidly on small, round holographic keypads as their leader took a step backwards and joined the semi-circle of aliens watching their every move.

Dr. McKinnon, the lights appear to have dimmed. What’s going on? Mission Control asked he looked up at the stars filling the room. The massive hologram continued to form as the stars formed a familiar shape in the sky, the sight of which took his breath away.

It’s a, uhh, I think it’s a map of the galaxy, he said, his trained eyes picking out patterns in the spectacular scene unfolding before their eyes. I think they, uhh, are showing us how they got here and, uhh, their path through the galaxy. They, uhh, OK, I see the Milky Way on the right, uhh, on your left from the rover’s perspective. The other one is … the astrophysicists’ voice trailed off as he realized a line was being etched from a neighbouring galaxy to the Milky Way. Crossing the cosmic void between galaxies was a feat that only a handful of scientific papers had considered and was an area of space that humanity knew very little about.

They came from another galaxy? How the hell is that possible? Lee Ackers demanded in a tone that almost sounded angry. That’s a, a hell of a lot of light years away from here, it would take thousands of years. ‘They are way more advanced than us,’ the leader of the First Contact Team thought as he realized that NASA was waiting for him to continue.

Are you getting this, Mission Control? We can see the Milky Way and, uhh, a neighbouring galaxy, I can’t identify which one at the moment. They came from a long ways away.

The feed is very dark and difficult to see, came a tense reply. We can probably clean it up afterwards and adjust the video settings. We can see the line, though, uhh, please get verbal confirmation from them if you can. McKinnon just had time to open his mouth as the holographic projection changed.

Assistance … help … correction required … repair … Scout-class vessel. The projection zoomed in on the solar system as the line extended through the Kuiper Belt while small meteorites and asteroids impacted the front part of their ship. It slowly moved to Mars before going to Saturn and finally to its present location behind the Moon. ‘Are they here on purpose or by accident?’ he wondered as he realized they were waiting for him to reply.

It appears that you have travelled a large distance, from another galaxy to come to the Milky Way. Is that correct? A single tone sounded as a hologram of the Milky Way and its nearest neighbour, the Andromeda galactic system filled the room.

Correct Dr. Malcolm McKinnon. He nodded as he suddenly realized the carefully planned script he had developed with NASA had been completely forgotten. That didn’t matter as long as they received answers to some burning questions.

I have been authorized to begin discussions with you on how we can help repair your ship. But, uhh, before that I would like to introduce myself and my team. As you know, I am Dr. Malcolm McKinnon, the leader of the First Contact Team. This is Lee Ackers and Major Ramiro Avilo, who are also members of my team. On behalf of President Jeffrey Wallace, the United States government and the human race, I would like to officially welcome you to the solar system. Silence filled the room for several long moments as he wondered if he had forgotten anything.

President Jeffrey Wallace. President-elect Scott Kinley. The aliens continued rattling off names of world leaders in rapid succession as their pictures filled the room. ‘What the hell is this?’ Malcolm wondered as he glanced at Lee and Ramiro. They both looked equally confused as the names and pictures kept filling the room, including the leader of the UN and other multinational organizations.

These are all leaders of nations on Earth. President Jeffrey Wallace is currently the President of a nation called the United States of America, which is the most powerful nation on Earth. Ensuring that the US had sole communication with the aliens was critical for a number of reasons, most important of which was global security. The pictures slid to a neat pile on the side as Earth unfolded in the middle of the room, several locations highlighted across the blue planet. National borders were added to the image, along with the pictures of leaders controlling the nations where they had added bright red markers.

Assistance … required … they replied before reeling off a list of metals and resources at each location. ‘They’re telling us what they need to repair their ship,’ McKinnon realized as his mind started analyzing the situation. The aliens had just met the human race and seemed very eager to repair their ship, which probably meant they wanted to leave. That implied they were in a hurry, a thought that started his mind racing down a new avenue of questions and concerns.

You have identified the resources needed to fix your ship. Have you made contact or had, uhh, communications with the other countries you identified to obtain those minerals? An icy ball formed in the pit of his stomach as he realized that China and Russia, two powerful adversaries with formidable space programs of their own, were included on the list. If anybody else had even a hint of Species 5319’s arrival and broke the news than a global panic was inevitable, which had consequences that he did not want to consider.

Negative. The room echoed with this response for a long moment as he stared at the map, frowning as he realized that the Russian leader was not one that he immediately recognized.

Mission Control to Dr. McKinnon. Please ask them whether they have only made contact through the rover Curiousity or if they have used any other channels or, uhh, methods. He took a moment to consider how to frame that one before he started speaking. If they had made contact with any other nation and news of their arrival was spreading than the US government with its massive intelligence network would know about it very quickly. The dawn of the internet and social media meant that information was transmitted very, very quickly, much more so than in previous decades.

I think that’s pretty clear, Mission Control, he said a few minutes later after the aliens had played a video showing them analyzing other satellites and equipment on Mars, including a defunct Soviet lander and one the European Union had lost. Curiousity and Opportunity were the only functioning rovers and they had chosen the newer, more powerful of the machines. That meant they were intelligent and, in a way, courteous to avoid affecting an ongoing human scientific mission.

Please do not make contact or communicate with other countries, Malcolm continued as he switched back to external speakers. The United States of America will help you get what you need to fix your ship. If you make contact with other nations it could create a global panic. There’s a lot of, uhh, concern and fear among human beings about aliens such as yourself and we want to protect you in case anybody tries to cause you harm. As you have probably, uhh, learned, uhh, the subject of aliens and first contact causes a lot of anxiety among human beings.

Correct, they replied as an animation of missiles from Earth impacting and destroying their mothership played for a moment. Technically speaking the feat was only possible with modifications to existing missiles, although that was not something they wanted the aliens to know yet.

They already understand Hollywood, Lee muttered as the aliens played simultaneous clips from a dozen movies depicting fictional alien attacks. He shuddered for a moment as he watched wildly inaccurate portrayals of science shown in several of the scenes and hoped that the aliens were smart enough to separate fiction from reality.

Species 5319 … friend ally support … Earth. Correct … repair Scout-class … vessel … Two soft beeps filled the room as the holographic screen cleared and a new animation begin playing. Metals and resources from several countries were brought to two factories, where they were processed and transported to their ship. Large metal panels were detached from the ship and repaired with teams of humans acting as construction workers. The scene ended with the aliens handing President Wallace a large diamond, which was overlaid with a computer hard drive, and finally the aliens leaving. Malcolm blinked as he tried to understand the scene that he had just witnessed.

Are you getting all this, Mission Control? he asked in an awed tone. We need to, uhh, analyze and understand all of that, it’s why they are here. Their spacesuits were equipped with a camera and hard drive, although it was far lower quality than the rover. There was already enough several months of content to analyze and they had just started talking to their visitors.

Affirmative, Doctor, came a delayed reply. Just, uhh, keep asking them questions, uhh, specifically about their ship and their plans. You’re doing great so far. He nodded, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves as he switched back to the external speaker.

The United States of America and the citizens of the planet Earth will be a friend to Species 5319 and we will discuss how to repair your ship. We have a few more questions for you and then would like to invite you down to Earth so you can talk to our leaders. Before that happens, we would like to see more of your ship. Can you give us a tour? It was several minutes before the aliens seemed to understand the message and replied with a single beep, which indicated a yes.

The same aliens who had given them a ride from the Dragon capsule loped towards a door, Dr. McKinnon and his team following them as a door suddenly materialized in what had seemed like a solid wall. ‘You’ve lived your entire life for this,’ he thought as he glanced at the display from his oxygen tank and realized he would need a new one soon. That was a problem for later, right now they had to focus on learning everything they could about the ship and the aliens.

Chapter 2: Situation Room, The White House

It’s a very utilitarian ship, I don’t see any decorations or anything on the walls, President Wallace was saying as President-elect Scott Kinley returned from the small mess adjacent to the highly secure room, a fresh cup of coffee in his hands. Not even an attempt at a design or colour or anything. Does that tell us anything about them?

It seems more likely to me that it’s a military ship rather than a civilian one, Sir, the Secretary of Defense replied as he stared fixedly at the screens showing history being made before their eyes.

Assuming those concepts exist in their society, the Secretary of State shot back in an exasperated tone. We still know nothing about them, other than their DNA sequence and where they came from. For all we know, they are a completely peaceful society that doesn’t have any kind of, uhh, aggressive technology like guns or anything.

With all due respect, Ma’am, we need to assume otherwise until we know more information, General Mack Draper, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff replied. So far they have not displayed any hostile intentions but that could change quickly. I, uhh, we need to maintain a defensive posture until more is known about their background and intentions.

Their stated purpose makes sense to me, Michael Alexander said as he frowned at one of the TV monitors covering the wall, each one filled with a still from the most recent interaction with the aliens. The NASA Administrator was not usually included in briefings held in this room, but this one was unique and his perspective would be valuable. ‘He’s the closest we have to an expert,’ President-elect Scott Kinley thought as he noticed President Wallace frowning at the bureaucrat, who was still talking.

Their ship is clearly damaged and the information they have provided so far can be logically substantiated. It’s not beyond reasonable doubt but, uhh, we just need to keep asking them questions. I want to know why they left their home galaxy and specifically what their destination was. They must have had a good reason to travel so far and expend that much time and energy. I would advise that we spend time making a short-list of questions for Dr. McKinnon to pose.

Why are there so many empty rooms on the ship? President Wallace asked as he frowned at the main monitor behind General Draper. Look at that, it’s a big room and filled with nothing. I don’t understand it, it seems like a huge waste of space. Kinley nodded slowly as the camera quickly panned the room before turning quickly and re-entering the hallway. He took a deep breath, quelling the motion sickness that was causing his stomach to roil and twist into a knot. As the next President he couldn’t afford to show any kind of weakness, especially not in front of the top military leaders of the country.

They could be extra storage compartments, the CIA Director mused. Or maybe they are a skeleton crew on their way to pick up more crew members? The ship seems designed for transportation, not for scouting, it looks more like a long-haul carrier to me.

Something a quarter the size would still be too big to scout out a star system, the Secretary of Defense agreed as the camera ducked into yet another large, empty room.

What is this equipment used for? a tinny voice asked through a speaker. Heads swivelled to a different monitor showing the feed from the camera installed in Lee Ackers’ spacesuit. Boxes and oval discs made from the same material as the ship filled the room, along with several oddly-shaped objects that looked vaguely like components to build an engine or a mechanical system.

Maintenance … repair … correction … engines … exchange, an alien replied as the camera slowly swept over the room. Kinley frowned and was about to ask a question as General Draper abruptly stood up, a piece of paper in his hands.

"We have another situation developing. This one is only for the President and the national security team. Dr. Alexander, I need you and your