December 7th, 2017 02:40 GMT

"Fuck, this won't work either!" Robert swiped the todo-list document off the screen, deleting it, again.

Tscherenkow held her head with both hands, staring down on the table.

I am good with medicine and chemistry, not freaking engineering, alien-psychology, space navigation or space tactics! She cursed silently. The only reason i am attending this meeting is because the Captain thinks through some vanilla magic i can deduce a solution for this situation from the foreign content of our DNA. News flash: I can't. Nobody can. Unless some 101 on futuristic space-faring structures and their alien crew is hidden somewhere between the genes that define the shape of our fucking toes or something. Pretty sure there is nothing there though.

Katarina on the other hand was in her element. Endlessly going on about the possibilities incorporated into the monstrous thing that gulped down their probe like fish chasing bubbles, though not really helpful in the makings of a plan at all.

Surprisingly the only one who had something to say, that at least faintly resembled constructive criticism, was Ryo Taku.

While touring through almost every country on earth in order to learn all the languages he could get his hands on, Taku accumulated a wealth of social-behavioral norms and knew how to interpret them correctly.

So the meeting intended for four was mostly held by two; Robert and him. Trutheim did not stop talking at all, but after two hours the others didn't even hear it consciously anymore. She had become part of the constant background noise caused by the humming of the engines, reactors and the inter-com.

"As i said before, i don't think whoever controls that station means us harm. To me it looks more like we startled them and they took caution." Ryo told Robert.

"Yeah, maybe that originally was the case but we attacked them. Or Blackwood did, but from our ship. That ought to have made them hostile."

"We have been through this. If we assume they want to destroy us, why haven't they yet? There is little doubt in my mind that their technology is sufficient to end us, whatever we try to do next. So isn't the fact they have not done anything yet proof they are not an enemy?"

At the words "..their technology .." the background noise rose by a few decibels, courtesy of Trutheim.

"Yeah and i would like to acknowledge that point. Still, we do not know anything about their psychology. It could be so fundamentally different we just can't understand. Anyways we need to act soon. As much as i'd like to just leave here we simply can not, we bear mankind's will on our shoulders. And staying inactive much longer might signal weakness." Robert countered.

"So, we approach?"

"I don't see any other way. What we need to plan on is how we get near them. How to initiate contact."

"From what Trutheim has been telling us for hours now, their technology is so vastly different our com-array is most likely useless."

"That is the fucking problem. All i can try to do is slowly fly towards them and hope for landing lights or something, if they even know what that is." Robert shuddered when picturing the approach.

"So the plan is we do not have a plan, except getting closer?" Taku somehow sounded sarcastic without changing tone.

"Yeah, thanks, i know how it sounds. You are supposed to upgrade this plan, so tell me something new."

"I told you, they are either neutral or friendly. That is all i can say with a medium amount of certainty. At least if they talk to us i should be able to communicate properly." Taku embedded a sliver of hope into his statements in order to reassure himself and those around him.

So they settled on slowly closing in and waiting for a reaction, after sleeping one shift to recharge, as past events had taken a huge toll on their minds.

December 7th, 2017 07:45 GMT

"All crew, be advised. No more phases, from here on out our mission parameters are not clearly set. In order to move on, it was discussed that the best course of action is initiating contact. I repeat, we will now attempt to initiate contact by fly-by. Our TO's attempts to establish communications via radio were without result, so we are out of options. Blackwood, to the bridge. I can't have you shoot at them again. Everyone else, to their designated posts. Inter-com is set to broadcast as usual in critical circumstances. Reel out."

"Okay let's do this!" Robert nodded towards Miller.

"Updating parameters .. turn six degrees starboard, course set to spiral approach." Miller replied while typing. "Accepted. Course is green."

Blackwood took a seat behind Robert with a slightly sour face.

"Attention, guys. Due to non-standard flight, keeping acceleration-gravity constant is no longer possible. So prepare for near weightless environment." echoed through inter-com.

For about half an hour PSC-1 circled FS-1(Foreign Structure-1, as the space station was dubbed in order to not always have to say 'alien space station'), ever slowing down and closing distance.

As Robert half expected, FS-1 turned active once they passed the 1 km distance mark.

"Damn man, not this scifi stuff again!" Baguette groaned as he watched via tablet what was going on. This time no one chuckled.

Robert Reel took manual controls when they were less than five-hundred meters from the outer parts, coming in slightly from above, relative to the plane the ring lay in. In the next minutes the PSC-1, like a snail by galactic standards, slowly landed on top of a glowing part of the ring.

"I thought we would do a fly-by, Captain! Why the hell did you land?" Miller asked, paling a bit in shock.

"I didn't. That wasn't me." Robert spoke slowly, his face white like paper.