[img]https://i.imgur.com/kPVW7mg.png[/img]
[b][u]NSS Latanos, planet’s orbit[/u][/b]
At this distance, the thermal cameras could pick out several heat signatures of different sizes. They lay in orbit at the edge of the system, much like the Narix were when they arrived in the system. That could indicate another jump node, assuming they used subspace to travel in a similar way the Narix did. Much to the crew’s puzzlement, the largest of the signatures started to emit an erratic subspace signature, completely different to Narix jump windows. What was strange was no heat buildup. Any uncertainty was dispelled when the unknown vanished.

The sight of the alien vessel appearing out of nowhere left the Narix crew stunned for a moment. The vessel’s general shape was reminiscent of a missile. An elongated hull with engine pylons near the back.
“Crap, get fighters into the launch tubes. Gunnery control, hold fire. DC teams, standby.”
“Cruiser-sized vessel, but EM signature is lower than one would guess for a ship of this size. It’s not doing anything, it’s just… sitting there.”
[i]“Who are you?”[/i] the Primarch wondered, “Broadcast the first contact package. Let’s see if we even have a common wire.”

The first contact package contained a dumbed-down version of the Narix language along with instructions on how to decipher it. Of course it relied on the unknowns to figure out at least a part of the language in order to understand the language primer itself. Just how long that would take or if the unknowns would even try was anyone’s guess. The entire package was broadcast in a loop on every short-range channel the Narix used for sixty seconds. Based on distances alone, any other ship in the system was likely to receive the package as well. The same broadcast would also alert the remaining Narix ships to a first contact scenario.

The ATC reported 16 fighters in the tubes and prepared for launch. All they had to do to launch was engage the catapult. The Primarch could vividly imagine their hands on the controls, ready to ram the throttles open at a moment’s notice. He hoped they wouldn’t realize what the open launch tubes were for, or wouldn’t consider it a hostile action if they did. Given the ships attitude towards each other, the tubes shouldn’t even be visible to the unknowns.
“Sir?” The gunnery officer asked, “Do you think they’ll get the message?”
“I don’t know. Time will tell. I just hope I wasn’t right about the empire of xenophobes earlier today. No further transmissions for now, just to be on the safe side.”