snip

Reeves notices the Welcome sign. ” CAPTAIN, I believe the Shiarian’s are attempting contact sir!”

The sign hadn’t escaped the Captain’s attention either, but Glen was considering how they ought to reply. His thoughts always returned to the disastrous Bolay First Contact when these occasions presented themselves. Slight misunderstandings could have permanent consequences.

Thalos’ eyes moved from his tricorder to the elder Shiarian standing upon the crystalline platform.

The single word—

WELCOME.

—had appeared simultaneously on every Starfleet tricorder without any detectable means of transmission.

It was unlike anything he had encountered.

He heard Lieutenant Reeves’ observation and gave the younger security officer a small nod of approval before turning his attention back to Captain Glen.

“Agreed, sir.”

His voice remained calm and measured.

“Lieutenant Reeves is correct. Whatever method they are employing, this appears to be an intentional greeting rather than an attempt to interfere with our equipment.”

His silver eyes briefly swept the chamber once more.

Nothing had changed.

The assembled Shiarians remained where they were. There was no sign of alarm, no movement suggesting an encirclement, nor any indication that weapons or defensive systems had suddenly become active.

If anything, the chamber had become quieter.

“The tactical situation remains unchanged,” he continued. “No hostile movement has been detected, and the inhabitants continue to display what I would describe as… patient restraint.”

His antennae angled slightly toward the elder standing at the centre of the platform.

“They have presented us with what appears to be an invitation.”

A brief pause followed.

“I recommend we answer it.”

He looked briefly toward Lieutenant Reeves.

“Lieutenant, maintain our security watch. Continue passive scans only. I don’t wish to give the impression that we are preparing for a fight.”

Returning his attention to the Captain, Thalos gave a respectful nod.

“Security has no objection to proceeding, sir.”

With that, he resumed his watch over both the away team and the gathered Shiarians, allowing diplomacy to take the lead while Security remained quietly vigilant.

Lieutenant Thalos ch’Ravik
Chief Of Security
USS Merrimack

“Can we communicate back to them using the same Tricorder settings they have used to send that message to us?” Glen asked his officers. “I’m a pilot not a communications officer, but I was taught at the academy that the first thing you do is make sure your subspace radio is set up properly – that it is on the correct mode, channel and frequency, that you have the microphone gain set right, and that you have selected the optimum power settings.”

“The second question is what to reply,” Captain Glen said. he lowered his voice, “It’s long before your time, but the recent war between the Federation and the Bolay was the result of a single word mentioned in total innocence by a junior Bridge officer on the Merrimack during First Contact. This continues to make me very wary in these situations of saying the wrong thing. From what you say, every Shiarian could be listening to us at the same time. That’s a lot of individuals with the potential for one to be upset. Best to keep it simple and brief. It will be a good idea to tell them a little about ourselves and our origin, and ask them a little about their local area. However, we’ll stay clear of any questions of their own origins, the deeper questions we have of the crystalline entity for the moment, or of the Federation ships lost within the Expanse. No one is to say anything that might be considered to question their politics, morals, religion, dietary habits, or their reproductive processes either.”

Captain Glen waited while M’Mera or Elyss checked and made any necessary Tricorder adjustments. In the end, he just said something akin to what he would have always have said anyway =/\= I am John Glen and these are my ship’s crew. Our ship’s mission is to explore the excitement of strange new worlds, uncharted civilisations, and new lifeforms. =/\=

• Glen, CO

While Elyss checked her tricorder for any further messages from the Shiarians, the thing uppermost in her mind was why they couldn’t just speak to the aliens like they had on the Merrimack. What was the difference that kept conversation out of the equation? Out of curiosity, she brought up the readings from the ship’s computer from when the Shiarian’s had first attempted communication on the bridge of the ship, then compared those readings to the information her tricorder was picking up now. She studied the side by side readouts.

OOC: GM is there a difference?

Lieutenant Elyss Zavey
Chief Science Officer USS Merrimack

Thalos listened as Captain Glen outlined how he wished to proceed.

It was a measured approach.

One that acknowledged both the opportunity before them and the responsibility that came with it.

“I concur, sir.”

His voice remained deliberately quiet, mindful of the chamber’s remarkable acoustics.

“First contact is not the time for assumptions.”

His silver eyes swept the amphitheatre once more. The Shiarians remained composed, showing neither fear nor aggression. Every indication suggested they were waiting—not impatiently, but with remarkable confidence.

He turned his head slightly toward his fellow security officer.

“Lieutenant Reeves, continue passive security scans and advise immediately if the tactical situation changes.”

Thalos then returned his attention to Captain Glen.

“The Shiarians have displayed neither hostility nor apprehension since our arrival. I believe responding with the same restraint is appropriate.”

He paused for a moment before adding,

“If this harmonic network truly is their primary means of communication, then our actions may speak as clearly to them as any words we choose.”

With that, Thalos fell silent once more.

His tricorder continued its passive monitoring of the chamber while he remained focused on the elder Shiarian and the assembled inhabitants, allowing diplomacy to take the lead while Security maintained its quiet vigil.

Lieutenant Thalos ch’Ravik
Chief Of Security
USS Merrimack

The crystalline amphitheater remained perfectly still. Hundreds of Shiarians watched the Starfleet delegation in complete silence, their luminous eyes following each officer without a trace of hostility or apprehension. There was no whispering or shifting of posture. They simply waited with extraordinary patience, as though time itself held little meaning within Vey’lan.

Beneath the away team’s boots, crimson veins embedded within the crystal floor slowly brightened. The light spread outward in concentric geometric patterns before fading once more into the translucent crystal. A gentle harmonic vibration accompanied it—not loud enough to be called music, yet every member of the away team could both hear and feel it. The resonance traveled through the floor and into their chests, carrying a curious sense of familiarity rather than discomfort.

Every tricorder chirped simultaneously and the translated word WELCOME faded from each display. In its place appeared flowing geometric symbols as the universal translators continued adapting.

Conceptual Translation Matrix… Expanding
Confidence… Increasing

Lieutenant M’Mera studied her engineering tricorder before looking around the chamber, her ears swiveling as the harmonic resonance continued to flow through the crystalline structure.

“Captain,” she reported, her eyes fixed on the readings. “I’m not detecting any conventional generratorrs, powerr conduits, communications arrrays, or ccentral prrocessorrs. The crrystal itsself iss distrributing both enerrgy and information. This entirre structurre issn’t ussing technology… it iss the technology.”

Her tricorder indicated that every wall, column, floor section, and support shared identical energy characteristics. There was no measurable transmission loss, no central point of control, and no identifiable point of failure. To an engineer, it was unlike anything Starfleet had ever encountered.

Nearby, Lieutenant Elyss’s comparison between her current readings and those recorded aboard the Merrimack answered the question she had posed. The difference was not the harmonic language itself, but where it was being encountered.

Aboard the Merrimack, MAJEL had been interpreting only faint harmonic echoes propagating through the ship’s hull. Here, the away team stood within the source of the network itself. Every crystalline surface participated in the transmission, and with every successful translation the harmonic field subtly adapted, making the next concept easier for the universal translators to comprehend.

Security tricorders in the hands of Lieutenants Thalos and Reeves continued to report no concealed weapons, no active defensive systems, and no hostile intent. The Shiarians’ synchronized movements appeared voluntary rather than controlled.

Medical scans likewise detected no adverse physiological effects from the harmonics. Instead, Dr. Grahams’ tricorder registered only a brief increase in neural activity associated with language comprehension before quickly returning to baseline.

As the tricorders exchanged their findings, a shared conclusion appeared across every display.

HARMONIC NETWORK ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Probability of natural phenomenon: <0.00001%

Assessment: The harmonic network is the primary communication medium of the Shiarian civilization. The network exhibits adaptive behavior and is actively assisting Federation translation systems.

Around the chamber, the crimson glow subtly intensified as the elder Shiarian slowly raised both empty hands, palms outward. Instantly, every Shiarian in the amphitheater mirrored the gesture. There was no command was spoken, no signal was detected, yet every movement occurred in perfect unison. Then they spoke.

Layered harmonics filled the chamber as several notes resonated simultaneously from every voice. The crystalline walls answered, carrying the chorus throughout the immense hall until the entire structure itself seemed to resonate with their voices.

For a brief moment, every tricorder struggled to keep pace before the translators resolved caught up.

The Chorus recognizes those who have learned to hear.

A second phrase followed.

Few beyond the Aperture have listened

As the Starfleet delegation addressed the Shiarians, crimson light rippled beneath both peoples alike. The harmonics deepened—not louder, but richer—as though new voices had joined an ancient composition.

The next translation appeared almost immediately.

YOU SEEK WHAT IS UNKNOWN

WE HAVE WAITED FOR THOSE WHO SEEK

The elder lowered his hands, a gentle smile crossing his features and this time the translator barely hesitated.

Then our purposes are alike

The chamber settled into a calm, steady resonance as for the first time since arriving on Vey’lan, the away team understood what their instruments had been trying to tell them. They were not merely translating the language of the Shiarians, the language itself was teaching them how to understand it.

GM Nosferatu
Your Darkest Nightmare