posted 04-11-99 03:38 AM ET
**Anonymous Technician:**
"Sir, Orbital Defense Pod #17-bravo just reported anomalous activity over the northern polar region!"**Anonymous Captain:**
"Details, Mr. Carter."
**Formerly Anonymous Tech, Ensign Carter:**
"I have an alert coming from the sensor log that less than two minutes ago an object showing a radar signature the size of a ... bathtub? entered LCO (low-chiron-orbit) ..."
**Anonymous Captain:**
"So, sounds like a largish meteor to me. What's the big deal?"
**Mr. Carter:**
"Well, sir, the readings become spurious ... they are reporting a gravitic signature so large it overloaded several circuits and in fact ... *ahem* sir?"
**Anonymous Captain:**
"(sigh) Yes, Mr. Carter, get on with it."
**Mr. Carter:**
"Orbital Defense Pod #17-bravo is no longer responding on any frequency. We have lost all telemmetry!"
**Anonymous Captain:**
"Hmm, could be an equipment failure. Assign a maintenance probe to ODP-#17B for investigation. But just to be safe, get me "Anonymous General" on the horn ..."
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Shortly after 1:24 AM GMT, every faction on Alpha Centauri Prime -and in near Chiron space- capable of detecting it notices a very small inbound object. Those with sufficient hardening do not lose their observation equipment. Those with the further capability notice that the gravitic signature of said object is close to the magnitude of a smaller star.
The *unknown* moved rapidly to low-orbit, paused briefly (200 ms), and then sped rapidly away towards the outer solar system, whereupon it vanished from all sensors. Those even further capable of detecting it recorded a very very short broad-band x-ray burst targeted towards most of Chiron and surrounding space (this was also coupled with a lower-frequency, but similarly targeted, radio burst).
After much calculation, those with the capable computer equipment translated the modulated bursts to the loosely paraphrased message: (uncertain translations are *'d)
"Greetings children of Earth. We, the *Cheela*, are very pleased to find humans in our local space once more. Please note we come in *utter-peace-and-friendship*, and have no desire at all to *frumple* with another sentient race. We regret that we cannot visit further at this point in *time*, but if it would please you we will be back as soon as *resource/circumstance* permit. Live well, and may *Egg* *bless* you!"
OOC NOTE: This is not an UBER-faction, but they are clearly alien. I would like to slowly roleplay their details and introduction into this forum. Please respond with appropriate anecdotal / situational responses, and when it seems appropriate or portentious I will have them come back and intitiate dialogue once more.