AN: For your enjoyment. This is an original piece of work, so please don't hesitate to leave feedback, positive or negative. Thank you!! -MS
******
She did not know what to expect. Her interspecies relations class gave her a foundation to work with, but she never encountered any alien firsthand. Yet here she was, on a space ship whose course was set to the distant planet, Zulraius.
It was the seventh lunar day of the eight day journey and Summer was a ball of anxiety. Her research notes and the tiny bar in her cramped quarters were her constant companions. She only ventured out for meals and only socialized with the other female that was present for the assignment.
Twelve of Earth's scientists were allocated to this particular mission. They were the best in their field and hoped their efforts would forge a more concrete alliance between Earth and Zulraius. Their assistance with The Cause was sure to allow for shared resources and technology that was most desired.
Zulraians were a very technologically advanced race of humanoids and were wary of all outsiders. First contact was made by Humans and met with stilted curiosity and contained hostility. Once it was determined that Humans were not a threat, the Zulraians accepted a conditional alliance with Earth that was most beneficial to their own society.
Earth was amazed at the technology Zulraians possessed and was only able to persuade a fraction of it to be shared. After initial contact 200 years ago, Earth progressed by leaps and bounds. The small fraction of technology shared enabled poverty and famine to become close to nonexistent. National resources flourished and endangered species received reprieve.
The Space and Science Academy was created due to advancements in technology. It educated those interested in careers in extraterrestrial study. It groomed others to prepare for a life amongst the stars and it enabled those with exceptional mental prowess to research without bounds.
Summer Evans was a prestigious alumnus of the Academy and was individually nominated to join The Cause. When notified that her skillset was needed to assist with interspecies relations across the galaxy, she was extremely hesitant to join. Summer never saw herself amongst the stars. She was perfectly content with conducting local research experiments. Her main project dealt with extending humanoid life expectancy while combating disease resulting from hereditary, congenital and environment influences. Her independent research was groundbreaking and made Summer Evans an indispensable candidate for The Cause project.
Zulraians although peaceful considered themselves superior to all others. Their relentless scientific advancements placed serious strain on their society. There was a significant separation between social classes and sexes. Male children were highly favored. For generations many couples would conceive through In Vitro to ensure the birth of a male child. Their mental capability was determined centuries before to be far superior to their female counterpart. Male Zulraians had an eidetic memory whereas females did not.
Summer reviewed her notes again to determine the best course of action for the situation. All twelve scientists were briefed in detail about the severity of the situation. Many of them were in disbelief that the Zulraians let the issue progress to this point. The entire planet of Zulraius had a population of approximately five billion. Females only made up 15 thousand of the total. Healthy females without any defects and able to birth future generations were few and far between. Zulraians were essentially an endangered species.
"Cause and effect," Mindy stated, pouring herself another thumb of rum. She was a fellow scientist, her specialty being genetics. "Who would have thought that those damn aliens would need our help?" She shook her head before draining her shot glass.
"I keep reviewing the notes sent to me by their top scientist and I am in total shock. These people –"
"Aliens."
"Ok, aliens have no original thought processes! It took them centuries to come to the conclusions that they were destroying their own species." Summer was exasperated. She knew that this project was going to take time, but she was coming into the realization that it may take her entire lifetime to see positive results. Hopefully their technology along with the minds of her colleges could lessen the years spent on this project.
"The only reason why I agreed to come is so that I could have the opportunity to work with their advanced technology."
"I was coerced into coming. They threatened to cut funding to my research if I didn't lend my brain to The Cause."
"How cruel."
"I know. I'm 27 with no social life. No real ties to anyone. I have no siblings and was raised by my grandparents who are now long gone. All I had was my research." Summer was sitting across from Mindy at the small bar in her room. They had gotten together to review notes before the end briefing. The shuttle was a few hours from Zulraius' orbit. Zulraius High Command thought it prudent to brief the crew at the end of their journey as opposed to the beginning of it.
"What do you think that these aliens have to say to us?"
"I really don't know," Summer got up from her seat to put on her boots. "Maybe they want to scold the crew for bringing females along. I was told that the initial agreement was to send twelve male scientists. They didn't want any females to come."
Mindy made a face. No love was lost there. "What a bunch of sexist SOBs."
The two made their way to the conference room. The ship was compact and ergonomic, so little space was wasted. Therefore, the hallways were narrow - which only allowed one person to room to move through the corridors, walls shoulder to shoulder.
They were the first two to arrive at the conference room. Surprisingly, it was the biggest room on the ship. The chairs were large and comfortable and sitting in the middle of the room was a long oval table.
"Aha! I found it." Mindy lifted a wine bottle and two glasses. "It's nice and cool, too."
