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Here is the next chapter... lots of plot in this segment for sure. It took me a while to write this one. I hope it is a good read. I had to really sit back and think while building this chapter as it contains a lot of dialog and political aspects.

Just in case anyone wants to read this chapter prior to the others:

Kyree (key ree): anthro wolf-like race

Kenseng (ken sang): anthro tiger-like race

Arastos (A rest tos): alien's starship http://www.sofurry.com/page/248059

A Warm Welcome Party

Written By: Spudz

The air was thick with suspense, tension growing as all present waited anxiously for the arrival of the speaker. Finally, the populace would be briefed on just what the hell had been happening over the past couple days... or at least that was the promise.

For those that waited, the room was not the ideal location for such an important press conference, but there was no other suitable location nearby given such short notice. Hastily, the general purpose conference room had been converted to accommodate the expected turnout, with rows of folding chairs lined up facing the one wall where a lecture podium had been hurriedly placed. The industrial lighting across the ceiling provided poor illumination for the hundreds of reporters that now occupied the space, but it would have to do.

The scene was now set.

Abruptly, the din of conversation ceased with the sound of the door near the front opening. Camera strobes suddenly flashed, blanketing the room in a dizzying array of light as astronaut Keith Ramirez stepped through the threshold. His expression was unreadable while the former Air Force pilot made his way to the podium. For the human, this was to be the defining moment of his new occupation... ambassador to Earth... a task he had never imagined carrying out in his wildest dreams. But here Keith stood, the world watching his every move as he was about to deliver a speech that would change the very fabric of the human civilization.

Without hesitation, Keith assumed his position behind the lectern, which was completely covered in microphones from the various news networks present. He carried no speech notes with him, since he had practiced his words carefully all throughout the previous day. The astronaut faced his audience with an impassive expression, taking note of the several cameras that were feeding video live across the globe. All eyes were focused on him while everyone waited for Keith to speak.

The newly appointed ambassador knew also that several additional individuals were watching him aboard their starship, as they placed their trust and ambitions in his care. He couldn't fail them now. Keith straightened his posture somewhat while clearing his throat... time to get this show on the road.

"Greetings," the astronaut began. "As you probably already know, my name is Keith Ramirez."

He paused briefly as the strobes began anew, albeit not as frequently as when he had first entered the room. The ambassador waited for a brief moment while subtly clasping his hands together on top of the lectern surface to keep them from shaking.

"Over the course of the past few days," he continued. "I was caught up in a series of events that left me on the brink of death, questioning my decision to venture up into the great unknown of space. It was an amazingly sophisticated attack against western interests, which illustrates just how dangerous our adversaries have become. However, as I floated within the shattered remains of the International Space Station and waited for the inevitable conclusion, I gazed down upon our fragile planet and couldn't help but marvel at her splendor. Humanity can definitely take pride in calling this planet home. As I watched the landscape scroll silently by, I wondered if perhaps another race of intelligent life had discovered our beautiful world and reflected on her allure just like I had."

Keith paused again to let his words sink in. The human found his nervousness vanish as he addressed the assembly. Slowly he unclasped his hands to grip the sides of the podium with his speech hitting its full stride. Now it was time to deliver the bombshell.

"It was at that moment, that my fortune took a sudden drastic turn with the arrival of the spacecraft that now sits just a mile away from this very building. I was terrified; yet, also fascinated... as I wondered just who had come to the rescue."

The astronaut swept his gaze across the room, looking at all the eyes that were riveted on him, caught up fully in his words.

"To answer that, first I have to resolve another question... a question, whose answer has eluded humanity for as long as history can recall: Are we alone in the universe?"

A sudden heavy silence hung in the air with the room growing utterly quiet, save for the soft rumble of the ventilation system in the ceiling.

"We are not," Keith finally proclaimed, his words cutting through the stillness like a knife. His audience recoiled away from his presence as if they had all been slapped, while the camera strobes abruptly stopped flashing. He allowed his words to be absorbed, mulled over, and tentatively accepted before continuing.

"I was the only ISS crew member allowed to meet with our rescuers, and I must say... my world was turned completely upside-down. I was asked to become their ambassador to Earth, and that is how I address you at this very moment. I speak on their behalf, and wish to help humanity build a peaceful relationship with our newfound neighbors."

Keith again surveyed the room, noting the various degrees of shock and astonishment on each face he observed. He had just pulled the rug out from under humankind's feet in quite the dramatic fashion. No doubt countless people all across the globe were eyeing their televisions with the same facial expressions. Best to wrap things up quickly before the situation spun further out of control.

"I realize this must be a shocking revelation for us as humanity to absorb and come to terms with. But I promise my words are the truth. All of this time we have strived to reach for the stars, to explore and seek out other forms of intelligent life; and now... we have finally reached that goal. However, it is troubling that the events leading up to our first contact had to be sinister in nature, and I promise retribution to those responsible for that heinous act."

The camera strobes suddenly began anew as those present remembered why they were there. Everyone who currently sat within the confines of the cramped conference room realized that history was being written with each word that Keith spoke, a speech that was destined to be remembered for untold years to come.

"So that brings me to the main reason why I called this press conference," Keith continued. "I stand before you today not as astronaut Keith Ramirez, but rather as ambassador to humanity... and now I will speak for those that currently reside aboard the starship."

The astronaut suddenly reached into his pants pocket to retrieve a simple piece of folded paper. His audience had no idea just how much hell Keith had gone through to keep that wrinkled page in his possession after exiting Arastos two days ago. Carefully, he unfolded the sheet and placed it on top of the lectern, before he set about reading the writing inscribed on the paper's surface.

"Greetings," he began again, reading directly from the note. "My name is Riyla and I am captain of the Federation Axis vessel Arastos. On behalf of the Federation Alliance, I bid you a warm welcome."

The atmosphere of the room grew tense while he continued. Keith's speech seemed to take on an eerie note as the words he spoke did not belong to him, but rather an individual who did not call planet Earth her home.

"It is unfortunate that our first meeting comes through such evil ambitions. We were relieved that our ship was able to reach the crippled ISS before it was too late, and safely rescue all aboard. I am terribly sorry that these words can't be spoken by me personally. For the time being, we must rely on our newfound friend Keith to act as our voice."­­

He paused briefly to take a sip of bottled water, which had been sitting atop the podium. The ambassador could feel the eyes of billions watching his every move, but he couldn't let that fact unnerve him now.

"This beautiful world that you call Earth is quite a breathtaking example of nature's creative hand. For numerous years our kind has orbited above, watching your civilization thrive and innovate... all while learning and adapting to challenges faced. Humanity is certainly the most interesting intelligent race that I have come to know."

He paused again to let Riyla's discourse sink in; his audience was enthralled by her words. It had taken the captain the better part of three hours to write this short, but nonetheless significantly influential speech. Keith had exercised the upmost care to guard the paper since NASA had tried to confiscate it repeatedly.

"Your civilization is by no stretch of the imagination alone in this vast dominion we call space, as the universe is positively overflowing with an overwhelming diversity of life. It is by luck, or... maybe perhaps a grand scheme of things that I am not aware of... that my race, the kyree along with my sister race the kenseng, have come to make first contact with humanity. I say this because it has continuously baffled my kind as to how similar Earth's characteristics are to that of my home planet Sora."

Keith noted that the reporters present appeared puzzled at this revelation. Their expressions of disbelief and shock slowly started yielding to looks of curiosity and wonder. This was good, since they seemed to have accepted his words for truth.

"You could say that my kind, the kyree, look astonishingly similar to that of the grey wolf, while the kenseng resemble a Siberian tiger quite strongly. This fact stunned us when we had first discovered your planet. Just how had this come to pass? How could two different worlds light-years apart exhibit ecosystems and forms of life that so closely resembled one another? Was there possibly some sort of cookie cutter template nature used to create life? After much study and observation, this striking similarity had proven to be just one more mystery of the universe."

The ambassador's eyes finally reached the last paragraph of Riyla's speech... and not quickly enough. Keith just wanted to get the hell out of there.

"That fact notwithstanding, we hope to build a lasting friendship with humanity; although, for the moment we must proceed cautiously. Over the coming days, we will talk with your various governments through Ambassador Ramirez and work to open up avenues of communication. Again, I am sorry that I could not personally deliver this speech... but, hopefully in time I can stand face-to-face with humankind and shake hands with a heartfelt smile."

"Signed: Captain Riyla of the Federation Axis starship Arastos."

A silence settled over the conference room while Keith carefully folded the paper back up and placed it in his pocket. After that was accomplished, he returned his attention to his audience.

"I must return to the alien ship now and confer with captain Riyla and her crew," he spoke, shuffling his feet slightly as he prepared to exit the room. "I will hopefully return with good news concerning communications with our government. I'm sorry I don't have time for questions."

With those words, Ambassador Ramirez turned and moved for the door somewhat swiftly as the deafening silence continued. Once he was through the threshold, the quiet of the room was shattered with the shouting of numerous questions directed at him. But Keith was already making his way down the hallway, military escort in tow with M4 carbines at the ready.

No one inside that press conference knew just how much torture Keith had gone through since leaving the ship. He had practically been a prisoner within the whitewashed walls of this very building.

He had been questioned, stripped, poked, prodded, and then questioned some more; all over the two previous days. Apparently NASA, along with the government, wanted to make sure he wasn't some crazy cloned assassin or something else they had cooked up in their imaginations. The astronaut had been stunned speechless at some of the questions they had asked. It would seem that his private life wasn't as private as he had originally thought.

Finally though, they had relented. After some extensive explaining and convincing, he had managed to get the press conference arranged. His government interviewers had gone silent when Keith then asked for a return visit to Arastos. They must've thought he really was an alien mind control assassin then, or just completely insane. But, he had managed to reach an agreement with his captors as they finally came to realize that Ambassador Ramirez was their only means of communication with those aboard the alien vessel.

And so Keith soon found himself riding along in the passenger seat of a black government SUV while it drove toward the shuttle landing runway. Meanwhile, several Humvees rumbled along in front and behind his vehicle, protecting him from an outside threat that really didn't exist. It made him feel quite uncomfortable to have so much firepower nearby, since soldiers sometimes got itchy trigger fingers. And there was certainly no shortage of itchy military might present.

As the convoy drew closer to the runway, Keith was able to look out the window and catch sight of several Apache gunships orbiting around the concrete. They had been deployed from North Carolina to relieve the unarmed Pave Hawks from the local garrison... because it helped to have a gun to point if the shit hit the fan. What Ambassador Ramirez couldn't see from his SUV was that the US military wasn't taking the situation lightly... no, not in the slightest.

All branches of the military were on scene in some shape and capacity... from the numerous Air Force fighter aircraft lazily circling Kennedy Space Center with refueling tankers and airborne radar platforms accompanying, to the handful of Navy destroyers stationed just off shore. Meanwhile, many Army Humvees and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles littered the area surrounding Arastos; however, no Abrams tanks were present, since they weren't exactly easy to relocate like the lighter vehicles. But there were plans in the works to fix that. The Marines were also on scene with a handful of small Special Forces units, ready to assault the starship if ordered to... although it was known this would probably be suicidal.

Even the British Royal Navy was in the picture. As luck would have it, HMS Illustrious had been docked at nearby Port Canaveral to allow the crew a stint of shore leave, after performing joint naval exercises with the US Navy. There had been a frantic recall to get the crew back aboard before the ship quickly put back to sea. The daunting silhouette of the aircraft carrier's hull now dotted the horizon next to her US counterparts, ready to offer aid if the situation took a turn for the worst.

The SUV with its military escort continued rolling along. Soon the procession passed the runway viewing platform, which was completely filled with numerous satellite equipment vans and news personnel. Over the past two days, the various network crews had stood vigilant by their respective cameras, waiting for something to transpire. However, they had become disappointed as the alien starship had not so much as moved an inch since the International Space Station crew was released.

The military had attempted to force the civilians away from the scene, but it was soon evident that nothing short of firing weapons would accomplish that. It had been decided that the news personnel could stay, but at their own risk. If the situation spiraled out of control, they would be left to their own devices to stay out of harm's way. Thankfully, the spacecraft continued to sit silently on the runway surface... seemingly waiting for something to happen.

While Keith's vehicle passed the media circus, all cameras suddenly turned toward him as the car rolled up onto the concrete and turned toward the waiting ship. At that time, most of the network stations had been keeping the live feed of the starship segmented to a bottom portion of the screen, during their discussions concerning Ambassador Ramirez's stunning speech. Now though, news anchor commentaries were abruptly halted with all channel displays switching back to a full shot from the Cape. Something was about to happen.

The gravity lift was still lowered to the ground from two days ago when Keith had first descended down from the cargo hold; although, at the moment the gravity field was powered down, probably to save energy.

The convoy slowly moved parallel to the ship's hull, until eventually the black SUV came to a stop just 100 feet from the lift. The tension mounted as Keith quickly exited the vehicle to stand regarding the impressive starship, while a couple dozen army rangers took up positions behind Humvees with rifles at the ready.

With a heavy sigh of weary exhaustion, Keith walked closer to the extended hull section that currently rested on the concrete of the runway. He was very much aware of the copious number of M4 carbines that were pointed in his general direction. It certainly would not do anyone any good if a soldier accidently misfired now.

Coming to a stop a few feet from the structure, the human ambassador looked up into the relative darkness of the cargo hold he had left two days ago. Abruptly, the air around the lift began to shimmer slightly. At that same moment, the atmosphere between the extension structure and the ship's hull skewed and distorted as something appeared to be charging. All of the soldiers tensed up while they stared fixatedly toward the hull, hands tightening around gun grips.

Keith remembered this from before. Right as he anticipated, a sharp audible crack resounded from the gravity lift, causing everyone except him to recoil visibly. Just like before, the familiar blue tinged energy field appeared and started to hum softly. It appeared his friends were waiting for him... best not to disappoint.

Without pause, Ambassador Ramirez moved up the lift ramp to stand in the gravity field. As an untold number of cameras watched him, the human's feet slowly lifted off the plating while he ascended toward the ship's hull. It was truly a breathtaking sight for those watching... he was just floating... almost like he was riding an invisible elevator upward.

After a few moments, Keith disappeared through the threshold of the spacecraft hull. Quickly thereafter the gravity field dissipated and winked out of existence, while the four extension arms connected to each corner of the displaced hull section started to pull the structure upward with a mechanical hiss.

A soft audible thump soon resounded with the extension sliding neatly back into place to become flush with the bottom superstructure of the ship. For a few minutes, everyone present simply gazed at the hull, and wondered just what came next. The ball was back in the alien's court, and humanity waited for their next move.

President Harold Schrader was not having a good day. For days he struggled to maintain his composure with the little sleep he had been afforded. The country he had sworn to protect was starting to unravel, and it was up to him to keep the leaking ship afloat.

Since the alien ambassador's speech two days ago, the financial situation had taken a turn for the worst. Currently the Dow Jones was fluctuating in a wild rollercoaster fashion, with fortunes being made and lost in the span of 30 minutes or less. Meanwhile, all of the other markets were along for the ride while the NASDAQ, along with European and Asian exchanges, all followed in the wake of this unsettling pattern. Thankfully, 4:00 pm had finally rolled around and brought the madness to a standstill. Hopefully the weekend would give the populace time to think and let cooler heads prevail.

Unfortunately, this wasn't the president's only problem. There was still the troubling matter of dealing with the alien starship that had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere and thrown Schrader's presidency through a loop. He was at a loss as to how he could establish communications with these secretive individuals that had so far not even emerged from their ship.

Not only that, their sudden appearance had sparked off a string of violent riots all across the country, and even around the world. Although the aliens appeared friendly, as evidenced by Ambassador Ramirez, radical views soon took hold... feeding off the fears of the populace. Several deaths had already been reported as a result of clashes with riot police. President Schrader had made a compelling speech to try and quell the unease, but so far matters hadn't improved much.

And then there was Al Qaeda. Those ruthless bastards had managed to penetrate a military defense barrier, and hack into a spy satellite. They even succeeded in destroying the ISS by ramming it. This was a deeply troubling change in the organization's tactics, which brought on a new wave of concerns among NASA and the military brass. Thank goodness this mysterious alien spacecraft had saved the crew... a small victory, but one nonetheless.

However, it appeared that Schrader's military advisers didn't share his view on the friendly nature of their otherworldly visitors, as some entertained a far different opinion. There were radical claims that the spacecraft was responsible for the destruction of the ISS and the terrorists were only seizing the opportunity to instill fear. It had floored the president to hear echoes of talk to attack the starship and either destroy it or drive the aliens away. Apparently the fear had spread within the ranks of the government... and that was far more dangerous than the riots, terrorists, and unpredictable stock market combined.

"... the plan calls for aerial bombardment from a squadron of B2s in conjunction with cruise missile strikes from all Navy destroyers currently on scene."

President Schrader came back to the here and now, remembering that he was supposed to be listening to this detailed briefing concerning a worst case scenario attack plan if the starship became hostile. In a time where he favored caution and diplomacy, it seemed that those around him were looking to get into a firefight with the aliens and possibly destroy any hopes of a peaceful relationship.

The president currently found himself sitting at a huge conference table within the confines of the Roosevelt Room of the White House, hands steepled on top of the finely polished wooden surface while he eyed the video projection of the battle plan. His Cabinet was also present with each member sitting around the perimeter of the conference table while various lesser staff and aides stood silently along the walls, each making notes on pads of paper. The president continued to hold his peace, allowing the Air Force general to continue his report.

"If this strike proves unsuccessful, we will move to Operation Hail Mary," the general continued, nodding for the aide working the slides to move on to the next.

"And just what sort of destruction does this operation entail general?" Schrader inquired with a hint of disdain, breaking his silence for the first time. "So far I think you've proven to me that we can bomb the spacecraft to hell and back, but I doubt this would result in anything more than us doing a lot of expensive remodeling to the surrounding landscape."

The Air Force General cleared his throat uncomfortably before he answered. "That is why... Operation Hail Mary is our ace in the hole," he replied somewhat hesitantly. "Currently we have several B83 gravity bombs stowed on two B1 bombers which are on standby. If ordered, these aircraft will carry out a precision strike against the target."

"Correct me if I'm wrong general," the president interrupted, his voice flat and unreadable. "But I believe those carry nuclear yield warheads."

"That's... correct Mr. President."

Schrader went silent for a few tense moments, his eyes fixed on the general who shifted his stance uncomfortable under the president's glare.

"Under no circumstance do I approval the use of those infernal weapons," Schrader finally spoke, letting his voice raise a tad to punctuate his vehement statement. "Gentlemen, I will not even entertain the notion of such a monstrous plan. I will not risk the lives of any civilians in order to carry out an attack that MIGHT work."

"But, Mr. President," The Air Force general began again. "We have to account for all possibilities."

"Are you arguing against my decision general?" The president replied calmly with a dangerous undertone that bespoke his growing anger.

Everyone present shifted in their seats uncomfortably. President Schrader never... never... lost his cool. To see him seething with a quiet dangerous rage was rather unsettling.

This didn't escape the general's notice as he was the sole target of his superior's ire. "No... Mr. President," he replied, quickly collecting his notes. With those words, he beat a hasty retreat to the corner of the Roosevelt Room and tried to blend in with the wallpaper as best as he could.

Schrader leaned forward in his chair to rub his forehead with a weary hand while uttering a deep sigh of exasperation. This was just too much too fast for one man to handle.

Right as the president made to carry the briefing forward, one of the aides abruptly moved away from the wall to stand near the large table, implying he wished to speak. The Commander in Chief turned to regard the man with a curious eye. No one in the conference room had paid the man any attention, dismissing him for just another nameless assistant.

"Do you wish to add something?" President Schrader asked curiously. It was not often that an aide wished to speak during a briefing.

"Yes I would definitely like to," the assistant spoke calmly, although the president caught a subtle undertone in the man's voice that indicated his anxiety. "I just wanted to say that these military battle plans are not necessary in the slightest. The aliens have every intention of contacting the government to discuss the possibility of a peaceful resolution to this situation."

The president looked at the aide with a neutral expression as he weighed the man's words.

"And just how do you know that?" Schrader asked after a brief pause. At that moment, he noticed something out of sorts. The assistant's eyes... they were a deep golden hue in color. Probably some sort of illness or birth defect... no, wait a minute... that couldn't be why. As he looked, it was almost like he was staring into the eyes of a... wolf. The president felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. There was something very wrong here.

"Well... that's easy," the man replied carefully. "First, let me introduce myself. My name is Kanolos." The aide anxiously folded his arms across his chest as he continued to stand on the opposite side of the table from Schrader. "And it is easy for me to say that, because I am one of them."

The words hung in the air for a brief moment in the heavy silence. The president mulled over the man's statement... until he put two and two together. At that very moment, Schrader's face became the definition of utter shock. However, he wasn't the only one to realize who Kano really was.

Within half a second, four Uzi submachine guns found their way into the hands of the four Secret Service agents stationed around the room. After another half a second, said guns were trained toward the imminent threat to their primary charge. Not two seconds after that, four more agents charged into the room with guns drawn, practically knocking the door down in the process. Taking note of their colleagues, the newcomers then quickly drew down on Kano who raised his arms in surrender.

For a few nerve-racking moments, a stillness hung in the air while no one made so much as a move.

"I promise that I am unarmed," Kano spoke finally, happy that the agents had exercised self-restraint and held their fire. He had taken one hell of a gamble by working his way into the briefing to stand and observe the humans discussing possible ways to attack his starship. It had actually been quite intriguing to watch. "I came here because I wanted to talk," he added quickly.

Everyone in the room was frozen with a mix of terror and absolute shock, except for the Secret Service agents who continued to hold Kano at gunpoint. The kyree had to give them credit... they were exceptionally trained.

After considering his options for a brief second, the lead agent slowly inched his way forward with submachine gun still raised, intent on taking the potential hostile subject into custody. For him, the only objective that mattered was keeping the president safe, even if it cost him his life.

"Wait a second," President Schrader commanded suddenly. He had quickly recovered his composure, and realized he needed to take control of the situation before it spun out of control.

The agent stopped his movement, but refused to turn his head toward the source of the voice. He continued to keep his eyes locked on Kano, looking for any subtle movement that might signify a threat.

"Put your guns down," the Commander in Chief ordered calmly. "Our friend here just wants to talk, and it won't do anyone any good to rough him up."

There was a slight hesitation with the agents considering their superior's order. It conflicted directly with their primary charge of protecting his wellbeing... but they could not disobey his command. Besides, the president had a good head on his shoulders, and was quite adept at reading and defusing potentially dangerous situations. Why else would he have been elected to run this country?

Slowly the guns lowered, until the Secret Service personnel stood somewhat at ease. However, the Uzis remained out of their holsters, held loosely in hand and more than ready to perform their deadly function if required.

"I'm sorry that I presented myself like this," Kanolos spoke, still keeping his hands raised just to show he wasn't a threat. "We wanted to introduce ourselves in a controlled environment, and the White House seemed the best location for that."

President Schrader eyed the supposed alien carefully. As far as he could tell, Kanolos appeared human. The only discrepancy was his golden eyes that continued to regard the Commander knowingly. It was unnerving how his wolfish gaze seemed to pierce right through Schrader's soul.

"If you are not of this world, why do you appear human?" the president replied coolly, belying his growing discomfort. "Just how did you get in here? If you are one of the aliens, I find it hard to believe you travelled all the way up here from Florida."

As Schrader spoke, all of the staff that had been sitting near Kano slowly inched away from his presence. Soon the chairs next to him were empty as everyone, save for the Secret Service, stood on the opposite side of the conference table.

Kanolos chuckled nervously. "Well, to answer your first question, what you are seeing before you is a holographic projection that is overlaid around my physical form," he spoke, while shooting a quick glance toward the nearby agent. "It wouldn't do me any good to go walking around D.C. and the White House looking like my true self now would it?"

The kyree allowed his raised hands to fall slowly, before he let them drop to his sides. "As for your second question, I simply drove up here," Kano added humbly. "All I needed after that was a forged government identification to walk right through the front door."

The president's facial features twisted in puzzlement. "You just drove?" he inquired in surprise. "In... a car?"

"Well... yeah. I prefer to drive stick myself honestly."

"And how did you not get stopped by security when entering the building," Schrader quickly countered. "Even with a good I.D., the guards would've still noticed a new face and certainly questioned why you were here."

"Let's just say I altered my disguise somewhat to rectify that problem," Kanolos spoke matter-of-factly. "Nobody bothered to question the Director of CIA as he entered the building, even though he's still over at the agency's headquarters in Langley."

"How did you leave the starship without being seen?"

"Just a matter of timing with the help of this holographic disguise and proper military identification," was the alien's reply. "After putting some distance between me and the ship, I simply walked a little ways to a nearby car rental business and procured a ride." It was actually a little more complicated than that, but Kano didn't want to go into detail.

President Schrader subconsciously rubbed a hand under his chin in thought. This Kanolos was certainly an interesting individual. He couldn't help but wonder how safe he would've been had these aliens been hostile. Thankfully, they seemed friendly enough... at least for now... best to keep on guard.

"Please don't be startled," the kyree added. "I'm going to disengaging my camouflage now. Before I continue, I need to address this assembly as my true self."

Slowly, ever so slowly, Kano reached down to grasp the face of the watch he wore on his wrist. His movement was unhurried since he didn't want to give the nervous agents a reason to gun him down. With a twist of his hand, the face of the device rotated one direction, before the kyree reversed it back the other way.

After a brief moment, the air around Kanolos's figure pixelated, obscuring his human form. Everyone present recoiled away from him while the air seemed to distort and twist until the pixelation abruptly vanished... revealing a being not of their world. Even the Secret Service agents couldn't help but gasp at the sight they beheld.

The creature that now stood before them was quite alien... yet still familiar in a sense. His features bore a striking resemblance to the common grey wolf, just as Ambassador Ramirez had described earlier. He stood upright on two legs with crimson red fur covering most of his figure. Although his physical features were wolfish in natural, the alien's fur pattern was similar to that of a red fox, with glove-like patterns of black covering his hands and lower legs. The one feature that remained unchanged was his prominent golden eyes, which now surveyed the room nervously.

Kanolos stood almost completely still with his pointy ears folded flat in anxiety. To him, it was most uncomfortable to have so many eyes riveted on his true form. It was odd how he could act so tough when disguised as a human... but take that away, and he felt completely naked. The kyree had to fight the urge to whimper.

A deafening silence quickly descended across the Roosevelt Room as a stalemate ensued.

Abruptly, President Schrader rose out of his chair to stand facing Kanolos with an unreadable expression. The Commander in Chief hesitated a moment as he tightly clasped his hands in front of his figure.

"I can't say I expected this," he spoke evenly. "It is uncanny how similar you resemble Earth's native species."

The president was surprised he could speak, let alone utter a single word. The events of the past week had proven to be completely bizarre, putting his leadership skills to the test. Now Schrader faced his toughest challenge yet. Here he was staring directly into the eyes of an intelligent race not of this world... and he had no idea what to do. Thankfully, Kanolos understood the Commander's predicament and took up the lead.

"We initially planned to only converse with your government through Ambassador Ramirez," the kyree began again, still speaking in English. "But unfortunately circumstances arose that complicated that fact... yet also presented us with a unique opportunity."

Slowly, Kanolos brought his hand up level with his shoulder while extending an arm out toward the president. He then turned his palm face up and unfolded his fingers just as unhurriedly, revealing a tiny circular object that rested in the kyree's grasp. The Secret Service agents prepared to act if anything sinister suddenly transpired, with hands tightening around the grips of their respective Uzis.

However, the small device was not built for such a purpose. While regarding the security personnel carefully, Kano cautiously leaned forward to place the apparatus gently on top of the conference table. All eyes were riveted on the curious gadget as the kyree then stood upright to return his gaze to the president.

At that same moment, small illuminations across the device's surface lit up while a soft audible hum resonated; causing all of the humans to flinch away, save for the president and vigilant agents. In a dazzling light display, the space of air above the table transformed into a solid cubic shape of white light. Quickly thereafter, the bright illumination faded away to reveal a three dimensional display of space with planet Earth smack in the center.

The holographic display of the handheld computer was controlled directly by Lumina, with a fraction of her awareness housed in the portable device. As Kanolos stood silently, the picture of Earth grew larger. Quickly the surrounding black void of space disappeared while the continental features of the planet became more defined.

After a brief moment, the image settled on a top-down view of a remote mountain top in northern Syria with a small building centered in frame. Several antennas stood adjoining the lone structure, pointing straight up toward the picture's point of view. For President Schrader, the visual display was incredibly detailed... you could almost see every blade of grass.

"Say hello to our dear friends who started this whole mess," Kanolos spoke, his words slicing through the silence and causing a couple humans to jump slightly. "You know them as Al Qaeda. This is the broadcast station they used to hack into your multispectral spy platform. It is located in northern Syria."

To the president and everyone else situated around the table, the building seemed fairly small. It appeared to be just a simple shack almost and could easily pass for a radio transmission station or something of the like.

"We were quite perplexed as to how they managed to breach a military defense firewall," the kyree continued. "As it happened, they slipped through the barrier almost effortlessly; which would imply that these terrorists were either extraordinarily lucky... though we doubted this was likely. Or... they had intimate knowledge of the firewall's makeup and design."

Kano paused as he reached slowly into his pants pocket, while the Secret Service eyed his movements carefully. After rummaging around for a brief second, the alien then produced a small external USB storage device.

"I'm sorry, but we did a little digging around in your country's defense network," Kano added somewhat sheepishly. "We wanted to backtrack just how they managed to accomplish this feat, and in the process we found an interesting bit of information."

The kyree set the storage device down onto the conference table gingerly before gently pushing it toward President Schrader.

"You have a mole within your government I'm afraid," Kanolos said bluntly to the Commander in Chief. "To be more precise... his name is Robert Gallaway. He is a midlevel data processing employee with the NSA. Apparently, he has been leaking information regarding your satellite defense network to another Al Qaeda agent in the D.C. area, who then passes the information along. It is a startlingly complex and intricate spy network that they have established."

Kano motioned toward the USB thumb drive that now sat on the wooden table. "All of the information we collected pertaining to this is stored on that device," the kyree continued. "I do believe that your government would be more than willing to put the data to good use."

President Schrader turned his attention to the thumb drive, which was just within his arm's reach. Much to the horror of his agents, he then reached out and picked the device up to eye it warily in his grasp.

"Why are you providing us this information?" Schrader inquired as he tried to digest the kyree's startling words. "I can't just accept your statement as fact when I don't know your underlying intentions."

For the first time, Kanolos allowed himself a smile. "We want to establish a peaceful coexistence with humanity. Consider that USB device... a housewarming present of sorts I suppose."

The president hesitated a moment, while he turned the thumb drive over in his hand. He was still having trouble getting over the initial shock as a result of the alien's first appearance; and now he held a gift within his grasp... an offering of friendship from another intelligent race.

"Thank you," President Schrader finally spoke, as he returned his attention to Kano. "It is troubling information that you have provided us, but I am grateful for your generosity."

"I am glad to be of help Mr. President," the kyree replied earnestly.

Schrader wordlessly passed the storage device to his Secretary of State who stood nearby. "Now I must do something that I should have done from the very start of this impromptu meeting," the Commander in Chief continued while he began to walk around the rather large table.

As he rounded the far end, an agent moved to shadow him. However, the president motioned for the Secret Service personnel to hold their ground... this was something Schrader had to do by himself.

With everyone watching in rapt silence, President Harold Schrader came to stand face to face with Kanolos, while eyeing the kyree with a cool grin. Abruptly, he extended his arm out toward the alien in a formal greeting.

Kano looked down curiously at the offered hand for a brief moment, before he smiled warmly. As his eyes looked up to meet Schrader's own, the kyree's hand reached up to grasp the human's in a formal handshake of greeting, which signified the start of what would be a lasting friendship between intelligent races of two different worlds. For the helmsman of Arastos, this moment would prove to be one of the many highlights of his career.

As they shook, a secretary's aide had the idea to snap a picture with his camera phone. Soon this particular snapshot would make its way onto various media broadcasts... providing the general populace of humanity with their first real glimpse of the mysterious aliens that had so far eluded the public eye. Kanolos's handshake with President Schrader would be the talk of everyone for several days to come... that is until the crew of Arastos carried out the next phase of their master plan.

After a few moments, the handshake was ended with each individual stepping back slightly to regard their counterpart knowingly.

"It is nice to make your acquaintance finally," Kano spoke as he continued to smile sincerely.

"Likewise my friend," Schrader responded. The president subconsciously placed a hand under his chin in thought as he tried to figure out what came next. There was certainly nothing in the presidential textbook pertaining to this matter of politics. Thankfully, Kano picked up the conversation.

"I know that you will act quickly on the information stored within that USB drive," the kyree continued. "In light of that, I have an offer to place on the table so to speak." Kanolos grinned wickedly while the president regarded him curiously. "I know that your government is itching for revenge against Al Qaeda for the atrocity that they committed against western interests. However, the fact that this hacking facility is located in Syria presents a problem in terms of logistics and international relations, pertaining to military action."

Schrader considered Kano's words, before he suddenly realized what the alien was getting at.

"I would advise against any brash actions, militarily speaking," Kano added, while still sporting a mischievous smirk. "That is because I am privy to the knowledge that all of the terrorist currently staffing the hacking facility are due to take a sudden and unexpected vacation to the states. So I see no reason to mount an operation when they will come to you."

The president understood clearly what Kanolos was offering. His grin mirrored that of the kyree's as Schrader nodded slightly. The United States of America, along with her allies, might be limited to just how far they could reach out and touch their adversaries... but that rule didn't necessary apply to those who weren't constrained by government relations.

"I am glad that we were able to have this productive discussion Mr. President," the kyree continued. "I need to take my leave now unfortunately. In due course, either I or one of my counterparts will meet with you again."

Kanolos gave a curt nod, before he moved his hand to twist the face of his wristwatch. In exactly the reverse fashion from before, the air around the kyree pixelated and obscured the alien's features. Soon the familiar image of the alien's human camouflage snapped back into focus.

"Could you please let the building security know that I'll be exiting through the west wing?" Kano asked, while he again turned to shake hands with the president. "I have a pressing... appointment to keep."

A silent agreement passed between them, before Kano turned toward the door. Everyone in his path moved away to allow the kyree passage across the room. Just as the alien opened the door to cross the threshold, the president's voice suddenly stopped him.

"Kano."

Kanolos stopped to look back over his shoulder toward Schrader.

"Give em hell," the Commander in Chief spoke bluntly. The kyree simply nodded in acknowledgement before he disappeared through the doorway.

The single word uttered by a random assistant summed up everyone's thoughts quite nicely.

"Wow..."

For the security personnel positioned at the west wing entrance to the White House, a simple instruction was quickly relayed to allow a certain nondescript aide to pass through the checkpoint without any questions asked. It wasn't an odd request as the two agents quickly resumed their vigilant watch.

And so Kanolos made his way outside to the waiting vehicle with Keith behind the wheel and a very anxious Riyla in the backseat. So far things were going according to plan... now it was time for the next step.

Some hours later on that same day, something began to happen in Florida under the cover of darkness. Unseen to all of the military hardware on scene, a small section of the alien starship's hull detached from the main superstructure and slid sideways. Quickly thereafter, a small delta-shaped shuttle emerged from the single hangar of the spacecraft under the camouflage of an optical cloak.

The cloaking technology was a rather unique innovation of the Federation Alliance, although it had its limitations. While able to conceal an object visually, the camouflage was incapable of shielding any thermal or energy signatures that were emitted. As such, the technology was employed as a strictly defensive countermeasure since a spacecraft could not maneuver or fly without giving away its position to sensors... although for the current circumstances, the cloak proved quite handy.

A single infrared camera just so happened to be trained toward the starship at that very moment. As the shuttle swiftly climbed away from Arastos, a heat plume formed along the visual output of said camera.

At that moment, a staff sergeant tasked with watching the feed from a nearby tent just barely caught the flash from the corner of his eye. With a groan he put his sports magazine down and turned to look at the display. However, there was nothing unusual shown at that point as the shuttle was already long gone. With a shrug, the officer returned to reading his magazine.

Tabat Abdurahman was completely out of ideas. He had tried everything in the book, but the engineer just could not get the equipment to work properly. It certainly didn't help that his superiors were constantly breathing down his neck to get the situation resolved.

He had fulfilled his main objective, that being to hack and reposition an American spy satellite to a collision course with the International Space Station. It was a feat nothing short of brilliance, since the engineer had to account for two relatively small objects moving exceptionally fast on two different trajectories, all the while making adjustments to the orbital path ever so carefully.

However, now that the ISS was out of the picture, his communication equipment had abruptly jammed and ceased operating. The initial plan had called for hacking additional spy platforms and crashing them into the planet's surface... a bonus being if the satellite hit a populated area. It seemed now that this annoying equipment problem was going to delay that aspect of the plan though.

Tabat had tried everything in the book, from simply rebooting the data processing computers, to tearing out most of the antenna hardware and replacing all components possible... but it had been to no avail. The engineer was just simply out of ideas at this point.

It was almost as if someone was jamming his equipment, but that was just not possible. There was no way the western powers could locate the isolated facility he now called home so quickly, let alone move hardware into position to interfere with his transmitters.

Perhaps the jamming source could have been coming from orbit; but again that didn't seem possible. There was just no such technology that was capable of that feat.

The engineer now found himself standing along the ridge just outside the simple confines of the equipment shack. The sight was positively spectacular with a stunning view of the surrounding mountainous landscape, along with the simple town nestled in the valley below. Perhaps getting a bit of fresh air would instill some creative thinking for troubleshooting purposes.

The shack had once been a radio transmission station for the Syrian military at one point in time. However, the building was abandoned some years ago, allowing Tabat and his supporting personnel to move in and setup shop. A couple local government palms had to be greased in the process, which allowed the Al Qaeda cell to operate completely hassle free. The locals certainly never ventured anywhere near the station. Not after a farmer had strayed too close and received several warning shots from an AK-47.

This seemed like a good time for a smoke. The engineer reached into his pocket and produced a pack of cigarettes. He quickly slapped the carton several times before he opened up the top. Suddenly... something felt horribly wrong. His hand abruptly stopped just as he was about to pluck a smoke from the pack.

Tabat quickly spun around to come face to face with... with... just what the hell was he looking at?!

The engineer found himself staring directly into the fierce golden eyes of a wolf... or at least it appeared to be a wolf. It had jet black fur and stood just as he did... just what the hell was it?!

Wait a second... this was... could this be one of those aliens he had starting hearing news about?!

The creature's muzzle split into a devious grin, with strikingly white fangs flashing to Tabat's sudden outright terror.

"Hiiiiiiii there."

And it spoke... in a sinister feminine voice!

Tabat could do nothing. For a simple moment, the two individuals stood eyeing one another until the terrorist remembered he held his cigarettes. With a shaky hand, he reached into the carton and produced a smoke. While still staring into the wolf's frightening eyes, he then unsteadily found the lighter stowed in his pocket and promptly removed it.

The silence continued to grow as the engineer lit his cigarette and took a long powerful drag, while he fought the urge to cry. This... just... wasn't... happening.

The black wolf suddenly reached out to remove Tabat's smoke from his grasp.

"I don't think you're going to need that," it said in English while still baring its fangs in a wicked grin.

The human didn't catch sight of the shock knuckles that Riyla had grasped in her hand. Before Tabat could react, his stomach was brutally introduced to the nasty handheld weapon. The result was a surge of electrical energy that coursed through his body in much the same manner as a Taser shock. However, this particular shock was designed specifically to knock the subject unconscious, which is exactly what happened to the kyree's unfortunate target.

Tabat's body promptly collapsed to the ground like a sack of potatoes, much to Riyla's complete satisfaction. It served him right for all of the trouble he had caused her. The kyree wished she could vent her frustration like that over and over again... but that wouldn't be right. Once would have to be enough sadly.

While the captain took care of Tabat, the rest of the crew had moved to subdue his counterparts who were spread out across the installation. Even Keith got to knock a terrorist senseless with his loaned pair of knuckles. It was a sorely deserved payback that the astronaut had craved for several days now.

After several minutes, all nine of the terrorist operatives lay unconscious along the outer wall of the equipment shack.

Riyla stood silently atop the ridgeline, just where Tabat had been prior to his smoke break being interrupted. The captain eyed the surrounding landscape while she flexed the hand that still held the shock knuckles. What they had just done wasn't officially permitted by the Federation Directive. But given the circumstances, she was sure that the top brass would agree with their course of action.

At that moment, Keith walked up to stand beside the kyree. Together they looked down in silence upon the town nestled in the valley below.

"Thank you for bringing me along," Keith spoke sincerely after a brief moment. "It was quite satisfying to cuff one of these bastards across the jaw." He turned his attention back toward the shack. "Hard to believe that this simple little building was where they instigated this whole mess."

"Well, we'll make sure they can't have a repeat performance," Riyla replied evenly. The captain motioned toward Tabat, who was still very much unconscious as his body leaned against the side of the building. "That guy there is the leader of this band of misfits and has quite a sizeable bounty on his head. With a deep background in electronics and computer engineering, he has proven instrumental in the organization's growing electronic warfare campaign. I do believe your government would love to get their hands on him."

Riyla abruptly shook her head in puzzlement. "It perplexes me how these terrorist groups can justify mass murder under the guise of retribution against foreign powers," she continued. "Sure... America and her allies have probably dabbled in Middle Eastern affairs a little too much, but I can't see how that fact can be used as a legitimate reason to murder innocent civilians... let alone, attack their own people who might be guilty of nothing more than tolerance of foreign rule."

The captain's thoughts troubled her human friend.

"Your kind must've questioned humanity's sanity to have looked down from space and witness some of the atrocities we as an intelligent race committed," Keith said disparagingly. He looked down dismally at his two hands as if they had blood on them. "The Holocaust, Hiroshima, 9/11, Suicide bombings, the Rwandan genocide... I could go on and on. We are a race deeply divided and filled with hatred toward one another. How will we ever reach out to the stars if we can't overcome our own differences?"

The black-furred hand of Kanolos suddenly came to rest gently on the human's shoulder from behind, making him jump slightly.

"All intelligent species have histories fraught with conflict and hatred," the fox-furred kyree spoke with a warm smile. "It is a fact of life that allows a race to evolve and flourish as lessons and ideologies are learned and upheld with a sense of... honor I suppose you could say."

Kano removed his hand from Keith's shoulder while he moved to stand alongside Riyla who regarded him warmly. She had been attempting to form a response to the astronaut's thoughts when her mate had come to the rescue.

"Take our history as an example," Kanolos continued, while placing a hand around Riyla's waist. "For untold years the kyree and kenseng warred viciously with one another, each race vying for control of territory and ultimately control of our planet. Countless lives were lost to many atrocities born out of hatred and anger. We almost succeeded in wiping out all life on our world. It can easily be said that our history is forever stained with the blood of our ancestors."

"Yet, something amazing happened," Kano added, holding up a finger to emphasize the point he was about to make. "On one particular day, someone threw their weapon aside and came forward with an offer of peace. The endless fighting had produced no clear victor... and it became evident that the only viable result of the conflict would come about through the total annihilation of both species. And so our races slowly learned to work together and coexist peacefully. It wasn't easy, but we persevered. The lessons learned where not forgotten as we jointly ventured out into space to forge new friendships with alien races and solidify our place in the universe."

Keith looked inquisitively at Kanolos for a moment while he absorbed the kyree's words. With a shrug, the human chuckled. "Well, humanity certainly reached the point of total annihilation back during the Cuban Missile Crisis," he replied. "I'm sure your predecessors in orbit where biting their nails when that interesting series of events occurred."

"No doubt," Riyla responded, rejoining the conversation. "Back then, the observation ship was not allowed to interfere in any way, shape, or form... even if humanity wiped itself completely out of existence. The captain back then was beside himself through the whole ordeal. You can rest easy though. After that mess got sorted out, the directive was amended to allow for intervention if your race tried to kill itself off again... which thankfully hasn't happened. And that fact alone is testament to the point Kano is making."

The captain grinned playfully as Keith allowed himself a smile. "I got to say... you certainly have a way with words Kano," the astronaut said coyly. "I can only hope that my kind follows your example."

"Ah... there is no need to worry," Kanolos replied. "Humankind is a resourceful and incredibly adaptive race. I have every faith that in due course, humanity will be soaring across the great unknown of space."

The conversation ended for the moment as the three individuals continued to observe the surrounding landscape from the ridge.

"Hey... are you ready to get out of here?" A feminine voice called from behind, causing the group to turn.

Eriras stood in the open doorway of the shack; hand on her hip while the engineer's feline tail flicked about behind her figure. Meanwhile, her other hand held a small cylindrical device carefully.

"Yeah we're all set here," Riyla called back as she moved to rejoin the kenseng engineer with Kano and Keith in tow. Quickly the captain radioed Lumina to bring the shuttle in for pickup before she eyed the gadget that Eriras still held in her grasp.

"You got it set for remote?" the black-furred kyree asked while pointing to said device.

Eriras simply nodded in response, before she haphazardly chucked the object over her shoulder back into the building. The engineer then shoved the rusty steel door shut with her paw as the blunt delta shape of the shuttle's hull appeared low over the horizon, heading toward their position.

Several minutes later Lumina remotely accessed the cylindrical device that Eriras had left in the shack. While the shuttle climbed through the upper atmosphere on its way back to Florida with human cargo stowed aboard, the construct made to complete the final aspect of their little raid. The A.I. quickly ran a diagnostic check of the gadget to insure that it was functioning properly and once satisfied, activated the device before she withdrew her consciousness.

Almost at once, a series of electrical pulses surged throughout the outer casing. Within a nanosecond since the A.I. had sent the activation signal, the electrical energy contacted a sequence of tiny explosive charges no bigger than the face of a penny, which were arranged in a spherical pattern. In an instant, these explosives detonated precisely in sync with each other, resulting in a highly concentrated mass of neutrons being launched toward the center of the sphere.

Located at this center point was a small quantity of a highly reactive synthetic material, dytathium. Flying at the speed of light, the barrage of neutrons swiftly contacted this catalyst material, inciting a volatile reaction. As the neutral subatomic particles entered the nucleus of each atom, fission instantly took place. The result was the release of more neutrons that rapidly contacted more atoms in the growing chain reaction, much like a nuclear detonation... although on a much smaller scale and minus any radioactive byproducts.

The effect was quite spectacular as a field of energy quickly formed inside the sphere and expanded outward. Within another nanosecond, the outer casing of the device was consumed while the energy field broke down the atomic makeup of each atom it contacted. To the naked eye, all that could be seen was an instantaneous spherical ball of brilliant white light that abruptly consumed the top of the mountain, where the hacking station once stood. After roughly half a second the chain reaction fizzled out, causing the energy field to dissipate and wink out of existence.

What was left... was really nothing at all. Where the building had stood, there was now a giant spherical hole carved out of the ground as everything caught up in the field had been decompiled into subatomic particles. In effect, the particle bomb had removed the hacking facility from existence... just as planned.

Half a world away on the following day, the sun was just peaking above the horizon with the onset of an early morning. However, the White House never slept as a multitude of aides and grounds personnel moved about with varying duties to be completed, even before the president arose for his morning coffee.

One such aide was tasked with readying the Roosevelt Room for the day's meetings. President Schrader was due to meet with the British Prime Minister in just a few hours within this very room... so it was quite imperative to make sure the space was immaculately prepared to receive the notable White House guest.

With a yawn, the aide opened the door to the room and moved to draw open the window shades. However, he abruptly stopped given that something was terribly out of place. There were people already sitting in a number of the cushy chairs that circled the large conference table, which dominated the space. For a startled moment, the man made to leave thinking he had interrupted a clandestine meeting... but wait a minute. That wasn't the case.

He simply stood there scratching his head... until the aide realized this was a matter the Secret Service needed to know about immediately.

Not 30 minutes late, President Schrader found himself scratching his head in much the same manner as the aide had. The scene that presented itself was something never before witnessed on the grounds of the White House.

Nine of the chairs around the conference room were occupied by men. However, what was astonishing was the fact that each individual had their hands and feet bound while also being gagged... although they were all unconscious. A doctor had been quickly called and soon confirmed each one was just simply sedated.

What was even odder was the fact that each man also had a large Christmas present bow taped to the top of their heads. It was like they were being presented as gifts to Schrader... but who were these men and how the hell did they end up in the Roosevelt Room without anyone noticing?!

Suddenly, realization dawned on the Commander in Chief. With a deliberate step, he made his way to the closest bound man and eyed his figure carefully... until he found what he was looking for.

Sticking slightly out of the man's pants pocket was a simple card. Carefully the president extracted the paper to the horror of his personnel Secret Service agent. However Schrader knew the thing was harmless; the card only had a few neatly written words printed across the surface.

"To: President Schrader. These guys won a free vacation stateside. Figured you wanted to meet them. Signed: Kanolos."

The president couldn't help but whistle with approval.

As he stood there, holding the simple note in his grasp, Schrader wondered just what Kano and his counterparts planned to do next.