"If they're as friendly as you say they are, Erin, then let's just go right to their homeworld." You tell your computer, hoping that this would be an easy and fun mission.
"Aye aye, captain!" Erin complies with her usual enthusiasm. "Setting course for Uf Prime, prepare for warp jump!" The display in front of you lights up with course calculations and readings from the warp drive. While it's for your benefit, Erin is operating the ship faster than you can keep up with. Your happy to have an AI like her to keep the ship running quickly and efficiently. It'd take you much longer to look up the coordinates, then calculate and execute the jump properly.
Then it happens, faster than light travel! It happens in an instant, your vision blurring with the uneasiness that comes from being in warp space. When your sight clears, the stars have changed, and a large blue-green orb not unlike Earth fills a quarter of the view screen. There's a little less ocean than Earth, and from the look of the lights on the night-side of the planet, many more cities. You wonder how many Ufu populate their homeworld.
You pull up what data you have on Uf Prime: the planet is about 70% the size of earth, and about as much gravity. You'll be a little lighter down there, and have a little more spring in your step, which you hope doesn't result in you falling on your face. The planet is about half ocean, half land, with extensive forest cover outside of the cities. The population of Uf Prime is over 20 billion! Clearly, the Ufu don't mind crowds. You decide to look over the details some other time, as you've got more important matters to attend to. A blinking light indicates your being hailed.
"Unknown alien vessel, this is Uf Prime Traffic Control." A girlish but professional sounding voice sounds in your speakers. "Please identify yourself and your destination." Your screen fills with a visual of the woman's feathered head. The plumage is a robin's egg blue, her face a snowy white. Her eyes have the same albino-red look that the image in your databank showed. She isn't wearing any clothing on her head, but you can't see her from the neck down to get a sense of that.
"Hello!" you reply. "I am a human from the planet Earth, and this is my vessel Swift Feather. My mission is to introduce myself on behalf of my species to our galactic neighbors. We come in peace!" You feel like you said that rather well, and mentally congratulate yourself on the important first step.
"What? A first contact?!" The Ufi's eyes widen in what looks like surprise. "Uh… h-hello! We welcome you to Uf Prime! We haven't had a first contact in over ten years!" She says, and as she talks Erin quietly shows you a conversation to about 16 Earth years. "The Prime Minister and Minister of Science will both want to speak with you. I'm transmitting landing coordinates to you now. You've been given priority clearance to land in the Capital." While you can tell she's talking in a profoundly alien language, your translator mutes the incomprehensible sounds and reproduces them in your ear in English.
"Thank you, Traffic Control. I would be honored to meet with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Science," you tell her graciously, signing off. The coordinates are put into your computer, and Erin effortlessly pilots you down through the atmosphere, giving you a few moments to think. You're getting to meet the leader of the whole planet, maybe their entire species! Erin told you the Ufu have heavily colonized a number of nearby worlds. If they're anywhere near as populated as this one, that makes this Prime Minister a very important person. And the other sent to meet you is the science advisor. This gives you a sense of their priorities. You wonder what sort of questions the science minister will have for you.
The ship lands quickly, descending gently onto an overly large landing pad. It appears to be specially for the Capitol building, as right in front of you is a large building that looks important, with domed spires that remind you of minarets on Earth. A quick glance at your instruments shows you the air here is perfectly breathable, even with a little extra oxygen than you're used to. Not bothering with a helmet, you step outside.
Walking out onto the platform, you see a crowd starting to gather, dozens of Ufu milling around some distance away, with more showing up every moment. It was a sea of varied pastels, with feathers of pink, gold, tan, and blue covering their bodies. Many had those blood-red eyes, but others were of brilliant blue, and some seemed to be a pale gold. All of them were short, at least by human standards, and seemed to be overwhelmingly female. You could easily tell this based on their clothing, or rather, lack of clothing. Glossy black garments like the one you saw on your ship was apparently standard attire, although some seemed to pick other colors. Clearly, Ufu didn't care much for modesty, not that you minded at all.
Stepping past the throng were two figures. One was a step forward than the other, and you guessed this was the Prime Minister. Her feathers were a pastel pink, her eyes bright red. She wore the same skimpy black bikini, but with some kind of lapel pinned to her left breast. Behind her, with pure white plumage and blue eyes, was the Science Minister. Both looked at you with a pleasant and curious expression. You returned their gaze, trying not to ogle their exposed bodies.
The Prime Minister stopped, and began to speak. "Greetings, Uman," she said, and you decided now wasn't the time to correct her pronunciation. "I am Prime Minister Iyafya, leader of the Ufu people. This is my Minister of Science, Yedah." She gestured to the white-feathered woman beside her, who bowed slightly, a gesture you returned. "On behalf of my people, I welcome you to our homeworld, and hope that our races can interact with friendship and laughter." Hmm, that phrasing was a bit odd, but then again, they were aliens. You bow again, and begin to speak, but before you do...
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