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April Short Story Competition - VOTE NOW

Started By:
Caymen Greener, Mon 31 Mar, 2014 3:41 PM
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View Poll Results: Vote for your favorite April story now!

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  • A Sinister Celebration...

    1 9.09%
  • First Contact: The Unseen Guardian

    1 9.09%
  • Oops

    1 9.09%
  • Four generations of first contacts

    3 27.27%
  • Precious Cargo

    5 45.45%
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    #1
     –  Last edited by Caymen Greener; Mon 31 Mar, 2014 3:46 PM.
    Friends,

    The stories have been written and the submissions handed to me. Now it's time to vote. Please peruse the logistical items below and vote accordingly. Voting will end on or around April 5th - First Contact Day - and the winner will be revealed a few days later.

    Basics
    Please read the replies in this thread thoroughly. Pick your favorite and vote accordingly. You will have until Saturday, April 5th (or perhaps into Sunday morning) to vote on these stories, after which a winner will be decided.

    Other than blatant spelling errors, the writing has been left in tact by the author. Any "edits" for a post are errors on my end (formatting, forgetting to exclude my signature, etc).

    Winner
    Once voting has completed, I will tally the final vote and the winner will be revealed. This will happen via a News feature a few days after the voting ends. Fame, glory, and complete awesomeness will accompany for our fellow community member who wins!

    Good luck authors!
    CaymenGreener
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    #2
     –  Last edited by Caymen Greener; Mon 31 Mar, 2014 3:45 PM.
    A Sinister Celebration...

    An explosion rocked the bridge causing the deck to pitch wildly. A second explosion caused the ship to pitch again and vaulted him across the room. Landing with a thud against a bulkhead just as the lights went out, he was momentarily blinded and in pain. Emergency power activated a moment later, bathing the bridge in a haze of red. Groggily, Captain Henry D. Grissom pulled himself up off the floor of the U.S.S. Jolly Roger. He grimaced and held the shoulder that had taken the brunt of the collision with the bulkhead as he pulled himself to his feet. Looking around the dimly lit room, he called out to his crew...

    "Report!"

    From the direction of the helm he heard his First Officer, Commander Ashley Case answer him as he turned to see her taking the station, "Direct hit on the starboard nacelle and main deflector dish. We have damage on decks 15,16, and 17. Shields are up and holding, but that last hit blew out EPS conduits on decks 5 thru 9. Shield power down to 40%. Internal ship communications are down. Main life support is off-line, but emergency systems are online and functioning. Weapon systems offline."

    Slowly other members of the bridge crew began to pull themselves to their feet and regain their stations. He walked over to the prone body of his Tactical officer, Lieutenant Jeffrey Phillips. He checked for a pulse and was relieved to find that the young man was still alive and merely unconscious. A medical officer arrived a moment later, having come out of the nearby turbolift. At least something was still working on his ship. Grissom stepped aside and let the doctor began administering assistance to the unconscious officer.

    "Tactical? Who fired at us?"

    Turning to look at the tactical station, he noticed Ensign Daniel Corla taking the station. Ensign Corla was the helmsman on duty this watch. He had been thrown across the deck in a similar fashion as Grissom; although unlike his captain he seemed to have avoided landing against a bulkhead.

    Working the controls with a fury before turning in the direction of his commanding officer, Ensign Corla gave a serious and somewhat bewildered look. His cool demeanor told his Captain several things about the ensign. First, that what he was about to say was very grave and, second, he looked nothing like the young man who was less than 6 months out of the academy.

    "Sir, I can't believe what I'm seeing, but I've checked and double checked the sensor readings. The ships that fired on us were Vulcan!"

    "Vulcan?!! Triple check those readings, mister."

    "Already doing so, sir."

    After a short pause, Ensign Corla continued, "Confirmed. The ships that opened fire were part of the Vulcan contingent here for the unveiling of the new science vessel at tomorrow's First Contact Day celebration. The Sh'Kire and Voneer. They've disabled four of the five Starfleet vessels here for the celebration, including the Jolly Roger, and three of their own. They have moved away from our position and are currently trying to fend off the remaining Starfleet ship."

    "Disabled their own vessels?!"

    Pausing a moment to consider this news, Grissom knew that something sinister was at work. The probable connection to the new science vessel, the U.S.S. Phoenix, was hard to ignore as it had been a closely guarded secret until only a week before. The ship was to be unveiled during the First Contact Day ceremony tomorrow. Part of a new line of starships built after recent events with the Voth and the discovery of the Dyson Sphere, the ship was specifically designed to be a battle science cruiser. It would be able to study the Dyson Sphere and also remind the Voth that the Federation had teeth when needed. However, the information about its capabilities and designation as a "battle cruiser" was still a closely guarded secret. The Federation Council had decided to announce the commissioning of a new science ship and the assignment of a crew that was 50% Human and 50% Vulcan to commemorate the occasion. The name of the ship, Phoenix, was even a homage to the ship flown by Zefram Cochrane on that historical day.

    Those Vulcan ships had to be after the Phoenix, which meant they must know of its capabilities. But how? More troubling, why would Vulcans be after it?!

    Turning to his ensign, Grissom quickly added, "Which of our ships are they fighting?"

    "The U.S.S. Warkitty, Three of Seven's Miranda Destroyer. Normally they would have no trouble taking on a few Vulcan ships, but they took some heavy damage in the initial assault. They're leaking plasma out their port nacelle and main power appears to be fluctuating. They're keeping the Vulcans from reaching the shipyard at the moment, but it's only a matter of time before those ships take advantage of the situation."

    As Grissom took in this information, he began to weigh the available options. None looked promising. Without weapons, let alone main power, they could not provide assistance to the Warkitty. Even more concerning was the prospect that those Vulcan ships would likely reach the Phoenix before too long. What they would do with the ship once they reached it was troubling. Even moreso was the thought he just couldn't get out of his mind...why Vulcans?!!

    Just then his First Officer interrupted his train of thought.

    "Captain, we've regained internal communications. Reports coming in from all decks. No casualties, but Sickbay reports several crewman severely wounded. Engineering reports that partial main power, including weapons, will be online momentarily."

    Turning in her direction he quickly asked, "Engine status?"

    His first officer worked the controls and responded a moment later, "Partial power, sir. We can maneuver at half impulse speeds, but warp power is offline."

    Stepping up to the command deck, he paused in front of the center chair and looked around the room. Through the red haze of the emergency lighting he took stock of what remained of his bridge. Exposed consoles, blown out conduits, lights flickering, his ship was badly damaged. Grissom knew that if they could get to those ships and add their fire power to their sister ship's, together they might just be able turn the tide. At the very least, they should be able to hold those Vulcan ships back long enough for reinforcements from Starfleet to arrive. But would his ship hold up long enough to do any good?

    As the main lights came online, he looked around the room again as he could now see his crewmen more clearly. Many of whom were battered and bruised, not too unlike the ship they were serving on. As several of them turned to meet his gaze, he noticed that, although injured, they all carried a look of determination. A look that, as they all manned their stations, told him that they were ready to carry out his orders. Captain Grissom felt a great sense of pride in that moment and offered himself a small smile. His ship, his crew...they wouldn't let him down. And neither would he...

    Turning to the Tactical station behind him, he ordered, "Ensign Corla, retake the helm from Commander Case and set course for those Vulcan ships. Number One, assume the tactical position. Grissom to Engineering, we're going to need those weapons!"

    "Lt. Commander Volaria here, sir. Partial weapons and main power are online now, but I am barely holding main power online. Those hits knocked out a lot of systems down here. We're being held together by shoe strings until we can do a full inspection and repair."

    "Acknowledged, Commander." Grissom replied, "But I believe those ships that attacked us are after the Phoenix with the intention of stealing her or worse. This ship may be the only thing that stands between their success or failure. We can't let them succeed, understood? Give me everything you've got."

    "Understood, Sir. You'll have it. Volaria out."

    Taking his seat in the center chair, Captain Grissom addressed his crew.

    "Attention crew of the Jolly Roger, this is the Captain. Enemy ships are attempting to seize control and potentially steal or destroy the U.S.S. Phoenix. One of our sister ships is attempting to stop them, but they are severely damaged and losing ground. I intended to provide assistance and prevent the theft or destruction of the Phoenix."

    Grissom paused and smiled again. " If those pirates want to pillage our booty, then they'd best prepare to do it through Davy Jones' Locker! Red Alert! Batten down the hatches! All hands to battle stations!"

    "Helm, weigh anchor!"

    "Number One, dead men tell no tales!"

    To be continued...
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    #3
     –  Last edited by Caymen Greener; Mon 31 Mar, 2014 3:45 PM.
    First Contact: The Unseen Guardian

    April 5, 2063

    Neh'Fah was nervous. Her people had been forced to seal many of the entrances to their underground cities and keep to the deepest woods because of the encroachments by the Furless Ones. She had been able to sense that they too were hiding and frightened, though from what she wasn't sure. The Furless Ones in their village exuded the same lost feelings that her cousins did when they had come to live with her family after the Furless Ones had destroyed the forest that they had once called home.

    Today while scouting for her people, Neh'Fah had seen meteors crash from the night sky into the Furless Ones' nearest village which was unusual enough, but shortly afterwards another group of Furless Ones appeared from thin air, as if by the power of Harreefnu himself!

    These furless ones were different from those that she had watched so many times, always careful to remain unseen and leave no trace. The newcomers had an aura of optimism and confidence, there was a Shine to them as bright as the colors of their "clothes" (Neh'Fah had learned that was what the Furless Ones called their outer skins, which they could shed and then re-enter. She wondered for a moment if it hurt when they did that.)

    The Furless Elder had gotten into an argument of some sort with the Shiny visitors and had run right past her, followed by some of the Shiny Ones. Fortunately, Neh'Fah was always hidden by her people's camouflaging fur and she went unnoticed, The Furless Elder was not so lucky though and the Shiny people found him quickly. They settled their differences hastily, which didn't surprise Neh'Fah because she had seen Raven fly past and knew The Great Spirit was taking an interest in these strange events.

    As night fell and grew to fullness, Neh'Fah watched them move in and out of their cave, marveling at the influence of the strange visitors. The Elder and his people seemed to have renewed vigor and purpose, but then she noticed that the Shiny Ones had developed a background trouble in their own thoughts.

    It was at that moment a group of lights flashed in front of Neh'Fah, not the friendly rainbows of the Shiny people, but harsh and aggressive, just as WRONG as the creatures they left behind. Neh'Fah knew at once that these were servants of Atlantow. It wasn't just the grey, disease ridden flesh, lacking even the peach fuzz that the Furless Ones had in streaks on their heads. The auras she sensed were consumed entirely of despair and hate, driven by a dreadful lust for dominance and destruction. Neh'Fah knew what she had to do.

    The Twisted Ones raised their weapons with more malice than she had even seen and began to move towards the Furless Ones' village. Neh'Fah moved with complete silence, nearly invisible, and was upon them before they realized she had been watching. Reaching down to grab the necks of the rear two Neh'Fah brought her mighty arms together and crushed their skulls into each other, splattering green goo and bits of bone onto her lush dark fur. As the third of the Twisted Ones reached for her, Neh'Fah grabbed his arm and twisted her body, lifting the creature off the ground and slamming his head into a large tree, tearing the arm off and crushing the skull. Neh'Fah noticed that the body seemed to burn away, further convincing her that these creatures needed to be destroyed. Calling out to Harreefnu with a haunting roar that echoed through the mountains, Neh'Fah charged forward, wielding the disembodied arm as a scorpion wields its stinger. Piercing up through the neck and into the brain case of the fourth enemy Neh'Fah continued her motion and decapitated him; as the body burned away she knew that Harreefnu had heard her call. Neh'Fah suddenly felt a burning pain below her 12th rib and smelled singed fur! Dodging a green blast that had come from the last invader's arm weapon, Neh'Fah stepped into the tree next to her and stepped out of another directly behind him. She fell on him savagely and beat on him with the full force of her powerful 8 foot tall, 500 pound frame until he too burned away into nothingness.

    As she began to mask the traces of the encounter a mighty earthquake shook the ground and a pillar of fire lit up the night from the direction of the Furless Ones' cave, growing taller and taller as Neh'Fah watched in amazement. Once the roar of the great fire had stopped and smoke began to screen the forest like a thick fog, Neh'Fah took the bodies of the intruders that had not dissolved to one of the many oubliettes her people had built in ages past and covered them thickly with the white powder used to dissolve waste.

    As she finished her duties to preserve her peoples' secrecy yet another strange light appeared above the forest. This one bore an entire building down slowly from the sky, clearly guided by Wind Spirits. Again invisible, but for the throbbing patch on her side, Neh'Fah crept forward and saw an opening appear in the building. The creature that stepped out was Furless, but he did have some peach fuzz on his head and his ears were large and friendly just like hers; his aura was thoughtful and orderly, her senses recognized a peaceful spirit.

    A Raven landed next to her and they shared a happy look as they watched, both knowing that everything would be Right again… as it had been in her mother's youth, before the pale-skinned Furless Ones came with their diseases and wars. Neh'Fah remained where she was for the rest of the night watching in curiosity until the sun came up and she made her way home to share this strange and hopeful news, wondering if in a few hundred more cycles her people might again trade and visit openly with the Furless surface dwellers.

    April 7, 2063

    Zephreum Cochran was wandering around the Montana launch site, wondering drunkenly if there were any way to stop future generations from building his giant statue and eventually deciding there probably wasn't, when he happened upon a very big footprint. Gawking at the massive imprint for a few moments he shook his head and let out an audible "Nahhh" before taking another slug of tequila out of his bottle and stumbling away to usher in a new era for Planet Earth.
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    #4
    Oops

    Imperial Military Science observer "Nervousness", April 5th 2063 (Earth Calender)

    As the sub leader finished her report it took a moment for the supreme fleet leader to grasp the bottom line of what she had told him. He looked at her as he realized and said "It wasn't a weapon?"

    "Analysis of the debris and the sensor data from before it was destroyed indicate there was no warhead of any kind, and organic residue indicates the object was occupied. Hardly an effective weapon if it has to be manned."

    "What about the ship that passed through this system and fled at faster than light speeds?" the Supreme asked, hoping there was something he could use to defend his, in hind sight rather rash, actions here today. Actions that ended decades of observation with death on a scale the occupants of the planet below had not seen in their history. And their history had been a violent one with plenty of death without outside influence.

    "Analysis of the sensor data indicates that the ship was comprised of materials not native to this planet or even this star system. All indications are they were either passing through or observers from another civilization capable of traveling the stars." the sub leader answered the question.

    The supreme leader of the military science vessel "Nervousness" dropped his head in his hands as he realized there was no escaping the facts. "Open a channel to Military space command. I'll make the report personally." he said and began to gather his thoughts and get himself into a dignified posture. Seconds later the screen rose from his desk and a face appeared on it.

    "Grand overseer. I have a report to make." the Supreme leader began. "Make it then. Your last report stated you were under attack. It said the natives had launched one of their missiles, previously used against each other, at your position and it made a faster than light jump or something. It lacked detail. I trust this report will not have the same deficiency." the overseer prompted, conveying the annoyance he'd shown with the supreme leader ever since the overseer took command of extra-solar intelligence investigations.

    "Ever since the discovery of the unmanned automaton the species calling themselves "Human" sent out with their quaint directions to their home world and of their radio wave transmissions we have kept a weary eye on them. Many of their transmissions were of malevolent nature. A decade ago a mission to observe the planet and its inhabitants, to determine the threat they posed to the Empire, was set up just outside their star-system and hidden using our cloaking technology."the supreme began, knowing full well the overseer knew the history of the mission as well as any other citizen of the empire.

    Until the probe, the humans had named "Voyager" had been detected by the first extra-solar explorers the Empire had wrestled with the question if they were alone in the universe. With the probe's discovery and subsequent detection of the radio-wave transmissions the humans were sending out that question had been answered but another one rose. Were they a treat to the Empire?

    A mission to discover that, and in one blow take away any threat they might pose if needed, was sent out and arrived ten of the planet's rotations around their sun ago. As the mission progressed the observers had witnessed the humans as they slowly killed the planet's ecosystems with their lust for comfort and luxury and then their lust for killing each other as they bombed each other with missiles loaded with multiple nuclear warheads, killing billions.

    Then, when it had seemed the humans themselves were sick of the killing and to weak to continue it and no bombs had been fired in some time one of the missiles they had used to kill each other was launched.

    "Only this time the missile didn't remain in lower orbit like all others before it had done but broke orbit and jumped to faster than light speeds on a course headed straight for us. As dictated by the protocol for direct attack from Earth established at the missions inception i energized our energy weapons, closed the distance to the planet for orbital sanitation and initiated firing protocols. Point defense cannons obliterated the human missile as the ship was powering up." the supreme told the overseer.

    "Well, it appears the conservative faction of the ruling council was correct after all.The humans were belligerent and violent and as soon as they became aware of our presence they lashed out in violence. It was prudent to take away their ability to inflict the terror they have inflicted on each other before they could inflict it on any others." the overseer said, apparently satisfied.

    The slight shift in movement of the sub leader, in the shadows of his office, reminded him of her presence and that, might he falter, she would not hesitate to relay the information he himself had not mentioned to the overseer.

    "The sensor data has since been analyzed by our computers and scientists overseer. We... I have made an error." he said, knowing he was committing suicide. "The missile held no warheads and was manned. Early extrapolations tend to indicate an experimental form of faster than light travel was being tested. No hostile intentions, analysis now indicate, were present. Since the launch of the one missile no other weapons have been powered or fired." he added.

    A silence of moments followed his words as the overseer processed them and the implications of them. "Your previous report mentioned the detection of an object in the solar-system of unknown origin, with an unusually powerful energy signal. What more on that?" The overseer asked.

    "The object is thought to be of extra-solar origin, and constructed of materials not present in this solar system. It sped away at faster than light speeds beyond our capability after we had destroyed the missile. Intelligence speculates it is of another space traveling civilization like ours." The supreme answered, knowing what question would come next.

    "Are there any survivors on the planet?" the overseer asked proving the prediction of the supreme correct. "Surface temperatures range from190 degrees at the poles to 500 at the equator. No form of life, larger than bacteria. can survive on the planet now sir." The supreme answered, knowing they were the last words he would ever speak.

    "Sub leader, execute supreme leader and assume his position. Take the "Nervousness" home. Overseer out" said the voice on the screen.

    One more death was added to the billions on the planet the inhabitants had called Earth on a small spaceship in space before the ship fired its propulsions and headed home, leaving the scene where on April the 5th 2063, by the human calenders reckoning, a civilization which stood at the pinnacle of billions of years of evolution was destroyed in hours by another which had come from space.

    Happy first contact day!
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    #5
    Four generations of first contacts

    I was there. Oh, you won't find anything about it in the history books but I saw the whole thing. It changed my life. It changed history. And it was amazing.

    I should have been home in bed, but I wasn't. I had climbed out of my bedroom window and was lying out in the field looking at the stars. I did this whenever I thought I might get away with it. There in that enormous Montana sky you could see a gazillion of them and for a young boy of six years, those stars were fascinating.

    My mind started to wander and I pondered about faraway planets and strange looking creatures who inhabited them. Most of my images were based on things I had seen in movies and on my computer. Little did I know how close those "creatures" actually were.

    As I lay there daydreaming, or do you call it night-dreaming if it's after dark? Well, whatever it was, it was suddenly interrupted by a large triangular metallic object with odd lights descending from that night sky. I had seen nothing like it before and though I didn't know it at the time, neither had anyone else. That thing, which we would later learn was a starship, floated down out of the sky and landed in a small clearing just outside of town.

    I jumped to my feet and ran as fast as I could toward the place it had set down, but I didn't go all the way to it. Instead, I stayed just out of sight there in the brush. After all, I wasn't even supposed to be here. I was supposed to be back home in my room.

    As a small crowd gathered around this "spaceship" thing, a door opened and some people emerged, but they weren't exactly like the people here on Earth. Their eyebrows were straight and slanted and their ears were pointed at the top. They walked up to a couple of the people gathered, raised their hand and spread their fingers apart holding their thumb out, the next two fingers together and then the other two fingers together.

    One of those space people, we would later learn they are called Vulcans, then spoke, saying, "Live long and prosper."

    As this Vulcan spoke, I felt fingers clamp down on my shoulder, and it startled me. I spun around to see who it was, and saw my father. He put a finger to his lips to let me know to remain quiet. I wasn't sure if I was in trouble for being there but I was glad he was there.

    We watched as the people from Bozeman interacted with the Vulcans, and after the spaceship returned to the sky, my Dad and I walked home together and as we walked, we talked about what we had just witnessed.

    It was in the Spring of 2063, on April 5, but most people know it as First Contact Day.

    That was years ago and thousands of miles away from my home here in Florida. You see, my dad was transferred a few weeks later and we moved to Panama City. I grew up, married, raised a family and grew old here. I never returned to Montana.

    Now like I said in the beginning, if you look in the history books, you won't find my father's name, Cyrus nor will you find mine, which would be Charles Tucker, but we were both there when history was made. I do believe, however, one day you'll be reading about my grandson who is an up and coming engineer. He has a good head on his shoulders and I believe he'll go far. That boy has a fine name, too. Charles Tucker III. We just call him Trip.
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    #6
    Precious Cargo

    The days were fast approaching one of the most important events in Earth's history. Many captains making their way to events all across the quadrant to celebrate First Contact, to celebrate the first warp engine created by humans and the meeting of the Vulcans for the first time. Starfleet often held a small gathering to mark the date, Admiral Kitty Durwood was among the invitees, currently onboard the USS Reliable an experimental Norway class vessel. "Helm, can't this thing go any faster!" the Admiral yelled, spinning his chair round, the officer replied "No ma'am, we've got precious cargo on board." she gave him a dirty look "I think I can manage high warp travel, Ensign." there was silence, Ensign Mark Wen slowly turned his seat back round to his panel.

    Suddenly the ship dropped out of warp, shaking the entire bridge, "Status report!" ordered Commander Samantha Green, "What's our location?" but no one was quick to give a response, "Ensign Wen, where are we?" Wen was frantically tapping at his panel "Ma'am, we are, lost." the admiral stood up, oddly not looking annoyed or worried "I shall leave this disaster in your capable hands commander, if you need me, I'll be in my quarters." she then left the bridge. Commander Green was clearly frustrated with the current situation "Bridge to engineering, any chance of getting the view screen back online?" but there was no answer "Commander Green to engineering, respond!" she pointed at Wen and to the turbolift, he nodded and headed down to the engineering deck.

    Meanwhile, Admiral Durwood was in her quarters, getting ready to read over her speech ready for the First Contact celebrations, she headed over to the replicator "Red wine." out of the replicator flowed a river of wine "Computer, stop red wine!" but it just kept flowing. "Durwood to engineering, my replicator is broken!" but just as with the incident on the bridge, there was no reply. Durwood grabbed her PADD and stormed out of her quarters to engineering with red wine pouring into the corridors as the doors opened.

    When the Admiral got to deck 7, all the lights were off, just the emergency lighting in the direction of main engineering, so she headed that way to the main doors, punching the emergency release. "Is there anyone here?" she called out when suddenly the lights flashed on and a banner came down with the words β€˜Happy First Contact day!' the Admiral did not look impressed, Commander Green came up to her "Did you like our show on the bridge?" Durwood glared "No, get us to Earth, now." but Green didn't seem to be listening "Can I get you a drink, red wine perhaps?" there was no response, she just walked off in disgust.

    Durwood found a corner to sit in to read over her speech, Wen approached her "Ma'am" she looked up to the Ensign "I know you don't like this party, but I have something to show you." she stood up and followed him, heading to one of the labs. "Admiral, here we are." he turned on the holoprojector and brought up the screen "It's our design for an enhanced transwarp drive!" the Admirals eyes widened "And this is what everyone is celebrating, this will be a big breakthrough!" she seemed at a loss for words, this would surely take the attention away from her speech "When do you plan to unveil this information?" she asked, hoping for an answer other than the day of her speech, "There's a science conference next month, we are going to steal the show!" Admiral Durwood was relieved by this answer, she smiled and looked to be in a better mood, they headed back to the party.

    Green came up to the pair when they re-entered "Want that red wine now Admiral?" she handed the glass over, Durwood smiled and took the glass, joining the rest of the Reliable crew in their celebrations. The ship resumed its course to Earth and would arrive in plenty of time for everyone to get ready for the more subtle celebrations.

    Happy First Contact Day to one and to all.
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    #7
    Argh! Grinding my teeth at an error i missed! Well, resisting temptation to vote for myself i have cast it for one of the other amazing pieces of writing here. I am again amazed at the high level of authors here on UFPlanets! Good work by all!
    DeuZige
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    #8
    Alright, just about one more day (roughly 36 hours by the time I scheduled the poll). Let's remember Fist Contact Day in style by honoring our awesome writers!

    Caymen

    PS: I'll add this to the official write-up in the future, but as coordinator of the event I do not vote. I also do not submit my own entries. I just like seeing these works come alive!
    CaymenGreener
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    #9
    PS: I'll add this to the official write-up in the future, but as coordinator of the event I do not vote. I also do not submit my own entries. I just like seeing these works come alive!
    But do you submit under someone else's name! :emoticon_ShiftyEyes

    Jokes aside, good luck everyone in the closing hours of voting!
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    #10
    We have a winner - it should show up with its author in the News section Tuesday!

    Thanks to all who wrote, read, and voted - Happy First Contact Day!

    Caymen
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    #11
    Congratz to the winner. These contests are always fun and interesting.
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    #12
    Congratulations to the winner, whomever that may be!
    Dentari
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    #13
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    #14
    My thanks to you for hosting, to those who took part and to those who voted! Smile

    It's a different writing style to what I am used to, but it was still fun and I look forward to more of these competitions in future!
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    #15
    Wow, that was 3? I honestly didn't know. Congrats!