First Contact

 Rachel didn't know if she was more disappointed or excited. She knew that there was a chance in the training program to assist diplomatic efforts with species they didn't have proper contact with before, but that chance was like the disclaimers for allergies on chocolate bars for her, something everyone acknowledges there is a chance for, but nobody she had ever known experienced them, at least not within 2 generations.

 But it happened, she was assigned not only to the first human unit that can deepen the diplomatic relationship with a species not in yet the IgIU- short for intergalactic interspecies union-, but this group was the first from the union to do this work. Apparently, this was insisted by the leaders of Species-V, which is a temporary name for them until an agreement is reached on preferable names in every language. Protocols like this are necessary to avoid needless misunderstandings as different species have different sensibilities and also different organs to communicate.

 So it was exciting, an honor so rare that calling it once in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity would be an understatement. But - after reading reports and seeing pictures of the species - disappointing because they looked nearly identical to humans. At first Rachel thought Professor Wright was pranking her, even if he wasn't the practical jokester type. So far every known intelligent species was far off from of our aesthetics, or each other's. Sure, there were some similarities with most of them, like the Bracs is bipedal, or the Welcyn having two eyes similar to ours, even if there is a drastic size difference, but they also were glowing, whale-sized aquatic tentacle-monsters.

 So Rachel was puzzled by the situation even as she arrived the portstation. She didn't recognise anyone from her shuttle. It was forbidden for students to discuss their dirplomatic assigments beforehand for obvious reasons, but since these opportunities are quote rare, its usual to have 4-5 of them on one job, so she was hoping to see some friendly faces, and as she discovered the commercial district her wish was fulfilled somewhat. 

A tall man in a raincoat with dirty blonde hair was playing a pinball machine. Rachel could recognise the man from anywhere, especially in his outfit that was considered quiet odd for the station life, as rain, or any kind of weather isnt a thing there. She remembers some lectures about how at certain points people tried to simulate conditions, even unpleasant ones, similarly to what humans would experience on earth, but it always ended up being a giant resource waste with little to no benefits.

—Good morning Dr. Wright
—Rachel, glad to see you made it — welcomed her the man. — I wanted to greet you at the shuttle but you arrived earlier than expected.
—Seems like I was faster than the rest then.
—Not quite; as irregular as it seems, you are the only student of ours on this job. We will have a crew of course, I am yet to meet some of them, but the few I know are top of their field of work, so all will be in order.
—Part of the job is to worry— She retaliated — and are you the reason of me being here, or isn't it just some bureaucratic error?
— Well if it is, its the biggest one I seen so far-said the professor, as he started cleaning his glasses — someone somewhere down the chain specifically asked for you, and some of the crew.Infact I am letting you know it is hurting my ego that after all the papers I wrote, all the field experience and years of teaching, my golden ticker here was being your teacher, and only that.
—And how did I earn this honor?
—I expected you to tell me that, but I imagine you either won't or are as puzzled by all of this as me. You are decent, but not a too student, never stood out in competitions, and even those who do won't be selected for jobs like these, because... Well I get to that later. But dont worry ,you wont be the only youngster, your bunkmate will be an earthling from your generations. Don't ask me why, she has no relevant skills or experience, but it was insisted, just like like gravity being as close to earthly conditions as possible.
—I imagine she would be dead tired otherwise
—Puzzles me why that would be an issue since she doesn't have to do anything. Lets take a hike, I need to show you something.

Wright spun off a direction leading deeper inti the district, away from the harbors where Rachel expected to go, but she quickly attempted to follow the man, even if she had to jog a little to catch up. He didn't slow down until they arrived at what seemed like an abandoned construction site. They went deeper into it until they arrived a section where the glass hull of the station was visible, and part of the earth too.

—Professor Wright, I did not expect you to be such a romantic-she teased.
—Desperate times require desperate measures, kid. As I was saying green boys, or girls in this matter aren't chosen for this kind of job, because its not the kind of job for them. Once-in-a-century opportunities aren't good for gaining experience, because where will you use that experience? And calling this once in a century is an understatement. Did you read the prep work?
—I dont think I received all of it.
—Well, that's all we got. They look like us, they want our species to negotiate with them on behalf of the union, they claim they will survive on Earth conditions, they are coming from afar, and very advanced.  
—Do we know where they come from?
—I think someone knows but they aren't telling us.
—Do you think its a fluke? Like maybe some separatist group..
—No, that would be really stupid, and also never pass out manylimbed friends. We will do the first diplomatic efforts, but they met a screening crew before to list their demands to. And I just happen to know the RockKing who happened fo be there
—I am unsure if we can trust a species that chose that name for themselves.
—Rachel Maddow, don't you start being xenophobic now. I think we both would prefer the kind of leadership that chooses a name like that instead of the superstitious bullshit we are stuck with. Anyway, as you know our baller can sense resonance, and with that our heartbeat, and they had none. 
—I dont remember that from the report.
—Because it wasn't put in there. It was submitted, but it seems like we were spared of all the interesting details.
—Or you got left in the dust.
—Don't act like you don't know me, since I am on this crew I had clearance to request the profiles of the screening crew and he checked out. I also know that they were allowed to search their vessel, and it doesn't match anything we manufactured. — he was walking up and down since a while, but now he stopped.
—Rachel, this whole ordeal doesn't make sense...
—And when things don't make sense, we are lying to ourselves- she finished her teacher's famous line.