Trilateral Symmetry

The beings that were displayed on the screen were not an example of the Forerunner genetic dispersion which forms the basic structure of the majority of the life-forms of the Galactic disk of the milky-way: rather, they were some type of silicon based life which had trilateral symmetry, three legs, six arms, and a head with its mouth parts at the top and three eyes spread out around its circumference. Thier skin was covered in scales of dull-jewel-like matirial, taking on red, orange, yellow, blue, indigo, or violet tones on each individual, covered by clothing vaguely similar to that of most sapient races. They didn't have any sort of color scheme based caste system as far as we could determine, since members of every color were mixed together at the various duty-staions around their bridge, but we also didn't have very much information to make guesses like that accurate as-of-yet. Their captain began to speak, and the translational devices worked overtime for a few minutes as we established a lexicon for mutual communication. At last, we were genuinely ready to speak.

"This communication development is growing tedious captain, we are ready to take action on your violation of our sovereign space if you are unable to communicate in the next four-point-two-seven-minutes..." the universal translator cut in mid-exchange, and apparently just in time...

"Our translation software appears to have finally found a lock on your linguistic syntaxes system and be able to facilitate direct communication." Captain Lance explained, and the being on the other end clicked its mandibles apriciatevely.

"That is good, it has indeed conveyed to me that it is correctly translateing our words. To explain why we have approached, your vessel has violated the spacial borders of the Vzekrik Sovereign Systems Alliance, which our ship is a gun-cutter of its navy. We are hereby notifying you that you have less than 17 of your hours remaining to correct this mistake or according to galactic law in this region of space we will be **** to destroy or capture your vessel in order to maintain our sovereign claim upon the Xikshiz system. We're not desirious for war between our political unions, and therefore we respectfully require that you adjust your heading tward 75° Starboard, 91° Ventral, 38° Aft of your ship's current orientation in order to exit our space by the most direct route possible and again head out into the unclaimed area beyond the border at your best sustainable speed." He(?) informed the captain.

"Be advised Captain that I'm not under authority to unilaterally adjust my course in that manner, the Brevet-Commodore of my flotilla must make that decision, I'm putting her on-screen now. Don't be surprised by her appearance, we're identical twins." Captain Lance lied slightly, though only by omitting the origin of thier twinning.

A split-screen came up showing the Brevet-Commodore and the brand-new tattoo that had been implanted across her forehead with our sick bay's micro transporter.

"Greetings, Captain, I am intrigued by your statements and we will agree to exit your sovereign territory, providing you agree with part of our people's international accords and share your charts of the local region with us as proof of your territorial claims, in exchange for a similar copy of our own charts: are you authorized to do this by your national government?" She asked cunningly.

"No, not exactly, but neither am I forbidden to do so, it is a matter of personal discretion. I think that since you have agreed to exit our space by the shortest safe route if I give you these charts and you have agreed to reciprocate with your own charts it is a good trade and I should accept your terms, beginning transmission presently, Captain Zriksha out." The being replied and cut the video feed.

It took an hour for the files to transfer as our ships matched up with the proposed heading and started to proceed twards the borders of thier sovereign space, but by that time I had already programed the computer to be able to auto-chart the best possible course beyond what they claimed as thier territory within a few minutes of Reciveing the new astrographic data. Soon enough, our two ships computers absorbed the new information, and my pre-designeded subroutine had us both boosting out-system at warp 7.1 the Vzekrik Sovereign Systems Alliance gun-cutter followed along to less than a thousand miles beyond the border and then smartly spun on its heels and headed back, sending out a final, pre-recorded, communique as it left. "You're an awfully long way from home, Captain Horseback-Spear, you should be careful, we're far from the only major spacial polity in this region of the galaxy, and most of these people are considerably more aggressive to anyone who enters their region of the sky than we are. Tread lightly, going forward, and above all, avoid the realm of Khan Guay Chok, her marauding Fanatics would gladly eat 'dwamaks' like you."

The rest of my shift at the helm was largely uneventful, we had to make a few quick adjustments when a large uncharted asteroid appeared directly ahead of the ship, but that was just a matter of pressing a single button, the computer took care of the rest. I was relived of duty by the new transfer "Ensign Brandy Ramirez", who also slipped me a similar note to the one I received at the start of my shift, and took it too with me to my quarters...