Fourteen months had passed since Tika had met the extraterrestrial beings at the edge of their solar system.

The called the citizens of Mothership Velrakis were peaceful interstellar travelers. They came from a faraway galaxy, way beyond the Virgo Supercluster, one that humanity had not discovered yet even with all the technology they currently possessed.

The citizens of Mothership Velrakis had no desire to take over or destroy Planet Earth, as many had feared. They did not even want to steal Earth’s natural resources. They told the UESA representatives that they didn’t need them, as they could easily obtain it from another uninhabited star system, if they wanted to.

The technology that the citizens of Mothership Velrakis owned was so advanced, that they could cross star system after star system within mere days, if not hours. They even had crossed a few galaxies! With their advanced technology, they went across the universe to find new things that they had never seen before.

It was hard to believe, really, but their desire to meet with humanity was motivated by mere curiosity. They wanted to know humanity better, and for humanity to know them better as well. Obviously, this was met with apparent enthusiasm from Earth’s scientists and some politicians, although there were some people who still found this somewhat suspicious.

And so, an exchange program of some sort was arranged. A few humans would be sent to study everything they could about Mothership Velrakis. In return, a few citizens of Velrakis would be sent to study everything there was to know about Planet Earth and its inhabitants. This exchange would last for a couple years, during which the Mothership would park itself close to the edge of the solar system. That was, unless there was some kind of an emergency that required them to go to another star system.

For the first four months after Tika and the other Eris Mission crew returned to Earth, nearly all of the world leaders got into a huge argument to determine who would go to represent humanity. Japan, India, Kenya, and South Africa fought over who would send their representatives. In the end, a vote was held, and Indonesia came as the winner. It was only right, after all. In the twenty-second century, Indonesia contributed many great astrophysicists and astronauts to the UESA and to humanity in general.

After that was the matter of choosing the people for the exchange. Tika was surprised when she was chosen to represent  humanity. She wasn’t really expecting to be chosen. After all, she was just a pilot. However, she understood why she was chosen.

Ever since she returned from Eris, Tika’s name had became somewhat famous. Not only that, she was one of the first humans to reach the edge of their solar system, she also one of the first humans to make first contact with intelligent extraterrestrial beings. She even received a medal from President Maharlika of the Republic of Indonesia.

It would be a good story for the press if she was included in the exchange program — and people loved that kind of story. It wasn’t fair, really, but she would be lying if she said that she wasn’t grateful for the chance.

Aside from Tika, Professor Arga and his family were also chosen. Tika was rather close to Professor Arga’s wife, Professor Ratri, and their two children — the twins, Bayu and Indah. Professor Ratri was a well-known anthropologist, Bayu a mathematician and biologist, and Indah a genius engineer despite her age. All of them worked as consultants for the UESA, and had contributed great help to make the exchange program possible.

The last member of their envoy was an UESA representative, Commander Jonathan. Tika wasn’t close personally to the Commander, but she knew that the commander was a highly experienced astronaut who had led various dangerous missions such as the Saturn Exploration Mission and Trans-Neptunian Exploration Mission.

Together, the six of them were expected to study the multiple aspects of Mothership Velrakis and its citizens.

— 

On the day of the launch, they were picked up by two members of Velrakis-Aran, an elite department that protected Mothership Velrakis. Varka was one of them, and they were tasked to take care of Tika and her colleagues during their stay at the Mothership.

This was the first time Tika had seen Varka’s true form, without a dark helmet covering their face.

For an extraterrestrial being, Varka looked an awful lot like a blue-skinned human, with white freckles dotting their face and shoulders. They wore formal-looking sleeveless clothes, with a blue cape and a fancy collar that was decorated with blue opal-like gemstones. Their white hair was braided and coiled around their neck. They also carried a sword strapped to their hip.

The other Velrakis-Aran member was a pilot, named Thu’ada of the Ndalu people. He had four eyes and purplish-red fur, with thin four arms and bright red crest feathers. Unlike Varka, he carried a pair of guns on his hips, and a ruby-red brooch was pinned to his chest.

The two of them were already waiting for the Earth representatives at the UESA’s headquarters in Palangka Raya City. The ship that would take them back to Mothership Velrakis was unlike any of Earth’s shuttles — it was smaller, for a start, and its sleek black surface gleamed under the Earth’s sun. It stood out between the UESA’s spacecrafts that were parked on the launching ground, looking entirely alien.

The exchange event was made somewhat public, attended by President Maharlika, several UESA’s leaders, and many reporters from all over the world. After a quick fanfare, President Maharlika welcomed six citizens of Mothership Velrakis to Earth and delivered a short yet inspirational speech for Tika and her colleagues. Once the whole event was concluded, Varka and Thu’ada guided Tika and her colleagues into the ship. 

“Please be seated. We will launch momentarily”, Varka said in English. After placing their luggage at its designated place, Tika and her colleagues sat on the comfortable seats.

This was the first time Tika had been a passenger in a space shuttle, and if she was being honest, she felt a little bit nervous. What if something bad happened and she had to replace the pilot? Tika had never flown a ship like this in her life before.

Just as Varka said, the ship launched not long after. Unlike the UESA shuttles, the alien ship easily broke through Earth’s atmosphere, passing the moon and Mars within mere seconds. Tika’s nervousness abated slightly as the familiar sight of the vastness of space greeted her, and she decided to enjoy the view as stars flew by the viewer. It was nice to be a passenger for once.

“What a smooth launch, so unlike our spacecraft”, Professor Arga hummed in amazement. “It barely shook when we broke through the atmosphere.”

“Our diplomatic ships are equipped with the best stabilizer for our guests’ comfort”, Varka returned. There was something like pride in their voice. “This is one of our newest ships, and you are one of the first people it has carried.”

Indah and Professor Arga asked Varka a few questions about the ship, but Tika tuned their conversation out while she stared to the stars once again.

After knowing that extraterrestrial beings did exist, she couldn’t help but imagine how many lives and how many worlds were out there, waiting to be visited by humanity. It was an exciting thought, yet at the same time somewhat humbling. They were not alone in the universe after all. It was a comforting thought, somewhat.

“We are entering the atmosphere of Mothership Velrakis”, Thu’ada’s voice came from the cockpit.

“We’re here already?!” Indah cried out in surprise. “But it’s only like five minutes since we sat down!”

“Wait a minute, isn’t your mothership at the edge of our solar system?!” Commander Jonathan added.

“Our ships are very fast”, Varka returned proudly, before approaching a holographic panel on the wall. They pressed a few buttons, and almost immediately, the ship’s wall became transparent.

Like floating in the vastness of space, Tika thought.

It took her and her colleagues a few moments to adjust to the invisible walls. And when they did, they saw Mothership Velrakis floating above Eris’ orbit. This was the second time Tika had seen it, but she was still filled with fear that felt somewhat primal. Its gargantuan size made it look like an odd-shaped planet, and it made her wonder how these extraterrestrial beings had built something so massive.

Perhaps they would find out once they were aboard the Mothership. Who knew?

As their ship drew nearer, Tika could see statues carved to the black hull. They were shaped like Anur Arta, like Varka. Their hands were outstretched, and in their palms, blue glowing orbs floated. They made the Mothership look like it was lined with glowing dots, like some kind of deep sea creature that Tika saw on a documentary show when she was little.

“The leaders of Velrakis”, Varka explained. “They have carried us across the universe since the beginning of Era Twelve, ten thousand years ago.”

“Hold on”, Professor Arga interrupted. “Your people had interstellar travel ten thousand years ago?”

“And yours didn’t?” Varka asked in return. Commander Jonathan and Professor Arga shook their heads, stunned. “Oh, that is so… odd, I suppose.”

The awkward conversation was thankfully cut short when the ship sailed through some kind of half-transparent membrane that protected Mothership Velrakis. It tickled slightly as it touched Tika’s skin, kind of like static electricity.

“Our particle shielding”, Varka explained again. “Not only does it protect us from enemy attacks and foreign object impacts, the shielding also eliminates dangerous microorganisms that will harm the citizens of Mothership Velrakis. Of course, you will have to go through a more thorough decontamination process later, but this is enough for now.”

Their ship eventually came to a halt, and Varka guided all of them out of the ship and into a lavishly decorated hangar. Crystalline chandeliers hung from the ceiling, bathing the room with soft blue light. The floor too looked somewhat ostentatious, gleaming like dark water under their feet. Water canals gurgled on both sides of the path they walked through, guiding them to an open gate.

In that hangar, four other ships were parked. Tika could see Indah staring unabashedly at those ships. Indah looked as if she wanted to rush toward one of the ships and tear it apart so that she could study it. The only thing stopping her was her mother’s hand gripping hers tightly. They continued the walk without any diplomatic disaster occurring.

At the open gate in front of them, stood a group of extraterrestrial beings who looked like Varka, with their freckled blue skin. Unlike Varka, though, they didn’t have human-like noses. Their hair colors also varied from purple so dark it looked like pure black to glimmering silver. They wore sleeveless floor-length cloaks, and their collars were decorated with colorful stones. They looked at Tika and her colleagues curiously.

“Welcome to Mothership Velrakis”, one of them stepped forward and spread her arms. “My name is Alavira vis’Avamar, or Avamar. I was appointed by His Most Imperial Majesty, Emperor Volaris vis’Velandar, to act as a mediator and a guide for all of you. May your stay aboard the Mothership be a comfortable one.”

Commander Jonathan reached out to shake Avamar’s hand, who accepted it with barely concealed bewilderment.

“My name is Jonathan Hutama, representative of the United Earth Space Agency. We come in peace”, the commander said. “And this is Professor Arga Putra, Professor Nadya Ratri, Bayu Dewantara, Indah Pujiastuti, and Lieutenant Kartika Pratanggawati. We are honored to be part of this exchange program.”

“Once again, welcome”, Avamar returned with a polite smile. “We are so honored to welcome the six of you into Mothership Velrakis. We hope that both of our people will benefit greatly from this exchange program.”

“As do I”, Commander Jonathan said.