Originally Posted by
Enigma
An eccentric scientist comes up with some new engines and shielding that makes FTL travel possible. NASA puts their tech to use creating a dozen FTL Probes to check worlds likely to support life. Eleven return with two Earth-like worlds confirmed. Two advanced probes are launched to do a preliminary workup, while the probes are sent out again. All eleven come back, along with three possible life-bearing worlds - and one report held back, top-secret and compartmentalized.
It, too, had found an inhabitable world - ringed by wreckage of ships, as if somebody has fought a battle. The probe recorded a small shuttle of some sort, apparently engaged in salvage, going down to the planet's surface to a spaceport in the desert, with a small city beside it - and more wreckage dotting the landscape.
As the probe watched the region turn to night, lights began to appear in the city and scatted spots in the more inhabitable regions of the planet.
It's evidence of alien intelligence - one that fights.
In the two weeks, the probe remains on station, observing, it sees the small shuttle a few times, but no alien ships arriving or departing.
The decision is made to build two ships, armed with everything they can get their hands on, and send them to the system on a classified mission. One ship will keep it's distance, observing, while the second ship will go in and try to make contact.
Hopefully peaceful contact - but if it's destroyed, the reserve ship will report back.
NASA and the Space Force are therefore looking for a few good scientists to take a trip....
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