(Author's Note: my entry for Round One, Part One, of the Ultimate Science Fiction Smackdown. Prompt is the image above. This story is a stand alone but follows on somewhat from the previous story, my qualifying entry. Word count 1497 not counting this note)

"Humanity, we are not alone," whispered Harlo, his blue eyes shining.

"But what is it?"

"It's the wrong shape for a ship, surely?"

"Could it be a terminal? A sort of space station?"

"Honestly, it could be anything. Perhaps something we haven't even imagined! There's only one thing we know for certain, it wasn't built by us," announced Captain Sul with authority.

The Explorer's small crew of six, and the four scientists who accompanied them, were crowded onto the bridge, staring at the strange object on the viewscreen. Orbiting the star system's lone planet, the structure was infinitely more exciting than anything they had expected to see. They had left Earth for the neighboring system of Kentaurus 341 a few weeks ago, anticipating the thrill of new discoveries, but along the lines of astrophysics and chemistry. Not this.

Every eye was fixed on the view before them, the alien object growing larger on the screen as they approached. Resembling nothing so much as a large silver wheel, the outer rim was tubular, its smooth surface unbroken by aerials or solar panels or indeed any sort of extrusion, apart from the multitude of spokes leading inward to a round hub in the centre.

"Are we getting any signals from the structure?" Sul asked Nylan, her Communications Officer. "Any sign of activity?"

Nylan shook her head. "Nothing, Captain." She paused, then added conscientiously, "At least, nothing that registers on our systems."

Rather to her surprise, Sul's initial reaction was relief. Exhilarating as it would have been to meet an alien race, her first responsibility was to the safety of her crew and passengers. They weren't equipped to handle any encounter with an alien race. Who knew what risks they would run? Even if the aliens were well-disposed to welcome strangers, how could they communicate? Not to mention all the other issues around communication, such as cultural customs, taboos, all of which were tricky enough to negotiate, even on Earth.

No, it would be far safer for them all if the structure was uninhabited.

Sul looked around at her crew, gauging their reactions. Nylan was focussed, her bottom lip protruding as she concentrated on her control panel, searching for a response of any kind from the structure. Harlo, her Second Pilot and youngest person on board, looked as if he were struggling with disappointment. Filled with enthusiasm and positive thinking, she was sure his idea of aliens was based on those ancient classics like E.T., Close Encounters and Hello! not the scary ones she couldn't help picturing herself.

Everyone else looked excited, especially the scientists, itching to get closer and start work.

"Well, even if it's been abandoned, this is still the opportunity of a lifetime, right?" Harlo pulled himself together. "I wonder if we can get inside?"

Explorer was closing in, preparing to match the craft's orbit, when they received an unexpected communication from Earth. One of the benefits of the quantum drive was the ability to send and receive messages while in space. Placed inside a metal tube, hard information could be transported with far less complications than a ship with live contents. Every hour, a cylinder containing current data was sent from Explorer to Earth and once a day, one would be received, containing current news and occasionally messages from home. Evidently their recent discovery had caused a major upset.

"Stand by, Explorer. Do not, repeat, do not, attempt to interact with the alien vessel. Strikeforce One will depart immediately to take control of further operations. Commander Harris will be in command. Acknowledge."

There was a moment's stunned silence. Then...

"What the-"

"Can they do that?"

"Aren't we a civilian vessel?"

"Strikeforce One? That's military! What are they going to do, shoot it down?"

"I hardly think so! But they'll block access, that's for sure!" announced Weller, the most senior of the scientists, in gloomy tones.

"You're not going to listen to them are you, Captain?" Harlo was pleading. "This is our discovery! Once the military arrive, you can bet we won't get a look in."

Sul zoned out, letting the exclamations wash over her. How was she going to handle this?

Approaching forty, Sul had spent her first fifteen adult years in the military. Back then, that had been the only way to guarantee a career in space, with access to the latest technology and the best ships. Now, private companies ran shipping lines throughout the solar system but the military was still the forerunner in innovation.

This very ship had started life as Gimlet, a military prototype, the first ship to be fitted with the quantum drive. Since then, overtaken by larger and more modern vessels, Gimlet had been sold off to the United Planets Advancement League and given a new name and a new purpose. Sul remembered the battle she had fought to retain her position as Captain for this current expedition.

"If I had my way, my boys would be running this whole mission," Commander Harris had growled, bailing her up in the corridor. "Sending a bunch of civilians to be first to explore another star system, that's just asking for trouble. If we didn't know there was nothing there except a planet hotter than Mercury, I'd be putting my foot down. As it is... do your best not to get burnt, won't you?"

Sul had given him her best enigmatic smile in return. She'd won! She hadn't known until that moment, how much she wanted this job.

She wasn't in the military any more.

Decision made, Sul turned to her crew.

"Right, it's likely to be a week or more before the other ship arrives, even if everything goes without a hitch. Let's see what we can discover before they get here, shall we?"

An hour later, they were closing in on the structure, having scanned and recorded as much as they could from inside the ship.

"Babylon 341, here we come!" murmured Harlo, as he brought the ship as close as he could. No-one was more surprised than he when a portal irised open in the side of the tube. Before he could draw back, the ship was drawn inexorably forward and eased snugly into the port with an audible click.

"Well, if that isn't a welcome, I don't know what is!" exclaimed Medic Sia, bright with excitement. "But as your medic, I'm going to insist that anyone who leaves the ship must wear a full spacesuit and go through the decontamination chamber, before and after."

Eventually, a small party containing Sul, Harlo, Nylan and Weller wearing full protective gear and carry as much equipment as they could manage between them, set foot into the alien structure.

"One small step for humanity..." misquoted Harlo.

They found themselves in a small white room and waited nervously as a bright green light scanned them from head to toe and the pressure rose and fell around them. Evidently an alien version of a decontamination chamber. Moments later, a round hole opened in the wall.

Sul stepped through, holding a recorder in one hand and a scanner in the other. Instantly, the corridor filled with light, then dimmed to a more bearable level.

"This is a pretty sophisticated setup, Captain," said Nylan, in a low voice. "Gravity, atmosphere, even the lighting appears suited to Earth normal."

"It's weird, isn't it?" declared Harlo. "I was expecting something... something different!"

Cautiously, they walked further along the corridor, hoping for a room or some fittings, anything, except the blank walls.

As if someone had been listening, a doorway irised open further along the corridor. And something stepped out.

The three humans froze in complete shock.

Babylon 341 was occupied, but by absolutely the last thing they had expected to see.

Another human.

Androgynous. Copper-skinned, with all the usual facial features, a space-style buzzcut and wearing a uniform similar to the very ones they were wearing themselves, they could have been one of the Explorer's crew. And they weren't wearing a spacesuit.

They held a small device in one hand. At first, it emitted a weird series of noises then, quite distinctly "Welcome", followed by another indecipherable sound.

"Th-thank you," Sul managed to stutter. "I am Captain Sul of the ship Explorer. And these are my crew."

More indecipherable noise came from the device, then it emitted perfect English. "Welcome, Captain Sul and crew. I am Sqialon, from the Nebulan system. We have much to discuss. You may remove your suits if you wish. It's quite safe."

It wasn't quite as simple as that, of course, but after only a few days, they had made enough headway for the Explorer's crew to feel comfortable and for the scientists to feel like all their dreams had come true.

All except for Harlo. "You're so... normal," he complained laughingly to Sqialon, with whom he had struck up a friendship.

"You were hoping for tentacles?"

Harlo blushed. Then froze, as he felt something curl gently around the back of his neck.