Spaceship of Theseus

Humanity was nearly undone at the suggestion of doing anything together, but it was obvious that united action was required somehow. Nations argued with each other, societies were rocked, politicians fell, and still the aliens floated in orbit ominously doing seemingly nothing. The many and varied imaginations of the world were wild with dark speculations. Fear made every person's skin crawl. Eventually, after a serious and extensive European led diplomatic campaign, humanity chose a small global group to negotiate, or at least investigate, what it was that the aliens actually wanted, if anything. Small groups of aliens had landed in obscure countries where they could easily nullify small arms and pacify human hostility with a confusing ray of energy that emitted from nowhere. Contacts were brief, but no one of either group died or were captured, including those human beings who frequently and violently attacked the other worldly beings through either fear or desire to control.  A ...

It was a total shock when the aliens landed. Simultaneous landings in Bolivia and Senegal. No one, no scientist, no astronomer, no military leader from anywhere on the planet saw them coming, or had a single word of warning. Panic set in almost immediately. Strong nations sent delegations, military groups, and scientists to confirm and coordinate. They operated both in public and in secret. Incredulousness faded slowly, and many still had a hard time believing it was true, but the evidence stacked up. The Argentinian Prime Minister had fainted at the U.N. Video, which theoretically could have been faked, piled up in an manner that overwhelmed most conspiracy. Aliens had landed, caused panic by merely existing, and humanity faced a shocking crisis about how to compose itself in regards to itself, each other, and the aliens. 

The Greel, by human standards, are the most alien of all the known alien species. They have a single foot upon which they glide through areas through a mysterious repelling process that seems electric. Their bodies are vaguely rotund in the middle with two long crane like necks, each of which ends in a bulbous eye. Their mouths are where a human stomach would be, and normally covered by a large flap of skin that they only move to eat, which is something that only happens once every twenty days or so, and usually in private. They see in more colors than humanity, and have a habit of humming. They talk with deliberative slowness, and enjoy questions that are clearly of the 'yes-or-no' variety.  They make good engineers because of their natural ability to see in color ranges most other species do not. Stress fractures in bulk heads are easily seen and repaired. 

In this region of space, by far, the most common intelligent being that can be found is the Nok. They are quite human like in many regards, bipedal, similar hair (but almost always white). They have four arms and, from a human perspective, an extra eye in the middle of their forehead, which only perceives relative heat. They're quite blue, with strong shades of yellow or green varying appearances. They have a tendency to smear black paint on their faces and chest in designs and shapes that hold meaning for them. Humans are almost always taller, have more muscles, and greater diversity in color, ethnicity, and temperament. The Nok are generally calmer, quieter, more cunning, and perfectly willing to destroy something, eliminate something, or otherwise remove anything that is perceived to be a problem. Negotiation is unknown. Enduring a difficulty or an annoyance is not something they would ever do. "No pain, no gain," the human idea of achieving a benefit through struggle ...

Among the most benevolent species of the universe are the Krell. Tall, enigmatic, and somewhat rare, they have distinguished themselves as being shepherds for the wayward space traveler. Their reasons for being thus are largely unknown, and a surprising number of species consider them to be actual angels, the mere sight of which can cause the observer to faint away dead. They're quite tall compared to an average sized human, with no discernable difference between genders. Thin overall, they have two arms, vestigial 'glass' wings, and four legs, the inner two being thicker and primary, the outer two, stick like and mostly used for balance. Their skin colors vary slightly, from pale blue, to pale green, to coppery gold. Their heads are elongated horizontally, with wispy hair that floats like ribbon in a blowing breeze, or seaweed in a kelp forest. The Krell's movements are deliberative and slow. They make themselves known through the use of an electronic pad that reproduc...

Psychologically speaking, space travel is hard to take. Sure, the physical dangers are challenging with everything you have to manage and be aware of, but there is always a plan, a system, a method for handling them. It's the emotions of space travel and the sheer amount of 'unknowns' out there that ultimately take their toll.  Greatest of all the unknowns is the answer to the question: "what do I do next?" Fourth backup on the water collector fails? Okay, what next? Cosmic ray burned out half your instruments? What next? Stranded on a planet without a way of calling for help? What do you do then? Mostly, the answer is to wait for inevitable doom. But, no one can ever really accept that answer, so your mind races trying to find solutions. Frustrations build, panic sets in, and you solve it at an increasing cost to your sanity, or you willingly accept your fate, which only truly happens about twenty minutes after you've passed. Most hardened space travelers kno...