April Protocol

The April Protocol is a series of standing contingency orders given to all Terran service members regarding how to perform during a first contact scenario. Adherence to this protocol is mandated in the Terran Armed Forces' General Regulation Order 11. While it is usually only relevant for those members serving in Fleet Command's Exploratory Divisions, as it is in their line of duty that the Union is most likely to make first contact, it is required that all members have a copy available, regardless of branch or rank.

The protocol is always to be enacted whenever evidence of alien life or technology is encountered, even if the immediate evidence only shows microbial life present. This is because the presence of any life implies the possibility of an ecosystem that could produce intelligent beings. While many over the years have objected to this tedious approach to exploration, it can usually take only a few minutes to determine whether or not complex life has emerged, and if that life exists within any evolutionary tree within Terran records.

## Procedure

The April Protocol as it applies to Terran service members in the 29th century:

**Section 1.** Confirm the veracity of evidence for unregistered organisms or viable para-organic systems based on primary anomaly.

1A. Suspend civil operating privileges for citizens in the area below 3rd Service Tier and without pertinent TFDC authorization.

1B. Consult 459th Edition Terran Bio-Compendium and related registries.

1C. Defer to officers trained in microbiology, biochemistry, organism ecology, and adaptive linguistics.

1D. Relay all intel to Earth via tachyon transmission with ACICC-15 encryption.

**Section 2.** Prevent detection of or contact with Union personnel and assets.

2A. Above all, minimize disturbance until relevant environmental data of known risks is verified.

2B. Withdraw local forces and initiate Profound Dusk Capacity.

i. Eliminate potential for tracking by EM or chemical channels.

ii. Subspace distortion is permissible as a means of evacuating non-essentials to claimed space.

2C. If contact has already taken place, divide and organize potential contaminants.

i. Quarantine personnel against aerosol, fluid, radioactive, and psionic transmission.

ii. Neutralize compromised property unconditionally.

**Section 3.** Acquire complete sensory data of the primary anomaly within tolerance of guidelines (see Section 2).

**Section 4.** If primary anomaly is biological, determine evolutionary grade and ecological context.

4A. If prokaryotic organisms are encountered, search for evidence of eukaryotic organisms.

4B. If eukaryotic organisms are encountered, search for evidence of environmental alterations by unregistered intelligences.

4C. If environmental alterations are encountered, search for evidence that unregistered intelligences are capable of detecting Union personnel and assets.

**Section 5.** If primary anomaly is nonbiological or para-organic, determine acumen grade and environmental context.

5A. If primary anomaly is indicative of tampering by a secondary anomaly with unregistered intelligence, search for evidence of secondary anomaly.

5B. If primary anomaly is intrinsic to the environment, determine the grade of its cohesion and potential.

**Section 6.** Determine the technological grade of any unregistered intelligence.

6A. If the unregistered intelligence has the capacity to harness sufficiently complex energy conversion, determine the grade of its generation methods.

6B. If the unregistered intelligence has the capacity to traverse space, determine the grade of their propulsion and inertial manipulation methods.

6C. If the unregistered intelligence has the capacity to break the light barrier, determine the grade of their drive.

6D. If the unregistered intelligence has the capacity to deploy anything as an offense against Union personnel or assets, determine its grade.

6E. If the unregistered intelligence has the capacity to deploy anything as a defense against Union weaponry, determine its grade.

**Section 7.** Determine to what degree an unregistered intelligence is aware of Union personnel and assets in the area.

**Section 8.** If the unregistered intelligence is knowledgeable of any Union presence in the area, monitor its reactions to Terran activity within TFDC guidelines.

8A. Transmit standard universal mathematical and physical constants in the designated order.

8B. If it is unfazed by Union activity or transmission, adhere to Section 2.

8C. If it directs EM, subspace, or tachyon transmissions, return its transmission between continued transmission of mathematical and physical constants.

8D. If its equipment physically approaches Union personnel or assets, take steps to explicitly avoid their vector.

i. If the equipment adjusts its vector to maintain an intercept course, deploy nonlethal measures to display a willingness and ability to engage in combat.

ii. If the equipment deploys its own nonlethal countermeasures, continue to avoid their vector.

**Section 9.** If the unregistered intelligence projects any high-yield offensive against Union assets capable of compromising a Grade-3 Deflector Screening, the area is then an active combat zone. Adhere to Fleet and Land Force Command guidelines and combat procedures. Until special orders are received from the National Council, all efforts are to be put toward containment of Union intelligence and asset denial.

9A. Nonessential vessels must engage an Emergency Subspace Withdrawal per Fleet Command Safety Procedures.

9B. Armed vessels will coordinate for counterattack or withdrawal at the directive of the ranking officer.

## History

The protocol was named in homage the month of April, when humanity detected the Tyrum invasion fleet that would later initiate the First Contact War. It dates back to the founding of the Great Terran Union itself, with the first iteration being much more focused on gathering information about the invaders of Earth. Given that humanity had no knowledge of other life besides themselves and their single enemy, there wasn't an immediate need to track down other life if they posed no threat. Upon the discovery of ancient ruins in the Alpha Centauri system, however, the protocol was redrafted to account for all potential enemies, with the unusual abundance of life in the Universe drastically exceeding previous estimates.

The protocol was enacted various times in the first years, but first contact was verified in 2221 by Lee Martin aboard the TUS Discovery, having encountered an alien vessel in the Rym system. Much to his credit, Martin maintained order on the ship and followed the April Protocol to the letter, restraining trigger-happy elements who sought combat with the much anticipated alien menace. Less than a year later, the Algan Republic became the first alien nation humanity would engage in dialogue with. Various edits were made throughout the centuries, with the existing revision made in preparation for upcoming intergalactic excursions by the GTU.

The last verified first contact occurred on March 11th, 2637, when the Unbidden arrived in the Pash star system. At that point, every star system within the hyperlane network had been fully surveyed, leaving nowhere else in the galaxy for life to be encountered. After the Rift was closed, there was nowhere else for the Union to encounter new lifeforms except beyond the confines of the galaxy.