Niels stood facing the alien. A few seconds of silence passed and then it held its hand out for him.
'We know about you. Humans. We have observed you for a long time.' It said slowly in a low pitch.
Niels was nervous. He didn't know how to respond. He thought hard but nothing came to mind.
'what, what are you!?' Niels replied fearfully.
'I am Liraz. We watched the behaviour of you all for a long time and decided to meet here to give you a warning. We believe we can work together with you and explore more of outer space. We came from a planet in the same galaxy but Mars is the first other planet we have landed on. If we share technology we could expand much faster and make better lives for all of us. However, if you choose not to work with us, We have the power to potentially invade and control everything you have.' said Liraz.
'O..Ok. I'm not sure what you expect me to say but we can try and figure something out. I'm sure together we can make progress but it's not my decision alone to make. Anyways, are you alone here? and what is this glowing substance covering the walls?' asked Niels.
'Yes, I'm alone. I was sent here to scout the area and see what is useful here. The glow Is from a material on my planet. We use it for the energy it emits so that we no longer need to eat. Our planet in the past suffered a lot and we want to expand here to lessen the impact of the severe weather we have...' Liraz said looking at Niels whilst he didn't say a single word.
'We did irreversible damage to our planet and came here to prep for the future. Right now the planet is in better condition but some things cannot be fixed. We have little unused land now and will soon be over populated.' said Niels.
Liraz started to seem frustrated.
'Let me talk to your leader. Take me back to your base. I will use no resources. I just need to talk to you all.' He said.
'We are just scientists sent here for a mission. You will have to visit our planet for a meeting and only then will have a chance to negotiate. I imagine you will have some support however many people will be scared and will want to wage war with you. It's best you don't become famous." said Niels.
'But, if you need help surviving on Mars we have everything you need. We won't let anyone know you exist until you want Earth to know. He added.
'Ok, we can figure something out. My planet is more advanced socially and technologically however our weapons are lacking but don't take lightly as we have the power to hack and destroy all of your systems.' said Liraz.
Niels felt himself filling with panic. Nothing like this has ever happened in the World's whole history and now Niels was at the centre of it trying his best to give a good first impression. Liraz, with the power of his planet would be able to force Niels into a corner and slowly weaken Earth or was Liraz bluffing. He is too mysterious to understand and there is no way to know what will happen.
'Follow me, you can meet my crew mates and we can all figure something out. We just get back on the surface and follow me. It's not too far and you will then have 3 others to talk with. I am not sure what to think of you but I think we can get along.' said Niels.
The two made it out the ravine rapidly, as they made it to the top they noticed that a sandstorm was on it's way. 'Ok let's be quick. We can beat the storm and make it back safe.' Niels instructed.
Liraz just following, relaxing before meeting Niels' team. 'I see the base.' they both said as it came into view.
Niels still couldn't trust Liraz. However the most important question of space exploration now had an answer. 'Humans are not alone.'