First Contact Fics

[unclesamslair2]

Looking for any good 'humans make first contact' fanfictions, especially if they feature 'humans trough alien eyes' or just some plain old 'Humanity, Fuck Yeah' à la Harry Turtledove's 'The Road Not Taken' or 'The Veil of Madness'.

I've read plenty of Mass Effect fics and even though I'm not a gamer, I've gotten pretty familiar with the universe given that almost all 'first contact' search results on FF tend to be ME related. I don't mind recommendations for ME fics, but I'm also looking to other fandoms.

I'm not a gamer or anime/manga fan so those would be for the most part out of the question given my unfamiliarity with those universes, but if there are any exceptionally cool fanfics I'll consider investing the time to acquaint myself with the fandom.

I personally think I've already exhausted all of my google-fu trying to find some more good stories along these lines, so any and all recommendations would be highly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[daniel_gudman]

Let's see.

Short Stories...

Rescue Party by Clarke is obvious.

I personally was struck powerfully by All the Way Back by Michael Shaara. It's pretty much exactly what you're looking for... with one sinister twist!

...And of course, "First Contact" by Murray Leinster. The Dean was the man who coined the term 'First Contact' with that one. "The Ethical Equations" was similar. I couldn't easily find copies online; I coulda swore they were out of copyright though (the author's been dead 40 years).

Novels...

You might enjoy "The Damned Trilogy" by Alan Dean Foster, if you're looking for something Road-not-Taken-like; the premise is that in a Galaxy of Hats, the Hat we humans wear is warfare. And of course, the setting is an interstellar war...? I thought it was too trite, too pat.

"The Mote in God's Eye" (Niven) is Niven at his tritest when it comes to characterization, but it's still a good book, and it's about First Contact. He also wrote all that Man-Kzin War stuff.

"2001", obviously, and of course also "Rendezvous with Rama", both classics.

Well, that's just free association off the top of my head.

 

[unclesamslair2]

Thanks for all the great suggestions, Rescue Party is great stuff I've already tried the damned trilogy and got bored quickly with how slow and convoluted it was. As far as the Man-Kzin Wars, I find the premise too far-fetched, the plot too unnecessarily convoluted, and am not looking to invest my time into a multiple book (more than 3 books) series.

My main point is just generally any 'First Contact' fanfictions you'd recommend. Stuff that's not fanfiction is fine, but surely there must be some First Contact fanfiction that people here would recommend. Doesn't have to be HFY or even 'Humans trough alien eyes'.

Thanks though, I'll take a good look at those other works and let you know what I think.

 

[unclesamslair2]

Read the Ethical Equations, that was just... horrible.

 

[pacifist]

Books
Zahn has quite a few good ones.
Conquerors trilogy
Manta's gift

Nor Crystal Tears by Alan Dean Foster

Fanfics
Babylon 5 not true first contact as humanity has already met other space going races.
The Dilgar war by Lord of Misrule https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2594689/1/The-Dilgar-War
Babylon 5 a new beginning by Nairda https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6303785/1/Babylon-5-A-new-beginning

X-Com might have some of the plain old 'Humanity, Fuck Yeah' your looking for.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanficRecs/XCom

from Harry Turtledove's worldwar
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8509060/1/Worldwar-War-of-Equals

 

[SlvrCrystalC]

Spacebattles had a round robin fic that was mechwarrior and an ISOT of modern day time (with Tom Clancy book characters in it) I wasn't familiar with either of these universes, but I enjoyed it much. It's not really alien first contact, but the cultures and technologies are different enough that it has many of the same themes. http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/bt-clancyverse-round-robin-story-thread.150127/

Most of the other first contact fics I've read are from the Mass Effect and Halo universes, most of which you can find in the fanfic .net community Fistt Contact. I expect your googlefu has found you all of those.

I too love fist contact fics, and very much enjoy all of the books reccomended here. I've read a couple, and they really hit the spot in my scifi loving heart.

 

[PCHeintz72]

Well... not sure if you count crossover first contacts as first contact scenarios or not..

Robotech/battlestar galactica cross/contact AA thread
BSG-AA 'Humanity's Survivors' by Multiple - [Dld Date=04/29/2005] - [Dld Size=58kb] - [Dld File Cnt=7] - [Dld Status=Inactive]

• - [Direct URL] http://addventure.bast-enterprises.de/frecent.php?tag=Humanity%27s+Survivors

There was a Ranma/Mass Effect crossover where Ranma met the Asari before they met humanity.
RANMA-ME 'The Human Asari' by Raven In Twilight - [Dld Date=04/13/2013] - [Dld Size=30kb] - [Dld File Cnt=2] - [Dld Status=Inactive]

• - [MD Source=FF.NET] - [MD Rating=T] - [MD Word Cnt=5468]
• - [MD Summary= After loosing everything he loves to a fully powered saffron Ranma ends up being moved to the Mass Effect universe by way of Yggdrasil and the Asgard. How will the gender changing Martial Artist adapt and thrive in this new universe. Beginning of the ME material will be set well before the Mass effect games.]
• - [Direct URL] https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9192941/1/
• - [Author1 URL] https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1133330/

Ranma made first contact with some aliens in the following (additional chapters on TFF in preview):
RANMA-SGSG1 'Scourge of the Goa'uld' by Ice-Tea-1983 - [Dld Date=06/11/2012] - [Dld Size=108kb] - [Dld File Cnt=5] - [Dld Status=Inactive - Preview]

• - [MD Source=FF.NET] - [MD Rating=M] - [MD Word Cnt=19162]
• - [MD Summary= On Second Lieutenant Ranma's first Offworld mission something goes monumentally wrong. Is the universe prepared for the consequences? Stargate SG1 crossover with a few extra special appearances.]
• - [Preview URL] http://thefanfictionforum.net/showthread.php?tid=9044
• - [Direct URL] https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4677821/1/
• - [Author1 URL] https://www.fanfiction.net/u/386101/

A Babylon 5/Wing commander first contact scenario
B5-WC 'A strange twist of fate' by Lucas43 - [Dld Date=08/12/2014] - [Dld Size=877kb] - [Dld File Cnt=69] - [Dld Status=In Progress]

• - [MD Source=FF.NET] - [MD Rating=T] - [MD Word Cnt=164266]
• - [MD Summary= A Confed battle group is trying to destroy a strange ship. And when it does the people of the battle group find out how fickle the fates can be.]
• - [Direct URL] https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2397863/1/
• - [Author1 URL] https://www.fanfiction.net/u/766514/

A author by name of USSExplorer actually has two spinoffs of one of his stories that have first contact scenarios in differing unuiverses. The root story was called 'Vanguard Over Green Fields and Drones'
ST-B5 'Vanguard Settling In' by USSExplorer - [Dld Date=09/02/2012] - [Dld Size=76kb] - [Dld File Cnt=10] - [Dld Status=Inactive]

• - [MD Source=FF.NET] - [MD Rating=K] - [MD Word Cnt=13763]
• - [MD Summary= After the battle the surviving crew of the Vanguard try to work out where they are and how to get home. A slow build crossover. Not going to have much interaction with B5 early on as expand on the Vanguard and her crew.]
• - [Direct URL] https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7959584/1/
• - [Author1 URL] https://www.fanfiction.net/u/280578/

ST-ME 'Vanguard In at the Deep End' by USSExplorer - [Dld Date=02/03/2015] - [Dld Size=1193kb] - [Dld File Cnt=46] - [Dld Status=In Progress]

• - [MD Source=FF.NET] - [MD Rating=M] - [MD Word Cnt=215593]
• - [MD Summary= The Vanguard finds itself flung into another galaxy that faces the threat of being overrun by a seemingly unstoppable force. With a massively damaged ship and little time; can the Vanguard make a difference in determining the fate of a galaxy?]
• - [Direct URL] https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8062951/1/
• - [Author1 URL] https://www.fanfiction.net/u/280578/

A forced Star Trek TNG and firefly first contact set up by Q (it has a sequel as well):
ST-FIREFLY 'Lost In The Woods' by Ardwolf - [Dld Date=10/18/2008] - [Dld Size=221kb] - [Dld File Cnt=14] - [Dld Status=Complete]

• - [MD Source=FF.NET] - [MD Rating=M] - [MD Word Cnt=39901]
• - [MD Summary= Captain Picard’s bad day just got a lot worse courtesy of Q. Which is nothing compared to the day Malcolm Reynolds is about to have when River starts babbling about the kindly t’ien lung and his curious bunny rabbit… ST:TNG/Firefly crossover.]
• - [Direct URL] https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4603570/1/
• - [Author1 URL] https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1716738/

Zcenicx made multiple versions of a story called Task force 43 dealing with what eventually in some versions has first contact between Star Trek and Earth Alliance during Mimbari War (the numbering of the stories this way is my internal numbering, not the numbering by that author).
ST-B5 'Task Force 43 v1x' by Zcenicx - [Dld Date=12/02/2007] - [Dld Size=687kb] - [Dld File Cnt=28] - [Dld Status=Inactive - Preview]

• - [Preview URL] http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/taskforce-43-st-b5-x-over.125183/

ST-B5 'Task Force 43 v2x' by Zcenicx - [Dld Date=01/18/2009] - [Dld Size=1208kb] - [Dld File Cnt=38] - [Dld Status=Inactive - Preview]

• - [MD Rating=T] - [MD Word Cnt=211048]
• - [MD Summary= TF43 is a larger-than-usual-scale crossover between post-Nemesis Star Trek and Babylon 5. There is also direct theft of ideas from other Sci-Fi universes among others Andromeda Stargate nBSG Gundam Mass Effect and Starship Troopers.]
• - [Preview URL] http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/taskforce-43-story-only.141490/

ST-B5 'Task Force 43 v3x Original' by Zcenicx - [Dld Date=05/02/2011] - [Dld Size=3289kb] - [Dld File Cnt=72] - [Dld Status=Inactive - Preview]

• - [MD Rating=T] - [MD Word Cnt=595228]
• - [MD Summary= TF43 is a larger-than-usual-scale crossover between post-Nemesis Star Trek and Babylon 5. There is also direct theft of ideas from other Sci-Fi universes among others Andromeda Stargate nBSG Gundam Mass Effect and Starship Troopers.]
• - [Preview URL] http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/task-force-43-v3-rewrite.156005/

ST-B5 'Task Force 43 v3x Revised' by Zcenicx - [Dld Date=11/28/2012] - [Dld Size=3856kb] - [Dld File Cnt=80] - [Dld Status=Inactive - Preview]

• - [MD Rating=T] - [MD Word Cnt=687592]
• - [MD Summary= TF43 is a larger-than-usual-scale crossover between post-Nemesis Star Trek and Babylon 5. There is also direct theft of ideas from other Sci-Fi universes among others Andromeda Stargate nBSG Gundam Mass Effect and Starship Troopers.]
• - [Preview URL] http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/task-force-43-story-only.156439/

ST-B5 'Task Force 43 v4x Rebirth' by Zcenicx - [Dld Date=11/14/2014] - [Dld Size=2669kb] - [Dld File Cnt=32] - [Dld Status=In Progress - Preview]

• - [Preview URL] http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/task-force-43-rebirth.288874/

EDIT1: There is a Tenchi story out there with the *setuP8 to a first contact, but it stops at that point. So not much good to you.

A runner up would be a different Tenchi crossover where he returns from the Babylon 5 universe and introduces the tech to the humans... The dark rewrite is on FF.NET, but I prefer the lighter two arc original as originally presented off his old site. note it does have first contact scenarios with races in the home universe.
TM-MULTI 'Back Home' by Warringer - [Dld Date=07/31/2006] - [Dld Size=1532kb] - [Dld File Cnt=61] - [Dld Status=Inactive]

• - [Direct URL] http://old.warringersworks.com/back-home/index.html
• - [Author1 URL] https://www.fanfiction.net/u/212642/
• - [Author2 URL] http://old.warringersworks.com/index.html

EDIT2: Another sort of one occurs to me...
NGE-MULTI 'Evangelion The Death God War' by zidaneace - [Dld Date=11/25/2011] - [Dld Size=560kb] - [Dld File Cnt=9] - [Dld Status=Inactive]

• - [MD Source=FF.NET] - [MD Rating=M] - [MD Word Cnt=106098]
• - [MD Summary= Long after the destruction of Earth in a distant part of the galaxy Earth’s sole surviving human fights against the powers of the Death Gods and his own internal conflict. The scariest thing is he is more like them than he’d like to be!]
• - [Direct URL] https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3583999/1/
• - [Author1 URL] https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1221371/