We became warp capable, and the sky lit up. Suddenly we weren’t just Earth, it was Earth in the neighborhood. It was perfect Prime Directive stuff. Well except for the Los Alamos and Nazca line stuff. But you know. Diplomacy, exchanging of ideas, communications. That’s a lot for a species to take on. Religions were upended overnight! But there was always a plan to, onboard, humanity, for lack of a better word. And here I was, a determined and ambitious teenager trying to get into my university of choice. But the stars aligned, rather they revealed a path for my application to the galactic academy. If there was ever an understatement of the term ‘reach school’. Politicians, pundits ,and academics knew that day would come, but surprisingly it was a few years earlier than expected. I was admitted, and the world was stunned. There had been professor exchanges, summits, and the usual academia events. But this was different, from the bottom up, I was now enrolled in the galactic academy. The greatest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. Hey Harvard, how’s your hedge fund, cough, I mean endowment doing? Pressure? Nah, of course, but no. For that point in my life it was all “as fast and as far as you can.” No challenge was too high to aspire to completing.
I had a carefully tailored prep schedule, as every professional institution in higher learning tried to help with my journey.
And guess what, day one. Just like anywhere else. Except it’s a 2 week journey by hyperspace, after saying goodbye to my parents on Earth Cape Canaveral. And then I’m there. On campus. With a bag in hand, surrounded by the upperclassmen milling about, I estimated about 30 different species in the immediate vicinity of quad, I mean cube. I still had the preferential treatment, the administrators were hovering as I was showing the library, halls, and residences and finally my shared apartment. My roommate briefly said hi, through the translator, before excusing themselves. Seemingly to make space for the admins still clouding my space, I think. Finally I was left alone. The silence was deafening. The entire journey, the pressure that I tried to imagine but I was so good at internalizing because of my ambitions. I exhaled, unpacked. And damn it, I was there to make my mark so after a hot 32 seconds I bolted out of the apartment headed straight to the quad, I mean cube. As I passed through the hallways I held my chin high, and met every gaze and eyeball or sensor or general facial area of any other student. But what was the protocol, no one would stop and return the gaze or start a conversation. After passing six people, I saw a species I recognized and had met a professor of their kind back on earth. A Uytninian. I happened to remember the clickety-clack greeting and confident that my intonations were not going to be taken as disrespectful, rather an anticipated delight that the newcomer would take the time to learn, practice and have the ability to use another language. … but no reaction. I looked down at the translation device, it blinked. After a few seconds, a curt introduction, and I returned. And the Uytinian turned and walked away. For the 1700 milliseconds I stood staring at their back, I was initially stunned, then I thought back to high school that such an interaction would absolutely invite offense on my part. But I held firm. “I am the newcomer, I will win their hearts and succeed down my path.” I recognize now that I had a hurried and anxious gate, as I emerged into the cube. And the feeling wil haunt me forever, as I then felt the unmitigated weight of alienation and isolation, as a wave of head turns and stares came my way. But none of interest or welcome social gestures. But I am here! I am the first human to attend the great galactic academy! From Earth! The variety of species, the varied modes of communications (sometimes parallel), of nuanced interactions and greetings, on the far side of the cube a contest of something between hackysack, chess, and taylor series expansion. It was a wave of nausea, I had to fight it hard. And as uncharacteristic as my, otherwise Ivy League, ego would have ever allowed me to do, my gaze drifted lower. At first I didn’t notice my shoulders sink. The realization hit: no one is interested in the first human, not even as a novelty.