[Hippocrates]

Presidential Offices
Earth, Sol System
Capitol of the Federated Worlds

"Admiral, so very nice to see you today."
"Mr. President, sir. I have here the briefs you asked us to prepare concerning the most recent First Contact event." Fleet Admiral Barov briskly strode across the length of the Presidential Office and deposited a thick folder on the President's desk. The admiral was always amused when his Commander in Chief asked him for hardcopies of reports, rather than reading them off a fiche reader as most folks did these days. "Hurts my head, looking at that screen," the President had once stated, ending all further dabate on the matter.
"Well Admiral, what've you got for us, eh? I hear these guys may be another one of our lost colonies?"
"Well, sir, we're still looking into things, but its starting to look that way. Certainly seems to be few other possibilities for where they came from."
"Hmmm, I see. Well, lets take a look here, shall we? Have a seat there Admiral - this is going to take me a few minutes." As Admiral Barov seated himself at one of the plush armchairs facing his desk, President Hippocrates reached for the folder.
As stated in the report, a Federation survey and scout vessel - FWS Nomad - had been engaged in a First Contact situation three days ago. This in itself was not what had caused the red flag which drew the President's personal attention so urgently - the Federation had encountered nearly a dozen new species within the Last three years alone. Rather, what was so surprising was that the ship encountered seemed to be carrying fellow human beings.
"Hmmm, you're sure these genetic tests are accurate?"
"Huh? Oh; yes, sir. The Namod's chief Med officer is quite experienced. A courier ship is rushing the origional sample back here for further verification, but we have no reason to doubt its accuracy. Also, there's no chance of the sample having been tampered with. When their diplomat came on board, Dr. Montagna drew the DNA sample himself. Their diplomat was caught a bit off gaurd by our request, but he submitted to it without any protest."
"Another set of Lost Colonists, then?"
"As I mentioned earlier, sir, that seems to be the most likely explanation."
The President's only response was a snort, "Humph." Nearly 250 years ago, the nations of Earth had managed to begin their first ventures into intersteller space. With barely the minumum amount of technology needed to make the voyages viable, explorers ventured forth and established a handful of fledgling colonies in neighboring systems. Shortly thereafter, a survey vessel had encountered the first alien species recorded in Human history - the Klackon Empire. Hopeful attempts were made to communicate; all were ignored. Attempts were made repeatedly to establish contact of some kind, but no attempt bore fruit.
Six months later, for reasons that shall forever remain uncertain, a Klackon vessel entered one of Humanity's newly settled colony systems and destroyed all signs of life on the surface of the settled planets. No threats were uttered, no communications were received, no ultimatums given. Simply death served up efficently and silently.
For the next thirty years, a great war ensued as the Klackons slowed rolled back HUmanity and destroyed colony after colony. During the darkest days of the war, as a Klackon fleet approached the Sol system and prepared to lay siege to the very cradle of Human civilization, a great exodus was begun. Fleets of colony vessels were dispatched in an attempt to save at least some portion of the Human species. Once the Klackon seige of Sol commenced, all contact was lost with these colony ships, and they were presumed lost to enemy action.
Although Earth eventually emerged victorious at the end of the war, her global economy was shattered. Maintenance of orbital facilities became impossible, and slowly any ability to travel insteller distances was lost. Those few, rare colonies outside Sol which had managed to survive the war lost contact with the Mother World and were left to fend for themselves. As years passed with no contact, even these had been saddly written off as lost.
Now, over two centuries later, the people of Earth had finally clawed their way back to the stars, only to discover that some of Earth's Lost Children had survived the intervening years. Prior to this latest encounter, contact had been established with three other former colonies. In all three cases, they had not only survived, but managed to establish their own societies along with colonies of their own. One of them - fearing Earth had been destroyed - had established a martial society based around their Navy and a near legendary figure they called the "Broad Shouldered One." The second had witnessed the self destruction of Earth's infrastructure and had vowed never to allow themselves to become that weak - expansion and the safe guarding of their borders was their gaol. The third, meanwhile, had reverted to a an ancient form of government ("A Monrachy! Of all things," thought the President), and had even bioengineered themselves to breath previously hostile atmospheres in order to survive the bombardment of their world during the war. Earth's very air was now poison to those humans.
And now.....now this fourth set.
"Any leads on them at all, Admiral? Anything?" asked the President, as he came near the end of reading the report he had been handed.
"Not yet, sir. Their diplomat insinuated that his people believed Earth destroyed during the Great War, and that their society was created by the survivors of a Naval Station which had been befallen by strange circumstances. He refused to elaborate further, but we hope to gain more information from them in the coming months."
"A Naval station? Could they have been from one of the Black Ops stations? The ones which were carrying out all kinds of secret research?"
"Once again, sir, we're not sure. Could be though; there were a bunch of those which were established during the war. If that was the case, DNA samples were kept from everyone who was drafted into the military at the time. We should be able to match their diplomat (thanks to the sample he provided) with someone from those old records. IF his story is true."
"Very well, Admiral. Pursue whichever avenues you feel necessay. Keep me posted." Just because the Children of Earth were human, not all were friendly. Some felt Earth had had her chance and missed the boat - it should be they who should now inherit the stars. Only time would tell what stance this new batch would take..........