About

In the year 2082 an alien probe passed by the Earth, forever changing its people. In the 12 months between the probe and [First Contact] with the [Alician]s, the people of Earth worked together in a period of unprecedented co-operation.

By the time the [Alician] ship arrived at Earth, the UN had assembled a team of scientists and engineers who had created a vast collection of technology and protocols to assist in [First Contact]. The [Alician]s brought with them the wealth and knowledge of a vaste empire (which they would happily lease to humanity) and they brought the sad tidings that humanity and the [Alician Federation] were the sum total of sentient life in the galaxy.

So what do you do when, years later and less wealthy, you find signs of alien technology buried on Mars?
You prepare for Second Contact.