Y:19 D:28


    Argos


    The days after Eldon’s contact with his elders made him skeptical. He was in a hard


    dilemma. Juuda, who had become a close friend of Eldon’s, got everything explained


    to him. His denial to hear Eldon’s communications without his approval was a key


    part of why Eldon trusted him the way he did. Juuda’s ideas also began to have an


    impact on Eldon’s mind. His pacifist and just way of seeing things rubbed off on


    Eldon.


    As time went by, some contact was established with the other species. In


    most cases, they were greeted with fear. Humans slowly became more proficient in


    how they make first contact. They were slowly convincing one after another that the


    best cause of action was to cease hostilities with the neighboring species and join the


    humans in their quest of uniting the system. Most of the species joined out of fear.


    The technological advancement of humans was well spoken of, even to people who


    had yet to come in contact with them. Very few joined, because they really believed


    that the humans might end the wars of their ancestors. Especially after the news of


    the Orc-Naga defeat and the murdering of the goblin leader’s wife, it became hard to


    convince them that the humans were truly seeking peace.


    This problem concerned Alex greatly. His plans began enveloping a much


    grander scheme, wherein the entire system would need to be governed. With that in


    mind, he was searching for ways to convince the other species to join the cause.


    Those who feared humans would not willingly join, and those who did not thought


    that an alien, an outsider could not be trusted.


    Anais and Albert, who had left for a long mission near a strange species of


    tiny tree-dwelling creatures, were returning with more data. Helen had made more


    accurate measurements and now dated the end of the civilization on Gaia at about


    sixty thousand years ago. That was the same as about 7,200 years on Earth.


    Y:20 D:7


    Argos


    Emile, who was devoted in sociology and was spending much time at indigenous


    species’ villages, learning from them, invited the leaders to reveal the results of his


    research. In the meeting, Eldon was present at Emile’s request.


    “Hello, everyone,” he started. “As all of you have been briefed, I am looking


    into ways of making the communications and alliances with other species easier. I


    had stayed with some of them for long periods of time, and slowly I began painting a


    better image of their history. I am now convinced that there is a bigger picture we are


    not seeing. Something is so magnificently out of our understanding that we are blind


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    to it.”


    “Can you make this clearer, please?” asked Jain.


    “The species we have here are not from this world.”


    “That’s a brave statement, but what are you going to back that up with?”


    asked Jain.


    “Firstly, there are no cousins of any species we see here. There are no


    animals that evolved parallel with any species we see. We should see animals with


    similar features as every one of them, but we see nothing.”


    Gakuto interrupted. “We have spoken about this, Emile, and I explained that


    this is not proof. They could have driven all those animals to extinction. We need to


    start digging into the soil to uncover the past. This is not proof yet.”


    “And we will not have enough people to start investing into digging for fossils


    anytime soon,” added Juuda.


    “Yes, but this is not all,” said Emile. “They all talk about kings from the stars.


    They all have a history, one way or another, of being abandoned by those kings. The


    cities we see and the expansion on the other planets we confirmed with Eldon’s


    home world, Spi, betrays a coexistence before the war, which is very unlikely. Near


    impossible, really.”


    “Why do you say that?” asked Juuda. “Why do you think that just because we


    were always unable to make peace on Earth, they would have hard time to do that


    here as well?”


    “Let me clear this up.” Emile took a deep breath and put his thoughts into


    order. “They are not special. They are all people like us. They have the same


    chemistry, the same needs, and even very similar wants. They love and hate just like


    us, and they fear change and strangers just like we used to. The question then


    changes into this: Without an external input of something too big, how do you expect


    them to grow into a spacefaring civilization?”


    “So, if we were to leave them alone to advance now, you say they would


    never reach peace?” asked Juuda.


    “Exactly,” said Emile. “If you somehow manage to make them have peace for


    a while, it will not be enough to create an elite table of kings from every tribe that will


    keep the peace over large enough periods of time to create spaceships. The chances


    are astronomically low.”


    “So, what are you suggesting here?” asked Jain.


    “I am saying that there are things we are missing that are far too important to


    neglect. We need to seek the truth of the past. Something huge is hiding here.”


    Alex, who was listening all this time, looked at Emile with seriousness. “How


    do you suggest we approach this then?” he asked.


    “I think we should go to the other planets. We need to see and talk with the


    Vampires who are ancient and check on the first planet of the solar system.”


    “Why the first planet?” asked Alex.


    “Because it is often pointed as the home of the kings by some tribes.”


    “Eldon,” said Alex, “do you think that Rhain and his superiors will know


    something more than you about the past?”


    “Probably,” said Eldon. “Our species does not age. Just like you. Rhain is


    much older than me. He lived when the kings where present. I am sure that his


    superiors are even older, and some of them must have had some sort of connection


    to the kings themselves.”


    “Is it time to turn Arrow into a spaceship?” asked Jain.


    Steve shielded his lips and shook his head. “I hate to disappoint you, but that


    will not be easy or fast. The Arrow is not made to be used as a bus between planets.”


    Eldon’s eyes shined while he smiled. “I might be able to help with that,” he


    said, “I know a few places where underground technology areas are sealed. After a


    few years here, the energy ran out, and these places could no longer be accessed.


    There is even one that I never had access to but seemed to be important. Together


    we might find a way to bypass the gates and get to the equipment inside. There are


    mainly military items, but I am sure they will prove useful. Within them there should


    be some small spaceships.”


    Steve started looking happy. “Military equipment will actually prove even


    better as a source of information than anything else. How do you know of the


    spaceships, though?”


    “When I first arrived on this planet, I landed and hid in one of those bunkers.


    There was more than just my spaceship there. I think I can safely assume that most


    of those will still be full of equipment inside.”


    “Let’s start right away,” said Alex. “Show us this place.”


    “I will take you there, but we will need the Eagle,” said Eldon.