《The Chronicles of the Milky Way Galaxy : Gaia》


 Chapter 1 : Detection and Preparation

    Archytas International Space Observatory


    June 5, 2072


    Professor Alan Wilson was staring at a screen. He pushed himself away and floated


    toward another. He frowned while thinking, Something is wrong with the data again.


    He continued to move from one screen to another while contacting his fellow


    astronauts. Soon, the station came alive with the excited yet scared voices of the


    crew. They were joined by the voices of those on the ground. The data was


    repeatedly tested. An anomaly was detected in the ort cloud, an area of space filled


    with icy rocks and dwarf planets just outside of our solar system. Professor Wilson let


    himself slowly float away from his station. The voices around him were fading away,


    while a new thought flooded his mind. Is this for real? Hundreds of years ago, a


    group of asteroids was knocked out of their orbit, and they were heading toward the


    interior of the solar system. A gigantic rock with a diameter of about forty-five


    kilometers, along with a few smaller but still destructive ones, was falling toward the


    sun at ever-increasing velocities. Earth stood in their way. The impact was going to


    take place just forty-four years into the future.


    August 12, 2072


    ¡°Hello, everyone,¡± Professor Wilson said to the public. ¡°I wish I could start this speech


    with a smile or a warm welcome, but as most of you already know, the news is


    anything but good. An asteroid with a diameter of about forty-five kilometers is


    closing in on Earth. The asteroid is currently traveling at lower speeds, but it


    freefalling toward the sun. Its speed is continuously increasing, and by the time it


    meets Earth, it will be traveling at 120,000 kilometers per hour. After having thought


    of all possible ways of avoiding the collision, we came to the realization that the


    impact is inevitable. We can¡¯t destroy it because it is too big, and we can¡¯t alter its


    course for the same reason. Bombarding it with missiles runs the risk of breaking it


    into smaller chunks, which will most likely impact the Earth at various locations,


    rendering the disaster even greater. It¡¯s traveling too fast and it¡¯s too massive to be


    threatened by anything we throw at it. Its trajectory has a 93 percent chance of


    colliding with Earth, with an projected date of forty-four years. The impact location will


    be eastern Australia. Professor Haze will take the stand to give us a prediction of the


    aftermath.¡±


    ¡°As Professor Wilson explained¡± said Professor Haze with clear discomfort,


    ¡°this is an asteroid with a size unlike anything that has impacted the planet since the


    time of Earth¡¯s formation. It dwarfs the asteroid that took out the dinosaurs. The


    damage to the planet will be incomprehensible. Virtually all advanced life on planet


    Earth will become extinct in a very short period of time. The immediate effects will be


    felt throughout the world, with tremendous earthquakes, possible volcanic eruptions;


    the largest tsunamis ever seen will be overshadowed. And this is only the beginning.


    Burning winds will wrap around the planet, igniting everything in their path.


    They will be followed by a rain of burning rock, which can last for weeks. The after effect will be


    a cloud of dust and carbon, which will envelop the Earth, leaving us hidden from the


    sun for perhaps hundreds or thousands of years, leading to a global ice age. Ladies


    and gentlemen, we are facing the complete annihilation of our species and with it, the


    annihilation of every species other than bacteria life on Earth.¡± He swallowed, looked


    around him, and continued, ¡°No matter how slim the chance, we need to innovate


    and put our combined effort in a plan to avoid the collision. The small chance that it


    will miss should not be our comfort. We need to fight this thing. Our current


    technologies cannot match it, but if we work together, we might make something to


    shield us from it.¡±


    The idea that it was forty-four years into the future did not seem to calm most


    of the people of the world. Many began denying the facts and claimed that the


    science was wrong. Others thought that their religious deities would step up and alter


    the course of the asteroid. There were those who laughed and those who cried. The


    vast majority of the world, however, saw the threat and thought that science would


    help us. Science would create something to change the course of it or somehow


    save us. Birth rates all over the world saw a steady decline. Few wanted to bring to


    life a child, only to teach it that their little island in space was targeted by the


    manifestation of death.


    Great leaders had their heads in their hands. They sat quietly, alone in their


    offices. The Kremlin, the Oval Office, and more were waiting for something to


    happen. A phone rang. Then another. Then, as if orchestrated by a maestro, the


    phones and computers of all head offices of the world began connecting one another.


    ¡°We need to act now!¡± said a voice amid the chaos and confusion that seemed to be


    the first reaction. Soon the voices calmed. In an orderly manner, they agreed upon a


    meeting. A few days later, inside an amphitheater, the voices of reason began


    plotting their plan for survival.


    ¡°We need to calm people down. We need hope,¡± said


    the head of the committee.


    ¡°Our scientists are positive than an early strike has the best chance of


    success,¡± said another.


    ¡°We need to prepare for the aftermath. There are ways we can survive the


    impact,¡± said a third.


    The options were coming from every direction. ¡°We will have to try them all!¡±


    one president yelled. ¡°We have to invest all we have and try them all,¡± he repeated.


    The room became silent. ¡°This is not a matter of economics, nationalism, or grudges.


    This is the line where we unite or perish. We need to try all the solutions.¡±


    Slowly, the plan began to take shape. Massive projects of self-contained


    environments seemed to be the answer to the continuation of our species. From


    large-scale cities to small bunkers and everything in between. Others started looking


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.at ways to avert the impact altogether. Even the most optimistic could not see a


    complete avoidance of the destruction, because even if the main asteroid was


    directed elsewhere, the smaller ones would still strike and cause great damage.


    Human colonies on Mars would not be able to accommodate a lot of people, since


    Mars had not yet reached full independence of materials and new settlers from Earth.


    The hope of Martians was that the small communities they had would be able to


    advance to the point where they could stand on their own. Hope was limited, though.


    Twenty-four cities, mainly located in Europe, western Asia, and Africa, were


    chosen to be rebuilt under domes, with automation to provide for water and food to a


    population of about five million each. The tremendous projects began in the year


    2080, with a projected thirty-five years to completion. Entire city-sized areas were


    turned into flat concrete fields with ten-meter-thick reinforced walls around them.


    Their roofs were not made of futuristic glass or any other transparent material. They


    were made to withstand the molten rock that would fall from the sky and use it as an


    extra layer of protection for the coming snow that was expected to cover the entire


    world. They looked more like turtle shells with multiple supports.


    The domed cities would be using power to make an artificial blue sky in the otherwise windowless,


    pitch-black interior.


    In the year 2100, a new generation of scientists joined the work, and the


    projects sped up. New technologies for creating tremendous subterranean water


    reservoirs and linking them with the cities were created and the dome cities began to


    show progressively more optimism. Besides the few unexpected events like fanatic¡¯s


    sabotage¡¯s and larger than normal earthquakes, the progress on most cities was


    proceeding better than expected.


    In the year 2101, the most massive launch of weapons, expected to intercept


    ¡°Osiris,¡± as the asteroid had come to be called, began their eleven-year journey in


    hopes of sideswiping the asteroid and changing its course. Although the project had


    a very small chance of success, more than fifty similar projects were simultaneously


    worked on and launched at different times.


    In 2111, the dome cities were finally ready to open their doors to the three


    million people they were going to host. Although five million people could be


    supported, the choice to put fewer in each city was made to make them more


    manageable. Picking the residents was a project of its own. Specially designed


    schools around the world would train kids to operate the cities and to face the


    psychological impact that was imminent. They were let in about five years before the


    impact, so they could have a trial time to see if everything could run smoothly. Their


    connection to the outside world was cut, and only a single superintendent would be


    able to reach out, in case of failures that needed additional help. The domes¡¯


    entrances, large enough for a big truck to fit through, were hermetically shielded, thus


    isolating the inside environment from the outside. The domes would use a two-way


    system to produce energy¡ªnuclear, which would produce waste that would then be


    recycled and reused, and geothermal. It was projected that the power would be able


    to sustain a population of up to five million for over two thousand years.


    With the asteroid now visible to the naked eye, people started to turn against


    the method of choice for the survivors. Fear started to spread; the mountains of the


    world were slowly filling with societies who sought refuge from the destruction. The


    full military force of the world was stationed guard at the twenty-four cities, which held


    the hope for humanity¡¯s prosperity. Madness seemed to be overtaking the general


    population. Hope lay within the steel tubes carrying bombs in space.


    In 2112, the missiles that were launched to intercept the asteroid had finally


    arrived at their destination. A continuous bombardment took place, but the asteroid,


    instead of changing course, began to shed some smaller asteroids, which posed a


    new threat. If the bombardment continued, large enough chunks might be split that


    could strike in Europe and destroy the dome cities. This called for a halt in the


    bombardment, since the math showed that it was very unlikely to change its course


    either way. A positive result of the bombardment was that some chunks of the main


    asteroid did actually fly to a trajectory that took them off the path of Earth.


    Although it made the impact less powerful, the news was not good for the


    people of Earth. The outside of some domes became a battlefield. The world began


    its final world war. Every country wanted its people inside. Every country wanted


    some level of control. Although outside, the wars waged, the united military force of


    the planet was driving the war away from the domes to protect them. As time went


    by, the war escalated to the point where the only solution seemed to be the


    detonation of nuclear weapons. The protection of the domes was all that mattered.


    Near the end of 2115, just a few months before the impact, the world burned.


    Nuclear weapons were launched to defend the domes. Under the red sky, humans


    fought each other to provide a seat of survival for their leaders. In the perpetual


    darkness of the dome cities, people worked with science, they illuminated the ceilings


    with beautiful colors and, unaware of the outside war, they continued to build and


    perfect their new homes. The superintendents, all in communication with one


    another, had agreed that the nuclear war, although some cities felt it, should be kept a secret.


    There was no need to psychologically damage those inside. The records


    were made, and the history was written, but it got stored away from the eyes of the


    population ¡­ for now. The tremors of nuclear detonations were explained to the


    geologists in the domes as controlled tests for the walls of their cities.


    In February 2116, the asteroid was a bright object of amazing beauty and


    terror on the sky. The impact was just a month away. The world war was still ablaze.


    Stronger than ever, the last battles were being fought under the watchful eye of


    Osiris. Some saw it as an omen, others as nothing more than what it was. A final


    attack made the wall of the dome city of Paris crack. Working on it from both sides,


    the engineers had one month to patch it properly. Just a few days before the end, the


    war ended. People gave up. Soldiers did not have the will to go on, and rulers had


    already been changed enough times that they had forgotten who was who and whom


    they were fighting for. A week before the end ¡­ calm ¡­ whoever was not on the


    mountains seeking refuge among the societies there was in the cities. Finally, a


    party. A celebration. They gathered at city centers around the world and looked up


    into the sky. With their lungs filled with poison and radiation, slowly dying, they


    looked up. With their hearts torn for the crimes they had committed, they looked up.


    Someone yelled that which was then written on walls.


    ¡°We will not go the way we came. We will not cry; we will not kneel. We will


    dance and celebrate life for the time we had.¡±


    It took death to reach the door for humans to unite and finally dance. The


    superintendents shared the images of the last two days with the domes. Showed the


    courage and resolve humans can find in their last hours. While Osiris was breathing


    its heat onto the Earth, the people of the dome cities, with tears in their eyes, saw


    humanity dancing in the face of death.


    This is how you will be remembered. All of you.

 Chapter 2 : Impact

    March 13, 2116


    That¡¯s when the world ended. As predicted, the impact took place on the coast of


    eastern Australia, near Brisbane. The few humans who had remained in space


    stations in orbit stayed, knowing that this would be their end, but they also


    documented and gathered intel that was then sent to the dome cities for future


    reference.


    With their eyes in the sky and smiles on their lips, some chose to go near the


    impact site and welcome their doom. Kneeling with their hands held together, they


    fearlessly looked upon the small dot that was coming to end everything. Eyes opened


    wide as the small blip of light began to grow exponentially; no thoughts, no time for


    thinking. The dot suddenly grew to cover the entire sky. Less than a second


    remained; the blinding light came without sound, and the last images to be


    transmitted filled those who came later see them with terror. The world became a


    flaming ball of dust and thunder. Winds of unprecedented speed started spreading


    the flaming gases and dust around the globe. A wave of thunderous black clouds


    ignited everything in its path, releasing more clouds of dust and smoke, which


    covered the sky of the entire planet, storming as if on a race around the Earth.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Earthquakes maxing out the Richter scale were felt throughout the world. The


    tsunamis that hit the west of the American continent and the east of Asia proceeded


    so deep into the continents that they transformed the landscape in their path forever.


    Australia¡¯s east coast sank into the sea. The west burned so hot that the soil looked


    like a sea of lava. For days, a rain of burning rocks, returning debris from the impact,


    bombarded the Earth. Weeks after, volcanic eruptions had not stopped, spewing


    molten rock and adding more carbon and other chemicals into the atmosphere,


    further deepening the thick clouds that were slowly freezing the planet under.


    Most of the dome cities suffered manageable and expected damage; some


    collapsed. Most of the secondary survival plans, like underground vaults, did not


    survive the first weeks. Humanity was now down to about sixty million people in


    population. Sixty million people who, for a while, had visual feed from the most


    catastrophic event ever to hit the Earth. When the earthquakes started shaking the


    Earth, when the winds started whipping the walls of the cities, when the rock impacts


    began to sound like machine guns, relentlessly bombarding the roof of the domes,


    some screamed, some cried, some remained silent. The one common feeling they all


    felt was that our minuscule size and power finally became apparent. Then they all


    understood,


    ¡°We should have moved faster ¡­ we should have gone to space earlier


    ¡­ we should have listened ¡­¡±

 Chapter 3 : Survival

    2118


    Life in the cities slowly began to adapt to the new situation. Communications


    between the cities provided insight to the problems some were facing, so that all


    could adapt and provide for the future. Some of them were in distress. The city of


    Paris faced starvation. The hole in the dome was never properly patched, and the


    environment was in contact with the outside. Most of the systems were now unable to


    keep up with the life-support demands and were failing. The outside world had begun


    to freeze, and the scavenging humans who survived the first years of the Osiris


    impact were visiting the domes in an effort to find refuge. Most of them survived in


    underground bunkers near the cities but had run out of resources and were now


    looking for a means to survive.


    The gates of the domed cities, however, were under a rock. Rock that fell as


    liquid from the sky slowly built a layer around the cities. As the years went by, their


    attempts become more and more rare until they stopped. This became apparent from


    the evidence found after the gates of the dome cities got unblocked. The speculation


    was that no survivors existed outside of the domes since the moment of the impact.


    Communications with Mars had yet to be established, leaving most to believe that the


    colonies had all been destroyed. The plan was to open the gates and dig through the


    rock before the planet completely froze over, so that they could have access to the


    outside. Pre-dug human-sized tubes connected the cities, but most of them needed


    repairing, since they had collapsed in various locations. After their completion, some


    goods and help would be able to be transferred from one city to another.


    2140


    As the years went by, the surviving cities began to work almost fully autonomously


    allowing all residents to work on scientific advancement. The majority of the


    population was preoccupied with finding a way to reverse the damage and make the


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.planet habitable, faster than nature. A titanic task with no apparent way of achieving


    it. Things began to slow down. Change seemed to be a distant memory. Under the


    blanket of snow, humanity almost froze its progress, and social structures adapted


    into an ever-slowing pace.


    2150


    The first launch of a rocket took place. From a single-use pad, a small rocket with a


    few kilos worth of equipment was shot in space. A new space observatory of Earth or


    SOE was placed into orbit. Its sole mission was to monitor Earth and send readings


    regarding weather, dust, and element composition of the Earth¡¯s atmosphere. Ninety-


    nine percent of all satellites had been destroyed by smaller meteorites and pieces of


    Earth debris launched into orbit with the strike. The remaining satellites were


    geosynchronous GPS satellites that were very far from Earth and had mostly


    remained unharmed. Communications with those satellites have been useful for


    various reasons. It was becoming increasingly harder to send missiles into space


    since the Earth was continuously sinking into the white sea of snow and ice.


    2156


    The Mars Communications Reestablishment Drone, or MCRD, was launched. Its


    mission was to establish communications with the Martian colonies. Five months


    later, the drone landed where the colonies used to stand and reported ruins with no


    signs of life. The colonies did not survive. Mars too had been bombarded by smaller


    meteorites. Besides the few that were part of the original Osiris, some chunks that


    flew into space from Earth found their way onto Mars. Additionally, the lack of a thick


    atmosphere on Mars meant that even small meteorites made their way to the


    surface, acting as bullets.


    2158


    The first space station was placed in orbit. The thick cloud that covered the planet


    had created a winter that killed nearly all life outside of the dome cities. A small


    selection of animals had been kept, with the hope of reestablishing an ecosystem


    after the snow melted. There was hope that in the ocean depths, life still thrived


    despite the increased acidity. Bacteria and fungi should have made their home under


    the ice, where water was heated from the inside of the Earth. The ice on the surface


    was winning. Even where the clouds allowed the sun to see the surface, the ice


    reflected nearly all the heat back out. The Earth began to resemble a snowball.

 Chapter 3 : Survival pt. 2

    2160


    A technological breakthrough in robotics allowed for the building of a safe transport


    system under the snow. Most of the connection pipes were restored, and the cities


    were beginning to be linked with each other, allowing for faster development of


    technologies.


    2180


    The energy efficiency of the cities had reached near perfection, but the need for fresh


    materials was already appearing. New technological developments required


    materials, not thought of during the construction of the cities. Humans began digging


    again, and they became very proficient at it.


    2216


    The cities were celebrating one hundred years of operation. The ingenuity of the


    builders had made life possible in the otherwise-unhabitable conditions of Earth. No


    human alive had seen the outside. All they had were memories written on numbers.


    The final dance of the humans before the Osiris strike was still celebrated. However,


    it was slowly slipping into the pages of forgotten lore by the newer generations.


    2270


    Some of the collapsed cities like Paris became operational again. The years of


    tunneling, repairing, and digging brought forward enough materials to repair the


    collapsed cities. Survivors were found in some of them. The world consisted of one


    hundred million people, who were slowly losing faith in rebuilding the ecosystem.


    While most people and mainstream science was looking at a way to heat up the


    Earth, a small group of scientists began considering that perhaps colonization of


    another planet might be the solution. A return to Mars looked promising, and with the


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.available technology, survival on Mars might turn out to be easier than previously


    thought.


    2273


    Perhaps the most revolutionary change in culture and life took over humanity. The


    long trip to immortality had finally reached its end. A system was made that could


    program a swarm of nanobots, continuously adding scrambled code into the edges of


    the DNA of every cell in the body. This way, the division of cells became unaffected


    by the natural decay of the code, making every cell of the body as good as the


    original one. With a few extra modifications in the following years, the humans could


    now slowly return to the age of their choosing and stay at that age forever.


    Additionally, nearly every disease that physically affects cells got eradicated in one


    go. Natural death was conquered. The childbirth rate started dropping almost


    immediately after the distribution of the so-called ¡°COD¡± or Cure of Death injection.


    Newborns could not be injected with COD, since it had disastrous results in the


    development of the body. Only after the age of 20 could COD be administered, and


    in certain cases after twenty-five years of age.


    With very few humans being born, even though almost nobody died, the


    population was struggling to rise. Most of the people were humoring themselves by


    saying, ¡°We will have children when the Earth becomes habitable again.¡±


    In the following years, many technologies previously thought to be science


    fiction started becoming a reality. Nanobots in everyday materials and a lot more


    became a common sight.


    ¡°And we finally got to understand why we need to matter.


    Apostasis will guide us back to reality.¡±


    ¡ªWritten on a wall


    Apostasis: A term used to describe an unforeseen consequence of human


    immortality and lack of purpose. A psychological condition which


    renders the person unable of finding meaning behind life. Leads to


    social distancing, depression, and in advanced cases, suicide.


    First identified in 2312, but speculated to be around for longer than


    that and misdiagnosed as severe depression, the condition started to


    spread like a virus. Machine automations render individual humans


    unimportant to society. Many believe that combating the condition


    would require humans to start working and making decisions that


    would ultimately affect their well-being.


    Medical treatment consists of temporary chemical interference with


    the brain¡¯s neurotransmitters.


    Drug effectiveness declines with time and dosage levels.


    No cure is in development.

 Chapter 4 : Alex and Jain

    2330


    Alexander was born in the city of Athens. His world appeared normal to him and to


    the people around him, but to humans before Osiris, it would feel like a prison. It had


    been nearly sixty years since the administration of COD, and society¡¯s population


    had managed to decline. With nearly zero newborns and quite a few suicides, Alex


    grew up in a world where everything moved slowly, where what was once considered


    depression seemed normal. At the age of five, he began to show the first signs of his


    natural leadership abilities.


    Since having a child was a very rare event, he and the


    very few children were mentored by the best possible teachers in the most ideal


    environments. His development began to show a lot of promise, and his interest in


    the cosmos seemed to be growing, the more answers he was getting. Although he


    was very easily distracted and more often than not caught daydreaming while


    studying, he managed at the age of sixteen to join the scientific community of


    astrophysicists and cosmologists.


    ¡°There are still satellites with telescopes and other instruments floating in


    space. I insist, repairing those satellites should be one of our top priorities¡± said Alex


    to Martina, one of his supervisors.


    ¡°How will spending all those resources to repair a few satellites, none of


    which are meant to monitor Earth¡¯s climate, going to help us now? Even if we detect


    another Osiris coming, there is nothing we can do now either way,¡± answered


    Martina.


    Alex composed himself. He took a deep breath and thought, You have


    practiced that. Speak slowly and pass the message. He let a couple of seconds go


    by, and then he explained.


    ¡°There are no miracles that can happen now to fix the


    environment fast. But there are still areas we can learn from. Science is hitting dead


    ends in all directions. We need astrophysics to be tested so our hypothesis can take


    the right track. This has always been the case. All science works as one.¡±


    Martina remained silent. She placed her hand on the side of her head and


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.said, ¡°What you say is not wrong. Make the calculations for a launch bay that can be


    reused, and then we will talk again. We can¡¯t use single-use launch pads. We know


    the missions will be plenty.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± replied Alex. ¡°I will need a couple of people to help me with


    the calculations.¡±


    Martina smiled at him. ¡°You can request a small team, and if it is not overly


    ambitious, I will make sure you get approval.¡±


    Launching and landing rockets often meant that a new launch site had to be


    built. An area with extra-thin ice that could be removed, revealing the stable soil


    underneath was found. A few kilometers off the dome city of Abuja, a new launch


    base was beginning to be built. After the first couple of satellites were repaired, Alex


    began using them in idle times without the proper documentation. He thought, It¡¯s a


    waste of time. It takes me more time to fill out forms and wait for approval than to


    actually use them.


    2332


    Jain was born in the dome city of Tehran. She had a hard time with other kids around


    her. Her competitive nature and incredible mind meant that she topped everything


    she set her mind to. From gymnastics to mathematics, she would excel at everything.


    Her tutors began paying special attention to her and giving her increasingly difficult


    tasks in every field, in an effort to test her limits. That caused the few kids around her


    to distance themselves from her. That did not seem to bother her for too long, since


    the society she was in seemed to follow a distancing pattern either way. She grew up


    independent, and that made it hard for her to work with others. The few friends she


    had around her would worry. She was too young to be suffering from apostasies, but


    it seemed like she did. She would only be fine when she worked on something hard.


    She began working for a while on the Earth Revitalization Program or ERP. In her


    work there, she met people from all over the fields of science, and she ended up in a


    leading role.


    One day, while gathering data from the satellites, she noticed that their log


    had entries during times where the systems should be idle. Someone is using the


    satellites during their idle time, she thought. It looks like the keys are from one of the


    admins. She curiously searched deeper to see who and what were they used for.


    ¡°Who is Alex? Could this be the Alex?¡± She called for a meeting with the user named


    Alex to question him about the authority under which he was using the equipment,


    along with the nature of data he was collecting. She was quite sure this was


    someone using the name of Director Alex to avoid questions.

 Chapter 5 : Alexs Plan

    2348


    Jain looked at Alex on her monitor and immediately felt threatened. It was Director


    Alex. She had a plan on what to say earlier, when she was sure it would be someone


    else. She opened her mouth, and the words came out as they were planned.


    ¡°Hello, Alex. I would like to get straight to the point of this meeting. Before I


    file any reports, I would like to know why are you using the satellites without


    permission and what will you use the data that you are collecting for?¡± She said this


    in one breath, then sat back, and with a frown and eyes wide open, she waited for an


    answer.


    Alex¡¯s confidence seemed to be gone for a second. He stood silently looking


    at the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. ¡°I am sorry, I was expecting ¡­ someone


    different,¡± said Alex with an unintentional smirk.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see what you mean by that,¡± replied Jain.


    ¡°I am sorry. Let me try this again,¡± said Alex while composing himself.


    ¡°Hello, Jain. I am Director Alex.¡± Alex smiled and continued. ¡°I am simply using the satellites


    to collect data for research I am conducting. I am not filing the standard forms


    because they take too much time, and I consider progress to be more important,¡± he


    said with his confidence fully restored.


    ¡°Filing forms allows us to organize and keep the equipment in proper


    functioning order. It is very important, and if I may say, I think the only reason why


    you are not doing it is because you don¡¯t have a schedule,¡± replied Jain.


    ¡°Okay, yeah. That¡¯s definitely the truth. How about this: you come and work


    with me on a few projects and help me keep everything neat. Proper forms and all.¡±


    Slightly irritated, Jain replied, ¡°You are joking, right? You just met me, and you


    expect to know what I can be useful for? Let me guess¡ªyou were not planning on


    asking for my help when this meeting was being set up.¡±


    ¡°I read your file before our meeting. I knew you have the right mind to help


    with the projects I am working on, but until I met you, I was sure there were more


    candidates for this work. Now I am positive that you would fit right in.¡±


    Fit right in, thought Jain. She was used to feeling slightly left out, so these


    words meant a lot to her. ¡°If you are serious, file a form for once, and I will see if I will


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.agree.¡±


    Jain eventually went to work with Alex. Upon arrival, Alex himself was there to


    guide her to her new home.


    ¡°As you know, our primary goal is to gather data and test hypotheses about


    the nature of physics,¡± Alex began on the way. ¡°There is, however, another project I


    am working on which is top secret.¡±


    Jain noticed that Alex was looking at her with excitement, a kind she had


    seen before but more intense. ¡°How top secret can it be if you are about to tell me on


    our first real meeting?¡± she replied with a smile.


    ¡°Well, it really is top secret. I am basically the only one who knows about it.


    Perhaps a couple of friends included.¡±


    ¡°Sounds ¡­ interesting. Tell me more.¡±


    Their conversation began sounding more like jokes with every phrase.


    ¡°With all seriousness, I am considering the possibility of interstellar migration,¡±


    said Alex with a very serious face.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be sure if you are joking now,¡± Jain answered with a frown,


    ¡°Interstellar migration would require technologies we do not currently possess, and


    that is only if we find a suitable planet¡±


    ¡°We will talk about it more soon. This is your new place,¡± said Alex, pointing at


    her new home.


    As time went by, they spent more and more time together. After work, they


    would discuss Alex¡¯s migration idea. Slowly, more friends started joining up in these


    conversations, adding their input on problems. It was not yet taken seriously though


    by anyone.


    ¡°We need to talk,¡± Alex said to Jain.


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± said Jain with a smile, ¡°you have a new way of convincing me


    that it¡¯s in my best interest to leave the planet.¡±


    ¡°No, no ¡­ well, yes,¡± said Alex. ¡°Look, it¡¯s time we took this slightly more


    seriously. Mars will take thousands of years to be terraformed. It will take more time


    to be terraformed than it will take Earth to recover. Can we really wait that long?¡±


    ¡°Alex, we don¡¯t need to terraform Mars to live there. Our dome cities have


    paved the way to make habitable zones on Mars with ease. With a bit of effort, it will


    be easier to build Mars into the capital of our species than waiting for Earth to


    become warm again,¡± said Jain with a calm voice.


    ¡°I am happy we agree that Earth will not support us for long. Once the ice


    starts to melt, we will face flooding in all places¡±


    ¡°Not Tehran,¡± said Jain with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah, perhaps not Tehran, but the rest of the cities will probably flood. We


    have to make colonies before that happens.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we have established that.¡±


    ¡°Would it not be better to make a colony somewhere where it is hospitable?¡±


    Jain looked at him with a frown. ¡°Alex, obviously going somewhere nice and


    old-Earth-like would be great, but we need to be realistic here.¡±


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s be realistic. We know of planets in our close stellar neighborhood


    which are pretty ideal to live in. In fact, some have better air than old Earth. All we


    need is a vessel to take us there.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± said Jain with excitement, ¡°the technology to take us there does not


    exist!¡±


    ¡°Yet!¡± corrected Alex with his finger pointing up. ¡°I have done many


    calculations, and I have many ideas on how to make that work. I am positive that it


    can happen. Janis Wafer did the same leap when he designed the nanobots that now


    make you immortal. Will you please entertain the idea a bit more seriously and help


    me with the calculations?¡±


    ¡°How can I say no to these eyes?¡± said Jain with a smile.

 Chapter 6 : Project Gaia

    2350


    Days were passing, and the two scientists were spending all the hours of the day


    together. If it was not recreation, they would discuss about the future of humans and


    whether the solution really was to colonize. With the help of their friends, they started


    to do the math for possible interstellar travel. As time went by, the thrill of the idea


    and the problems they managed to bypass made the idea seem more and more


    plausible. Even Jain joined dynamically in the idea of deep space. Perhaps a gamble


    with the stars would pay off. For many years, the world had known of habitable


    planets in close proximity to Earth. Was it the time to colonize another solar system?


    The technologies that would be required for this trip could also be used to transfer


    people to Mars safely and even help the Earth recover. It could be a win-win bet.


    They began referencing their research as ¡°Project Gaia.¡±


    2352


    The cities were governed by a table of superintendents, one from each city, who held


    most of their conferences through the web. Since the cities were working as intended


    and there was very little that depended on humans, the role of the superintendent


    had become undesirable and unimportant. Most of the budget requests were focused


    on roads in the snow toward the surface, mainly for research and rarely for


    recreation. The costs were low and usually granted. In some cases, bubbles of voids


    were found in the snow, and the request for their use would be filled. These and


    others like them were projects that were approved by the superintendent of the dome


    city that would control it. It was very rare that they had to give a joint approval for


    something. The missiles to space were a good example. Alex gathered all the dome


    cities¡¯ superintendents to ask for a joint budget for Project Gaia to begin its


    realization.


    Seeing the huge group of people watching him on their monitors, Alex took a


    deep breath and began. ¡°Hello, everyone. I will proceed directly to the subject at


    hand. Since our ancient history, when humans were faced with infertile land, drought,


    or any other life-threatening situation, they would migrate. They would travel vast


    distances for their time and colonize uninhabited areas or fight to take the areas from


    others. This practice has ensured our continuous survival for millennia.¡± He left a


    couple of seconds of silence, then continued. ¡°Now we are facing the same issue.


    Our world is dead, and it will stay dead for perhaps thousands of years. Our air will


    remain unbreathable and the soil uncultivatable. Our seas have frozen, and under


    the ice, there is almost nothing that survived the increase of acidity. We speculate


    that the way things are going, we will not survive long enough to see the Earth as it


    once was. Our dome cities are in near 100 percent efficiency. But it is not 100


    percent, and even if it was, error and accidents are draining supplies and energy,


    making it continuously harder to extend our survival indefinitely. Together with the


    risk of Apostasis, rendering more of us unable to take part in social actions, it


    becomes clear that our solution is space. Project Gaia wants to ensure the


    continuation of our species in space. Not just Mars. Mars will have its own problems


    of sustaining a large population. Our goal should be set on deep space. There is a


    known system, about forty light-years from Earth, called Solis. Its existence is a near


    miracle. It is a system that seems to be engineered to sustain life. It is centered


    around a small star, a fraction of our own, but a very stable star with a projected


    lifespan that will outlive almost everything else in the universe. It has many planets in


    close proximity to it, and four of them are in the habitable zone. A system like that


    could be fully colonized, and it gives us four chances of survival.¡±


    One of the superintendents rudely interrupted the speech. ¡°Are we seriously


    discussing about an actual ark away from here?¡±


    ¡°I am, yes!¡± said Alex with charm and confidence. ¡°We have detected oxygen


    on Solis¡¯s four planets, which tells us a lot of things. Since oxygen bonds easily with


    other elements, it¡¯s a good indication of life. Finding it on four different planets of the


    same system, however, increases the chances that photosynthesis is taking place on


    them. It¡¯s very unlikely that an intelligent civilization is calling those planets home


    because there is no evidence of any electromagnetic signals emitted from the


    system. It might sound impossible, but a migration such as this would have one and


    only one difficulty to overcome: the distance. We have made the first estimations,


    and it is clear that the challenge of covering that distance is smaller than the


    challenges we face here on Earth or the challenges we will be facing on Mars. Our


    team is hereby requesting the necessary resources for achieving the goal of reaching


    the stars and continuing our species¡¯s survival into the universe. This funding will not


    only allow us to travel into space, but the technologies that we will develop for the


    travel will revolutionize life here on Earth and allow a safer migration to Mars in the


    future. Additionally, our communications will allow us to exchange information so the


    developments from Solis will be shared with Earth.¡±


    ¡°What would the costs be?¡± asked one superintendent.


    ¡°The research for the spaceship would require a team of over two thousand


    people. The manufacturing of the ship itself would need materials we currently do not


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.have. We will need to mine them, which means that another five hundred people are


    estimated to be required to work on that.¡±


    ¡°For how long?¡± he continued.


    ¡°We estimate about thirty years until completion,¡± said Alex.


    ¡°So, you want twenty-five hundred people to work for you, for thirty years, on


    a project that will be shot into space,¡± said another superintendent.


    Alex was prepared for this, so he almost arrogantly answered, ¡°Our people


    are wasting their lives behind screens, playing games. We have become lazy and


    purposeless. I am proposing a plan that will put many out of us into action. Many who


    are currently waiting for something to happen will rally to a cause such as this. The


    technologies we will create will not be ¡®shot into space.¡¯ Just the prototype will. The


    rest will stay here to be further upgraded and provide solutions to problems of the


    future.¡±


    ¡°I am beginning to like this idea,¡± said Semreh, the superintendent from Abuja


    who knew Alex from before. ¡°I am proposing volunteer recruiting only. Would that


    work, Alex?¡±


    ¡°That would work great,¡± said Alex.


    The project got the green light, and the volunteers, just as Alex had predicted,


    came in abundance. After the details of the project became public, tens of thousands


    of applications for every job, ideas and solutions to all the problems started raining


    down. Now Alex had all the power and funding he needed to make the project a


    reality.


    2353


    Abuja


    Alex entered a room with Jain and eight other people inside. ¡°Hello, everyone,¡± he


    said while walking to his seat. ¡°It is nice to see all of you in person here.¡±


    ¡°Nice to be here ¡­ kinda,¡± said Gakuto.


    ¡°Why kinda?¡± asked Alex with a smile. It was obvious that Gakuto was joking


    to break the ice.


    ¡°Well, I had to leave my plants unintended.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry to hear that. I hope someone will take care of them. Now, the


    reasons we are all here in person,¡± said Alex with energy in his voice. ¡°We have split


    the project in certain aspects that are of high importance. The team gathered here is


    composed of people of many different departments, all of whom will be joining the


    expedition. We need to know each other well, since we will act as leaders upon


    arrival at the Solis system. The entirety of the project will be supervised by myself


    and the construction of the Hera, by Jain.¡±


    ¡°So, we go with Hera?¡± said Juuda. who was a close friend of Jain and Alex.


    ¡°Yes. Hera! From the goddess whose breastmilk got spilled in the sky,


    creating the galaxy.¡±


    ¡°I like it,¡± said Gakuto.


    ¡°You will like this more,¡± said Alex. ¡°We are estimating a three-thousand-year


    trip, and the plan is to get there sleeping. However, even in drug-induced hibernation,


    our bodies will require nutrition. This is where you come in, Gakuto.¡±


    ¡°Say no more! I got it covered. Not yet, but I will figure it out,¡± said Gakuto


    with his permanently excited attitude.


    ¡°I am sure you will. There will be more problems to tackle, and the team in


    this room will be in charge of solving them. You can apply for as many people as you


    need, and I will make sure that we have the necessary help to complete the project.


    Is everything understood so far?¡±


    Heads nodded throughout the room. Only Gakuto¡¯s voice was in the air. ¡°Yes,


    sir!¡± His energy was enough for everyone.


    ¡°So, Steve, you will be head of engineering. Your main tasks will be solving


    the issues with large-body detection and avoidance as well as dust and small-particle


    collisions.¡±


    Steve looked seriously toward Alex. ¡°There are many ways we can work on


    that. More important will be the AI which will drive those systems, since we will all be


    sleeping, and the shielding from cosmic radiation.¡±


    Alex smiled like he was not expecting such a good answer. ¡°That¡¯s exactly


    right. Margaret here is the leading authority on computing and artificial intelligence.


    She will work with you on this project. Together with Hypatia, you will work on


    shielding the Hera from anything space has to throw at us. You have a nearly


    unlimited resource for this to work but not unlimited time.¡±


    ¡°I have seen the timetables, and I think we should be able to solve those


    problems in time,¡± said Steve with confidence.


    ¡°Moving on to the next problem, we need to shield all possible life on those


    planets from our microbes.¡±


    ¡°I think this is my field too,¡± interrupted Gakuto.


    ¡°I too think this is going to fall on your department, Gakuto,¡± said Jain


    ¡°Do I have to do everything?¡± Gakuto said while smiling toward Konoya, the


    psychiatrist of the group.


    ¡°Hypatia, you will also be tasked to lead the team that will figure out the


    maneuvers that the ship will need to do to decelerate upon arrival.¡±


    ¡°I have actually begun working on it since I got the briefing of the project. It is


    less complex than you might think,¡± said Hypatia.


    ¡°Happy to hear that. Now let¡¯s go to the three probably hardest problems we


    will face. We need a way of adapting to the different gravity forces. We don¡¯t know


    which of the system¡¯s planets we will be landing on yet, so we need to be prepared


    for anything. Galen, you are the doctor of the group. You program nanobots to deal


    with all sorts of conditions of the human body. I am guessing that you are the best-


    suited person for this job.¡±


    Galen was skeptical. ¡°We have used nano-enhancements before to increase


    strength or stamina on humans, but the experiments were at their infancy. Controlling


    that with our minds might be a very hard task. I will work on it for a while and update


    you about the direction we will be taking.¡±


    ¡°Sounds promising enough,¡± said Alex. ¡°I will add to this that we need a way


    of combating the lack of gravity on the ship and the probable births that will take


    place. Babies and kids will need a full G worth to grow their bones strong and


    healthy.¡±


    Most nodded their heads in understanding.


    ¡°This will be a hard one to work on,¡± said Steve.


    ¡°We could forbid childbirth during the trip,¡± said Jain, ¡°but the benefits of this


    research will be crucial for many other aspects of our technological innovation and


    needs for this expedition.¡±


    ¡°As Jain explained, there are many scenarios, and technology like that would


    be key to solving other problems which might occur,¡± added Alex. ¡°We will finally


    need an energy source to power all those functions of the ship.¡±


    The team got their assignments and began immediately working on the


    project.

 Chapter 7 : Preparations and Departure

    2388


    Low Earth orbit. Inside the Hera.


    ¡°Jain, I am having hard time believing it. We are done,¡± said Alex with excitement.


    Jain¡¯s eyes were wide open. Shaking her head, she replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I


    should believe it either. We are done. Thirty-four years in the making, and the last


    system is online.¡±


    Juuda entered the room and smiled at them. ¡°Guys, the crew is waiting for


    you at the hall.¡±


    They stood and walked toward the hall.


    Alex entered the hall with Jain, and they were greeted with smiles and the


    occasional cheer from Gakuto.


    Alex took a deep breath and said, ¡°Hello everyone! Most of you know each


    other since you worked on this project, one way or another. Some are new among


    us. I will give you a rough briefing of the mission objectives and the technologies that


    some of you might not be aware of yet. Details about them can be found on your


    individual e-boxes.¡± There was excitement in the room. ¡°I will start by briefly


    mentioning some magnificent technologies that will help us on this voyage. Our worst


    enemy in space, radiation, has been transformed into our best friend. The skin of the


    ship, along with our one-square-kilometer solar sail, are capable of absorbing cosmic


    rays and turning them into useful energy. This system also shields us from radiation.


    Our acceleration will be done with said solar sail, but with an added boost. A group of


    solar-powered satellites in orbit around the sun will be shining beams of light toward


    our sail, helping to boost the acceleration. This cuts down on travel time to just under


    three thousand years. We are also equipped with thrusters and nuclear explosives,


    which will give us an initial boost, but they are only being used to test the systems.


    Those will be our means of decelerating and maneuvering the Hera after we arrive at


    Solis. Now for the fun parts.¡± He looked around with a faint smile. ¡°Our food will be


    composed of standard bug and nutrient shakes, like back at home. The added flavors


    are courtesy of our friend Gakuto, who made it possible, probably by accident.¡±


    ¡°It was completely deliberate¡± answered Gakuto with a comedic frown;


    ¡°Now to the new and exciting technologies. The Hera is the first ship of its


    kind. It is ¡­ alive!¡± After pausing for a second, Alex added, ¡°In a sense. The ship has


    its own immune system. It is currently swarming with nanobots made of various


    materials, ready to defend against any change to its morphology. Any scratch, dent,


    or hole will be patched automatically. Those nanobots join to form alloys and can


    weld each other to repair virtually any damage. They can replenish their numbers


    automatically, and in theory, if an energy supply is always there, then it can run


    indefinitely.¡± After another short pause, he continued. ¡°Finally, to the biggest


    development we have achieved. Probably the biggest development in our history


    since the COD. We created another limb for us. We are finally entering the dream


    world of cybernetics. The nanobots that so far worked to protect us from aging and


    disease have been updated to function as something more. Something way more.¡±


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Any noise in the room was silenced at that point. Everyone was eager to hear exactly


    what he was talking about. ¡°We can now use our nanos to enhance our strength or


    reduce it. We reduce it by making movement harder than it would normally be. If you


    are wondering why this would be useful, I will explain. The different gravity forces we


    will experience will have a huge impact on us. From the spaceship where everything


    moves easily to the planets we will potentially see, our bodies are not suited for


    environments such as these. Now, however, we can visit anyplace, and we will feel


    as if everything has the same forces as it would be back on Earth. The most


    remarkable part, though, is that this happens with your mind. You control them as


    easily as another limb, after a bit of practice. Additionally, if you need to lift something


    heavy and you put all your force, you will have a larger range of forces to use that are


    reaching multiples of your original physical strength. The same applies for running,


    although it¡¯s harder to get used to. It requires more practice.¡±


    Most were looking with a curious frown while others were in disbelief.


    ¡°This is remarkable,¡± said one crewmember.


    ¡°Is it safe?¡± said another.


    Alex calmed them down by saying, ¡°These have been tested for a while, and


    everyone on the command has already fully integrated them. You will all be replacing


    your existing nanobots and begin training with the abilities of the new ones. These


    will also be able to harden your skin, effectively protecting you from impact forces


    and turning you into somewhat of a hero. In a few months, we will be leaving, so


    make sure to get used to them and report any uneasy feelings to Galen.¡±


    September 2389


    Inside the Hera


    From a window, the Earth looked like a white marble suspended in space. Slowly, the


    crew began entering their hibernation capsules. Jain looked at Alex and with obvious


    anxiety said, ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to be awake for the first part.¡±


    ¡°This will be the most fun. We will accelerate in a way that we will never


    experience again,¡± replied Alex.


    ¡°Yeah. That ¡­ I will get into my hibernation pod and follow the program.¡±


    ¡°By the way,¡± said Alex, ¡°I have barely checked the hibernation timetables.


    When am I seeing you again?¡±


    ¡°Well ¡­ it¡¯s made in a way that the crew will get to know one another in the


    span of the trip and minimize energy consumption. If all goes well, then not too


    often.¡± Alex looked at Jain with a frown, at which Jain continued, ¡°But unexpected


    events and pregnancies will change this timetable, so we might get to see each other


    more.¡±


    ¡°Yay,¡± Alex said sarcastically and kissed Jain before helping her strap into her


    pod.


    A few seconds after the initial chemical rockets turned on, nuclear blasts were


    being detonated behind the ship, turning explosive energy into forward motion. A few


    minutes after, and the ship was already traveling at about fifty thousand kilometers


    per hour. At this point, the solar sail took charge, and the ship began its calm trip with


    barely noticeable acceleration.


    The Hera had in its storage another thirty satellites that could be used in case


    the planets were not habitable. The ship would find a new destination or reverse


    course, and another three thousand years later, they could be back on Earth.


    A hopeful detail of the Hera was that it was equipped with special facilities for


    babies and mothers. It was expected that in the passage of such time, new children


    would be born, and since they couldn¡¯t be placed in hibernation immediately, they


    and their mothers would need special care to simulate Earth on board.


    With only a thousand members to start, all genetically diverse as to not limit


    any potential first-generation couples, the Hera began its trip.


    And thus humanity kicked into deep space its last hope for survival.

 Chapter 8 : A World Left Behind

    Hera


    With just a few crewmembers awake, Alex woke up and began walking toward the


    main deck. An awkward feeling began to envelop his mind. Is this for real? It feels so


    surreal that just a bit ago I was in orbit around the Earth. This is probably the first


    step toward conquering the galaxy. Why haven¡¯t we seen any alien species? I need


    to focus on the mission at hand. I should not daydream so much. While approaching


    the living areas, he heard voices.


    He recognized General Bara¡¯s voice. ¡°It¡¯s hard not to think how crazy what we


    are doing is. We have been going for about thirty years, and it makes me feel ¡­


    weird. We are in the middle of nowhere now. On Earth, so many things have


    happened that it¡¯s hard to keep track.


    Alex interrupted him. ¡°We are in the middle of everything, actually. How is


    everyone doing? Also, that¡¯s a strange noise behind the music. Like an engine of


    some sort.¡±


    Konoya replied, ¡°The background noise is constantly playing. Even when the


    music is on. Otherwise, the silence can be deafening.¡±


    ¡°Let me see.¡± Alex turned off the music and noise and waited with his finger


    upward, indicating for everyone to be silent. ¡°It¡¯s true! The silence is incredible. I


    mean I knew about it, but it¡¯s different to experience it firsthand. If we don¡¯t speak, it


    feels like something is wrong. I was expecting the ship to be making some kind of


    noise with all those systems in operation, but there is nothing. It¡¯s actually quite


    incredible how quiet it can get.¡±


    With a clear issue to discuss, Konoya changed the subject. ¡°What I find


    strange is that no one is scared. Everyone is so used to technology working that they


    don¡¯t even consider the chance of something failing.¡±


    ¡°That, or Apostasis has affected everyone a little bit,¡± replied Alex with a


    smirk.


    ¡°Or that,¡± said Konoya with her eyebrows high.


    Bara interrupted their conversation with his own worry. ¡°Things back at home


    don¡¯t look too good. There are a lot of problems, and Apostasis seems to be getting


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.the better of society. There is also a lot of talk about Project Gaia. The resources


    spent for the making of Hera have taken their toll onto the rest of the population.¡±


    Konoya, wanting to ease the conversation, tried to once again change the


    subject. ¡°Well, yes, there have always been problems. This time is no different, just


    the reasons differ from time to time, but also, Alex, you are probably one of the oldest


    humans in existence.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± asked Alex.


    ¡°Apostasis seems to have claimed the lives of almost everyone who was born


    before the COD. And you were born shortly after, which means you are one of the


    oldest humans. Congratulations.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure If this is something I should feel happy about,¡± said Alex.


    ¡°Well, you should not. It might be an indication that the COD only extended


    our lives but also cut short our birth rate. It might end up being the doom of the


    people back on Earth,¡± replied Konoya.


    Alex stood up and looked around. ¡°I don¡¯t think now is the proper time for


    philosophical discussions, Konoya. We have other things to care for. I will be


    checking my logs, and then I will head back to my hibernation chamber. Try to think


    happy thoughts.¡±


    2515


    Earth


    Old practices began to resurface. Worship of deities started to be common. The


    superintendents were losing power.


    2798


    Earth


    Resources were becoming an issue. Most cities halted research in favor of


    conservation.


    2837


    Earth


    The first war since the Osiris impact broke out. The city of Budapest was destroyed.


    News between cities was becoming increasingly filtered.


    2897


    Hera


    As Juuda went for his scheduled system checks, he noticed errors. This has to be a


    mistake, he thought. Immediately, he ran to wake Alex.


    About an hour later, Alex was ready to hear the news. ¡°What has happened,


    Juuda?¡±


    ¡°There seems to be an issue with our acceleration systems. I have been


    checking for the past hour, and nothing seems to be malfunctioning from our side.¡±


    Alex was clearly skeptical. ¡°Calm down and explain the problem to me first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Juuda calmed himself and continued, ¡°We are receiving reduced


    boost from the satellites. Some have failed, and the others seem to be failing one by


    one. We will soon be cruising without any added acceleration.¡±


    ¡°Why am I hearing this just now?¡± said Alex with an aggressive frown.


    ¡°When the first satellite went offline, we thought that it was a malfunction that


    they would fix back on Earth. We have not received any reply yet as to why this


    happened,¡± replied Juuda.


    ¡°When did it start?¡±


    ¡°About a month ago.¡±


    ¡°Wake Steve and Gakuto up,¡± ordered Alex with clear discomfort.

 Chapter 9 : Settlers (Invaders)

    Awhile later, they were all gathered in the control room with all necessary


    data on their hands.


    Alex began the conversation. ¡°Now that you have all read the problem, we


    need to check what that means.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± said Steve, ¡°we are currently going at about three million meters per


    second, so that means that our trip will be extended by another thousand years if


    they don¡¯t repair them fast.¡±


    Alex coldly replied, ¡°We can consider them all offline in one month. There will


    be no repairs.¡±


    ¡°Is there something we don¡¯t know?¡± asked Juuda.


    ¡°Now you know. There will be no repairs, so we are looking at an extra


    thousand years of travel,¡± said Alex.


    Trying to calm everyone down, Gakuto said with a more neutral temper,


    ¡°There is no appointment we need to get to. If the energy is enough, then I can


    probably cook up a way to extend our food supply by a hundred years. Steve, will we


    be on with energy reserves?¡±


    ¡°We will fold our sail back, which means no more repairs on it. Also if we limit


    our awake time a bit more, then we should be fine in terms of energy for the trip.¡±


    Alex stood up. ¡°Then let¡¯s not make things sound more tragic than they are.


    Our trip will take longer. Juuda, please update everyone¡¯s notifications with the new


    data. Everyone should reschedule their awake time accordingly.¡±


    3016


    Hera


    Jain was walking toward the nursery to see the children. Her shift was ending, and


    she was eager to see her own child before going back to her capsule to sleep. She


    began playing with the children when Dimitri interrupted her bliss.


    ¡°Jain, you need to see this.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± said Jain, surprised.


    ¡°We have lost all communications with Earth.¡±


    ¡°How can that be? We have backup systems,¡± said Jain with a questioning


    frown.


    ¡°I have been working on it for a while. I think it was purposely done.¡±


    ¡°Wake Alex and Margaret up, please.¡±


    After Alex and Margaret were brought up to speed, Margaret left to run


    diagnostics. She returned and said, ¡°They really did shut us out. The systems


    stopped working purposely.¡±


    Alex¡¯s second awakening to bad news began to frustrate him. ¡°First the


    boosters, now the communications. We know that Earth had its problems, but this got


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.out of hand. What are our options?¡±


    Margaret calmly replied, ¡°There is not much we can do. There are no ground


    receivers on Earth now, and the satellites seem to have been destroyed. I will run


    occasional checks, and I will be broadcasting toward Earth frequently, so once they


    wish to hear from us, our voices will be there. If they begin broadcasting again toward


    us, we will also be hearing from them. There is not much else we can do for now.¡±


    Alex¡¯s frustration did not subside. ¡°What will it mean if we do not reestablish


    communications?¡±


    Dimitri made a sad face and with a bit of thought said, ¡°Well, we mainly lose


    contact with our people there. They actually lose more than us. They will not hear of


    our findings. Solis is forty light years away; our news would be with a delay of forty


    years, but it would still be better than no news.¡±


    Margaret frowned and said, ¡°No, Dimitri, losing contact with friends is the


    least of our losses. New technologies from Earth would be shared with us even with


    delay; new developments here would be shared with Earth. We did not lose contacts,


    we lost technologies.¡± Margaret seemed very upset. ¡°We can¡¯t compare the


    advancements we will make with a few thousand people on Solis against the


    developments of millions.¡±


    ¡°So, we are finally completely cut off from Earth,¡± said Alex skeptically.


    ¡°Margaret, you are right; we lost very much, but there is also nothing we can do.


    Inform everyone that if they have any private messages in their boxes, which shed


    light as to why this happened, they have to share it with me.¡±


    As Alex walked toward a terminal, he saw an urgent message from Semreh,


    his close friend and superintendent of Abuja.


    Hello Alex.


    I hope you will see this message soon and you will not be sleeping for the


    next 300 years. It has been a while since I began regretting not joining you into the


    stars. Now I don¡¯t even have time for regrets. The situation here is starting to get out


    of hand. The cities are falling apart. Despite our best efforts, we will need more


    hands if we are to repair everything in time for Earth¡¯s recovery. Apostasis is still


    affecting a large amount of population. Mainly the ancient ones. The people like you


    and me. Every city has made a separate council of elders who have their own way of


    dealing with the situation, and growth has halted. Many projects for speeding the


    recovery of the planet have ended, and an increasing amount of people are filled with


    a constant rage. Basically, if you are not affected by apostasies, you are affected by


    rage. We are now trying to convince everyone that the best cause of action is you.


    Although you are very far, you are 1,000 ancients who are unaffected by apostasis


    and can clearly see things from far away. The proposal is that you will be the


    counseling party of the planet and try from afar to lead us until Earth becomes


    habitable again. Although you are three years away, decisions take this long to be


    made, so it will be like you are here. Many of the ancients are in opposition and even


    claim that you abandoned Earth. I hope you see this soon and contact me so we can


    discuss things further. I am attaching some information for you which will not bring


    you joy, but I hope it will help you take the necessary decisions.


    Godspeed my friend.


    The message was received just two years before the end of communications.


    3487


    Hera


    With multiple kids on board the ship, many crewmembers had taken the role of


    teachers. The holoclasses were fun and interactive, but the energy needs were too


    great for them to be used extensively. The team going to Solis was already


    composed of people who had never been to Earth.


    6403


    Hera


    The Hera entered the Solis system and began its dancing maneuvers to reduce its


    speed. While the ship was calculating trajectories, it was simultaneously gathering


    information about the planets and the interior of the solar system.


    Are we invading? ... Are we ¡­ good? ¡­ Is there really a choice?

 Chapter 10 : Gaia

    The third planet of the Solis system, Solis-C, which was nicknamed ¡°Gaia,¡± seemed


    to be a utopia for humans to settle on. The crew began waking up while the ship was


    orbiting the beautifully blue and green planet at relatively slow speeds.


    The head geologist, Hellen, with uncontrolled excitement, was organizing her


    team. ¡°We have the suggestions fed by our systems people. We need to see the


    potential landing sites and choose fast. Margaret, please isolate our searches to


    places near river deltas with close proximity to both mountains and forests. We will


    need materials for our settlement.¡±


    Trying to help as fast as she could, Margaret said, ¡°We don¡¯t have


    subterranean data yet. I can isolate potential places, but I can¡¯t say for sure that there


    will be metal veins close by.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s choose our top picks, and within a couple of passages, we should


    be able to get some underground information if we selectively scan those,¡± said


    Hellen, full of confidence.


    ¡°I am on it,¡± replied Margaret while working with her team.


    Once all teams were working on their projects, Alex gathered the leaders to


    talk to. ¡°Finally, we are gathered all together. I will have to ask this before anything


    else: Have you realized that we did it? We did it! We made it safe and sound. The


    Hera worked!¡±


    ¡°I knew she would,¡± said Gakuto, smiling and shaking his head.


    ¡°Then why were you shaking in fear when we met, like a thousand years


    ago?¡± teased Konoya.


    ¡°That never happened,¡± replied Gakuto.


    Alex interrupted. ¡°Right. So now we are here. At our new home. Hypatia, what


    can you tell us about the solar system?¡±


    ¡°Well, when we left Earth, we were joking about this system been engineered.


    We might have to begin thinking about that again, only this time seriously. There are


    five planets that are habitable, with Solis-C or Gaia being the closest to what we


    would engineer for ourselves. All five have oxygen, all five have life. Not advanced


    enough to broadcast signals though. All five are moonless, and there are nearly no


    asteroids roaming between them. The chances of a naturally occurring solar system


    like this are astronomically low. Finding one so close to Earth is ¡­ nothing short of a


    miracle.¡±


    Everyone got skeptical for a second until Alex broke the silence. ¡°We will


    soon be ready to descend. Before we go, I would like to share with you some


    information.¡± His seriousness made everyone focus. ¡°Before our communications


    with Earth were severed, I received information that Earth was facing an increasingly


    larger number of problems. They even sought our help to combat them, which either


    way I think it was a desperate attempt. Now we have a decision to make, but first,


    Margaret will give us the whole picture. Margaret?¡±


    ¡°Here is the problem. Earth has been broadcasting again. We believe that


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.they never stopped. We have a forty-year delay now, but we are still seeing an


    increasingly complex signal arriving.¡±


    Gakuto smiled. ¡°So, they made it. The Earth should be habitable now. And


    what marvelous technologies are they going to share with us?¡±


    Margaret looked at him with her lips pressed together. ¡°They are not.¡±


    Everyone looked at Margaret, who continued. ¡°Everything is encrypted in a way that


    we cannot decrypt it.¡±


    ¡°Well then, send them an unencrypted message and ask for the key or for a


    new channel where we can communicate,¡± argued Gakuto.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the thing. We have, and they never replied. We think they have


    purposely kept us cut off,¡± replied Margaret.


    ¡°Now,¡± said Alex, ¡°we need to decide if we will be sharing our findings with


    them. We can just as easily encrypt all our transmissions and hide our discoveries.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any reason to do that,¡± said Gakuto.


    Konoya broke her silence. ¡°Actually, do they know we have arrived safe and


    sound?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they do,¡± replied Jain.


    ¡°Then we should cut them off. The chances of them contacting us will


    increase if their curiosity increases. As long as they are receiving all our news, they


    might never open channels with us.¡±


    Jain started moving her head in agreement. ¡°I think Konoya is right. We


    should keep our communications encrypted until they open an unencrypted channel


    first. We have been broadcasting all the way till here.¡±


    ¡°Then we agree that this is the plan?¡± said Alex, who saw the room agreeing.


    ¡°Konoya, please update all communicators with new encryptions. Let¡¯s head back to


    the crew to prepare for our landing.¡±


    Twenty-four hours pass with everyone preparing for the landing. The suitable


    areas have been thoroughly scanned, and the crew is finally ready for their descent.


    They are all waiting for Alex¡¯s order to enter the ¡°Arrow,¡± which will take them to the


    surface.


    ¡°This is it,¡± said Alex, ¡°we are finally ready. I believe that everyone has read


    the reports of the ground team and of the analysis of the planet. In brief, the planet


    Gaia has a radius of 2.1 times that of Earth. Its gravity is 1.24 times higher, which


    means that although you might not feel it since your nanobots will take the extra load,


    items around you will fall faster, tools and structures will age faster, and other daily


    changes. The days here last about thirty-three hours and twenty-one minutes, so we


    will all have to get used to this cycle. Everyone will take his own pass in making that


    happen. A year here lasts 44.26 days or about 61.5 days back on Earth. There are


    no seasons for us to mark the beginning of the first year, and therefore we will mark


    the first day as the day of our landing. Today. Lastly, we have no data to see the


    effects of ¡­ anything, really. Everything is new, so anything you feel is wrong,


    anything you think is important, you need to report it.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°Good


    luck to us all.¡±


    The atmosphere was quite calm. It was as if none really understood that they


    would be entering a new world. The cheers had ended, and the seriousness of the


    work ahead was all the thinking was about. Everyone had specific tasks to perform,


    which would go on until the safe establishment of the city. The idea that they were an


    invading species colonizing another world had not passed through anyone¡¯s mind ¡­


    yet.


    The ground team had sent a message that everything was clear for the


    descent of the crew. Once the Arrow was fully loaded, the 250 people it could fit sat


    on their seats and began their fifteen-minute journey to the planet¡¯s surface. The rest


    of the crew, along with their machinery, would land in single-use capsules of twenty-


    five each that would be salvaged for materials after their use. After the Arrow landed,


    Alex and Jain were the first ones out.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe my eyes,¡± said Alex while holding Jain¡¯s hand.


    ¡°This is paradise,¡± said Jain. ¡°You brought us to paradise.¡± She turned and


    kissed him.

 Chapter 11 : Argos

    Trees taller than the roof of the dome cities, pristine water in a river, the smell


    of the forest entered their noses and woke up feelings they had forgotten they had.


    The laughs and dances of the few small children that exited the Arrow were enough


    to bring many to tears. Jain, holding Alex tight, was mumbling, ¡°This is what we had?


    This is what we lost to Osiris?¡±


    The capsules containing the crew and equipment began to land like feathers


    touching the ground, without even making enough noise to scare the strange animals


    that had the courage to stand by and see the invasion of their planet. One by one,


    the humans saw the wonder of Gaia and stood in awe. The dawn of humanity¡¯s new


    era was filled with wonder and excitement. Slowly the first settlers began waking from


    the spell that nature had cast on them and started working on their assignments.


    Setting up the temporary tents was their first job. Others started checking the water


    and soil composition. Soon, like ants, all of the settlers were moving to one goal: the


    setting up of their first city.


    Dimitri approached Alex. ¡°I will keep the general records with the Y: D: format.


    Today is Y1:D:1.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± replied Alex with little interest in the subject.


    Within a few days, the machines had found material veins, and they began


    extracting raw metals. A 3-D printer began to be fed with them and started the outline


    of a city. The walls were the first thing to go up. Protection against the unknown. The


    Arrow transformed into a laboratory, as it was planned to do after its landing. After


    the walls were ready, a name was printed. Argos, in honor of one of the oldest cities


    of the old world, and then, the first human settlement in deep space.


    ¡°Mr. Bara! I saw something,¡± said one of the children.


    ¡°What did you see, Kate?¡± answered Bara.


    ¡°Over there by the hill. I was playing hide and seek, and I saw a creature


    looking at me.¡±


    ¡°What sort of creature?¡± asked Bara. ¡°Did you take a video of it?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to, but I got scared and run back here to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what did it look like?¡±


    ¡°It looked like a boy, but very very ugly. Big nose and big ears, also long nails,


    and he was holding a stick.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure he was holding a stick, or was it a branch?¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°I am sure. When he saw me, he walked slowly backwards to leave, but I ran


    before I could see more.¡±


    ¡°You did great by telling me. Make sure not to venture too far now.¡±


    Bara called for the leaders to gather. ¡°Kate saw a primitive intelligent


    humanoid,¡± said Bara, to everyone¡¯s shock.


    ¡°How sure are we about what she saw?¡± asked Jain.


    ¡°She described it well. Also Clive said that while flying, he saw something that


    resembled primitive huts. He could not be sure if it was natural from that distance, but


    after he is done transporting the items from the landing pods, he will go take a better


    look.¡±


    Alex stood up. ¡°Okay, finding primitives does not really complicate our lives


    here so much. It just means that Gaia has its own history to share in time. For now,


    Bara, please set a perimeter and make sure that any kid playing will not cross it. We


    can¡¯t be sure of the abilities of those humanoids, but let¡¯s not take any chances.¡±


    Y:2 D:27


    Argos


    The colony had adapted pretty well into the new home, and Gaia seemed to be


    plentiful. There were tons of different insects that lived there, which acted as the main


    source of nutrients and could be farmed easily. It was quite strange that evolution


    had favored such similar insects to be shaped there as they were back on Earth. The


    first edible grains and plants had been identified and were cultivated around Argos.


    Due to the fear of ecological collapse, no seeds or animals were brought from Earth.


    The Hera had quite a few of them, though, in frozen state, in case a planet was


    barely habitable without much life. Here, all this seemed redundant for now.


    Everything was plentiful. The red star in the sky gave a color of romance in the


    atmosphere. It was almost as if nothing had ever happened. Everything had gone too


    smoothly.


    Every day, the citizens of Argos would gather at the heart of the city and


    discuss any major breakthrough they had, difficulties faced, or resource needs to


    complete their individual or collective projects. In the center, a sign was raised. Upon


    it, the word ¡°Agora¡± was written. This was a place more for recreation and social


    empowerment than problem solving. More a gathering of friends than a gathering for


    work.


    Argos grew slowly. There was no real reason to rush anything either way.


    The primitives seemed to be approaching and staying at a distance.


    ¡°Why are we not visiting them yet?¡± asked Jain.


    ¡°It¡¯s early,¡± answered Alex. ¡°If, by any means, they pose a threat, we should


    be first ready to defend easily.¡±


    ¡°Are you really worried that a preindustrial civilization might pose a threat to


    us, Alex?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, no. But this is an alien world. I have spent too much time


    daydreaming about meeting aliens with whom I might be able to communicate, but I


    also spent time thinking what to do in case they are hostile. It¡¯s too early. Let them


    observe us for a while, and when the time is right, we will go see them.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, I am not in a rush to meet them. I am just curious to see one up


    close. They resemble little children.¡±


    ¡°They resemble Goblins,¡± said Alex, waiting to see Jain¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Goblins?¡± asked Jain. ¡°Like from our ancient myths?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Don¡¯t you see the resemblance?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! I did not spend that much time searching for depictions of


    Goblins in the past.¡±


    As days went by, the ¡°Goblins,¡± as they started calling them, were keeping


    their distance. It seemed that they were non-hostile or at least smart enough not to


    make a move against someone visibly superior.

 Chapter 12 : Neighbors

    Y:5 D:18


    Argos


    Albert, one of the guards stationed at the wall, heard approaching steps during the


    night hours. Accustomed as he was to these sounds coming from animals, he gave


    no attention to it. As the steps started approaching the wall, he heard whispers.


    Something outside of the wall was clearly talking to its partner in some sort of


    language. His immediate reaction was to take cover, continue to listen, and record


    without making any noise. He knew those were the Goblins, but this was the first time


    they approached the wall. This was his chance to see one up close, as the order was


    not to approach them by any means. After they reached the wall, they began


    touching it. Then they moved away. Albert unsuccessfully tried to get a clear view


    through his weapon¡¯s scope. He then immediately set a drone to follow the creatures


    and notified Bara about the event. In his turn, Bara woke Alex up to discuss the


    situation. By the time Alex was checking the monitor, the drone had lost them in the


    vegetation.


    Next morning at the agora.


    ¡°I understand that most of you want to start venturing further out and that you are


    eager to meet our Goblin neighbors,¡± said Alex. ¡°This will happen soon.¡±


    ¡°I for one would like to start exploring this world. We don¡¯t have anything to


    fear from those creatures,¡± said Jonah.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t understand why we can¡¯t go further than the perimeter,¡± said


    Maria, adding to the argument.


    ¡°We have a protocol,¡± said Alex. ¡°Before we left Earth, we made scenarios to


    prepare us for many different threats. One of those was for the existence of a


    preindustrial species.¡±


    ¡°And these protocols dictate for us to be closed into this small area?¡± said


    Maria, frustrated.


    ¡°The protocols increase our chances of making it here,¡± said Jain. ¡°Your


    failure to understand why we have not made contact or entered their territories yet is


    no argument, Maria.¡±


    ¡°As Jain already mentioned,¡± continued Alex calmly, ¡°we should not make


    moves that might be considered hostile to them. That is why Clive is not flying his


    Eagle over them. This kind of technology might trigger responses we do not expect.¡±


    ¡°And what could the worst-case scenario be?¡± asked Jonah. ¡°I am honestly


    trying to understand this. Most of you had training before you left Earth, but Maria,


    myself, and many more here were born in the Hera. We do not see things the same


    way as you, so you should make things clearer.¡±


    Alex looked at Jonah with understanding. ¡°The worst case is hard to imagine.


    But an army surrounding us might force us to use a Cerberus, one of those war


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.machines the Hera has in it. A massacre against a primitive species would not be the


    best way to begin finding our place in this world.¡±


    ¡°I get it yes,¡± answered Jonah. ¡°How will we approach them once the time is


    right?¡±


    ¡°We do not know yet, but last night, they made the first contact themselves.


    This might be a sign for either direction, so we must be cautious. Soon we will have a


    plan ready and proceed to meet them and make sure we can coexist here.¡±


    The following nights, more and more of the Goblins were approaching the


    wall. The expedition required a detailed map of the planet, and the Hera was not


    optimized to make detailed maps. Just subterranean imaging and basic surface


    mapping. The details were supposed to be made with the instruments on board the


    Eagle that Clive was piloting, but it was grounded until the natives were approached


    calmly.


    ¡°Alex!¡± said Jain. ¡°The meeting is in five minutes.¡±


    ¡°I am coming.¡± Alex looked at himself in the mirror and got prepared for the


    meeting.


    ¡°I think we should start with Konoya¡¯s observations,¡± said Jain. Alex nodded in


    agreement.


    ¡°As you all know, we have become very slow,¡± began Konoya. ¡°Since the


    invention of our immortality vaccine, we have become slower and slower at an


    alarming rate. We sleep a lot; we don¡¯t rush almost anything. We like to walk, and we


    enjoy taking everything as it comes. This is changing here. We have been here for


    over a year on Earth time, and we want to explore more. We have seen the Goblins,


    as we came to call them, and we have seen that they are not alone. There is another


    species that has briefly come close to us. The people are eager to explore and see


    new things.¡±


    ¡°I have to agree,¡± added Gakuto. ¡°There is so much diversity here that I feel


    imprisoned. I want to explore and learn. It feels like we don¡¯t have a clear plan yet.¡±


    ¡°I want to add to this,¡± said Steve. ¡°We really are starting to wake up from our


    slumber. The city¡¯s progress is much faster than anticipated. Most people are


    working hard because they feel that when the city is done, they will be able to go out


    and explore.¡±


    Alex calmly raised his head. ¡°The time to start exploring is indeed now. Some


    of you are aware of the protocol. For those who are not, the protocol is simple. We


    wait for them to make first contact. It has been so long since those protocols were


    made that I have forgotten the logic behind them. Those creatures must fear us. I


    never expected that after so long, they would have not made an effort of making


    contact. Albert even volunteered to stay out in a visible location one night, but they


    steered away from him.¡±


    ¡°However, we have managed to gather a lot of intel about them,¡± added Bara.


    ¡°We have indeed, but not of their bigger cousins,¡± said Gakuto with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, they seem more cautious,¡± continued Bara.


    Margaret raised her hand to say something, and everyone looked at her.


    ¡°Before we decide on going to meet with them, I need to inform you. As of today, a


    few hours ago, we have the terrain maps from the Hera. They are not detailed, but


    they pave an image, which is,¡± she paused for a second, ¡°expected perhaps. Helen


    has more info about it.¡±


    With all eyes on her, Helen said, ¡°We need the Eagle to fly and give us


    details, but from the first analysis, it seems that deltas and big rivers host a plethora


    of cities. As you can see from your maps, there is deforestation and zoning, which


    indicate a preindustrial civilization.¡±


    ¡°This is strange,¡± added Konoya.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Alex asked.


    ¡°Well, they are nocturnal and live underground. They also don¡¯t seem to like


    water so much. They are mountain dwellers. At least the profile we have made of


    them is that they should have no intention of settling next to rivers.¡±


    ¡°It is clear that we have a lot to learn. Let¡¯s organize the first expedition to


    meet our neighbors. There is what seems to be a city not too far from here,¡± said


    Alex.

 Chapter 13 : First Expedition

    ¡°It should be just about twenty minutes with the Eagle,¡± said Bara, ready to


    call Clive.


    ¡°No,¡± interrupted Alex, ¡°we will go on foot. Let¡¯s try the first time to be calmer.


    Have Clive ready to go pick them up in case of emergency, and make sure everyone


    is prepared for the worst.¡±


    ¡°But on foot it is more than a day¡¯s walk.¡±


    ¡°We have been here five years. One day will not be a problem. Also, we need


    to start referencing time to Gaia cycles and not Earth¡¯s, Konoya.¡±


    Konoya nodded.


    Gakuto could not contain his excitement. ¡°I am going too. Oooh, there is no


    way I am not going.¡±


    ¡°Bara, who will we be sending?¡±


    ¡°I think I will go myself with Anais. She has been trying to find excuses to do


    some scouting for a while now. Along with Gakuto, that makes three.¡±


    ¡°I will be joining too,¡± added Juuda.


    ¡°You have been silent for a while. What happened?¡± joked Gakuto.


    ¡°I am concerned.¡±


    ¡°What about?¡±


    ¡°I worry that if they force our hands, we will use those death machines we


    have on board the Hera.¡±


    ¡°You mean the Cerberus?¡± asked Bara.


    ¡°Yeah, those. I was against taking them with us, and now I worry that our


    confidence might be a challenge for them. This might make them force our hand.¡±


    ¡°You are overthinking it, my friend,¡± said Alex. ¡°This is why we are going on


    foot. We want to make our first contact as smooth as possible.¡±


    Jain looked at Konoya. ¡°I will be overseeing this exhibition with you, Konoya.


    We might need some insight on how to react when we meet them.¡±


    Konoya replied, ¡°That is why I think it¡¯s better if I join too. Someone has to


    keep an eye on Gakuto and his excitement.¡±


    ¡°So, that makes five. We should not add any more. A quick pickup in case of


    emergency cannot happen with more,¡± said Bara.


    ¡°Will you overlook with me?¡± said Jain, while looking at Helen.


    ¡°For sure.¡±


    The next day, the first important expedition started. A group of five people left Argos


    to travel west, in hopes of meeting and befriending the so-far neutral aliens.


    Anais, who had been training as a scout for many years in simulated


    environments, was carrying a reconnaissance quadruple drone system that had four


    quads circulating the area above and front of the party at a distance of one kilometer.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.The main function of the drones would be to notify the group of any unusual structure


    or creature not yet registered in their banks.


    The first few hours went by with only a couple of new animals being


    observed. Soon the drones started registering more and more uncategorized


    species, which Jain or Helen from the base would watch and categorize as wildlife or


    as something that needed to be investigated further. The search was going very fast,


    with a large area being scanned in a very detailed manner.


    After a few more hours, Anais broke the silence. ¡°This can¡¯t be right.¡±


    ¡°Is this a city?¡± said Jain from the coms.


    Anais was standing in shock while the rest of the team were logging their


    hand monitors to see what she was seeing.


    ¡°By the gods!¡± said Gakuto. ¡°It¡¯s a city. An actual skyscraper city.¡±


    ¡°How can this be?¡±


    Jain called for Alex and everyone else to join at headquarters.


    ¡°It¡¯s a city,¡± said Steve.


    Alex immediately widened his eyes with excitement and fear, ¡°Be careful, they


    are not primitive at all. Bara! Order Clive to come and stay close to you.¡±


    Bara replied, ¡°I don¡¯t think we have anything to fear. The city is about two


    kilometers away but looks abandoned. I will call Clive to stay one minute behind us


    just in case, though.¡±


    As they were slowly approaching the city, Steve noted, ¡°Be very careful.


    Whoever made this city is not primitive at all. From the shapes of the buildings, I can


    tell you that their engineering level is beyond that of ours. Probably by a lot.¡±


    When they finally reached the first buildings, Helen stopped them. ¡°There are


    no doors, no entrances at all. This city looks like it has sunk into the soil.¡±


    ¡°And quite deserted,¡± added Bara


    Steve was in shock. ¡°I see metal pieces here that have almost turned to dust.


    This city is ancient, but then, how can buildings of such design be standing if they are


    ancient?¡±


    ¡°This is very strange,¡± said Bara. ¡°I can¡¯t chip off material from the walls. It¡¯s


    solid.¡±


    Anais, who was already looking through a window into the interior of a


    building, said, ¡°There should be broken fragments in there. I see an entire floor


    almost broken. Some kind of explosion must have taken place here.¡± She proceeded


    to rappel down and dig into the soil that had accumulated on the floor from the


    broken windows. ¡°Yeah, there are pieces of the material here.¡±


    ¡°Is there any glass there?¡± asked Bara.


    ¡°I think there are tiny fragments. No big chunks, and nothing else. Everything


    has been removed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Bara,¡± said Juuda. ¡°There are no fragments of broken glass on


    any windows. Anywhere in the city, as it seems. Just as there does not seem to be


    almost anything at all inside the buildings.¡±


    ¡°I think we have enough for one day. Leave a drone to scout the area, and get


    Clive to come pick you up,¡± said Alex.


    ¡°No, let us walk back home,¡± said Gakuto ¡°There are still things we should


    see. We can take a different route back to explore more.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± said Juuda. ¡°We also have a higher chance of meeting our friends


    this way.¡±


    Gakuto continued, ¡°We should take the route that goes close to the river. The


    thick forest close to this ancient city must hide secrets.¡±


    Konoya looked at Bara and Alex through her communicator. ¡°I also think that


    the Eagle will be a bad idea. It will draw too much attention to us. I think we should


    keep it back at Argos.¡±


    Bara nodded. ¡°I agree. Last thing we want is for curiosity to lead the Goblins


    from all around to us.¡±


    ¡°I wish we could dig there,¡± said Steve.


    ¡°We can¡¯t now, but what do you expect to find?¡± asked Jain.


    ¡°Well, I want to see what a species of this advanced technology used to travel


    with.¡±


    ¡°Now I am curious too,¡± said Jain. ¡°We need to arrange for an expedition to go


    dig and find out with the first opportunity we have.¡±


    ¡°We have to transmit the discovery back to Earth,¡± said Alex. ¡°Perhaps this


    will help them decide to open channels with us again.¡±


    ¡°It will take forty years to go and another forty for the answer to come back,


    but yeah, we should,¡± agreed Jain. ¡°Gather anything that looks manmade ¡­ or


    Goblin-made, and bring it back for analysis.¡±

 Chapter 14 : A Peculiar Find

    While walking back toward Argos, they were all alerted to find something of


    interest. Excited, they scouted the forest and looked at every strange bug and plant


    they encountered.


    ¡°We should camp there for tonight,¡± said Anais, pointing at a spot on the map.


    ¡°It should be about an hour away.¡±


    Steve said quietly, ¡°Guys, do you get the feeling that we are being watched?¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± said Bara. ¡°They have been following us since we left the city. Why


    do you think I led you through areas without thick vegetation?.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be worried?¡± asked Gakuto.


    ¡°They are good at hiding in the vegetation. The drones could not pick them


    up. I, however, set a small camera on the way, and I could see that they are armed


    with spears and bows. I doubt that they can even penetrate our skin.¡±


    With a bit of worry, the group continued their hike. Every few hundred meters,


    they would see non-natural structures or slabs poking through the soil. They would


    record them and move on.


    ¡°Wow!¡± Bara¡¯s eyes and mouth were as open as wide they could.


    The whole team stood watching in awe. Jain and anyone who was observing


    the feed also stood speechless.


    ¡°A statue. A statue of ¡­ is this a human head?¡± said Helen with her voice


    barely reaching her own ears.


    ¡°Is this some kind of joke? Alex! Are you seeing this?¡± said Jain.


    ¡°What is this? I mean ¡­ what is the chance that they made art and it ended


    up resembling us by accident?¡± asked Alex in shock.


    ¡°Zero. This is a statue of a human protruding from the soil, Alex. What is


    going on here?¡± continued Jain.


    ¡°Okay, now things are getting very weird here,¡± said Helen.


    ¡°Everybody, take a breather. We need to think.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°I am not sure what to think. There is a human statue here. We need to dig it


    up and bring it here,¡± said Jain.


    ¡°We will. Once we can, we will send the Eagle with tools to dig it out. For now,


    let¡¯s just take a breath.¡±


    After they marked the location and took records of the statue, the team began


    to move to the designated spot where they would be staying for the night. Within a


    half hour, the team had reached the spot and began setting up camp. Although


    excited, everyone was sunk into their own thoughts, as was everyone at Argos too.


    The scenarios that the statue gave birth to were countless. While camp was being


    set, Helen was registering the small buildings that were protruding from the ground


    near the shore of the river.


    Steve broke the silence. ¡°I wish we could replicate the material that they used.


    It seems like it never breaks. They used it for everything.¡±


    ¡°I am more interested as to why the head of the statue was kept clean of


    vegetation,¡± said Konoya. ¡°Our resemblance to it must also be the reason they are


    not hostile to us.¡±


    While the tents were being inflated, the liquid food was warming up in its bag.


    Konoya continued, ¡°What are you guys thinking? You are awfully silent.


    Especially you, Gakuto.¡±


    ¡°I am thinking, what if we are still in the Hera, and all this is a vivid dream of


    mine?¡± answered Gakuto.


    ¡°It makes more sense to think that we are being taken by whomever occupied


    this world and placed us inside a simulation,¡± said Anais.


    ¡°Hey! That¡¯s a good thought. Perhaps they are actually placing us in a game-


    like place. A world designed for us to be toyed with.¡±


    ¡°Or perhaps we are in an alien world with endless mysteries. Some closer to


    our understanding and some further. Letting our imagination run wild is not


    necessarily a bad thing, but don¡¯t let it stress you out,¡± said Konoya.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s try to make the least imaginary scenario of how this could


    happen,¡± said Gakuto.


    ¡°That¡¯s easy,¡± said Helen. ¡°The civilization who once lived here traveled to the


    stars and met humanity in an earlier stage. We have numerous of cultures whose


    ancient beliefs depict visitors coming from the stars.¡±


    ¡°Okay. You¡¯re right, this makes more sense, but it completely drives me away


    from my holographic-reality concept,¡± said Gakuto with a smile.


    Looking at the sky, Anais said, ¡°Imagine that. They could have visited us


    thousands of years ago, and now we visit them.¡±


    Jain¡¯s voice sounded from all their communicators. ¡°I think you guys should


    take some time to sleep.¡±


    Anais left her drones as guards, and they all went to sleep in their two tents.


    The drones were monitoring the perimeter from the trees while Helen and Jain were


    taking turns acting as remote guards, watching over them. Their dreams were shared


    with all of the humans currently on Gaia. Everyone was dreaming of stories about the


    ancient past. The feeling of being so incredibly interested in a fantasy brought an


    unexplained pleasure to all.


    It had been a while since this was common for humans.

 Chapter 15 : Alpha City and a Pet Dragon

    ¡°Rise and shine,¡± said Bara with a loud voice the next morning. ¡°Wake up and let¡¯s


    get ready for our return."


    Helen curiously looked at Anais who was petting a lizardlike animal. ¡°What is


    this?¡± she said.


    ¡°This is Draco. He is my new pet.¡±


    ¡°How did you come to befriend a lizard?¡±


    ¡°I can hardly sleep more than eight hours per night. When I came out, this guy


    was in the bag of food.¡±


    ¡°And he just let you hold him?¡± asked Gakuto with the excitement of a child.


    ¡°Can I touch him?¡±


    ¡°Ask him, not me,¡± said Anais.


    When Gakuto¡¯s hand had almost reached Draco, the animal hissed and took


    an aggressive stance.


    ¡°He does not seem to like you,¡± said Konoya, laughing.


    ¡°Actually, I think he is scared of all of you, being so close to him,¡± said Anais,


    waving her hand to make space. ¡°It took a little bit of food for him to let me touch him.


    Now he does not let me put him down.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s strange for an animal,¡± said Gakuto while packing his backpack.


    With Draco happily on her shoulder, Anais moved to the front of the party and


    began working to find a path toward Argos. The team crossed many more interesting


    areas, where they registered structures, most of which were deeply buried under the


    soil. On arriving back at the camp, the materials gathered were given to Jabir, who


    was the chemist of the group, to begin analyzing them. In the meantime, the


    exploration team tried to befriend Draco, who became an instant sensation.


    The following days, small excursions took place but at limited range. Another


    excursion to the city was made by Jabir and Steve, who needed data about the


    materials used to build it. The analysis of samples and the observations made by the


    Hera provided enough data to begin forming a hypothesis about the history of that


    world.


    ¡°On top of today¡¯s progress reports, we will be discussing the results of the


    research on the history of this place,¡± said Jain as he kicked off the meeting.


    ¡°We are beginning to form a hypothesis,¡± continued Helen, ¡°about the age


    and partial history of this world. It does not, however, feel complete by any standard.


    The Hera provided tectonic information, and contrary to our initial suspicions, this


    planet has very little tectonic movement, which is mainly located away from the area


    of the city. We will be referring to the city we partially explored as Alpha City or just


    Alpha, to distinguish it from the other places we will surely visit.¡±


    ¡°So, how did it get buried?¡± asked Juuda.


    ¡°Actually, that is the correct term, Juuda. The city did not sink; it was buried.


    The soil we see there has been deposited over large periods of time by the wind.¡±


    ¡°How much time are we talking about?¡± continued Juuda.


    ¡°It¡¯s better if we let Jabir answer that.¡±


    ¡°I am shocked by this material¡¯s properties,¡± started Jabir. ¡°It is pretty easy to


    date it from the moment it was split off from the rest of the building, and as long as it


    remains away from direct light. We know that the part I have was split by some kind


    of explosion about twenty-five to thirty thousand years or six to seven thousand Earth


    years ago. It is, however, impossible to date how long ago it was actually made,


    since it does not age.¡±


    ¡°How can it not age?¡± asked Steve.


    ¡°It is stronger than any concrete and harder than carbide. On top of that, it


    heals itself and can even close visible cracks.¡±


    ¡°Does it not need energy to do that?¡± asked Steve.


    ¡°This is the crazy part,¡± said Jabir excitedly. ¡°It is solar powered. It can absorb


    various frequencies of light and turn them into current. Then it transfers that current


    throughout its structure, providing replenishment to the basements and areas away


    from the light. Additionally, it stores current in itself. This is a material we worked very


    hard to make on Earth but never completed. The original piece you brought here


    could not show me its age because it was exposed to sun. This was one of the


    reasons I went back there to get new samples.¡±


    ¡°Can we replicate it?¡± asked Alex.


    ¡°It will be hard. Figuring out its abilities is the easy part. Analyzing something


    so resistant to anything is another challenge.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Make it your first priority.¡±


    After a short pause, Jain continued. ¡°We also have a hypothesis about the


    events that caused the civilization to collapse.¡±


    ¡°So, we are sure they have collapsed?¡± said Gakuto.


    ¡°It surely seems that way,¡± continued Dimitri. ¡°They are holding spears, and


    their city is deserted for twenty-five thousand years. I don¡¯t think there is a doubt


    about that.¡±


    ¡°So, what took them out?¡± asked Gakuto.


    ¡°War. It seems war was the reason here. The buildings that have damage on


    them have the characteristics of ballistic weapons.¡±


    ¡°Ballistic weapons and bullets of unimaginable power,¡± added Steve. ¡°There


    are holes that go through seven walls. I haven¡¯t tested it yet, but I think our plasma


    rifles would not go through a single wall. There are also buildings that look like they


    have been cut in half. Their war must have been terrifying.¡±


    ¡°What is the chance that weapons like that are still in circulation out there?¡±


    asked Alex.


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to know,¡± said Steve. ¡°If they could last that long, then they


    could still be around, but it surely does not seem to be so.¡±


    ¡°Does no one see the weird connection here?¡± said Juuda. ¡°Their civilization


    ended when ours was beginning. We also see creatures here that existed in our


    legends. Even Anais¡¯s lizard looks more like a miniature dragon than anything else.¡±


    ¡°We are aware of the similarities,¡± said Dimitri. ¡°Taking the statue we found


    and everything else into consideration, we are starting to form the hypothesis that


    they indeed visited our world before their end. It is, however, a bit far-fetched. At


    least with the data we currently have..¡±


    ¡°On our second visit to Alpha, we came across a large predatory animal,¡± said


    Bara. ¡°We monitored it for a while, and we came to the conclusion that an attack from


    that thing would probably result in death. Our nanos will not be enough to protect us


    against it.¡±


    ¡°I need to add to this,¡± said Konoya. ¡°Our entire population has never


    experienced disease or physical threat at all. This has made us fearless. But it has


    also made us high risk takers. I gather information on the daily lives of everyone, and


    I notice a high inclination to risk taking. Stories of big animals and Anais¡¯s dragon


    only drive people to want to venture out more.¡±


    Alex seemed worried. ¡°Based on everything we heard, we will be making


    some changes. For starters, Steve, I want you to fabricate weapons for everyone.¡±


    ¡°What kind of weapons?¡± asked Steve.


    ¡°Bara, do you have a say in it?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like the idea of everyone walking around with a plasma weapon.


    It is very dangerous. There is a technology that was developed before the Osiris


    impact which would be great for here.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡± asked Steve.


    ¡°Electric weapons. It uses electrical charge to shoot a tiny projectile out with


    supersonic speeds.¡±


    ¡°How is that less dangerous?¡±


    ¡°It is, greatly. The projectile has the size of a pinhead. Despite its


    extraordinary speed, it has an effective range of about six meters. It is particularly


    devastating at anything under a meter. Shoots one projectile per second, and most


    importantly, it makes a very loud crackling sound. Perfect for scaring away anything.¡±


    ¡°Sounds ideal. I suppose the schematics are in the database?¡± asked Alex.


    ¡°Of course,¡± replied Bara.


    ¡°Then give access to the file to Steve. Begin producing one for each citizen.


    Since we can¡¯t stay within Argos any longer, we will allow excursions, but they will be


    accompanied by at least one soldier. Bara, you¡¯ll be in charge of the schedules.¡±


    ¡°Should I place the weapon production before the sewage treatment?¡± asked


    Steve.


    ¡°Yes. Make sure everyone has a weapon. It will be included in the necessary


    equipment for all excursions.¡±


    ¡°I also have an announcement,¡± said Steve, while sending an image to the


    display. ¡°This is a new drone. It can¡¯t hover, so it¡¯s actually a plane, but it can fly at


    very high altitudes, and it looks like some of the birds here. We can mount a small


    amount of weight, so for starters I am placing a visual camera on it, and I will be


    sending it to slowly map out the continent. I will make more of them after finishing the


    production of the weapons.¡±


    ¡°There is one more thing,¡± said Jain. ¡°Every city must have a library of some


    kind. A place to hold important information and manage it. I want to organize the next


    excursion there in search of such a building. The information found inside would be


    invaluable. We have explored a tiny fraction of this continent, which is but a small


    fraction of this planet, and we are surrounded by mysteries. We need to speed up our


    information gathering, and I think the fastest way is through the discovery of a


    library.¡±


    ¡°I have to agree with that,¡± said Konoya. ¡°Everyone wants to venture out and


    see this world, but mainly for their own recreation. We are working toward answers


    and progress extremely slowly. A library with ready answers sounds ideal.¡±


    In the days that followed, new data kept coming in. More preindustrial species


    were observed, which raised new questions. They also noted a pattern of scouting


    parties from various species coming to see Argos from a distance. Steve added a


    dozen more scouting planes, and soon a rough map of the terrain of the continent


    was made. It revealed a landscape rich in cities, with countless settlements of the


    indigenous species, which were marked and avoided when venturing for excursions


    until an approach plan was devised.


    ¡°Tomorrow the team will be leaving to go search for the library,¡± said Jain to


    Alex while getting ready to sleep.


    ¡°Jain, does it not seem surreal to you?¡±


    ¡°You mean the whole situation here or something in particular?¡±


    ¡°Well, everything really. We have clear images of a few species living here,


    and they all resemble mythological creatures from back home. Dimitri, who had quite


    the fascination with old legends, is shocked. When I speak with him, he makes a


    compelling argument that we were visited by them a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°It could be so. We will soon have more data to test this hypothesis. It should


    not trouble you so much.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help thinking that some of those ancient technologies will resurface


    somewhere and pose a threat to us. I delayed contacting the Goblins and every other


    species because I worry that this will start a series of events that might lead us to


    conflict.¡±


    ¡°I understand. We do not have a good history of meeting new people in our


    own world.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and here we see species which differ greatly, all living together. How


    did they manage it?¡±


    ¡°The answers will come slowly. Stressing about them will not help you make


    the right choices.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, as always. I am happy I can go through all this with you by my


    side.¡±

 Chapter 16 : A Meeting in Alpha City

    Y:6 D:2


    Argos


    A well-organized search party of five left Argos to go straight to Alpha City. The


    camera they had left had not seen anything other than passing animals, and


    therefore the city was considered empty.


    Upon arrival, the team proceeded to move close to the center, where it


    expected to find more buildings of importance. Parts of the city had been overtaken


    by vegetation, giving a magical feel to the already alien environment. The team sat to


    rest on a wide opening, probably the location of an old park. They still needed a few


    hours of walking to reach the center.


    ¡°It is pretty magical to sit here,¡± said Juuda, opening his backpack to get his


    food out.


    ¡°I think Helen¡¯s hypothesis is right,¡± said Anais. ¡°This city must have been the


    capital of this world.¡±


    ¡°I think so too,¡± added Steve over the communicator. ¡°The city gives the


    feeling that it was made with multiple architectures. We find similarities to the ones


    we have seen from the spy planes, but this is the only one that combines them all.¡±


    ¡°They moved by air a lot as well,¡± said Juuda sadly. ¡°What could have caused


    them to destroy themselves?¡±


    ¡°Why do you find that strange?¡± asked Bara.


    ¡°So many species managed to coexist for long enough to build buildings with


    docks on almost every floor. We have not found a landfill yet, which might suggest


    that they managed their trash to keep the environment safe. Now we invaded them,


    and yet they have shown no signs of aggression. I can¡¯t imagine what could have


    destroyed such wonderful creatures.¡±


    Emile, who was a sociologist and history enthusiast, although he rarely


    spoke, decided to add his own input in the conversation. ¡°This has me really


    confused. We see that they have almost no connection now. In fact, if you observe


    them, you will notice that they are on alert when they are near the borders of other


    species. They are not living in peace, and obviously they had war at some point. The


    question then arises, how did they manage to coexist so well for long enough to


    reach these technological achievements, and why did they fall?¡±


    ¡°We will find answers for all those questions soon enough,¡± said Juuda. ¡°For


    now, let¡¯s finish our meals and continue.¡±


    A couple of hours later, the team had reached the area with the tallest


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.buildings.


    ¡°This looks like a good choice,¡± said Juuda, pointing at the largest building he


    could see. ¡°Let¡¯s head in.¡±


    Bara stood at the front, and Anais sent in two small drones to scout the area.


    ¡°It¡¯s empty,¡± she said and began walking in through a window.


    ¡°The room is quite small. One window, one door,¡± reported Anais while


    walking through. ¡°The door leads to a very large open room with many doors


    connecting to many small rooms around it. The ceiling is much higher than you might


    initially expect. The walls and floors must be quite thin. This entire floor is like a large


    square with many small squares around it. There is a wider room on each side. Yes!


    This is the access to the other floors.¡±


    ¡°It looks like they had a few ways to get from one floor to another. There are


    stairs very similar to what we would use, but there are also thinner shafts with metal


    extrusions. Helen¡¯s hypothesis is increasingly valid,¡± said Juuda while reporting back


    to Argos. ¡°There are many ways to go to the floors. Probably for the different species


    to use.¡±


    ¡°I am proceeding to the floor below, lights on,¡± said Anais. After a few


    seconds, she reported, ¡°Clear. Same as above. All seems empty.¡±


    ¡°How many floors down does it go?¡± asked Juuda.


    Anais sent her drones down the shaft. ¡°I am counting ¡­ wow, eleven floors.


    There are more, but they are flooded. I need a different drone.¡±


    ¡°Check for any that do not look the same as the rest,¡± said Juuda.


    ¡°The second floor down looks like it was the ground floor,¡± said Anais and


    continued to make rough scans floor by floor, while keeping everyone updated. ¡°The


    seventh floor under seems to be very different.¡±


    ¡°Check that the others further below are clear as well, and let¡¯s proceed to


    that one.¡±


    ¡°They are all clear. No movement. Same as the ones we have seen.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go down to the different one straight away.¡±


    ¡°Everything seems to be empty,¡± said Bara while going down.


    Steve added, ¡°This makes sense. If their collapse was so many thousands of


    years ago, they would slowly take everything.¡±


    ¡°It does not explain why it¡¯s deserted. They should still use it as a base, just


    like all other cities we have seen with the spy planes,¡± added Juuda.


    ¡°I am at the seventh floor down,¡± said Anais. ¡°It¡¯s clear. Come.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like a sewer network of the old Earth cities,¡± said Steve. ¡°The larger


    openings seem large enough to have a vehicle pass through. It looks like the whole


    city was interconnected from underground.¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡± said Anais suddenly. ¡°Something is coming.¡±


    They all froze in place and focused their attention to one of the tunnels, where


    light started appearing. It was two Goblins. The Goblins froze when they saw light


    coming from the room and proceeded to walk slowly and carefully without talking


    anymore.


    ¡°This is it!¡± said Alex through the communicators. ¡°This will be our first


    contact. Make sure you stay calm and friendly.¡±


    Juuda moved to the front and stood with his head high. When the Goblins


    moved close, they had their shields high and their spears pointing at Juuda.


    ¡°Their shields and spears are made of glass,¡± said Anais.


    ¡°Hello,¡± said Juuda, raising his hand and showing his palm to them.


    All the lights were shining on them. Gakuto, who had thought that they must


    be nocturnal, tried to warn them, ¡°Don¡¯t shine your lights on them!¡± but it was too late.

 Chapter 17 : First shot fired

    The Goblins could barely see Juuda and his friendly greeting. The light for


    them must have indicated aggression, so while one of them stood in defense, the


    other yelled a war cry and charged toward Juuda. Bara immediately took out his


    pistol and shot the Goblin almost without thought. The Goblin was about three meters


    away from Bara, but the lack of a wound made Bara think he missed. The loud noise,


    which in a closed space, sounded like it could take down a wall, was enough to make


    both Goblins cower in fear. The lights were shone on the wall on the side so the


    Goblins were no longer in the direct beam.


    ¡°Move slowly back and leave,¡± said Bara.


    ¡°But we might have the chance to communicate now,¡± answered Juuda.


    ¡°They are scared,¡± added Konoya. ¡°It¡¯s not the right time to communicate.¡±


    ¡°Leave slowly,¡± said Alex.


    The group started moving backward without words, and when they reached


    the stairs, they started climbing them silently and slowly until they had reached


    outside.


    They began walking toward Argos and discussing the appearance and


    attitude of the Goblins. Anais, with Draco always on her shoulder, stopped before


    reaching the edge of the city. ¡°I think I will be staying,¡± she said seriously.


    ¡°What do you mean you will be staying?¡± asked Bara.


    ¡°I want permission to stay here and scout the city. I am sure it has a lot more


    to offer than what we have seen.¡±


    Bara looked skeptical. ¡°I am not so sure that staying here is a smart idea.


    Aren¡¯t you worried or scared to be alone here?¡±


    ¡°I am exhilarated. We are on an alien world surrounded by mystery, and I


    worry that until we decide on the next missions, I will drive myself crazy. I can¡¯t stay


    idle while there is so much to see and learn. If I stay here, I will be able to scout this


    city for a library and hone my skills. I have everything I need with me.¡±


    Bara smiled. ¡°Alex! What do you think?¡± he asked into the communicator.


    ¡°If you are not worried, then I see more benefits than risks. Anais, you have to


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.be careful of any contact you might have with them. If you detect that they are near,


    you will need to contact immediately for the right way to approach them.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I will make sure to steer away from them.¡±


    Anais left the group to find an appropriate place to set up camp while the rest


    of the group continued their trip toward Argos. The next day, the group had returned,


    and a few hours later, Bara and the leaders gathered to speak.


    ¡°You should have not shot at them!¡± said Alex, looking at Bara.


    ¡°It was instinct, but I missed either way,¡± said Bara apologetically. ¡°Although I


    shouldn¡¯t have. I don¡¯t easily miss. Something must have been wrong with the gun.¡±


    ¡°Well, apparently you did not miss. Jain, can you show us?¡±


    Jain replayed the feed from the incident. ¡°The Goblin attacked, and its shield


    went on its side, exposing its chest. You shot right at it. As you can see from this


    small spark, the bullet deflected off its chest. ¡°


    ¡°But how is that possible?¡± asked Bara.


    ¡°We are still trying to figure out the details, but for now we know that they are


    tough. Their skin might be harder than ours, even with our nanobots in,¡± said Gakuto.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain how they evolved like that, but now we know that an attack from


    them could be lethal.¡±


    ¡°Lethal? You mean their spears could penetrate us? How did you deduce


    this?¡± asked Juuda.


    Jain explained, ¡°We made some rather worrisome assumptions while you


    were coming. The inhabitants of this planet do not seem to mix. It is very rare to see


    some visiting other species. We also see the results of a devastating war


    everywhere. Steve¡¯s spy planes have detected areas where very destructive


    weapons must have been detonated in the distant past. We believe that they all have


    traits similar to the exceptional skin of the Goblins. We also have to consider the


    probability that their weapons combined with their strength are capable of killing each


    other. That would mean that a blow from them could mean death to us.¡±


    Juuda¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°I was not worrying at all when he attacked me. It


    looked so small.¡±


    ¡°Looks can be very deceiving,¡± said Gakuto with a smirk


    .


    ¡°In other news,¡± interrupted Helen, ¡°we have an idea as to why the biggest


    city is not occupied while all the rest seem to be the centers of the species that


    control them. As Anais¡¯s scouting showed us, the basement of the big building was


    flooded. We suspect that there is a lot of water under the main city which once was


    vital for its growth. The Goblins, which seem to have it under their control, live


    underground, and therefore the city is almost useless to them.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said Juuda.


    ¡°It also seems possible that the main Goblin city, which is four kilometers


    away from Alpha, is linked to it. The ones you met seemed like scouts.¡±


    ¡°We need to speed up contact with them,¡± Alex said. ¡°We need to learn of


    their intentions and begin properly exploring the past of this world. We will put


    research of the history of this place as our top priority. As far as we know, the


    survivors on Earth might be few and dying out. We might be the last humans, and we


    can¡¯t risk whatever destroyed this world to be the end of us. Argos needs to finish


    faster.¡±

 Chapter 18 : Argos Grows

    Argos was a city designed to adapt and grow. It was a circular in design with a large


    area at its center where everyone gathered to meet and talk. Around it, like spokes


    on a wheel, four roads extended outward. Around the center was the market where


    all the goods were distributed. Raw materials for 3-D printers were the most common


    items and were exchanged with EAs, electronic approval tokens, which were given to


    those whose projects were approved by Architecture and Engineering. Once a citizen


    wanted to create something, the material estimates and energy demands would be


    calculated and handed to A&E, which was Steve¡¯s department, and from there they


    would wait for approval. With the approval, they would receive an EA with which they


    could get the materials from the market. Around the market was a ring with more


    spokes of roads that contained the research areas, public facilities, water-storage


    tanks, and other industrial buildings. After that came another ring with the housing


    area. Finally, it was surrounded by the large wall and then the final ring of agricultural


    production. Between all the rings, there was a road circulating around. Every ring had


    small parks and recreation areas that seem like they were made for young children


    but were mainly used by the adults.


    The current city design was meant to hold up to five thousand people. The


    plan was that the materials for all the structures could be recycled and reused when


    the circles needed growing, so that the city could expand. The maximum number of


    people it could reach before another circle began to be made was fifty thousand.


    Once the population grew to about a million, the main city design would begin to be


    built. The designs for the cities were made back on Earth, and many of them were


    loaded into the database so that depending on the environment and material


    availability, the right one would be chosen. All the designs had lots of recreation


    areas, since it was deemed necessary for the mental stability and creativity of the


    inhabitants. Each individual could request space to make a project, and if it was


    deemed useful, then the materials and labor for it would be supplied. A few small


    nuclear reactors were used as the main energy source, which had been dipped into


    the nearby river. As long as they remained underwater, they could provide enough


    energy for a few years. When the population grew, they would need a new source of


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.energy. Solar and wind were the main alternatives unless nuclear material could be


    found. Nearly every structure of Argos was made from the materials that were found


    around the area, harvested from the soil, and mixed with machines brought from


    Earth. Their small size meant that it took long periods of time for the 3-D printer to be


    fed the composites, so for the time being, most structures were made with simpler


    materials, not meant to withstand time or very harsh conditions.


    Argos was under continuous construction. One side of the city was under the


    constant work of the 3-D printer, while the other was used by the civilians. The


    number of people was also steadily growing, so the city was continuously adapting.


    The plan was to keep it simple and small until they could fully recreate Alpha


    concrete, as the new material came to be called, so that it would be used afterward


    everywhere. The idea was that if this material absorbed infrared light to heal and


    could transport the energy through its body, then it could probably also be converted


    to produce energy from the star and perhaps meet the energy demands of the


    building itself. It would truly bring a revolution in building design that the Earth and


    Mars would have found profoundly useful.


    The political hierarchy of Argos revolved around the creator of the entire


    project, Alex, who, with a team of experts, crafted a system which could help the


    community advance. As the population rose, the system would slowly change. Once


    the population required a second city to be built, the system would again change.


    Finally, once they reached one million people and began constructing Argos as a


    megalopolis, the political system was to take a final change that would be able to


    govern an entire planet of people despite their numbers. These systems were made


    back on Earth and had failsafe mechanisms only shared to Jain and Juuda in case of


    something happening to Alex. Their system required no currency or goods exchange.


    The small amount of people paired with advanced technology that they had at their


    disposal made it so that everything other than energy was plentiful. Energy would be


    the only resource that would soon be worthy of attention.


    For the time being, Argos was a utopia for the citizens, but its rate of


    expansion was very, very slow. As humans had no worries and no time pressure,


    everything seemed to be working at the absolute minimum. There were very few who


    worked hard for their goals, and these were mostly made as a subject of ridicule.


    Alex was beginning to feel that this slow progress needed to be changed.

 Chapter 19 : Philosopher

    Y:6 D:8


    With Anais still in Alpha City, the information kept on coming. She had also found and


    sent back to Argos certain crystals she had come across that seemed to be


    information-storage devices. She had set up camp atop the tallest building of the city,


    which provided her with a vantage point. With a small garden and a few floors


    secured and protected, she would soon be able to stay completely independent of


    Argos. This made her proudly proclaim herself the lord of Alpha City, something that


    was used by most citizens of Argos as her call sign and a tease. After many days of


    scouting, Anais had begun finding buildings with vaults that she found impenetrable.


    She had also begun finding abandoned machinery of unknown functionality and very


    heavily damaged. These machines were slowly transported for examination back to


    Argos as she continued to receive supplies, but with most their parts stripped and


    other parts corroded to unrecognizable states over time, the chances of decrypting


    the crystals anytime soon seemed slim at best.


    Argos was a growing city. Most women were perpetually pregnant, while few


    people were preoccupied with the needs of the community. Food, water, and shelter


    were becoming so well automated that with minimal effort, there was plenty for


    everyone. Automated agriculture and bug farms coupled with robotic solutions for the


    labor-intensive jobs were helping to create a paradise. Most of the city was now


    working on decoding the story of the planet. From every angle that anyone could


    grasp it, they were all trying to figure out what happened. As the days were passing,


    the memory of Earth, which more than half the population had never seen, was


    becoming ever so vague. After all, it was not hard to forget a white ball of snow under


    which you were born. The memories that some did carry were mostly of a sad and


    apostasis-infested community.


    The crystals that Anais had been finding were taken by Margaret to be


    decoded, but it seemed like an impossible task. Without much of an idea on what


    these crystals contained and in what format they were written, decoding something


    that was coded by a species more advanced than yourself was very challenging. The


    hope was that some of the machines they were finding were the readers of those


    crystals and with some help they would be able to take the first steps of


    understanding them. There was nearly nothing written anywhere besides some


    building scriptures, which alone were very hard to decode. The surrounding areas


    had all been mapped and monitored well. The flight restrictions were lifted for a large


    radius from the city, which meant that Clive and his team could not transport


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.materials and findings fast. The borders between the species were also being drawn


    out based on their location and observations on how far the patrols go. The spy


    planes were beginning to map the islands and other continents of the planet. A


    process that would take years to complete but that already began.


    Flying the Eagle meant that small machines could be easily transported, and


    this way the statue had finally been uncovered.


    ¡°It resembles a human more so now,¡± said Jain.


    ¡°It really does,¡± said Konoya.


    Dimitri seemed to be the most excited about it. ¡°I know what that is. I am sure


    I have seen something similar,¡± he said with a loud voice. ¡°Look, he is pointing at his


    feet. He is holding a plaque, and he is covered with a sheet. He looks like an ancient


    philosopher from Earth.¡±


    ¡°We need to search for any distinctive traits that separate him from humans,¡±


    said Gakuto.


    ¡°On first look, he looks very human,¡± said Galen. ¡°Perhaps too human.¡±


    ¡°We have not seen any species that resemble humans so closely on the


    planet, however,¡± noted Jain.


    ¡°We have not seen what this planet has to offer yet. Nor the other planets for


    that reason,¡± added Gakuto.


    ¡°The other planets?¡± said Konoya.


    ¡°Yeah! These species here had technology which by far surpasses ours. With


    so many planets filled with water and nice conditions, I can¡¯t imagine they left them


    unpopulated.¡±


    ¡°We will have to send a satellite to begin imaging the other planets,¡± said Jain.


    ¡°The plate on his feet as well as his plaque has writing. Just like the other


    writings we have found,¡± said Dimitri.


    Alex called for them to gather for a discussion. ¡°Yesterday,¡± he began, ¡°we


    got close to an Orc¡±.


    ¡°We¡¯re calling the large ones Orcs now?¡± asked Gakuto.


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to remember, and their looks make it hard to not call them that.¡±


    ¡°No objections here.¡±


    ¡°So, yesterday Nick went beyond the city radius after the detectors heard


    sounds. He approached stealthily and saw two of them. They did not want to back off


    after seeing Nick. A few meters behind them were about fifty more, all fully armed.


    They were coming ready to fight.¡±


    ¡°What does that tell us then?¡± asked Dimitri. ¡°That they might attack us?¡±


    ¡°We see more species approaching us from every direction, but they don¡¯t


    dare enter other species¡¯ lands. This is Goblin land. We know that. Now that the Orcs


    have entered, we fear that it might be the start of change.¡±


    ¡°Do we have a plan?¡± asked Dimitri.


    ¡°Yes. We are going to meet them. Straight to their main city.¡±


    ¡°Finally, some excitement,¡± said Gakuto.


    ¡°This will be the beginning of something new, so we need to make it as


    friendly as we can. If we create enemies here, our future might be difficult and war-


    torn. I want you all to consider that although we have no fear of them and that we


    have no memory of war, those who have studied a little of it can tell you of its horrors.


    I want ideas and plans on how to approach them. Jain and Konoya will be setting the


    plan, so any observations or ideas you have, please report them to them.¡±

 Chapter 20 : A Deadly Offering

    Y:7 D:18


    Argos


    The city¡¯s stage 1 was nearly complete. This meant that now more time could be


    invested in research and exploration. Multiple species had been identified, with some


    of them living in isolated islands and other continents. A meeting was organized to


    discuss the strategy with which they would approach the Goblins and finally begin


    seeking answers.


    ¡°Are we really going to keep calling them with names from creatures of our


    mythology?¡± asked Juuda.


    Dimitri stepped up. ¡°Well, according to the most popular theory among our


    citizens, it is the correct way.¡±


    ¡°You mean that we got visited by the civilization of this world tens of


    thousands of years ago, and we sprung up legends after meeting them on Earth?¡±


    ¡°Precisely. It ticks many boxes and answers many hard questions. How else


    are you going to explain the similarities we see here with our legends?¡±


    ¡°There is a bigger problem to answer, and this is how they made it this far.


    What destroyed them and whether there are still weapons available to any of them,¡±


    said Jain.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± added Alex. ¡°We need to focus on one step at a time. Today we are


    planning the first. Jain, are you ready to present your plan?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We have figured out that their most valuable animal is this gazelle-


    looking animal.¡±


    ¡°I call them gazortis,¡± interrupted Gakuto.


    ¡°Right,¡± said Jain with a smile. ¡°These gazortis are important to them. They


    are very fast, and they hunt them with large groups. They even have a ritual when


    killing one. Our plan is to get Clive flying around and pick the largest he can find and


    trap it. We will approach them from the air with the Eagle right at sundown, when


    they begin their night, and present them with the animal alive. Then Konoya will


    proceed to try and communicate with hand gestures and pictures of items.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan. Does anyone have any comments or objections?¡±


    ¡°Since we are going with the Eagle,¡± added Bara, ¡°let¡¯s plan to leave some


    heavy supplies that Anais has requested.¡±


    ¡°Who will take part in this mission?¡± asked Juuda.


    Konoya replied, ¡°Bara, Clive, and myself should be enough. We do not need


    to go with a big team. We need to appear harmless to them.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. Bara, inform Clive to pick the ¡­ gazortis, and in the


    meantime, get ready,¡± said Alex, looking at Konoya.


    Later that night, with a large gazortis on board, the team left for Anais, and


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.after leaving her supplies, they proceeded to visit the large cave, which acted as the


    main opening of the underground city of the Goblins. Clive remained hovering on


    standby while Konoya and Bara began walking the last three hundred meters to the


    opening. The large gazortis was making sounds as it was being pulled from Bara.


    The scouts around the area had begun pounding the ground with metal pistons as a


    way to inform the city of the approach, since the Eagle was a kilometer away in the


    air.


    ¡°Continue walking as if you haven¡¯t noticed them,¡± said Konoya to Bara.


    ¡°I am not very comfortable. We are amid vegetation, and Clive cannot pick us


    up fast enough. We need to get to the opening faster,¡± said Bara while walking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush. They will not attack,¡± said Konoya with confidence.


    The area around the cave had a fifty-meter radius of no vegetation. They


    arrived ten meters away from the opening and stopped.


    Within seconds, they were surrounded by a large number of Goblins. Clive,


    seeing this unfold, began moving toward them. He hovered with the Eagle less than


    fifteen seconds away. Some were yelling; others were looking scared. Some were


    armed with glass swords, spears, shields, and other weapons, while others were


    completely unarmed. There were small ones there as well, children who had come to


    see what the commotion was all about. Konoya looked around and smiled.


    She pointed at the gazortis and tried to invite them to take its ropes. Then a loud yell


    made all of the commotion stop. Amid the silence, their leader began walking through


    the crowd. While a male Goblin was approaching from the cave, a younger one stood


    up and began marching toward Konoya. It was visibly scared, but something led it to


    act brave and approach. From behind, a female Goblin stormed with her weapon


    high toward Konoya. Bara raised his weapon to the air and shot a bullet. They all


    cowered down from the sound¡ªall but the mother. She flinched but did not lose


    focus from her child. Seeing the young one as it cowered in fear made her attack


    more ferociously.


    As Bara watched the young creature approaching Konoya, he felt he had no


    other choice but to turn the weapon toward the Goblin mother. He stepped forward in


    front of Konoya and shot from a distance of less than two meters, right when the


    mother was over her child. The Goblin placed her hand on her chest. A tiny would


    that was barely bleeding but causing a lot of pain was all that the weapon could do.


    The Goblin, which momentarily looked like it was there to only remove her child from


    harm¡¯s way, now had a reason to attack. She once again raised her weapon and


    jumped toward Bara. In his panic, Bara picked his plasma weapon from his side and


    shot at her. The bullet went through a couple of Goblins before becoming a bright


    spot on a rock, slowly dimming. Before leaving her last breath, the Goblin mother fell


    on to her child and tried to push it back. The younger Goblin held the body of his


    dead mother and with a loud scream, took his mother¡¯s axe and charged toward


    Bara.


    In the second that followed, Bara took a flash grenade and yelled, ¡°Flash!¡±


    while Clive had reached almost above them. The flash went off while the Goblins


    were ready to attack.


    Everything happened so fast. The whole team was in shock. Argos was


    breathless while watching the unfolding of these events. With a faint voice, Alex


    almost whispered, ¡°What are we doing?¡±


    Bara opened his eyes after the flash to see the young Goblin at his feet, while


    all the others were trying to clear their eyes. He grabbed the young one and held it to


    the hook that Clive had dropped down from the Eagle. A hostage! They had a


    hostage with them. Bara was holding the little Goblin so tight that in his shock he was


    hurting him. Something made him feel that they needed one to communicate, so he


    took the young one.


    While just a few meters off the ground, the team saw the leader looking at the


    dead bodies and at the team who had kidnapped one of their own. His scream of


    rage brought a feeling to everyone that they have never felt before.


    Fear.


    His rage made all the other Goblins raise their spears and axes and scream with all their


    might. The small creatures somehow looked very large now. What was coming was


    now obvious.

 Chapter 21 : Hostage

    The team returned to Argos with a terrified young Goblin. They quickly


    provided him with a room and prepared a meal. He began bashing on walls and


    doors, trying to break free, but with no success. Despite his immense brute strength,


    the door would not be broken by his strikes. Soon he exhausted himself and lay on


    the bed that was there. To his surprise, the bed was softer and more comfortable


    than any he had seen so far; Konoya could tell from his reactions.


    ¡°We have about two days before they come here,¡± said Alex. ¡°Keep a drone


    close to them, and inform Anais to hide.¡±


    ¡°She has been warned,¡± said Bara, with his voice hanging low. ¡°I don¡¯t know


    what I should have done,¡± he continued apologetically.


    ¡°What is done is done. We will discuss this at a later time,¡± said Alex, pumped


    with adrenaline. ¡°The only thing that matters now is that the coming army will not be


    the end of us.¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t. Can they?¡± asked Gakuto.


    ¡°If they surround us and build a camp around the city or attack us every time


    we try to move out, then they will end us slowly,¡± replied Bara. ¡°Primitive or not, they


    outnumber us at least a thousand to one.¡±


    Everybody¡¯s eyes opened wide.


    ¡°Inform Argos that we are now on alert,¡± said Alex, looking at Jain. ¡°Call for all


    the leaders to gather, and make sure no civilian is outside of the walls.¡±


    ¡°Konoya is not here,¡± said Jain. ¡°She is working with Jade to feed their


    language to the system and run medical tests.¡±


    ¡°Do we know when we will have a working translator?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure, but if the kid starts talking soon, then it will take very little


    time.¡±


    Alex took a deep breath. ¡°We need to avoid war with them. When they arrive,


    we will give them their child back unharmed physically and mentally. Make sure you


    do not stress him too much.¡±


    ¡°We are not going to. Konoya is showing images to him and promoting him to


    say the word for that image.¡±


    ¡°We need to examine him and see how his skin can withstand bullets,¡± said


    Gakuto.¡± We will only need a small sample from his skin.


    ¡°Can you take it without him feeling it?¡± asked Juuda.


    ¡°No. We can¡¯t use local or general anesthesia because we can¡¯t be sure of


    the effects it will have on him. We need his permission,¡± said Galen.


    Alex seemed to be the most stressed. ¡°Bara, we need to make a plan. We


    know that last resort will be to bring down a Cerberus.¡±


    Juuda¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. These machines are


    devastating. We can defend without them. We have weapons and walls. What will


    they come with? Tanks?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± answered Alex, ¡°but if a battle is unavoidable, we need to


    clear it fast and decisively. Otherwise, they might drag it out indefinitely.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± added Bara. ¡°If it comes to it, it will be better to make a display of


    power early on. This way they might surrender faster and save themselves.¡±


    ¡°What if we made a display of power earlier than the battle?¡± asked Jain.


    ¡°Before they arrive here, we can meet them halfway and show them that they can¡¯t


    mess with us. We can deliver the kid back to them at the same time, and if the


    language is ready, then we can explain about the incident with their dead.¡±


    Alex smiled at the idea. ¡°I like it. Let¡¯s get the plan on its way. Steve and Bara,


    stay with me for the details. Jain, go and check that Konoya is proceeding with the


    language, and try to get the kid to give us a sample of its skin. He does not need to


    know what for. Just a pinch on his arm. The rest, please make sure that the civilians


    understand the situation and are prepared for the worst. Distribute plasma rifles and


    prepare them the best way you can.¡±


    In the following twenty hours, Argos became hectic. Konoya was making very


    slow progress, so she decided to enter the room with the young Goblin.


    ¡°I am not sure this is a good idea,¡± said Jade, while Konoya was opening the


    door.


    ¡°I need to try and gain his trust. Time is ticking,¡± said Konoya while entering.


    She sat on the floor just a step inside the room and saw the little Goblin


    shivering from fear. She pointed at herself and said, ¡°Konoya.¡± Then she pointed at


    him. There was no answer, so she repeated this process with a smile and patience.


    After a couple of minutes of this, the little Goblin said, ¡°Bikz.¡± Konoya¡¯s face lit up.


    Her smile was friendly, and she greeted Bikz with a wave of her hand. ¡°Bikz,¡± she


    repeated. Then she proceeded to show him a picture of a tree, then a river, then the


    sea, and then a mountain. Bikz was naming things, and the computer was filling a


    database of a language. After many basic words were placed in, Konoya stood up,


    pointed at her feet, and said, ¡°Feet,¡± in Goblin language.


    Then she proceeded to walk. Bikz, who had understood the game, continued to play, up to the point where


    his fear was almost gone. After a few hours, Bikz got tired, and they let him sleep for


    the day. When the sun was setting, he woke to find Konoya in her place and a warm


    meal next to him. Stressed, he tried it and proceeded to eat some of it. Konoya spoke


    to him in Goblin, which made him comfortable. ¡°Voice me,¡± she said.


    Bikz smiled. ¡°Speak with me, you mean. Speak with me.¡±


    Emile was hearing the conversations, helping the computer log the right


    translation. Every word that was not identified would be placed in standby until it was


    identified, when its meaning became apparent from other sentences. This process


    helped the system build the language very quickly, and soon Konoya was ready to


    test it. In the meantime, a large group of Goblins began to gather at the main Goblin


    city, and smaller groups were arranged all around. Alex worked on the strategy, and


    Jain informed Konoya that Bikz would be returned to his people.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Speak with me,¡± repeated Konoya.


    ¡°What do you want me to say?¡± asked Bikz.


    ¡°You will go to your father soon. No fear.¡±


    ¡°You killed my mom,¡± said Bikz and almost came to tears.


    ¡°Terrible accident. Terrible mistake.¡±


    ¡°I only wanted to show my father that I was brave. She only tried to protect


    me, and you killed her.¡±


    ¡°We were scared. Very scared. We thought she wanted to kill us.¡±


    ¡°We are always scared,¡± said Bikz sadly.


    ¡°Why are you scared?¡±


    ¡°War is always there. We fight always, but we can¡¯t win.¡±


    ¡°Why are you fighting? Whom are you fighting?¡±


    ¡°We fight everyone who is not us. Sometimes we make friends, but they don¡¯t


    last long.¡±


    ¡°We want to be your friends.¡±


    ¡°You killed my mother. Now you want to be friends?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We want to be friends. You have already helped us a lot. Now we can


    speak with you because you taught us. Soon we will take you to your father, but first I


    will touch this stick to your hand, which will feel a small pain.¡±


    ¡°What is this?¡± asked Bikz fearfully.


    ¡°It will not do bad to you. Only good. It will only pain for a blip.¡±


    She approached Bikz slowly, and he extended his arm out in fear. The


    apparatus sucked and took a small sample of skin and blood from Bikz.


    ¡°Did it hurt?¡± asked Konoya.


    ¡°No,¡± said Bikz while rubbing the small wound.


    ¡°Then wait for a bit. Eat and soon we will take you to your people,¡± said


    Konoya, standing up and walking out of the room.


    She gave the sample to Jade, who immediately began running tests. Four


    hours later, she called for a meeting to give the leaders a better understanding on


    who they were dealing with.


    ¡°It might sound impossible, but there is technology working here,¡± began Jade


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± said Jain.


    ¡°Bikz is swarming with nanobots. Just like us,¡± she said, causing everyone¡¯s


    eyebrows to raise. ¡°Only their nanos seem to have the sole purpose of enhancing


    their combat abilities. In fact, Konoya going in there was a risk. He could probably kill


    you with his bare arms.¡±


    ¡°How did you deduce that?¡± asked Jain.


    ¡°We gave him colorful items, which he explored, that had different weights.


    He can grip and lift with much more force than that of a human. Despite his small


    size and young age, he is already dangerous to someone like Bara.¡±


    ¡°That means that we cannot engage in close combat with them under any


    circumstances,¡± said Bara.


    ¡°No,¡± added Alex, ¡°and this world keeps on surprising us. It is too early to


    engage in any kind of aggression with them. We can¡¯t be sure of what else we will be


    surprised with. We have to make our display work.¡±


    ¡°But wait,¡± said Jain. ¡°Are they producing nanobots now? It certainly does not


    look like they do.¡±


    ¡°They probably don¡¯t,¡± said Jade. ¡°The bots do not offer any protection against


    infections. That means that the bots are not dangerous for babies, and they can pass


    from mother to child. Ours need to be programmed for each individual, and then they


    directly affect our cells¡¯ reproduction and well-being. I think this is the reason they


    made them back in the days to be only for military advancements. I think they had a


    war between them, and they made them with exactly that purpose.¡±


    ¡°This is an incredible find, but now is the time to finalize the plan on getting


    him back to his people,¡± said Alex with determination. ¡°How is the language


    translation, Konoya?¡±


    ¡°It is finished. We can speak with them with almost no misunderstandings. A


    few conversations with their adults, and we will have most of their vocabulary filed.


    We have no idea about their written language, though, and he did not seem able to


    read the scripts we found around.¡±


    Bara interrupted the conversation. ¡°Anais has something to say. Speak,


    please.¡±


    ¡°I am seeing a large army of Goblins moving toward Argos. They are moving


    fast, so I estimate that tomorrow after sundown, they will be there.¡±


    ¡°How many are there?¡± asked Bara.


    ¡°It looks like there are over ten thousand,¡± she said calmly.


    ¡°This is a manageable number,¡± said Bara.


    ¡°No! The problem is not their current numbers,¡± added Alex. ¡°We can surely


    take on them easily, and if their numbers move up to one hundred thousand, we will


    land a Cerberus. The problem is that our weapons and machines are numbered. If


    they go for a guerrilla warfare and we remain under constant attack for the years to


    come, we will eventually perish. We need to avoid combat in any way possible. Let¡¯s


    gather everyone at the agora to inform them of the situation.¡±


    Within less than an hour, all the citizens had gathered at the agora.


    ¡°As many of you have already heard, there is an army marching toward us.


    An army that currently does not pose much of a threat, but it could mean the


    beginning of the end for us.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± asked Guliame, one of the citizens. ¡°How will tiny creatures with sticks


    pose an actual threat to us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said another, ¡°we should not be scared of them. They should be


    scared of us.¡±


    The crowd muttered their agreement, and Alex frowned. Bara made a sign to


    Alex that he wanted to speak, and Alex nodded.


    ¡°You have no idea what a war looks like,¡± said Bara loudly.


    ¡°We all have no idea what it looks like. But not them. They have a clear view of what it means.


    Our weapons will prove our superiority in open war, but if they start hiding in the trees and bushes,


    if they start hunting you the moment you get out of the walls, if they burn every tree around Argos


    and sabotage our crops for the foreseeable future, then you will understand that our weapons only


    give us superiority when the war is fair. But war is never fair. This is their world, and


    we are few and new here. We don¡¯t know their strengths or their weaknesses, but


    they know ours. They know we are few. So, stop acting brave with someone else¡¯s


    guts!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Bara, for clearing this up,¡± said Alex. ¡°Now, there will be no


    venturing out until the situation is resolved. The ones born on Hera have no weapons


    training at all, and there is no time to be trained. After this is all in the past, you will


    begin your basic weapons training. The rest, you should prepare for the possibility


    that they reach the city.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we use the Eagle to take them out or build an ambush before they


    reach here?¡± asked Maria. ¡°If it is going to end up with bloodshed, why take the risk


    of doing it here?¡±


    ¡°We are planning to give them every reason not to come and every chance to


    back away. If they don¡¯t, we will need to show that we are defending our city. Killing


    them out there will only provoke a larger response.¡±


    Something resembling fear started to spread in Argos. Something new.


    Something strange. Something difficult to put into words started to affect everyone.


    Something between fear and rage. It looked like everyone was prepared to go to


    fight. The horrors of war were nowhere to be found in the memories of humans. They


    did not understand what war stood for. Like little children, they challenged the


    attackers in their minds, and with their superior weapons they thought they were


    undefeatable. But not all. Not Bara. Not Alex. Not Jain. Not the soldiers. Not the ones


    who had been trained for the small chance they will face war. They had seen images,


    stories, and videos of what war looked like. They had studied and knew that once the


    weapons started blazing, the screams and horror would drive them mad. They knew


    that war would change them completely.


    The following thirty hours were hectic for Argos. Alex had ordered the


    production of weapons from Steve, who could not produce fast enough and


    additionally arm the Eagle with weapons. Anais was sending continuous info on the


    movements of the Goblins and also discovered many of their hideouts. What the


    naked eyes could not see, her cameras could. The numbers of the Goblins seemed


    to change occasionally. After more focus, she could see that in some areas Goblins


    seemed to disappear for a while and reappear later. That¡¯s where their underground


    hideouts were. So well made that it would be near impossible to be seen without


    someone going in or out. By keeping a relative distance while scouting them, Alex


    had a clear eye on the progress of their march. When the time was right and at a


    distance of about seven kilometers off Argos, Alex and his team flew to meet the


    marching army at an opening in the forest. By that time, Konoya had managed to


    become somewhat of a friend with Bikz. They were comfortable enough to sit next to


    each other in the Eagle. Bikz had informed Konoya that the Goblins were facing a


    main adversary over the past years. The land where the humans had built Argos was


    near the borders with another species. The Orcs, as humans called them.

 Chapter 22 : Legends

    Y:7 D:28


    A field, seven kilometers from Argos


    With precise timing, the Eagle dropped from the sky in front of the marching army. At


    a distance of only one hundred meters, a loud artificial metallic roar made the


    descent of the Eagle seem like a dragon landing. The army froze, waiting for their


    leader to speak, but he too was stunned.


    The Eagle landed, and Konoya came out holding hands with Bikz. The


    moment Bikz saw his father, he started running toward him. Ags, his father, looked at


    his son running away from his captors with extreme fear in his eyes. He thought that


    he would see his son die. Before Bikz had the chance to reach them, Ags raised his


    weapon and screamed in anger and frustration his war cry, ¡°For our people!¡± Then he


    stormed toward his son.


    Watching the sprinting army approaching them, Alex immediately initiated


    plan B¡± He stepped out of the Eagle, and in clear view, shot an explosive into the air.


    Between them and above Bikz, about twenty meters in the sky, a tremendous


    explosion took place, followed by a screeching from the Eagle. The shockwave


    knocked Bikz and the first few lines of the attackers onto the ground. When he stood


    up, his father was there holding him. The army had stopped. Fear and panic started


    to spread among the Goblins.


    ¡°I am Alex. We are here to make peace, not war. What happened before was


    a regrettable accident.¡± His voice was coming out of speakers loud for everyone to


    hear.


    Shocked to hear his own language, Ags looked at Alex. ¡°Here to make


    peace? You took the life of the mother of my child!¡±


    ¡°There is nothing I can say that will bring her back. Your son is unharmed. We


    needed him because he is the bravest of all of you. He is the one to first approach us


    when we tried to make contact. He is the one who taught us your language.¡±


    ¡°You will pay for what you did,¡± replied Ags while his army looked confused


    and stressed.


    ¡°You can¡¯t defeat us. We come from the stars! We have what it takes to


    destroy this world. But we come in peace. Let us talk, and then make your decisions.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°We know you came from the stars. We thought you would come in peace.


    But we see now you are not here for good. Are you not fighting together with the


    Orcs?¡±


    ¡°We are not fighting for or with anyone.¡±


    Ags was approaching Alex slowly while his army moved slowly behind him.


    ¡°We have many legends of our people coming and going to the stars. None


    have them killing us,¡± said Ags while moving closer to Alex.


    Alex realized that he might be approaching for an attack. His son was now


    behind his army, and it felt like Ags was not as scared as his soldiers. ¡°We would


    love to hear of your legends. We would be happy to tell you some of ours too. Now,


    however, is the time for you to stop and turn back. Come again to talk whenever you


    see fit.¡±


    Ags saw that Alex changed the way he was looking at him, so he stopped


    moving toward him. He also noted that there was another inside the flying contraption


    who was more aggressive looking than the others.


    ¡°I will visit you soon,¡± were his last words before he made a signal to his army


    to begin marching back.


    ¡°That was well done,¡± said Konoya while they were flying back.


    ¡°That was close,¡± said Bara.


    ¡°You saw what he was going for, didn¡¯t you?¡± asked Alex.


    ¡°I saw. I was hoping he would stop. A few more steps, and I would step out


    with weapons in hand.¡±


    ¡°Now we have to prepare for them. And for the worst-case scenario that they


    simply went back to gather information from Bikz.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we got information from them too now,¡± said Konoya, trying to boost


    morale.


    Back at Argos, a sense of relief was felt, but not by everyone. Sadly, the number of


    humans looking forward for the battle was not negligible. Perhaps the need for


    something new, the need for adventure, the need for adrenaline was what caused


    that. Konoya believed that there was something deeper. The excitement of being in a


    new world should be enough to fill the need for adventure and excitement. Why is it


    that in the face of war, a new feeling developed which was, if not welcomed, then


    mostly neutral instead of negative? For now, the battle was averted, and the chance


    of forming an alliance was gained. It was the time for changes. A large amount of


    work was placed into creating A-Concrete, as they called it, with similar


    characteristics as the one used on Gaia a long time ago. The mining of materials and


    the reconstruction of the city became the primary job of everyone. The city began to


    be built like a fortress. New houses started to look like bunkers with an underground


    tunneling system connecting them all.


    Storage rooms for food and tanks for water made the city able to withstand a


    lockdown for years. The once-beautiful city of Argos was slowly looking like a military


    fortress. The parks were becoming smaller, and the nonlethal weapons that everyone


    was carrying started to be accompanied by plasma pistols. The recreational


    expeditions and hunt for exploration were halted for a while. In the process of all this,


    the Goblins made multiple visits. Although they were not showing any signs of


    aggression, Alex chose to not let them see the construction of the city. He did not


    want them knowing of the preparations for war or the underground passages and


    storage areas.

 Chapter 23 : Meeting with Ags

    The Goblins, from their side, did not allow almost any information to be


    shared either. They would visit often, but it looked more like spying than alliance


    building. On their last visit, Ags was there, wanting to talk with Alex. They met at a


    tent a hundred meters away from the edge of the fields around Argos, early at night.


    ¡°We do not seem to be learning a lot from one another,¡± said Ags with a


    smirk.


    ¡°Well, Ags, learning from one another requires trust and a mutual goal. Or at


    least mutual benefits.¡±


    ¡°We will be your friends and share with you, but we want something in return,¡±


    said Ags, looking toward Argos.


    ¡°What is it you want?¡± asked Alex.


    ¡°We want one of those contraptions that plow the land and plant seeds and


    then even harvest them.¡±


    ¡°That will not be simple,¡± said Alex, nodding with his lips pursed.


    ¡°Why will it not be simple?¡±


    ¡°You have been close to those machines in the past, haven¡¯t you?¡± asked


    Alex.


    ¡°I have. I also tried to understand how it works, but it is like magic.¡±


    ¡°It is not magic. But have you noticed that they have thick ropes that connect


    them to the city?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They are not there to prevent them from leaving, are they?¡±


    ¡°No, they are there to provide them with water and energy. It¡¯s hard to make


    one for you because you will also need the contraptions that provide it with energy


    and water.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you give me those as well?¡±


    ¡°I have an idea,¡± said Alex with a smile. ¡°I can provide you with a simpler


    machine that you can leave in the sun all day, and at night it can provide you with


    light wherever you need it. It will have a few small branches that you remove from it,


    and they will have light for much of the night. Small and easy to carry and without


    fire. Let me show you.¡± He turned his torch on.


    ¡°This we can work with for now,¡± said Ags.


    ¡°I will make sure you have one delivered in a few days. Now tell me, Ags.


    What do you know of the ancient cities that are everywhere on the planet?¡±


    ¡°These are the creations of our people. Back when the gods were with us ¡­¡±


    ¡°Which gods were with you? Tell me about them.¡±


    ¡°You want to hear of our gods?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I would like that very much.¡±


    ¡°A long time ago, we were all living together in this world. We and all the


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.others. We were living together with the gods too. They were coming and going to


    the stars at will.¡±


    ¡°When you say the others, you mean the Orcs?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the ones you call Orcs, the Lot, the Ipc, the Zakil and many more.¡±


    ¡°Are you friendly with any of those species?¡±


    ¡°Not really. We have trade with some, but we don¡¯t have peace. We don¡¯t


    know for sure how many have survived, but we have a history of many living


    together. We are surrounded either by sea or by another race. The sea is dangerous,


    and for us Goblins is a place we do not want to go near. We also have many species


    that we are not sure if they ever existed outside of stories. Like the Semav.¡±


    ¡°And the gods were people like you? Who were they?¡±


    ¡°The gods left us when we began the great fight. The gods guided us to


    create a world where we all had everything and lived in abundance. We do not know


    anymore what caused the end of the world because that is ancient history. What we


    do know is that after all was over, everybody wanted to be the ruler. Some still live in


    the ancient cities, but only we have Dircesh or A-City, as you call it. We worked and


    fought hard to reclaim it.¡±


    ¡°And now you can¡¯t live there because there is too much water underground?¡±


    ¡°How would you know of this?¡± asked Ags with a suspicious frown.


    ¡°Do not underestimate our abilities, Ags. We have eyes in the sky that look


    under the ground.¡±


    Ags¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°You can see under the ground?¡± His face was


    betraying fear.


    ¡°Yes, but we don¡¯t look at you. There is nothing to worry about,¡± said Alex,


    who felt that something was wrong. ¡°So, why do you still fight? There surely are


    enough resources and space for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Because they are not Goblin. They always think they are better than us. Orcs


    think we are weak. The Ipc think we are stupid. Everyone thinks others are inferior,


    but it¡¯s them who are inferior. The question now is who are you? You are very few but


    hold great power. Are there more of you coming?


    ¡°We are not here to wage war with anyone. We are here to find ourselves a


    new home.¡±


    ¡°But this is not your home. Where did you come from? Why did you have to


    leave?¡±


    ¡°Alex, this might not be a good question to answer,¡± said Konoya over the


    communicator. ¡°They might only understand that leaving your homeland to go to


    another place is either scouting for an invasion or the invasion itself.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡± asked Ags, looking confused.


    ¡°That was a call from someone in the city. We can talk from distances with


    each other. That¡¯s also something I can give you in the future. If we become allies, I


    will provide you with a way to contact us instantly.¡±


    ¡°That sounds tempting. You haven¡¯t answered me, however. Why did you


    leave your world? Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°We left because we wanted to explore. Your world was close and looked


    welcoming. We do not know how long we will stay here, but we will try to make our


    stay without any incident.¡±


    ¡°Incidents have already happened. You killed my people, and this has


    remained unanswered.¡±


    ¡°Without any more incidents then.¡± Alex looked troubled. He thought that the


    mistake of killing some Goblins would haunt them for a very long time. Now he had


    also lied about their staying. ¡°We are not here to make war with anyone. We would


    like to find a place to call our home in the future and live peacefully.¡±


    ¡°So, you are not planning on leaving?¡±


    ¡°We do not know yet. We wish to make peace with everyone around us, and


    then we will see how things go.¡±


    ¡°You truly are from out of this world, Alex. Peace with everyone? There has


    not been any peace for thousands of years. We lose our people every day.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever tried?¡±


    ¡°There are always those who seek peace. Peace allows for some to multiply


    faster than others or make more weapons. Allowing one to become too powerful


    cannot happen, so we are always at war.¡±


    ¡°I am starting to see the picture,¡± said Alex with his lips shut and his head


    shaking.


    ¡°It is time for me to go. I will wait for the light present.¡±


    Alex felt that there was too much hidden in Ags¡¯s words. There was no trust.


    There was too little information of the past. Just what you would expect from any


    primitive civilization, the conversations provided little real insight to the past. Although


    they are on their land, Ags did not ask us to leave or threaten us. Alex was thinking.


    Did he understand that we are superior and he gave up? Something else must be


    going on too.

 Chapter 24 : Orcs Approach

    Y:10 D:4


    Argos


    The satellite that was sent to scan the second planet of the solar system had


    returned its data and was currently arriving at the first planet. Solis-B had a tragic


    past, just as much as Gaia. The planet was littered with ancient cities but with no sign


    of technological civilization. It was expected that primitive remnants of the same


    species would be found there as well.


    In the meantime, the Orcs had made their first contact. They were witnesses to the


    battle that was nearly fought between the Goblins and the humans.


    Habo, the leader of a large settlement, visited Argos to contact Alex.


    Although they did not meet that day, Habo and his party of four were


    asked to help humans learn their language. They spoke some Goblin, which helped


    speed the process, and soon their language was ready to be used. Habo was asked


    to join Alex for a meeting on the outskirts of Argos, in the same tent where he met


    Ags.


    Entering the tent, Habo was visibly worried.


    ¡°Why do you look worried?¡± asked Alex in Orcish. ¡°There is no danger for you


    here.¡±


    ¡°This is Goblin land,¡± answered Habo ¡°I would be a fool to not worry.¡±


    ¡°Sit, Habo. Let¡¯s learn about each other. You approached me first, so there


    must be something on your mind.¡±


    ¡°I want to know who you are. Whom do you stand with?¡±


    ¡°We are visitors from the stars. You knew that. We are not standing with


    anyone. I told the same to Ags. We will not fight anyone, unless it is to protect


    ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Then why has Ags let you stay on his land?¡±


    ¡°That I do not know yet. I also wondered.¡±


    ¡°It seems that your wisdom does not match your technology.¡±


    ¡°That remains to be seen, Habo. Tell me. What do you know of your history?¡±


    Back when those cities were built.¡±


    ¡°Our history is as old as the stars. Most of it forgotten over the eons. This is


    not the time to speak of history, however.¡±


    ¡°What is it you want to speak about, Habo?¡±


    ¡°War. What else? You stand on Goblin land alive, and you wonder? Goblins


    are not easy to defeat or to reason with. You must have agreed something with


    them.¡±


    ¡°I have agreed nothing. They seemed to be reasonable to us. Why do you


    fight them?¡±


    ¡°Why fight them? Are you a child? Because they are Goblins. Because we are


    Orc. If you have not agreed with them over anything, then you will soon meet their


    axes.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so sure they will attack us?¡±


    ¡°If they don¡¯t, then you are even more dangerous to us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± said Alex, confused. ¡°Why is it there is no way for us to


    speak outside of the premise of war?¡±


    ¡°Because Goblins want to conquer. More than anyone else. And now they


    found the way through you. They will use you one way or another.¡±


    ¡°You are underestimating us, Habo. We came from the stars. We have


    technology. You can¡¯t force our hand to do anything we don¡¯t want to do.¡±


    ¡°It is time for me to leave. I don¡¯t find the way to trust in your words. Perhaps


    in the future, Alex of the humans.¡±


    Y:10 D:59


    Argos


    The situation in the city was growing strange. It felt like there was constant


    preparation for war. Many weapons were made, and defensive structures were taking


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.up increasingly more space. The once-beautiful plan for a green city now looked like


    something of the distant past. Every excursion out of the city was accompanied by


    drones that scanned the area around and warned of possible hostility. Alex and his


    team understood that there could be things at play yet to be revealed. Drones flying


    high were taking turns monitoring the neighboring cities of the Orcs and the Goblins


    alike. The Orcs were gathering a large number of people over the days. Anais was


    reporting movement over at the Goblin side too. The Goblins and the Orcs were


    preparing for war, just as Argos was. Most of the humans had not come face to face


    with the Orcs, and even more so, had never felt the fear of another creature hurting


    them. The nanobots in the body could make everyone superhuman, so there was a


    very strong sense of security. Alex and Bara, however, know that this was not trust


    well placed. Orcs were a lot bigger than Goblins, bigger than humans. If their bodies


    were filled with the same war technology as the Goblins, it would mean that they


    were impossible to fight against in close combat. Open war would be an easy win for


    humans, but it was never open war that Alex and Bara were afraid of.


    Alex and his team were making plans and scare tactics in order to avoid any


    upcoming battle again. All plans finished at the same line¡ªthe showdown with the


    Cerberus landing and a last stand at the walls of the city. Alex insisted that defense


    would send the right message in any situation. Resources had been gathered for


    long periods of time, and within a couple of days, the Eagle had been armed to act as


    aerial support if needed. It did not become an efficient combat machine but enough


    to fight off a wave of Orcs or Goblins.


    ¡°We came to start something new here, and now our city looks like a fortress,¡±


    said Alex to Jain while preparing for sleep.


    ¡°We are adapting to the challenges we meet,¡± answered Jain.


    ¡°Sometimes I want to go tell them not to prepare for battle, but I am doing the


    same. It will only sound stupid,¡± said Alex sadly.


    ¡°They might be gathering armies only as a means of defense, just like we do.¡±


    ¡°I asked Dimitri for his insight. He explained to me that the situation for them


    is far more complex.¡±


    ¡°In what sense?¡± asked Jain.


    ¡°They don¡¯t have a government. They have leaders of cities like humans did


    in our ancient past.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was aware of that. What does that mean, though?¡±


    ¡°It means that the ones who are gathering are soldiers are expecting


    something in return. They need food and goods, and Habo will not be able to keep


    them for too long. That means he is gathering them for an attack.¡±


    ¡°You think they might work with the Goblins to attack us together?¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯ve observed the Goblins for a while now. They are surely much


    better organized than the Orcs and far smarter than we thought them to be.¡±


    ¡°If they come alone, then they stand no chance, do they?¡± asked Jain


    worriedly.


    ¡°No, they stand no chance, even if they come together. It¡¯s not the coming


    battle that scares me. It¡¯s the possibility of an ongoing war for generations, which


    they are used to. We don¡¯t have rich veins of every material here, and eventually we


    will run out of supplies. We can¡¯t be in constant war with this planet¡¯s inhabitants.¡±


    ¡°I see your worries. It¡¯s time to put them to rest, and tomorrow we will think of


    solutions for everything.¡±


    ¡°Good night, Jain.¡±


    ¡°Good night, my love.¡±


    Early the next morning, Bara alerted Alex to wake up. ¡°They began to move,¡± he said.


    ¡°Who?¡± asked Alex. ¡°Goblins or Orcs?¡±


    ¡°Orcs. Habo is coming with his army.¡±


    ¡°I am coming. Prepare the meeting, please.¡±


    Twenty minutes later, the leaders were all gathered to discuss, and the gates


    of Argos were closed. None was left outside.


    ¡°We have visual from the army,¡± stated Bara, ¡°and it seems they have tamed


    some animals that they are carrying with them.¡±


    ¡°Oh my,¡± said Dimitri. ¡°Those look like Manticores. We have not seen those


    around here. they must have brought them from another location on Gaia.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lion-looking thing. What did you call them?¡± asked Jain.


    ¡°Manticores. Yet another mythological creature manifested in front of us. I


    guess this will be a discussion for another time.¡±


    ¡°How much time do we have?¡± asked Alex.


    ¡°They will be at the spot we have set the show in less than two days,¡± replied


    Bara.


    ¡°I need to address everyone. Let¡¯s gather everyone at the agora. In the


    meantime, Bara, finalize the last details of our plan, and let¡¯s make sure we will not


    let this battle happen. ¡°


    Alex notified through the communicators for everyone to gather at the agora.


    ¡°Hello, everyone,¡± he started ¡°We are currently being approached by a large


    army of about fifteen thousand Orcs. Once again, we are called to stop the


    bloodshed with tricks and scare tactics. We cannot be sure they will work, however,


    so we need to prepare for the worst. If they reach our city, you will need to mount the


    walls and act as you have been trained. There will be no heroics, and if anything


    goes wrong with your weapon or if the enemy climbs the wall near you, use the hatch


    and get to safety. I repeat, no heroics!¡± He took a deep breath and allowed a couple


    of seconds for this to sink in, then he continued. ¡°Fifteen thousand Orcs is a strong


    army, but it stands no chance against our weapons. That does not mean that we will


    not have a Cerberus ready to land in case we need it. That also does not mean that


    the plan is perfect. It will all depend on you. If you can¡¯t fire straight and if you can¡¯t


    keep our enemy away, they will overtake us. This is nothing to be taken lightly.¡±


    Alex saw in the eyes of his people something scary. He saw no emotion. Near


    apathy. Something he had not seen since he was on apostasis-infested Earth. After


    his speech was over, he called for Jain, Bara, and Juuda.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they understand,¡± he said.


    ¡°I too think that we are at higher risk than they think,¡± said Bara. ¡°If the scare


    tactics fail, then these people are not going to hold well. Thirty soldiers cannot fire


    fast enough against a perimeter-wide attack. We will be in peril.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s make sure the scare tactics don¡¯t fail,¡± said Juuda.


    ¡°He is right,¡± added Alex. ¡°We are not ready for war. We need to make sure


    they will stop and not reach our city.¡±

 Chapter 25 : The First Battle of Argos

    Y:11 D:04


    Orcs as far as the eye could see, holding Manticores, lion-like animals on chains,


    were marching with battle drums toward Argos. The drones were following their


    movements from a distance. The one that was used as a test and flew close above


    the marching army was taken down by a spear in no time, about six hours before


    reaching Argos. Clive, Bara, and Alex were waiting by the Eagle, ready to put up a


    show of strength. They were standing on a hill in front of an area where the land


    narrowed to about fifty meters wide. Once Habo and his men were about a hundred


    meters away, Alex shot a large firework into the air. The explosion made the army


    stop. Using the Eagle¡¯s loudspeakers, he spoke in Orcish. ¡°Habo. Take your men


    back.¡±


    Habo stared at Alex and his flying contraption for a second before taking a


    couple of steps forward.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move any further!¡± Alex yelled. ¡°Do not force me to use my weapons


    against you.¡±


    The phrase must have infuriated Habo, who yelled something to his people


    and stormed forward with all their might. Shocked with their speed, Alex quickly


    blasted the underground explosives, which were supposed to act as a scare tactic


    and a wall of debris a few meters away from them. The Orcs were fast enough to


    pass the line, and the explosion happened behind Habo, about ten men deep. It shot


    hundreds of Orcs onto the air, killing them instantly, and hundreds more were left


    injured from the blast. A nearly seventy-five-meter-long curved line of explosives


    went off right under the feet of the marching army. Bara began pulling Alex into the


    Eagle, while Alex was speechless and in shock. In the heat of the moment, Habo¡¯s


    curses were heard even through all the screaming. Spears started flying toward the


    Eagle, and Clive took off toward Argos. ¡°We only meant to scare them,¡± he tried to


    say, but his voice could barely reach his own ears.


    The gore and intensity of the moment made Alex throw up inside the Eagle


    while flying away. Bara was trying to keep it together, but the situation was


    something he had not imagined before. Habo was furious! Orc cries, screams and


    roars were mixing into the air, creating a symphony of death and anger. Habo¡¯s grip


    was suffocating his axe, while his fury had all but materialized. He began marching


    decisively toward Argos without thinking, leaving behind him his people. The army,


    seeing their leader in that state, quickly followed fast behind him. The marching army


    had now turned into a flood of hatred-fueled Orcs. Alex gathered himself and began


    to assess the situation.


    ¡°Clive,¡± he said, ¡°turn back and fly above them.¡± Then he spoke to the Orcs


    again. ¡°Turn back. I do not wish to kill more of you.¡±


    His words could not be heard at all. No threat, no scare tactic, no display of


    power could stop this. Humans were going to be reminded of what war stood for, the


    hard way. Although most did not really believe it would come to this, it was now


    obvious that in less than six hours, they would face the first battle of their lives.


    ¡°Should we open fire?¡± asked Bara


    ¡°No! We will try one more time to scare them with Cerberus. Its landing


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.should be enough to stop them.¡±


    Alex and Bara reached Argos and, in the meantime, drones flying around the


    army were continuously transferring Alex¡¯s voice, asking them to back down. Alex


    reached the point of nearly begging them to stop. The scene he saw with the


    explosives was so horrific to him that he was trying to avoid conflict in any way he


    could. His voice made Habo turn and look up at the drones a few times, but his


    march was decisive to his anger and his leadership. He could not stop. In Argos,


    there were already those who began questioning whether the right course of action


    was taken. It was too late to stand against Alex¡¯s orders now. The enemy was three


    hundred meters away.


    ¡°How long till the Cerberus lands?¡± asked Alex.


    ¡°It still needs twelve minutes. They arrived earlier than we expected,¡± said


    Steve.


    ¡°We need to stall the battle,¡± said Bara.


    Alex called for Clive. ¡°Get the Eagle up and shoot a few rounds between us.¡±


    The Eagle, which was not tested for combat yet, flew and shot the rounds.


    Habo looked at Alex aggressively.


    ¡°It¡¯s jammed,¡± said Clive. ¡°The vibrations caused the weapons to jam.¡±


    ¡°Land and get Steve on board to fix it now!¡± said Alex, his voice trembling. He


    knew they could not depend on the civilians. The thirty trained soldiers were all that


    stood between a sea of Orcs and Argos. The Cerberus still needed eight minutes to


    land. To his surprise, Habo waited. A couple of minutes passed, and he too looked


    stressed and searching in the forest with his eyes. Alex stood there looking, trying to


    win as much precious time as possible. Is he having second thoughts? he thought.


    ¡°Perhaps we can avoid the battle in the end.¡± Then Habo took the first step forward


    alone.


    With an extremely loud ¡°Stop!¡± all looked up to the light that was coming


    down. A large chunk of metal, bigger than a two-story house, landed in front of


    Argos. Once the parachutes got sucked back into their ejection box, the nine sides of


    the capsule opened up. With a deafening screeching sound, a Cerberus turned on


    and sat in battle position against the Orcs. A machine made before the Osiris impact.


    A machine that was the latest model of a series of machines designed to have


    maximum mobility and inflict as much damage as possible to the enemy. The most


    terrifying face of human technology was now facing the Orcs, who looked at it with


    fear and anger in their eyes. The walls of Argos were covered with humans


    celebrating the landing of their war machine. Arrogant in the eyes of Habo, foolish in


    the eyes of Bara, and wrong in the eyes of Alex.


    ¡°This is your final warning, Habo! Don¡¯t make me do this,¡± said Alex in


    desperation.


    While the Orcs waited for Habo¡¯s order, they began organizing in rows and


    shapes that made them seem far more formidable than before. Their chaotic march


    was replaced by a well-organized army formation. Then they stopped moving. They


    began to hum. Mixed with the suffering and hatred they were carrying while storming


    toward Argos, this was a moment of taking a breath before the inevitable. The hums


    became louder and louder. Then they began to sing. From the top of their lungs, they


    began chanting their war cries in unison. The voices brought terror to some of the


    humans, who just barely started realizing the position they were in. The Orcs were no


    longer looking at the Cerberus. Their eyes were focused on the humans standing on


    the walls and roofs of their buildings.


    Habo raised his axe into the air and yelled, silencing everyone.


    ¡°You honored your deal! The Hir were always keepers of honor,¡± said Habo


    with a smile.


    For a few seconds, Alex thought, That¡¯s it! He is stopping. His words,


    however, froze in his mind. From the forest perpendicular to the direction of the Orcs,


    something else was moving. Something even larger and more ominous than Orcs.


    ¡°How did they get so close without us seeing them? Who are they?¡± asked


    Bara.


    ¡°They look like ¡­ Naga!¡± said Dimitri in shock.

 Chapter 26 : Cerberus

    Alex got frightened. A new species was at his doorstep, ready for war. He


    knew nothing of them or their abilities but realized that war was inevitable. This is


    what he was waiting for. This is what he was searching for, he thought. Then he


    began giving orders. ¡°Clive, get airborne now! The battle is starting,¡± he said with a


    loud voice and turned toward his people at Argos ¡°Everyone! This is it! We will not


    avoid war. Hold your weapons tight and prepare! Listen to your commanders and


    follow their instructions.¡±


    He then turned to Bara. ¡°Get the Cerberus firing. Do not target the leaders.¡±


    Bara saw Alex¡¯s sudden change in attitude as a sign of alert. But we were


    supposed to wait for them to charge, he thought. Before he had the chance to order


    the Cerberus firing, Habo let out one last roar and led his people into battle. The Orcs


    started charging, and the Cerberus began shooting. Humans on top of the walls


    would experience a few seconds of awe before terror began getting its claws in their


    minds. The Orcs were the enemy, the Naga were too; their suffering, however, left


    none unaffected. The 30-mm bullets, which sounded like an explosion when fired,


    began to fall like rain. They were accompanied by small missiles, targeting the


    highest concentration of Orcs and their war machines. Slow but terrifying, the


    Cerberus would also fire less-frequent plasma shots that, until dimming a few meters


    deep in soil, would penetrate anything. The Cerberus was programed for maximum


    efficiency, which meant it fired the plasma shots horizontally to maximize its damage


    output. While firing, it was making tremendous mechanical sounds to intimidate the


    opponents.


    Just a few seconds after the battle started, the Orcs were devastated. From


    the other side of the battle however, the Naga reached the walls. Spears thrown


    toward the wall stations found a few humans. All the strength of the nanobots meant


    nothing. The spears weighed a lot, and their speed was such that it went through the


    bodies of men and women like they were made of leaves. After the first few fell, the


    rest went into a frenzy. Terror was replaced by madness. Adrenaline began to fuel a


    reaction that looked more like insanity than anything else. They began firing their


    weapons like mad. Not for everyone, however. Some began running to the bunkers,


    while others jumped the wall and ran to the forest from the other side of the city. The


    screaming and the yelling, together with the cries of agony and pain of enemies and


    allies alike, brought forward tremendous change in the characters of the people. The


    weapons were not easy to handle, and when the untrained humans fired, they would


    miss most of their shots. The humans¡¯ only defense was the machinery they brought


    and the few soldiers who followed Bara¡¯s commands properly. The rest proved to be


    more of a liability.


    From the other side, Habo was encouraging his people to spread apart from


    one another and storm the walls. The Cerberus would not fire toward humans, and


    he figured that out by seeing that it would show priority to the ones closer to the walls


    but stop firing at them if the wall was at risk of damage.


    Clive¡¯s Eagle was nowhere to be found yet. It took him a few minutes to land


    and get Steve on board to fix the problem. He finally took off while the Naga and the


    Orcs had climbed walls from all sides, and many of them were in hand-to-hand


    combat. Upon his attack, the enemies faced complete annihilation on all sides. The


    Eagle had an overwhelming advantage. The Naga were being decimated. The small


    missile blasts that the stationary defenses were firing added to the unreal sight of the


    battlefield. The Naga began to slow their advance, while the orcs were fighting an


    impossible enemy. Their spears and axes could not even dent the Cerberus armor.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Alex saw that they were winning, so he decided on minimizing the losses. He


    ordered all civilians into the bunker. One by one they started entering their hatches


    and locking them up behind them. Some entered without waiting for the others and


    left them out. Others died before reaching the hatches, leaving them open to the


    enemy. Luckily, the Orcs and the Naga were too big to fit and fight in the narrow


    passages. While the battle raged on outside, Alex and the rest of the leaders could


    see everything from the drones flying around the battlefield. The Orcs and the Naga


    were clearly being defeated.


    Habo yelled for retreat, but his words froze on his lips. From all around the


    battlefield, an army of Goblins was now blocking the path of the retreat of both


    species.


    ¡°Stop firing!¡± said Alex. ¡°Anais! How did you not see that huge army passing


    by you?¡±


    ¡°What huge army? Nothing moved here. Just few scouts are going around,¡±


    answered Anais.


    Alex¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°They know you are there, and they snuck around!


    Anais, they know where you are. Be very careful. Go hide.¡±


    Clive¡¯s Eagle and the Cerberus stopped firing. The Orcs and the Naga began


    trying to hide with their backs on the human wall. Some tried climbing them in an


    effort to avoid the spears that were flying toward them from the Goblins, who lost no


    time before attacking. The Goblins, who were laughing in their advance. Goblins who


    were finally capable of defeating three of their enemies at once with minimal losses.


    Seeing the events unfolding, Alex decided to make an appearance. With a huge


    sound blast from both the Cerberus and the Eagle, Alex¡¯s voice began to speak as


    he ascended from the top of the bunker. Half the sound was in Goblin, and half was


    in Orc language, so both could understand him.


    ¡°Enough,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s time to stop this nonsense. Habo, take the leader of


    your allies and come meet me at our gates. Ags, you too.¡±


    The languages of all those species were very similar, as if they had all


    branched out of one language. They had different accents and intonations, but they


    all spoke each other¡¯s language.


    Ags spoke first from outside in Orcish. ¡°You are not in control here, Alex of


    the humans!¡± he yelled through a primitive loudspeaker. ¡°This is our world! This is our


    land. With your help, the Goblins will now be rid of our biggest enemies. And to think,


    you did not want to help us kill them.¡± He laughed, causing his people to cheer and


    feel empowered.


    ¡°You do not want us as your enemies, Ags. Put down your weapons and


    come here so we can talk.¡±


    Habo was looking shocked with the turn of events.


    ¡°We have nothing to talk about, Alex! If you think you are forgiven of the death


    of my wife, you¡¯re mistaken! You all think you are so smart, but it took very little to


    make you fight each other while we organized.¡±


    Both the Cerberus and the Eagle now turned, facing the Goblins.


    ¡°Ags, you are about to make a huge mistake. You cannot defeat us!¡± repeated


    Alex. ¡°We are not exhausted. We have barely begun using our technology.¡±


    ¡°Lies!¡± he yelled and then prompted his people to resume attacking. ¡°For our


    people!¡±


    With this, the charge of the Goblins began. Waves of thousands of Goblins


    began storming Argos. The Naga and the Orcs still out of the walls formed the first


    unintentional line of defense. The Cerberus and Clive began emptying their weapons


    on the new enemy. A few large ballista-like weapons fired simultaneously toward the


    Eagle in an effort of pinning it down. Long chains wrapped around it, and Clive¡¯s


    Eagle crash landed. The Goblins quickly started filling every hole of the Eagle with


    soil, sticks, and more, thus rendering it unable to take off again. They surely came


    more prepared than expected.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Alex asked Clive and Steve through their communicators.


    ¡°We are fine. The Eagle is out, though. It will not take off.¡±


    ¡°Stay inside.¡± Then he switched to Bara, who was orchestrating the defenses


    ¡°What are the ammo levels of the Cerberus?¡±


    ¡°More than enough for the battle to end,¡± replied Bara. ¡°Those Goblins,


    however, are not Orcs; they are tiny and move fast. The effect is not the same.¡±


    A few seconds later, Bara¡¯s voice became troubled. ¡°They are climbing on the


    Cerberus, blocking everything with soil, branches, and ropes. The Cerberus will be


    offline in a few seconds.¡±

 Chapter 27 : Unlikely Allies

    Alex realized that this battle might be lost. The rest of the Cerberus would


    require hours to be in the right place to land from orbit. For the first time, he felt


    desperation. He was absolutely sure that they were undefeatable at open war, but


    their lack of experience proved them weak. The enemy had been born in war; they


    feared nothing, and they adapted fast. The battle outside his walls was raging, and


    the Naga and Goblins were fighting with their backs at the wall of Argos. How long


    before they pass them and climb our walls? he thought. The Goblins can get through


    the hatches and will swarm in the city. Even if the Cerberus land in a few hours, there


    will be no way to fire at them in the city. He then stood up and ran outside, jumped


    the wall, and found Habo. ¡°Are you ready for an attack?¡± he asked while hiding his


    fear with a smirk.


    ¡°You mean fight together? Why? Go hide in your walls and use your


    machines when they have finished with us,¡± said Habo with pride.


    ¡°Habo! You led your people to battle. Now lead them to life. Stop being


    stubborn and give me your word. We fight together?¡±


    ¡°How will I live with this shame?¡± he asked and let out a desperate loud roar.


    ¡°So be it, Alex! Help my people survive, and you will have an ally forever.¡±


    ¡°Can I count on your friends there to do the same?¡±


    ¡°They are noble on their word. I will speak to Prana.¡±


    Then Alex turned to his communicator. ¡°Bara! If the Orcs and these Naga fall,


    we are doomed. We need to mount a counteroffensive while we can! Everyone, back


    out! Arm yourselves with courage and weapons, and try to avoid close combat! Orcs


    and Naga are our friends! Target only Goblins.¡±


    In the following hour, Habo acted as a wall for Alex, who was firing his


    weapons on the first line. As the battle was progressing more and more, Alex¡¯s


    commands at the front made a difference. He maneuvered the strong Orcs to


    strengthen the sides of the front and used the Naga as a first line at the center. Their


    only job was to hold their shields and make a wall. Behind and in between them,


    humans would fire their weapons, protected from the shields, and slowly the lines


    progressed to victory. It looked as if they were carefully choreographed. The screams


    of Ags as he was losing the battle brought new courage toward the end of it. After the


    ceasefire, Ags was furious. Instead of calling for retreat and heading back to his city,


    he called forward Alex, Habo, and Prana, the leader of the Naga. ¡°Get him here!¡± he


    yelled to one of his warriors. A small Orc prisoner was dragged to the front line.


    ¡°Tiel!¡± yelled Habo. ¡°This is my son, you filthy little Goblin.¡±


    ¡°Take another step toward me and he dies, along with all the other prisoners


    you politely left for me back at your home,¡± said Ags. ¡°The city was defenseless. You


    must have hated the humans a lot to take every soldier with you. Pity your hatred is


    stronger than your intelligence.¡±


    Habo looked devastated. His pride, his strength and now his family was on


    the line ¡°Alex, do something! Use your magic and save my son! They will not let him


    live!¡± he said with tears.


    ¡°Giuli,¡± said Alex into his communicator, ¡°can you take the shot?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I can take the shot,¡± answered Giuli, who was observing from the


    top of a building.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill him. Only wound him. Then keep away from the kid anyone who


    approaches him. Fire!¡±


    The shot was surgical. The bullet found Ags on top of his shoulder while


    holding the large young Orc. Tiel began to run. Two Goblins who tried to get him got


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.shot down by Giuli, the merciless sniper.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Alex yelled. ¡°Anyone moves and the next shot will be on you.


    Let the boy come! Ags, the next will be on your head! Do as I say and come here so


    we can all talk!¡±


    Habo smiled watching Ags walking with his head down. ¡°Yes, come here,


    coward! Now I will finally end you!¡±


    ¡°No, you will not!¡± he said. ¡°Do you understand this language as well?¡± he


    asked Prana in Orcish.


    ¡°Yes, I do! My name is Prana. I am the leader of these soldiers. You are


    Alex.¡±


    ¡°Great! Now we can all speak together.¡± He pointed at the Cerberus. ¡°The


    metal giant you see there is called Cerberus. This one was not ready for war. We


    have a few more of those, and they will be able to land anywhere, even better


    prepared next time. I really suggest that you mark those words. Going to war with us


    is a mistake that should not be repeated.¡±


    ¡°You saved my son, and for that I will remain your ally forever.¡±


    ¡°The Goblins will never become your friends,¡± said Ags in anger while holding


    his wound. ¡°I will never forget what you did to me and how your poison tongue tries to


    make everything sound innocent.¡±


    ¡°Ags, send a message to your people to release Habo¡¯s prisoners unharmed,¡±


    Alex said. ¡°Also trying to attack us in such a sneaky manner will not go unpunished a


    second time.¡±


    ¡°What of us?¡± asked Prana. ¡°What will you do, Alex of the humans?¡±


    ¡°I would like to talk with you. We are coming in peace, and it is hard for most


    to see this.¡±


    ¡°But you are an invader. An invader who has killed more than our greatest


    enemies in such a small time. You have the ability to bring great misery. Your


    confidence does not have its source in kindness but in strength. Are we now taking


    our orders from you?¡± asked Prana calmly.


    ¡°No. You do not take orders from us,¡± answered Alex. ¡°We do not see


    ourselves as invaders. We will have this piece of land to call home, and we will be in


    peace with everyone else. Now, however, is not the time for this discussion. We will


    gather and speak in the following days. Now is the time to stop the madness.¡±


    Juuda and Bara looked at each other, feeling like they were in a tight spot.


    Humans were invading this planet, and it was hard to see it differently. After the


    meeting was over, everyone took their remaining men and carried their dead back


    home. Argos, the once-beautiful plan for human colonization and prosperity, was now


    painted red, green, and blue from blood. Like a twisted artist¡¯s work, it had a sense of


    beauty, but nobody could see it. Although in victory, nobody was smiling. Nobody


    was celebrating. Everyone was coming out of the bunkers and moving aimlessly in


    the destruction. Those who had previously thought they were ready to face any


    enemy were the most silent of all. The fear of another battle became the most


    terrifying thought in everyone¡¯s minds. As humans gathered their dead, they were in


    disbelief of what had just happened. The bodies of more than fifty of their people lay


    in front of them, and they were preparing a mass grave for them.


    ¡°Are we to live with constant fear the rest of our lives?¡± asked Maria.


    ¡°We have nothing to be afraid of. This will not repeat itself,¡± answered Jain.


    ¡°How do you know that? How do you know that tomorrow they will not be


    back here with double the armies?¡± asked Maria again in panic.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± said Bara, ¡°but we do know that they took a beating from a


    handful of people that they will never forget. If I was them, I would not dare come near


    again.¡±


    ¡°You are not them! How can you guarantee that we are going to be safe?¡±


    Alex turned to face the crowd. ¡°Guarantee? We are on an alien planet! We are


    invading those people, and our only way to survive is to be tough! You want guarantees?


    What more guarantee can you have than what you see around you? We thought we


    made friends here. We thought we would be able to live in peace. This expedition


    was supposed to be the continuation of humanity. As far as we know, we might only


    be able to survive through war. There are no guarantees! We will now start preparing


    for the worst. Our city will never be breached again. All Cerberus will be spread so


    that on short notice, they can land. We need a weapons-production facility and a silo


    to store them. We can¡¯t trust anyone but ourselves. From now on, everyone will


    practice with weapons. Until we can be sure we are safe, we will prepare.¡±


    Juuda planned to 3-D print a memorial to the fallen of the city. Today¡¯s events


    should never be repeated, he thought. We have to keep this day to our memory.


    Every human should remember that there is no war without losses and suffering.


    Then he turned to Alex. ¡°Are you planning on taking them on?¡± he said.


    ¡°I am planning to lose no more people in this hell.¡±


    ¡°This is not hell. This is a paradise, just like Earth once was. Let¡¯s just try to


    make it this way.¡±


    Alex smiled, the first smile he had in a while. ¡°Although your optimism is, as


    always, great, it¡¯s hard to think this way now. Thank you, though.¡±

 Chapter 28 : Planetary Neighbors

    The following days, Argos began to be replanned. It would be ready for any kind of


    aggression. The city grew to have a large, ever-growing perimeter with automated


    watchtowers and a large wall surrounding the city. After that, the next ring wall began


    to be constructed, and the city was growing to host more people than it had by far.


    The plan was to return to the paradise they had planned by keeping an extra inner


    ring as a fortress in case of emergencies. Soon the city was designed like an old


    medieval castle town, with a fortress in the center and the habitats around it,


    surrounded by a wall. For a while, things started to look bright. There was minimal


    connection with any other species, and the borders were kept.


    The communications with their three neighboring species were nearly halted.


    Alex wanted to be more prepared before he began exploring and growing his


    relationships with his neighbors. While the city was being built, questions about the


    past of Gaia and the connection to Earth mythology became a daily chat. Someone


    even wrote it on a piece of wood at the agora.


    ¡°Why are we meeting our mythological and fictional creatures in the flesh


    here?¡±


    The toll on the three species was very heavy. They lost many, and that meant


    that their defenses were weakened and their goods production slowed. Many were


    still at war with other species or even between themselves for power. Alex could see


    that this was not the end of their worries. They needed a decisive plan to secure their


    peace.


    Y:14 D:5


    With the population on the rise, more and more machines were being printed out, for


    material harvesting and production of goods. Among other critical structures, the


    hangar was also completed, fully ready and with machinery to begin production of


    more flying units. From observatory to military and even leisure, a whole army of


    units was ready to be requested. This would give humans the means of traveling


    around the world fast. Some recon missions were completed by Clive and his Eagle,


    only to reveal even more species that resembled the mythology of Earth and cities of


    completely different styles inhabited by those species. A-Concrete was also being


    synthesized. Its creation also brought forward other breakthroughs in architecture


    and structural mechanics. The first planet of the solar system had also finished being


    scanned, and the satellites began moving to the fourth. While traveling toward Solis-


    D, by complete chance, the satellite intercepted a laser signal. Decoding the signal


    was not possible, but something technological was working in the solar system. With


    a bit of detective work, Steve managed to decode the direction of a direct signal to a


    satellite, which betrayed the location of an ancient network of satellites previously


    unseen within the Solis system.


    ¡°Hypatia, what are the chances that a satellite could remain in operation for


    thousands of years?¡± asked Alex.


    ¡°I have been analyzing this exact thing since we detected them. Solis is a


    very stable solar system with a very small amount of floating dust and stone to


    damage a satellite. Still, after thousands of years, I find it difficult for solar panels to


    be effective or for any battery to still function. Furthermore, surviving for that long


    without any maintenance is very hard. Over long periods of time, the systems would


    decay one way or another.¡±


    ¡°So, what do you think is happening?¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°I think the solar system still has a spacefaring civilization living here. Even


    with self-healing alloys, some maintenance will have to take place at best every


    thousand years,¡± replied Hypatia


    ¡°So, whoever is repairing them also uses machines that transmit the signal


    we detected. Which also means they might be here on this world too,¡± said Jain while


    working on her terminal.


    ¡°We need answers fast,¡± said Alex. ¡°We do not need an advanced enemy at


    our door now that things have calmed down. Prana will soon come to speak with us.


    We will try to learn from them. They seem to be the most civilized of all the species


    on the planet. Things look good for the first time since we arrived; let¡¯s hope it will


    last.¡±


    ¡°If those things only need repairs once every thousand years,¡± added Juuda,


    ¡°then there is a chance that they are on autopilot.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Jain.


    ¡°They could had been repaired by the Goblins we fight now, but it was in the


    last thousand years that they lost their technology.¡±


    ¡°Could be,¡± said Hypatia. ¡°We know they had technology and that a few


    thousand years ago, they began their war. They could have run out of resources


    relatively recently but continued to use satellites till that point.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± said Juuda, ¡°and the signal we received could be a ping


    between them or an automatic communication.¡±


    ¡°I too hope this is the case,¡± added Alex. ¡°A spacefaring civilization would not


    be an ideal entry into our problems now. Nonetheless, we need to scan the other


    planets to be sure there is no threat.¡±


    A few days later, what looked like a small combat plane passed silently above Argos.


    The citizens who noticed it thought it to be some new machine made by Steve. Bara,


    however, realized immediately that this was not one of their own. Before he had the


    time to alert anyone, Steve contacted him through his communicator and said,


    ¡°Please tell me this is something you recognize.¡±


    ¡°I am afraid not,¡± answered Bara.


    Within seconds, the leaders were notified and gathered to discuss.


    ¡°We just had the first contact with an advanced species,¡± said Alex.


    ¡°We are assuming this has something to do with the signal we detected,


    right?¡± asked Juuda.


    ¡°Right now, what¡¯s scary is that they know where we are, but we have no idea


    what we are facing. Perhaps it¡¯s also about time we make an anti-air weapon,¡± said


    Bara.


    ¡°No one seems to be bothered that we are taking defensive measures before


    we even know their intentions?¡± said Juuda. ¡°We have made so many weapons that


    we can annihilate everything in this world.¡±


    ¡°Juuda, as always, I love your peace-loving approach,¡± said Alex, ¡°but so far


    no one has greeted us on their first try, and I don¡¯t think we have the luxury of waiting


    to see what happens. We barely survived the attack of the primitives. Now this could


    mean the end of us if we are not prepared.¡±


    ¡°But we might be inviting them to war with these moves, even if they are


    peaceful,¡± added Juuda. ¡°If they are watching us and realize that upon first sight we


    made weapons against them, they might change the approach they would have if we


    acted more civilized.¡±


    ¡°If they are peaceful, then we all have nothing to worry about. For now, we


    need to be ready in case they are not,¡± said Alex.


    ¡°I hate to admit it, but I think Alex is right,¡± added Konoya. ¡°If they are


    planning an attack and they have flying weapons, we might not be able to make it.


    We need some defense against air.¡±


    ¡°If we have one thing to look into our history for, it is that new neighbors are


    rarely welcomed.¡± added Dimitri.


    ¡°That applies to us humans. It does not mean it applies to them,¡± said Juuda.


    ¡°I will stop you here and tell you that we need to get ready for war. This is not


    something that applies to us humans,¡± said Gakuto. ¡°From bacteria to mammals,


    birds, and reptiles, a new neighbor is usually greeted with hostility. War is not a


    human invention. It happens with any weapons and organization a species is able to


    construct.¡±


    ¡°I have to agree,¡± added Hypatia. ¡°Most models for meeting extraterrestrials


    back on Earth revolved around the idea that a species goes to war upon landing.


    There is little hope of meetings with immediate peace, even if the species are at a


    great technological distance from one another.¡±


    ¡°So, we all agree. Let¡¯s proceed. When are we going to be visited by Prana?¡±


    asked Alex.


    ¡°She will be here tomorrow,¡± said Konoya.

 Chapter 29 : Prana

    Prana, accompanied by two guards, came to Argos. She was


    greeted as a friend and asked in Orcish to help them feed her language to the


    system so that they could speak directly to her. She was immediately impressed by


    the technology and asked her guards to help as well. A few hours later, the language


    was fully registered, and Alex was ready to begin his conversation.


    ¡°Prana,¡± Alex began, ¡°I am happy to be communicating with you in your own


    language.¡±


    ¡°I am still surprised how your technology talks our language so fast,¡±


    answered Prana. ¡°So, what will we talk about today?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with the reasons you attacked us. Why did you side with Habo and


    come to attack someone you know nothing about?¡±


    ¡°This is not a valid question. We were told that gods returned to the world. But


    these gods are not with us. They are probably Pars, which are enemies of everyone.¡±


    ¡°Who are those Pars, and why are they an enemy of everyone?¡± continued


    Alex.


    ¡°They are a species that many think they are legend. We, however, know


    things about them. Things that most do not believe, but we keep records. Every time


    someone develops strength, one of them appears and destroys everything. They


    have not made an appearance in many centuries, so we thought they were extinct.


    Habo was convinced you are the Pars and that you are here to destroy what we


    built.¡±


    Alex turned to his communicator and spoke to Jain, who was listening. ¡°I get a


    feeling that our guests in the sky yesterday might have a connection to that.¡±


    ¡°I was just thinking the same thing,¡± answered Jain.


    ¡°You are talking to your people from here?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We have the technology for that.¡±


    ¡°So, you use ether!¡±


    ¡°What is ether?¡± asked Alex


    ¡°Ether is waves that don¡¯t need water or air.¡±


    ¡°That is a very nice way to put it. Yes, we use ether. Getting back to the point,


    do you know why Habo would think we are those Pars? He spoke with us a few


    times; we got to know each other in a way.¡±


    Prana looked at Alex curiously, like she was expecting him to know the


    answer. ¡°You look like them. From the descriptions we have from the old legends.


    You also use technology that, for most, exists only in legends. Just like the Pars.¡±


    ¡°I think I understand now,¡± said Alex. ¡°We are not here to destroy anyone,


    though.¡±


    ¡°I am not so sure this is something you should be saying after your display of


    power,¡± said Prana with attitude. ¡°Also, every piece of land you lay your feet on


    belongs to someone else. Like it or not, you are conquering, and you will soon be


    faced with new resistance.¡±


    ¡°So, you know there will be more attempts to destroy us? Why are you here


    then?¡±


    ¡°I prefer to be on the winning side. You see, we are a semiaquatic species.


    We can survive underwater for hours. Our ancestors made underwater cities, which


    managed to stay in better shape than the land-based cities. The first few years of the


    war were the most devastating. We still have some history of these ancient times.


    We are even attempting to create ether and see if the Pars appear. Now, however,


    we have only to wait and see if they come to you. Since you are using it for a while.¡±


    ¡°What does ether have to do with the Pars?¡± asked Alex.


    ¡°We have a history that explains how they can feel ether, and if anyone is


    producing, they come to destroy.¡±


    ¡°So, since we have been using ether for a while now, you think the Pars might


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.be paying us a visit soon?¡±


    ¡°If they really are out there, they will come. Spears and arrows, swords and


    shields mean nothing to them. Just like they mean nothing to you.¡±


    ¡°We can be allies if you wish. But before we share any technology with you


    and before we can fully trust you, we need to spend more time getting to know each


    other,¡± said Alex.


    ¡°You are quick at offering peace. It feels like you have not thought of it well


    yet. What happens when your population grows? Will you come to our lands? Do you


    expect me to take your side in the upcoming conflicts?¡±


    ¡°You keep repeating this about conflicts. Is there something you know that


    you are not telling me?¡± asked Alex, slightly irritated.


    ¡°There is nothing I know that you don¡¯t. There are many species on this world.


    None will accept being ruled by a different species. You might be strong, but you are


    few. I am sure there are many that, by now, know of your existence and are scared.


    They must have heard of the outcome of the battles that were fought here. Soon their


    fear will lead them to the warpath.¡±


    Alex looked surprised, but deep down, he knew her words were true.


    ¡°I offer peace quickly because my mind is set on peace and coexistence. I


    might be na?ve to think this way, but it has brought us to where we are now,¡± said


    Alex with mighty determination. ¡°You can join our list of allies, which I hope will grow,


    and we will figure out the way to coexist, in time.¡±


    Prana smiled. ¡°You might be na?ve, but perhaps this is what was missing from


    this place. We are keepers of honor, so I will not answer you so early. First, I must


    consult my people, then I will give you my answer.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± said Alex. ¡°How about we switch the subject a bit? Tell me


    about this world. What do you know of the history when those cities were built?¡±


    ¡°We cannot be sure of the accuracy of our history, but what we know is this,¡±


    said Prana and took a breath. ¡°Tens of thousands of years ago, it was the time of the


    great kings. The world was ruled by a group of kings, one from each species.


    Together they prospered and created a utopia, a world with no war and no hunger.


    They could travel to the stars, and they could build other worlds. Among them were


    the Pars. They were always few in number, but they wanted to rule alone over the


    rest. They began corrupting the kings and turning one against the other. Soon a war


    broke out that lasted a thousand years. By the end of it, nothing was standing. Some


    even say that the war never ended; it is still going on, and it will end when only one


    species remains. It was at that moment they took control, and they have not let


    anyone advance technologies again ever since.¡±


    Alex smiled. ¡°This is a different, short version of a story I have already heard,


    but it has many holes. Where are they if they won? Where are their cities? Their


    civilization? If they have the technology on their side still, then why aren¡¯t they


    building?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have answers to everything. This is what our story tells us. We


    know there are gaps, but we have the best-preserved ancient library of information,


    and this is what we know. Perhaps when you meet them you can ask them.¡±


    ¡°It might happen sooner than expected. Yesterday we saw a flying chariot.


    One that is not our own,¡± he said and noticed Prana¡¯s eyes opening wide. ¡°Also, what


    is this library of yours? Does it have things that look like this?¡± He held up a data


    cube.


    Prana was in near shock. ¡°You saw a flying contraption that was not yours?


    So, it¡¯s truth. They are here.¡± She looked at the cube. ¡°No! This is a decoration,¡± she


    said. ¡°We have thousands of them since the old days, but they are all just nicely


    shaped transparent cubes. They are not good for anything. Our library is of stone.


    Sunk under the waters you can find stone walls that we preserve over the centuries,


    which explain the past. Most of them talk of things that make little sense, like names


    of Naga, items and texts of heroes.¡±


    ¡°That sounds interesting. We would love to see those one day. However, now


    we need to prepare for the Pars¡¯ visit.¡±


    ¡°You should prepare. I can leave one of my people here with you, and if


    needed, he can come and call us.¡±


    ¡°That will not be necessary. Here, take this,¡± he said, giving her a small


    communicator. ¡°If you hear it making sounds, press this, and we will be able to talk. It


    can work under water too. Keep it on you.¡±


    Prana took it with joy. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to believe this is not magic.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps one day we can show you how it works. For now, we need to


    prepare. Thank you for everything.¡±


    ¡°Thank you too, Alex of the humans,¡± said Prana. ¡°See you.¡±


    Jain, who was listening to all the conversations, waited for Alex to return to


    the city. ¡°After hearing all of this, I thought of something. Is it possible these things


    are more than storage devices? Margaret, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure of what you mean.¡±


    Jain looked confused. ¡°Well, I am not so sure of how to describe it, but if


    those things were everywhere, they must have other functions. I started thinking of


    those crystals as keys. Perhaps my imagination took me very far.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps they were very artistic and used them because they are pretty,¡± said


    Gakuto, half joking.


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s your best guess?¡± asked Konoya with her eyebrows raised in


    surprise.


    ¡°We can¡¯t completely discard this possibility, can we?¡± asked Juuda. ¡°They


    could function as decorations and at the same time as something more.¡±


    The preparations for a possible advanced warfare began immediately. They


    did not leave things to chance.

 Chapter 30 : Pars

    Y:14 D:23


    Argos


    Anais had returned from Alpha City after the sighting of the Pars drone and had


    begun surveying Argos. She had spent a considerable amount of time setting drones


    in strategic locations to observe the species that approach the city during night hours.


    The past few days, she was paying special attention to the north, where the drone


    had come from. At the Gathering of the Leaders, she was called to explain the


    findings she had previously spoken about with Bara.


    Anais was a bit anxious about talking to all the leaders, but she composed


    herself and began. ¡°I have some strange things to report. As some of you know, last


    night from the north of the city, the cameras we have set to monitor the area went


    offline before they could detect anything. We have a failsafe mechanism where if the


    cameras turn off, then two drones turn on and fly around the area immediately so that


    we still have feed. Those too turned off as soon as they turned on, also before any


    feed could come through. At that point, I went out at night and tried to make an


    ambush. What I saw was a yet another type of humanoid. One we have not seen


    before. Shaped more like a human. I could only see the outline and only briefly, since


    it was like it was expecting me. I think it came to see me just in the same way as I


    was trying to see it.¡±


    ¡°So, our next enemy is here,¡± said Alex. ¡°The Pars, as the Naga call them,


    have access to at least some technology.¡±


    Juuda was almost angry. ¡°Why do you say that our next enemy is here? Why


    don¡¯t we give them a chance to be friends?¡±


    ¡°I take that back, Juuda. You are right. They might be friendly.¡±


    ¡°So, what is the strange thing about it? I feel you have more to report, Anais,¡±


    said Jain.


    ¡°Yes, I do. This device is a camera. It is very old school, with terrible night


    vision and no signal output. You cannot see what this camera sees, change its


    spectrum, or control where it points.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a great tool,¡± interrupted Gakuto.


    ¡°Well, It does have its advantages. Especially in the military,¡± said Anais


    confidently. ¡°Without trying to bore you, I will say that it was used at the end of the


    human wars because it was undetectable by an EM detector and could not be


    jammed by an EMP. Downside is that you have to retrieve it to get the information it


    has recorded and recharge it. I had placed it far outside the city along with three


    more, mainly out of curiosity and as a checkpoint of my excursions.¡±


    ¡°What did it record?¡± asked Alex excitedly.


    ¡°It¡¯s better if I just show you.¡± She played the recording on a monitor. ¡°As you


    can see, it¡¯s a human. Or at least a species extremely close to humans. His speed,


    however, is many times that of ours, even at our nano¡¯s maximum capacity. I think


    we found what the statue represented.¡±


    ¡°With a quick view, I would be pretty sure it is using nanotechnology, like


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    everything else in this world. These legs could not support that speed. It nearly broke


    the rocks under his feet by accelerating on them.¡±


    ¡°We can also deduct from the recording,¡± continued Anais, ¡°that it¡¯s about 190


    cm in height and resembles a male. We do not know what he will use to try and take


    us out, nor when he will attack. From now on, we are on alert.¡±


    ¡°Again!¡± said Juuda. ¡°Again, we are sure he is hostile and prepare to shoot


    and then talk. Am I the only one here who sees the madness in this?¡±


    ¡°Here I will side a bit with Juuda,¡± said Jain. ¡°We can¡¯t kill him.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t or we shouldn¡¯t?¡± asked Bara.


    ¡°Well, think about it,¡± said Jain, trying to explain her thoughts. ¡°He is probably


    alone. Prana also told us that according to their legends, only one comes to take


    them out. Also, there were very few of them to begin with. This could be a species


    that multiplies very slowly. We can¡¯t be the ones to bring them to extinction. We need


    to capture him and talk with him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to argue with both of you,¡± said Alex, looking around to see what the


    rest thought. ¡°We will do our best not to harm him then. But this might not be


    possible. Time to set a plan. Any ideas?¡±


    ¡°We need to set a trap for him and physically restrain him. Perhaps we can go


    old school and put an underground trap which will activate once he is on top?¡± asked


    Bara.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try to think here,¡± said Jain. ¡°He has a long history of primitive


    civilization conflicts. Traps are probably what he expects. We need something more


    sophisticated.¡±


    ¡°I think I might actually have a solution for it,¡± said Juuda, to everyone¡¯s


    surprise. ¡°But we will need to move fast. Call Jabir. We have had a discussion about


    something, and it might come in handy now.¡±


    Jabir joined the conversation and was explained the whole situation.


    ¡°Now that you see the problem,¡± said Juuda, ¡°don¡¯t you think we can use the


    projectiles we were discussing before?¡±


    ¡°To make everything clear to everyone,¡± said Jabir, ¡°we had spoken of some


    chemicals that, once mixed, become like plaster. We can create bullets with those


    two components, and once they strike, they will combine, and in a matter of


    milliseconds, they will expand into a foam that hardens almost instantly. This way we


    can immobilize anything without killing it. That is if it has the same tough skin as


    everything else. The bullet itself will be very hard and fast. If his skin is unaided by


    technology, he will be injured from the shot.¡±


    ¡°I think this is perfect,¡± said Alex. ¡°Get busy and provide a large number of


    those bullets. Bara, arm a couple of fast drones with those and get them ready. Set


    them at a distance, and once the time is right, start shooting them before he can


    disable them. Anais, Giuli, get your snipers and some of these foam bullets and go to


    the hill near the west to make camp. Be in constant preparation and alert. Make sure


    you have a clear view of the west side of the city. Guys, keep lights facing all


    directions during the night and place extra cameras. We can only hope his weapons


    are not as advanced as ours.¡±


    ¡°I really hope we will not be met with a missile. Is our anti-air system able of


    defending against missiles?¡± asked Jain.


    ¡°If it¡¯s only a couple missiles, then yes,¡± said Bara, trying to calm everyone


    down. ¡°We have a high-energy laser with an automated targeting system to shoot


    missiles. This will only be good for a couple of shots, though. It tends to get very hot


    and also recharges slowly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the first time that I realize that our military technology is not in par with


    everything else. We could be better equipped,¡± said Alex.


    ¡°Well, military research stopped with the Osiris impact before we were all


    born,¡± said Bara. ¡°What we have are weapons that were made with past


    technologies. We never expected an advanced civilization, though.¡±


    ¡°I am not so optimistic suddenly, but we can also hope that his weapons are


    just as outdated,¡± said Jain.


    ¡°When it comes to combat,¡± said Bara, ¡°weapons are half the story. It¡¯s


    strategy, precision, timing, and more that determine the winner. I also want to let you


    know that even though our weapons are not as advanced as everything else we have


    here, they have been thoroughly tested. These are the same technologies that fought


    countless wars before the Osiris.¡±

 Chapter 31 : The Nimble Eldon

    A couple of days passed with preparations and anxiety. The people of Argos


    had changed, from the slow and lazy group of people to a fast-paced society.


    Advancement was accelerated, and exploration was progressing, but people were


    not happy. There seemed to be no ease of mind. No peace inside the hearts of


    humans. Fear was often discussed, and Konoya spent most of her days trying to


    work her way through people¡¯s minds. Then, in the middle of the second night, the


    north cameras went offline, and in a matter of seconds, everyone was up and alert.


    ¡°This is what we waited for,¡± said Bara. ¡°Anais, Giuli! Do you see anything?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see anything in infrared,¡± answered Anais.


    ¡°Quickly turn all lights on. It might be cloaking its body heat,¡± said Bara.


    Giuli¡¯s voice proved how pumped with adrenaline she was. ¡°I have visual. I


    think. Its wearing something that makes it hard to pinpoint. It distorts light.¡±


    ¡°Dispatch the drones and shoot on sight,¡± ordered Bara.


    ¡°He is incredibly fast, and it looks like he is trying to approach you with what


    looks like swords. The few bullets that make it to target seem to be washing over


    him. Is it due to his speed or his armor, I can¡¯t be sure,¡± said Anais.


    ¡°Swords? Don¡¯t take chances. Shoot, everyone shoot!¡±


    Jain, who was looking at everything through the monitors, turned to Alex. ¡°He


    is very fast, but it seems like it¡¯s working. He is slowing down.¡±


    ¡°Everyone, get out and shoot it until it can¡¯t move. Aim for the chest,¡± ordered


    Bara.


    His maneuverability made him a very hard target. It looked like he was


    dodging the bullets.


    Albert, who was the one further out on the wall, saw him approach from


    underneath and sheath his swords.


    Then he climbed the wall with one agile leap and stopped. He stood in front of


    Albert for a brief second, then a hail of bullets fell on him. Some words in a yet


    unknown language came out of his lips. He fell down immobilized, and Jabir came


    above him pouring some liquid on the edge of his hands, which dissolved the foam


    and allowed for Bara to tie his hands and legs. They removed his weapons and took


    him to a room while wrapped with restraining bands like a mummy.


    For four days, everyone worked hard to gather as much information as they


    could from his weapons and armor. Meanwhile, Konoya, who was the only one in


    contact with him, tried to learn basic things about him. She started decoding his


    language with the help of Orcish that he was fluent in. He was very comfortable with


    technology, and he understood the process of teaching the machine his language


    immediately.


    His weapons were made of some strange metal alloy, which at first look did


    not have anything special other than being incredibly tough yet lightweight. Upon


    further investigation, it turned out that the blade was made with some technology that


    would vibrate the edge of the sword and keep it sharp. Although it weighed next to


    nothing, it could cleave through a tree. He was also equipped with a small


    weaponlike device that fired short bursts of electrons in a cone shape that could fry


    electronics within a few meters¡¯ distance. It could also focus the beam and burn more


    precise targets further away. His uniform was a mesh of one-atom-thick layers of


    different elements with composite sheets in between providing protection from


    virtually anything and could distort most electromagnetic signals that tried to bounce


    off of it. It was hard to categorize his arsenal as that of a warrior or an assassin.


    In the couple of days it took to identify the properties of his equipment,


    Konoya had made a complete translation of his language. He spoke something that


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    looked to be the root of all the other languages of this world. Also, his looks would


    categorize him into the elf kind of lore back on Earth, but since his diet consisted


    primarily of animal blood, they decided to call his race Vampires. The statue that had


    long troubled humans finally had found its origin. A species that was nearly


    impossible to separate from humans unless thoroughly examined.


    ¡°Hello, Eldon. My name is Alex. I am the leader of these people here. Let me


    start by asking you, why did you attack us?¡± said Alex in his native language.


    ¡°Who are you? Where did you come from?¡± asked Eldon.


    ¡°We are humans, and we came from the stars,¡± Alex answered vaguely.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± asked Eldon fearlessly.


    ¡°I would rather switch this conversation into one where I ask the questions,


    Eldon. You attacked us by taking out our cameras. Now you should focus on


    answering questions.¡±


    ¡°I did not attack you. If I wanted to attack you, you would be dead by now,¡±


    said Eldon arrogantly. ¡°I was merely curious about you. I thought you were someone


    else.¡±


    ¡°Who did you think we were?¡± asked Alex.


    ¡°I can¡¯t answer any more questions now,¡± said Eldon.


    Alex left the room to talk with the others.


    ¡°Bara,¡± said Alex, ¡°from what you saw, is it the truth? Could he had taken all


    of us out if he wanted?¡±


    ¡°I hate to admit it, but it¡¯s possible,¡± said Bara. ¡°If he hadn¡¯t stopped, he would


    have entered the city without much effort.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s useful now, but I know how to defeat him,¡± said Steve.


    ¡°So, if we were to go against a few of them, we have weapons that are


    effective against them?¡± asked Bara.


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± answered Steve. ¡°A direct plasma shot would probably go


    through the armor he was wearing, and even if it did not, it would cause a lot of


    damage. But plasma is slow, and he seems to be able to somehow dodge bullets.


    The answer is quite simple. Lasers. A high-power laser would go through the armor


    like it was paper.¡±


    ¡°Have you tested this on his armor?¡± asked Bara.


    ¡°No,¡± answered Steve, ¡°but we don¡¯t need to. The camouflage technology he


    uses works in a way that would not reflect a laser beam. It would try to absorb it.


    Also, it is impossible to dodge a light beam.¡±


    ¡°Great job, Steve,¡± said Alex. ¡°Prepare a couple of weapons like that as soon


    as you can.¡±


    ¡°And how will we aim them?¡± asked Bara. ¡°If he starts moving the way he did,


    then we can¡¯t aim at him¡±


    ¡°Any solutions to that, Steve?¡± asked Alex.


    ¡°Not really. It¡¯s hard to program a robot arm to target something it can hardly


    see. His armor renders him almost completely invisible to most sensors.¡±


    Alex sighed. ¡°Prepare the weapons, and let¡¯s hope we don¡¯t have to fight


    more of him. In the meantime, we need solutions for the targeting,¡± said Alex and


    took a deep breath. ¡°Now, what do we do with him?¡±


    ¡°We might need to let him go immediately,¡± said Jain.


    ¡°That makes more sense,¡± said Juuda. ¡°Why do you say so, though?¡±


    ¡°If he is not back to his base, there might be more coming soon,¡± answered


    Jain.


    ¡°Well, I think that he has not harmed us, so we let him go in a gesture of good


    will. Also, we have a prisoner now? What are we?¡± said Juuda in an angry voice.


    Alex raised his eyebrows and opened his eyes wide. ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± he said.


    ¡°This is not the right way. What are we to do if he does not comply and talk? Kill him?


    No! We need to let him go!¡±


    They all looked at each other and nodded in agreement.


    ¡°I will try to talk to him one more time and then let him go. It¡¯s a risk we have


    to take. In the meantime, a weapon against a possible fight with him should be our


    top priority,¡± said Alex, as he moved toward the room in which Eldon was kept.


    ¡°I am quite disappointed, Eldon,¡± said Alex, sitting in front of him. ¡°You made


    an aggressive move against us, and then you refuse to talk to us.¡±


    Eldon leaned his head to the left and curiously watched Alex talk.


    Alex continued, ¡°Your aggression, however, has not put any of us in danger,


    and therefore, you are free to go. I only wish you could understand that we are not


    your enemy. If you need something or you decide to talk with us, come to the front


    door during the day. Like a friend. We would have much to discuss.¡± With that, Alex


    stood up, and Nick entered the room, giving him his gear.


    While walking toward the gates of Argos, Eldon could hardly hide his surprise.


    Partly because he was let free and partly because most humans would approach him


    as he walked to take a better look. Like they had no fear. They were amazed by what


    humans would consider his near-perfect characteristics.


    The following days went by with Argos spending more time and resources developing


    technologies based on the items found on Eldon. Without them, however, research


    was not very fruitful. The glass that everyone on the planet seemed to be using for


    various applications had its own unique abilities, which were discovered and


    reproduced. With just a few artifacts, Argos began developing technologies and


    materials that would otherwise be far from conception.

 Chapter 32 : The vampire joins Argos

    Y:14 D:53


    Argos main gate


    Eldon was at the perimeter of the clearing, walking toward the gate with his weapons


    sheathed. Alex was notified and realized that he was coming in peace, so he


    immediately walked out to greet him.


    ¡°Hello, Eldon,¡± said Alex. ¡°Welcome back to Argos.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Alex,¡± replied Eldon. ¡°I am back because I want to talk with you.¡±


    They began walking toward a small park near the center of the city. ¡°Why the


    change of plans?¡± asked Alex.


    ¡°It¡¯s been too long alone here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. If you are alone, then how did you know we are here?


    How did you maintain the observation plane that you used to find us? Also, there are


    many species who know of you.¡±


    ¡°The Serpents,¡± said Eldon.


    ¡°Yes. The Naga were very clear in their knowledge of you.¡±


    ¡°They are very hard to deal with. Under water, I can¡¯t fight easily, and they


    tend to make their homes near the shores.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure I understand,¡± said Alex.


    ¡°It¡¯s been too long. I have forgotten how many years it has been since I spoke


    with someone. I give up now. I need some company.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Eldon,¡± said Alex, turning toward him and holding his shoulder. ¡°I


    can hardly understand what you are saying to me. Being alone is very hard, but this


    is over now.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Eldon, moved by Alex¡¯s words. ¡°I never liked attacking


    everyone in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Tell me why you did it.¡±


    ¡°It was my order; I was equipped with a device that replicates itself and can


    also make weapons and parts for my base and planes.¡±


    ¡°Ordered by whom?¡±


    In the meantime, Jain and the other leaders were listening in on the


    conversation. When Eldon mentioned that he had working machines, Steve and


    Margaret¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°We need those machines,¡± Steve said.


    ¡°Definitely we do,¡± answered Margaret.


    Eldon sat down on a bench and took a deep breath. ¡°I will tell you my story,


    Alex.¡±


    ¡°I am more than eager to hear it.¡±


    ¡°I am one of the youngest members of my people. I am not even sure if there


    are still any of my people out there. A couple of years before I was born, a war broke


    out. A war that destroyed everything.¡± Eldon looked up, like he was searching for the


    words in the sky. ¡°I was barely thirty circles old when all the mothers of our species


    died. Our enemy tried to kill us with a poison, a virus that would harm us. But it only


    worked on our females. I don¡¯t know why it did not affect us males or how they


    infected all of us with it, but they did. After that, we hid and waited for the war to end.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Unable to reproduce, we had only one hope left. That the kings would return for us.¡±


    ¡°What kings?¡± asked Alex.


    ¡°I have to take you a bit further back. I was not alive then and I never had the


    chance to hear details of this story.¡±


    ¡°It does not matter,¡± said Alex compassionately. ¡°Just tell me what you know.¡±


    ¡°My people come from the fourth planet in this system. We call it Spi. Back


    before the war, all of the planets were filled with people of many species. We all lived


    in peace, which is hard to imagine, but we did. Through the guidance of the great


    kings, the people prospered and advanced to the point where they began traveling to


    the stars. There they met the Thropi. They were an evil species that caused the great


    war.¡±


    ¡°You fought against another alien species?¡±


    ¡°No, they caused us to fight. I know it sounds strange, and I am not sure


    exactly how, but the story goes like that. They caused war to break out here, and


    soon the kings were forced to flee. They made spaceships and got themselves away.


    Then our people were blamed for the war. We were blamed because we did not grow


    old and die. So, they attacked us with the virus that killed off our females.¡±


    ¡°How did you get here then?¡± asked Alex.


    ¡°These are the parts I do know for fact. After hundreds of years, the war


    began to fade. Great battles were replaced with small fights. Alliances began forming


    and breaking on a daily basis. The borders were set, and every species was on its


    own, with little interaction between them. That¡¯s when our leaders made the plan.¡±


    ¡°What is that plan?¡±


    ¡°We thought our kings would return to bring balance. We had to simply last


    until then. After we realized that we were the last species with access to technology,


    we set a plan in motion. Since we were very few, we would train in combat for years,


    and then, after we had perfected the art of death, we were equipped with these


    swords and other tools which make us the strongest of all. Then we established


    ourselves in various places of each world with a device that notifies us when


    someone is using electromagnetism. Then we scout the areas and go destroy them


    before they get to advance further.¡±


    ¡°I think I understand. But who could develop electromagnetism using


    technologies while they are living in small tribes? I don¡¯t see how this would make


    sense.¡±


    ¡°Today it seems to be the case. But until a few thousand years ago, old-world


    technologies resurfaced in isolated areas which would give a small group of people


    amazing powers. That¡¯s what I was hunting and destroying. This way we made sure


    we would not have anyone advanced enough to challenge us until our kings return.


    Now I realize that it was probably us that made this world return to the age of no


    technology by systematically destroying it.¡±


    ¡°I understand. So, that means there are more of you in the world now?¡±


    ¡°Judging from the area I supervise, there should be about ten of us on every


    planet. Besides Spi, our base was there, so there should be all hundred thousand


    that had survived the war underground. Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t think many


    must have made it this far. I might even be the last of my kind. That is why I was so


    excited when I first saw you. It seemed to me that the kings had returned.¡±


    ¡°I think I see a picture of your past, Eldon. You are welcome to stay here with


    us if you so choose. You don¡¯t need to be alone anymore.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± said Eldon, ¡°there was a time when I was building my legend and


    fighting all the time. I had even met others of my kind over the years. But the feeling


    began to fade. I realized I did not enjoy the killing. I dreamt of the days of the kings,


    when all these great cities were filled with life and movement.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps one day you will see them like that again,¡± said Alex with a smile.


    ¡°Let me introduce you to the rest of the team.¡±


    After the team welcomed Eldon in their ranks, Anais escorted Eldon to his


    room.


    Juuda was the first to address the situation. ¡°I like the idea of an ally, but don¡¯t


    you think you should have at least informed us that you would invite him to stay?¡± he


    said, frowning.


    ¡°I have to agree,¡± said Jain. ¡°It is strange that we let him stay here so easily.¡±


    Alex looked around and saw that they all agreed that his actions were rushed.


    ¡°I will not lie. I had not planned this. After talking with him, I realized that we can¡¯t kick


    him out,¡± he said apologetically. ¡°You all heard him. He could very well be the last of


    his species.¡±


    ¡°He could very well be lying,¡± said Bara.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he is lying.¡± said Juuda. ¡°I actually agree with Alex¡¯s decision to


    invite him. I just did not expect that it would happen without first discussing it with us.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep an eye on him at all times for a while and be prepared for the


    worst,¡± said Jain. Everyone agreed and proceeded to discuss other matters.

 Chapter 33 : Another Vampire

    A few days passed, and Eldon quickly became a part of everyday life in Argos. He


    learned the language and became a friend to many. He even began his first romantic


    relationship. He did hope that he could bear a child with one of the women, but


    Gakuto quickly explained to him that although they were so similar in appearance, it


    was impossible to have a child with a human. His appearance, however, brought up


    new questions. Gakuto believed that for his form to be so close to their own, the


    planet on which they evolved had to be extremely similar to Earth. That was not the


    case with the planets around Solis, however. This brought new scenarios as to the


    origin of so many species in this system.


    Gakuto began forming a hypothesis that those species must have evolved on


    different planets and been brought there. His idea was very complex and brought


    forth new questions that were even harder the answer, so for now it remained a


    hypothesis without much research behind it. His request to sample DNA from


    thousands of species and prove that there is no evolutionary link between them was


    too costly and time consuming to be granted the green light, so for now he remained


    in speculation.


    Eldon¡¯s memories of the past began painting a detailed picture of what


    happened in the years after the start of the war. While satellites were scanning


    Eldon¡¯s home planet, they decided to drop a few drones so they could remotely


    monitor some key places Eldon wanted to see. When the maps were ready, Eldon


    pointed out the approximate locations of the ancient command centers. Eldon also


    provided the system that notifies him of any electromagnetism being used. In all


    cities, some of the buildings have installed within their walls a simple yet durable


    system, which acts like a receiver and an antenna. It gets its energy directly from A


    concrete. Most of its systems have failed over the years, and the network can no


    longer even pinpoint the location of the source; it still functions as an alarm, to inform


    of the existence of the technology.


    Margaret and Steve were eager to get his replication machines in their hands,


    in case they could help them decode the crystals. Eldon allowed them to visit his


    bunker and see the machines firsthand. Those turned out to be very sophisticated 3-


    D printers but with an existing library of items to make. It seemed that it was


    designed so that no one, even Eldon himself, could tamper with the machines and


    make something new. The machines did not provide insight on how to decode the


    crystals, but they did help with the creation of very sophisticated 3-D printers for


    Argos.


    Y:18 D:60


    The mapping satellite left Spi (Solis-D) to move to the outer, colder, and smaller


    planets. Meanwhile, the drones sent there were approaching an ancient city in ruins.


    Although the planet seemed to be well built, there were far fewer species and villages


    still active there. Eldon explained that it was most likely due to the existence of the


    largest concentration of his people there. They would not easily leave anyone alive


    over the period of those years. At least not in close proximity to themselves. There,


    just outside the tall structures, an area that looked like a lake from the airborne


    images now seemed like a well-polished metal sheet. Upon close inspection of the


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    area, it looked like the top of an underground launch platform, under which should


    still be a working base. They deduced that because the area was kept clean and no


    vegetation was present around the pad. Without much searching, a smaller,


    hangarlike gate with a human-sized door next to it was found.


    ¡°It looks like they only use flying to travel. There are no roads,¡± noticed Jain.


    Eldon seemed excited and worried at the same time. ¡°Can we knock on the


    door?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Weird as it sounds, we actually can,¡± said Steve.


    ¡°Can I also speak to whoever answers?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you can,¡± said Jain, who was organizing the operation. ¡°Steve, knock


    on the door please.¡±


    Steve looked like he was waiting for this the entire time. ¡°Look at this


    maneuver,¡± he said and made the drone bash its belly on the door twice, in what


    would seem like a dance maneuver, much the way a human would knock on a door.


    Hearing no answer, Steve continued to bash on it for a while, waiting for something


    to happen. About ten minutes later, the door opened. From within, another Vampire


    appeared. He looked at the drone with a questioning face and a weapon pointing at


    it.


    Eldon began talking to him in a yet-unknown language. Jain stopped Juuda,


    who was ready to begin asking Eldon to transfer questions. ¡°Let him speak alone,¡±


    she said. After a while, Eldon stopped and turned to the group. ¡°Well, this is


    amazing,¡± he said with excitement.


    Alex, who had arrived once he heard the news, asked, ¡°What were you


    talking about?¡±


    Eldon turned toward Alex. ¡°His name is Rhain,¡± he said. ¡°He is a much older


    Vampire than me, and he was very curious about you. But he is a friend, and he


    would like to talk again. He will speak with his superiors, and he would like to talk


    again tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What did he ask you, and what was this language you were talking?¡± asked


    Jain.


    ¡°Is this the language you mentioned a few times before?¡± asked Konoya. ¡°The


    language of the stars that your elders spoke?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I had not spoken that language since I was a kid, thousands of years


    ago. Also, his reaction when I told him that you look like us was very strange.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Jain.


    ¡°When I told him that there are visitors from the stars, he asked me what you


    look like, and I told him you are just like us but require a far more complex diet than


    us to survive,¡± answered Eldon. ¡°At that point, I have to admit, the reaction on his


    face was that of shock.¡±


    ¡°What did he say after that?¡± asked Jain again.


    ¡°He said that he will speak to me again tomorrow. He went to talk with


    someone else inside the base.¡±


    ¡°We need to wait and be ready for more communications. Let¡¯s take a break


    for a bit and gather tomorrow, once we have him back. Steve, put the drone on


    standby, looking at the door. Once it detects movement, let us know.¡±


    After almost everyone left the room, Alex, Jain, Juuda, and Konoya gathered


    to talk alone.


    ¡°It felt like something is wrong,¡± started Konoya. ¡°He looked like he thought he


    knew us.¡±


    ¡°Konoya, once the language they spoke is complete, make sure you do not


    inform them that we understand. Keep it a secret from anyone out of our current


    circle for now,¡± said Jain.


    ¡°Are you suspicious of Eldon?¡± asked Alex, to which Juuda nodded in


    agreement with the question.


    ¡°Not really,¡± answered Jain, ¡°but if Rhain is his superior and he thinks he


    knows us, then he might pass sensitive information to him. It¡¯s good to know what


    they are talking about, to avoid any surprises.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that will be very hurtful to him once he realizes?¡± said Juuda.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better to tell him the truth immediately. Let them talk, and before we test


    him, we tell him the truth without making him feel like we don¡¯t trust him.¡±


    ¡°As always, you are the voice of morals here, Juuda. We usually don¡¯t listen


    to you, but I think you might be right on this one. Since the language is not yet ready,


    we will let them talk, and after we have decoded the language, we will let him know


    that we understand.¡±

 Chapter 34 : The Vampires Dilemma

    A day on Solis-D lasts just under a day on Gaia, so in the early hours of the


    morning, Steve was waiting to see movement. The door of the Vampire base


    opened, and Rhain came out. Steve informed everyone to gather and flew the drone


    in front of him. He was followed by one more of his kind, who just stood there


    observing the drone.


    Aldon and Rhain began talking. Their conversation took a while, since there


    was a delay in the signal due to the distance between the planets. After a few hours,


    Steve interrupted. ¡°Batteries are running low. It will need to fly up to the top of a


    building and recharge.¡±


    Alex stood up and said, ¡°Eldon, inform Rhain that your conversation has to be


    cut short. The drone is running out of battery. Let¡¯s discuss, and we¡¯ll speak with


    them again tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± said Steve, ¡°we really drained it this time, and it¡¯s already late


    there. We will need most of tomorrow morning to charge. It¡¯s better if we have the


    next talk in two of their days.¡±


    Eldon informed Rhain that they would talk again the morning of the second


    day, and they left to return to their base.


    Jain turned to Konoya and whispered in her ear, ¡°Did we manage to get that?¡±


    ¡°All of it,¡± Konoya whispered back.


    Alex turned to Eldon. ¡°So, what is the deal there? Are they in need of


    anything?¡±


    They all had noticed that during their conversations, Rhain was becoming


    increasingly direct with his tone, while Eldon was looking confused.


    ¡°It is strange. And I don¡¯t know what to say about my conversation. Can you


    please give me some time to think?¡± asked Eldon.


    ¡°Of course,¡± said Alex without giving it much thought. ¡°But you need to


    understand that we also have the right to know what is going on.¡±


    ¡°You do,¡± said Eldon. ¡°I will sort myself out and talk to you in a few hours, if


    that is acceptable¡±


    His tone was different than other days. Something was clearly troubling him.


    After Eldon left the room, the team gathered to speak.


    ¡°Are we sure that what we will hear is the right translation?¡± Jain asked


    Konoya.


    ¡°They spoke for so long that together with the words we had picked up during


    his stay here, we could even make out a quantum physics conversation,¡± said


    Konoya ¡°So yeah, it is clear. He had given us more of his ancient language than he


    thought in his stay here, and I had recorded all of it.¡±


    ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± asked Alex.


    ¡°You have to forgive us, but this might be one of those moments when you


    are too trusting. We recorded his entire conversation, and after the translator got the


    language, we translated everything, including his conversation from yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I thought we agreed that we will not eavesdrop on their conversation without


    him knowing,¡± said Juuda with clear dissatisfaction.


    ¡°We did not. We just recorded it, and now we have the language. We still


    don¡¯t know what they spoke about,¡± said Jain. ¡°Alex, this is your decision.¡±


    ¡°This is unfair,¡± Alex replied. ¡°Curiosity alone dictates me to hear.¡±


    ¡°But do we really want to be the people who did not show trust? We are not


    doing this for him. We should not be hearing this, for us!¡± said Juuda.


    ¡°From that point of view,¡± said Konoya, ¡°Juuda is right. We should not think of


    this as something that has anything to do with him. We need to think whether we


    trust him or not.¡±


    Alex looked up and took a deep breath. ¡°Deep down I don¡¯t want to listen to it,


    but since we came here, we were greeted with hostility from every direction. Do we


    really want bet the continuation of our species to a trust roll? If we risk, we might risk


    it all. If we don¡¯t, we might become more morally comfortable. The losses outweigh


    the gains for now. We will look at our moral code, Juuda, when the risk is not so


    great.¡±


    ¡°I would rather not stay here then.¡± Juuda stood up and left the room.


    ¡°I understand,¡± said Alex. ¡°One day, I hope to be more like you.¡±


    ¡°Konoya, let¡¯s hear it,¡± said Jain.


    The conversation began with greetings and general environmental


    information. Living conditions and psychological strengths. Rhain seemed to be


    asking questions to understand Eldon¡¯s mental situation and the impacts of the years


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


    in isolation. When Eldon had difficulty answering, Rhain reminded him continuously


    that he should be strong. He is a soldier, and he needs to keep it together. He


    repeated it even in moments when it was not necessary to do so. Konoya


    immediately identified the pattern. Rhain was his superior in hierarchy and was trying


    to make Eldon understand this in a very smart and slow way. At some point, quite


    casually, Rhain asked Eldon, ¡°Can they hear you now?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Eldon, ¡°but they don¡¯t understand anything. I never taught them


    our language.¡±


    ¡°Right, then. Listen closely. You are a soldier, and you will now receive new


    orders. Stay with them there and observe them. Learn of their defenses and their


    technology. Act as their friend and gain their trust. You will be informed of what


    comes next in the future.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± asked Eldon with discomfort. ¡°They are my friends. They


    welcomed me here without knowing me, and for the first time in thousands of years, I


    am not bored or alone.¡±


    Rain replied seriously, ¡°Eldon, this is not a matter to be taken lightly. There is


    a good chance they are the Thropi.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? How can this be?¡±


    Rhain looked like he was searching for the right words. ¡°It can. I can¡¯t be sure,


    though. We have to see them and talk to them to confirm it.¡±


    ¡°But we were told that the Thropi were monsters. That they want nothing but


    destruction and that they never made it here.¡±


    ¡°There is more to the truth than what you know,¡± answered Rhain. ¡°Trust me


    for now. Soon you will have more information.¡±


    ¡°I would like to know now.¡±


    Rhain began to look angry at Eldon¡¯s persistence. ¡°Eldon, now is not the time.


    All was done to protect us. To protect you.¡±


    ¡°Protect us from what?¡± Eldon was very confused.


    ¡°It is a long story, and now is not the time,¡± Rhain said with a strict voice


    ¡°Whatever you do, do not trust them. We might be wrong, but it¡¯s the safest way.


    Learn everything you can, and we will think of something in the meantime.¡±


    At that point, Steve was informing them that the batteries were running low,


    and the conversation ended.


    ¡°This complicates things. What do you think?¡± asked Alex.


    ¡°I think we should wait for him to tell us his story. Let¡¯s see if he will say the


    truth,¡± answered Jain. ¡°After, we will discuss the right direction.¡±


    Konoya nodded. ¡°I agree. I think he will try to come clean. I spent far too


    much time with him, and he seems like someone who will not have an easy time


    doing spy work.¡±


    ¡°It is important that we observe him for a while. We will need Bara in the loop.


    One of his drones will have to be observing Eldon at all times from a distance. If he


    enters the main bunker, we will need to know exactly what he will be seeing,¡± said


    Alex.


    ¡°The good news is that we will soon know if he is a true friend and ally or not,¡±


    said Jain.


    With an uneasy feeling, the team left the room. Eldon was seen walking


    around the perimeter of the city. Near the trees, at his favorite spot, he stopped and


    lay down, looking at the sky. A couple of hours later, he returned to talk with Alex.


    ¡°Alex,¡± he said with his head facing down, ¡°I need to tell you something.¡±


    ¡°Personally to me or to everyone?¡± asked Alex.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather speak with you alone.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to walk?¡± he asked.


    ¡°That would be nice.¡±


    Alex turned off his communicator, and they began walking. After they walked


    past the gate, Eldon got straight to the point. ¡°Rhain asked me to do something I


    don¡¯t want to do.¡±


    ¡°What did he ask you to do?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure if I should say right now. I am not sure of what to do,¡±


    answered Eldon with discomfort.


    Alex felt bad about how things have gone and decided to trust Eldon with the


    truth. ¡°I can make this a little bit easier for you.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± asked Eldon with disbelief.


    ¡°Before I explain how, I want you to understand that this world is alien for us.


    So far, we have only faced hostility from everyone we met.¡±


    Eldon looked at Alex curiously, as if he started to understand what was


    happening. Alex continued, ¡°We trust you to be among us, and we trust you as a


    friend. We do not trust Rhain or his orders toward you. We know how hierarchy


    works, and we know that you will probably obey his orders. That meant we could take


    no chances.¡±


    ¡°What exactly did you do?¡± Eldon looked scared. His mind was traveling


    between bad scenarios.


    ¡°We translated your conversation. We know he asked you to spy on us.¡±


    Eldon looked relieved. He was worried of far worse, so this news did not


    strike him as something too bad. ¡°I completely understand. Yes, you made it easier.


    So, what do I do now?¡± he said.


    ¡°It has been a long time since you had contact with your people, but you


    should remember. There is a strict chain of command in most societies. Breaking this


    chain might have catastrophic results for you.¡±


    ¡°I know that. But my society failed a long time ago. Perhaps it¡¯s time to give a


    chance to a new one. That¡¯s what I am thinking. They think you are the reason our


    world collapsed, but this can¡¯t be the truth.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Alex, ¡°we heard. We could not have been the ones you call


    Thropi. We were still in preindustrial societies when your war was raging.¡±


    ¡°Should we let them know that you know everything?¡±


    ¡°This, my friend,¡± said Alex compassionately, ¡°is your moral dilemma. I had to


    take mine when I heard your conversation without your approval. I am happy with the


    way it ended, but it does not change the fact that it¡¯s not correct. You will have to


    make your own decision and face the consequences.¡±


    ¡°So officially, you are not my leader?¡± asked Eldon.


    ¡°I am not,¡± said Alex, ¡°but I am officially your friend. I would give the same talk


    to any of my friends. You have a leader and are talking to Rhain. If you want,


    however, to become an actual member of this society, you will have to first explain


    this to your superiors.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound easy.¡±


    Eldon decided to keep it a secret for the time being. As if Rhain understood,


    he began limiting his talks with Eldon and began asking for Alex to visit the base on


    Spi and talk with the leader of the Vampires in person, a leader who did not accept


    talking over the drone. He insisted on a face-to-face meeting.


    The Arrow, which had been turned into a research facility, required far too


    much work and modification to make a trip between the planets, so for the time


    being, it remained a plan for the future.


    The Vampires agreed on a check-in once every fifteen days with Eldon, who


    was to remain with the humans. They thought that his spy work would go on while


    the information he was delivering was real but not sensitive. He had blurred the line


    between spying for his superiors and disobeying their orders.

 Chapter 35 : Alliances

    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.

 Chapter 36 : Loot

    For the following few weeks, a team of ten people were working on entering the


    bunker that Eldon had led them to. The area around was cleared so that the power


    and air intakes could be exposed. It seemed like a futile effort. The bunker was built


    to withstand nuclear explosions.


    No drill could go through the walls, and air intake was filtered in a way that nothing would crawl through.


    Repowering the station was pointless as well, since it ran the risk of security systems turning on instead


    of doors opening.


    The bright idea of digging and going underneath led to yet another dead-end,


    since the whole bunker was meant to withstand attacks from Goblins, which are


    masters of digging.


    Finally, Jain came up with a bright idea. ¡°How about we drop


    something heavy on it?¡± she said.


    ¡°Like what,¡± said Steve with a smirk, ¡°a mountain?¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± said Jain, ¡°something like it. Can you calculate the force a


    Cerberus would impact with if no parachutes were to open?¡±


    Steve¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°That sounds like something that could work.¡± He


    could not hide his excitement. ¡°If we drop it right on the joint of the bunker door and


    the walls, it might crack it like an egg.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that sacrifice the Cerberus?¡± asked Alex. ¡°I mean, I love the idea of


    seeing something like that, but we would lose one of our most important defense


    units.¡±


    Jain thought for a second. ¡°Do we care?¡± she asked. ¡°I mean, we have a few


    more, and we don¡¯t seem to need them anymore.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right,¡± said Alex. ¡°Also, the wonders we might find in there


    far outweigh the cost of a Cerberus. Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ¡°I want to add,¡± said Steve, ¡°that the parts will be salvageable. We might even


    repair it at some point.¡±


    ¡°What are we waiting for then? Everyone! Begin clearing out your equipment.


    Steve, when can we have it drop?¡± Alex was just as excited as everyone else to see


    this tremendous crash take place.


    ¡°I can have the calculations ready in one hour, give or take.¡± Steve checked


    his arm screen for a few seconds and added, ¡°Hera will pass above us in about six


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    hours. We should be ready by then.¡±


    About six hours later, the Cerberus appeared in the sky as a bright comet falling.


    There were no thrusters on it, so the drop had to be calculated precisely. It crash


    landed on the bunker with incredible accuracy. The impact could be felt as an


    earthquake to the goblin outpost five kilometers away. At a large city a few kilometers


    further, it was heard like loud thunder, accompanied by a mild tremor. Although they


    were informed of the impending event, they could hardly believe that they would feel


    anything from those distances. The event made the species that heard of it afterward


    worry about the powers that the humans had in their control.


    The bunker had finally given way. The right side of the bunker gate, where the


    door was rooted in, broke and left an opening large enough for a human to pass


    through. More importantly, it was a point from which they could work to open the gate


    fully.


    Alex entered first, like a young child exploring something for the first time.


    Jain heard him laughing, and her curiosity piqued. ¡°Treasure!¡± he yelled with joyful


    laughter. One by one they entered and lit the place up. Weapons, machines of many


    kinds, gadgets and more, the bunker was filled with items, each of which could


    revolutionize human technology. Above all else was the crown jewel of their findings.


    A bus-sized craft that looked like it was meant for outer space travel hid in there. The


    greatest discovery they made would soon bring a new page in everyone¡¯s future.


    Steve was practically dancing, surrounded by a plethora of things waiting for him to


    understand. From Argos, Margaret turned to Helen and told her, ¡°We will finally


    decode the crystals.¡± It was a joyful moment for all.


    As time went by, the relationships between the other species began to mend. Prana


    from the Naga became something of a friend with Jain, who spent hours talking


    about the cultural differences of their species and how their worlds were destroyed.


    Steve, along with a team of engineers, reverse-engineered the spacecraft and began


    creating their own first prototypes.


    The bunker seemed to be a research base, used


    exclusively for the research of antimatter. The battery for the aircraft was the only


    truly complicated part that required time to understand. It could create antimatter on


    demand out of ordinary matter and then use it to fuel itself and propel the ship,


    annihilating matter with antimatter in the process. The conversion from matter to


    antimatter and then pure energy with 100 percent efficiency was hiding under Gaia


    all this time. Argos would never seek energy anywhere else.


    The construction of it, however, proved hard enough that they would not be able to produce


    more than a couple of engines in the following years. The only one working was the one found in


    the alien ship. It looked like they had built a lot more of them in the past. It is thought


    at this point that they were mass produced and used for the escape spaceships of


    the kings.


    There were even five experimental high-power laser rifles, powered with a


    similar technology, but they were obviously not used and still in testing stage. In


    theory, one of those weapons could fire energy beams, similar to plasma, trillions of


    times before running out and becoming unusable. Those could not be reloaded.