The Chance to Explore: Part 1 The Prologue
Hey everyone. This is my first attempt at writing so please be kind when you review it. I got the idea for the story stuck in my head and I figure the only way to get it out is by just writing it and posting it for the entire furry world to read. It comes from my own imagination and various pieces of artwork that I've seen and if I remember I'll post their links. A warning though, at least the first few chapters will be used to set the stage. I tried just jumping into the more interesting parts (by that I mean horny, hot and bothered parts) but it didn't really make any sense. I expect that once the kinky stuff gets going it won't really stop; once I figure out how to write it. I'm not trying to turn this into a novel so don't be surprised time passes quickly, but I'm trying to keep it balanced. Now the prologue...
What's the first thing that would happen if aliens from another world suddenly show up on Earth's doorstep? This is a question that everyone has considered; even if it was only a fleeting thought after seeing the latest Star Trek movie. Would Humanity welcome our new visitors with open arms and parades? Would there be riots and looting in all the major cities? Or would everyone just stare up into the sky for a long period of time?
As it turns out, none of these things happened first. It really shouldn't have been a surprise but it was. After all, what's the first thing that ALWAYS happens when humans have to deal with something unexpected? The stock market crashed.
Yep, the minute the news of a genuine space ship the size of an aircraft carrier had parked itself in Earth's orbit appeared on the Internet; the global economy had a mini-stroke. Stocks fell, companies folded...gas prices shot through the roof; pretty much a financial apocalypse until various governments stepped in and shut the whole things down. Then all that other stuff happened.
Conservatives and religious nut-jobs were the most entertaining. They were convinced that the aliens were evil, soulless creatures and that every god-fearing nation should fire every missile or bomb within arms reach until they went away. The liberals and 21st century hippies, on the other hand, were using everything from TV satellite dishes and Iphones to giant cardboard signs in an attempt to make contact.
And that was only the first day.
The second day wasn't much better. Lots of people were still looting, fights over food kept breaking out everywhere; it seemed like the entire planet was under marshal law. And the U.S. Governments ever-repeating message of "stay calm, the situation is under control" was surprisingly ineffective.
Finally on the third day, word got around that contact had been made. A simple message, direct and to the point. "We've come a long way to meet you. Let's be friends."
It was surprising to see how calming that small message had been. People took a breath and started returning to their homes and went home, governments stopped (publicly) accusing each other of being apart of some alien conspiracy, the weekly garbage pickup was rescheduled.
A few days later two-way communication was established and information slowly began to leak to the general population. A week later the first face to face meeting between the "New Guys" (You can thank the U.S. Media for that name) and the U.N. Representatives occurred in an undisclosed location; which probably meant somewhere in Los Angeles. All the while rumors were spreading like wildfire.
Some heard that the aliens were 500 years ahead of us in technology but they needed something from us to save their dying population. Others would say that it wasn't just one species but an entire group working together to explore the galaxy and that they had been secretly spying on us for decades. Then of course there were the freaks who said that the aliens wanted our bodies for scientific experiments and anal probing.
It wasn't until 3 weeks after they had first arrived that the entire world got it's first look at these aliens. If their spaceship had caused debate and controversy, it was nothing compared to what resulted from their physical appearance.
They were...well, animals. It was as if someone had taken horses, canines, foxes, cows and several other species and had given them human characteristics. Walking on two legs, opposable thumbs...no hooves. All of humanity did a collective "WTF?!"
The answers came slowly but the An'Mas, the name they chose to call themselves, explained as much as they could.
Apparently, a several thousand years ago a different and much older alien race had transplanted sample of Earth's inhabitants to various other planets throughout the galaxy. This unknown race gave them a little evolutionary assistance, helped spawn a new civilization on each world and then vanished. Why they had done this, the An'Mas never knew. Perhaps it was just to see what would happen. Maybe they were bored...Or maybe they thought the universe was a little too empty.
Over the centuries, each civilization flourished at it's own pace; some moving beyond Earth's highest level of technology while others remained primitive and uninterested in developing any further. Eventually, four of the closets worlds found a way to contact each other and, as time passed, managed to meet. Then about 40 years ago these four races founded an interstellar government; the An'Mas Republic. Their intention was to work together to find Earth, all the other transplanted species and whoever else that might be out there. The republic was now about 13 planets strong and had hoped that Earth would be number 14.
Needless to say, a lot of people were very interested, a lot more were scared, and a few just wanted the An'Mas to leave. The aliens were a little torn as well. They hadn't expected Earth to be a world of so many nations; all the others they had found were united under one flag. There was also the issue of technology. Thought the Republic was roughly 100 years ahead of humanity and they interstellar travel was just leaving its infancy; the thought of dangerous technology in the hands of people who didn't truly understand it was a sobering thought.
In the end, the An'Mas suggested an exchange. Twenty humans for twenty off-worlders. Apparently this had been done before when they had encountered a new species at a similar level of advancement. The twenty who remained would monitor the day-to-day events on Earth; maybe give a few hints with medicine and green energy. The 20 humans would serve as crewmembers on the ship as it continued on it's journey of exploration. While on board they too would be observed to see how they reacted to space travel and interacted with other intelligent life.
Naturally every space agency across the planet submitted applications but it wasn't as easy as finding someone trained to handle the riggers of space. As stated previously, the An'Mas' ability to travel from one solar system to another was still relatively new. Without getting too technical, the Vurook'Enland (roughly translated: Majestic Explorer) used a form of "jump drive".
Basically it opened a portal allowing a ship to enter a sort of "underspace" and after a time it would emerge dozens or even hundreds of light years away. Unfortunately entering the underspace covered the ship with a lethal dose of some kind of radiation; any unprotected, organic being would wouldn't last long after being exposed. Only those who had a rare but natural resistance could go.
The search for candidates went global with websites in every language and multiple recruiting stations in all the major cities. Qualifications were simple; Healthy and educated, preferably between the ages of 20 and 56 with a high level of resistance to underspace radiation...
...must be willing to travel.
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_Short, yes I know. Will there be hot and bothered stuff in the next chapter? Sorry, I tried but no. Will it be in the one after? YES. In the one after that? SURE. And after that one? Naturally. And after that? Why ruin a good trend? _
Just be nice when you review and if you see any mistakes or have any recommendations please let me know. Oh and names. I like names for the aliens...or a some of the humans if you like.