Deep Space - Chapter 3, Humanity
#3 of Solaria Chronicles
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We had been heading in a straight line for nearly three hours, now. The forests had gotten thicker, and thicker, and thicker still, until the fog began to recede, an hour and a half ago. Then, five minutes ago, we stepped out of the foliage, and found ourselves on a flat plain of golden grass. Hey, it's an alien planet, don't question the oddities.
A mile in front of us, was a massive building, made of a glossy metal. The dome capping it was made from a strange, cyan blue material, and more silver buildings like it- smaller, but still like it- sprawled out away from it, over the golden plains.
We reached the city within ten minutes, and found ourselves face to face with a strange creature. Like the ones before, it had no tail or snout, but this one was different, and seemed much more natural. It only had one elbow joint per appendage, had shorter necks, and eye brows. Their eyes were located on the sides, and they still had no fur, but something about them felt normal. They were so much like us in fact, that it seemed unnatural.
Their arms were capped with one hand per, and their bodies were only within an inch shorter, and I attributed this to the stronger gravity of the Infinatum and my boots. The Infinatum was programmed to have an artificial gravity field stronger than Earth's in an attempt to reduce bone loss, which was more successful than we'd really like.
"... Anthrans?" The guards in front of us were exposing their faces to the harsh atmosphere of Biocrate. Their skin was a warm, tan color, and their armor was colored a solid, metallic white. The armor wasn't designed to be spiny like the Vrounc's but was designed with more spherical and elliptical shapes. More curves and less cover.
"You speak english?" [Alpha]
"Ah, so you are Anthrans." One of them held out his hand, "My name is Gabriel. We've been paying close attention to you, Anthrans. You're our honored guests."
"What?" [Gamma]
"Please, come inside. Feel free to remove your helmets, the air pressure is identical to that of Earth's." Gabriel turned around and we followed him through a series of gates until we found ourselves in an elevator, descending three hundred feet worth of floors. At the bottom was a sight unlike any other.
The inside of the city was teeming with life, culture, and intelligence. The skies were clear and blue, and children splashed in pools of clean water. The floors and walls were tiled with mauve and burghundy bricks, which was surprisingly decorative for such a strange people. They wore clothes with more fabric than we were used to on the Infinatum, and it reminded me of pictures I'd seen of life back on Earth, over twenty centuries ago.
Gabriel lead us further into the city, towards the building with the massive dome. Inside, were five of the creatures, who's complections were more white and less radiant than Gabriel's. They were garbed in red and blue robes, with golden and silver crowns, bedazzled with decorative gems.
Gabriel bowed as he enterred, "Lords, the Anthrans have come!" Immediately, the five men and women came hurrying over to us, and exclaimed in joy and glory.
One in a solid white robe, with a silver crown spoke. His eyes were of a vermillion color, and reminded me of emeralds, "Welcome, Anthrans! Please, remove your helmets and show us your beauty."
"Woah woah woah, let's get some answers first." [Alpha]
"Like how do you speak our language?" [Gamma]
"Yes, I guess you would be confused. We've been keeping a close eye on you, ever since Dravinity turned his gaze to you, for the first time."
"Watching and listening are two different things." [Me]
"We... We built machines, and observed your lives. Dravinity begged us not to interfere, unlike the Goag, but we promised to stay out of the way. We were hidden, and no one noticed us for many years. Then, you started paying attention, and we needed to update our machines to be more hidden. We neglected until years before you left for the last time."
"The Infinatum..." [Alpha]
"So you've seen all of Anthran history?" [Gamma]
"For the most part, yes. It was a good few thousand years of entertainment, to say the least."
"Entertainment?!" [Gamma]
"It's okay, you don't have any enemies here. All of us are here to help you find a new home."
"But who's Us?" [Me]
"Right, a formal introduction might've been better... We, are Humans. We're like your people, so similar in fact, that it was easy for us to recreate your works. Your people inspired things in us that we never would've thought of. Levels of beauty and culture that radiate emotion and provoke thought, something none of us could've done without even the slightest hint of inspiration."
"Sounds like you guys live a bland life." [Gamma]
"Gamma..." [Me]
"No, he's right! We do. Well, we did. Then... Dravinity turned his gaze to the Goag. For eons we fought the Goag, and they just stood together, not knowing the meaning of power and glory, they simply did it out of self defense, and to save one another. They weren't like us."
"The Goag? What are they?" [Alpha]
"They're... They're unique creatures. You've met them before, Carter. Not in this life, but in another. Ironic... You don't even know everything there is to know about Dravinity... Anyhow, the Goag were creatures who could travel through time. Your people found one who was trying to kill you all, and then you destroyed it. You figured out how to hurt it. They're sensitive to sound. That information deemed valuable, and we used it to slaughter every last one of them."
"You just killed an entire species?!" [Me]
"Don't worry, we can make more. That's the beauty of it all. Your world was rich in metal and stone, as is ours, but it's all in the form of life, here. We learned to master the mind, and the living body. We can control life as you can control the metals and construct incredible machines! We can make more Goag. ... We just aren't stupid enough to."
"Okay. Fair enough. So, why does everyone, on every planet, call him Dravinity?" [Me]
"Well that's his name. He tells us is name. There are others, you know? Others like him. We have proof, from your world. A moment, when two beings of immense power fought. The thing was, he would've lost had your people not stepped in."
"What the hell are you talking about?" [Gamma]
"Volkeirethan. He was about to destroy Dravinity, when you saved him. Your people tried to kill Volkeirethan! ... It wasn't actually Volkeirethan, but the simple fact that you tried to kill him is amazing!"
"God... Shut up!! You don't make any sense!" [Gamma]
"Gamma, calm down. There's no reason to get mad." [Me]
"But... They..." Gamma turned around and left the building, probably to go cry. Alpha chased after him, leaving me alone with the Humans.