Chapter 1: The Last of Many
The Alchemist stood in the darkness of his laboratory, before a glowing stasis capsule, entranced by the creature it held within. It was so small, so frail, even the slightest of alterations to the fluids that protected and nourished the monkey infant inside would spell disaster. He had lost too many monkeys already. He was planning to move his laboratory to a new planet, one that was positioned at the center of one of the busiest intergalactic sectors. He looked away from the glowing tangerine pillar for a moment, to the star chart on the wall to his left. Planet SGZ-14873, Designation: Shuggazoom. It was said to be a small, peaceful place, with a single large city. But it was not the inhabited city the Alchemist was interested in. No, he was concerned with the regions beyond the city. It was these regions that would be perfect for his experiments.
The planet he was currently on was an uninhabited jungle world, perfect for obtaining the simian specimens his experiments required, however, it had it's shortcomings as well. Many of his monkey prototypes had escaped the lab, and once they evaded the range of his tracking scanners, they were gone forever. His colleagues had suggested using special poisons to dispose of the primates if they happened to venture out of his control. He made excuses, saying that he dared not introduce a foreign toxin into such a delicate ecosystem, but the truth of the matter was that he simply didn't have the heart to kill them.
Tampering with their bodies and minds, all for the sake of universal peace, was horrendous enough. Once he relocated to this new planet, however, his experiments would no escape him quite so easily.
"You, little one," he said softly to the infant within the pillar," are the last of many, and yet, the start of a new beginning." the Alchemist lowered his head in regret. "It only dispirits me that you are the last I have captured." According to the information he had acquired on Shuggazoom's native flora and fauna, monkeys had evolved there, but excessive hunting many decades ago had made them virtually extinct, therefore, the chances of acquiring more primates was slim. However, if this one, this single monkey developed correctly, was not made imperfect by the modifications made to his body and mind, as all the others were, then he would be satisfied. He wanted more of them- his prototypes had always been created in sets of six, because it seemed to be the average size for a monkey troop on this planet. It was important to him that he tamper with the behavioral and social structure the primates had developed as little as possible.
The hum of a Planet to Ship Transport Vehicle, or PSTV, attracted his attention. He silently gathered the entire contents of his lab, and loaded it into the transport, saving the simian infant for last.
As the transport activated the autopilot, the Alchemist turned back, and took one last look at the jungle world that had been his home for many years now. In his private notes, he had given a designation to the jungle world: Prysimia. He wondered what would become of the prototypes he was leaving behind, whether they would overcome the afflictions he had unintentionally placed upon them, or they would simply perish, one by one.