It has been a LONG time since I've written any of this. And it's changed a lot from the form I have on paper. I think it's better, in the ideas, but certainly needs some editing. I couldn't edit this piece though. It's too recently done. But I needed to post. Hope you like the continuation.....
Chapter 3 Contact
"What is it?" Sparhawk asked the child Goddess. The structure before them was no rock. Was nothing he had ever seen before. The last few years however had acclimatized him to the unexpected and instead of shock he registered only suspicious curiosity.
"It's a ship," Aphrael answered sitting on the ground, chin resting on her folded up knees.
"Doesn't look like any ship I've seen before" Talen said "Is it like the one that took us to get the bhellium?"
"Yes and no" Aphrael responded cryptically. She made no attempt to explain her answer further.
"It's not shaped right to float on water" Khalad's voice came from behind them.
Aphael turned and gave him a disgruntled glare. "I thought I told you to stay below" she grumbled.
"No, actually Sparhawk told me to stay where I was, and I'm use to disobeying him. If YOU had told me, I would have behaved myself, divine one." His grin was innocent and very reminiscent of Talen's. The two were more alike than many gave them credit.
Aphrael sighed and rolled her eyes.
"So what now?" Sparhawk asked. Aphrael's lack of alarm calmed his sense of danger, but her insistence on being vague was making him feel very naked without his armor.
"I don't know." Aphrael responded with a shrug. "My family never really discussed this possibility. Except to make sure it doesn't happen. I sometimes forget how far behind you are from the others. Which is exactly how we like it actually. Something like this was never supposed to happen, not for several thousand years"
"You're not making much sense. what wasn't supposed to happen"
"Contact"
Aphrael went quiet for a while leaving the four men to simply stare at the massive object submerged in the earth. The object wasn't of any material they could describe. Khalid thought it was some sort of metal, looking at the way it had deformed. Strange symbols seemed drawn on at certain locations, though what they may have original appeared as was indecipherable because of the scorch marks. Though they could only make out a few hundred meteres square of the object, the size of the disruption around it suggested that the majority was hidden from view.
Sparhawk was discouraging Khalad and Talen from crawling down towards the object when Berit yelled out to them from further along the rim of the destruction crater.
"Something's happening!" He pointed towards a section of the vast metal like surface which seemed to be receeding inwards. A portal appeared to be opening, accompanied by groans and metallic shrieks.
Aphrael was quickly on her feet. "Um. Perhaps we should take some cover"
"Okay, that should do it." Samuel signaled to Davidson to stop. Davidson collapsed greatfully against the manual port wheel.
"It looks like we've managed to land in a crater" Kay whispered from one side of the half opened port.
"More like the crater landed around us," Lilith smiled.
Kay checked the gauges on her hybernation suit that she still had not removed. "Radiation is just from the ship. Breathable atmosphere."
"Seems safe enough then" Lilith said as she flipped up her visor and took in a deep breath. And promptly coughed. Samuel grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her visor back in place. Lilith laughed. "It's okay" she assured him "just a little too fresh for my liking. And something else. Tangy sort of"
Davidson lifted his visor and breathed deeply. "The sea!!!" He exclaimed excitedly than poked his head out the portal. Samuel yanked him back, perhaps too hard as Davidson flew backwards to hit the opposite wall.
"Damn it!" Samuel said. "You're all going to get us killed. We have no idea where we are, or what's out there. The next person to do something rash is going to ..." Samuel spung back to the portal unable to think of a suitable penalty. "Kayra, scan the area. see if you detect anything "
Kay pulled a compact unit from her pack. " I don't know what you're expecting me to look for. All I'll be able to see is what is in this crater. " Stepping back from the portal she knelt to the ground and put the device to her eyes, scanning along the rim of teh crater. "Well that's interesting. We seem to have an audience." She flipped the binoculars from heat sensing to visual. "Wow" she breathed.
"What is it" Samuel asked, kneeling down beside her.
"Humanoids, 4 that I can see. Three males, no wait, there's a fourth further along. and a female child. But her heat register is off. She's humanoid, but not human. Perhaps a mutant of some sort." She handed the unit to Samuel.
"Well, not an army. Probably a family group of some sort."
"What do we do now?" Davidson asked.
Samuel gave the unit back to Kay and stood beside the portal again, staying out of view of those outside. "We make contact."
"And who's going to do that."
"Well they've only seen the one of us at most." Samuel mused to himself, then he turned to smile at Davidson " So I guess that honor falls to you."
Codes of contact had first been implemented, not for the design with which it had been intended, but to contact fellow human beings. In the first century of experimental space channels, intrepid travellers, entire colonies of them, departed Earth's solar system searching for new life and new lives. What the colonists found instead was that their solar system was littered with wormholes. After the first thousand or so vessels suddenly dissapeared Earth became more cautious, feeling out tentatively and mapping the network. Forutnaltely some vessels returned through the wormhole chance allowing them to have the proper conditions to make the pass. But most, without understanding of how the network worked, found themselves alone in the universe.
Humans are a resilient species though, and the million or so people on each ship, now scattered across the galaxy searched for ways to survive on their own. In the next several hundred years humans became experts at navigating the networks. Where some holes led to deep space, old colonist vessels were also found. Some of these vessels contained the great great great grandchildren of the first explorers. Other vessels were ghost ships not having the supplies or the management skills to allow the passengers to survive through generations. And now and then planets were found that had a flourishing human civilization. These civilizations ranged in degrees from technologically advanced, some further than the explorers who rediscovered them, to incredibly backward, living as ancient humans had once done.
As these expatriots were found and took up again into the fold of humanity the Code of Contact was formed. The alien life that had been the dream of humanity to meet, to know that they were not alone, was never realized. Even the non-humanoid civilizations found, were mutated descendents of the early colonists. In time treaties and accords were made among the planets and colonial vessels, now worlds of their own. While for the most part the galaxy was too large to ever be really goverened, rules were set up to prevent mutual annhiliation. Competition is the natural state of humanity, and competition most often established itself in the form of war. or fear. The peaceful, enlightened society that the ancestors of the first earth had taken so long to achieve could not take hold when survival had to be thought of first. Aware of this, first earth was asked to form a set of rules. And to enforce those rules as heavily as necessary. There were to be only very few though, so as not to tempt humanity to break them in their quest for survival. The first rule was the code of contact.
"What are they doing now?" Sparhawk asked talen. Talen was using the blade of a finely polished knife to watch the now open hole in the mysterious vessel.
"Someone's coming out I think," he said, squinting. "I can't tell if it's the person from before, but this time he's coming full out. He's sitting down or something. It's hard to tell."
From behind them over the ridge they heard a voice call out in a foreign language.
"He's saying hello" Aphrael translated to them. She was biting her lip anxiously, not something really in character. "I'd better go. I probably shouldn't be here for this." with that, she vanished.
Sparhawk swore. 'What am I supposed to do?' he said allowed in his head, knowing Aphrael would hear.
'Go down and talk to him. I need to go talk to my family and the others.'
'Talk to them!?'
'Well, not talk i guess. Communicate. I don't think they'll kill you. As long as you don't do anything funny. These people are intelligent, think of yourself as a diplomat to a new culture.' Aphrael didn't respond to his further requests for information on the people below. Again the man's voice, atleast it sounded like a man, called out from in the crater. It did not sound hostile, though not exactly friendly either. There was a patient, but firm note to the voice.
Sparhawk sighed then got to his feet. Khalad hissed at him and got to his feet as well, training his crossbow on the person in the crater. Sparhawk quickly reached out and forced Khalad's arm up. "Aphrael told me to do this. Communicate. Apparently they don't intend on killing us. Not right now anyway. Let's not give them something to change their minds." The man below was sitting on the ground a blanket of some sort with objects assorted on it. He was sitting very still watching with some trepidation the exchange between the men on the ridge. He was ready to react, but did not. For now he waited. Khalad lowered his cross bow, but held it in one hand.
"Are you sure you know what youi're doing".
Sparhawk wanted to laugh at that, but decided now was not the best time. "Just stay here, and keep your eyes open." Sparhwak spoke a bit louder so that Berit and Talen could hear as well, though he continued to look at Khalad "The rest of you stay down. They may not have seen you yet. If you are spotted, no quick moods, don't show aggression. Let's try to be... diplomatic."
Chapter 3 Contact
"What is it?" Sparhawk asked the child Goddess. The structure before them was no rock. Was nothing he had ever seen before. The last few years however had acclimatized him to the unexpected and instead of shock he registered only suspicious curiosity.
"It's a ship," Aphrael answered sitting on the ground, chin resting on her folded up knees.
"Doesn't look like any ship I've seen before" Talen said "Is it like the one that took us to get the bhellium?"
"Yes and no" Aphrael responded cryptically. She made no attempt to explain her answer further.
"It's not shaped right to float on water" Khalad's voice came from behind them.
Aphael turned and gave him a disgruntled glare. "I thought I told you to stay below" she grumbled.
"No, actually Sparhawk told me to stay where I was, and I'm use to disobeying him. If YOU had told me, I would have behaved myself, divine one." His grin was innocent and very reminiscent of Talen's. The two were more alike than many gave them credit.
Aphrael sighed and rolled her eyes.
"So what now?" Sparhawk asked. Aphrael's lack of alarm calmed his sense of danger, but her insistence on being vague was making him feel very naked without his armor.
"I don't know." Aphrael responded with a shrug. "My family never really discussed this possibility. Except to make sure it doesn't happen. I sometimes forget how far behind you are from the others. Which is exactly how we like it actually. Something like this was never supposed to happen, not for several thousand years"
"You're not making much sense. what wasn't supposed to happen"
"Contact"
Aphrael went quiet for a while leaving the four men to simply stare at the massive object submerged in the earth. The object wasn't of any material they could describe. Khalid thought it was some sort of metal, looking at the way it had deformed. Strange symbols seemed drawn on at certain locations, though what they may have original appeared as was indecipherable because of the scorch marks. Though they could only make out a few hundred meteres square of the object, the size of the disruption around it suggested that the majority was hidden from view.
Sparhawk was discouraging Khalad and Talen from crawling down towards the object when Berit yelled out to them from further along the rim of the destruction crater.
"Something's happening!" He pointed towards a section of the vast metal like surface which seemed to be receeding inwards. A portal appeared to be opening, accompanied by groans and metallic shrieks.
Aphrael was quickly on her feet. "Um. Perhaps we should take some cover"
"Okay, that should do it." Samuel signaled to Davidson to stop. Davidson collapsed greatfully against the manual port wheel.
"It looks like we've managed to land in a crater" Kay whispered from one side of the half opened port.
"More like the crater landed around us," Lilith smiled.
Kay checked the gauges on her hybernation suit that she still had not removed. "Radiation is just from the ship. Breathable atmosphere."
"Seems safe enough then" Lilith said as she flipped up her visor and took in a deep breath. And promptly coughed. Samuel grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her visor back in place. Lilith laughed. "It's okay" she assured him "just a little too fresh for my liking. And something else. Tangy sort of"
Davidson lifted his visor and breathed deeply. "The sea!!!" He exclaimed excitedly than poked his head out the portal. Samuel yanked him back, perhaps too hard as Davidson flew backwards to hit the opposite wall.
"Damn it!" Samuel said. "You're all going to get us killed. We have no idea where we are, or what's out there. The next person to do something rash is going to ..." Samuel spung back to the portal unable to think of a suitable penalty. "Kayra, scan the area. see if you detect anything "
Kay pulled a compact unit from her pack. " I don't know what you're expecting me to look for. All I'll be able to see is what is in this crater. " Stepping back from the portal she knelt to the ground and put the device to her eyes, scanning along the rim of teh crater. "Well that's interesting. We seem to have an audience." She flipped the binoculars from heat sensing to visual. "Wow" she breathed.
"What is it" Samuel asked, kneeling down beside her.
"Humanoids, 4 that I can see. Three males, no wait, there's a fourth further along. and a female child. But her heat register is off. She's humanoid, but not human. Perhaps a mutant of some sort." She handed the unit to Samuel.
"Well, not an army. Probably a family group of some sort."
"What do we do now?" Davidson asked.
Samuel gave the unit back to Kay and stood beside the portal again, staying out of view of those outside. "We make contact."
"And who's going to do that."
"Well they've only seen the one of us at most." Samuel mused to himself, then he turned to smile at Davidson " So I guess that honor falls to you."
Codes of contact had first been implemented, not for the design with which it had been intended, but to contact fellow human beings. In the first century of experimental space channels, intrepid travellers, entire colonies of them, departed Earth's solar system searching for new life and new lives. What the colonists found instead was that their solar system was littered with wormholes. After the first thousand or so vessels suddenly dissapeared Earth became more cautious, feeling out tentatively and mapping the network. Forutnaltely some vessels returned through the wormhole chance allowing them to have the proper conditions to make the pass. But most, without understanding of how the network worked, found themselves alone in the universe.
Humans are a resilient species though, and the million or so people on each ship, now scattered across the galaxy searched for ways to survive on their own. In the next several hundred years humans became experts at navigating the networks. Where some holes led to deep space, old colonist vessels were also found. Some of these vessels contained the great great great grandchildren of the first explorers. Other vessels were ghost ships not having the supplies or the management skills to allow the passengers to survive through generations. And now and then planets were found that had a flourishing human civilization. These civilizations ranged in degrees from technologically advanced, some further than the explorers who rediscovered them, to incredibly backward, living as ancient humans had once done.
As these expatriots were found and took up again into the fold of humanity the Code of Contact was formed. The alien life that had been the dream of humanity to meet, to know that they were not alone, was never realized. Even the non-humanoid civilizations found, were mutated descendents of the early colonists. In time treaties and accords were made among the planets and colonial vessels, now worlds of their own. While for the most part the galaxy was too large to ever be really goverened, rules were set up to prevent mutual annhiliation. Competition is the natural state of humanity, and competition most often established itself in the form of war. or fear. The peaceful, enlightened society that the ancestors of the first earth had taken so long to achieve could not take hold when survival had to be thought of first. Aware of this, first earth was asked to form a set of rules. And to enforce those rules as heavily as necessary. There were to be only very few though, so as not to tempt humanity to break them in their quest for survival. The first rule was the code of contact.
"What are they doing now?" Sparhawk asked talen. Talen was using the blade of a finely polished knife to watch the now open hole in the mysterious vessel.
"Someone's coming out I think," he said, squinting. "I can't tell if it's the person from before, but this time he's coming full out. He's sitting down or something. It's hard to tell."
From behind them over the ridge they heard a voice call out in a foreign language.
"He's saying hello" Aphrael translated to them. She was biting her lip anxiously, not something really in character. "I'd better go. I probably shouldn't be here for this." with that, she vanished.
Sparhawk swore. 'What am I supposed to do?' he said allowed in his head, knowing Aphrael would hear.
'Go down and talk to him. I need to go talk to my family and the others.'
'Talk to them!?'
'Well, not talk i guess. Communicate. I don't think they'll kill you. As long as you don't do anything funny. These people are intelligent, think of yourself as a diplomat to a new culture.' Aphrael didn't respond to his further requests for information on the people below. Again the man's voice, atleast it sounded like a man, called out from in the crater. It did not sound hostile, though not exactly friendly either. There was a patient, but firm note to the voice.
Sparhawk sighed then got to his feet. Khalad hissed at him and got to his feet as well, training his crossbow on the person in the crater. Sparhawk quickly reached out and forced Khalad's arm up. "Aphrael told me to do this. Communicate. Apparently they don't intend on killing us. Not right now anyway. Let's not give them something to change their minds." The man below was sitting on the ground a blanket of some sort with objects assorted on it. He was sitting very still watching with some trepidation the exchange between the men on the ridge. He was ready to react, but did not. For now he waited. Khalad lowered his cross bow, but held it in one hand.
"Are you sure you know what youi're doing".
Sparhawk wanted to laugh at that, but decided now was not the best time. "Just stay here, and keep your eyes open." Sparhwak spoke a bit louder so that Berit and Talen could hear as well, though he continued to look at Khalad "The rest of you stay down. They may not have seen you yet. If you are spotted, no quick moods, don't show aggression. Let's try to be... diplomatic."