Chapter Text
Vallis checked her readings for the last time, satisfied that all was as they had hoped. The Colony they had originally settled here seemed to be thriving and there were dozens of children playing about the grounds. What had started out as three hundred souls, had multiplied over the centuries to several thousands. Vallis and her team had visited approximately a dozen villages, give or take, that had sprung up in various locations, to check up on not only their progress but their health in general.
Each had assured her team they had all they needed and Vallis got the distinct impression they would prefer to be left in peace. That suited Vallis fine. That was the whole purpose of this experiment. To seed these worlds and then leave them be. To progress as they would without their interference. And it seemed to her this one was ready.
She had one last meeting with the Village Chief who was the leader of the largest township, that was on the site of the original Colony drop and had grown over the years. Because of population growth over the years many groups had left to form their own villages so resources in the area wouldn’t be strained by their numbers.
This was wise thinking and necessary to maintain and increase their numbers. On this latest round of visits to their many Colonies, they had found much the same on every world. And once this meeting with the Chief was over she would gather her team and they would leave to go back home to report on the successes of their surviving Colonies.
At the knock on the door to the cottage she had been given when they arrived, she called for the Chief to enter. He did so and she looked him up and down and decided she liked what she saw. Tall and well made, he was in his prime but was already showing signs of age with silver beginning to streak its way through his dark hair and the crows feet at the corners of deep blue eyes that looked more accustomed to laughter than sorrow.
“Cordell, I’m glad to see you and I appreciate you’ve taken time from your busy schedule to see me. I have some final instructions for you and some advice for your future that I hope you will heed.”
“I will listen, Commander, but I can’t promise I’ll heed them.” he said stiffly, obviously resenting the intrusion into the inner workings of his home. Though these people knew the history of who they were, where they had come from and why they were there, the succeeding generations were beginning to resent the intrusion of the “outsiders” who insisted on visiting and telling them what to do. None were alive now who had firsthand knowledge of their ancient mother-world.
“I’m not your enemy, Chieftain. My only advice to you is to disconnect the portal but don’t destroy it. It could prove an invaluable power source for you in the future. Refurbish it and keep it as a backup, but not as a central power source. You have all under control here and you've looked to the future, which will serve you well. I only suggest this as none can foretell the future and you might need to keep your options open.”
The Chief looked nonplussed for a moment and then answered, “This is surprising, coming from you. Your team doesn’t share your views.”
“Yes, I know. Which is why I asked to speak to you in private. They wish to make frequent visits to check on your progress and interfere in your decisions. I don’t agree.”
“So what would you have me do?”
“Nothing. And by that I mean don’t share what I’ve told you with any but those you trust. Once the portal is disconnected most of your technology will cease. None of your settlement will be able to contact us again and that is for the best. You must develop on your own now. I’ve decided it is time to cut the apron strings, so to speak.”
“There will be panic among my people.”
“Will there? Most don’t use the technology now. What would really change except the option of using it?”
“I understand. I’ll tell them you are pleased with our progress and now trust us to make our own way.”
“Which is perfect, for it is the truth.” And the two clasped hands in a firm grip meeting one another’s eyes in understanding.
~0~
Vallis was doing her best not to roll her eyes at her colleague as he went on for the third time about introducing hydroponics to D-3.
“For the last time, Thorne, we agreed that D-3 was to develop without excessive tech. The colonies of D-4 through D-8 have hydroponics and their food production actually dropped by a quarter. If it drops further they will be in real danger of a famine since their populations are all increasing. We need to see how these worlds will develop if left to their own devices and not dependent upon us.”
“I would think you of all people would be for any edge we could provide them to better help in their survival.” he said irritably.
“What better way to insure their survival if they can survive on their own without us? What happens over the years when their star sends out solar flares? What happens if a nearby star novas and sends out a massive EMP? Then all the tech they are dependent on is gone and they have no clue how to survive on their own. No! We have several that we have provided tech to and we will check on their progress while we nudge them towards doing without it and some we must leave without it altogether. This is one we have to leave alone. Relax. They are doing fine. They thrive.”
“If you say so. You are in charge. But when I file my report I’m going to issue my recommendation that we provide tech to all our colonies. We need to ensure their survival and throwing them out into the cold universe with no advantages to assist them does nothing to ensure their survival.”
“You must do what you believe is best. I’ll certainly not stop you.”
They were walking towards their portal pad and took their places where their DNA had been stored in case of a catastrophic failure so they could be reconstituted on the other end. Their new bodies would be absent their memories of their last mission but it was the only failsafe they had so their specific scientific knowledge wouldn’t be lost. Vallis checked to make sure everybody on her team was where they were supposed to be and then activated their generator crystals to set their coordinates back to their home world.
They had been on a mission to check on their colonies’ progress and D-3 had been their last. They had twelve colonies and though D-3 had been one of their earliest colonies, it was the furthest away from their home world. In the beginning they had thought the further the better, but towards the end had set up colonies within their own solar system close to their home-world as they became more proficient at terra-forming. Therefore, two of their final colonies were actually their closest.
As Vallis activated the Homing Crystal, they began their trip back through the portal gates that would see them home. It was a dizzying trip at light speed where stars looked like blurred pinpoints of light and the trip felt and looked like a child’s kaleidoscope. The first time they had attempted to use the gates extreme motion sickness had occurred and they had thought the whole a failure.
But Vallis knew it was the only way they could safely navigate their Galaxy and as a Biologist she was sure the effects could be gotten used to. If not, then an INB, or Involuntary Nervous-System Blocker, would have to be developed. But in the end, her first hypothesis proved to be the accurate one. It was simply something they had to get used to and the newbies violent retching after their first trip became something of an initiation into a very exclusive club!
Suddenly, Vallis felt a tug and then slackening and she knew something was wrong with the power stream. Shit! That idiot chieftain hadn’t waited to disconnect the power core and it had snipped their slipstream and they would quickly lose the velocity they needed to complete their journey. Worse case scenario was they would slow to the point that they lose their friction shielding and would end up floating, frozen corpses in deep space.
Vallis wasn’t only their biologist, she was their engineer and one of those who had built their portal gates across their Galaxy. She knew they had one chance and she took it. She quickly did the math to locate the nearest RW-Class planet with a nitrogen-oxygen rich atmosphere that was within their acceptable parameters and landed them there so she could reset their coordinates.
They landed hard, but all members of her team appeared undamaged by their sudden stop. Vallis got up and quickly checked their surroundings. They were within a forest glade and she counted her lucky stars they hadn’t landed in a more hostile environment. Then a projectile struck the ground not a meter away from where she was standing. Shit! Correction, this world was inhabited by hostiles!
She quickly ordered her team to take their places so she could send them on their way. They obeyed her without question and she quickly activated her Beacon Crystal for their home-world and removed it from her wrist, as a power source would be needed. Stepping away from her team she threw it into their midst just as they disappeared leaving her stranded. Forever.
It was the only way she could have saved them and she did so without a second thought. All team commanders knew the risks when they accepted command. All had to be prepared to make this sacrifice if the circumstances demanded it to ensure the safety of their teams.
Once alone she held up her hands in a sign of submission and just as she thought she was quickly surrounded by the indigenous people who seemed to be primitives all holding bows with their projectiles pointed at her. If she had been an anthropologist she might have admired their beauty, but as she was a biologist all she saw was bipeds that seemed to resemble her own species in face and form.
Except their ears. These had delicately pointed ears and she briefly wondered if it was simply aesthetic or if this permutation had developed to assist them in their survival in some way. Their eyes also seemed backlit and she wondered at that. Night vision, perhaps?
If she had time to study them she would be fascinated by the slight differences she found. But she wasn’t here to study them and she most certainly was in danger of becoming damaged if she gave them reason to believe she was belligerent and meant them harm.
One stepped forward and began speaking to her quickly in a language she couldn’t find the roots for. She was a gifted linguist and was at a loss to pick out the common thread that all languages shared.
“I’m sorry. I don’t speak your language.”
“Ah. You speak common. Very well. Who are you and what are you doing in our forest, human?”
She was so astonished she just gaped at him for a moment. He had spoken her language flawlessly and somewhat sneeringly, like he was addressing an subspecies of inferior genus.
“You may call me Vallis and I’m not from this world. My team and I landed here by accident and I just sent them on their way. I mean you no harm.”
“And why didn’t you go with them?”
But before she could answer an arrow pierced her throat. Irritated she pulled the wicked barb out and knew it would be several hours before she’d be able to speak again. But right now all pandemonium had broken loose. Creatures that were foul and misshapen began to stream out of the woods and her captors were soon under siege.
She wished to be away from this place, but since she was stuck here she decided to help her captors. They, at least, had spoken to her and hadn’t just shot her even though they’d given a warning shot. She brought out one of her crystals and held it up and gathered the forces she could feel in the atmosphere here. It was a different type of energy than she was used to, but energy was energy and she began directing it at the foul beasts.
It took her a couple of tries before she was able to harness what energy she could feel around her, but once she did the crystal acted as a magnifying glass for those energies and she was able to direct a thin beam of light wherever she willed it. The light acted as a laser and she vivisected several of them, separating their heads from their bodies before they caught on that it was she who was killing them and they gathered together to charge her.
This actually worked to her advantage as she directed the beam at their entire group and in a matter of moments had reduced them to their twitching parts, their nervous systems not realizing they were dead yet. Then she noticed there were several of her captors who looked to have been wounded in their skirmish with the beasts.
Though, since they had been armoured and carried weapons, perhaps she was being unfair in characterizing them as animals. Animals didn’t arm themselves. Whatever these things were, they might have been primitive and they had been aggressive. Another trait most beasts didn’t have. Beasts only became aggressive if their food supply, territory or young were threatened.
She put away the crystal she’d used as a weapon focus and brought out another she used to heal. She went to the first, the one who had spoken to her and she began to close up the wounds she found upon his body. She noticed that there was a viscous black substance within several of his wounds and she determined they must be toxic, judging by his pallor and the nausea she could see he was now experiencing.
She then used the Psychokinesis all her people had and began to separate the viscous material from his skin tissues and blood. Having gotten the feel of it she then drew it all out his wounds and then she closed them up without leaving so much as a scar on his skin.
Once she was satisfied he would recover, she went on to the next and then the next. As she finished with the last she got up to see to the next one and saw they had all been dealt with. She then pocketed her crystal and waited for them to decide what they were going to do with her. She hoped they wouldn’t make the decision to damage her. It was time consuming and inconvenient to heal from those wounds.
The one who had first approached her, approached her again and this time gave her a slight head bow.
“You saved my life. I thank you for it. Unfortunately our law states that all trespassers must be brought to our King. So I must ask you to accompany us and please don’t try to escape. I would hate to repay your services to me by having to kill you.” He said this with a sardonic smirk and she wondered at his odd sense of humor.
She had told him she was from another world. Either he thought her a liar or suicidal. After all, she was a stranger here. Where in the world would she go? So she merely nodded her assent quirking a brow at him, her own eyes lit with amusement and he gave her a strange look. And that's when she noticed for the first time that their eyes were more than back-lit.
Having indicated she would accompany them, they blindfolded her and she felt it when they took her crystals from her and she sighed. She would need to get those back! Then they began to lead her to wherever they were going.
She was still able to detect the direction from the scent of the woods and the position of the sun upon her skin as they would emerge from time to time out from under the canopy. At least they hadn’t bound her hands and from time to time they would guide her around an obstacle or they would pick her up and pass her to one of their fellows if the obstacle was too large for her to navigate on her own without sight. She was rather surprised at the gentle treatment of her. They didn’t roughly manhandle her at all. Well, they weren’t barbarians, then!
As they walked she began to hear a river in the distance. It was towards the water that they were heading. Then she felt a difference in the ground. Not the forest floor and she deduced they were crossing a bridge as she heard the water rushing loudly under her. Then she felt the pressure on her ears change. They were inside a structure but she felt as though they were underground. A cave, perhaps? Except it didn’t smell of damp or mildew.
Then she was brought to a halt and that quick lilting speech was spoken again only this time she could pick out some root words. Root words, those used most often in a language, were the key to learning it. But this language had many sounds that she suspected changed the meaning of words.
The structure seemed simple enough, but words that sounded the same were pronounced with slight irregularity and she knew this meant something. Either it was very complicated or she was missing something quite simple and would probably kick herself over the omission later on.
Suddenly the blindfold was removed and she was very surprised at her surroundings. She was in a large and well lit cavern and the natural columns were all carved into the shapes of trees. There were natural arching walkways that went up dozens of stories and in front of her was a raised dais that had stairs leading up to a platform and then more stairs that led up to a throne. It all looked free-form, as though it was floating with no supports and she recognized master craftsmanship had constructed this place using advanced building techniques. Perhaps not so primitive after all.
Then she zeroed in on the one who sat in the throne and she realized this must be their leader. Their King. And by the looks of him, a most formidable specimen. And what a magnificent specimen he was!