No child ever plans for where they will be when they grow up. We just dream our dreams, read our stories and get on with the important business of growing up. Subconsciously, the dreams we have and the ideas we read (or have read to us) imprint themselves and mold the person we become.
So it was with me. Born to a diplomat's family, I always accepted the fact that humanity was not alone in the galaxy. The Arcean and Drengin were there because my parents said so. The Altarian's mysteriously looked like us, but that never concerned me. It was always the stories of the Precursors that filled my dreams. I would day dream for hours about what they looked like, what they felt and how one day I would get to discover information about them that no one else had ever done.
My mother would look in her own disaproving way, as my father filled my impressionable ears with stories of Dragons who could do magic, machines that required food just like us, insectoid hive minds and the such. And most importantly, how scattered through space were these mysterious artifacts, created by the precursors. Theories of who they were and what happened to them filled my sleep.
As I entered my teenage years, the dreams remained. But I was older, without as much time to spend dreaming the day away. My education was happening to me, and I learned all the knowledge a modern human in the 23rd century needed to know. It was always history that interested me, reading about what had happened. In those moments I was transported back to my youth, as no dry text can explain why the Romans decided to rule the world, or why the Mongols chose to stop their westward push and instead concentrate on the invasion of China. I would dream about the motivations, the thoughts, the dreams of those ancient men, and for a time was transported from the present.
Then the hyperdrive revolution happened. For me, it was a giant change. With the shutting of normal communications with our alien friends, their only career choice was to join the new Federation Explorers Branch. There they would help to discover what the galaxy held. Although I begged them to take me with them to help discover new and intelligent life, I was left to my education. For most students at my school, there was no difference in their lives. Sure, there was no longer direct communication with many of our erstwhile star-faring companions, but what did that matter compared to our compulsory tests on the possessive verbs next week with that ogre Mrs Tanaka?
The news was dominated by the stories of our colonies, as the government looked to make up for their mistake (or so it was called) in giving other races hyperdrive prematurely by expanding our influence in the galaxy. That was until the defining moment of my life, when a ship of unknown organic design appeared in Geo-synchronous orbit and opened contact with our race.
The Iconians had ended their eons old exile from galactic events, and my life would never be the same.
Thanks to all those who write these AARs and have inspired me to write this. I hope you like it, and most imporantly I hope I finish writing it It is based loosely on a game, which I have yet to finish so this story has a way to go yet.
Certainly sounds good so far Muuurgh-great start!!
In total agreement with mambaman..most excellent.
Fantastic opener, Muuurgh.
Loving the perspective, too. Inetresting using a newbie diplomat as your viewpoint character--wonder if his idealism will stand up in the harsh galaxy he lives in.
The Iconian's turning up un-announced on our door step changed the Earth Federation outlook. Previously, the Earth Federation had been exploring and colonising within our star cluster with impunity. The nearest Drengin outpost was in the midst of turmoil as the Korath clan staged a coup while the Drengin leadership were expanding closer to home. The Iconian's appearance meant the race was on. Over the next few months, the Iconian Empire claimed many worlds, more then both us and the Drengin combined. Their appearance was not co-incidental, it was a statement advising they had arrived back in the galaxy, ready to stamp their authority.
Many people were worried, but I viewed the tenuous trade links with unbridled curiosity. As more became known, the fact that the Iconian's had known the Precursor's was all that mattered. There were rumours that they had the knowledge to activate many of the artifacts left behind. My younger self's fascination with the Precursor's had returned, and I threw myself into my studies, in particular Xeno History. My parents assured me it was the best way to gain entry into the Federation Diplomatic branch.
As trade became more established, and embassies exchanged, the general populace returned to their internal worries. People accepted the Iconian entry into galactic affairs as people accept what they can't control. Externally, the government was all friendly, and treated the Iconian ambassador with utmost respect. Privately, as my parents confided in me on their rare trips home, the government was worried about the extent of their local influence. Along with Xeno History, I started to study Xeno Cultural trends, and understanding how other races thought. More often then not Alien motivations were just that, alien, but every now and then I thought I glimpsed an understanding of their way of thinking. The heights they had fallen from, and the havoc wreaked on them by their creations were ancient history but still informed Iconian decision making. A truly ancient race, the sudden change in power in the galaxy had not found them wanting. The more I studied from the small bits of information supplied, the more I glimpsed that with their history and knowledge there was a deeper plan that had yet to be revealed.
I shared this with my parents, in the way that all obsessed people have a compulsion to share with everyone around them. Normally people would nod and smile, but my parents did more then that. One day there was a knock on the door, and a strange man entered our living room. Dressed in what even I knew was an expensive suit, and the sort of face that you instantly forgot I knew this wasn't a family friend paying a visit. My parents had shared my obsession, and my insights with their superiors. It turns out that my parents weren't explorers in the adventuring sense I always thought they were. The Federation Explorers Branch was a cover for the rumoured Xeno Intelligence Branch, and my parents were deeply involved. And now I was being made an offer to join them.
As the man sat in the visitors leather armchair, and with my parents on each side of me, he put his coffee down on the table and leaned forward to look me in the eye.
'Ian, what you are doing will ensure the future survival of our species. It's secret, hard, dirty, essential work. You, more then anyone else know what is out there. The Drengin want to enslave us. The Krynn jihad continues unabated on the opposite side of our local cluster. The Drath have their own agenda and who knows what the Thalan's are after. The Iconian's have a huge headstart on technology on all races, including us, that we have no hope of duplicating." He leaned back in his chair again with a creak from the well oiled leather. "That's where you, and others like you come in. We know they have the ability to use Precursor technology. If we can learn how they do this, and duplicate it, then the human race will be well placed to survive the current galactic turmoil."
My parents nodded in agreement with this, and my mother put a comforting hand on my knee.
"We know it's a hard decision," she said as I turned to look at her, " and there is no need to rush. We cant over-emphasise just how secretive the life is. Simply because we have been able to adapt to the life doesn't mean you will. It's hard, and it's not a decision you should rush into."
The unknown man outlined his offer at that point. "We have been offered by the Iconian Emperor a cultural exchange. They wish to know more about us, and obviously we want to know more about them. Initially we will be exchanging 50 students, to study with the Iconian's. They will be studying your every move trying to gain an advantage which they must not have. Once you return, you will be subjected to a very thorough debrief, and everything you learn no matter how minute will be examined to see what advantage we can gain."
Once again he leaned forward, and smiled an enigmatic smile. It didn't reach his eyes. "They have advised us that you will be studying within their library on the world of Weber V. The library is a fully functioning Precursor knowledge center. With your background knowledge, we hope you will be able to learn enough knowledge to activate the duplicate we have discovered on our colony of Atlantis. That duplicate is of course top secret. So, how do you feel about being a hero?"
Despite all the shocks and new forbidden knowledge that I had been privy to, this offer was something completely unexpected. A chance to study with the mysterious Iconian's, at an actual working Precursor artifact? I didn't know if I could say yes quickly enough.
An interesting story Muuurgh. You've choosen an unusual angle to tell the story from. Will be interested to see how this develops. Keep up the good work!
Yup agreed i am loving the angle-very innovative-let's see how our young spy gets on
Awesome!
The next month was a blur of activity. In addition to getting my studies to the level expected as an emissary, I was also being trained in my more clandestine activities. My dreams once more getting the better of me, I thought I'd be a junior agent and issued with all sorts of weird and wacky gadgets, with a security clearance to match. The reality was much different, and much much harder. In reality i was being trained to notice everything in a room in 1 glance. It's much harder then it sounds. Take a quick look out the window, and then remember how many trees there are. Little details like that were what I was being trained to notice. It was incredibly hard work, as the concentration needed was way beyond anything I had ever needed previously.
The cultural exchange wasn't common knowledge, so I couldn't confide in anybody about why I had become a recluse. My friends all thought I'd disappeared off the face of the planet, especially as I was forced to disconnect my accounts on the iWeb. Going from instant access to all information and friends, to none would normally have bothered me but I was too tired from all the work I was doing.
Finally, the day arrived. I was still being kept in the dark about the exact details, so when I jumped in the big black car (with my bag of essentials) I didn't know where I was going. My parents knew, as I sometimes caught them stopping a conversation guiltily whenever I entered the room. They had been given time off work to help prepare me for my adventure, which was partly because no-one (well, I didn't anyway) knew how long I would be gone for, and also allow them to give the live-in Housekeeper a holiday without appearing suspicious. Normally when they were both home Carl would be given time off with pay, so hopefully nothing would seem suspicious this time either.
My parents had made me wear my best formal clothes so I knew something was going to happen. When we arrived (I'm not sure how long it took as I fell asleep), we stepped out of the car into the underground garage. Surrounded by expensive cars, I was instantly on my best behaviour. Stepping into the very fast lift, we were whisked up to where the others were waiting. The others were some of the 50 students and their parents. It looked like they had managed to obtain a very broad base of ethnic backgrounds. Living where we had I was used to seeing all sorts of ethnicity but even I was over-whelmed at the diversity at first. My parents introduced me to some of the other parents and their children, as it seemed like all the students were drawn from diplomatic families.
I hit if off with Paulo immediately. It seemed like he had the same upbringing as I did, along with the same fascinations about history and the precursors. In fact, as he and I did some mingling it appeared we all had been picked for that very same reason. As we shared theories and facts, more people kept showing up. More importantly, so did a buffet. Paulo and I wandered over to help ourselves. Spotting the last donut left (a lot of people were hungry) I moved closer to that side of the buffet but before I could reach for it another hand reached out and snagged it. A little annoyed, I turned to look at my competition for the sugary snack. She was about 20cm shorter then me, and already munching on her first bite. Strangely, she was wearing glasses, a rarity these days. As she noticed me standing there looking at her, she looked at me, at the donut and then back at me with an apologectic smile.
"Sorry, but it was just too good to resist! Kind of crazy all this stuff, huh?" she said with a european accent. She broke the donut in half and offered me some. "We can share it if you like?"
I reached out and took the donut from her. "Thanks, I need the sugar." I offered her my empty hand. "My name's Ian, what's yours?"
"Carla," she said as she shook my hand.
"I'm Ian, and this is Paulo". Before we could say much more we sensed a general change in the mood of the room, as everyone turned towards the stage. Up on stage was a figure we all recognised, Kazimer Hunchcliffe, President of the Earth federation. Once he was sure he had our attention, he started to speak.
"Welcome all our young students and their parents. I'd like to start by thanking you all for accepting our invitation to study with the Iconians ("like anyone said no" Paulo whispered to me, causing me to smile). This is a momentous occasion which will yield a greater understanding of the galaxy for both our races. You go with the envious gaze of all peoples within the Earth Federation at the honour you have been provided with, and no small amount of jealousy I'm sure! This is an occasion to get to know your fellow students, which I can see people have been taking advantage of. Please enjoy your time tonight before your journey begins tomorrow."
The rest of the evening was pretty much a blur of press photos, and talking to random people (including the President!) except for a brief visit from the unknown man. A brief, veiled reminder not to talk to other people about my secret mission, and he was gone again. After we received our briefings on where to be early tomorrow, my parents and I retired for the evening. They had enjoyed catching up with work colleagues but were as tired as I was. We went up to our expensive hotel rooms and crashed out. It felt like I had just put my head down when the alarm went off in the morning.
Heading down to breakfast, I was delighted to see Carla in the same lift as me, and we struck up more of a conversation on our way down. Paulo had managed to get a table and the 3 of us sat down. It looked like others were making their own little groups so we weren't bothered by anybody as we quickly wolfed down our food. Then it was a quick ride out to the train station in the limo, in a motorcade, and then on to the train to the spaceport. After our announcement to the world last night, there were huge crowds out that the police were struggling to hold back. They were well behaved, but every time I looked at the crowd I was blinded by the number of flashes going off.
It was peaceful at the spaceport, as all commercial flights had been cancelled. We were going to be travelling to Weber V via a human starship we had found out (to my disappointment) the previous evening, so we didn't need any special briefings on the use of alien technology. In the big departure hall, my bag was swiftly taken away and I was left talking awkwardly to my parents. My mother and father were both extremely proud that I had been picked and said yes, but like any parent they were worried about how I would cope. My mother made me promise to write at least once a week, despite my father reminding her that we didn't know if we could get messages off. It was around then that the enormity of what was happening hit me. We were the first humans to set foot on an alien controlled planet. We would be isolated within the culture with only our fellow students for company, with no guarantee of when we would be back. It was assumed it would be soon, but no one knew (and the Iconian's weren't telling) exactly. It was a giant step in our inter-racial relations, and the risks were deemed worth it. But standing there, not knowing when I would next see my parents or when I would next be home, I felt very small indeed.
Finally, the time came. Both my parents hugged me goodbye. My mother gave me one last order to write whenever possible. My father gave me his usual talk about being true to myself and not being bullied around.
"Remember that we love you son, no matter what happens or what you do," he told me, my mother nodding her agreement. "Nobody knows what to expect, but we know you can handle it. Most importantly, enjoy yourself!"
And with one last quick hurried goodbye hug that was it. Off to the spaceplane which would take us to the EFS Enterprise and so on to the Iconian world of Weber V and it's Precursor secrets.
Sorry it's quite so wordy, I didn't really expect that when I started. Hopefully I can get down to something more then setting the scene in the next installment. Thanks for the encouragement all!
Maybe someone will find it wordy, but personally I love these daily-activity description posts! Bring it on!
Consider me a fan, Muuurgh. This story is excellent and I can't wait to see how it develops.
You may consider me a fan also. And really, don't worry about the wordiness. You write very well Muuurgh, so the wordiness only provides more excellent story for your readers.
Yeah keep it up Muuurgh-good story this-how old is your protagonist?
Sorry for the delay in writing again, June has been a very busy month. Ian would be about 16 I reckon, between high school and university or a bit before (depending on which country you're in of course).
The trip on the EFS Enterprise was quite boring. After the initial excitement, the monotony of long distance travel set in. We formed our groups, Paulo and I sticking mainly to ourselves. Strategy games were common, in-between our mandatory history lessons. As representatives of mankind it was important that we knew where we had been as a race. The amount of history we managed to cram in was quite impressive, and filled some large gaps I didn't even know I had.
Finally, the day came when we arrived at Weber V. The viewing chamber was crowded, and not only with us students. This was the first time that an EFS ship had been in orbit around an Iconian world, and the off-duty crewmen were just as interested in what the world looked like. In the end, it was disappointing. The world was very similar to all other worlds, green land with blue seas. From this far out in orbit, there was no indication that this world was any different to any human planet.
Once the initial excitement of reaching our destination was over, I looked around and was pleased to see that Carla was a few people away. She was still enthralled by the sight of Weber V as I wormed my way through the crowd to her side. She gave me a quick smile as she noticed me standing there before her gaze was drawn back to the view.
"Getting nervous yet?" I asked her.
"No," she replied, "more excited then anything. Finally we'll have room to move!" Carla came from a wealthy family, and was used to a lot of space to roam. "But seeing Iconian's in person, that's what I'm really looking forward to!" she enthused.
"Absolutely, " I agreed. "Studying inside a Precursor library with the guardians of their legacy is worth a few days cooped up I reckon." She rolled her eyes at me. Over our infrequent meetings on the EFS Enterprise, I had bored her silly with my excited talk of Precursor's. Like all of us, she had been lucky to be the right age and with the right connections to be selected. However, it was only Paulo and I among us that shared the Precursor obsession. A few asked us for answers to questions they had about the Precursors. Mostly there was teasing, but Carla was always one of those who did it with good humour.
"You and your Precursors" she laughed. "Soon all your questions will be answered."
"Not soon enough for me." I replied. "Although, I have a lot of questions!"
An hour later, all us students were waiting at the airlock. We'd been told that an Iconian shuttle had been launched from the surface and was on its way to rendezvous with us, so it wasn't long until we would be planetside. The captain had just finished a very nervous address, admonishing us to be good little ambassadors in a very patronising way. I guess he didn't deal with teenagers very often. Just as he was finishing, there was a bang that seemed to come from outside. The captain listened to a brief report, and nodded to the guard near the airlock door. The security detail in their heavy armour took up a new level of alertness as the guard keyed in the release command for the door. The students seemed to all lean forward all of us hoping for a glimpse of an Iconian. A waft of different smelling air reached us.
Disappointingly, the only visible thing inside the airlock was a floating orb. That was until it moved forward under its own power. The security detail tracked it closely but it completely ignored them.
"Welcome to Weber V, part of the Iconian Empire, " came a voice from within the drone in perfect English. "All those who are transiting to the service please enter the airlock and proceed to the shuttle." And with that we tramped through the airlock and into the surprisingly spacious shuttle. There were plenty of seats, and we each found somewhere to sit with plenty of rooms for our bags. That left plenty of time for us to look around. At first glance there wasn't that much different to a human shuttle. On closer inspection, you could see the organic underpinnings. Everything was curved, and there were no visible joins. The sides of the shuttled sloped around, forming a sort of hemisphere except for the entry we came in through. The girders looked more like ribs, and there was a definite feeling that the ship was grown, rather then built. How much of that was down to my pre-conceived notions was something I would find out later.
Once the last student was on board, along with our single chaperone / government liaison, the drone rejoined us. It settled into the middle of the room and addressed us all
"Please make your selves comfortable. We will be down on Weber V shortly, where you will be settled in your accommodation before activities begin tomorrow. During the short flight I will not be available for communication. There are no windows. Thank you." And with that it settled into an alcove in the roof, and gave the impression (if a floating cylinder can) of lifelessness.
Paulo leaned over to whisper to me. "When do you think we'll see a real life Iconian?" he asked.
"There mustn't be much room on this shuttle," I replied. "Hopefully there will be one to meet us when we reach the surface."
The journey to the surface was very quick, and unnoticeable. The Iconian anti-gravity technology was rumoured to be much more advanced then ours, and this journey seemed to back that up if the drone hadn't already given the game away. Given what we had learned about Weber V we had imagined about an hour long trip. 20 minutes after the drone had entered its recess, it dropped back down.
"Please form an orderly queue. You will meet your supervisor shortly."
The airlock opened, and the drone floated out. Our liaison officer tried to ask the drone questions, but it ignored him and floated outside at its steady pace. With uncommon haste, I managed to be one of the first out, and took my first deep breath of non-Earth air. It smelled sweet, but not too dissimilar to Earth. Stretching to my full height for the first time in what felt like forever, I turned to follow the drone around the front of the shuttle and stopped abrubtly. Standing just in front was my first view of an Iconian. It was about human height and most was covered by a long robe. It's face was left uncovered, and was the strangest thing about it. It had a long head, and underneath it's mouth were what looked like tentacles, which moved in a manner similar to antennae. It was also a gray colour, which to human eyes looked unhealthy but which we had been assured was normal for an Iconian.
But that wasn't what drew my attention the most. Rising behind it, like a giant crystal was a building that could only be Precursor library. Looking like it had been pushed out of the ground at a 45 degree angle and made out of crystal, it was like nothing else I had ever seen. The sun was glistening off the edges, and it was a bluey-purple colour. It was the most beautiful building I had ever seen and I couldn't wait to get inside.
Awesome stuff.
Yes vety good-looking forward to more mr
Whatever happened to this story? It had a lot of promise.
I've wondered the same over many a long week General
Hey when are you going to continue your Origins story?
When Jordan's Revenge is finished (which will be soon). I posted a new chapter or two, go check them out.
Hi
This isn't forgotten about, I've just been very busy and something had to be postponed. I've decided to write this offline, and once it's finished post it up in fragments once a day/week. Sorry about that....
glad to hear it mr
Hey this story is pretty fine - give it some more time plz!
Where are you Muuuurhj?
I reckon I should start a movement for all of us who have started stories that have built quite a fan following to finish them-myself included
Offline writing isn't working, so I may as well just do it on here. You'd think being unemployed would make it easier, but no, it does not.
It turned out I would have to wait a while to get inside. We humans were to be housed in a custom built building, designed to human specifications. Although the difference in anatomy of our two species isn't huge, our social activities were, and therefore our housing needed to be designed with that in mind.
And no doubt a custom built building allowed for custom built spy equipment.
Once we had all exited the shuttle, a whole host of robots trundled or flew over and started tending to it. From close up, you could see just how alien it was. Being atmospheric, it was basically a giant wing, but that was where the similarities to a human ship ended. It looked organic, like it had been grown instead of being built. Instead of the sleek metal lines we were used to, it had a more dimpled look, and looked rock like. Once we were out and the airlock had closed, there were no visible holes in the surface. They just closed up as if they were never there. When a robot came up with what looked like a refuelling hose, the ship seemed to suck it in, rather then the robot attach it.
I had time to take all that in as my fellow passengers made their way towards our host, which was where our drone had floated towards. Once we got there, the Iconian drew out a slate and touched a button on it. A new voice emerged from the drone, which was now floating above the Iconian's left shoulder.
"Please follow this drone to your accommodation. Each of you has been assigned a room. More information will be forthcoming. Your belongings will follow shortly."
With that short pronouncement, the Iconian turned and glided away towards the library. With a reluctant glance at him gliding away, we followed the drone. Paulo had made his way next to me, and we chatted excitedly about the library which we were leaving behind, heading to our accommodation which had been hidden behind the now stationary shuttle.
"I told you it would be grown Ian," he crowed, in relation to the glittering purple library. "There's no way they could have built it. You saw the shuttle! Obviously grown," he concluded triumphantly, continuing our argument from the journey. Given the proliferation of Precursor Libraries on Iconian worlds, it was a common theory that the Iconian's had a way of building them. Our debate had raged over whether they were built, as the Iconian's were known to use robots for most common tasks; or grown, given the organic nature of their ships. It looked like I'd picked the wrong side.
"I think you're right Paulo. Still, how do they get the knowledge from one library to another? Something that complex can't just remember everything as a racial memory!" I was sticking to my central argument about why it had to be built. We continued like that, going over our points like we had on the voyage until Carla interrupted us.
"You're both right," she said. "Or at least, your two positions aren't mutually exclusive. Genetic engineering at a level we don't understand?" she suggested. I shared a look with Paulo, and we happily took the chance to try out our arguments on a new person as we followed the drone.
---
After settling into our accommodation, our lessons were to start the next day. Each of us had our own drone, but unlike the one we had become familiar with on the flight ours were ground-based. They balanced on a single ball, and seemed a lot slower in their thinking then the original Iconian drone.
If we thought we were going to get in the library on the first day, we were mistaken. The Iconian was waiting for us in the central section of our housing, which after breakfast had morphed into a semi-circular lecture hall. Once again it was holding a data slate, and waited until we were all sitting before pressing a button on the slate. The hovering drone, once again above his left shoulder, spoke for him.
"Please take the headphone from your personal assistant, and we can begin".
Our 'personal assistants' turned out to be the drones that we had in our rooms. They had followed us out of our rooms, getting in the way and underfoot all morning. When we had sat down, they had powered there way over to their assigned person. Sometimes over the feet of people who weren't quick enough to get out of the way. Now, a small drawer had opened in each, and inside was what looked like a pebble. Paulo and I exchanged glances.
"Is that the headphone?" he whispered to me. I looked down at the Iconian, who appeared to be still waiting patiently.
"It must be," I replied, "but I don't see how it's going to stay in the ear."
A quick glance around showed that everyone else was still at a loss as to what to do. At that point I remembered how integrated the Iconian's had made themselves with technology, and took a closer look at the pebble. Sure enough, after picking it up it looked more like a cone. Hoping I was right, and trying not to look too foolish (especially in front of Carla, who I noticed was looking my way), I inserted the cone point first into my ear.
At first nothing happened. Then I could feel it expanding to fill my ear canal. It didn't hurt, but it was very weird. Once it was fitting snugly, a voice spoke and said "Communicator Active" in a neutral tone. Paulo was looking at me to see what had happened. After a momentary loss of hearing from that ear, everything seemed to be back to normal.
"It doesn't seem to have done anything" I shrugged. I pressed against my ear to try to take it out, but the voice came back on.
"Please leave the communicator in the ear until lesson conclusion."
Judging by Paulo's blank look, he hadn't heard anything, which meant that the thing in my ear had spoken directly to me.
"Paulo, I think their translation algorithms need some work. This is the 'headphone'," I told him, pointing at his own pebble/cone.
Around the class, everyone else was starting to fit the little cones into their ears. I noticed that Carla already had done so, probably after watching me. In short order, they were all in. And the Iconian began to speak. At least, we started to hear him speak, as suddenly a new voice came on and it appeared to be coming from his direction.
"Welcome to Weber V, children of men. We have asked you here in peace, to enable talk between our two mighty races. We are the most ancient race in the known galaxy, and holders of the legacy of the mighty Arnor. Humans are new, brash, and resourceful. Like the Arnor before us, we intend to raise the younger races to their rightful positions in the galaxy, without committing the same mistakes."
Paulo leaned across to whisper to me, "Is he referring to the Yor?" My answer was interrupted by the voice from the front.
"Yes master Paulo," he said, looking directly at my friend, "I am referring to the Yor. Here on Weber V we will teach you this history of the Galaxy, as we know it, so you can return to your people and spread knowledge. The Yor were changed, and have one purpose in their single-minded intelligence. The wiping out of all organic life. With human help, this can be prevented. But that is not the start of the path, that is the goal. The start of the path is learning about our culture. Ask questions if you must."
And with that, our lessons began.
Awesome! Getting really interesting now.
The amount of history the Iconian's knew was astounding, and confirmed as many of my personal theories as they disproved. I wondered just how much information they were getting from us back on Earth with their own exchange group.
Sadly though, most of the class didn't share the love of history that I did, and we got sidetracked on talking about cultural practises, how many Iconian's per planet, etc. The way of teaching was different to how we were used to, the Iconian would start a conversation, and then expect us to ask questions and debate amongst ourselves, coming up and proving theories based on what we knew. It was a tiring way of thinking, as most of us were used to regurgitating what we had been told. Nevertheless, a surprisingly large amount of information was built up, and the debates were certainly lively. There was one particular debate where I almost ended up yelling at Paulo, as we had different theories of how Toria had won its freedom from the Drengin. The master Iconian set us straight, and of course neither of us was right.
The debating was very tiring though, and at the end of the 3 hour lesson, most of us were hungry and tired. Getting the "headphone" out of our ears was harder then getting it in. It was removed from our ears by thinking it out, a process that was rather difficult in our tired states. The master (as we'd taken to calling it) had explained the process as simply willing it out, but the process itself wasn't that simple. It required concentrating on your ear, and imagining it clear, while not thinking about the headphone. I was pleased to see I was the first person to get theirs out, and spent a couple of seconds laughing silently at the look on Paulo's face before telling him the trick I'd learned. After we'd all managed to remove them (most with great difficulty) the master left, the hall transformed into a cafeteria of sorts as it had for breakfast and we students sat down and talked about what we had learnt over lunch.
"So the Iconian's know the Yor want to wipe them out, but instead of hiding are out in the open. Strange," Paulo said to Carla and I, as we ate some sort of fruit saled.
"Not so strange," she replied. "The Yor have hyperdrive as well, so eventually they'll find the Iconian's again."
"Exactly," I agreed. "They don't yet have the range, but the Iconian's will need to form defences to cope with the inevitable attack, so they need more of an economy then one planet can provide."
"I don't think that's all," Carla said thoughtfully. I looked at her, waiting for her to finish the thought. "The Yor were able to wipe out the Iconian's on Iconia due to their larger numbers. With their own planet, and superior technology, wouldn't they be able to defeat them easily now the element of surprise has gone?"
"What else would they need an Empire for then?" I asked her. We three looked at each other, and wondered what other reason there could be to colonise so many planets for such an old race.
After lunch, we were left to our own devices. Most of us sat around in small groups, intermingling, talking about stuff we'd learned and coming up with new theories and questions to ask the master. Always inside though, as the doors to the outside were constantly locked.
And that was how the next few days were spent. Although we seemed to be learning a lot, I was sure that the Iconian's were learning more. The structure of the lesson was always controlled by the master, who despite some off translations always steered conversation towards, or away from certain areas. I spent some time trying to figure out if there was a pattern, but I was always so tired in the afternoon that I usually gave up after a couple of minutes. We just didn't know enough about them to speculate.
One area I wanted to know more about was how the master controlled all the various devices in the room, but that was one of the topics he wouldn't discuss, always changing to something else that other people in the room wanted to discuss, almost as if he was psychic.
On the fifth morning after we arrived though, we weren't to have a lesson. Instead of the hall being re-arranged for the lesson, the master asked us to follow him, and didn't respond to questions. He led us out into the open air. The sun was hidden behind an overcast sky today, and the ground was slippery as if it had just rained. The master ignored our questions, and simply led the procession of students and robots around the building. My excitement started to grow, maybe we'd get to see the Precursor Library again? I hustled my way to the front of the queue, leaving my usual companion of Paulo behind. My legs were slightly longer then his so I could take longer strides. That, and my parents had made sure I had sensible shoes with a decent grip, which were proving very useful on the slippery ground. Not everyone had had the foresight to pack such shoes, so I managed to reach the front very easily.
Then we turned the corner, and I had been correct. The Library was just as impressive as I remembered it. It wasn't as bright since the sun was hidden, but that allowed more depth to be seen in the crystals. We couldn't see very far inside, but there appeared to be some sort of structure, as there were shadows inside. My drone bumped into me as I'd stop to gaze in awe, and I quickly hurried along, following the master who was now heading directly towards the Library. The drone beeped at me, and I could see it was holding out the translator device, which I hurriedly stuffed in my ear. A quick glance behind me showed me that everyone was doing the same thing.
"Today we have a different lesson," the master's voice said. "Instead of debating amongst yourselves to find the truth, we are going to observe an event and then discuss the whys of the event and discover the truth that way." After telling us this, he kept quiet and continued to lead us on. I paused to wait for Paulo to catch up. Even from at the front I could see he was at least as excited as me.
"Finally!" I said to him, as we continued walking together. "Now we can find out what's inside."
"It's going to prove me right, you know," he said in reference to our earlier arguments about whether it had been grown or manufactured.
"Paulo, today I don't care who's right, I just want to see it," I said, almost skipping with joy. The grey clouds overheard didn't seem to dampen the mood of the day down at all. Lost in my own imagination, I missed the master entering the building at a doorway that had appeared in the side of the building. The inside was lit dimly with a reddish light, as if to preserve night vision, and was a stark contrast to the bluey-purple Library walls.
This was what I had been waiting for ever since the anonymous man had come to our house. Taking a deep breath, I followed the others inside the doorway, inside the Precursor Library.
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