Kaleidoscope of Space
Alara stood at the viewing port, staring out into the swirling kaleidoscope of colors and shapes that made up the space between universes. As a transdimensional explorer for the Nexus Federation, she had traversed more realms and dimensions than she could count, but the sheer alien beauty of the interversal voids never failed to leave her in awe.
"Prepare for transition," came the voice of her co-pilot Zirda over the intercom. "We'll be exiting the interdimensional drift in approximately five hundred teks."
Alara braced herself as the ship began to shudder, the colors outside coalescing into bands of coherent light and form. With a final, gut-wrenching lurch, the explorer vessel Curiata slipped through the dimensional membrane, emerging into a new universe.
The starfield that surrounded them was dense and utterly unfamiliar. Crimson giants burned alongside clouds of emerald plasma, casting an eerie multi-hued glow over the ship's hull. Alara checked the readings - it was like nothing they had ever encountered before.
"Successful transition," announced Zirda. "But these star patterns don't match any constellation data in the registry. I'm not even detecting a proper galactic structure - it's like a stellar swap meet out there!"
"Uncharted space then," said Alara with a smile, her practiced eyes searching for any potential planets or cosmic phenomena of interest. "You know what that means..."
"Yes, the first planetfall and preliminary survey fall to you as mission commander," replied the Velari pilot with a hint of resignation. "I'll begin biotelemetry sweeps to assess atmospheric viability and zero in on candidate systems for exploration."
Exploration and discovery were what called to Alara, that driving need to uncover the secrets of the cosmos one universe at a time. She could have had a cushy research position at the prestigious Nexus University back in her home realm, but ever since she was a child spinning bedtime tales of fantastical worlds and brave starfarers, she knew her destiny lay among the untraveled angles of existence.
The biotelemetry scans lasted for several grueling cycles, silence broken only by Zirda's running calculations and the reassuring thrum of the hyperdrive core. At last, a tone sounded from the ops console.
"I'm detecting an Earthlike terrestrial world in the third meteor shell of that praxis nebula," Zirda's voice sounded tinged with a mixture of weariness and triumph. "Rotational period, axial tilt, and orbital radius all appear optimal to support carbon-based life according to Nexus Standard models."
"Sounds promising," Alara replied, sliding into the pilot's crash couch and initiating pre-landing system checks. "Plot a course and let's hope the universe has rolled out the welcome mat for us."
The Curiata angled towards the green-and-blue world, decelerating hard as it passed through the outer layers of the planet's atmosphere. Flames licked at the reinforced ceramite hull as they plunged deeper, finally cresting above a vast ocean dappled with scattered island chains.
Rivers carved deep verdant valleys between rugged upland regions while glacial sheets crowned ranges of snow-topped peaks. Alien cloud formations, a kaleidoscope of oranges and purples, churned overhead. To Alara's critical gaze, it looked like an only slightly askew version of a typical Terran wilderness region, perfect for recon and analysis.
The Curiata set down on a plateau near the edge of a tranquil freshwater lake, extending landing struts to secure itself on the firm, loamy soil. Zirda ran a battery of scans from the bridge while Alara checked her recon pack, secured her sidearm, and prepared the exit cycler for an initial planetary sojourn.
Emerging from the ship into the crisp, pine-scented air, Alara immediately raised her multi-spectrum binoculars and began sweeping the area. Insectoid lifeforms not unlike Terrestrial arthropods flitted amongst towering fernlike fronds that swayed in the breeze. A pair of fist-sized avians with iridescent feathers whirred past in a blur of motion.
She started taking composcans of the flora and fauna, downloading each imaging cycle into her survey logs for comparison with the expedition's xenological database. Hours passed in quiet study, until a motion on the shoreline caught her eye – something larger was moving there, disturbing the shallows as it drank from the lake's edge.
Lowering her macrospect imager, Alara stared in disbelief. The lifeform looked not unlike descriptions and fossils of primordial Earth's mammalian megafauna – a huge, shaggy quadruped covered in a thick russet pelt, tusked jaw gaping wide as it slurped down mouthfuls of water.
Galactic theory suggested higher cognitive phylogeneses couldn't realistically co-exist alongside such gargantuan megabeasts on most resource-constrained bioworlds. But this universe seemed to defy conventional xenoevolutionary models at every turn.
The creature lumbered further down the lakeshore, each footfall shaking the ground with a resonant thud, until it disappeared beyond a clump of towering bracken-like trees. Gathering her gear, Alara decided to follow – such a notable discovery warranted further reconnaissance.
She kept her path parallel to the shoreline, relying on the terrestrial mapping grid set up by the Curiata's positional data suite to track her route and avoid getting turned around in the dense alien foliage. Scans of the massive beast's footprints suggested it was traveling in a generally southern bearing, crashing through low-lying shrub formations and leaving a trail of flattened underbrush in its wake.
By midday, she began picking up anomalous energy signatures through her multi-vis imager – heat differentials and faint electromagnetic spikes flanking the lake to the south. Could those be evidence of tool use or even a primitive habitation site? She picked up her pace as much as circumstances would allow.
It wasn't long before the trees opened up onto another valley, one dominated by the shards of some immense broken structure jutting from the ground at dizzying angles. Alara felt her breath catch in her throat as she took in the sprawling architectural remains – it was unmistakably artificial, too mathematically complex to have occurred naturally even on this geometrically unique world.
The power signatures grew stronger as she approached one of the larger fragments. Through an archway of strangely iridescent material, a crude settlement could be glimpsed, ramshackle dwellings formed by lashing together woven organic materials from the surrounding jungle.
And then movement from within – diminutive, bipedal figures shuffling warily in her direction! They were primitives, clearly at a stage of development that should not possess any understanding of structured metalwork, yet here evidence of an ancient supercivilization stood in open view. Undiscovered ruins like these held countless secrets to unravel, if she could earn their trust and begin the delicate work of cultural exchange.
Alara stood still so as not to seem threatening, then opened her arms wide in a gesture of greeting before calling out: "People of this world, I come in peace from beyond the–"
Her words cut off as the ground began to vibrate beneath her in steady pulses, dirt cascading from the broken ruins and cyclopean stone panels wobbling on their mounts. Something huge was approaching rapidly.
A moment later the largest example of the lumbering mammalian megafauna burst into view, crashing through the tree-line at a shocking pace. Its tiny eyes burned with rage, nostrils flaring as it scented the air.
The primitive villagers scattered in terror, disappearing back into the recesses of the ruins and their crude huts. Swinging its gigantic horned skull towards Alara, the beast bellowed with earth-shaking force, tons of muscle and ivory-plated bone hurtling in her direction.
With no other choice, the explorer sprinted back towards the tree line, counting on the primordial beast's bulk to prevent it from turning sharply. Even so, it was gaining with every trampling step, feet splintering fallen logs with enough force to shatter bone.
Up ahead she spotted a jagged section of wall toppled on its side, just tall enough for her to scramble over if she could reach it! Her armored boots pounded into the soft loam as Alara willed every ounce of speed from her body, feeling the ground quake in time with the behemoth thundering behind her.
She leaped at the last second, tumbling over the lip of the barrier even as a sweeping blow from the rampaging beast's tusks passed through the space her torso had occupied an instant before.
Here is a continuation of the story:
Alara scrambled backwards, putting some distance between herself and the enraged megafauna that glared at her from the other side of the ruined wall segment. Its beady eyes still burned with primal fury, but it seemed to recognize the obstacle as impassable for the moment.
The creature snorted, clouds of vapor jetting from its flared nostrils. Then, with a toss of its massive horned skull, it turned and lumbered away, back towards the makeshift village at the heart of the cyclopean ruins.
Shaken but unhurt, Alara took stock of her surroundings. She appeared to be in some kind of antechamber or plaza, the toppled wall section formerly part of a much larger building or structure that had long since been reduced to rubble.
All around, chunks of the same iridescent metal-like material poked through the soil and lush vegetation like the half-buried bones of some fallen giant. Some pieces were etched with indecipherable geometries and esoteric symbols that made Alara's mind ache just to look at them. Even in their shattered state, these ruins radiated a sense of ineffable age and geometric perfection far beyond any existing technology.
One thing was certain - whatever civilization had constructed this place was incredibly advanced, almost supernaturally so. Yet the encroachment of the primordial jungle, along with the crude hut dwellings of the diminutive native inhabitants, hinted that unfathomable millennia had passed since this world's masters still walked its surface.
Curiosity rapidly overpowered Alara's lingering wariness. While the territorial behemoth lurked somewhere nearby, the primal villagers seemed too frightened to pose any real threat. If she could win their trust and learn more about this place, it could prove an archeological find of unprecedented significance.
Carefully picking her way through the rubble, she emerged into what had likely been some kind of grand courtyard or gathering space. The huts and rough scaffolding were clustered near the dead center, surrounded by towering megalithic blocks and pierced obelisks.
Fewer than two dozen of the primitive bipeds remained out in the open, casting furtive glances towards the newcomer from their shelters. They were short in stature, perhaps no more than five feet at the highest point of their elongated, angular skulls. Their hides bore an iridescent sheen shifting between shades of turquoise and plum, reminding Alara of the sleek carapaces of Alderavian marsh-dwellers.
Catching sight of her cautious approach, the villagers began a series of rapid clicking vocalizations unlike any Terran or known xenolanguage. Several clutched crudely fashioned stone tools, gripping them defensively.
Moving slowly so as not to provoke aggression, Alara activated her translation matrix, allowing it to cycle through analytic samplings of the alien tongue. Hopefully the diagnostic pulse-codes would establish a baseline grasp so she could begin simple dialogues.
After a few minutes, the disjointed clicking gave way to synthesized vocalization through her tuned comlink speaker.
"Flessssh-thing," came the guttural approximation in Common Galactic. "Why flessssh-thing here? Flessssh-thing not home-world, danger here! Flessssh-thing rissssk Herd-Death!"
The villagers cringed at the mention of the 'Herd-Death', indicating they feared the planet's megafauna fiercely. But at least basic communication was possible.
"People, please do not be afraid," Alara replied, her words translated into the wavering clicks and grinding acoustic elements of their native speech. "I am an explorer from another world, traveling to learn about the cosmos and share knowledge between realms."
She spread her empty hands to show she meant no harm. "Your ruined city is fascinating beyond measure. I would be overjoyed if you could share what you know of its history, of those who built this marvel in ages past."
The largest of the primitives, with mottled hide markings possibly denoting some chiefly status, cocked its skull quizzically before responding.
"Ever-Metal from Before-Before," it vocalized. "World was paradise for People until Herd-Death came."
It twisted one of its tri-jointed upper limbs towards the horizon, gesturing at sweeping vistas of tangled fungal jungles and violet-tinged canopy stretching in every direction.
"Ever-Metal brought Low Knowledge, opened path to High Knowledge. But only flickers remain. People hide in Old-Home, survive Endless-Circle turn."
From what little Alara could parse, these diminutive natives had once enjoyed some higher state of cultural or technological development, seemingly gifted to them by their world's progenitor race. Whatever cataclysmic circumstances had allowed these violent alpha megafauna to overrun the cities and eclipse that ancient 'High Knowledge' was lost in the mists of antiquity.