Chapter 1 (D2)

An alien Mothership has discovered Earth, a planet abundant with life, and home to a most fearsome predator.

As part of a little experiment, I will be posting Human (version 2) instead of editing chapters like normal. This is because below is a merged chapters one and two. This may end up occurring across the board and this feels like the best approach. If this does well enough, I may look at doing similar for the Fall Years. That way if you so wish, you can explore how the story has changed over evolved, kind of like how Sanderson published some of his drafts over the last couple of years. Though am I no Sanderson, I will do my best. So let’s begin again shall we.

A great blue and green jewel lay before them and unlike the other inhospitable-looking worlds the Zetans came across, this one looked far more inviting. Its distinct colour stood out against an imposing and endless black space. The Mothership’s life scans penetrated the atmosphere easily enough and showed a fertile but primitive world brimming with near-limitless potential. If anyone else from their society had come across it, it would have either been strip-mined or worse marked for farming, but as a team of researchers, this world offered a chance to study life in its more primitive state.

This was something they seldom had a chance to do. Most worlds they came across were barren, gaseous, or just unlivable, but this one existed in contrast to an otherwise empty, dead, and uncaring universe. Upon entering its orbit, the Mothership launched observation drones to all corners of the planet. Not long after this, they began broadcasting, and the ship soon started receiving footage of various environments across the planet’s surface, from arid deserts to frozen icecaps, open plains and lush woodland. Some drones kept to the skies, while others navigated their way through the maze of trees that also dotted the planet’s surface. The planet’s telemetry showed a world unique among the planets the Grey Zetans had encountered so far.

As for lifeforms, there was no shortage of wildlife, both big and small. Some, like the wooly mammoth, were impressive in stature with their brown fur covered bodies and massive tusks. These animals, while each unique, didn’t captivate the Greys compared to one particular group of Terranoid bipeds. These various pink, tanned, and darker-skinned beings also came in all shapes and sizes. Some of the smaller ones looked no less fearsome even when next to their larger and often hairier looking kin. These beings shared some traits with aliens from other worlds that they had seen in the past, and the Greys knew it would be unwise to take them lightly since compared to them, the average Grey was much smaller, while these aliens looked like fearsome giants.

The footage being transmitted to the Mothership showed not only their ferocity but their unique, cooperative nature. They hunted in packs to bring down bigger prey. Some drones even captured tribes engaging in trade and cooperation. These factors meant that they all agreed on one thing. It would mean trouble if these alien beings ever left the planet’s surface. Even the thought of these aliens becoming aware of them had some of the crew on edge. The ship’s Overseer Urlak’thul, who stood taller than most of the other more diminutive Grey Zetans, stood close to the reinforced window of the Command Centre. Behind him, his crew worked, giving him the chance to properly marvel at the enticing beauty before him.

From the window’s reflection, he caught sight of the much younger researcher, Mokvel, who had at one point been diligently cataloguing every single Terranoid as it was sighted on the drones. Now, he had been summoned before the Overseer and would be given the opportunity to lead a group to the planet’s surface. The thought of sending his people to the surface came with it a deep, nagging fear from within him of just what they might find on the surface. Would they be up to it? He had to hope so.

Urlak finally faced the researcher. “This world must remain off the official record, Mokvel. I fear it will incentivise the likes of the Blue Warbands to come here for the spoils if they catch word of yet more able-bodied hunters.”

“As you wish, Overseer, the data will remain inside our terminal network. Do you still wish to send a ground team to the planet’s surface?” Mokvel asked.

The words hung heavy in the air, and the Overseer rested their large hand on the glass that reflected both of their oval-shaped grey heads. “It’s a simple expedition. Nothing too attention-drawing or complex. You just need to extract a small amount of specimens, soil, and other organic samples. There should be in theory no reason to interact with these - what are we calling them, Terrans? Earthlings?”

“Terror... Terran sounds fitting, don’t you think?”

“Funny, Terra can also mean Life Mother.”

“And what if we have to deal with any number of them?” asked Mokvel.

“Do what you have to do, but I’d prefer if that was avoided. At all costs.”

“Understood. I will begin preparations for the expedition.”

Before the scientist could leave, the Overseer rested a hand on their shoulder. “I understand this will be your first away mission; do not disappoint me, Mokvel. Provided this all goes as planned, I will put your name forward for the Deep Space Expeditionary Project. There’s a greater unknown beyond this world with plenty more secrets yet undiscovered in this vast universe. As pretty as this jewel is, there are still many diamonds for us to uncover.”

He knew Mokvel knew that better than anyone, and that he wouldn’t pass up a chance to set foot on an alien planet. After all, he had yet even to leave the ship. This was as much a reward for his service so far as it was a mission to learn more about a brave new world.

---

The Mothership was a large silver saucer-shaped vessel that’s design allowed it to nearly blend into the background of space. Despite its size, it had only a few floors and each of them was divided into sections. Mokvel had long ago got used to navigating its various corridors and once he had passed some lesser workers and their associated support mechs, he soon reached this floor’s main hangar. Here, they maintained some of the ship’s utility craft, with most of them being used for expeditionary missions. While not strictly a combat-focused vessel, they had a few dozen trained pilots and a couple of rapid strike fighters, but the universe was often so quiet that most of these starfighters would never even see any use. A craft they did use often was the Expeditionary Saucer, which looked much like a smaller, more compact version of the Mothership. It could also double up as a forward outpost for longer away missions.

Mokvel, although excited, secretly hoped they wouldn’t be on the planet too long, since it simply presented too many dangers that even with all his calculations, there was still so much he could not account for, and that was without considering the threat posed by the Terrans themselves. After spending more than enough time watching them hunt, the last thing he wanted was to meet one in person. Unlike him, the Terrans seemed to revel in their capacity for physical violence, and appeared to take pride in feats of strength and even courage, but alongside that, there was cunning among hunters. They possessed a fierce intellect that wasn’t to be underestimated, it’s how they so often overcame their larger foes.

The Zetans’ only actual edge was their advanced weapons and technology. These primitives were still predators that could tear him and others apart limb from limb if they so pleased. Because of the present threat on the planet below, the Overseer had assigned his team of researchers, a group of protectors, to watch over their activities. It took a little longer for all the similar-looking greys to gather, but once they did, Mokvel had them all form a line.

“You have all been briefed on the mission ahead. It’s a rather simple one. The planet we now call Terra is host to rare organisms we wish to sample as part of an archival mission. We are there to extract samples that can be used in hydroponics or stored in our cryogenic banks. That means everything goes through decontamination, with no exceptions and no sneaking any easily lost lifeforms on board, no matter how large or small they may be. They could carry all manner of disease with them. It’s why we wear the spacesuits. Can anyone share what happened to the Expedition Group Ventori?”

The researchers and protectors looked at each other, confused until one researcher stepped forward and said, “A researcher brought aboard a Qellick rat from Yora V. And did not expose his new pet to standard decontamination protocols.”

“And what happened next?” Mokvel asked the researcher.

“The unaccounted-for rat escaped captivity and was never seen again.”

“And the crew?”

“All dead. They had succumbed to various unidentified diseases and—cannibalism. When the ship was eventually found, it served as an important reminder of why we must avoid cross-contamination at all costs. If you suppose a single rat can doom one vessel. Imagine what a higher being can do.”

“Exactly my point. On most worlds we’ve come across so far, life has barely started. But Terra is beyond that. The Terrans are larger, faster and more lethal in groups, meaning no researcher leaves the bubble alone. If you get caught out there, we are not coming back for you. Is that clear?”

The following clicks were all the indications he needed. The small crew soon boarded the circular vessel and once at their stations, the expeditionary craft engaged its engines and soon departed the Mothership. From where Mokvel now sat in his command chair, the sheer scale of the planet and its endless blue oceans led him to grip the chair. He knew the day would come for his first true deployment. He just never expected so much to be resting on it. As long as we leave the Terrans alone, they should not threaten us. We just need to log a couple of samples and catalogue some newer species. How hard can that be?