It was bound to happen and everyone knew it.
We would grow and spread out to meet another civilization.
It was a frightening time but trust developed quickly over a common motive.
Many thought it would be a violent clash for dominance over one another; what took place was the exact opposite.
Both civilizations rejoiced in discovering they were not alone in the universe. It marked the end of an array of struggles and was a great mile stone for both species.
Many generations of the merged civilizations existed and blended well to create a new species not too unlike either parent being.
These beings were humanoids with an advanced sense of smell, extensive memory and life time. We had of course developed our incredible sanitation practices especially in our medicine capabilities so wildly that death was something people began to keep at bay unless sentenced by unnatural causes. Though physically smaller than either ancestor, these creatures were very light and agile and naturally brilliant.
They needed more.
So both parent species faded into a new super-species of thirsty explorers. Hypersapiens.
Out of the solar systems we traveled, spreading across the galaxy with our mighty inventions using the very planets as our fuel.
More, we needed more.
Life was prosperous, but also adventurous. Exploration was the name of the game, the wealthy wanted to visit exotic places, to be among the first to walk them. This created an interesting job market and source of revenue. Then came a huge obstacle.
A third civilization is stumbled upon.
The new world’s dominant beings, if you could call them that, did not seem to share our ambition to expand outward. A strange race, these creatures lived with no apparent technology. No means of attack or defense. Structures were limited to dome-like homes with efficient means of recycling for stability, as well as scarce traces of ruins that could have once been grandiose.
They didn’t seem to be in awe of our arrival. We, even having been through this once before, were stricken with amazement. They did not resist our landing, nor pay attention to our trespasses. So there was an awkward peace that established itself, with no one attempting to take or build or give. They simply lived on the same planet.
The planet itself was a paradise, harboring lush forestry, clean oceans, clear rivers, vast pastures accompanied by wide rolling hills. The long mountain ranges, even at the peaks, showed that freezing temperatures were seldom seen and that water, along other natural resources, were abundant. The planet was home to a spectrum of wondrous wildlife as well, the likes of which couldn’t have been dreamed of on any of our worlds. It was an oddity to note that to date, there have been no natural predators reported.
The primary inhabitants themselves were slow and methodical. We couldn’t understand what they did all day. One could follow the beings trek through a path for hours only to see him stop and look up for a moment in thought and then resume his endless travel. They often wander alone but form a pack when they meet along the road and travel together seeming to converse with tiny mouths very quietly, uttering faintly audible dialogue. These beings had stumps at the ends of their extremities seeming to provide little use. The flesh was dull gray, tough and thick. They appeared to be hairless, any orifice of the body seemed very small. The eyes, the ears, the mouth, and nostrils were all roughly located where a standard humanoids would be found, and so in many ways they were considered humanoid, having seemingly reptilian features as well. Each of this beings, every single one of them, wore the same article of adornment. Something like what you would expect a monk of ancient times to wear, a simple dark gray robe, with a hood fixed in an up position of each beings head despite the climate.
Eventually we brought many people to this planet, in the name of research, retreat, or recreation. Centuries have passed since our ancestors had the immediate urge to dominate through military might. New life was a thing our species had come to highly respect. This world presented a special enterprise, there was a population that was of course curious of this strange way of life and seemed welcome to take part in it.
It was the latest craze.
***
“Please ensure you’re all buckled up for the trip down and may I personally welcome you to Shangri-La! Thanks for choosing us, Stellar Triumph as your transport! It’s gonna be a smooth ride.”
The woman that spoke was clad in emergency equipment, sporting a vest and flight suite, and speaking through an intercom device attached to her helmet to an array of tourists with the cash to spend on a leave of absence from the ordinary. Brand new turf.
“Rzaya…” The pilot called.
“Yes, captain?”
“We’re ready in here. How we lookin’ back there?”
The woman looked back for a moment, smiled confidently and turned back to the pilot,
“Safe for flight!”
The pilot turned back slightly.
”Psst, you still wanna be knocked out too?”
Rzaya nodded her head quickly.
With that, the sound of engines ignited and the interstellar contraption that carried them arose from the ground of the hangar from an even more massive carrier and began its course out of this mother craft and towards the planet of Shangri-La, a proclaimed paradise for the ultimately cultured.
The shuttle’s journey was a short one. Especially since the cabin and its contents were put to sleep, as entering the atmosphere could be a startling experience. Rzaya opened her eyes, fluttering her lids rapidly through her tinted visor. With a deep breath she undid her harness and stood up, shaking off the daze.
“Wakey, wakey, everybody! The relaxant shouldn’t keep you bogged down for more than a few minutes, don’t worry. Well, ladies and gentlemen, we’ve landed and I’ll be opening the doors shortly, please grab your things.” she announced.
The passengers slowly awoke and gathered what luggage they brought. The door to the shuttle opened and out stepped Rzaya. Through the visor of her helmet her eyes scanned the immediate area, then she turned back and raised a hand.
“Right this way!” She exclaimed.
Rzaya removed her helmet and began her post flight inspections. Like most of her kind Rzaya was beautiful. She was young by Hypersapien standards. She was wrapped in pale flesh completely free of blemishes and soft to the touch. Her teeth proved a shimmering white, perfectly aligned. Her lips were full and sweet while her deep blue eyes held a tint of a lighter hued phosphorescence. Her hair was naturally voluminous and curly though was often pulled back and tied during flights, painted a smooth crimson with generous highlights of gold. Most of her kind had developed aesthetically overwhelming eye and hair colors, another favorable trait the new species enjoyed.
Rzaya gave the pilots a thumbs up and the cockpit doors slide open. Out stepped Captain Baxter Landing, and his copilot Lieutenant Charles Takeof to witness a way of life entirely foreign to them. A pack of the Shangri-La inhabitants, dubbed unofficially as “Shangri” or “Shangers,” were slowly making their way down a long path just a few hundred yards from the ship.
“Hey Bax, would you look at that? It’s true they can talk!” shouted Mr. Takeof.
“I see it Charles, I bet they’re sayin’ the same thing about us!” the Captain responded.
”They’re carrying something….” Said Rzaya, wondering if she meant it as a question.
There were very few structures on the surface and as an unwritten rule we stay away from these places. These situations are delicate enough that attention must be given in an effort not to overstep bounds. The troop carried the stone onward showing no signs of stress or tire, towards a minor structure vaguely visible on the horizon. Rzaya and the pilots left the transport ship for a short moment to enjoy the legendary paths of the planet for a moment, treading opposite the way the Shangri In the distance other company transport ships could be seen landing and taking off peacefully, as well as other tourists simply watching the locals.
Communicators were of no use once you entered the atmosphere of the planet. What phenomena causes this is still unknown but we are allotted a decent amount of time before taking the airship back. The locals of this planet seem to have a layer of total understanding. Conversation between them is so subtle yet so precise. The Shangri have little need for means of communication such as what we have.
Stellar Triumph. That was her company name. Many of these service vendors opened up specifically to cash in on this vacation venture and there weren’t many rules to stop anyone with a spacecraft capable of making the journey to and from our territories from opening a taxi service. Later the big dogs of business caught a whiff of the killing and tried to monopolize. Stellar Triumph was one of the higher names remaining, and it’s where Rzaya landed herself a career as a safety crewman, now striving to become a pilot herself.
Though the idea was mostly holiday cruise, some of the major businesses started to seem more paramilitary. The recondite activities are difficult to keep up with in the security forces of each party, but as this planet was special, several measures were taken to make sure all ordnance was left at orbiting ships. Camping was allowed but no shelter. None was really needed, the climate was always suitable. It was interesting to note that these creatures didn’t really sleep. They perched for hours at a time, sometimes exchanging positions, but never shut down completely.
Rzaya carried only life-saving equipment and medicine in a small survival pack attached to her vest. In other ventures she had acted as a rescue swimmer and security, but Stellar Triumph’s latest endeavors left her no need to carry any weapon. She was well trained to face medical emergencies but medicine these days is much easier to get into seeing as how the equipment practically does the work itself. Rzaya had minor items of that design but also keen survival knowledge and these skills landed her decent work. The young woman was also an accomplished marathon runner and avid swimmer.
The pilots had decided to take the shuttle back up to the flagship, growing bored at an impressive rate. Rzaya had to remain for passenger muster duties. The pilots would be back later that day to pick up anyone wanting to sleep in a bed instead of on a rock. Rzaya walked away from the shuttle as it started up, waving to her friends with a gleaming smile.
She had become close with the two over the course her assignments with them. The bond was a simple one, but a perfect fit. As she made greater a distance between them, the pilots spoke within the cockpit.
“The things I would do to that finey behindey…” Proclaimed Charles, applying his safety straps.
“Like to see that full moon huh?” Baxter retorted with a grumbled laugh.
The Captain made for quick flight preparations and readied the craft for launch. The crafts were complex inventions, yet the instruments inside were also simple enough an amateur had a shot of safely landing it in the event of an emergency. To truly pilot these contraptions could get very complicated of course. Even in this day and age many hold true to the belief no gadget can replace raw talent.
“Say…” Said Baxter.
“Sir?” Charles responded.
“Did you ever realize I’m Captain Landing and you're Lieutenant Takeof and we’re both pilots?” Baxter asked.
“I don’t understand the correlation.” Charles responded with sincerity.
“Captain out”
****
Rzaya was left with little time to spare in the brand new world. She had her primary task to attend to. A mutual agreement to confirm crew and passenger numbers led to it being a custom to arrive with documentation of each passenger. This would normally be done in the blink of an eye however this planet has an exceptional talent for disrupting communication. There was a meeting place where this process was done, about half a mile from her current location. With that in mind, she stuffed the device containing the information safely away and began to journey on foot towards the gathering.
We would grow and spread out to meet another civilization.
It was a frightening time but trust developed quickly over a common motive.
Many thought it would be a violent clash for dominance over one another; what took place was the exact opposite.
Both civilizations rejoiced in discovering they were not alone in the universe. It marked the end of an array of struggles and was a great mile stone for both species.
Many generations of the merged civilizations existed and blended well to create a new species not too unlike either parent being.
These beings were humanoids with an advanced sense of smell, extensive memory and life time. We had of course developed our incredible sanitation practices especially in our medicine capabilities so wildly that death was something people began to keep at bay unless sentenced by unnatural causes. Though physically smaller than either ancestor, these creatures were very light and agile and naturally brilliant.
They needed more.
So both parent species faded into a new super-species of thirsty explorers. Hypersapiens.
Out of the solar systems we traveled, spreading across the galaxy with our mighty inventions using the very planets as our fuel.
More, we needed more.
Life was prosperous, but also adventurous. Exploration was the name of the game, the wealthy wanted to visit exotic places, to be among the first to walk them. This created an interesting job market and source of revenue. Then came a huge obstacle.
A third civilization is stumbled upon.
The new world’s dominant beings, if you could call them that, did not seem to share our ambition to expand outward. A strange race, these creatures lived with no apparent technology. No means of attack or defense. Structures were limited to dome-like homes with efficient means of recycling for stability, as well as scarce traces of ruins that could have once been grandiose.
They didn’t seem to be in awe of our arrival. We, even having been through this once before, were stricken with amazement. They did not resist our landing, nor pay attention to our trespasses. So there was an awkward peace that established itself, with no one attempting to take or build or give. They simply lived on the same planet.
The planet itself was a paradise, harboring lush forestry, clean oceans, clear rivers, vast pastures accompanied by wide rolling hills. The long mountain ranges, even at the peaks, showed that freezing temperatures were seldom seen and that water, along other natural resources, were abundant. The planet was home to a spectrum of wondrous wildlife as well, the likes of which couldn’t have been dreamed of on any of our worlds. It was an oddity to note that to date, there have been no natural predators reported.
The primary inhabitants themselves were slow and methodical. We couldn’t understand what they did all day. One could follow the beings trek through a path for hours only to see him stop and look up for a moment in thought and then resume his endless travel. They often wander alone but form a pack when they meet along the road and travel together seeming to converse with tiny mouths very quietly, uttering faintly audible dialogue. These beings had stumps at the ends of their extremities seeming to provide little use. The flesh was dull gray, tough and thick. They appeared to be hairless, any orifice of the body seemed very small. The eyes, the ears, the mouth, and nostrils were all roughly located where a standard humanoids would be found, and so in many ways they were considered humanoid, having seemingly reptilian features as well. Each of this beings, every single one of them, wore the same article of adornment. Something like what you would expect a monk of ancient times to wear, a simple dark gray robe, with a hood fixed in an up position of each beings head despite the climate.
Eventually we brought many people to this planet, in the name of research, retreat, or recreation. Centuries have passed since our ancestors had the immediate urge to dominate through military might. New life was a thing our species had come to highly respect. This world presented a special enterprise, there was a population that was of course curious of this strange way of life and seemed welcome to take part in it.
It was the latest craze.
***
“Please ensure you’re all buckled up for the trip down and may I personally welcome you to Shangri-La! Thanks for choosing us, Stellar Triumph as your transport! It’s gonna be a smooth ride.”
The woman that spoke was clad in emergency equipment, sporting a vest and flight suite, and speaking through an intercom device attached to her helmet to an array of tourists with the cash to spend on a leave of absence from the ordinary. Brand new turf.
“Rzaya…” The pilot called.
“Yes, captain?”
“We’re ready in here. How we lookin’ back there?”
The woman looked back for a moment, smiled confidently and turned back to the pilot,
“Safe for flight!”
The pilot turned back slightly.
”Psst, you still wanna be knocked out too?”
Rzaya nodded her head quickly.
With that, the sound of engines ignited and the interstellar contraption that carried them arose from the ground of the hangar from an even more massive carrier and began its course out of this mother craft and towards the planet of Shangri-La, a proclaimed paradise for the ultimately cultured.
The shuttle’s journey was a short one. Especially since the cabin and its contents were put to sleep, as entering the atmosphere could be a startling experience. Rzaya opened her eyes, fluttering her lids rapidly through her tinted visor. With a deep breath she undid her harness and stood up, shaking off the daze.
“Wakey, wakey, everybody! The relaxant shouldn’t keep you bogged down for more than a few minutes, don’t worry. Well, ladies and gentlemen, we’ve landed and I’ll be opening the doors shortly, please grab your things.” she announced.
The passengers slowly awoke and gathered what luggage they brought. The door to the shuttle opened and out stepped Rzaya. Through the visor of her helmet her eyes scanned the immediate area, then she turned back and raised a hand.
“Right this way!” She exclaimed.
Rzaya removed her helmet and began her post flight inspections. Like most of her kind Rzaya was beautiful. She was young by Hypersapien standards. She was wrapped in pale flesh completely free of blemishes and soft to the touch. Her teeth proved a shimmering white, perfectly aligned. Her lips were full and sweet while her deep blue eyes held a tint of a lighter hued phosphorescence. Her hair was naturally voluminous and curly though was often pulled back and tied during flights, painted a smooth crimson with generous highlights of gold. Most of her kind had developed aesthetically overwhelming eye and hair colors, another favorable trait the new species enjoyed.
Rzaya gave the pilots a thumbs up and the cockpit doors slide open. Out stepped Captain Baxter Landing, and his copilot Lieutenant Charles Takeof to witness a way of life entirely foreign to them. A pack of the Shangri-La inhabitants, dubbed unofficially as “Shangri” or “Shangers,” were slowly making their way down a long path just a few hundred yards from the ship.
“Hey Bax, would you look at that? It’s true they can talk!” shouted Mr. Takeof.
“I see it Charles, I bet they’re sayin’ the same thing about us!” the Captain responded.
”They’re carrying something….” Said Rzaya, wondering if she meant it as a question.
There were very few structures on the surface and as an unwritten rule we stay away from these places. These situations are delicate enough that attention must be given in an effort not to overstep bounds. The troop carried the stone onward showing no signs of stress or tire, towards a minor structure vaguely visible on the horizon. Rzaya and the pilots left the transport ship for a short moment to enjoy the legendary paths of the planet for a moment, treading opposite the way the Shangri In the distance other company transport ships could be seen landing and taking off peacefully, as well as other tourists simply watching the locals.
Communicators were of no use once you entered the atmosphere of the planet. What phenomena causes this is still unknown but we are allotted a decent amount of time before taking the airship back. The locals of this planet seem to have a layer of total understanding. Conversation between them is so subtle yet so precise. The Shangri have little need for means of communication such as what we have.
Stellar Triumph. That was her company name. Many of these service vendors opened up specifically to cash in on this vacation venture and there weren’t many rules to stop anyone with a spacecraft capable of making the journey to and from our territories from opening a taxi service. Later the big dogs of business caught a whiff of the killing and tried to monopolize. Stellar Triumph was one of the higher names remaining, and it’s where Rzaya landed herself a career as a safety crewman, now striving to become a pilot herself.
Though the idea was mostly holiday cruise, some of the major businesses started to seem more paramilitary. The recondite activities are difficult to keep up with in the security forces of each party, but as this planet was special, several measures were taken to make sure all ordnance was left at orbiting ships. Camping was allowed but no shelter. None was really needed, the climate was always suitable. It was interesting to note that these creatures didn’t really sleep. They perched for hours at a time, sometimes exchanging positions, but never shut down completely.
Rzaya carried only life-saving equipment and medicine in a small survival pack attached to her vest. In other ventures she had acted as a rescue swimmer and security, but Stellar Triumph’s latest endeavors left her no need to carry any weapon. She was well trained to face medical emergencies but medicine these days is much easier to get into seeing as how the equipment practically does the work itself. Rzaya had minor items of that design but also keen survival knowledge and these skills landed her decent work. The young woman was also an accomplished marathon runner and avid swimmer.
The pilots had decided to take the shuttle back up to the flagship, growing bored at an impressive rate. Rzaya had to remain for passenger muster duties. The pilots would be back later that day to pick up anyone wanting to sleep in a bed instead of on a rock. Rzaya walked away from the shuttle as it started up, waving to her friends with a gleaming smile.
She had become close with the two over the course her assignments with them. The bond was a simple one, but a perfect fit. As she made greater a distance between them, the pilots spoke within the cockpit.
“The things I would do to that finey behindey…” Proclaimed Charles, applying his safety straps.
“Like to see that full moon huh?” Baxter retorted with a grumbled laugh.
The Captain made for quick flight preparations and readied the craft for launch. The crafts were complex inventions, yet the instruments inside were also simple enough an amateur had a shot of safely landing it in the event of an emergency. To truly pilot these contraptions could get very complicated of course. Even in this day and age many hold true to the belief no gadget can replace raw talent.
“Say…” Said Baxter.
“Sir?” Charles responded.
“Did you ever realize I’m Captain Landing and you're Lieutenant Takeof and we’re both pilots?” Baxter asked.
“I don’t understand the correlation.” Charles responded with sincerity.
“Captain out”
****
Rzaya was left with little time to spare in the brand new world. She had her primary task to attend to. A mutual agreement to confirm crew and passenger numbers led to it being a custom to arrive with documentation of each passenger. This would normally be done in the blink of an eye however this planet has an exceptional talent for disrupting communication. There was a meeting place where this process was done, about half a mile from her current location. With that in mind, she stuffed the device containing the information safely away and began to journey on foot towards the gathering.