SCIENCE

PD New contact: Captain’s log – Event 1

One thousand years into the future and it appears that we’re just looking at our past. As technology advances to the point of no return, we can travel to other planets. On Alpha Omicron 86, we see something that we did not expect. On the purple grassland, tree’s made of vines, giant flowers and bark dot the planet. Oceans of greens and swamplands fill the space between the grasslands.  In between these exotic trees, rivers and vines, two new species are discovered. One is a plant species, partially humanoid but only to mimic the other species. They are made of large meshes of vines, are completely carnivorous and large ‘pupils’. The other is an aquatic race, humanoid as well, except when they swim in which their true grace shows. They were fluid, usually blue like their ocean, had fins protruding their head and three red eyes. The Floran race and the Hyjol race, respectively, hate each other.

They are in a war with each other. The Floran’s are addicted to being link in the Floran communication network. The Floran are addicted to the flesh of the Hyjol race, and anything that can instantly gratify them, they’ll do no matter the cost. We, the human race, have decided to let the Hyjol and the Floran fight it out amongst them. 

Originally it was easily comparable to medieval warfare. The Hyjol would use archers with flaming arrows to volley against the Floran lines. Then, when the Floran would get close, their ranks would be burning and tired. The elite Hyjol warriors would clean up the rest of the Floran before they could reach the Hyjol. The Floran, however, would like to send scouts and entire companies of 100 behind the ranks of Hyjol. When the bulk of the Floran horde appears, the scouting Floran legion would flank and surround the archers. The horde would just overwhelm the Hyjol. All fighting relied on whether the Floran could flank the Hyjol.

This was the case until one of us, scientist Urdnot Wreave, after abducting exactly 400 specimens, and gave both sides nuclear weapons. The next scenes were horrible for both sides. The bombs fell on the cities, the radiation killing most people in even close to the detonation sight. The radiations mutated the rest of the populace on the planet, with more extremes the closer to the explosion. The Floran’s all began to secreting acidic yellow liquids while all the Hyjol rapidly grew tumors and cists throughout their body.

Still, as scientists we must preserve and continue studying. We observed the change in the hierarchy of needs. The Hyjol now were completely addicted to the Floran network. Now, it was similar to internet addictions and marijuana addiction. The Floran network was something prelevent before, as the amount of information at each Hyjol’s grasp was staggering; however the Floran’s can release a numbing agent that helps the Hyjol’s tumors. The Florans could no longer eat like they did before. The acid’s the secret almost instantly melts any Hyjol flesh. Since they cannot take prisoners, every Floran of all ages now must hunt to eat. The old can no longer bring back food for the young. It’s completely survival of the fittest.

Some of the control group subjects, the ones that Urdnot Wreave collected before the nuclear apocalypse, view with us as their planet is destroyed. Many were just civilians, injured soldiers, scientists, teachers, medical staff and priests. None of them knew how to respond to this utter culture shock. Their friends, family, coworkers, all of them are becoming monsters. From them, we learned of their culture. The Hyjol believed that beauty and honor was above all. The new Hyjol were disgusting, slaves to the Floran chemicals and were undergoing a process known as “the glitch”. When a Hyjol reaches their last years, they swell in tumors; the reason for the tumors, from what we can gather, is their protection from their sun completely shatters and radiation is quickly absorbed. The Hyjol swell and swell into tumors and finally burst open in a bloody mess. Besides death in battle, it is regarded as the most honorable way to die. The Floran culture has the honor of the hunt as the most important aspect. To kill a powerful creature earned praise to the Floran or Floran company. The fact that the old and the young had to hunt was disrespect to the hunters who had trained for decades before they could provide food for their tribe. The Floran tribes all had their own unique culture, however the stories of a creature who’s name translates to “The vine mask”. This creature, an ancestor to the Floran, had acid secret from its face. However, the only thing the acid could not burn through was porcelain. The species wore porcelain masks instead of revealing their Floran like faces.

The stories of the Floran and Hyjol moved the people under my command. They were heartbroken about what happened. Urdnot Wreave, now branded a war criminal by the institute of war, has been detained. The monsters on the surface could not be helped. Their DNA has been altered too far. It is more accurate to call them beats than to call them people. One race, once a species dedicated to beauty and honor, is now a cancerous mess whose only salvation is their addiction to the desecration of a Floran corpse. The other race, once a species dedicated to the honor of a hunt, now a mindless feeding machine.

We had three options.

The first option was to leave the planet. We had accomplished our mission. There was no point in staying to continue it. We have the last members of both species on our ship, for good and bad. Studying mutations is not our mission and we, under the institute of war’s code, cannot interfere with them as much as we already have.

The second option is to help the mutants. Their species has gone through hell because of one man under my command. If we can, we can help their species. It is possible to adjust the species with DNA of the survivors, like bacteria. Although possible, it is unlikely that this would work. It is more probable that the Mutants would ignore or reject the modern DNA and go on a rampage against the crew of my ship or of the species opposite of them on my ship.

The third option is to continue to observe. The mission parameters can be skewed. The only thing we should do is to just watch them as they live and die their short lives. Once all the Hyjol burst open, the Floran would have no food and would starve. This endangered no one aboard my ship.

Before my crew could come to a conclusion, the mutant Hyjols’ tumors ruptured in an ocean of red. Their blood would forever tainting the seas. Before we could have done anything, the horrible has arrived. The weakest Floran, the ones who could not feast before, died of starvation. The other’s soon joined them. There was nothing left here, we took our new people and trekked towards the dim stars.