Updated 5/8/12
I hope you like it! Here is chapter one completed.
Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Adversity opened her eyes and looked into the darkness. Words weren’t enough to explain the feeling of despair that seemed to creep into her room every night. She raised her head from her pillow, and turned towards the window. Without thinking she grabbed an altered tea shirt and pulled it over her head. Three nights in a row, and she was still seeing her mother in her dreams. Each dream was different, yet the outcome was still the same. Her mother always ended up being a victim. No matter the dream or the situation her mother would always be amongst the dead.
“Why didn’t you come with me?” asked Adversity as she looked into the darkness.
“Not again! I wish I could do something about your dreams, or whatever you call them,” stated Norrie as she handed Adversity a pair of black boots.
“You are doing enough. You have stayed with me the last two nights.”
“You scared everyone the first night the dreams started. The other guard members said they could hear you yelling and throwing things inside your room.”
“I know. I broke my thumb, and fractured my pinky because of it.”
“Adversity, why do you think you are having these visions?”
“I really don’t know. I keep seeing my mother. I don’t like reliving her death. It makes me miss her that much more.”
“You should try walking outside and taking a look at the improvements to our base. Maybe you will find something that you would like to work on. Perhaps staying busy is the key.”
“Maybe, it will help. Are you going back to your room now?”
“Yes, I have a lot of work to do. Plus I’m meeting with some of the tribe’s elders soon. If we are lucky we will be able to talk them into relocating near our base. I would feel so much better if they were closer. As it stands right now we can’t help them because they are too far away. So, we really can’t protect them if the Viderians come back.”
“Do you think you can talk them into moving near the base?”
“I don’t know. I think I will be able to reach some of them. However, some tribes are stuck on tradition. We don’t have time for long interactions and flirtations. We need to focus on the here and now. Every day we wait we risk the chance of the Viderians coming back. This planet has to be ready for them. With our new technology and weapons we should be able to hold off another attack. I have been sending out signals again. I’m trying to see if there are any survivors on any of the other planets.”
“ I’m sorry! I’m trying to get over flirtations! I’m glad to see that you are learning human terms! Although, I don’t think flirtations was meant to be used that way!”
“What are you talking about?” Norrie questioned.
“I forgot we are still working on the sense of humor part. Anyway, back to the conversation if we find survivors what will we do? Is it safe to travel to other planets right now? We destroyed their ship, and I’m sure they are waiting to pay us back. Don’t get me wrong. I want to find survivors more than anyone. Maybe we will get lucky and find survivors on Earth, but I just don’t think we should be sending multiple ships out right now. ”
“I didn’t say we would send out several ships. All we really need is one exploration pod. I wouldn’t send out more than two ships because it would bring attention to us.”
“Why haven’t they attacked yet?” Adversity asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe they are waiting for the storms. That is the main reason why we need to make sure the Phiderians are safe. They are in danger.”
“Well we will protect them if they let us. However, it has to be their choice.”
Without waiting for a reply Adversity opened the door to her room, and waited for the engineers to pass by. After the coast was clear she silently snuck onto the partially built detachable transportation capsule. With the capsule in its final stages of renovations Adversity started to feel alive again. Adversity slid her small web like fingers around the darkened rail as she moved closer to the enlisted soldier’s quarters. Each step gave birth to a streak of light as her feet brushed across the blackened floor. It was still hard to believe how high tech the base had become after the Lingering was digested into the atmosphere Adversity thought as she paused and waited for the light to rise within the rails.
“Adversity, how long do you plan to stand in the hallway?” Dilbin asked as he held his white luminescent hands near Adversity’s hair.
“ Oh please don’t grab my hair again. You know how much I hate that. I wish I could cut it off, but every time I cut my hair it grows back faster, and longer.”
“Why do you want to cut your her hair anyway? It’s unique. You are the only one on this base with red glowing hair. Some of the other soldiers were talking about you, and how your hair turned black just like the ice when we fought the Lingering.”
“I know, but my hair turned back red as soon as the ice melted off my body. Not only did it return to the red color you now see, but my blades came back out as well. However, there is a difference now. I can close them, and I can form them into different shapes.”
“That really is interesting. It’s amazing how much power the black ice harnesses. It was powerful enough to freeze your bodily functions. I wonder what else the black ice can do.”
“I really don‘t know what the ice can do. This base looks so different than before. I still can’t believe we are finished with the renovations for a whole base and we are working on plans for other bases. While you were working I created a calendar, and I think I have come up with a plan to chart the days,” said Adversity as she pulled out a small hologram.
“What is a calendar and how do you chart the days?” asked Dilbin.
“On Earth we had this form almost like your blueprints, or your designs. That form dictated everything we did. It had each of our months and days printed on it. My mom used it all the time to plan for holidays. I don’t think our time on Phidern is equivalent to our time on Earth. I started looking for signs that gave off any indication of difference. I noticed after we went to lunch, we would come back to our quarters and work in the Language Station. After we returned from the Language Station everyone went to their rooms. I figured out the schedule and I tracked the time. In some ways it is like tracking cycles. When we first came here the two suns were able to reach the base and give off light. After the Lingering crashed into Phidern the suns separated. The separation caused our side of the planet to remain dark. I needed to do something that would help me keep up with the days, because I still don‘t understand your method of keeping time. Every time I got up to dress for work I would see a golden flare flash across the sky. I used that as my starting point. I still don‘t know the number of hours in a day here on Phidern , but I have narrowed down the days. I started keeping count of the days after I realized the flare was the start of a new day. ”
“I’m not surprised. We all know Phidern is a great planet. This planet doesn’t leave anything out. After I first came here I noticed a fruit from my planet that started to grow outside my sleeping quarters. I overheard other soldiers saying similar things. One guard member said he saw a creature from his planet on Phidern. It’s hard to believe that this planet was nearly erased because of the Lingering. I have never known any planets that have been able to regenerate to the degree that Phidern has.”
“I think this planet does more than rejuvenate and take in organisms. I think Phidern takes something from us, and incorporates it with the environment. In many ways Phidern is trying to make us feel at home,” stated Adversity. “I have been here about nine months in Earth days. Every ninety days equals three months and I figure by my calculations I have been here at least two-hundred and seventy days.”
“More than likely, Phidern’s time is different than Earth days. You know it could be that your nine months equals much more than the nine months you understand.”
“I have been thinking about that too. I want to see Earth. After we finish the next rotation I plan to ask Norrie for an exploration pod. I don’t want to go by myself. I know it is asking a lot of you, but do you think you could come with me?”
“It depends on what we are working on, Adversity. I am the overseer of most of the projects here on base. We are about to start building the civilian quarters soon. This base is made for soldiers and most of us have never been anything other than soldiers. I was hoping you would help us build the civilian town the way you helped with Noridae.”
“Really?” Adversity asked.
“Yes, Norrie and I have been talking about it a lot lately. We want to make this planet a real planet. We need females, and males to repopulate Phidern. You can tell us what you did on Earth for entertainment, and maybe we can try to duplicate it here on Phidern to some degree. It will not be the same, but maybe it will give our citizens hope. You have already helped us with forming models of living quarters. We can make small dwelling units that sit above the ground now. Before you came here; that was unheard of. They don’t have to live underground anymore. The ice can be controlled by the heating flowers that grow below our base.”
“I will help, but I have a small favor to ask. I want you to fly me to Earth just this once. I want to see what Earth looks like. I know you all want me to feel like I belong here. I think that is the reason Norrie let me name our base Noridae. However, I need to know if anyone survived from my planet. If they did, we might be able to recruit them and bring them back to Phidern.”
“I give you my word, after we build the city structure and gather the displaced Phiderians I will help you,” Dilbin stated as he bent down and kissed Adversity on the head.
“What was that for?”
“I’m just so glad that you are here with us,” Dilbin said as he laughed his way down the hall.”
“I’m glad too, but I still want to go home.”
**The Meeting**
“Thank you for coming to this meeting. It means a lot to me, and it will mean a lot for our future as Phiderians,” said Norrie as she passed around black ice chips.
“What is this?” questioned an old Phiderian male with long crooked horns growing out his shoulders.
“It’s called black ice. This is the substance we found imbedded in Phidern. We found a large quantity of black ice, and we have been able to use the ice to form structures, water, and energy.”
“We have never seen this ice before,” stated another male Phiderian as he took the ice from the older Phiderian male.
“My crew and I think the ice came as a result from the first attack on our planet from the Lingering. If you look at this figure it shows Phidern before the attack. The surface looks normal. You can see the red grass, ice caverns, and the location of our two suns. If you look off to the corner you will notice two very large storms that can be seen from a distance. One of those storms isn’t producing water, or wind. It’s producing something black. The black liquid is pouring in just one area.”
“Is this where you found the black ice?” questioned the male with the horns.
“Indeed, this is the location that we found massive amounts of black ice beneath the surface,” Norrie stated as she walked over to her seat. “My team of researchers has also found rejuvenation particles in the ice. The black ice is spreading.”
“So, what do you want us to do?” asked a small Phiderian female.
“I want you to think about moving your tribes near our base. This planet was attacked by another planet called Videria. After Phidern was attacked they sent recruiters to save the survivors. I was one of the survivors that the Viderians picked. I spent a good ten years with the Viderians before I found out about their part in our planet’s downfall. They not only attacked our planet, but they attacked other planets near our location. We stopped them from destroying a planet almost two storm cycles ago. I know they will come back for us because we took out their ship. They know about our planet and they know it has the capability to regenerate. However, we have something now that we have never had before. We have a military. We have a human that knows a lot about her people and their way of life. She is from the one race of beings that the Viderians didn’t want any part of. I believe it is because they are adaptable. She is the reason our planet is still in one piece. She also holds knowledge of communications from her planet. With her help we can do things and learn new things. She can help you learn about adaptability.”
“We are Phiderians, and we will not let an outsider tell us how to live,” stated the Phiderian with horns.
“That is your choice. If any of your tribes wish to stay here near the base they will be more than welcome. We have the means to build them shelter.”
“We live in the mountains,” stated the female.
“The mountains aren’t safe. Our buildings are retractable.”
“What do you mean retractable?” quested the old Phiderian with horns.
“Phidern is a storm planet. For centuries we have hid underground for half cycles when the storms descend. We took the underground chambers and made them part of the new housing units. Now the houses can go underground, and the underground chambers have their own patches of genetically enhanced vegetation. This means everything that you see on top of the ground will also be available underground.”
“I will not move my tribe. We have always lived in the mountains, and it will be that way until we die,” stated the hornless Phiderian male.
“ I will let my tribe vote on it. If they wish to come here to your base, I will agree. In a few months we will go into hiding again because of the storms. Maybe it will be a little easier on our tribe because the shortage of food is an issue right now,” stated the woman.
“That is all I ask. I just want you to know that we are here.”
“How are we supposed to get our tribe members here?” the female asked.
“We will use our transportation pods to take you back to your tribes. After everything is ready we will also come and pick the tribe members up. I’m sure it will be something that requires quite a bit of thought, and we are still working on the dwelling units.”
“With the suns separated we can no longer see the storms. The darkness has made life much harder on this planet. However, we can feel the wind beginning to change,” stated the female.
“We have them on radar. We are able to monitor the exact location of the storms by using energy scans.”
“That is perhaps the most interesting thing you have said all day,” stated the Phidern with horns. “I will tell my tribesmen about your base as well. I’m the oldest one in this room. I have the horns to prove it! The majority of my tribe consists of older Phiderians, and scholars. Perhaps we can help you with any future improvements to the base.”
“Great, I will get my runners now. I look forward to meeting with you again,” Norrie stated as she walked out of the room.
As Norrie turned the corner she paused and laid her head against the wall. She had convinced two of the tribe leaders to move near the base. It was too bad that her tribe leader had no intention of listening to reason. However, her main goal was to save as many Phiderians as possible.
“Hey you, is everything okay?” Adversity asked as she noticed Norrie leaning on the wall.
“Everything is great. We will have to hurry up with the renovations on the dwelling units. Two of the tribe leaders have decided to move near our base.”
“That is wonderful.”
“I know! I just sent a signal to transportation to send them back to their tribes.”
“Well, when will they come back with the others?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Chapter 2
“Have you asked Norrie about leaving Phidern yet?” Dilbin asked.
“No, she has been very busy lately. I decided to wait and ask her after the dwelling units are finished.”
“That would be best. She seems to be under a lot of stress lately. I saw her yelling at one of the guards earlier.”
“Oh, I didn’t see that. I have never seen her upset.”
“I haven’t seen her upset in a long time. I don’t think the Phiderians want to come here.”
“What makes you think that?”
“I saw the way they looked at us. We are all aliens to them. We have a guard of ninety soldiers. Only a hand full of the guard happens to be Phiderians.”
“Norrie is nice, I’m sure they have goodness in them too,” stated Adversity.
“I know, but I don’t think she would choose us over her own kind.”
“Dilbin, what are you saying?”
“I don’t know. I just hate seeing her like this.”
“I’ll have a talk with her. Maybe she will tell me what’s going on.”
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