Out in the universe, there's a galaxy. In that galaxy, there's a lone star. Orbiting that star are many planets-the fourth one is all sand, rocks, wind, water, and scattered colonies of green plantlife.This is a planet both similar and different to that of Earth. The air is breathable, but there are no seas here. There are rivers and lakes, but the mountains aie quickly eroded to hills by the harshest winds in the upper atmosphere. This planet even has a single moon, but animal life is minimal.
On this world are scattered prefabricated human communal dwellings , lowered from orbit so as to avoid building in potentially hazardous conditions. These communal colonies stretch for almost a kilometer each way, and possess three storeys as well as access to the roof. Often, a couple or more of these prefabricated buildings are sited together where resources are plaentiful.
As it was with the two that sat in an oasis of green-close enough to be considered side by side, but far away enough that the two communities rarely interacted.
Up on the roof of the slightly newer colony stood two humans-one bored looking marine and one behavioural and biological scientist who refused to think of herself as such or allow anyone to call her Doctor, looking through a pair of binoculars at the walls of the other prefabricated building. See that, that there's me... and this, this is how it all started.
I stare intensely at our twin building, I have become concerned that their rare visits have become even rarer. Non-existant, in fact, for the past couple of months. Since the behaviour of all animal life, even our own, fascinates me I am eager to catch any glimpse of any human being from the other side and perhaps even work out why they suddenly cut communication with us. The soldier is up here 'for my own protection' but he is clearly bored-we've been coming up here every day for a week and seen nothing. He even has his back to me today, staring off into the distance somewhere, daydreaming. I don't even know his name.
Then I spot something at the base of the building. A small dust storm kicks up and clouds my line of sight but it's there. Something that chills my blood to the core. Something that should chill everyone's blood. Something that shouldn't be here. It's black, shiny, carapace resembling skin reflecting the sunlight. I yell to the soldier to get over here and come look at this, he makes some smart comment about seeing a rabbit but comes over anyway. I shove the binoculars into his hands and direct his attention to it.
He nearly drops the binoculars in disbelief and I snatch them back to watch it as we both begin to rapidly move away from the edge.
Then I stop us, as I notice something odd. The creature has definitely sensed us somehow, it is in fact, looking straight at us with that distinctive head of it's kind. Then it flicks it's long, lethal tail and walks back inside the prefab.
Why hasn't it attacked? Why hasn't it come back with friends? Why has there been no distress call from our neighbours? Or screams? By all accounts, every little record I had just about had to pull teeth to access, these things were vicious, brutal, unscrupulous and highly intelligent. So what was the deal with this one? What was going on here? I had to find out somehow.
This is how it all started... for us.
((I hope you enjoyed this first chapter that Borg gave me the idea to do
. There'll be more soon.I would love to hear feedback too ^_^))