thedragoneth
12th August 2005, 02:21 AM
What is this planet anyway?
Summary: A group of outcasts from the FSP land on Pern and have to fit in to the culture without letting the leaders of Pern know who they truly are. 'Dragonriders of Pern' is a trademark of Anne McCaffrey.
----
Chapter 1: The Exiles
“I don't see anything promising.” Vasha scanned the list of “forgotten planets” she had hacked from the FSP mainframe. “Wait, there's something... Pern, it's called, in the Rukbat System. That's close!”
“Is it inhabitable?” asked Yoka.
“Hmm... This report says uninhabitable, but let me look closer. It's a failed colony planet. Ah, familiar story-- colonization successful for several years, but then a hostile organism they didn't know about attacked and they sent for help. It says 'Flesh-eating threads fall from the sky. Only refuge in caves.' The survivors were rescued years later, and the planet was marked inhospitable.”
“Sounds like an ideal hideout to me,” remarked Kienan. “We'll just stay in the caves the survivors used, repair the damage, stock up on what supplies we can find, and leave.”
Yoka looked at her shipmates. “Everyone okay with that? This really is too good a chance to pass up.”
Katri looked up from her scanner. “I've got the coordinates of the caves the survivors were living in. I'm also scanning for life readings... Nice! The planet's bursting with flora, that'll be good for our synthesizers... Whoa! this can't be right! Look at the fauna reading.”
Yoka leaned over her shoulder. “This place is way more alive than I expected. Much too high a population for a planet where hiding in caves is the only option for survival. What kind of fauna did the original settlers find when they arrived?”
Vasha tapped the entry a few times and found the rescuers' report. “All sorts. It says they found snakes, large avians, and small flying creatures that resembled what they call 'dragons'.”
“Dragons were an ancient Earth legend. Huge monsters that could fly and breathe fire. Mostly they were evil and cunning, occasionally considered wise or lucky by different cultures. I believe the legend was partially founded on dinosaurs,” Katri informed the others.
“Well, that's all very interesting, but we need more details,” Yoka frowned. “What did the settlers bring with them?”
Vasha tapped the entry again. “Everything, I think, but only a few animals succeeded. Horses, cattle, dogs, cats, fish, and mentasynth dolphins are the notable ones.”
Katri looked enthralled. “Ooh, I wonder if the dolphins survived! We might still be able to communicate with them.”
Kienan looked at his sister indulgently. “Later, Katri. Is there any chance that more humans survived than the group that was rescued? Could they have holed up in a different cave?”
“The reports from the rescue team say not, but that they didn't have the resources to make an extensive search. The team leader did report that he wondered about that, and he didn't find the survivor group very trustworthy.” Vasha looked amused.
“Why don't you do a scan for refined metals?” asked Kienan. “If there are still humans by any remote chance, they'll have made tools. It'll also show where the oldest settlements are.”
Yoka did the scan and reported, “Okay, the scan shows some refined metals in the landing site, also at the survivor's hideout, and dotted across the Southern hemisphere. Let me check the northern-- Man, that's a lot more concentrated. Look at this point, here by the Northern mountains. It's almost at industrial concentration. Could they have had a successful community here at some point? It's also scattered through the Northern hemisphere, at levels that suggest fair-sized populations.”
Kienan looked satisfied. “I say if humans didn't survive, there must be some intelligent life here that uses tools-- perhaps those flying drag-things Katri was so excited about.”
“Right.” Vasha snorted. “Or the dolphins have mutated and grown fingers.”
Katri scowled at them. “Let's just cross the metal scan, okay?”
Yoka tapped the scanner. “Right... look, the same concentrations. Whatever it is, there is definitely a thriving population here! I might even say civilization, but we'll have to see if they have art and music first! You know, if there is a human civilization on this planet, I might even consider staying...”
Katri's scowl disappeared and her eyes widened. “Staying? You mean forever?”
Kienan looked thoughtful. “She has an idea. I mean, how long can we keep running from the FSP? What kind of life would we have as outlaws?”
“We can still prove our innocence--” Katri protested.
“No we can't,” Kienan said firmly. “The government has its mind made up, and you know they'll shoot first, forget about asking questions. Face it, sis. We have no life ahead of us in the FSP. And frankly, if there is any chance of a life that doesn't include running and hiding, it's looking pretty good to me.”
Yoka smiled at the two siblings. “I'm with you on that, Ki. And whoever ... whatever these beings are, they must be pretty interesting. I admit that I'm intrigued by this planet, and I want to know how they've maintained such a population in the face of this mysterious menace from the skies, yet remained decentralized with so few resources. I think we should make contact with their leaders and ask if we can stay.”
“Now wait a minute!” Vasha gave her friend a doubtful look. “What if they're hostile? What if they want to shoot us on sight? Or eat us?”
Katri nodded. “Or what if we totally freak them out? If they've never heard of spaceships or people from other planets?”
Kienan chuckled. “Maybe they'll think we're gods. Remember that holovid about the colonization of Vega V?”
“Right.” Yoka nodded decisively. “Those are all things to consider. So we approach with stealth. Cloak the ship, they can't see or track us -- and I doubt they have anything even approaching radar. We evaluate the situation and if they're not hostile, we might go undercover, keep in touch with each other, and figure out how their society works, who the leaders are, and if we can blend in. Then if we decide to stay, we let the leaders know who we are, unless we have a reason to just stay quiet about it.”
“Sounds good to me,” Kienan said. “Why don't we just go down cloaked and take it from there?”
“Agreed,” said Vasha shortly.
“Sounds good to me,” Katri shrugged.
“Let's do it then.”
Summary: A group of outcasts from the FSP land on Pern and have to fit in to the culture without letting the leaders of Pern know who they truly are. 'Dragonriders of Pern' is a trademark of Anne McCaffrey.
----
Chapter 1: The Exiles
“I don't see anything promising.” Vasha scanned the list of “forgotten planets” she had hacked from the FSP mainframe. “Wait, there's something... Pern, it's called, in the Rukbat System. That's close!”
“Is it inhabitable?” asked Yoka.
“Hmm... This report says uninhabitable, but let me look closer. It's a failed colony planet. Ah, familiar story-- colonization successful for several years, but then a hostile organism they didn't know about attacked and they sent for help. It says 'Flesh-eating threads fall from the sky. Only refuge in caves.' The survivors were rescued years later, and the planet was marked inhospitable.”
“Sounds like an ideal hideout to me,” remarked Kienan. “We'll just stay in the caves the survivors used, repair the damage, stock up on what supplies we can find, and leave.”
Yoka looked at her shipmates. “Everyone okay with that? This really is too good a chance to pass up.”
Katri looked up from her scanner. “I've got the coordinates of the caves the survivors were living in. I'm also scanning for life readings... Nice! The planet's bursting with flora, that'll be good for our synthesizers... Whoa! this can't be right! Look at the fauna reading.”
Yoka leaned over her shoulder. “This place is way more alive than I expected. Much too high a population for a planet where hiding in caves is the only option for survival. What kind of fauna did the original settlers find when they arrived?”
Vasha tapped the entry a few times and found the rescuers' report. “All sorts. It says they found snakes, large avians, and small flying creatures that resembled what they call 'dragons'.”
“Dragons were an ancient Earth legend. Huge monsters that could fly and breathe fire. Mostly they were evil and cunning, occasionally considered wise or lucky by different cultures. I believe the legend was partially founded on dinosaurs,” Katri informed the others.
“Well, that's all very interesting, but we need more details,” Yoka frowned. “What did the settlers bring with them?”
Vasha tapped the entry again. “Everything, I think, but only a few animals succeeded. Horses, cattle, dogs, cats, fish, and mentasynth dolphins are the notable ones.”
Katri looked enthralled. “Ooh, I wonder if the dolphins survived! We might still be able to communicate with them.”
Kienan looked at his sister indulgently. “Later, Katri. Is there any chance that more humans survived than the group that was rescued? Could they have holed up in a different cave?”
“The reports from the rescue team say not, but that they didn't have the resources to make an extensive search. The team leader did report that he wondered about that, and he didn't find the survivor group very trustworthy.” Vasha looked amused.
“Why don't you do a scan for refined metals?” asked Kienan. “If there are still humans by any remote chance, they'll have made tools. It'll also show where the oldest settlements are.”
Yoka did the scan and reported, “Okay, the scan shows some refined metals in the landing site, also at the survivor's hideout, and dotted across the Southern hemisphere. Let me check the northern-- Man, that's a lot more concentrated. Look at this point, here by the Northern mountains. It's almost at industrial concentration. Could they have had a successful community here at some point? It's also scattered through the Northern hemisphere, at levels that suggest fair-sized populations.”
Kienan looked satisfied. “I say if humans didn't survive, there must be some intelligent life here that uses tools-- perhaps those flying drag-things Katri was so excited about.”
“Right.” Vasha snorted. “Or the dolphins have mutated and grown fingers.”
Katri scowled at them. “Let's just cross the metal scan, okay?”
Yoka tapped the scanner. “Right... look, the same concentrations. Whatever it is, there is definitely a thriving population here! I might even say civilization, but we'll have to see if they have art and music first! You know, if there is a human civilization on this planet, I might even consider staying...”
Katri's scowl disappeared and her eyes widened. “Staying? You mean forever?”
Kienan looked thoughtful. “She has an idea. I mean, how long can we keep running from the FSP? What kind of life would we have as outlaws?”
“We can still prove our innocence--” Katri protested.
“No we can't,” Kienan said firmly. “The government has its mind made up, and you know they'll shoot first, forget about asking questions. Face it, sis. We have no life ahead of us in the FSP. And frankly, if there is any chance of a life that doesn't include running and hiding, it's looking pretty good to me.”
Yoka smiled at the two siblings. “I'm with you on that, Ki. And whoever ... whatever these beings are, they must be pretty interesting. I admit that I'm intrigued by this planet, and I want to know how they've maintained such a population in the face of this mysterious menace from the skies, yet remained decentralized with so few resources. I think we should make contact with their leaders and ask if we can stay.”
“Now wait a minute!” Vasha gave her friend a doubtful look. “What if they're hostile? What if they want to shoot us on sight? Or eat us?”
Katri nodded. “Or what if we totally freak them out? If they've never heard of spaceships or people from other planets?”
Kienan chuckled. “Maybe they'll think we're gods. Remember that holovid about the colonization of Vega V?”
“Right.” Yoka nodded decisively. “Those are all things to consider. So we approach with stealth. Cloak the ship, they can't see or track us -- and I doubt they have anything even approaching radar. We evaluate the situation and if they're not hostile, we might go undercover, keep in touch with each other, and figure out how their society works, who the leaders are, and if we can blend in. Then if we decide to stay, we let the leaders know who we are, unless we have a reason to just stay quiet about it.”
“Sounds good to me,” Kienan said. “Why don't we just go down cloaked and take it from there?”
“Agreed,” said Vasha shortly.
“Sounds good to me,” Katri shrugged.
“Let's do it then.”