Visitation - Reality (book 1 of 2)

VISITORS

THE SETTLERS WERE NOT the only occupants of the universe, although many had thought so back on their home planet; that is until the discovery of the ancient texts. Then it had become too late for any serious considerations and any thoughts of this topic had long since been put on the back burner; all was directed towards survival for those who had escaped the catastrophe.

The information gleaned back at home had been recorded on the great computer system and some of this had been transferred in the Arks before leaving for this new planet.

The stories of an ancient home in the stars was still available and the few that had read them noted odd references to other data, introduced by the great computer, which had not been thought to have come with the Settlers; references to many other races of people.

These references concerned others that had also been known to be travelling the Universe seeking a new home, as it seemed likely the Settlers’ ancient ancestors probably had done before them.

These other people had obviously developed their civilisations sufficiently long ago to create interstellar travel. They had decided to travel the vastness of space, not because of dying stars, but as simple exploration processes with one-way tickets.

Their missions had been simply to extend their species across the universe and they were well aware of possible places to achieve this from observations many aeons previously.

One of these other civilisations had noted this solar system as one of many that may be supportive of life and their giant ship had come in this direction, built in the spherical shape of a small planet, as was their technological view.

Others from their home planet had gone in different ways on similar missions, all because of this urge to explore and they all accepted the unlikelihood that they would ever see each other or their home planet ever again.

They were adventurers and accepted the hardships and their ultimate fate, as do all one-way explorers, but the exploration and the transmittance of their genetic material was everything.

When they arrived in the pleasantly hot areas of the world, the new humans were now well developed and had started the climb on the upward hill of civilisation.

Settler teams, who had visited the new humans from time to time, had been viewed as incredible magical Godlike figures. Indeed the concept of Godship had started with the new humans who were at a loss to explain the flying craft and the display of technology exhibited by the occupants.

These new visitors immediately directed themselves towards the areas where the signatures of life had been detected in the temperate zone of the planet. The Settlers had seen them arriving in the last stages of approach when their great spherical craft went into orbit like some new moon. They decided, for the interim and their immediate safety, to stay well away from these visitors and wait to see what might transpire.

The Visitor’s interplanetary craft appeared to be far superior to the Settler’s local flying craft and was many, many times larger than the New Arks that had brought them here. The chance that they may have weapons with them, possibly as many times more powerful (in proportion, possibly, as the scale of the size of their ship to that of the New Arks) than the Settler’s weapons that had never been employed, determined the chosen course of action.

It was considered better to stay underground out of sight, in their enclave, and have patience to see how events panned out.

The humans were confused by the strange appearance of these new Godlike visitors. The heads of some appeared very strange as they had the appearance, particularly in the appearance of their eyes, of birds or animals.

Some peered out from transparent masks or goggles which caused greater confusion. Their clothes were very strange and had all sorts of strange patterns and odd tubes connected to them.

The humans simply did not understand that the Visitors, who would be poisoned by an atmosphere so rich in oxygen, breathed a different one, that of their planetary origin. They wore suits topped with helmets incorporating complex filters that allowed for lengthy periods in this alien atmosphere.

Other helmets were glass like domes in which they breathed the gasses from the tanks they carried on their backs. They all appeared very strange to the new humans who were in a state of constant confusion about them.

The humans took them immediately as some sort of new Gods, especially when they provided examples of what their weaponry could do by killing the first few to approach too close.

Those with sense either ran away or threw themselves prone on the dusty ground in worship and supplication. Gods they were and whatever they wanted was complied with immediately, notwithstanding the problems with language. A few deaths quickly focussed minds on what the various hand and arm waving meant.

Some of the leaders amongst the human groups were elevated in status to great Kings when the Gods took them aside for some education, especially in languages.

They assisted in the building of impressive buildings, especially high raised platforms on which their transfer ships could readily land in safety. The now chosen companions of the Gods were either feared or respected in equal amounts as not complying with their wishes led to the same punishments of death as those originally meted out.

Creating Kingships had an ultimate aim.

In return for the privileges of a superior life, the Kings were required to organise massive human labour forces to carry out the wishes of the Gods. The mining of minerals, especially gold, that held no intrinsic value to the Visitors, but which was, however, invaluable to their technology, moved at a pace.

The numbers of the humans they corralled into labour groups seemed inadequate for the tasks the Visitors had in mind. They needed ever more of those types with the greater constitutions, who were stronger physically and could live longer underground before expiring in the harsh conditions of the mines.

Being very aware of and well practised in DNA manipulation, the Visitors soon decided that they must start a cross breeding program to achieve the workforce they required. They had no intention of interbreeding themselves with what they considered to be an inferior species.

This may take another ten or fifteen years for the DNA manipulated eggs to move from birth in the transplanted mother to a usable item of labour, but they were in no great hurry. This planet was warm, its provision of edible food, with a little processing, sustained them adequately and there was plenty of water; it was rich also in significant amounts of valuable minerals.

It would take some time to finish all the surveying of the planet to locate the best sources of mineral wealth, so why rush things; relax until the new-bred humans proved adequate to the planned tasks.

While DNA across the universe is the common language of all living things, it nonetheless has variations and here on this planet, the DNA of these humans was markedly different from that of the visitors.

The obvious solution for them was to take DNA from unrelated species on the planet and make use of those parts of it that may prove useful. Genetic modification of animals was no more difficult than with plants.

Developments in survival by all living things had adapted to this common global environment so extract from one what might be considered desirable pieces of the genetic code and stitch it in the correct place in the humans to give them the required attributes.

They could be provided with a strength and endurance they currently did not possess to produce the ideal slave. The exercise of altering the human code might include some uncertainties, be a bit of a hit and miss affair, but the results of what developed, if not useful, could be easily disposed of until what was sought had been achieved.

If the altered eggs transplanted into a ‘donor’ mother’s womb were carried to full term, then this would confirm, in part at least, that the right decisions had been made. If not, then discard both mother and foetus and continue trying to achieve, with the remaining others or with new samples, what was required.

With a large forced ‘trial’ population, there would be failures and successes.

Favourable groupings that would be expected, mathematically, would be nurtured during their development. When a ‘natural’ procreation age could be achieved, they would be made use of, before working in the mines until termination.

This selective cross breeding had many surprises. Not only were the DNA snippets of the other species' desired characteristics incorporated into the human host genetic material, but undesirable ones also. Sometimes completely random results were achieved as the introduced material, in combination with the host, either functioned in unexpected ways or became the dominant force in the hybrid development.

Experiments were also carried out to find the optimum methods for success in the genetic modification process, including deliberately mixing across the various species in odd ways. Many of the hybrids produced by the genuine efforts and by the experimentation continued to full term and for some years afterwards.

Frightening creatures that were part man, part animal came to exist and were not killed but encouraged into adulthood to observe any benefits that might be gained by such a mix. Many creatures with animal lower bodies and human upper bodies, and vice versa, terrified the local populations for lengthy periods and ultimately passed into more myth and legend.

The Settlers had stayed hidden where they were, quietly observing from a distance and although disliking intensely what they saw, remained principally concerned for their own survival and were determined to stay hidden.

Challenging or taking on these new people militarily, who were abusing the new human populations, was fraught with obvious dangers. If the Settlers' weaponry and numbers were not great enough, better to stay out of sight for as long as possible.

The Visitors were doing some good; they did have an altruistic streak once their subjugated peoples did as they were told. The development and education of sections of humankind by their introduction into the concepts and practice of mathematics, some science, the art of measurement and the keeping of records was introduced.

This was something the Settlers had intended but not at this stage; this was to have been left until much later. The rapid intellectual development of the humans engendered by the Visitors seemed to be to their credit but the real reason for its implementation was the increased efficiency in the functioning of the mining process.

Their manipulation of the code of procreation in such a disgusting manner was abhorrent to the Settlers. As long as the flow of the raw material they wanted was maintained, life could be kept pleasant for most of the humans; this is where the new Kingship organisation served well. Nevertheless, the cross breeding for the production of a bespoke labour force and not for the continuation of humankind was becoming too much for the Settlers.

The Settlers became more and more disturbed as the new strange looking, although generally human, cross breeds were being sent by their thousands across the world to dig deep into the ground. Here they extracted the precious minerals for the Visitors but were subsequently discarded when no longer capable of keeping up the required work rate.

They considered it disgusting to treat human life as secondary to the whims of anybody, to be open to the grossest of abuses, and then terminated casually. The Settlers determined that this had to be stopped.

The Settlers had introduced their DNA into the hominids on this planet because donor and recipient were remarkably similar and this program was to not only ensure the continuation of one species but also benefit the natural development of the other.

Creating a malformed genetic cross-breed for slavery was something else and was abhorred. The Settlers had to show their hand to stop this gross practice. If the Visitors continued along this path, the entire planets population would be at risk of becoming no more than a collection of mutant labourers for the invaders’ perverted wishes.