History's Lance - A Side Story
My name is Ronax Tallplume. I am an archivist, class 4, Civilian Logistics, Agriculture and Welfare.
That's not entirely true. I am in my house, or what's left of it, but my house is not all here. Nor is what's here where it should be.
I remember emergency sirens, and an alert broadcast. Someone from one of the Science Towers talking about an emergency procedure. I just remember looking up and seeing a ball of fire in the sky.
The fireball looked at me. No, that's not right.
Then it was very cold, and very quiet.
The rear half of my home is still entirely intact, as is a section of the yard outside and some of the sidewalk. My kitchen is where the home ends abruptly, cut cleanly through as though by a laser. There's no sign of burns or scorches, but along this line on the ground is a thin ring of irregular cyan-colored crystal growths.
This line forms a circle about 20 meters across centered on the house's capacitor box. Everything within the circle is just as it was before the siren went off.
Everything outside the circle is utterly wrong.
I do not recognize the plant life. There are trees and shrubs, but their leaves are strangely shaped. In place of the carpet ferns are simple leaves that poke up through dry, patchy soil. The air is also dry, and chilly, and it smells wrong.
It's night. I must have been knocked out for half a day at least. And there's no lights anywhere, much less the entire city of Tailspire.
I spent most of the night taking stock of my situation. The recorder is charged for the foreseeable. I have some food from the half of the kitchen that's here, but water will be a problem.
I took the hangar pole from my bedroom closet. I don't have any weapons, so a tail's length hollow steel rod will have to do.
I've set out to find water. I've started hiking downhill. West by the sun's position.
I found a stream after six hexands or so. I've marked the trail with some rocks, and am following the stream. I've spotted more signs of life. Some of the insects seem familiar, but they are a fraction of the size. I've spotted a variety of unfamiliar birds, none of whom seem to have teeth.
I also saw something else. Some kind of giant vole, I think. It had four legs, was covered in short, flat fuzz, and had curling horns coming from the sides of its head. Instead of scuttling on the ground it stood with its legs directly under it, legs that each ended in a pair of black claws. It barely had a tail to speak of. It'd say it was five, six claws long, muzzle to haunches.
It gave a low, staccato honk and ran into the foliage when I tried to get close.
Is this Primore at all? Did I get thrown to some other planet, or skipped into another universe like on Worldshifters? Something about the crystal ring seems familiar.
There we go... the stream led right to a small lake and...
A village! Little stone and wood houses in the distance. Dromeons by the size of the houses! Thank Zarr!
They were tailless, flat-faced things that smelled like cittervoles, about half my size. They wore clothing, they had tools, but they're completely alien. I tried to approach slowly to not spook them, but they ran as soon as I spoke.
I'd hoped that my F.I.S.H. would be able to pick up on their language, but the charge is drained and it doesn't use the same cells as the recorder.
I waited a bit to see if any would come out to try and communicate, but after three came out holding what appeared to be large knives or small swords, I decided to attempt again later.
I returned to the pond to try and speak with the creatures again. When I arrived, one of their number came forward with two animals like the four-legged vole-thing I saw on the path. It led them with plant-fiber ropes looped around their necks.
The creature left the two livestock animals tied to a post next to the pond, a new addition since the last time I arrived, and ran back to one of the houses when I tried to approach.
I'm twice their size, and I can see now that they don't have claws or fangs, or any natural armaments at all that I could see. I must be terrifying to them. The animals are a gift to appease me, it seems. Maybe the pole scared them. I'll leave it behind next time.
I have food enough for now. But that won't last long. If I'm not rescued, I may have to take them up on that.
It has been a thirdmoon. I have taken the creatures' livestock offerings twice, on days were I was not able to trap wild game. The four-limbed voles are gamey but filling when you cook them right. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes. I've been leery to try the plant life since I have no idea what is poisonous.
I've been thinking about Meg a lot. Partially because I miss her, but mostly because she was always talking about StarNest. She loved everything about space travel, especially the science. She'd go on and on about all of it. Especially the stasis thing. Time slip.
"Did you know they use time slip fields to make more chronite?"
I remember her saying those exact words.
"When the field collapses, everything in the space gets shoved out. Anything that doesn't undergoes the Bronzehorne process and forms chronite crystals."
I remember it so clearly. Maybe because she said it. Maybe because of the ring. The dirt just beyond the ring bulges. It's harder than the surrounding earth. Like it was packed together.
I've been in the time slip. I have no idea how long. If Meg was here she'd know. She was good with science and stars and things.
I didn't notice before, but the stars are different. Even I know that takes a long time. Long enough for voles to learn to make swords. How long is that?
They told us in school we weren't the first people on Primore. They told us we probably wouldn't be the last. That was a comforting thought then.
I watched a vidplay once about a big-brain flapper that got frozen in ice and woke up in the modern world. Awful effects, dumb script, lot of plop-jokes.
He must have been so lonely.
The spiking voles attacked me.
They had one of their own tied to the pole when I went down to get water. It was wrapped up in white clothing and was screaming and wailing. I cut the ropes with my claws and tried to tell it calmly I wouldn't hurt it.
I heard weird, hard running steps behind me and before I turned around one of the little monsters had a spear in me. It was on one of their labor animals, both of them armored up like for war. I knocked them both down with my tail and ran.
I'm back at the house. I'm trying to bind the wound but it won't stop. I want to go home. I want the warm air. I want Meg.
I don't want to hurt you! Listen, please!
I'm just lost. I'm like you, I talk, I can feel. Please!
My arm, you broke my arm! Why are you doing this? You horrible naked little voles! Overgrown garden pests! ANIMALS!
I never did anything to you and you stabbed me and burned my home!
Get back! I have teeth! I'll bite! That's what you understand isn't it? Hurting and biting and killing!?
Come at me then! You're so brave with your rocks and knives when I'm bleeding and tied up! You wanted to feed me one of you, so c'mon!
Do it. Do it you cowards!
Meg. Meg. I'll see you soon Me-
The last testimony of Ronax Tallplume, previously known as the Singing Stone of Silene, recently translated by and repatriated to representatives of the Granite Mountain Dinosovian enclave.