Return to Terra is a science fiction serial by O. Captain. It is inspired by Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and assorted science fiction shows of O. Captain's childhood.
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NARRATOR: It is the third Izarian day, of this Tertiadecima, the thirteenth Izarian month, in the thirteen thousandth (common) year of the Common Era. Eliya Alaricia, captain of the Regel Explorer TOS-42, and her crew, have been enjoying the comforts of Ea-arborum, a city on the planet Terra. At Brightfall, the Terran festival celebrating the first snow of noneleaf, Captain Alaricia, Dr. Merscaron, and Dr. Ur all got their fortunes told by the mysterious Sylvstrega, counterparts of the Elders of Ea-arborum. These fortunes warned them all of the approach of an ill-meaning entity from Dr. Merscaron’s past. The warnings have drifted to the backs of their minds, until now.
EA TANAH SILVYA: Fa tanah! Fa haushi! Fa sama! Sky-fell!
EA TANAH ROUAEN: What is it, Silvya?
SILVYA: Another sky-fell vessel is on its way!
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER VILAIA NEERTYR: How can you see it, if it’s not already in orbit?
EA HAUSHI BROMALIADE: The beastling has better eyes than any in Ea-arborum or Herra’s pack.
EA SAMA HAETHAR: Should we set a feast, Silvya? How far are the sky-fell?
SYLVSTREGA MA SAMA: No! No feast! No welcome!
SYLVSTREGA MA HAUSHI: Those sky-fell are not welcome here!
SYLVSTREGA MA TANAH: They bring the slithertail!
ROUAEN: If they mean ill, we must be ready. How long before they get here, Silvya?
SILVYA: The sky-fell ship will land in four darkskys, Fa tanah.
SYLVSTREGA MA TANAH: The sky-fell must go and meet the slithertail!
SYLVSTREGA MA HAUSHI: They must leave us and confront the slithertail!
SYLVSTREGA MA SAMA: The slithertail must not land here!
CAPTAIN ELIYA ALARICIA: Very well. We shall leave here in two days, and should be able to intercept the ship.
ROUAEN: Our forgiveness for not being able t’ offer our hospitality fer longer. But the Sylvstrega’s words must be followed. We wish you the greatest of luck.
SILVYA: Come back soon, Mablion.
MEDICAL OFFICER MABLION SANABIT: We’ll be back before you know it, Sil.
ROUAEN: Ye’ll all be missed.
NEERTYR: We’ll miss you too, Rouaen.
ALARICIA: You ready?
SCIENCE OFFICER AGION MERSCARON: Aye, captain.
SYLVSTREGA MA HAUSHI: Stand strong, tunnelclaw.
SYLVSTREGA MA SAMA: Be bold, sharpwing.
SYLVSTREGA MA TANAH: Reclaim yourself, ‘ootwing.
SANABIT: It’s her, isn’t it?
MERSCARON: Yeah. How’re the shields holding up?
SANABIT: We were going to have to replace them next month, but we mind as well get it done with today.
MERSCARON: Probably. Thank you, Mab.
SANABIT: Hey, no problem, Agi. Just make sure you take care of yourself. Everything isn’t your fault.
MERSCARON: A lot of it was, Mab. It was me. I did all of those things.
SANABIT: None of that, Agion! None of that was your fault! The sooner you start to believe it, the better off you’ll be when you see her again.
MERSCARON: My eternal thanks, Mablion. I hope I can believe that some day.
SANABIT: I know you will, Agion. I know you will.
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR OCTAVIOR UR: Ag.
MERSCARON: Octavior.
UR: Will ye tell me what’s going on, Agion? Please. Does it have tae do wi’ what ‘appened in college?
MERSCARON: I’d rather not get into it, Octavior. Not right now.
ALARICIA: Agion?
MERSCARON: Yes, captain?
ALARICIA: Agion.
MERSCARON: What is it, Eliya?
ALARICIA: Is it… is it her?
MERSCARON: Yes. It is.
ALARICIA: Are… are you going to be okay?
MERSCARON: Eliya… I don’t know.
END OF EPISODE 010
EPISODE NOTES:
Terran holidays and festivals
Budgrowth – the beginning of firstleaf/first buds or flowers
Talltrees – the beginning of fullleaf
Groundmatter – the beginning of fallleaf/the first falling leaves
Brightfall – the beginning of noneleaf/first snowfall
River-in-sky – the first rainfall of any season
Longpyre – Midsummer
Nonepyre – Midwinter
Stardark – New moons
Terran divination and witches:
Terrans use three main forms of divination.
Barkcards. A set of cards made from the bark of the weeping trees by the Falls. They have images painted onto them, and work like tarot cards.
Rootrunes. A set of runes carved into slices of the roots of weeping trees. Depending on the set or the user, they may have animals, symbols, or letters carved into them.
Weepingteas. Analyzing the pattern of weeping leaves left behind in a cup of weeping leaf tea. Certain cups are used for this, and weeping leaf tea is only made for divination purposes.
The Sylvstrega are the witches of the terrans, and are the counterparts of the Elders. They are given the title “Ma” as the Elders are given the title “Fa”. They come in threes, each being connected to a family. The mysticism of the Sylvstrega say that there is only one, who can make terrself look like three. They are consulted in matters of the spirit, and usually live outside the arborum, near the sacred place of their arborum, which, in this case, would be the Falls.
NARRATOR: It is the twentieth Izarian day, of this Undecimus, the eleventh Izarian month, in the thirteen thousandth (common) year of the Common Era. Eliya Alaricia, captain of the Regel Explorer TOS-42, and her crew, have been enjoying the comforts of Ea-arborum, a city on the planet Terra. After a week at the city, the landing party returned to bring the rest of the crew ashore. A terran holiday, Brightfall, is underway, celebrating the first snowfall of the season, and marking the beginning of noneleaf. The peace with the aranae-onca has held, and the Falls has become as hallowed a place as it once had been.
CAPTAIN ELIYA ALARICIA: Fine day for snow, isn’t it, Agion?
SCIENCE OFFICER AGION MERSCARON: Aye, captain. Fine day indeed. Fa tanah, what are the wint— err, noneleafs like?
EA TANAH ROUAEN: Ye have no need of such formality, Dr. Merscaron. We celebrate Brightfall so extravagantly because there are not many brightflakes that fall here. It is chilled, yes, enough to warrant wearing a thick mei-owb cloak, but not many brightflakes. The arbur shed their leaves, still, and the skypyre goes faster in the sky, so night is long. What are your noneleafs like?
MERSCARON: I can barely remember. It’s been so long since I’ve been home.
MEDICAL OFFICER MABLION SANABIT: I remember Nympharian winters. The leaves turned brilliant colors, the air was brisk, and the star stuck in a perpetual twilight. It was a beautiful season.
ROUAEN: It sounds it. Well, enjoy the festivities, friends. I must tend to some ceremonial duties. Fare thee well.
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR OCTAVIOR UR: Sil, what’s that booth?
EA TANAH SILVYA: That’s the Sylvstrega. Terr Sees the secrets of time.
UR: Let’s go in, Ag! I ‘aven’t ‘ad my fortune told since our college days.
MERSCARON: Oh, all right. I haven’t had a reading done in ages either. You go in first, Octavior.
SYLVSTREGA MA HAUSHI: Welcome, Octavior Ur. No, I didnae ‘ear yer name. The cards tell us all. Sit down.
UR: Thankee, Sylvstrega.
MA HAUSHI: Ye may call me Ma haushi. We three are the counters of the Elders. Now, the cards tell me this: Ye worry for yer friend, and such worry is not unfounded. The Seedling of Clouds is shadowed by the Dullpyre, which modifies the Sylvstrega of Clouds. Ye be the Seedling o’ Soils. Stand by the Seedling, but do not go against their wishes. The Sylvstrega is on their way, and must be dealt with.
UR: Oh Ag, what did ye get yersel’ intae at college?
SYLVSTREGA MA TANAH: Agion Merscaron. I fear there is not good news fer ye. Please, sit down. Twill be better to hear it sitting. Drink this, too. It soothes the nerves.
MERSCARON: Thank you, Ma haushi.
MA TANAH: Ma tanah.
MERSCARON: Ma tanah.
MA TANAH: Tis nothing. I only worry that I am the bearer of such ill news t’ ye. The runes say this: The time to become yer own self grows near. Look! The ‘ootwing lays reversed, and the aranae-onca perfectly on its side. There is a chance to reclaim the power you have lost. With you, the ‘ootwing, there are the tunnelclaw, the flowerwing, the shadewing, the arborchatter, and the sharpwing. And on the other side, there is the slithertail. Ye are not alone, but the choice t’ take yerself back from the slithertail is yours and only yours.
MERSCARON: She has followed us, then.
MA TANAH: That appears to be so. The slithertail is quite powerful. But so are ‘ootwings.
SYLVSTREGA MA SAMA: Welcome, Eliya Alaricia. The leaves told me ye’d be here. Pray, be seated.
ALARICIA: Many thanks. Are you Ma sama?
MA SAMA: Ye are perceptive, like your good doctor.
ALARICIA: Agion said she saw Ma tanah.
MA SAMA: So she did. We are separate, but together. Three, yet one. Do not try to understand. Only accept. Here, drink this. We will read the leaves.
ALARICIA: This is rather strong tea.
MA SAMA: Heh. It is made of the weeping leaves, which grow by the Falls. Finished? Give the cup here. We shall see what the leaves have t’ say about ye. Ahh. Ye are enamored wi’ a’ ‘ootwing, bright of mind but weary o’ soul. Ye an’ the ‘ootwing have many ‘appy years, provided ye get past the slithertail.
ALARICIA: The slithertail?
MA SAMA: Aye. The slithertail shadows o’er yer ‘ootwing’s past, an’ if ye can surmount it, ye can be ‘appy. Prepare yerself, Eliya, for the slithertail approaches.
END OF EPISODE 009
EPISODE NOTES:
Dramatis personae:
Sylvstrega Ma haushi | terran | tirr/tirrs | one of the Sylvstrega of Ea-arborum
Sylvstrega Ma tanah | terran | terr/terrs | one of the Sylvstrega of Ea-arborum
Sylvstrega Ma sama | terran | turr/turrs | one of the Sylvstrega of Ea-arborum
“One and one and one is three. Terr and Tirr and Turr are one.”
NARRATOR: It is the eighth Izarian day, of this Quintilis, the seventh Izarian month, in the thirteen thousandth (common) year of the Common Era. Eliya Alaricia, captain of the Regel Explorer TOS-42, and Dr. Agion Merscaron were captured by the aranae-onca, spider-panthers of Terra, as they and the rest of the landing party were enjoying a stay in Ea-arborum, a Terran city. The Elders of Ea-arborum met, and decided to arrange a meeting with the Panthider-chief by the sacred Falls, to discuss both the return of Merscaron and Alaricia and the ownership of the much-disputed Falls territory.
EA TANAH SILVYA: Fa tanah, Herra and Biyu will be at the falls at the appointed time. They will bring the sky-fell with them. I trust ye will not be using trickery in the meeting, Fa tanah.
EA TANAH ROUAEN: Of course not, Silvya. It is a meeting of peace and fair dealings.
EA HAUSHI BROMALIADE: Fair dealings? With the aranae-onca? We’ll ‘ave sky-watchers and sharp-bone throwers at the ready.
ROUAEN: Fa haushi! You propose we bring weapons to the falls?
BROMALIADE: Of course! I don’t trust the beasts. We need to be prepared in case they attack.
SILVYA: Fa haushi, Herra won’t attack! She’s given her word to a peaceful meeting.
BROMALIADE: Fa! I trust Herra more than I trust you, beastling!
EA SAMA HAETHAR: Fa haushi! That’s enough. Silvya made a brave journey into enemy lands –
BROMALIADE: Brave journey? Enemy territory? The brat was visiting terr family. Terr’s a traitor to all arbori!
MEDICAL OFFICER MABLION SANABIT: That’s enough, all of you! Silvya has been nothing but loyal to you and terr people since we’ve met terr. And terr has done terr part to get our friends back. We all thank you, Silvya.
BROMALIADE: Bah! Yer all unreasonable. I’m bringing means of defense. I won’t be frozen in fear when the aranae-onca strike.
SILVYA: Thankye, Mablion. An’ all yer friends.
EA HAUSHI WYLLAN: Fa haushi doesn’t approve of Silvya because terr was raised, in part, by Herra. And I know I make fun of terr, but terr’s one of the most loyal people I’ve ever met. Thankye fer defending terr.
HERRA: Rouaen! Yer late.
EA HAUSHI STRAIF: It’s Fa tanah to you!
ROUAEN: No, no. Thankye, Straif, but Herra usually forgoes the formalities. Where are the sky-fell?
BIYU: Apologies. One had to stop on the way here.
CAPTAIN ELIYA ALARICIA: Heya, Mab!
SCIENCE OFFICER AGION MERSCARON: Octavior!
HAETHAR: Can we get on with the negotiations?
HERRA: Of course, Haethar. First, as a gesture of goodwill, I’ll give back the two “sky-fell.”
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR OCTAVIOR UR: Agion! Glad tae see yer mug retaerned tae us.
BROMALIADE: What d’you want, beast?
HERRA: My, that’s rather rude, Bromaliade. So is bringing weapons to the Falls.
ROUAEN: Forgive Fa haushi. Tirr is afeared of an attack.
HERRA: I forgive tirr, but I’m not sure the Falls will. Now, the Falls are sacred grounds to my people. Is it so for yours as well, Silvya?
BROMALIADE: That’s a question for the Elders! Not for a beastling terr!
ROUAEN: Fa haushi!
HERRA: You test my patience. Insult my granddaeghter again and you’ll get a challenge. Silvya?
SILVYA: The Falls are a sacred place t’ Ea-arborum as well, grandmaether.
HERRA: Do the Terrs hunt by the falls, Straif? When do you hunt?
STRAIF: Yes, Chief. Firstleaf and fallleaf.
HERRA: Just Herra will do, Straif. Hmm. We hunt fullleaf and noneleaf. I propose this, Rouaen. The territory belongs to neither of us. It is a special place, free to all. During firstleaf and fallleaf, your people may hunt, and we will not disturb you. I trust you to do the same.
ROUAEN: Such terms are fair. We are agreed, then. Fare thee well and merry morrow, Herra.
END OF EPISODE 008
EPISODE NOTES:
about the zodiac (part iii)
Quon – a bony quadruped, with very thin skin and rather sharp bones. These bones are used for arrows and javelins. They are about the size of a horse, and don’t fare well in captivity. Their skin is fire-resistant.
Iaen-malm – a tunneling animal, covered in fishlike scales. It has two long arms, and crawls along through its tunnels, which it creates with its drill-shaped hornlike cranial protrusions.
Oua-ira – something like a very large quetzal. It has claws on its wings, large, fishlike eyes, and a jagged beak. Some are known to pick up small terrans to feed to their young. It is said that one released by an oua-ira is blessed and pure of spirit.
Zovinat – something like a selkie, they can mimic the shape of a terran, and turn back into an octopus like beast when they wear their scale-cape. Many are considered dangerous, and it is not recommended that you try to steal a zovinat’s scale-cape.
NARRATOR: It is the seventh Izarian day, of this Quintilis, the seventh Izarian month, in the thirteen thousandth (common) year of the Common Era. Eliya Alaricia, captain of the Regel Explorer TOS-42, and the rest of the landing party were enjoying a lovely day in Ea-arborum, a Terran city, when Alaricia and Dr. Merscaron were captured by the aranae-onca, spider-panthers of Terra. In Ea-arborum, the council of Elders is gathering, so that they can discuss the best course of action. Longtime enemies, the Terrans must tread carefully to avoid an all-out war with the panthiders.
CAPTAIN ELIYA ALARICIA: Agion!
DAMISA: Quiet, strangebeast!
SCIENCE OFFICER AGION MERSCARON: I’m all right, Eliya.
IRING: Silence! You are before the Chief!
HERRA: Yer dismissed! Who might ye be?
ALARICIA: Travellers, from off the planet. We seek no harm to you or your people.
HERRA: That will be for me to decide. Biyu!
BIYU: Chief.
HERRA: Where were the strangebeasts found?
BIYU: By the falls, Chief. The Terrs showed them the way.
HERRA: Ye say ye are not of this world? Sit down, then, and tell us of this other world from whence you came.
EA TANAH ROUAEN: Thankye, Ruis of Ea-arborum.
EA SAMA HAETHAR: Why are we gathered, Fa tanah?
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER VILAIA NEERTYR: Our captain, Eliya Alaricia, and our science officer, Agion Merscaron, have been captured by Panthiders. We mean to get them back, hopefully with your help.
EA HAUSHI BROMALIADE: And what business is that of ours? The sky-fell are strangers. You would risk our people for theirs?
ROUAEN: I do not plan to risk any lives, Fa haushi. The falls is a special place for the Panthiders, as it is for us. They will not shed blood there anymore than we will. Straif?
EA HAUSHI STRAIF: Fa tanah proposes—
ROUAEN: Take the credit, Straif. Ye deserve it.
STRAIF: We propose to send a messenger to the aranae-onca, and request a meeting at the falls, to discuss the return of the sky-fell and the ownership of the falls territory.
HAETHAR: Hrumph. Who shall be the messenger, then? We cannot trust that terr will survive.
STRAIF: I will be the messenger!
EA HAUSHI WYLLAN: I will!
STRAIF: No, Wyllan. You might get hurt.
WYLLAN: But Straif! You might get hurt, too. I-I’m not sure what I’d do if you…
STRAIF: I’ll come back, Wyll. I won’t leave you fore’er.
ROUAEN: Ahem. Actually, neither of you is going to go. Silvya is already on terr way to Herra now. I expect terr’ll be back afore moonrise.
HERRA: Yer quite brave, enterin’ these lands unarmed t’ deliver ol’ Rouaen’s message.
EA TANAH SILVYA: I know these lands better than most, Chief.
HERRA: Indeed you do, blood-kin. Very well, we shall meet with the Terrs—
SILVYA: I’ll set off now the—
HERRA: But rest before you return. Tis a long ways back. I’d send Biyu with you, but they’d have trouble keeping up.
SILVYA: Indeed they would, grandmaether.
END OF EPISODE 007
EPISODE NOTES:
Dramatis Personae:
Damisa | aranae-onca | she/they | a Panthider of Herra’s pride
Iring | aranae-onca | he/they | a Panthider of Herra’s pride
Herra | aranae-onca | she/they | Chief of the Panthiders
Biyu | aranae-onca | they/them | Herra’s aide
Ea sama Haethar | terran | turr/turrs | Elder of canopy-kot of Ea-arborum
Ea haushi Bromaliade | terran | tirr/tirrs | Elder of bark-kir of Ea-arborum
Ea haushi Straif | terran | tirr/tirrs | bark-kir of Ea-arborum
about the zodiac (part ii)
Mei-owb – goatlike, with thick, fluffy fur and sharp horns. They produce good drinking milk, and their fur is used in clothing and bandages. They have a good nose for smoke, and can often point directly towards the source of a fire. They are mostly nocturnal, and can be bad-tempered if woken up in the daylight hours.
Yulniml – a witch-beast. Some are known to live in the deeper arbori, but not many have seen one and lived. They are the last resort of the hopeless; the place one goes to when they have lost all hope. Sometimes they help. And sometimes they don’t.
Scaor – a scaled beast about the size of a housecat. They have two limbs, an elegant neck, and an extremely long tail. Young terrans learn balance from watching the scaor. They have a language, which is learned in some arbori.
Xen – a large otterlike creature, about the same size as an urs. They aren’t particularly friendly with the terrans, but are on good terms with the Panthiders. It is important to note that if a terran is accompanied by an urs, they act almost civil. It is possible that the xen and the urs had a common ancestor.
NARRATOR: It is the seventh Izarian day, of this Quintilis, the seventh Izarian month, in the thirteen thousandth (common) year of the Common Era. Eliya Alaricia, captain of the Regel Explorer TOS-42, and the rest of the landing party are residing in Ea-arborum, a city of the Terrans, inhabitants of the planet Terra, the third planet from the star Sol, in the Via Lactea galaxy. After being steered off-course, the ship wound up in orbit around Terra, the origin of Homo sapiens sapiens, the founders of the Sapiens Empire. The landing party was welcomed to the planet with a huge feast in their honor, and is being shown around the arborum.
EA TANAH SILVYA: Why’d ye come tae Terra?
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR OCTAVIOR UR: Our computer, KOT, sent us ‘ere. We was supposed tae go tae the Anderom Galaxy, the next one o’er, but we wound up ‘ere instead.
EA HAUSHI WYLLAN: Vya! What did Fa tell ye ‘bout botherin’ the sky-fell?
MEDICAL OFFICER MABLION SANABIT: She’s not a bother at all.
SILVYA: Terr.
SANABIT: Oh, apologies. Terr’s not a bother at all.
UR: Aye, terr’s been nothin’ but ‘elpful since we got ‘ere.
WYLLAN: Fine. But if terr causes any trouble, let me know.
SILVYA: Sorry ‘bout tirr. Wyllan’s my nestmate, so I ‘ave tae put up with tirr every now an’ then.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER VILAIA NEERTYR: Why’re you up so early? It’s not even sixth hour.
UR: Per’aps by Viator time, but we’re on Terra now.
NEERTYR: Try tellin’ that to Tirae. She’s still knocked out in her room. I don’t think we’ll see her until later in the day. Say, have you met Rouaen?
EA TANAH ROUAEN: Perhaps in passing, at the feast. I’ll formally reintroduce myself. I am Ea tanah Rouaen, Elder of the root-kyn of Ea-arborum. Along with Haethar and Bromaliade, I preside o’er this arborum.
SANABIT: Lovely to meet you, Ea tanah Rouaen.
UR: Aye, pleasure makin’ yer acquaintanceship.
ROUAEN: Rouaen will be fine, honored guests.
SILVYA: Hy-al, Fa tanah.
NEERTYR: Speaking of meetings, has anyone seen Agion or Eliya today?
SILVYA: The sharp-ear and the tol-frame? Huath was tellin’ them th’ way tae th’ wat’rfall.
UR: Well, I imagine they’ll be there all day!
SANABIT: If I know Eliya, they might be late for dinner.
NEERTYR: By the skies, if only I could use the image-caster.
UR: Perhaps another day.
EA SAMA HUATH: A pair of wild aranae-onca was hunting by the wat’rfall! I fear that the sky-fell may have been carried off to the Panthider-chief.
SANABIT: We have to get them back.
HUATH: Tae go intae the panthider lands would be self-kill!
SILVYA: Fa tanah, there must be something we can do tae help the sky-fell get their chief back.
ROUAEN: We must help our new friends, but we must also keep the arborum safe. Huath, get your sprout-twin. Wyllan, are ye still about?
WYLLAN: ‘ere, Fa tanah.
ROUAEN: Good. Get the haushi and sama Elders. We’ll get your captain back, friends.
END OF EPISODE 006
EPISODE NOTES:
Dramatis Personae:
Ea haushi Wyllan | terran | tirr/tirrs | bark-kir of Ea-arborum
Ea tanah Rouaen | terran | terr/terrs | Elder of root-kyn of Ea-arborum
Ea sama Huath | terran | turr/turrs | canopy-kot of Ea-arborum
about the aranae-onca.
They have thick, night-black fur, with silver-tone jaguar-like markings. They have four paws, and eight toes and claws on each paw. They also have eight eyes. Their leader is called the Panthider-chief, and they call themselves panthiders. They speak taerr-tongue and aeonca, their own language. They have frequent territory disputes with the Terrans.
about the zodiac
Whyrm – a messenger creature, somewhat like a small dragon. Their mythical counterparts are known for breathing all elements, but primarily fire. They are associated with the bark of the tree, and many terrans keep them as pets.
Urs – a feline-like cave-dwelling creature. They can grow to be very large, and are used to transport goods and people along the underground tunnels. They are usually easygoing animals, but are more than a match for any aranae-onca when they are enraged. They are fiercely loyal, and usually bond to only one or two terrans. They mate for life.
Duin – sort of like feathered bats. They only have two limbs, their wings, and so they usually partner up, either with each other or the six limbed meos. They make good eating, but are extremely fast and hard to capture. They’re a bit like carrion birds, always looking for a fresh kill, so the terrans don’t usually try to kill them.
Rymu-krez – a water-serpent, an almost mythical protector of lakes, rivers and waterfalls. They can grow to incredible lengths. Some of the more adventurous have tried to communicate with or tame them, but the results have not been very good, and the Elders of many arbori have forbidden contact.
NARRATOR: It is the sixth Izarian day, of this Quintilis, the seventh Izarian month, in the thirteen thousandth (common) year of the Common Era. Eliya Alaricia, captain of the Regel Explorer TOS-42, and the rest of the landing party are following the tracks of the inhabitants of the planet Terra, the third planet from the star Sol, in the Via Lactea galaxy. After being steered off-course, the ship wound up in orbit around Terra, the origin of Homo sapiens sapiens, the founders of the Sapiens Empire. The landing party has already spotted a “Terran,” as they are calling the species, and intends to follow it in search of a village.
MEDICAL OFFICER MABLION SANABIT: Why do I have to go first?
CAPTAIN ELIYA ALARICIA: Because you step the lightest, and are the best at staying silent. We all know that.
SANABIT: Vilaia’s pretty quiet, too!
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER VILAIA NEERTYR: Aye, but you can vanish, Mab. I can’t really do that.
SANABIT: Ugh. Fine. Just because I’d really stink if any of you died.
NEERTYR: Thanks, Mab! It’d really stink if you died, too!
SANABIT: Captain.
ALARICIA: Yes, Dr. Sanabit?
SANABIT: I’ve found a village.
LIEUTENANT TIRAE GARLEN: About time ye came back! We’s been waitin’ fer hours!
SCIENCE OFFICER AGION MERSCARON: It was actually only 20 minutes, Tirae.
GARLEN: Bah. Hours sounds better.
UR: Garlen, if yer done wi’ yer grumblin’, we’d like tae ‘ear Mablion’s report.
SANABIT: Thank you, Octavior. Deeper in the forest, there is a grove of very tall, very thick trees, similar to fae-willows, but much wider. The terrans live in these trees, at all levels. There are some who live below, some who live along the trunk, and some who live among the upper branches.
MERSCARON: Do you think there might be a hierarchy, of sorts?
SANABIT: Perhaps, but that’s more your department, Dr. Merscaron. There were quite a few terrans in the village, again at all levels of the greenery. There seems to be a network of vine bridges between the trees, and a pulley system for transportation.
ALARICIA: So, they’re sentient?
SANABIT: I’d have to assume so, to achieve such a level of social sophistication.
ALARICIA: So, if they’ve created such a sophisticated society, theoretically…
UR: Yes, we’d be allowed to show ourselves, and interact with them, although we should refrain from using our technology as much as we can.
EA TANAH SILVYA: Hur-ra!! Finally. We thought that ye’d ne’er stop creeping in the shadows.
NEERTYR: By the gods! Where the blue blazes did you come from? Don’t kill us we come in peace!
UR: Calm down, Vilaia. If they’d wanted us dead, we’d’ve been dead long afore now.
SANABIT: Quite right. If they could see through my veil, they could have attacked me at any time. Are there many of you?
SILVYA: All about, but they willnae bother us on our way. C’mon, there’s a feast laid out fer ye in th’ arborum.
END OF EPISODE 005
EPISODE NOTES:
Dramatis personae:
Ea tanah Silvya|terran|terr/terrs|root-kyn of Ea-arborum
Terran naming conventions:
The first name is the name of the home arborum of the terran. The second name is the “family” name. Each city’s “families” have different names. The third name is the given name.
Terran society
There are three main “families” in each arborum, or city. The root-kyn, who live at the roots of the Terr-traes, the bark-kir, who live along the trunk of the traes, and the canopy-kot, who live in the top branches.
The three levels do not represent a hierarchy, and each “family”’s duties are equally necessary and respected.
The root-ky are in charge of the store caves, and the network of tunnels beneath the ground. The bark-kir do most of the hunting, and act as messengers along the sky-ways. The canopy-kot train the other species of the planet, and make many of the medicines.
One’s family is not set in stone. Until they decide on their first family, young ones live in the way-houses in the tunnels, where they are cared for by the way-watchers, who are mainly root-kyn.
The terrans have a zodiac, using the same belt of constellations, only theirs are named differently, and are after different animals/figures.
Aries = Whyrm | kir (family) | flame (soul)
Taurus = Urs | kyn (family) | soil (soul)
Gemini = Duin | kot (family) | wind (soul)
Cancer = Rymu-krez | kir | rain
Leo = Mei-owb | kyn | flame
Virgo = Yulniml | kot | soil
Libra = Scaor | kir | wind
Scorpio = Xen | kyn | rain
Sagittarius = Qyon | kot | flame
Capricorn = Iaen-malm | kir | soil
Aquarius = Oua-ira | kyn | wind
Pisces = Zovinat | kot | rain
NARRATOR: It is the sixth Izarian day, of this Quintilis, the seventh Izarian month, in the thirteen thousandth (common) year of the Common Era. Eliya Alaricia, captain of the Regel Explorer TOS-42, stands in the doorway of the transport module, awaiting the rest of the landing party. After her ship went astray, the computers set a course for the third planet from the star Sol, Terra, the birthplace of the Sapiens. Captain Alaricia and the rest of the landing party will be the very first souls to land on Terra since the great Departure of Homo sapiens sapiens.
CAPTAIN ELIYA ALARICIA: I wonder what’s keeping them.
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR OCTAVIOR UR: I imagin’ that it’s takin’ a while tae get from deck tae deck.
ALARICIA: Aye, that’d take some time.
SCIENCE OFFICER AGION MERSCARON: Sorry that it took a while, but we’re all here now.
ALARICIA: Thank you, Agion. Are we all ready?
MEDICAL OFFICER MABLION SANABIT: Aye, Captain Alaricia.
UR: We’re all ready, Eliya. Let’s go an’ see what Terra ‘as in store fer us.
ALARICIA: Well spoken, Octavior. To Terra!
NEERTYR: By the skies, she’s beautiful.
GARLEN: By Deus, it’s like nothin’ I’s ever seen afore.
SANABIT: I haven’t seen such a beautiful place since I left home.
MERSCARON: Gaia’s outdone herself this time.
ALARICIA: Indeed. I had heard of the majesty of Terra before the Sapiens evolved, but this surpasses even that!
UR: Cap’n, look! Tracks, goin’ intae the wood.
MERSCARON: The creature is bipedal, or at least partly so, and probably not taller than Dr. Ur. No offence, Octavior.
UR: None taken, Agion.
MERSCARON: These tracks look similar to pre-Departure simian tracks. Of course you are aware that the Sapiens evolved from these simians, so if Terra’s gotten this far…
ALARICIA: There may be a sentient species. Let’s follow them, and see if we come across any. But stay back. We wouldn’t want to interfere with their development.
MERSCARON: That would be wise, Captain.
SANABIT: Shhhhh! There’s something coming this way!
UR: My stars, they’re incredible.
GARLEN: What the ‘ell are they?
MERSCARON: Like nothing we’ve ever seen.
NEERTYR: That’s one way to put it.
ALARICIA: Let’s follow them, and see if they have a people, a villiage.
SANABIT: Are you mad, Eliya? That thing could rip us all to pieces without breaking a sweat.
GARLEN: Aye, cap’n. The doctor’s right. ‘Tis too dangerous.
UR: Eliya, we’ll come back tomorrer. Let’s record our findin’s an’ test them in the database, see if KOT knows anthin’ about ‘em. Ye cannae go after that one today.
ALARICIA: It’ll take more than one o’ those things to take me down. I’ll meet ye back on the ship. If ye ain’t coming with me, then get back to the module.
MERSCARON: Eliya!
NEERTYR: Well, you’re madder still if you think we’re all not going with you.
GARLEN: We wouldn’t let our cap’n go off an’ get killed all by ‘erself.
UR: T’wouldn’t be very responsible o’ us.
ALARICIA: Thank you all, friends. Now, follow that…terran!
END OF EPISODE 004
EPISODE NOTES:
Dramatis personae:
Dr. Mablion Sanabit|nympharian|she/her|medical officer of the Regel Explorer TOS-42
Species:
Alatum parvus populo (Nympharians)
These people hail from the planet Nympharum, orbiting the Fae star. They are slender, and either unusually small or unusually tall. Most have at least one pair of iridescent wings. They are hardy beings, and are adept at almost every form of magic known in the Sapiens Empire, even local magicks and old folk spells from halfway across the universe. Many have made a profession out of selling their magical talents, and quite a few have become medical professionals.
Notes on the “terrans”:
temp. name: Elementarium terrae (“Earth elemental”)
description: vines seem to be growing on their heads, it is unclear whether they are separate organisms or extensions of the body. They are shorter than the average human, and have a shape similar to a monkey. They have long tails, and retractable claws. They have coppery eyes and a feline face. Their skin appears to be a coppery-red, but it could be coated with clay. Despite being small, they have an aura of strength and power, and are quite muscular.
NARRATOR: It is the sixth Izarian day, of this Quintilis, the seventh Izarian month, in the thirteen thousandth (common) year of the Common Era. Eliya Alaricia, captain of the Regel Explorer TOS-42, sits in her captain’s chair. Her ship is now in orbit around Terra, the third planet from the star Sol, in the Via Lactea Galaxy. Dr. Octavior Ur, Technical Director of the Regel Explorer TOS-42, is in the process of sending a probe to the planet’s surface, to assess whether it is safe to land, and if any life is on the planet. If it is safe, the crew of the Regel Explorer TOS-42 will be the first to land on Terra since the Departure of the Sapiens.
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR OCTAVIOR UR: Agion, what’re ye doin’ ‘ere? Did Eliya send yer?
SCIENCE OFFICER AGION MERSCARON: Of course she sent me, Octavior. She wants me to analyze the findings of the probe with you.
UR: I see. Well, the cadets an’ I just sent ‘er out, so it’ll be a half hour or so until she reaches the surface.
MERSCARON: Lovely.
UR: Aye.
MERSCARON: Um-hmm.
UR: Ye know what? I’ll call ye when she lands, so ye can go back an’… speak wi’ the captain if ye’d like. How does that sound?
MERSCARON: Thanks, Octavior. You’re really the greatest.
UR: I won’t tell Eliya that ye said that. She might get jealous.
MERSCARON: Eliya, jealous? Never.
ALARICIA: Didn’t take you very long to weasel your way out of your duties, Agion.
MERSCARON: Octavior said it would take the probe a half hour to reach Terra’s surface, so there wasn’t really anything for me to do.
ALARICIA: So you came back here. And what did you think you were going to do here, Agion?
MERSCARON: Talk to you, I suppose. You and I tend to have more interesting conversations than Octavior and I.
ALARICIA: You suppose, Agion?
MERSCARON: Yes, I suppose.
ALARICIA: Well, if you suppose that you’re going to talk to me, what do you suppose the results of the probe will mean?
MERSCARON: You’re a clever one, Eliya Alaricia. I suppose that Terra will be atmospherically appropriate for the crew. I don’t know about water quality.
ALARICIA: You’ll be a part of the landing party, won’t you?
MERSCARON: If my captain so wishes.
ALARICIA: As if I would deny you a spot on the landing party.
MERSCARON: Octavior’s just paged me. I ought to go back down to the technical deck now.
ALARICIA: Yes, you ought to go back. But as your captain, I’m asking you to stay for a few more minutes. I wasn’t finished talking to you.
MERSCARON: Oh, you weren’t finished?
ALARICIA: Not remotely, Agion. Not remotely.
UR: Agion! There ye are. What took ye so long?
MERSCARON: Eliya.
UR: Heh. I see.
MERSCARON: You know it’s useless to argue with her.
UR: Hmm. I recall successfully debating several points tae our beloved cap’n. Per’aps it’s just you that has a problem arguin’ wi’ ‘er.
MERSCARON: Oh shut up, Octavior.
UR: Heheheh. I do actually ‘ave somethin’ interestin’ tae show ye, yer difficulties wi’ Eliya aside. Come look at this.
MERSCARON: By Gaia, that’s Terra?
UR: Aye. That’s Terra, sure as the stars.
MERSCARON: It’s incredible. I had suspected something to be there, but nothing like this.
UR: Aye. Tis more than one could imagine. Get Eliya down ‘ere so she can see this.
UR: The atmosphere is safe for our crew, so we could send a landing party.
ALARICIA: Agion, get Garlen, Neertyr and Dr. Sanabit. The six of us will form the landing party. Octavior, are you ready to be the first Eldarian on the planet Terra?
Hydrosphere: safe for consumption by most carbon-based life forms.
Analysis of life: Life is present, and the life forms seem to be carbon-based. Vegetation seems to be in abundance, and there is evidence of animal life as well. The planet is at a stage of succession at which sentient life forms are within the realm of possibility.
NARRATOR: It is the third Izarian day, of this Quintilis, the seventh Izarian month, in the thirteen thousandth (common) year of the Common Era. Eliya Alaricia, captain of the Regel Explorer TOS-42, sits in her captain’s chair. A routine mission to check on the progress of the harvesting of resources from the planets Aeris and Ducit, their moons, and their star, Truem, has gone awry. The computer insists on sending them to the third planet from the star Sol, in the Via Lactea Galaxy. The third planet from Sol is known as Terra, and long ago, Homo sapiens sapiens evolved there. When they departed from the planet, it was uninhabitable, and hostile towards all forms of life. Ten thousand years later, no one knows what will await our crew as they enter the planet’s orbit.
ENSIGN PYAS ILIZON: Cap’n, the instruments read that we’ll be in Terra’s orbit by the end of the week.
CAPTAIN ELIYA ALARICIA: Thank you Ilizon. Officer Merscaron.
SCIENCE OFFICER AGION MERSCARON: Yes, captain?
ALARICIA: Look into the records, and just double check that there have been no investigations or emissions from Terra since the Departure.
MERSCARON: Of course, captain.
ALARICIA: Thank you, Agion.
MERSCARON: KOT’s database shows no records of anything concerning Terra, apart from the ancient history manuals of the Pre-Departure age.
ALARICIA: Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what the planet Terra has in store for us.
MERSCARON: Indeed we will, captain.
ALARICIA: Agion, what do you think is on Terra now?
MERSCARON: I couldn’t hazard a guess, Eliya. If there had been a mission sent before, to see if the planet underwent succession, then I could have at least some idea of what might await us there.
ALARICIA: Come on, Agion. Make a wild guess. For me.
MERSCARON: Only for you, Eliya Alaricia. I suspect that the planet is teeming with life by now. Primary succession should have taken a long time, but ten thousand years is surely enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were Sapieniod species on Terra again. I’d also be sorely disappointed.
ALARICIA: Disappointed why?
MERSCARON: Because I’d have thought Gaia would have learned from her first mistake.
ALARICIA: That’s an unusual opinion in the empire of the Sapiens.
MERSCARON: I can assure you that it’s a common one among those who aren’t Sapiens.
ALARICIA: And a dangerous one, I suspect.
MERSCARON: Among some circles. I trust you won’t turn me in for “conspiring against the Sapiens” or whatever they’re calling exercising freedom of speech these days.
ALARICIA: Of course I wouldn’t turn you in, Agion.
MERSCARON: I thought not. Now let’s get some sleep, Eliya. We’ve worried over Terra enough already.
ILIZON: Cap’n, we’re just about to enter orbit around Terra.
ALARICIA: Thank you, Ensign Ilizon. Officer Neertyr, please alert the crew that we are entering orbit.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER VILAIA NEERTYR: Right away, captain.
ALARICIA: Officer Merscaron, I’d like you to go down to the tech deck to see Dr. Ur. Make sure that they have sent, or are preparing to send, a probe, to the surface of Terra. I’d also like you to analyze the findings of the probe alongside Dr. Ur.
MERSCARON: As you wish, captain.
ALARICIA: Tirae, you have to come see this. In a moment, we will see the planet Terra, and our eyes will be the first to see it in ten thousand years.
END OF EPISODE 002.
EPISODE NOTES:
Dramatis personae:
Pyas Ilizon | human (Sagacian) | she/her | Ensign on the Regel Explorer TOS-42
Dr. Agion Merscaron | athaenian | she/her | Science officer of the Regel Explorer TOS-42
Vilaia Neertyr | she/her | tyrnan| Communications officer of the Regel Explorer TOS-42
Species:
Homo sapiens sagaci
A strain of human originating from the planets orbiting the star Sagax. They have dark skin, and unusually large eyes. They have little hair, and are incredibly adept at weaving thin cloths from the many flowers on the planets of the system.
Homo vulcanus athaenai (Athaenians)
Athaenians are not technically humans. They are more closely related to Vulcans. They are humanoid, and have the typical Vulcan ears. They also have bat-like noses, and rather big eyes, in varying shades of grey. They hail from the planet Athaena, a planet first colonized by early Vulcan-Sapiens, named after an ancient Sapiens goddess of wisdom and intelligence.
Striatos casia tyrnas (Tyrnans)
The average member of this race has a slender build and is a little shorter than humans on average. They have light indigo-to-purple skin and have light purplish gray hair. They have okapi-like stripes on their bodies, extensive ridges on their foreheads, turquoise eyes and facial features that put you in mind of a beetle. They wear richly decorated, modest clothing and ostentatious jewelry. They are well adapted to the semi-aquatic habitats of their planet, Tyrna.
NARRATOR: It is the seventeenth Izarian day, of this Maius, the fifth Izarian month, in the thirteen thousandth (common) year of the Common Era. Ten thousand years ago, the species Homo sapiens sapiens departed from their home planet, which had become hostile and uninhabitable, and expanded across the universe. Eliya Alaricia, captain of the Regel Explorer TOS-42, sits in her captain’s chair. Her crew’s mission has sent them halfway across the known Sapiens universe, to the Anderom Galaxy, where they are to check on the progress of the harvesting of resources from the planets Aeris and Ducit, their moons, and their star, Truem. Unbeknownst to our crew and captain, the ship has strayed off course, and they are currently in the Via Lactea Galaxy, on a course that will have them collide with the third planet from the star Sol.
CAPTAIN ELIYA ALARICIA: Lieutenant Garlen.
LIEUTENANT TIRAE GARLEN: I’m right ‘ere, Cap’n. Is somethin’ wrong?
ALARICIA: …yes. We’re not in the Anderom Galaxy.
GARLEN: What d’ ye mean we ain’t in the Anderom Galazy? I watched Ilizon punch in the coordinates, an’ they was in Anderom, sure ‘nuff.
ALARICIA: I’ve looked over the coordinates, and they are indeed in the Anderom Galaxy. The fault lies within our ship’s computer. Would you like to accompany me to the tech-deck, Lieutenant?
GARLEN: If I ain’t needed anywhere else, Cap’n.
ALARICIA: I’m sure the others can manage for a few minutes on their own.
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR OCTAVIOR UR: I cannae explain it, Eliya. The computer reads the coordinates, but sends us another way. I cannae ‘elp but wonder if KOT wants us tae go tae where’er she’s takin’ us.
GARLEN: Dr. Ur, ye do know that a computer cannae want anything, right? KOT ain’t fully sentient like us folks.
ALARICIA: Tirae, hear the good doctor out. They understand the KOT system more than we do.
UR: Thankye, Eliya. I’ve worked wi’ KOT longer th’n anyone, an’ I trust ‘er wi’ my life, an’ with the lives o’ ye all. Ye do know where we’re headed, don’t ye, Cap’n?
ALARICIA: The third planet from the star Sol.
UR: Aye, but d’ ye remember what planet that is? The third planet from Sol is called Terra.
GARLEN: What th’ devil does the fact that the planet’s called Terra ‘ave t’ do with anyth—
ALARICIA: Terra was the birthplace of the first Sapiens, the home planet of Homo sapiens sapiens.
UR: Aye. I dinnae ken what’s there now, but if KOT’s sendin’ us there, she ‘as a reason, and ye can bet it’s a damn good one.
GARLEN: Good Deus! No one’s been t’ that hunk o’ rock in ten thousand years! Who knows what’ll be there?
ALARICIA: When the Sapiens left, the planet was dead, but after so long, primary succession may have occurred, and the planet may have life again.
UR: I’ll have my cadets send a probe tae the surface as soon as we’re close enough.
ALARICIA: Thank you, Dr. Ur.
GARLEN: We’re keepin’ the course t’ Terra, Cap’n?
ALARICIA: Yes. I’ve worked with Octavior before, and I trust them with my life. We’re going to Terra. Alert the rest of the crew.
GARLEN: Aye-aye, Cap’n.
END OF EPISODE 001.
EPISODE NOTES:
Dramatis personae:
Eliya Alaricia | human (Calidarian) | she/her |Captain of the Regel Explorer TOS-42
Tirae Garlen | omenian | she/her | Lieutenant on the Regel Explorer TOS-42
Dr. Octavior Ur | eldarian | they/them | Technical Director of the Regel Explorer TOS-42
Terminology
KOT – Krypton-operated Techinar, the computer system installed on all TOS.
TOS – Traveller-occupied Starship
Species notes:
Homo sapiens sapiens (True Terran Sapiens)
The decedents of the original travelers from Terra. On each human settled planet, the species adapted, and so there are different strains of “human”.
Homo sapiens calidarus (Calidarian humans)
The humans of the planetary system comprised of Calidar, Umbiran, Ruthiem, and Umbiran’s moon Polui. They are taller than all other humans, and have more elegant limbs and appendages. Captian Alaricia was born on Calidar, and is a Homo sapiens calidarus.
Minaces corvus polypus (Omenians)
The average member of this race has a build similar to that of humans and is around the same height as the average human. They have muted black skin and drab ashen-colored hair. They have long, pointed ears, facial features that put you in mind of a raven, and gold, octopus-like eyes. They wear simple clothing, and hail from the planet Omen.
Pumilio araneae eldarius (Eldarians)
The average member of this race has a stocky build and is quite short. They have fair to pale skin and red hair. They have dark green eyes and facial features that put you in mind of a spider. They wear richly decorated clothing and decorations of rank. They come from the planet Eldaria. They tend to be intellectual and have started several new colonies lately.
