Expedition to Elaysia

“Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say,” the AI instructor droned.

Genesee rolled her eyes. Yeah, yeah yeah. And if a tree fell in a forest and no one was there to hear it, would it make a sound? Why did they need to learn Philosophy? What was 0217 planning? Maybe the robotics specialists who created the AIs gave them too much personality. She was sure 0217 had a sadistic streak.

The AIs had always creeped her out a little. The rubbery plastic stretched over their bodies didn't cover everything. Wires and cables left exposed at the waist and joints gave them an odd appearance. Motors in their faces could create an infinite number of expressions, not all of which they used appropriately, but no matter how hard the scientists had tried to make them look human, they had never managed to make the eyes look anything but dead.

Genesee sighed and turned her head to look at the field of stars out the classroom window. Her dark features and bored expression reflected at her in the plas-glass. Out of habit, she ran a hand over her close-cropped hair. With the exception of a close-up view of a planet here and there, stars were the only sight she had seen in the last twenty-five years. She had been born on the Expedition and had never set foot off the ship.

The Expedition had set off from Earth nearly eighty years ago. The History AI, 1004, taught that it had been part of a convoy looking for a new planet to call home when the ship was knocked into a wormhole by an asteroid. The Expedition became separated from the rest of the vessels. Genesee wondered if the other ships had also been damaged or even destroyed. Wouldn't their computer systems allow them to keep track of each other? Maybe the distance was just too far.

At any rate, the damage to the Expedition rendered the cryo units inoperable. The passengers were supposed to sleep in cold storage for the duration of the trip. When they awoke a few decades into their journey, they rallied and made the best of what they had.

The Expeds, as they began calling themselves, carved out living quarters where they could. Freeze-dried rations intended to see them through the first several months on their new planet, paired with a hydroponics experiment maintained by AIs, allowed them to survive. By the time Genesee was born, everyone on board was vegan by necessity. There was no meat available.

Much to the chagrin of the original children on board, there was a handful of AIs assigned to create a school of sorts. Genesee’s father often reminisced about how much he loathed the Mathematics AI. She wasn't too fond of 0604 herself. The AI positively rejoiced in giving pop quizzes. Its dead eyes would widen in surprise while its face reflected joy every time it announced yet another test.

Genesee’s favorite AI instructor by far was 0927, who taught Languages. Like all AIs, its programming included the ability to communicate in every language on Earth. It had developed a glitch over time that its students should have reported but never did. The instructor often switched randomly between languages, spewing out a jumble of nearly nonsensical sentences.

Genesee and her best friend, Darshan, often conversed in a mishmash of languages. As children, they imagined it to be a secret code. They joked that they weren't learning a thing in class, but over time, Genesee realized she could understand everyone on the ship when they were speaking their native languages. As a result, she decided to focus her post-graduate studies in Linguistics. If nothing else, she could work to preserve them as English had long been the predominant language. Darshan’s interests lay in Anthropology. They could work together to make sure no one forgot where they had come from.

“Student. Please respond.” 0217 said.

Genesee turned back from the window to find the AI grimacing down at her. “I have a name.” Darshan, sitting beside her, tried to cover his laughter. Why did her post-graduate studies have to include Philosophy?

“That is irrelevant. I will repeat the question. What is the meaning of life?”

She attempted to hold back a rude retort. Still, her response was a little more sarcastic than intended. “The meaning of life is not spending the rest of my life stuck on this ship studying Philosophy. I mean, my generation is the first to have never set foot on another planet.” Genesee took a deep breath. “The meaning of life is breathing air, real air. Not the recycled stuff they pipe in here. It's feeling the sun on your face. It's supposed to be warm, you know. It's feeling the air move. It's feeling the earth under your feet.”

The AI instructor peered at her with its dead eyes for a moment before moving on to harass someone else.

Darshan leaned over to her. “What brought that on?” His brown eyes sparkled with humor behind a lock of equally brown hair that was forever falling in his face. His golden complexion came from a long line of Egyptians, not so far from her own assorted African roots.

“I don't know,” she replied. “I feel restless or something.”

He shrugged. “Maybe because we stayed up half the night talking about what it would be like to live on a planet.”

“Yeah. Could be,” Genesee said. “Or maybe it's because I hate this class.”

Darshan’s grin slid to amazement as the Captain’s voice came over the intercom. “We have located a potentially suitable planet a few light years away. It will take a couple of months to get there, then several weeks of surveys, but, with any luck, we’ll soon have a new home.” She was always upbeat for someone who had been pushed into the leadership role after the most senior military member of the passengers had retired.

“How do you do that?” Darshan asked with a raised eyebrow.

Genesee laughed. “I didn't do anything. Besides, it doesn't mean anything for sure. The last three suitable planets turned out to be unsuitable.”

Several weeks later, she and Darshan were sitting at a window overlooking a planet already dubbed Elaysia. Genesee took her turn at the chess game they were playing, then turned to gaze at the deep blue seas and lush green forests of the planet slowly rotating below. White topped peaks thrust up in a few areas. It looked very much like the pictures she had seen of Earth.

“Sir? Ma’am?” She turned to see one of the young interns in the ship’s crew recruitment program standing beside them.

“Alik. You’ve known us since you were born. You can call us by our names.” Darshan said with amusement.

“Yes, sir, Darshan, sir. Captain Karaden has asked to see you.” Alik replied.

Genesee and Darshan looked at each other. What would the Captain want to talk to them about? They stood and followed Alik to the Captain's quarters.

“What did you do?” Darshan asked with an amused smile as they walked.

Genesee slugged him gently in the arm. “Nothing, as you well know. We’ve been together for hours.”

Captain Karaden smiled up at them as Alik showed in.

“You wanted to see us, ma’am?” Genesee said respectfully. She didn’t have reason to have much interaction with the woman, but she genuinely liked her. Captain Karaden was a good fit for the ship’s crew.

“Yes. Please sit down.” She slid her computer out of the way and folded her hands as she looked at them. “I would like you two to join the scientists down on the surface.”

“Ma’am?” Genesee was confused. “I'm a Linguist. Have you found a sentient species down there? I mean, even if you have, I only know Earth languages. I wouldn't be able to communicate with them.”

“We have found evidence that there may have been a sentient species on the planet at one point. We don't know if they left or are hiding from us. If we are able to find anyone, we would like to be able to communicate with them. See if they will let us live here with them. We certainly wouldn't want to push anyone out of their home. It has come to my attention that you are a quick study, Miss Carver. I have faith that you would be able to figure it out.” Captain Karaden turned her gaze to Darshan. “Mr. Amir, your services are required to explore the sites where we think they lived. Miss Carver can assist you until we find them - if they are there.”

Darshan grinned broadly. “Yes, Ma’am. We’d love to, Ma’am.”

Two days later, they were stepping out of the shuttlecraft. Genesee squinted around in wonder. The sunlight was brighter than she expected, even with the sunshield over her eyes. She gasped as her eyes adjusted enough to see a vast expanse of blue skies above her. Fields of waving grasses and gently swaying trees went on for miles. Genesee suddenly felt much smaller than ever before. It was like she had become one of those ants she had studied in her Entomology class as a child. It was unnerving.

Genesee stumbled slightly, trying to get used to the change in gravity. She felt like she was being compressed into the soil - not so much that she couldn’t move freely, but it left her feeling sluggish. Even standing still, she felt like she was swaying, which was odd. Genesse had never noticed the subtle movement of the ship before, but now it felt like her brain was still moving with it.

The ground felt different under her feet. It wasn't level. In some places, it was dusty. In others, it was almost springy. Either way, it felt nothing like the metal floors of the ship.

Genesee felt warmth on her exposed skin from the golden orb above. It felt good but was almost too hot. She felt some relief from it whenever the breeze grew strong enough to blow Darshan’s hair around. The air tasted sweeter than the sharp tang of the recycled stuff on the Expedition. The wind brought odd but not unpleasant smells from different plants in the fields.

It was the sound that got her. Or rather, a cacophony of sounds. There had been noise on the ship - the ever-present faint buzz of the engines and other machinery, the quiet whir of the AIs as they moved, the murmur of voices, and the occasional outburst of disagreement. On Elaysia, the leaves on the trees rustled in the wind. A nearby stream burbled. Tweets and screeches came from the native creatures at random intervals. It created a beautiful melody, but it was nearly overwhelming.

She could see Darshan trying not to show his reaction to the assault on his senses, bravely shouldering his bag and camping supplies. “Well, I suppose we should find out where to set up our tent and report for duty.”

Genesee nodded and followed him toward a man who seemed to be directing things. They were shown to an open campsite and instructed to rest in the mess tent for a few hours until they had acclimated to the change in environment.

Soon enough, they were struggling to erect a waterproof tent for the first time. In theory, it should have been easy. Its instructions stated that it would pop into place when pulled from the bag. Maybe it was because it had been in storage so long, but the poles weren’t all bending in the right direction. Genesee could already tell it would be nearly impossible to fold back into the bag when they left. Finally, they got the poles properly secured. They laughed in relief as they stretched the cover over the tent and pegged it into place.

Once they had their cots set up, they met up with the dig foreman and found themselves brushing dirt off what appeared to be a structure of sorts. It was a hot, dusty job, but Genesee found she was having fun. It was more interesting than sitting in Philosophy, at any rate.

Camping was an experience in and of itself. The days were warm and the nights cool, requiring the constant shifting of layers of clothing. Their camp kit included a small solar-powered generator to charge their devices, but it wasn't strong enough to provide temperature controls. Genesee hoped they would have a more permanent shelter before the cold season set in if there was one. The scientists had calculated the length of the year based on the planet’s rotation and therefore made informed guesses as to potential seasonal changes but hadn't been on the surface long enough to be sure.

The insects were the worst part. Genesee knew from the prior surveys that none of them were particularly dangerous. The bugs were more of an annoyance. They crawled over everyone as they slept, creeping into their sleeping bags.

About a week later, the weather turned, bringing torrential downpours. The tent city, located on higher ground, was perpetually damp, but at least the water ran off and away from it.

When it first started raining, Genesee and Darshan had run around like children, slipping in the mud. Soon they found themselves soaked to the bone. The rain was nothing like the steam showers they had grown up with. Their design allowed for the conservation of the precious water onboard. As a result, only a thin sheen of water had covered their bodies. Even though they had access to more water on the planet’s surface, the showers in the bathing tent were barely more than a trickle. Either way, it was entirely unlike the torrents of water cold water pouring down their bodies.

Genesee shivered in the tent as she dried off and pulled on a new jumpsuit. Darshan was still laughing as he rubbed a towel over his head.

“That was incredible,” he said emphatically.

“It was fun, but now I need some hot chococaf. I think even my bones are cold.” Genesee agreed.

Neither of them found it so fun after they were trapped in their tent two days later when it was still raining. They couldn't work outside and were tired of being wet, so they only went out when they were too hungry to avoid going out in it to grab a meal at the mess tent. Genesee and Darshan reminisced about their childhood on the ship while they sat in the tent waiting for the rain to stop. They were trying to conserve the battery on their generator since there was no sun to recharge it, and they didn't know how long the rain would last. The storm was moving in a circular pattern, making it difficult for the Meteorologists to predict what it would do.

Finally, the rain stopped. Genesee smiled at the series of rainbows that appeared caused by the refraction of light from the sun. The air felt even more crisp and fresh. The stream had overflowed its boundaries, flooding the shuttle landing site. Hopefully, they wouldn't need any more supplies before the water receded.

A couple of days later, everything had dried up enough that they could get back to work. The site was a mess. Mud had run into cover some areas while others areas were more exposed than before. It was becoming more evident that there had been a large building on the site. The twisted metal jutting out of the ground was evidence of the destruction of a semi-advanced village some time ago. What could have caused such damage? Was it the result of a terrestrial war or an attack by an extraterrestrial force?

On their next day off, Darshan and Genesee decided to explore the outskirts of their temporary settlement. Something flitted by, just out of the corner of Genesee’s eye.

“Did you see that?” she asked.

Darshan peered around. “I didn't see anything. What was it?”

“A bird of some sort - I think,” Genesee replied. “It had wings at any rate. It went that way.” She took off in the same direction.

After several minutes of walking, she stopped below a tree. “Look. There it is.”

“What the hell is that? It looks like one of those dragons from the fantasy section of the Earth records but in miniature,” he said in awe.

The winged lizard-like creature flew off again. Before the two of them could explore further, the ground under their feet shifted and gave way. The two friends plummeted several feet.

“Ow,” Genesee moaned.

“Are you okay?” Darshan croaked out through the dust.

“Yeah, just bruised and battered, I hope,” Genesee said as she shifted around to check herself out. Her eyes adjusted to the dark, allowing her to realize they had landed in a pile of vaguely humanoid bones. Her scream reverberated throughout the cavern.

Darshan looked like he wanted to tell but couldn't find the air. The terror on his face shifted to delighted curiosity. “I guess we found proof that there were sentients here. We’ll need to bring some scientists back to study the bones.”

Genesee snorted. “Yeah, as long as they don't decide to haunt us for disturbing their burial ground.” She jumped up as something cracked beneath her. “Crap. Now I‘ve crushed one of their skulls. No. Several skulls. Oh no. I think they were babies.” She stumbled to her knees as something moved in the pile of rounded objects.

Darshan crawled forward to get a better look. “They look more like eggs than skulls.”

“What kind of animal lays its eggs among the dead?” Genesee cried. As if in answer, one of the eggs cracked completely open, exposing the body of a lizard. It lifted its head, weaving back and forth with a tiny screech. It stretched out wet wings, flapping them before honing in on Genesee. She sat back in wonder as it climbed up her jumpsuit to nuzzle into her neck.

She was so fixated on the little creature that she forgot about the rest of the nest. Genesee glanced at Darshan to see him attempting not to have his flesh pierced by the claws of two more of the winged lizards. A third hung upside down from the front of his jumpsuit. He gave her an amused smile. Another screech brought her attention back to the ground. A final creature placed a hand on her knee, crying plaintively up at her. Its long tail wrapped around her wrist when she lifted it to look at it more closely.

All five of the babies came in muted shades of browns, blacks, and greens, more like the colors of most Earth lizards than the bright jewel tones of the mythical dragons found in vids and readers they had grown up viewing. Still, there was no denying they looked a lot like the fabled beasts.

“Hey, Genesee? Have we just become parents to these things?” Darshan asked.

She nodded slowly. “I'm going to guess they imprint on the first creature they see. I wonder if the one we saw flying is their mother. I hope she doesn't come after us for taking her babies.”

“We should find a way out of here,” he said, gazing up at the sunlight filtering through the hole they had fallen through. “I don't think we can climb back up. There has to be another entrance. How else would they have gotten the bones in here?”

“What if they lived here and became trapped by a cave-in?” Genesee asked, beginning to feel claustrophobic.

“Ever the optimist, Genesee,” Darshan laughed. “We’ll be fine.”

By the time they were climbing through the roots of a tree covering the cave opening on the side of a hill, it was nearly dark. Several people from their encampment converged on them as they walked into the camp.

The Osteologists and Archeologists were chattering excitedly about going back to the cave to study the bones. They began gathering everything they would need to excavate the burial site.

One of the Zoologists tentatively reached out to touch one of the creatures clinging to Darshan’s clothes. “Do you think they would let us study them?”

“I'm going with a no,” he replied when one of the lizards snapped at her finger while the other two hid their heads in his hair. “We're calling them dragons, for lack of a better word.”

They did what they could, holding their creatures out to be measured and have holo pics recorded. It wasn't easy. The dragons squirmed and dug their claws in, emitting chittering cries of distress. They seemed more scared than angry.

As they lay in their cots that night, cuddling their much happier pets, Darshan mused. “I wonder what the dragons eat. I mean, we’re going to have to feed them.”

Genesee was trying to remember what she had learned about lizard diets when the dragon she had dubbed Olive suddenly pounced on one of the creepy crawlies roaming the tent. Juniper followed suit almost immediately. “Yes! Insects. Lizards eat insects.”

Darshan pulled a bug out of his sleeping bag as it crawled up his leg. He held it out to Onyx, who gave a happy screech before snatching it out of his hand. Soon their dragons were running rampant around the tent, gobbling down any insect they could find. There were a few skirmishes when two of them went for the same bug, especially Hickory and Cinnamon, who seemed to have a healthy dose of sibling rivalry, but they managed to work it out.

They went about their days at the dig site with the dragons attached to them when they weren't flying about or crawling around looking for food. Over the next few weeks, Genesee began to feel like someone was watching them. None of the other excavators around the site were paying attention to them whenever she looked around to see who it was.

One evening, after everyone else had left, they were packing up their tools when all five of the dragons abruptly stopped playing at looked off in the distance. As a small figure came out of the trees, the winged lizards flew to their favorite perches on their human’s shoulders.

“I guess you’re up,” Darshan said. “Go communicate like the Linguistics superstar you are.”

“Yeah. Thanks,” Genesee replied nervously. She relaxed a little when she realized the figure had a dragon on its shoulder.

The pale, dark-haired person walking toward them was a female child. There was a blue tinge to her lips and around her eyes, giving her a ghostly appearance. Her hair seemed to consist of delicate feathers. Otherwise, her body structure was very similar to humans. It was interesting that they would send someone so young to make contact.

Genesee’s mind raced through the myriad of useless languages in her head. None of them would help in this situation. Well, there was one that might work. She slowly raised her hand and waved it in the universal sign of greeting. “Hello.” The child made no response.

She sighed but kept trying. Genesee laid her palm on her chest. “Genesee,” she said, fingerspelling the letters in her name even though she knew the girl wouldn't understand the letters. She pointed to Darshan, then spoke and fingerspelled his name. Finally, she pointed to the child. “What is your name?”

The child watched her as Genesee repeated the motions and words before touching her own chest. “Sala.” Then she held up her dragon. “Ziskala.” The child pointed to each of their dragons and repeated the word. Oh, so their dragon wasn't named Ziskala. That was the name of the species.

Genesee left out a breath of relief. They might actually be getting somewhere. Slowly she used ASL to explain that they had come from a ship in the sky. That they meant them no harm, and they were looking for a new home. She knew Sala wouldn't understand her words or the signs, but maybe, just maybe, they would represent something similar to her language.

Sala responded with a question Genesee couldn't possibly understand. At least she thought it was a question. When she didn't respond, Sala pointed to them and then her mouth before pulling at her throat. She repeated the gesture several times while uttering the word bampiroti. At least that's what it sounded like. When Genesee shook her head, indicating she didn't understand, Sala looked frustrated. She walked close enough to touch her and raised a shaking hand to force Genesee’s mouth open. Her ziskala hissed at Juniper and Olive when they objected to Sala’s proximity. The child walked over to Darshan and peered into his mouth as well. Finally, Sala seemed satisfied.

Sala turned and indicated that they should follow. She led them away from the encampment. Genesee began to think they were going to walk all night when they finally stopped. Sala ducked behind a rock and led them into a cave. Several people of her species huddled together, whispering amongst themselves.

After Sala spoke to them, they seemed less timid. They slowly came forward to examine Darshan and Genesee. The people had nearly translucent skin, which made sense if they had been living underground for a long time. Their paleness made Darshan’s golden and Genesee’s brown skin look even darker. They all shared the same raven-colored feathery hair as Sala. Genesee was used to the range of skin tones and eye colors among Earthlings, so it came as a surprise that these people looked so similar. Maybe they were all part of the same family or clan.

They were allowed to leave. It was almost morning before they fell into their cots in exhaustion. Genesee had already decided she was going to return to the cave to resume her attempts to communicate. She was happy when Captain Karaden ordered her to do just that. Darshan accompanied her back to the cave, where they spent several weeks learning to communicate. Sala was instrumental in learning to understand each other. They would take turns pointing to objects and stating their names.

Genesee was gradually able to piece together enough of their language to get a basic understanding. It seemed the planet, Aztaria, had been attacked by another species called the Bampiroti a couple of generations ago. The marauders left a swath of slaughter in their wake. The survivors went into hiding. They destroyed as much evidence of their existence as possible, demolishing the buildings and burying their dead in the cave Darshan and Genesee had fallen into. In all honesty, the Bampiroti sounded like bloodthirsty vampires, but that was ridiculous. The Expeds were the first people to approach the planet since the attack.

The Aztarians had a matriarchal policy of rule. Sala was next in line to be the leader of their tribe. She was young enough not to have been alive during the attack and, therefore, wasn't as scared of the newcomers, which was why she had volunteered to approach Genesee and Darshan. The fact that the ziskala had chosen to befriend them helped earn her trust.

Sala’s people eventually emerged from their cave to meet the rest of the scientists. Aztaria was vastly uninhabited, but there were a few other tribes living in other underground caverns. Sala approached them as an emissary and assured them that the Expeds weren't a threat. Together, they rebuilt their societies and found a way to live together.

Many of the Azrarians kept ziskalas as pets. They bred the creatures in their caves and were willing to share the eggs with the Expeds. Sala’s ziskala, Eshan, became friends with Genesee and Darshan’s lizards. They were quite helpful, ridding the caves and camps of insects and small rodents. They loved to dig, so there were always a few working alongside their people to unearth the remains of the village.

Aztaria became known as Elaysia by both species. The Aztarians liked that the name referred to a utopian world. Over time the two peoples merged into a third species called Elaysians. The Expedition remained in orbit above the planet, keeping watch for the Bampiroti. It was operated solely by AIs.

Being located on the outskirts of the vast Draconid Galaxy led the Elaysians to establish trade with other planets, such as Morra and Parashterra. The Elaysians learned the hard way that dealings with the Morrians could be detrimental. There was a vast criminal underworld on the planet that felt no compunction against taking advantage of trade deals. Sylpharan was a planet of a passive race of humanoids who became their allies even beyond their trade agreement. They shared a similar outlook on life.

Many of Genesee’s descendants shared her love of languages. Some traveled the galaxy as translators for negotiations and other governmental and business relations. Her daughter married Darshan’s eldest son, who continued his father’s research into Aztarian history. Their joint grandchildren and their children became scattered across the galaxy.