All That Remains

Prologue

As the ashes are swept away from the scorched ground, a strange craft lands. A great door opens, and a figure, tall and lean, steps out into the cold air. He looks around. All he can see are the ruins of a once great civilization. One that took millions to build and only a few to destroy. The sun's rays attempt to pierce the billowing clouds above. But alas, it is hidden once again. The ash storms begin to pick up.

"Arias!" the figure called to the craft.

Another one of these strange beings emerges from the ship. This one is, however, more heavy-set and shorter. His facial features are much like that of a human's--only his nostrils are slightly engraved in his face as are the ears. "Yes, Commander?" the being responds.

"It's been millennia since we've discovered another planet with any evidence of there being life. As you can see before you, this one has large structures," it said peering at a distant city. "But they have obviously been damaged, somehow. Run a scan. I want to know how this world has become the way it is. Search for any sign of life. It's our only hope of figuring out this planet's history."

"Yes, commander. I'll have the probes sent out immediately."

The dark figure walked around the large piece of land in curiosity. How could such a civilization become a mere waste land? What race of creatures would build a magnificent world only to have it destroyed?

A small shopping cart laid against a rusty car. "Obviously, some sort of transportation," it said to itself. After messing around with the door, the being managed to open it. There, he found a fossilized skeleton. No traces of flesh whatsoever. "Perhaps you were one of the creatures."

Several hours passed, but the being kept itself busy with all that was around him.

"Commander!" the shorter one said as he ran.

"Yes, Arias?" it replied.

"The command ship in the atmosphere was able to aid in our search."

"And?"

"This planet has been void for nearly two hundred centuries, according to the planets rate of rotation. It was known as... Let me see if I'm pronouncing this right," Arias said as it stared at a round screen projecting from his hand. "Earth. The creatures that inhabited Earth were similar to our own. Thankfully, they stored every bit of there culture and history into databases spread across the different boundaries known as 'continents' subdivided into 'nations.'"

"A united race."

"That is incorrect, commander. They used their technology to outdo each other. Greed was their motivation. Most looked out only for themselves. Sadly, they didn't work as a collective."

"Very similar indeed," the commander said. "Don't forget that we made that very same mistake. Now look at us. The last of our kind scavenging the universe for anyone to share our ideas with. But they're all dead. So far, we have found ten planets that may have supported life, but this one ... this one I'm sure. There must be some living beings here."

"According to the data, there are six possible locations on the planet where a 'human,' that's what they called themselves, could possible have held out or been preserved."

"Then explore. We have plenty of time."

"Shall I give you a brief synopsis on human history?" Arias asked.

"Of course," the more we know the better.

"Look at this!" the commander said as his ship left the atmosphere. "All of this metal."

"They were used for communication. Satellites they were called."

"So many. How they've polluted the atmosphere."

Arias sat at the chair of his control console as the commander gazed at the artifacts floating in space. "You find so much potential in this dead place."

"Ah, but we've only begun our search. Never before have we found such a world. All the others were either too primitive or unoccupied. This one, however, was highly advanced."

"Yes," Arias commented, "But the leaders were corrupt. Their leading 'scientists' and great minds were the backbone of their society, shunned aside like an outdated starship."

Arias was cut short when a brief alarm sounded. "The command ship is ready to take us in, Commander."

"Prepare the docking clamps."

The command ship laid several miles outside of the large array of space junk. It was thirty times larger than the scout ship the commander had driven, and had far more capabilities.

"Commander on board!" three other beings saluted.

The commander slowly walked adjacent of them, looking out of the view port placed on the center of the wall. "Sentients, I have one objective here." He turned to face Arias and the others to make his statement heard. "Even if their is one 'human' left alive, I want it found, I want it taken care of, I want it nurtured, and I need it to survive. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good. Let's get to it then."