Time Wrecked

Prologue

2250

The teacher's six eyes swished across the small classroom. Eyes slightly protruding her skull, her predatory evolution gave her excellent peripheral vision; she was built for this career. That was not to say she was an unkind teacher or from a particularly unkind race, quite the opposite the Pachong were merely well adapted and Ms Shanyoa was known for her compassion towards her 3rd grade Common Wealth History students.

"So, who can tell me the answer, anyone up for it?" Silence fell, a class of students: green, purple, orange, all turned to the most humanoid looking creature in the building. Her only physical non-human attribute? The bright green blood currently tinging her skin as she blushed at the attention. "I think your peers would like you to answer this, Samantha." The teacher smiled comfortingly, "Do you know the answer?"

She sighed heavily, a sigh which Shanyoa couldn't help but find endearing in a creature so small. "The first creature to time travel was Delphine Galandria Gospel. Approximately 86% human 14% combined species. Date of Time removal was the 24-04-2208." The girl rattled off the information without looking up from the PALA in front of her.

"Status of her mission?"

"Undecided. Her destination was 2-2-2264 at precisely 4 minutes past six."

"And do you know why they chose that time and date?"

"It's symmetrical- my grandma liked symmetry."

The teacher smiled and regurgitated the words Samantha had heard her whole life "Your grandma is a fine woman and we are all very excited for her return. It's very important. Any questions?"

Samantha's blonde hair flowed behind her in its mandatory ponytail as her head moved up "Is it?"

"Is it what?"

"Important?" All six of Shanyoa's eyes widened at this. She was used to her young students asking questions that weren't acceptable, sometimes they even bordered on blasphemy, but this particular question from this particular student was concerning, not least of all because she had no real way of punishing her. She felt a bead of milky sweat form on her forehead as the girl continued, "Because, she never returned- so the past never got any information on the future- and we already know what happened in the past, so her arrival gives us no information whatsoever. So why is it important?"

Shanyoa thought of her fiance and suddenly resented this untouchable child.

"Because she was the first woman to do this, she pillaged the way for massive discovery." A hiss was forming in Shanyoa's words as she suppressed a quiver.

"And what about the people she left behind?" Samantha's two eyes stubbornly met the teacher's six, daring her to argue.

"To serve the Common Wealth- to serve the greater good is noble. You should know this Samantha. I know you are expected to enter into academy training after your preliminary schooling is over." Shanyoa's tenseness showed- her translations becoming more and more inaccessible for her least able students. It didn't matter Sam knew exactly what she meant.