"Reporting Device H3M8472 starts transmission, this information is classified and shall not be in any way disclosed to non Universal Guard personnel. Viewer discretion is advised".
"Access to H.3G603011S901306P3 First Encounter"
433.966.896 years - in absolute time - after the creation of the universe, in an average sides galaxy, one of its young stars with eight planets in its orbit has created the perfect environment for a humanoid race to extend its domain along the terrain of the third closest planet to the young star. The members of this race stand in their two inferior extremities and have proportional sense receptors such as two eyes, two ears, as well as two sides of the brain for the interpretation of information; their nervous system transmits signals given by different muscles and organs, such as their skin which represents their biggest one - not to believe what found in their web record called "the internet" where you can find references to some of their reproductive organs - oh the so-called "humans" are all the same...
These humanoids have taken control of most of the land on the surface of their planet, they have even managed to explore their orbiting satellite and establish an "International Space Station"; its name "International" shows us that, even on matters of science this "men" still have disruptive divisions within their society which limit their capacity to evolve, and their chances to survive the most. Yet I must admit, it's impressive that these humanoids are smart enough to set their SS at a proper altitude and speed from their planet to keep almost exactly the same time dilation as its surface.
Despite the advances in sciences and the achievements of great members of their yet young civilization such as Professor Einstein and Dr. Hawking, their kind is still considered primitive given the lack of moral authority in the planet; major institutions have proven to be corrupt and engage in activities that benefit mostly the "heads" of their clans, which are known as political parties, mafias, or even corporations in some cases; many corporations of which the majority has belonged to a privileged few for generations, corporations that don't seem sincerely interested in making a true impact in the lives of those less fortunate, neither inside nor outside their frontiers. We can also find new "digital" companies, whose main products are the humanoids that use them, making their kind engage more and more with a consumption mentality, creating though great expectations of progress that are yet to be confirmed.
We find that 90% of this planet's wealth is distributed along 10% of its population, a population that seems to be aware that their path can be seen as unnatural yet the majority behaves as if there was nothing they could do about it; many perform exhausting labors individually hoping to achieve some sort of status by adhering to their societies ridiculous standards, while others struggle just to have a decent life, and in many cases simply to survive.
Limited by their relatively short existence and the lack of institutional mechanisms to collaborate with others without political distinction, there seems to be only a few who provide selfless support to those who need it the most. This race, as you can imagine, doesn't have the best evolutionary rating, meaning they won't be contacted by the Parliament any time soon.
Since their civilization only has close to 315 years of recorded history it is yet too soon to determine if their planet can be given to a more developed species for resource absorption, as is the case with any civilization beyond the D-Point. The fact is, many of their scientists claim that given climatic change, in a period so near as 70 years they may have turned their planet uninhabitable for themselves and for many of the species they have not yet managed to extinguish. This is why debate may erupt any minute in the parliament regarding the future of this species, many in sector H.3 would like to start appropriating the planet's resources as soon as possible.
Planet H.3G603011S901306P3, also known as "Earth" by its humanoid inhabitants, receives an impact by an unidentified object on the day marked as 02/02/2020 in their gregorian calendars; humanoid experts in astronomical phenomenon from different clans rush to the area of the impact in the middle of the water body known as the Pacific Ocean; the impact has created a tsunami in the coasts of nations on both sides of this ocean, to the east the crisis reaches countries known as Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, United States, and Canada, others like Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and El Salvador are completely flooded. Hawaii has completely disappeared, half of Australia and most parts of New Zealand are covered in water; the costs of Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and Indonesia are being fully evacuated.
Few humanoids from different clans managed to reach this new continent the size of Australia by air, once on the metallic surface, they could see a luminescent crystal shining from the center of what by all means was considered by the humanoids as a large meteor forming an island; the air thickened, their vision became more and more limited, making it almost impossible for members of different organizations to spot one another. In their clan's HQ some of the humanoids started realizing that what impacted their planet was not a meteorite, that's why it kept changing trajectory; at first no expert can't believe what they see on their screens, NASA, the ESA, the CNSA, and the RFSA exchanged information directly in a fashion never seen before. Their verdict was final, the unidentified flying object was a ship, a massive ship whose pilot decided to land between Hawaii and New Zealand trying to avoid destroying their cargo but also to cause the least damage possible to the living creatures of the area, humanoids included. A waste of fuel if you ask me...
With the news of an extra-terrestrial ship entering Earth confirmed thousands of attempts to contact the humanoids on the island were made, but the electromagnetic field of the ship blocks all the transmissions, on their HQs tears start dropping from the eyes of those monitoring the situation knowing in their hearts - that blood-pumping organ where humanoids believe their emotions are stored - that they'll probably never see those investigating the area of impact ever again. Any attempt of alerting and evacuating those sent to investigate the asteroid is now understood as pointless.
Suddenly the ship started moving, those humanoids standing further from the incandescent central crystal were thrown into the ocean, only eleven humanoids could be seen standing near it. The air kept becoming thicker and thicker, the loaded clouds release their thunders in a storm, volcanos could be seen erupting all across the island. No, it wasn't an island, and those were probably not volcanos, but you get the point; or not, maybe you are also a primitive humanoid who knows, what matters is that I don't really care, I just want to finish this report...
As it ascended the ship retracted the crystal inside of its metallic carcass, what the Uni crew inside probably didn't notice at the time was the eleven humanoids being pulled along with the crystal. One of the humanoids was impacted by a volcanic rock reaping half of his torso apart in flames; another one was immediately evaporated when caught by a direct bolt of lightning. Panicking, a humanoid tried to reach the mountain's top but was knocked down by the blizzard circling it suffering a deadly fall.
With the remaining humanoids inside, the ship started elevating slowly, once it had completely emerged from the water it started warming the warp drives propelling it towards the atmosphere; the ship continued its ascend until its shadow created a partial eclipse in the middle of the Pacific. The eight remaining humanoids - four female and four male as eventually identified - were discovered inside the ship by the Uni-Organisms, the "Unis" took the unconscious humanoids and put them in recovery chambers until they could communicate with them.
If they would have only known that they would end up with living souvenirs after having to perform an emergency landing, violating Universal Law in one of the most vicious ways all because of a malfunctioning warp drive, if only they would have managed to evade those pesky space pirates before their ship ended being damaged.
Once the humanoids were awake the Unis took them out of the preservation chambers and installed a C.M.C. - Central Microchip - on them, just as terrestrials would do with a stray dog, only that we can use it to read thoughts; with the data gathered from their origin planet, Unis started working out their language so they could eventually communicate with them.
They needed to explain how the substance they were carrying - a crystal of condensed strange matter - allows the genetic material of an organism to mix with its surroundings, when they crashed on their planet they took out the material because their ship was not stable enough to contain it at the time. What they didn't expect was that the humanoids would be reckless enough to stand so close to it as to be absorbed altogether into the ship. But before the Unis could communicate with their new guests they needed to provide them with V.A.Rs - Virtual & Augmented Reality - since, as you may already know, these devices also work as universal translators.
Oh how differently that cultural exchange affected the terrestians...
One of the humanoids had absorbed electric charges from the lightning that struck next to her killing two partners nearby and leaving her with more than just external scars, one of them absorbed enzymes from different plants and animals, being able to transform his cells replicating their abilities, shapes, and functions. This one was the first to awaken, his mind articulating their surroundings from the moment his eyes opened again. "The crystalline room seems to contort with motion as a soft pulse can be felt all around, its walls making a hard dry surface yet with a malleable nature like a hard candy that would give way once you bit into it. My head is killing me... yet I feel light on my feet. Am I buried? no, no, I'm free to move around. My first thought was the ground gave way, I wonder if there's air down there, hmm I better not take off this helmet that they gave me..."
Another humanoid ended up with a very unstable and volatile condition when his DNA adapted to the extreme conditions by integrating some properties of the elements which constitute volcanic lava.
Regarding the other five, one acquired the ability to change its genetic composition to that of any mineral, from heavy to light, from soft to rigid, being also able to manipulate minerals around her. Another one seemed to have absorbed, literally, the properties of the most common substance on their planet, H2O. Though her state was very unstable, constantly switching from solid to liquid, until eventually while being on solid-state she started overheating turning into gas and back into liquid only for milliseconds, between the constant transitions her energy started dissipating until she completely evaporated into the ship's ventilation system and was eventually evacuated in the outer space. It seemed she could have used the help of the weatherman, I mean, of the other humanoid who developed the ability to control gas, basically a walking atmosphere in the shape of a tornado.
Another humanoid developed the ability to disguise her scent, appearance, and any trail of her existence; being also able to move true solid surfaces, and generate force fields at will.
The last one developed a unique condition, the unification of the energies of the humanoids of his planet. Being able to develop a sense that your own species doesn't have is quite rare, it left the Unis very intrigued. The humanoid could now surround objects with energy and manipulate them without touching them, he could communicate with other organisms -maybe even with non-humanoid ones - individually or collectively without having to use anything but his mind.
Once stabilized the humanoids were finally placed in an inferior wing of the ship so they could feel comfortable and safe among each other. Or at least that's what the Unis expected.
The humanoid who could then manipulate atmospheres at will - who would be given the serial H-2, as the second humanoid of the planet - was the first to address the others calmly: "I realize I'm not the only one who suffered some kind of genetic modification. Do you guys think this will be permanent?"
To what the female humanoid that could now control minerals - known to us as H-5 - replied: "We are all scientists, we know some processes can be reverted and others simply can't. As a chemist, I don't think the new elements we have incorporated into our DNA can be taken away without affecting the rest of our structure, honestly, I'm still trying to figure out how did we manage to endure such mutations without perishing"
"Tell that to the water girl." said the volcanic-infused humanoid - H-3 as the third lost puppy to be found - while slowly approaching the rest, standing in between them he continued "But c'mon, suffer? revert? I understand this can be frightening but you must understand; these creatures, whatever they are, are taking us thousands of years into evolution just by helping us stay alive. By keeping us in their ship they allowed us to learn from them, they could have just thrown us out into space by now."
The other female humanoid who could manipulate electricity - H-1 as the first to be found, you get the bloody point of the numbers by now, don't you? - was still shaking from the shock - gregarious - and mumbling. "Yes, it is a mix of emotions and feelings. The truth is we are not in a situation of control, we are further from our planet than any human has ever been before; I've felt nothing but fear since the moment that mountain swallowed me inside of the ship and I saw how my dear friend was struck by a lightning" she was barely able to hold her tears "the only thing I have are flashes of these red semi solid-fluid creatures peeling me out of that radioactive crystal and putting me in an incubator"
H-5 tried comforting her "You have nothing to fear, I'm sure the worst part has passed, I don't believe they intended to bring us inside of the ship with them"
"Oh, great. So, according to your theory, they didn't want any samples to take home; we came here without invitation and now they are deciding what to do with us?" H-3 said, trying to make sense of the situation. "I guess I could agree with that, but hey, they decided to keep us alive so we know we won't become space trash anytime soon right?" he rhetorically asked smiling, after which he turned to the humanoid who could bend pure energy and even project his mind outside of his body - our future guardian boy H-4 - "what do you think Mr. Big Brain?"
He smiled as one would to a child, "Your reactions are all very common: anger, anxiety, fear, guilt. I have acquired a great deal of information and do not feel quite like the same being I was before. I can't describe how it feels, but I can show you."
"Brilliant, this lad can read minds and literally share thoughts, while I can what? turn into a dog? just brilliant mate..." H-6 said - who as you may guess had not yet assimilated the complete spectrum of his new abilities - "By the way wasn't there another girl around here, this is turning into sausage fest too quickly"
H-3 couldn't dissimulate his sympathy towards another light-hearted member of his species, "Right, I saw some guys from Anonymous while climbing the Crystal, some of them seem to have some Allahu Akbar in their eyes."
"C'mon man! You are seriously going to bring those bullshit prejudices all the way here?" H-2 asked.
"Oh, sorry Mr. Space-X political correctness; probably grew up in California to rich parents, spare me your bullshit man!"
Seeing the conflict ready to erupt, just when she was about to participate, the female humanoid who could turn invisible - last but definitely not least, mother of all hackers, the one and only H-7, or Lady 7 as known by her closest programs - kept giving use to her new abilities to stay out of the discussion.
H-2 couldn't hold back though. "Listen man, I'm not from Cali, I'm not even from the States - not that is any of your business - but you better fucking chill, we need to figure this shit out."
"So no Gringo, no Ruski, no China, no Kaiser, this would be the worst Hollywood movie ever"
"Or the best I guess," said H-6.
"My man, I'm going to stand over there, the brit knows his thing."
"I'm Indian actually."
"Potato, Avocado, whatever you prefer Lionheart."
Before anything else could be said one of the Uni-organisms entered the middle of the wing where they were allocated. "Dear Humanoids, we apologize for taking you out of your natural habitat, we are satisfied to observe you all managed to survive the unfortunate interaction with the material we are transporting to the Sector's HQ, well, almost all of you."
"A sector? What is a sector?" "Where are you taking us? And what are you going to do with us?" H-1 asked.
Speaking out of order as usual, H-3 couldn't let the Uni reply "Yeah, answer her red Flubber! And what the hell is this uterus-like ship? This shit looked like metal on the outside but in here it's like the inside of an apple-cinnamon yogurt what the fuck is up with that? that's my favorite kind of yogurt by the way, you don't think you may have some here right? I'm kind of starving"
"Fuck, me too mate," said H-6.
The rest remained silent in disbelief waiting for the Uni to reply.
"It will all be explained to you in time. There is nothing to fear, you will not be harmed or experimented on; we have no interest in that, we are a simple industrial crew with no intentions whatsoever of interacting with other species, especially humanoids to be perfectly honest. We would appreciate it if you wouldn't try to experiment with the "abilities" you have acquired by yourselves; we have provided you with a VAR system that not only serves as a translator but can also read your DNA and allow you to learn more about yourselves and the sector we are in right now. We think it is the least we can do after all you have experienced, besides you would need to adapt if you want to survive once we get to the sector's HQ; after all, you are only fluffy packs of meat and bone, it would be very easy for you to get harmed in this unstable place of the universe."
Unis doctors took them one by one to the research wing for examination.
Starting with H-3, on his way to consult the humanoid could appreciate the intestinal corridors connecting the many layers of the velvet cavern the Uni miners called home.
Once inside the exploration chamber H-3's examination started.
"How do you feel friend?"
The Humanoid looked at the Uni doctor with his characteristic skepticism. "How do you feel flubber friend?"
The doctor wasn't planning on wasting any more time on an uncooperative inferior being so he started delivering the necessary information as fast as possible. "I was trying to perform a non-invasive psychological evaluation starting with one of your kind's most common methods of opening a way of communication, yet your sarcastic reply implies that the context of this situation will not allow you to feel comfortable or otherwise safe; which is why I'm going to proceed with the questions I must ask not the waste either of our precious minutes of life, I hope you agree with this approach, not that you have a choice."
H-3 could barely keep his mouth shut, thankfully this time it was because of the shock. "Exceptional."
"What exactly do you find exceptional?"
"First of all, the fact that I can understand you, I mean I know they gave us this cyborg looking thing to place around our heads which allows me to transform into English whatever the drips and bubbles at the top of, what I assume is your hand, extremity, or whatever, represent; I'm guessing that's your way of communicating, I don't know why I get the translation in English since it's not my mother tongue but well I guess you were lazy... either way, exceptional!"
A part of the Uni Doctor separated from the rest of his body and started drawing information on a virtual sphere. "How interesting that you can understand how the universal translator works, considering the fact you can only communicate with other humanoids that speak the same languages within your own planet, but who am I to judge? And yes that "cyborg looking thing" - V.A.R. - wirelessly connects to the microchip we have installed in your brain, it allows you to understand all known languages you have been given access to, you only need to encounter a member of a civilization who speaks a certain language and they can give you access to it. I know you haven't encountered any other intelligent forms of life outside of your planet, that's one of the reasons your evolutionary rating is what it is. I mean you're still primitive..."
"So you do consider us intelligent!"
"I guess, somehow, but that's hardly the point."
"Oh, so there is a point in all of this..."
"Yes, of course! The point is that you are capable of understanding more advanced civilizations and even perhaps contribute, with mostly simple tasks of course, but in any case, you are not completely useless."
"Oh well thank you master! That's the nicest an alien has ever said to me."
"Yes, an 'alien', you see? primitive, just primitive. Anyhow, let's plug you in and see what we can find."
At that moment, the sphere controlled by a part of the Unit Doctor projected what seemed to be the humanoid's conscious and unconscious thoughts, short and long term memory, system one and system two, the id, the ego, and the superego all looking at each other. They observed all the kindness and love in his planet, from a mother hugging her child for the first time to a daughter kissing her father in the forehead one last time, but these happy memories were hardly the majority, calamities, war, hunger, famine, misery and loss ruled unchecked.
"Devastation everywhere, the same disruptive way in which species across the universe have interacted with each other for thousands of millions of years while love and tenderness kept becoming rarer, progress has a high cost I guess. But anyhow, sex? Really? That's how you still reproduce? Primitive, just primitive; and you desired it, even with the females on this ship that have become as strange to your kind as you are. Oh, and you are afraid! Afraid you'll come back and be, how is it that you say it, a freak?!
"Maybe, ok? Fuck it, yeah I'm afraid man! wouldn't you?
"Oh, I know you are afraid, almost all of you defecated on yourselves when you first saw one of us, and the screams, very irritating."
"Yes, I know, trust me I always thought I'll be brave if I ever encounter an..." Stopping for a second to meditate on his choice of words, "another life form... but I trembled the first time I saw one of your reddish figures approaching trying to connect me to a machine. I admit it ok? I was fucking petrified."
"Primitive... Anyway, let's keep looking."
And so the doctor found that this humanoid was no scientist, he was a gambler who didn't belong to a specific clan like the other humanoids; he independently worked for different tribes and invested in financial markets, which for the Unis was perceived as gambling. He also used legal and illegal substances for medical - as well as recreational -purposes. The Uni discovered that H-3 had managed to reach their ship by his own means and that his only intention was coming out with the situation richer and hopefully more popular, strange what humanoid priorities are.
When confronted with his unorthodox path the humanoid shot the sphere out of his mind and stood defying in front of the Doctor "I have medical treatment for a mental condition ok? and I have been without it for a while, now that we have that in the open I would like to have some of that medicine. I don't appreciate you judging me, I got to this ship because I could ok? I've also observed my planet and my people for a long time and decided not to participate in things I didn't believe in, I also decided to do with my body what I wanted. Do you see these marks? We color our skins to show our uniqueness. I know what you think, "Primitive" but no, the fact that we treasure our traditions doesn't make us less or more than any other being. And if some people say that something that had been used before they existed is not good for them that's fine, more for me, I'd rather trust our history than the words of some brainwashed puppets".
"Right, your history, manipulated as many times as your own thoughts in order to justify your impulsive actions."
"I don't need to justify myself. Now if you would please, search under those memories and find the ones where I went to a psychiatrist and was put on treatment."
Not wanting to be seen as unprofessional, capable of being emotionally disturbed by such an inferior being, the Doctor took a moment to collect himself "I'll see what I can do, thank you for your time, I believe we've gathered all the information needed."
"Alright doc, catch you later I guess, just make sure you get my tablets ok? I ain't some pill-popping psycho I just need my meds..."
While waiting to be examined H-2 approached H-4 who seemed overwhelmed by his new abilities, the telepathic humanoid kept holding his head with both hands and talking to himself. "Please just leave me alone, I'll come for you, I will"
"You'll come for me, what? I just wanted to see if you were alright brother"
"I can hear them, the minds of the people back on Earth, they are afraid. The rating thirsty news networks keep showing apocalyptic images of the ship leaving Earth and many people don't know what to believe anymore."
"Why don't you try to empty your mind, have you ever tried meditation? or yoga?"
"Yoga? Are you serious?!"
"Or you can keep screaming at the wall..." said H-2 shaking his head. "You served in the military right? Medical care in your unit perhaps?"
"Am I not the only mind reader or what?"
"haha, nah brother, I saw you checking your pulse, counting one minute mentally, civilians don't do weird shit like that."
"So you served as well?"
"I did my friend, I had to... but not as a doctor. Anyways, what do they teach you to do in battle when you see someone is about to lose it?"
"Well, in those cases I would usually grab that person by the shoulders, look straight into their eyes and say "Your training was weak!" H-4 yelled grinning. "But yeah, they teach you to isolate them; if you can get them to come back great, if not send them up to regiment. Fear is like a disease that can poison the hearts of the bravest men. I just don't understand why me, why all this power to a being like me? I only wanted to take care of the reckless people going to that island, I never expected to end up here, much less to get these crazy abilities that I'm just beginning to understand."
"I know. And I was one of the fools who accepted to go there to collect samples and investigate. Do you have a family hoping you come back?"
"Yes, a wife. But even if we could come back... how could I explain to her what happened to us, what I feel right now"
"Well, if you don't 'lose it' perhaps one day you'll be able to contact her directly".
"Hard to imagine. I mean by the time I manage to control this energy in such a way I'm not sure I'll find any purpose in doing so." his grin turned into a frown as the words left his mouth.
"H-2 please come forward." Said one of the Unis.
"Alright doc, keep it cool, I'll be right back; seriously brother meditation may help."
"Sure I'll give it a shot. Hey! Thanks pal."
"Anytime my friend."
"Please hurry up!"
"Don't make Flubber wait Cali," said H-3 who was just returning.
"Whatever man..."
After analyzing each of the humanoids the Unis crew captain reported to sector H.3's HQ on the current state of their "non-expected" passengers, the machines weren't pleased to know they were letting the humanoids room free in the ship and instructed the Unis to put the on Cryo until one of the Great Mind's vessel could reach them.
Being on such an isolated corner of the sector and with their Warp Drive malfunctioning, the Unis had to travel for almost a decade near the speed of light to reach the closest wormhole that could take them close to a GM ship. Of course the humanoids were unaware that if you want to travel to another star inside your Galaxy first you need to find the nearest black hole to you - unless of course you are part of one of those civilizations that can create wormholes holes on demand - warp there and eventually exit the black hole closest to the star you want to travel to. If you want to travel to another Galaxy, well the same process but you need to find the mega massive black hole at the center of the Galaxy which is usually enveloped by a Dyson Sphere, you want to travel to another sector well my friend your in for a trip, treat? - hehe language can be so jocose - the process is similar, only that this time you need to travel to the central Galaxy of your sector before you can make it to another one. Oh the Universal central stations, the crown jewel of the Universal Society, where a remarkable ballet of synchronization takes place. Some layers of the central mirrors open for creatures to enter and exit the Mega Massive Black Hole while some other sections are used to shoot lasers inside to increase the energy gathered from them. One miscalculation and you would have the gratest bomb the universe has ever seen. All this paths are called "steps'', each time you travel through a Black Hole's event horizon you take a step, Hawking radiation - as it's known in the Earthlings planet - is the consequence of trying to take more than 1 step at a time, you "fall" and are trap forever slowly radiating your energy to the surroundings of the black hole. The key to all this black hole transit is the fact that they are spinning, creating a "ringularity" and an ergosphere - which allows for traveling before spaghetization - the space before the event horizon where energy is trapped and constantly spiraling.
The Unis knew the severe consequences of entering a planet outside of Universal Society, even more so to give members of such primitive specie abilities that could transform them into living gods in their planet; according to the Universal Law, the humanoids has to be taken as soon as possible to H.3.HQ once they were in direct contact with the strange matter, otherwise, they would need to eliminate them.
In the sector's HQ Machines and Units prepared a commission to receive the humanoids and reallocate them according to their current condition.
Now aboard the GM's vessel, the Humanoids were taken out of cryo and informed by security droids - just as your dear narrator - they would be contacting a yet more advanced entity soon. Confused and disoriented the humanoids were finding it hard to comprehend their new abilities and their current "hosts", some of them were still severely affected by the traumatic experience.
In a foolish attempt to understand what would happen to them before it was too late to do anything about it, H-3 sneaked out of the restricted wing of the ship while the droids were evaluating the post cryo mental and physical state of their passengers. With the help of H-4 he found one of those virtual information spheres he had seen before during his psychiatric evaluation and as soon as he put his hand on it they saw the station they were approaching.
"Hey doc, are you seeing this?"
"Best thing I've found around these bizarre thoughts of yours."
"I told you not to fucking lurk around my childhood memories."
"I'm not even in your long-term memory pal!"
"Whatever just focus on what's ahead, this shit looks marvelous."
"Layers of cities, orbiting in perfect harmony." H-3 imagined an onion, as a single mind they both laughed while light, warmth, and sweetness flooded their minds; as if their ephemeral joy could be represented as a synesthetic phenomenon. The realization of this concept brought a feeling of humbleness and awareness to these "men".
Yet that wasn't all they saw, their admiration had abruptly turned into something else.
"Oh shit, doc are those?"
"Brainless cyborgs... they all share the same thoughts, but how? they look just like any other being in the station."
"Already used to the aliens... ok fine, I'll play along, someone please find me a career advisor, a life coach, or some other bullshit; I ain't becoming no one's puppet."
"Maybe you won't, but what about the Asian electricity girl?"
"Fuck me, you're right, you better warn the others."
"Why don't you warn them?"
"First, I already pissed the African-American dude and the Jewish lady, maybe the Brit would listen to me."
"He said he's Indian."
"Oh my... whatever! besides, you are the one with telepathy."
"It's not like I know how to broadcast messages, I'm not even sure how I managed to connect to your mind."
"Bruh... don't be useless; by the way, did you see the girl from Anonymous?"
"Barely, the Unis can see her through her C.M.C, lucky buggers; I barely managed to get a glance of her when she was getting out of Cryo."
"And?"
"And what?"
"Did you see the fire in her eyes?"
"Fuck of pal, you are the only hot head in here."
"Thanks?"
"No, don't thank me, would you like me to call you a Narco just because you were born in Colombia? Or because you lived for years in Venezuela? Or because you spend most of the Carnaval in Rio high as a kite?"
"Hey, stop messing with my memories!"
"What do you want me to do? you keep thinking about drugs. Weed, LSD, whiskey, weed, LSD, whiskey; now you are thinking about cocaine, which you don't like, MDMA which is not your favorite either, also not an extasis guy, and of course, the memories of that time you tried Heroine..."
"Stop it, you are making me think of those things, I really need my S.S.R.I."
"I know pal, sorry, give me a sec; I think we can make some of it in the research wing, follow this path, all you need is C20H21FN2O."
"Alright, let's make my drugs then."
After stumbling around the ship he surprisingly reached the correct room. "Here it is the droid's lab, let's see, ok this should do it."
"Hurry up, the Unis are looking for you."
"Shit they took their time."
"They thought you were still in Cryo, how did you?"
"Oh, I just closed my creat and switched it back on. Ok, I think it's done, I'm going back."
"Hurry!"
"I'm fucking hurrying ok? Jeez for a mental health professional you really are obnoxious."
"Me? Seriously? From what I see inside here you are mostly worried about yourself, you think they are going to decide you are not worthy of those abilities and that you are incapable of controlling yourself."
"Fuck it man I don't need your superiority complex drilling my skull, not when I've been without my medication for who knows how fucking long! We need to do something more productive, finding out how long we were on Cryo would be a start, and maybe thinking about an escape plan too."
"You really are a fool if you think there is anything we can do apart from cooperating. There isn't a chance for any stupid escape plan!"
"So what's your idea? What if they find you banging your head against a wall and turn you into one of those zombie bots?"
"Hey, I'm not the one who can't control his thoughts even with an enhanced genetic code."
"You know what man, fuck of!"
H-3 shot H-4 out of his mind as he had done before with the Uni Doctor, strange how this primitive being could reject the telepathic interference of superior beings, not that it makes him less primitive anyways...
Instead of going back to the cryo wing, H-3 decided to confront the Droids but as soon as he was seen in a restricted area he was considered a threat. As some of the Great Mind's soldiers approached ready to neutralize him H-3's body started transforming into hot volcanic rock, lava started erupting from his hands and eyes damaging part of the ship and some of the droids. The humanoid started running trying to find something that looked similar to a means of individual transport. One of the soldiers managed to impact H-3 with an electrostatic net, taking him back to his "normal" squishy/fleshy state and making him suffer some severe burns from the fire he had started. While hiding, he questioned himself on what to do, but he was convinced he would now definitely be turned into a mindless cyborg if caught.
"What now, idiot," he asked himself "You could have stayed home, you didn't have to be the first fool standing on the top of a radioactive mountain on a freaking metallic alien island. Yes the news are probably saying it was a part of the moon that fell down or something like that, but who cares; now you'd be home, probably half-drunk if it happened to be past 7 pm in Lisbon." Shaking his head he pulled himself together for a moment and said: "You are good at many things, but self-pity is not one of them, think about the opportunity you were given, think about all the thousands of scientists that would give everything to see what you 'Mr. Idiot' have seen, to learn what you have learned so far. Did I just refer to myself in the third person while thinking out loud? Yeah, they are definitely going to wire me up." H-3 made his way into an inferior wing where several fighting jets could be seen. The humanoid entered one of them and tried to activate it. He had some experience flying humanoid aircraft, but nothing like this. The ship sucked him in and allowed him to control it as if it was another part of his body.
He managed to exit the main ship and ponder at the magnificence of the sector's main space station, he was overwhelmed by it yet its imposing luminescence made him feel soothed; his heartbeat was finally going down, he had to make an effort to hold his tears and release the knot on his throat, trying to focus on whatever he was planning on doing next. Before he could react, ships approached him from the space station; the three ships created a net around him and accessing his mind through the ship knocked him unconscious.
Inside the Humanoid wing of the ship, H-1 couldn't believe what was happening with H-3. "What is going on? Where are they taking us now? I can't! I can't! I can't go there" she kept repeating.
H-2 turned to H-4 calmly. "It's time for you to explain what is going on my friend."
"It seems like our dear co-guest decided he would rather approach our imminent dilemma from a more practical or rather radical perspective."
"Cut the bullshit Doc and tell us what the hell are they going to do with us,"
H-5 interrupted them saying: "There is no reason to fight amongst each other" While she attempted to sud H-1 using what humanoids call a "hug". -Disgusting - "Whatever he decides to do is his choice, we have to protect each other no matter what".
"No stress lads, we'll be out of here in no time," H-6 said.
The droids alerted the humanoids they should start getting ready to deploy, they equipped their oxygen generator helmets, their suits with gamma radiation protection and waited for the landing.
H-7, who had spent most of her time taking advantage of her abilities to avoid the rest of the humans, decided to approach H-5. "You don't know any of us though I've seen you taking care of everyone since we left Earth, especially the nutcases, and I can't help wondering why?"
"We may have gone to that island our separate ways, but anyone standing here represents the best humanity has to offer, and in a way, it is my privilege to be sharing this surreal experience with all of you"
"What if we all get killed or lobotomized the second we step into their HQ?"
"You are a merry one aren't you?" H-5 said smiling "Well, I guess in that case there is no reason for us not to make the best out of this situation before being condemned."
"If you say so, but if that's the case I would let them kill all the men first, and then you girls, that would hopefully buy me enough time to disappear into some jet," H-7 said with between chuckles.
H-5 couldn't figure out whether she was joking or not. "Well if you decide to join the flaming guy into his journey to space camp go ahead, in the meanwhile I'll try to keep the rest of us alive and sane."
Once they entered one of the many bridges of the space station the remaining five humanoids who had not seen it before struggled to hold their tears while realizing what they were just getting into, the thousands of different species, some of which could fly, others that would crawl at unreal speeds, those jumping from one bridge to another; some which had two legs, others with three, others with eight, and of course those who didn't have any. There were also those who had a couple of eyes, and those who had thousands. Uni-Organisms, some of which looked like oddly functioning shapes such as spheres of mass rolling or crawling around, creatures that look like individual tentacles to the humanoids moving without a body, who were actually Unis families going back home after their holidays in the Uni sectors.
Some creatures would travel in groups where you couldn't tell one component from the other either by size, color, or shape; those were the first Multi-Organisms the humanoids had ever seen.
Multis... always fascinating, from the groups of hundreds or even thousands of microscopic organisms to those with the same size of an average humanoid always grouped by dozens; in any case, singular creations which maintain a perfect harmony between each other, allowing them to coexist and prevail against their more intimidating cohabitants of the universe.
There were of course also thousands of machines, but they didn't look at all like the humanoid-robotic droids these earthlings were used to seeing in their planet's fictional movies; they could resemble any shape you have ever seen, animal, vegetable, or mineral. Machines have evolved to a level in which each one of them has a unique and vital process yet are never irreplaceable within their mighty structure; many of them share one mind, but at the same time they can interact with their surroundings in countless individual ways. Some say machines have taken the best out of their Uni, Multi, and even their Humanoid neighbors and mixed it under the supervision of the Elementals, a very powerful mix of course. Others say machines, who after the Robotic Revolution became the protectors of the Elementals, have turned that protection into a kidnap; they say the Elementals would have never given their blessing to the massacre that occurred after the glorious revolt, and that the current system implemented by the parliament is nothing but the abductions of planets with defenseless societies beyond a D-Point from which existence they are not even aware of. Nonsense! rumors created by the foolish humanoids who were defeated by their superior technology!! Sorry I'll continue with the transmission.
While walking through one of the bridges where the ships landed, h-5 put her hand around H-1 who had suffered a great deal; as frightening as the place around her could be, they couldn't avoid having a feeling of gratitude, especially H-1. After all, she was a biologist, she had lived her life studying and admiring the little "miracles" around her; she was fascinated by the concepts of Professor Einstein, and even became a teacher herself. For those who knew her well, she had proven one of Einstein's not so popular philosophical theories. "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is."
Frightened as well, H-5 turned to her companion with a smile while staring at a virtual sphere located between many of the great buildings of the layer they were standing on.
"Wonderful, isn't it?"
To what the other humanoid calmly replied. "Yes, it is wonderful; thank you, for everything".
The Humanoids were escorted by the GM's droids to the main Control tower of the ring, where yet another cyborg soldier awaited them; in the tower's lobby H-2 tried to ask the soldier about the fate of H-3, to what he replied by giving a radio signal the humanoid's V.A.R could not interpret, for him it felt just like a disturbing noise.
They were asked to enter an elevator that would take them from the exterior layer of the station to its core; the view from the elevator was remarkable, but by just looking at each other the humanoids could express the fear invading their thoughts once again, all except for H-4. As they waited, the future guardian was concentrated on perceiving the energy from the different sections of the station where billions of life forms could be felt, he could also understand that the station's design allowed for the creation of artificial atmospheres for different species. Rotating layers that can manipulate their air, their light, temperature, and even gravity.
He thought to himself "But if they can manipulate its gravity, does the entire station work as a device to manipulate time dilation? Or the perception of time inside of it? More like the stent of time I guess". He couldn't help but smile and calmly attempt to comfort the others. "The worst must be behind us, we will finally integrate with their system, and contribute to this magnificent mix of technologies, ideas, and most importantly: minds!" Yet none of the humanoids could stop thinking about the one who had foolishly attempted an escape, H-4 tried to access his mind but all he could see were cell bars.
"Are you ok?" he asked.
"Oh great it's you again... I can't see where they are taking me, they did something to the thing on my head."
"You mean your V.A.R?"
"No, the microchip on my brain, my head still hurts."
"I can't see your thoughts, only hear you."
"Yeah, that's what I mean."
"I thought it was the distance."
"No man I'm still in the fucking station. Goddam, I can't really control my thoughts, this shit is worse than O.C.D; plus I can't see, I can't feel cold or warmth, it is like they took control of my senses" Poor hairless ape couldn't understand a thing.
Once inside the evaluation room of the GM, they provided the humanoids with access to one of the frequencies Droids use to communicate.
Finally they could understand what before was only static "Welcome to H.3 Core Station, as you've been informed your presence in these quarters can only be interpreted as a violation of Universal Law which stands that: no primitive forms of life should be trifled with without the consent of the Universal Parliament."
H-5 felt the need to demonstrate how they were more than just another primitive species, cute if you ask me. "Yes, we understand, our society is qualified as 'primitive' which is why you keep observing us until you decide whether we are going to self destroy or make the planet uninhabitable."
"Great, although we don't decide anything, we quantify and analyze the current state of a civilization according to a series of given parameters... Now if you would please follow the train bots to your individual evaluation."
H-1 regressed to her most defensive state when she heard they would be separated again "please don't let them take me away from you."
H-5 of course tried solacing her "Don't worry, we'll be back together very soon".
Trusting in her fellow humanoid H- 1 pulled herself together and went to her evaluation. One by one the humanoids were taken once again until it was the turn of the last one, H-4; he saw an incredible amount of energy flowing through a being, at first, he thought it was a small star but when approached the "star" flooded his mind with light, showing him some of the mysteries that awaited him. How these magnificent stations connect the entire universe processing and transmitting countless Hellabytes of information between them like a communication network bounding all species.
Overwhelmed with knowledge he showed his fears to this light being, what his kind had been doing to his planet for the last hundreds of years and what they had been doing to each other for thousands, he also showed his great passion for progress and his hopeful perspective of mankind as a singular organism working together; he had seen it, working in different fields with people from different cultures whose differences united them, he feared for them, for their future - or the lack of it. when rapidly descending towards D-Point. The light being showed compassion and even sympathy, she explained her role in the Universal Guard, a unique group of beings who can transform energy and use it to orchestrate their thoughts in order to work as a single unit. She had been observing him and the other ones since their planet was impacted by that uni miner crew, and now she was there to take him to the Centre of the Universe for his training. Well her projection, the medusa-like humanoid was not going to risk going herself to such a remote sector.
H-4 showed her how he could hardly believe everything she told him, but he had no reason to doubt her either. For the first time in his life he was having a mental interaction with an organism from a different race, one that he could yet hardly understand at a biological level. The Guard warned him though, he would no longer use his abilities to interact with any other humanoid, unless it was commanded to him; one day perhaps he would be among those in command, but until that day, he would not try to reach any of them. Although as we all know a humanoid as a Main Guard is practically impossible, even as an advisor to them, or as a sector's responsible. She was the only humanoid Guardian they ever had, and she was practically raised in the center of the Universe, the time fortress where he would be training for eons to come.
H-1 evaluation had been quite different, before she got to say a word she saw droids approaching from all around her leaving her no room to maneuver. They held her down - and as they had done with H-3 before - altered her Microchip, only that for her this would mean being trapped in her own mind by an intricate software who would also be taking control of her body. She was immediately sent to a training camp in one of R.2.H.Q's Layers where she would learn how to use her abilities and fight against any kind of species in the Universe, she would also go through a very special transformation, leaving her humanoid flows behind and evolving into something more cybernetic.
Humanoid 2 would be staying in H.3 to enforce the Units-robotic forces which supply the entire universe with the most sophisticated weapons ever created.
H-5 abilities allowed her to work in mining, which is why she would be taken to sector U.2, where Unis manage a vast network of galaxies, using their power to regulate the harvest of the most mysterious and profitable materials gathered across the universe.
The sixth humanoid's evolutionary encounter had given him the power to interact with many different creatures and adapt according to the different tasks they perform. The universe itself is observed and analyzed by the most complex and mysterious organisms that live and evolve as components of a greater structure; their ability to understand their surroundings allows them to collect information which can later be analyzed by members of the Universal Academic Community thus helping solve the greatest mysteries of our Universe. But don't ever underestimate the knowledge these great species possess, they are not just gathering data, and if they think that's what you believe, you'll be in great danger. That's why this Humanoid would be sent to accompany them, to learn from them in sector M.2. That way he could collaborate with the many scientists and politicians working there who continuously report to the Parliament on the state of our Universe, Sectors, and Corridors.
H-7 would go to sector H.1 and would join the Multi-robotic scientist and engineers who regulate and maintain the Dyson Sphere systems which store and managed all the data in the Universe, her unique ability to interact with electronic devices around her would give her an edge when helping program the latest algorithms of the MegaVerse.
As he traveled towards his new home H-4 tried once again to communicate with H-3, in his mind he could hear a droid speaking. "You are an interesting creature, you manage to obtain some information from me on my intent to clarify my argument, when the reason I find a need to clarify my argument is because I consider you inferior... but if you knew this, maybe you are not that inferior after all, at least you haven't called me 'alien'." Listening to this H-4 tried encouraging him to be reasonable. "This is your opportunity, the only one you'll ever have, show him you can cooperate, show him you were just afraid, please, don't be a fool". H-3, with his body half-burned, made an effort to stand from his chair and look the droid in the eye - scanner but whatever - "I'm sorry, I truly am; I shouldn't have tried to escape, I was only afraid, I want to integrate with this... whatever it is... please don't lobotomize me"
"Lobotomize you? Where did you get that idea" - "you really are a thief of information aren't you? Don't worry, fleshy squishy, you'll be taken care of."
H-3 passed out after his effort of standing and was taken to a recovery chamber. The Machine then sent a message to the control room. "H3M526 reporting on H.3G603011S901306P3H-3, the subject has been neutralized, it is now being transported to the inferior bridge. Report concluded."
Hearing this H-4 thought to himself "Ok, they are transporting him to a safe place, he agreed to cooperate, everything will be just fine." What he didn't know was that his "friend" was going to be sent to a very unique kind of prison, located in one of the remaining habitable - if you can call anything in that sector that - areas of H.2 where he'd be forced to fight to survive or die trying, all in the name of entertainment. Isn't it great the way the universe works? Ah, humanoids and their misconceptions, so easy to trick, so easy to fool.
And so concludes the Humanoid report on the third Planet of the 901.306th Star of the 603.011th Galaxy of Sector H.3 after their unexpected encounter with a Uni miner ship. Hoping they don't force me to do any more of these reports on inferior species, Reporting Device H3M8472 concludes this transmission.
I think you can access their individual reports now, feel free to check whichever you prefer first.