History
"Great!" Said a teenage girl, as she sat at her desk looking frustrated, she had red hair, fair and clear skin, and wore a green shirt and brown shorts. "I've had this history test hanging over my head for weeks, and I've done nothing but goof off and not do it, and now the test is tomorrow and not only will I fail, but my parents will ground me, and won't give me that new video game!" She said, she pressed a button on her desk causing a holographic display that looked like a computer screen. "Greetings Lara, it is 7:15 PM," said the holographic computer as Lara looked bored as the computer spoke, "what would you like to do?" Finished the holographic computer, Lara looked incredulously as she sat before the computer. "Alright, activate AI program Marcus, Password Imaqt9720." She said as the display changed into a green hologram of a man. "Lara?" Said the AI with an amused look on his face, Lara just looked annoyed. "Look I know I wouldn't ask this normally Marcus, but I... I need access to the historical articles."
"Procrastination catching up with you, I told you that I wasn’t going to help you if you weren’t going to bother doing it by yourself." Marcus said knowing his friend and owner. "Yes! Now just bring up the historical articles that are needed for the test!" Said Lara sounding panicked at the consequences of failing the test. "Alright, just give me a moment to access the files relevant to your test... and your home-"
"Don't even joke about that, it's late as it is." Lara said. "Very well then, your test is on how humanity first colonized the Eden Solaris star cluster right?" Marcus asked referring to the series of stars that humanity colonized generations ago. "Well of course, what else would history class cover?" Lara said. "Alright, just wanted to clarify and...here we go." Marcus said as the projector now showed a video of what Lara wanted to see. "The Eden Solaris star cluster was colonized twenty-five thousand years ago by humanity, the first extra-galactic colonization expedition ever undertaken by humanity." Said the recording in bright green letters, Lara looked inquisitive at what she was about to see. "Note: Due to data corruption the dates upon which these events have happened, it is unknown about much of human history before the Colonization had actually occured."
"The Eden Solaris star cluster in the galaxy of Hyperion Major, (known to the native alien civilizations as Mt'hal-Ogriaz.) after humanity had colonized the entirety of the Milky Way, our species moved on to seek colonization of other galaxies. However, one-thousand years after the initial colonization the colonists of the Eden Solaris cluster lost contact with the Milky Way, the last words from humanity in the Home Galaxy was. 'The Plague... has taken everyone... do not come back... we fell... beneath the weight of our hubris.' So for the last twenty-four thousand years humanity has been living alongside several dozen alien civilizations with no contact with the Home Galaxy." The recording said, Lara pressed a button regarding the alien races near the cluster. "The first alien race encountered in the Eden Solaris Cluster was a primitive species called the Thallatites, an insectoid race that was native to a jungle moon of the gas giant Orion VII. Initially they were used for labor, but after contact with another species, the Vaalations, a species vaguely related to the Penguin, they demanded that humanity regard the Thallatites with proper respect. (Note: The events that transpired only about a century after humanity had lost contact with the Home Galaxy and at that point humanity did not have enough power to refuse anything from more powerful races)
"Another major race that played a part in human history in the Eden Solaris cluster, a machine race called the Y'l-Naka, which bore a great interest in the technology that humanities ancestors possessed. Specifically humanities robotics technology, for they wanted to be like there like extinct creators (Designation: Y'l-Prag) in that they could feel emotions and be organic, and since first contact with this race in 2575 AC (After Colonization) they have collaborated with humanity on further development, allowing for humanity to build robots and AI's with above average intelligence."
"There a personal favorite of mine." Said Marcus pausing the recording, looking mildly smug and playful as his hologram stood beside the screen. "Don't bud in!" Lara said as she continued the recording. "The next race encountered were the Ulagraag, a reptilian species with a warrior culture, they are typically focused on personal honor, or the honor of whatever community or organization they are affiliated with. The Ulagraag also possess a natural BAW (Biological Augmented Weapon) that allows there species the natural ability to cast electricity from their fingers, or breath fire. (BAW's among the Ulagraag vary from individual to individual) In Colonial space they mainly serve as corporate, or government hired mercenaries." The recording stopped there as Lara pressed another button, this one played a recording regarding the major planets in the Eden Solaris cluster.
"Invictus: The Capital of the Human Colonial Government, founded during the Great Collapse of 1080 AC.
"Sahara Omega: Desert planet, homeworld of some of the most dangerous non-sentient life in the cluster if not the entire Hyperion Major Galaxy, Ulagraag use the planet for rites of passage where there young are sent to fight the hostile fauna."
"Novaawaii: Tropical planet, home of the most popular resorts in the entire cluster."
"Lara are you sure this is just for a history test? This more related to astronomy then history." Said Marcus, pausing the recording again. "Look Marcus, this is my test, so I might as well learn what I can about our little corner of the universe." Lara said as she continued the recording.
"Crucible: Lava planet, used by the Colonial Marines for hostile environment training."
"Kronus: Barren planet, known for its high yield mines containing vast deposits of exotic to mundane minerals."
"Ziil’Kyar: Ice planet, a major Vaalations colony that borders on Colonial space.”
“Old Man Johnsons Porta-Potty: The first planet ever colonized by humanity in the Hyperion Major galaxy. Named by an eccentric drunk (whose name is unknown, but may or may not be Johnson) who sold ‘Old Man Johnsons Porta-Potties’, currently abandoned.
“Well… we’ve certainly come far
since then.” Lara said with an amused look on her face. “Does this look enough
for your test?” Marcus asked. “Hmm… no, I think more will be necessary.” Lara
said, hours passed as Lara looked over many more historical files, including
the Thallatite War, the War of the Great Collapse, the reign of the Ulagraag
War Chief, Hruth the Wise, the Colonial Civil War, and many more. She also did
research regarding several famous wonders in the, like the Presidential Palace
on Invictus, the Towers of Ice on Ziil’Kyar, the Great Nomadic War Fleets of
the Ulagraag, the Grand Spires of Tisilius the fourth moon of Orion VII, and
the space station Happy-Go-Lucky-Land the greatest amusement park in Human History. “I remember my first
time there,” Lara said wistfully, “the only thing I didn't like were the hours
upon hours in lines.” She said looking tired. “Lara, I think it’s time to go to
bed, it’s 9:50 and you need your rest.” Marcus said. “Yeah… yeah I think that
would be a good idea right now.” She said as she went up from her desk, to a
pod that served as her bed. “Cryopod, engage sleep mode till
6:00 AM.” Lara said the glass of the pod then slid over her, and when it closed
it turned her bright blue, signifying that the cryopod was working.
When she woke up, she hastily ate
breakfast, and then took her hoverbike to school. The day went by fairly
quickly, even the test that she was so worried about passed by in a flash.
Several days passed, Lara was playing on her holoputer when her parents entered
the room, both looking stern and mad. "Lara," her father said in an
authoritative voice, "your mother and I wanted to talk to you about your
history test." Lara paused when she heard this, and a look of utter fear
as she turned around to see her parents. "W-What is it?" Lara said,
afraid of what they were going to say. "Lara, you've been failing your
history class," her mother said in the same voice her father used,
"and we thought that offering to get you that game that you and Marcus
could play together on would encourage you to do better." Lara looked
nervous and scarred at the same time. "And we were right!" Her mother
said excitedly as she and Lara's father gave their daughter a giant hug.
"WHAT?!" Lara said;
baffled by what they had just done. "You passed your test! You got an
A+!" Lara's father said. "Really?" Lara said disbelievingly.
"Yes, we just got the message from your history teacher; she even said you
got the extra credit questions correctly." Lara's mother said, Lara just
smiled. "Does that mean-"
"We already got it!"
Lara's father said, it was a box that contained some-kind of suit and a face
concealing helmet. Latter in the week she and Marcus were in a factory fighting
some robots; of course it is a game, specifically one that required the VR suit
that Lara had gotten. "This is fun!" Marcus said as he fired his gun
at one of the robots. "This is far more fun than those causal puzzle
games, it was always annoying when you managed to outwit me." He then
switched his weapon to a grenade launcher, and blew up a large squad of robots.
"Yeah, unfortunately the games for this system are really expensive, so it
would be awhile before I can get any new games." She said as she fired her
weapon on the incoming robots. "Though... one thing has been bugging
lately." She said as she threw a grenade into an incoming squad of robots.
"What?" Marcus asked. "Why haven't we tried returning to the
Home Galaxy? I mean I know we were cut off from it, but that was twenty-four
thousand years ago, whatever happened there would have stopped by now
right?" She said.
"A fair point, but that
isn't for us to decide now is it?" Marcus pointed out. "Yeah, but
wouldn't it be cool to return to the Home Galaxy?" Lara said, and then a
loud beep went through the area. "GAME OVER." Said a voice as the
arena turned off, Lara took off her helmet. "Still, someday, I'm going to
find a way to get back to the Home Galaxy." Lara said, as she looked out
her window, it was sunset, as both of the suns her planet was orbiting
descended into the night sky.
Of course, this story is only a
small taste of what happens in Eden Solaris.
