The Tech-Bringers [CWC]

The tiny grey dot seemed to appear out of nothingness above the crystalline blue orb below, circled by it’s drab grey cousin far off in the distance. At a casual glance the world seemed black and devoid of life, no lights that suggested technology of any kind graced the continents below. Just the endless green and brown, broken only by the sparkling blue and green seas swept over the surface like a madman’s artwork.
Against the inky blackness Lieutenant Doran, communications officer, punched in a few keys ahead of him, studying the hologram between him and world below. Behind him, his commanding officer stirred, taking in the view out the panoramic windows.
“Anything?” he uttered, his voice soft with awe. Doran shook his head, typing frantically at a keyboard, the holographic view shifting across the planet, reeling in information about the surface makeup, atmosphere and other vital details.
“Nothing Captain. No signs of technology whatsoever. Insane levels of life readings though. There’s definetely something alive down there.” The Captain, a six-hundred year veteran of space travel, rubbed his goatee thoughtfully, rising from his plush chair.
“Is the atmosphere breathable?” he asked, moving ahead of Doran to the huge windows. The planet took up his whole view as the tiny by comaprison ship edged closer to orbit, shadowed by the yellow sun behind it. This was just one of the thousands of worlds they had come across in their endless journey across the stars.
“Seems to be. Oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen. All seem to be within tolerable limits sir,” Doran replied, leaving his station for a moment to join his Captain in taking in the view. No matter how many worlds they visited, no matter how often, the view never got boring. Finally the Captain turned, coming out of a seeming trance.
“Prepare a surface party. Let’s go have us a closer look.”
* * * *
The trees, green and overgrown from the lack of trimming swayed slightly as the craft touched down in a patch of long grass, coming to the ground with a sudden clunk and the sounds of anti-gravitic generators whining in protest as they fought the natural gravity of the planet below them. As the sounds of the alien craft came to rest, birds chittered their protest at the silence of this Eden like world being interrupted, striking out in random patterns from the trees, only to settle as the grasslands fell quiet once again. With a small pop of air the craft opened, spilling out a small ramp. Booted feet carefully traversed the steel ramp to the long grass below, the visitors unseen behind their helmets, their instruments and weapons at the ready as the pair of Science Officers took up point, their holographic scanners perusing the air and the land before them. Like a fan the group of seven slowly took up positions around their craft, each marvelling at the wildness of this world. The grass stretched out for miles before them, outlined by a grey and green set of peaks that seemed to reach up to the white clouds caressing their peaks.
“It’s safe,” one of the Science Officers informed the remainder, each taking a moment to remove the heavy helmet. Leader of the party, Doran took in a crisp breath, glad to be taking in fresh air rather than the stale air of the rebreather unit. Joining his side, the Science Officer, a lithe woman known as Ella took in the horizon with amazed silence.
“Never gets old does it?” Doran almost whispered, watching as another flight of birds took wing from inside a bright green tree, turning and wheeling in the sky before coming to settle again in the branches of another tree. Ella nodded slowly in agreement. Doran set his watch, motioning to the craft pilot inside the giant bulbous cockpit before them.
“Six hours,” he stated, giving the pilot instruction, “If we haven’t returned locate the emergency beacon and return to the ship.” The pilot nodded, putting his feet up on the control panel.
“Sir?” another visitor replied, struggling to remove his EVA suit, “we have a signal.” He placed the holo in the hands of his superior, Doran studying the small blip before his face.
“We didn’t pick anything up from orbit,” he said, his brow furrowed with concern, “how strong is the signal?”
The junior Science Officer took the holo, tapping a few commands in. “It would seem the signal has been active for some time sir. It is pretty faint, our scanners may not have picked it from such a range.”
Doran thought for a moment. It had been a long time since they had seen any worlds with any technology even close to their own. This could be something good.
“Let’s move out,” he ordered, the security troops taking up point and flank in repsonse, “Let’s see what we have out there.”
* * * *
After two hours of traversing grasslands, stone outcrops and watching as a huge wall of cloud swept over the mountains and drenched them all in a torrential, but brief downpour, the only life they had seen were birds and masses of insects. Nothing more advanced had greet them thus far, yet as they neared the blip, the weak signal became more prevalent. As they arrived at the foot of the mountain range, the blip intensified.
Finding a narrow canyon pass barely wide enough to get a small vehicle through, the troupe of visitors made their way up the stony path, tripping and stumbling often over the gravelly and loose road. After a half hour of travel, Doran paused, signalling the others to do so. Ella moved to his side, scanning the environment for any changes.
“There’s something here,” Doran stated, scanning the canyon walls. He had felt another presence since nearing the mountains. As they had ventured deeper into the foothills, his feeling had grown stronger. Ella nodded also, indeed something was watching them. As they had gotten closer to the blip of technology on her holo screen, she had felt it also.
“Maybe there’s more on this planet than we initially observed,” she reasoned, checking the co-ordinates on the holo were correct. Doran shrugged.
“The sensors only detect life and technology. If it’s something we’re not familiar with, it won’t show.”
“Sir?” One of the security troops was on his feet, studying a small scanner intently. Doran stood quickly, sensing something was wrong.
“We have multiple contacts sir,” the trooper went on, “they’re all around us.” Doran tried to calm his mind, and prepared himself for his usual task of diplomacy.
“Form a defensive ring,” he instructed, “weapons in non-offensive guise, saftey’s off.” As a unit the group formed a defensive ring, the troops and Doran at the perimeter, the scientists behind them.
“Ten meters and closing sir,” the trooper said tensely, resisting the urge to raise his weapon. A moment passed of complete silence, the air thick.
“Five meters sir.” Doran tensed. Here goes nothing.
“Attention local beings,” he began, spreading his arms wide to show he wasn’t a threat, “we are a delegate of the Science Vessel Arcturus Five. We come in peace.” A moment passed. Nothing. Only the sound of the proximity sensor beeping softly every few seconds.
“Please show yourselves. We mean no harm.” A shuffle sounded to Doran’s left, he turned slowly, hoping no to startle what was there. In the shadows, multiple eyes came to being, like yellow fireflies out of the corner of one’s eyes. Doran tensed, a bead of sweat breaking out on his brow. Low shuffling and whispered words joined the eyes. Finally, a voice spoke.
(Cont below)

“These things you hold in your hands? Do you refer to them as tech?” The voice, somewhat gravelly and not quite human echoed from the walls of the canyon. Doran was taken back by the question, his mind attempting a reply.
“Well... yes,” he stammered a reply, the whispers intensifying. “May we see you?” From the shadows they emerged, Doran gazing in surprise at the newcomers. On most worlds they had different names, but mostly went as Canis, or the humble dog. The one that spoke was grey and white, long unkempt strands of wiry fur running in waves down his lean frame, ended with a fluffy grey tail. His eyes were golden and spoke of wisdom, numerous scars ran his body and face. Doran let out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding. On all the worlds the Arcturus had ever visited, dogs were subservient creatures, no matter their guise. Never had he been addresed by one. The dog loped over to him, sniffing the air as he approached.
“May I see the tech?” the dog asked, taking in Doran’s surprise. After a moment he agreed, holding the holo before the dog. The creature sniffed at it for a moment as other dogs, all shapes, sizes and colors joined their elder.
“You come from the skies, yes?” The dog finally asked, Doran nodding stupidly in reply. Indeed he was having a hard time wrapping his head around this.
“My name is Barnes. This is my clan. We guard the tech that our fathers left behind.” Doran finally got his head straight.
“It is the ‘tech’ as you call it that we are looking for,” Doran replied, “is it nearby?” The dog nodded in reply, looking further down the canyon.
“The tech is very similar to that which you hold in your hands. We must see if you are the ones the Great Elder spoke of. Come with me.”
* * * *
It would seem to the visitors the talking canines were just the beginning of this unexpected adventure. The dogs, surrounding the small troupe led them further into the mountains, at some points the path became so narrow each fell into single file, slightly unnerved at the intelligence these creatures showed. Doran listened intently to the whispers among the crowd, that the “tech-bringers” had finally returned. At the front Barnes and Doran walked side by side, mostly in silence.
“This Great Elder of yours, is he like you?” Doran asked, Barnes turning his yellow eyes on the biped.
“No he is much different. He is far more intelligent than any of us could hope to be. Yet he is trapped here, in this prison the past masters built for him. You are the first in many years that may have the tech to release him from his prison, so that he may guide us to the next stage in our evolution.” Doran smiled, finding it unbelievable he was talking to a dog about evolution.
“Does your Great Elder have a name?” Doran asked, as a large wall of rock loomed before them.
“You should ask him yourself,” Barnes replied, “we are here.”
* * * *
From the rock wall a great door had opened, made from steel and covered in symbology completely lost on Doran. The smell of earth and dust washed over them, and they were bade to enter by Barnes and a few other of the dogs. Hesitantly Doran and the others stepped inside, watching as the dogs fell back. Doran turned. “Aren’t you coming with us?” Barnes’ head shook.
“We are not permitted to come any further. Proceed straight to the inner sanctum, you will find the Great Elder there.” With that the dogs turned and left, leaving the visitors alone. Doran check his watch. Three hours left.

Inside the cavernous hallway was dimly lit with what seemed to be ancient bulbs, the kind Doran’s ancestors had used. As they traversed inside, the floor rumbled as the great steel door swung shut behind them. A couple of the security troops turned and tried to flee back outside, but the door slammed shut before they could even reach it. Doran swallowed hard, turning back to the task at hand. In his hand the holo was going crazy, showing a gigantic blip ahead of them. Straining to see in the darkness, he made his way to the edge a massive stone step, curved and leading off into the darkness. Another appeared out of the dark, then another. He realised half way down this was some kind of auditorium, and the curved steps were actually seats. Out of the darkness he could hear the sound of running water.
Brightness suddenly lit the room like daylight, the visitors falling backwards in an attempt to escape the blinding brilliance. A large squealing sound filled the air, followed by static. Doran covered his ears, struggling to see.
“Are you the tech-bringers? Or are you false prophets?” The voice, mechanical and devoid of life boomed all around them, sending all the visitors to their knees. As the sound dissipated and the visitors got used to the light, the voice spoke again.
(Cont below)

“Are you the tech-bringers? Or are you the false prophets sent here to deceive and destroy us?”
“We are explorers and scientists,” Doran struggled to reply, “we come from the Research vessel Arcturus Five. Our mission is to study life in the galaxy.” The room fell silent as Doran felt probes enter his mind, like wriggling fingers poking around inside his brain. He saw memories even he had long forgotten surface and ebb, saw his mission and the entire truth laid out befor this being. After a moment the odd feeling subsided, Doran wiping the blood from his cheek as he realised the process had caused a small nosebleed.
“I see you are not the tech-bringers my former masters spoke of,” the voice concluded, “yet your ideals and advanced state of being may still be useful.” Doran staggered back, his mind still numbed from being shoved about.
“May we see you Great Elder?” he stammered out, the lights dimming in reply. In the centre of the room there lay a great tank, filled with water. A makeshift reef filled the edges of the giant tank, and soft lights lit the water in an almost surreal glow. In the centre of this, a creature unlike Doran nor any of the others had ever seen floated silently. Around six foot in length, the creature resembled a fish, but had greenish grey mottled skin, that resembled leather. A long snout filled with teeth opened and closed slowly, framed by a set of inky black eyes. Lastly a long tail propelled the creature in circles, and it was topped by a razor shaped fin. Doran was speechless. Never had he seen such a majestic creature, never in all the worlds he had visited.
“Do you have a name Great Elder?” Doran asked as the others joined his side. In the tank the fish creature’s mouth opened, and a shrill noise echoed through the chamber. Moments later unseen speakers in the hall translated the creature’s cries into speech.
“My name, along with my species is long forgotten. I am simply known as the Great Elder by those that worship my wisdom. You see, many milennia ago my forefathers were imprisoned by biped beings like yourself. They kept us here, hoping to unlock the secrets of the universe. When we helped them to acheive this goal, the tech they had developed brought others here. At first the visitors seemed friendly. Then others came. Beings with horrible tech they used to wipe out and destroy much of this planet. Those few that were left went away aboards giant rings of fire, promising one day to return to their world. I am the sole survivor of that apocalypse, and now even my time grows short. I have trained the Canis to bring any here that could be our former masters, in the hope of preventing the same disaster befalling us again.”
By now Doran had sat, listening intently to this wondorus tale. The others had joined him, sitting like children as an old man told an amazing tale to tell them.
“But your world is perfect,” he insisted, thinking of all the beauty he had seen in his short time here. The creature seemed to nod, squawking a reply.
“Which makes us a prime target for those that called themselves gods to return and wipe out what is left. The world has recovered from the advent of the bipeds, yes, but there are others out there who seek to ruin this world for the treasures it holds.”
“So you need the tech to fight back, in case they return.” Again, the dolphin nodded.
“The great lost library states they will return soon to reclaim what is supposedly rightfully thiers. My kind cannot fight back given their low level of tech. If our former masters were to return, they could make a stand for this world, and finally claim it for our own.”
Doran was at a loss. So badly he wanted to help this creature, so badly he wanted to see this world left as is. The thought of it cut open and laid barren made his stomach churn. Sadly, he knew the Arcturus was simply a science vessel, not a warship. There was little he could do.
“I am sorry,” he said honestly, feeling this creature would sense his lie, “there is little we can do against an invading force. We simply aren’t equipped for it.” The creature nodded, unjudging.
“Then you must do one last thing for me. I wish to see my true home for the last time. If you can free me back to my oceans before I pass, I would be most grateful.” Doran nodded in agreement. It felt like he was failing this great creature, yet he saw no other way.
* * * *
It had been a fairly simple task to bring the creature from it’s mountain stronghold, as the visitors discovered it was actually a mammal and breathed air. Forming a makeshift tank, they had used the lander craft to transport the creature to the ocean, only a dozen miles from where they had landed. The blue oceans crashed against the rocks of the shorelines as they passed over, behind them thousands deep throngs of dogs made pace with craft, stopping at the edge of the waterline, a seemingly endless line of Canis watched as their Elder made his final journey back to his home. Sitting in the tank in a hydro-suit, Doran marvelled at the smoth textures of the creature’s skin, and the power it had beneath. With the coast still in the background Doran signalled the pilot to hover, and began lowering the tank to the frothing ocean below. When it was no more than a few feet, he opened the grates at the bottom, allowing himself and the creature to fall into the warmish waters. For a moment the creature disappeared beneath the waves, as Doran paddled hard against the updraught to stay on the surface. After a moment the grey head crested the surface, the creature nodding it’s head in respect. With a deep sadness rolling over him, Doran realised this was the end. How long the creatures of this world had was anyone’s guess. Maybe their ‘tech-bringers’ would return and offer them salvation, maybe they would be wiped out by the evil ones first. A tear rolled from Doran’s eye, quickly covered by the foaming and jumping surf. As the life vest was lowered to him, the creature nodded once, and disappeared beneath the waves. Moments later dozens of the creatures broke the surface, leapt high, then also sank beneath the waves. As Doran rose on the line toward the ship, he knew it would be the last time he saw beauty such as this, magnificence such as this.
All he could do as he returned home is pray that it would last.

Very nice story.

I, also having a great respect for the intelligence of our canine friends enjoyed your story very much.

reply to post by ThreeSistersofLoveandLigh


Thanks for the reply, I enjoyed writing this one.

The idea was something along the lines of without humans, what would be the next thing to evolve? Dolphins would obviously be first, being the next highest intelligence, but I thought after many millenia dogs or cats would surely be the next big step in evolution. Besides, could you imagine being a traveller standing there being spoken to by a pack of dogs, not really knowing their intentions? There would be something surreal about that confrontation.

I really enjoyed this one, wondering, but for a moment, the intent of the canines, half expecting them to turn to ravenous tendencies. Very nice twist.

Flag, of course. Keep em coming.