A note from Chris James
Forgive me, I am about to experiment with those who read this story. I don't feel guilty because I think all authors do this when they attempt something new. This is the first science fiction story I have ever written, but then to me sci-fi is just another form of fantasy.
I would also be remiss if I did not credit my editor, Wayne Telfer, with many of the ideas incorporated in this story. Wayne is a published science fiction/fantasy author whose input has been invaluable in this instance.
At first I thought the alien science would be a problem, but I was wrong. No wonder those guys who wrote the Star Trek scripts had so much fun, alien means you can present almost anything as fact. So here we go, have fun and ... Hail Prime!
Prologue
Theirs was an ancient race, perhaps the original body of intelligent life in the universe. Generations stretched back to the beginning of recorded time, or so the Book of Knowledge revealed. Their species had originally developed on a single planet, and then had spread throughout the stars.
The Ancient Ones had accumulated great knowledge and used it to develop new life, tailoring new species to fit the environments found on distant planets. The universe was vast open territory and they explored it, keeping meticulous records of where they had been and what was there. It was the only way to assure that vital information would be available to their descendants. Someday their very existence would depend upon it.
At some point, perhaps a million years ago, a survey party had arrived in a small solar system on the edge of a distant galaxy. A handful of planets orbiting a small star, a development they had seen in thousands of systems. But their instruments detected life on the third planet and they set out to examine it.
The small expeditionary force observed sub-civilized creatures through several planetary cycles before they approached and landed to take samples. The life forms were judged to be evolving, developing higher intelligence, and they might just survive long enough to become something valuable. A report was created, filed away, and they moved on, giving no further thought to these creatures. It was too soon.
But a pod was left behind buried deep within the planet. The Ancient Ones could not ignore life anywhere in the universe, and so they left a Watcher behind to observe and determine when intervention was necessary. Someday they would be back in a time of need. Time was not one of their major concerns; they had eons of time to consider ...