Dark 23: Atlantean Return Part 1

1

“Ensign Ta’ian, report your status.” The figure stood there on the boulder with her arm spread out had just stepped onto the hard surface. She looked to the ground layout before her. She was dressed in the tight bodysuit with a silvery corset over her chest, and the hip cut to cover over her navel. She had on her arms the silvery vambrace with the built-in link to the mothership servers on the left and the arm phaser on the right. She wore a pair of knee-high silvery boots that gives her flight ability.

“Ensign Ta’ian, report your status. I repeat.” The voice on the communication link resonated with the impatient voice of the Commander. “I …”

“I read you loud and clear, Commander. I am scanning the surface for the elements that were captured by our sensors.” Ensign Timo Ta’ian responded. “I will send the updates to the server.”

Ensign Ta’ian took her first step on the surface with her mind recalling the brief that she was given on this planet. The mothership was hovering over form covering a huge area with its gigantic sphere design. Ensign Ta’ian took the shuttlecraft to reach the surface. The shuttlecraft was designated NE-23 was a four-person craft designed to explore both surface and marine environment. It was also designed to protect the Ensign from any hostile movements on her. She had named the shuttle ‘her protector Nemo’.

“The planet is in the Milky Way Galaxy and it’s the third planet from the star there. There are thirteen planets in orbit around what was a star. The star was a result of a nova that gave birth to this system. As it was a transient astronomical event by our readings then, we established an outpost there named Zetian Three on the third planet from the star. We studied the planet evolution from its infancy era to the later named Proterozoic Era. We were amazed that the planet took on its own trail of evolution but it lacked on core element; living beings.”

“The Council of Discovery then introduced the first form of a living cell that we named amoeboid; a single living cell. The planet was suitable for the evolution of the single cell, and with our research. We assimilated the cells to form into dynamic forms with the inherent characteristics of the single cell. The assimilation was successful for two factors; the environment of the planet on the surface and below it in the liquid form. And the other was the stat was providing salvation in the form of nutrients to the growing cells. We left the evolution of the cells to expand by itself, and exponentially, it soon grew what we were term as the inhabitants on the planet. The inhabitants evolved in the different era of the planet age from the earliest Proterozoic Era to the Neoproterozoic and then the Mesozoic Era when the inhabitants took on their own identity with the huge growths in the frames. That was a mistake we made then.”

“The Mesozoic Era was allowed to evolve without the monitoring of the assembled at Zetian Three. Their lack of protocol to monitor the evolution caused mayhem when huge inhabitants took dominance over the weaker inhabitants. It was the era of survival when the strong fed on the weak. When we discovered the mayhem, we investigated the cause. It took some efforts to identify the cause. The assimilation of the cells held some savage characters that overtook the evolution. We tried to correct the process but it was inherent into the cells of the inhabitants. We were given new mandate in our works. We were to continue monitoring and studied the results.”

“It was during the Mesozoic Era that we discovered the planet took on its own course of eradication of the inhabitants. It was thus named the Permian-Triassic extinction where almost all the marine species and the two-thirds of the terrestrial vertebrate species succumb to natural extinction. The planet took on its own destructive path with thermal quakes causing the untenable conditions. It took over two million years before the planet secured itself.”

“Are you saying the planet is alive?” Ensign Ta’ian recalled the question raised then by another at the Commander.

“We do not know, Ensign Kier. Zetian Three was destroyed and we lost many data accumulated then. However, we reconstruct Zetian Four which was later renamed Atlantis.”

“Atlantis was submerged into the sea to monitor the marine life resurgence from its near extinction. While we focused our works there the planet took on the form of a crude civilisation with the huge superior homo-sapiens beings that dominated the surface alongside the huge inhabitants.”

“Was it not the meteor that annihilated the huge inhabitants?” Another Ensign raced the briefing events

“It’s obvious, that most of you have studied the brief of the planet we are going to explore once more.” The Commander was upset that his briefing was to shorten then. “Yes, for the benefit of those who did not read the brief beforehand.”

“The meteor was identified by our sub-space station and Zetian Four was alerted. We were told not to intercept but observe. The meteor impact was great and impacted on the surface and realigned the axis of the planet. It also caused a blanket of dark matter to cover over half the planet. Many inhabitants then perished by its impact or soon after it. The shift pf superiority son shifted to the homo-sapiens.”

“What of outpost Zetian Four?” Ensign Ta’ian raised the question.

“Zetian Four was damaged by the meteor and an evacuation order was given. We left the planet for some millions of years. We did return later and discovered the inhabitants have evolved further and the homo sapiens were seen to be superior in the thinking methodology. It puzzled us and we remain to study them. Zetian Four was raise to the surface and re-built. Atlantis existed with the new civilisation then, and our mandate changed. We were no more observers.”