The Fifth Science by Exurb1a

Author:Exurb1a [Exurb1a]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Published: 2018-08-23T21:00:00+00:00

The Girl and the Pit

Ushko was the leading astroarcheologist for several million light-years. He had been educated on Yeshua, done his initial training on Ek, and even been allowed to visit the dying Sol system for a few weeks. His groundbreaking work was an academic piece called: “Exotics and Natives: How to differentiate between extraterr remains and altered human remains.”

While simple, the idea had catapulted Ushko to the status of galactic celebrity. He was invited to take positions at numerous universities and offered countless hands in marriage. He politely declined on both counts.

Instead he used his newfound influence to secure passage to the planet Katarsina.

Ushko had a complex relationship with Katarsina. It was rumoured to be the birthplace of the protos, the oldest known extraterr race. They were extinct now of course, all extraterr civilisations were. The one thing all the dead extraterrs had in common, however, was that their literature spoke of the protos, revered them.

If both a loser and a victor agree on a thing, we can suppose it was the case. All accounts suggested that the protos were a wise and powerful civilisation, that they had mastered technology far in advance of anything else the galaxy was capable of. Then quite suddenly they had vanished, leaving only ruins behind. And not many.

Katarsina, it was said, was where the Foundational Arts were perfected—that is, the true sciences, those derived from the ground up, from hard logic and demiform: a system of notation even more powerful than mathematics.

Still, the protos went to bed.

Later, millions of years later in fact, the other civilisations would go the same way. Man would evolve a little after that and turn his gaze outwards to find himself in a derelict galaxy.

Ushko's parents had been archaeologists, and while they didn't necessarily intend the same occupation for their boy, they certainly weren't disappointed when he began to show interest in the field at an early age. He accompanied them on expeditions, fetched their tools, watched as great extraterr monuments were uncovered from sand and dirt.

One morning on New Pleven his mother unearthed a gigantic fin of unfamiliar metal. It shone blue in the sun and if struck with a chisel rang for minutes. By the end of the day his parents were certain it was the stabiliser of a proto craft.

Back at camp that night Ushko waited until the fire was lit and dinner was over, then asked his parents who exactly the protos were.

His parents exchanged a glance, then fixed the compass needle of Ushko's life. They told him everything.

Back in his tent Ushko saw a wondrous scene before him, of great shining blue pyramids, of enormous spheres in orbit, of a culture that had solved nature's conundrums and learned to live in harmony with their biology and environment.

Then all of it was promptly snuffed to nothing.

Where had the protos gone and had they gone there by choice? If not, what could kill off the most advanced civilisation the galaxy had ever known?

Ushko continued travelling

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