Savage Impulses - Story: A New Life

Savage Impulses

Story: A New Life - Chapter 5
Friday, 14-Apr-2000 00:38:43
207.193.123.218 writes:

This bit should answer some of your questions...while maybe opening up a few more. ;)

WHAT??!!

Sarah felt her larger jaw drop open in absolute astonishment at the green man's revelation. 'My brother?! What is he talking about?!', she thought. "How can you be my brother? I'm alone; the couple outside said they found me here, and I was by myself. And I don't look anything like you - " She stopped here, belatedly glancing back down at herself, gazing at her unusually large and unusually green body. "Okay, I do look a bit like you..... Could you please explain just what is going on here?"

The image of her brother(?) smiled. "Certainly, Khara. I understand what you are going through right now. It was one of the possible factors that we had taken into consideration when planning this journey." The image's smile slowly left Xris' handsome emerlad face. "But the journey was never finished for most of us, unfortunately. Only you made it to this planet safely."

"What do you mean? Aren't you talking to me right now?" This was becoming more and more puzzling and convoluted to the young woman. Not only was she big and green (although she had to admit - secretly, of course - that her body was much more developed, even sexier), but now she found out that she had a brother she hadn't even known she had. And he was talking to her in riddles, no less. "You spoke of a spaceship earlier. Are you in orbit right now, or have you landed somewhere?"

Xris shook his head, a sad expression on his green features. "No; I'm afraid you have misunderstood my explanation. I said that this small vehicle you are in right now is an escape pod, and that it had been launched from our spacecraft." She nodded, still not quite understanding just what it was he was trying to tell her. "I also said that I was your brother."

Sarah's beautiful green eyes widened a bit, her full lips opening as she picked up on a particular part of what he had just said. "Wait. You said you 'were' my brother. Are - - are you dead??" The image nodded once more. She shook her head, feeling her long, thick dark-green hair stream around her bared shoulders and back. "But then how can you be talking to me?"

"The answer is simple. I am a computer."

She sat down heavily onto the large chair, absently noticing that it wasn't as big as it had appeared to be earlier. This was getting too weird. Now she was talking to a computer that said it was her brother. "I think you need to start from the beginning."

"Certainly, Khara. Five cycles ago - approximately ten Earth years - our family was on Gammon, our home planet. We had been selected by the ruling council to be the first explorers outside of our solar system. We were to have the honored position of becoming the vanguard of a wave of exploration and possible colonization on other worlds. One of the leading scientific bodies had discovered a way to travel faster-than-light, which facilitated the council's decision. They ordered one of the prototypes to be mated to our exploration craft. The council had picked a planet that was within the testing range of the FTL drive, and they settled on this planet - Sola-3, or Earth, as its inhabitants reffered to it. There was at that time a growing resistance to the whole project of interstellar exploration; some officials wanted more time and resources devoted towards the betterment of our own planet, and not 'wasting' time in attempting colonization or 'simple' exploration." Xris went silent for a second, and Sarah realized that she had been holding her breath. This all sounded fantastic to her. And yet....somehow - though she couldn't be sure how - she knew that this was all true, and that she had been a part of it.

"On the way to Sola-3, our computers analyzed the transmissions being emanated from here, as well as sending several small, undetectable probes to gather further data. They made an unusual and rather unexpected discovery. During a standard scan of the chemical makeup of the planet's atmosphere, our computers informed us that, due to an extreme concentration of nitrogen, our bodies would undergo a radical alteration if we attempted a landing. It seems that humans' molecular structure does not differ that much from our own. The added nitrogen would transform us, making us biologically identical to humans. So we decided against any landing, that our probe data would be enough for the scientists to go over for many cycles."

A dark look dropped over Xris' face. "We were just about to activate the FTL drive when another ship came into existence a short distance away. It read as a Gammon warship; it had apparantly been fitted with the other experimental FTL drive to intercept us. The captain contacted us, telling us that our mission had been cancelled. A coup had taken place on Gammon, and the new ruling council was made up of officials who wanted nothing to do with affairs outside Gammon. The warship then opened fire on our ship. Our mother and older sister were killed in the first barrage. Our father and I took you - the youngest - into an escape pod and loaded all of our knowledge of Sola-3 into the pod's computer. Father also loaded an extra program into the computer matrix - me. He then launched the pod, just before another full salvo from the warship destroyed our craft and everyone aboard. The warship then left the area, obviously not detecting this pod. Fortunately, we were not too distant from Sola-3 - well within the range of a Class-C escape pod. On the way, I subliminally instructed you on all that you would need to know about your new home. However, upon entry to this planet's atmosphere, the pod developed a fault. The automatic guidance system malfunctioned, skewing the pod from it's orginal destination. Right before landing, the primary retro-rockets also failed, and the backups were barely enganged in time to prevent it's total destruction. You were injured during the crash - and the rest you know."

Sarah didn't say a word, still taking in all what Xris had told her. She wasn't human...that explained her current appearance. But it didn't explain a lot of other things. "Xris, you said that your - our father placed you into this ship's computer. What did you mean by that?"

The green image of Xris explained, "He placed a scan of my brainwave patterns into the pod's systems to help assist you on this new planet. He thought that a familiar face would ease the transition from life on Gammon to life on Sola-3 - - Earth. You were placed in a form of suspended animation before escaping. While 'asleep', your brain processed and assimilated the data about your new home, including the language of the landmass this pod was targeted for. During the crash-landing this process was interrupted, apparently erasing parts of your memory. That is why, during the three cycles since our landing, you had thought of yourself as human. I have been monitoring your progress, and have been pleased with your incorporation into this planet's inhabitants and culture. I placed the majority of my systems into a standby mode to conserve power, with a limited surveillance program running to further observe your progress. When you very recently experienced the first sight of your true body, I reactivated myself, predicting that you would return here."

Everything was beginning to make sense now. Sarah felt like a floodgate had been opened; things were coming to her mind that she didn't even know were within her. "Xris - I'm beginning to understand. There is so much more that I want to know....but Donald and Elizabeth are still outside, and they may be getting worried. I want to stay here and find out more about my past, but let me go and tell them. They've been as good to me as parents, and I owe them greatly."

Xris' computer-generated image nodded in easy acquiescence. "Of course, Khara. Those two do care very much for you, and have been excellent teachers. I will be here when you return." His image suddenly faded from the screen. Sarah began heading for the door when she remembered her present appearance. But there was no other clothing present in the pod's small chamber besides the ripped and torn ones that she was presently wearing. She shook her head slightly and finished her short walk to the door. It opened with a touch of her green fingertips, and she squinted as the glare of the headlight's from Donald's car shined against her.

DOnald and Elizabeth were beginning to wonder what had happened to their surrogate daughter. She had disappeared inside the strange object almost twenty minutes ago, and she had yet to re-appear. It was now quite dark, a chill running through the night air.

"Don, do you think she's all right?", Elizabeth asked her husband.

He shrugged. "I hope so....", was all he said.

Silently the door opened up again, and the elderly couple saw a large figure step out into his Mustang's headlights. He heard his wife quikly inhale, and as his eyes made out Sarah's form as she walked towards them, he knew why. She had changed again; her green, muscled (and very attractive, even though he hated thinking of her that way) body had split her clothing to shreds that were barely hanging onto her tall frame.

She stopped right in front of them, looking down at Elizabeth. "Mother - - Elizabeth - please don't be scared. I'm..... God, this is hard for me to explain. I've discovered things about me - things that I'd forgotten. I want to stay here tonight. You can go home, and don't worry about me. I'll be fine. You can come by again in the morning." She reached out to elder woman, wrapping her up in a loving, green-hued embrace. She felt her adopted mother's hands tentatively resting on her back, her hug gaining strength as the love for her daughter - normal or not - came through. "I love you so much." She released Elizabeth and repeated the hug with Donald. "I love you too, Dad. I know that you are not my real parents, but it doesn't matter. You'll always be my parents." Feeling tears welling up in her eyes, Sarah realized that she was making it sound as if she were leaving forever. "Please, come by tomorrow morning, and we'll talk."

She watched as they climbed into the Mustang and slowly drove away, waving the whole time. She waved back until they were no longer in view. Sucking in a deep breath, Sarah walked back to the crashed pod - and the beginning of her destiny......

To be continued

Terry