Chaosian Contact

“You need to button that stuff up, Kev. We’ll be leaving in about ten minutes.” Sara’s voice called from the doorway.

“Alright.” Kevin replied as he looked up from his computer screen, just catching a glimpse of the fiery little redhead as she continued on her way to the prep-chamber.

Sara was petite by Duncatii standards but, in truth, she stood over 6’2’’ tall, just under 2 meters, and was considered quite muscular by the Chaosians she would soon be towering over. Time and a lack of nutrition had diminished them, with the average height for a male Chaosian being around 5’ or about 1.5 meters.

Kevin took a final glance at his computer screen and saved his viewing material for another time. He had been exploring the ancient archives of a time before the apocalypse. He was a history buff and was well pleased that it was all saved and recorded so long ago. It had been roughly 450 years ago, as the 450th anniversary celebration of ‘A Nation of Our Own’ was just weeks away.

The ancient archives were what the Chaosians had once called the internet. It was a global series of inter-connected computers. Apparently everyone had an access terminal and they used them carelessly, thoughtlessly, as if walking through an untamed jungle of information, disinformation, and marketing. Most never realized or cared that it was all saved and stored, from the mundane postings of children to the spectacular secrets of Nations.

Duncatus

Alexander Duncatus, the founder of the Duncatii civilization, had operated one of these data retrieval and storage organizations. More specifically he had bought one. He bought many wondrous things and the companies that produced them. His peers and rivals of the time, Chaosians like Musk, Branson, Bezo, and many others, did too. It was all documented in the ancient archives.

These Chaosians were full of dreams, visions, and wonderfully delusionary ideas, with the wealth to pursue them. Only Duncatus had a real vision for the future, though. Every move and acquisition he made was toward that end, his end, the end he knew humanity was rushing towards.

He bought 3-D printing companies and expanded the technology to print and replicate food. This led to the eventual development of the current Duncatii replication units. Just about anything imaginable could be easily produced, provided the source materials were available.

To produce meat without slaughtering or harming an animal it merely took an extraction of the animal’s proteins and genetic materials. The extractions were then grown and replicated in the lab, feed into the replicators, and a few hours later a perfect tasty and nutritious steak would be produced. Vaccines and medicines could be added to the process to insure a truly healthy diet.

During the pre-apocalypse the Chaosians were undergoing a shift away from fossil fuels with a belated attempt to save the planet from pollution induced global warming. Duncatus knew it was already too late but he participated with a zeal. He also knew the real threat wasn’t climate-change. It was nuclear war, biological war, famine, and the chaotic violence of a complete societal breakdown.

He started an electric vehicle production company. Unlike his rival manufacturers who targeted wealthy luxury-seeking buyers, his vehicles were aimed at less fortunate working class users. His low cost vehicles nearly collapsed the budding electric vehicle industry.

His rivals simply couldn’t compete with Duncatus’s vehicles being sold for less than the cost they could produce their vehicles. Then governments intervened with a mandated minimum purchase price.

Duncatus then shook the World economy again when he produced the liquid-expansion battery that never needed to be recharged or connected to the existing power-grids. The World governments tried to ban the technology but the bats were already out of the box. The common people demanded to be allowed to use them.

The Duncatus batteries used Triso nuclear pellets to heat and expanded an environmentally safe liquid developed by Duncatus’s chemical engineering labs. The expanding liquid powered tiny turbines inside the battery, creating an electrical charge nearly sufficient to recharge the battery.

As the liquid continued though the batteries internal labyrinth it cooled and contracted, eventually returning to the heat chamber and creating an endless charging loop. Any remaining charge requirements were provided by solar and turbine technology built into the exterior of the vehicles.

Duncatus was very active in solar, hydro, and wind power generation businesses. There was no cutting edge technology that he wasn’t involved with and Ancient World leaders hated him for it. He was collapsing their economies and markets with each new breakthrough but there wasn’t much they could do about it as the common people loved him.

The ancient archives hinted at several assassination attempts but Duncatus was too smart for them, always one maneuver ahead them. Many believed he was actually an Extraterrestrial Being. 'How could one man develop so many wondrous things?'

Alarm bells and eyebrows were raised when Duncatus revealed he was heavily involved in bio-tech companies. The rumors and media propaganda was that he was working to develop a biological virus to unleash upon the World, but just the opposite was true. He was seeking to cure diseases and save the World from the doom he knew was coming.

Near-panic overtook the Ancient World leaders when it was discovered Duncatus was pushing the limits of human genetic engineering and cloning beyond what was once considered ethical. This prompted Duncatus’s decision to pursue a Nation of his own, free from the inference of outsiders attempting to dictate terms to him.

Icelantis

When Duncatus announced he was going to buy Iceland and rename it Icelantis people began to wonder if he was truly insane. Then he did it and covered the frigid land with domed cities and science centers. It was a prelude to building domed cities under the oceans and, eventually, out into the heavens above.

Iceland was an independent nation at the time and it was as simple as bribing each of the 400,000 Iceland citizens with a large sum of wealth, $5 million dollars of the then-dominant currency, and citizenship in the new nation if they so desired.

Then he brought in 600,000 willing scientists, engineers and biologists, made them citizens, and rewrote the country’s constitution to effectively declare himself King of a new Republic. Icelantis, a nation of our own.

Eventually, over several generations in near isolation, the genetically superior Duncatii race was created. Sara and Kevin were prime examples. With 450 years of genetic manipulation behind them they were larger, stronger, healthier, and more intelligent than their ancient ancestors.

Disease and illness had been nearly eliminated among the Duncatii, with the ability to quickly produce vaccines and counter-treatments. Defective internal organs could be grown in the lab and replicated. The life spans of the Duncatii were exceptionally long compared to the now-pathetic Chaosians struggling to avoid a total extinction.

The Mission

Today’s mission was to a small farming and domesticated animal settlement that was trying to establish itself. There would be about 40 Chaosian settlers, but that was enough. That would be a start. With the Chaosians at near-extinction level, a 40 person settlement would be a large group, indeed.

Although direct Duncatii and Chaosian contact was frowned upon an exception had been made. Sara was to lead the contact team, assess the situation, and provide a slight boost to survivability if possible.

She was thrilled to be helping the Chaosians. Kevin on the hand was not. He was on the ‘Let them Perish’ side of the ongoing debate.

Kevin joined Sara in the prep-chamber and as he pulled on his skin-tight synthetic bodysuit he couldn’t help but think that it made him look like one of those extraterrestrials the ancients talked about in their archives. The suits even had bug-eyed black eye googles and bulges on both sides of the head where the communication devices, cameras, and oxygen filter CPU were located.

Someone with a real sense of humor and access to the archives had to have designed these suits, Kevin thought with amusement. Even the craft they would be using looked like what the ancients would’ve called a UFO or flying saucer.

He grabbed his tool-kit duffel bag and boarded the craft with the rest of the crew. It would be a short 30 minute flight and then a few hours on the ground. Sara took her seat beside him and away they went.

“You don’t look too thrilled about this, Kev. Something troubling you?”

“No, I’m fine. Actually looking forward to it. I just don’t really see the wisdom of helping these barbaric creatures. Look what they've done to our planet… and we’re going to help them get on a path to do it again?”

“Well, the operative words there, Sunshine, are ‘our planet’. Don’t forget it was our ancestors who destroyed the planet too. If it wasn’t for one man’s vision and wisdom we’d be sitting out there naked in the forest too. He didn’t exterminate them when he had the chance so maybe we shouldn’t either."

“True, but he didn’t do anything to help them either. He isolated himself from them and sat back and watched them annihilate each other.”

“Well, it’s a discussion for another time.”

Sara turned away and raised her voice to address the crew “We’re here. Everyone knows their assigned tasks. We’ve got two hours max. Anything longer than that means someone spends a few days in decontamination. No one wants that, so let’s do this right.”

As the craft descended Kevin wondered if it was attracting the attention of any Chaosian savages off in the distance. They weren’t part of the settlement and this mission was also a ‘Be Nice; Stay Away; or Suffer the Consequences’ message to them, because this was a Duncatii recognized and approved settlement.

The mission proceeded as planned. A small garden was created as the Chaosians stood by and watched to learn how it was done. Seeds were left. Several apple trees were planted. Veterinarian examinations of the somewhat domestic animals were conducted, along with quick scans of the Chaosians to monitor levels of contamination. Shelters were inspected. A small supply of food items was given, along with quick demonstrations of how to properly prepare it. The food contained antibiotic and vaccines that would be helpful.

A Gift

As the mission ended, Sara and Kevin stood outside the craft at the foot of the entrance ramp facing their Chaosian hosts, who were content to remain a respectful distance away. Suddenly, much to everyone surprise, a small female took a few hesitant steps forward. She appeared to be about 4 or 5 years of age. Kevin motioned her to continue her approach and knelt as she arrived.

She stretched out her arm to him and in her upturned palm was a small metal trinket of the ancients. It was a piece of jewelry from someone’s necklace; a heart-shaped locket. Kevin was surprise it was so well preserved after all this time. It must be made of gold, he thought, as he took it from her hand.

He reached into his duffel bag, fumbled around a bit, and removed a small laser-scrub scanner. The devices were used to remove rust, corrosion, and oxidation from metal objects. There was rarely an opportunity to use one now, as most of the Chaosian metals had turned to dust long ago. Sara was surprised that Kevin had even brought one.

He opened the units cover and placed the trinket inside. The Chaosian child watched with wonderment as it lit up with streams of laser light. Kevin removed the trinket when the scanner had finished and held it in his palm before the astonished eyes of his tiny new friend.

It was as shiny as the day it was created and had an engraving that Kevin knew was an ancient Coat of Arms. He would search the archives to attempt to identify the owner later.

The child gaped and her eyes widened as Kevin pressed the locket latch and opened it. One half was empty and probably had contained a picture or image at one time. The other half was engraved with the words ‘My Heart Belongs To You 2/14/2027’. Kevin knew from the archives that 2027 was the year the Chaosians launched nuclear and biological weapons upon each other.

Kevin closed the heart-shaped locket and placed it in his bag. Much to Sara's surprise he then removed a small pouch and handed it to his young friend. Inside the pouch were a few candies that he had discovered in the archives and replicated. He had found them quite addictive and tasty. The Chaosians had called them ‘Bite-sized Tootsie Rolls’.

He stood, turned with a pleasantly amazed and speechless Sara, and then boarded the craft with her.

"Mission accomplished!" beamed Sara.

"Yes, I believe so." replied Kevin, while never bothering to mention the small neutonium bomb he had also left behind.

The bomb was powerful enough to devastate anything within a two mile radius. It could be remotely detonated at any time. That decision would be left for another day.