ConceptA Chapter by aaaa
Background:
In the semi-near future in the year 2187 the human race is full into the space age, and with the breakthrough of matter to energy conversion faster than light travel has become possible and viable. With the new creation of a International Space Exploration Association (ISEA) has traveled to many adjacent solar systems in search of not only new planets, but new life. For the first thirty years they could only find very simple life, and nothing near the levels of intelligence the human race has. Until they reach a small planet orbiting a binary sun system. After a above orbit observatory confirms life a expedition team in sent, and a strange species is observed. They display a high amount of intelligence, and after a long process sentience is confirmed. For five years after that confirmation, and earth maintains a minimum influence policy. Then by the pushing of Pope Rukunlo he is allowed to send missionaries, and the first missionary force is met with hostilities of the native life. After the force was killed the Pope is given the ability to form a force to defend the missionaries on their trips. The Templar are reformed and a new intergalactic holy crusade begins. The main character of the story is War-Bishop Harris of the Vatican's extermination/conver The ISEA only receive warped information from the Pope's official files, as the Pope has slowly set up information blockades to stonewall the ISEA. This is a plot point in the novel, as every so often we jump to a member of ISEA trying to uncover what is happened on the planet. Alien Planet The planet's atmosphere is nearly ninety percent oxygen due to enormous amounts of it being produced by tropical rain forests covering nearly every land mass on the planet. It surrounds a Binary star system to it is extremely hot all year round, causing there to be no arctic zones. Also due to the high oxygen large portions of the rain forests burn down regularly. This is all part of the cycle of life there, as plants contain both seeds, and rebirth pods. Rebirth pods are like normal seeds, but can only be germinated by intense heat, much like certain plants on our planet. The race of beings are three foot tall insect like humanoids, named the Cephalic. They are able to support the large stature due to the high oxygen content. They live in a nomadic tribal system due to the fact that they have to travel away from the burning lands constantly. The truly unique part of the planet is a fungal life that is the dominant ground cover on nearly 3/4 of the planet. It evolved a symbiosis with the Cephalic that when a Cephalic dies the fungus grows over him and is used for food, but it has exposed bulbs that are the primary food source for the species and most other land based creatures on the planet. Because of the large amount of forest burning on a regular basis and the chaotic weather patterns certain portions of the atmosphere will be essentially cut off from one another for up to years at a time. After a fire it causes a low pressure zone and a hurricane around it. Inside of the hurricane contains all the ash and produced CO2 from the fire storm. During that time the plants that are newly being born from the Rebirth Pods grow for a few years unaided because of the cut off storm system. They have long term storage sacs for CO2 that can grow to the size of building and float above the ground on log fleshy tendrils. The largest plants can survive off of these for years when it CO2 is scarce, but you are right. If it was this alone they couldn't survive. The fungus that covers 3/4 of the planet has dissolved CO2 within themselves that is produced from breaking down plant life from all the giant fires. The plants have evolved to absorb the CO2 through their roots in order to help themselves survive. The underground fungal system is essential for all life on the planet Cephalic details Because of the planet's low gravity it makesthe large insectoids of the Cephalic possible. Their exoskeletons differ from the Earth's insects because of instead of being single bonded plate they are several smaller plates of bonded chitin. They allows them to be far for flexible than the rigid bugs we have. Their bodies are separated into two main body segments. The larger one has two limbs on each side which are used to move along the ground with. With large clawed feet and a three socket joint system (by socket joint it means it can move in any direction, like the human shoulder) they are able to move over rough terrain extremely quickly and easily. Their upper segment has two manipulator limbs with the same three socket system. Their hands have a symmetrical six fingers spaced evenly around the flat palm. Their heads look very much like the rhino beetle we have on earth. They speak mostly in their native tongue which is a mix of pheromones, infrared light produces by a biofluorescent sac on their horn and noise made by their mouth pieces, but if taught they can speak our language easily enough. They follow a tribal society, and because they have to be on the constant move from the fire storm they never developed agriculture or true homes. They have no cities, only the huge tribal settlements made from what ever they can carry with them. Though do to their body structure their pay load can exceed five hundred pounds. They worship a rain goddess. They believe it is her who sends the storms that protect them from the oncoming fire storm. She is their deity of life. They worship a god of destruction that is represented by the fire storms, though he is seen to do a necessary task because without him the rebirth pods would never be sprout. © 2010 aaaaAuthor's Note
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