Note: You can change font size, font face, and turn on dark mode by clicking the "A" icon tab in the Story Info Box.
You can temporarily switch back to a Classic Literotica® experience during our ongoing public Beta testing. Please consider leaving feedback on issues you experience or suggest improvements.
Click here"And do what? We had a continuous comm link with the station. It would have shown us all its cards, with us safely away in the CAT. No, its best chance to murder us was a sudden entry with us here."
Basel shuddered. "And if we had been working together in Level-B when it came, it might have succeeded." He paused. "Any progress in understanding its reproductive cycle? Is it asexual, or did the aliens send us a pregnant commando?"
Eliana paused for a long moment and shrugged in confusion. "It does make me wonder. What killed its children?"
"Oh, I think I have a good idea about that."
Eliana looked up startled. "Really?!"
"Yeah, the same thing that killed the parent. It was already dying when it got here. We just put it out of its misery... and ours..." Basel sighed for a moment and then said, "Cosmic rays."
"Ah, radiation poisoning. You think?"
"Yep. Sea level air pressure is just over 1 kg per square cm. What would be the equivalent height for the weight in water?"
"That's easy. At 1 gram per cc, you would need a thousand cc for 1 kg, a ten-meter column of water to give a pressure of 1 kg per square cm."
"Uh huh. And that's the kind of shield the Earth's atmosphere gives you against cosmic rays, the equivalent of a ten-meter thick shield of water. It's all electron-photon interaction. The cosmic rays don't see the nuclei much at all. Using a denser material with a higher ratio of useless neutrons is even worse, more dead weight."
Eliana laughed at the concept. "Surrounding a light-burner with a shell of water ten-meters thick?! Those engines are ultra-light! It could never escape the gravitational pull of an asteroid, let alone accelerate to the light regime!"
Basel nodded. "DNA is an aperiodic crystal, extremely low entropic, very vulnerable to cosmic ray damage. The creature was different, but still a chemical-based encoded life-form. A trivial amount of radiation killed it, just as it would kill us."
Eliana nodded. "And they thought they were going to a star 5 light-years distant, not 107. The trip was far longer than they expected. Basel, this news will change the world." She stared at him. "You're smiling?"
He was smiling. "You should be too. This will be our ticket to go to mars. We have hundreds of years before the aliens find us, probably thousands..."
"They may never find us."
"Perhaps. But we can't assume that."
"You think the aliens will try again, don't you?" Eliana shuddered. "I do too."
"It's time for our species to get back into space again. We're sitting ducks staying down here on the surface like this. I'm sure the world will recognize this."
Eliana slowly nodded her head. "Did you know the old lunar colonies were over 47% male? The colonists were almost exclusively monogamists."
"Yes, I do. The urge to explore! Forgive me if I sound like a gender bigot, but I think the desire runs stronger in guys. Women are more the nest-building type."
Eliana laughed. "You're probably right! Just wait and see what a beautiful nest I build for you on mars!" It was a sweet laugh, full of her goodness, and Basel was overjoyed to see her happy again. And then she sighed. "It's so tragic Basel. All my life, I was taught to love and respect the life around me, human and non-human. Here we have our first contact with another world, and the preparation for war seems inevitable."
Basel nodded. He stood up and walked around to hug her. Eliana got up too and they walked to watch one of their few remaining sunsets. Basel kissed and hugged her as the last rays departed. And an evening's peace formed over the land.
- COMMENTS
Anonymousalmost 3 years agoThis was such a cool follow on the the original - very nice work : ). I'm only now realizing all the other stories you have on here - I'm going to be busy for a while!
Where did you get the idea for a killer fiberoptic starfish/octopus critter?
bhojoover 3 years agoHi I liked the story but I did pick up a few typos etc that I wanted to make you aware of. still rated it 5 stars!
I start run my words and talk too much
prides herself as being the Preacher's daughter -- shouldn't this be "descended from the Preacher's daughter"
who wants to go the mars.
with the complete familiarity and intimacy of a husband being with my wife.
Then Eliana caresses started to slow down
taco1085almost 5 years agoI only wish you would have taken the story to the end of their test. then to the meeting with the Governor and present him with the facts and finding and video of the creature and maybe even a ceremony for their promotions and Basel's new scanner prototype... great story... I wonder if they ever met each other's parents. if they got to the Mars if Basel made it as a Senator. so many unknowns... how about a second chapter with some closure on the hangers... lol
Anonymousover 5 years agoIn 'The Preacher' you went to great lengths to right the wrong of female enslavement but it looks like the pendulum is swinging in the other direction. I surely don't understand why either sex needs to feel subservient to the other. Basically that's what an ass fucking is. The story went into great detail explaining the intricate workings of their equipment but this meant nothing to 999 people out of a thousand and that one person realized that it was just 'Star Trek' Scottie/Spock nonsense. They made a jump in assuming that the creature was feeding it's young. It might have been a colonizing force looking for another planet. Nothing to prove that they were young. And what's with leaving them out of any communication with the rest of the world. If they found something life-ending out there the rest of the planet is screwed.
After I read a good story I like to feel like I'll use it to compare other stories. With this one I could have skipped it completely and not felt bad about it. I feel like I just watched a horror film with a bunch of dumb teenagers and the only reason anyone survived is because the killer offed himself.
Anonymousabout 8 years ago@ anon - It's nice.
This is above average for Lit, but is not in the top 10% for mechanics. Incorrect words, missing words, out of order words, this has them all. Overall, it doesn't detract from the story.
There are also some plot/info gaps here and there. I'd have to re-read and take notes to ID them, (sorry Ham), but they are there.
I agree our author has an above average chance at a career, but for their ideas and storycraft, not for the 'polish' of the story.
Of course, once there is a contract to write, an editor is assigned to work with the author; so the 'final polish' would would be taken care of.
@ Ham
Good start to a new series. After the socio-political bent of Preacher, I post-poned reading Daughter. I am pleasantly surprised to see the storyline move away from that of the previous story. Thanks for sharing, and for all the hard work it takes to produce our free reading material. Kudos...
Anonymousover 9 years agoI really enjoy your stories. They are well developed with interesting plots and characters. I did enjoy The Preacher Man more. But this was a very nice addition. I hope that you will continue to expand upon this storyline. Thank you for sharing.
Anonymousover 9 years agoI agree with fanfare, a good story told well. To be honest I enjoyed "The Preacher Man" more then this story, but they are both written quite well, if you are not already, you should seriously consider writing as a career.
fanfareabout 10 years agohammingbyrd7, terrific story. Superb construction of an alternate world. Interesting storyline, good development of characters and a well0imagined alien. I hope your muse will post more stories based on the Preacher concept.
I am of the opinion that the alien's motivations need clarification. The alien had been on a one way trip, using borrowed equipment, that was to last only a few years. Instead it was trapped for centuries, alone, maybe conscious. Had to have some effect & affect upon the alien's psyche.
Then, attempting to reproduce, so it would no longer be alone, the alien finds itself being hunted by indigenous intelligence. By now it must have figured out the accumulating biological damage from cosmic rays and that it's spawn had failed to escape the deadly radiation. I would think under the psychological and physiological deterioration, the alien was looking for scapegoats to take out it's anger on.
So I strongly believe that it is too soon to assume relations between two spacefaring species would automatically result in hostilities. Accidents happen, mistakes are made,shot-sided opportunities seized but hopefully direct conflict would be considered ridiculous by both species.
Now, as for that crap about the character of Basel as being a wimp because he was considerate of Elana. This grotesque spread of propaganda espousing anal penetrative sex throughout pornography is in my opinion the direct cause of two types of drug-resistant hepatitis and other SDI's. Too many abusers fail to take the absolutely necessary sanitation procedures before and after.
In this story, as the author wrote it, Basel refuses to accept penetrating Elana's anus, as his character is of the opinion that her character is not prepared for his large penis.
It is the manly men who callously cause damage and spread diseases just because they are physically stronger then the victims of their emotionally stunted perversion of lust. Those narrow-minded louts who only consider stealing their own pleasure without any thought to how they are causing harm to others. In general these jerks are hiding so deep in their closets that I call them spelunkers.
Nordlysover 10 years agoFirst of all...great story...
Second...the correct name of the place where Norway, Sweden and Finland meets is Treriksrøysa and not Treraksroset.
Third....i grew up not far from This place and Northern Norway is never totaly dark, it is a big misunderstanding, Even though we can not see the sun part of the year we still have daylight a few hours a day Even in the midle of the winter When it is darkest. And ofcourse we have the midnightsun in the summertime and daylight all around the clock.
Looking forward to your next story.
