Zack lifted himself off the limp body of his victim and scraped the ooze from his forearm. It was hopefully nontoxic, but the crowd around him was his bigger concern at the moment. Moments before, the humans around them had shown nothing but affection and warm greetings. This quickly turned to shock as they slowly moved away from the dead elder. Their minds balked at what Zack had done. They turned anxiously searching side to side for someone to provide an explanation. Sar did.
“An accident!” Sar shouted, keenly aware of how feeble a lie it was. She was also aware that it didn’t need to be strong. She had never seen one of her kin accused of lying, quite likely because none of them had ever tried it.
Zack looked over at Sar with a face of disbelief. He knew neither why she was lying for him, nor how she could possibly be so bad at lying in the first place. The crowd visibly began to relax. Amazingly it was accepted as a minor mishap, nothing more than that. This was one more thing for the crew to put on their list of confusions.
They moved along the straight rode away from the crashed ship and seared farm. On their left stood a tall mountain covered to the top by towering green trees. They stood defiantly against the harsh winds which raged at those high heights. Even from the distance Zack could see them bending against it. He had never been one to admire nature but he found a certain honour in their struggle.
His shoes, along with Ammash’s, Tetlee’s, and Rath’s had been melted slightly in their escape from the ship. In the tumultuous moments which followed, he had failed to take stock of them. With deformed soles the shoes were close to useless and had been abandoned before making the trip. Thankfully the dirt road was flat and devoid of any sharp plants, and only had the occasional rock. It felt gentle on their feet and they could see why the locals were also wearing no shoes.
He had to assume they were heading towards a larger settlement. The gathering that came to greet them must have lived somewhere, and that small hovel at the edge of the farm was not it. In the presence of the tall mountain they marched through the better part of an hour. They were making a slow pace as the ship’s crew took in their new surroundings. The land was picturesque in its own organized way.
The fields flanking the road had a similar arrangement to the one they landed in. They saw cleanly kept farms with orderly rows, while the hedges of trees broke the fierce wind’s path. It was obvious that they were not landing on some desolate planet, or a newly established settlement. This land had been cared for by more than a few generations. By the looks of the healthy people who were escorting them they would be here for much longer too.
On their journey Zack and Ammash walked together amongst their new found companions. Of the crew members they were the closest. They had struggled through many tasks together, and whenever Ammash had a job which needed to be a success it was Zack who she would turn to. Today was no different. As they marched, both of them quietly pointed out oddities which the other may have missed. The most interesting of them was the gracious hosts which had welcomed them.
“People, here?” Zack whispered in disbelief.
“It would seem so” Ammash responded.
“What are the odds that humans evolved on two different planets a galaxy apart?”
“Probably a billion to...” Ammash cut herself off as she subtly viewed the people around them. “They’re certainly humans, or at least very close,” she continued, “maybe some descendants of humans? Have you ever heard of this primitive planet?”
“Look at her wrist,” pointed Zack, trying not to be too obvious about it. On the underside of one of the humanoid’s wrists sat a few veins of light green. It was a small difference which they had not had time to pick up on earlier. It was the only noticeable distinction between the crashed crew and their hosts.
It was a small change but one that would not go unnoticed by the two stranded citizens of the stars.
“An accident!” Sar shouted, keenly aware of how feeble a lie it was. She was also aware that it didn’t need to be strong. She had never seen one of her kin accused of lying, quite likely because none of them had ever tried it.
Zack looked over at Sar with a face of disbelief. He knew neither why she was lying for him, nor how she could possibly be so bad at lying in the first place. The crowd visibly began to relax. Amazingly it was accepted as a minor mishap, nothing more than that. This was one more thing for the crew to put on their list of confusions.
They moved along the straight rode away from the crashed ship and seared farm. On their left stood a tall mountain covered to the top by towering green trees. They stood defiantly against the harsh winds which raged at those high heights. Even from the distance Zack could see them bending against it. He had never been one to admire nature but he found a certain honour in their struggle.
His shoes, along with Ammash’s, Tetlee’s, and Rath’s had been melted slightly in their escape from the ship. In the tumultuous moments which followed, he had failed to take stock of them. With deformed soles the shoes were close to useless and had been abandoned before making the trip. Thankfully the dirt road was flat and devoid of any sharp plants, and only had the occasional rock. It felt gentle on their feet and they could see why the locals were also wearing no shoes.
He had to assume they were heading towards a larger settlement. The gathering that came to greet them must have lived somewhere, and that small hovel at the edge of the farm was not it. In the presence of the tall mountain they marched through the better part of an hour. They were making a slow pace as the ship’s crew took in their new surroundings. The land was picturesque in its own organized way.
The fields flanking the road had a similar arrangement to the one they landed in. They saw cleanly kept farms with orderly rows, while the hedges of trees broke the fierce wind’s path. It was obvious that they were not landing on some desolate planet, or a newly established settlement. This land had been cared for by more than a few generations. By the looks of the healthy people who were escorting them they would be here for much longer too.
On their journey Zack and Ammash walked together amongst their new found companions. Of the crew members they were the closest. They had struggled through many tasks together, and whenever Ammash had a job which needed to be a success it was Zack who she would turn to. Today was no different. As they marched, both of them quietly pointed out oddities which the other may have missed. The most interesting of them was the gracious hosts which had welcomed them.
“People, here?” Zack whispered in disbelief.
“It would seem so” Ammash responded.
“What are the odds that humans evolved on two different planets a galaxy apart?”
“Probably a billion to...” Ammash cut herself off as she subtly viewed the people around them. “They’re certainly humans, or at least very close,” she continued, “maybe some descendants of humans? Have you ever heard of this primitive planet?”
“Look at her wrist,” pointed Zack, trying not to be too obvious about it. On the underside of one of the humanoid’s wrists sat a few veins of light green. It was a small difference which they had not had time to pick up on earlier. It was the only noticeable distinction between the crashed crew and their hosts.
It was a small change but one that would not go unnoticed by the two stranded citizens of the stars.