Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 85272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
“How do you know that?” Danielle asked. They were standing now and she was half-hiding behind Brav, peering out around his side as she covered herself with her arms. “Is it because the Mother Stone can’t heal Riiver bites?”
“Exactly—it cannot,” the Ancient One said, turning to face them again. “It cannot heal them because it created the Riivers in the first place.”
“What?” Danielle and Brav asked at once.
Danielle asked what they were both wondering.
“But how could the Mother Stone create the Riivers?”
The Ancient One sighed.
“When my people first came to Soluu Four, we were at once drawn to a mysterious power source which seemed to have outcroppings all over the planet. It emanated from pink, crystalline structures—a radiation which seemed to have no downsides or ill effects at all.
“Well, as you can imagine, finding a free power source that was native to the planet and didn’t involve any kind of pollution or negative effects, seemed like a godsend to our people, who had been wandering in search of a home for many generations. We colonized Soluu Four at once and began to build villages which harnessed the power of what came to be known as ‘The Mother Stone.’”
“I guess we would have done the same,” Brav remarked. “It is pretty damn convenient.”
“And so it seemed.” The Ancient One sighed deeply. “But over a period of years, we found that it was changing our people. Some changes seemed harmless enough—for instance, exposure to the power of the Mother Stone seemed to draw the right people together and then bind them in a life-long love that was never-ending. And some changes were extremely beneficial—sick or injured people exposed to the Mother Stone were almost always healed—they were even able to regenerate lost limbs when accidents occurred.”
“We’ve seen the healing power for ourselves,” Brav said. “But I’m guessing not all the changes were good?”
“Like the larger head and skull size?” Danielle asked. “I notice that your head looks more…um…more in proportion to your body than the H’rakens of the village.”
“That is a very tactful way to put it, my dear.” The Ancient One nodded. “Yes, enlarged skulls was another side effect for the H’raken people. But since the Mother Stone made giving birth so incredibly easy and painless, we looked on it as a harmless side-effect.” He shook his head. “Some changes, however, were not so harmless. The H’raken people began to lose their memories of their past—our species devolved from one which was technologically superior to a pre-industrial society that could only operate simple machines.”
“I…I feel like my past was a dream,” Danielle admitted slowly. “It seems like something that happened to someone else a long, long time ago.”
“Yes, the Mother Stone is affecting you and the Kindred warrior in extreme ways,” the Ancient One said. “Which is why you must both leave while you still can. Just be thankful it did not do what it did to ten percent of our population—be thankful it did not turn you into a monster.”
“The Riivers,” Brav said, frowning. “I thought they looked like some kind of mutants. Is that what the Mother Stone did—mutated them into those…those things?”
“I am afraid so.” The Ancient One looked sad. “But it was a slow process and it only happened to a tenth of the population that had a rare variation in their DNA. By the time we realized what was happening, it was too late—we were completely dependent on the Mother Stone and we had forgotten the technology that brought us to Soluu Four in the first place. Well, my descendants had forgotten, anyway,” he added. “I and a few other holograms remembered—we tried to warn our great-great grandchildren, but they had no memory of the past or any understanding of the technology which now lay rusting and disused.”
“Is that why you sent a messenger ship to us, asking us to come?” Brav asked, frowning.
The Ancient One nodded.
“We hoped that an advanced civilization like the Kindred could send geneticists to help treat the poor, miserable Riivers. If only the defect in their DNA could be corrected, they could be turned back to normal H’rakens and live in peace with the rest of the population of the planet.”
“Why didn’t you tell us this to start with?” Danielle asked, frowning. “Why wait until now?”
“I wanted to observe you,” the Ancient One explained. “I had hoped that you would have some resistance to the Mother Stone. Instead…” He shook his head and sighed deeply. “I find that it affects your species even more dramatically and quickly than it does our own. I do not see how I can ask your scientists to come and heal the Riivers when the minute you set foot on Soluu Four, you begin to lose your memories and start de-aging so quickly.”
“I can still remember…some,” Brav said, frowning.