Explorer VI
The date is 2223 on Earth. According to the inhabitants of the planet we call Juniper — 3, it is 10861 of the third age. They call themselves Drenarian and they call their planet Peel. Believe it or not Peel in the dominant language of Juniper-3 means Earth or Soil. I smile every time I think about finding out how similar life on another world is to life on our world Earth.
It took us my crew mates and I, 22 years to reach Peel. That in itself is a miracle given it has only been 30 years since the beautiful minds of our science communities developed the computers, math, and mechanics that allow for faster than light travel. All of it seemed a great improbability given that in 2024 World War III kicked off. By 2027 there had been 10 nuclear attacks. The United States to China and Russia, then China to the United States and Europe, and then out of the blue for some unknow reason Russia to India, Indonesia and Iran, Finally Saudi-Arabia, Turkey and Israel exchanged death missiles. Not to be left out, disturbingly, Kim Jung Ill the tyrant leader of North Korea launched a Intercontinental Ballistic Missile with a Nuclear Warhead that failed during take off, and exploded.
By the end February 2028, the citizens of the world rose up against their governments. Almost every nation were in the throws of civil war. Any politician speaking of continued war against another nation were violently removed from office. Armies returned to their homelands to tend to the dead and dying and recreate a new a better world. Between 2024 and 2032 one quarter of Humanity died. In the history books, We The People of the World ensured that it said, World War III started because the United States Of America wanted to maintain a dominant roll on the planet, economically and militarily and as Russia and China objected to their actions, it led to War as the War progressed Evil people in power positions instigated, agitated, and propelled the world headlong into an ever broadening and encompassing conflict. Motivated to secure a lasting peace Military Leaders from around the world met at the United nations and pledged themselves and the resources they controlled to a global force that would secure and ensure peace.
The beautifully executed dystopian World Military Force was so powerful that a Utopian type of peace actually occurred. The WMF deployed five times over the next 100 years to quell large and small outbreaks of “War,” more often than that Military Leaders of the WMF would send notices to national leaders warning them and compelling them to tone down the saber rattling. It mostly worked.
Somewhere along the way Humanity recovered, peace, love, respect, and a desire for all of Humanity to have abundance and prosperity, to thrive not just survive became the world’s rallying call. Technology advanced and our focus on the stars was renewed. Then we heard them. Radio waves from another world. We listened for years. They had just recently in relative terms entered an era of electrification and were advancing the way we would expect things to. The radio waves we were listening to back then were already a hundred years old. Our 22 year flight was coming to an end. We were just passing a moon, one of three that circled Peel. But since we left Earth, Humanity had advanced its technology leaps and bounds and a spacecraft that had left Earth for Juniper-3 in just two years ago would arrive at Juniper-3 in just a month from now.
We were concerned. Several months back the radio broadcasts from Peel had stopped and our on ship radio telescopes observed a massive explosion on the planet. We would arrive in stationary orbit above what we were calling the Calvarian Crater. The Drenarian radio broadcasts had been talking about Calvarian Drain. Our work on their language had been ongoing and extensive and we believed the Meteor that was making its way through the solar system to be the Calvarian Drain they spoke of. When our calculations told us it would hit Peel we watched in amazement at the cataclysm that we could do nothing to prevent.
Possibly, Humanities First Contact would be in the form of Interplanetary Drenarian relief efforts.
This Flash Science Fiction tale was inspired by the writing prompts found at Enticing the Muse. Thank you, Christine Graves
I used the N.A.V.A. Write a piece using this Noun, Adjective, Verb, and Adverb
Computer, beautiful, motivate, disturbinglywords, as well as the location prompt, Calvarian Crater.
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© 2023, T. Mark Mangum
I am T. Mark Mangum. From an early age, I was hooked and addicted to the imagined, unfathomable worlds of Star Wars, Star Trek, Conan, the Lord of the Rings, and many others. I love writing fiction tales. I love writing in multiple genres. However, my favorites are Sci-fi and Fantasy fiction. I am a father of six; we have two cats and two dogs. Tabletop gaming is a passion.
Tagged because I would like you to read my fiction tales. Let me know if you do not with to be tagged I will stop.
Mark Mahon | Harry Stefanakis | Filiz Özer | Hayden Moore | Patrick S. Smith | David McCarthy | Viv Speers | T.K. McDonald | David Delaney | Apurba Adhikari | Donia | Alicen Martin | Dana Olivarri | Or Mishal | Shanice Lawton
Elvie Lins❤️ | Patricia Groshong | Lassepetter | Tshokolo Mabote | Nicole Hilbig | Nancy Nicole | David Perlmutter | Jude | KB Snow | Trae Johnson | Uwem Daniels | Krystal Mossbarger | Filiz Özer | Damien Dixon
Abhishek Verma | Charles Ross | Ravyne Hawke | Lucy Socha | James Hollomon | Winnie Jones | Kartik Vishwanathan | Joanne Olivieri | Zane Dickens | Kyri Bailey Arriaga | asg | Annie Kaylen | Michelle Renee Kidwell
Iris B. Stehn | Maria H. Khan | Jesse R. Barker | Makena Darya | Mirrelle Beneffitte | Megan Nicole Morgan | Duvy McGirr | Stephen Dalton | Filza Chaudhry | Ingerul Pierdut | Nazım Özer | David Rudder | Margie Willis | Ellie Jacobson | Trista Signe Ainsworth
Marcus aka Gregory Maidman | Christine Graves | Sujona Chatterjee | Ridha.M.B | Valentina Fogarolo | Joseph Lieungh | Penny Grubb | Jackson Barr Stories | Mia Bunt | Tas (they/them) | Jesna Sajan | srstowers | Ash | Jack Robbins
The Silent Monk | Srini | Emilina Lomas | Logan Rane | Daniella Cressman | Tejasvani | Andra Writes | S A Robertson | Dirk | Philip Charter | Volleyren20 | Ștefan Pleșca | Alida Clement, Nikesh Kumar, Fareeha Sheikh, Gregory Cody, John Santos, Elvie Lins❤️ | Patricia Groshong | Lassepetter | Tshokolo Mabote | Nicole Hilbig | David Perlmutter | Jude | KB Snow | Trae Johnson | Uwem Daniels | Krystal Mossbarger | Filiz Özer | Damien Dixon | Abhishek Verma | Charles Ross | Ravyne Hawke | Lucy Socha | James Hollomon | Winnie Jones | Kartik Vishwanathan | Joanne Olivieri | Zane Dickens | Kyri Bailey Arriaga | asg | Annie Kaylen | Michelle Renee Kidwell | Iris B. Stehn | Maria H. Khan | Jesse R. Barker | Makena Darya | Mirrelle Beneffitte | Megan Nicole Morgan | Duvy McGirr | Stephen Dalton | Filza Chaudhry | Ingerul Pierdut | Nazım Özer | Margie Willis | Ellie Jacobson | Trista Signe Ainsworth | Marcus aka Gregory Maidman | Christine Graves | Sujona Chatterjee | Ridha.M.B | Valentina Fogarolo | Joseph Lieungh | Penny Grubb | Jackson Barr Stories | Mia Bunt | Tas (they/them) | Jesna Sajan | srstowers | Ash | Jack Robbins | Filza Chaudhry | Filiz Özer | Esteban Beltrán, MSc. | Mahtabmalik | Danielle Hestand | Michael Snellen | Shuvashis Das | Ọládiméjì AdélaNí | Krystal Mossbarger | Poetta~1990 | Laura Vorreyer | David Rudder | @ Nidhi Thakur | Christopher Lovelace @ChristopherLovelace | Mahdi Musse Hassan | Jay Javurek | Damien Dixon | Luna Laz | Esther George | Amanda Gravely | Holly Jahangiri | Valentina Eve | Stephen Dalton | Vinia Majaba | Jill Kelley | Zulekha Chaka | Megan Nicole Morgan | Nizar Alrhaazi | Josie Elbiry | Daniel A. Teo | Elle How | Lanu Pitan | Amy Marley | Pol Mitchell | Carel Kolchinski | Isak Dinesen | Eternal_Angel | James M. Phelan | Pene Hodge | EP McKnight, MEd | Jo Ann Harris | Roma, Bostibt, Daisy Brennan, Gunalan R, JB Hollows, Paul Gardner, Natalie, Pseu Pending (Seu)
Esteban Beltrán, MSc. | Mahtabmalik | Danielle Hestand | Michael Snellen | Shuvashis Das | Ọládiméjì AdélaNí | Krystal Mossbarger | Poetta~1990 | Laura Vorreyer | David Rudder | @ Nidhi Thakur | Christopher Lovelace @ChristopherLovelace | Mahdi Musse Hassan | Jay Javurek | Damien Dixon | Luna Laz | Esther George | Amanda Gravely | Holly Jahangiri | Valentina Eve | Stephen Dalton | Vinia Majaba | Jill Kelley | Zulekha Chaka | Megan Nicole Morgan | Nizar Alrhaazi | Josie Elbiry | Daniel A. Teo | Elle How | Lanu Pitan | Amy Marley | Pol Mitchell | Carel Kolchinski | Isak Dinesen | Eternal_Angel | James M. Phelan | Pene Hodge | EP McKnight, MEd | Jo Ann Harris |
