NEWORLD.TXT - Implied M/M - 5/26/02

Another New World Story
By SwampRat
(cl) 1998 Gay Furry Association

A battered piece of metal hovered over a planet much like Earth - Water, land,
oxygen in the air. A single pass was all it took for the pilot to decide here
was a good place. It had to be - The ship would not make it farther without
repairs. A site was picked and the craft descended, coming to rest akwardly due
to bent struts. But it was down, and upright.. When the ship settled as best it
could, hatches opened - Test equipment fell like nuts from a pine-cone,
sorting, cataloging, sending back their results. Livable if barren. Soil
contained many alien microbes.. Test cells were thawed and allowed to react
with the new environment. 39% loss was acceptable as vaccines were developed.
Snakes were grown, instructions hard-wired via dna manipulation, then released.
They left and returned with samples, getting a reward of nutrient-rich gruel.
The reptiles learned rapidly, returning when they had something to give to the
computer. Then irregularly, returning only when something new had been found.
And finally stopped coming altogether.

This was noted, and the last scans taken looked over - A discrepancy was noted
in size and charastics of the returning scouts... They were larger, seemingly
more agile. But this was a New planet... Making a note in it's banks, The ship
started the next set of embryo's thawing.. The Lower mammals - Squirrels,
Rabbits, Mice.

                             * * * *

Snake12 looked over his crops, putting a bit of soil here, taking a weed out
there. He waved his tail to his neighbor - Snake17 - and Continued across the
acre that was his responsibility. S17 did these things because they felt...
Right. Like gathering had before. It took about half a day to do the work,
returning to the Communal Area, touching mouths with the Guards, then ate, left
spoor and returned to his burrow to rest. His head itched, but he didn't rub
the patches of skin where holes were opening.. Sound was something one got used
to, and as the mind expanded, so did the role of the symbiotes. They had been in
all the samples - Soil, Water, Plant. But had been dismissed as just a strange
kind of amoeba - One with a round spot that stayed in the middle of the jelly-
like being. That 'spot' was a brain - as complex as it was small, creating a
colony-creature.

They had come on a comet's tail, and had been here for centuries, working with
what they found - Plants. The few species of animal were of the tubeworm
variety. Since the Hosts had simple needs, it was easy to take care of them -
and many lay dormant, hoping for new challenges. They heard the ship before
they 'saw' it.. A mind that was uncluttered, logical. But it was too alien to
make contact with. Then it landed and Forms came.. New creatures that were
versatile, but had shortcomings - Challenges! Many generations died mapping the
new dna, but many more spread, making contact via the plants that were carried
in the jaws, soil that was moved by scaly heads, water brought in to be
digested. Racial memory from eons past added to the workings - Self. Colony.
Culture. Judgment. The steps of evolution sped up a thousandfold.

Concepts could be worded in chemical messages - Right. Wrong. Pleasure was a
new morning; The touch of body against dirt, plant, another body; Doing work to
bring happiness to plants that radiated their feelings. Then new pleasures,
tempered by the pain required to make them... Sound and the enlargement of brain
and intelligence required for it. Color, where there was none, and still more
additions to the body/mind. A name, denoting self from others, while still
being a colony. Speech, Adding to Sound by making one's voice heard. But there
is a wall that can not be breached.. The symbiotes could change dna to
manufacture things, or add parts.. but Only to a Host. Once the clay was molded
and shaped as best as possible, it was fired and only little changes could be
wrought.

                             * * * *

The ship had been doing it's own manipulations.. Plants with blue in them were
ok to eat, Plants with red were not. This meant the herbivores had to see in
color to recognize what would fill their bellies and what would make them into
compost. There was only a hundred of them - Sent in waves of Ten. Fifty snakes
had been released in such a way, and Fifty predators would follow - There had
been more, including humans; But a meteor shower had clipped the ship and
destroyed some of the equipment, so it did with what it had and hoped for the
best. The batch of life was dna-encoded to go out, and return only when it
could open the door. Mankind was experimenting.. But it was more than just
science - The ship had barely made it out of the system when the war that all
feared would come, did. The ship had books made of hard plastic with the
language of the time, drawings, diagrams. Everything needed to return to Earth
someday and re-seed the planet.

It would have taken centuries in a conventional craft, but warping time/space
was in it's infancy, and computers so close to human brains as to be cousins
labored to make new metals, new engines. There was time to build but 1 ship, as
the omens escalated. 4 planets were found that might sustain life, the computer
was programmed for almost every contingency, and frozen embryos from as many
species as could be safely stored were added. The craft had but launched itself
when warning came.. A few brave souls stayed to make sure the ship left for
it's first destination.. and were the first casualties. It was a protracted
affair, Bombs were pretty much useless because planes, rockets, ships could be
picked-off by orbiting platforms. And since United Munitions owned those - It
was Yelling over phone lines, Pounding on Desks, the occasional sneak-attack.

No one could leave their borders and Everything now moved by RailTrain or
Hopper.. Hoppers could be shut-down and Business wasn't about to let some
'Trigger-Happy Morons' stop Commerce - War meant casualties.. Casualties
meant Higher costs in re-building, re-training... Not to mention Computer
trauma - at 20 mil a shot. The big 5 were not About to allow That to happen...
At least not on a Big scale.. Saboteurs, accidents, Small isolated pockets of
resistance meant more work - And removed excess population. So everyone was
happy.

                             * * * *

It had been 30 passings of the sun as time was marked when Snake17 heard Pain -  Something was attacking the garden! He raced out, to see something new..
Something colored brown and white was pulling a plant up, and eating it! The
plant was indignant - It had not been asked permission to be eaten. S17 stared
at it, listening to it eat, then said, "Hungry?" Perhaps the creature was in
need of nourishment, and could be excused the atrocity. It ignored him, eating
the plant, roots and all, then moved as if to grab the next in the row. S17
butted it away, and it moved.. Looked at him, then again went for a planted
sprout. This time he coiled around it, trapping the creature. It struggled then
lay still when he did nothing else. S17 sent out a mental shout asking about
other such creatures and found another 10 of the colony had caught trespassers
as well.

Snake17 uncurled enough to press it's mouth with the being, creating a Link
with it. A jumble of mind-pictures came back - Warmth, food, growing, Light, a
burrow, then the need to go out and eat. Find another and Breed, then eat
again. S17 broke contact and fixed the mess that had been made. Still holding
the creature, he returned to the Colony, finding the others already there. The
Guards hissed softly in wonderment, but helped to herd the Rabbits in to be
fed, watered, and taken back to huts - For now the Snakes built. Crudely,
admittedly, but much could be made from Mud, and rock - Even without hands. The
Rabbit as it called itself lay on the floor, eyes closed while Snake17 explored
it with gentle touches and caresses. It was soft, gave off a pleasant odor and
S17 found himself enjoying having another being with him. He slept, getting
thoughts from the Rabbit, sending his own.

In the morning a counsel was called. All of the reptiles came out to touch
mouths in greeting and sharing. The individual was subsumed in the Whole. Snake
shuffled it's many ideas, learning, fitting things together. Memory of the
burrow, of retrieving samples in exchange for food, of leaving when another
Desire came to them. It probed the still alien mind that had sent them out..
And the new ones. Then they came apart into individuals again, Leaving to tend
to whatever business the Colony needed.. Which included Expansion - Many more
creatures would be coming, and space was needed. One volunteered to be lookout,
and was sent off to watch the nest of the OtherMind.

The Squirrels came next. They had it the hardest of all - No Trees, and little
that could be called a bush, they ate what they could, many getting sick. By
the time they got to the Colony, the Rabbits had been enlightened. It was
easier for much of the basic blocks were there already. It had been 4 days
since their release, and they were weaving baskets with their nimble paws, just
starting to grow in size and intelligence. Medicines had to be found and made,
Places had to be built, to house the sick and Guards to take care of them.

Snake17 had a new name - Finder. Finder no longer watched over crops, he and a
dozen others now explored the new environment they were living in. Watchful had
told them a new exodus of life had came out of the ShinyOne, and they made
their way with presents for the newcomers, including hollowed-out pods of
medicine. Alas for the majority of the Mice, they came too late. The little
creatures came scampering out full of life and promise.. and died, rolling into
balls of fur before startled eyes. A handful made it past the ramp, and into
waiting jaws that tossed them into baskets, the fastest 'runners' bearing their
cargo away to be treated, cleaned, absorbed..

The rest of the Squirrels and Rabbits were released in a flood, as more
cannisters were found cracked. In total - seventy assorted herbivores left to
become part of the Colony as they called themselves. A month passed.. Flowers
came into bloom, pollen harvested to be made into cakes. Now many paws did the
work, and half the valley was cultivated in terraces, 4-foot tall rabbits and
squirrels standing on their hind feet, grasping tools to work the soil. Their
mentors, who now resembled anacondas, worked on harder things. Their heads had
become almost lizard-like, as their brains filled out, expanding to abstracts,
knowing the language of LastHope - as they now knew the ship to be called. The
symbiotes guided body and mind as best they could, but they were finite..

Their world had been blown to dust when it had impacted another moon,
Destroying the original host species, and sending them flying to the mercy of
whatever attracted them - Which was mostly comets. And as they manipulated,
formed, trained their New hosts, they died. And were not replaced. The last
still lived in the abundant plant life, Waiting for a time when they would be
needed, If that time ever came...

                             * * * *

The ship too was dying - It had repaired the damage to itself as best it could,
but now the last 3 cannisters were being opened... Wolves, Foxes, Bears. This
time only the addition was color rods in the eyes, standard viral immunization
and a implanted knowledge of what to avoid. The ship had given up hope of
making a race that would be advanced enough to take it back to earth, and when
the animals were grown and released, it closed the door, and shut-down.

The newcomers proved to be even quicker to grasp the knowledge that was given
to them and now All the Colony worked in harmony, each taking a Personal Name,
a Race number, and a sense of loss as the last of the stellar race left the
planet to their new charges, being absorbed into the bodies of their hosts.
Soon huts became houses as bruin muscle was brought into play on rock and
earth. The wheel was re-discovered, as was math. Language ebbed and flowed,
accented by the vocal cords of whoever was speaking, a passable english as that
was what the computer had been programmed in. The snakes were now called
Guides, for they had gone far enough to not need bodies any more - Traveling
across the lands as spirits. 

And found Nothing. The same terrain, the same plants... No signs of life like
theirs. And they were restless. So they returned to their place of Birth.. To
find it quiet, lifeless. The few Mice that had survived scampered into small
holes, feeling their way along until they came to the storage area.. The ship
had left instructions in their dna on how to find the place and what to do..
The Gestalt Mind Opened, every living being now watching through the tiny eyes.
Lights came on as feet scampered across sections of floor, showing the 
pictures, the diagrams.. Their creators. Human - Man, Woman. Amongst the
pictures, one showed how to open the door, and there was an orderly riot around
the ship, RockBreaker tapping the combination in.

There was a soft sigh as they walked in, remembering everything from Incubator
to Leaving. The Mice kept reading, and the Colony got busy, bringing the ship
back to life. This world was not their Home - It was a testing ground, A place
for them to mature into Adults. But now they were ready to go Home again. It
took a year of working on the craft before they could get the computer to talk
to them, another 6 months before it said it was flight-worthy. All the samples
and tests were stored carefully, Supplies brought on board, and when the time
was perfect, they launched NewHope, turning it's shining nose towards the first
jump-point. It would take almost a year of shiptime to return, And they spent
it in learning, or playing or making love - The mating urges had not been
diminished, just thought of as part of everyday life, a pleasure to be shared.

All were male, as fate or radiation had decreed, And while they understood the
concept of Female, When I can mean A Single Being, A Species, or the Family of
Vertebrates, Such things are meaningless. Ask those who walked the ship's
corridors without legs. Stood outside the hull to watch the stars fly by and
listen to the stellar winds.

                             * * * *

They came into the Terran System listening to the world - 5 years had not
changed much. Some re-arranging of the landscape, some more 'Employment
Opportunities' as they were called. Stalemate had again gripped everything. One
thing had defiantly changed.. There was no more landing pad. Another site was
found, and they put down close to the area, looking at the wreckage. Finder
waited while the door opened, and slid out, followed by NewLeaf, RedTail, and
Silent. Carnage was everywhere, and Silent shivered. The Fox and the Wolf held
their Rabbit lover between them, Doing their best to shield him - For Silent
was a cognizant Empath. He Felt the missile hit, the men die, the violation of
the earth. He also felt the resignation, the hope, and the joy they did when
the ship took off. The machine too was happy - It had done it's job, hitting
it's target. Silent was also one of those who could not Talk - The vocal cords
had not grown right.

Finder's tongue flicked out.. A bad habit the Snakes had in common when
confronted with a puzzle. He closed his eyes and 'walked' out into the
wreckage, searching... He entered a doorway - And found Ruin. Mummified bodies
lay strewn across musty floors, not all of them human. Cages with moldering
bones heaped one on top of the other, with no clues as to Why.. No place he
looked where there living beings, but in one room signs of haste and departure
were evident.. So maybe the Founders Lived. At least a few, he hoped. He
returned to his body and moved back up the ramp, RedTail carrying Silent, who
was in a stupor, having chewed a Mekka Leaf. Some of the cages Finder had
looked at contained Rabbits - And their remains still called to him. Bear was
as stalwart as ever, Taking the grief of the other pods, letting the pain and
sorrow wash over them comforting as they could, grounding the feelings of the
others, returning calm..

It took very little time to hide NewHope in a canyon, cover it with 'Dead'
brush and rocks. The Espers Slept, unable to cope with all the horrors - Plants
that only knew 3 things - Born, Grow, Die. What few animals were left stood
dully in cages eating what was given them, making sounds when required.. More
robot than creature. Everything else had been stripped to base rock, some
places past that to the lava, which was tapped as an energy source. A few ships
passed by seeing nothing but a landslide in an area that had them regularly..
No new minerals or artifacts were uncovered to exploit so they left, and behind
them the sorrow deepened. Was there not One Founder Left - One being who would
welcome them with a Joy that wasn't fed by greed? The Mind walked over the
planet.. and found little difference between the Human working on the Line and
the machine he was making - Everything was owned by General Manufacturing, and
programmed that way.. Even the puppeteers at the top were themselves strung
with wires from the Corporation, an entity unto itself.

                             * * * *

In the Grand Canyon Repair Dock a ship limped in. It was a good decade out of
date, memory core gone.. 'Probably an Ore carrier from the Asteroid Mining
Division.' Thought the foreman as he settled it in it's cradle. Joun took pride
in his work as few did these days. Efficiency was all well and good - As long as
it didn't stand in the way of craftsmanship. His crew were the same - 6 Men who
worked because they Liked to work, not because the programming on the Vids said
it was "Good to Work." As the broken metal was removed and replaced he felt
himself wanting to get on her - Go out to the Asteroids like he had wished as a
Boy - When there was still talk of colonies in Space. Heard a wistful sigh
echo.. and smiled to himself. One more Month.. They had already gotten notice
that the Dock was no longer needed and the Crew would be 'placed' in other
Jobs.

He watched as the mighty ship became a collection of parts and frame.. 3 days
of work and it would be All new - Ready to return to duty or be put in the back
yard with all the others who had no place.. Relics like him.

"Hey, We can always defect to Mars.." Maka slapped him on the back, and he
ruefully shook his head.

"Or Eden.." Eden - The rumor of a planet free from the ravages of Man, Where
life was simpler, Still made the rounds - But it was only a rumor.

"Want to be relieved Early? It's only 20 minutes.." 2 men per shift watched the
machines, a safeguard no longer needed.

"Nah - I like watching the steel go up.." They sat and watched as newer
engines, updated hull, bigger cargo areas were trudged out and slowly fitted to
the big framework, even as old parts were stripped, melted and refined for
shipment to other places.

"I think I will lay down. Us old relics have to conserve strength." Maka
punched his arm. Joun was 5 years older than the youngest member, and didn't
even have grey hair, but they all called him the 'Old Man.' A last longing look
before going to eat a tasteless meal, wash exactly 5 minutes, and lay down
unclothed on the frame that dried him, massaged his muscles and took the daily
semen sample.

"Damn!" he grunted, riding the crest of his orgasm, the machine, as with all
things, efficient in gather the maximum amount of liquid for testing. The man
gripped the hand rests, falling quickly into sleep as the sleeve continuing
it's work until he was flaccid.

Then a pod came down and his body was gone over - hair and nails trimmed,
blood, urine, feces samples taken.. The crew was exposed to radiation on a
daily basis so everything was checked and recorded. The levels were not high
enough to set off alarms, and the only symptoms so far were loss of body hair
and deformed sperm flagellates - Hence the daily sampling. Everything was
recycled, the information sent to InfoBank, Inc. for storage and repeated twice
more during the 8-hour sleeping period. This was done to all 6 in staggered
shifts so only 2 men were ever up at any given time, but 2 more could be up in
case of emergency.

Main Bank 127C would have smiled if it wasn't half a mile of machines... A
causality report came in and it was sad for a moment, But the suburb where 47
people stopped breathing as a needle put them to sleep forever, went on and the
synthetic brain nodded to itself. They would be recycled, and new families
would move in.. They were already being grown in another place, and that made
it happy too. A glitch came up on the screen.. ESP waves were being recorded at
Section 21A - The Dock. No matter - It had learned long ago that where Humans
were concerned, most anything could happen.. A request came in for supplies -
DNA Samplers, Grow Tanks, Memory Upgrades. The ship wasn't in registry but what
was was there would go back again.. A whole nanosecond of curiosity was burned
before new orders were made, and the newest parts were shipped out to be
installed on 'NewHope'.

Then a note from it's nearest neighbor - Main Bank 113A had just 'lost' a
factory - 176 robots, 43 Humans and 4 blocks of land were scrap. The synthetic
mind comforted it's 'brother', while congratulating it for now having a large
place to recycle. Then it sent a message to Main Bank 947H that in 6 standard
minutes it would 'launch' a strike on the 5th quadrant. The machine returned a
message that there would be 53 casualties and 7 'Historic Areas' demolished -
ready to be reused. All of them agreed it was a 'Dirty War' and would be glad
when it is over.

                             * * * *

Joun grunted softly, as a dream enveloped him.. A world of beauty, unspoiled,
untouched.. Were a person could live their life out in harmony. He felt
movement, then a deeper, dreamless sleep in stasis. For just a moment he could
swear he felt another mind touch his. Familiar but only in the barest sense..

                             * * * *

The computer came back to life, not believing all the New things that were
attached.. Or that it had a 'brother', who took the old programming and the new
and blended it until there was only NewHope. The 6 humans were aboard in tanks,
as were all the other 'crew', But this time it had company - New Dawn was a
Bio-mechanical prototype that had never been finished - Until now. WayFinder
was a scout/military craft that had been 'retired'. StarSeed was a terraformer
with empty tanks but all the knowledge to make a planet viable.. Or keep it
that way. They left the soon-to-be abandoned Dockyard, cloaked in an Esper-Web
so not even the Platforms knew anything until a ring of Hyperspace bloomed
outside of Pluto's Orbit. NewHope sighed to itself, knowing in a few hundred
years the reason it had returned would be gone... Mankind's Legacy would be
ultra-efficient machines, that did away with all the wasteful organic parts of
themselves and their environment - Just pristine metal covering a 'dead' world.

                             * * * *

For those reading this journal it has been several centuries since the ships
landed on their second home. Some have continued on, but their journals are in
other depositories. Others have stayed and been useful. The Human crew dna was
sampled and replaced, but as with all organic material, it deterioriates to
unusability.. So they died, to be replaced by bipedal hybrids who took on 
certain species traits as they wished. The Pods became tribes became nations
became Unity. A return to Earth found it sterile, devoid of even synthetic life
as the star in the center of the system had somehow been induced to nova,
basically blasting the inner plants to sterility, and re-aligning the outer
ones.

This record is for future generations so you may know your heritage. May Unity
be with you.

End of Text