Planet Fall

The Earth Is dead. The home humans inhabited had eroded faster than they anticipated. The procrastination, the global conflicts, the pollution, the delays of environmental projects, all caught up. The year is 2150, Earth's condition has become unrepairable and humans once again fled from their problem. The planet has grown well beyond instability due to rapid climate change and increased diseases. Although technology has advanced tremendously, it still wasn't enough to counteract the behemoth of Earth's natural pushback. Hurricanes and tsunamis wiped out entire cities and deemed coastal countries inhabitable. Volcanic eruptions increased due to the spike in earthquakes as well. This left the atmosphere dirtier than ever, making the ozone layer the weakest it's ever been. The increased solar radiation caused increased skin cancer, and weaker immune systems, The diseases and illnesses also have evolved to the point where humans were no longer able to counteract them with antibiotics. The dangerous air conditions made it so most of the world was unsafe to remain outside for extended periods. Sports events, concerts, parties, and gatherings became a thing of the past. 

Amidst the global panic, several international space agencies collaborated on the project TwoHope. The 's goal mission's goal was to send out two shuttles, each with around two thousand humans. The two shuttles consisted of scientists, analysts, military operatives, and normal civilians. Numerous studies from astrophysicists and astronomers revealed several exoplanets within the Goldilocks Zone about one hundred thirty-five thousand light years away. Luckily, recent technological advancements allowed the shuttles to slingshot long distances within the galaxy by propelling the ships around masses like black holes and dwarf stars. They would use the gravitational pull from the mass to produce enough kinetic energy to propel them forward. To the travelers, they were only gone for a few months, but back on earth, It was hundreds of years. 

About nine months into the journey, the second shuttle, Vendetta 6, lost communication with the other shuttle. The first shuttle, Anais 794, started to approach a planet. 

The planet they started drifting towards didn't appear on their solar map like the other planets they had already discovered and pinned. The planet's diameter was a bit smaller than Earth's and sat right within the Goldilocks Zone. The plant had marvelous layers of rings that wrapped around its midsection. The analysts on board crunched numbers vigorously as they tried to figure out the statistics before approaching the planet. Within a few minutes, the data that they collected stated that it was stable enough for life. 

When word of potential life started to circulate in the shuttle, they b-lined it straight to the planet. The ship breached the atmosphere quickly as it parted the clouds and hissed in the air. The front of the ship was ablaze from the fast speed it gained, and within a matter of seconds, it cooled off. The whole body of the ship turned slowly as the legs kicked out and the jets simmered down. The ship softly landed on the planet's surface. The children ran to the windows and looked out to see a lush planet with creatures, a green habitat, and plant life they could've never imagined. As everybody looked outside with pure excitement and curiosity, people started to talk amongst themselves about what the name of this unknown planet would be. The lead scientist tried to come up with names, the military operatives started to brainstorm, and the families on board also started discussions. 

Amongst the loud chatter, a young girl emerged and stood in front of everybody. She had bouncy pigtails, a skirt with a crescent moon, and the biggest smile in the shuttle. 

"We should name it Ontrovius! I think it's a pretty name." The young girl said as she giggled. 

Everyone in the shuttle started to look around with each other and ponder about this new name. One of the scientists walked up to her and kneeled to ask, "What made you come up with that?" 

"I'm not sure hehe, but that's how my brain works sometimes! My gears are always moving!" 

The people within the shuttle all agreed upon this name and congratulated the girl for coming up with it. They celebrated for a short while by holding her up and labeling her the Gears Girl. She took great pride in this name and was happy to see that everybody acknowledged her idea. The celebration ended and the rest of the people aboard started to get into their spacesuits. The small girl then got lost in the crowd of everyone and after a short while, they started to collect into groups.

The first few humans stepped out with their spacesuits at the ready, and they noticed that it was very earth-like. Work needed to be done, but they were prepared for this challenge. Everyone else flooded out, the kids looking around at the sky and the adults hugging each other out of relief. They began to settle in a small outpost and adapted to the weather patterns. The scientists and analysts figured out how to make the atmosphere more stable by creating artificial trees that would convert carbon dioxide to oxygen. They were able to do this after taking samples of local plant life and seeing that it was rich with oxygen that had been stored within the extremities of the plant. The botanists combined the foreign plant with excess stem cells and made artificial stomata. The stomas allowed the plants to breathe and exhale. After creating several thousand with their advanced technology, it started to give the planet more stable air, and the settlers began agriculture and adapting H20 so that it was drinkable. Although their tactics seemed to work did not spawn the same life as Earth. 

The trees were unnatural colors; the flora was otherworldly shapes and sizes, and the animals that evolved on that planet were something that these travelers had never seen. Before they could even blink, thirty-five years had gone by, infrastructure skyrocketed, overall production of necessities increased, and a new generation of humans was born. The world was at peace without was at peace without a clear leader Within the settlements, there was still uncertainty about how they should divvy up the land, thankfully, they came out with a plan. 

From the scientists that were on board, they discovered that the planet only contained three continents, the continent that they landed on was deemed Formalum by collective vote. The plan the scientists came up with was to break the continent up into seven individual territories. The population has far overgrown the two thousand occupancy that they had on the rocket. With a population of almost double now, they decided to split off into seven different groups and occupy the rest of the remaining territories. This wasn't for power, not for intergalactic money, not for political reasons, but for allegiance. They wanted to conquer every landmass on this planet so they could have a better understanding of the new world that they inhabited. Once they began their journey, the planet almost responded to their quest. 

Not only did the terrain become more dangerous, but the weather patterns became unpredictable. It's almost like the planet listened to their plan and wanted to protect the natural environment. For the next eight months, all seven of the groups struggled to take over their respective territories not only because of the environmental conditions but also because of the creatures that already inhabited the planet. Group Seven reportedly stated that they encountered elf-like creatures. Several people within the group also said that they tagged along within their group almost like companions. Because of this discovery, all the other groups were on high alert not only for potential allies that could be on the planet but also for enemies. It wasn't short after that announcement that Group Four came across aggressive creatures that they sneakily got away from. These monsters almost looked like crystallized mammals. It was nothing they could describe because nothing even closely resembled it. The people within the group were so frightened by this creature that they gave them the name Verno.

The description alone terrified the other groups when they heard it over the intercom. This intercom was within the central hold that Group One placed down in the very first territory that they landed at once they got to the planet. They decided to call this territory Ranca and for the time being, they use the hub almost like a town hall. Five members of each group stayed within the Central Hold to relay any information from their respective groups via radio. But if there was any major news, every group was connected to an intercom that would play within the Central Hold if there was an announcement. One of the major names operating the Central Hold was, Nio Censia. He was one of the younger travelers who first arrived on the planet, and now he is the lead scientist within Cal Hold. He has implemented a lot of the engineering and technological coding that needed to be implemented for the intercom to work and the filtration systems within the Central Hold. He was an esteemed worker who gained notoriety but not power. His goals are to help the planet stabilize and to facilitate plans for the other groups out there to make it to their territories. 

With the drastically different position in the universe and the complicated mathematics and time-space warping that took effect, they decided to keep the same weekly cycle, Monday-Sunday. The main difference was that it took eighteen months to travel around this planet's sun rather than twelve months like Earth. The local sun they named Sovivo was a massive red star that was about the same distance away, like the relationship between Earth and the Sun. The only difference is that the planet rotates slower than Earth, so the days are longer, about six hours. Now, the days being thirty hours long allows the settlers to have more daylight and more time to harvest materials along their journeys. It seems that in certain regions of the continent, monsters come out more frequently at night, but in other sections, they are constantly a threat. 

Group Three got unlucky regarding this aspect; they constantly had to fend off these reptilian-like creatures that they called Lizeths. Their body resembled scale-like formations, and they almost moved like predatory snakes, but they had legs and arms and could pony Life on this planet has been evolving just like Earth has. The terrain was also volcanic, as there was ash along the ground, and they spotted what seemed to be dormant volcanoes. Group Two finally reached their destination within the heart of their territory that they call "Belio". This newfound land was very mountainous and snowy along the East Coast. Group Two seemed to have a pretty straightforward path that allowed them to get there fairly easily. The colder climate warranted fewer threats within the territory.

The current status of groups six and five are relatively the same; they both take shelter away from dangerous weather conditions. Group Four settled first, followed by seven, two, and three. However, the people back at the Central Hold awaited the updates from five to six. At the same time, the settlers began speaking among themselves about the plans for their newfound homes. Agriculture, schools, shops, diverse cultures, and unique landscapes were what the settlers spoke about. Before the settlers could finish their discussions, they heard a static noise over the intercom.

"This is Arka Inazuma, Military Chief of Group Four, we have arrived at the designated location. We have decided on the name Mazura for the continent. As for the first town, Tabatha, we have begun construction, but-" 

The faces of Group Four lit up with excitement as they cheered that their group had made it there successfully. Group Four was the first group to settle beside Group One, which already inhabited Ranca. Due to their increased military, Group Four settled in two months earlier than projected. The rest of the groups congratulated them and smiles filled the room, but their cheers halted when they realized that the message wasn't over.

"We…ZZZTZ…are under…ZZZTZ…attack!"

The distress signal rang throughout the Central Hold as everybody turned to each other in disbelief and panic. People ran around and looked outside the windows, fearing the next. Others hugged each other and feared that this was the beginning of the end. The level of stress and panic made the Central Hold a madhouse and made people theorize what could've been happening. The small number of people at the Central Hold didn't improve this situation. 

Dr.Censia quickly grabbed the remote to the intercom and spoke, "Arka, remain calm, try your best to defend your position! We will send you the last of our reinforcements as fast as possible!" 

Dr.Censia was worried but wanted to stay strong for everybody else, so he remained stern. He knew there weren't many reinforcements left because they were sent off to the other groups, but in his heart, he knew that Arka would survive. 

"ZZZTZ…We will try our best…ZZZTZ…we are being overrun-" The telecom lost connection as the end of his sentence faded. 

He backed away from the telecom remote and signaled the rest of the reinforcements to head to their location. As the one hundred and sixty reinforcements left the Central Hold, Dr.Censia sat back in his office chair, trying not to panic. He knew, at the very least, it would take hours on foot even to get halfway. Luckily, each group was ordered to mark the quickest path to their respective locations. The main reason why it took months for even Group Four to make it there was not only because of the harsh environment, but also the detours, dangerous creatures, and the fact that Mazura is a group of islands. Mazura is a collection of four islands, and this took place on the northernmost island that Arka had just deemed Tabatha. The landscape there was unstable, but the most rigorous aspect of the land was the crystal-like monsters that inhabited it.

As mentioned before by a previous member of Group Four, there were several different types of animals that they came across that appeared almost as moving crystals. Their body was in an amethyst-like formation, reflective and of a dark maroon shade. Not only were the animals crystal, but some of the shrubbery and even trees appeared as crystals. Some were even stated to be floating as if there was no gravity.

 "For people to say that they witnessed floating objects…that must mean there's some sort of unforeseen magic at play" 

Dr.Censia then called in one of his assistants to help with his mental battle, "Ms.Ckollison, can you come in here, please?" 

Right away, a young girl came in wearing a lab coat that was four sizes too big, pants that barely fit her waist, and a messy brunette bun with light red highlights.

"Ugh, Dr.C, I told you just to call me Kali. I don't want everyone knowing my last name…pft-" she said as Dr.Censia sat in the chair to look at the young girl.

"Kali…Did you shrink yourself with an experiment? Or are those clothes just oversized?" He said while chuckling and pointing out the bagginess of her entire outfit. 

Kali looked away, embarrassed, and murmured, "I told you, I'm not a lab girl, this stuff doesn't suit me anyway pff-"

Dr.Censia chuckled again as he shuffled pages in the middle of his table. He leaned forward and said, "That's Exactly what I mean…You know of magic. People have reported to have seen floating objects. Down in Mazura, the people in Group Four have been fighting off these crystal beasts, and some say they give off a magical aura. I just can't wrap my head around it." 

Kali's face lit up, and she quickly took a pencil out of his cup and began to draw on the blank paper. She started to draw sketches of floating crystals, floating trees, and floating rocks with several arrows pointing to where they were coming off the ground. 

"So, I can't answer your question with complete certainty, but going off the knowledge, I know I can tell you this-" 

Kali pointed to the page with her pencil and continued, "Objects that suspend midair 

even with a gravitational force acting upon them, must be affected by a force we have very little knowledge of. Magic is an inclusive term, so when I was doing my training to harness my fire abilities, d me told me they were called Astral Arts. There are several types of astral arts, but for now, let's just call this gravitational phenomenon, natural augmentation. This urging on some planets, on some planets and others, it could be affected by outside forces!"

 Dr.Censia sat back in his chair, pondering for a moment, and then asked, "I know that a small collective of people have been able to find astral arts. Some claimed to find ice arts, wind arts, and even fire arts like yourself. So what could this be?" 

She looked down at the paper and thought about his question deeply, as she also wondered the same thing. The idea and understanding of astral arts are still very new to humans on the planet. Although she has obtained one already, she is still unsure of its source. 

 Kali then voiced her thoughts to him, "So far, we have only been able to make elemental changes like start fires and create water flow. Nobody that I know of has been able to create some sort of flotation art. So this has to be naturally occurring." 

The two of them sat there in silence for a brief minute. The thought of other types of astral arts out there could change the plan of the formation of everybody's territories. Dr.Censia thought to himself about how the idea of magic was already outlandish.

"How did any of this come to be? How are we even able to coexist with astral arts?" 

He then asked one final question, "I know that you went through training to practice your fire arts, and I've seen the help you have already done for Group Two, and I commend you. I know that you have only been my assistant for three months now, but-" 

Before he could answer his question, Kali already had an answer ready, "I will go to Mazura! I have been waiting to ditch this dusty lab anyway." 

They both laughed together momentarily, and he stood up and looked down at his desk. He then fixed up the messy table and slid all the papers together in one pile. He took a deep breath and then walked around to Kali. Before he left the room, he slowly put his hand on her shoulder and said softly,

"I think you and Wyzsta will get along just fine~" 

He then let go of her shoulder and exited his office leaving the door open. The sounds of people talking within the main hall flooded the office office crowded the crowd's thoughts. She then brought herself together momentarily and anodized what he just said. 

 She whispered to herself under her breath, "Who?"