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Long before Astrophage ever entered the 40 Eridani system, I proposed a thesis to the science Thrums. I was a young upstart in the field of bioengineering, and I had grand plans for the advancement of our species. The space elevator had just been approved. Erid-kind was making its reach for the Space Beyond the planet’s protective carapace and discover more about the universe in which we live. We were on the edge of a new scientific era and I, young though I was, wanted to take my place there.
The planet Erid is rich with life. We as Eridians have been studying it for several thousand revolutions around Eridani. Even so, we know more about the stars and planets above us than we do about the deep boiling oceans on our planet’s surface. We know more about the makeup of combustible oxygen and other theoretical chemistry than we do about the migration patterns of the elusive pods of sky whales that can occasionally be heard singing out beyond the mountains. There is much out there to discover and not all of it is beyond the atmosphere.
The atmosphere itself is made up of layers and layers of life that slowly finds its way to the surface. Eridians are naturally curious and inquisitive creatures and many expeditions and subsequent Thrums have been conducted to map as much of the planet as possible. But still there are many things that elude us and it was the pursuit of these things that I proposed in my thesis to the Science Thrum.
“If we are already building an elevator and center for the study of science in orbit, I propose that we build a second facility on the surface itself with the express purpose to safely observe the movements of creatures that have historically been seen as a threat to Erid-kind.”
“Such facilities already exist, Scholar Adrian. What is different about this new facility?”
I rolled out my plans before the Thrum. “The facilities that exist are small and do not allow for a total resonance and incorporation with the wildlife. They are extremely valuable, yes, but they are only small caverns with panels of xenonite already built into cliffsides and protected areas. Eridians cannot move with the migrating species or observe them up close without endangering ourselves or them or even disrupting their habitat and environments. My proposal is to build away from the base of the mountains. Far from the center of the clusters. I want to build a dome that moves with and nestles into the landscape of the wild places and the hunting grounds, where the sky whale falls occasionally occur. I want to observe the things that happen from the safety of a very large xenonite structure. Large enough that if needed, we could recreate the biosphere of Erid (or that of other planets even) and study the effects of different atmospheres and biologies while also studying our own!”
The Thrum did not laugh. Neither did they approve the idea.“The idea is not without merit, however with the construction of the space elevator and the already highly significant atmospheric and ecological studies and facilities that are being built there, we do not currently feel the need to build a second massive scientific facility in a different area. Our current observatories and the ones being built along the elevator itself already provide a significant amount of data to the study of Eridian wildlife and ecology.”
It felt very much as though I had been given a tolerant pat to the carapace and a “that’s nice sweetie, but you don’t really know what you’re talking about,” as if I were a hatchling. “Let the adults talk, do further study in your field, and then we will take your thoughts into consideration.”
Oh I boiled hotter than the ocean. It would have been easier if they had laughed me out of the Thrum and revoked my access to them altogether. My dear mate Rocky boiled with me. He had supported the plan from the beginning and looked over the proposed designs himself. If something was wrong, he would point it out and help me fix it. Rocky himself had his resonations fixed on the stars but he always supported my ideas here on the ground. “The point of science is to discover the things we do not yet know!” He would say, “How are we going to discover all the little intricacies of life on Erid if we do not go there and find out?”
Time passed however, and no matter how often I wanted to bring the proposal back to the Thrum, there was always something more important, more pressing. The space elevator and atmospheric center did indeed yield incredible data research into the ecology of Erid that I myself worked on. Once the elevator was complete and orbital research on our native star began to really take place, it almost became even harder to redirect the ideas of the Thrum back to the surface of Erid. Rocky became more and more busy with the space program and I became consumed with my studies on the elevator.
Then, very slowly, life at the very highest levels of the atmosphere began to weaken. We did not understand. Nothing had changed that we could resonate with. But all of a sudden, the plant and animal life that synthesized its energy directly from Eridani, was not getting enough to survive. Rocky was in orbit when the line of astrophage was discovered between Eridani and Threeworld.
The energy output of Eridani was being consumed by the line of astrophage and it didn’t take very long to realize exactly how catastrophic that would end up becoming if left for too long. A cold pit seemed to settle in all of our carapaces as we focused all of our energy on discovering a solution. Any and all projects fell to the side as we moved the entire force of our wills to leap further than we ever had before.
Astrophage was discovered to be a very potent energy source - potent enough to allow an Eridian ship to leave the star system entirely in search of a solution. When it was discovered that all of the stars in the space beyond had diminishing outputs of energy except one, there was no question that we had to go there. Rocky was adamant. “I have to go and find out.” So I returned the support he had always shown me and was adamant that I would be here when he returned.
And then he didn’t return. One by one, all twenty three families of each crew member lost hope. I, unable to bear the thought that my beloved, supportive, thoughtful, brilliant mate was lost to the stars forever, threw myself into my work. I took in all the knowledge I could about astrophage and the biology of Threeworld. I looked into different ways to maximize the energy we did have from Eridani. Ways to reflect and refract the energy using crystals the way it refracts in our brains. I did everything in my power to ensure that when the crew of the ship returned, there would still be a home for them to save.
The ship itself never returned, but one day, an utterly alien object entered Eridani’s star system, with a resonance unlike anything we had heard before, and it hailed us. In Eridian. Rocky returned in an alien ship as the only surviving member of the initial crew. His carapace was thin and brittle from the time he’d spent in lower gravity. He bore the weight of all the people he had lost out there. And he brought with him a new form of life. Well. Two new forms of life.
Time was of the essence. A mission was immediately launched for Three World to release the new microbial life form into the atmosphere. That was the easy part, really. The difficult part was that this alien life form was generous to a fault, immensely likeable, a savior and hero and great friend to all of Erid and especially to Rocky (for which I will be forever grateful), and above all: he was going to die if measures were not taken immediately to preserve his life.
The science thrums reconvened with a vengeance. A new task was put before us. How can we create space to preserve the life and wellbeing of this great friend to Erid until he is well enough to travel back home and we are able to repair his ship? Ideas were floated of creating a space in the former Ship Hangar on the Space Elevator to house and study him as needed. But someday, he would recover. It was a requirement. Grace must live and he must live well. And the research and knowledge provided from the Earth Think Machines all said the same thing. Humans needed space.
Well.
I rummaged through my old thesis project presented before the Thrum all those many years ago. I took the plans to Rocky to make sure they could be modified for what was needed. I consulted with Grace and found him to be every bit as brilliant as my mate. I made the essential edits and I went before the Thrum.
“I propose a multi-use facility. One that allows the savior of my mate and our planet to live his life to the fullest while we are able to study both the environment of an entirely new planet and the wildlife of our own.” I put forward that old plan for a large facility, the very thing I felt so strongly about in my youth.
This time, the Thrum listened and did not discard my work as they had before. I was a preeminent member of the Thrum now. I had planned this. I had done the research. And I had waited long enough.
The dome was constructed in a broad valley on the edge of the main cluster. I divided my time between the Hangar Laboratory that Rocky and I had commandeered for Grace’s treatment space as well as our own personal work and the dome. The “terraforming” process was long and arduous and took much less time than it otherwise would have if I had never staked my early studies and research on a silly, overly expensive, and elaborate plan to study the migration patterns of sky whales in my youth.
Grace says that the different creatures that live in the depths of the atmosphere are beautiful. They have, he says, a sort of natural bioluminescence to them that casts a glow like starlight. He says they have similar creatures in the depths of the oceans of Earth and I have confirmed this with the Portable Thinking Machine.
It took several years, but eventually Grace recovered fully from his malnutrition and moved full time into the biodome. He and Rocky take long walks on the beach every morning. We have “dinner” together every night and watch movies and play many games until Grace falls asleep. We take turns watching him. And every now and then, when the season is right, Grace and I will take a group of pebbles to the very furthest part of the biodome, wait for the artificial diurnal illumination to dim, and we all listen together as pods of sky whales dance above us on the way to their breeding grounds.