Chapter 1: January 26th, 2351 AD

In front of us sits a singular planet located in the fabric of space. The prevailing darkness consumes the visual spectrum. In the distance is an array of numerous small orbiting debris. Other twinkling stars, galaxies, and celestial phenomena also consume the background. A single yellow glowing star radiates in the vast distance. It only serves to highlight the silhouettes of unlit objects that stand before us. The vacuum eliminates the natural sound generated in the enclosed atmosphere.

The world that sits before our view is that of a cracked sphere. It is a graveyard of history, artifacts, and ancient technology that defies all human expectations, from denial to the skeptical. Radiation generated from powerful antimatter explosions, shelling, and bombs have reduced what was a habitable world into oblivion.

We already know where we are as we have been in this vast expanse of relics. The former dinosaurs of Earth have called this region of territory “Dead Space,” the end of an era. We close into the near orbit of the planet. More of the floating debris comes into view. The world still consists of volcanic eruptions from a core that struggles to spin despite the massive upheaval done to it. The former accomplishments of a civilization are buried under its destruction. The people, the Itreans, never wish to return. Fear of the unknown, ghosts, and regret hovers over their souls. Any future attempts to come back to this region of the Milky Way Galaxy will likely be shut down quickly for fear of waking the dead.

However, humans have brought new life into Itrean history. The discovery of Itrea, the original homeworld where the Itreans came from, has brought back the desire to look into their past. Even now, where we sit together is not just one of the many worlds settled by the reptilian people but the first colony. No date has ever been recorded on when it happened as much of the Itrean history has become forgotten or lost in the ravages of time. However, new theories have placed the time period to be from one to several million years ago. The humans look at this with interest, anticipation, and perhaps fear of the fate of everyone. Are the Itreans and Humans destined to exterminate one another?

It may surprise you, but the countless years of Itrean violence against one another only occurred long after this world was colonized. Many viewed this location as the new beginning and defined the culture of the Itrean people. Some believed that the few surviving dinosaur species that had evolved into intelligent sentience had formed a society of mutual cooperation. From the Velociraptors to the Oviraptors, the Troodon, and more, they all settled onto this colony first. Their unknown goal was to leave Earth behind and start a new life together. Their ships were supposedly primitive, so much so, that they were on par with the rockets used in the mid-20th century of human history, perhaps even less advanced. With gate-folding technology, the Itreans could go anywhere. How they obtained this miraculous ability remains a mystery to them, but for the civilizations that followed, everything prospered.

Yet, what had happened? This world is smashed and laid to ruin. Even now, the vaporized corpses on the surface tell no tales. Only the surviving ancestors craft their stories and pass them on to the next generation. Most likely, they are lies that become myths and fables.

It was speculated that nine Itrean subspecies lived together in harmony, perhaps more. Some were small, the size of a human infant. However, there were one subspecies that defined them all. We see this as one of the floating debris drifts in front of us. Perhaps this was a former warship, once. Unlike the other ships, this one is quite large, being over five thousand meters in length. Craters, scarred hulls, impact marks, and ripped pieces of metal and wood drift near it. In the surviving front section of this ship is a giant bore cannon, big enough to rival any cannon made from the human race.

The culprit of these great warships came from none other than the Alara’jal. Their colossal size made them stand over the average-sized human by a factor of three. For many of the Itrean clans, none could ever disrespect these people. A single smash of their foot could crush anything underneath it. The very name inspired fear, wonder, and power. Even the name’s origins derive from the English translation of “The Dominant Walkers.” They were none other than the largest meat-eating dinosaurs of former Earth.

The Alara’jal, supposedly, worked in harmony with the other Itrean clan species. Despite their predatory nature, something happened that allowed these titanic people to work side by side with the others. Ancient Itrean historians had even speculated that they were respected elders, noble, and just. Subspecies helped them, and they helped others in return.

Sadly, it was never meant to be. Much as how time operates, it is a river that can ultimately lead to tragedy. To this day, little is known who struck first and what the issue was about. What was known as that resources were stretched to the limit. Even with the miracle of gate-folding technology, the Itreans advanced far slower than humanity ever did. The ability to replenish food stocks was challenging. Even if the Alara’jal had become omnivores, the amount of nourishment that their bodies needed was far more significant than any other Itrean species. This, in conjunction with living, the need for land, and other daily conveniences, further plagued the society. The Itreans often squandered their desire to explore, often forcing them to fight over familiar worlds.

Despite all of this, the accomplishments of the Alara’jal were grand. Their spaceships were the largest and most powerful. Where the other clan species used quantity to make up their ranks in combat, the Alara’jal used the sheer domineering power of the fewer. Even a weak Alara’jal soldier was more than a match for divisions of the much smaller Itreans. This alone propelled the mighty race into the masters of ground combat. If it weren’t for their small fleets, it was very well possible that the Alara’jal would have conquered all of the Itreans, either slaughtering them or worse.

While the Alara’jal fought as gallantly as any other clan species, most Itrean historians did reach a similar conclusion. When the Alara’jal lost in space, their fury and determination to win were just as great as their sizes. A “Scorched-Earth” policy had been adopted. The colossal people would build powerful siege warships and use them to devastate worlds. If their enemies didn’t surrender, then nobody would win. Even if the Alara’jal aren’t to be blamed entirely, many feel that they were responsible for much of the destruction in the Era of Dead Space. The wreckage that stands before us is most likely a victim of these ancient sieges.

However, the Alara’jal clan had slowly come to the decision that such destruction was unnecessary. Eventually, wisdom won out. For each destroyed world, it would only deny them the possibility of eventual conquer. In the long future, ravaged planets would only result in fewer worlds to live in. Perhaps, technology had played a role in replenishing essential resources. There was also considered to be a form of awakening in the Era of Old Space. Many of the Alara’jal had embraced pacifism and enclosure from the outside. The combination would lead the colossal people into times of prosperity as they sought to find peace and seclusion. Remote villages would adorn many of the great worlds. What the humans would sometimes define as “Tribal Anarchism” had formed the core aspect of Alara’jal society. Birth rates were slow, an elder would be chosen to review simple issues, and advanced replenishment practices were put into place. Many of them wished to live alone and in harmony with nature.

Like anything, even such peace was always at risk. While other clans sometimes struck Alara’jal worlds, the Alara’jal were also a genuine threat to themselves. The clan race had done its part. While Tribal Anarchism worked on most worlds, the largest of planets and populations had become a trove of violence and bloodshed. The core Alara’jal worlds had embraced a path of pure Anarchism. Only the strong ruled the weak, and the weak would suffer the most. A system without laws is a system with outlaws. Powerful warlords would seize the opportunity to control, build up their forces, and launch attacks to unite the entire Alara’jal people. From there, the savage dictator’s greed and hunger to control would lead them on a path of ultimate violence to inflict as much damage on other clan species as possible. These warlords victimized and terrorized Alara’jal villages and forced them to serve as slaves or soldiers. This history had become an ever-constant in Alara’jal society as if it was a running river that never ended.

However, the Alara’jal people did see times of great relief in their society. The great Itrean Empire of Jalgren the Great had become a saving grace for the titanic people. Jalgren’s desire to create an idealistic utopia of unification benefitted the Alara’jal far more than many Itreans suspected. He would wipe out the warlords and free the Alara’jal people to live their own lives again. It was no surprise that they welcomed the Emperor with open arms, willingly becoming citizens of Renlar despite their colossal size. The mere cost of adapting to the Aksren ancient language was all but welcomed, as many of the Alara’jal lacked the ability to read. Schools, vocational centers, and cultural influence were accepted, and the clan species enjoyed an era of prosperity.

The Empire was not to last. Greed, racism, and corruption would eventually deny the Alara’jal of their fundamental rights. Many of the people were left in uncertain times. With the Rototrein Rebellion that was to take place, should the Alara’jal join and fight for their freedom? If they lost, would the Empire eradicate them? If they won, would the warlords eventually return to dominate the peaceful people again? The Alara’jal made a difficult choice. Some generally accepted that fighting for the rebellion was the lesser of two evils. They decided to join the uprising, where their colossal sizes placed them into the roles of shock troopers. Even with primitive forged guns against the Imperial troops, the Alara’jal were utterly devastating, capable of flipping hover tanks with a lift of an arm and crushing all opposition underneath their heel. On the ground, the Empire of Jalgren had accepted that it was near impossible to win. By 10,000 Earth years ago, the Empire was crushed, and the Alara’jal clan would be free to control their own destiny.

For many human scholars, it was easy to point out that the Alara’jal’s greatest mistake was to eventually pull out of the negotiation table, despite against the wishes of the Rototrein family. The Alara’jal, once again, wanted to return to the route of solitude, prosperity, and pacifism. Sadly, it would be the last time the colossal people would enjoy their newfound freedom. History repeats, and the few Alara’jal demand power. Through them, the warlords would return. Through the power of an absolute few, these tyrants would resume the hostility against the other clan species. Their goal was to reclaim the lost territories and inflict whatever casualties upon the other, whatever the cost. The Alara’jal that resisted these warlords would face the most grievous of consequences. By 9,000 Earth years ago, the great people had been reduced to thugs and raiders and ruled by the strongest. Only four of the Itrean clan remained. The Shal’rein, Aksren, Yutilians, and Alara’jal would fight for conquest throughout the galaxy.

However, unlike in the ancient past, the Alara’jal never gained much territory against the other clan species. Despite their enormous warships, their fleets often struggled with their offenses. Forced conscription resulted in poorly trained crews despite having the most powerful ground armies that ever existed. Other clan species did their best and usually prevailed in repelling the Alara’jal. However, there was one particular stronghold that belonged to the towering people. One of the four great starfortresses, an incomplete one, had been gifted to them after the conclusion of the Rototrein Rebellion. With this, the warlords would focus their efforts on completing it and using it as a shipyard and base of operations against the other clans. As long as this structure remained, the Alara’jal could never truly be conquered.

It would be the Yutilians that bring forth their most potent and destructive weapon, one that proved to be the downfall of the Alara’jal civilization. Being the masters of biological warfare, the Yutilians would unleash their constructed plague against the titans. The results were immense. Countless worlds were affected. The goal of the disease was to never eradicate the entire population but only a select percentage. By the time the disease had finished, a near trillion had laid dead. Despite the efforts made, resources became scarce. Even the great star fortress would eventually be nearly abandoned, at which point the Aksren clan would finally lay claim to it. By 500 Earth years ago, the attacks of the Alara’jal had become infrequent. Their homes were being slowly taken. Despite the calls of mercy, the other Itreans would ignore it. Their goal had become a singular focus: to eradicate the Alara’jal once and for all. It would be a wish that the other clan species would ultimately achieve. By 200 years ago, the clan was no more...

Why is all of this so important? Learning so much about a people’s history is difficult when having to explain a summary of millions of years. Of course, while we have eons to go through such a history, I know that even you are interested in answering this very question: Is it ever possible for a single species of people to survive the ravages of time? Are the Alara’jal truly extinct?

We must leave this area of space. We say goodbye to this area once again. Perhaps it will be the last time that we will ever return to this region. The star shrinks to a tiny spec. The wrecked planet vanishes into nothingness. Stars zip past us at an ever-increasing rate. The area of space becomes brighter as we bypass the galactic center, the massive stars being markers of their short flickering lifespans. In mere seconds, we cross the center border and through the concentration of matter. We turn our attention to the growing darkness. Countless distant galaxies and stars fill our view.

Within less than a minute, we finally near our goal and where our story will continue. We enclose upon the Sol System, the star that held the building blocks for the Itreans and the Humans to come forth. We focus on a similar distant glowing yellow star. A singular small red planet grows as we eventually near our destination. Mars has always served as the capital of the UWA, as Earth now belongs to the previous ancient owners. Countless spaceships and traffic wonder to the nearby tethered gate array. However, our focus brings us to a triad of three vessels that stand in a line formation.

Each of these ships bares particular looks and features to them. The other vessel closest to us on our approach seems to be an alien warship. Its green cylindrical profile consists of a rearward spinning centripetal ring and engine array network. In the center, dorsal and ventral sides are a set of Gatling light railguns. Near the front mid-section consists of VLS launchers. Finally, in the bow is a heavily sleek armored nose section where the main bridges are located. On the opposite side of this battleship appears to be a human combat transport. Its gray boxy appearance and frame are connected to a spinning centripetal ring and engine array. It is too far away to ascertain anything else about it.

We continue to fly past the alien ship towards the vessel in the center of this parade formation. It is a human warship. Its profile is somewhat similar to the green warship. It has a gray color. Unlike the slightly more cylindrical rectangular shape, this ship is more rounded. Its bridge sections are near the center dorsal and ventral sides. A medium railgun turret fills each of its sides. Its centripetal ring is thinner but slightly larger than the other warship. The front bow of the ship consists of eight torpedo tubes and an array network of AIO turrets. On the side of the human vessel is the name placard “UHN Drake MBB-84,” written in both English and Chinese. We zoom in on the ring till we finally penetrate through the hull and into the habitable environment where the humans live and operate.

With the spinning ring, artificial gravity is created. Wayward crew walk to their destinations and follow with their day-to-day duties. The internal layout of the ring is simple in its construction. It consists of a singular straight passageway. On both sides are sets of doors that lead to various rooms and locales. We are nearing the end of our journey as we reach the sealed door of the guest quarters.

Upon entering this room, we are greeted with the comfortable layout of where a single occupant resides. There are two bunks, one on each side. A single restroom and table sit in the center, with a set of computer displays on the walls. The man that sits in the chair by the table is looking at a video of some sort.

This man appears to be dressed in comfortable civilian attire consisting of black boots, a blue shirt, and thick khaki pants. His looks are similar to a person from China of former Earth combined with a pale complexion. He has a goatee and a black mustache. He is also completely bald and carries a somewhat jovial smile while he observes the video. The recording consists of himself. However, he is dressed in a protective yellow suit that covers his body. The environment displayed is a harsh dry, and mountainous location, consisting of hard sandstorms in a darkened gray sky. Wind, carrying the loose dust, appears to be blasting his suit. The individual seems to be looking at the camera as he speaks.

“I am here on Earth in the place that was originally called ‘Hell Creek, Montana,” the man said with a muffled voice. He has a faint Chinese accent. His personality and tone are equally outgoing, as if he is doing a documentary. “This is thee location where the first skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex was ever found.” The man held his arm out, pointing at what looked like a dug-out pit, but it was difficult to see through the dead sandstorm. “It was here that Barnum Brown would make one of the greatest discoveries of the early 20th century. At the time, this place was beautiful, consisting of green forests and clean lakes that reflected blue from the overhead skies. Brown and his team would find the skeletons of one of the largest dinosaurs to ever exist in Earth’s history.”

The man in the room appeared to be rehearsing and gloating over his old recordings. His finger seemed to be rubbing his chin as he mouthed off his own words in silence. The video of himself continued to walk and present the landscape before it switched over to an internally enclosed building. There were a variety of large dinosaur skeletons that were held together. One of these skeletons appeared to be a sizeable two-legged creature with small little arms. He still wore the same protective suit, but his breathing mask and veil had been lifted to give him clarity as he spoke to the camera drone.

“We are here at the Second American Museum of Natural History where humans and Itreans are toiling around endlessly to restore this building to its proper condition. When Earth was mostly abandoned in the late 22nd century, the building was left to crumble under the harsh environment that humanity invoked upon it. However, the skeleton of the first T-rex has been saved by myself and the others that are here.” He pointed at the skull as he walked underneath the enormous frame. “Take a look at this ... this is one of the largest land animals to ever thrive on Earth over millions of years ago. The mighty Tyrannosaurus was the biggest carnivores capable of predating and scavenging the dead. Their skull measures to almost a meter and a half in length. They had up to sixty serrated teeth that would measure to...” he paused as he held a large tooth. “Up to 20 centimeters long. I’ll tell you. I wouldn’t want to be hit with that! Omph ... That would ruin anyone’s day. Overall, these animals would reach a length of about twelve meters and have a height of about 5 meters. They were the kings of dinosaurs that I, Doctor Fengge Yu, are more than proud to tell you.”

The video feed continued as the man wandered around the restored museum. He used the camera drone to provide low-angle shots. It was all designed to provide an example of the sheer size of the T-Rex. Their gargantuan size was enough to tower over him easily. A Yutilian wandered into view. She was dressed in a white lab coat. Her long bushy pink tail swung. She stood on digitigrade legs and had light green colored scales. It was here that Fengge Yu pointed at the small-statured alien.

“Ever since our discovery with the Itreans,” Fengge Yu joyfully explained. “Our entire world of Paleontology has seen a great revival that hadn’t been seen since the evacuation of Earth. We work together to relearn what history has tried to ravage. With the fact that a few of these dinosaurs continued to evolve to become what they are now is incredible. What was deemed impossible had been proven to be true. There were civilizations on Earth far earlier than humanity had ever accomplished. We can now confirm that...” The camera zoomed out to show more of the skeleton before zooming back to him. “The T-Rex had indeed survived to become the Alara’jal people, possibly coming from species that predate even before the T-Rex, such as an offshoot of the Allosaurus. Sadly, their culture and race would fall into extinction almost 200 years ago.” He paused and smiled. “How much I would have loved to get a chance to talk to one of them ... ask them how they managed to survive when so many failed to live.”

The video was paused, leaving a still image of the paleontologist before it was shut down. Fengge Yu leaned back onto his chair, propping his boots up to the table. He seemed ecstatic, even if he was doing his best to hold back his emotions.

“Incredible...,” Fengge Yu said to himself. “I finally get to be a part of this exciting adventure! This must have been like when Roy Chapman ventured into the Gobi Desert or when Charles Darwin ventured in the HMS Beagle. I, Fengge, will be part of the Reliquary Expedition.” He proudly looked up at the ceiling. “Gabatrix, if you are looking down upon me, thank you for giving me this magnificent chance to explore the unknown in the name of science. I promise you that I won’t come back emptyhanded.”

He turned his left arm and tapped on it. The augmented appendage provided a display menu screen. It projected a number on it showing that it was 0848.

“Well!” He said as he slapped his hands to his knees. He propped himself to the deck before standing up. He put his hand to his heart but paused as if he was missing something. He spotted his signature brim outdoor tan hat and a proud smile appeared on his face.

“Not yet,” he commented to his hat. “But, soon ... Time to head to the briefing and be a part of history!”

He tapped the button on his left augmented arm to shut off the display. He was debating if he was going to pull out his little camera drone from his pocket but decided against it. It was a military warship, after all, and doing open recordings of the day-to-day life of crew members or ship layout would have been unwise or even face censorship. He kept his hand away.

“Ah ... so much that I wish that I could record in this future event,” Fengge said to himself. “I will just have to keep all of this written down ... maybe ... write a book. Oh! Even better! Fengge,” he addressed himself. “I will do like many of the famous paleontologists have done, and I will write a book about this adventure.”

It was time. He proceeded to leave. When he reached the door, he tapped the side panel. It slid open where he left to his next destination...

“Doctor Fengge Yu? I assume?” the random guard replied by the main CO stateroom door.

“Please, you can just call me Fengge,” the paleontologist happily explained. “I am at the right spot, am I?”

“Yes, you may enter

The uniform lad dressed in red and blue stepped aside from the door. Fengge Yu was unfamiliar with military protocol. He had no real military experience or how military bearing worked. However, he still remained professional and outgoing to the best of his abilities. It seemed to work as a civilian. There appeared to be no gripes that he at least knew about. The door slipped open, and Fengge stepped inside.

The CO’s galley was extravagant, to say the least. It was an officer’s mess room and a briefing room rolled into one. Two rows of tables with lavish chairs connected to each one. Display screens surrounded the bulkheads and furniture. A connected galley provided cooks the ability to craft their own meals for the officers. For Fengge, the room seemed like a hotel restaurant on some yacht.

Of course, it was the occupants of the room that described the scene perfectly. In all, there were at least twenty chairs. At least twelve of these chairs had been filled. Most of these were officers. They were dressed in blue and red with thin red pauldrons that flowed from the shoulders. The uniformity of attire was somewhat intimidating to Fengge, who was more used to the free flow of attire choices in a professional environment. The military seemed quite rigid in how they operated. All in all, at least eight human officers were present.

There was at least one marine that was in the room. He didn’t wear any jumpsuit but that of a marine sergeant’s uniform. He stood out a little bit in the crowd and looked mean. He had gray hair and a holstered gun on his right hip.

There were four Itreans that were present. Two of them were Yutilian women. Fengge was all too used to operating with them but didn’t personally know these two. They were shorter than the average human and had green-colored scales. One had black feathers that rode her arm, tail, and head. The other looked just like the other but had white feathers instead. Both of these “Captains” of the T’rintar battleship apparently worked together. They wore green, black, and white spandex-like uniforms that covered much of their bodies. Both of them took notice of the human wandering in. Their reptilian eyes scanned his clothing before they resumed their low chatter between them.

The other two Itreans were Shal’rein. One was dressed in white and red spandex that covered much of her body, fin-like frame, ears, arms, and tail. She had a grayish skin tone. Perhaps she was a medic. Fengge was unfamiliar with this individual. However, she sat not far from the other Shal’rein. This one, the paleontologist was familiar with. She had purple hair that covered one side of her face and eye. She also wore the blue and red officer’s jumpsuit uniform. She appeared to have attracted some of the wandering views of the other human officers. She was the captain of the UHN Lifen. Unlike the other Itreans, this particular individual was neatly composed. Her single working yellow shark-like eye conveyed her soul and demeanor. This was Shira, the first Itrean captain to command a UHN ship. Most likely, the other Shal’rein was a subordinate that worked with her. However, a human officer that Fengge also knew was present. Officer Javier sat next to Shira and took notice of Fengge’s arrival.

Javier nodded his head and waved him to have a seat by Shira. A big smile appeared on Fengge’s face as he knew that he had associates to work with. It didn’t take long for the paleontologist to wander over and have a seat next to the Shal’rein officer.

“Captain Shira, Javier, a pleasure to see you two,” Fengge addressed them. The towering Itrean reciprocated.

“Doctor Fengge,” Shira responded in a deep and calm voice. “It is good that you came.”

“I wouldn’t have missed this opportunity if both my legs were removed. This may become one of the greatest discoveries of all time,” he paused and put his hand to his chest. “Well ... I digress. Meeting the Itreans was no small moment, either. However, to know that there may be more Itreans out there than expected, I just simply can’t ignore it.”

“Your expertise will be greatly valued,” Shira commented. Her response was almost emotionless.

An odd set of looks came from the pair of Yutilians in the room. It was that of skepticism. His arrival and sitting next to the Shal’rein was what seemed to trigger it. While they remained quiet, they appeared to be sharing information with one another. They were scornful remarks as if Shira or Fengge had stirred them the wrong way. No ... Fengge recognized this as a more concentrated hatred towards Shira. The paleontologist only knew so much about Shira. However, it might have been possible that the animosity was focused on her and trickled onto him for being so nice to her. Shira never gave a glance to the two.

Finally, the Yutilian with black feathers leaned over and spoke in the Itrean language. Fengge was pretending to ignore them. Their chattering consisted of full words with clicks and chirps in them. The paleontologist finally had to say something.