"After Roswell" by A.H. Roberts (top 100 books to read txt) 📕

If I focus hard enough, a small connection could pass to another in my world. But the distance would be tough. I'll just relax and consentrate to my abilities.
Last night cycle I could feel small vibrations on my cortex. It could be that a small connection made it to the home world. No way of knowing if I made any contact or who receive it? With the navigator probably dead, I throught of only one who would be listening, my lifeblood, my son. I'm sure its been some epochs since I've seen or heard from him. Hopefully he got my message. I should have expire my duties and settle on my home world for good. Making up lost time with my lifeblood. I've explored the cosmos for a long time, always returning to the same world, but new era in time. Strangely enough, this cycle by calculation is my one-thousandth life period. Stories I've told to many back home. Some about the encounters with deadly creatures. Which I've captured and intregated a handful of species into our society through domesticated breeding. So with a new cycle beginning and have lost some track of time in this alien world. Little intel provided on earlier examination of the dwelling. Viewing material or collective writings of these lifeforms could be helpful in understanding language, concepts, and other data. Maybe Koiras has something of that nature inside the dwelling? Got to find out more as its the only resource I have. When I'm outside, I realize every direction is the same for miles. My barons aren't enlign with this environment, the navigator is dead, and my technological hardware has cease operation. My insides tell me to reveal myself and convince this masculone to aid me in my departure from this world. Never know? I might make a conscript assistant out of him and he'll join me on the rescue ship. Secondary objective is becoming a possibility?


Chapter 2
"First Encounter"


While sleeping in his quarters. I secretly enter his dwelling. Looking for any intel I could use to get a map on the territory I'm stranded in. Need to locate useful technology and reach operational capability. As I enter the dwelling, the smell of food rises my feeling of hunger. Absent substances in my solar plexus is turning against me. My nasal passages pick up a scent behind me. On the heating element machine is a pot with a top over it. I take the top off. It reveals seeds smothered in liquid. My handful of the substance feels strange. But similar to what I've tried before. Can't be any worse then the other things I've consume? In my mouth the food taste bland but it starts to develop a taste. Toleration builds through my mind and the solar plexus eases up. Up above the heating element. More food rations exist in storage boxes hung to the wall. I open a hatch and pile more food into my plexus. Not even caring or tasting before I eat it. Its becoming addictive in the process, causing crumbs to gather below my feeding. I clean up the evidence and proceed as planned. While leaving the "food preparation room", a papery material lies on the ground near my foot coverings. I pick up and scan the material as writing appears on the papery object. (Translation not recognize) But the writing looks familar? Visitors to our world share information about other uncharted worlds in exchange for trade or resources. I've came across this language before. But unable to remember what it could mean or say? Analyzation process encodes the language for further research later. I require the language to understand everything about their culture. A sense rises in my mind as I hear steps coming from above and prepare for Koiras to come down. A better close-up examination is important. Usually weaknesses are expose the closer you move toward a target. But for this one. I respect a wise distance. Can't risk alerted Koiras at this time. I watch as Koiras barely makes it downstairs. Pain is apparent on his body's frame. He has the physique of a lifeform who has been abused over the years. For his age appearance. Those task he tends to could have cause those marks. His bones look frail and worn down. Even his face has suffer some abuse. Time has most certainly work against him as he resembles a creature living on its last energy. With his back turn, I get closer. Unusual, as I begin to note his next behavior.
He finally reaches the end of the stairs picking up empty bottles, tapping the end to taste any substance left behind. It appears nothing is available. He starts to look through some discarded items. Throwing the objects behind him. He shows expression for what he was looking for and shows relief that he found it. I carefully note in my mind the movements of the masculone. Looks like an intelligent lifeform? But the way he is acting. Its not that easy to believe any complex brain resides within. He takes the glass cylinder-shaped object filled with a brown substance and he puts it to his lips. Taking huge gulps, nearly finishing the bottle. He begins shaking his head from the toxic consumption. He waits and takes another drink while reaching into his pockets for something. He pulls out a small pack. He removes a slender object out, about the size of my finger. With the slender object securely placed between his lips, he lights-up the object. He starts to inhale the burning material. He exhales smoke and feels relax. Temperature readings indicate somekind of stress relief. Also, the readings detect discomfort, causing physical and mental complications. He covers his mouth and begins to cough violently. Some particles of blood stain his hand. Coming to the conclusion he is sick. Some disease has infected his body. He has nobody to take care of him. Being alone with no help can make the most experience explorer lose his state of mind. I should give this individual my medical treatments. It could improve his health somewhat? With careful aim I release a biotic dart into his leg. Too small for his eyes, keeping him from tampering with it. Should help him sleep better tonight. Our scientist and medical technicians have rid are planet of harmful microbial life. We've been living in a ninety-eight percent clean environment. No major outbreak or disease in over thousand years. The scans in his dwelling are infested with pathogeans and those creatures I discovered earlier. I see him go back up level and fall into his bed, meaning the alcohol has taken effect. So I goad through some data and intel. Huge amounts of input containing useful information. Some have historical value and depict their past cultures. I view and scan with great admiration in learning new material to share with my species. l leaned toward a stack of viewing material and spot something important. A glossary of words matching accordance with their language. I put the material into my pack for further analysis later. Gandering into some more of Koiras's collective writings I find material of untrue stories. At least by my observation. Imagitive minds these lifeforms have. How their intelligence strives for more better future. But they have much to learn.
I examine more material and reveals maps to other far off regions. More material reveals information on their art, important figures, and historical events. I piece together some other data to what I've learned and it tells me I'm not too far from other regions. A more populated area lies just north of this location. I think? Viewing the map still leaves me no clue of name or actual information of this location. So I pack everything for further research. With careful approach I climb up onto a case filled with other material. I stretch to grab something high out of reach. I step one leg up on the edge to gain reach for the material I want. The edge gives way making all the materials crash to the floor. Noise alerts Koiras from his sleeping quarters down to my position. I hide behind some clutter to avoid detection. His head moves from side to side trying to find whose responsible for the mess. I think he has spotted me staring hard near my direction. He creeps forward with my eyes locked to his. I take the chance to escape out the glass port behind me. He comes close and I quickly jump through the port concealing my direction from Koiras. Koiras runs outside with weapon in hand looking for my trail. But he is confused on which way I took. He then steadly goes back into his dwelling, looking behind him as he closes the door. My hearts are racing as I almost gave myself away and the mission might have failed from that point. Being in his condition I'm positive he didn't get a detailed description. Glad my mind work fast to escape in that corner position. No matter what, I still have made myself aware to his knowlegde. I fear the location I've established here. It might be his next stop to investigate who was in his domicile. Just got here and I'm already risking mission because of my curious nature. Bad idea to set-up base near his dwelling with knowing the risk. My insides are tight, making me unable to breathe normally. A rush of panic comes to my awareness that has been hidden inside me. Don't remember a time I felt like this before? With the masculone gone from sight I run back to my base-camp. Too much to handle at this moment not knowing what to do next. Taking my blaster from the holster I put the setting on low. He isn't a huge danger but might need to take him down to protect myself. Through the night I remain locked on the door, not taking my eyes from that direction. Most in my position would have kept running. I ignore the old instinct not wanting to get lost in this unfamilar world. Also my equipment is still here. Don't want my technology falling into wrong hands. Even with my skill and experience the long hours is taking its toll. Eating and gorging on the food source is making me tired. Need to catch thirty winks to prepare for a plan.
Light floods my eyes and it quickly wakes me. Not knowing I even fell asleep, my weapon comes out, pointing at nothing. I was completly exposed and didn't seal up the quarters. I regain vision looking out the glass portal. Koiras is outside heading near the structure. I lock the entrance, placing a temporary seal around the hatch. I start throwing the dried-up material over my equipment. So to mask the set-up inside. Coming infront of the door he can't open or break the seal and seems puzzled of how it could be. He returns back to the dwelling. I'm sure he'll return with a alternative to get in. One reason to return it does belong to him and suspects something inside. My seal won't hold up for long. Even the most simple tools he'll find a way to break through and find me for sure. I look from top to bottom and left to right. Which dawns to me how time and space work around here. Concepts of light and dark emerges a pattern I begin to calculate for my understanding. Just as I throught he returns, only this time he is gripping onto a sharp edge object. Its attach to a sturdy wood handle meant for cropping up material. He runs with a striking force at the entrance. The seal continues to hold. Several more crops and soon stress builds up. A couple more forced blows to the entrance and the insides become exposed. He peers