As we are carried back towards what I assume will be a city, my metal hand pulls back the delicate fabric of the red drapes, observing the landscape as we go. There are many familiar yet altered species of plants and animals. The thing that is most notable to me is what seems to be a completely normal crab.

I guess everything really does evolve into crabs.

"Tell me your story," says Astra. "Why are you here? Why is your body made out of steel?"

"I'm not here for any particular reason. By the way, Kara called you a goddess earlier. What exactly did she mean?"

Astra appears offended by this question and lets out a furious squawk. "Surely you must be joking! Do you not know of the great Avor gods, born only when the Great Fire rises 10,000 times!?"

"She appears to be talking about the red dwarf, Ross-128, that the planet orbits," Franklin says. "I am nearly certain that her status as a 'goddess' extends only to her golden coloration as attributed by the recessive gene. However, I have had time to analyze the gene more thoroughly, and after numerous simulations, I have found something very intriguing. The gene also causes its host to be born with nearly double the bone density as their species usually has, which allows for not only greater durability and above average strength for their species, but their bodies also produce far more stem cells, which slows their aging down significantly. While I estimate a non-affected Avor lives for on average 100 years, these special golden variants could live for up to 1,300. Other than that, however, there seem to be no other qualifications for her classification as a 'goddess'."

That's a lot to take in. Should we name this gene, seeing as it's so important?

"Very well," says Franklin. "I will assign it symbol CHIP2 and send its data back to Earth."

Why are you sending its data to Earth?

"As part of your enrollment contract, you are required to transmit all valuable data you encounter back to Earth for further research and study."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Makes sense.

Astra seems to have calmed down. "Are you okay?" She asks.

"Yes, sorry," I reply, now aware that I was sitting in silence for almost 30 seconds while talking to Franklin. Reading the faces of Avors is tricky. The only thing they have in common with human faces is two eyes and a mouth.

"There has to be more to you than 'I'm just here to be here!' You dramatically fell out of the sky in a huge fireball!"

"Well, I suppose solving any issues the world is experiencing would be nice as well. But to answer your question, I really only came here to explore the universe."

She nods in understanding. "The other gods insist on telling their people that there is nothing beyond the sky," says Astra. "I feel differently, though. I believe that there are worlds beyond this one, with a vast sea of skarnma between them." I tilt my head, confused.

"Apologies for the confusion," says Franklin. "The word seems to have no direct translation, but Aether shares a close meaning. I will replace all future occurrences of skarnma with Aether."

Just like Descartes. So strange that so many things on a completely different world seem to be the same, or at least similar.

"I believe that, with the correct tools, we can cross these gaps and travel between worlds," says Astra. "That's part of the reason I brought you with me." Her face becomes solemn (I think) and she puts her head down in shame. "I know you owe me nothing, and I mean not to bother you, but I would greatly appreciate it if you helped us with our pursuit of this goal."

"Woah, there's no need to be so afraid to ask!" I reassure. She puts her head up, relieved. "I'd be happy to help. How long have you been working on it?" I ask.

"Around 300 years," she says. "I'm only 282 years old, but my mother started the project towards the end of her life. She had me 18 years later."

Holy shit!

"Not to say that the residents of this planet are not intelligent," says Franklin, "but it is highly unusual that their technology is still at the level that it is. Subsurface scans show that they have ancestors whose bones are over 15,000 years old. As of now, my only theory is that the neurons of the intelligent species of this planet have brains wired very differently than a human's brain. Taking into account the sheer variety of sapient life on Ross-128b, and ignoring last universal common ancestors, this would make humans at least 74.12% likely to be the most scientifically advanced species in the universe by far."

...What?