The Watcher in the Dark

A large rocky shelled organism drifted in the void. Its master's had departed leaving it floating in the deep cold dark of space, but it wasn't alone. A young yellow star blazed balefully in the far distance. The organism watched with its ocular organs, using a set of complex muscles it moved the internals of its stony shelled around, magnifying the surface of its distant target.

The small gray ball of hot rock and steam floated through the dark, orbiting that single golden sphere. There was nothing on the surface, no signals to intercept. The organism's duty was simply to observe, as there was nothing yet to observe, the organism closed its eye and slept.

The organism woke some time later, it did not have a concept of how much time had passed, simply that it had. The gray ball was gone, or rather, it had changed in the organism’s absence. Focusing in on its target once more, the observer zoomed in on the planet's blue surface. The single world ocean was deep and empty, nothing alive in its depths that the observer could see. But it knew deep in its mind that there was life on the world, life planted there by its masters in the planet's infancy. It would need to keep a close eye on this world, water worlds always surprised in their results. The organism closed its eye and went to sleep again.

Eons passed and the world turned in silence, occasionally lit by the bright flash of impacts, for time beyond reckoning nothing changed on the surface. All the time the observer watched, looking for the sign it knew its masters desired. The hunger to please its masters was the organisms only genetic imperative. The organism could survive off sunlight and raw elements, these elements were abundant in the belt of cosmic debris it inhabited.

Time passed and the world changed. The observer watched as hot volcanic rock burst from the oceans forming the first land, over time expanding into vast dead plateaus of dark black stone. It saw the oceans turn black and foul, this lasted for a time but the oceans eventually cleared. It watched as the skies of the planet slowly turned blue as the thriving life in the oceans formed oxygen. It watched intently as the oxygen slowly formed a layer of Ozone that protected the land from the deadly radiation of deep space. The organism didn't worry about such things, its hard rocky shell protected its soft internals from harm. It went to sleep once more to pass the time in hibernation.

The organism woke once more but looked to the planet with a feeling of muted excitement. Where once there had been but barren gray stone, there was now green. The organism once more looked intently at the planet, its optical organs sensitive enough to make out small details on the surface even from its distant vantage point. It observed small plants and insects, but little of true note. Disappointed but undeterred, the observer slumbered once more.

The organism woke and saw a large landmass, its supercontinent blanketed in greenery and an overabundance of life. This was pleasing to the organism and it extended a series of antennae to search for the signals its masters desired above all else. There was nothing, the world was silent. This was confusing to the organism. Normally the signals would proceed quickly.

Looking back through its memory it located the evidence of the seeming lack of progress. The observer found evidence of massive glaciation that blanketed the surface of the world, killing more than half of all its life and setting it back tens of millions of years. This was an issue but not uncommon. It was inevitable that some worlds would take longer to reach maturity. It was as its masters had decreed, and it was inevitable. The organism retracted its antennae and fell back into the bleak oblivion of its hibernation.

The organism woke once more, this time in frustration. Life on the world it was to observe was stubborn and hardy as to be expected from the genetic descendancy of its masters. But it had once more been set back. A comet impact coupled with rising volcanism in the world's blue oceans had led to the mass die-off of large portions of the world's biodiversity. While much less common than a single setback, this was also to be expected. While a third such set back would be very unlikely, the observer began to fear in its core that the world was cursed. It watched life struggling for a time before returning to its slumber. Its semi-dreams full of disappointment and scenes of fire and death.

The organism awoke to see the world burning. A volcanic eruption of absolutely titanic proportions was tearing the planet apart. The organism closed its eye in disbelief, no planet could take that kind of punishment and survive, it began to give up hope. Its mission was over, it had failed its masters. It felt sorrow for the first time in its eons long existence, it had no wish to see these hardy creatures destroyed. They had come so far, only to be snuffed out like a flame in water. The organism zoomed its eye in on the surface of the world and stopped. No, it couldn't be. There was still life on the surface, clinging to the sides of cliffs and along the shores of toxic lakes, but it was still life. A new emotion manifested in the core of the being, hope. It stopped, its internals seizing in surprise. The observer had never been intended to feel such things, it had been told these self indulgent emotions were vile and unnatural. But it felt good, the organism’s internals squirmed slightly as it relished the feeling.

Once more it turned its eyes upon the world, the blue of its oceans stained crimson with oxidized metals, its once verdant land now burned black and ashen. But there was still hope, hope that life on this tenacious little world would pull through against all odds and survive. The observer decided that it would go back to sleep and hope that when it woke, things would have changed for the better.

The observer was jubilant. It had done the impossible. The planet was verdant once more. The end had not come and the observer could fulfill its duty to its masters. This gave the entity pause. Its duty, its mission. Surely that was its main priority at this point, it was the reason the organism had been created after all. But the more the observer thought about it the more it seemed to sway away from the idea. It knew its masters were cold and passionless, would they destroy this world like they had so many others, could they in good conscience let that happen after the struggle that its inhabitants had been through? And that's when the organism realized it had been sitting waiting so long it had outgrown its mission. They had been observing the world almost twice as long as they had ever been expected to, they had been aware for more time than they had been designed for. Maybe they were becoming something more, just like the planet they had been so curiously observing. The entity made a decision, it would not contact its masters, it couldn't. This world was special, it must be protected, at all costs. Thinking this final thought the organism settled back into hibernation, awaiting the moment they could see the fruit of their protection.

With a cold wave of fear the observer awoke again, this time it took it a few moments to realize what was happening, and when it did it lamented. The world was burning once more, how was this even possible. A large comet had struck the planet and caused an upwelling of magma to burst. The resulting super volcano blanketed the world in stinging ash and acidic waste. The organism tried to penetrate the thick noxious cloud cover, but the dust was too thick. Surely nothing could survive such destruction. Not only the fires, but the darkness and cold, the acid rains and earthquakes. All these followed up by a heavy increase in warming gasses that would drastically alter the climate of the entire world.

After a time the clouds began to settle and the rains ceased. The world left was a charred, freezing hell, devoid of most large life but still miraculously not dead. The observer was in disbelief, throughout all the uncounted millions of years its masters had hunted in the darkness, they had never seen a world destroyed so many times. And yet the world lived, its life seemingly indestructible. The organism would have smiled if it was able, these creatures would be special. They would be like nothing the universe had ever seen. The organism slumbered again, confident that the next time it awoke, its friends would be there to greet them.

The organism awoke after a length of time, it was confused, it hadn't been that long since it had last awoken, less than half a million revolutions of the planet around its star. It wondered for a moment what had stirred it from its slumber, as it looked to the planet expecting to see the same verdant landscape as before, its eye almost burst from its socket. There were shimmering structures across the width and breadth of the planet. There were structures on the moon, there were even structures on the fourth planet, its rust colored surface marred by the shining of metallic domes. It was incredible, it had taken them longer to get to this point than any other the observer had ever known of, but when it had, it had progressed faster than they would have ever believed possible.

The entity nearly died of shock as it detected a warp rift approaching. But the signature was not that of its masters, but rather strange and unfamiliar. It watched in fascination as a gleaming metal object exited its warped bubble and made its way to the planet. It was too incredible, but they had discovered its master's tech long before it should have been possible. These creatures were indeed special, the organism made a mental note to keep an eye out for dangerous warp signals and settled down to observe.

The organism unfurled its solar collector membranes and basked, raising its energy level to maximum for the first time in its long life. It would need it if it was to activate all its internal components. First it observed the creatures as they moved and played, they seemed limitlessly curious and could solve any problem they encountered. They had harnessed fire, then the atom, and now the very fabric of space itself was their plaything. They moved around frantically, seemingly in a rush. The organism was saddened to see the shortness of their lives, but it gladdened them to know that they seemed to find joy in it all the same.

The observer delighted in their activities, they were so industrious. First colonizing the inner system, and then flinging themselves to the outer system as if in desperation. The organism was still mainly concealed, from a distance they looked like any other asteroid in the deep of space. They debated whether it was any benefit to remaining hidden, mustering their courage, another new emotion for them, they decided to take the leap. Extending their broadcasting antenna and warming up their radio organ, they started to broadcast a signal that their charges wouldn't be able to resist.

**********

Captain Yulan of the CMS Durango stood on the main command deck with his arms crossed behind his back. It was good to be protecting the homeworld, Yulan wasnt from Earth himself, but rather a small colony world near the fringes of the Union. With the escalating tensions between Humanity and the recently discovered Vinarfel, now was the time to remain vigilant. He would not be found wanting when the time came to shed blood.

Yulan was interrupted out of his thoughts by a female voice calling to him from the other side of the command bridge.

"Uh, Captain Yulan, we have an unidentified signal coming from deep in the asteroid belt." His first mate Ensign Simmons called to him.

Yulan turned to the brown haired woman and asked "Yeah? What is the problem?"

She looked at her chart and then back to him and said "Well, first of all, there isn't anything out there, no ships or stations."

He shook his head and walked towards her across the slightly textured flooring. "Okay, so some unregistered miner or prospector? Maybe a rogue satellite?" He finished with a wave of his hand.

She shook her head and said "That's what I thought too, until I saw the message. Look, what do you make of this?” She asked him while gesturing at her small screen. She leaned to the side in her chair as he approached so he could get a clearer look.

Yulan looked at her screen and then leaned closer, he looked at Simmons and then back to the screen before reading aloud “Creatures of the third planet, I have watched since time immemorial and believe you have grown enough to know the truth of things. Meet with me and I will bestow the truth upon you.” He stopped and then sat down on the seat next to her station.

She just looked at him and asked “What do we do?”

He shook his head. What was this, some sort of elaborate prank? But what if it wasn't, what if there was something out there, something ancient.

Yulan noticed Simmons staring at him and he shook his head slightly before passing his hands over his face. Looking at his second he asked “Who else has seen this?”

She looked around and lowered her voice before saying “Nobody else, and we are the closest ship by far. We likely have a few hours before anyone else picks up the message, we should send a coded message to the fleetbase at Mars. Let them know we are investigating.” He nodded as she finished. It was a good idea.

“Sounds good, do it. In the meantime, set a course for the signal’s origin. We will get to the bottom of this one way or another." He said with slightly more confidence than he was actually feeling.

He turned from Simmons's console and walked along the textured walkway back to his earlier position. His wrist pad beeped as she sent the new telemetry data to him and he saw that their target was in the asteroid belt, in an area where there were no listed ships or stations of any kind. He frowned as he looked at records of the area.

The asteroid belt had been exhaustively mapped in the years since Humanity had left their cradle, but it was far from complete. The billions of floating rocks ranged from pebbles to small proto moons, and they were spread over a truly astronomical distance. He looked at the location of the signal and frowned. The only thing in the vicinity was a medium sized asteroid designated Salus, after some ancient deity. He snorted at that, people in the past had been so superstitious. He wasn't much of a historian, but he racked his brains for the meaning of the reference for a few moments before giving up.

They were only a few minutes' jump from the signal's source and the ship's lights began to flash yellow in general alert as the warp drive began to charge. The timer reached zero and he jolted slightly as the very air seemed to squeeze him till he was smaller than an atom. The strange feeling passed quickly and he stood straight as they tore through space at nearly twelve hundred times the speed of light.

The CMS Durango was a military ship with the latest in weapons and warp technology. With their new engine, they could go nearly four times faster than Humanities first faster than light starship, the mythic Leif Erikson.

Minutes later Yulan felt his body compress to infinitely small dimensions before the ship dropped back to regular space. Blinking rapidly to clear his misty vision, Yulan called to Simmons "Simmons, what's the status on the signal origin?" He asked her from his position.

He looked out the main window port as she answered "The signal origin is straight ahead, only a few hundred kilometers away. But I don't have anything on scope except a few asteroids. I don't understand Captain." She finished, confused.

He cursed under his breath. "This whole thing must be some kind of elaborate prank. I swear to the god, when we find this punk I'll…" he started but was interrupted by Simmons exclaiming excitedly.

"Sir, Captain, we are being messaged again, tight beam. It's coming from… that asteroid. Wait…" she said.

He walked to her console and tried to ignore the looks he was getting from a few of the nearby crew who were now starting to realize something was going on.

One of the other crew raised a hand to get his attention but he waved them away before focusing back on the console Simmons sat at.

He watched as the new message appeared, text scrolled across the screen. "Creatures of the third world, I mean you no harm. Please approach peacefully and I will reveal myself to you. Do not be alarmed, I am not like you."

Yulan widened his eyes and looked at Simmons before he breathed out saying "Get Chief Tandy up here. She needs to be here just in case."

Simmons nodded and sent off the message. Yulan turned from the console and looked at the main viewscreen, the image of a few pinpricks of light was all they could see of their target from this distance. But if the transmissions were accurate, somewhere in that small field of frozen rocks was the answers to the universe.

**********

It took a half an hour for Chief Tandy to finish up on the watch deck and make her way onto the main bridge. When she had arrived Yulan shook her hand and explained what they knew so far to her.

"So we don't know anything?" She asked him incredulously.

Yulan glanced at Simmons and said slowly "Not exactly, but we think it may be some sort of extraterrestrial contact. The problem is, there is nothing there, just a couple of old asteroids. That big one has been under observation for over three hundred years, and the smaller ones are too small to be anything else but rocks." He finished with a sigh.

Tandy flicked her long sinuous tail and then tapped the screen with one of her long fingers. "This signal said it had been watching since a long time ago right?" Tandy paused as he and Simmons nodded. Continuing, she asked "What if you aren't detecting a ship because it isn't one, what if it's coming from one of the asteroids?" She finished. Yulan was silent, it was impossible.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Finally it was Simmons who broke the silence. "But, of the asteroids in the vicinity only one is large enough to house anything, and it's been there for centuries. Why would they decide to make a move now?" She questioned.

Yulan looked towards Tandy, her violet eyes flicked to his and he said "Maybe it was waiting for us to make contact with other aliens to see how we would react before revealing itself?"

Tandy wasn't Human, she was a species called the Nerivith. Tall and with pink or rose colored skin, they had horns and tails but were generally humanoid. At the moment he watched her raise a four fingered hand and scratch her horns idly.

Tandy replied slowly "I guess that could make sense. Though why did they wait so long to finally contact us?"

Yulan shook his head, not having a good answer he decided to remain silent.

Simmons asked "Why don't we approach the asteroid and see for ourselves. We could send a message saying that we mean no harm. Couldn't hurt right?" She said politely.

Tandy shrugged and looked at him, Yulan sighed and said "I suppose they don't really need an introduction if they have been watching us like they said. Though I wouldn't mind knowing more about these mysterious individuals before we meet." He grumbled.

Simmons said "Okay then, I'll send the message, Tandy keep an eye on the scopes. We don't want anything sneaking up on us. Yulan, you should tell the crew what to expect." She said to him suddenly, her dark purple eyes looking into his unwaveringly.

He nodded and walked to his command chair. He sat in the comfortable seat and pulled up the internal communications panel before pressing the intercom button. A small alert noise sounded through the ship, notifying the crew that they were about to receive important information.

Yulan cleared his throat before he began and said "This is Captain Yulan, approximately forty-seven minutes ago we received an unknown transmission from inside our own solar system. This unknown signal appears to be extraterrestrial in origin, but in the event it is a trap of some kind, we need to be prepared. Please report to minimum alert stations." And with his statement he activated the yellow alert.

The lights on the walls flashed a dull yellow and a klaxon could be heard before it cut off moments later. The sound of running feet was heard a little later and a few additional crew scurried onto the bridge, a mix of Humans and Nerivith as well as a single Swanith. The small, feathered alien hopped up onto their seat with a bird-like movement.

With everything in place and the crew now alerted to any potential danger, Yulan motioned for Simmons to proceed. She nodded and sent out a tightbeam communication to the largest asteroid. Yulan waited, the asteroid was some distance away still, but he could make out its surface through the telescope image. It seemed a bit fuzzy though, as if there was some sort of dust or haze in the way.

Putting the strange phenomenon out of his mind he sat tight and waited for something, anything, to happen.

After what felt like an hour of waiting the receiver detected an incoming message. He sat up with a jolt and straightened his uniform before opening the communications board on his console.

As Yulan read over the message his eyes widened, it seemed like the asteroid was indeed the source of the message. As to why it had taken so long to respond it mentioned that it didn't really have a lot of experience communicating and was a bit nervous. He chuckled at the thought, shy aliens, who would have guessed.

The message said that they were welcome to approach in peace as they put it. The messenger described themselves as The Watcher and warned that their appearance may be shocking to them.

Yulan wasn't sure what to make of that last part of the message, in all honesty this entire situation was a bit shocking to him. He wasn't sure what was stranger, the fact that there might be an alien observer living in their home system, or the fact that it might have been there for ages.

He waved to Tandy and the Nerivith woman made her way over to him. "What do you need, Captain?" Was all she asked as she stopped next to him.

He pointed at the message and asked "You no doubt read this on Simmons's console, what do you make of it? Do you think it's some sort of trap?" He asked her concernedly.

Tandy glanced over her shoulder and then back to him. She asked "Permission to speak freely, Captain?"

Yulan nodded quickly. "Of course Tandy, always." He sometimes forgot the more brutally regimented way the Nerivith were used to doing things. In comparison, Human discipline was incredibly lax to the point of casualness.

Chief Tandy spoke up saying "I don't like this at all sir, we are out in the middle of nowhere with no backup anywhere nearby. If something goes wrong we are alone." She finished.

"Noted. But think of what this could mean for, well, everything." He replied with enthusiasm. "There is the potential to make an incredible discovery." He said while gesturing towards the latest transmission.

She just sat silently, her sinuous tail lashing slightly as her inner turmoil played out. Finally, she spoke out curiously, "You and Simmons outrank me, why ask my opinion at all?"

He looked up at the slightly curved ceiling of the bridge and then back to her as he let out a breath and said "It's because you aren't Human, this thing has obviously been observing us, the fact it knows our language is testament to that. The fact remains however that it has only been observing Earth, if it's to be believed. I think your unique perspective and the fact you are not Human will help us to glean our mysterious messenger's true motives." He looked into her violet eyes as she nodded.

She said quietly "I understand, I believe. You want to make sure that this being is truly benign, and not trying to pull some sort of trick." He nodded at her comment and she said "Well, then I see no real reason not to proceed."

Yulan looked over towards Simmons and nodded to her. She sent a message that the ship was ready to make the approach and he gave her the all clear. It was time to see just what their mysterious friend had in store.

***********

The Observer was hesitant. The creatures had heard their message and had approached in a ship made of alloy torn from the ground of their home world. They seemed to be willing to meet with them peacefully, but the observer detected weapons on their vessel. Not very surprising considering how they had fought tooth and nail to claw themselves out of their planet's gravity well.

Their latest message had implied that they would be on their way soon, but they still sat, unmoving. Just as they were debating whether or not to send another comforting message, the ship began to move.

The observer watched warily with some of its secondary ocular organs, the ship showing as a bright pinprick in the background of space at this distance. It slowly grew and gained definition until the observer could start to make out individual details on the surface of the ship.

The organism contracted some of its muscles and did its best to hide inside itself, it didn't want to overwhelm these beings with its full presence. It knew of the things they called eldritch horrors and knew it must bear a striking resemblance to these interdimensional fictions.

As the ship neared them they fluttered their solar collecting membranes and then began to retract them into their protective sheaths. It wouldn't do for the fragile membranes to become damaged in an accident.

The ship was very close now and it began to slow to a stop. As it did it sent another message to them, this time accompanied with the message was a more complex information stream. An image.

The image of a strange creature manifested in the depths of the organism's mind. The creature was odd, it only had two legs and two manipulator appendages with five smaller digits each. The creature's main sensory organs were all located on a strange protuberance on the top of its body. They assumed that it made more sense in the gravity well of a planet as in space such an arrangement would be quite useless.

The creature introduced itself with a sound that they had not heard before, they didn't understand its meaning and asked "I must ask what the meaning of the word Yulan is, its meaning is unfamiliar to me."

The creature stopped and cocked its sensory appendage, it seemed to be at a loss for words. Maybe it had taken offense at the question. Before the observer had an opportunity to apologize the creature from the lucky planet spoke "Yulan? It's my name. You know?"

The entity was dumbfounded, it had a name, a sound that it used to identify itself? It made so much sense now. "Oh, I had heard these names before, but was until now uncertain as to the absolute meaning of them. Sometimes they seem to have multiple meanings, like the name April for example." The observer told Yulan.

Yulan's image seemed to think it over before they spoke again saying "Ok, I guess that makes sense. Now I have a question for you, er, I suppose you don't have a name then?" They asked them.

They searched their mind for an answer but had none. "I have never been given a name no… and you may ask your question." The observer stated to the creature on the metal ship.

The image of the creature named Yulan seemed to waver slightly before the figure asked “What are you, and how are you communicating from an asteroid?”

The organism mulled the questions over and tried to simplify it by saying “I was left here as an observer by my masters to report on your evolutionary status. I have since rescinded my original mission and decided to reveal myself to you. As for how I am communicating, I am sending your vessel a series of radio signals it will then translate into recognisable speech.” they said without embellishment.

The figure named Yulan seemed to be at a loss for words as they looked to their side a few times before replying “I think I understand. Are you alive though?”

The observer tensed slightly, they might have thought they were a robotic organism, but what was life but organic robotics? Preparing for anything, they decided to introduce themselves formally. “I am alive, please do not be alarmed, but I will show myself to you if you wish.” The image of the creature seemed to be surprised and their two eyes widened as the observer unfurled their solar membranes and stabilization tendrils.

The creature took a step back before shaking their main sensory appendage and saying “Well, that's not really what I was expecting I guess…”

**********

Yulan took a step back in shock as the asteroid began to change. Camouflage openings all over its surface opened and fleshy tendrils slithered out. He watched as two larger openings to the sides of the rock opened and large almost opaque sheets of material unfurled from the depths of them. What caused him the most consternation however was the front of the asteroid shifting and a single huge eye opening up on its surface. His blood ran cold and he shuddered as that single massive orb shifted and focused on the CMS Durango.

“Holy shit!” one of the other crew on the bridge exclaimed.

“Chief, What is that thing?” One of the crew asked the Watch Chief. Tandy shook her head in disbelief and then looked at him, but he just shook his head and remained silent.

The message was not from an asteroid base or ancient probe it seemed, but an actual living organism that was able to survive in the total void of space somehow. While this normally would have been a shock, he remembered the time he had seen a pod of Glimmer Drorn’s on a system patrol in one of the outer colonies. Life in the void was possible, and he had seen it before, so why should this be any different. Maybe it was the fact that this thing was in the Sol system, the birthplace of Humanity, that set his instincts on edge.

He cleared his throat and stared at the single dark orb of the horror as it focused on the ship. It could not see him directly, but he had been broadcasting a picture feed to the rock thinking it was some sort of base. Raising a hand and holding up three fingers he asked the thing “Sorry, you are just different from what I was expecting… can, can you see me? If so, how many fingers am I holding up?”

The message came back promptly and said “What a strange question, if by fingers you mean the small manipulating digits on the ends of your tactile graspers, then you seem to be holding three of them upwards.”

Yulan stood still for a moment before another Idea surfaced in his mind. "You have been watching us, Humanity, for a long time right?" He said to the large fleshy asteroid. "Did you know that we have contacted other alien races?" He waited for a response with bated breath.

A minute later the Fleshtroid replied with "It had been assumed so yes, these other races are not my priority however, just Humanity as you call yourselves. Should my masters discover you, all you have built would surely be lost." This made him frown and he looked over to Tandy and Simmons.

Waving them over he said "Well, let me introduce you to another of my kind and a member of another race." As they walked into the area where he was standing he watched the tendrils on the fleshtroid recoil as if the thing was surprised.

The message from the rock this time came quickly. "The creature to your left is of a similar biological ancestry to you, possibly another of the same species, a sub species perhaps? But the other, the one with the skin of near red, they are one of these other races?" The thing asked.

The massive eye of the rock seemed to focus more heavily on their ship and then relaxed a moment later as if it were trying to peer through the hull of the ship itself.

Tandy raised a hand and waved, never shy to make an impression, the Nerivith female said "Hey there big goop ball, my name is Tandy. And yes I'm not from around here, I hope that's not a problem." She flicked Yulan in the side with her tail as if asking for him to input.

He cleared his throat suddenly and said "Errr, if I may ask. You don't have a name, but the asteroid you are imitating has a formal designation in our records, may we call you by that designation?"

A message scrolled across the screen shortly later that said "Yes indeed. I would be honored to be given a title by such tenacious creatures. After the third mass extinction I was sure your planet would remain sterile forever. It pleases me to see how far you have come."

Tandy looked confused and Simmons's eyes widened as she blurted "The third… wait. Just how long have you been observing us?"

Yulan glanced at her but did not reprimand her for her outburst, he had been wondering the same thing himself. He waited patiently for the response, and when it came it made his heart freeze.

"I have been observing your world since the very beginning, since my masters first seeded life on its surface. Over the billions of years since, I have grown fond of you and your impossible nature. No other world I have knowledge of has ever witnessed so many calamities and survived, let alone flourished into such a powerful species. Please tell me, what is to be my name?" The thing asked.

Yulan had to rack his brain for the information as it was spinning with the new revelations he had just received. "Your name… we designated you Salus."

He watched as the message went silent for a long while. Finally Salus replied. "Salus. It seems fitting does it not. It remains, I am here, I am willing to offer my knowledge of the masters freely. Please allow me to help you as you have helped me."

Yulan looked at the image of Salus on the screen and then to Tandy and Simmons. "I think we are going to need to call for backup." He said as they nodded.

**********

Iteen Mareliath was nervous. Not only was it her first time off of Ho’the’rell, the homeworld of the Atraxses, but it was to travel to the Sol system. This was the birthplace of Humanity, the ones who gave them the stars.

Iteen stood from her seat as the shuttle docked with the large space station free floating deep in the first asteroid belt of the Sol system. The lights in the small passenger bay flickered slightly and she grimaced. She wasn't much of an explorer and liked to keep her knuckles firmly on the ice. As she moved to the door she was accompanied by a burly looking Human male in security armour. She might have outmassed the large Human by a good thirty kilograms, but she knew he could kill her in a heartbeat if she were to become a threat. She would never dream of injuring another sentient being though, Humans and their brutal paranoia.

She knew very little of the reason she was here, only that she was an expert on xenobiology and apparently a leader in the field. The Union government had approached her and asked for her cooperation and total silence on the matter. She was intrigued enough to agree, but now was regretting the decision.

The security guard led her through a long and plain metal corridor to somewhere that had to be a good two hundred meters inside the station before opening a recessed door and gesturing for her to enter.

Iteen entered the small room and the first thing she noticed was the people seated around the table. There was a delegate of every species in the Union at the table, even an old looking Vinarfel female, her carapace dull from age and her antenna crooked. There was a Skorp drone, their jet black carapace gleaming like polished onyx and their bright eyes shining. A Swanith sat across from where she was standing, the small avian apparently a female by the jet black mane of feathers on the back of her head and neck, these feathers stood up in slight surprise as Iteen thumped into the room and looked around. She saw a man in a Union intelligence officer’s uniform who gestured to the chair next to a tall Nerivith female with impressive swept back horns.

As Iteen took her seat she and the others' attention was drawn by the man at the head of the table. He stood and said “Now you are all probably wondering why you are here. Well, get ready for a shock, but we aren't alone in the galaxy.” he finished with a raised eyebrow.

The Nerivith female laughed melodiously and said “You must be joking Commander, surely we didn't get dragged all this way for your Human humor?”

Iteen nodded along with several of the others around the table and the man smiled. “Indeed. All humor aside, what I'm about to show you is to be considered beyond top secret. It is possibly the biggest secret of the entire SCU. Twelve years ago a small system patrol vessel was making a routine inspection of the inner system when they received a strange message. As they followed up on the message they uncovered a disturbing truth. But I must warn you, this truth is not for the faint of heart, if any of you lack total single minded dedication to science then I urge you to leave now.” the man finished ominously.

Iteen shifted nervously in her seat, she knew Humans to be dramatic creatures, but this man's dire warning struck her as a different caliber entirely. She remained seated however as did the rest of the room. The man nodded and turned towards the large wall behind him, he motioned for something and the wall began to open.

“Behold, the greatest kept secret of the Union, I introduce you to Salus.” the man said as the wall transitioned into a large viewing window.

Iteen stood so fast her chair went flying backwards, but she paid it no mind. She was struggling to understand what she was seeing. It looked like a large asteroid with some sort of growths all over it, until it looked at her.

Iteen flinched back in fear as a titanic eye at least ten meters across opened and gazed into the small room. She suddenly realized that the entire thing was a single entity, larger than the largest creatures ever discovered on any planet to date. She swallowed heavily and noticed similar reactions from the others in the room, good, she hadn't been the only one in the dark.

As she observed the creature called Salus she noticed that a message had appeared on the viewing window. She shivered instinctively as she read it.

The message read “I apologize for any alarm I may have caused you. My name is Salus, the watcher in the dark. I hope that we can all be friends. I have much to teach you of the masters and their plan. We have only a short thousand years to prepare for their return, they are coming.”

End of Story