Page 31 of Alien's Eternal Mate

It was far more likely the Precursors were something akin to the Roman Empire on ancient Earth. They had a far -reaching effect on history and the development of galactic cultures, but then their empire collapsed.

The Romans were not Gods, and neither are the Precursors.

“Why have you never tried to make the Precursor ship fly?” I asked.

“I am not even a Sage, let alone an Engineer.”

I shook my head.

“No, I mean, why have the People never tried?”

Realization dawned in her lavender gaze.

“Oh. It has been tried, many times. The ship is in poor condition, and riddled with traps and tricks left behind by the Precursors, so that none could claim their power and knowledge.”

It makes sense the villagers would believe that. With no context, they could easily turn on thruster arrays, or enact force fields that suffocated would-be explorers.

Hope sprang anew in my chest, along with a burning curiosity. The ship was likely unspoiled, a treasure trove of knowledge and technology. Even if I could not find a way back to my body, the discoveries alone could keep me busy for a thousand lifetimes.

I shook my head, lips curling in an angry snarl.

No. I need to get back to my own body. What good is scientific discovery if I cannot claim credit and make patents on it?

“Are you all right, Gro?”

I came out of my reverie and nodded.

“I am well enough. I will away to the Sage trial now. I do not know how long it will take but I doubt it will last longer than one day.”

She frowned as I rose and headed for the exit. I didn’t know what else to say, so I departed. The red morning sun stretched long shadows out over the village. I looked around at the aliens in a new light, figuratively and literally.

They are not afraid of technology. They incorporate it into their daily lives in many ways. It is merely the fear of the unknown that drives them. If I can convince them that their fears are unfounded, they will embrace the new along with the familiar.

I laughed to myself. The aliens had no idea that I was actually going to improve their lives in the course of my quest. For some reason, that made me feel…something. Like the opposite of envy and spite. It seemed fitting somehow that I would provide some assistance to these people while they helped me get back to my own body.

I reached the Sage’s tower and found that Ignio had returned, and not alone. A half dozen brown-robed sages stood outside the doors, their gazes a mixture of fear and curiosity.

Ignio swallowed, then stepped toward me.

“Each of my fellows has an artifact. You must discover what at least three of them do?—”

I walked up to the closest robed Sage, a female with light blue skin. I took the long, ivory rod out of her hand and pressed the flared end.

A small beam of red light exuded from the end, prompting a gasp from the Sages.

“This is a spanner relay, meant to shunt plasma energy from one conduit to another, or perhaps to power a device.”

Ignio shook his head.

“You are wrong. That is a stylus for engraving.”

I turned it over in my hands and laughed.

“Yes, I suppose you could use it that way. Especially when you’ve clearly added on an ergonomic handle.”

I pried off the leather grip, revealing a knobby and awkward section beneath.

“See, this section snaps into the relay station. I bet you get about ten hours of use out of the ‘stylus’ before it quits working, right? That’s because it doesn’t have a battery or power source of its own, just residual energy.”

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