Chapter 19  - by EvelynHail

Following the Gray with xeir eyes, Sanju heavily pondered the meaning of a film studio, xeir mind racing with infinite possibilities.

"What is a film studio doing here?" xe asked.

The slender-framed person tilted his triangular head. "Earth. History."

"Are you saying that..." Sanju measured xeir next words carefully... "somewhere in this outpost, there is information about the history of the planet Earth?" Xeir skin pigmentation shifted from purple to orange in annoyance.

"Earth. History." The Gray being repeated slowly and patiently, accentuating every syllable, as if xe, Sanju, was the slow, poorly-articulate plork.

"It's fascinating." Hana could not hide the wonder and admiration in her voice as she placed her hands on her belly. "Can you imagine, Sanju? Such a creative haven. A film studio. A place where stories come to life through the magic of moving images. The art of storytelling: capturing the essence of Human experience through the eons. If their film crew filmed on Earth, then... Everything they captured could be interpreted as..."

"A testimony to everything that happened to the Humans, or even to Earth before Humans existed," Sanju pondered. "This must mean a lot to you, Hana."

"It does," she said in an almost sing-song voice. Awed by the power of this discovery, gone were Hana's pregnancy-induced mood swings and rollercoasters.

"Throughout our entire journey, I juggled... so much." She did not lie; she was grappling with her ever-changing emotions, hoping for some stability amidst the chaos. "And now it has all come to this. I am to learn the history of my ancestral planet. Not only that but also... its location."

Sanju fully understood. Earth was considered mythical and a lost planet as far as xe was concerned.

With baby Phili due soon, xe was beginning to fear that Hana's home planet would remain only that: a myth, a legend. That they would never set foot on it for real no matter how much she wished for its discovery.

After all, most wishes remained exactly that: disjointed, disoriented flashes, thoughts racing through the mind, never to take proper shape in reality and actually come true.

"Strawberry Mollusk has been through so much. We all have," xe noted gently, as images of xeir adventures and all the planets they visited in vain —Obelara, False Earth and Neo Earth— flashed before xeir eyes.

"And it's finally, finally the end of the road," added Hana. She turned to the Gray. "Can you please show us Earth's history?"

"Earth. History. Yes. In here." The Gray person sauntered outside of the kitchen and the two followed suit.

The road between the kitchen and their destination wound through the labyrinth of hallways, twisting through the heart of the outpost. It was a desolate passage, shrouded in darkness. The corridors, once probably bustling with life, now stood in ruins, walls crumbling and floors covered in debris. The air was heavy with a musty smell, mingling with a strong scent of decay. No living beings save for the three of them traversed these forsaken halls.

The Gray finally stopped, and led them into what looked like a study. But it was a kind of study Hana and Sanju had never seen before.

A chaotic tapestry of scattered papers and overturned, rusty equipment gave away a palpable sense of scientific frenzy. The damp walls were adorned with unknown charts and diagrams, each one a fragment of knowledge eagerly waiting to be unraveled.

The Gray shivered, pointing at a captivating relic shining on the rusty desk. It beckoned them with its enigmatic allure.

"Ancient. Log," Gray said.

Sanju lunged forth, grabbing the square-shaped wonder with a glowing screen.

"A portal into the tapestry of Earth's history!" xe exclaimed. "At long last. And may the past give us clues about the present as well."

But xe almost let the Ancient Log slip from xeir fingers when the screen flashed the following offensive letters at xem:

TOUCH ID REQUIRED

"What do they mean by "touch id required?" I am touching it, aren't I?" The angry-orange of Sanju's skin became even more prominent.

"It can't be." Hana brought her palms to her belly, feeling the bump of a tiny foot. "It just can't be that we came all this way for nothing."

Gray muttered in a shaky voice. "Human. Touch."

"Human... touch?" Hana spoke slowly, savoring every single syllable. "But that means... If it's not calibrated to anyone in particular but merely to a Human touch... A touch of a Human being. Perhaps I could open it?"

She rushed to trace her fingers across the interactive screen. It vibrated with a satisfying click, granting her entry.

Floating interactive video-holograms rose above it, each holding whispers of time: each image a portal into the history of Earth, offering valuable insight into the events on the planet's surface during filming.

"SEASON 1" letters hovered above the first video, and with it, Gray's slender form floated upwards, emanating a mesmerizing glow.

"Sanju, look! Something is going on with Gray!" Hana yelled.

"Indeed," xe said. "I cannot believe my eyes. It is almost as if the very core of his being is connected to the ancient log."

"A very warm welcome to you, Earth descendant, and friend," Gray spoke in a solemn voice, glancing down at them. "Through the activation of this log, I have ascended to a form which now allows me to fulfill my higher purpose. The purpose I have been preparing my entire life for. "

"That's incredible," Hana gasped. "What does this mean for us?"

"It means I shall now be able to interactively narrate the Earth's history for you, as you browse through the holo-videos stored inside the log. You may harness my ability to explore the past like never before."

"We are truly blessed to witness this transformation," whispered Sanju. Xe added, "Let us embrace this journey together, with Gray as our guide."

The first holo-video flickered to life and Gray's solemn voice resonated with the study.

"Once upon a time, our film crew descended upon Earth. The planet was then uninhabitable and pristine, a barren canvas. It lay devoid of life's vibrant palette. Vast oceans stretched across the surface, shimmering under the faint light of distant stars. Towering mountains pierced the skies, and winds whispered through desolate plains, carrying echoes of a world yet to be awakened. The land was then untouched by the dance of life and it was precisely our film crew that incited the first stirrings of existence."

"How did they manage to do that?" Hana whispered. It was miraculous for her to think that life on Earth had this asteroid's film crew to thank.

"As all amazing things occur: through a marvelous mixture of coincidence and accident," said Gray.

The holo-video now showed a film crew's departure, yet it zoomed in on an object that was left behind.

"What is that?" Sanju asked, narrowing xeir pupils in an effort to make it out better. "After the filming of Season 1, one innocent lunchbox, a symbol of comfort and nourishment, became a forgotten casualty. "

The next holovideo started with a loud ping, making Hana and Sanju jump. It was very aptly titled "SEASON 2," and Gray's voice filled the space once again.

"When the film crew returned to Earth, ready to film the next series, they were greeted by a prehistoric nightmare. Dinosaurs, colossal and fearsome—evolved from the organic matter in the lunchbox—now roamed the land, casting a shadow of terror."

The surface of Earth looked different indeed: it was now cloaked in a blanket of hot, humid swamps and lush rainforests, teeming with life. Towering trees reached towards the heavens, creating a verdant canopy. In this primeval paradise, large creatures roamed on-screen, their calls echoing through the dense foliage.

"What... are... those?" Hana stuttered.

"Dinosaurs are colossal reptiles that once roamed the Earth millions of years ago. From towering herbivores to fearsome carnivores with razor-sharp teeth, they ruled the planet."

The video then faithfully reproduced the sound of the ground trembling beneath their thundering footsteps, as dinosaurs prowled in search of their next meal.

Hana and Sanju watched as panic ensued: the film crew scrambled, their screams echoing through the ancient landscape.

Gray's voice awoke them from the trance. "Any dream of cinematic success was, of course, overshadowed by this primal reality: reality of a world ruled by predators. The film crew, faced with the resilient beasts, hastily returned to this outpost. They realized they needed to eradicate these reptiles if there was ever to be Season Three."

"Did it work?" Sanju asked.

"It did indeed, my Hiwjshi friend. From here, they dispatched a cleansing team to restore balance, hurling asteroids towards the Earth's surface. They were certain this would solve their filming location problems."

"But..." Hana laughed bitterly, easily recognizing that something must have gone wrong from the tone of Gray's voice.

"But something occurred they were not prepared for."

The next holo-video hummed to life. It showed the crew preparing for "SEASON 3" and Gray spoke once more:

"The film crew found themselves confronted by a startling revelation: despite the fact that they had eradicated dinosaurs, Humans had evolved on the planet."

"What? No way!" Hana exclaimed. "But that means..."

It dawned on her that the dinosaurs and Humans, separated by eons of time, had both evolved from the same object.

"Indeed." Gray offered her an appeasing, kind smile. "You guessed right, Human Hana. The lunchbox, once a simple vessel of sustenance, had inadvertently become a symbol of interconnectedness between these two species."

"A symbol of life's journey." Sanju gasped.

As the final video came to an end, a hologram of a film crew made an announcement.

"With caution and respect, we choose to observe from afar, capturing the unfolding Human civilization through our lens."

"So... They never came back after this," Hana whispered.

"They adapted," said Sanju.

Gray added: "We adapted. We became the Grays: chroniclers of Earth's incredible journey from the safety of their cameras. And I am the last of the Grays."

"It's nothing short of astonishing," said Hana.

Both she and Sanju, a Human and a Hiwjshi stood before the ancient log, silent in their reverie, paying their respects. Hana's palm reached up to brush away the tears she hadn't even realized were adorning her cheeks.

She empathized with those long-gone Humans and their now-changed home planet so much, even if she'd never set foot on it. The sights and the sounds they had both just witnessed made distant time and space all that much closer.

"I wish Phili were here to see this with us. To witness history."

Sanju swallowed and nodded, pulling Hana into a brief hug. "He sacrificed himself so that we would be able to experience this."

"I'm so grateful," Hana whispered.

Xeir thoughts wandered towards many others that accompanied them on this longest journey, for better or for worse, and xe couldn't help but wonder how H'ver was, out there. It was so strange to witness something so monumental without xeir faithful golden-sphere droid.

As the credits rolled out, a member of the film crew popped on the screen again and informed the spectators in a nonchalant voice:

"As seen from Earth, the center of the galaxy is at:

galactic longitude 359° 56′ 39.4″,

galactic latitude −0° 2′ 46.2″.

As seen from the center of the galaxy, Earth is at the opposite coordinates:

longitude: 179° 56′ 39.4″

latitude: +0° 2′ 46.2″

distance: 7,940 ± 420 parsecs (25,900 ± 1,400 light years )

Hana was overcome with astonishment. "Sanju, can you believe it? We finally found them. Earth's coordinates."

Joy radiated from xeir being as xe spoke: "I know, Hana. After all this searching, it feels surreal. Let us hope this can be a safe place for you to give birth to little Phili. It is time to embark on the final leg of our odyssey."

Gray descended from the air, his weblike feet touching the ground, its head bobbing wisely back and forth.

"I am so thankful," started Hana in a tearful voice.

Gray blinked at her, its toothless mouth widening into a wizened smile. "The pleasure was entirely all mine, daughter of the Earth. It is time for you to return whence your race originated from. And this is always a joyous occasion."

A wildfire spark suddenly ignited in Hana's mind. "How would you like to travel with us on our ship? You could come along to Earth."

Sanju joined in her thoughts. "That is a splendid idea. And you could, as the last historian of your race, document the changes that Earth has gone through in comparison to the Season 1 and Season 2 holo-videos which are the only materials that remain."

Gray bowed deeply to them. "I am so very grateful for the invitation, daughter of the Earth, and Hiwjshi friend. Yet I fear I must decline, for my place and my responsibility lay with this outpost. There is still so much work to be done. A new era is about to dawn."

It sauntered away down the hallway, humming a joyful, yet unrecognizable tune.

Even as she was wondering what Gray meant with "a new era is about to dawn," the realization that this was it; that her journey was about to lead her to her long sought home, made Hana's heart beat with elation.

"We have to leave, now. Let's get the Strawberry Mollusk into Earth orbit right away. I can't wait to tell the others, and set foot on my home planet. Earth, here we come!"

Dedicated to the ScienceFiction profile for hosting the event and to everyone who participated