Young Writers Society

Callisto

The Then

Life on planet Earth became unsustainable - despite their many attempts to change thair ways, humanity ultimately destroyed the planet they called home. But before the whole race could be wiped from existence, a mysterious 'moon people' came and selected 30 humans to take back to their planet. They equipped them with ear tags which used thermoregulation technology to alter the humans' DNA enough theat they could survive in the cold conditions of the space ship and, after the long journey, the icy conditions of the rocky moon Callisto.

The Callistonians have a long history of collecting species to preserve them, especially those which are close to extinction, but never before had they recovered a species from such a distant planet. The ear tags were low on power after many weeks outside the energy field which surrounds Callisto and during this return trip, many ran out of power and many of the humans froze to death. Only 16 survived long enough for the ship to re-enter the energy field where the technology charged up again.

The moon is lead by rule of a military dictatorship but there is also a seperate science leader who holds a level of spiritual power, much like the Pope did on Earth. It is this science leader who runs the preservation program and who awaited the arrival of the humans.

The Now

Almost 100 years have passed and the humans' descendants are kept in large, glass enclosures and wear ear tags to control their body temperature and record details such as their name and age. Each endangered species is kept in their own part of the preservation park and they are closely guarded by the science leader and his followers. The humans have learned to speak the language of the Callistonians but are still treated like a sub species and only a very few Callistonians have learned the human language.

With the help of one of these Callistonian sympathisers, a small group of humans break out of their enclosure and steal a ship with the intention of returning to Earth - the human religion has developed into a belief that their God will one day mend their planet and they will return home to it again. Some humans don't believe this and simply hope they will be able to make the planet inhabitable/ find a small area where they will be able to live.

What the humans don't realise is that the ear tags are powered by energy crystals which exist on the planet Callisto. They give out waves of energy which stretch far into the galaxy and power technology they have created. However, these do not reach as far as Earth and once out of range, the power will start to run out and it will only be a matter of time before the humans' bodies stop adapting to the harsh conditions of space and a ship which was built for lifeforms which favour the cold. Can they reach Earth before they freeze to death and if they do, will they find an inhabitable planet or will they have come home only to die with their ancestors? The Callistonian sympathiser is not fully aware of this danger.

Meanwhile, against the military government's command, the science leader has boarded a ship with his followers and has launched in pursuit of the humans, hoping to further his studies of them in 'the wild' and to bring them safely back to Callisto. They have taken with them one male and one female subject in order to monitor when the tags will run out of power/ what condition the humans they are following will be in. They have also brought spare ear tags from the planet as they reserve power better when not in use and the science leader is hopeful they will catch up with the other ship in time to save the humans' life.

The Future

You decide...

Characters

Callistonians -

The callistonians have skin that is very white and slightly opaque and they have no hair. There are ridges on their heads and gills on their necks which allow them to convert other gasses into oxygen. Their eyes are not unlike cats' eyes, allowing them to see despite the dark atmosphere of their planet but also fully adaptable to brighter lighting.

Humans -

After 100 years and several generations, the humans have been altered slightly by their time in a low gravity zone and the ear tags regulating their DNA to help them adapt to the moon. They will not succumb to the cold as quickly as they used to and this will perhaps allow them to survive the return journey to Earth. However, they have lived in captivity for several generations and are not as resourceful/ independent as their ancestors were.

Character Template -

Code: Select all

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Species:[/b]

[b]Appearance:[/b]

[b]Personality:[/b]

[b]Beliefs/ History:[/b]

[b]Stengths:[/b]

[b]Weaknesses:[/b]

Open Slots

Ship 1
Callistonian sympathiser - @Nikayla
Humans x 3
1. @Wolfical
2. @Dino
3.

Ship 2
Science Leader
Callistonians x 3
1.@Rydia
2.
3.
Human subject male
Human subject female - @Sassafras

A storybook by @Wolfical, @Nikayla, @FalconryGirl9086 and @Rydia.

Imelda Gallianyo

This journal, being written in the fourteenth cycle of Rei Xeneth's rule will truly stand as evidence of his indomitable strength.

Since this was to be my last briefing before leaving Callisto, I was determined to ask the question which had burned in my gut since I first heard that the humans had stolen a ship: had Estelle Eagwin really gone with them of her own free will or were they more intelligent and dangerous than we were led to believe? It would be ill mannered to interrupt our strong and all-knowing Rei so I awaited a more opportune moment.

"The final point I wish to stress is that the safety of our people comes above all else. If you are not able to recover Eagwin and the humans without putting the ship in grave danger then you will abort the mission."

I nodded to show my understanding and prepared to ask my question but there was an insistent rap on the door and Xeneth called for them to enter. It was at this crucial moment that we received news that the leader of Scientific Progress had announced he would accompany his people on their recovery mission and the Rei strode sharply from the room.

I followed at a respectful distance and we arrived at the ship, which was almost ready for departure, just in time to see the leader of Scientific Progress ascending the ladder.

"I have not authorised this," Rei Xeneth objected as we halted at the bottom of the metal rungs. The launch room was mostly empty - only a small number of staff had been allowed to witness and help in this launch since the human's escape was not yet common knowledge.

"No, but don't worry, I authorised myself," the scientist replied in a simple matter-of-fact tone as he entered the ship via the open hatch. He leaned out to continue to state his defense: "This is not a military mission and I am perfectly within my jurisdiction to do so."

"That's as may be but we are not prepared for your inclusion on this mission. Only one of my staff has been assigned to this ship and you can not mean to go under such conditions. If you really must insist then perhaps in a few hours-"

"No, a few hours will not do. I can and do insist on leaving in exactly these conditions. Our mission is of a timely manner and if your one protector does not board soon then I am afraid we shall have to leave without her."

Of course, they were talking about me and I looked to our Rei for guidance in this difficult matter. I could hardly believe the audacity of our leader of scientific progress or the foolishness of his intentions. But our Rei nodded that I should go and so I boarded the ship and, without further discussion, the doors were closed in preparation for launch.

Almost immediately one of the two scientists accompanying us turned to me and attempted to strike up a conversation in the strange way some are want to do: "I am so glad you made it on board. Six is a much luckier number than five. We are sure to have a smooth and easy journey now!"

"Six? Two scientists, the leader of scientific progress, the pilot and myself. Who is the last one?"

"Oh - I forgot about the pilot, oh dear. Is it too late for you to get off? I'm afraid seven isn't lucky at all."

"The other two are the human subjects," the other scientist explained.

These were the people I was to protect at all cost. Stars help us all.