Backstory, a Context Primer

A craft in trouble was closer to nowhere than somewhere.

It was descending at a very steep angle toward a lush portion of a great landmass below.

The terrain expanded irregularly before the ailing craft as it got closer to the surface. It was still receiving some radiant energy from the luminescent orb near the horizon ahead. It gradually slowed its decent and bled off airspeed as it continued toward an overgrown valley. Shadows were beginning to claim the vibrant, wet looking green and gold hues of the luxurious foliage below.

The craft wobbled a bit as it approached a sharp bend in its path. It quickly righted itself and followed a course through the turn apparent only to those within while giving up some of its altitude. The quiet drone of its passage earned little notice from an animal herd calmly grazing in the valley. Nervous strays anxious to rejoin the herd were taking their last swallows of water from a pool some distance away. A refreshing breeze and quick shadow followed in the craft’s wake that only a few in the herd noticed.

The craft wobbled again, settling a little lower. It was well below the valley ridges, just above the foliage before it righted itself. It made another turn, giving up altitude it didn’t have this time. In fact, the vessel ran out of altitude, airspeed, and options, all at the same…time. It had blundered into a box canyon completely obscured in shadow.

Noise of the impact, magnified by canyon walls, caused the entire herd to jump in place then gradually move away. The quiet, suddenly shattered by the concussion of the crash, was followed by the sound of landslides. Continuous rumblings of rocks hurtling to the ground and minute particles of debris peppering the herd encouraged the animals to move even further away. The strays, however, were caught in the disastrous event at the end of the canyon where a pool of fresh clean water was always full.

It was finally quiet as the day faded into night. Only the bleating of a few herd members reaching out to those missing disturbed the night.

The next morning, nothing could be seen of the craft nor of the missing strays. The rearranged landscape at the end of the box canyon continued shifting and settling for quite some time. And, as a final insult, the pool of fresh water had been obliterated.

It was truly the dawn of a new day, 200 million years ago…