ONE: Epilogue of Hermesh

32. Asurs

"Reemon Erra, you told us earlier that you used to be an archaeologist in your past life," Onkar said after a brief silence.

"Yes I was."

"Many of your archaeologists and scientists have questioned the age of our species. They cannot reconcile to the fact that despite finding evidences of our colonisation across this galaxy, dating back millions of years, we Manwatus appear to be only a few thousand years more advanced than the Amarthians and the Helmeshi.

"Here is your answer, Commodore Erra. Our ancestors came from a planet that used to be located along the outer edge of the galaxy. It is now in Helmeshi space." Onkar said, as the three-dimensional image of a strange four legged creature covered in body hair, emerged in front of them.

"Unlike you, our ancestors were warm blooded creatures. I believe you've discovered a similar species on a planet's in the Tungur system." Onkar said, "Bouliir was warm planet that teemed with life, where it almost always rained.

One day, our troglodyte ancestors looked up into the night sky and saw what they thought was a beautiful bright comet, coming towards them from within the dense darkness that surrounded our galaxy. So enamoured were they by its beauty, that they left cave paintings of that comet. Then, millions of years passed and their descendants evolved, watching the comet get brighter with every passing generation.

Unfortunately, when proper telescopes were invented, we realised that it was not a comet but a galaxy that was heading towards us."

"Hold on a moment. Are you telling me that your race, the Manwatus, evolved on Hermesh before the Great Event?" Erra asked, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Our race is almost 470 million of your Amarthian years old, Commodore Erra. Not only did we witness the Great Event, but also suffered and survived its consequences.

After this discovery, over the following generations, our scientists calculated the trajectory of the incoming galaxy, determining with relative certainty when it would not only pass us by, but also most likely, collide. Fortunately, we still had time to prepare and save ourselves. Realising that our star system would be amongst the first to be affected, our ancestors mastered space travel faster than anything else. Our first great cosmonauts ventured out into the deep unknown, beyond our star system, in search of potentially habitable planets. The goal was to relocate, thereby escaping the calamity.

But, it was not easy. Given how deep into the galaxy we needed to move in order to be safe, even travelling at the speed of light, we could only relocate very slowly. So a strategy was formulated. Generation after generation moved further and further away from the edge of the galaxy, while looking up into the sky and seeing that great mass of stars growing ever larger and brighter, lighting up the cosmos.

Scientists entrusted with calculating the precise time and place of the impact were able to predict, where and how deep the collision would be. It took us thirteen generations to arrive at a region at the very centre of the galaxy, where our ancestors believed we should be in relative safety.

Then, the day came. Descending from above, like the outstretched arms of a celestial giant, the outer edge of that spiralling galaxy touched our own. I was not there to witness the event. But in Narhathimeh there are accounts and records of untold destruction that it caused, as countless celestial objects from both galaxies collided with each other in a tussle for cosmic survival.

In spite of all our calculations, by the time the other galaxy had left, 17 of our outermost colonized systems were destroyed and we lost over 3 million of our kind. The level of destruction caused was far greater than we had anticipated. Those of us who witnessed the aftermath, saw how long it took for our galaxy to heal. Over 200 years after the Great Event, we started to venture back out into the outer reaches of the galaxy. And it was then, while exploring the newly formed Karnan Void that we first made contact with these bird-like aliens who called themselves, Asurs.

They were refugees from the other galaxy. It turned out, the Asurs were not as advanced as we were. Also their story was different from ours. After realising their world was in danger, they did invent faster than light space travel. However then there started a dispute amongst the Asurs as to what to do next.

The majority opted to go with a plan similar to ours and escape the impact of the collision. However, there were those who believed that the temporary union of the two galaxies was a celestial bridge created by the Gods to allow the Asurs to cross over to the other galaxy. After the two sides split, those who wanted to crossover, built hundreds and thousands of ships and waited for the moment to leave their galaxy and come to ours. Unfortunately for them, most of their ships perished in that attempt. But over 3,000 survived.

The Asurs had tried to start settlements in the star systems they had managed to reach. But almost everywhere they landed was inhospitable for them. As a result half of their first generation had perished within a few decades of arrival. Even then, somehow, they had managed to survive for 200 years. By the time we made first contact, the Asurs were on the verge of extinction.

Moved by their plight, we decided to help them. We offered to relocate them to more hospitable planets suited for their race. Many accepted our offer. But there were some who refused to leave one particular planet, insisting they were meant to be there. After relocating the willing Asurs to their new homes, we helped them grow, prosper, and increase their population. Over the span of only 500 years, they grew from a few thousand to a few millions, spread across four systems.

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Author's Note: What do you think about the Great Event? The universe is so large and everything in it moves so slowly to the human eye, that we often tend to forget just how dynamic the celestial landscape truly is. Do leave your feedbacks and thoughts in the comments. And please vote if you like it. Your engagement will help with the visibility of the story and help me improve my craft. TIA