Stars Beyond Reach

CH 1- EXPLORATION

Denalgi was a planet that had long been forgotten about by all sentient species. It rotated gently in orbit just beyond the Milky Way. As far removed from the sun as it was, the temperature on Denalgi was quite extreme. It's landscape consisted of frost-swirled peaks and an ever present dusting of snow, deeper in places than some of Earth's oceans. When humans first made contact, they were excited to interact with this little-known species and share their knowledge. However, the natives did not share their enthusiasm and refused to construct any areas suited for the warm-blooded Earthlings. Humans tired of having to wear special suits in order to visit, and their enthusiasm for Denalgi grew thin. Many other discovered planets were thrilled to welcome the human species and their knowledge, and made accommodating arrangements so that the Earthlings could sojourn free of cumbersome suits and gadgets. Therefore Denalgi was written off as boring and unhelpful, and thus ignored for the next few centuries.

Then war broke out, as it inevitably does. Earth recruited all of the planets in the Milky Way to join in their battle against the planet Jorgex from the neighboring Everz Galaxy. In the minds of humans, it was a war between galaxies, even though everything had started solely between Earth and Jorgex. All who did not join Earth's crusade were labeled traitors--which helped persuade everyone in the Milky Way to sign up, as the humans still had the biggest and best weapon systems.

Everyone...except Denalgi. It would have gone unnoticed that they refused to help had a file clerk at the U.M.W.G. (United Milky Way Galaxy) not rooted all the way in the back of a cabinet to dislodge the thing that was jamming the drawer. It turned out to be the lost file on the planet that had once shunned contact with Earth and once again, Denalgi came to the center of Earth's attention.

It was a bloody war; many Milky Way members lost their lives. And though they eventually came out victorious, Earth could not forget how she had been betrayed by Denalgi. Rumors swirled and slander spread--the stories growing worse with each retelling. Now Denalgi had not just refused to come to the aid of the Milky Way, but had sided with the enemy. There were even tales of horrible killings at the hands of the Denalgians. They were portrayed as bloodthirsty, human-hating, disloyal backstabbers with no regard for any lives but their own.

By this point, the Denalgians were just reaching the era where they had developed the technology to leave their planet and explore space. They could have been assisted in this matter centuries before when the humans had first made contact, but the Denalgians were proud and wished to do it on their own. The yellow-eyed natives had finally gotten their wish, yet the timing couldn't be worse. The Milky Way was poised against their species. They would be loath to show their plum-colored skin anywhere, least of all Earth.

Still many Denalgians tried, but eventually, finding the galaxy a terrible, hate-filled place, they gave up and resumed life as they knew it on their planet--alone and secluded once more. Their ship building factories went silent, their technology abandoned, and they no longer looked to the night sky in wonder. They knew what it held.

There was one boy, however, whose glowing eyes often strayed to the stars, no matter how much his family chided him. His grandparents told story after story of hatred and discrimination, but that didn't stop the quickened pace of Krodos's heart as he watched earnestly for any sign of a starship in the skies. On the eve of his seventeenth year, he got his wish when a troubled transport ship touched down in the snowy fields of Denalgi, desperately in need of fuel. They had gotten off course and were too far from any other planet. It was a Yutvi ship, a race which Krodos had only read about in contraband material he'd found in an abandoned starship warehouse. They were friendly enough with their shiny black hair and pale skin. Krodos was fascinated with how different they were from himself and couldn't stop staring. Reluctantly, the Denalgians aided the ship with leftover products from their space exploration days, if only to get them off their planet faster. Tensions were high, but nothing sinister was said. Against the wishes of his family, Krodos managed to barter his way onto the vessel on the third day using some warm laska-hide blankets and a jar filled with chulas, which had the effect of creating beautiful patterns of light across the ship's interior. The captain of the transport ship agreed to take him as far as their scheduled meetup with a larger Yutvi ship, the Helion, to deliver their goods. As his home planet receded in the porthole window, Krodos felt only excitement. He was the only Denalgian he'd ever heard of who was getting off that frozen rock.