Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.

Reminders:

>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include "[Poem]" >* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail >* See Reality Fiction and Simple Prompts for stricter titles >* Be civil in any feedback and follow the rules

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"Organic life sample, local-Orion Arm, Antares-7," Science Officer Second Lucinda Saylor placed the liquid sample from the foaming terrestrial seas of Antares-7 into the micro organizer, and watched numbers spin across the viewscreen. Her cybernetics would be recording and relaying the information to the ships log, but she enjoyed the simple pleasures of a bit of commentary to help the analysis along the chain to earth easier. "Largest recorded organism is approximately eight micrometers, standard size array about 7 micrometers on a four standard deviation spread - mean is 1.5 micrometers. Lacking upper end sizes on microorganisms indicates an early stage microbe development."

She left off the word again. Pentrating radar, thermal analysis, and calorimeter samples all concluded the same thing - there were once again no creatures significantly beyond the development level of picoplankton. Humanity had so far only surveyed perhaps 40% of the Orion Arm, but so far the second great filter hypothesis was holding up well. One hundred and forty seven planets thus far had shown evidence of microbial life, with thus far zero instances of multicellular life discovered. Eight planets thus far had proven somewhat suitable for human life. Antares VII was just on the outer edge of that categorization, the dual stars providing more than enough heat even at nearly the orbital diameter of Eres. The planets magnetosphere was compromised however, so terraforming would be rather expensive. No finder's fee for this one.

A stray thought directed into her cybernetics opened a comm link to the first science officer, "eight μm, I'll let the survey team know to pack it up. If you want you can be the one to tell the captain to pack it up," she sensed acknowledgement of the transmission and added another stray thought, "even with the magnetosphere, she's pretty tectonically stable, maybe a 3% bonus?"

The laughter she sensed in her mind was pretty dismissive, "best not to hold your breath." Thanks Jakob, always great with morale. She set about zeroing out the survey equipment, next on their path was Betelguese. Guess someone had a thing for binary stars this cruise. Maybe this time they'd find a Eurkaryote. Now that would be worth some cash.

Love the inclusion of the great filter hypothesis, ever since I watched the Kurzgesagt video I've been hooked on that one!

On the day a Daughter of S'kan was to become a Mother, she would be taken to the shores of the Mirror, and told the True History of the Shining Beings.

Every word was carefully crafted, to be repeated only to their Daughters, when they were about to be Mothers themselves, such a Sacred History it was.

So the old Mother sat her Daughters before her, so they could watch the stars in both the Mirror and the sky, and she began her tale, like her Mother did with her, and her Mother's Mother, and so on.

"They came from the sky, my Daughters, in shinny carriages spewing fire more blinding than any ever seen.

They were as tall as five grown Mothers atop each other, and their apendages ended in five parts, as ours end in six. Their wore pure white and silver, and their faces were obscured by a mirror even more perfect than the one before us. As such, we called them the Shining Ones.

They came, my Daughters, and they saw S'kan, and all the riches of this world, and for many cicles they stayed and explored.

When they arrived, the Leader Mother was afraid of these strange beings. Her people were uneasy too, uncertain if these new beings were salvation or destruction, new Gods to be adored or Monsters to be fought. So she made her people hide inside the deep of the caves, and went to spy these beings herself.

The Leader Mother saw that these strange beings were carefull in their actions, and gentle with the world around them, so much smaller than they were. And while scared, she though she could try and give them gifts, so they would leave in peace.

She secrectly left to them offerings of fruit and meat in a weaved basket, like she would to a visiting Mother, and watched from her hidden place as it was received by them, each of the Shining Ones taking turns holding the offerings.

She prepared rare flowers and gems polished smooth, then, and while this too was received well, she noticed that they were searching for the one leaving the gifts. And so, while she wept for her Daughters, she knew whar had to be done to appease the Shining Ones.

She returned to her people, and informed them of her decision, and what she had learned. Then, she went to the Shining Ones, and with her she took her Daughters, and said to the Leader of the Shining Ones:

'Take me, O'Great Ones, and my Daughters if you wish, but please do not harm my people. We have nothing more to offer you, but we will serve you as our Gods.'

But the Shining Ones were nothing but kind, and instead thanked the Mother for her gifts. They knelt on the earth, as not to tower over her, such huge beings that they were, and they said:

'We are not Gods, but we travel through the stars looking for Life. We have been looking for a long time, and we are so happy to finally meet you and your Daughters, we are so happy we are not alone anymore'. They offered their friendship, and guidance, and gave us our precious Mirror, the very one in front of you.

They travel even now, searching for Life, but they promised us that, on the day we were to travel the stars as they do, they would welcome us all to their sky, and into their Home as we had.

Don't forget, my Daughters, the Shining Ones. The friendship they have forged across stars, of the loneliness of these beings who traveled for so long looking for others. Don't forget about the 'Humans'. "

That's so sweet!