Bogleech.com's 2016 Horror Write-off:
The children of Sol
Submitted by
Jac R. B. (Jacobguy)
40026 ST
Humanity had only just begun travel through the stars through use of the Alcubierre drive.
All across the universe they traveled, teraforming is little more than a second thought. Barren planets soon became booming Edens for humanity to frolic.
But despite all travel through the universe, despite all pioneering or explanation, humanity, inevitably, remained alone.
The stars were as empty as the sky itself.
40897 ST
On a far off planet orbiting a yellow dwarf, not too unlike our own, the artifact was founded.
It was an orange, completely perfect, crystalline sphere in the hands of a giant statue. Bizarrely human in shape, save for any features whatsoever.
No scholar had any clue what this could mean. Some religious groups took to this as a sign of divine existence, but this was quickly dismissed after signs of previous life in the world were discovered in the form of fossils.
It was a very similar world to ours.
3rd from its star, medium sized solid planet, lots of water. It even had the same level of gravity, so the running theory was a case of convergent evolution. With a yellow dwarf for a star the foliage was green, with 1G of gravity it would be easy for bipeds to form, however there was one question nobody could answer,
Why where the fossils human?
45068 ST
A second artifact was found.
After the first artifact remained in study for hundreds of years it began to fall into obscurity, though it's strangeness never ceased.
It threw off energy, completely without source. The scientists hoped that we could use it for free energy, perhaps to counter entropy itself! But it was, and still is, completely unknown, and so, remains untapped.
Its completely indestructible. Not virtually so, but in complete and totally so. None of our strongest equipment could break it, nor could our most powerful weapon even scratch it.
When it was being brought from research station to research station it pulsed and throbbed, not unlike flesh in its way.
The researchers quickly noticed the pattern in the pulses. It throbbed harder and quicker depending on the direction taken. Needless to say, they began their pursuit of its source.
It lead to a massive structure, never before seen by human eyes.
Completely flat surfaced, shaped like an island in space. Massive spires miles long, unknown writing adorning them.
As the researchers approached, the first artifact seemed almost magnetically drawn to it. The covenant is what we called it.
In the dead center of the covenant, there was a small, perfect crater in the center of a giant carving of a sun, perfectly shaped for the first artifact.
As the researchers landed the first artifact flew from their possession, driven by an almost supernatural force, to the very crater at the center.
It stopped and hovered for a moment before descending into it.
The writing, the carvings, almost everything illuminated briefly before going dormant again as the orb projected something.
It was a count down. Or at least, it seemed like it. It was counting down as far as we could tell but the complete alphanumeric code still eludes us.
What does the covenant count down to?
Only time will tell.
49077 ST
Long ago the artifact and the covenant were brought together.
After years of research to no avail, the entire surface covered in alien writing, Completely illegible to us, and hundreds of carvings depicting what look like cells over planets, and surrounding them in a Trinity are what (thanks to the help of the countdown) have been found to be coordinates.
Each visited planet was completely barren, scorched down to the core.
When searched, the surface minerals contained fossils of ancient microbes, and even deeper than that, ancient bones, plants and other things unidentifiable.
But the worse thing was that, everything on every planet was only one kind of cell. Can you imagine a planet matted with neural tissue? a world of long muscular tentacles? Or even a world covered in pulsing veins like an all consuming red ivy?
We only know they existed from the marks they left behind, which brings us to wonder
What happened here?
50000 ST
After all that was studied could be found, humanity was discouraged and interest waned in the covenant.
Eventually the covenant was almost all but forgotten.
Only to be remembered in the coming century that it's count Down came close to an end.
Quantum Broadcasts all throughout the universe to almost every single human out there was watching the count down, either with child like curiosity, or horrible horrible dread.
The count down ended, and a great Dell, almost like a requiem dolled through the universe.
And the light from all Stars converged on the artifact as it rose from its place in the covenant.
A shining, flickering body made of star stuff formed around it, and in a beautiful voice, it addressed humanity.
"Welcome back, my children"
And thus we replied,
"Back?"
"Yes, back..... Only after your conception. We realize you have many questions my children, we have eagerly awaited the day you could meet us, and we are willing to answer you."
"We?"
"Yes, we, the stars themselves. Shining, illustrious, loving eyes upon the universe."
Humanity was delighted with this, tickled even that the beings beyond them had not only created them, but were loving, kind creators, the stars themselves, all of them throughout the universe now all simultaneously embodied in a single, shining being, but now, only one question remained...
"...where is everyone else?"
"Everyone else?"
"All of the other lifeforms in the universe. Where are they?"
"Why, they were within you all along"
"...Is...Is that a joke?"
The being drew back, seemingly sincerely hurt despite all lack of features on its plasma body, and it spoke again
"I am being completely serious my children.
Can't you feel them under your skin?"
if you listen close enough... you can still hear them screaming