Chapter 7: Elvez Pt 2 (History)

There was only one fatal attack on an aircraft about three months after landing. The communications and sensor satellites deployed by the Everest before landing identified the energy signature when a weapon was powering up so pilots were able to avoid possible hostile attcks.

Earth crops and animals thrived in the temperate conditions, as well, a number of local plants were identified as safe to eat. The data provided by the "space essence" was accurate up to a point. Comparisions with current sensor details eventually established that the pressence had visited this planet more than 5000 years ago. The emerging civilization that were the Elvi had completly vanished by the time of landing.

At the end of the first year the military handed overall control of the colony to an elected council of settlers. The military kept to themselves providing protection for the settlement and support for expeditions into the surrounding forests. A number of sites had been reported from space as likely cities, long deserted, and now overgrown. The hope was that one of these cities could be made habital again thereby speeding up the colony process and possibly some advanced technology could be found that may be used to make contact with Earth.

It was during the celebration for the fifth year of the colony at the unremarkably named settlement City that the military sprang a major surprise by relaunching the Warehouse, which they had taken over as their headquarters, and along with nearly 2000 settlers took off for an unknown destination. Members of the ships crew had disabled the slave link so that Everest could not override the controls and bring the ship back.

The militry had carefully used its aircraft to plot a safe corridor across the continent and it had hoarded supplies and equipment on board the Warehouse. It is always easy to find individuals who disagree with the people in charge so the military had no trouble recruiting the dissatisfied to its side. It would be many years before the two sides would have contact again and the two settlements grew in different directions.

During the year 20 AL (after landing) the colonists succeded in entering the nearest Elvi city. A road had been built through the forest and several booby traps had been defused to make access easier for exploration. The Elvi it seems had been in contact with the "space essence" and this had led to the Elvi using every resource in improving its civilisation so as to be able to re-connect with what they saw as their God.

The Elvi city was an Aladdin's cave of technological treasures and several teams were created to investigate various aspects of the Elvi culture. One overriding mission for all teams was to locate a means of contacting Earth. From the Elvi the colonists obtained new methods in food production enabling more people to be freed up for examining the city. Advanced transportation devices were bought back online and the city again began to hum with the sounds of life.