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Strange and Unusual Art Gallery
Prologue BOOK2
Book 2 - Not yet titled.
PROLOGUE
Allow me to start from the beginning; a good place to start when telling a story, or in this case, an explanation. Let’s go back a ways; all the way back to when the world was new and drawing its first breath in an infinite dark womb filled with nothing but silence and mystery. How about we start with the Big Bang theory? It certainly was a good theory to say to least, and not entirely inaccurate. It’s been told that an immense explosion occurred, involving elements and gasses of unknown origin and composition. Only part of that is true. There was an explosion, yes, but the elements have been known to the human race since all before the dawn of creation. As most of us have come to realize though, secrets have been kept since mankind first developed the power of speech. In fact, the tongue has always been, (and always will be) our greatest defense. Unfortunately, as with any weapon, in the wrong hands it can lead to destruction – or in our case, extinction. But now I’m getting ahead of myself.
There is a distant planet – the name of which can only be pronounced properly with a forked tongue, but has come to be referred to as Logos – which contains the element that sparked our galaxy into being. Whether or not this planet still exists is unbeknownst to our species, but the proof of its existence is undeniably evident. Everything from the snowcapped mountain peaks to the algae coated abyssal trenches in the deepest regions of our oceans have originated from this one single clump of indestructible metal. How this is possible has never been determined, but the truth of it is incontrovertible.
There are two barbaric and brutal races of creature that have always feuded over this metal, both hell-bent on the demise of the other, and both determined to have every living organism in the universe under its control. In fact, to obtain the power that this metal wields would grant any species the ability to become the most supreme rulers in the universe. This is why the two have made it their life mission to acquire this metal, and why they would sacrifice their own bloodlines to attain it. These two species – the Khargash and the Gruegans – would prefer to face annihilation than learn to live in harmony, even though the planet Logos holds enough of this substance for every living thing in the universe to have a share and still leave enough for generations to come. So they waged war on each other – a battle that’s lasted almost as long as time itself.
Now, don’t believe for a moment that the planet Logos is a place of beauty, just because I mentioned that everything on our world derived from its compound. The surface of the planet is likely to be the deadliest thing that any creature has ever set eyes upon. There are oceans of silicone based acids that could kill with just a vapor, let alone having to touch it. The land masses are cluttered with long thin metallic reeds that lash at the slightest sign of movement and can slice through the strongest of metals with a single flick. These reeds float upon the same liquid metal that the Khargash and Gruegans have fought over for millennia. While the metal is in its liquid form, it is impossible to handle without being consumed by its lethal poison. Only when the metal has had an opportunity to cool can it be touched. Needless to say, trying to obtain a portion of this metal is inconceivable. Only with technology far greater than our own can such a task be achieved. Somehow, the Gruegans managed to collect a sample of it and were attacked by the Khargash while escaping the planets deadly atmosphere.
I know what you must be thinking. How could I (or anyone else for that matter) have any clue what the surface of the planet looks like if it is so incredibly dangerous to go near it? The fact of the matter is, (the metal, which is also known as the Logos) only reflects images of where it has been, but never shows reflections of where it is. That is how we first learned about the planet and its deadly surface. That is also how we came to know about the Khargash and the Gruegans. Now you may be wondering how we came to know the names of the planet and the two species that have been at war over it. The answer is simple. They’ve been here before.
Roswell, Hangar 18, Area 51; these are all places and events in our history that mark occasions when we’ve had contact with these creatures. Those are just the few names that have been carelessly leaked to the general public and later believed to be fraudulent. Truth is these creatures have visited our planet long before we inhabited it. There are very few people that know the existence of such things, and those few have been sworn to secrecy. The people I am referring to have nothing to do with the American government, or any other government for that matter. In fact, even they don’t know about it. There are secret societies that keep this information safe from those who are better off not knowing. These societies consist of the most unlikely members; monks, scientists, archeologists and teachers to name a few; all of which have (for whatever reason) obtained knowledge of this information.
You’ve probably guessed by now that I am a member of this society and that by putting this information in written form I have jeopardized everything that we have worked so hard to keep secret. You’re more right than you could possibly imagine. As I write these words, I’m being hunted, not only by my own organization, but also by the Khargash and Gruegans. It is only a matter of time before I am exposed. My only fear is that I will not be able to finish this work before they find me. These are the facts as best as I can dictate them. I leave it in your hands to have the courage to pass it on before it’s too late.
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