The Flint Knappers - Chronicles [Episode #8]

Name: Vijay Chaturvedi
Mission Date: d+334

How could I have known when I met Katherine all those years ago that it would lead to a strange new planet and writing this journal entry for you now? Our shared interests in exploring the human potential was the thing that helped me through a difficult time in my life and led me to join in the mission which brought me here.

Meeting Astrid and Newman later would round out my feeling that I had found my true family. Back home I was never made to feel truly accepted. Being born into a long line of Brahmin I was always saddled with expectations that I never intended to fulfill. When I left there I was seeking my dharma and found it by helping to bring about the reality of the world you now enjoy. I can never explain how different it is here from Earth nor would I even care to. Let's just say that we all had our reasons to seek out a better future for our species.

I have never felt such happiness as the day we arrived in this exotic new realm. When we made the jump it was under duress and we had no way to know if we would even survive. I thought I may have been dead when I gradually awoke in a comfortable bed to see Newman's smiling face. It was such a strange sensation that I was completely disoriented for hours. Upon clearing my head I couldn't believe my luck and wondered how the targeting could have been so perfect.

I would later find out that the watchers had been acting as mysterious navigators during the jump process and our arrival here was only possible because they wanted it to be. I was simultaneously elated for finding Newman and anxious for not knowing if Astrid and Katherine were ok. Once I was able to stand Newman said we should speak with the Vanara for help in finding them. I still recall being woozy and standing up to see I was wearing some kind of fur diaper! I thought it looked so ridiculous and when I looked at Newman he just shrugged and laughed. He joked that it was all there was available before handing me a soft pair of moccasins and a fur cloak. I may have looked like something out of a museum exhibit but it was actually quite comfortable. Newman never stopped smiling and reassuring me that we would find the others.

As we were leaving Newman's home an excited Vanara came running up and let us know that there was something important going on. Keep in mind that this was the first time I had seen the Vanara with my own eyes. I did have some idea of what to expect from the messages Newman had sent in the beacons but it was still amazing to see them in the flesh.

As it turned out they had already found Astrid and Katherine and were keeping them safe and sound in their caves. In less than a half an hour later we were with them hugging and crying uncontrollably. The Vanara seemed moved by our emotional display and gave us a few hugs as well.

We were all still shaken by the sudden transition but just glad to be alive. Over the next few weeks Newman watched over us like a mother hen while he told us all about his adventures. The progress he had made was truly amazing and his friendship with the Vanara had been instrumental. We came to know the dangers of the Rakshasa and I found confirmation of Newman's theory that this new world was connected to the ancient Vedic tales.

The similarities were indisputable. All of the creatures and their traits can be found in the ancient tales. Even with the obvious similarities I was still hesitant to fully accept the theory until Newman told me about his trip to the island where he found the jade flute. The name on the tomb there in English is "Sita"! She was a highly revered figure in the Vedas and had made a sort of mysterious departure from Earth. Now we know where she went precisely instead of the vague "to the wilderness" that is written of. And the Vanara are exactly as described in the texts as well. There was one thing that had puzzled me about them. In the Vedas they are described as monkeys and having tails. Other translations however have described them as "the men of the woods" which could mean anything really. When I read Newman's description of them he never mentioned them having a tail. The mystery was solved when I saw a group of warriors one day preparing for a patrol. They had tails but it turned out to be some sort of weapon. It was a rather ingenious sort of mace that they would employ in a quick spinning strike. So they did have tails sort of! I finally understood the conflicting accounts of their appearance.

So, having finally adjusted to our new lives here we were eager to get busy helping out however we could. Of course we would defer to Newman by default since he knew the environment. My first meaningful task was to analyze the living Rakshasa Newman and the Vanara had managed to capture. From that grisly task we learned several key things about those foul creatures. We learned that they are cold blooded reptiles although their skin is an incredible insulator so they can withstand significant temperature changes before their blood temperature is affected. We also learned that their respiratory system is fairly typical and may offer an interesting attack vector for us to exploit. Their cranial capacity is far greater than homo sapiens and from all the descriptions of their behavior they are what we would consider to be a genius level intelligence. It would be a fatal mistake to think of them as dumb beasts. They possess a diabolical intelligence coupled with a very nasty disposition.

We have already begun to formulate a strategy to eliminate them completely from the area. Between the gunpowder Newman is making and the chlorine gas I'm working on I think we're going to be able to bring an end to their reign of terror. Maybe once they're gone we can establish a rapport with the Naga. I have suspicions that they have been maintaining QE anchor points on this planet which could open the possibility of being able to make a jump out. Even if it were possible we would still be reliant upon the watchers and we have never been comfortable with them.

Learning more about the planet will happen as a matter of course. We are not bothered by morning commutes or separating our trash into different colored bins. If you have no idea what those things are it's because we managed to build a better world here than we had on Earth. Please handle it with care.

To be continued...

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