For the story so far, click here

“Venenosa Clades was once a beautiful, flourishing planet on which vast numbers of plant and animal species thrived due to the miraculous, life-sustaining element: water. All the different life-forms, whether they dwelt on land or sea or spent most of their time in the air, had one thing in common: their need for water. Venenosa Clades had so much water, above ground and deep under the surface, that there was never any need to worry about not having enough. And this was the case for millions of years.

“But, tragically, the planet suffered a severe volpar infection. Volpars are nomadic, seeking out vibrant host planets on which to settle and multiply. And they multiply fast, killing native species to make room for themselves and spreading across the whole world. Their propensity to reproduce is equalled only by their belief that they are the superior species and as such have a much greater entitlement to a planet’s natural resources than all native species put together.”

“The infection on Venenosa Clades was typical.  It spread fast and was soon depleting the planet’s resources, to the point where it began to spread underground.  With tremendous force it struck at the ancient clay rocks deep below the planet’s surface and the result was predictably disastrous.  There were earthquakes where previously there had been none, and the pure underground water became contaminated with the gas released from the clay and other noxious substances.  Still, awareness of the results of this activity didn’t halt the infection which continued its violent assaults on the planet.

“Venenosa Clades’ native species’ subconscious cries for help were so loud and so desperate that we heard them, though we were thousands of light years away.  Not knowing if there would be anything we could do, we answered their telepathic calls, travelling as fast as we could.  But we arrived far too late to help anyone.  The planet was devoid of life and had been for several years.  However, the thoughts and memories of its former inhabitants were still floating in the ether so we were able to piece together what had happened.  They called it vis unda protero, which roughly translates to your language as hydraulic fracture.”