ONE: Epilogue of Hermesh

33. The Existential Threat

"Our initial assessment of the Asurs was that in most respects they were relatively primitive. We asked about their home. From what they told us about their history, we realised their entire social structure hinged on some very deeply held beliefs.

"According to them, Gods created their galaxy to give light to the universe that was completely dark. These same Gods also gave the Asurs the knowledge of creation. Their legends revealed that these Gods had explained how, not only every life but everything in creation is inexplicably intertwined with one another. This core nature of creation was so deep rooted in them that when their astronomers first turned their gaze towards the stars, they tried to understand not only how their movements affected the lives of the Asurs but also how the actions of the Asurs affected the stars.

"Initially, this came across as nothing more than primitive beliefs and mythology. However, over time, we started to realise that there was more to the Asur's understanding of the world around them and the universe as a whole, than we initially thought. The Asurs believed that a very long time ago, god-like beings called Heeruuns came to them to impart divine wisdom. At first, we studied these historical references as nothing more than mutations of their old superstition. However, as friendship and trust grew deeper between our two speciess, we discovered something that changed everything.

"Amongst the vast spectrum of knowledge and wisdom, that these Gods had handed down to them, there was one text the Asurs valued the most. When the evacuation of the Asur home planet started and their survival was at stake, their leaders, in desperation, decided to make copies of the text, in the hopes that the ones who survived would be able to continue with their ancient ways. As it turned out, seven copies survived the journey to our galaxy. And 500 years after making contact with them, one of the Asur's keepers gave it to us.

"Faced with the possibility of imminent extinction, this keeper had originally opened the book just before crossing over. To his surprise, it was written in a language completely illegible to the Asurs. So when that Asur handed the book to us, he believed he was helping us understand their past and even preserve a piece of their heritage. It was called, The Book Of The Future. And they had been instructed to open it about three thousand years into the future. The Heeruuns had warned them. If the book was opened before then, it would bring an end to the Asur species.

"It took us decades to decipher the language. And when we did, what we read left us astonished. The script was written indeed by a species who called themselves Heeruun. The contents of the book revealed that they were a far superior alien species who visited the Asurs and were mistaken for Gods.

"Among other things, the book described the core principles of our universe and how quantum entanglement binds time, space and thought together, in an interconnected causality web. The book not only had the maths to prove it, but also revealed how singular and collective thoughts are the primary force of creation. It went deeper still, to show how thought was the only force that could change and even grow through evolution.

"There was also something there that startled our scientists. The Heeruuns claimed that of all the different species that they had ever encountered across all of creation, the Asurs were one of the the only two that could evolve indefinitely, to reach a point when they could shape and reshape creation, simply with the power of their thoughts. And so, they left this knowledge to the Asurs, within The Book of the Future.

"Knowledge can sometimes be a dangerous thing, Commodore. From the time we started space exploration, we have looked for life in the farthest corners of our star system and beyond. When we did chance upon life in other parts of the galaxy, the history and biology of their evolution was the one branch of science we Manwatus studied most extensively.