Ziri

Life Force, A.I.

By: Carolyn Davidson Hicks

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Our star was dying, and living above ground would soon be impossible. Our world was turning colder and with each life cycle, moving underground was our only hope. We knew the surface would become nothing more than dust and stone over time with very little light to sustain anything living on it. Many of our people built ships and soon traveled to the stars in search of a new home. They were called the privileged or elite who lived above ground. The miners already lived and thrived underground and saw no reason to leave even though they knew they would not get to go. A few elites refused to leave us, so we all joined forces to survive on a planet that held no promise of a future. While our star was dimming, we watched our world being savaged by our own citizens, who flew to the stars to escape their doom. Our planet was stripped and barren as we retreated deeper and deeper into our new underground world. But we had already taken as much technology as we could hold in our new world before the elite left us.

We had learned to harness the energy from our planet’s core. Our miners connected each section underground, sending lifesaving oxygen, water, heating sources, and more to all areas we inhabited. Those connecting tunnels and caverns were made while we lived upon our surface; joining the miners meant our underground city would grow with everyone's help.

Many years into the future, a race of aliens called humans discovered our planet. They sent machines that canvassed our world searching for life and resources, all the while ignoring a dying star. When they found the first signs that they could survive, our world became theirs. But when we learned their language and made first contact, everything changed. The humans, along with Ziri, their artificial intelligence planetary scout, and the Ulzerians, would soon work together to save our world. This friendship would allow us to live upon its surface once again sometime in the distant future. In exchange, we would give them a large mass of land to own as theirs, forever. Thus, allowing the humans and Ulzerians to coexist.

But there will be many obstacles to overcome before saving our world, and many sacrifices will be made. Old enemies and new ones will challenge us. The resources on Ulzeria are in great demand and will attract many tribes to our planet over time. A dimming star never stopped anyone from trying to mine the resources greatly sought after on Ulzeria.

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