CHAPTER TWO -
Proxima's Spin Meanwhile on "The New World" in orbit in the habitable zone of 'Proxima Centauri' the star looms large as they are much closer than the earth is to the sun, and a year is about 2 earth weeks. The weather only drops 10-15 degrees Celsius for winter, just enough for it to snow for a few days every other cycle or once every two "New World" years. The weather is like turn of the last century Los Angeles, except with industrialization being only 20 earth years old the air is so breathable, something like Aspen, that the climate is almost a heaven on earth type of experience, although "they" take it for granted being the only world they’ve ever known. They measure time by snows as there is not much of a 'day' being in tidal orbit they get a full 24 hours of sunlight even stronger than Alaska during it's light period. Snows are consistent, like how a rain forest always rains, it always snows but only for a few days every 2 weeks. A heavier atmosphere formed with the aid of their strong magnetic field due to a very hot molten core shielding them from the occasional flares emanating from their red dwarf star. It may as well be heaven, their star will burn for trillions and trillions of years a virtual eternity. They are likely to say many snows ago when referring to the past, they work and live 24 hours a day not a city but a world that never sleeps. Having evolved in perpetual day, there never was a need to "turn in for the night", however, all carbon based life must rest and rejuvenate. They have evolved a bear like cycle of hibernation throughout their planetary evolution, though not as long about 6 weeks per year and they siesta something similar to Spain or South American Latin countries. The lack of a moon allows for a very calm, large single ocean which covers most of the dark side of the planet, calm due to an absence of direct light from their 'sun', although some starlight from the more distant stars in the system drives the wind and tidal forces of their ocean. They have traveled to the dark-side for generations as far back as anyone can remember to hibernate. Their bodies naturally release a large amount of melatonin once a year when they travel for their long sleep. The old ways are all still alive as for their long sleep as industrialization happened rapidly, clans travel there still, in kayak type boats cut out of trees by those who have not assimilated to the new technology, because of age or belief. The younger more modern generation travel in titanic sized cruise ships, receiving healing massages, vitamin therapy, full spa type treatment all while in this deep sleep. It is thought that these treatments will increase their lifespan from around 50 earth years or 600 snows to significantly more. It remains to be seen as this has been a rapid change on the culture of their planet, a change not everyone agrees with or supports. The clans still believe the dark-side to be sacred, a place where the spirits of their ancestors dwell and where they will dwell when they die and start their waiting to return to the light. In every other way, they look like humans, walk like humans, talk, live, love, and die like humans. The language is unintelligible to human ears just a stream of sounds, but the vocal chords sound human and for good reason. A DJ is sitting in a booth with a microphone, Johnny B. Goode has just finished playing in the background, "Well, Johnny B. Goode, all you musicians listen up, I don't know if it will ever be replaced as the favorite song, but how do you improve upon God himself? Anyway boys and girls heading to the dark-side, sleep well, I will be here in 3 snows still broadcasting the best music for your listening pleasure, and of course Johnny B. Goode". He is attempting to say Johnny B. Goode as it sounds on the recording, now considered on the new world as nothing less then the language of heaven, being on a gold record no less. Gold has not been discovered on their world as it only exists in the deep caverns underneath the ocean on the dark-side, and thus gold is seen as the tablet of the gods. "Careful if your traveling south, fighting between the clans has broken out again. Can't we all get along people? Okay, enough preaching on my part, back to the music, I'm just saying be careful, okay, one more time then I'll have some new selections from the northern climbs, Lavala recorded some of the peaceful tribes of the north singing their songs of life, but first, your favorite, the one, the only, voice from the clouds in the language of heaven, Johnny B. Goode." The music plays again, these words spoken by the D.J. on The New World, was the unintelligible language heard by the Johns Hopkins team on the Dark side of the moon, an intermission by a DJ playing music for his listeners. There was no ping back, as they have not yet developed a SETI program, they do not have radio telescopes pointed at the sky, and do not know their radio transmissions are being listened to by the creatures who created and launched voyager, made the gold record, wrote, performed, and broadcast Johnny B. Goode. Still they revere the gift from the gods as it has revolutionized their civilization, something akin to the explosion of technology in the early 1900's in the United states. The reverse engineered world had retained much of their naturally evolved culture, not natural enough however for some. These were the dangers spoken of by the 'New World' DJ, and yet they had to go to the ships and spiritual tradition would not allow a compromise. Not even in the scientifically and technologically exploding North were these traditions even remotely up for debate. Tradition is the cradle of culture and the highest common denominator of culture tends to be spiritual tradition. These bonds are hard to break and mental grooves hard to change, and perhaps for good reason, as the lowest common denominator of culture tends to be hate filled. These were the ways to bring men and women under one authority, one rule, but also how cultural ties are able to bind throughout the toughest of times that any people are sure to endure multiple times throughout their history and into their future, indeed it's unclear if there are any other, better ways to bind each other, or as some say is civilization the freeing of man from his brothers, and woman from her sisters. So with full knowledge of the clans warring amongst each other with the realization that the only ones despised by the clans more than each other when warring, were the "children of the North" as they were unaffectionately called for their childlike fascination with new technology bubbling up each day. The clans could easily join forces to take out their frustrations with the north on these travelers. Their safety remain only in the fact that the clans respected the hibernation ritual for all and rarely made a point of attacking travelers heading to hibernation, only a chance encounter typically lead to casualties, with travelers free to defend themselves and most equipped to do so. However some blood always did spill during this season of hibernation that was a critical part of their lives as far back as anyone from north or south could remember. It simply wasn't questioned or thought about, like breathing, it was what was done.