America's North Shore Journal

We called them “Gators”. They weren’t, but they kinda looked like an alligator. If one had evolved on an alien planet light years from Earth. The planet was down towards the center of the galaxy, and it was old. The tectonic plates no longer moved and the mountains had worn down to high hills. The shallow seas and meandering rivers were lined with swamps, wetlands and marshes. The Sem lived, in their villages and cities, around those marshes. At the top of their world’s food chain, and without the glaring genetic differences that drove mankind to war over the millennia, they were a peaceful lot. The Empire discovered them by chance. An exploration vessel dropped from warp with a minor mechanical issue and there they were. They had a modest amount of space … Read entire article »