The World of The Dinosaurs

Why is the scientist who became ALR there?

The scientist who becomes ALR and his crew were on a remote planet as xeno-palentologists, studying what remained of the civilization. The Diplomat found them when they disturbed a Kerogenite gravesite and transformed them there. ALR’s goal has been to find more Kerogenite to fuel further exploration, because it has the property of being able to displace matter when powered (like a Calcium Image in Look Around You but actually moving through space). This is why he was there, not to find a new home for humanity necessarily, but to uncover secrets of the universe. “If we had never found their bones, we would never have known, these ancient animals ever existed. The more we find, the more complete our understanding, utterly awe-inspiring the world of the dinosaurs.” Though not dinosaurs but other aliens that are all dead now.

The Great Filter. Should Cy, and less likely Recordkeeper, even exist? We’ll have to see as I get further. But again, I should rekindle my interest in dinosaurs. It makes sense to think about them too because Kerogenite and coal sounds similar from my quick memory of their meanings.

Just had a major realization about what ALR’s job should be and why he was where he was and why he got transformed. I’ve decided before that Kerogenite should be a material with special properties, perhaps teleportation when powered and consumed based on the distance, or maybe something more mundane like data only or still deciding. Anyway, I got thinking about dinosaurs again, this ancient animals that are now gone and figured well, what if ALR is a xenopalentologist? And the place he and his crew met The Diplomat was a Kerogen gravesite. Only The Diplomat has lived the longest, others have died.

He was looking for more kerogenite for science, and studying ancient aliens. Maybe this planet is of particular interest because there is evidence of prehistoric life, but he has stumbled into more than he expected. And his journey and “escape” (he wants to find his crew and is told no) can start by using up the rest of the kerogenite to leave giving him a headstart before being pursued on a one-way trip until he can find more or is caught.