The Lost Kin of Luyten
SS Scavenger DX-1017: The Lost Kin of Luyten
Story Sixteen of the SS Scavenger Universe Author: Daniel R. Bingamon Continuity: Occurs after The Arzana Experiment
Overview
The Lost Kin of Luyten follows the SS Scavenger DX-1017 as it escorts the mining ship Prospector Dawn to the Luyten 726-8 system. What begins as a routine escort mission becomes one of the most important discoveries in Prosian history.
While navigating a hazardous debris ring, the crew discovers:
- a hidden, living world
- a pre-industrial civilization genetically related to the Prosians
- artifacts and ruins of the ancient Garapr’seēn
- a dormant Path-node
- a massive Stone-Shadow vessel
- Driftblooms with terraforming and healing properties
These discoveries reveal the deep ancestral connection between the Prosians, the Telrani, the Garapr’seēn, and the ancient interstellar network known as **the Path**.
Prologue – Telrani Myth: “The Shattering Star”
The story begins with a Telrani creation myth describing:
- the ancient Garapr’seēn homeworld
- the arrival of the Stone-Shadows
- the shattering of the world
- the survival and scattering of their people
- a prophecy:
- “Those who carry the forgotten light will return from the stars.”
This myth becomes central to understanding the Telrani and their connection to Prose.
Plot Summary
1. Mission to Luyten
The Scavenger escorts the Prospector Dawn to a debris-filled system. Arzana requests the assignment due to need for quantum-entanglement crystal for inventions.
---
2. Discovery of a Hidden World
Tinwing II locates a lush, uncharted world concealed behind the debris ring. Features include:
- glowing Driftblooms
- valley structures resembling Prosian proto-architecture
- remnants of Garapr’seēn geometry
- a pervasive harmonic resonance, as if the world itself is “listening”
---
3. Ruins and the Subterranean Chamber
The team discovers:
- a steel beam marked with ancient Prosian symbols
- a subterranean chamber
- crystalline architecture responding to sound
- the dormant **First Path-node**
Arzana and Sariel identify the harmonic signatures as part of the ancient Path network.
---
4. First Contact with the Telrani
The Scavenger meets the **Telrani**, a river-valley civilization whose culture includes:
- ritual humming
- reverence for Driftblooms
- memory-keeper traditions
- an evolved form of proto-Prosian dialect
- genetic markers almost identical to Prosians
They recognize the crew from their ancestral prophecy.
---
5. Driftblooms
The crew learns Driftblooms can:
- heal injuries
- stabilize resonances
- activate environmental systems
- interface with the Path-node
The Telrani consider them sacred.
---
6. Encounter with the Lightmind
In the ancient chamber, Sariel and Arzana awaken **Aikal’Setar**, a Garapr’seēn Lightmind:
- a living echo of the ancient creators
- custodian of the Path-node
- bearer of Garapr’seēn memory
- bridge between Telrani, Prosians, and Scavenger crew
The Lightmind recognizes the crew as descendants of its lost people.
---
7. Arrival of the Stone-Shadow Vessel
A shard found in the ruins emits a signal, summoning a massive Stone-Shadow vessel.
The Scavenger:
- holds position
- avoids attack
- maintains silence
- uses Driftbloom resonance
The Stone-Shadow vessel, uncertain, eventually withdraws.
---
8. Awakening of the Path
The First Path-node activates:
- Driftblooms bloom across entire valleys
- ruins reactivate
- Laroko germination spreads
- harmonic fields unify the environment
The Telrani rediscover their ancient identity as kin to the Prosians.
---
9. Epilogue – Return to Prose
A twelve-member Telrani delegation travels with the Scavenger back to Prose.
They arrive during **Jenek Ezīel**, where their perfect Proto-Prosian speech shocks the crowds.
Sariel senses the awakening of another Path-node somewhere far beyond Luyten.
The Path is not only alive—it is remembering.
Characters
Scavenger Crew
- Elan Drex – Captain
- Kessa Rin – Science Office
- Mouse – Tinwing II Pilot, Rigger
- Tazon – Survey and terrain analyst, Also SS Scavenger Safety and Security Officer
- Terev – Linguist and ancient culture specialist and SS Scavenger Technician
- Arzana – QE physicist; experiences harmonic interaction, Artificial life form
- Sariel – SS Scavenger AI; forms connection with Lightmind
- Trask – Engineering / containment
- Jalen Locke – Navigation
- Ren Vex – 2nd Shift Bridge engineer
- Orina Kall – Cook; Horoki resonance echoes resurface
---
New Civilizations
The Telrani
A river-valley society with:
- Proto-Prosian language roots
- bioluminescent Driftbloom stewardship
- memory-keepers and harmonic rituals
- nearly identical genetics to the Prosians
They are the long-lost kin of Prose.
---
The Garapr’seēn
The ancient “People of the First Line”:
- terraformers
- genetic shapers
- builders of the Path
- creators of Driftblooms
- ancestors of both Prosians and Telrani
---
The Stone-Shadows
Ancient non-biological entities:
- logic-driven
- responsible for Garapr’seēn downfall
- uncertain in presence of resonance unity
- linked to the Horoki of later stories
---
Concepts and Technology
The Path
An ancient interstellar network containing:
- memory nodes
- terraforming engines
- harmonic architecture
- Lightmind constructs
Known nodes:
- Luyten Path-node — awakened
- Unknown second node — detected by Sariel
- Others suspected across Garapr’seēn-modified worlds
---
Driftblooms
Engineered organisms capable of:
- environmental healing
- resonance focus
- activating the Path
- maintaining living ecosystems
---
QE Crystals
Highly pure crystals found within Garapr’seēn housings, predating Alliance discovery and connected to resonance fields.
Timeline Summary
- Scavenger* escorts mining ship → discovers hidden world → meets Telrani → lightmind reveals ancestry → Stone-Shadow returns → Path awakens → Telrani delegation journeys to Prose → second Path-node detected.
Themes
- ancestral memory
- unity across worlds
- rediscovery of lost kin
- harmony vs. fear
- ancient networks awakening
- renewal at cosmic scale