Once There Were Others

Two reptilian archaeologists hunt for an ancient alien technology that can reignite the stars. With all but one planet searched in their sector, their attentions turn to a previously explored jungle world. All reports say the place is feral, never touched by the Ancient Ones. But T'Kxa and Aelak refuse to give up hope for their dying cosmos. Here, in the fertile soil of a doomed fledgling world, they might not find pyramids or starships or star-savers, but they will find something stranger, something which rewrites the story of the Ancient Ones.

- Originally published in Who Built The Humans?, this short story about the end of the universe is a glimpse into Carter's strange imagination that deserves to be appreciated as a standalone piece. It is stories like Once There Were Others which form the philosophical backbone of his larger and interconnected works.