Where were the Noah?

A few weeks ago I posted the beginning of a story inspired by a Tweet from artist Lar DeSouza.  This is the continuation of that story.

Many millennium had passed since the Noah had first visited this system. An unexpected communication from their home world forced them to return as soon as they had finished seeding the healthy planet with life. An unfortunate war with a violent reptilian species forced the recall of all exploratory vessels in the Noah's fleet. The reptiles grew to large sizes compared to most intelligent species. They had broad wings they used for gliding in some atmospheres. They had a unique ability to spray an acidic combination from their mouths that burned into most types of flesh. They used this talent for “breathing fire” sparingly and effectively.

Despite the extreme suffering on both sides, the war with the Drag'korns continued to this day. The reptiles had scouted the majority of the Noah's research stations and colonized worlds. The scaled advanced teams had left their mark on many worlds and developing civilizations. It seemed that the goal of the Drag'korns was to obliterate the entire Noah race and every other species they had encountered, the residents of this small remote planet included.

A craft very different than the one that had rescued all the life of a single planet now stealthily approached the planetary system's largest gas giant. This craft bristled with fewer protrusions of scientific equipment and more weapons pods and missile ports. The crew featured more battle hardened warriors than curious seekers of knowledge. Moving through the solar system, the ship less like a stray star and more like a darker spot hiding in the blackness of space.

The Noah had left behind a number of automated sensing devices and signal relays to keep them apprised of the growth and development of their unaware beneficiaries. They had made a number of technological advances. Despite this, they had not progressed far enough to break the bond to their adopted planetary home. They had sent probes beyond their solar system and remote vehicles to neighboring planets, but had no homes outside the moist atmosphere under which they resided.

The Noah's interstellar battleship rounded the gas giant and worked its way through the asteroid belt that sat between the fourth and fifth planets. They decided to make their presence known by broadcasting a message translated into a multitude of the languages their remote devices had broadcast back to the Noah's home world and scientific stations.

The message was in two parts. The first part assured the peoples of the planet that the Noah were peaceful and meant them no harm. It mentioned a number of places where evidence of their previous visit and benign nature could be found. The second part of the message warned of the approaching Drag'korns and that race's violent intentions. The reptilians would be arriving in a about the same amount of time it took the blue planet to orbit its sun two times. The dominant race had that time to decide as one if they wanted to be evacuated once again or stand and defend their home. The Noah would aid them in any way possible. However, major battles in other star systems and the remoteness of these planets from the galactic core limited the Noah to the single ship now present.

Once again, to be continued....