Terran (The Stranger)

Terrans are a Human-like species inhabiting Terra, an Earth-like planet with three moons in the same orbital period as Earth, only located on the other side of the sun, unknown to Humans.

Biology
Terrans are externally identical to Humans, presumably internally identical as well, with the only known difference in physiology being the fact that all Terrans are left-handed, as opposed to Humans being commonly right-handed, but not entirely so.

Culture and society
Terrans, while having many developments that mirror that of Earth, primarily developed Western nations, follow an ideology known as the Perfect Order, which has created a planetary society built around working in harmony, serving the greater whole rather than the individual. While the Perfect Order appears to have been implemented with a benign goal of creating a planet-wide sense of family after a devastating war, the enforcement of the Perfect Order involves a totalitarian state where anyone with dissenting ideas is reconditioned, executed, lobotomized in the E ward of hospitals, or implanted with incurable terminal diseases. Those who are taken away are often never heard from again, and many times, their families are forbidden to speak of them, as the government tries to erase any evidence of the dissident. Government officials in grey double-breasted suits are known to handle the enforcement, scrutinizing their subordinates closely, sending out pro-Perfect Order messages, organizing pep rallies supporting their ideas, and monitoring others electronically, often making announcements to the public through speakers installed in public areas. Terran soldiers, organized under a government division known as the Department of Protection, are known to wear entirely black uniforms with no visible distinctions of rank, and have been seen functioning as policemen. The Terran government appears to have been organized with an "inner council" and "tribunal" at its highest levels. In addition, Terran culture had become very restrained as to comply with the Perfect Order's guidelines, including banning public concerts, religions, and any history book covering events prior to the Perfect Order's creation, while other aspects such as the consumption of alcohol are also targets of elimination. While Terran culture and freedoms have been stripped away or tightly controlled, poverty, war, starvation, and many once-negative aspects of society are known to have been eliminated, and Terran space capabilities were greatly improved. Terran civilians are known to receive welfare under a program known as Citizen's Welfare, with each individual in the system designated by a letter followed by four numbers. Terran healthcare is provided through the Department of Medical assistance, which sends doctors to the location of citizens who call the department. Some sort of social credit point system exists in Terran society, with points earned by doing deeds beneficial to the government. With enough points, the average Terran citizen can become an honored citizen, although earning points appears to be a very difficult achievement. For reasons unknown, the Terran language is exactly like English, and their clothing and architecture are identical to designs seen on Earth, while their measurement systems mirror that of the imperial system.

Technology
Terran technology is known to be almost exactly identical to modern Earth technology in both function and design, although there are occasional differences, such as phone booths bearing no dials and needing no money to operate, instead having an operator connect the line to its target. Many technologies are tapped with connections to government surveillance offices, such as telephones and televisions, which are two-way. Terran space-faring technology is advanced enough to reach Earth, although the program has not pursued such a goal yet.

History
Terrans arose on Terra, a planet in the Sol System on the opposite side of the sun as Earth, unknown and unseen by Humans, and developed at a similar pace. Throughout its history, Terra was a turbulent and violent planet, with Terrans going through many wars and dictatorships. At some point in the 21st century, by Earth's time, a devastating war ripped across Terra, and in its wake, the Perfect Order was founded, seeking to build a new sense of belonging and comradeship among the Terrans, bringing Terra into an age of prosperity. However, the Perfect Order soon became a basis for a totalitarian planetary state, where anyone with dissenting ideas was eliminated one way or another. As Terran space capabilities grew, they appear to have learned of Earth, but knew nothing of its surface or inhabitants. About forty years after the Perfect Order was formed, a Human NASA astronaut named Neil Stryker, returning from a deep space mission, crash-lands on Terra, his two fellow astronauts supposedly being killed in the crash. The Terran government, not recognizing the model of the ship, rescue Stryker and take him to a hospital, soon realizing he was not a Terran. Stryker was quarantined for a long period of time, assuming he was back on Earth, observed by a Terran doctor named Dr. Revere and a Terran government agent named Benedict. They routinely drugged Stryker while he was asleep, questioning him and finding out about Earth and Human accomplishments. Stryker soon started to suspect that something was wrong, as he was hospitalized for far too long, and did not recognize any of the Terrans. In addition, he managed to trick Dr. Revere into revealing that he at least wasn't in the US by asking about historical figures and speaking Russian to the doctor, who did not recognize any of them. At night, when another doctor came in to drug Stryker again, Stryker, only pretending to be asleep, attacked him and escaped, pursued by Terran soldiers led by Benedict, who managed to wound him with a gunshot. While hiding in another room, Stryker came across another Terran doctor named Bettina Cooke, who notified the guards of his location, although Stryker was able to evade them and escape the facility. Outside, Stryker ran far away from the facility, then hid in a phone booth, and attempted to call Cape Kennedy, but the operator could not connect him, as Terra had no equivalent to Florida. Then, a Terran named Roger drove by, flagged down by Stryker, and agreed to let Stryker hitch a ride, where Stryker sees the three moons of Terra and realizes he wasn't on Earth. He tries to pass off his confusion, although Roger notices other non-Terran factors about Stryker, such as the fact that Stryker was right-handed, and his question about the moons. Meanwhile, Benedict meets with other Terran government officials, organizing a manhunt for Stryker, deciding to only tell the public that Stryker is an escaped mental patient. Dr. Revere tried to urge Benedict to bring Stryker in alive, as he valued the information that Stryker could provide them, but Benedict refused, and arranged for Revere to be lobotomized in Ward E, thinking that Revere was taking Stryker's side.

After the sun rose, a call was sent out to the public, describing Stryker with the government's cover story, and urging the public to report him if they see him. Hearing the report on the radio, Stryker quickly left Roger near a plaza, but Roger caught on to Stryker being the suspect in the report, reporting him to the Department of Protection. As Stryker entered the plaza, moving past more Terrans while seeking an escape route, Benedict's lieutenant, Henry, met with Roger, sending soldiers through the area and promising Roger the chance to earn points towards becoming an honored citizen. Stryker soon found a bookstore, which only had its elderly owner inside, taking refuge in it. Stryker, posing as a Terran, asked the owner for a book on the history of Terra, and the owner gave him one, explaining that no history books on what came before the Perfect Order exist anymore due to the great strides the planet had taken, although he does briefly reminisce about certain pleasures of life that no longer existed, such as public concerts. Stryker tries to read the history book, but drops it after seeing the true nature of the Perfect Order. Seeing that Stryker wasn't feeling well, the bookstore owner had him rest in the upstairs room, then called a doctor. At the Department of Medical Assistance, Dr. Bettina Cooke was assigned to the case, and arrived at the bookstore, directed to the upper room and meeting Stryker again. Stryker quickly got ahold of her, revealing his Human origin and what was happening to him in the hospital. Dr. Cooke did not believe him, thinking that Revere was trying to help him, and tried to get Stryker to return to the hospital.

Stryker, formulating a plan, asked Dr. Cooke to drive him back to the hospital in order to turn himself in, but while driving, Stryker grabbed the wheel from her and abruptly turned the car to the side, as he truly wanted to find a way off the planet and needed to get out of the city. Dr. Cooke turned on the car's two-way radio, discretely revealing her location to officials listening in. After stopping in a park, Stryker narrowly avoided being caught by two other Terrans by kissing Dr. Cooke, who slapped him and ran out of the car. Stryker followed and questioned her, getting her to admit that her brother, a dissident, was taken away for "treatment" and never heard from again. Becoming sympathetic towards Stryker, she decided to help. However, they were both tracked down by government agents, who attempted to kill them with a helicopter, but Stryker commandeered Cooke's car and managed to make the helicopter crash into power lines, destroying it and killing the agents aboard. Stryker attempted to get Cooke to safety, but she decided to stay with him.

Stryker and Cooke then exchanged formal introductions, and Cooke then directed Stryker to drive to a farm owned by her friend, Professor Dylan MacAuley, who was ready to help upon hearing Stryker's story. MacAuley walked with Stryker, explaining the theory of parallel worlds to him, such as how it is possible that Earth and Terra's similarities are not mere coincidence, possibly stemming as far back as when oceans and the first cells of life formed. Meanwhile, Benedict reviewed Cooke's citizen's profile, as he heard that she is with Stryker, and knows that the pair remain at large. He was then called in to a meeting with his superiors, speaking directly with the head official. The official congratulated Benedict on his hard work throughout his career, but warned him that failing to bring Stryker in would have consequences. In addition, Benedict now suspected Cooke of working with Stryker willingly, became more motivated to find them, returning to work and monitoring all of Cooke's friends to try to find her, although their surveillance did not reach MacAuley's farm. Not finding Cooke on any surveillance channel, Benedict went to Ward E of the hospital he had Dr. Revere sent to. Revere, lobotomized, did not respond to Benedict's questions of any "secret friends" Cooke had. Seeing that Revere was too far gone and of no more use to him, Benedict left, but not before pondering the possibility of the other two Human astronauts being alive.

Back on the farm, MacAuley told Stryker of more aspects of the Perfect Order, such as how it banned religion, its sudden creation, and the fact that most who speak against the Perfect Order vanish, along with almost traces of their existence. He then showed Stryker around his house, explaining that it is possible for Stryker to return to Earth, as Terran spacefaring capabilities can bridge the gap between the planets, and offered to help Stryker return to Earth, as it would finally give him the chance to strike against the Perfect Order. He proposed a plan for Stryker to swap places with a Terran astronaut during the next spacecraft launch, then using the craft to return to Earth. Suddenly, MacAuley started experiencing chest pains, and rushed to inject himself with a special medicine, revealing to Stryker that he used to be a dissident when he was young, before he was reported by a close female colleague and sent to Ward E. In Ward E, the government decided to spare his mind, instead giving him an incurable terminal illness to keep him in line, which he could slow down with the medicine, also revealing that he only had one more year left to live. While willing to help, MacAuley warned Stryker against telling Cooke of the plan, as he feared her past loyalty to the Perfect Order would cause her to betray them.

Appearances

 * The Stranger (1973)