by Neely Dobbs
CHAPTER 25: Coalition
Briin and Eebri had reconvened in his office to continue their updates. “A full debriefing on Eidolon will take a while, Eebri, but it's worth the time. The whole incident is a bit complicated. So much so, in fact, that I found it a bit confusing at first. There were three vessels involved, each with its separate crews and landing parties. Although some questions remain unanswered in my own mind, I find it easier to separate the various crews into distinct parts of the mission and assign names to each.
“First, the command ship entered orbit around Eidolon. The first landing craft departed the command ship and landed on Eidolon's surface with a crew of four. They split into two parties of two each; I call the first party of two the ‘exploratory' party, and the second party of two the ‘rescue' party. When both the exploratory party and the rescue party failed to return, the command ship sent a second lander to Eidolon's surface to investigate. That group— the ‘investigative party'— failed to find any of the four lost men and returned to the command ship.… Is that clear?”
“Affirmative. That's consistent with what I've already read.”
“Good. Now we'll start from the beginning again. Then first lander followed the transmitter’s signal and grounded near the only opening we've been able to find. Its crew's initial report confirmed that Eidolon's surface was artificial, just as the cadet’s report had described.
"The two-man ‘exploratory party' was dispatched from that lander. They reported that the deeper part of the opening simply looked like any long tunnel we might have constructed…except that it went straight down— vertically— from the surface. The party elected to attempt entry, using a winch and cable to let themselves down. Upon entering, they discovered that they were attracted strongly to one vertical wall, as though the pull of gravity had been rotated ninety degrees to the horizontal.
“They then reported that they were moving into the tunnel…and that was the last anyone heard from the exploratory party. Briin paused. “Still with me?”
“Affirmative. Exploratory party missing. Rescue party and investigative party yet to come. Right?”
“Exactly," he nodded. "After a long wait, the remaining two men in the first lander reported that they feared for their comrades' safety and wanted to mount a search for the first two. The commander in the orbiting ship gave permission to approach the opening to discover if they could see anyone or offer assistance. However, he specifically refused permission for them to enter the opening or attempt a rescue.
“Once at the opening, however, the two defied their orders. Taking along extra air and survival packs, they announced that they were going after the others. As with the first party, communications were lost as this rescue party entered. They never returned."
Eebri nodded. “Four men missing. Investigative party is next.”
“Correct. The command ship ordered a second lander dispatched. It approached cautiously and landed. Its crew— the investigative party— waited for a full day beside the opening, but made no attempt to enter the tunnel. Finally, it became apparent that no one from the first two parties had sufficient life-support to return. The investigative party retrieved the transmitter for study, then returned to the orbiting command ship. However…” He had been turning over a small metallic object in his hands as he spoke; he held it up. “They found this. On its surface you'll notice both raised and indented shapes. Our best linguists think the complexity of its markings indicate that it’s some type of 'Identification Plate,' but no one has been able to translate it.”
He handed the rectangular object to her, stared at the floor, and said dejectedly, “Not much to show for the lives of four men, is it?”
She slowly shook her head in grudging agreement, then said softly, “Except for this object, the gravity effects, and the rescue party violating orders, that all corresponds to what I had heard. But the men who brought this ‘I.D. Plate' back…what did they report about finding it?”
“It was lying just inside the opening. Looking in, they saw footprints of the first crew in the dust. They speculated that someone in either the exploratory party or the rescue party must have accidentally disturbed the plate. It was at the end of a long scuff mark, as though it might have been kicked, streaking the thick dust as it skidded across the surface. They probably would have missed it in the shadows, but they spotted a faint reflection coming from one edge of it.
“One man laid down at the opening’s edge, reached in, picked it up, and brought it back for examination. As he reached for it, his hand was drawn toward the vertical wall— confirming the report of the earlier party. When he picked up the plate, some of the dust on it ran through his gloved fingers. Surprisingly, the dust didn't fall directly to the surface. Instead it drifted slightly, and slower than expected, as though there was some kind of wind resistance. From this he presumed that the opening had not only unusual gravity, but significant atmosphere as well.”
Briin paused for several seconds, seemingly distracted. “Eebri, that's despite the wide opening from which— in the absence of any detectable force field— any atmosphere in that opening should have escaped long ago. I find that part hard to believe, but the part about a shifted gravity field is consistent with the exploratory party's findings.”
She nodded and asked, “Anything else unusual about the dust?”
“Yeah, they brought back a sample of it. It didn't turn out to be true dust, at least not in the conventional sense. It seems that it's a powdery debris actually created by molecular disintegration, probably of the opening's walls. And the techs haven't been able to identify what it's made of. It’s non-responsive to magnetic fields, and it’s so fine that it feels oily to the touch. Since it's the result of molecular disintegration, the analysts believe it would take centuries just to create a handful of that dust. Yet the ‘floor' of the shaft was covered with it! It seems the only logical conclusion is that Eidolon must be very old.”
They both paused, each in deep thought. Then she prompted, “Is that it? Nothing else left out of the public reports?”
"Actually, there's even more to ponder. There was a mysterious set of footprints. The first group reported one set of unidentified prints that led up…uh…out of the opening. They stated that they looked just like the footprints the four men had made, but the prints' size didn’t match any of theirs. They also said the prints looked clear and sharp, as though they had been made very recently. Of course, with no natural forces to alter them— and not really knowing how fast the dust builds up— the prints might have been made two weeks ago or a million years before.”
She looked intrigued. “A single set of footprints coming out but none going in? That's not as simple to explain as one set going in but none coming out. Could someone have entered by another opening and then left by this exit?”
He shook his head. “We don't think so. In fact, Eebri, I've been wanting to ask you about that. Shouldn't an opening in a presumably metallic object offer a signature that’s detectable from space?” Seeing her nod affirmatively, he continued, “We've had Eidolon under surveillance since it was first discovered, but found no evidence of any additional openings. Also, if the prints were made after Eidolon's discovery, our close surveillance surely would have spotted the arrival of the ‘print-maker'. They had to have been made earlier! That's why the mystery is so confounding.”
Both fell silent. Then, cautiously, she ventured an idea. “Could someone have walked backward going in…and then carefully have stepped in his own footprints coming out? If…if we knew how far the prints extend into the object, it would tell us how likely that is. A person gets very tired, walking backwards with that kind of precision, after only a short time.” She paused briefly, but Briin offered no response. “Let me think on that one. What else, Briin?”
“Well, the transmitter that was found on the surface was brought
back. It was thoroughly examined to see if it would give any clues about who built it.”
“Did they find anything revealing?”
“Uh-huh. Much too revealing…and not nearly revealing enough. The transmitter is one of ours. No doubt about it. They even traced down its serial number to its last known location: a supply and storage facility right here on Caaljeron. Nothing else about it was unusual— completely standard equipment. In fact, it's been returned to the supply depot.”
Eebri frowned. “That makes no sense…but then a lot of this is awfully mysterious. I see why they named this thing Eidolon. Any more surprises?”
He flashed a crooked, nonchalant grin. “Yeah…one minor thing. We had to leave the first of the two landers there; the remaining crew was insufficient to bring back both of them.”
She rolled her eyes and smirked. Finally she laughed, “You and I both know they could have retrieved it. They left that lander there on purpose, on the off chance…or hope…that the first crew would return and need it! And what's more, Lord Ptoriil, I suspect you approved the decision.”
Briin responded self-consciously. “Well... not until after the fact. When that original action was taken, I was sleeping and Malaar insisted I not be bothered about what he was told was a 'field decision.' By the time they finally reached me, the decision had been made…but, Eebri, I will admit I approved and whole-heartedly supported their decision.”
“Good for you!” She smiled and admitted, “I would have done the same thing.”
She was more worried for him than she would say. He might be best remembered as the leader who, while occupying the Coalition's highest office, had lost four men. Their civilization's last war was more than two thousand years in their past. And with the extreme caution and multiple redundancies developed over the millennia, any loss of life to accident or malice had become extremely rare. Any further loss of life to this mysterious Eidolon was unthinkable. Still, she knew what she had to ask.
“Will you send others back to investigate it?”
He looked vexed. “I have no choice. It's close enough to Coalition space to pose a potential threat. We have to consider that possibility, even though it has done exactly nothing but exist since the day it was discovered. Half my advisors say ‘Yes', half ‘No'. But as long as I still have the authority, we are going to learn all we can about it. We don't even know if the four men met with foul play, or simply made fatal errors.
“That reminds me of something I have failed to mention. There were two other odd things about that entrance.” He cast an appraising eye. “Just how much do you know about engineering?”
She favored him with half a smile. “Like any good Science Officer, quite a bit…but perhaps not in the area I suspect you are about to consider.”
“In a porseen’s posterior!" he rumbled. "You're the most knowledgeable Science Officer I've ever seen. Still, at the risk of making a needlessly elaborate explanation, consider this: the entrance, outside surface and visible interior of Eidolon are monolithic; there are no construction seams. At least none we could find. It also has a very high density— almost eight times what we would expect for a artificial construct of its size.”
Eebri raised an eyebrow. Then she smiled expectantly. “And…?”
He shook his head, sure she had already jumped ahead of him. “And the second oddity is what must be an invisible barrier across the entrance. As you know, our own such fields are maintained only at the cost of a huge energy expenditure. Yet we have detected no energy signature. Also, when a person passes through one of our fields, there’s a noticeable tingle that identifies the force field's barrier plane. Yet, when the crewmember on Eidolon reached in for the plate, he noted that there was no discernable field presence. We’re left to wonder just how it’s accomplished. Obviously, something must separate the vacuum of space from the atmosphere inside.
“And the other thing, Eebri. Even I know that seamless construction implies that the entire object was cast in a single piece. Of course, our technology is capable of constructing something just as large…larger for that matter. But as a single piece?”
She shook her head. “Maybe in a few hundred years, but not now.”
Briin nodded emphatically. “That's another reason for a follow-up expedition. What if that tunnel continues right to the center of the object, without a single seam? That would imply the presence— inside of Coalition space— of a technology advanced far beyond our imagination. It's imperative that we find out what we're up against.”
“You're right about that," she agreed, " so I'll make it a priority. If Chattel’s appearance hadn't kept me so busy that we had to postpone this briefing, you would already have had my strong recommendation that we must return to Eidolon for further action.”
He shifted uneasily. “Don't be so sure about that. The half of the staff that favors a return mission also favors trying to blow Eidolon out of space…or move it clear into another universe.” His face twisted in disgust at the thought.
Biting off every word, Eebri said, “They just want to make it somebody else's problem!" She shuddered with revulsion. "And forget about the lost men? Those craven cowards can't do that! I won't let them! Just wait until…”
He waved her to a stop. “Get your feathers down, Eebri. I've already told them where they can stuff that idea. I'll give their recommendations consideration only if we can get the men back.” He paused, seeing her harsh glare. “And we would have to find a universe that is either uninhabited or uninhabitable.”
Her eyes softened somewhat, but Briin wondered privately if anyone could be certain about either proposition. He frowned and relegated the thought to consideration at a later time.
"There's one thing I have to mention, Briin," she said firmly. " I have a strong sense that we also have to protect Eidolon for some other reason. I can't explain it, but I feel it's going to play a very important role in... in something we don't fully understand."
He nodded briskly, “I'll keep that in mind. And with that, Officer Laytonn, I think you have all the missing pieces. You now have the whole story surrounding this mystery. So, as promised, I'll make myself scarce for the MAC meeting. I'll ask Lord Luuseema to chair the meeting in my absence. At least he's neutral, so the rest will accept him. But you still have to keep some things about Eidolon secret for now. Nothing is to be said about the strange gravity effects. Same goes for the possibilities of atmosphere and extreme age. Don't make a big deal about the ‘I.D. Plate' they found, and keep away from as much of the strange engineering aspects as you can.
"Oh, one more thing. For now, say nothing about those mysterious footprints.”
Groaning at the imposed limitations, she snorted, “Gee... thanks a lot! Can I at least tell them how dense Eidolon is?”
He laughed, “Sure. Considering how dense as my opposition is, they probably won't pick up on it. But, Eebri, please report on the meeting results to me personally.
Meet me here at 2175?”
She frowned, “The fanatical opposition is bound to be so long-winded that the meeting is sure to run long. Then I have some things I must finish. Meet me at the Tunnel Rats Pub at 2425 Hours. OK, Briinie?”
Briin smiled impishly. “As you wish…Brie. I serve at your pleasure.”
Blushing profoundly, Eebri made a speedy exit.