by S. E. Smith
“Cake, Sergi! How many times do I have to tell you?” Mei retorted with a shake of her head and a rueful grin. “And you were picked because they said you were smart!”
“It is because I like pie better,” Sergi responded, winking at Josh and Ash as he turned to follow Mei.
“I’ll go help those two. You never know what they will get into,” Ash replied with a grin.
Josh and Julia watched as the other three disappeared through the corridor. He turned and looked down at Julia. Her face was glowing and her eyes reflected her excitement.
“Your father would be very proud of you,” Josh commented.
Julia nodded. “This is a spectacular discovery. It’s been almost two years since my dad died, but I feel like he is here with me,” she said with a self-conscious laugh. “When he first discovered this, I wasn’t sure I believed it was real. At first, it was a long battle to get anyone to believe him. Once he had proof and other scientists confirmed that he wasn’t a crazy old man, it still took a while to get support for funding the mission. Mei’s father was instrumental in achieving that. He knew and respected my dad. Our government didn’t want the Chinese or Russian governments to get their hands on any advanced technology if they could help it, but this was too large a mission for just one country to handle.”
Josh nodded. “We still don’t know what it is,” he stated with a serious expression. “We need to make sure it doesn’t pose a danger to the Earth.”
“There’s no telling how long it has been here,” Julia said with a shake of her head. “It is hard to wrap my head around the proof that we aren’t alone. Who left this? What is it? Why is it here? Where did they go?”
“Are they friendly?” Josh inserted.
Julia laughed. “Oh, ye of doom and gloom. Don’t you understand? This could answer so many questions!" She insisted.
“Or create more,” he said in a hard voice. “It’s my responsibility to keep everyone on this mission alive. We don’t do anything until I’m sure it is safe.”
Julia bit her lip, but nodded. “You’re right,” she finally admitted. “That still doesn’t make me any less excited.”
Josh didn’t respond. Instead, he gazed at the image one last time before turning away. They had a lot to do before they reached the object. He also needed to inform his superiors that it was real. While the question as to whether or not humans were alone might have been answered; the question of who or what left this behind and how long ago still remained a mystery.
*.*.*
Josh leaned over Julia and Ash’s shoulder, studying the massive structure as the ROSV moved closer. Small discharges from the nitrogen thrusters sent out bursts of ice crystals.
“Maneuvering to the left,” Ash murmured, working in sync with Julia. “Three bursts. Sergi, keep the tether loose.”
“Roger that,” Sergi replied.
“Julia, go down ten degrees,“ Josh instructed, leaning closer. “Mei, are you getting the recordings?”
“Yes, commander,” Mei replied.
Each of them had reverted back to their professional status as the intensity of the situation sank in. They had reached their objective several hours ago and had immediately been energized at their first contact with an alien device. Josh’s mind ran through his meeting with a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and his Commander in Chief, the President of the United States.
“It’s real?” The President had asked in a calm voice.
Josh remembered the intense intelligence glimmering in the man's gaze. Even though there had been a several hour delay in the conversation, the recorded questions and his responses had been enough to let him know that this was having a major international impact. The mission was still classified top secret/sensitive compartmented information in order to limit it to a handful of people who absolutely had to know. Regardless, the findings shared within the group were causing a ripple effect throughout the different levels as information was sent back.
“Yes, sir,” Josh had answered in a clipped tone.
He had answered what questions he could, but there hadn’t been a lot he could tell them until the crew of the Gliese could begin their analysis. He meant what he told Julia. He would do everything in his power to keep the crew and the Earth safe. The President had instructed him to destroy the object if it looked like it posed a danger to Earth.
“Look at that,” Ash replied with excitement.
Josh jerked back to the present with a frown. He blinked when he saw what Ash was talking about. From the angle that the cameras were positioned, they could see the other circular objects that Julia had mentioned.
“I count six,” Julia replied with a grin. “They look to be evenly spaced.”
“What is holding them together?” Mei asked, glancing over her shoulder from where she was sitting in front of another console, recording the events. “There is no telling how long they have been here, surely they would have separated.”
“Not if they are anchored together,” Sergi replied.
“I don’t see any type of connection between them. I would estimate they are approximately half a kilometer apart,” Julia said.
“I want a map of it, front and back,” Josh ordered.
“You got it,” Ash replied, releasing a long whistle. “This thing is pretty incredible.”
“You can say that again,” Sergi muttered under his breath.
Josh watched as the ROSVs moved over the black metal surface. It would take them several weeks for the ROSVs to complete the mapping. Each section would be carefully recorded. Folding his hands behind him, he noted the complexity of the piece of machinery. If each one was the same, he wondered what their function was, who had put them there, how long they had been there, and most importantly, where in the hell were the aliens that built them?
*.*.*
Five weeks passed as they continued to take readings and send the information back to Earth. Josh ran his hand tiredly through his hair. It was getting long again. He would have to see if Sergi or Julia would cut it.
Leaning back in the chair, he knew it was time to take the mission to the next step. During the mapping, they discovered that one of the devices was damaged. It looked like it might have been hit by something. Unfortunately, they were still no closer to answering any of the questions they had written down on the large board.
“So, what’s the plan?” Ash asked as he stepped into the small galley. “More mapping?”
Josh watched as his friend poured himself a cup of coffee. He stretched and lifted his empty cup when Ash turned to look at him. Smiling his thanks when Ash filled the cup, he sat forward and stared into the steaming brew for several minutes before he answered Ash’s question.
“It’s time to take a closer look at it,” Josh finally admitted. “I’m going to send Sergi out. The damaged part gives us our first chance of looking at the inside of one of these things.”
“Do you want me to go with him?” Ash asked with a raised eyebrow.
Josh shook his head. “No, I’ll go,” he said quietly. “I need you and Julia to man the ROSVs. Mei can make sure everything we do is recorded.”
“What time do you want to suit up?” Ash asked, sitting down at the table.
Josh glanced at the time. It was just after eight o’clock. Sergi was already going over the tools he would need. Time didn’t really have a meaning out in space. Without the sun to help keep the body and mind regulated, they had all fallen into the habit of sleeping for short periods of time. It seemed longer than the sixteen months since he had last seen the sun, that he almost forgot what it looked like.
“Twelve hundred hours,” Josh replied, taking a sip of his coffee and rising. “I want to go back over some of the data before we head out.”
“I’ll double check the cameras mounted to the helmets,” Ash said.
“I’ll have everyone meet in an hour to go over the spacewalk,” Josh said with a nod.
“Josh,” Ash called out as Josh started to step
out of the room.
Josh turned and looked at his friend’s concerned face. He knew Ash felt his worry. Relaxing his stiff expression, he smiled back at Ash.
“We’ve been in some tight situations before. We’ll kick ass,” Ash stated with a crooked grin.
“I hope you’re right,” Josh replied with a nod. “See you in an hour.”
Chapter 6
The sound of their breathing echoed in the headset as they floated along the outer structure of the Gliese 581. Josh raised his hand to Sergi after he checked to make sure the Russian’s tether was securely attached. He grinned when he heard Sergi’s soft laugh.
“Life is good, my friend. I finally get to do what I came for,” Sergi said.
“What’s that, besides driving Mei crazy and pulling stupid stunts on everyone?” Ash asked.
“Just wait until you see what I can do with a wrench! You’ll be having nightmares all the way back to Earth,” Sergi promised.
“Quit bragging, Sergi,” Mei interjected. “His wrench isn’t all that special.”
“How would you know how special it is, Mei?” Julia asked in a teasing tone, surprising Josh as she usually stayed out of the banter. “I didn’t know you were checking out his toolbox.”
“Great! You have officially corrupted Julia, Sergi,” Mei growled in a dramatic voice.
“It was a piece of pie, Mei,” Sergi chuckled. “You owe me a kiss.”
“Cake,” Mei grumbled in discontent.
“A kiss? This is sounding more interesting,” Ash broke in. “She lose a bet with you, Sergi?”
“I never kiss and tell,” Sergi replied with a cheeky grin.
“Let’s cut the chit-chat for now,” Josh ordered as they neared the third circular gate. “Mei, are you getting this?”
“Yes, commander,” Mei replied in a calm voice.
“It looks like it is about three meters across,” Julia said, staring at the image.
Josh didn’t reply. Instead, he focused on Sergi. They had jumped the tethers from the Gliese to him, then to Sergi. From there, they had set up a second tether system to the first gate. They had discovered during their research that each gate was connected by a series of cables. They would use those connections to pull them from one gate to the next.
He didn’t bother turning to look at the Gliese 581. It was small in comparison to the massive devices and would be shielded from view at the moment. Instead, he gripped the thin tether and pulled himself along. He and Sergi had a propulsion pack on, but they would only use it in case of an emergency. He followed Sergi as he moved slowly up the first gate to the cable connecting it to the others.
An hour later, they were approaching the third gate. There was a large section ripped open at seven o’clock. He and Sergi worked in tandem as they pulled themselves down the side to the section that was torn open.
“This is incredible, commander,” Sergi murmured. “The metal looks different from anything I’ve ever seen. If I can find a fragment small enough to carry, I’d like to bring it back for testing.”
“Agreed,” Josh responded. “Be careful as you enter. It looks like there are some sharp edges. The last thing you want is to puncture your suit.”
Sergi gave a dry laugh. “That would not be good,” he agreed, before he grinned. “I’m sure Mei would bring me some duct tape.”
“In your dreams,” Mei replied. “Chewing gum, maybe.”
“She loves me,” Sergi teased with a loud sigh. “I’m going in.”
Josh watched as Sergi carefully entered the damaged section. He waited a few seconds before he reached out and gripped the thick edge and pulled himself through into the dark interior.
The lights on his helmet cast an eerie glow. He turned in a slow circle, making sure that Mei captured what he was seeing. Glancing up, he saw Sergi pulling himself deeper into the interior.
“This is amazing,” Sergi kept muttering under his breath. “The technology is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, but in some ways familiar.”
“What do you mean familiar?” Josh asked.
Josh watched as Sergi turned partially to look at him. For the first time, Josh saw a completely serious expression on Sergi’s face through the visor. He gripped one of the cross bars to keep from floating off.
“In the laws of physics and mechanics, some things can only work in a specific way. While this is all alien, it still has to be put together with nuts and bolts,” Sergi replied. “The circuitry has to work the same. Power comes in, power goes out, whether it is wired in either parallel or serial, it still needs a ground and a complete circuit to function. If an open, or short as many people refer to it, occurs, the power is cut and the connection won’t work.”
Josh looked at the damaged section. Deep down, he suspected he knew what Sergi was telling him. He glanced sharply at the Russian. He could see the silent question.
“You can repair this,” Josh murmured.
“Probably,” Sergi replied, turning to look around him. “I need to study the images and see if I can re-engineer what was done. If the power used to work these things is still viable, it’s possible I could repair the damage to this and complete the circuit.”
“Mei, are you getting this?” Josh demanded. He frowned when he didn’t receive a response. “Mei, come in. Shit!”
“It is the metal,” Sergi said. “It is probably preventing a signal from getting through.”
“Record everything that you can,” Josh ordered. “We’ll review it once we are back on the Gliese and make a decision then.”
Sergi nodded and turned back to start a slow, methodical review of the interior. Josh gritted his teeth and started moving downward. There was no way they would ever be able to bring something this size home. The only thing they could do was document as much as they could and send it back to Earth. Even that would have been little to no help if they hadn’t discovered the damage to this gate as they had begun referring to the black objects.
Six hours later, they were back on the Gliese. Josh shook his head to push away the fatigue. He sank down in the seat across from where Mei and Julia were retrieving the cameras.
“We were worried when we lost contact with you,” Ash muttered, coming to sit next to him. “The only thing that kept me from coming out there and retrieving your ass was the fact that I knew you wouldn’t die without saying goodbye.”
Josh gave a dry laugh and smiled as he leaned his back against the wall. “You are all heart, Ash,” Josh said wearily.
“So, what was it like?” Ash asked.
Josh’s eyes slowly opened and he looked into the expectant faces of Ash, Julia, and Mei. A grin curved his lips when he met Sergi’s gaze. He had to agree with the Russian, it was both amazing and incredible.
“You aren’t going to believe it,” he finally replied. “Let’s get something to eat and we’ll tell you what we found.”
*.*.*
“So, you think you can repair it?” Mei asked, staring at Sergi in disbelief.
Sergi waved his hand as he lifted the fork to his lips. “Yes, I think so,” he mumbled.
“This is…,” Julia’s voice faded as she sat back in her seat. “We aren’t really sure what it is.”
“This is one way of finding out,” Josh said.
“Whoa! If you are willing to do it that means we are going to be in deep shit, aren’t we?” Ash asked with a raised eyebrow.
Josh’s mouth tightened and he looked around the table. He stared at each person sitting around looking back at him. Drawing in a deep breath, he carefully chose his words.
“On the contrary, I’ve received orders to proceed with caution, but for us to fully explore the gates,” Josh stated. “We’ve been given the go to see if it can be repaired, but not to actually do it unless we feel confident it doesn’t pose a danger to Earth.”
“And if it can be, what then?” Ash asked with a frown.
“We are to send out one of the ROSV’s,” Josh said. “We collect as much dat
a as we can before… if anything happens.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Julia replied in a thoughtful tone. “How long do you think it will take to repair it, Sergi?”
“I don’t know,” Sergi admitted. “It depends on how bad the damage is and if I can replicate the parts with what is on board the Gliese. I will need to study the video we brought back some more. The last thing I want to do is blow us up.”
“I will help,” Mei said in a quiet voice, staring at Sergi.
“I’ll help Mei with the video,” Julia added.
Josh looked around the table again. Each person was quieter than they were earlier, but there was a charge in the air. They all wanted answers to the list of questions that were growing daily.
“Let’s do this,” he said.
Chapter 7
A week later, Josh watched as Sergi disappeared into the damaged gate again. This would hopefully be the final spacewalk. He passed the section of repaired cabling up to Sergi.
“Two minutes,” Sergi said into the microphone. “This should complete the final connection. Whether these things have a built in power supply that is still working is another matter. I’ve gone through this one and it looks like it’s linked to the one before it and the next one, but I never found an actual power source.”
“We’ll deal with that when we get to it,” Josh said.
Josh watched as Sergi struggled to get the cable into place. Releasing his hold on the bar, he floated upward to lend the other man a hand. He was almost to him when Sergi snapped the cable into place.
“What the…,” Josh muttered when the interior suddenly lit up with a series of red lights. “Sergi, we need to get out of here.”
“Just a minute,” Sergi responded, reaching for the tools he had strapped to the bars.
A feeling of dread filled Josh and he turned as the walls began to move. A sense of urgency filled him. Something told him that they needed to get out of there – now!