The First Colony: Book I: Settlement Chronicals

by W. J. Rydrych

  And, to the west . . . .

  Eric pulled the open landrover to the top of the rise and stopped to survey the virgin landscape. He was about five kilometers inland from the colony site, which was the farthest monitoring point they had established. The 'sticky' traps used for trapping insects and small animals hung in racks in the back of the landrover.

  In this area the grass had changed more to a mixed vegetation with numerous wildflowers, much like the original prairie of the American Midwest, and numerous small herds of the small, antelope like creatures he had seen earlier could be observed from where he had stopped. A group of the animals was browsing under a cluster of trees about 100 meters away, and had stopped to watch the newcomers. Because of the similarity, the animals had been given the common name of antelope.

  Quietly taking his rifle from the back seat, Eric knelt to adjust the sights. He wanted one more antelope for scientific analysis, a female this time to add to the male in the back of the landrover. As soon as the OK was given the antelopes could help provide the fresh meat the colony craved to supplement their largely vegetarian diets. The thought of that made Eric smile; maybe he could convince Sonja to speed up the investigation so that they wouldn't have to wait.

  Red meat; an unheard of luxury. On Earth the population pressure had eliminated most raising of livestock as uneconomic, with protein supplied largely from soy or other specially developed agricultural products. Even poultry and fish was more for the wealthy. Previous antelope herds he had approached had proven to be unconcerned with the presence of the land rover as long as the approach was slow and indirect, but this herd appeared nervous and on the alert. As he watched, the lead buck snorted an alarm, and the group came to frozen attention. At first he thought the heightened concern was because of their presence, but the herd's attention was riveted in the other direction.

  Carefully reaching into the landrover, Eric pulled out his binoculars and surveyed the direction the herd was watching. About 30 meters from the herd the grass moved slightly in a way that was different from the ripple caused by the wind. Watching carefully, he saw a large yellowish brown object moving slowly in the direction of the herd. Whatever it was, it moved at a slight angle, approaching ever closer, appearing to slide through the high grass. Suddenly, with a surge, a large, catlike creature bounded toward the suddenly panicked herd, and with huge leaps rapidly overtook and cut off one of the trailing members. The end was swift. Eric dropped his binoculars and pulled the video camera from the landrover and began recording. The huge cat lifted the antelope lightly in its jaws and walked slowly to the cluster of trees for its meal.

  Slinging his rifle, Eric moved slowly down the slope toward the trees to get a closer view for the video camera. The cat either hadn't seen him or was unconcerned as it continued to tear pieces of flesh from the antelope. When Eric had approached to with 50 meters the cat rose from where it lay, with the antelope gripped firmly in its jaws, and eyed Eric. It stood for several seconds watching Eric as he filmed the scene, its tail threshing restlessly. Continuing to film with one hand, Eric slipped the rifle from his shoulder with the other. Deciding Eric posed no threat, and with its meal already available, the cat turned and walked at a steady pace back in the direction from which it had originally come, the antelope still held firmly in its jaws.

  Eric watched the cat until it was out of view, continuing to film. It was larger than any he had seen on Earth, well over two meters long not including its long, switching tail. Its powerful forequarters and jutting fangs gave it the appearance of the prehistoric saber tooth tiger. Remembering what he had heard of evolution of the Earth saber tooth, he realized these small antelopes weren't the only prey, and probably not even the preferred prey of these Alpha 2 cats. Even the larger herd animals they had seen couldn't account for development of such massive tusks and such a huge size. The cats were built to bring down larger animals, which meant that somewhere on the planet larger prey animals must exist or had once existed, or these cats wouldn't have evolved as they did.

  The discovery of the saber tooth cat put a new complexion on the planet, since nothing of its class had been noted in the earlier surveys. With carnivores of that size in the area they would have to modify the activities of the landing team and ensure that they traveled in armed groups until more understanding of the native fauna was available. Retracing his steps to the landrover, Eric put the video camera and the rifle in the front seat near him and started the engine. Maybe he could collect his other antelope on the way back to base camp.

  At the landing site . . . .

  Sonja stood at the dissecting table in the laboratory module, examining each organ as she removed it and passed it on to an assistant for sectioning. Each of the samples would be sectioned for mounting on slides and cataloged before sending them back to orbit with this evening's shuttle. Other samples were being cultured for bacterial analysis, but so far nothing of significant concern had been isolated. The task of the rest of the science crew, still on the orbiting ships, was more complex. Once the data was fed through the onboard computers they would do a more detailed screen for any bacteria or virus that might pose a danger, and if serious enough, attempt to develop a vaccine. The science crew on the ships bore the main burden; all they could do here was the preliminary work to ensure the safety of the those on the surface.

  With their limited personnel the job assigned was not simple. The complement of the colony trained in the biological sciences had been made even smaller by the Yellow Sea loss, and only Wayne Nichols, the head of the medical section, Barbara Collins, and Sonja were trained physicians, and the number of laboratory technicians was equally limited. Review of every potential biological or toxic danger to the colonists wasn't possible, but with the expertise available and access to sophisticated equipment and records they could at least cover the main risk areas. So far, although they had only been on the surface for a few days, no major concerns had been uncovered.

  June 27, Alpha Year 1

  John Bachman got out of the landrover at the temporary base camp. This was his first time on the surface, and he had scheduled a meeting with Commander Hata and other team leaders as soon as he arrived. Once on the ground he stood for awhile just looking around; here, at the base camp, the ground was stacked high with unloaded freight, but beyond the stacks the sea of grass stretched endlessly. Walking to the land rover John almost stumbled, still not fully adapted to full gravity.

  The short walk to the office module brought back feelings John had almost forgotten. The smell of fresh air, and the novel feel of breeze on his skin was something he had been without for all the years of the flight; it made him feel at home. As he entered the office Yasu rose to greet him, and offered him a cup of coffee, which he gratefully accepted. Both Jake and Margie Kaminski were also present, as were Eric Moffa and Jacob Spector.

  "What's the problem, John?", Yasu asked. "We didn't expect you down until the passenger unloading started."

  Bachman took a chair at the table and smiled wryly. "We were just a little concerned with Eric's report and video of the saber tooth cat he discovered. In fact," he added, "we were so impressed that we decided to christen it the Moffa Cat; any objection Eric?"

  Eric laughed, "it has a ring, I consider it an honor. Maybe we can find something to name after you."

  "Find me a nice horse, an Arabian type," John responded, adding "otherwise I'll have to wait until the embryos are grown."

  "Done," Eric laughed, "we'll find some tomorrow for you."

  Bachman's expression changed, as he became more serious. "Of course that's not really why I came down. Big cats are something we can deal with, even cats as big as the Moffa Cat. Although it does mean we have to take extra precautions until we know more about their range and habits. We also agree with your conclusions that we'll most likely find some larger animals the cats feed on; but we're more concerned about Margie's lobsters."

  Margie gave him a startled look, "whatever for, John? Something toxic abou
t them, or is it a concern with the waistline?"

  Without answering directly, Bachman looked thoughtfully at her. "We ran the samples through a very thorough analysis, and nothing toxic showed up. No, that's not it, or a concern for my waistline; at the rate I burn off calories I'd have to eat a whole one. Maybe the concern is unwarranted, but the problem is it's clear that, biologically and structurally they are very close to Earth lobsters. It's the size that concerns us."

  Margie looked confused, "I don't understand. Sure, they're larger than anything similar on Earth, but why is that a concern?"

  John didn't speak for several seconds, then looking directly at Margie. "The concern, Margie, is that our analysis clearly establishes that the lobsters you sent up, in spite of their size, are juveniles. Probably not over a few months old. In fact, we would guess they're part of a winter or spring hatch. As you are no doubt aware, Earth lobsters can live for over sixty years. Lord only knows how large these Alpha lobsters would get in sixty years, and there's no reason to believe their lifespan should be significantly shorter than that of their Earth cousins."

  Amid the ensuing silence, Bachman added, "projecting from our estimate of their current age, and with a normal rate of growth, we could be talking about sizes up to 30 to 40 meters in length. And it isn't only the lobsters that raise a concern. What will we really find once we can survey the deeper water?"

  Bachman got up from the chair and stood looking at the group. "I want everyone, and that means everyone, to avoid anything but the shallow area of the bay until we know more about these creatures. One of our first priorities as soon as the colony is in place has to be to expedite construction of the Argonaut, at least if I can convince the board of that. Another thing," John added, "these lobsters, according to Margie, have a limited mobility on land. While we think this may be a defensive capability to protect them while they're young, we can't be sure. It's always possible the parents retain the capability and are still in the vicinity. I suggest anyone operating near the shore keep their eyes open. Admittedly, the bay is shallow enough near shore that nothing of that size could reach shore unobserved, but for now we can't take any chances, so we'll be sending down more security this afternoon. No one is to leave the area of the settlement unless in pairs and with at least one person armed, at least until we have a better picture of the wildlife. With those two cases we must assume other 'larger than normal' life forms may be encountered. That should be taken into account on any excursions beyond the confines of the colony."

  Bachman added, "I hadn't planned to come down so soon, but now that I'm here I guess I fall under the quarantine and am here for the duration, so might as well make myself useful. While it's late in the season I'd like to try to get a small crop in, mostly garden vegetables, but some small parcels of grains as well since we expect the growing season should last well into October, possibly late October. We can't spare many people, so I'll be asking for volunteers to help. But even if we don't get much of a crop it should give us knowledge toward next year." Walking to the door of the dome, "Can someone show me where to stow my gear? I'd like to drop that off first."

  "Sure, I'll do it," Eric responded, getting up, then turning to Yasu as he followed Bachman out, "well, Yasu, maybe there are some devils in your Eden after all."

  July 32, Alpha Year 1

  Colin stood with John Bachman on the hilltop near the colony site, which had been cleared of all personnel and equipment in preparation for landing of the pods. About a dozen other observers were also on the hill waiting for the first pod to land; the rest of the colonists safely on the lee side of the hill where the temporary buildings and the shuttle landing site were located. All but critical personal had been landed, and now only the landing crews remained aboard the ships.

  In the distance Colin could see the smoke flares that marked the landing location for the first of the hydroponics pods, the Columbia's. The specially trained crew under Captain Schumacher would bring down this first pod, and later return to orbit to bring down the rest.

  Carlton Andrews, Chief Colony Engineering Officer, walked over to stand by Colin, holding a portable radio to his ear. "The pod has entered the upper atmosphere and should be visible in five or ten minutes," he said. "Everything's going normally."

  This was the most critical step in the procedure. A slight miscalculation or engine failure could lead to loss of the pod and its crew. Back on Earth, when this step had been tried on a test basis, one of the experimental pods had, in fact, tilted and crashed with several casualties. For this reason the colony members and as much of the critical equipment as possible had been landed by shuttle.

  John Bachman was scanning the sky to the west with his binoculars. "I can see it now," he said, "it's right over there," pointing above the horizon. Within minutes what looked like a fireball became visible, gradually increasing in size. Colin put his goggles in place and kneeled behind the protective barrier. The others did the same. As the fireball approached the outline of the pod became visible, dropping as it approached. At several hundred meters over the landing site the pod's twelve landing engines ignited, bathing the entire area in an artificial sunlight; and as the pod slowed its descent shock waves from the enormous power of the engines flattened the grass in ever widening circles, radiating outward from the landing site and raising a cloud of dust and debris.

  "Everybody down," shouted Carlton, as the shock waves driving a billowing cloud of dust swept up the hill toward where they were watching. The warning was unnecessary, as everyone on the hill had dropped to their stomach on the ground behind the protective barrier prepared by the bulldozers. Colin lay with his face protected by his arms as the shock wave and the accompanying cloud of driven dust swept over him and the ground began to shake and rumble as if an earthquake had struck the area. The sound of the rocket engines was thunderous, even through his earplugs.

  Suddenly, as if a water-fall had been turned off, the noise stopped and the shaking of the ground gradually subsided, to be replaced by the roar of the rushing wind. Gradually the wind dropped and merged with a crackling sound, which he knew was the cooling of the overheated pod and engines. Colin got to his feet, adjusted his goggles, and tried to make out the pod through the dust which gradually settled and covered the surrounding area. It was over a minute before the dust had settled to where the outline of the pod could be seen.

  "A perfect landing," John Bachman said excitedly, slapping Colin on the back. "Right on target. If the rest go that well, we're home free."

  Colin could only grin and nod.

  At a wave from Carlton Andrews both John and Colin ran over to the landrover which Carlton was starting, and without bothering to wipe the coat of dust from the seat climbed aboard. They could hardly wait to get to the pod to see whether any damage had been done. Both wanted to be there when the doors were opened, even though that would have to wait at least 15 minutes while the pod cooled.

  July 34, Alpha Year 1

  Things had been going almost too well, like a textbook exercise. The reports given at this morning's meeting had been very positive, with initial results showing few, if any, concerns. Nothing significant in the way of toxins had been found in the plant or insect life, and none had so far proved poisonous. Few of the viral or bacterial agents found could survive existing antiviral or antibiotics medications, and the earlier versions of the new vaccines showed promise. Further, the germination tests on the soil samples had been excellent.

  Colin studied the colony site off in the distance. The Columbia's four pods were already in place at the site, the Europa's hydroponics and passenger pods were down, and Colin could see the ground crew installing radar beacons and smoke flares at the next pod's planned location. The factory pod of the Europa would be brought down today, and the last pod should be down by early tomorrow. Then the move of the colonists and the equipment from the temporary site would begin.

  As each pod was brought down the accuracy of the landing became more critical because of the spa
cing of the other pods, but this didn't overly worry Colin. Each of the previous pod landings had been well within the planned margin of error and had, in fact, been off center by less than 10 meters; a tribute to Captain Schumacher and the training of his skilled landing crew. But still he'd be glad when this was over and some of the ever present tension could be released. What he needed was a hot bath and a good night's sleep, something he hadn't experienced since the landing process began.

  Captain Schumacher, in the control room of the factory pod of the Europa, was busy running the crew through preparations for the landing. The room was cramped, much smaller than that of the passenger pods which had been used for overall flight control during the journey from Earth. The only use of this pod's control room was for the separation from the Europa's spokes and control of the retro and landing engines during the descent, and except for maintenance checks it had been unused since the expedition began. However, the 17 member landing team were well trained and had well assigned tasks and could concentrate on their own individual assignments.

  "Does everything check out, Jeremy?" Captain Schumacher asked his first officer, Jeremy Temple.

  "Looks fine," Jeremy responded. "We had to replace one of the engine firing solenoids, but except for that everything appears in A-1 shape. We're in the final countdown stage now. If we plan to bring it down on this orbit we'll have to separate in the next 11 minutes and begin retro firing in a little over 27 minutes."

  "Go for it," Captain Schumacher responded. "I'll go over the monitor data and give you a final go ahead or hold in 5 minutes."

  On the planet Colin sat at the small circular table in the office building a distance from the landing area with Carter Armstrong and John Bachman. Colin liked and respected Carter, and felt he might be more suited to colony leadership than Colin's current second in command, John Bachman. Colin had never really felt confidence in Bachman, partly because he felt John was overly self centered. Competent, yes, no one could question that, but John seemed to lack the people skills needed to get his ideas across without becoming overbearing. Colin knew Bachman felt he, himself, could provide a more forceful leadership to the colony than Colin could, and sometimes in his lower moments Colin tended to agree. It was hard to make life and death decisions for other people, and that was something whoever led the colony had to be prepared to make.