Mark agrees, “One of our microbiologists thought the patterns might be ‘genetic codes!’ And some of the patterns have been enumerated and programmed into a computer to allow us to compare them.”
Dr. Gray continues, “We discovered that if the pattern was read laterally, left to right, a code was found. If the same pattern was read vertically, another code was found! The entire code sequence was ordered such that, it reads vertically, laterally, or at 45 degrees. With either a left or right orientation, different genetic codes can be identified.”
“How could the codes be patterned this way and make sense?”
“The technology is far more advanced than anything on this planet. Our microbiologist obtained sample portions of the genetic codes from similar types of fish in our world and loaded them into the system for comparison. The genetic codes matched.”
“Amazing.”
“There’s more. Lots more. It also appears that the genetic code for man has been found! After months of painful comparison, not even a thousandth of the codes have been compared. This plate potentially holds the genetic codes for all life on earth!”
“Are you telling me that all of life here on earth is from one little stone?” I ask.
“We have two stones, remember? Maybe there are more,” Mark adds.
“If you consider all of this, we are looking at a situation where life hasn’t really been evolving. It’s all been logically planned out and executed in a very predetermined and organized manner.”
“By who? An alien civilization?” I ask. “Is every creature that exists on Earth a product of a bio generator, including us?”
“Easy Matt. Maybe mankind just needed a jump start, you know?” Dr. Gray suggests.
I start to think out loud to myself, “Where did man originate from, if not Africa, the Orient, or South America?” My memory turns to the mysterious 3-D maps Mark has shared with me and begins to connect some distant star with a world similar to Earth’s. “What about animals that have been extinct, like the dinosaurs? Can it bring them back?” I ask.
Dr. Gray seems reluctant to answer that question. “Matt, you did see Jurassic Park, right?” Mark asks. Mark and I clean up and leave the facility.
“I’m looking forward to going back to Peru,” I comment. “But now I’m wondering if we’ve waited too long. What if there are more stones in that ship?”
“I respect science, Matt. At the same time, it also scares me.” Mark drops me off at my office. “We’ll be in touch,” he tells me.
“So much for evolution,” I tell myself.
A NEW WORLD
I add wood to the fire and sparks fly all over. These are good embers for cooking, if I had something to cook. Cass wakes up, as does Talon. Deonna wakes but talks to Cass from her pillow. I wake Noah.
“So, what delectable rations are we dining on, Korban?” Cassie asks.
“Well, we’ve got Smoked Mounifish, with Prang Juice and craepons.” I
respond.
“Nothing like protein in the morning,” Noah adds. “Got anything hot?”
“I’m heating some Matee right now, Noah.”
“Ohhhh, Matee...” cries Deonna. “Thank you, Korban. It’s almost home with Matee!” She sits up and hits her head on the cave wall. “Ouch...”
“Deonna...you need to slow down with that leg.”
“I know, but I also need to keep up with everyone. What are we doing today, Korban?” She asks.
“We need to bury our dead.” I answer. “We’ll have to move the bodies over to this side of the portal. Talon, Noah, and I can do that and then we’ll cover their remains with stones, and have a memorial.”
Deonna then speaks up, “Korban, it might be important that we retrieve the other Life Seeds we planted. I know it depends on how many years have passed. But it might make sense.”
“You’re talking thousands of miles, Deonna. How are we going to do that?”
“We’re all explorers,” Talon says. “There should be a lot to see. Maybe Deonna’s right. I’ve been thinking we should preserve some of the natural organization of this world and not let the life seeds take over. Their presence here will definitely influence the environment. If possible, we should attempt a recovery as soon as opportunity allows us.”
“The shuttle will only hold two people. Let me think about it,” I add. “That little ship might give us various options.”
I call everyone over to the fire.
“There are several things that need to be done today. Let’s cover those items first and then we’ll make assignments.” I tell everyone.
“First,” I caution, “Survival is our first priority here now. If we’re all going to stay together, we’ve got to watch our comings and goings over that blue stream of light. I don’t trust it. We don’t know enough about it and we could all lose track of each other in different time zones. We stay together until we’ve gotten everything we need from that ship for our survival.”
“Secondly, we need to bury our colleagues. They should all have a final resting place.”
“Third, this planet only has one sun and that means this planet has a cold season. We can only survive up here in the cave for so long. Even though it’s warm right now, there are glaciers out below and above. If the cold season is coming, we’ve got to find or build shelter elsewhere.”
“And finally, Deonna just brought up our responsibility to the inhabitants on this planet. She suggests that we need to recover the Life Seeds as soon as possible. The shuttle is one way we can do that.”
“Too bad the shuttle is too large to fit through the portal,” adds Noah. “We could use it to scout the area here as well.”
The five of us go back through the portal to carry our fallen shipmates back to the warm side. The ship is still cold with winds blowing. There is also fresh snow fall. The deceased are now frozen, cold, and heavier to handle. Talon, Noah, and I carry them together while Deonna limps behind with Cassie helping her along. The two assemble other useful items as well as packs to carry on our backs. We lay the bodies in a line, close by the cave. And the three of us cover their remains with sand and rocks. We hold a small memorial service. Cassie displays 3-D moving images of them in front of us. It’s like they’re still alive.
I offer the eulogies. “Garner, I know he was stubborn and betrayed us, but I forgive him, because he didn’t know what he was doing...” “Jahn, we’ll miss his fiery passion for Synch ball. He kept us all running. But most of all he was a good listener, and friend.” “Bain...the old cuss. I can’t believe we’ve spent all of these years since the academy and I survived him. He usually saved me. We’ll miss his cooking and passion for growing vegetables.”“Maylar, what wonderful stories he always told. Sometimes, I thought he made them up. But it was always entertaining; and he made us laugh.” “Sonr...old friend. Another graduate from the academy. He was all about security. We’ll miss his soft, but stealth demeanor. He could put the fear of Deity in all of us.” “And Damon...always quiet, but helpful. A spiritual guy. Believe it or not, he plays a mean game of polar-tide ball. He still holds the championship on that.” “Safe journeys all, wherever you are...” I choke up.
Talon pats me on the back. “What now, Korban?” He asks.
“We’ve got time,” I answer. “Nothing but time...but first we need a permanent shelter somewhere below. It’s going to be warmer down in that valley.”
“True,” Talon adds, “If we have a lot of time on our hands, we could always dismantle the shuttle and bring it over to this side.”
“Talon, I have no doubt you could do that. I know what you are capable of. Let’s find that shelter first. We’ll start in the morning first light. Everyone should get some rest.”
We gather up more firewood and build another fire for the night. Cass pulls out some rations that don’t need warming up. They’re tough wafers with protein in between and a little dry.
I watch the sunset and Cassie joins me. She puts her head on my shoulder. “I t
hink I like only having one star,” she says. “It’s easier to sleep at night, and you can see the stars at night. It’s beautiful.”
The moon rises; another new feature in the sky we’ve never seen. All so fascinating. TerraNorre had constant daylight; but the smaller star was more twilight since it was smaller. Occasionally, the smaller star disappeared due to the larger star’s eclipsing it.
“Korban, you know you’re free now...you don’t have the ship to blame for us never getting married...”
I look at Cass, and she’s radiant in the sunset. “You mean you still want this old guy after losing...”
“Korban, you’re all I’ve got. I want you. I’ve always wanted you. Marry me.”
“Cass, I want to marry you; but I have nothing to give you yet. I want our wedding to be...”
“No, Korban. You’re out of excuses.” She places her face in mine. “I need you, Korban. Don’t make me wait forever.”
“Alright.” I say. “How shall we do this?”
“Right now. Right here.” she says. “Talon! Everyone! Talon, come marry Korban and I!”
The other three come outside the cave.
“What’s going on?” Talon asks.
“Talon, everyone...I have something to ask Cass.” I kneel in front of her. “Marry me, Cass. If you’ll have me. I’ve always loved you.” Everyone lightens up.
“Finally...” Deonna chides. She laughs.
Talon and Noah just hang and watch. Apparently, they had a bet, and Talon won.
“Well...What’s your answer, Cass?” Cass gets teary-eyed. “Yes...Yes, I will.” She hugs my face and kisses me. Everyone claps.
“Wonderful...” Deonna mumbles. “Finally, a happy moment.”
“Well, let’s get started,” Talon continues. “As the ship’s doctor, I have the honor in the Captain’s absence to marry couples. But seeing as the Captain is the one who is getting married, that again gives me the pleasure. And it’s about time, Korban.”
I take Cassie’s hands in mine with the sunset before us. “Cassie, as the sun sets, I will never spend another night without you. From now on, you are my sunlight, my joy, and my eternal companion. I want to serve you and I promise you will want for nothing.”
“Korban...you make me laugh, you make me cry and you complete me. I promise you will never be alone again. I give you my heart and my love forever.”
We turn to Talon and he steps up before us. “Korban, Cassie...” he smiles...”having been authorized by the Magistrate of TerraNorre, I seal you, Cassie to Korban for as long as the Universe continues...and it has no end. I give you my blessings and wish you joy and happiness together.” He pauses. “You may seal your marriage with a kiss.”
Cassie grabs me and kisses me. I pick her up and spin on my feet. I’m happy. Really happy for the first time as long as I can remember. I laugh and everyone cheers.
“Let’s celebrate!” Deonna shouts. Talon breaks out more of his private label and Noah finds some sweet bread. We all laugh.
The next morning there is a rainy mist outside the cave. It is an immediate realization to me that maybe the season is advancing quicker than we thought. We need more permanent shelter. And we need to find it now before the cold season or monsoon rains, or whatever is coming hits. We have decided to leave tomorrow, if the weather permits it.
We spend the day making preparations. Talon develops a make-shift machete out of some of the torn pieces of the ship’s hull. He also makes a hiking stick for Deonna, as she is getting along well and has tossed her splint. We grab useful utensils from the ship that will aid us in building a shelter down below.
I fall asleep with my new bride in my arms, but I am torn with anticipation of how I will provide for her and our future family. We have nothing.
Morning comes and we embark on our trek down the glacier and mountain slope to the tree line, passing the emerald lake. It is steep, bushy at the tree line; and there are no raw switchbacks to follow. Much of the descent requires some climbing to get to a safer location.
Talon blazes the trail ahead of us.
“Uggghhh! What is that?” Deonna cries. It is a creature that is five parsecs in length and it slithers away quickly.
It has taken three hours to get through the worst of the bushes. Sometimes we cross over mountain streams. At other times the streams are the trail itself.
Noah marks the trail with short pieces of rope he has cut so that we can make it back to the ship. The rope material should last until we can develop a more permanent marker. For now, the ship is still part of our lifeline.
Deonna notes the type of insects that inhabit the area.
“This is much more advanced than I thought possible,” she says. “We’ve made a huge time jump,” Korban. We even spotted fish in the lower streams.
“Fish are good for our survival. I was thinking we’d have to search for plant life to survive on.”
“That means there’s ocean life as well.” Talon adds. We talk about Talon’s planned trek with the shuttle as we hike. Could the Life Seeds have done all this so soon?
“We’re looking at life that has had time to progress through 300 generations at least from the Life Seed before an ecosystem this complex could have developed.” Talon continues, “At worst case, the life seeds have fully developed and we are at some place in time way after the creation period.”
“At this point, we could run into natives,” Deonna adds. “Talon, if we retrieve the life seeds through the time portal, will it jeopardize our chances for survival here in this time?” she asks.
“There is no way of telling,” he replies. “The man and the woman we discovered were already living in an advanced ecosystem. Somebody else got here first. In all honesty, I don’t think we’re going to be able to recover the seeds. They most likely have changed locations through storms, earthquakes, animals, and whatever.”
“I agree with you, Talon. I support your using the pod to explore. But I would give up on the seeds. We need to survive. Let’s go down and build a permanent shelter.”
“Of course.” Talon responds.
We come to a cliff with a view of the valley below and decide to rest and enjoy the view.
“The watershed is great for water resources. Looks like all of it flows into that river down there. It’s pretty big, and it seems to go through that mountain range to the west.”
“If we find a water fall, I’m going to bathe in it,” Cassie remarks.
“Good idea!” Deonna adds.
Talon sits on a rock and begins sketching.
“What are you drawing, Talon?” Noah asks.
“I thought I would take advantage of the view here and map the area.”
“Good idea.” Noah replies. “There doesn’t seem to be any settlements elsewhere in this valley. I believe we are alone.”
“That doesn’t make it secure.” I answer. “We landed at a very high elevation. The lower elevation could be tropical in comparison.”
Cassie and Deonna sit together on another rock.
“How’s married life?” Deonna asks.
“Well, there’s no privacy. So things are going to take a while.” She says. “I was thinking...wondering myself,” Deonna continues.
“Yes...?”
“Well, Talon never talks about his family. Nothing. I had a husband and children that I could talk about all day. But I really wonder if he had any family.”
“He is a very private person.” Cassie remarks.
“Noah talks about his sisters and parents often.”
“But neither of them have ever married.” Cassie adds. “Are you thinking of marriage already?” she asks.
“Well...I don’t know if I’m ready. I feel so empty, Cass. There’s a large hole in my heart, and I want it to heal.”
“Well, you should take some time to get to know them better. They’re both good men, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Thanks for that. Look at the large bird over there.” The bird dives d
own into the trees.
“A predator.” Noah answers. “I wonder what he’s after. I’m thinking since there is only one sun in this system that this planet has less of a planting and growing season.” Noah comments to Talon and Korban.
“You’re probably right,” Talon answers. “The vegetation up higher where we came from has a lot of red in it. So that would certainly indicate that it’s going into a colder seasonal mode soon. That means we have a shortened time zone to build the shelter we’re going to need.”
We reach the lower areas of the mountain and find ourselves in a large canyon with a large river running through it. We come to a very large waterfall.
Starship Genesis Page 9