Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles)

by James Jackson

  John pilots the shuttle with great efficiency. Cindy stares out the view port, mesmerized. The shuttle breaks through the clouds, revealing fields and farmland that stretch off into the distance. They fly onward, over rolling hills, along pristine rivers, and crystal clear lakes. A few settlements are dotted here and there across the landscape. Skirting around them, they continue to explore this beautiful world. Emma crams herself between the two, enjoying the scenery as it rolls below them. She points at yet another distant small settlement. Like the others, it consists of wooden buildings, none more than two stories in height.

  Flying low over another expanse of rolling hills causes herds of four legged beasts to scatter in all directions. John’s squints, then points at something else in the distance. Something large and out of place. Cindy’s smile fades as she spots the remote object. Her delight is replaced with unease as they get closer. The upward spires are almost fully overgrown with vines and covered in moss. But the shape of the Gamin construction dock is unmistakable. One of the upper most points has broken off, the ground below is littered with rubble.

  Cindy glances at Emma and John nervously. She vocalizes what they are all thinking. “The Gamin visited this world, and a long time ago it seems.”

  John gulps as he begins to understand what has happened here. “The Gamin mined them out, they took all the metals they could, then left the inhabitants to fend for themselves.”

  Cindy feels a twinge of sadness. “Without metals, this civilization has little to no chance of advancing.”

  Emma’s jaw drops, she is numbed by the concept. “An entire planet mined out! That’s inconceivable, but explains a lot.” A planet mined so heavily its very gravity is affected.

  John circles the old construction dock, it appears to be pitted and worn by the elements. He wonders how long it has been there, to become so badly weather beaten.

  Cindy interrupts his thoughts. “Let’s see if we can find a major settlement. I want to learn more about this world and its people.”

  John nods, then pilots a course for a distant river, which they follow downstream. They are rewarded with an unexpected find. Not only have they found a large settlement, but it seems the inhabitants do use metals. A number of structures are clearly designed with metallurgy in mind. But what surprises them even more is the large number of crumbling buildings beyond. From above, the area simply looks like another hillside covered in trees, vines, and grass. But from the side, the cityscape is unmistakable. Nature reclaimed this metropolis long ago, but even so, many of the buildings still dwarf the settlement’s wooden structures. A gathering of locals stare up at the circling shuttle, they are not afraid, and seem to be waiting.

  John shrugs his shoulders as he looks downward. “It seems they are expecting us to land.”

  Cindy is a little confused by the reaction of the people below. She studies them as they circle the collection of wooden buildings. Glancing back at the derelict city, she sighs. We’re not going to learn anything more up here.

  “Well, they have two arms and legs, a long torso, and are topped by a hairless head.” Cindy passes her observations along. Humanoid species seem to be pretty constant. Wonder if there is some genetic connection? Perhaps it’s just evolution at work? The way most beasts of burden have four legs, she quietly ponders.

  Cindy leans forward to look at the locals again, and then says. “I don’t see any guns, or pitchforks. Let’s say hello, shall we?”

  John tilts his head in her direction, nods, and then lands the shuttle a short distance from the growing crowd.

  Emma calls out a little nervously. “We need to sample the air before…”

  She stops mid-sentence as the ramp opens before her.

  Cindy pats her shoulder, caringly. “It’s okay. The shuttle automatically tests the outside environment before the ramp opens.”

  Emma sits there speechless, images of spores, viruses, and worse, fill her mind. Cindy grabs her translator, hangs it off her shoulder by its strap, and then walks down the open ramp. She takes in her first breath of the alien air. It is thicker, heavier, almost humid, but without the moisture. The sensation is odd, but not unpleasant.

  John stays at the controls, ready to raise the ramp and take off. He, along with Paul and Henry, are prepared in case the inhabitants turn out to be hostile. Emma gets to work setting up her equipment.

  Cindy walks toward the gathering of locals, holding her arms wide, in what she hopes is sign of peace. The locals are tall, at least a head taller than John, Cindy looks up to make eye contact with the closest one. They have pale, almost opal colored skin, covered with a loose-fitting garment tied at one shoulder. From what she can see, they are hairless, a stark contrast to the Kord who were practically covered in hair from head to foot. One of them steps toward Cindy and opens its arms as well, its large hands have six long digits. Cindy stares into the creature’s large, oval, pearl colored, eyes. Below this pair of huge iris-less eyes, a skin flap lifts, then falls, as the alien breathes. Its ears, if that is what they are, also look like loose skin flaps, one hangs off each side of its head. Without warning, the alien blinks, eyelids closing from above and below.

  Cindy bows slightly, and then, though she does not expect any of them to understand, speaks. “My name is Cindy. I am from a distant place called Earth.”

  After a few seconds, the alien replies. Cindy jumps as a voice comes through her implant, just as it did when Golward spoke. The translator is working! She involuntarily glances at the unit that rests against her hip.

  The alien’s words flow smoothly. “I am Jux, chief greeter to sky people. As has been handed down to me from my father, and his before. Welcome to Oglan, you have been away a long time.” Jux spreads his arms wider. His small mouth opens a little, revealing two rows of small pearl colored teeth in the process.

  Cindy is thunderstruck. How do they understand me? Away a long time? These and many other questions come to mind. She ventures on, her curiosity building. “We come in peace and wish to learn more about you.”

  Jux hesitates, looks to his people, who simply seem to urge him on. “Sky people know all there is to know. May our humble story please you.”

  Jux beckons for Cindy to follow. She glances nervously at the open shuttle, then making her decision, bravely follows. She is lead past a number of stalls, each is filled with a variety of colorful produce. A nearby pen has dozens of small four legged creatures within it. They look like white, tailless pigs. They also have a pair of eyes, devoid of any obvious iris. Though the sight is unsettling, it is not really frightening. Walking behind Jux, she examines her surroundings carefully, wondering where he is leading her.

  John sits up in his chair, his apprehension grows when Cindy is lead inside a small wooden dwelling. The minutes pass by slowly, one by one. Paul and Henry wait patiently, observing everything they can from the shuttle’s doorway. Emma is busy taking air and soil samples. Finally, after half an hour, John cannot stand it anymore. He is about to get up and find out what is going on, when the doorway to the dwelling opens.

  Cindy is laughing and smiling as she chats with the half dozen aliens that dwarf her. It is only when she is aboard the shuttle, that John relaxes. Cindy grins widely at them all as she says. “Do I have a story for you! Let’s get back to the ship first. This has to be shared with the rest of the bridge crew.”

  Emma quickly secures her equipment. They take off smoothly, John swings the shuttle around to make a close pass of the decrepit city. Cindy points to a distant group, they are riding a wagon filled with odds and ends. A pair of beasts, like those that scattered earlier, pull the heavy load. “That’s a salvage party. The Oglans send teams into the ruined city in search of metals.” She states with confidence.

  John nods, then gains altitude so as not to scare the creatures. Passing over the city, it is clear that many buildings have been reduced to piles of rubble, yet countless more remain. This was once a massive metropolis, home to millions, judging by its size. H
e wonders what Cindy has to say, and quickly flies back to the Terran. It is not until they are on the bridge, that Cindy shares any more information. Once there, she grins even more as she relays her news.

  “The Oglans are an ancient race by our standards. The Gamin used this planet thousands of years ago, perhaps as long ago as ten thousand years.” She pauses to let that number sink in for a moment, then continues on. “About seven thousand years ago, the Gamin up and left. These people used to be a fairly advanced civilization, but without a ready supply of base metals, they were unable to sustain their society.”

  Andrew whistles in exclamation. “So, they reverted to a farming culture? Just like that!”

  Cindy nods her head. “They’re a peaceful race, leaving them few options.”

  The bridge crew sits silently as they digest the notion.

  Cindy continues on excitedly. “Anyway, back to our needs. They are more than happy to trade us. Food and water in exchange for metals.”

  Almost everyone on the bridge grins at the logic of the request. Cindy tilts her head, giving George a sideways glance. “There is an ancient construction dock, but it’s taboo to them. Jux, their chief greeter, has no qualms with us going there. After all, we are ‘sky people’. So, let’s reclaim as much of it as we can.”

  George smiles as he realizes that the task will fall upon him and Patrick. “What metals shall we give them?” George asks curiously.

  Cindy stares at George, considering his question. “You know, they’re working with copper, iron, and steel. That should be good enough.”

  George nods in understanding. “We should be able to keep a few of the exotic elements for ourselves, without too much difficulty.”

  Cindy leans back in her chair. Finally, a break. She leans forward again as she recalls one last thing. “The Oglans have offered our crew their hospitality, shore leave, in other words. Any Thoughts?”

  With no one else answering, Peter stands up. He puts a hand to his chin, deep in thought. Glancing at each of his colleagues, he shares his deliberations. “The offer is very generous, perhaps too generous. I suggest we get our food and water, trade the metals, and move on.”

  Emma stands, folds her arms across her chest, and then reluctantly adds her thoughts. “We have no way of thoroughly testing any of the food items they offer us. We only have rudimentary testing equipment, thus eating anything foreign carries with it an inherent risk.” She pauses, then adds a positive note. “We can purify the water though.”

  With the prospect of new food supplies dwindling, the mood swings from one of elation, to that of reservation. Cindy meets Peter’s stare and holds it, while she considers everything. Though she felt no hostility from the Oglans, the events of the voyage have enhanced her already cautious nature.

  Cindy paces the bridge, deep in thought. Finally, she speaks up, her decision has been made. “I have to agree. Something is not right.”

  Cindy continues to share her observations, and opinions, about the Oglans with the bridge crew. Her instincts tell her there is a lot more to these Oglans than they have shared. Once the discussion winds down, the bridge crew withdraws to their respective tasks. They will collect water, but not take any food.

  George heads down to the main hangar deck, where he busily crafts a water collection bucket, one that can be hooked to the rear of the shuttle. Patrick works hard on some last-minute repairs to the water tanks, then routes pipework to the hangar. Emma, with Henry’s help, plans a regiment to sterilize the tanks, and refill them.

  Andrew and Joe review the volumes of data the Gamin systems provide as they orbit this world. Joe taps away on his console, then analyzes the data displayed.

  This goes on for a while, until he turns to John and surprises him with a request. “Can we change our orbit path to,” he pauses while reviewing both his laptop and his console, “this heading?” His finger points at series of coordinates.

  Andrew watches as his friend gets on one of his missions, and smiles.

  John nods, then obliges Joe’s request, simply because there is no reason not to. The Terran turns and begins to track over the planet on its new heading.

  Joe suddenly jumps up in excitement as he exclaims. “Got it!”

  Looking around at the blank faces Joe feels a little sheepish, and explains. “I know why they want metals. There is an underground complex, not far from the ruined city. It has a power source, it’s faint, but it’s there.”

  Andrew’s grin widens. Joe is good, very good. With his curiosity roused, he asks, “Okay mate, so what has that got to do with them wanting metals?”

  Joe quickly replies, “Well, seven thousand years is over one hundred generations to these people. Their lore is quite specific, and has been handed down, father to son, all this time. Well, I bet that, long ago, they needed metals to keep everything going. But now, that need is out of context. They are pursuing a lost cause, and don’t know it.”

  Cindy’s eyes narrow as she gets an idea. “Joe, John, do you guys want to explore that complex?”

  Joe checks his terminal again before replying. “Let’s get our water first, the entrance is pretty close to another large settlement.”

  Cindy stares out at the view of the planet, and smiles. There had to be something, didn’t there?

  While John flies the shuttle to and from the planet collecting water, George and Patrick begin the arduous task of absorbing the construction dock. By the end of the first day, John has only transported a small amount of water. Henry and Emma begin the arduous sterilizing process. Unwanted water is simply jettisoned into space via a temporary pipe that hangs down the ramp, and out through the navigational shield.

  Every tank of water that is brought up is filtered, and then boiled. The steam is condensed, then filtered again before finally being put to use. The process is wasteful, and time consuming, but meets Emma’s stringent requirements.

  Down on the planet, George and Patrick stand side by side in their Gamin bodysuits. Craning their necks upward, the ancient construction dock looks very foreboding. Massive trees grow around the base, while vines entwine themselves up each of the spires. Mosses of various colors grow almost everywhere.

  Patrick scrapes away a thick layer of mold with his boot and whistles. “Wow, the dock’s base looks like it’s intact!”

  George stares at the cleared spot in amazement. He removes a pile of mold from the edge and is actually relieved to see signs of erosion. Instead of having crisp edges, they are rounded and pitted. He turns to Patrick, his voice subdued. “This construction dock has survived eons, and here we are today, carving into it.”

  Patrick gazes around one more time. “It’s a shame. But, better to get something out of this, rather than leave it.”

  George nods in agreement, then uses the suit to craft the absorption tool, and begins. Patrick does the same, but within five minutes he stops and then stares at George.

  “How do these things work?” Patrick asks while holding up his arm. “I mean this thing is slicing away at the plating as though it were Swiss cheese. Yet, you could take a sledgehammer to this stuff and barely scratch it.”

  George stops as well and stares blankly at Patrick. “I don’t know,” he says automatically, then frowns. “Actually. I do know,” he says slowly. “The tip here, has a molecular accelerator. When the atoms get excited, they are disassembled into their base particles. When there is a reaction that produces energy, the suits are able to charge up their built-in capacitor. Sometimes the process requires more energy than it creates.”

  Patrick stares dumfounded at George as he rambles on. “The creation process involves assembling the required item at the molecular level, simply by reversing the process. Small objects can be crafted very quickly, while larger objects require care and time.”

  Patrick’s jaw hangs open in shock. Simply! “You’re a lot smarter than folks give you credit for. What did you major in?”

  George looks at Patrick quizzically, then answers. “Majo
r in? Like college? I graduated high school and went to work in my uncle’s furniture store.”

  Patrick frowns in surprise. He is truly awed by George and continues to press, “So you just learned all this, ‘stuff’, on your own?”

  George shrugs his shoulders, perplexed himself, then stares at the mammoth undertaking before them. “We had better get cracking, or we will never get done.”

  As Patrick gets back to the task of absorbing the ancient dock, his thoughts dwell on George for quite a while.

  George also gets to work, his mind racing on. How do I know all this stuff?

  It takes six days for John to complete the task of filling the Terran’s water tanks with clean, filtered water. During this entire time, George and Patrick have converted a mere portion of the ancient dock. Stockpiles of rare metals lay in the hangar bay of the Terran, the rest has been transported to the Oglans.

  Jux is pleased with the mounds of copper, iron, lead, and steal ingots before him. Their individual size allow them to be easily smelted, or transported. He waves his arms over the many piles scattered throughout the village. “Thank you, sky people. This is more than two season’s salvage, and will help.”

  With the trade being completed, and the locals happy, the crew offers their farewells, and leaves. Once onboard the Terran, the bridge crew talks amongst themselves for a while, wondering why the villagers want the metals in the first place. They have smelting furnaces, and yet no industry. The few metal tools, plows, and other basic items, do not account for the volume of metals being processed. This suggests that this village trades with others, and seems the most plausible explanation.

  Feeling that the conversation is going nowhere, Cindy redirects their attention. “I think it’s time to investigate the underground complex that Joe discovered.”

  The bridge crew heartily agrees. Cindy chooses the individuals for the mission, then heads to the shuttle. She, of course, selects herself to go.

  John and Cindy occupy the front seats of the shuttle, while George and Joe sit in the rear with Radclyf and Hayato. Andrew is on the Terran’s bridge, staring at his console, momentarily lost in thought. How many more times will I lose to that guy? I mean c’mon. I can’t lose rock, paper, scissors, every time? Can I? He asks himself. He sighs, then gets back to the task of monitoring the shuttle’s progress.