by James Wilson
Shortly after the discovery of life on P3, Vensecosk had joined the team as the crew’s life sciences expert. The new full-time recruit, Zoskerladne, still groggy from waking up from cryostasis only a few days earlier, was going to be working on building their ship, among other tasks. The intern and Tevek’s friend, sixteen-year-old Chevekov, had already done a lot of work on the project assembling the rockets that delivered the five Rovers to the planets and was now also officially part of the team.
Tevek’s reason for calling everyone together was first to tell them that the mission was approved and that they were shooting for a launch date of 4850. He also wanted to give them a quick run-down of what the plan was, even though they all had a basic idea of where they were going.
Tevek explained to the group, “The plan is to launch sometime in 4850, as soon as the ship is ready. The crew of four will sleep in cryochambers for over a year while transporting to P3. After several days of recovery and study while in orbit around the planet, the team should be ready to land the ship. The first landing will be at the location of the first Rover. The plan will be to study the ruins. Next, we will fly to the other side of the planet and set down in the area where the second Rover landed and collect life forms to study.
“After those first two missions, we will decide if we want to make a third landing. Altogether, we will plan initially on having about fourteen days on the surface. We will also bring enough provisions for a second fourteen days if we feel we need more time there. Then, we go back to sleep for the ride home.”
Tevek continued, “There is only room for four on this mission. I will also need someone to stay back and work at the solar station, probably about half-time. Each of you can take your time and think it over. If you decide you want to go, you can apply for one of the three open positions. I will then select the best qualified applicants to go with me to P3.
“Before you all leave,” he added, “keep in mind that we will be gone for over three years. As you know, there is always some risk with going to a new planet. Also the planet’s gravity is only about three quarters that of what we are used to, and the atmosphere is at less than half the pressure of home with only about a quarter of the O2 concentration. To be out of the ship, you will need to wear an O2 mask at all times. Without it, you would die within five or ten minutes.”
CHAPTER 47
LAUNCH TO P3
Test flights on their new ship finished in late 4849. Zoskerladne had worked full-time with both the assembly and test crews during the eighteen-month project. Keiske was there for all the actual test flights and flight training, as he wanted to be fully trained on all ship operations along with Zoskerladne, so that he could pilot the ship if needed.
In early 4850, they gathered for their last meeting before the launch. The crew was comprised of Tevek, Keiske, Vensecosk, and Zoskerladne. Tevek and Vensecosk would go into stasis two days before launch; Zoskerladne and Keiske would pilot the ship around the Sun for a large gravitational boost to get their velocity up quickly. This circuit would take about three days. After the gravity boost, they would make the final course correction and join the others in stasis for rest of the trip.
Chevekov didn’t volunteer to go on the trip. He wanted to say at the station and continue courting his girlfriend, Voska. He would stay behind and remain in charge of operations at the station.
CHAPTER 48
LANDING ON P3
After a little over eighteen months in stasis and about three days away from their destination of orbit around P3, the ship’s systems automatically brought the crew out of stasis. Once they had enough time to recover, they would set about the tasks of reading all the messages from Sol’s North Station and reviewing the latest data from the Rovers and the satellite at P3. Once in orbit, they would spend a couple days surveying the planet and choosing their exact landing sites.
Their first landing would be in the area where the first Rover had landed in Region D. This landing site was selected because there were some interesting things to look at, but in general, the area was desolate and devoid of life. This site would give them a chance to get used to the gravity and moving around on the strange planet. It was their second landing site that they were most eager to get to. With an abundance of different life forms, they expected to collect a variety of plant and animal specimens. Vensecosk was eager to see how the DNA and cell structure of these alien life forms compared to that of their own.
The ship’s systems had a three dimensional map of the surface of the planet and a fully manipulatable holographic image display. All they needed to do was zoom in to the general location of where they want to go, point to the spot where they would like to land, and set the launch clock; the ship handled the rest. If something should change during their descent, they could easily switch over to manual controls or abort the landing and return to orbit.
The heat shielding and engines in their ship were designed to travel near the intense heat and gravity of large stars; thus, landing on this small planet with such a thin atmosphere was a fairly simple matter. The entire descent would only take about fifteen minutes. As soon as they broke through the clouds during their descent, the three Pyramids became clearly visible and drew the attention of all four of the crew members. They landed about a mile south of the Pyramids and were able to see them on the horizon.
Eark tradition called for the oldest crew member to make the first Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) on a new planet, but Keiske was very eager to set foot on solid ground. As soon as the ship touched ground, Keiske said, “I know you’re supposed to be first out, Vensecosk, but would you mind if I went first?”
“That’s fine with me, Keiske. I’d actually prefer not to be first,” answered Vensecosk. “As long as no one else minds, the job is yours.”
No one else had any objections, so he geo ready to go out and explore this new world.
Soon, the others joined Keiske, and they spent several hours walking and flying around the area where they landed. They collected ice, water, and soil samples. For the most part, there was not a lot to see, but the low gravity made for a lot of fun for the group just moving around. The low pressure and low O2 concentration made the air unsuitable for them, so they kept their masks sealed on their faces.
The next day, the crew got an early start and hiked the mile north to the Pyramids. They were amazed to see them up close for the first time. The images sent back by the Rovers were great, but nothing compared being able to reach out and feel the things.
“The construction reminds me of the pictures from some of the ancient ruins of Timouri,” Zoskerladne said.
CHAPTER 49
PHYSICAL CONTACT
They studied the area around the first landing site and prepared to head to the second site. The trip was planned such that they would arrive in Region A an hour or two after sunrise. This allowed them to travel entirely in daylight and still have most of the day to explore once they arrived. For them, Cairo to Houston was about a three-hour trip. There was very little to see except at the beginning and end, as most of the trip was over water.
After crossing the Atlantic Ocean, they slowed down and dropped some of their altitude. As they got closer to the surface, it became clear that there were areas where there was plenty of vegetation growing along the coast. There were also great plains of ice and areas that looked dry and barren as well. The landing zone was as lush and green as all the pictures from the Rover had indicated.
Once they landed and relayed a message back to Chevekov, the crew got ready for their first EVA in the area. Outside, Vensecosk couldn’t go more than about two steps before she had to stop to take another plant sample. The variety of plants in such a small area was beyond anything she could have imagined. With a simple sprayer, she would encase the plant or animal in a clear plastic-like substance that would preserve the specimen for later examination. If they were small enough, she tried to capture each plant completely, requiring her to do a little digging. To her astonishment, she
soon found a worm. It looked almost exactly like a Vermis from Timouri. Vermis were eaten by the Eark in so many different dishes that there wasn’t an Eark alive that would not recognize one. She knew this would be big news, not only back at Sol, but at all the Eark colonies. By the end of the day she had over 100 varieties of plants and thirty-seven animals.
The next two days were filled with much of the same activities as the first day—exploring, collecting samples, and trying to learn as much as possible about the area. On the fourth day, they decided to split into pairs and venture off in different directions. Tevek and Keiske went south toward the water, and Vensecosk and Zoskerladne went north toward a large patch of trees on the horizon.
Around mid-day, Vensecosk and Zoskerladne came upon an area where the trees were arranged in neat, evenly-spaced rows, something they had not yet seen here. It did not look at all natural.
“It looks like pictures I’ve seen from the farm planet, Aline, at the Ninth Generation Star,” said Vensecosk.
As they were collecting samples of the bark, leaves, and fruit from a few of the trees, they heard strange noises in the distance. Cautiously, they headed in that direction. They watched as a group of fur-covered creatures climbed in the trees near the edge of the orchard and ate the fruit. The largest of the group was about three feet tall and was being fed by one of the others. At times, they walked on two legs; they also swung from the branches, using their long arms and tail. After a few minutes of observing, another creature a bit larger came running toward them carrying some sort of device and making such a loud noise that all the smaller creatures took off quickly, heading out of the orchard. This larger creature only had fur on its head and had no tail but otherwise looked about the same.
Vensecosk and Zoskerladne kept low to the ground and watched as the animal turned around and headed back in the direction that it came from. Soon, they heard more noises and slowly moved toward the source.
They saw a few more of the tailless animals eating fruit and running around the trees. Vensecosk wanted to try to capture one of the smaller ones. She signaled to Zoskerladne to stay put as she moved closer. Before long, one of the smaller animals of the group started running directly towards her. Vensecosk seized the moment and sprayed the human child with her urethane sealant as quickly as she could. Two more children saw what was happening, and they ran off screaming. Before she finished covering the little boy, her spray gun went empty; quickly she ejected the cartridge of sealant and proceeded to put in a fresh one.
Hearing all the commotion, Zoskerladne began making his way toward the scene. As he did, he saw a much larger version of the same type of tailless animal approaching Vensecosk from behind. “Watch out behind you!” he shouted, just as the human swung a large branch, hitting Vensecosk in the head.
Vensecosk dropped to the ground as Zoskerladne flew towards her as fast as he could. When he got there, he saw the human running off with Vensecosk’s bag of specimens and the partially-sealed human child.
Vensecosk lay next to the broken branch that hit her. Her O2 delivery system was smashed, and the supply line was not connected. He took a big breath, removed off his mask and put it on Vensecosk. She was alive, but unconscious and was badly cut and bruised. Zoskerladne could not tell if there were any broken bones. Using the adhesive from his sample kit, he was able to fix the O2 mask well enough to make the trip back to the ship. He did not wait for her to regain her strength, as he didn’t know what to expect in the way of another attack. He pulled her onto his back and started back at the quickest pace he could manage.
“Tevek, Keiske, I need you guys to meet me back at the ship right away!” Zoskerladne shouted into the com system after adjusting it for long-range communication. Vensecosk has been hit. She needs medical attention. We should be there in about fifteen minutes.”
Tevek responded, “Okay, we’re on the way. We’ll be there well ahead of you. Is she okay?”
“I think she’ll be fine, but she was hit pretty hard.”
CHAPTER 50
BATTLE PLANS
Christeen had hit the monster with all her might, then picked up her poor little nephew Matt and the few things on the ground and ran through the orchard. It didn’t look too good for Matt: his head, and most of his body was encased in a rubbery, clear substance, and Christeen was sure he couldn’t breathe.
Another nephew, young Joe, was just ahead and Christeen stopped running long enough to give him instructions. “Joe, quickly gather all the children and go to the bunker. Wait there; I’ll send someone as soon as I can.”
Next, she used her wrist-pad phone to call Michael. “A monster appeared in the orchard and has done something to young Matt! I don’t think the poor boy can breathe I’m heading for the tunnel. Meet me there, and hurry!”
“Okay, Christeen. I’ll be there as soon as possible!” Michael replied.
Michael Friedlander had purchased the underground complex just a few miles outside of what was once the city of Houston, Texas, about nine years earlier. His father had left him a very successful tunnel-boring equipment manufacturing business when he was thirty-one. After running the business for twenty-two years, he decided to sell it and move to Region A and live a quiet life with his family. In 4841, Michael sold the manufacturing company. The next year, he moved from Bristol, England with his wife and his four grown kids and their families to the Texas underground. Two years later his mother, brothers George and Roger, and one of his sisters joined them.
The underground complex included twenty-five separate residential units, some of which were not fit for living in and a few others that were rather lavish and well-maintained. The 250-year-old complex could be accessed from a secure door along the side wall of a public train tunnel that ran from under the ancient remains of Houston out to where the city of Austin used to be. Once past the door, there was a large staging room with over a dozen six-seat electric train cars.
On the other side of the room was another tunnel with two sets of tracks, one for going each direction. The tracks ran from the staging room down a five-mile tunnel to Michael’s underground complex, where the two sets of tracks split into a single set of one-way only tracks that went around a one-mile loop. Along the loop, there were another five tunnels, each accessible by pressing the turn-right button in the car. When the button was pressed, the car would switch to the side tracks and head down the desired tunnel.
Each of the side tunnels had up to twelve additional branches that led to the various housing units. In addition to all the underground facilities, Michael’s purchase also included all the land above ground, where there were several gardens, the orchard, and a small pond.
Michael’s eldest son, Lenny, also purchased a large underground storage hangar and habitat about forty miles toward Austin near a large lake. Lenny kept his collection of vehicles and fuel-production equipment there. He had a wide variety of cars, planes, trucks, boats, and countless smaller vehicles, including land and water scooters and hang gliders and a 500-year-old hot air balloon.
While most vehicles ran on electricity, Lenny had a fascination with gasoline-powered transportation, and since the world ran out of fossil fuel over 2,000 years ago, he had to produce his own liquid fuel. His fuel production equipment could produce all the fuel he needed as long as he provided it with an adequate supply of carbon dioxide, water, and Sun light, which was not a problem in that area.
Michael and his second son, Drew, arrived at the tunnel entrance a few seconds before Christeen and the little boy. The boy was encased in a completely transparent material that looked like a cross between plastic and rubber. Drewquickly pulled out his knife and was able to cut away some of the material. By the time they were able to get enough of the boy’s face free, it had been over five minutes. It was too late; little Matt was dead. Drew could not hold back the tears. After he composed himself, he shouted, “What the hell happened out there? You were supposed to be watching him. My boy is dead!”
“I don’t know! T
here was a creature: it looked like a bird and a lizard combined,” Christeen said. “It was spraying that stuff on Matt when I arrived. I clobbered the thing really hard with a branch. Then, I called and ran here as fast as I could. I’m so sorry, Drew. There was nothing I could have done; it happened so fast! I think it was an alien ’cause, I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
Later that evening, Michael convened a family meeting at the Commons, the largest of the housing units where they met for special occasions or family events and games. Michael relayed the whole story to the group. He showed the sketches that Christeen and two of the children had made of the creature and the items that Christeen had collected. There were several dozen small plants and animals encased in the rubbery plastic material, the net bag which held all the samples, and the spray gun, which did not look like anything that came from Earth.
They agreed it was likely that they were dealing with the aliens that had camped out around the Sun. They devised a plan to go to the orchard before dawn the next morning and wait to see if the aliens came back. Michael wanted to try to capture one of the aliens alive, if at all possible.
CHAPTER 51
FIRST BATTLE
After a little medical attention and a good night’s sleep, Vensecosk was ready to venture back out. The group wanted to return to the orchard to try to learn more about the strange animals they encountered yesterday and to see if they could find the bag of samples and other things that got left behind. This time they would all go together.
Zoskerladne did not want to take any chances, so he modified the bush-clearing device that they brought. It was used to vaporize thick vegetation by emitting electromagnetic pulses. The modifications he made to the bushwhacker included giving the output a more concentrated beam that could be aimed in any direction. He added a triggering mechanism to allow for the output power to be adjustable by applying more or less pressure to the trigger. He also added an extra high-density battery to supply more output power.