But much sooner than the end of the century, most likely within the next 10 to 20 years, Kraa-Ki would be displaced by a younger, stronger leader, whose views on the treaty might be quite different. Further, those who had studied the Kraa predicted that no other Kraa leader would be able to hold the packs together. It was almost certain that with the increased Kraa population, and the loss of central control by Kraa-Ki, the Kraa would fragment into independent groups that would war on each other for control of the richest hunting areas, and begin to cross into the human treaty-lands as well. The only question was when.
Even during the early years the colonist government was taking steps to prepare for the inevitable. Research continued into weapons, the mountains were mapped in detail, and sensors installed in all areas where a Kraa passage might be attempted. And, in spite of constraints inherited from Earth, biological agents were being secretly developed unique to the Kraa physiology. The lesson of use of smallpox as a weapon had not been forgotten.
But that was planning for the future, something for later. In the tranquil years following the treaty, and until the unexpected holocaust more than a decade later, events transpired that require recording.
June 17, Year 23
The sheer rock of the crater's wall loomed ahead as Kari Erickson pulled the throttle back, forcing the VLV to rise abruptly before leveling off to clear the top, passing the crest 50 meters below. Kevin, Annette, and the others on board were forced backward in their seats, experiencing the feeling of weight and momentarily breaking their eye contact on the rim receding below. Within seconds the wall was cleared, and, as Kari decelerated, the panorama of the full crater below slowly came into view.
Jeff leaned forward for a better view, all six passengers mesmerized by the sight. Over 15 kilometers across, the center two thirds of the crater was occupied by a large, semicircular lake of the deepest blue, with a small, cone-shaped island near the center. The shores of the lake sloped gently upward, later changing to the sheer walls of the crater that towered far overhead. At the far right was a verdant, grass covered meadow with scattered groves of trees.
The sheer size of the crater was astonishing. Kevin realized that a volcanic eruption of that scope must have affected weather over the entire planet, perhaps causing major planetary changes. It wouldn’t have surprised him if they discovered mass extinctions coincided with the eruption once the eruption was dated. But almost immediately their attention was drawn to the northeast corner of the lake where a broad expanse of ruins was clearly evident, rising majestically above the water's edge.
"My god," Jeff gasped, "I never expected anything like that."
Kevin nodded, "it's pretty much as shown on the Israel's photos, but it's certainly a lot more impressive at first hand."
Annette just gazed at the ruins as they circled down into the crater. She had also examined the photos taken from orbit a number of times, but seeing them first hand was the culmination of her reasons for coming to Alpha 2. She was an archaeologist, with a deep passion for her craft, and the opportunity to be the first to the ruins was something her colleagues on Earth could never experience.
Surveying the rest of the shoreline other smaller sets of ruins were visible, mostly scattered and partially covered by vegetation. On the shore opposite the ruined city was a small, well preserved platform enclosed by pillars, some of which were still standing. The primary set of ruins, extending for nearly a kilometer, was a jumble of standing or fallen pillars, buildings with only the pillars still standing, some with the roof still in place.
Annette had almost missed the opportunity to be the first of Sara’s staff at the site, with the assignment nearly going to one of her co-workers; but nothing could cause her to miss the opportunity, even the fact that she had given birth to her and Kevin's first child and had just returned to work two weeks before. And not being able to see Corin for several days was the price of her job. All children were taken care of in the colony nursery and school facilities in any case to allow their parents to work full-time at their jobs, with only their evenings at home. The colony didn't have the luxury of parental daycare.
The survey team would stay for two weeks before Kari would return to pick them up, and whether there would be a second mission in the immediate future was undecided; it depended heavily on what they found. In any case, with the extensive filming and gathering of samples it could take months to review all the information.
Kari slowed the VLV to slightly above stalling speed, and slowly circled the lake several times at an elevation of several hundred meters.
Kevin leaned forward and tapped Kari on the shoulder, pointing to where the meadow extended to within about a kilometer of the primary ruins. "Land in the flat area over there," he said, "it's about as close as we can get."
Kari just nodded and straightened the craft on its next turn, gradually losing altitude to drop gently to a landing at the spot Kevin had indicated. Once on the ground all disembarked and walked down to the shore from where the ruins were most easily visible.
The sun was still high when the supplies had been unloaded and the tents set up. The inflatable boat had been dragged down near the shore, the motor installed, and tarps placed securely over the boxes of equipment. Kevin, Jeff, Annette, and the three technicians who completed the team had stowed their personal affects and gathered near the boat.
"Why not walk?" Annette asked, "it's only a kilometer or so. Just give me a minute to change my shoes."
Glancing around and seeing no disagreement, Kevin nodded, and started along the shore toward the city, walking slowly to allow Annette time change her shoes and catch up.
The next morning . . . .
Their short visit to the ruins the night before had left Annette unable to sleep, and instead she had spent much of the night going over the plans of the ruins drawn earlier from the overhead photographs. Neither the plans nor photos had prepared her for the experience; as they had approached the size of the buildings became more and more evident. The entire Greek Parthenon, and its surrounding grounds, could have easily been placed within some of the larger buildings with room to spare. It was as if it had been built by a race of giants; but the strangeness said alien giants.
There had been so much to see, and so little time before darkness fell, that she could only quickly walk through a small portion of the site. But the feeling was totally different from what she had felt in her school years as she spent the summer visiting the ruins of the old Greek and Roman civilizations; a sense that while on the surface it appeared similar in many ways, it was not. The pillars of the still standing buildings accentuated this ‘alien’ feeling, even more that the strange carvings. Many of the pillars, as well as areas of the inner walls of the buildings, were heavily carved with figures similar to hieroglyphics.
Annette was sure the carvings had a story to tell, a story Annette couldn't read, yet that wasn’t what projected the feeling of difference; it was the shape and proportions of the pillars. Classical pillars from the early Mediterranean civilizations had rigidly controlled proportions which made them pleasing to the human eye. But these were different; very tall in proportion to thickness, still they projected a sense of style and grace, but a very alien style. The slenderness of those columns that remained unbroken belied their obvious purpose of sustaining the weight of a roof.
"Maybe," Annette had commented, to no one in particular, "the proportions are fitting. If this is a Torgai city the tall, thin Torgai body would call for a different sense of proportion."
While Annette walked through the nearby building Kevin waded into the water to help Jeff and the others unload the equipment cases. When they were finished they pulled the lightened boat further ashore, and went over to join Annette.
The landing spot was near what appeared to be the central plaza, surrounded on all sides by partially collapsed buildings. The shore itself was isolated from the buildings by a series of stairs, now nearly worn down by weather and the wave action of the occas
ional high water; with the diameter of the circular plaza close to the length of a football field. The site had clearly lain undisturbed for uncounted years.
Annette stopped to study the area, then commented, “The steps are there for some reason; this area may be intended as a boat landing. Have you noticed the size of the steps?”
Kevin nodded, "not easy to climb. The height of each step is over half a meter. Whoever used them must have been big buggers."
While many of the surrounding buildings were mere heaps of stone, several remained largely intact, and even for many where the roofs had collapsed the heavily decorated stone pillars were still standing. Everything was on a colossal scale, but there was little sign any of the buildings had formerly had walls, only pillars and remains of a roof.
Today, Annette decided, she would try to gain a picture of the total field of ruins, and tomorrow concentrate her effort here in the central plaza. After that she planned to cross the lake for a short survey of the ceremonial site on the other side, and then return to the city for further work. The survey of the ceremonial site would be brief, since Eric had described in detail what she would find. Still, it appeared to be in much better condition than most of the other ruins, and Eric had lacked equipment to make a record.
While not a part of the initial plan, if time allowed Annette would also like to visit the island in the center of the lake. While covered with scattered vegetation it had an unnatural appearance, in fact she wasn't sure it wasn't an artificial construction. Perhaps, she thought, it might be the location Barco and Cormandai had gone to consult with Torga many years before.
Several days later . . .
Annette and Kevin sat on the shore gazing out over the lake. In the distance the ceremonial site was now in full shade, the shadow of the crater's rim caused by the lowering sun slowly moving across the lake toward them. They had investigated the site that day, but little new was discovered. As with the city the pillars, many of which were still standing in place, were heavily carved with glyphs, most of which had deteriorated due to frost and wind erosion. They had, however, found signs of past Torgai presence; old campfires, pieces of weapons and pottery shards, and various other items, some quite recent, but some very old; perhaps dating back hundreds of years. This was different from the city site, which was devoid of any sign of previous occupants.
They had been here for eight days of the two weeks allotted for this initial investigation. The sonar survey of the lake bottom was largely complete with few results. There were no submerged ruins evident and, oddly, no sign of the expected harbor facilities. There was also no evidence of foundations of buildings appropriate for residential use, either on land or in the shallows. The buildings, and the foundations of those in ruins, showed no signs of internal partitions and were significantly larger than dictated for any residential use. Everything they had seen so far indicated the city was a ceremonial or governmental center without permanent residents. Perhaps the city had never really been inhabited on a permanent basis, only visited.
While there was much left to explore, and they would certainly return after this trip was over, other priorities might delay further investigation. In any case, the massive quantity of glyphs on the pillars and other surfaces would take years to study, and much could be determined from the data they were accumulating. Next on the agenda was the island in the lake, and then extend the survey to the area nearer the crater walls and the walls themselves; later they could decide what justified further investigation.
Right now the ruined city was furthest from Annette's mind. Her concentration was on the island. It appeared, from this distance, to be a not untypical formation resulting when the magma from a volcanic vent cooled, but the shape was oddly regular.
"Kevin," Annette said quietly, looking at the island in the distance, "the more I look at the island the more it looks unnatural. The top is flat, sure, as if it had been artificially removed, but it’s much more than that."
Kevin looked at the island carefully, then said, "wait a minute," getting up to walk to their tent, returning with a pair of binoculars. "I see what you mean," he said, "the sides are steep, and what looks like vegetation on top is mostly either side-growth extending upward or what look like weeds or low brush. And, now that you mention it, I’ve never seen the top of any natural formation that flat and regular. I recall the photos and didn't think much of it at the time."
Annette nodded, "the vegetation could well result from windborne soil accumulation. That's typical of the Yucatan pyramids that look like simple wooded hills before excavation. It's unlikely the top of this one, even if smooth, wouldn't have accumulated enough to support vegetation if the sides did. How big do you think the flat top is?"
Kevin shrugged, "not very, maybe 20 meters of so at the most; looks circular."
Even as they watched the darkness from the crater's shadow crept across the island, and soon the entire crater darkened as the sun was completely obscured. The twin moons substituted a silvery twilight for the previous brightness of day, a twilight that would remain until the larger of the two moons set a little after midnight. With the city bathed in the silvery light it was easy to imagine it teeming with the ghosts of its builders.
Two days later, mid morning . . .
The island provided unexpected surprises. First, as soon as they landed it became evident it wasn't eroded magma, but that beneath the vegetation lay an artificial construction. The first day was largely spent clearing the top of its accumulation of soil and vegetation, which led to a startling finding. While under the accumulation the sides were blocks of black stone, once the soil and vegetation had been cleared the top proved to be a seamless circular slab, without joints, giving the impression it had been sheared off by a giant knife.
During the night it had rained, and when they returned this morning a little after sunrise they immediately noticed parts of the top appeared to reflect the slanting rays of the sun differently. Only with the use of polarized sunglasses, and looking from a low angle, were they were able to discern a pattern. Strangely, the design had not been cut into the surface, but appeared to be a change in the granular structure of the rock changing its reflective index.
Kevin asked, "would we have the technology to change rock structures like that? Or is that even rock? I've never seen anything like it."
Annette shook her head, as she said quietly, "no; I don’t think so."
With proper lighting and equipment the shape of the design became clear. In the center of the platform was a circular object, with rays extending outward. Interspersed among the extending rays were smaller circular objects. Two other smaller sets of designs were present a distance away. They also found a smaller pattern near the edge of the cone-top, with a number of circles between the rays.
Suddenly Kevin pointed at the largest rayed object, "do you realize what this is? Our star Alpha A, the surrounding objects planets, and over there, with planets between its rays, must be Alpha B. The smaller one would be Alpha C.” After a pause Kevin glanced over at Annette, "its a map of the Alpha Centauri star system."
Annette got up, and went over to where Kevin stood and kneeled, putting her face near the surface. After just a few seconds she got to her feet, excitedly, "we have to get better equipment to trace out the full design. But I'm sure you're right; you can make out all three stars.”
It took over an hour before the design was roughly mapped, and Annette and Kevin stood studying it. Annette was standing back, looking speculatively, “there seems to be more here that just the Alpha Centauri System," nodding at the design at the edge of the cone, “any idea what that is?"
Kevin had been looking at the same design in growing excitement, “maybe; yes, I’m sure of it.” Looking a Annette, “count the little circles. It’s a map of the solar system of our sun; Earth’s sun. Do you know what that means?”
Annette looked quizzically at Kevin.
“Well,” he said, “aside from their having knowledge of their own sol
ar system, whoever built these structures had a knowledge of ours, and for some reason considered it important. Just think how long it was before we discovered that Alpha Centauri had planets around its suns. It was the 21st century. Which means, whoever or whatever built this cone and created the design must have been almost as advanced at the time it was created as we are now. Perhaps far more advanced."
“Know something else?” Kevin added after a moment, “I can’t believe the Torgai were ever ‘that’ advanced.”
Jeff had been circling the edge of the cone, leaning over to look down through the vegetation to examine the walls from above. He had nearly completed the circuit when he stopped and lay on his stomach, leaning as far over as possible.
"Kevin, Annette," he called, "over here."
Kevin and Annette came running, laying down next to Jeff to see what had gotten his attention.
It was immediately evident. About half way down the side was an indentation with a small ledge jutting outward. From the lake, when they had circled the island, it been obscured by the vegetation growing on the slope, but from above it was clearly visible.
"Get the rope," Kevin motioned to Jeff, "I'm going down."
Jeff got up and ran to where the rope, still hanging over the edge, was tied, coiled it up, and came back on the run.
"I think this is for me," Annette said, looking at Kevin, "I'm a better climber, and this is more in my field.”
Plus," she added smiling, "there's no way to tie the rope so it'll have to be held. And I'm lighter, and you're stronger."
Kevin, who was now kneeling, glanced over and shrugged his shoulders, "I suppose." Kevin and Jeff took a sitting position over the spot where the ledge was located and took a firm grip on the rope as Annette went over the side, within less than a minute the weight relieved as she gained her footing on the ledge. About two meters wide, covered with a shallow level of soil and sparse vegetation, the shelf extended into the cone for about two meters before ending in a flat surface; like a short hallway without a door at the far end.
Resurrection: Book II: Settlement Chronicals Page 15