Landing in early spring, the homesteaders would have the best part of spring plus all of summer and fall to prepare for what the experts believed would be a somewhat mild but hard to predict winter. Average temperatures on the surface would be close to ideal until then.
An exploratory flight to the surface was scheduled and the crew members selected. Aboard the shuttle would be: Al and two of his men, a biologist to collect samples of the local fauna and document the animal life, Doctor Cody in case of injury or illness, a habitat coordinator (also called a town planner), a copilot, and the captain, acting as the pilot (because they couldn’t talk him out of it).
The Excalibur was operating smoothly, the captain’s first officer was quite capable of handling things on-board, and the captain/pilot needed a good excuse to fly.
They would land just before sunrise, coming straight down from the sky quickly to minimize exposure to the natives, and then set-up for a two-day stay.
The lucky crew members selected for the trip were instant celebrities. They would be the first humans to set foot on Avalon. Al was the biggest celebrity mainly because he had met so many people walking the ship. Everywhere he went people congratulated him and grilled him with questions.
“What do you think it will be like?”
“Are there large animals?”
“Will the natives accept us? How advanced are they?”
“Can we eat the plants down there?”
“Is the water safe to drink?”
Al would smile at each question and say, “We won’t know until we get there.”
****
The night before they left, a bon voyage party was held at Chris and Liz’s. Al, Chris, Ana, Liz, Doc Cody, and Kayla had all found time to be there. The First Six. Al’s first friends in his new life, and the closest thing he had to a family. Relaxing and snacking on fruit from the park, they discussed whatever came to mind.
“Why do you think the captain wants to go? Shouldn’t he be staying aboard the Excalibur?” Elizabeth asked of the group.
From the bed where Chris and Ana were sitting, Chris responded to his mother’s question, “If I were the captain, I would sure want to go.”
“He is most likely curious as to what we will be dealing with down there,” Cody suggested. “And I have heard that he likes to fly the shuttlecrafts.”
“Maybe he just wants to get away from the responsibilities of command for a while,” said Ana.
Al had come to respect the captain and liked the way he conducted himself. He had to say something in his defense. “Why shouldn’t he go? Our leader is responsible for everyone on this ship, not just the crew. He wants to be the first to assess the safety of his people on the planet, and besides, he has a full staff of competent officers to take care of the Excalibur in his absence. Personally, I welcome his company. How much can happen in only two days?
Chapter Ten
The hangar bay was standing room only. Filled with all the people that didn’t have work to do somewhere else. Ship security set up barricades for a wide aisle down the middle of the shuttle bay to keep people away from the shuttle and its explorers. The first humans to visit Avalon filed in and boarded among cheers and whistles, with the captain boarding last.
When Al stepped up to the aircraft, he turned to the crowd and waved, hamming it up thinking of the age-old tradition of cheering and throwing confetti when a cruise ship leaves the dock. He was excited to be leaving, actually feeling sorry for the people that had to stay.
Al traded his formal off-white uniform for a more practical pair of khakis and a tan short sleeve shirt with his Chief stripes sewn on the sleeves. He even considered a pith helmet, like they wear in the tropics, but thought that would have been a little too much. Even without the helmet, the outfit made him feel like an explorer.
The exploration party seated themselves while the captain closed the doors and started the engines. The shuttle floated slowly up, and as it headed for the bay door, a force field was established. The large outside door slowly opened, sliding up and out of the way to reveal black space, and bright stars. The shuttle smoothly slid through the opening, circled over the Excalibur and headed down to Avalon.
The captain set the controls to automatic and then turned to the passenger compartment, “Al, I believe you have some rules you’d like to lay out?”
Al addressed the group seated around him. “Everyone is aware of the rules—right? We go everywhere in twos, and we stay close to camp. If you need to go out of sight of the shuttle, a security officer will accompany you. We keep our voices down—if you need to yell, you use the radios, and we don’t touch anything without gloves. Remember, this is only a preliminary survey. We will be carefully taking samples and returning them to the ship to be analyzed. There is no need to take unnecessary risks. Are there any questions?”
It was obvious they all wanted to get going and when the captain saw there were no questions he turned his attention back to the controls and said, “All right then—let’s go and see our new home.”
They got to within a mile of the surface, directly over their designated site. The craft hovered for a moment, weightless and silent; the passengers holding their breath without realizing it.
The captain said, “Here we go,” and they dropped like a rock into the night sky.
The ride down was a blur of clouds and a rush of air that shook the shuttle. When the shuttle fell to within a hundred feet of the ground, the captain gradually added power until they came to a stop; floating inches off the ground. A ride to remember. The captain knew his shuttle, what it was capable of, and he smiled all the way down.
Al asked, “Is that why they call it planetfall?”
The captain just smiled. He parked the shuttle under a large, unusual looking tree at the edge of a forest of exotic timber. The group constructed a fold-up canopy of camouflage netting above the shuttle that was twice as large as the craft, with the extra space under the canopy used as a covert base. Out of sight equals out of mind.
They gathered together and watched the sunrise. Slowly, as the sun came up, their new world was revealed to them. The mountains were to their south, with a green and purple forest flowing up to them. To the north was a picturesque river; spring thaws on the mountains adding to its girth. Green rolling hills with clumps of tiny red and blue flowers that stretched all the way to the river bank. The name they picked fit this place—it was an Avalonian Shangri-La.
They were not, however, fooled by its beauty. This place was similar to Earth, but it was not Earth. Evolution works differently according to different requirements and has varying results. Every creature they saw would be an entirely new species.
Tables were set-up, various scientific equipment placed on the tables, and everyone helped to collect specimens and samples. They recorded where each item was collected, along with any particulars, and then the specimens and samples were safely packed away in air-tight cases. It was going to be a long busy day, but there were no complaints.
Taken in by the landscape, and with little to do, the captain and Al took a stroll down to the river around mid-morning. The sky was clear and the air was fresh. If not for the alien life all around them, it could have been a perfect spring morning at home.
Al was going over the storage of the sample cases when the captain asked him if he would like to take a walk. Al had earlier noticed the captain surreptitiously watching him. When Al realized he was being observed, and turned in his direction, the ship’s captain would look away.
Maybe now he could find out why. “Is everything all right, Captain?”
“Sure…everything is fine. How about you?”
“I’m all right sir.”
The captain stopped on the bank overlooking the river and took a deep breath; enjoying the view. Unexpectedly, he turned to Al and said, “I’ve been wanting to talk to you, Mister Clark. Are you doing all right? I mean with your amnesia and all.”
Al was surprised. “Well…I still can’t
remember any personal things that happened before I woke up in the pod, but I’m doing fine otherwise.”
“It doesn’t appear to affect your duties,” the captain pointed out.
“Oh, no sir, I seem to remember a lot of things…just not about me.
“That must be terrible. Would you like to know more about yourself?”
“Very much sir. I don’t let it eat at me, but it is a concern.”
The captain looked down at his feet and then raised his head to look Al in the eyes, “I’m hoping it will come back to you. Everyone should know where they come from.”
Al nodded and replied, “It may not be a necessity, but it would sure be nice to know my real name.”
In the middle of the river, something surfaced, splashed, and slipped back underwater. Al and the captain stood on the bank, watching the river to see if it happened again. Later, Al would wonder if maybe he knew more than he was saying.
****
The sun began to set, and the explorers retreated to their shelter. They paused their activities long enough to watch the sun go down. It was a sunset to rival many of Earth’s end of day spectacles, and it made more than a few of them a little homesick.
After dark they held their lighting to a minimum to keep their presence quiet, but enough to finish their cataloging, run some basic tests and prepare for the next day’s efforts. The team would only have one more day to gather all the information they could before they packed up and left; just after sunset the following day.
Doctor Cody and the biologist, a Dr. Nestling, found some animal tracks in the mud by the river. There were tracks all over, but these stood out because they were eight inches long, with three long claws in the front and one in the back. They could only find two prints in the mud—like it had appeared, and then suddenly disappeared.
Some of the group were crowded around a terminal, puzzling over the 3D images Cody and the doctor recorded using a data pad. The monitor gave them a larger view.
“Looks like a big chicken to me,” one of Al’s men suggested with a wink.
“This chicken stands five or six feet tall, and could very possibly be dangerous,” the biologist retorted. “We should be careful.”
The captain warned everyone to keep their eyes open and report anything unusual, or that might be dangerous. “Do not forget…this is not Earth.”
The team ate when they could. Some managed to get a few hours’ sleep. Sounds of the forest and the river permeated the air and in the distance, they heard an occasional unearthly howl. They were becoming increasingly aware of how vulnerable they were.
Al and his men were up the whole night watching the river and the forest—for big chickens—or anything else that might cause a threat. He and his men armed themselves with MLP handguns and in the shuttle were three laser rifles that could take out a bear at three-hundred yards. Al was not taking any chances.
In the morning, they were too busy to watch the sunrise. There were bugs to collect, soil samples to get, and 3D recordings to produce. The camp was abuzz with activity as they attempted to accomplish what was needed before they left. At daylight, most of the team left camp to go out and finish their work.
At the base of a tree close by, a basket was discovered. Hand-woven and made of reeds from the river, it was overflowing with colorful fruit. A security officer and the town planner found it early when they headed out to document habitat locations and brought it back to camp. The co-pilot was the only one still there.
“Where did you find it?”
The security officer pointed and said, “Right there…not a hundred feet from us. Three security men on watch all night and they still managed to get that close and not be seen.”
The co-pilot said, “Well…so much for our being discreet. It looks like somebody knows were here.”
Then they called Al. As security chief, he was second in command after the captain.
“You found a what? Where?”
“A basket sir…at the base of a tree about a hundred feet from camp. I don’t know how they did it.”
Al was helping to collect water samples from the riverbank, and this news did not make him happy.
His officer said, “It’s a basket full of fruit sir…a fruit basket…I think it’s a gift,”
“You mean like welcome to the neighborhood?”
“I’m afraid so, sir.”
The captain is not going to like this. It will complicate things. Al thought.
When the captain heard about the appearance of the basket he was not pleased, but he also knew it was inevitable. It looked like the first contact would happen sooner than he had hoped.
“We’ll finish our mission as planned, and leave as soon as it gets dark enough. Make sure that everyone is aware and ready.”
The captain explained his thinking by saying, “This is our new home, like it or not. We must make the best of it. We have nowhere else to go.”
All the samples and specimens were safely packed away onto the shuttle, and everyone on-board was talking about the basket and the many other things they had learned. Al was in the back watching the forest as the shuttle slowly lifted off. In the gloom, standing in the woods was a shadow, a silhouette of something taller than six feet. Al was pretty sure their departure was being observed.
Chapter Eleven
The shuttle bay was full again as the first humans to visit Avalon returned. Everyone had a thousand questions, so the captain held up his hands and got the crowd to settle down long enough to say, “Initial findings of our primary site are promising, and it appears suitable to our needs. It is not quite as secluded as we had hoped, but the planet is inhabited, and we will have to meet with the natives sooner or later.
“The mission…is a success, and we will post all our results on the shipboard net. Habitat modules will begin going down starting next week.” With a broad smile, he added, “Welcome home everyone!”
The returning team left the shuttle bay the same way they came—with cheers and whistles. The attention was nice, but they wanted nothing more than to get cleaned up, get something to eat, and rest. Still; all the way through the hiber-pod bay, the medical bay, the park, the farm, and on to the habitat ring, they answered questions. The group responded when they could, but politely kept moving. They had just started a new branch of history for the human race, but they were tired.
Al, however, was not too tired for a welcome home party. The doctor declared he couldn’t keep his eyes open, so he went home to get some sleep. Al and the rest of his friends gathered at Ana and Kayla’s to celebrate their return. Of course, his friends also had a lot of questions.
“A fruit basket…really?” Asked Ana.
“A nice one, with shiny, colorful fruit in a hand-made basket; of reeds no less.”
“What do you think it means?” Liz wanted to know.
“Somebody wants to make friends?” Al offered.
Chris, looking thoughtful, said, “From all of our surveillance, the Avalonians appear pretty primitive. Do you think it might be a tribute?”
“I don’t want to speculate—let’s call it a basket of fruit for now.”
“Is the water drinkable?” inquired Kayla.
“Tests so far are good. We will have to wait until the rest of the analysis are completed to determine what type of treatment might be necessary to make it safe. But it looks good so far.”
“What are the trees like?”
The questions went on till late in the evening. Al answered as best he could, and told them what he had learned about Avalon. They speculated on a dozen subjects, explained their personal theories, and laughed at each other’s jokes. Al could have talked about Shangri-La and their trip all night, but eventually, someone said something about getting up in the morning and yawning, so the party reluctantly came to an end. Al left to get himself some well-deserved rest.
****
The security chief asked for and received permission to deploy two autonomous drones called Watchers a
t the earliest opportunity. Whoever it was that left the basket and possibly watched them leave, needed to be watched in return. As head of security, he was responsible for the safety of all the personnel sent down to establish their community, and he did not like taking chances.
Al wanted an early warning system deployed, and he found just what he needed. Silent, baseball sized drones that included technology that rendered them effectively invisible. They could float in a tree or circle a specified area at five-hundred feet totally quiet and unseen. Typically programmed to operate at a specific range from a center point, the watchers operated twenty-four-seven and had a three-sixty degree field of view. If it detected unusual movement, heat or sound, it would move closer to investigate and transmit the images to a security device along with an alarm.
Al had found them in storage under the floor of the security section. He knew what they were before he even opened the box. The perfect surveillance tool.
He had to test them and surprised his officers more than once with his surveillance techniques in the days before departure. He could tell the watcher to target a particular person, and it would follow discreetly behind them; with them oblivious to the fact they were being watched as they went about their rounds. When a disembodied voice from behind would tell them to pick the mashed potatoes over the green beans in the mess hall, Al found the expressions on their faces hilarious. They, however, did not agree.
They went back to Avalon in two shuttles, the captain deciding he didn’t want to risk more than two shuttles at a time away from Excalibur. They only had four shuttles left after the meteorite strike through the shuttle bay.
Planetfall was as before, falling through the clouds at dawn, to land by the forest. On-board this trip were the pilot, Al and two security officers, Elizabeth to establish the computer communications, the town planner, a crew of specialists on habitat construction, and four habitat modules along with the necessary construction equipment to install them.
AL CLARK (A Sci-Fi Adventure)(Book One) Page 7