One of the fishermen points to his fish-finder and says with glee, “See I told ya. No way is that a school of fish. It ain’t moved, and it’s deep.”
Walker replies absentmindedly, “Whatever it is, it’s metallic.”
“Metallic!” Replies the fisherman in surprise. He stares at the image on the fish-finder and asks, “How do you figure?”
Walker stares at the small screen on the device, then says, “This unit was adapted from a radar unit, and I am telling you, whatever is below us, it’s made of metal.”
Three days pass as Walker’s men hastily construct a dozen pontoons, then erect a temporary crane on them. Each pontoon supports one leg of the oddly shaped crane which now straddles the area directly above the submerged object. Scuba divers have been busy removing silt, and running cables around it.
On the fifth day, Walker stands with Barbara on the edge of the lake and observes as his men slowly winch the mysterious object out of the water. Scuba divers continually report the progress, while others watch from a safe distance.
The area between the pontoons turns muddy as the disturbed silt rises closer to the surface.
Barbara’s heart skips a beat as the object rises out of the water. Gasps can be heard from the onlookers, many of whom step back in fear.
Walker’s face twitches, then he says, “Well, that’s the darndest thing.”
A shuttle, bigger than all but the largest the Terran has, dangles above the water, suspended by numerous cables. Water drips off its curved wings, and its impressive looking stubby engine.
Walker stares at it in amazement for a few moments, then whistles and waves to his men. A large truck edges close to the water’s edge, while at the same time, the small motors on the pontoons start up. Carefully and slowly the alien craft is moved toward the truck. Walker diligently watches the lengthy loading process. Once completed, he walks over to the object that is now resting on the truck. Its body overhangs both sides of the truck’s bed, while its muddy wings hang out even farther. He stares at it for a while, then turns to Barbara, and says. “This engine looks like a miniature version of a main drive unit.”
Barbara walks over to Walker and asks, “What do you think we should do with it?”
Walker slowly shakes his head from side to side, then replies, “Well, as much as I would like to examine it, the Terran should be back soon.”
“They are better equipped to deal with alien technology,” Barbara adds thoughtfully.
Walker bends down to look underneath the alien craft. His eyes narrow warily when he spots a recessed section in its hull. He leans closer. His heart skips a beat when he notices an ordinary looking handle in the center of the recess. He motions for Barbara to look, and asks, “Do you think the pilot is still inside?”
Barbara’s eyebrows raise up as she replies, “If so, I am sure he, she, or whatever it is,” she stammers, “is long dead.”
Walker rubs his chin thoughtfully, then says, “I am going to put this thing in lockdown.”
“Lockdown?” Barbara inquires.
“Yes. It should be stored in a secure location, at least until the Terran returns. Perhaps they know who this belongs too,” Walker adds optimistically.
“Okay,” Barbara replies reluctantly, “I agree.” She is not sure if the crew of the Terran will know anything, but she does know that the current group is ill equipped to be poking around what appears to be a small spacecraft.
It takes Walker’s men the rest of the day, but finally, the truck with the alien spacecraft on it is parked outside his headquarters. His men hastily erect a fence, and then post guards to keep any curious townsfolk away.
Chapter Four - Oglan World
Location:
Deep Space
Oglan System
Emma stares at the forward view excitedly, and asks for seemingly the thousandth time, “How close are we to the Oglan’s planet now?”
John takes a deep breath, then taps his console once again, pushing their sub-light engines to maximum thrust. He glances at Joe, then hesitantly replies, “Couple of hours.”
Emma pouts, “Why did you stop using the main drive when we were still so far away?”
John chuckles, “We were pretty close actually, considering we had to estimate the solar system’s position.”
“Estimate it?” Emma queries as she glances from Joe to John.
Joe responds, and thus saves John from any more harassment. “Our sensors can only scan to a distance of around twenty light years. Even with the aid of the Navicon unit, I was concerned about certain inconsistencies in the stellar charts.”
Cindy stands, then interrupts the discussion. “Emma, you may as well get your team ready. If Jux says that you and your crew can stay, then I want to make the most of it.”
Emma nods in agreement and excitedly replies, “Good idea, he was the settlement’s leader.” She hurries off the bridge, excited at the prospect of spending time studying another world.
Peter turns, and with a broad smile plastered across his face, watches her leave the bridge. He motions a thumb at her departing figure and says, “And to think, there was a time she when did not want to step one foot back on this ship.”
“I am curious about the Navicon,” says Robert, changing the subject.
Joe turns to him and asks, “What about it?”
“Well,” Robert replies, “I was of the understanding that the unit allows us to see the location of the Gamin ships.”
“Correct,” Joe replies with a nod.
“Then, can’t they see us?” Robert asks warily.
Joe tilts his head to the console they took from the derelict they plan to revisit soon, and after a moment replies, “Sure, but don’t worry, we have George and Cindy on board.”
Robert frowns, opens his mouth to ask more questions, but says nothing. He recalls the many stories of George and his Gamin friends, then decides not to pursue the matter any more.
After what feels like an eternity, the planet Oglan, so named by its people, comes into view. The world is just as Cindy recalls. Its blue waters and vast land masses are visible through a scattering of white clouds. She smiles as she envisions the vast tracts of farmland, and the abandoned cities. Having been stripped of metals by the Gamin, the inhabitants were left with little choice but to regress technologically.
Emma returns just in time to observe the breathtaking view. While she enjoys the scene her face beaks into a smile. The idea of studying yet another planet fills her with an excitement that she can hardly contain.
John checks his console, then after a quiet discussion with Joe, turns to Cindy and says, “Well. I have either put us in orbit over the village you want to visit, or,” he chuckles, “I have no idea where we are.”
Cindy stands, picks up her Kord computer and slings it over her shoulder by its strap, and then says, “Let’s see if Jux remembers us.” She points to John, Peter, and Emma, and says, “You’re with me.” Nodding to Joe, she adds with a smile, “You get the boring job of keeping my seat warm while I’m gone.”
Joe sighs jokingly and says, “Yes ma’am.”
Robert opens his mouth to complain about not going, but decides against it. Instead he smiles politely as they leave. Staring at the Kord computer that rests against Cindy’s hip, he shakes his head at its ability to seemingly take any language and translate it back in near real time. He is however, baffled as to why the implants are needed, and how it is that George is able to easily replicate the technology. He mentally shakes his head and files his questions away for another time.
Meanwhile, as Cindy’s team leaves, four substitute crew members step toward their vacant stations. Joe leaves his seat to take his place in the raised command chair, and grins as the newcomers nervously take over for the main bridge crew. Rumors of the deeds performed during their last two voyages have been exaggerated so far beyond reality that many of the new crew look to the original members with a strange reverence.
Cindy has kept
everyone busy these last thirty days and instituted many changes. Dozens of volunteers have rotated through the various bridge positions, to learn the basics of the ship’s operations, and those who excelled were selected. And as per Cindy’s orders, the bridge is never left unattended. The twelve junior bridge officers came from all areas of the ship, but now reside on level two.
There were other changes made during this time. The most drastic being the relocation of Radclyf and Hayato off the bridge. Their chairs now face wall consoles, and are usually occupied by some of the secondary bridge crew. The opposite side of the bridge has three chairs, one of which is still taken by Robert, but the other two are also filled by these junior officers.
Peter is now responsible for relaying orders to Radclyf’s and Hayato’s teams, who now have an area in the main hangar deck. Newly installed elevators allow them quick access to every level of the main hull. Peter also monitors David’s teams, which have been split into smaller units, each of which is responsible for protecting a section of the ship.
Joe stares out at the beautiful planet and says to the tense substitutes, “Relax people, we have been here before, and the Oglans are a peaceful bunch.”
The four replacements are extremely nervous and glance at each other with a combination of excitement and apprehension. The training they received was conducted while they were traveling faster than light, thus much of it was theoretical.
Robyn stares at her controls with wide eyes, then turns to Joe and says fearfully, “I don’t know what some of these symbols mean, and I am supposed to fly this thing.”
Joe is about to chastise her, but then he recalls the steep learning curve they all had, and instead replies, “The Gamin controls take a bit of getting used to, but if you look carefully, many of the symbols have text underneath them.”
“How did you do that?” Robyn asks curiously.
“We didn’t,” Joe replies with a shrug of his shoulders. He then adds as an afterthought, “It’s almost as if the computers are adapting to us, somehow.”
Robyn stares at Joe, drawing confidence from him. Her hazel eyes sparkle with a mix of fear and excitement at the realization that she is about to pilot the Terran, without the main crew being nearby.
When Robyn first volunteered to try out piloting, many of her colleagues thought it funny. Her short cropped black hair, small bust, and slight build give her a frail appearance. Being one of the smallest women on board, and wanting to fly the massive ship, made her the victim of quite a few jibes.
Joe offers his advice as he sits in the command chair, “Just remember your training.”
Robyn takes a deep breath, glances at the others, and is actually relieved when she sees that they are as nervous as she is. With mounting trepidation she examines her console, and then relaxes. She turns to the others and says, “We can relax, the entire ship is on autopilot. All we have to do is sit here and enjoy the view.”
By now Cindy’s group has made it to the upper level of hangar deck. They gaze down at the floor far below, all of them are momentarily mesmerized by the hustle and bustle. It is amazingly full of people and equipment, and more are arriving by the second. Small electric forklifts travel along the many corridors inside the massive ship. They ferry pallets, which they load onto the elevators. Pallet after pallet is transported to the hangar deck floor.
Cindy turns to Emma and says, “Well, it looks like your team is getting ready to move everything.”
Emma grins and replies, “Even if Jux says no, I am sure we can find somewhere on this planet to conduct our research.”
Cindy nods to their shuttle as she replies, “Let’s go and find out.”
John smoothly pilots the survey shuttle out of the hangar deck, and then down to the planet, and toward the village he hopes is the correct one. Cindy occupies the seat on his right, while Emma and Peter occupy the pair of seats which can either rotate forward, or face the side walls where banks of computers are in easy reach.
The shuttle descends through the clouds, and enters open sky. Cindy stares at the rolling hills and smiles. An ancient Gamin construction dock is directly ahead. They all stare at the overgrown structure, and particularly at the spire with its broken tip.
John grins, then says proudly, “Not bad for dead reckoning.” He glances at Cindy and adds, “Now, if I have this right,” he points ahead as he continues, “we head to that river up ahead, and follow it downstream. Along the way we should come across the village with Jux in it.”
“Sounds about right,” Cindy replies as she stares at the image below with its abundance of forests and fields. She frowns as a thought comes to mind, and while she concentrates hard, asks Emma, “Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn’t this planet have something like a twenty-two hour day, with a three hundred day year?”
Emma replies enthusiastically, “Yes, which makes this planet virtually the opposite of New Earth. While Hawking has a longer day, and year, than we are used to, this planet’s are both shorter.” Almost as an afterthought she adds, “Oh, and the gravity here is less too, at about eighty-five percent of Earth’s.”
“Okay,” Cindy responds, still deep in thought. Her eyes light up. She glances at Emma as a notion springs from her lips, “You want to know how the crops grow so fast here? Don’t you?”
“Exactly,” Emma responds excitedly, “This planet has shorter seasons than Earth, and yet seems to support a healthy farming industry.” She smiles and adds, “This planet could hold the answers to our problems on New Earth.”
Smiling at Emma, Cindy asks, “Based on the activity in the hangar, your team is preparing for a lengthy stay.”
“Yes,” Emma replies enthusiastically. With a cheerful smile, she adds, “Plus I brought plenty of soil this time, for comparative testing.” She grins at Cindy like a woman possessed.
“How much soil are we talking about?” Cindy asks warily, a frown developing on her brow.
Emma shrugs her shoulders and says, “Well, no one gave me a weight limit.” She pauses as the landscape distracts her, then while still gazing downward she replies, “Levels fifteen through seventeen.”
“Two whole levels! Do you even know how much that is?” Cindy asks, stunned by the areas mentioned. She knew that Emma was loading soil for her tests, but the potential amount is staggering.
“I have no idea,” Emma replies. She shifts her attention to Cindy and says matter-of-factly, “I ran out of soil on New Earth, and we’re not coming all this way to do that again.”
“Fair enough,” Cindy replies in a bewildered tone.
Peter has remained quiet this entire time and focused on the view outside the shuttle’s windows. He tries to avoid getting caught up in Emma’s discussions involving her field.
Cindy squints off into the distance, and points to a distant settlement. “Is that the same village?”
Numerous small wooden buildings, none more than two stories in height, dot the landscape ahead. As they approach Cindy continues to ponder the many reports of the ship’s vast storage areas filling up, and space becoming a concern. She smiles inwardly as she realizes now that it was Emma’s team which was responsible for most of the reports of diminishing storage capacity, and not the Army Corps of Engineers.
John, who is oblivious to Cindy’s distracted thoughts, continues to fly them toward the small village. Beyond the wooden buildings is a huge tree covered hillside, which in reality, is an ancient overgrown city. As they approach the settlement, a group of natives is gathering in a clearing nearby. They appear to be unarmed and seem to be waiting for them to land.
Peter scrutinizes the area as John slowly circles the village. Cindy shrugs her shoulders and says, “It looks safe enough.”
“Agreed,” responds Peter hesitantly. His eyes continues to intently scan the area.
John lands the shuttle softly on the ground and opens the hatchway. Immediately the thick, heavy, air of the Oglan world fills their lungs. Within a few breaths the excitement of meeting the Ogl
ans overcomes the odd feeling caused by breathing the alien air.
Cindy, Emma, and Peter, grab their translators and step out of the shuttle.
A tall, pale, alien with opal colored skin steps up to the group and says, “I am Jux, chief greeter to sky people. As has been...” He stops midsentence. After a few seconds of silence, he states, “You were the ones who came before, and gathered metals with us.”
Cindy nods excitedly and replies, “Yes, and we are visiting you again.”
Jux adjusts his loose fitting garment, then stares at Cindy with his large pearl colored eyes. His iris-less eyes open and close rapidly while the skin flap below them lifts and falls with his breathing. He waves his six fingered hand at the growing numbers of his people and says, “You are not like other sky people.”
The color drains from Cindy’s face as she quickly looks around. Peter takes a step back toward the shuttle, as he too, intently scrutinizes the immediate area. Emma gulps and quivers in fear. Her eyes go wide as she imagines hordes of aliens charging out from the nearby wooden huts.
Jux, who is oblivious to their distress, continues, “You give and not take. All other sky people only take.”
“All others?” Cindy asks hesitantly, while her eyes dart from building to building. Many of the wooden huts have open doorways, with shadowy interiors.
Jux points to the sky and says, “Long ago sky people come. They take things, they leave, then more come, and more, until we have nothing they want.”
Cindy relaxes and asks, “Oh, but that was long ago?”
Jux points to a distant hill and says, “Only the old ones saw sky people.”
Cindy stares off into the distance, but cannot properly discern what it is she is looking at.
Peter gazes at the far off hill, then turns to Cindy and quietly says, “It’s a graveyard.”
“I gathered that,” Cindy replies gruffly. Even though she cannot see it clearly, she immediately regrets the harshness in her tone and glances at Peter. In a softer voice she adds, “Thanks. I didn’t mean to be short.”
Alliance (Terran Chronicles Book 4) Page 11