Proxima

by Chase Hildenbrand

  Four days after Blaire found a trove of ancient artifacts, people numbering in the hundreds had set up in the vicinity. Where once Ann had peered over a tranquil lake, now Z48s were constantly flying over it hauling in new groups of scientific researchers. Three other groups had set up shop inside Ann’s electric perimeter including, to her relief, Ray and his small team of archaeologists. Other enclosed camps popped up throughout the landscape.

  Ray was as excited as a child in a toy store when he’d arrived that next morning. All he could conclude at the start was that the artifacts were indeed created by an intelligent species and they were very old. He and his team were still working on figuring out what exactly they were and what function they once possessed, but the mystery kept them up all night talking, keeping half the closest tents awake.

  Blaire’s discovery ended up being the mere tip of the proverbial iceberg. The further northeast from the spot where she and Ann discovered the first artifact, the denser the discoveries became until deep in the jungle they found the clear ruins of a once-great civilization. The jungle had reclaimed much over the centuries, but two things were abundantly clear from the start. One, the long-dead city expanded further than they believed possible. Now that they knew where to look, a probe flew through the towering trees and mapped the ruins at forty-one square miles. Two, the ruins were quite unlike ancient ruins one might find on Earth. Whereas those on Earth came from more primitive societies, these on Proxima belonged to a technologically advanced species.

  The remains of metals and machinery throughout the area appeared far too advanced for a limited species to create. The buildings that still had walls standing had been built using materials much stronger than rocks and clay. Using infrared scans through the jungle they mapped roadways and structure outlines they would’ve otherwise missed. Probes dispatched around the planet’s dual habitable zones along the hemispheres were looking for similar sites and soared through the skies weaving between forests and above mountains.

  The following days befell a whirlwind of activity. New discoveries and scientific breakthroughs in all fields came at a rapid pace, faster than anyone could keep up. Fruits and plants went through testing to discover whether they were edible or poisonous. The air was deemed compatible with their respiratory systems so the masks were put in storage. An ever increasing number of camps erected as the population near the ruins swole to more than a thousand. The city of tents was even given a name: Inizio—which meant ‘beginning’ in Italian.

  Ann and her team found themselves especially assiduous. Each day they alternated turns; one foraging in the jungle and the others working in the lab. On the fifth day, Ann unintentionally came face to face with a new creature. She’d been examining fungi growing on the bark of a tree. The fungi was a light yellow and smelled quite appalling. She had to resort to holding her breath when she was near it. She even debated on going back for an oxygen mask, but wasn’t sure if it would’ve even helped. The trunk of the tree was ginormous—nearly as wide as a car. As she rounded one side looking for a piece of fungi to bring back with her to Inizio, a clawed creature had been stalking her from the branches above.

  Silently it made its way down the bark. Ann happened to hear its breathing and looked up right as it pounced and was able to duck causing it to sore over her head. The creature landed on its six paws and turned itself around in a flash to face her. While the creature, which was white and furry with no tail and sharp teeth that angled inwards, was pacing, she blindly fumbled in her pack for her Taser that she carried for just this situation. Before it could pounce again and knock her over with its heavy frame, she found her weapon and aimed it at the creature making sparks fly and scaring it off. After that daunting experience they began journeying out two at a time leaving one in the lab.

  Meanwhile, Salena remained on The Christensen. She was excited for her friends on the surface for their remarkable achievements, but she was in a limbo of sorts. The power supply on the ship was essentially running automatically and error-free. On the surface electricity was being supplied by a hybrid system of solar and wind. As the supervisor of the energy department she delegated the installations of those systems to others while she kept an eye from a central location: the ship.

  The passengers were also in high spirits. A lucky few were among the first on board to try the new fruits that grew in the jungles below. After weeks of eating space food, the new exotic flavors were exhilarating. Still, they knew they had long to wait before any kind of settlement was ready for them to make their homes. But starting soon shuttles would begin ferrying them down for short visits.

  Salena felt like one of the passengers—hungry for more and eager to fully start her new life. Deep in the underbelly of the ship was the equipment the energy department stored that would allow her to begin building a turbine energy system in the oceans. She began scouting locations after the initial probe reading weeks ago. She measured the direction and speed of water currents close to shore. There would be no fossil fuel-type energy on Proxima. Not only was it written in the law of the STS commission, but she would never allow it on a personal level after living through the aftermath of burning fossil fuels on Earth.

  Installing a clean energy run infrastructure was her life-long dream. Wind and solar would only get them so far, but her turbines would power cities long into the future. Her biggest ideas were years away and for now she sat at her desk studying figures of ocean depths. She was downing her third faux-coffee when her cell rang. Pleased, she saw Ann’s face on the screen and tapped the video icon.

  “Hey lady!” she answered, beaming.

  “Hi! How’s things in orbit? You staying busy?”

  “As can be, yeah. Scouting locations. Did you know the closest ocean is less than a hundred miles from Inizio? A quick shuttle ride away whenever I want to visit. How are you and your team faring?”

  “So busy,” she answered, shaking her head and smiling. “It’s constant work and looking out for any possible dangers.” She told her about the creature on the tree.

  “When do you think you’ll be ready to set up camp?” Ann asked.

  “Soon. Two to three weeks at best. The prep work is endless and I need to go to the cargo bay to make an inventory list of initial supplies.”

  “I was thinking, since we’ve both been working so much, let’s take one day off. What do you think about getting a ride down here tomorrow morning and I’ll show you around Inizio? There’s no roads or clear pathways for hoverbikes yet, so not much for it but to walk everywhere, but I know some magnificent spots I’d love to show you.”

  “Oh, I would love to! I’ll double check my schedule to see if I can’t push things around, but I really would like to come and visit with you.”

  “And Ray of course—your boyfriend.”

  Salena chuckled and rolled her eyes. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

  “Yet.”

  “Yet.” They fell into infectious laughter. It felt great to laugh again with a friend after being separated so long. Work was critical both to herself and the thousands who would depend on the power she’d soon provide, but being social and human was equally as important. “I miss you both.”

  “We miss you, too.” Ann glanced away, smiling. “Hey!” she said to someone off-screen. “Salena is on the phone.”

  “Hola!” Ray came in the frame waving to the camera.

  “Ray! Keeping everyone on their toes down there?” Salena asked.

  “If I only had the time,” he said.

  “Here, Ray, take my phone. You guys catch up. Salena’s coming to visit us tomorrow.”

  “Oh, really?” he asked. Ann passed him the phone and walked out of the shot.

  “I should be able to, yes.”

  “I hate to say, but I have a packed schedule tomorrow. I may not see you until late, if you stick around that long.”

  “I think Ann has a long day planned for us so I’m sure I’ll be there late. She wants to show me around Inizio and I’d love t
o see the ruins in person. And I hear our ecologists have some of the Proximian creatures enclosed for study. I always enjoyed when my parents took me to zoos when I was younger, before they closed for good. I know this isn’t the same, but seeing the animals would make my trip.”

  “I’ll be in the ruins all day tomorrow. We found a site where we think a mini-skyscraper once stood. Based on the square footage of the outline and the amount of rubble in the surrounding area, we estimate it could’ve been five to eight stories. It’s our largest find yet. And you should see the amount of random artifacts we’ve discovered. These aliens were smart, Salena. Impressively smart. I can’t wait to figure out what happened to them—where they went. Anyway, let me know when you and Ann are on your way and I’ll meet up with you guys for a tour.”

  “That sounds lovely. I need a day to be out of this ship and breathe some fresh air.”

  “Wait till you try the fruit. Delicious.”

  “Any other native food you’re eating down there yet?”

  “Not yet. They’re still figuring out what plants we can and can’t eat. And we still aren’t allowed to hunt for meat. I guess they want to know what species is thriving or even over-populated before we start adding meat to the menu. The last thing they want to do is start killing an endangered species. But at this point it’s hard for me to care, I just want a burger. Does that make me bad?”

  “Let’s just say I’m not thinking any less of you, Ray, than I already was.”

  “Ha! So true.”

  “How’s Ann holding up?”

  Ray looked around to make sure she wasn’t close. He found her a dozen yards away speaking with Adam and Blaire. “Better. Every day The Hawking doesn’t show up cements it a little more that he’s not coming. I hate to say it like that, I really do. But she’s strong, and getting stronger.”

  “That’s such good news. Not about The Hawking, don’t get me wrong. It’s just... I’ve been so worried for her.”

  “Me too. I have to go—much to pack for tomorrow. See you soon.”

  “Can’t wait.” They smiled, both momentarily hesitant to end the call.

  Chapter 21

  PERCY WAS EXHAUSTED. The past few days proved to be one of the more strenuous of his life—at least of the times when people weren’t shooting at him. With the sudden loss of two captains, one dead and the other taken away without naming a successor, the ship fell into leaderless disarray. Rumors fed fear within the passengers resulting in unrest and even protests. Percy tried his best to keep the peace and explain the situation calmly, but somehow knowing they were no longer in control of the very ship they called home made things worse.

  The EPSD wasn’t making matters any easier. A constant flux of officers, both human and alien, maintained an intimidating presence on board. The only communication given to them was that Liam and Debra were fine and they were being taken to Mars. Other than that, the officers kept tight lipped, especially the aliens whom Percy had still yet to hear speak English—perhaps they physically couldn’t, he wondered.

  During the hectic last few days he spent the majority of his time patrolling the hallways and dealing with unruly passengers. But this night, likely the last of their journey, he let his subordinates do the heavy lifting while he sat in an abandoned control bridge with Stacy Rednour and Jon Crouch enjoying the view of an approaching red planet in the distance.

  “Do you think their society still has beer?” Jon asked.

  “I hadn’t thought about it. But now that’s all I’m going to think about,” Percy said.

  “I’d kill for a beer,” Stacy said with a groan. She put her feet up on an ineffective workstation.

  Jon sat up with a dawn of realization on his face. “You know, we might be celebrities. The long gone heroes back from the dead. We’ll get all the free beer we want.”

  “I like the way you think,” Stacy said.

  “Of course the opposite could be true,” Percy said. “If they think we aren’t who we say we are, we could be thrown in jail or subject to whatever form of punishment these people have.”

  “No way,” Jon said, shaking his head. “There must be too much proof on board.”

  “Most likely, but don’t forget we’re in the future. I bet tech can forge much of our proof,” Percy suggested.

  “We’d have to be a wealthy criminal organization to forge an entire STS ship. Not buying it,” Stacy said.

  “Yeah, me neither. Just playing devil’s advocate,” Percy said. “But we also can’t forget that we have no idea what we’re literally being dragged into. Sure, Jon, maybe there’ll be a parade in our honor. Or, and I think this is an actual possibility, they may sweep this under the rug.”

  “Who’s they?” Stacy asked.

  “No idea. It could be the EPSD, or a government who controls them. We don’t even know how many planets or moons are habited in the solar system. Mars for sure. Possibly Earth. But beyond those? Have they colonized anywhere else?” Percy shrugged.

  “You’re right,” Stacy admitted. “There’s too much we don’t know. I don’t like it.”

  “But why sweep it under the rug?” Jon asked.

  “I’m still working on that. Leading theory: the aliens came to enslave or kill all the humans. We put up a damn good fight and eventually led to a truce. Fast forward a millennium and they’re friends. Enter us—a reminder of a dark time that could spur some ill feelings on both sides. Better if the general public left us in the history books.”

  “I’m not going to put on my conspiracy hat just yet,” Jon said. “Yes, the EPSD has us under their control, but they’re treating us alright, so it’s hard for me to think they’re just going to let us go and tell us to keep quiet.”

  “They’re treating us fine for now, sure. Twenty-five thousand of us are in a controlled space with nowhere to go. When we get where we’re going, they could kill us,” Stacy suggested. “That would keep this situation quiet. If they conclude our presence to be a threat to a fragile peace, they might decide to take us out.”

  “No, I don’t think so. They outlawed guns, remember? From what I can see, the EPSD only carries non-lethal weapons like batons and Tasers. I don’t think they like to kill,” Percy said.

  “But housing twenty-five thousand prisoners all at once would be a daunting task,” Stacy said.

  “Housing us all in general if they let us go would be equally challenging. We come from a different time. No money, not in their governmental system, nothing. They’d need to set us up with all new lives before sending us on our way,” Jon said.

  “That’s assuming they care enough to go through that effort. It might be good enough for them to simply let us live and kick us to the curb with nothing but a ‘good luck’ to get us started,” Stacy said.

  “We can talk ourselves in circles all night about this,” Percy said. “Like I said before, we don’t know enough yet to come to any conclusion. While we’ve been debating, that planet out there kept getting bigger. Looks like we should be there soon.”

  Percy got up from his chair for a better look out the window. Jon and Stacy followed. The grand EPSD ship was ahead of them pulling them from behind using a steel rod protruding from the back of their ship that they attached to the front of The Hawking.

  “There’s green on the planet,” Stacy pointed out. “It’s sporadic, but definitely there amongst all the red.”

  “I see it. Terraforming?” Jon asked.

  “That or more domes like the one we might've seen on Triton. Only here they’re active,” Percy said. “Can you imagine living your life in a bubble?”

  “As opposed to a spaceship? At least they get sunshine,” Stacy said.

  “Valid point,” Percy conceded.

  The red planet hung in space before them. Whatever fate awaited, Mars held the answers.

  Liam lay on the sofa in the quarters he and Debra shared on the EPSD ship when a knock reverberated from their door.

  Admittedly, despite having a roommate, the qua
rters were nicer and roomier than the one he had on The Hawking. It had a full kitchen, but all their food was delivered, and even that was miles ahead better than the mushy food served on his STS ship. The bathroom had a full sized shower and two sinks, and the living room had a complete furniture set. Debra took the bed while he slept on the sofa.

  The first couple of days Debra didn’t speak. The sudden loss of Landon too much; driving her inward. Liam attempted to convince her to eat, but she refused for the first twenty-four hours. She spent most of her time lying in bed, resigned to being a captive.

  They were provided no entertainment, only food and water. Boredom crawled underneath Liam’s skin. He exercised relentlessly to fight it off and when he wasn’t exercising, he was sleeping.

  Zale Alday only visited once, three days prior, so he was surprised to see that she was standing outside his door waiting to be let in. The first time she visited, Liam again tried to tell her the truth, but her skepticism remained. She insisted that a full investigation would take place once they reached Mars. The only information she divulged was that the EPSD was monitoring the conditions on the ship and their own security crew was keeping the population abated as best as possible.

  Liam opened the door. “Zale, what can I do for you? As you can see we’re exceptionally busy.”

  “Funny. We’re approaching Mars. I have the genuine pleasure of bringing you down to the review board. You’ll state your case for them as we launch our investigation in full.”

  “So this review board, they’re a part of the EPSD?”

  “No. They work under the Planetary Authoritative Government.”

  “That’s a mouthful.”

  “Finally something we can agree on. Come on, both of you.”

  “And my people on my ship?”

  “They stay for now. Once the board makes their ruling then they’ll decide where to put them. It shouldn’t take long. Your case has been bumped up the priority list on the off chance you’re telling me the truth.”

  “Which I am. You’ll see soon enough.”