Lucifer Comet (2464 CE)

by Ian Wallace

  “And twenty-one hundred light-years is almost precisely the distance that the comet would have traveled, in the fifty thousand years which are estimated as its age, and at the velocity of .0326 C or 9780 kilometers per second which Lieutenant Zorbin recorded and repeatedly verified.”

  They were all quick-glancing among Sari and Zorbin and Methuen… . There was a little scattering of applause in which Dorita joined; Methuen and Zorbin refrained, sensing that some of it was for them, although mostly it was for Sari.

  “Now,” the astrophysicist continued, “there remain problems; all is not resolved. I do not know that the gradient does not extend far out beyond even Saiph; it certainly was not created by the comet, since it was observed long before the comet appeared, and the comet does seem on this showing to have originated near Saiph. For that matter, I have not proved that the gradient extends even as far as Saiph; but it seems a good inference from the speed and age of die comet and its linear gradient trajectory where it was plotted. We do seem to have here strong evidence that the two creatures contained in the comet did begin their journey in it near Saiph; but whether Saiph was their origin as creatures, I have no way to judge. I was interested in Dr. Alexandrovna’s hypothesis about Quarfar’s Erth-origin based on linguistic indications.

  “And there is also a report by a subject to be taken into account. The creature called Quarfar has reportedly given to Miss Lanceo an accounting of the nine brightest stars, along with three nebulae, as seen from the planet Dora. Incidentally, has Dr. Alexandrovna verified the credibility of Miss Lanceo’s reporting?”

  “It is credible,” Olga affirmed, while Dorita reddened.

  “Good,” Sari commented. “Well, to make a fully scientific comparison, we need more than we have, but we can start with two assumptions. The first is, that the nine brightest stars as seen from Saiph would all fall within the constellation Orion, which has a number of high-magnitude stars; and the presence of three nebulae, one of which could be M-42, is further confirmation. The second starting assumption is this; if we know the distances and magnitudes of those stars and nebulae from Erth, along with their right ascensions and declinations, we can compute the relative magnitudes of those stars and nebulae as seen from Saiph. Want to think about that for a moment?”

  They bowed heads in prayerful thought. Presently a majority of heads came up again, some comprehendingly, some willing to be shown.

  She queried: “Shall I proceed, Mr. Chairman? or shall we first explore my concepts?”

  “Go ahead,” said Methuen. “We can take questions later, but some of us do understand the concepts.” He now had the measure of Sari, just as she yesterday had learned the measure of Methuen.

  “Very well. I will stay with the planar projection to show you my findings, based on a preliminary calculation which remains to be checked.

  “Quarfar reported that from Dora, the brightest star was a very hot blue-white star whose dominant element was helium. That corresponds to Hatsya,” A yellow arrow appeared pointing to the tip of the Orion-sword.

  “The next-brightest was a fairly hot blue-white helium star.

  That would be Rigel.” The arrow darted to Orion’s left foot; and thereafter it continued moving to each named star.

  “Third was another fairly hot blue-white helium star, hotter than the second but not as hot as the first It could easily be Alnilam.” Middle star in the sword-belt.

  “Fourth: another blue-white helium star, about as hot as the third. Alnitak.” Belt-star at Orion’s right

  “Fifth: still another blue-white helium star, about as hot as the third or fourth. Mintaka.” Belt-star at Orion’s left

  “Sixth: a different sort of star entirely orange-red, major element titanium, the least-hot star of the lot. Betelgeuse.” Orion’s right shoulder. “I have to confess that this one almost led me into the error that the planet Dora might be our own Erth; as seen from Erth, Betelgeuse is fourth-brightest, and the small error could be a difference in visual judgments. However, the stars that are brightest to us include several in the yellows, and Quarfar reported only one yellow-white.

  “Seventh: again, blue-white helium, just about the hotness of three, four, and five. And that would nicely correspond to that very Bellatrix where the comet was first sighted.” Orion’s left shoulder.

  “Eighth: an extremely hot blue-white helium star, hottest of all except Hatsya. I say, Heka.” The head of Orion.

  “Ninth: a yellow-white, probably just a bit hotter than our Sol, with a variety of metals. I nominate Tabit.” Orion’s left forearm.

  “Saiph was not named, of course. Saiph would be the sun of Dora, it would not be thought of as a star, and it would not be part of a visible constellation any more than our own sun is.

  “Quarfar mentioned also three nebulae. The one of considerable brightness could easily be M-42, the beautiful night-object in the sword, just above Hatsya. The others could be M-43, near M-42, and 2024 between Alnitak and Alnilam.

  “Pending more information, Mr. Chairman, I will summarize my views. The five-forty-six gradient extends from Erth to Saiph and possibly beyond. The comet originated near Saiph, somehow picked up the two creatures without damaging them, somehow fell into the gradient, and proceeded with high velocity along the gradient toward Erth.

  “I will entertain questions.”

  Silence.

  The presentation had illuminated Dr. Mabel Seal, a cheery plump brown archaeologist from Eskimoland. She breathed: “What magical star names! Erebian, aren’t they?”

  “Right,” Olga grunted.

  “I’ll bet there’s a delicious Erebian myth attached to every name. I wish I knew the stories.”

  Olga responded, “Rigel means right foot; betelgeuse means shoulder; and so it goes. Sorry about that.”

  Then Cathay’s Chu, timidly: “It seems to me that Dr. Sari has brilliantly solved all the problems in the astrophysical area confronting this task force. May I ask what remains to be done in this area?”

  “At least one thing,” Sari responded. “I have not found time to calculate the precise positions of these nine stars and three nebulae as they would be seen from Dora, which is apparently a planet of Saiph. And Quarfar did mention a constellation which to Dorians resembled a—Miss Lanceo, please help me.”

  “A mizdorf,” said Dorita, “or a winged creature like the one in the comet, flung headlong upon the planet. With the flinger watching overhead.”

  “Very well, a mizdorf. Well, until we can see a projection of these twelve objects as a constellation seen from Saiph, we cannot make sure that the constellation would resemble a mizdorf, and therefore we cannot positively nail down the identifications of Orion and of Saiph.”

  Methuen inserted: “Such a projection is now being arranged by the planetarium director, it will be available to us at 1730—”

  A nurse entered and whispered to Almagor. As he listened, he frowned sternly, then he whispered to Dorita. Stricken, she arose and departed with the nurse.

  Arising, Almagor told them: “Mr. Quarfar is failing rapidly, he is expected to die within minutes. He has asked to talk privately with Miss Lanceo. We can only wait—and pray excuse me.”

  In the course of the ensuing hour, reluctantly the task force proceeded with its business.

  Psychobiologist Harlo Ombasa had an important contribution to make. “Gentle people, as a newcomer to this task force I speak diffidently; but I have discovered a thing which seems to fit into the developing pattern. It is derived from the medical analyses of Quarfar and Narfar, which I received on my arrival here yesterday afternoon and which I studied thoroughly last night. There is a new technique, which may not have come to your attention, since I have not yet published it, for analysis of the dendrites of neurons in order to establish the age of those neurons. Its use is particularly telling when applied to brain neurons, which are not regenerated and are always as old as the organism. In the cases of both Quarfar and Narfar, their brain neurons appear astonishingly
to be eighty thousand years old, give or take ten thousand years. I hasten to add that this is an inference from meager data; it should be reinforced by studies of the subjects deliberately slanted toward this sort of measurement. But I submit it for what it is worth.”

  Anthropologist Chu Huang was stimulated by Ombasa’s remarks. “We seem to be on collision course with common and scientific sense, and creative science is at its best in that sort of situation. I think it is time to start stringing together some of these findings from a viewpoint of prehistorical anthropology. Dr. Alexandrovna has suggested that Quarfar may have taught rudiments of his language to Erth-humans who then went their own way with language. Dr. Sari, with her inferential evidence that Quarfar and Narfar departed Dora in the comet about fifty thousand years ago, establishes that if these two creatures were previously on Erth, it had to be more than fifty thousand years ago. Dr. Ombasa now informs us, subject to further inquiry, that these two creatures may be about eighty thousand years old. And I am reminded that our Neanderthal men, who resembled Narfar only without wings, became extinct when they were replaced by our Cro-Magnon men who resembled Quarfar or indeed any of us. I think the approximate date of Neanderthal disappearance does fall somewhere in that allowable time-range between fifty and eighty thousand years ago—I’m sorry, these datings are not perfectly on target for my own disciplinary area; can anybody help me?”

  Archaeologist Mabel Seal smiled at Chu and said softly, “Neanderthal men became extinct approximately sixty thousand years ago. Cro-Magnon man was already very much on the scene.”

  Chu spread his hands. “There you are. The major difficulty is, though, that the trend of our findings would seem to complicate science by introducing two supra-human creatures as leader-guides in the course of our social evolution. Science, including prehistorical anthropology, rejects such complicating ideas, shaving them away with Occam’s razor: pursue the simpler of two competing hypotheses, defer the more complicated until the simpler ceases to work. So far, the simpler hypothesis of social evolution without supra-human aid has worked very nicely indeed. And yet here we all are, face-to-face with what seems hard evidence that there may have been, after all, supra-normal intervention by Narfar and Quarfar—”

  It all broke into agitated discussion, with all seven scientists actively into it, while Methuen and Zorbin listened with absorption…..

  Dejected Dorita reentered the conference room on an arm of Dr. Almagor.

  Having assisted Dorita into a chair, Almagor, standing, addressed the task force. “With profound regret I must report that Mr. Quarfar died a few minutes ago. There was, to put it in lay terms, an irreversible clogging of the lungs. We attempted a hydrolytic lung-bypass, but without success. He is dead.”

  The task force mood was just as dead. Zorbin remarked, “The death of Karfareon.” Several nodded. Silence. .

  Methuen muttered (546!): “Doctor, you know, I haven’t given any thought to the question of body disposition, our task force here really ought to discuss the question and make a recommendation to our chief—”

  “This I anticipated, Captain. The body will be placed in deep freeze pending a decision.” Almagor inhibited an allusion to appropriateness. “I should advise you, however, that word of his illness has leaked, the newskenner people are waiting in another conference room. Your thoughts?”

  Methuen looked up at him. “I think we need to meet this head-on.” He turned to his committee: “Would you people be agreeable if Dr. Almagor and I should meet with the press immediately and give them a full account of Quarfar’s illness and death and of our deliberations?”

  “It hardly seems necessary,” Olga rumbled. “This is entirely an intergovernmental affair.”

  Countered Chu: “My dear Dr. Alexandrovna, obviously you do not understand the Norwestian free press. You and I could get by with brushing off the newskenners, but here it cannot be done. I support the captain’s proposal.”

  Surveying them, Methuen saw a preponderance of nods, with one abstention, and with a vigorous negation from Olga. He remarked, “I see majority agreement with my proposal, and this will be done—”

  An intercom-buzz interrupted him. Almagor took it. With his back to them, his shoulders were doing odd things. They heard him demand low: “Beyond doubt? Absolutely beyond doubt?” Squawking. He said low: “All concerned are to give full time to verifying this and picking up what cues you can find. I will be with you soon. Out.”

  He came to Methuen and bent to whisper. Methuen’s brows elevated, and he murmured, “Please repeat that, Doctor.” Almagor whispered further. Then Almagor sat, watching Methuen.

  The captain, addressing a stylus held in both his hands, told his task force: “The body is gone. Vanished. Right off the deathbed, with an orderly watching. Leaving all tubes hanging there.”

  While stupefied, they consulted their scientific wits about this—a reprise of what three members had witnessed yesterday morning, but this time post mortem. Dorita arose, saying wanly to Methuen, “Please excuse me, Captain. I really feel—I should go home now and rest—”

  He jumped up and drew her to him; the other men arose also. He whispered: “Of course, dear, of course. Are you sure you’ll be all right? Maybe Saul should go with you—”

  She looked up at him, managed a smile, kissed his cheek, patted it, told him: “No, really, I’m all right alone, Pm not faint or anything, Saul should stay with the meeting. It’s just that—you know—as a telepath I felt so close to Quarfar—I have to rest and meditate—”

  Chu said with crisp appreciation, “You are an excellent consultant, Miss Lanceo. Pray rest well, and we will be needing you tomorrow.”

  After the Methuen-Almagor meeting with the newskenners (taxing, taxing, especially for Almagor), the men had a quick lunch at the hospital snack bar and returned to the conference room. Members of the task force were already straggling in after their leisurely luncheons. Methuen whispered to

  Almagor, who nodded and ducked out; he had pressing business with respect to Quarfar's gone body.

  When all were seated, Methuen said, “Gentlepeople?”

  Dr. Mabel Seal, the buoyant brown archaeologist from Eskimoland, asked for recognition. “Captain, I have read the prior proceedings, as I am sure have the other new members, and I have been a most interested listener and spectator this morning. We who are present represent various disciplines— astrophysics, linguistics, anthropology, psychobiology, glaciology, stratogeology, archaeology—but only one of our several disciplines can well be brought to bear in the absence of either comet-subject, except by visiting this planet Dora whose location we only surmise. It seems to me that the only discipline pursuable at present is the astrophysical discipline so ably represented by our colleague from Senevendia, Dr. Sari. I think our next order of business would be to view the planetarium’s projection of Orion as it would be seen from Saiph.”

  Tartly interposed Harlo Ombasa: “My distinguished colleague from Eskimoland has noted my prime discipline, which is psychobiology, but she has omitted mention of my related interest, which is paranormal research. We had two creature-specimens, and both have mysteriously vanished, one from a confinement capsule, the other from a hospital bed after death. I respectfully suggest that these two vanish-ings constitute our immediate order of business.”

  Olga snarled: “Why don’t you stay here and investigate the paranormal while we go see about Orion?”

  Methuen stylus-rapped. “It may be desirable at this point to break into subcommittees. Before we decide, let me check one point. Excuse me.”

  He went to the intercom, asked for a connection, got it, spoke softly. At the end of it: “Thank you, sir, we will be there within the hour.” Returning to the table and sitting: “That was the planetarium director. He . has already worked out the desired projection, and he has a small planetarium room for staff purposes where he can show it to us. I suggest that all who wish to accompany me there raise hands, and then we will work out something for the ot
hers.”

  All but Ombasa raised hands; the psychobiologist stayed taut-tart.

  “Very good,” said Methuen. “I’ll arrange transportation.

  As for you, Dr. Ombasa, I take it you wish to study the disappearances?”

  “Those and relata—including the evidence I cited showing abnormal ages.”

  “Then I will put you in immediate touch with Dr. Almagor. I suggest that we all meet tomorrow at 0900 in the Science Center—”

  In the small planetarium room there were in-the-round seats for about fifty people; the center-located planetarium (the instrument) was so small as to be practically invisible on the operator’s console. The director, who was operating, sat entirely in the open for easy cross-conversation. Rather fussily he spent a few moments reviewing the problems of obtaining the sort of projection which he was about to offer; Sari cut him short by saying, “Thank you, Doctor, I hadn’t found time to do it myself. May we see the projection?”

  “I am going to do it,” said the unflapped director, “in a series of projections. The first is Orion in concave planar projection as our eyes view it from Erth.” The dome was filled with a replica of Sari’s projection. “Now, Orion in holographic projection from the viewpoint of Erth, but showing depth perspectives and relative distances of stars.” Orion came unstrung in three-dimensional distortion, this time neatly labeled with star names, distances, right ascensions, and declinations. Through these two projections Sita Sari silently suffered, having done it all for the task force this morning.

  “Now,” announced the director with a certain dramatic flair, “here is the constellation Orion, in planar concave projection, as it would be seen by an observer on some planet near Saiph.”

  All the stars appeared to be rearranging themselves. Then in the dome-sky they assumed a configuration which bafflingly suggested a constellation, although no pattern formed in any watcher’s mind. So it must have been for naive prehistoric sky-watchers, feeling somehow that there must be patterns but having no important legendary shapes to impose on the stars. (Was it like that for us when we were untaught children?)