Still Human- Planet G

by Jerry Underhill

  He pawed the weight from Scott’s outstretched hand. “Alright, thanks.”

  The minister moved ahead.

  “Looks like our cave entrance here.” He called back to Scott, seeing a hundred-yard rock face and following it to a small ragged opening at its feet.

  Finished rustling in his pack, Scott swiftly walked over. He’d hoisted a thick coil of chord over his right shoulder, slipped his headlamp over his head, and held a large red flashlight in his left hand. He was ready. He looked as nervous as Huston had ever seen him.

  Huston grabbed an end of the chord and secured it around the trunk of a small tree a few feet away. They’d need a low-tech way to work their way back if they got lost. When they got lost.

  He was wearing his own headlamp as a necklace.

  “Think headlamps and flashlights might mean something to light communicators?” Huston asked. Gesturing an offer to shoulder the coil.

  “Something innocuous.” Scott responded, shaking his head ‘no’ and releasing chord as he walked toward the opening. “Like, I’ll eat your soul.”

  Huston pressed his palm against the cold rock face as he moved into the mountain. He stopped for a moment as he was quickly swallowed by musty darkness. Another shriek spiraled out of the curtain of black facing him. He took a breath and triggered the activation switch for his flashlight.

  Casting his headlamp’s directional beam toward the ground in front of him, he set off with Scott and dwindling sunlight in his wake.

  “Where the hell are these things” Huston muttered, his voice sounding Earthly against the alien shrieks crawling their way along the narrowing corridor walls. It was beginning to occur to him, and he was sure not only to him, that they may have made a major mistake in proceeding into the cave with minimal support and backup. Not that he had a choice. He’d follow Scott wherever his friend’s instincts led them. But in the movies, there were usually stages of clumsy diplomatic protocol before the leaders met face to whatever deep in a cave system.

  “You know, the screeching sounds outside were creeping me out, too.” Scott said into the silence, clearly sensing Huston’s mild reservations.

  “There's just something about them, man. I'm not supposed to dislike, and I rarely do...especially without cause...I don't know.” He responded honestly. “And I don’t understand why they aren't out here.”

  Turning to glance at Scott, the eerily lit face of one of his oldest friends seemed to return the confusion.

  “Logically speaking, they’d greet us as we approached. Or maybe provide some sort of map or something telling us where we’re supposed to go. I mean, I guess this has all been one single chamber so far. No distinguishing markings that I can make out anywhere.”

  “Normally cultures tend to pride themselves on receiving guests. You remember -”

  “Oh god, Kazakh hospitality. Yes.” Scott said with a wry smile.

  “It’s funny, because every culture makes a deal out of hospitality. Treating a guest well is often one of the… the hallmarks … the benchmarks … for ‘civilizedness’. At least on Earth.” Huston brought their echoing footfalls to a stop.

  “Maybe they don’t want to frighten us? Maybe what we hear as screeching is, to them, some kind of friendly greeting.” Scott returned reasonably.

  “Or they could be drawing us into an ambush.”

  “What would the point of that be? They hardly need to deceive or surround us.” The Chief Planetary Officer, carrying the weight of the colonists’ health on his shoulders now that Wallace had fallen ill, flashed resolute eyes. He’d always been willing to rest on logic. Huston admired him for it.

  “When you saw them yesterday, did they actually - physically - attack the Clouds?” Scott asked.

  “I’m not sure. No, I don't think so.” Huston responded, pausing to consider the previous night. “It felt violent. I felt fear from the Clouds, and they made those noises, but no.”

  “Maybe they’re afraid of our weapons or technology” Scott offered as he resumed walking.

  They walked in silence for several seconds. The shrieks growing louder as the natural light from behind them was eclipsed by meandering twists and turns.

  “Are they getting closer?” Huston asked, the volume of the alien bellows seemingly beyond what their pace would have brought them to.

  “Maybe they’re trying to figure out if we have back up?” Scott replied with a frown.

  “Light up ahead. Slow down.”

  “Hey - We’re not going in guns drawn.” Scott said, quickly reaching his hand to Huston’s shoulder.

  “Hah, right. You're right.” Huston breathed softly in bemused surprise and embarrassment. “Something about these things…” He looked to Scott.

  “How often do you get to go in guns blazing, though?” His friend smilingly soothed.

  Opening his mouth to respond, Huston’s headlamp caught the blacked edges of a large shape etched into the rock-face. Sending the brightness from his flashlight ahead, he saw that the markings were more symmetrical than they may have been if they were naturally formed. Adjusting the light to splay out as wide as possible, his eyes blazed with interest.

  “Scott, look at this--”

  Blistered on the wall was a sprawling image of a giant bird of prey. Quickly scanning the room, it appeared to be the only one. Beneath the bird’s outstretched wings stood several small figures.

  “--It's a cave painting. Doesn't seem like dyes were used, though. looks like it was somehow burned into the wall, right?” Huston continued.

  “Have you seen any hawks? I haven’t. Especially that size. Look at how small the Cavers look under it. It's huge. That’d be an aerial threat, we definitely would’ve seen that.” Scott approached the figure as he spoke, bending to take a closer look at the figures beneath.

  “Yeah, I don't know whether it’s drawn to scale or meant to symbolize its centrality in their culture. Could even be a divine figure.” Huston openly surmised. Walking further, their footsteps sending pounding echoes down the tunnel, Huston sent his light in every direction until he found additional scenes.

  “More art down here.” He called to Scott.

  “Maybe they saw us come down from space, see our flights, think we’re the hawk gods?” Scott laughed.

  “Kind of like Quetzalcoatl?” Huston said with a smile. “It’s possible. Look at all of these.”

  He followed the pictures with his light as far as his eyes could make them out.

  “It’s like a gallery. I wonder if the clouds are in any of them.” He continued. “I think this one here might be the story of a leadership change. Maybe the initiation of a king? … Hard enough to follow these sorts of things even when it’s a human tribe that made it. This...we have nothing to go on, except their screams….and their light projections.” Lifting his hand to the wall, he gently rubbed his fingers along the outline of the markings. The cold rocky surface sent a refreshing jolt of adrenaline to his chest.

  Huston understood the value of art in deciphering the capacity of ancient minds on Earth. Though no expert on it, he knew that some of the oldest recorded findings suggested the use of pigments in South Africa as far as 160,000 years ago, but that several findings dating 40,000 years back in France, Indonesia, Germany, Romania, and the Northern Territory, among others, included images of local animals- believed by some to be a sort of hunting magic designed to summon game animals, but also drawn by those early beings as a means to satisfy a yearning for connection. The relief burns featured here suggested more than a mere cataloguing of fauna or efforts to secure prosperous hunts, but--

  “It doesn’t seem like I can get a picture of it” Scott remarked as he held his mobile unit in front of him, cutting into Huston’s efforts to characterize the mentality of the Cavers.

  Suddenly, his mind drawn from the wall, he sensed something subtle, the way gentle fragrances could float about a room so lightly that they were nearly imagined.

  “Wait. Wait a minute. Can you feel that?
” Huston softly asked.

  “Feel what?”

  “It’s the Clouds.” Huston said, bowing his head. “They’re here.”

  “Prisoners? What are they saying?”

  Huston made an effort to reach out to them. He’d meant to try it before leaving. Clearing his mind, he extended the image of a pair of an ant marching to lend its strength to an ant carrying the burdensome weight of his day’s best find. The Clouds didn’t respond to it- possibly because he didn’t know what a response would feel like and probably because it wasn’t a very good try.

  “I don’t think so, and it doesn’t work like that.”

  “Why can’t I talk to them?” Scott asked.

  “It’s not talking, it’s feeling.” Huston frowned in frustrated concentration. He finally made out the image of a small mouse like creature sharing a burrow with other species. “I don’t feel fear. It’s… calm. They’re not prisoners. Doesn’t feel quite like they’re home, but like welcomed guests.”

  “I think there’s a door or gate or something at the end of this passageway.”

  “Man - I hate to leave all this.” Huston sighed. “You think they’ll let us back in here?”

  “If all goes well. Maybe. Let’s see if anyone is here to let us in. You think knocking is universally understood?” Scott half-joked, testing the wooden wall with a one armed shove.

  He knocked a few times. Waiting, Scott flashed his light along the left side of the door, where the wood abutted stone.

  “This recesses. Is there a handle anywhere?” He asked Huston, finding a finely smoothed log sticking out at waist height on the right side. The minister let him tug at its weight for a few beats before adding his own weight to the effort. It ground along the floor as it slowly opened to reveal a thin passageway continuing on the other side. They traveled sharp turns and lengthy straightaways for a few moments before finally seeing a breach. The light that shone in gradually strengthened as they neared and were able to turn off their lights. More than the light, Huston was relieved by the increasing sound of wind, birds, and nature ahead, and the break from echoes, cold, and suffocating tight spaces.

  “Good God that’s bright.” Scott said as they approached the opening, his eyes having not adjusted quickly enough. “So what was that initial tunnel entry? Their idea of a welcoming chamber, complete with a gallery? Not a half bad defensive chokepoint either….I still don’t understand why we haven’t seen them yet.”

  “Look at these structures!” Huston excitedly yelled as he scanned to the left.

  Scott turned quickly and walked closer. “Wooden… troughs? Collecting water?” He asked, seemingly to himself.

  “It funnels down.” Huston answered. “Look up at the tops of the cliffs.”

  “It must be a whole network. Running the water deeper into the cave. If they have to consume it, they must have waste. There must be a whole complex system here.” Scott continued to stare silently for several seconds. “The efficiency of water and waste - that’s the bedrock of basic human society.”

  Huston looked at his friend. There’d been an inflection to his voice that belied concern, or maybe a new kind of fear. The minister could understand that. Public works beyond rudimentary shelter building could be indicative of more, and more could be consequential.

  “How do they protect it? Seems vulnerable…” He wondered aloud.

  “From poisoning or being cut off? I guess they aren’t conditioned to address those threats like we are. There’s still a steady stream flowing, is it clean?”

  “I think so. Looks and smells clean. Doesn't mean something didn't die upstream.” Huston walked over to a small basin and bent down. He scooped some of the water into his palm and brought it to his mouth. After a few swishes, he spit it back out. “Tastes fine. Not that that means much. I’ve got a little cookstove with me, could get a quick coffee going down here.”

  “Not unless you have enough to share.” Scott said seriously.

  There was an edge to his voice that prompted Huston to look over his shoulder.

  “I think our hosts are here.” The CPO continued. “Two Cavers, two...are those the Clouds”

  Huston could sense the tension radiating off the old man’s rigid posture. Walking to him, Huston put his hand on Scott’s shoulder. He knew Scott wasn’t scared, not now that they’d found some interesting things and the bug monsters had finally revealed themselves, but he would’ve liked it if he’d had a friend near him when he’d seen alien beings the first time. Huston was surprised to see the aliens together.

  The two Caver escorts and two Clouds had appeared from the other side of the opening. They walked forward a few steps but stopped in an obvious cue that Huston and Scott were meant to follow them.

  “Yeah. I don’t know what to make of that attack now.” Huston responded, thinking. Of course they didn’t have to be homogenous societies, nor did they have to be centralized under the authority of a ruler of their own species- not if they could communicate.

  “Do you recognize them?”

  “No, no not that I can tell. It's tough to pick up on the subtleties of their individual identity from a distance though.”

  “I think they want us to follow.” Scott said. He made sure his shirt was tucked inside the holster on his waist.

  “Yeah, ok.” Huston said hesitantly as they walked forward.

  “I think that hump we walked over was built up by the Cavers.” Scott said from somewhere behind Huston, who stopped to face him.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “The ground wasn't as packed as the rest of what we've been walking on,” Scott responded after a pause, “there were stains on the walls from where it looked like the hump was higher some time recently, and the gradient felt different when I scooped some up.” He finished, letting the last of the dirt sift through his outstretched fingers.

  Huston considered it. Scott was almost certainly right, of course. The juxtaposition of their harassment of the Cloud camp and the engineering of inventive modifications to their environment was troubling- as was the dramatic difference in his instinctual response to the two species.

  “It's really getting too dark to see.” Scott said, cutting into his self-reflection. “Flashlights may be too unsettling to their light receptors, so let's try the red light.”

  “You're so tall and smart.” Huston answered, grinning and turning his flashlight to shine a red circle on the left side of his own chest.

  Huston gestured for Scott to lead the way, and watched the CPO brandish his mobile unit with a flourish, as a gunslinger might, before bringing it to his face.

  “Administrator’s log: We have proceeded into the cave as marked by the Cavers. Initially we did not see anyone, instead progressing through a dark and relatively large cave tunnel. At the end of that tunnel we reached a torch-lit gate, which was surrounded by paintings presumably by the Cavers. Took a few notes on that, couldn’t get a picture. Huston reported a sort of mental contact with Clouds that indicated a friendly environment, and the cave soon opened up into a large opening after that gate - ringed by a steep cliff-face, about 100-meter diameter. Revealed a water collection system that channel water down the cliff-face from a topside system, funnelling water down into the cave. At that point we met an escort of 2 Cavers and 2 Clouds, who are now bringing us further into the cave.”

  “Your voice sounds sexy when it gets authoritative like that. Surprised you didn’t start those earlier.” Huston chuckled.

  “Easy to forget when you’re about to put half a clip into the shadows” Scott retorted pointedly.

  “I’m trying to get a sense of these guys. They don't feel familiar and I don't sense the same trust that I felt from the other Clouds, but… from what they seem to be trying to project, I can tell we are welcome. Do you feel that?” Huston asked.

  “I don’t think so. I don’t know what to look for. To feel for.”

  “Interesting.” Huston paused. “Possible that a link with outsiders has
to be initiated somehow. Man, look at all these here. Think they might be open to us stopping so I can look at these relief burns?”

  More screeches erupted from behind them. It was impossible to tell how far the reverberating wails had traveled or even whether the Cavers responsible were along the same route.

  “I think they want us to keep moving.” Scott quipped, raising his light to shine on the floor ahead of them. “Notice those offshoot paths coming up. Not sure if we should look or if we should be conscious about shining these lights freely.”

  “That's a good point.” Huston stopped walking. His brow furrowed in light concern. “Hmm, the Clouds are starting to feel a little tense.”

  “About?”

  “I don’t know. Doesn’t work like that. Getting cold down here.” Huston returned as he continued walking.

  Scott pulled his mobile comm unit from a pocket inside his jacket and lifted it to his mouth, glancing at Huston before resuming his log.

  “Uh, a few more of the Cavers have joined us. Now following behind. Five of them in total with us. It’s cold and dark - the Clouds emit a faint glow, but it’s hardly enough to illuminate anything.” He paused- looking at Huston out of the corner of his eye. “Oh, and Huston is cold.”

  “Strike that from the record, I--” Huston’s retort was cut short in alarm as screeches tore through the tunnel- joined this time by the heavy beat of scurrying feet, which felt as if they were climbing the walls to envelop them en masse. He flashed his light behind him, to the ceiling, and to the sides, returning it ahead as his quickened pace carried him into a cold draft. His eyes caught a pattern on the cavern’s roof.

  “This chamber opens up a whole lot. Look - look up. Keep moving, but shine your lamp up.” Huston continued.

  Scott breathed audibly.

  “It’s… It’s a war scene? Armies? You have experience with indigenous cultures. Does this mean anything to you?” He said after covering the breadth of it once with his eyes. His breath fogging in the cool depths of the tunnel system.