The Elicon

by Rob Roth

  The team could tell Steinmacher was angry. His hands were clasped tightly together behind his back, and his stern face bore the weight of his urgent responsibilities and the frustration he was feeling because of the incessant pressure of accountability to those above him. This made him feel extremely frustrated at the current situation, and he took his anger out on those at the table.

  “Blast you all! Don’t tell me what we don’t know! I can bring in the damn janitor if I want to hear that!”

  Captain Daniel Severs, a tall handsome officer with dark brown hair, sporting a well-shaped mustache and looking fit in his uniform, was used to Steinmacher’s frequent outbursts, and was not particularly intimidated. Nor did he even take it personally. He knew it was just the Colonel’s way of expressing the exasperation they all felt. As the intelligent and capable senior field operations officer that he was, he responded in his typical professional manner.

  “Sir, I think my team may have some new leads regarding this situation. As you all know, last night was the fourth evening in a row that our radar picked up the sudden appearance of an unidentified aircraft at about 40,000 feet, visually confirmed by multiple sources as a reddish-white light. It darted across the sky very fast, in a strange irregular pattern, moving unlike any known aircraft for a period of perhaps 30 minutes. It then promptly vanished from all electronic and visual detection.”

  “Yes Captain, we all know those facts!” the Colonel replied in only a slightly calmer fashion. “Yet no one has answered even one of the questions the Pentagon is asking, and if I don’t start giving them answers, all of our asses will be on the line! We can’t tell them where it came from, where it went, how it got here, who sent it, why it came here, or what it wants! Please tell me you can start answering one of these basic simple questions!”

  “Unfortunately, we still don’t have any definitive answers. It could be some experimental aircraft an unknown entity is testing out. However, two on my team have been analyzing the flight patterns of the four events using pattern recognition software. When we overlaid the four flight patterns, the software determined they were following a complex mathematical progression pattern that was permitting them to successively examine a specific corridor of airspace in a very thorough manner. Once we programmed the computer to overlay all the paths taken during all four manifestations, it ended up drawing an almost perfect sphere.”

  Colonel Steinmacher’s interest was certainly piqued but he couldn’t quite connect the dots in any logical way that would help him out of his conundrum.

  “That’s all very interesting Captain Severs, but what the hell does this have to do with answering any of our questions?”

  “The point is, sir,” Severs replied with a slight gleam to his eyes, “the analysis shows that this craft is performing a search pattern. It is looking for something.”

  “Well now... maybe you are onto something here. That’s good work. But how exactly does this help us?” The Colonel was still searching for some information that could appease the military commanders to whom he reported.

  “Because we know they are searching at a very specific distance from a central node — the center of the sphere. By dropping a vertical radial line from the center point of the sphere to Earth, we were able to determine the Earth-based coordinates above which they are searching. It appears to be in the vicinity of the Barringer crater. We may not know what they are looking for, but we know where they are looking. I suggest we focus every piece of sensing equipment we have on that location. We don’t know if we can detect whatever it is that they are seeking, but we should at least make our best attempt. The full electromagnetic spectrum should be examined — radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-ray, and gamma rays. We could even bring particle detectors like dosimeters and Geiger-counters. If anything is out there within our ability to detect, we will locate it.”

  Colonel Steinmacher finally seemed to be somewhat mollified. Even pleased.

  “Good job Captain. At least we now have a plan where we can move forward. I think we can assume, at least to some degree, why they are here even if we don’t know what they are seeking. Go make it happen, Captain, and let’s see if we can’t find the object of this treasure hunt of theirs, and why it’s so damn important to them.

  But Captain, keep this under wraps. Only the people in this room and your two team members are to know about this. Too many already know about the unidentified aircraft, but they don’t know an intentional search pattern is being performed. To be discreet, let's just refer to them as 'visitors' for now."

  MONDAY NOON - TUFO

  After he left the situation room, Captain Severs retired for twenty minutes to his small but comfortable quarters to clear his head and do some strategic planning. He tended to do his best thinking when distractions were shut out and he was relaxed. He sat down in his black tilt back lounger, the one concession to comfort his strict military background and self-discipline permitted in this otherwise simply organized room. Then he thought about how far research into unidentified aircraft had come in the last fifty years.

  The investigation into aerial phenomenon was officially started by the U.S. government in 1946, but it didn’t really perform high-quality investigations until 1951 when it was reorganized as Project Blue Book. For the next 20 years extensive investigations were performed and documented until the program was officially shut down in 1970, citing the lack of evidence. Most UFO sightings had either been debunked or attributed to other Earth-based phenomena that would eventually be explained.

  However, the leaked Bolender memo as well as other government documents confirmed to those who cared to study such things, that the U.S. government unofficially continued to investigate UFO’s. Unfortunately, Severs thought, this clandestine research was given some press in 2019 when it was reported that the Navy confirmed the existence of UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena). However, Severs certainly didn’t think these were actual UFO’s, and the public has a short memory for things like this.

  In these earlier days, the focus was on identifying and classifying unidentified objects to eliminate the possibility of an extraterrestrial origin. The main tools they employed were radar and visual observations. However, scientists starting giving thought to how life on other planets might attempt to communicate. The general assumption, barring some unknown mechanism using quantum entanglement, was that electromagnetic radiation would likely be employed by other beings, although no one knew what frequencies might be used.

  In 1960 the first modern SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) project “Ozma” was conducted using a radio telescope, although nothing of interest was detected for years. Then, in 1977 the WOW! Signal was detected coming from Sagittarius. This was huge news at the time and had never been fully explained. But since it never repeated, Severs was confident it was just an anomaly.

  Because of these events, a few years ago Captain Severs pushed for a complex radio signal processing system that permitted rapid scanning and signal isolation across a very wide spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. Rather than housing it in a fixed location, Severs thought it should be mobile. Aircraft was considered, but foreign governments were constantly monitoring airspace, so Severs thought to keep it 'under the radar' so to speak. Hence was born his brainchild 'Gromit'.

  The Gromit (Ground-based Radio Observation Mobile Information Transport) was basically a large bus-like vehicle with dark-tinted windows loaded with all the latest equipment. Its purpose was to debunk claims of UFO’s and help identify unexplained phenomena. Covering all the EM frequencies, the bus incorporated a number of antennae — whips and spheres for omni-directional reception, and dishes for focused reception. After it was built Severs realized its look would draw too much attention, so he came up with a brilliant solution inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, the 'Purloined Letter'. He would hide it in plain sight.

  The bus was painted with green and black stripes, like the body of a Pseudosphinx Tetrio cat
erpillar, including little legs painted at the bottom, and a cab designed as a bright-red head. In fact, the name 'Gromit' was brightly written on the side of the bus in flowing script. The caterpillar design made it very easy to redesign the antennae in such a way to fit in with the overall design.

  While it drew a lot of attention, especially from kids, everyone assumed it was a portable learning museum or some such thing, and did not consider it was the most complex, comprehensive signal processing system in the world. On the off chance that someone paid them too much attention, one of the side luggage compartments on the bus could be opened, revealing a ‘Learning to Read’ display with children’s books about Gromit, and stuffed animals of the cute worm, all for sale of course.

  Thinking this over, Captain Severs decided he would dispatch Davis and Vickers, his best signal processing experts who first identified the pattern, with Gromit to the Meteor Crater Visitor Center located on the rim of the Barringer crater. This way they could possibly identify the characteristics of this experimental craft, if it returned, and maybe even determine the entities deploying it.

  Severs assumed whatever the craft was seeking must be located somewhere in that vicinity. Picking up his phone lying on a little stand by his chair, he called the Barringer Crater Company and made the official arrangements, since Barringer was a privately owned site whose owners controlled the access to the crater. After the call, Severs left his quarters and walked over to Command and Control to rejoin the noise and pressures of the day.

  Command and Control was a huge open room with many individual stations containing radar tracking, EM receiving, and extremely sophisticated signal processing equipment, occupied by men and women wearing headsets and monitoring the computer processed data. A couple stations had displays driven by telescopes in geosynchronous orbit controlled by their commands. A few other people were standing around various boards in conversation as they drew tactical diagrams.

  In the center was a little round coffee area surrounded by a small barrier with various openings for entry and containing a few comfortable chairs and tables for more informal conversations. Several wall-to-ceiling glass paneled offices were positioned against the walls on two sides of Command and Control for the senior officers, as well as three larger closed conference rooms.

  The TUFO site was part of the Department of Defense and most of their tracking and monitoring was focused on objects that did not remain unidentified for long. Its mission was to quickly classify and respond to potential threats to the U.S. including orbiting satellites and other space-based signals which almost always originated from terrestrial origins.

  Captain Severs walked over to Davis and Vickers, who sat next to each other.

  “Davis, Vickers. I have a little assignment for the two of you. How would you like to take a road trip for me in Gromit?”

  “Gee Captain, I don’t know. Sitting here endlessly staring at a screen in a dark room, or heading out in the awesome comfort designed into Gromit? Let me think about it…” said Davis.

  “Very funny, Davis. And don’t get too excited. I just need you two to take Gromit over to the Barringer Meteor Crater for a day or two. I want you to check out ground zero of that search pattern you boys identified. See if there are any unusual EM signatures anywhere in the vicinity. And in case our visitors return, see if you can capture anything from them and help identify their origin. Do you think you two can handle this?”

  “Definitely sir,” replied Vickers. “And may I say, we are honored that you are putting such trust in us to permit us to park the vehicle for two days next to a big hole in the ground.”

  Severs rolled his eyes.

  “Ok, I see I have a couple of comedians on my team. Well, I think I can work with that. I have an idea for our communications that should be right up your alley. In the meantime, please turn over your responsibilities to the other analysts and begin making preparations. That will be all.”

  In truth, Davis and Vickers were both delighted at the prospect, given the possibility of tracking down and isolating the unidentified craft, as well as having a chance for even a little road trip. They quickly made the arrangements, prepped the vehicle with the necessary equipment and overnight supplies, and departed. It only took about an hour to drive Gromit to the edge of the Barringer crater, park and get set up.

  “Every time I come here, it amazes me how much this crater looks like something you would expect to see on the Moon or Mars,” said Davis, as they sat at the edge of the crater that afternoon. “You don’t find many craters like this on Earth that are so well preserved.”

  “Yep. Astronauts trained here before they went to the Moon, for that very reason,” replied Vickers. “Hey, did you know that when that meteor hit here forty or fifty thousand years ago, this was an open grassland? Imagine was it was like for the Wooley Mammoth who must have seen a meteorite the size of a football field crashing down here. And now it’s barren and rocky terrain everywhere you look.”

  “Except for a big hole a kilometer wide and five hundred feet deep,” smiled Davis.

  A couple hours later, Captain Severs took over a communications station with a comfortable swivel chair located at one end of Command and Control, and radioed Davis and Vickers to check on their status. With glass on the front and both sides, and one-eared headphones, he could communicate privately to Gromit while still hearing those in the room behind him. Because of their joking around earlier in the day, Severs decided to add a little humor when he assigned the covert call signs to base and mobile, even though it wasn’t necessary since all communications were encrypted.

  “Wallace to Gromit. Is everything all set? Are we operational?” Severs knew the two he had dispatched were exceptional analysts and needed little direction from him, but his excitement for a project involving a hidden treasure of some sort prompted him to perform this radio check anyway.

  Davis had to smile at the Captain’s good sense of humor regarding the call signs.

  “All set… Wallace. Vickers and I initiated the scan and the signal processors are filtering out all known public and private broadcasts to eliminate any noise. If the visitors come back tonight, we will be ready for them, or whatever they seek.”

  “Ok Gromit. Keep me informed if anything of note happens. We will be monitoring the airspace with radar and telescopes from here. Over and out.”

  MONDAY NIGHT - TUFO

  At around 9:00 pm Captain Severs glanced once more at his watch and resigned himself to the fact that the visitors were not coming back that night. It was more than an hour past the time every other appearance had come, and the radar so far had only identified the commercial planes crossing their airspace. What worried Severs was that the visitors either had found what they were looking for, or had given up the search, which left TUFO now with absolutely no leads to follow.

  Picking up the radio mic and calling Gromit, Severs was unable to mask the disappointment in his voice. “Wallace to Gromit. Are you still reading me?”

  “Loud and clear Wallace,” came the prompt reply from Davis.

  “I assume everything has been quiet on your end. Reynolds here says the scopes have spotted nothing except the usual air and space craft flying about. Thought I would check one last time with both of you before calling it a night,” Severs stated in a less-than-hopeful manner, glancing absent-mindedly at his watch again as he had done throughout the evening.

  “Nothing of note to report. Just listening to all the usual static coming in on our radio. Been really quiet. It’s a clear night but all we see are the moon and lots of stars, and of course a big black hole sitting in front of us,” came the reply.

  Suddenly, Severs heard Reynolds yell “Captain!” behind him at the same instance he heard “What the…!" from Davis on the radio. At first, he didn't know who to respond to, causing a moment of delay, but then Severs collected himself and said, “Reynolds, report!”

  “We got a bogey coming in high and fast! Man, that thing is moving! Too fast to
be a craft, and anyway its signature is too small.”

  “Gromit? What’s the situation on the ground?”

  “There’s a bright fireball shooting this way! Wow it is spectacular! It just cleared over us with a popping, sizzling sound, then a loud boom! Lit the sky up like lightning!” After three or four more seconds, “Based on the angle it’s possible it may have just hit the ground a few miles out, but I can’t be sure. My guess is a meteor just passed over us. Do you want us to move Gromit closer to the target site and investigate?” asked Davis.

  “No, hold tight. But keep your radios listening. Let’s see if that fireball draws the attention of our overdue aircraft. I don’t want to spook them by changing our position on the ground. Keep monitoring the airwaves to see if we can catch any interesting activity anywhere on the spectrum.”

  “Will do, Wallace. You will be the first to hear.”

  TUESDAY MORNING -TUFO

  Captain Severs had decided to grab a few hours of sleep in his quarters between 4 am and 9 am since by late evening he determined the meteor was apparently not sufficiently interesting to draw the visitors back. By morning, Gromit had nothing new to add to last night’s report. Severs resumed his normal work activities after a quick breakfast of toast and coffee, and by late morning was thinking he would give Gromit no more than twelve additional hours to see if there would be any further action the coming night, before recalling Davis and Vickers back to the TUFO site.

  At around 11:30 am, Gromit’s radio broke the relatively peaceful morning. “OH MY GOD! Gromit to Wallace. You won’t believe this!”

  Running over to the radio, Severs thumbed the mic in rising anticipation, and said, “This is Wallace. What is it Gromit?”

  “We just got a huge spike on the hydrogen line! This is unlike anything we have seen since 1977! And, IT IS NOT INTERSTELLAR. IT IS TERRESTRIAL!” Davis enunciated the last words slowly, loudly, and clearly so they would not be misunderstood.