Lost Sols 1: Ancient Treasure

by James Bisceglia

  Vincent was drunk. The responsibility for keeping people alive was gone and he could let loose and relax. He was dancing with Monique and had only one mission on this night. She took the margarita he brought, and the two of them began dancing again. “Captain, we have received a communication from the White House. President Louis wishes to speak with you personally.” Sarah said as she interrupted his stellar dance moves. “Aren’t you supposed to be on the damn ship Sarah?” Vincent asked. “Yes Captain, but this is urgent. Randy is watching the ship in my absence. Come with me Captain.” Sarah said as she grabbed Vincent by the arm and led him to the ship.

  Vincent arrived on the ship and wasn’t happy. For one damn night he wanted nothing more then to take a break from reality. He felt he had earned it. When he sat down he found the face of President Louis on the display staring back it him. “Mr. Moretti, we have a few things to speak about.” President Louis said. “What the hell do you want? I’m guessing you received my message. Why are you bothering me? We have nothing to discuss.” He said. “It’s good to see you’re willing to dispense with the bullshit. We do have a few things to discuss. I understand your frustration with the government. I did get the message you gave to Captain Stukey. I’ll admit there is too much bureaucracy and corporate involvement in our political process. For now, how about you turn over the ship, and let the proper authorities investigate Mars and past alien visitations?” President Louis asked. “This ship will not be turned over to any government on Earth under any circumstances.” Vincent replied. “I thought you might say that. Do you really believe you can take the ship and meet the aliens who have visited our solar system?” President Louis asked. “Yes, I will meet them in very short order.” Vincent said. His instinct told him the President was hiding something. He just didn’t know what.

  “The United States would like to return something the aliens left behind.” President Louis said. “What do you need to return President Louis?” Vincent asked. “One of their people. Please proceed to Roswell New Mexico to transport this alien as a gesture of goodwill by the United States Government. We’ve had the alien since his ship crashed. From what we can tell, the alien is in a self induced stasis and has been since the crash. Despite our best efforts the pilot has not regained consciousness for one hundred years now.” President Louis said. “I’ll agree to pick up the alien if you remove unnecessary personnel from the base. If the military is present, I will abort the pickup. Are we clear Mr. President?” Vincent asked. “I will remove the military and unnecessary personnel as much as feasible. You might be surprised to know we have kept this particular secret very well. The base will be nearly empty. We will transfer the alien to the ship with only the medical staff present, and nothing more.” President Louis replied. “No tricks President Louis or the deal is off, and I’ll let the aliens know you are keeping one of their people hostage.” Vincent said.

  Enzo and Randy had entered the control center. “Vincenzo, we’re going with you.” Enzo said. “Alright, I’ll go back to the party and see who else wants to go.” Vincent said. His head began to clear a little as he returned to the festivities. Each member of the crew wanted to go except for Sandy. She didn’t want to be near any government agency.

  “Patrick take us to Area Fifty One. Computer, reestablish communication with the previous contact.” Vincent said. President Louis appeared on the screen again. “We will be arriving in Roswell shortly. Make sure any personnel transporting the alien are unarmed.” Vincent said.

  President Louis issued orders to General Parker at Roswell. The General questioned the order to release the alien. In one hundred years the alien had been in a comatose state. At no point had there been any discussion about moving the alien to a different location. “General, let me make this real clear. This alien is returning to his people. If we were to keep him, we would become enemies of an advanced species with the power to decimate us. Release the alien when the ship arrives. Don’t question my orders, follow them.” General Parker issued an alert directing all personnel to relocate inside the facility.

  Tony was exploring the alien ship on the way to Roswell. While touring the ship he began to feel he belonged in space. He had an urge he didn’t recognize and a desire to find something. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew it was out there somewhere. When the ship left Earth he would be on it. Whatever this new desire required, it wouldn’t be found on his home planet. Touching a wall he could feel a small satisfying vibration as the ship traveled through the atmosphere. He didn’t know what was waiting, but he was determined to find out.

  In the command center Enzo watched as the last few stragglers entered the interior of the buildings at Area Fifty One. Two technicians were waiting on the tarmac with medical equipment and what looked to be a large plexiglas container. “Vincenzo, Dominic and I will great our new guest, and speak with the technicians.” Enzo said. “I’m coming too. They will have a chart and the medical information for the alien. I might need to ask some questions.” Julia said. “We better get going, they’re heading this way.” Vincent said.

  In the rear of the ship Enzo lowered the loading ramp. The technicians were waiting. “Here you go, one old alien. You need to make sure none of the tubes are disconnected until you get him wherever you’re going.” He said. “Are either of you a Doctor?” Julia asked. The technicians indicated they weren’t. “I need to speak to the physician who has been caring for this patient before we leave.” Julia said. One of the technicians radioed in the request. Sarah began to look at her patient. He looked like the same alien species she had seen on the Atlantis video. He was wearing an orange vest which had wires and tubes running in and out of it. More wiring was coming out of a white cap on top of his head. “We call him Andy.” A voice said. She looked up as someone new approached. “Hello, I’m Dr. Skip Simpson. I’ve been taking care of him for the last twenty five years.” He said. “Who named him Andy?” she asked. “Nobody can remember. Somebody gave him the name after the crash and he’s been Andy ever since. He’s been marooned on our little island of a planet for the last one hundred years.

  There’s not much to tell you about him. His condition is virtually unchanged from the day he crashed. For the first year his heart rate gradually decreased. It beats about five times per minute now. The surgeons determined he was injured but stable after the crash. Some exploratory operations have been conducted, but we simply don’t know enough about his physiology to repair any of the damage. We’ve taken as many biological specimens as we could without putting him in additional danger. The intravenous drip provides basic vitamins and proteins. It will be easy to find the tube which removes his waste, you’ll need to change the bag a couple of times per day. It’s amazing he’s still alive after a century in this condition.” Doctor Simpson said.

  “His species must have a long life span or has evolved an ability to hibernate when injured.” Julia said. “There’s really nothing else to tell you. I hope you can get him to his people. I’ve become quite attached after all these years. I hope his people can repair the damage so he can have some kind of life again. If you ever get the chance, tell him about me. Maybe he can make it back here somehow. Good luck.” Dr. Simpson said as he walked away. “Thanks Doc, I’ll take good care of your buddy.” Sarah said.

  The trio brought Andy up the ramp and into the ship. The crew couldn’t help staring at Andy. “It’s simply amazing. Vincenzo you have a great responsibility to get him back safely. It’s also time for us to take our place among the stars and survive as a species.” Enzo said. “We have a lot to learn and a long way to go. We’ll take our first step within days now. I think we have a good crew to represent humanity.” Dominic said. “Let’s get Andy to the medical center. Perhaps the computer can do something for him.” Julia said.

  “Patrick, let’s get back to Trundle. Park in the lake again, I suspect our government already knows we’re staying there but we don’t want any trouble from the locals. Let’s keep the ship hidden if we can. Wa
tch for drones and fighters. I wouldn’t want to disappoint our President if he tries something foolish. I’ll be in the medical center if you need me.” Vincent said.

  Everyone but Patrick was in the medical center discussing the fate of Andy when Vincent arrived. “Julia, let’s see what the computer has to say.” Vincent said. “Computer, we have an individual of another species we are unfamiliar with. Can you diagnose and treat the injuries?” Julia asked. “The individual is a member of the Rabanah species. Remove his clothing, disconnect him, and place him in the regeneration chamber for analysis.” the computer replied. Julia followed the instructions with help from Sarah. With Andy disconnected he was placed in the regeneration chamber. After a few moments the computer gave the diagnosis. “The patient will make a full recovery in approximately seven months and will regain consciousness in approximately eight days if left in the regeneration chamber.” the computer stated. “I’m sure he’ll have quite the story to tell. We need to get him to his people before he regains consciousness. It doesn’t matter how advanced he is. Anyone waking up after one hundred years is going to freak out. At the very least he needs to wake up among his own people.” Sarah said. “He’s getting the help he needs which is the important thing. Computer, notify Julia every twelve hours on the condition of the patient, and notify me immediately if the patient begins to regain consciousness.” Vincent said.

  “How’s it going?” Patrick said as he entered the medical center. He looked at the alien and shivered. The sight of the alien made him uneasy. “Wow that thing is creepy.” He said. “What are you doing here? Who’s flying the ship?” Vincent asked. “If I remember my training correctly, a ship doesn’t need a pilot when it’s parked. We’re back in Trundle Captain.” Patrick replied. “Good, everybody get some rest. Tomorrow we’ll begin finalizing preparations for your departure.” Enzo said. “I’m going to stay on the ship and watch over Andy. Julia you can get some rest now.” Sarah said. “I’ll stay as well. I’m going to figure out as much as possible about this ship before it leaves. Besides, someone should stay and monitor communications.” Randy said. “I’m going to instruct the computer to only allow the key holder to open any exterior doors on the ship. If anyone needs to get on or off the ship you will need to find me. The government knows where we are, and it’s possible they will send in the military to try and take the ship. Let’s go get some sleep.” Vincent said.

  The rest of the night and early morning were uneventful. Randy scurried about the ship learning what he could, and Sarah watched over Andy wondering what was going on inside the chamber. Vincent let Julia inside the ship at seven to send Sarah and Randy off for some rest. “Enzo wants everyone to meet at three this afternoon. You two need some sleep. I’ll monitor communications and watch over the alien. I want to see what I can learn about these weapons systems too.” She said. “I’m not leaving this ship until liftoff. I need to learn as much as I can.” Randy said.

  “Mr. President, we can take the ship.” President Louis had decided it was finally time to let the Department of Defense know about the alien at Area Fifty One and to provide an update on the current situation. “I don’t think it’s a wise idea. If we fail the government as we know it could collapse.” He said. “Mr. President, we train for situations like this all the time. We can go in undetected and take out everyone in the vicinity before they know what hit them. We’re not even dealing with another military organization. These are lightly armed civilians.” General Talbot said.

  “You consider an advanced alien ship as lightly armed?” President Louis asked. “Satellite imagery indicates there are only two people on the ship. It will be taken without a fight. I can understand your concern Mr. President, but this is a very simple operation and something we know will work. We’ve conducted thousands of similar operations over the years all over the planet. Our men are deadly, and professional. Once the ship leaves we lose our chance forever. There is a very small window of opportunity here Mr. President. If we don’t act now it will be too late.” The General said. “I’ll agree to the mission on one condition. There are to be no casualties until we have secured the ship. The ship is the primary concern, not the people. Once we have the ship we’ll kill everyone who has any first hand knowledge of what has happened. We’ll leave family members alone from now on, unless we are sure any information they have constitutes a real threat. I’ve giving you the go ahead for this mission, it’s my expectation you will not fail me. I’ll be monitoring the video, don’t screw this up.” President Louis said.

  Enzo believed in common sense and good people. He knew the crew who would be going through the gate had both qualities. Back in the villa he felt some motivational words were necessary. “We’re not a government, we’re not a corporation, and we’re not the United Nations. I still have no doubt we represent the best mankind has to offer. The risk is extraordinary and unknown. Everyone making this journey could die immediately when the ship passes through the gate. We weren’t invited and we don’t know how the aliens will respond. Vincenzo has proven himself as an honorable and able leader. Who wants to accompany him?” Enzo asked. The entire crew as well as Tony indicated they wanted to take the risk. Only Randy and Enzo were committed to staying on Earth. “Vincenzo, do you have any objections?” Enzo asked. “No Uncle, I need this crew. We’ve been very successful together. I need good people around me, and these are good people.” Vincent said. “It’s settled then. In two days the ship will depart. Until then take the time necessary to speak with your families and to finish any business you have left on Earth. Vincenzo, try to find a way to communicate if possible. Randy and I will continue our efforts to ensure at least some of the people have a chance to remain free on this planet and in our solar system. Find a way to relax for the next few days. You’ve had quite the ordeal. You need to be at your best to face whatever might wait on the other side.” Enzo said.

  It had been ninety minutes and everyone should have been in position. Chris Hancock the Commander of Seal Team Seven was not happy with the performance of his men. They were three minutes late and still not in position yet. The performance was sloppy and needed to be corrected. It was important to remain professional. In his experience he hadn’t encountered an operation which appeared as easy as this one. It was dark and would be getting darker. Cloud cover was coming. The moon would be covered soon, and night vision would ensure his team members had total superiority. He issued an order to have all electricity in the villa turned off. He didn’t hear an alarm or a word from the house when the power went out. There wasn’t anyone guarding the ship or even monitoring the lights. Five minutes later the clouds came in and the team went in.

  Vincent was dreaming of Monique. The two of them were swimming on Europa toward the pyramid. “Wake up buddy.” Someone who obviously wasn’t Monique said. Vincent woke up staring at eight men pointing guns at his head. “Who are you? Do you have any idea who you’re screwing with?” Vincent asked. “I’m the person pointing a gun at your head. We’re here to recover the ship. For now, please join your friends in the dining room.” The soldier responded. “I had a deal with the President. My friends on the ship will come for us.” Vincent said. He went to the dining room and found all of his friends except for Julia and Randy. Each had been bound and was being guarded closely. Enzo couldn’t speak, but he didn’t need to. The look in his eyes told Vincent all he needed to know. The crew of the Constellation was in serious trouble.

  “Julia, do we have any food left onboard? I’m hungry.” Randy said. He had returned to the ship after the meeting. Time was short, and he had so much to learn. “Sorry, we’re out of food, you can eat the stuff the ship provides and take your chances, or you can contact Vincent. You need some rest anyway.” She said. “Fine, I’ll grab a quick bite and take a nap. I want real food, give Vincent a call please.” Randy said. “That’s strange, he’s not answering.” Julia said as she looked outside the ship and didn’t see anyone. Sunrise was in half an hour and the darkness was givin
g way to light.

  “I tried contacting Dalton and Sandy. Nobody is responding at all.” Randy said. “I’m going to try and find a manual release for the door.” Julia said. When she made it to the exit, she could hear somebody on the other side speaking. “We’ve tried everything else, let’s just blow it open.” Julia heard someone say. She ran back to the control center startling Randy. “Computer, bring the ship a half mile above the surface now.” She said. “What are you doing?” Randy asked. “Nobody is answering because they’ve all been captured. Now somebody is trying to get inside the ship.” Julia said as the ship rose from the surface. Once airborne Sarah and Randy saw two teams of five soldiers where the ship had been. “Now what do we do?” Julia asked. “We don’t give them the ship under any circumstances. Once the government has the ship, everyone becomes expendable.” Randy said as his phone rang. “This is Commander Hancock, return the craft to the surface and nobody will be hurt. If you don’t comply we will begin killing your friends one by one. I’m bringing your leader outside now. He will be the first casualty. Bring the ship down now.” Randy saw Enzo exit the villa with the soldier and knew it was time to go on the offensive. Enzo would never give in, and neither would he. Enzo and Vincent had tried to play nice with the government. It was time to turn the tables. “I have a better idea Commander Hancock. I don’t like speaking to low level intermediaries. I’m going to go find your boss, and you’ll be releasing the hostages very shortly. If any of my friends even have a scratch on them you and all your men will die. Stand by, you’ll be hearing from your President shortly.”