The Traveler's Return (Traveler Series 3)

by Dr L. Jan Eira

  The small clearing right outside his cave was deserted. He sniffed the air but perceived nothing unusual. No threats. It was then he began to appreciate a pleasant sound that was constant, undulating, and streaming. He ambled through the trees toward the swish and splash that beckoned to him, and soon he reached the flowing waters. Nearby, creatures partook of fruits and grasses. The belly rumbles invited him to do the same. He tasted the green ground but spit it out in disgust.

  “Grrr!” he mumbled, still dribbling saliva. “Gra-ssss.”

  He picked three different types of fruits and began to eat, imitating the animals all around him. These were delicious! He noticed the creatures nearby also lapped at the flowing liquid. He got on his knees and mimicked the other creatures. The refreshing nature of the cool water invigorated him and quenched an unwanted sensation deep inside him. The soothing sound of the flowing stream augmented his thirst and invited him to drink again. The earth felt warm and soft beneath his bare feet. The skylight shone even brighter now.

  The birds chirped musically as they played in flight. He looked all around and saw greensward; flowers of yellow, red, and blue; and trees whose branches offered the appetizing fruits. He saw creatures of different sizes and shapes, all coexisting peacefully in the realm.

  Suddenly his senses perked up, and he straightened up, his ears on alert. It was the strange, suspicious eerie sound again. Koo eeky…koo eeky. Was it danger? He picked up his food and staggered quickly through the trees back into the cavern, where it felt safest.

  He reached the cave and entered. He dressed its mouth with tree branches and large rocks. As he turned to walk into the safety of the darkness, he gasped and dropped his fruits, startled by the little one of his kind who was standing right behind him. The small sliver of visible skylight beamed on her pale little body. This small creature was the only one he had seen that resembled him. Her appearance resembled the image he had seen of himself in the calm water reflection. But she had smaller features, much smaller, and she was hairless, save for the long white strands on her head. It was this creature who had earlier breathed life into him. He could see her attributes clearly now. Around her hide, there was a cover the color of blood, and her feet were enclosed with pelt the color of night.

  It declared, its little voice unthreatening, “Eat, discover, learn!” She waved her hands toward the realm. “All of this is yours. Share it with the other creatures of peace who share your world.”

  Chapter Ten

  From the instant the Traveler Spaceship arrived on the outskirts of the Triloptia Stellar System, the computer began to slow down the ship and rejuvenate its four passengers as had been preprogramed. The spacecraft would reach the Traveler Space Station in exactly ten hours, twenty-one minutes, and eleven seconds; the Earth-time digital clock on the computer ticking down with the passage of time. This portion of the mission called for a flyby of the station en route to Terrae Virentia. This would allow the computers to determine real-time distances, pressures, and obstacles to predetermined routes while allowing the passengers to experience for the first time a bird’s-eye glance of the beautiful green planet. The aircraft would return and dock on the Traveler Space Station in precisely two weeks, four days, nine hours, fifteen minutes, and three seconds of Earth’s time.

  Brent was the first to wake up. He unbuckled his harness. The computerized protective dome of his stasis pod retracted slowly, exposing his eyes to the glowing starlight flooding the spaceship through the various portholes. He glided effortlessly in his weightlessness to Ellie’s stasis container, as he had practiced on Earth and on Neptorus so many times before and virtually throughout the trip for the last seven decades.

  When Ellie first became aware, the first thing she saw was Brent’s pleasant smile.

  “We’re the chosen four,” he told her. “And we’ve arrived!”

  “You haven’t aged a day in the last seventy years,” said Ellie, scrutinizing Brent’s face and then her hands. “Cool! I gotta bottle me some of this perpetual youth.”

  “It is amazing,” said Brent, inspecting the reflection of his face on the retreating shiny metal dome that cocooned Ellie for seven decades. Then, he gazed at Ellie’s face. “You’re still as beautiful as the day we met.”

  “Hey, get a room!” said William, wiggling out of his stasis pod behind Brent. “We have a lot of work to do and very little time to spare. Let’s wake up sleeping beauty.”

  The three pushed off and glided toward the fourth stasis chamber.

  Valerie opened her eyes. “Can I please have just five more years?” she whined.

  “Nope,” said William. “Seventy years is plenty sleep for you, young lady. Now, up and at ’em!”

  Grinning, Brent pushed himself toward the closest porthole and gazed in awe as he admired the vastness of his new world. “Come see this, guys!” he exclaimed. “What a beautiful view.”

  The others followed Brent, and each looked out a porthole.

  “There’s one of the three suns!” said Ellie, peering through the small aperture. “I can’t see the other two.”

  “From here I see two of the planets,” said Valerie. “No, three.”

  “There!” exclaimed Brent. “The Traveler Space Station at three o’clock.”

  The others rushed to Brent’s side, hoping for a peek from his vantage point. The scientists surveyed in amazement the enormous size of the station against the nothingness of vast, empty space. It was the size of a mall back on Earth. Even though they had seen pictures of the station and during their virtual training missions had learned everything about it, were fully aware of its incredible capabilities, walked its halls on numerous occasions, and had floated in space right outside it multiple times, to see it in reality was astonishingly mind-blowing.

  Docked on one side, they recognized the round half-egg-shaped planetary-vehicular module, which would take them to the planet and back to the space station when necessary. The docking station for the Traveler Space Ship jetted out of the station on the opposite end of the space station, just like they’d seen so many times before on their virtual training exercises.

  Terrae Virentia was even more stunning to admire in real life than in the reconnaissance pictures they’d seen so frequently.

  “It reminds me of a miniscule Earth,” said Ellie, peering through the porthole. “The oceans, mountains, and continents. Just like home.”

  Each of the scientists took turns admiring the view from the porthole facing their target planet.

  And then they began their rehearsed protocols for the final phase of the approach, the travel back to the space station. There was a lot to prepare for before their arrival. When it was time, William piloted the craft, and the docking was smooth as they’d rehearsed over and over. Soon, the four were inside the confines of the Traveler Space Station, having the most delicious steak-and-lobster dinner each had ever had.

  “Can this computer cook, or can this computer cook?” asked Brent.

  “Better than Mom used to make,” said Valerie. “But that’s not saying much. Mom is an awful cook!”

  Then they settled in and began their work.

  For the next eight Earth months, the crew spied the way of life on Terrae Virentia.

  The first video report was dispatched to the Neptorus Observational Space Station. It would arrive there in approximately three Earth days. While Ellie, Valerie, and William sat nearby, Brent did all the talking:

  The Terrae Virentia inhabitants are very different from people on Earth. Adults have a bluish tint to their skin and have no hair whatsoever. Their heads are much larger than that of a human. Their approximate height is one meter as adults, ranging from five hundred to fifteen hundred centimeters. That’s approximately forty inches. Despite the short stature, adults weigh on average four hundred Earth pounds, or one hundred and eighty kilos. Since the gravitational pull here is much less, this weight corresponds to approximately one hundred and twenty pounds on Earth.

  Time goes by
much quicker here. The average life span is four Earth years, some living as long as five Earth years. That corresponds to approximately seventy-five years here on Terrae Virentia.

  They have discovered flight, but this is in its infancy. They communicate through thought; they emit extremely high-frequency brain waves that we have now learned to detect but can’t as yet interpret. We’re working on improving our detection methods of these signals. Once we do, we can begin to learn how to communicate with them. That’s going to take some time.

  We have noticed that the levels of carbonyl trioxide are quite high and approach the upper limits of vulnerability. Levels are increasing on average three percent per Terrae Virentia year. At this rate, the planet will begin to be compromised in fifty Earth years. We need to implement a solution over the next two Earth years or we will be too late to effect a change before every living soul on Terrae Virentia perishes.

  Chapter Eleven

  The Travelers had learned more about how the Terrae Virentians communicate. Brent and William had corroborated in the design of a protein molecule that would be implanted in the brain of the chosen Terrae Virentians. This complex would assimilate dream-frequency signals from their brains and transform those signals into a measureable wavelength that could be translated into displays that a computer would then decipher for them through the use of images. It was time to field-test the implant.

  “What will this neural protein molecule do to their brains?” asked Ellie. “Can it damage or hurt them in any way?”

  “No, it won’t hurt them at all,” said Brent. “Whenever we finish our mission, I will trigger the protein to dissipate into nothingness. It’ll be like it was never there after six of their months.”

  “Do their scientists have the capability to detect it?” asked Valerie. “Image it somehow?”

  “Good point, Valerie,” said William. “If they are able to visualize it, they may get scared just by its mere presence.”

  “What happens if they attempt to remove it prematurely?” asked Ellie.

  “Attempt to remove the protein complex surgically, by their primitive techniques, would be a problem,” said William. “The protein is inside a crucial part of the brain. If they attempt to remove it, it would leave the patient either permanently poorly functional or dead.”

  “My studies of their central nervous system show they only use twelve point seven percent of their brains, at best,” said Valerie. “Attempting to surgically remove this protein would cut that percentage by about a third or more.” Valerie looked up from her eTablet. “Yeah, brain surgery, given their primitive knowledge, would be a really bad idea.”

  Ellie took a deep breath. “On a good note, given their current abilities, they have no way to detect this protein. If they don’t know it’s there, they won’t be attempting to operate to remove it.”

  “Are we all in agreement that we should proceed with the implant?” asked Brent.

  After a short moment of silent deliberation, four nods were given.

  “Let’s do this!” said William.

  Brent’s video message to the Neptorus Observational Space Station two days later was as follows:

  The Terrae Virentians have no clue about our presence. We’ve identified a group of their most prolific scientific minds. These individuals are young but show a lot of promise. We’ve named them Brent, William, Valerie, and Ellie, after ourselves. I’ll travel to the planet and inoculate the protein particle into one of these four youths’ brains so we can begin to attempt communication. I will start with Brent then proceed to the others, one by one.

  If this works as well as our computer models predict, we should be able to begin to understand some of their simple thoughts when they’re dreaming. At first, this will consist of signal traffic from them to us. Eventually, we are hopeful we can communicate to them our thoughts as well. The four of them are segregated in a secluded place in a forest. I will travel to Terrae Virentia tonight after nightfall. We’ve identified a deep cave near their campground that I can use to hide in and store the space-travel pod. There is a large rock formation that we can utilize to conceal the avatar.

  As the planetary-vehicular module separated from the Traveler Space Station, Brent felt the same anxiety he had felt the numerous times he had flown this mission while deep asleep in his stasis pod. But this time, it was for real. The controls and computer console in front of him were indistinguishable from the one before him during virtual training. He could do this.

  What scared Brent mostly, however, was having his essence transferred to the avatar and giving it life. This would be his first time shifting all his cellular energies into this Terrae Virentian look-alike machine. This will work! he thought. Others have done it successfully. And came back to tell about it. So, why am I so—

  “Brent, you can engage the computer navigation system anytime now,” said William in his ear, interrupting his musing. “Get you there in a jiffy.”

  A smile emerged over Brent’s face. “What, and miss out on the opportunity to control the module manually? No thanks. I’m taking the scenic route. We’re not in that much of a hurry, are we?”

  “He’s having too much fun,” said Ellie in his earpiece. “Have fun, Brent!”

  The trip would take approximately two and a half Earth days, during which time Brent would prepare for the mission on Terrae Virentia. He would restudy computer models, rereview engagement protocols, and read over procedures and safeguards. But for now, he wanted to enjoy his piloting skills and admire the awesome views afforded by the Triloptia Star System. The magnificence of the red and yellow hues off both suns to his bow was hypnotizing, especially the interception points, where the colors became even more vivid and magical. The rings on three of the planets he could visualize were full of purples, blues, and greens, a spectacular amalgamation of tints culminating in generous quantities of blushes of paints more beautiful than any other he had ever observed. No, for now he would not engage the navigational computer system and put the pedal to the metal. Instead, he would cut the propulsion burners way back and turn the ship a little to the left and then a little to the right so as to maximize his ability to admire and take it all in.

  When Brent finally arrived on Terrae Virentia, the stealthy landing was impeccable. He donned his protective suit as rehearsed so many times before. The garb would protect him against the harshly acidic conditions of the planet’s atmosphere and provide adequate oxygen to breathe until he could transfer to the avatar.

  The first step of the mission was to seek out the cave near the campground where the kids were sleeping and hide the spaceship. This was done with no difficulty. The gravity-defying tool worked as expected, allowing Brent to levitate the substantial spaceship with ease and push it effortlessly to the back portion of the cavern. A virtual matrix projected the appearance and texture of a large boulder, which would conceal the spaceship should an intelligent life-form come waltzing into the cave unannounced. Pleased with the way the rock appeared, Brent pressed the activator sequencer and stood back while the virtual molecules solidified into a real Earth boulder. The virtual molecules within the rocky structure began to stir faster and faster; the slightly transparent look to the stone becoming denser and opaque; and the development beginning at the bottom and quickly progressing upward. Once the process was finished, he gave it a touch and then a push. Immovable. Solid. There was no way to distinguish this from any other large rock formation inside the large cave.

  The next phase was the dreaded transfer of his essence into the avatar. He had done so only once during virtual training while slumbering on the way out here. For some strange reason, the transfer frightened him. Too many unknowns. He wrinkled his forehead. It has never been done on this planet.

  “I better be able to get back into my own body,” he said to no one. He grabbed the transfer tool and held it tight in the palm of his right hand. The texture of the object’s cold metal immersed in the warm sweat of his fingers. He took a deep breath and then
opened his clasp. Staring at the tool, he imagined the lifeless avatar inside. At this time, the thing was deflated and inert; the collapsed outer physical material of a Terrae Virentian preschooler, one so innocent that no reasonable inhabitant would desire to harm it in any way. Or so its designers had hoped, as this hypothesis remained untested in the real world that was Terrae Virentia. The transfer tool seemed to stare back at him, daring him to activate it.

  The transfer process consisted of two phases. The first involved amalgamating the miniscule avatar molecules into the massive rock formation concealing his spaceship deep inside the cave. To accomplish this, he injected the contents of the transfer tool into the rigid surface of the boulder. The second step was the actual transfer. His hand trembled slightly as he took a deep breath and pressed the power button on the transfer tool. Instantaneously, his body morphed into a concentration of steam-like mist, which hovered for a moment and then drifted into the avatar particles now mixed into a spot of the rock. Within seconds, the stone began transforming into the innocent-looking small albino girl. The rock then shifted form as life crammed into her little body. Alexandra stepped out of the huge boulder; her long white hair down below her shoulders; her petite body clothed with a red dress, white socks, and black shoes. Devoid of its life essence, Brent’s body collapsed and shriveled into a heap of the pure chemicals that made up his carcass. His intelligence, spirit, and self were now part of the avatar figure.