Along the shore . . . .
Tommy Ford squished his bare feet in the sand as he walked along the shore left bare by the receding tide, stopping from time to time to look at some piece of flotsam thrown up by the previous night's storm. Tommy was only nine and felt despondent because his brother Mike was able to go on the trip to the Great River, and he couldn't. There were few other children near his age in the colony, and none that he really thought of as friends. They, like himself, had spent nearly their entire life in stasis, and while subjected to subliminal teaching during that period he, like many of the others, was almost devoid of the social skills learned through practice. Most of the time he spent with his brother, but Mike would be leaving in a couple of days. As he explored the tide flat he gradually forgot his own unhappiness in his search for the strange and exotic sea life left stranded by the tide. Everything was new to him.
It was a typical hot, clear day, and Tommy wore only shorts as he carefully worked his way down the shore of the bay, occasionally looking back to the guard's station to make sure he hadn't gone too far. The tide was at its lowest, and the beach was unusually cluttered with the debris left behind by the winds and heavy waves of the night before. In his hand he carried the pail he used to collect any finds he could add to his collection at home. Reaching the end of the beach watched over by the guard, he started to retrace his path, walking at the very edge of the receding water, letting the light waves lap at his feet. Some of the shells he had found were really neat, and he would be able to show them to Mike before he left.
About 10 meters ahead Tommy noticed a bright reflection from a shiny object periodically exposed as the waves flowed in and out. That must be one of those clams with the glasslike shells, he thought, quickening his pace. They were one of his favorite finds. Reaching the object Tommy knelt and pulled it from the sand with his digging stick. It wasn't a clam as he had thought, but a metal ring. Tommy washed the object off by swishing it in the water and walked up to the bank and sat on the edge to examine his find.
Tommy held the ring up to let the sun reflect off the surface. It looked like a bracelet women sometimes wore, he thought. Someone must have lost it. Examining it closely Tommy saw that, while worn smooth by the action of the water, he could still see faint patterns when he held it up to the light. Real neat, he thought. He'd give it to Margie as a present.
CHAPTER 5: Hint of the Future
(Late September, Alpha Year 1): Colin sat at the small table in his office with John Bachman and Alicia Cohn, the colony's specialist in archeology, while Alicia examined the gold bracelet. At first Margie had just put it aside, but this morning, recognizing it as something unusual, had brought it to Colin.
Alicia's forehead was furrowed in thought. "It's different, I'll double check to see if anyone in the colony could have lost it, but the engraving is different from anything I've ever seen. The workmanship is fairly high level." Turning it in her hands she held it up to the light. "I'll give it a chemical treatment to remove the deposits, and try it under special lighting and see if I can make a detailed sketch of the designs. Also, I want an analysis of the composition. It appears to be an alloy of gold, but it doesn't look quite right; it appears to be harder than one would expect." Adding, "if its OK with you I want to get some of Rolf's people involved with the analysis."
Colin leaned back in his chair and stared at Alicia. "What do you really think?" he asked.
Alicia raised her eyes to Colin's and smiled. "I think," she said slowly, "that the workmanship and design are too different. The deposits took time to accumulate, and if its an heirloom you would at least expect the deposits to have been removed. Plus, few of the people have even been near where it was found.”
She held the bracelet out to Colin, and slowly traced one of the designs with her fingernail. "If it was water and sand action that wore the design down it must have been in the water a long time. Logic says it was lost by one of the colonists, and that's one of the first things to check. An analysis of the composition should also tell us if it could have had an Earth origin. But if neither of those check out, then we may have a very exciting find."
"Or an unexpected problem," Colin commented.
Colin took the bracelet and turned it slowly, holding it up to the light from the window to better see the design. The pattern wasn't a continuous design, but appeared to be a series of separate designs that circled the outside surface. Handing the bracelet back to Alicia, Colin said, "when you get some sketches or photographs I'd like to see them right away; and please don't discuss this with anyone other than Rolf, and be discrete in how you check on whether it was lost by someone."
After Alicia left the room Colin leaned back in his chair and looked at Bachman. "More surprises," he said. "I'm beginning to agree with you on the need for faster exploration. The surveys from orbit may have missed more about this planet than they should have. If Alicia comes up with the answer it's indigenous we have to immediately radio Yasu."
John nodded, "I couldn't agree more. It'll be interesting to see if Yasu and his team find anything. Or the Argonaut when we start."
"When do you think the Argonaut will be ready?" Colin asked. "I'd like to see it speeded up if possible."
John shook his head, "not this season, that's for sure. We simply don't have the manpower right now, and I don't think we'll be able to start disassembling the shuttles for several months. Even switching priorities wouldn't do much now; at the best we could speed it up by a couple of months. As much as I want the Argonaut, it's not wise to divert the manpower from construction right now. Unless," he added, "we find we have time to do some of the assembly once the crops are in. That should at least guarantee we'd have it before the end of good weather next year."
CHAPTER 6: The Great River
(October 1, Year 1: Below the ridge the land dropped away, becoming the broad valley formed over thousands of years of shifting river flow. The steep cliffs forming the boundary of the flood plain created a natural barrier, exposing hundreds of millions of years of the planet's history; folds of the planet's skin, fossils of ancient life forms, and hopefully clues to the present location of the expected treasure trove of resources buried beneath the surface. The snow melt from the distant mountains had been the parent of a rich, fertile depression, hundreds and in some places well over a thousand kilometers in width that bisected the western coastal plain.
Below the cliffs the land tilted gradually downward, first grasslands covered with sparse trees, in the far distance changing to forested woodland, then to a dense jungle guarding the present channel of the Great River and its tributaries. If an observer could have looked beyond the kilometers of the jungle they would have seen the immense central river that moved sluggishly to the New Pacific, carrying the rich soils from the mountain range before depositing them in the large delta that dominated its entry to the New Pacific. From orbit the path of the river and its protecting jungle had the appearance of a long, twisting snake, dominating the area from the planet's equator to the boundary with the savannas, fed by its two large tributaries that drained the mountain range from the north and south.
The tributaries were major rivers in their own right, surging toward their junction constrained by low mountain ridges and foothills that forced the snow melt and seasonal rains of the mountain range into the Great River watershed. Dwarfing the major rivers of Earth, the Great River, with its huge flow of water evaporating in the tropical heat, formed its own unique weather system, creating a cloud covered, humid area of frequent rain and a nearly constant mist, shielded from the prying eyes of the starships that had passed overhead. Someday these tributaries, as well as the resulting major river, would have more fitting names, but for now were simply the Great River, the North Branch, and the South Branch.
Eric pulled the first of the two landrovers to the edge of the rise overlooking the valley below, Yasu Hata in the seat beside him. Below and beyond the valley stretched to the horizon, sparsely populated with trees in t
he foreground, with the more densely wooded area in the distance. Eric turned the engine off and sat without speaking, examining the view. Within minutes the second landrover driven by Topu Mobutu, geologist and mining specialist, and his passenger, 17 year old mining apprentice Michael (Mike) Ford, pulled up beside them.
They were now 6 days and 1,500 kilometers southeast of New Athens, roughly 1,500 kilometers from where the Great River delta began, and several hundred kilometers east of where the north and south tributaries joined. This far to the east they could make out the white of the snowcaps of the mountain range that isolated the western coastal plain from the much larger area beyond. Their goal was to explore as much of the river valley as possible, particularly for signs of mineral deposits or other resources. While they would also like to make at least one excursion all the way to the river that would not be easy; further west the dense tree cover and frequent bogs and swamps made an attempt prohibitive. But here, far upstream, the land was higher, the tree cover sparser, and the distance to the river much less.
Looking down into the valley from where they were parked the grassy intervening area between the ridge and the denser cover in the distance was broken by frequent clusters of trees and scattered herds of antelope; the late afternoon sun creating shadows that distorted and blurred the outlines of the terrain. But they had other problems; how to get from the ridgeline to the valley floor Tomorrow they'd head downstream and try to find a suitable location.
Eric glanced over at Yasu, "it'll be dark in about 2 hours. Let's head for that grove of trees over there, and make camp for the night."
It took about fifteen minutes to reach the grove of trees and unload their tent and cooking gear. While Topu and Mike set up camp, Eric set up the electronic warning system on the camp's periphery, and Yasu got on the radio to make his daily status report to Carter back at New Athens. Tonight Eric had the assignment to prepare supper, a chore he really didn't care for. The others didn't care for Eric's cooking that much either, but then they also didn't feel like volunteering for the job. By the time the camp was set up, supper finished, and the security perimeter activated, darkness was falling.
The night was moonless, with the short twilight followed rapidly by the darkness. With the darkness the breeze, which had been with them all day, died, leaving the crackling of the low fire against the backdrop of the enveloping stillness. Against the stillness the night-noises of small scavengers came and went, occasionally punctuated by the roar of a large predator. Eric leaned back and puffed lightly on his pipe. The smoke was harsh against his mouth, but it was relaxing. He enjoyed the solitude of the setting, and hardly noticed that the others were also sitting around the fire buried in their own thoughts. Overhead the stars were a brilliant canopy, not diminished by the pollution he remembered in Earth's night sky. The occasional sounds in the distance seemed a natural and necessary part of the background.
Eric could hardly remember a life other than his army life. A product of a broken home he couldn't remember his father, and his life on a ranch in Wyoming with his mother and uncle ended when he ran away at the age of 16 to join the army. Many of those early years were spent in combat in the frequent brushfire wars in Southeast Asia and Africa, where his performance brought him the notice necessary for assignment to officers school and subsequent assignment as a company grade officer in a Ranger unit. When the opportunity came to join the security force of the Centauri Corporation he had jumped at it. Never married, and without any permanent attachments, this was the life he wanted; and the colonization mission was a dream come true. He was one of the few colonists without even occasional regrets about leaving Earth.
Knocking the ashes from his pipe, Eric stretched his muscular frame and rose to his feet. Picking up the laser rifle which was his constant companion, he slung it over his shoulder and stepped back from the fire. "Think I'll check the perimeter," he said, as he moved silently into the darkness surrounding the camp. Once he reached the edge of the trees he unslung his rifle, seated himself with his back against the bole of one of the large trees, and laid the rifle across his knees. Here he could enjoy the darkness without even the confining companionship of the fire. As his eyes adjusted the light of the stars was sufficient to allow him to watch the open area of the savanna that stretched into the distance beyond the grove of trees.
Two days later . . . .
Finding a route to descend into the river valley hadn't been as simple as they had expected. In few locations was the drop less than 20 meters, and when by mid afternoon they still hadn't found an easy route they finally settled on the combination of slope and drops at this location. They succeeded in getting about half way down by backing the landrovers, with the cable from the winch anchored at the top of the bluff as support, but it would be the drop in the next 15 meters that would be the real test.
Mike was scrambling down from the top of the bluff, having extracted the cable anchors, while Eric stood watching Yasu and Topu as they pounded an iron anchor into the flat area above the final drop, then connected the winch cable from the first of the landrovers. At this point the slope had become perpendicular, forcing the land rovers to be lowered through the air to the floor below.
At a signal from Yasu, Eric climbed back into the first of the land rovers and eased it up to the edge by releasing more cable on the winch until he heard the 'thump' as the rear wheels dropped over the edge. Continuing to release cable he felt and heard the scraping of the cliff edge against the vehicle's underside armor plating as it tilted until it was almost vertical, followed by the thump as the front wheels went over the edge. For several seconds the vehicle dangled in mid air, twisting slightly, before Eric slowly released more cable, soon feeling the rear of the landrover touch down before tilting forward onto all four wheels.
Eric felt the tension release as he climbed out and waved to the others looking over the edge from above, moving to the side when Yasu called for him to 'stand clear' as he threw the end of the cable down. In another half hour they had the other landrover lowered, and shortly Yasu made his way down after retrieving the anchor. Then they took the time to pause for a short break, the four of them moving into the shade of a nearby tree.
Yasu sat munching on a chocolate bar as the four discussed the next step. It was only a little after 4:00 PM and they still had about 3 hours of daylight, too much to waste. After several minutes of discussion it was decided to camp right where they were, with Yasu and Eric looking for a passable route to the river while Topu and Mike investigated the bluffs above and below their campsite for any mineral signs. Tomorrow they'd move on.
Mid October, Year 1
At first they thought that, after their previous failed attempts they had finally found what they were looking for; a route to get them close enough to the North Branch to allow them to pack the rest of the way in. They had made nearly 10 kilometers from where the forest cover started, but it hadn't been easy. Mostly they tried to follow animal trails, but sometimes even those became impassable. Now, with the undergrowth getting ever thicker and the ground underneath becoming increasingly boggy, they had failed again and would have to turn back. Several times they had gotten stuck and had to winch themselves out of boggy ground, and once use the winch to pull themselves from a shallow creek. From the appearance of the land ahead this small clearing might be their last chance to turn around, but before they headed back they took the time for samples and recording of a fix on their exact location.
The type of tree cover was definitely changing, with large moss and vine covered trees replacing the sparser trees they had passed through earlier. This was typical rainforest, and the leaves of the heavy undergrowth sparkled with moisture; partly from a fine mist, but also from the oppressive humidity. Eric turned the handle to extract the coring tool used to take a tree sample, and released the core before placing it in the sample case, then recording information about the tree in his hand recorder. If only they had the positioning satellites like on Earth is would be so much e
asier.
Returning to the landrover Eric found Yasu already loading his sample box and getting a water bottle from stores. His shirt was totally soaked with perspiration and moisture from brushing against underbrush, as was Eric's. Eric sat down on a rock as Yasu handed him the bottle of water, from which he drank greedily, Yasu taking a seat nearby. After several minutes Yasu looked at his watch, then got up, commenting as Eric followed, "before we leave I'll show you something."
Yasu reached into the landrover and picked up his laser rifle and a camera, Eric following suite with his rifle, then the two headed down the narrowing game trail they had been following, the wet vegetation slapping against their faces, soaking their clothes even more than they had been. About 100 meters down the path Yasu stopped and listened for a moment, then moved several meters off the trail to the heavily eroded banks of a small stream that paralleled the trail. The stream was nearly empty, with only a shallow trickle at the bottom. Climbing down into the stream bed Yasu went several meters before stopping, Eric following. Waiting until Eric stopped next to him, Yasu pointed to an object jutting from the bank. Frowning, Eric went nearer to the object, followed by Yasu. Partially exposed was what looked like a very large crocodile skull, the tooth filled jaws jutting out into the stream. It was clear Yasu had partially dug the skull out, exposing more than just the snout which the water had freed; now nearly the entire braincase was visible.
The First Colony: Book I: Settlement Chronicals Page 7
