A sphere of light floated out like a ghost, going through the darkness, and, again, Sandler realized that it was the telepathic recordings transmitting from the alien artifact, silver sphere – which were covering his entire sight with its vivid visions!
A silent roar vibrated through his mind, and a blur of light swirled in the blackness. The strange sounds and lights sent sensations through his body.
He watched the voyager vanish into faint starlight, at the fringes of deep stretches of intergalactic space.
The starless expanse of space where the voyager had materialized from was beyond a rim of their remote stars. It was hidden within the central galaxies, at the location where the voyager had come from before it went through the galaxies.
Amidst its awesome black abyss he visualized its appearance in more detail – millions of years ago – as a speck appearing, with spectacular beams spraying out into the stars. Its outline emerging out of obscurity! And its shape hurtling on and on, to the star formations – on an expedition to the far reaches of the universe.
At the outer reaches of the Milky Way, the galaxy was a vast line of light stretched across space, with its remote stars going around it.
It was its entry of the galaxy, all those millions years ago! With its unique acceleration allowing it to travel the immense depths of intergalactic space to explore the unexplored galaxies.
The full vision of the voyager’s interior appeared about him so swiftly and vibrantly that Sandler felt his blood explode through him just seeing it!
Its entire horrific dull blue lighted interior so vividly surrounded him, as the visions of deep space vanished, that he could not spot any differences in it to reality.
A dull red radiance gleamed, illuminating the hideous devilish figure of the Superbeing, casting a crimson shadow of its peculiar features.
He glared at its unmoving silhouette in shock, studying it.
The deep blackness so vivid, and objects so real, and alive, he felt deep horror, and thought of his original thoughts of it – as he had first discovered the thing, in the voyager.
A hole magically appeared in a wall at his side, like the entrance of it must have appeared in it at the museum, and its glowing shape floated towards it.
A radiating purple triangular of light magically rotated out of the hole, through the air, while bright colored sparks of energy spun around it, and the Superbeing.
For an instant it altered into a form of energy.
He stood, staggered, wondering what it was!
What strange place had it come from? What wonders of the universe had it? Where had it been traveling to, on its voyage, into the depths of space and time?
The interior vanished into blackness, and the mind-bending visions re-formed to the interior, but with a blue star emitting a faint sparkle on the front screen.
Stars appeared, and began to transform – streaks of light turned into normal stars – and the immense exploding thrust halted simultaneously with it.
The turquoise ocean of a world appeared, rotating wildly below, and a land mass stretched out across the equator.
The being’s green glowing shape held an object to its mind.
Strange ghostly images of life forms flashed about it and him.
The view of the interior dispersed to show the voyager plunging down into the atmosphere of the world.
The dark shadow from it went over the world’s icy rock, while its cold swirling currents of mist blew about its hovering shape, and a wild beast’s blood-chilling screech came from a distant place, hidden out in the landscape.
The pale blue sun peered through clouds of vapor. The desolate world turned silent and motionless, and the voyager lunged forward over a life form, with its shadow shape going over it.
The crimson slime vibrated, clinging to jagged black rocks.
A gust of swirling mist was left, as it hurtled upwards towards the stars.
Its thrust blasted across the sky of the planet, and it continued on going through space, exploring the unexplored galaxy stars, searching for creature specimens, voyaging past the central stars, and traveling through the different star quadrants, exploring the vast billions of stars throughout the expanse of space.
Yet, on exiting the galaxy, patterns of light on the screen altered to show a star swiftly increasing in size, and the voyager maneuvering around its ball of flames. And, while avoiding colliding with it, the planet Earth appeared – directly in its new course – and it crashed into its surface.
A vague gleam appeared, amidst dancing and darting spectral rays. A vortex of shifting outlines magically formed, and Sandler studied the silver sphere’s deactivation transmissions. Swirling patterns from it reshaped reality into a surreal splendor of transforming detail, while the mind-bending display of displacements altered from the visions of space to his room.
II
The Exploration Association
The science conventions of the Exploration Association were almost always held at distinguished locations, where famous and unknown scientists inaugurated scientific affairs, brought forward scheduled activities, and bestowed a source of an abundance of unknown findings.
It was at one of these conferences, vividly recollected by all, that what probably may become the greatest scientific find in history was revealed by Professor Robert Farrell, when he bestowed a breathtaking lecture.
The presentation began by him showing the eager scientists the magnificent beauty of an old prehistoric skull, resting on a table, at his side, on stage.
At the edge of the platform, a technician activated a deep yellow spotlight, and the artifact lit, as if it were in blazing flames. And he inspected it, with subdued glares, in varied degrees of confusion.
“This is a significant species ...!” he stated, with his fingers at his mouth, considering the creature.
“Details were gathered at its excavation, giving us an insight into the particular habits of the animal. A variety of clues, such as the sort of sedimentary rock it was in and animal and plants found with it, were checked. They determined a hot climate and that an aquatic environment was nearby.
“Likewise much can be learned from the features of these specimens ...”
His eyes dropped, and went onto the governing committee, at the front seats, and on the antics of them prompting him on.
“For the majority of you who never attended the last short meeting that we held, it only mentioned little except vague theories of what our trip to Cornwall would reveal ...
“One year ago,” he stated, “almost to this very day, I had little belief in ever seeing anything – worthwhile. Things of that nature seem to belong to someone else. To others perhaps they are a thing of the past – where wonders of the world were abundant and mind-boggling.
“I received a letter from Professor T. G. Hansen, in Norway, who, if you don’t know him, is extremely captivating and keen. And he, incidentally, has an incredible appetite for paleontology – and keeps a fabulous collection of prehistoric bones, insects ...”
“While, on holiday, he and his wife came across something unusual, in an ancient attic. An aged manuscript, truly unique, was uncovered, with the early explorations of, the Norwegian, V. J. Vega. His descriptions, detailed in Old Norse, have accounts of his travels and discoveries.
“Well, one of this explorer’s interests – almost an obsession! – was searching for unusual creatures. Moreover, his views were strange, and influenced by his interest in the supernatural. Especially things described in Norwegian sagas, and medieval ramblings. One of his assurances basically was that all before him had not looked to a far enough degree.
“He had some success in his search for fossils – finding excellent skulls, such as this, and numerous prehistoric remains – which as you can imagine must have been astonishing to a person of that era. In various remote places perhaps absolutely unheard of!
“He details his findings somewhat astonishingly. He describes them, and details his travels, taking
you out into the remote depths of Siberia, where he traveled by himself.
“He was very like an eccentric poet of that time. His emotions and wits occasionally turned strange ... Yet exaggerated due to our bad understanding of his language and reasoning!
“He had heard tales of mammoths living in Siberia. Surely owing to the abundance of mammoths found under the ice in that region.
“He wandered into unexplored and uncharted places, increasingly seeking to enlighten himself, to alter his perception of the real universe, and find a hidden one beyond.
“Later, he explored central Europe, where he heard tales of something immense, in this country.
“He was lucky, and luckier than he could ever have realized. Because he found something of profound significance, and completely unheard of. It proved to be beyond that of a common mammoth. The creature that he uncovered was awesome – and stupendous! Even if it did turn him into believing in the goings on in sagas, and alike. For a long time afterward he continued searching for the existence of what can only be described as supernatural beings ...
“He gave descriptions that went to extraordinary depths describing it, with its preserved condition – which he believed to be held by some form of mystical power.
“The detailed facts were so authentic to Professor Hansen and his companions that they attempted to find its whereabouts, as well as carry out nearly two years research on the vague directions, descriptions, co-ordinates it mentioned. Though they proved to be too indistinguishable, as they continued, with their uncertain classifications.
“We began work on trying to reveal its whereabouts, instigated by Professor Hansen and his depthless belief in it.
“Some members helped! Our research dramatically altered the text, its meanings, and enlightened them further and further. But, once again, the co-ordinates were left unreasonably vague, and far from being comprehensible.
“Our search was a fantasy treasure hunt, until one of the Norwegians claimed he had found the tomb of the great V. J. Vega, which we all went to see. Its location, being somewhat remote, took us through and over fabulous hills and mountains, on foot, to the center of a vast forest – where V. J. Vega, for his reasons, chose to be buried. Maybe he chose to remain in the harmony of solitude in his form of the afterlife.
“At last our detection work was conclusive! The co-ordinates, given in the manuscript, were not co-ordinates.
“They were a code to decipher the real co-ordinates. And the reason that this riddle, cryptogram, had not been deciphered was because the co-ordinates had been lost.
“He had wanted to give the location of his discovery to his son, if he died, as he had known that an illness that he had contracted in due course would kill him. But his son had been too young, and he did not have any relatives or anyone to help.
“But he had adhered to tradition and he had decided to leave the coded co-ordinates, with his other possessions, with someone, to give him – say on his fourteenth birthday ...
“The coded co-ordinates and a message to his son were in his tomb. He had them in a pendant, which his son should have received, and he had taken it with him to his grave.
“Once we lifted the solid stone lid from his tomb, we all at the same time spotted the pendant buried in it – partially hidden away, between the remaining ribs of his skeleton.
“Professor Hansen frantically probed through the disfigured bones to fetch it.
“The pendant had to be valuable: it was made of gold, with tiny jewels embedded in it.
“They played with it beneath my face, turning it around in the bright sunlight, streaking through the pine trees, as we sought an answer to why he had taken it to his grave. I then recognized a faint indentation over its edge.
“I knew that many such pendants opened to reveal inner enclosures, where there were such things as photographs. Perhaps it had a drawing in it, from those days. I remained silent and waited for them to discover this. In the meantime I examined the body of the great explorer, and I soon saw that there was nothing else there.
“Consequently, they opened a bag and removed things that they could use to open it.
“The best thing was a needle, inserted in some thread, which Professor Hansen carefully placed on it, on the faint crack that went along its edge, to avoid damaging the artifact.
“Though after some attempts at it – trying to break it open – it remained stuck. Our patience decreased, and I had horrible thoughts over it breaking ... And it being an incredibly valuable instrument of navigation, in which the explorer might have used, and which could be worth millions.
“Their fidgeting with the object aroused inner emotions, and it seemed that it could not be done. The line around it easily could have been part of the design or there from the way a craftsman had made it, which we started to assume increasingly, due to its insistence in not moving.
“As I started to accept it, the cover of the pendent shifted upwards, by a few millimeters, giving us the knowledge that it had a chamber.
“Even though it had lifted, the problem of opening it was still there – as something was jamming it. It neither lifted any further nor went back down. It had too much value to break in any way. Especially if it were a navigational instrument.
“We rummaged through our stuff, while we painstakingly considered individual parts of things – considering them as tools. But there did not seem to be anything! Except, as I was doing that, one of the Norwegians, bored with our unconventional lingering over such a meaningless inconvenience, yanked it opened with his fingers, and the lid squeaked and lifted. It consequently went up and revealed a tattered bit of material.
“My next impression was that it could be just a lucky pendant. And, as he shifted the piece of cloth around, I believed that something could be in it. A lump was in it, but it turned out to be a piece of parchment. The pendant otherwise was empty!
“This piece of parchment was found to be priceless though! In only one day we were able to find the co-ordinates. Though inaccurate ...!
“We arranged a proper expedition to enable us to go to find this animal, which taunted V. J. Vega so much. But the co-ordinates were still too vague, to our great disappointment, and the landscape differed far too much from what was described throughout the text.
“And we could not acquire any more help there due to the nature of the investigation. But, before we returned to the UK, we went to Norway, where our luck changed again.
“David Parker, a US scientist, helped us out. He happened to be visiting Norway, and wished to meet us.
“He had heard about our expedition, which he claimed had come from one of the Norwegians. And he had realized the situation before it had happened.
“Parker is a paleontologist and archaeologist. He is a distinguished fossil hunter and collector. His collection of Jurassic fossils is priceless.
“He expeditiously declared how he could help us. And he gave us an insight into a fantastic new technology.
“You will be familiar with the types of technology used by archaeologists, as well as by geologist, mineralogists, and oil surveyors. Modern techniques such as geophysical prospecting and seismic reflection methods ...
“The concept of seismic work is similar to echo sounding ...
“A multitude of electrical methods are applied in mineral exploration. They depend on electrochemical activity, permittivity, and resistivity effects.
“A degree of electrical conductivity exists in the soil, and some materials act as natural batteries, whose vague effects can be measured ...
“Magnetic methods of prospecting detect buried features by locating the magnetic disturbances that they cause.
“Gravity methods are used from airplanes and helicopters. But because the surveying is done with gravimeters, the airplanes and helicopters accelerations, movements, can affect the readings and limit the accuracy, and they are only used for regional studies.
“Gravimeters are fundamentally a weight attached to a sprin
g that stretches or contracts corresponding to the increase or decrease in gravity. They have an accuracy capable of detecting a difference in the gravitational field as small as one part in a hundred million. But their accuracy does not produce accurate results, and they can only detect such things as salt domes, which trap oil. And they are used in oil exploration, as well as to detect high-density minerals in ore bodies.
“Of course, some forms of radar detection can be used. More accurately than before, I’ve heard! But that also does not produce accurate results.
“The gravity surveying equipment that Parker told us of can scan – without being influenced by any movements! – more accurately, deeper, and faster, from airplanes and helicopters, than anything so far invented. The gravity detection components were once highly confidential, and produced by leading establishments.
“It is accurate, and produces detailed mapping below the ground, at various depths, making it possible to observe objects with the dimensions of a dinosaur fossil.
“Its potential had been rapidly acknowledged and paid for by the American military, which had put a sizable investment into the invention.
“Though it was confidential, it did not last long. Though they intended to use this technology with the regular US military, to detect such things as underground bunkers and mines, which are extremely hard to detect.
“Parker had been currently on an exciting project over in Greenland, searching the depths of ice ...
“They were targeting locations at the oldest regions of ice recorded by scientists, at particular deep depths that the technology could handle, and drilling at particular sites.
“The continents have shifted considerably since the dinosaurs existed, and the right locations must be rare. If they exist there at all!
“They had notably considered going to the Antarctic, where the ice in regions has been proven to have been on the land there for millions of years. Perhaps amphibious or other prehistoric animals, which were there, are buried there. Extinct species, and even some remaining dinosaurs, might have been roaming there, and could have been killed in avalanches or snowstorms, just before it froze.
The Deadliest Alien Artifacts (Story Collection) Page 11
