by Kurt Winans
Ross heard that the system is known as ₹-593, and he would be shown the location of his new home world when it came into view. Soon a large vibrant blue planet could be seen as the fleet entered the outer edge of the solar system, and Ross thought it looked very similar to Earth.
Forgetting the thought projection of his old friend just a moment before, Ross asked, “Is that our new home?”
It seemed rational to assume that the planet would be their new home, but the alien’s thoughts quickly informed him otherwise. Although that planet looked appealing, Ross learned that nearly the entire surface consisted of deep water in excess of sixty degrees Celsius. Volcanic activity had been recorded on a somewhat regular basis, as the planet was still in its cooling phase. There were many species of aquatic life on the planet that thrived in the very hot water. A few of them were even beginning to morph into amphibians similar to the ancient alligators of Earth. The temperature was far too extreme for extended human exposure, and there were no substantial land masses so that the water could be avoided. Besides that, it would probably be thousands of Earth type years before any life indigenous to that planet could stand fully upright.
The second planet to come into view was dark green in color. It appeared to be a little larger than the first, but scale was difficult to measure. Ross had no idea how the size related to that of Earth, because six weeks had passed since he gazed out the window for a final glimpse of his home world fading into the distance. His instinct told him that both of these planets were much larger, not that it really mattered, but he had no verification at the present time.
The alien informed Ross that the planet contained vast amounts of thick forest. Very few areas of the surface offered large enough clearings to land a vessel the size of the one they were on, let alone thirteen of them. The atmosphere produced an almost constant rain, and the species that lived on the planet remained aloft within the giant trees to escape the mud and water below. Ross learned they closely resembled humanoids, but were dozens of centuries behind his own species level of development.
Next in line was a smaller planet of dull gray. The alien informed Ross that the dominant species of that world simply wished to be left alone. They had been contacted, as the humans of Earth had been, and were evolved enough in a technological sense to venture into space if they so desired. In spite of an offer to mingle with another species, that civilization had respectfully declined to do so. The alien pointed out the fantastic example of how his own species had respected the wishes of the species that was indigenous to the planet below. As requested, they had left them alone for centuries.
Gray was also the color of the fourth planet to come into view, as the fleet of transports moved closer to the host star. It was roughly the same size as the one they had just observed, but Ross soon discovered it was quite different. According to the alien it contained no measurable life because of a poisonous atmosphere, but unlike the previous three, this planet did have orbital spheres of its own. Two small moons were now visible as the transport slowed more noticeably and moved around the planet. Ross was then informed that the human population would be living on the second moon.
He instantly asked, “You mean the one over there that is pale green in color?”
A verifying thought response popped into his head, so Ross began to take a closer look as they approached the green marble. The sphere contained huge land masses and a few bodies of water that could easily be seen. Ross learned that the moon had been selected for the human pilgrims because the atmospheric conditions were similar to that of Earth. The size was considerably different however, with a diameter slightly over half that of their former home. Human life could thrive on the surface of this moon with the indigenous life forms, but it would not be easy. The moon was similar, but definitely not the same as Earth. The lifestyle that most everyone had enjoyed while on the modern Earth would need significant alteration, and only the strong willed could make a successful transition.
Ross asked, “Can that critical information be conveyed to the entire population?”
His education continued as he was informed that the other moon also contained life, but every species found on it was winged. The inhabitants ranged in size from a few inches that lived low among the small trees and bushes, to those with a thirty or forty foot wing span that ruled the sky high above. Unfortunately, there had been a few instances when an observer from the alien home world had become an unwilling food source for one of the giant birds. In each case his alien brethren had not been focused enough on his surroundings while on a scouting mission. They had all paid the price for that lapse by being plucked from the ground by a set of unrelenting talons. Ross thought that specific plight was not much different than what his mother and countless others had experienced at the hands of this alien species, but at least the humans had not become a food source.
Before landing, the fifth, and closest, planet to the host star was discussed as Ross asked, “Is there life on that planet?”
It was dull orange, and it, along with two of the four orbiting moons, contained life. The alien informed Ross that the life discovered on each of those worlds was in the early stages of biologic development. His species considered it doubtful that they would ever evolve.
Ross ran the numbers. Solar system ₹-593 consisted of eleven orbiting spheres, with biologic life of some type present on eight of them. The diverse life forms throughout the system had found a way to survive within a wide range of climate and atmospheric conditions. Ross hoped that he and the human contingent of pilgrims could do the same, as he braced himself for the conditions that they would all encounter on their new home world.
A slight bump of the transport vessel could be felt by all those present as it touched down on the surface of the pale green moon. The movement was less than any of these humans may have experienced on a typical airplane flight back on Earth, but it seemed significant after six long weeks of perfectly smooth travel through the vacuum of space.
Before the hatch to the outside world was opened, Jessica handed Ross a scrap of paper. With help from the alien, she had been able to determine the exact number of humans that had made this pilgrimage. That base number would be important for tracking the rate of growth, or decline, of the population in the future, and she wanted Ross to have it. The alien had also verified that the people aboard the various transport vessels had received a briefing. They had now been informed about the diverse forms of life on the planets and other moons within this solar system. That would help prepare them for what they might expect to encounter on this moon.
Ross unfolded the paper to glance at what she had written down, and said, “Thanks Jessica, but how did you get this information?”
He flashed back to his days in public office when she responded with a familiar, “I have my ways.”
Although thankful for the information, it raised another important question. The topic had nothing to do with the outcome of the asteroid and subsequent moon impact upon the Earth, because it would serve no purpose to dwell on such matters. His question centered on something that had actually been puzzling to Ross since before the fleet had left Earth.
Straightforward and simple, he asked the alien, “With the many different languages spoken by the people aboard these transport vessels, how did you ever deliver the necessary information about this new world to all of them?”
The alien informed him it was done in the usual way. That response was somewhat frustrating to Ross, because it didn’t really answer the question.
Ross added, “I have always heard your thoughts in the language that I speak, but many among our population don’t use the same language to communicate.”
To that the alien responded more specifically, and informed Ross that the process was really quite simple. The same thought projection used as the initial mental test is transmitted and then received in the human brain to whatever form of language the individual feels most comfortable with. Some of the pilgrims, like all of the lon
g term abductees, could hear the information clearly within their minds. Others, who were unable to receive the transmission, were informed via word of mouth from those who did. Ross then learned that the vast majority of the human population aboard the transports had not formed the message within their minds. Had they been abducted on Earth instead of volunteering for the flight, most would have been returned immediately due to being unworthy of further study.
That was important information for Ross to digest. He had never considered that an individual recipient would be responsible for translating the alien thought messages. He now understood why there had been, at least in the United States, so many documented claims of normal everyday citizens being abducted by an alien species throughout the past century.
Ross reflected back to a time during his first term as President, when he had used his temporary power to access all the top secret reports that dealt with supposed alien activity. Being part of a rare group of people that actually had insight to the subject at hand, Ross found most of the reports to be both vague and wildly incorrect in their assumptions. It was almost unbelievable how imaginative the government officials of the time had been. They went to great lengths to develop as many different fabrications as possible for explanations of what had now been proven to be true accounts of alien encounters. That was especially true for the events of the 1947 Roswell incident. Ross remembered having laughed out loud in the oval office when he flipped through that particular file.
The official accounting released to the public of those few days in New Mexico claimed that the wreckage was from a high altitude weather balloon. Ross wondered how many of the people living in the surrounding area had actually believed that load of bull. That story was in sharp contrast to the actual truth, and the top secret file contained several very interesting photographs to prove it. On the extreme edge of one picture, taken from roughly twenty feet away, the white sleeve of a nurse’s uniform could be seen between the camera and the body of an alien species. Nothing more of the woman could be seen, but based on what Robert revealed on his death bed about the event, Ross wondered if that arm in the photograph belonged to his mother.
Janet and Aurora approached, and Jessica poked Ross in the ribs to bring him back to the present moment. She looked toward their alien host and said, “I think the time has come to tell Ross about the big surprise.”
He nodded toward the three ladies, while sending them a confirming thought that the other transport vessels were standing by. A tremendous honor had been bestowed upon Ross by the majority of the other humans who had made the voyage, and the time for him to receive that honor was now at hand. Each of the twelve transports had carried their full allotment of eight hundred passengers. The deep water vessel had another two hundred twelve abductees, as well as various species of plant and animal life that had been gathered from earth prior to departure. There had been some minor shifting of the passengers as abductees, such as Janet, had been brought together with family members or their descendants, but the total count of nine thousand eight hundred and twelve people had been confirmed.
In a ballot measure brought forth by Jessica that Ross had known nothing about, it had been decided by a landslide vote that he should be the first human to set foot on the new world. As the man who spearheaded this effort to save a small fraction of the human race, Jessica felt Ross deserved such recognition. Because he was also the only former astronaut in the population, and one of only fourteen humans to walk upon Earths now destroyed moon, the choice was obvious as many people agreed with her assessment.
Ross smiled broadly as the large hatch to the transport vessel hissed open, and said loudly to all those nearby, “I want to thank you all for this tremendous honor.”
A blast of hot dry air rushed into the viewing corridor, and Ross drew in a deep breath to fill his lungs. Before making the historic descent, he asked his old alien friend to join him for the walk down the ramp.
Ross asked, “Can you please make sure through thought projection, or other available means, that what I’m about to say is heard by everyone on the transports.”
He could see hundreds of people pressed against the observation windows of the transports that had landed in a circular pattern. Ross knew his next action needed to be quick, and gave them all a wave as he reached the bottom of the ramp.
After a brief pause, Ross loudly proclaimed, “All of us have made a journey that could not have been possible without our alien friends. We must all thank them for their concern, and work together to insure that the voyage to save a portion of our species was not made in vain.” Intending no disrespect toward the memory of Neil Armstrong, Ross added to the powerful message by saying, “Nine thousand eight hundred and twelve of us have now made a truly giant leap for mankind!”
Stepping off the ramp onto the ground of the new world known as ₹-593-Ԅπ-2-2, Ross turned to shake the hand of his old alien friend. He said, “It’s difficult for me to believe that I’m actually standing on the surface of a second moon with you during my lifetime. This moment is even more special to me because I’m the first human to set foot on this moon!”
The alien reached out and clasped Ross’ hand in congratulations for completing the journey, but his thoughts informed him that there was more for them to discuss. Ross learned that although he was the first of this group to walk on the surface, this was not the first group of humans that had been brought to this moon.
With no real time to adequately digest that most recent and alarming news, Ross suddenly found himself surrounded by several people. An instant after he stepped off the ramp, the anxious throngs began to disembark from the transport vessels. Many of those in his immediate vicinity were seeking guidance from Ross about what to do now that they had arrived. He found himself ill prepared to provide what they desired. Jessica, Aurora, and Janet were attempting to screen some of the many questions, but the task soon became impossible as the crowd continued to swell. Ultimately Ross needed to retreat several steps to a location part way back up the ramp, so that he could confer with his alien friend more privately. With a mass of people still descending from that particular vessel, the task became somewhat like swimming upstream.
Ross didn’t want anyone to hear what he was about to ask his old friend, so he leaned toward the alien and quietly said, “What do you mean this is not the first group of humans to be brought here?”
Within an hour after Ross supposedly became the first human to set foot on this moon, the entire population of slightly over ninety-eight hundred had made their way down the ramps of the thirteen different vessels.Ross had just learned that there was a mostly aquatic assortment of plant and animal life from Earth aboard the deep water vessel.He was assured that those other species of life from Earth would be placed near or within the body of water that could be seen on the distant horizon.They could provide additional food sources to compliment some of the indigenous animal species of this moon, but they could also become extinct if the human pilgrims became overzealous in their hunting and fishing habits.
Ross had also been informed of a few other important things about his new home from his alien friend throughout the previous hour.Certain aspects of that knowledge could lead to tremendous challenges for him and the rest of the population.For that reason, Ross had requested that the most incredible piece of information that they had discussed remain a secret for the time being, and the alien agreed.
Although aspects of natural beauty such as distant mountains and forested lands could be viewed from their current location, the area around the landing zone was barren and dry.There were no apparent sources of water in close proximity to the arid landscape, or fertile land to harvest crops.With that in mind, it seemed only logical to find more suitable locations for any permanent settlements.That would become a top priority, but moving everyone on this day was not an option.They would need to wait until the entire group became more organized.
According to the alien, the large body of water in the distance was s
afe for human consumption, so they could move in that direction when ready to do so.Ross had no idea how pure the water was as opposed to certain areas on Earth, so some people might wish to boil the water before consumption.The breathable atmosphere could also be a concern, but it was compatible with human needs.The alien had informed him this moons atmosphere was equivalent to twelve thousand feet of elevation.Ross knew that those who had come from certain regions of Earth with higher elevations might handle the thin atmosphere with the most ease, as for the remainder of the population, only time would tell.
There was also the potential danger associated with some of the indigenous animal species.Ross had learned that a few of the larger predators could easily take down a human if they so desired.The history of this pale green moon also had that interesting human element to it, but was not a concern for the moment.With all of those factors to consider, and others that had surely not yet been thought of, Ross moved toward the top of a nearby small rock outcropping.The time had come to address his fellow human contingent about what needed to be done in order to survive.
The first order of business would be to set up some sort of base camp.The population had been informed via thought projection and word of mouth that the now empty transport vessels would soon depart for the trip back to the alien home world.They had also learned that the alien species had no intention of helping the humans survive on this new world.The alien had informed Ross that they would return from time to time to check on the progress of the humans, but that was all.Nothing more should be expected, and Ross knew that would be a scary thought for many among the population.
Back on Earth, the aliens’ had made it quite clear to all of the pilgrims that they could only bring a minimal amount of personal belongings on the voyage.In spite of the advance knowledge, many passengers had obviously decided to ignore the warning.Instead, many had arrived at the Washington D.C. departure site on the National Mall loaded with much more than the one allotted suitcase or backpack.As a consequence, Ross and his group had seen a large mound of abandoned suitcases and bags near the bottom of the loading ramp.It was fair to assume that scenario had been duplicated at each of the other departure sites as well.Ross was proud that everyone in his group had heeded his advice and brought backpacks, as that choice had now become even more practical.Not only could they hold more useful gear for frontier life, but they would be easier to carry when the population moved to a new location.His camping experience during his more youthful years seemed to be paying off an immediate dividend, and although he didn’t have much faith in the prospect, Ross hoped that many others had the same foresight to pack wisely.
