by Kurt Winans
During that same meeting he learned that the number of dead must now number in the hundreds. An exact count of the carnage was not yet known, but the advance group had lost forty-eight while crossing the field of tall grass the previous day. That group had been less than one-third the size of the column that Ross had been with, and much more agile and fleet of foot. It seemed obvious to Ross that the lizard creatures had probably claimed as many as two hundred more victims from the slower mass. He couldn’t imagine another time when the creatures would have had such easy pickings.
There had been no additional attacks on the advance or main group after leaving the field of grass, so the consensus was that the creatures only dug their burrows and lived within that specific camouflaged area. That thought seemed presumptuous to Ross, but he had no desire to point that out at the present time. Increasing the level of fear that already existed within the population would not help their current situation. He had been correct about one thing though; the water had provided a defensible perimeter.
Word spread quickly of the intended plan for the next morning, and people began to spread themselves thinly along a vast section of beach. Thousands were now located outside the protective semi-circle of fires, but it was obvious that most of them felt safer sleeping near the water’s edge.
When Ross and his group joined the two seemingly endless long thin lines of those trudging toward the waterfall, the fresh water of the enormous lake was slightly more than twenty feet to their right. They also had no idea of what was happening roughly two miles to their left.
* * * * *
Throughout the entirety of the previous three nights and two days, the hunting party had tracked the actions of the new human arrivals. Moving stealthily along the ridge top, they had kept a distant watchful eye on the divided column as it slogged its way down the valley. Now they were faced with a lengthy trek of their own. In order to return to their city, the hunting party must cross two valleys and two mountain ranges. The journey would take nearly two full days at a quick pace, and the King would be very interested in what they had to report.
They would inform him that while moving through the valley the large group of newcomers had become divided and then reunited. They had been hunted by animals, become the hunters themselves, and then ran in terror when hunted again. Some had shown signs of being strong and agile, while others were weak and lethargic. Although they had been viewed from a great distance, the new arrivals appeared to be both male and female. There were young and old, and their skin appeared to be many different shades ranging from pale to dark. Most importantly, the direction of their travel was bringing them closer to the Kings domain.
* * * * *
After walking for over an hour, Ross laughed out loud and said, “This is like traveling on an interstate highway in the United States.”
Several of the younger and more physically fit had been passing on the left as if Ross was standing still. The two lines had become somewhat like traffic lanes with the faster walkers on the left, and the slower ones to the right. People stopped for a water break when they needed to, and the column was already thinning out considerably. Ross knew that his group was doing well, but they needed to maintain a sane and comfortable pace. He didn’t want to get caught up in the most current version of the “rat race” that had become such a stable of the human endeavor throughout the previous century.
With the sun moving higher into the sky, Jessica said, “Maybe we should all stop for a water break.”
Aurora replied, “I’ll second that motion.”
As their group rested at the water’s edge for a few minutes, Ross looked back to see that one line was thinning to the point of having gaps form. The other was steady and true, and hundreds more would probably pass them long before reaching their intended destination. Others would undoubtedly fall further behind, and Ross felt bad for them. If they could eventually make it to the permanent settlement, then of course they would be welcome. Unfortunately, he knew some of them wouldn’t. It was uncertain what other forms of peril might be waiting in the near future, but Ross realized it was unfair for the many to sacrifice their best chance for the sake of the few.
Suddenly Janet recognized a group of people that were approaching, and waived for them to come over. When they recognized her intent, she tugged on Ross’ sleeve. Then she said, “Ross, can I interrupt you for a moment? I would like for you to meet some friends of mine.”
He turned to see a group of men in military flight suits, and they fired off a salute. Ross could think of no reason why they would do such a thing, unless they somehow knew who he had been back on Earth.
The lone woman in the group gave Janet a hug, and said, “Is this your son Janet?”
Ross returned the salute of the men so they could stand easy. He then turned his attention toward the two ladies.
Janet said, “Yes it is, and I want him to meet you.”
Ross looked at the group, and said, “I recognize you from yesterday afternoon. You all jogged past me when you emerged from the tall grass, and I’m sorry that I didn’t get a chance to meet you then.”
He then moved closer to the woman standing next to Janet. Smiling, he reached out his hand while saying, “I have seen many photographs of you, and it is indeed a great pleasure to meet you Ms. Earhart.”
She clasped his hand, and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well Mr. President, and please, call me Amelia.”
Ross suddenly realized that his mother must have informed her friends of his former title while he searched for Aurora and Mrs. Patterson the previous day.
Jessica rose with an expression of astonishment, and inquired, “You’re Amelia Earhart?”
Spinning from Ross she replied, “In the flesh!”
Throughout the next several minutes, Ross and Amelia became better acquainted. He was saddened to learn that she had also lost a close friend the previous day. Fred Noonan, who was the navigator for Amelia Earhart during the attempt to fly around the globe, had disappeared with her while flying over the Southern Pacific Ocean in 1937. He had, like far too many others, become one of the victims of the lizard creatures in the tall grass. That created a common cause to mourn for both Amelia and Ross, as Ross had considered Wendy Patterson to be one of his navigators.
The world had believed that Amelia and Fred had crashed into the ocean, and multiple conspiracy theories had circulated for decades. As far as he knew, alien abduction had never been part of the discussion. Their disappearance was ten years before the Roswell incident, so the thought of such things had not yet become well known. Those theories could now be dismissed for anyone who still might care one way or the other. Amelia and Fred, like Janet, had been quietly abducted by the alien species that had been observing Earth.
Ross flashed back to a time when Amelia’s name had once again become big news. It was during 2013, more than seventy-five years after her disappearance, when Ross was still a member of the United States Senate. Resting in the shallow waters just off shore from an atoll, the remains of a plane that was supposedly hers had been discovered. As intriguing as that prospect had been for some people, it remained, like most things, in the news cycle for only a limited time.
As for the collection of fourteen military men that were currently with Amelia, Ross shook the hand of each one before the now combined groups moved onward. Ross learned that they, like him, had served as pilots in the military. Their group disappearance on December 5, 1945 had been cause for other conspiracy theories. Their mission, Flight 19, consisted of five airplanes that suddenly vanished near the southeast coast of Florida. A subsequent rescue plane was lost a few hours later, and so it began. Reports claimed that the rescue plane may have exploded, but no trace of Flight 19 was ever located. An area known as the Bermuda Triangle was tabbed as the culprit for that particular mystery and for many years became the supposed cause of other strange events that took place within that section of ocean. Although the myth of the triangle itself could not be co
mpletely put to rest, Ross now understood that it had nothing to do with the disappearance of Flight 19. The pilots and crews of that mission had been abducted and held captive as a group for nearly seventy-seven years. Collectively they claimed to have met no other people aboard the alien deep water vessel that had been abducted in the area of the Bermuda Triangle. Accordingly, they believed their case to be an isolated incident. Ross realized that they, Amelia and Fred, and his mother must have gravitated toward one another after their respective abductions. A logical assumption considering they had all come from a similar time in the big picture.
Several hours later, the now larger group of friends and family climbed up and over an embankment to a large plateau. The embankment was similar in height and composition to the one near the killing field of the lizard creatures, and could be used as a defensible position. That would be a topic to discuss with the representative council, but first Ross wanted to survey the area where the new colony would reside. He could see the waterfall at the far end of the plateau. It looked to be roughly a mile from his current position, which would provide plenty of room for the population. To his right, the mid-section of the plateau led to a flat peninsula. That extra land would increase the amount of waterfront access for the colony, as it gently sloped toward the beach on all three sides. To the left, the plateau bumped up against a fairly steep wall of rock. Several of the early arrivals were scaling the surface, and exploring a series of small pothole shaped caves scattered throughout.
Gazing back at those still marching toward him, and then the angle of the sun, Ross knew they wouldn’t all make it. He wished them well, but his most pressing task was the safety of those who had completed the journey.
Looking at his family and friends, he said, “Everyone sleep well tonight, at daybreak we start building a permanent home for the colony!”
Having already crossed the width of the plateau, Ross and Jessica walked down the gentle slope that led out onto the peninsula. They had stopped on several occasions to converse briefly with several members of the colony, and would do so again if the need arose. Throughout the previous twenty-three days since reaching the plateau, that action had been repeated more times than Ross could possibly remember. Fortunately, those conversations had become more positive with each passing day. Cause for that new found enthusiasm within the colony was due largely to establishing routines, as the entire population had settled into their chosen living spots. The majority were now located on the plateau, but others could be found living on the peninsula or in small mountainside caves. In general, most had also been working diligently to help establish the permanent settlement. Many intended projects were taking shape, and Ross was proud of the collective effort.
The first order of business for the colony had been the creation of shelter. That included using whatever was available to build something simple, yet suitable. Thousands of sturdy tree limbs from a nearby forested area had provided usable material, and the bulk of them had been transported to the plateau strapped on the backs of several hundred colonists. Used as the basic framework for the construction of a lean-to, hundreds upon hundreds of the small shelters now graced the landscape. The challenge of creating the stable covers for each and every lean-to had proved to be more difficult. Surprisingly, a lucky few had actually packed a useable tarp in their gear. For most however, the use of small branches or bushes scrounged from the forested area were needed to provide a less than waterproof roof. On the rarest of occasions, flags depicting the national origin of an inhabitant had even been used. To Ross, the ingenuity to put a solid piece of cloth to such a practical use was a good idea, so he followed suit. The two American flags that once covered the coffins of his father and grandfather were now providing a portion of the shelter for his immediate group of family and friends.
Ross hoped he was not alone in his understanding that the colony still faced a multitude of tremendous challenges. Each night had been difficult for the majority of the population. Faced with the cold and fear of more animal attacks, it was obvious that many had not slept well. Sadly, there was no solid indication that the colony was becoming accustomed to the conditions. Adequate food stores were another major concern. Massive foraging efforts in the area between the former advance beach camp and the plateau had yielded some positive results. There were a few species of plants and small animals similar to squirrels that were edible, but nowhere near the amount needed to feed everyone consistently. Consequently, one hundred fifty-five more of the population had died due to starvation or exposure. Those who had lived their lives on Earth in an overly sanitized bubble initially found the food options to be unpalatable, but had adapted. Luckily, at least in the short term, an abundance of fish was available. That was helpful, and kept the population going. In time, the bushels of seeds that had been brought from Earth would help ease the pressure. A variety of crops would eventually sprout, but it was not known exactly when a yield would be available. Without a doubt there were other factors that required additional consideration, but Ross needed to remain as an optimistic presence. In spite of the many challenges that the colony had, and would, face, it was beginning to look as if the worst of times were in the past.
On the flats of the peninsula, the team of astronomers eagerly awaited the arrival of Ross and Jessica. Their research related to length of daylight and darkness on this moon had revealed some interesting conclusions.
After greeting each of the men with a handshake, Ross said, “Well gentlemen, it’s a beautiful day to enlighten us about what you have discovered.”
An Australian began the briefing confidently. “We have measured the duration of darkness for each of the twenty-eight nights we have been on this moon, and that duration has not ever varied a single minute.”
Another voice added, “As we were dropped off on this moon at midday, we didn’t begin tracking the daylight hours until the following morning. The lengths of those twenty-seven have also remained constant.”
Ross glanced over toward Jessica, then looked at the group of astronomers and said, “Alright, so as you suggested sometime ago, this moon is not tilted on its axis like Earth is, or was. We can set our watch by the constant length of each of those daily events. That is useful information to be sure, but what does it all add up to?”
The bold Australian announced, “Both daylight and total darkness are five hundred nineteen minutes, or eight hours and thirty-nine minutes, in length. Dawn and dusk, although very brief, have both been included within that count.”
Ross ran the simple math through his head before responding with. “So that totals seventeen hours and eighteen minutes of the Earth clock for one full day on this moon. My alien friend informed me that this moon was slightly over half the size of Earth. If the length of a complete day is roughly seventy-two percent of what they were on Earth, then the rotational velocity must be significantly different as well.”
The group nodded to confirm his calculations, but were somewhat taken aback by his statement. They had collectively forgotten that this particular man had actually been an engineer and an astronaut before becoming a career politician.
Ross added, “I believe this information presents us with an interesting opportunity. We could explore the development of a new time keeping method that will be easier for everyone to follow?”
An American astronomer addressed Ross more formally by saying, “That is an interesting thought Mr. President, but we have more pressing information about our findings that must be discussed first.”
Looking studiously at the rather short heavyset man, Ross said, “Fair enough professor, would you please be kind enough to provide some details about your concerns?”
Gulping at suddenly having been put on the spot, the man replied, “Mr. President, our first additional item creates more of a question than a concern. During the first few days it was difficult to pinpoint because our collective position in the valley continued to change, but we now have no doubts.”
“Get to the point
please.”
“Yes sir Mr. President. Although the length of daylight remains constant, the sun has set over a different location along the mountain range every evening. We have been tracking the progression, and it is undeniable.”
“So what does that mean?”
“Sir, this moon has a second rotational pattern as it orbits the planet, and none of us, in all our limited observations of planets, has ever encountered one like it. On paper, multiple rotations would cause a wild tumbling effect that would make the length of each day a random mystery. Those laws of physics and mathematics don’t seem to apply on this moon though, as the rotations are seemingly working in perfect synchronicity to maintain a constant length of daylight and darkness.”
“That sounds very interesting professor, but you don’t seem to be too concerned about the effect it may have on us.”
“I’m not Mr. President, because, at least for the present time, our other discovery could be much more significant.”
The length of silence that followed gave Ross more than enough time to brace for the potentially bad news. He said, “Go ahead professor, I need to know what’s going on.”
“Pardon me for asking Mr. President, but do you recall our discussion during the first night on the surface about this moons host planet?”
“Yes I do, and please don’t call me Mr. President. There is no reason for you, or anyone else for that matter, to address me that way ever again.”
“Sorry sir, it won’t happen again.”
Knowing that he needed to ease the discomfort he had obviously created, Ross smiled as he placed his hand on the astronomers shoulder. After drawing in a deep relaxing breath, he added, “I have gazed upon the visible slivers of the planet and the inner moon every night since our arrival. They both grew larger until the planet became full. On that one night I was unable to see the inner moon, but it became visible again when the planet began to wane.”
