by Kurt Winans
Jessica suddenly asked no one in particular, “Do you still believe our host planet will cause an eclipse?”
She was then taught a quick lesson in orbital mechanics when one of the previously silent astronomers said, “Without a doubt. All spheres orbiting a star, be they planets or moons, cast a shadow. Those shadows are what cause an eclipse. That is why the inner moon couldn’t be seen on the one night when the planet appeared full.”
Ross attempted to deflect the attention away from Jessica to protect what remained of her self-esteem by asking for further explanation. Her question had been both intelligent and relevant, but he could tell that the smug response of the astronomer had made his sister feel as if it were neither.
The American sensed her discomfort as well, and while looking at Ross said, “Sir, our position that night was in direct alignment between the host star and both the planet and inner moon. Our shadow blocked the moon from view, but wasn’t large or intense enough to be visible on the planet surface. What’s even more interesting though, is the orbit of that moon. Its visible portion grew at the same rate as the planet every night, and is now waning at the same rate.”
Ross put the pieces together and said, “That evidence would suggest that both moons stay in perfect alignment as they orbit the planet. If that’s true, then the inner moon will always be directly between this moon and the planet.”
Another previously unheard astronomer said, “That’s our collective assessment as well sir. Now that we all agree about the synchronized orbital path, the only really important question to ponder is if both moons will pass through the much larger shadow created by our host planet!”
Ross thought about that for a moment as he looked over at Jessica. He could tell that she had already shaken off the temporary effects created by the demeaning tone of the one astronomer. She was a secure enough person to know that there was always something else for her to learn. Even so, that man would be wise to understand that she would not be bullied by him in the future.
The question of what to do about the altered length of day still existed, so Ross returned to that subject. He asked the group, “Do you, as scientists, believe that the colony would be better served by continuing to use the old Earth system of time measurement, or should we attempt to develop a new system?”
Perhaps the question was ridiculous, but he wanted to hear what everyone in the group thought about the concept. Unfortunately, there was no response from the astronomers or Jessica that suggested support of a new system, so Ross let it go. He would ask the representative council their thoughts at the next meeting, but doubted they would be interested in such an undertaking.
Before he and Jessica could begin their return to the plateau, the confident Australian stated, “Sir, about the eclipse. I’m sorry, but we can’t be sure if, or how often, this moon will pass through the shadow of the planet. If it does, the extent or duration of such an eclipse is also unknown at this time.”
“I understand, and I appreciate your collective efforts of both observation and discovery up to this point.”
When Ross and Jessica reached the plateau, they took a detour to their left. The construction of a perimeter project was nearing completion, and Ross had been asked if he would come take a look at what had been accomplished. At the top of the steep embankment that he and everyone else had climbed to reach the plateau, stood a new line of defense. Ross and Jessica were instantly impressed as the group of engineers proudly explained how they had tackled the challenge by employing an ancient method of moving heavy objects. The same forested land that had provided vast amounts of sturdy tree limbs for shelters had been used for this particular endeavor as well. The entire grove of thirty foot tall barren trees was painstakingly cut down using nothing more than the hatchets and other small tools that the colony possessed.
Lifted by teams of strong men and women to an area of clear and level ground outside the confines of the grove, the two foot diameter trees were then rolled by other teams for more than half a mile to the base of the embankment. Along the lip at the top of the embankment, a long deep trench had been dug at close to a forty-five degree angle by additional teams. After removing roughly ten feet from the base end of the trees, the tops were shaved and sharpened to a point using rocks or knives. Then they were carried up the embankment, and the blunt ends were inserted into the trench. Several of the sections that had been removed from the trees were then placed horizontally within the trench for added stability. Finally, the trench was backfilled and compacted. The leading edge of the embankment now had a long row of sharpened treetops protruding at an outward angle from the ground. They ran almost the entire length from the base of the steep cliff to the large rock outcropping that plunged into the water. Roughly fifteen feet from ground to tip, they had been placed together tightly enough so that no animal much larger than a squirrel could fit between them.
Ross shook the hand of each engineer and worker that was in close proximity, and said, “This is fantastic. I want to personally thank everyone who has worked so hard on building this protective fence line.”
One engineer responded by saying, “Thank you sir. We should have the last of it, including a small gate, completed by late tomorrow afternoon.”
Usable firewood had also been foraged from the area, and what were once several acres of forested land was now nothing but barren ground. Ross thought it was sad that the entire area had been flattened beyond recognition, but it was necessary to help the colony survive. On the positive side of the destruction, no part of the wooded area had been wasted and no one had been lost to further animal attacks.
Ross and Jessica began the next day by taking a trip to the opposite end of the plateau. There, a project of even more significance was nearing completion. A slew of shallow trenches had been dug throughout the flat landscape on the far side of the stream that led from the waterfall to the shore. Various types of crop seeds brought from Earth had recently been planted in the area, and the trenches would provide them with a regulated supply of water. The main trench, designed as the gravity feed from the stream, had been lined with flat rocks to help maximize the flow. Additional flat rocks, turned on edge, would then act as rudimentary gates. They could be lifted or lowered from their positions between stakes to direct water into different sections of the field. Ross had been informed the previous evening that on this day, a similar gate would be positioned at the edge of the stream as the last phase of construction. When completed, water could be completely shut off from the fields of crops when necessary. Overall, the concept was as old as farming itself. Variations of the same irrigation method had been used for perhaps thousands of years back on Earth.
Megan Crenshaw shouted out, “I didn’t think you two were going to make it. We were just about to go ahead and cut out the last few feet of trench without you.”
Ross and Jessica were surprised to hear the news. They had been making their way across the length of the plateau in no particular hurry, because they thought it would be several hours before the project would be this close to completion.
When Megan Crenshaw volunteered to lead a team of workers that would build the irrigation system, Ross was admittedly skeptical about her qualifications. That was before he knew anything about the woman, or her passion for taking on such a task. She had been born and raised in Blandinsville, Illinois, and had spent her entire life of fifty plus years involved within the agricultural industry. By definition that meant she was very familiar with physical labor, and would see a task through to its completion. Her extensive skill set also included the currently useless ability to operate any form of agricultural machinery known to man, but it was her vast knowledge of soil preparation and hydrodynamics that had made her the obvious choice. Now that the project was being completed ahead of her planned time table, that choice was further validated.
As they approached, Megan greeted Ross and Jessica from the opposite side of the stream and said, “What took you two so long to get here?”
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Ross replied, “My apologies, but I was unaware that our presence was required for the event.”
“It isn’t sir, but we were waiting as a courtesy.”
“Well, thank you for the thoughtfulness, but please don’t let us delay you any longer.”
“All right then. Let’s get on with it.”
Megan believed in being direct and to the point, which was a trait that Ross found to be refreshing. An agricultural life had toughened her over the years both physically and mentally. There was no nonsense in this woman, and she didn’t believe in wasting time that shouldn’t be wasted.
Pointing to her left, she said, “There’s the final cut.”
Ross noticed that two large flat rocks needed as the flow regulating gates had already been put in place. They were spaced roughly two feet apart along the prepared trench, and were each held in proper position by a series of stakes driven into the ground. No more than a foot of ground separated the first gate from a placid portion of the stream, while the last of the dirt was being removed from beyond the second gate to complete the trench. Within minutes, the lining of the “U” shaped trench was then completed with the fitting of a few more flat rocks.
A young man with a deeply southern drawl said, “All set here ma’am, anytime you’re ready.”
Megan nodded and said, “Thank you.” She then looked across the stream at Ross and Jessica while asking, “Either of you want to make the last cut?”
“No thank you. This was your project, so you do it.”
Without wasting any more precious time she replied, “All right then.”
As soon as the section of ground had been removed, Ross understood why she had chosen that particular spot in the stream. The placid water gently lapped up against the flat rock, and there was only a small amount of leakage. That leakage was easily handled by the now explained second gate. Had a turbulent portion of the stream been used, that leakage could have been more significant and less controllable.
In what Ross now realized to be her favorite catch phrase, Megan said, “All right then. Let’s see how well this whole thing works.”
The two gates were gently lifted from their blocking positions, and within a few minutes water was flowing into a portion of the planted field.
She summoned Ross and Jessica by saying, “Use those stepping stones over there to cross the stream, and come take a look at the process.”
A diagonal walking path along the gentle hillside had been carved out on the downhill side of the main trench. It would serve the purpose of those who maintained the trench system, as well as those who would labor to carry future yields of crops to the colony. Once down at the level of the crop fields Megan explained to them how everything worked. They walked through the many acres where seeds had, or would be, planted, and inspected the maze of trenches.
While resting in the shade of a nearby tree, Ross took the opportunity to say, “Megan, I’m truly impressed by what you, and your team, have been able to accomplish here.”
Jessica added, “In the future this will be of tremendous help to the colony.”
“Thank you both for the kind words. It would be good if you could personally thank as many of my team as possible for their hard work.”
“I promise you that both Jessica and I will make a point of doing exactly that.”
“All right then. Now we can discuss an area of concern. This irrigation system will work just fine, but I can’t be sure how much yield we will get unless I can improve the quality of the soil.”
“Do you have any ideas on how to do that?”
“I can only think of one way sir. With no chemicals or additives at our disposal, we may need to figure out a method of using human waste as a substitute.”
The thought may have been revolting to some, but Ross had seen and heard enough evidence from Megan to know that she was serious.
She added, “We won’t know if such a measure will even be necessary for quite some time. The first crop yield may be wonderful, but I don’t want to risk all of our seeds in poor soil. I would like to find out if there are any other people in the colony who have a solid understanding of agronomy and consult with them.”
“That is an excellent idea Megan, and we will help you locate those people. You are officially in charge of this project, so do whatever you and your team think is right.”
“All right then. Thank you. It’s nice to come across a career politician that doesn’t take forever to make a decision. So many of you seem to just sit around and argue about things without ever getting anything resolved.”
Jessica seemed shocked at her bluntness, and said, “I’m not sure that’s an entirely fair statement Megan!”
Ross didn’t say a word. He didn’t mind the comment at all because he knew there was a measure of truth to it. He knew first hand that the government of the United States had become lethargic and mired in quicksand due to its own obesity long before he had become the chief executive.
During the walk back along the plateau, Ross and Jessica decided to take a look at how Janet was coming along with her pet project. She, along with several others of similar training, had decided to set up a clinic of sorts. Rudimentary in scope, the cluster of shelters were in no way equipped to handle major medical problems. Instead, the intent of the few doctors and nurses within the population was to provide those with minor issues some level of comfort. In the few months’ time that Ross and Jessica had been around their mother, they had learned she was a woman of action. It came as no surprise to either of them that Janet had overseen the construction of a few rather large lean-tos for use as a now operational medical clinic.
With one more planned stop on their agenda, Ross and Jessica pressed on. As they made their way, Ross suddenly became strangely quiet. The conversations and observations of the past two days had showed him that certain aspects to insure the safety and wellbeing of the colony were coming together nicely. Before reaching the fence line to view the now completed structure and gate, he concluded that the time had come to explore more of the surrounding area. Ross knew it was important to determine if, and where, additional natural resources and food existed.
Turning to Jessica he said, “I think it’s time for me to organize a small scouting party. We need to explore some of the vast terrain along the shoreline beyond the new crop field.”
“Sounds like a good idea. When do you plan on doing this exploration and how many people make up your definition of a small scouting party?”
“I would definitely like to start early tomorrow morning if possible. I also believe that roughly a dozen of us can remain easily mobile.”
With a mix of emotions that ranged from exhilaration of the discovery, to outright fear of walking toward their demise, Ross and his scouting party approached the outer edge of the city. Although they had not seen any posted sentries up to that point, the feeling of having been watched for several minutes was shared by the entire group. The path they had followed leading up the valley from the water’s edge had become much more pronounced during the previous quarter mile, and all twelve of the inquisitive explorers could now easily walk side by side along it if they so desired.
As they reached a point roughly one hundred yards from the first small hut, four sentries emerged from within and stood side by side across the path. The feeling of having been previously watched was then instantly verified, as a glance to the rear revealed six others taking up similar positions. Ross’ scouting party was now bracketed, and he knew their left and right sides would soon be flanked. Under the circumstances, the most logical course of action was for his group to remain as calm as possible. After requesting that they show no signs of aggressive behavior, Ross took the initiative by slowly moving forward roughly ten yards away from the group with his arms and palms open. He wanted to show the sentries that he had no weapons, and hoped they understood that his intent was peaceful.
Several members of the scouting party, including Colt, voiced their opinion that he
was taking a risk by doing so, but Ross knew they could be killed by the sentries at any time if that was their desire. In that regard, it didn’t really matter if he was standing alone, or with the group.
In most cases it would have been unbelievable for Ross and the others to think there could be another civilization living in the challenging environment that this moon provided, but the proof was standing directly in front of them. His old alien friend had informed Ross when they all disembarked the transport vessels that his group of pilgrims were not the first people of Earth to be brought to this world. Although that information was not generally known throughout the population, it had made this entire circumstance somewhat easier for Ross to fathom. Still, he hadn’t known until very recently that another group had actually survived, and he wanted to learn more about them. Much to Ross’ surprise, early indications were that this civilization had not only survived, but it appeared as if they had developed a complex infrastructure as well.
One of the four sentries blocking the path handed his spear to the man next to him, and began a confident advance toward Ross and the scouting party. Unlike his initial reaction of many years before when he encountered an alien species on Earths now extinct moon, Ross held his ground. The man was considerably younger than Ross with dark hair and complexion. Slightly shorter in stature, he looked to be physically fit, and most importantly, definitely human. He stopped a few feet in front of Ross, and began speaking in a language that Ross didn’t comprehend.
Ross then responded with a greeting of his own. His words weren’t as trite as “Take me to your leader”, but the intent of the message was certainly close to that. The puzzled look upon the face of his counterpart informed Ross that his message was not understood, so he requested some help. Ross had a suspicion of what civilization on Earth these people had descended from, but he needed to gather more information in order for that suspicion to be either refuted or confirmed.
