by Kocho
“And why would you think that Dr. Antonov?”
The bulky Russian scientist looked at them.
“Even if we take out the most important thing and that is the fact that we are searching for weapons and technology we might use against the Dacarians, this ship is the obvious target. It is the lead ship. On that ship we have the best chance of finding out what and who its builders were. And it has hangars that can easily take in the entire ship.”
“How big is it really Sergei?”
Sergei looked at his papers and the readings.
“Big, really big…Fifteen hundred meters long, five hundred and forty meters wide and two hundred meters high…It’s a monster.”
“Damn. That is big…The tech to build something like that. Jesus…”
Jennings thought for couple of seconds than looked at them.
“Ok. We will board that one. The marines will take the Independence and go in first. We will back up a little and after they give the All clear signal the second shuttle will carry you.”
No one objected to his proposal.
“And major I want you in full gear.”
“Yes sir.”
After this they all left the room. Major Ellis and Fillip headed to the marine quarters and the rest headed toward the bridge and the viewports.
The preparing took half an hour. The reason for that were the space suits. They were designed especially for the soldiers on this mission, enabling them to go in full combat gear that was placed on the outside of the suit. The suits were smaller and enabled for more rapid movement and speed than the normal space suits. While the rest of the crew worked and prepared on the systems the marines and this included Fillip as well trained rigorously with the suits in zero g trying to be ready for anything in those two and half months that they had.
And now it seemed that they were ready.
Harrison and Evans were the two pilots that operated the shuttle. The Independence was an Orion class shuttle built just two years before. It could carry thirty people or a large payload instead of the crew. It had powerful hydrogen propelled thrusters in addition to the OMS (Orbital Maneuvering System).
As it disconnected from the Deadalus it powered its engines and headed toward the large ship at speed of fifty meters per second. That was just a fraction of the speed it could achieve but with its destination so close there was no need of speeding. As they closed the ship filled the view. The shuttle turned and headed toward the right hangar. As they headed inside they noticed what appeared to be space fighters and shuttles arranged in the hangar.
“Man there must be hundreds of them.”
The comment came from Evans. She was an ex navy pilot that was accepted in the shuttle program at the age of twenty five. She flew missions for NASA for the past ten years. But she always had the thrill when talking about the Hornets and F -18 she had a chance to fly before transferring. And the fighters they now saw definitely brought those memories back.
“They turn you on, aren’t they Evans. They sure are beauties.”
“Shut up Harrison. Let’s land this bird and then we can take a closer look while our friends search the ship and chase the ghosts.”
A chuckle came on their mikes as the marines laughed at the comment.
They reduced speed and used the thrusters to land the shuttle. As they did that the marines took positions by the exit hatches. The landing was announced with a thump sound when the gear touched the deck of the ship. When all systems were shut down Ellis opened the hatch and extended the ramp. The marines activated their magnetic boots and started slowly descending. As they did that they carefully watched the perimeter for any sign of the ship’s crew.
When the first team descended they spread out and secured the perimeter. The second team descended and headed toward the outer reaches of the hangar deck. As they reached the line where the fighters were lined up they noticed the huge doors. The Hangar deck was opened to vacuum but it was obvious that it could be pressurized. All the fighters were strapped in and the same was done with the shuttles.
As they confirmed that there is no one they gave the all clear signal.
“There is no one here but us sir.”
The voice belonged to Bradley.
“Ok team one. Come to the shuttle for new directives.”
“Yes sir.”
All the marines gathered in front of the shuttle. The two pilots exited the shuttle as well. Their suits were the same as the ones the marines were carrying except for the gear. They had only guns in their holsters while the marines carried a whole variety of weapons that used armor piercing ammunition. They were all veterans from the battle in the Mediterranean. The experience from there made them make that choice and from the look of the ship’s hull there was no fear of making a breach.
They all saw the doors that were placed about fifty meters in front of them.
“Ok it’s time to check the rest of the ship. We will move in four teams of five. Braddock and Townsend will stay here with the astronauts. I will lead team one, Fillip team two, Bradley you are three and Herrick will lead four. We maintain constant communications and watch your air.”
As he finished they all headed toward the doors. At the same time the astronauts and the two remaining marines headed toward the fighters.
As they came to the doors Hastings and Ouellette lowered their weapons and opened the doors. Before them a hallway opened and they carefully proceeded inside. They split up on the first intersection, every team heading in different direction. And none of them noticed the activating of the inner sensors that scanned the first people that stepped on the battleship Argos after more than twelve thousand years.
The inner defense system activated but as the scans showed that the intruders were alterans it didn’t react. Instead the cameras just monitored and recorded the information following the instruction left by the AI so long ago. The system couldn’t activate the sleeping AI. Nor it could interact with its boarders; all it could do is watch.
The search lasted for hours and moved slowly. As they entered the inner of the ship they were amazed by the layout. There were plenty of quarters but they were all empty. There were no bodies, no images, nothing that might indicate how its creators looked like.
While the marine teams searched the ship the pilots and the two marines with them went step by step through the hangar deck. It was obvious two the marines that the pilots wanted to see the strange but fascinating space fighters that were lined up. And they were all impressed by the look of the hangar itself. As soldiers who served on navy ships and subs they were impressed by the sheer size of the hangar.
As they slowly approached the fighters Evans and Harrison looked at them carefully.
“Man they are beautiful, and gracious.”
“Evans you are in love…”
“You can say that again Harrison.”
They stopped talking after that and started examining the fighters.
The fighters had an elongated triangular design. In fact they looked like darts.
From the looks of it they were capable of both atmospheric and space flight.
The fore section comprised the nose back to the cockpit below which the forward landing gear was located. It also housed what looked like RCS thrusters and main avionics and the cockpit. The fighters housed three canons that seemed to be their main offensive weapons. They were covered with dust and on most of them they could notice battle damages and repairs. And from the empty places in the hangar it was obvious that there should have been a lot more fighters here.
The stern comprised the engines, numerous thrusters and the wings which housed the main landing gear and weapons and their ammunition.
As they looked at them they tried to measure one.
“How big do you think it is Evans?”
She looked carefully and thought for a second.
“Mm maybe thirty three feet long and nineteen wide, what do you think?”
Harrison turned and looked at the m
arine that gave the comment.
“He might be right Harry. They look about that size. They are so small compared to an F-22 or anything we have.”
The astronaut turned toward his colleague. He couldn’t see her face but from her voice he knew that she was amazed. He was as well, and he could see that the marines were the same.
“And from the design I’d say a lot more maneuvering and deadly than anything we have as well. They would be a dream come true for every pilot.”
“Yes they would…”
As they discussed Evans came close to the cockpit. She noticed the height. It looked about ten feet. She turned around and noticed a stepladder. She slowly went to it and dragged it carefully to the fighter.
As she did that Harrison noticed her.
“Eva what are you doing.”
“Come here and hold it boys. I want to take a look at the cockpit.”
Before Harrison could come the marines came first and fast. They both took positions on the sides and she slowly started climbing. As she did that she noticed that the steps looked the right size for human. Who ever built this ship they were sure as hell not as large as the aliens that attacked the fleet in the Mediterranean. They were about human size.
As she climbed to the cockpit she peered inside. The cockpit was closed. She noticed that it was a single seat. And from the looks of it, it had sophisticated computer equipment. She noticed the handle that opened the cockpit. She pulled it slightly. After a second and a little twitching the hatch slid backwards. The insides looked familiar to every human design and the seat looked right for a human sized being to seat in it. She looked at the handles for the control and she noticed that they look a lot like the one used in every human plain.
“What do you see Eve?”
The question came from Harrison. She slowly stepped down and turned.
“Whoever they were they must’ve been our size. A human can easily fit in that cockpit and take the controls. They are the right size. I really hope we can utilize this. With a fighter like this…”
“Just imagine, our plains were equal to their fighters and this...”- she pointed to the fighters – “this is generations and classes ahead of anything we have.”
After this they all looked at the fighters and started walking to the shuttle. They contacted the teams to make the report and informed them of their findings and relayed the information to the Deadalus.
The four marine teams searched the ship slowly. They still didn’t reach any crew quarters but they passed several rooms that seemed to be meeting halls and storage compartments for the fighters and the ship. Each team reported regularly and on time. The report from the astronauts didn’t surprise them. The chairs they found looked strictly familiar. And the layout of the hallways looked normal for human sized beings.
Two hours after entering Ellis and his team entered what looked like a huge hall. And what they saw stopped them in their tracks.
Ellis looked with amazement and strange feeling of pride and loss at the scene before him. So did the other four members of his team. What they saw reminded them of the event several months before and the burial of the marines and sailors that died at the battle with the aliens.
Hundreds coffins made of strange metal filled the hallway. They were covered by something that in the past must have been flags but during the years the material was torn and shredded. Not even the vacuum could protect it from time.
“Sir there’s more than a thousand coffins here, maybe even two thousand.”
“Yes Steven i can see that. It seems that we found the crew. At least the ones that died in the battle they must have fought. But look at the arrangements. Someone put them there and then left the ship here. Why?”
“Don’t know.”
“Neither do i and i doubt that we will ever know. Parker, Han watch the entrance.”
The two marines turned back and went to the door.
“You two come with me. Let’s see how they look. ”
Steven and Plumley went with him to the first coffin. They holstered their weapons and removed the linen flag or what was left from it. Then they slowly opened the coffin. What they saw made them drop the hatch and step back. Even Ellis was shocked.
“Sir if that is what I think it is…”- Steven stopped. The implications were shocking.
Ellis turned and called Parker. He was a medic and best qualified to make a proper assessment.
Parker came slowly.
“Yes sir?”
“Parker, open the coffin and tell me if that body is what I think it is.”
The marine turned his head toward his commanding officer. Ellis couldn’t see his look through the visor clearly but knew that he was surprised.
“Sir…?”
“Just take a look Parker.”
The marine just nodded and opened the coffin and looked at the body.
“O my god.”
They all looked down in amazement as the marine uttered those words. Even Han stepped closer and left his post to see what caused the reaction.
The body looked mummified but from the shape and form it was definitely human. The liquids obviously evaporated long before and through the years the body dried up. But with no bacteria to eat it and help the decomposition it simply froze. His face looked calm and recognizable. The uniform was preserved as well. It had a blue color in the past but only a thin layer remained now.
To make sure that they are not mistaken they opened several more coffins. They found two women bodies among them that definitely confirmed that the bodies are human.
“I think we can call of the search for the crew.”
“Yes sir.”
“Can you give me an estimate about how long they’ve been dead?”
“No sir. But for this type of mummification they must be dead for several thousand years. The bodies are dried and they froze in vacuum. That’s why they are preserved. The bacteria can’t survive in vacuum it has to hibernate so the bodies don’t decompose. With the right equipment and resources we might be able to tell the exact age. I thing we have that on Deadalus. And this is the right thing for those biologists we took with us.”
“Sir…Human bodies on space ships? And from the looks of it they belong here.”
“I know Plum. I know.”
“Damn this will change everything sir. It seems that the theories of humans having been more advanced than we are today at some point in the distant past had it right. I wonder who they were.”
“And I wonder who they fought.”
“Yes sir.”
Ellis looked around and the thousands of coffins. He turned and led his team outside. He touched the mike and contacted the rest of the teams.
“Team leader to all teams…This is team leader to all teams. We have a situation here.”
“Beta leader here say again please.”
He smiled. Beta was Fillip and his team. Soon after him the rest of the teams acknowledged as well.
“We found the crew. We are at the some sort of a meeting hall.”
“What do they look like sir?”
The question came from Bradley.
“You said you had a situation Alpha.”
“What situation sir?”
Ellis inhaled. He thought for a second before telling them the news.
“What is the situation Sir?”
“It’s the crew.”
“What about them?”
“They are…humans.”
The answer obviously shocked them from the silence that followed.
“It fits…”
Ellis took a second before reacting. The comment came from Evans. He remembered her comments about the fighters that they looked like they were made for humans or someone their size…
“Sir … did you say humans? How can…”
“Don’t know Herrick. But they are or at least it looks like they are.”
“Sir, do i have permeation to relay this information to the Deadalus?”
El
lis thought for a second then answered.
“Yes you can Evans. Tell them that they can send in the scientists. The ships are here for … thousands of years. There is no danger.”
“Yes sir.”
After this he turned to his team.
“We will continue the search. The crew may be dead but this raises questions. And I want answers. Let’s see if we can find something.”
No one said anything. They slowly followed him and continued searching.
Five minutes later Jennings and everyone else on the bridge of the Deadalus stared at the huge ship in front of them.
“Did she say Humans?”
The voice belonged to Nikolas Dubois the French biologist and head of that department of the mission. They were included but no one really expected that they will have much to do. As it turned out…
“Did I hear you right? Did you say humans?”
The voice on the other end was getting agitated. It was obvious that Eva was losing her temper. It was understandable. For the last five minutes she heard the same question again and again.
“Yes Dr. Dubois I’m sure. That is what Major Ellis reported. And from the looks of the fighters i have to agree it is possible.”
The doctor didn’t answer anything. He eased on the seat and turned towards the rest.
“How can this be?”
“Humans build this fleet… amazing.”
Edward made his comment and continued looking at the magnificent ship.
“Yes it is amazing. But how can this be. There are no records anything that we know of a civilization so advanced to build this. The technology and the industry needed for building something like that… we surely would have known.”
“Who knows maybe we do. There are many secrets that no one is sharing. Maybe this is one of them as well.”
Jennings turned towards Dr. Heller. The tiny German scientist had her black hair tied in a knot and looked serious. She was one of those who always believed that there were some secrets that were never spoken. And he knew that she might be right.
Before he could say anything Linda stepped in.
“Don’t start Michaela please. Even if there are some secrets we all know that no one could have hidden something that big. Whoever they were we have no knowledge of them. If anyone on Earth did…let’s just say that we would have been here a long time ago. Not today.”
