Kepler 369 – Dusk on the First Day
Near the Mountain Base Fifty Miles North of Main Camp
The Survey Team of Professor Charles Long
May 3rd, 2442 – Earth Time
After Charles and his exploration team watched the scanning probes plummet to the surface of the planet their own equipment became faulty. They took time to investigate each machine looking for anything in the tattered wrecks that might explain the malfunctions. Their inconclusive diagnosis pointed to some kind of atmospheric condition that rendered all the equipment inoperative. Communication devices, scanning apparatus and the all-terrain vehicle they traveled in, stopped working. Too far from base camp to go back, and too close to the mountain to give up, Charles elected to continue toward his original objective. He hoped to find something there that would tell him what happened to Vincent Abernathy. The mountain base, the last known objective of his longtime friend, held the secret. Charles knew he’d either find Vincent or his remains.
Each member of the fifteen-person team either carried or tugged something behind them on the hike. Food, digging equipment, shelters, and medical supplies, everything needed to continue the expedition. No one complained about the hard work, not even My Own, who carried more than her fair share of supplies. Charles liked her eagerness to help.
For six hours, taking breaks to rest every hour, the group traveled almost four miles until the daylight diminished. Charles struck camp in the shadow of the mountain that loomed over them and looked rather frightening. He remembered what his wise instructor at school told him, ‘There are things in the universe that will make you feel tiny’. Charles felt tiny staring up at the enormous wall of jagged rock that loomed over his encampment. He shook pass the feeling like someone – something watched them. He remembered what Vincent said on his recording. “I feel like I’m being watched.”
The weary team built several fires around the camp. My Own gave instruction how to start, maintain and bank a fire for sleeping. Knowledgeable in survival skills the young girl impressed Charles. It didn’t take him long to realize that she wasn’t a low-born or slave, but free born.
“Who taught you to build a fire like that?” Charles asked My Own when they gathered around the fire.
“My brother,” My Own said. Charles found considerable age in her lavender eyes.
“You miss him.”
My Own looked away. She rubbed her hands on her legs and said despondently, “Aye, I do. He must be going mad with worry about where I am. I’m sure he couldn’t even fathom the possibility I’m not on Earth.”
Charles heard stories about the Highlander clans. Fighters and rebels against everything the high-born stood for. They’d given the Orlanders trouble for years. In secret, Charles rooted them on. “You don’t have to fear anything here, child. We’re far enough from politics to worry about the Orlanders coming to get you.”
My Own hid something from him. Perhaps to protect her brother, or her people, he didn’t pry. There was nobility in the way she conducted herself. Not like a high-born, but proud nonetheless. They were a noble tribe of people, always had been. Over the centuries they stood up to protect their way of life against those who chose a more humiliating existence for them. The high-born oppression differed little from the tyrants that came before. My Own’s lineage proved the Highlanders were a formidable people. Charles wagered her silence was an act to keep everyone off their guard.
“You’re safe here. I’m the last thing you have to worry about,” Charles told her and for the first time the young girl cracked a thin smile.
The whoop of an animal in the distance startled Jonna Grace who had been lying in a sleeping bag near the fire. She sat up, looked into the dark and then looked at Charles. “Do you think they will come near the camp?” she asked.
“Not unless they are hungry and intend to eat you,” Carl replied when he sat in the circle with the others.
“Don’t frighten her,” My Own snapped.
Shamefaced, Carl looked at My Own and said under his breath, “I meant no harm.”
Charles grinned, but grimaced at the roar of a fiercer sounding creature in the night. With a long stick he stoked the fire and made the flames grow higher. “Carl, check the other fires, make sure someone keeps them going all night.”
“How long is a night?” Jonna asked.
“According to the scans a planet rotation is thirty-five hours, so night lasts longer here than on Earth. We will move on toward the mountains at first light.”
“Great, more walking,” Jonna complained.
“What happened to the probes, and our own equipment professor?” My Own asked.
“Not sure, it might have been some kind of atmospheric phenomena.”
“But wouldn’t that have happened the minute we arrived at the planet?” Carl asked.
“The effects might be temporary, a cycled occurrence that lasts for a short time.”
My Own laughed.
Charles’ brow knitted. “Something funny?”
“If you don’t know what caused it, Professor – why don’t you just say that?”
“I believe he did,” Jonna snarled.
“My Own, there are things in this galaxy that science doesn’t understand. That’s why we study them, so we can learn from them. Most of the time, we make a hypothesis, until we learn the truth. The truth as it stands right now is I don’t know why our equipment stopped working, when before it worked with no problem. If by morning our equipment works again then it will prove my assumptions as fact and from that we have a working theory to expand on.”
Charles noticed My Own staring quizzically at him. “What is it?”
“If you’re so smart… why are you working for the high-born? You should be out on your own.”
Charles couldn’t deny that. Smart as he might be, he couldn’t afford to strike out on his own. “It all comes down to money. I seek the wealth for the high-born, but I have none of it to go off on my own.”
“Hey… not on your own, Hyta and I would be with you,” Jonna said.
Loyal friends like Jonna, Hyta and Vincent were the one thing Charles cherished the most. In all the riches of the universe he would take their friendship over it all. “Thank you Jonna. I’d be happy to take you with…”
A roar in the dark drew a hush over the camp. The campfires roared to life in a tremendous rush. The flames shot twenty feet into the night air; the embers rained down like fireflies. Everyone sat in silence.
My Own stood to her knees. She cocked her head like a dog listening for movement. She senses something, Charles watched her, preparing to fight, eyes narrowing, all her senses working on overtime. He gripped the stick he’d been poking the fire with, ready to follow her lead.
“What the hell was that?” Carl asked.
Jonna gripped Charles’ arm.
“Something very large…” Charles whispered.
“Quiet all of you,” My Own snapped and stood. “It’s close and sniffing us out. It knows we are scared.”
Carl moved in close toward My Own. “How do you know that?” he whispered.
“Are you scared?” My Own asked.
Carl shook his head, said, “I get your point.”
The beast in the dark roared again – this time closer. Charles turned, he felt the creature near him, but he saw nothing. “It’s in the camp…” His heart pounded against the inner wall of his chest.
Jonna gripped Charles’ arm harder. “I see nothing,” she screamed.
Before Charles could react, Jonna flung into the air, ripped free from him, her screams went with her. She hung in the grips of a giant hand. Its silhouette shimmered in the campfire light. Its body masked in the dark. Jonna screamed again and Charles leapt to his feet. Members of his team ran in all directions. More shrieks and shouts of panic filled the night.
Unsure what to do, Charles stood helpless. He studied the animal’s cloaked shape. It towered above the group, thirty feet high. It held Jonna in the air l
ike a child’s doll.
The beast roared, its tremendous yell screeched inside Charles’ head, he clasped his hands over his ears trying to block the sound. For a moment he glimpsed the creature’s full outline. A horned beast, its red eyes stared at him from the dark. A cold encapsulating chill froze throughout Charles’ body. When the creature turned, the shape of its head outlined against the flames. Two enormous tusks protruded below its gaping mouth. It snorted like a boar and swallowed Jonna down in one gulp.
Charles staggered backward and fell over the pack that held the wooden casket. He hit the ground with a thud. He ignored the pain, shot to his feet and picked it up. He flung the pack on his back, protecting it.
The animal turned, a long forming tail swung at its backside and knocked down several people who were running to escape the beast. The creature sniffed toward Charles, singling him out.
“Run!” My Own yelled.
The monster’s huge hand scooped up more terrified members of the expedition team and swallowed them down before they could get away. Carl picked up a blanket from the ground and ignited it from the flames of the campfire. He swung it at the brute yelling, “Get back! Get back!”
“Carl, you’ll get yourself killed!” Charles yelled. My Own grabbed him. His warnings went unheard and Carl also became another victim to the shadow creature.
Charles wanted to scream, to attack the beast. His friends, his whole team dead at the animal’s delights. My Own held tight and pulled Charles out of the camp with her. Strong for her age Charles didn’t struggle. He followed her lead; a Highlander had certain survival skills he never considered.
The pair raced down an embankment. Charles couldn’t see a thing in front of him. Only the darkened image of My Own stood close enough to him to recognize. The ground below his feet shifted and Charles tumbled forward, both he and My Own fell over the hill. They rolled, Charles couldn’t control his tumble. He ended up in a shallow pond of water; he sunk several inches into the muck under the surface.
He wiped the stale water out of his eyes and dug mud out of his ears. “Shit!”
My Own shushed him and put her hand up to his mouth.
The creature lumbered over the hillside. Charles heard its grunting sound, but he still couldn’t see what it looked like. It stood motionless for a time, its breathing sounded like the old ventilation system in his lab on Requiem – ten times worse. Then Charles remembered the name he deciphered from the casket. Uklavar… could this be the creature?
The monster moved to the edge of the pond, its feet made ripples in the water and Charles heard the splashing when it stepped into the pond. My Own pressed hard on his mouth, she took shallow fearful breaths.
After a long excruciating time the creature wondered off, but not before crying out into the night in disappointment.
My Own removed her hand from Charles’ mouth; he took a deep breath and fought the urge to scream. He choked on his tears and asked, “What the hell was that thing?”
My Own didn’t reply. Charles didn’t expect her to. If he didn’t know what the animal was, he doubted she did either.
“It’s the water,” My Own said.
Charles wiped the sludgy mud from the pond off his face. It covered his hair, his hands – everything. “It wasn’t just the water,” he said and held the muck in his hand. Interesting.
“My Own stood; her short dark hair lay matted to her head with mud. She sniffed the air, said, “You want to know something else, Professor?”
Charles stood, water drained out of his clothes. “What’s that?” he asked.
“I can’t smell it.”
“You can’t what?” Charles asked through chattering teeth. His body shivered from the pond water.
“My brother taught me that each animal in the woods carried a particular odor. On Earth I know when a deer or a bear was near just by the scent in the air. With this creature, whatever the thing is… I couldn’t detect anything. It’s almost like… it wasn’t even here.”
Kepler 369 – Dawn on the Second Day
At the Mountain Base…
The Remaining Survey Team of Professor Charles Long
May 4, 2442 – Earth Time
Charles pushed back his grief and tried to figure out what had happened. The low flying scans of the planet showed no signs of large life forms in the area, nothing like the hideous creature that attacked them. Charles rubbed his left arm trying to calm himself.
“Professor?” My Own said when she stepped into his view.
“I’m fine,” he said and looked at the sun still peaked in the sky. A great weight pressed down on his soul and for the first time in his life he felt, lost. He thought of his parents and then of Vincent. He reminded himself last evening, just before the creature attacked, that they were his closest confidants. Now – he lamented their passing. He never once thought that their lives would end in such a hideous way. Jonna, so young and full of life, her spirit rekindled Charles’ belief that all humans weren’t angry twisted money grabbers. That in fact there was hope for humanity. If he had a daughter he wished her to be like Jonna, resourceful and headstrong, but naïve and blind to the evils of life. Not bad traits just sometimes dangerous ones. She understood the risks of going planet side, but that didn’t ease Charles’ misery.
Carl never ventured away from Earth, he lived a life of risk, but he understood his world and the dangers within. The seedy underworld of Oliver Duncan – filled with con men, hired thugs and thieves – criminals all. Carl understood all that, but he didn’t understand the kind of life Charles lived. How could he? Since Charles didn’t understand it either.
When the new day dawned on Kepler 369 he wondered if Hyta was all right. What if the creature attacked there too? They might all be dead… Can’t think that way...
He put those thoughts aside for now and focused on staying alive. At least long enough to figure out what happened to Vincent. He needed that. He might not be able to bring back his friends. Worrying about Hyta and the main camp did little to keep him focused on the real reason he came to the planet.
If Vincent met his fate the same way as the others, there would be no other reason to remain. By the looks of it, the planet had no other use… for the high-born anyway. The Tannadors wouldn’t want a planet that didn’t advance them in the Union. If there wasn’t wealth here, or ancient technology, they wouldn’t want to remain. He tired of working for the Tannadors. Maybe if he slipped away they would forget about him. At least here he could be away from all the bureaucracy and just live out his remaining life alone. In his gut Charles felt an inevitable end to his career. To hell with everyone… if my friends are all dead why should I go on without them?
“You still with me, Professor?” My Own asked.
For a moment Charles forgot the young Scot’s girl still traveled with him. If it weren’t for her he’d be dead for sure. He saw the oil-slick shine of her hair gleam off the sun. Her lavender eyes blinked at him. She seemed in her element. “I’m with you… just alone in my thoughts is all,” he replied.
“Keeping it penned up inside you won’t bring your friends back.”
“What do you know of death,” Charles snapped and regretted his words.
“Death and I are old friends. I watched my grandfather die in open combat in the clan. Colin, my brother, begged me to look away but I wouldn’t. He, after all was fighting for my honor. You don’t hold a commodity on grief.”
Charles choked on his words. He never imagined – never met a free born before. What terrible things she must have seen growing up in the clans. Swallowing hard in a dry throat Charles said, “I’m sorry.”
“As well you should be. But I forgive you,” My Own said in a harsh tone.
Charles matched his footfalls with her. He looked straight ahead, sights set on the mountains that were much closer now. “Tell me about your brother.”
My Own laughed out loud, and she said, “I’ve met no one as brave or as stupid as my brother. How he lived this l
ong is beyond me.”
“You don’t sound like you love him very much.”
“Oh, I love him. He’s just done a poor job looking after me since our parents passed away. Do you want to know how I came in the custody of the Lady Da’Mira Tannador?”
“I was wondering – yes.”
“I was in a breeding facility – a breeding facility because the Orlanders were trying to stop him from running raids on their facilities. Have you ever seen a breeding facility before?”
Charles heard enough stories of the breeding facilities, vile disgusting places. The injustice, the gang rapes... “Were you…”
“No,” My Own replied, anticipating what Charles would ask. “I was off limits to everyone… including the breeding machines. I was to be bait, live out in the open of the complex… paraded around so my brother saw me. Besides, I was too quick for them… too resourceful. After the first month I ran that courtyard. The guards knew better than to tangle with me. Sooner or later though, they would have put me in that machine. It was a matter of time. Then Da’Mira Tannador flew into the complex and scooped me up. I suppose you could say she saved my life, but I doubt it. I could have survived there until Colin came. Now I’m here. Here out of his reach.”
“I’m sure you’ll get back to Earth.”
“Are you kidding? I don’t want to go back to Earth. I’ve never been so free.”
Charles looked at My Own. The two laughed in unison and Charles surprised himself. An hour ago, he fought back tears. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
Charles smiled. It’d been such a long time since he laughed – just to laugh.
“It goes on.”
“It goes on?” Charles asked.
“Aye… my grandfather told me that once, right before he died. It goes on because we don’t have a choice. It goes on because we do have a choice. It goes on because we have little choice. And he said: who are we to argue… life goes on.”
It goes on… the odd phrase made strange sense to Charles. He knew why he had to go on.
Origin Expedition Page 28
