As Star Transport flew past the Mississippi River delta and up into the Midwest, they could see tiny squares with different shades of greens and browns.
“Well, that just solves it for us,” Blade announced firmly.
“What do you mean?”
“We should land in Kansas,” Blade pursed his lips and nodded fervently. “We’re gonna be lookin’ for hospitable. The Midwest is the place fo’ sure.”
“Ok, then,” Paol agreed with the assessment. “Let’s get this thing down to Kansas then. “Can you load the coordinates for us, Blade?”
“Yes, sir!” Blade zoomed in on the North America region of the map that was still being constructed by the computer, and registered a location in the Midwest that he believed would be close to the Heartland of Kansas.
It took several orbits of slow and turbulent descent before the Star Transport dipped below the highest cloud layers. On their final approach to North America, it felt like the Atlantic Ocean would go on forever. A stillness settled over the cabin, as both astronauts held their breath in anticipation.
“Down there!” Blade exclaimed in excitement as a line of tiny islands running from North to South indicated that they had reached the edge of the Caribbean Sea. At the speed they were traveling, Star Transport quickly passed by Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and Cuba before the familiar Florida coastline came into view once again. This time, they were low enough to spot something that convinced them of a modern society.
“Buildings,” Paol whistled lowly. “Looks like a pretty advanced civilization down there.”
Passing over the Gulf of Mexico and into the Southern States, they continued to see widespread evidence of a large population. As coastal communities gave way to small towns and farming communities, they began to realize with some trepidation that they would have to engage with a society of beings and stay as safe as possible for the next six years.
“I s’ppose this really is a parallel Earth,” Blade stated hesitantly.
Joonter hadn’t even heard his companion’s reply. As his eyes grew wide in recognition, he scanned the terrain below rapidly, almost frantically.
“Whatcha see, Paol?” Slater stared at his companion with deep interest.
“It’s not what I see, Blade! It’s what I don’t see. Take a look, that should be Atlanta right there.”
As they passed by the city, Slater looked for anything out of the ordinary, without success. Eventually, Joonter pointed out what Blade was missing.
“No roads!”
Blade Slater was aghast. “You’re right! How could there be cities with no roads connectin’ them?”
Paol Joonter breathed heavily and responded in between gasps. “I don’t know, Blade. I do not know. Maybe these are ancient civilizations that have no living intelligent life in them, and the roads have simply returned to their natural state.”
“Wouldn’t we still see some asphalt or some indication of roads? Indentions in the terrain? Somethin’?” inquired Slater doubtfully.
“I don’t know, Blade,” replied Paol, “but I suspect we’re about to find out.”
“D’ya wanna land down there, Cap’n, and have a look at Atlanta... –ish?”
“No,” answered the pilot simply. “Let’s go land in Kansas just like you suggested. I think you’re right that if there’s a civilization down there, our best bet for safety is in the Midwest.”
After plugging in the coordinates as best as Slater could estimate on the map, the Star Transport computer system calculated their trajectory to a landing site that was an as flat and indiscernible as any. It could be Kansas, Oklahoma, or Nebraska as far as either of them could tell. But it should be close enough for a hopefully successful start to their mission.
As the vehicle began a sharp descent towards a patchwork of farmland, they could tell that there was a thriving and active farming community. Their hearts leapt into their throats as they felt both intense excitement and a healthy anxiety for what they would discover. Regardless of the fact that missing roads were a red flag as to the condition of the civilization they were about to encounter, it was undeniable as they descended that these crops were being tended to. They were extremely well cultivated, and not the product of years of neglect, let alone the decades or centuries that would be required to erase roads from the ruins of cities.
Now more than ever, Paol and Blade worried whether these people would be friendly towards them or whether they would be advanced enough to understand war, greed, and distrust.
After a long quiet period of contemplation, they felt the reverse thrusters kick in, and the vehicle decelerated until it touched down with a vertical landing in the middle of a large field of dry wheat. The descent was so rapid that they could barely focus on their visual surroundings. Sentient beings were certainly engaged in farming, yet the complete lack of roads indicated a completely missing infrastructure and certain isolation between the farmers and the city dwellers of Earth2. At long last, Star Transport touched down softly, and everything came to a standstill, as the engines shut down quickly.
In the still quiet of the cockpit, labored breathing accompanied the astronauts as they looked straight into a field of wheat as tall as the Star Transport. The wheat swayed in a gentle breeze.
Neither astronaut was lost by the fact that they would eventually need to leave the vehicle and explore their surroundings, yet they felt glued to their seats with fear and anxiety.
Eventually, the tension was broken by Slater. “Oh, no!”
“What’s wrong, Blade?” Johannsen leaned towards his navigator with great concern.
Slapping his forehead, Blade replied, “I forgot to get a change of address form from the post office.”
The raucous laughter from Blade and a feigned sneer of disgust from his pilot bounced around the cockpit, while immediately outside of the Star Transport, a quieter atmosphere persisted. Birds chirped in the strong sunlight, while the sound of wheat swaying in the gentle breeze suggested that the astronauts had touched down on a peaceful planet vastly resemebling their own home world. As the superluminal comet raced away from them on its six-year orbit of the galaxy, they were optimistic that this would be a hospitable place to live as they waited for their ride back home.
The Orthogonal Galaxy Page 43
