The Circle and Star

by John Foster

  West nodded for them to continue but he wasn't convinced of Theo's comment. It was possible that the same image would be repeated but West doubted that the work had been done for aesthetic reasons, only to be covered up so carefully. His hunch was that it had something to do with the three-eyed burial found in the floor directly between these two panels. The whine of the laser saw blared and West backed away from the dust and noise. Theo finished cutting the next portion of the panel and Madison gently removed the plaster section and carried it a few feet down the tunnel. Bending down for a closer inspection of the newly exposed wall, Theo whistled and looked back over his shoulder to West.

  “You’d better look at this,” he said.

  Waving his hand to clear the dust from the still air, West moved quickly to the panel and Madison wasted no time returning to peer over his shoulder.

  Theo was pointing to the blue dot they had already identified as earth. The additional little circle with a star was no longer painted within the solid blue coloring, but instead was off to the right, almost above Mars.

  “Hmmm....” said West as he looked at it intently.

  “You can say that again,” Theo said, “and look over here to the far side of Mars.”

  Where the asteroid belt had been indicated in the original pictograph, was instead a single, large solid dot.

  “I’ll be damned,” said West, leaning in to look closer, eyebrows raised.

  Madison looked to Theo and said, "OK boy genius, what does it mean?"

  “Asteroids are just the remnants of what used to be a planet, so obviously, this dot is that planet. Problem is, the destruction shouldn't have happened in the Bronze Age but rather some 4 billion years earlier.”

  Shoulder to shoulder they stared, unmoving, at the wall. West had hoped that this new panel would answer questions not create new ones.

  "So," West began slowly, "What is this circle and star icon? It has moved from being directly over the earth to this position off Mars and its position changes along with the planet/asteroid belt change. Let's assume that's somehow related …."

  Madison took up the train of thought. "Circle and star -- the size and form of the icon itself seem to portray that it is something highly regarded. Perhaps a portrayal of a Tugi god? Gods can certainly move around in the heavens."

  West shook his head. “That's not generally the type of icon one sees used to portray the gods there's a definite tendency for them to be drawn in a more human-like form. I have a gut feeling that it represents an actual thing, like maybe a space ship or a satellite."

  “So, what's the relationship with that and the planet blowing up into bits?” asked Theo, looking back to the panel. "You gonna tell me the space ship blew … wait …."

  West blinked hard and his mouth went dry. “That's gotta be it. It’s a weapon that destroyed the fifth planet.”

  Madison raised her hand to object but was brought up short.

  “Well, why else would they go to the trouble of showing a before and after picture? We just revealed them in reverse order,” said West.

  “Good grief,” said Theo turning to look at the panel again.

  “You don’t buy that do you Theo?” said Madison turning to look at him her mouth open.

  “Well," he began as though deep in thought, "the panel isn’t here to be a decoration so that means the point of it is to provide information. And that information does show the circle and star, and a whole planet becoming small bits. I'd say the two have to be related in some fashion.”

  “Exactly,” said West quietly as he turned back to the panel, “that’s the whole point.”

  “We can't assume that point is the truth." Madison was emphatic.

  “No, but the obvious correlation is the circle and star in space and the planet becoming small pieces,” said West, “and that suggests a very powerful conclusion.”

  “I agree,” said Theo, “that the star in the circle isn’t taking vacation pictures.”

  “I still don’t buy it,” said Madison. “Why would they destroy a planet like that?”

  In silence the three pairs of eyes examined the picture before them.

  “There’s going to be a lot of interest in this little piece of art,” said West. Turning away he muttered, “And as much as I believe my theory, it could become my own worst enemy.”

  THE DISC

  The desert nights were always cold in the Gobi wilderness, the sands shifting endlessly as the wind rippled them into wandering fingers of dunes. Taos and his men moved their feet and hands quietly as they tried to keep from being chilled in the night air. Their guns and knives taped and padded to prevent them from making any noise that would hinder their plans.

  They could not make any mistakes this night or the White One would kill them all without a second thought and Taos understood this with certainty. He had been raised in another land thousands of miles from here and he was not afraid to die. Death was his trade but his employer was a person that would enjoy killing for the simple joy of it if it was written. The men were starting to talk amongst themselves and Taos shushed them and pulled his knife to have it ready to use if one more word was spoken. He idly cleaned his nails with it but it wasn’t necessary to elaborate that it could be used for other purposes if he wasn’t obeyed. He could hear the low moan of an engine coming from the cursed dunes to the south where the digger people were.

  He grimaced at the thought of people digging for the dead and then uttered a silent prayer that their work wouldn’t stir any more spirits up than those who gave him orders. His head cloth whirled around his face, the soft fabric smelling of the hair tonic that he used endlessly. He smiled thinking that many of his victims had that last scent in their nostrils before they died.

  Taos gestured for the men to crouch into position in the event that the person coming wasn’t the one to meet them. He pulled his heavy pistol out and he gently caressed it while rotating his hand around the end of the barrel checking to see that the suppressor was firmly in place. The wind was blowing more freely and wildly now but Taos was used to fighting in the sand and more importantly in the dark. He pulled down his night vision goggles as did his men. His eyes quickly adjusted as the weird green glare opened up the landscape for his eyes. As useful as night vision was, it was also a nuisance since the batteries had to be constantly replaced and although the energy cells were rechargeable they would only last a few hours.

  He sighed as he thought of the surplus gear they were forced to use since there were very few weapons of war still in circulation on the planet. Or at least not in the hands of rogue governments as they were in the old times. Now they had to use what they could find or salvage and that was dear indeed. The last Unification War had been fought for 20 years and had devastated large portions of the world as the last outlaw governments were fought and defeated by the combined arms of the industrial and agricultural countries. Taos shifted as he saw a dim light appear weaving in and out of the dunes as the Dragonfly hover bike moved slowly towards them. The machine was squat and quite utilitarian but could manage rough terrain with ease as it could hover more than 5 feet if required but only for a few seconds. Taos raised his hand and one man lit a green light stick and waved it to show their position. The other men fanned out at a signal from Taos who used his fingers to squeeze his nose that was being pinched by the goggles. The hover bike engine cut off suddenly and Taos tensed as the moment of contact was coming whether it be danger or not. Little matter, since he relished a fight and the nastier and the more personal the better. His hand with the knife moved up and down as the thoughts triggered past memories of mayhem.

  A red-light stick flared to life where the sound of the bike now quieted and shut down. He nodded his head and Nadime ran forward holding his knife in his sleeve as he approached the visitor. The man raised his hands but was noticeably annoyed at the reception and growled his displeasure. Nadime held out his knife and placed it against the chest of the man who quickly jerked Nadime’s knife into the
air while his knee raised into Nadime’s solar plexus and took his breath away. Looking up at the man’s eyes blazing under a dark face mask, Nadime watched as a large laser pistol came out from the man’s waist band and leveled it at his nose.

  “It’s not necessary to make noise like that when a knife will suffice and be ever so much quieter,” said Taos. The faceless visitor chuckled at the comment.

  “Yes, it could be quieter but ever so much more satisfying to see this fool’s head flying off into the sand dunes to be eaten by the fleas,” said the man as he pressed the pistol into the point right between Nadime’s eyes. Nadime’s eyes closed and his forehead crinkled as the pistol ground into his face. Then it was gone.

  “Well, are your fools ready?” asked the man as he put his pistol away.

  “Yes, we’re ready and I am not a fool,” said Taos, angry lines forming on his face, and then he pinned his head wrap across his face.

  “No, you’re not a fool, but your men are and that means you’re not far behind them,” said the man as he stood looking at Taos’ men standing in a large semi-circle around him. “Can we get down to business? Or are we going to piss on each other all night?” demanded the visitor. “I have to get back and can’t waste this time or we’ll both be sucking sand if our employer doesn’t get what he wants.”

  “We’re ready,” said Taos his mouth tight and thin and he squatted before the man who then sat opposite him and pulled out a small light and turned it on.

  “Good, now this is what we’re going to do,” said the man as he started to draw lines on a pad that he slipped out of his jacket. Taos leaned forward eyes on the paper.

  West was sitting by himself next to a small fire, enjoying the deepening night, not far from the Gopher Hole, and wondering what mysteries he would find tomorrow. He was quietly excited by the possibilities but was reluctant to explore them before he had enough pieces of the puzzle. He raised the cup of coffee partially to his mouth but paused as he considered the many ramifications that would direct all of their attention and resources on the following day.

  “You gonna drink that or is there a fly in there?” asked a woman’s voice from the edge of the gathering darkness.

  “I think I’m gonna drink it now that you mention it,” said West smiled recognizing the voice as he took a large sip.

  “Isn’t it cold or did you mix a new batch?” asked Leda as she shuffled up and then took a seat on an adjacent camp stool. Leda, her face weathered and creased, was dressed in an old-style dress and draped over her shoulders was a beautiful hand-woven blanket.

  “No, it’s the same batch from earlier,” said West as he shifted to watch her settle in.

  “Oh, well, I guess I can get some of that tomorrow as no one but you drinks that black lump of coal that you call coffee. I’m sure most of it will still be there at sunrise since no sane critter would drink it.”

  “Now wait a minute, that’s most unfair although most likely true,” West smiled as she drew out her blanket and wrapped it tightly around her. He was familiar with her routine and knew she wanted to talk. He also knew it would come when she was good and ready. Leda was a Chumash native from the Central Coast of California whom he had met a decade ago when he worked on the Kinsaro Mission project. That seemed so long ago and he ruefully thought that it indeed had been many years. Their relationship had grown fast as they felt they were kindred spirits although separated by many years. She was a spiritual elder that spoke for her tribe in the Central Coast. Her task was to protect and preserve the fragile history of her group that had lived and died in the region for the last 13,000 years.

  “What will happen to the burial West?” Leda asked.

  “Well, we will finish the excavation tomorrow, then take the data and specimens and do our analysis, and then advise our government about the results. They will definitely be very interested.”

  “The creature will have no mentor, no protector?” she asked, her head bowed.

  “It will have us and I will look to you for guidance in what we do with the burial. Since we’re going to take it with us it will be safe and that will ensure that no one else will have access to it without the proper respect. There’s a chance we can find more information on the origin and possibly who this alien is or was.” West looked to her and smiled as he gently stirred the fire and thin wisps of smoke rose from the embers. The wood smoke swirled around his face and he inhaled it thinking of all the campfires he’d sat or stood around.

  Leda said nothing and he looked over to her and found she was looking at him and smiling. “Good,” She said and rose up carefully taking up the blanket and arranging it around her shoulders to break the breath of the cold wind. As she walked back to her simple tent, she looked back to him and said, “it will be a fierce day tomorrow and I think we will need donuts.” West smiled and gently stirred the fire. He rocked back in his seat looking for her and was about to say that wasn’t likely but stopped himself because Leda had a way of getting things she wanted, even donuts in the Gobi Desert. He looked up and smiled at her but she was already walking away into the blackness of the night.

  He doused the fire with a bucket sending the smoke awash over him as it sizzled and died. He rubbed his eyes and looking at the fire once more, nodded his head, and turned to walk to the Paradig where he would check for messages, turn the systems off, and then head for bed.

  The ship, his ship, as he thought about it was off to one side of the camp, sleek as any space ship should be, and as fast and as efficient as any in the mining fleet. Heck, faster than any in the earth fleet. Once aliens had been discovered all the scout ships seeking mineral resources were souped up for speed in the event that someone or more to the point, something, wanted the same resources. Some things never changed.

  The ship ramp that opened to the cargo bay was down as normal, there was never any reason to close it as there was a slight electrical field covering the door which kept out unwanted pests and dust. West’s quarters were in the front of the ship in the only single cabin space available to the expedition. He was also the captain of the vessel, and Theo was the chief pilot and engineer. As he walked towards the science station where most of the laboratory input was done, he was reminded of the rest of the crew, Madison who was the chief science officer, had the most irreverent sense of humor which he truly loved, except when Converse executives were the brunt of that humor. Then, it was less humorous and became more akin to “how to save her butt kind of problem solving.” He laughed silently thinking about it. She’d gotten them into trouble more than once with her interesting flair for tackling arrogance that had been encountered in the Converse Corporation hierarchy and for that matter in the Terran Unification Government too. “All good, all good,” West muttered as walked to the ship’s message system panel. He thought that between Madison’s country girl good looks, her southern charm, and her immensely knowledgeable scientific background, he would put up with a lot, a whole lot. He knew he was lucky to have her. Every other science organization had wanted her too as her fame in advanced technology had spread and profited first her university, then her husband, who had gotten some ridiculously wonderful grants from a private company to develop remote sensing to detect alien life. She had abandoned the scheme when it turned out the company also wanted to capture the alien life forms, remotely dissect them, and then process their DNA and transmit it back to earth. Her husband had been furious when she left the project and he continued to beg, argue, and demand that she return to the university and continue her work.

  Madison and West had met at a science fair for advanced engineering and metallurgy. The conference had been set up around a space port where hundreds of ships had landed and were looking for scientists, crew, and supplies, and West had set up a booth outside his ship. Madison had been looking for new work and had come to the conference with a young man named Thomas who was her protégé. Thomas had convinced her to check out the fair since it was in her area of interest and it would take her mind off he
r husband’s ranting. At the same time, West was trying to find personnel for the Paradig to help analyze artifacts that he was uncovering on distant planets. West had been mesmerized when he first met Madison who had approached his parked ship and the little booth he had set up. They hit it off immediately and he decided to hire her on the spot. Thomas was hired as well since Madison’s had insisted and, while West wasn’t sure what role Thomas would fill, he knew that Madison would find a use for him.

  Until his father’s company had hired him to actively explore for alien cultures, West had not had many associations with other archaeologists since he had been at the university. Now he was surrounded not only by archaeologists but a whole group of related personnel from various disciplines who were part of the process of understanding sentient life forms. The whole field of archaeology had changed and the related support disciplines had grown immensely and one of the key fields was reverse engineering in which Madison excelled.

  Although disappointed when he found Madison was married, West figured it was probably for the best since his previous relationships had failed for various reasons but chiefly because he had been gone for long periods of time. The previous women in his life had become disenchanted with long distant courtships and he had become heart broken in the process. Romance for him was on hold.

  West was jarred out of his reverie when the message board winked on as he touched the screen and out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Madison’s imagining screen had just gone into sleep mode. His eyes narrowed and he blinked several times wondering what had caught his attention. He then realized that the timing of the shut down of the computer was what got his alarm bells ringing. All of the data screens including Madison’s were governed by a 10-minute sleep setting. That meant that Madison had been there within the last 10 minutes but West hadn’t seen her. That was strange, well perhaps she had reset the sleep mode for some reason he thought. She did work long hours and maybe it annoyed her to have the screen turn off while she was referencing her notes. He thought it odd though and touched the screen and it showed images of one of the tunnel spokes. Initially, he didn’t recognize which one but then saw the yellow glow in the foreground and that was coming from where the burial was located. He would check with her tomorrow and find out what she had been looking at. He thought to speak out in the ship and call to her in the event she was still there but thought it was silly to think she was hiding. She must have passed by him while he was in his quarters. He’d like to think she would have said something to him if she had realized he was there. His stomach felt a bit uneasy at the thought that she hadn’t spoken to him and he clinched his mouth at the thought. He shook his head and set aside the thoughts as the tangent he was on wasn’t anything he wanted to deal with at the moment.