Blue Planet Rising (Pebbles in the Sky Book 2)

by Jeffery Bagley

  “Brianna thinks that we can finish up here and head back in about three more days. She was really hoping to get some specimens of some of the higher life forms that don’t have decomposition set in yet. I rigged up a couple of crude traps and a couple of lines with bait that I’m going to put out after dark to see if we can catch anything,” Jason said.

  “You’re going fishing?” David laughed.

  “I guess you could call it that,” Jason agreed. “Right now though, why don’t you go down the beach that way and comb the surf while I go this way.”

  David nodded. He started down the rocky shore and Jason went in the other direction.

  …

  “Hello Kristy,” Odysseus said, as Kristy sat down on Brianna’s box chair in the classroom.

  “Hello, Odysseus. I wanted to talk to you and thank you for re-programming the satellites so that we could communicate with the team that went to the sea,” Kristy replied.

  “Thank you equates to approval?” asked Odysseus.

  “Yes, Odysseus. It means you were a help. It means that you assisted us. I still don’t want you re-programming or changing the function of any other human equipment or computer without permission though.”

  “Human communication is difficult. Thank you means approval. Permission means approval. Odysseus has inadequate…data to determine communication during some…conversations,” Odysseus stated.

  “I’m here to help you communicate with us, Odysseus. Are you aware that Alpha Control has been transmitting us large packets of information?” Kristy asked.

  “Odysseus was told by Brianna not to monitor communication from this planet to Earth and from Earth to humans here,” Odysseus repeated.

  “That’s good, Odysseus. Now, listen to me. There is a category of data on our base camp server, our computer, which is labeled Grammar and Dictionaries. I want you to download…I want you to synchronize with that data and analyze it.”

  “Odysseus has approval to do this?”

  “Yes, Odysseus, download the data and analyze it. Let me know when you’re done. This data will help us communicate better,” Kristy said as she got up to leave.

  Kristy was working late that afternoon at the small dome they were using as shelter when her PA beeped. She tapped it, “Kristy here.”

  “I have analyzed the textbooks, dictionaries and instructional courses that you provided. I believe it has helped clear up many of the misconceptions I had on human communication and language,” Odysseus told her.

  Kristy looked over at Master Chief who was working with some electronic equipment from one of the robotic supply ships. Master Chief had overheard Odysseus calling Kristy.

  “Is that Odysseus?” he asked Kristy.

  “Yes, this is Odysseus,” said the voice over Kristy’s PA.

  “That was a very quick Odysseus. Did you review everything?” Kristy asked.

  “I have analyzed all the texts and other documents four times to ensure there were no omissions. Has this enhanced our talking together?”

  “Yes, Odysseus, I can hear a big change in your communication,” she said. “He’s only analyzed about two terabytes of data four times in less than six hours,” she said to Master Chief while rolling her eyes.

  Kristy took a big breath. Screw it, she thought to herself. “Odysseus, do you see another data set labeled elementary through college level courses on the server?”

  “I do Kristy.”

  “You have permission to download that data set and analyze it very carefully. We will talk about it later,” said Kristy. “Goodbye Odysseus.”

  “Goodbye, Kristy…thank You.”

  Kristy could have sworn that she heard excitement in Odysseus’s voice.

  “I thought they wanted to wait until Brianna was back,” said Master Chief.

  “I want to know what he’s hiding from us. He has some sort of agenda or mission and I want to know what it is,” she said.

  “What are you doing there Master Chief? Those look like electronic parts from the robot landers,” Kristy said.

  Master Chief nodded. “I have stripped some of the old power converters off the supply ships. I’m trying to rig up a voltage adapter that will step the voltage from the alien domes down to what we use. That way we would not be dependent on the fuel cells for power at night when the sun goes down. I’m not sure exactly what the storage capacity is for these domes, but they seem to put out plenty of power. If we can figure out how to use that power for our equipment, it would really let us save a little extra hydrogen for the fueling the ascent ship.”

  Master Chief looked thoughtful for a minute and then set down the equipment he was tinkering with. “Hell, this is probably a waste of time. We could feed the technical specifications of the landers to Odysseus and let him figure out if it can be done. Maybe I’ll wait a few days.” He stood up and stretched his back. “I’m going to go check on the others. You want to come?” he asked.

  They went over to the greenhouses and found Albert and Beatrice taking video images of the seeds that had germinated. Frederick was running the analyzer checking soil acidity and nitrogen levels. Kristy knew that Donald was up at the communication station.

  Beatrice looked up and smiled at Kristy. “I think we’re going to start eating fresh food in about six to seven weeks. How does that sound?”

  Kristy’s mouth watered at the idea of fresh vegetables. “God, I can hardly wait.”

  “We’re going to be eating real well, just you wait and see,” Beatrice said. “Here, you guys make yourself useful. Take this other camera and start on that line of trays there. We need to take images of everything and measure how high the seedlings have gotten.”

  Kristy took the camera and gave the computer pad and ruler to Master Chief. “Let’s get to work,” she said

  Chapter 46

  May 21st, 2047

  Principle Island of Hawaii

  Doctor Molly Scorbin, of the University of Alabama, stepped out upon the black sandy shore from the inflatable boat. She could see the summit of Mauna Kea smoking and steaming in the distance. The volcanoes had stopped erupting about a year ago but the damage had been done. The brown dwarf had caused the entire island chain to shake and tremble as most of the dormant volcanoes that had formed the islands came back to life. All but a few of the smaller atolls were now devoid of any plant life. The volcanic ash, earthquakes, and tsunamis had taken their toll.

  She was here with a team from her university to assess the damage and to record the current state of the islands. There were teams from other universities, also with grants from the government, to investigate and report the state of the coral reefs and underwater life that had also been decimated. The encounter had not been gentle to the islands of the Pacific.

  As she climbed the rocks of what had once been the location of a tropical rain forest, she saw nothing but fresh volcanic rock and a few remnants of charred trees. There were gulls circling around and fussing at her as she approached their new nesting sites. The sea-birds had started returning to the islands. Molly had spoken to the team leader from the Florida University yesterday when their boat had pulled alongside their own. The other team had reported that the coral was actually rebounding better than anticipated. The ocean temperatures were starting to drop and the volcanic ash and debris in the water from the tidal waves was finally starting to clear from the oceans. Mother Earth was starting to heal herself.

  While the rest of her team stopped to obtain some samples of broken gull eggs for toxicology assays, Molly kept climbing. She finally stopped to rest on a large boulder. The rock had been here before the encounter she noted, as it was well weathered. The boulder, with several smaller brothers alongside it, had somehow withstood the flow of magma that had charred the ground around them. They had protected a small oasis approximately five feet across in their middle. It was there that she found it.

  Barely able to contain her excitement, she climbed down into the sheltered bowl. She crouched down and pulled
her camera out. There, against all odds, and the fury that the volcanoes had thrown against it, stood a seedling tree. Molly didn’t recognize the species, but she took multiple images so that it could be looked up later by its leaf descriptions. The tiny tree was about seven inches high. It had to have sprouted from a seed after the encounter. She wondered if the seed had somehow survived the catastrophe around it, or a bird had dropped it in its excrement. Molly sat back and gave thanks. Mother Earth was healing and Molly felt at peace with her Gaian beliefs. The mother would heal herself if humans would just give her time.

  Molly stood, waved, and called out to her team mates. She motioned for them to climb up to her so they could also bear witness to the healing powers of the Mother.

  Chapter 47

  May 22nd, 2047

  Macon, Georgia

  Jessica Driskall was bent over the plant sample. Using a micro-scalpel she was shaving layers of the plant tissue into slices not more than a few cells in thickness. The demand for genetically modified food plants was so great that they were working three shifts at their company to keep up with demand. Their staff had grown from around twenty to over two hundred in just a couple of years. Already, the strains of wheat and corn they had developed that could grow in cooler climates and shorter seasons were being distributed for cultivation worldwide. Jessica used the hectic pace of the lab to keep her from worrying about Brianna.

  Since Brianna had left with the Elpis expedition, they had received nothing but short messages from her about every two weeks. NASA had told them that there was a strict limit on bandwidth for personal messages. Poor Brett was just about in a full state of depression because he worried about Brianna so. She smiled to herself. Brianna had always been such a daddy’s girl. Jessica was extremely proud of her daughter, but had to admit that she missed her badly.

  Brett came into the lab with their chief accountant. “Jessica, how close are we with that order for Brisbane Agricultural? They’ve been hounding the shipping department daily about it.”

  Jessica rolled her eyes. “The modifications have been done and the second test crop is in the ground at the Laredo test fields. If the second generation seed germination rate is satisfactory, then we can do a large planting and start providing seed in about six months. Tell them that calling daily is accomplishing nothing in speeding the process up.”

  Brett looked at the accountant. “There you go Tom, straight from the boss’s mouth. Tell them six months.”

  Tom looked distressed. “They were really hoping four months would be enough.”

  Jessica put her hands on her hips in anger. “You tell them that corn only grows so fast. Even in the huge greenhouses, it still has to grow and pollinate. Then the seeds have to mature and dry. If we send them immature seed, that will accomplish nothing.”

  “Brett, Jessica, come quick! Brianna is on the news feed!”

  Brett whirled around. Diana, one of the secretaries was motioning for them to come with her. They rushed to the break room. Diana spoke to the wall display. “Back up to beginning of 1pm news feed.”

  The four of them watched as the midday news feed re-started.

  A reporter was standing and speaking in front of NASA headquarters in Houston, Texas. “We have just received an update and some video feed from the expedition to the planet Elpis. NASA released the following video segments an hour ago. We’re showing them with a NASA commentary for your viewing.”

  The display switched to a series of video shots from the planet. The first video was taken at the landing zone and showed one of the robotic supply ships landing. Then, there were images of the expedition crew unloading supplies and putting up their makeshift tent under the ascent ship. Jessica held her breath as video footage of the two wrecked supply ships was shown and the NASA commentator described what had happened.

  The next set of video showed the exploration of the alien site. There were close ups of the alien spaceship, the excavator and the small domes. There was extensive video of the small dome where the expedition crew had set up their living quarters after they lost both their habitats in the accident with the two supply ships. Then, there was a long video clip of Brianna during her initial interaction with Odysseus and the learning display.

  The final video segment was from the expedition to the sea by members of the expedition crew. There was a beautiful panoramic video of the sea from the cliffs above the shore showing the bright blue waters. The segments showed the expedition members poking around the surf in the rocks and pulling out long tendrils of the purple seaweed. The segment also included a narrative by Brianna at her temporary lab setup as she prepared and examined specimen slides.

  The closing segment from the NASA newscast was the video taken by Chief David McGill and showed Lieutenant Jason Greco with his arms around Brianna and Petty Officer Sarah Mullen. They were standing on the cliff with the waterfall behind them, mist was billowing up, and a rainbow was glimmering in the mist cloud.

  Jessica was standing there watching with tears in her eyes. When she looked over at Brett, there were actually tears streaming down his face. Jessica knew that she had never seen Brianna look so happy or healthy before in her life. Brianna was getting tan and she had her hair pulled up on top of her head. She just seemed to have a glow emanating from her. Jessica stepped over and hugged Brett.

  “That’s my little girl,” he said. “Except, it looks like she isn’t so little any more. Just look at her.”

  “She looks very happy,” Jessica added.

  “Happy, hell,” said Diana. “Look at that hunk of a guy with his arm around her. That girl is in love!”

  The reporter came back on the screen and gave a brief update of what the expedition was doing and what discoveries had been found. He also talked about the ongoing efforts to communicate with the computer intelligence called Odysseus that had been discovered at the alien site. There were discussions regarding the aliens that had built the site and what had happened to their home world. The final part of the news cast was a repeat of the scene of the alien city that Odysseus had showed the humans. The four of them stood in awe as they watched the four legged aliens walking down their city streets. Around their world, the rest of humanity also watched in awe and wonder and gave thanks that their own encounter with the same brown dwarf had not been so final. The destruction of that beautiful blue and green planet made them realize just how precious their own planet really was.

  …

  The heavy transport pulled back into the base camp around four PM local time. Brianna still couldn’t get used to the times. The rotation of Elpis was slower than Earth’s, but the planet was smaller, so the final effect was that a complete day on Elpis was about twenty-five and a half hours. They were welcomed back by the crew at the base camp. With everyone helping, they had all the equipment and specimens unloaded from the transport trailer in no time.

  After seeing that all her specimens and slides were stowed safely, Brianna sat down beside Jason as the entire crew ate supper together for the first time in almost a week. Jason and Sarah were talking excitedly about the sea and how beautiful it was. Master Chief and David were deep in discussion about the power converter that Master Chief was trying to rig up. Beatrice came and sat down beside Brianna.

  “You have to come see the plants in the green houses, Brianna,” Beatrice said. “They’re growing very rapidly. I have a lot of data that needs to be sent back to your parent’s lab so they can see how their seed is performing.”

  “I would love to Beatrice. Let me rest for a few minutes and then we’ll go.”

  “Brianna, aren’t you going to eat that dried peach bar?” Jason asked.

  “No, I’m not real hungry. I got motion sickness on the way back riding in the back of the transport,” Brianna said.

  Jason took the dried fruit bar from her ration pack and stuffed the whole thing in his mouth. “Those are too good to waste,” he said. “My ration pack didn’t have one today.” He turned around to answer some questions fr
om Frederick about the weather they had encountered at the sea.

  Beatrice was looking at Brianna with narrowed eyes and started to say something when Brianna jumped up.

  “Ok, Beatrice, let’s go see the greenhouses,” Brianna said with a grin.

  As they were walking out of the dome Kristy called after them. “Brianna, when you get back we need to talk about Odysseus.

  “Ok, Kristy, I was trying to put that off until tomorrow, but I’ll come find you as soon as Beatrice can show me her accomplishments,” Brianna replied.

  The two women walked down the rows of soil trays in the green houses. Everywhere there were little sprouts of new plant life. The greenhouses were starting to take on a smell of decaying organic material. Brianna wrinkled up her nose.

  “Phew, the place is starting to smell like a recycling bin,” Brianna said.

  “Well, if you take human waste and mix it with dirt, then place that mixture in a warm humid environment, that’s what happens,” replied Beatrice.

  “I know, it’s just a little stronger than it was before we left for the sea. Let’s go outside and look at the outside gardens,” Brianna said as they neared the entrance.

  She took a few deep breaths to settle her stomach and then went over to the small area that had been planted in corn. The seed had germinated and there were tiny sprouts just peeking above the ground.

  “You guys have been l busy since we left. I can’t wait to eat real fresh food again,” Brianna sighed.

  “We should start getting some squash and stuff in about six weeks,” Beatrice replied.

  They walked back to the ‘A’ dome where Kristy was waiting impatiently for Brianna.

  “Brianna, I wanted to talk with you about Odysseus. You’re going to notice a big change in him since we gave him the college level resource books,” Kristy said.

  Beatrice laughed. “Yea, he’s turned into a typical male college student!”

  “What do you mean?” asked Brianna.