After pausing for a few moments, working her lamp upward, “or whoever built this structure; the experts tell me the flat top of this island appears to be a single crystal guided in its growth to the form desired by the builder; far beyond what we can do, and inconsistent with any civilization limited by something as primitive as hieroglyphics."
Pointing to the inscriptions higher up, "I suspect that's the clue. The higher you go the more complex the language becomes; suggesting above what we can see from here it may become even more complex. Once, and if, we can decode that, I suspect we'll find a language complexity exceeding our own; I'll bet on it."
Kevin commented, "a Rosetta Stone."
Annette nodded, "appears so, many languages, probably all with the same message."
They continued to examine the designs, and after a few moments Kevin commented, “odd, though. At the ruins and on the arch only glyphs. None of the script.”
Annette nodded, “more and more I’m beginning to think this cone has no relation to the Torgai, and has a different purpose. If that’s so, then perhaps the city, and the construction and arch at the island, were for ‘Torgai’ consumption, with the glyphs appropriate to their level; but this chamber had a higher purpose. Perhaps to communicate something else if the Torgai ever developed further. In any case, there must one have been something here far more advanced than the Torgai."
Again starting around the circuit of the room they continued on until Bert touched Kevin on the shoulder, and brought his attention to the light they had left by the entrance; it had disappeared. Retracing their steps several meters, the light again became visible. "Something's blocking the light," Bert said, "there's something in the middle of the room."
Shining his light toward the middle of the room, even focused as a spotlight, Kevin could see nothing. Turning to Annette, who was holding her own light, "shine your light on me, and I'll walk toward the center."
Walking slowly toward the center, shining his light alternately at the floor and straight ahead, Kevin felt himself enveloped in blackness, but when he was part way out his light started to illuminate a shape ahead. As he approached it appeared to be a small building with arches holding up a central dome. Soon he reached the structure and reached out and examined the surface; the same smooth crystalline material as the floor. Entering through one of the arches Kevin shone his light toward the center of the building, and stopped.
Minutes later . . .
Bert and Annette had worked their way to the center of the chamber, which had been a simple process, needing only to keep their eyes on the light at the far entrance and make sure it was obscured by the object in the center. Now they stood with Kevin inside the center-structure, looking at what he had found. In the center of the structure, facing the entrance to the central chamber, stood a figure; a statue of a creature the like of which they had never seen nor imagined before. Standing over 3 meters in height and stick-like thin, was a stature of what looked like an oversized insect. Above a lower trunk with its four legs was a long, thin, multiple armed torso, topped by a large head.
The three stood in silence, before Kevin commented, "that ain't no Torgai."
"No," Bert said quietly, "that ain't no Torgai."
Annette just gazed in amazement. There was no question now that there once had been an alien presence on the planet. Was it still here?
Several days later . . . .
With the discovery Takai and several others had immediately flown to the site and the entrance tunnel had been enlarged to allow the heavier equipment to be brought in. Now Kevin and Takai stood with the others at the side of the brightly lighted chamber. The large floodlights flown in from New Athens lit much of the chamber, finally showing Kevin and the others its full extent. The walls extended upward for as much as 60 meters before being topped by the flat roof. The entire wall area, and the ceiling as well, were covered with inscriptions just as the lower wall had been. Periodically the inscriptions changed to what they assumed was a different language, growing increasingly complex.
Except for the structure in the center the chamber was empty.
Kevin and his team had expected to find some sign of the old Torgai civilization when they opened the dome; possibly even some artifacts. But they had expected nothing like this. The first pictures and reports the survey team had relayed had caused Takai to stay up most of the night with members of his science team. There was a general consensus that what they had discovered went beyond the Torgai; far beyond.
The purpose of the inscriptions was becoming clearer as the data came in. It served as the equivalent of an extended Rosetta Stone; with at least a dozen different languages with increasing complexity, from the simple hieroglyphics at the lower levels, to the complex scrip higher up on the walls. An additional team of experts was immediately dispatched to the site.
The new team of experts was busily setting up their equipment to allow detailed recording of the inscriptions; a massive job, considering the size of the chamber. To aid in scanning the roof and higher levels, at first a scaffolding system was considered, but the idea had been abandoned. The scaffold was too great an engineering challenge since it would have to reach upward about 50 or more meters and still be capable of being moved along the walls, and all the material would have to be ferried in by the VLVs. Finally they decided to bring in a small, disassembled crane with an arm ending in a workbox that could be extended to reach the ceiling. While the tunnel entrance had to be increased in both width and height, it was decided that was the best approach. Once reassembled the crane would remain in the cavern for future use.
Right after the initial discovery of the chamber and the statue Taru had relayed the scene to Sula and Barco. All were equally mystified. Nowhere in Torgai legend or mythology was there anything to explain the strange statue. While it had been a strain in his weakened condition, Barco had insisted on visiting the chamber, which had required that he be lifted in a hammock by the winch, and carried into the chamber on his litter. When he arrived at the enclosure containing the statue, he had asked to be set down, then sent everyone away. He wanted to be alone.
Barco stayed near the statue for over an hour before signaling his apprentices he wanted to leave. He had been very quiet, and was clearly shaken by the experience. What had shaken him he didn’t divulge, not even to his apprentices; whatever it was it was something he must keep to himself. For a brief period, when in the presence of the statue, another mind had lightly touched his. A cold emotionless mind. For the first time in his life he had felt fear.
CHAPTER 15: Source of All Knowledge
(April 3, Year 24): During the summer and fall, until cold weather set in, Kevin and Annette spent most of their time at the crater. But as late fall drifted into winter and new discoveries petered out, both spent an increasing amount of their time with their other duties in New Athens. It had been immediately realized that the specialists and equipment here on Alpha 2 were completely inadequate for breaking through the more complex levels of the set of languages and Earth assistance was needed. But any help would be a long time coming. The first of the data wouldn't be received on Earth until late in Alpha year 26, over 4 years from when transmitted; with no possible answer until early in Alpha year 31. For nearly 9 years they would be completely dependent on their own limited linguist expertize.
The lower hieroglyphic text, identical to that found at the city ruins and at the two ceremonial sites, was soon decoded, but beyond that progress was slow. At first a Torgai creation myth not greatly different from that of the Bible was present, but as it progressed the story expanded, telling a story of long-dead cities and battles between what appeared to be the Torgai and the Kraa, but with occasional references to battles between Torgai. It was evident that, when the events occurred the Torgai culture had been much more sophisticated than now. Nothing had been deciphered, however, that could explain the advanced technology, the statue of the strange insect-like creature, or even hinted at the presence of an alie
n race. The text was silent; it appeared that, only when the higher levels were deciphered would the full story be told.
The statue engendered considerable controversy. One school of thought argued that it was a mythical representation of one of the Torgai gods, possibly Torga or Kraka. The other school argued that it was a representation of an alien; the builder of the chamber and the author of its texts. In any case no answer had been forthcoming. The telling argument was that it contradicted the deciphered passages which stated the Torgai gods were in their own image; therefore, it was argued, the only sensible conclusion was it was a representation of an alien intended for a more advanced Torgai civilization.
One thing Kevin was sure of, Barco knew more than he was saying. Ever since his one trip to the island he had declined to return, and refused to discuss the chamber and the statue at all. This disturbed both Kevin and Annette. Barco acted as if he had washed his hands of the island, supposedly the House of Torga, completely. He no longer even wanted to be consulted about the colonist’s plans or even hear about the results. He had retreated into himself and was rarely available even to the other Torgai.
They had been right in thinking the multiple languages served as a Rosetta Stone, like that found centuries earlier that provided the key to deciphering early Egyptian text; a series of languages telling the same story. Here, at each succeeding level of text the story of the prior level was repeated before going on to new topics. With that discovery progress speeded up.
Discovery of the cavern hadn't been the last major find, although it was several months before, while deciphering the fourth level of the story inscribed on the walls, reference to an archives was found. Successfully higher levels of text contained more references, including that an archives existed somewhere that contained special knowledge. However, there was no clue as to where such an archives might be.
As the references continued an extensive search was made, including the ceremonial site on the lakeshore and in the city ruins on the other side, but nothing was found. The cavern on the island, which extended a good 30 meters below lake level, was also carefully investigated for any evidence of a door to another area without result. Finally powerful sensors were lowered below the lake surface which disclosed a large shadow below the first chamber. Immediately Dr. Miller met with Governor Maesaka and his staff to discuss the unusual sensor results, and it was decided to cut through the floor of the cavern to investigate; a major undertaking. At least 5 meters of material separated the two chambers, and a cut that deep could take many days of round-the-clock work.
But the cut proved unnecessary. Before the work started a technician noticed a slight gap at the bottom of the statue in the central room. Further investigation showed that with sufficient force the stature could be moved to the side, disclosing a circular stairway which followed the walls of a circular tube extending downward until it disappeared in the darkness. When investigated further the stairs were found to continue downward for over 100 meters, ending in a circular room with arches leading outward to a vast chamber made of the same material as the chamber above, but much larger and higher. However, instead of being an open area, the interior was filled with a series of concentric metal rings reaching from floor to ceiling, with multiple archways through each ring allowing entry into the next area. Each ring contained shelves packed with scrolls, thousands upon thousands. It was an archives. The findings brought Takai, Kevin, and Annette on the first available VLV.
The first task was to improve access to the chamber below by building supports for a small elevator that could be lowered to the chamber through the circular center tube, the stairs being unsafe and also unsuitable for moving the needed equipment. Once complete a detailed investigation began. The scrolls easily unrolled, were undamaged by time, and were made from a very light, flexible, corrosion free metal. All were filled with script, sketches, and in some cases holographic designs. However, the language used for the scrolls at each successive layer of the concentric rings became more and more complex; with those on the outer ring shelves exclusively using the complex script on the upper part of the chamber above.
Because of the vast number of scrolls they were left in place in the cavern, with a limited number removed and returned to New Athens for analysis, and also some that would be returned to Earth on the next resupply mission. It was felt that leaving them in place provided the safest possible storage solution; after all, they had been here for probably thousands of years. In addition, the sheer number meant it would require many years before all the scrolls could be inventoried and a complete set of copies made. But from now on guards would be permanently on duty in the upper chamber.
The next several years . . .
During the years after year 24 the colony developed rapidly, but few significant new findings were found. Artifacts and some of the earlier Torgai cities were uncovered, but nothing dramatic. Even calling the former Torgai sites 'cities' was overstating the fact; they were generally small, estimated at no more than a few thousand residents, and mostly of baked-mud or unfinished stone construction; in sophistication similar to late Earth bronze age. This was only added evidence the Torgai were not responsible for the structures at the crater lake. But the mystery remained; while the hieroglyphic text had been completely deciphered, and considerable progress with the mid and lower level scripts, the higher level script still defied the analysts. This kept all but the innermost documents of the archives inviolate.
During these years the colony settled into a period of measured growth, the population pushing its boundaries outward. With the growth came changes. Now with an elected government, multiple cities and divided into several provinces, the colony had become a nation which adopted the name Athenia in honor of the first colonists.
While Annette, with her growing family, remained with her first love, archeology, Kevin's role in the colony had changed. With the restructuring of the national government into a democratic form in year 29 he had been elected to the part-time legislative body based in New Orleans, and later appointed by the prime minister as governor of the northern province centered on New Athens.
Takai was the first elected president, a largely ceremonial position, and lived a life of semi-retirement on a small river-front farm east of New Orleans. The active responsibility for government was in the hands of the prime minister, who was normally the head of the majority party in the legislature.
The armed forces, in their much diminished form, were under Colonel Kelso, Kevin's former executive officer, with Sophie Gardner as Secretary of Defense. While Captain Meyer was the logical candidate to head the armed forces with Sophie Gardner's elevation to Secretary of Defense, he had expressed the desire to retire to civilian life, and now owned and managed a large farm on one of the islands in the Protean Archipelago.
While the center of government had been moved to New Orleans most of the laboratories and industrial capacity still remained in New Athens. In addition, New Athens continued to support the space port, the only prepared landing site for shuttle landings from orbit. Some day one might be constructed at New Orleans, but because of the effort required to prepare a site in that difficult terrain this would be delayed until demand increased.
The population of Torgai had expanded as well, and now numbered several thousand, with a new Torgai village with Ta as headman and Sula as shaman established further north. Soon other smaller villages would be formed as well.
Such was the state of Alpha 2 when, during year 33, the first messages were received from Earth related to their attempts at deciphering the the alien script. Within a few years would follow meaningful progress with the higher level script, but still in bits and pieces. More than anything else, however, what could aid the final decipherment was the comprehensive software and specialized quantum computer recently received from Earth. This adaptive software was specifically developed for linguistic research, and the computer had been specifically designed to run that software. With these new resources progress picke
d up significantly, and they now had at least a chance at a breakthrough.
The second reason for optimism was the availability of the bright new graduates brought into Annette’s section; a group that had concentrated their studies on linguistics, a discipline rare among the original colonists.
April 10, Year 34
Mark Johnson and the full cabinet had assembled, as well as a number of invited guests, for this quarterly briefing. Annette moved easily to the lectern, nodding to those in the room, all of whom she knew personally.
"Since the last briefing,” she began, “I'm finally able to report significant progress, and while many of you are already quite familiar with the situation, others may have been too busy with your other tasks to stay current. We know rumors are flying and need to be sorted from the facts."
"As you are aware, the lowest level, the hieroglyphic text, was, as we suspected, the language developed to allow the Torgai to document their history and religion and support their primitive level of commerce. It is slightly more versatile than Egyptian hieroglyphics, but not much. Further, it appears to have been the only language in actual use, and is present both at the city ruins, the ceremonial site at the lake, and the ceremonial site at the island off the Great River delta."
“The upper levels hint strongly at an entirely different purpose. In each case the lower lines repeat the text below, but with considerable new text in each level. Further, each successive level of text as it progresses upward on the chamber walls is more sophisticated. The purpose appears to be to allow the Torgai to ultimately gain access to the archives as their civilization develops; something it failed to do. The text in the scrolls, as the chamber rings extend outward, shift to successively higher levels, with the outermost rings exclusively in the highest level script; none of which we have as yet been successful in deciphering, although we can surmise some of the subjects through the illustrations."
Resurrection: Book II: Settlement Chronicals Page 17
