by E. C. Tubb
Naysmith hesitated before replying, his mind still whirling at the implications of what he saw. Then he managed to say, “It’s a space station.”
Jamieson had heard him, for his voice rasped, “A space station? That’s impossible. This must be millions, if not billions, of years old. Even something nuclear-powered couldn’t possibly be still functioning after all that time.”
From the edge of his vision, Naysmith saw the Major move forward, teetering on the rim of the opening.
“I realize it isn’t easy to take all of this in, Major,” Carl said. “But we have to believe the evidence of our own eyes. What we’re seeing now is something completely alien. Charon is not a moon of Pluto as we’ve always thought. Whoever—or whatever—constructed this must have been as technologically superior to us as we are to the apes.”
“And no doubt you have a theory as to why it’s here?”
“I’d say that’s fairly obvious. The human race—indeed the entire solar system—has been observed and monitored for countless millions of years. Whatever instruments are down there, they clearly detected our approach, which is why this airlock opened automatically once we set foot on the surface. I’d say we’ve been invited to enter.”
“Do you think that’s wise?” Sheila cautioned. “After all, we’ve no idea who these aliens are. It could be a trap.”
“For once, I agree with Doctor Marland,” Jamieson said, stepping back from the edge. “And as far as I can see, there’s no way down that shaft.”
“There has to be,” Carl declared. “This is clearly an airlock of some kind. My guess is that some form of antigravity is acting within this station.”
“You think they could have been sufficiently advanced for that?” Sheila asked.
Naysmith sucked in a deep breath. “There’s only one way to find out,” he said flatly.
He knew he was taking an awful chance but equally, they would learn nothing by just standing there. Almost without thinking, he took three steps forward, over the rim of the opening, out into empty space. For a heart-stopping moment, he thought he would plunge headlong down that awesome shaft.
Then he was drifting slowly downward, the smooth walls rising leisurely on either side. With an effort, he tilted his head and looked up. Four other figures were visible, moving down behind him. Sheila was there and he’d known Jaraieson would follow. Evidently, the Major had ordered two soldiers to accompany him in case of trouble.
Inwardly, Naysmith felt certain this massive space station was no longer occupied. Those who had constructed it would have left long before mankind had evolved on Earth. Only instruments would have been left to maintain a constant watch, patiently waiting for the evolution of any intelligent life.
Level after level passed by his vision, some brilliantly illuminated, others in complete darkness. Then, after what seemed an interminable period, he reached the bottom. Almost at once, gravity returned and as far as he could judge, it closely approximated that on Earth. A few moments later, the others joined him.
“This is almost beyond belief.” Jamieson stared around at the vast space in which they found themselves. Banks of instruments, miles long, occupied three of the curved walls. The ceiling was so far above their heads it was almost lost to sight. Seven massive corridors radiated from this central region, stretching away to the limit of their vision.
“An alien space station more than seven hundred miles in diameter.” Sheila’s face was a pale blur behind the transparent vizor. “But why—?”
“Why is it here, disguised as a moon of Pluto?” Carl turned from his contemplation of the tremendous arrays of colored lights which flashed on and off in strangely hypnotic sequences. “I think the facts speak for themselves. Someone out there, some race in the galaxy, far older than the human race, has been keeping watch on planetary systems, waiting for life to appear. I’d say that, long ago, when mankind began to evolve, this station detected it and sent a signal to somewhere.”
“But why?” Jamieson queried. “What could they hope to gain by that?”
“Who knows? We’re dealing with aliens here. It’s impossible even to guess what their motives were. Somehow, I don’t think we’re the only race to have been kept under constant surveillance all these billions of years.”
Jamieson reached a decision. “Until we find out more, I’m placing this station under military command. Now we know there are other races out there, beyond our solar system, we must search this place thoroughly. There could be weapons here far more powerful than anything we have at present. The sooner we find them and learn how to use them, the sooner we can defend Earth if it should come under attack from space.”
“Is that all you can think of? Bigger and better weapons!” Naysmith’s tone was sharp. “There could also be information here, knowledge, which could be of great benefit to mankind. And, if possible, I want to try to discover where this race came from.”
It was several moments before Jamieson replied. Then, reluctantly, he said, “Very well. You may carry out your investigations. But under no circumstances will you be allowed to interfere with my men.” Almost grudgingly, he added, “Perhaps it would be useful to know where these aliens came from. It’s even possible they know we’re here, although they may be light years away.”
* * * *
By the end of the tenth day they had examined only a minute part of the gigantic space station. Corridor after corridor opened out along the great central shaft. Even though Jamieson had drafted in twenty of his men, they still knew little about either the builders or its purpose. Naysmith’s belief that it was only one of thousands, perhaps millions, scattered throughout the galaxy, was still only conjecture.
There were strange letters and symbols everywhere, but it was impossible to decipher them. And there was the silence, deep and absolute. The countless machines and instruments functioned without sound and the power that energized them seemed limitless. Small shuttles, automatically operated, now transported them for miles, deep into the station.
Then, Naysmith came upon a part of the huge station he had not visited before. From what little he knew about the general layout, it was well removed from the central area. The corridor he had taken suddenly ended in a vast door. Unlike other doors they had encountered, blocking off certain passages, this one did not open automatically as he approached.
Baffled, he stood for several minutes studying it closely, then ran his fingertips over the carved walls on either side. The small protuberance cast no shadow in the all-pervading radiance. He pressed it gently, then more forcibly, felt it move.
Soundlessly, the great door slid aside.
In the center of the massive space stood a strange-looking craft, its outlines completely alien.
Stunned by what he saw, he called to the others, waited until they carne up.
“This is some kind of starship,” Jamieson said after a brief pause. “But it’s unlike anything I’ve ever—”
He broke off abruptly. A voice suddenly sounded inside their heads.
Now that you have discovered this vessel, it is time for you to know everything. Countless races such as yourselves have evolved within the galaxy since it was formed. We were among the first and, unlike most of the others, we went out among the stars, not to conquer, but to observe and guide.
This vessel will travel far faster than light. It can take you to the stars. At the moment, it is programmed to return you to your home planet. Once there, the decision how to use it is yours.
“This changes everything.” Jamieson’s voice held a note of intense exultation. “Once the military on Earth get their hands on this ship, their scientists will soon have a fleet of them ready.”
Naysmith swung on him. “I won’t let you do that. You’ve already destroyed one satellite. Now you want to—”
He stopped. There was a weapon in the Major’s hand, pointed directly at him. A little further away, several of the soldiers were also covering Sheila and himself.
“I’m a
fraid you don’t understand the position, Naysmith. The Endeavor is now no longer of any use to us.” He spoke rapidly into his communicator.
“I’m giving orders for the Endeavor’s engines to be destroyed. Now I’m taking everyone on board this vessel back to Earth. You and Doctor Marland, however, will remain here. I’m afraid you both pose a menace to the Terran Government and can no longer be trusted.”
Naysmth watched tautly as the last of the men climbed on board the alien starship. There was nothing tie could do. They were marooned within this space station.
A wide section of the curved ceiling opened to reveal a portion of the star-flecked heavens. Soundlessly, the great starship lifted and moved towards the airlock. Within seconds, it was gone. Their brief view of the stars was wiped away as the steel doors of the airlock closed.
“I suppose I should have foreseen something like this where Jameson was concerned.” Carl tried desperately to keep the bitterness and despair from his voice.
Sheila opened her mouth to speak, but—
Those of your kind who have taken the starship and returned to your homeworld are like most of the others we have observed, filled only with greed and a lust for power.
“Then why have you let them go? Once they discover the secret of interstellar flight, there’ll be no stopping them.”
There was a long pause, a waiting silence. Then:
Our period of observation and assessment is now over. The two of you are possessed only with a natural curiosity, a desire to know more of the universe. The outer locks have now been closed. There is an atmosphere inside this vessel, which is compatible to your needs. It, too, can travel far in excess of light and will take you to a planet, far from your own, one different from that which you call Earth.
As for those who have taken the starship, they will return to your mother world and there a virus will be released into the atmosphere. Within days Earth and all of those other worlds where colonies have been established will be completely devoid of life!
MOON DIVE, by Sydney J. Bounds
How was Gloria coping?
As soon as she phrased the question, Ramona recalled a favorite saying of her mother: ‘No news is good news.’ Sometimes, perhaps, but it wasn’t necessarily so. She told herself she wasn’t worried.
Tango music played softly from her private stock of discs. The research sub, Lobster Two, swung gently with the tide at the bottom of the cable coming down the borehole; somebody had guessed right when they designed the lower end to be flexible.
Rock-a-bye baby, except there were no trees under Europa’s ice cap.
Why should she worry? Gloria was senior and had insisted on taking the first risk; and there was a risk. A robot sub had tested the waters of Europa and failed to return, leaving no clue to the reason for its disappearance. If she didn’t come back there would be a vacancy for the senior position.
“Are you awake?” Paul’s voice traveled down the cable, interrupting her dream of being the expedition’s only marine biologist.
“Si. It’s quiet here, peaceful. What’s it like up top?”
“Cold, so I keep busy.”
“I’d keep you busy,” she murmured, foot tapping to the sweet and low, “if I were up there, lover.”
“I heard that. Nothing from Gloria yet?”
“Nada,” she agreed.
It annoyed her that he seemed to prefer Gloria. What did he see in that diet freak, tall and thin as one of those ridiculous models back home? Even though he was no gaucho from the pampas, Paul was the only male on Europa and so they had to share. And, because he got to choose, that made him Mr. Smug.
More bone than meat, she reflected, with a straggly beard that reminded her of a nanny goat. Still, he was a first class engineer and they depended on him to get them to the surface and back to Earth.
Even so, even if she was still wearing her thermal suit, she’d rather be below the ice where the thermometer read a fraction above freezing point. Rather than up top looking out at the desert of ice that was Europa’s surface.
It wasn’t just the big freeze that got to her. Jupiter, a huge beach ball, striped ochre and pale orange, hung suspended overhead, forever threatening to fall. After the deep trenches of the Pacific, the view was frightening and she didn’t think she’d ever be able to face it without a shudder.
She dreamed a little of her attic flat off the Avenida Corrientes, and the smell of roasting coffee beans from the café around the corner. Small as it was, the flat was a luxury mansion compared to the cramped interior of the submersible. Her reclining seat was comfortable enough, providing she didn’t move; any careless movement resulted in an assault by sharp-edged lockers or a battering from metal-clad tubes or—
The sonar echoed ping and she came alert. Letters tapped out, were automatically amplified and transmitted upstairs:
TROUBLE. NEED HELP.
She keyed back: HEAR YOU. WHAT TROUBLE?
Ramona didn’t wait for an answer. She was busy preparing to leave; Paul would hear, but only she could take action. She started her countdown while tapping on her morse key: COMING.
Paul’s voice came down the wire, his last words before she cast off: “Take care—I don’t want to lose both of you.”
Gloria replied and the sound filled the sub: BLIND. I’M BLIND.
Lobster Two, disconnected from the cable, eased forward, descending, following the sonar trail. Ramona stared through the forward porthole into dark water.
She searched for a light from Lobster One. Nothing. As she manipulated the joystick it occurred to her that if Gloria disappeared, she would be the expedition’s sole marine biologist; fame and fortune would be hers alone. She put temptation behind her; they were a team and she was part of it.
Blind? What did Gloria mean by that? How could she be blind? Before they’d left Earth all three had passed tough medicals. The sub had portholes, searchlights and video screens. It didn’t make sense.
As the sub sank lower the temperature rose and Ramona stripped off her thermal suit, revealing an ample amount of olive-colored flesh. Perhaps too ample. The hell with dieting; she liked to cook and she liked her food.
The deeper she went, the higher the temperature climbed. They knew the center of Europa was both radioactive and volcanic; perhaps the core was molten—but she had no intention of diving that deep to find out.
She was moving faster, and she didn’t need instruments to tell her that Lobster Two was caught in a current that swept her along like a piece of jetsam, taking her deeper. They had anticipated that Jupiter’s gravity would make the ocean tidal, but not to this extent. She would have to ride it out.
She switched on her searchlight; it would be ironic if she crashed into Lobster One and ended the whole mission.
There was an eerie glow ahead, the faintest luminosity contrasting with the inky dark; sweat rolled down her naked body. She glanced at the pressure gauge and her lips compressed; the Lobster series had proved themselves in the depths of Earth’s oceans, but they had limits.
The forward screen, pointing down, showed a fiery red; lava flowed and water boiled into a fog of steam; geysers jetted upwards. The noise of a subterranean eruption blotted out her sonar.
After the near silence just below the ice cap, the noise was deafening. She checked that her cameras were running; these images alone would be worth a fortune back home.
Searing light flashed and blossomed and flared like a furnace exploding as deep rumbles shook the submersible and tossed it about. She imagined the hull rupturing and knew fear. The joystick seemed immovable, and she had no doubt she would be cooked like a lobster if she couldn’t ascend quickly.
She stared into a vision that would have convinced an old-time preacher he was looking into the mouth of Hell and tasting brimstone. And this was the crucible for life beyond Earth, they’d hoped…
The geiger chattered to remind her the radiation count was going up.
The sub was beginning to ascend, but slowly;
the controls were sluggish. Sweat oozed from her pores until she felt she was in a sauna. She released ballast and Lobster Two rose up that bit faster.
After a while she relaxed, tension easing as she realized she was out of the current and the controls were working again.
Ping…
Sonar made contact with Lobster One. A screen showed a fuzzy image of Gloria’s sub and, somehow, it looked different. The hull appeared to be covered by…covered by what?
She closed the gap between them, studying the strange transformation. Water blurred her vision; dust—or microbes?—hung in suspension. Could the covering on Gloria’s sub be algae? Or amoebae? A thrill shot through her; it seemed they had discovered a primitive life form.
Or not so primitive. Something detached itself from the hull of Lobster One and undulated towards her. It had the appearance of a carpet woven with many strands of different colors. A plant?
It rippled through the water as if propelling itself, the colors subtly changing. From one angle it seemed translucent.
This matting covered Lobster One’s windows and electronic eyes; no wonder Gloria was blind.
I SEE YOU, she tapped out. LIFE HAS FOUND YOU.
They had dreamed of finding Europan life, and now they were going to be famous, providing they got back.
She manoeuvred closer and the mat jiggled; she changed her position to make sure she got it on camera. CCD images recorded it and then the camera eye was covered.
What had attracted it? Obviously it detected her: light, she thought, both subs were showing lights. She switched off all her lights, and waited. After an interval, the camera eye worked again.
SWITCH OFP LIGHTS, she tapped. WAIT.
She risked a dim glow, enough to observe her immediate neighborhood, and saw the mat standing off from her. It drifted, waving gently. Was it exhibiting curiosity? Trying to communicate? Sheer nonsense, she told herself; at most, this was a kind of seaweed.
She waited in the near-dark until the carpet broke up into individual members and floated away from Lobster One.
