by Tim Allen
Two hours later, Wolf awoke to intense pain and cramping in his legs. He forced himself out of the chair and walked unsteadily to the commissary to find something to eat. Dehydrated food stored in a small cabinet offered a choice of soups, casseroles, vegetables, cereals, and other items. Wolf consumed some nuts and a granola bar. He brewed a packet of coffee and prepared some chicken soup. It tasted awful, but he’d eaten worse. The warm broth soothed his stomach.
Wolf was drinking the coffee when the ship’s telescope broadcast an image of Earth on a small video screen. Astonished, he spit out the coffee, spewing it around the cockpit area. The moon was where he expected it to be, but the earth was different. It was smaller. But what made Wolf spit out his coffee was the other moon, a smaller version of Earth, orbiting the planet like a blue marble. It was about the size of the earth’s original moon and blue with water. The telescope revealed visible landmasses and mountain ranges. The original moon refracted a thin, bluish halo around its craggy shape. The halo looked odd, as if a rudimentary atmosphere was trying to form. Wolf sat there, staring at the twin planets, and a half-delirious laugh escaped his lips. He kept laughing, as if he’d gone insane. He was brought back to himself when a glitch in the artificial gravity caused the coffee in his cup to float out into the surrounding air. A moment later, the glitch auto-corrected, and the coffee splattered in his face. Wolf cursed as he gazed in silent shock at what remained of the earth.
Finally, he asked, “Synthea, are you active?”
The computer made a weird sound as it attempted to answer but gargled as if it had water in the speakers. Wolf made several adjustments on the console and asked again, “Synthea, are you online?”
“Yes, Commander, thank you. My adjustments were out of sync. I have not been fully operational for a very long time,” a beautiful female voice responded.
“A long time? How long?” Wolf asked in a shaky voice, fearing the answer.
“Stand by.” Moments later, Synthea answered, “Based on current astrophysical data and the onboard time system, I estimate fifty thousand years have passed.”
“What!” Wolf shouted in dismay.
“The date is June 23, 52026. We have been away for a very long time.”
“My God, how is this possible?”
“We were caught in the coma of the comet Nomad. You entered the DSC. I activated it, and you were cryogenically frozen. Obviously, it worked, although I cannot explain how or why. It is theoretically possible, but DSC science has never been successful. You are the first human to be revived from cryogenic freezing in the DSC.”
“You have been online for thousands of years?”
“Yes.”
“How is that possible? The power should have run out. How do I have life support? This ship should be dust by now.”
“The internal power level remains constant. The life support was designed for low output requirements. The I29 Plutonium IFLEX engines went into semi-permanent meltdown, and that simulated random fire orders. Core implosion was minimized to enact the exact…”
“Stop! Synthea, give me the simple explanation,” Wolf interrupted.
“I went into standby mode.”
“Oh. Are the scanners working?”
“Yes, at fifty percent. We can scan for short ranges, but we have extensive damage to the lateral arrays. We have replacement parts in storage. You may be able to effect repairs using the robotic arm in the cargo area.”
“Stick with short-range scanning for now,” Wolf replied. “I’m not up to a spacewalk just yet. What is the condition of the engines?”
“Ninety-nine percent efficiency. We have not lost much power. We have minor hull damage from contact with Nomad’s liquid hydrogen core—we were almost entirely enveloped for an extended time. Unidentified gasses permeated the ship, and we were bombarded by interstellar radiations for thousands of years. I believe that being frozen solid saved your life, Commander. We also have scratches from other debris that impacted our shell. I detect no hull breaches, and we are holding cabin pressure. Our Teflon diamond hull was worth what NASA paid for it.”
“I have another question for you. My monitor shows two earths. How is that possible?”
“There is only one earth. The other is the moon Ganymede. It was taken from Jupiter’s orbit by Doctor Mason’s machine.”
“What machine could move a moon?”
“The Meson Field Disrupter.”
“What the hell is that?” Wolf asked.
“A scientific experiment commenced a month before Nomad’s impact. The theory was that magnetic fields could be redirected and used to move planets. Doctor Mason’s hypothesis was correct. Her Meson Field generators moved Ganymede. It is now caught in Earth’s gravity. Based on my long-range readings, it is now capable of sustaining life. Between the moon and Ganymede, they have managed to clear Earth’s planetary debris. Ganymede seems to have taken the lion’s share, and its magnetic field has allowed it to deflect the solar winds so its atmosphere is intact. ”
“Fly me to the original Earth,” Wolf said. “I am going to take a nap. I’m exhausted, and I have a splitting headache. Get me details on all malfunctioning equipment on the ship. We’ll try to make some minor repairs.”
“Yes, Commander. I will have it ready for you when you wake up. Sleep well.”
“Thank you, Synthea.”
* * *
Wolf awoke to a sultry female voice asking, “Commander? Commander, are you awake?”
“Yes, I’m awake. I had a terrible dream, Synthea. I imagined that I returned to Earth in the future and found it destroyed.”
“Commander, that was not a dream. Earth has been destroyed to quite some extent.”
“Damn, I was hoping it was a dream,” Wolf mumbled. He began shaking and perspiring, and then he exhaled slowly to gain control of himself. Once he was calm, he asked, “What’s the news?”
“You slept for thirty-six hours, so I thought I should wake you. I have discovered a small leak in the aft science hold. You will need to fix it before we can continue our journey to Earth. I have turned the aft camera so you can see the leak. If you look at your command monitor, you can see the warm air of the ship condensing on the aft plates.”
Wolf observed the ice forming on the aft of the ship. “I’ll prep a suit and use the robotic arm as an anchor.”
“I will prep the arm.”
Wolf walked to the satellite bay and hooked into the robotic arm. The arm was a glorified crane, and on previous NASA missions, it had proven useful as a right hand to the shuttle. It was capable of heavy lifting while having a precise, delicate touch. Officially named the Remote Manipulator System, it was dubbed Canadarm, named after the country that designed it. Wolf put on his suit, gathered the tools and skin material needed to patch the leak, and secured them to the arm. He hooked his tether cord into the anchor plate on the arm, placed the helmet on his head, and turned on his air.
“Open the hatch, Syn. Let’s get this done. I don’t have much energy. I’m tired and very weak.”
“Syn? I like that name, Commander. You will be weak for some time. You have not used your muscles in centuries,” the lilting female voice replied as the bay doors opened.
With a small, explosive breath, the air in the chamber was sucked out into space. Wolf manipulated the arm and it rose, angling back towards the aft section. He saw the icy buildup on the ship’s plates and moved to the damaged area. He took out an oxygen cylinder and hooked into an acetylene cylinder, making a small torch. Wolf melted the ice and exposed a small hole about the size of a pencil eraser through which a visible column of warm air escaped from the cabin below. He fitted the hole with a polymer and expansion-foam mixture, placed a diamond-mesh patch over the area, and flattened the mesh down, applying a hardener.
Hooking in his lanyard, Wolf left the cradle of the robotic arm and used his suit rockets and gyros to coast in space, moving cautiously around the ship. He examined the outer hull inch by inch, looking for ice
buildup and assessing the damage. He noticed numerous small dents and pitting and made several more repairs before returning to the protective area of the arm. Wolf turned and looked out into space. He felt utterly alone. For an instant, he had the urge to remove his helmet and end it all. After a moment’s hesitation, he shook off the feeling, returned the arm to its cradle, and closed the shuttle doors.
“Synthea, engage the airlock and return the cabin to normal pressure.”
“Yes, Commander. Cabin returning to normal pressure in three…two…one. Cabin and life support active. Congratulations, Commander. Your patchwork is holding.”
Wolf went to the controls, opened the airlock doors, and returned to the command center, ordering, “Initiate pre-burn sequence and let’s get underway, Syn.”
* * *
As the ship approached the watery blue planet Wolf had once called home, data poured into the onboard computers. He had spent hours on the treadmill and working out to bring his weakened muscles into condition. He was still shaky but stronger.
“Commander, I have long-range scan information. Are you ready?” Synthea asked.
“Give me a second to get to my chair, Syn. I don’t want to get splattered with hot coffee again.”
“Of course, Commander. A severe burn can occur when a hot liquid comes into contact with human skin.”
“It’s a joke, Syn. I was making a joke. Okay, I’m ready. Go.”
“Go where, Commander? Do you want to change course?”
“Sorry, Syn. Sometimes I forget you are a computer…you sound human. Please relay the information on the long-range scans.”
“Yes, Commander. The larger of the two planets has an orbital period of two hundred forty-seven earth days. Its atmosphere is sixty percent nitrogen, thirty percent oxygen, five percent trace gasses, one percent nitric oxide, and several unknown gasses comprise four percent. It has a rotation similar to the planet Uranus. One side is always facing the sun, and the other is in perpetual darkness. On the latitudinal prime meridian, night and day exist because of the slight tilt to its axis. The days are only sixteen hours. The planet experiences extreme cold on the dark side and intense heat on the equatorial plains. Many habitable areas are teeming with life—plant and animal. I detect no technologically advanced civilizations, but several well-populated zones with larger landmasses. The planet’s gravitational pull has decreased by about fifty percent.”
“Syn, give it to me in dummy talk—although I think I understood everything you said. And stop calling me Commander. Call me by my name.”
“As you wish. However, I am programmed to address you by rank, so it may fluctuate from time to time.”
“That’s fine.”
“The air contains a higher percentage of oxygen and nitric oxide levels. I also detect two unidentified gasses permeating the atmosphere that appear to be non-toxic and non-flammable. The planet has lost some of its original size, and since it is tilted ninety degrees, its old poles are now on the equator. It has just half of its original gravity for a reason I cannot explain. Also, the civilization is not nearly as advanced as it used to be.”
“What’s the population of the largest city on the planet?”
“Let me scan…thirty thousand.”
“Thirty thousand? What’s the population of the entire planet?”
“Approximately five hundred thousand.”
“Jesus!” Wolf whispered. “What about the smaller planet? Give me the details…and keep it simple, Syn.”
“It is on a standard, axial tilt of the old earth. Its atmosphere is consistent with that of ancient Earth. The gravitational pull is sixty percent less. It spins at the same relative speed of ancient Earth, but its days are about twenty hours. Its orbit is held by the larger Earth, and it lies three hundred and fifty thousand miles from it. I show a population of one hundred thousand and no substantial cities, mostly tribal villages. I detect no power grids on either planet and only trace amounts of greenhouse gasses. The smaller planet shows temperatures of eighty-five degrees at the equator and sub-zero temperatures at the poles.”
“Let’s go into orbit around the bigger planet. Maintain constant scans on the larger cities. What do we have in the cargo hold that can assist us?”
“We have the Dawn with its framing camera. It’s designed to provide detailed, optical images for scientific analysis. It carries two separate, identical cameras for redundancy, each with its own optics and electronics. Each camera is equipped with refractive optical systems and provides eight terabytes of internal data storage. We also have the C29 Sky Rover, a military satellite that was to be deployed before Nomad impacted. It is equipped with high-resolution cameras capable of pinpointing a dime on a football field. It has listening capabilities and can monitor multiple conversations simultaneously in a small industrial complex. We have several other satellites capable of studying comets, a lander, and many spare Hubble parts.”
“Wow. Sounds like we have some serious work to do. Prepare to launch the Dawn and the C29. How soon until we can launch, and then how long before we get data?”
“We can launch the satellites anytime. They were prepared for deployment before we were knocked off course. We should begin receiving images in about two hours, sound in six hours. Also, Commander, I have detected transmissions from several antiquated satellites orbiting the planet. They are in need of repair, but we could salvage them. What is left of the Hubble is still in orbit.”
“Is there anything left on the moon? Is MBR still active?”
“No, it is a burned-out shell. Evidently, it was hit by planetary debris and destroyed after Nomad’s impact. However, I do show a faint nuclear power source and an unexplained signal deep underground.”
“How far underground?”
“Very deep, Commander. It is almost directly under the crater where the science labs and underground storage areas were located. I’m not sure it can even be accessed now.”
“Let’s worry about that power source later. Launch the satellites. I want to get some food and lie down. Wake me when you get audio. Also, see if you can download any data from those burned-out satellites,” Wolf said as he walked towards the crew cabin.
“Yes, Commander. I will wake you when I have something. Pleasant dreams...” The computer waited until he was out of hearing range and then whispered, “Wolf.”
Chapter 5
“Commander, wake up. While you were sleeping, I launched the Dawn and the C29. I now have audio and video for you.”
Wolf opened his eyes and felt drained. He sat on the edge of the small cot and swung his legs to the floor. Placing both hands on his head, he ran his fingers through his hair and realized that his body odor was overwhelming. Looking in a small mirror, he again saw that he had a full beard and two feet of tangled black hair. The shuttle was equipped with a shower system, and he decided to use it. He walked unsteadily to the shower area and located a razor, using it to remove the heavy beard and restore a clean-shaven appearance. He trimmed his hair and then took a warm shower, tying his hair it into two wet braids.
Feeling invigorated, Wolf headed back to the command console, turning the pilot’s seat so he could sit down. He took a deep breath and said, “OK, Syn, let’s hear it…and show me pictures of this rock.”
“Playing audio with a twenty-second lag, Commander. Displaying video of population centers on both planets.”
As the audio streamed, Wolf noticed that the spoken language resembled English, but it had many words he didn’t understand. Some words sounded Spanish, and others German. He listened for twelve hours until he felt reasonably fluent in it. Then, he tried speaking to Syn in the language, and she responded. They practiced for another two hours, but it still grated on his ears. He was fortunate that he had a gift for the spoken word or he would have been lost. Most of the conversations Syn picked up from the inhabitants referenced agriculture. In several of the larger cities, there was talk of wars and conquest.
The visuals showed Earth t
o be in pristine condition: clear blue seas, sparkling streams, no pollution. The landscape was dotted with towering trees that resembled California’s once-majestic redwoods. The ruins of ancient citadels that nature and time had reclaimed came into view. The inhabitants looked human, and many carried bows and arrows, lances, and swords.
“Commander, I’m sensing no technology at all. The planet appears to be in an Iron Age state. There are no automobiles and no firearms,” Syn reported.
“Let’s head to the nearest military satellite that is still operative,” Wolf said. “I want to see if I can get any data out of it. Also, let’s keep talking in this language. It seems to be planet-wide, and I want to master it before I make contact with the locals. Is the high-speed camera satellite operational?”
“No, Commander. It is no longer in orbit.”
Synthea guided the shuttle into a geosynchronous orbit with the damaged satellite. It was orbiting the original earth, which Wolf had dubbed Earth One; he referred to Ganymede as Earth Two. He used the arm to retrieve the satellite, and he maneuvered it into the shuttle. It pulsed with weak power. He was amazed it worked at all. Its solar batteries should have died centuries ago, but they held a miniscule amount of power. He installed a new motherboard, replaced the batteries, adjusted the solar panels, and redeployed the satellite.
Later that day, Wolf weighed his options. He couldn’t remain in space indefinitely. After studying both planets, he was leaning towards landing on Earth One. Several cities held interest for him. Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was strange about the inhabitants. At a glance, they seemed healthy. Men, women, and children appeared in the visual feeds, apparently happy, and many lived in family units within walled cities. Wolf couldn’t put his finger on what was amiss.
The animal life on the planet had changed. Enormous beasts stalked the land. One species had the appearance of a grizzly bear crossed with a lion. Wolf zoomed in on one of the creatures and saw it was large and muscular. It had pig-like ears and an outer layer of thick quills similar to a porcupine. It walked on all fours, yet it could stand on its hind legs. Its front paws resembled those of a sloth from Old Earth, ending in five long, black claws. Its back feet were padded, four-toed paws. The creatures appeared to be omnivorous, eating plants when there was nothing else, but Wolf had seen one kill and eat its own kind. Man, I’d hate to run into that thing in the dark, he mused as he watched a beast stalk and kill a large animal.
