“Why didn’t they communicate with us? So much could have been avoided if they had opened a dialogue.”
“Two reasons. They’d never used the wormhole tech before that. When they came out the other side they realized that the gravitational disruption caused by their sudden appearance affected a lot of their own systems. They were unable to send any signals to us. Essentially their three ships were nearly dead. Based on intercepted signals prior to them leaving Proxima, they knew when the STS ships would be launching so they thought they had plenty of time to arrive and instruct you not to leave and that they were here to help. So they put themselves to sleep for a few months while their ships travelled. The plan was to wake up once they reached Earth’s orbit then take shuttles down to the surface.”
“But they didn’t count on us accelerating our launch date.”
“No, that was a surprise. Two days before they would have woken up from short-term hibernation, humans launched the nuclear weapons causing an emergency wake up. It wasn’t long before they realized that our fleet was leaving. And like I told you before, they tried to stop you. They tried to hack into your ship and when that didn’t work they sent one of their own to attempt a dialogue. However, and like I said there are two reasons they didn’t communicate, as a species they are physiologically unable to speak a human language. I’m not sure what happened with the Proximian that boarded your ship, but apparently communication wasn’t achieved.”
“We electrocuted it, knocking it unconscious then tied it to a chair. Eventually I let it go, but I think after it woke up any desire to help us evaporated when it realized we hurt it.”
“Yes, that would do it.” Zale couldn’t help but to laugh about the mishap.
“We had military people in charge and we were trained to think and behave a certain way.”
“What’s done is done. Anyway, you got away and your location was lost. They helped us turn Earth around and now we’re a two species civilization.”
“Why can’t we go to Proxima now, though and get the other ships?”
“The Proximians have the technology that would get us there in no time. We don’t and they won’t share. They made a vow to never return and they have no interest in breaking that promise so they’ve never let us learn how to manipulate space like they did. Sure, our own ships are faster than yours were back then and we could get there in a single lifetime, but it would be years too late.”
“Why would we be too late?”
“Tabs were kept on the planet after they arrived here. At some point guerilla warfare broke out between the two remaining factions. From what we can tell, an eventual truce was made after many died and their cities destroyed. The side that wanted to continue using technology moved to the dark side of the planet where their electricity could keep them warm. It’s believed they live in underground cities, but nobody has spotted them on our telescopes in centuries. The other faction divided into tribes and continued to live off the land. But they’ve devolved, Liam. They’re savages—brutal killers, but intelligent. They’ll stay hidden and bide their time. If your friends on the STS ships haven’t come into contact with them yet, they soon will.”
Chapter 22
ANN AND SALENA followed the markers taking them from the tent city of Inizio to the ruins where Ray was examining the remains of a collapsed building. Inizio delighted Salena with its twelve hundred scientists living and working together within thirty separate electrified perimeters connected by trails through the jungle.
When Salena arrived earlier that morning they ate a quick breakfast before Ann took her to see the captured animals. She had to nearly pry Salena away from petting the calmer ones. Then she took her to check on the wind and solar power generators located on the western edge of the settlement. Six wind turbines and a hundred solar panels and counting were pumping electricity throughout Inizio. Salena commended her energy department on the great job they were doing. Afterward, they decided to continue on to the ruins and eat lunch with Ray.
There was no clear border when they left the jungle proper and entered the ancient city. Through the undergrowth they started to notice the remains of rubble and yellow tags on trees that marked specific sites for later research. As they proceeded deeper they passed teams of two or three archeologists working under red tags. They were clearing away the jungle and excavating dig sites. They marched on for another mile passing more sites, some already cleared of the overgrowth and showcasing clearly visible ruins consisting of rusted steel. At last they came to one of the perimeter fences surrounding several large white tents. A few scientists walked to and from the tents carrying artifacts of some sort—the larger ones required people on both ends. Ann led them to the gate and called over a passing man.
“Ladies! Can I help you with anything?” he asked.
“Yes, hello. We’re looking for Ray Davis,” Salena answered.
“Ah, of course. He told us some friends might be passing by this afternoon. Yeah, he was going to be checking out a site not far from here, but then this morning a probe found something unbelievable so he and another guy went to check it out.”
“Any idea where that is?” Ann asked.
“Hang on a second.” He jogged to one of the tents and re-emerged seconds later with a piece of paper. “Here’s the coordinates. Just plug those into your GPS and you’ll be set. It’s a good two mile walk, that alright?”
“We’ll be fine. Thank you so much!” Salena said.
“It’s nothing. Have a good hike.”
The man went about his business while Ann plugged in the coordinates. “You sure you have time? It could take us about an hour to get there.”
“I could use the exercise. Plus, I can’t get over how beautiful nature is here. Who would’ve ever thought we’d see plants in these colors. I could walk through here all day.”
“Alright. Let’s get to it.”
The location was east of the ruins through rough terrain. They had to take several detours due to not being able to find a clear pathway. Some creatures high in the trees made noises above, but sounded nonthreatening. Salena thought they were making a game of following them through the jungle, likely getting amusement from all their starts and stops through the jungle growth.
They came to a stream and took a rest, filling their canteens with fresh water. A fallen tree made the perfect place to sit. After it was clear they weren’t moving on, the creatures above grew bored and went on without them bringing a silence to the jungle.
“So,” Ann began, “you and Ray. Are you going to make a move today? Who knows when you’ll see him next.”
“I don’t know. Is now even a good time? Everyone is so busy—both of us especially.”
“We’re going to be busy setting up an entire way of life here for many years to come. You can’t wait around when it comes to forming relationships or else what the hell are we doing this for?”
“I’m not even sure how he feels about me and you’re over here hinting about us populating the planet.”
“Well, it has to be done eventually.”
“I know. But one step at a time please.”
“Fair enough. Just if you need me to take a little stroll for twenty minutes just give me a sign.”
“Oh, stop it!”
“Sorry, you’re right. It’s Ray, so more like five minutes.”
Salena punched Ann in the shoulder causing her to spill her canteen. They both fell into hysterics laughing uncontrollably.
“Are you ready to keep moving?” Salena asked after the snickering died down.
“Yes, we should be almost there. Fifteen more minutes or so.”
Ann refilled her canteen and they moved on following the designated GPS path. They observed that as they walked closer to the point where Ray should be, the temperature began to rise. When the GPS readout signaled they were fifty feet away they came up against a steep incline that rose twenty feet to a crest.
“Shit. They should be right on the other side of t
his. It’s hot as hell, too,” Ann said.
“I’ll go first—I’m a good climber. Follow me.”
Salena grabbed the closest small tree and pulled herself up. Ann mimicked each of her friend’s movements as they climbed using trees and roots. The temperature soared ever hotter, but not yet unbearable. After a grueling climb, they reached the summit and looked down upon a small cluster of mud huts amongst some of the largest trees Ann had seen yet. She counted five trees with each trunk sporting a diameter of at least thirty feet. The trees touched the sky, rising high with leaves so thick she couldn’t make out the tops. The eight huts were spread around the trunks and in the very center was a small steam vent spouting what must be the source of the heat they were experiencing.
They spotted Ray and another man examining a rack of some sort with animal hide draped over it. “Hey!”
Ray looked up and beamed. “Hey! Careful on the climb down, it’s just as steep,” he shouted.
Ann and Salena meticulously made their way down the hill until they neared the bottom when they let gravity and inertia carry them down the rest of the way at a slight run. Ray caught Salena as she almost knocked herself into him.
“I wasn’t sure if you would come all the way over here. It wasn’t exactly an easy hike,” he said, hugging her.
“No, it wasn’t. But never mind that. What is all this?” Salena asked.
“Our greatest mystery yet. This is a village. And it’s been used—recently.”
“What?” Ann asked incredulously. “That’s not possible.”
“I know. But here we are. The tree coverage combined with the heat from the vent masked this place well from our scans. A probe just happened to fly through here and see this remarkable place. Naturally this site was bumped to the top of the priority list, but only a few know it’s here. I was given a security escort and we came to check it out.” Ray pointed to the man holding a PL-6 rifle at the ready.
“We’re not alone on this planet?” Salena asked.
“It appears not. I’m positive there are more of these small villages spread out in the jungle and likely beyond. Look...” he led them to the animal hide. “See this? It’s fresh as far as I can tell. Possibly to be used as clothing or a blanket. And over here in this hut—a bed and small table.”
Ann looked around in the hut and pushed down on the bed. “Where are they now?”
Ray shrugged. “I’ve been taking pictures of everything I can find. I can’t send them back to base from here because the satellite signal is shit through those trees so I figured I’d head back soon. I’d like to get out of here before whoever returns and sees us.”
“You’re right. It’s not safe,” Ann said.
“We brought lunch, though,” Salena said.
“Thank you, Salena. We can eat it on the way b—”
The sound of a PL-6 rifle firing from outside the hut shut them up. Two bursts of the heated plasma then: “Hold it!” from the security detail from outside.
“Looks like we lingered too long,” Ray whispered. “I’ll go first.”
Slowly, Ray exited the hut only to discover his security detail, a grizzled middle-aged man named Ross, aiming his PL-6 at a lone figure who stood at the edge of the village holding a ragged knife. Two fresh burn marks scorched the ground near the figure’s feet. The alien was gray skinned with a bald head. It was tall—nearly eight feet, but skinny. The only clothing on its body was an animal-hide covering its waist down to its knees. Red paint decorated its face and chest with intricate designs.
“Holy shit,” Ann whispered as she followed Ray out the hut. Salena grabbed Ray’s arm and stood behind him.
Smartly, the alien lowered its knife to the ground and backed away from it.
“What do we do?” Salena asked.
“Do we bring it back to Inizio?” Ann asked.
“Too dangerous,” Ross said. “It would know where we are and there might be others staying out of sight who would follow us back.”
“Should we kill it?” Ray asked.
At that the alien turned its head to Ray. Prudently, it brought up a hand and unmistakably motioned for them to remain calm. With its other hand it signaled for them to follow it.
“Did it just understand you?” Ross asked.
“Maybe.”
Again, the alien signaled its desire for them to follow it as it backed further away and turned around to face the jungle. It spoke in a language that sounded nothing like any dialect they had heard before—the voice deep with clicks. Then it started walking away leaving them behind.
“Do we follow?” Ray asked.
“Come on,” Ann said. She walked around Ray and in front of Ross and followed the alien into the jungle.
“Shit.” Ross shook his head and fell in behind Ann. Ray and Salena exchanged glances and without a word they took each other’s hands and followed.
Liam awoke the next morning in his overly large bed after a restless night's sleep. His thoughts raced most of the night jumping from one possible scenario to the next. At the park Zale told him everything she knew. When he brought up the fact the STS ships were equipped with advanced weaponry and high-tech equipment, she countered that the Proximians on the surface would have them outnumbered and knew ways to take advantage of what the planet could offer. They may not have plasma rifles, but they were far from defenseless. The fight would be long and bloody on both sides.
He asked her who he would need to appeal to for help with a rescue and she told him who to talk to, but only the Proximians had the technology to reach the planet in time and she already knew what their answer would be. Still, he lay in bed for hours after returning to the apartment thinking of a way to convince them to help.
When he returned the previous night after talking with Zale, Debra had already retired to her bedroom. Now he could hear her in the kitchen and smell the breakfast she was cooking. He knew he had to tell her what he was told, but dreaded saying it out loud—almost like speaking it would seal the fates of not only Ann, but everyone else on the four STS ships. Feeling hungry, he put on fresh clothing and went to join her in the kitchen.
“Good morning,” Debra said, hard at work cooking eggs on the flat stovetop. “Omelet?”
“Yes, please,” he said. He took a seat at the bar top, glad that she was in a good mood, her first in a while.
“We have ham, peppers, and cheese.”
“That sounds amazing, thank you.”
As he took in the smell of the sizzling omelet frying on the stove, Debra placed a cup in front of him filled with steaming black liquid.
“Is this—”
“Real, genuine coffee. It’s to die for.”
“I’ve always wanted to try it.” He took a sip and let out a moan causing Debra to laugh. “Better than I thought possible.”
“Right? I’m on my third cup.”
Liam drank his down while Debra finished the omelets and joined him at the bar top.
“So what’s the bad news? I heard you come in late, which means you and Alday had a lot to talk about. I assumed it was distressing so I woke up early to make you breakfast and help you break it all down.”
“I appreciate it. You’re right—it’s not good.”
While they ate he told her everything that Zale communicated to him.
“They’re in trouble,” she said when he finished.
“And I don’t know if there’s anything we can do about it.”
“If the Proximians aren’t willing to share their wormhole tech, I don’t see how we can get there to help.”
“Zale says our best bet is to talk to the Proximian council on Earth—it’s a private council that deals exclusively with Proximian affairs and they’re not affiliated with the PAG. She has a friend on the council, someone she went to university with. She says our chances are slim to none that they’ll help, but it’s better than going to the government.”
“Then we go to Earth and plead our case.”
“If we could con
vince them, Debra, we’d be going to war. Some on board The Hawking might be willing to fight for the others, but I’d bet most just want to get settled and begin their new lives.”
“How do we even contact The Hawking? Or get up there? We’re inside an atmo-dome.”
“Zale expects us to be taken back up later today or tomorrow. She thinks the PAG will decide to resettle us on Earth. So getting up there and back to Earth shouldn’t be a problem. As much as I might want to rush things head on, I’m afraid that will only make our precarious situation worse.”
“You’re right. We need patience. It’ll take at least a week or more for The Hawking to reach Earth depending on where the planets orbits are at the moment. I’m afraid we can’t jump into war just yet.”
“We?”
“Did you think I was just going to hang back and start over again on Earth? There’s nothing for me there. No one is waiting for me. Landon is gone—Ann and the others are still alive. I can help you bring them home.”
“Do you think they’re still alive?”
“Absolutely. And they will be when we get there, too.”
The alien led them deep into the jungle and further from the relative safety of Inizio. For miles they walked, resigned that they wouldn’t be returning any time soon and would likely be sleeping on the ground, but at least they had one PL-6 in case they needed it. They already decided amongst themselves they would sleep in shifts if they had to. Tired and sweating after travelling for hours, the group was miserable when they arrived.
Like the village before, a growing heat forewarned their arrival as well as another incline, though this one not as steep. The view from the top filled them with wonderment. The tiny village they left behind was insignificant compared to this. Thousands of aliens lived here. Some tended the land, hunters returned with fresh meat, and others were constructing a spacious new mud hut. Several steam vents provided the heat under the same type of tree canopies as the smaller village. An animal carcass cooked above the closest vent rotating on a spit. High in the trees wooden structures connected by bridges created an awe-inspiring aerial infrastructure. Stairs wrapped themselves around a handful of the trees to reach the upper levels. Smaller aliens—Ann assumed they were children—were being taught how to properly skin one of the latest kills by an adult hunter.
Proxima Page 24
