“We’ve had nothing better to do for the past dozen weeks. We were ready weeks ago. We’ll be ready when you give the word,” Gaston said. “We’ve been having regular team meetings. Our local governmental structure is all in place and we’ll activate it after the initial set up has been completed. And as for the set up itself, that should be the easy part—barring unforeseen circumstances.” The last bit he added as an afterthought hoping they had addressed the unforeseen, making them not quite as unforeseen.
Commander Savage stepped to one side as they approached the hatch. Gaston did likewise, waving at Opie to bare his eyes to the security scanner. “You are the security guy after all,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
Opie rolled his eyes and then stepped up to the scanner. “Always glad to do my part, Captain. My iris is your iris.”
Captain McNally looked up as they walked into the conference room. His whole crew was already seated at the table. Commander Savage forestalled the argumentative comment he could see forming in McNally’s head. “Rex, you’re up first. Queue up your findings from the probes. Nicole, you walk us through the probes so we’ll all be on the same page.”
Nicole quickly organized her notes she’d jotted as she took a seat next to Rex.
“Rex, pull up the scan from the probe that we sent to the site of the radiation spike we recorded.”
Rex paged through the various displays until he found the one she had requested. “Here you go, Dar-ling,” he drawled out.
Nicole grimaced but began her explanation of what they were seeing. “This is an aerial shot taken as the probe approached the site. We angled the entry so that the probe would not appear to be coming directly from us.”
“Just as a precaution,” Rex chimed in.
“There’s a structure here,” she said circling it on their displays. “Keep an eye on it during approach.”
Rex slowed the vid at several different points giving them the opportunity to study the alien structure. It was domed and as the picture became clearer, Rex commented, “It almost looks like one of those Christmas balls on a stand that you shake and watch the snow swirl around a figure of Frosty the Snowman.”
“I suppose this is the best technological description I can get for one of your level of education and experience?” Captain McNally asked.
“No,” said Rex, “just the kind of explanation you’ll get for paying someone of my abilities at the rate which you do!” He hurriedly continued on before the Captain had a chance to retort. “It appears to be built out of some type of mineral or crystalline substructure.”
Nicole joined in, “You can see an entryway in its base as the probe lands on the far side.” And if this weren’t enough for proof of life and technology, watch this next clip. This happened right as we were getting ready to come to this briefing.” She nodded at Rex who started the next segment. “This is the same view from the probe. Watch right here,” she said, indicating a knoll on the top of a neighboring hill. As she spoke, that area of the hill blurred as though they were trying to look at something underwater without goggles and then one after another, four creatures—bipeds with very human-like countenances stepped from the blur. They spread out as if doing reconnaissance and then one of the figures stood in front of the blur and after a gesture of some sort more figures began to step into view. They watched as a small procession made its way from one hill to the other and then entered the structure. The initial four stayed out in the open and the blur seemed to dissolve until all appeared normal once again.
“We scanned the apparition as best we could with that probe but were unable to discover anything out of the ordinary,” Rex said.
“The probes are designed to search for signs of life,” Nicole said, “not analyze an anomaly of that magnitude. All those creatures had body temperatures ranging from 85-90 degrees F (28-32 degrees C). The ambient temperature is 75 degrees F (23 degrees C). We were unable to capture any audio, but it is quite obvious that these are sentient beings quite similar to the human race. Before we break into a discussion on this interesting topic, let’s go ahead and view the probes that went to Magellan. Rex, if you would, tile them all across the display.”
Rex began to work his magic and one by one the views from six different probes tiled across the display. “We were unable to find anything more than some basic plant and animal life,” Nicole said. “The ambient temperature is much hotter on this planet, so it is not as easy to catch the differences between the ambient temperatures and living creatures. If the same beings existed on Magellan as on its sister planet, they would actually be seen as a cooler spot than their surroundings.” She focused their attention back to the displays. “You can see in the fourth frame that there are actually wild horses roaming in this valley here. You may also be able to make out the birds that are feeding by them. (Probably to eat the insects that may be flying around them.) All of you fellow scientists will really enjoy studying the animal life here and the evolutionists back on earth may be shocked to find a species existing light-years away from an identical species back on earth.”
Michael couldn’t keep quiet at that comment. “You’re sure jumping to an awful lot of conclusions with very little information. And who’s to say that the evolutionary jumps made on earth would not happen here if the organisms required it?”
“Oh, I’m sure you evolutionists will find a way to explain it away, but having multiple identical species separated by such a vast distance definitely supports the idea of a grand designer.” Nicole smiled as she said it but was not looking for a creation/evolution debate.
As Michael began to bluster out his reply, the Commander cut him off. “There will be time enough for academic debate on the origins of all living things, however, with our time limitations let’s get back to the core of things. Is it your opinion based on the information received by the probes that Magellan fits within the parameters set for us by F.L.E.N.?”
He looked around as he spoke making sure that they knew he was looking for all their opinions.
Both Rex and Nicole immediately agreed with his question as they echoed, “Yes, it is.” The others followed suit soon after.
Joe said, “If they say it does, I agree. They’ve done the research and I trust their analysis.”
The Commander responded, “Then I motion that we begin the process of settling the planet of Magellan. We will initiate separation in one earth hour on my mark…MARK.” Putting his large hands on the table, he pushed himself up and stood looking down at them. “After we separate, I will no longer be immediately available as supreme commander of this expedition. As a matter of fact, it will only be in our quarterly conferences that my position will have an influence on your crews.” He was pointedly speaking to Captains Gaston and McNally. “We have the same goals, and we’ve discussed many scenarios. The best of luck be to you both and your crews. I hope you have taken the effort to get to know one another because this next phase will not be easy for either you or your people. As for my crew and me, we will run some more scans on Magellan’s sister planet and send you the results. We will establish a satellite office as a central repository for us all and then we will be off to chart our new solar system.”
Captains McNally and Gaston stood up and clasped hands in turn with the Commander.
“Best of luck,” the Commander said.
“Same to you,” Gaston replied. “Godspeed.”
“Good luck to you too,” Captain McNally said.
As the Commander and Leon left, the rest stood and stretched clasping hands, giving hugs and friendly swats on the back.
Captain McNally brought it to an end. “We’ll see you after we get to Magellan and have things set up in about two months-time as discussed. Come on guys, we’ve got little time before separation and I want all to go well.”
They all began to hurry to their stations down the long umbilicals that held their shuttles to the larger spacecraft.
Jacinto could not believe that the Mwene had actually
come to see it, and at the interruption of the guards, had not had time to again reduce the zoom on the strange craft she was following.
The Mwene and Baryesu first entered with the guards then she followed close behind.
Baryesu rushed to the scope with an exclamation, “Have they come so far already!” Then, “What have you done?”
Jacinto took a deep breath as she walked over to the scope. “It’s just zoomed in is all Baryesu, I didn’t do anything!” Red was creeping up her neck as she pulled the zoom back to what Baryesu had had it and gave control back to Baryesu. “There! Take it!” she said, looking out the corner of her eye at the Mwene who was calmly watching the whole thing.
Baryesu blustered as he zoomed the view out saying, “At least you didn’t lose it!” before turning his attention back to the Mwene. “Please forgive us,” he said. “I wanted the display as it is and was concerned by the state the scope was in.” He would have continued on, but the Mwene waved his hand and said, “We can save that discussion for another mark. Right now, explain what it is we are looking at.”
Baryesu gave one last glare at Jacinto then said, “We have recorded the object’s trajectory on this slate here, and you can see the direction it came from, and even the course adjustments it made when it drew too close to the proximity of the dark sun. As you can see, it’s heading directly for us and is not just an inanimate rock. It shows intelligence.”
“Zoom back in close so we can get a better look again,” the Mwene said, motioning his advisors closer.
Baryesu stuttered as he tried to convince the Mwene that wasn’t such a good idea.
“Baryesu,” the Mwene said, looking at him intently, “I am not used to having my authority questioned so I would suggest you do what I say without all the excuses and blustering.”
Baryesu stiffened markedly and then bowed. He turned stiffly towards Jacinto. He didn’t want the Mwene to realize that he couldn’t zoom in that far. He did not look her in the eye as he said, “Jacinto since you increased the zoom prior to our arrival perhaps you would like to do so again.” He tried to not allow the doubt he had in her abilities to bleed through to his tone, but it was obvious to all.
The Mwene looked encouragingly at Jacinto as she tentatively stepped forward and took the attention off her by saying, “I will project your view above us so that all may see better. Everybody, step back over here so you can see it better.”
As everybody moved over to where the Mwene stood, she took control of the scope and concentrated, zooming in close to the craft until it filled the view.
The Mwene stepped forward and laid his hand on the top of the scope just over the display and from the crystal in his forehead shot a beam of light that expanded until a duplicate view of the craft was visible just three steps in front of him. It seemed to fill the empty space and all that were gathered gasped collectively as it became extremely obvious that this was a vessel of immense size made by intelligent beings. They all just stood there silently taking it all in. Jacinto constantly adjusted the view to continue to track the vessel as it moved through the sky. This discovery did not bode well for their future. A race that could travel the stars was a race to be feared.
Baryesu was about to break the silence when four large flames burst silently from the craft, and what had been one craft became three. Jacinto began zooming back out from the crafts in order to keep them all in view. Pandemonium broke out as the shock of what they were seeing washed over them.
Mwene Crisópraso said nothing. He watched.
Commander Bill Savage paced slowly in front of the large windows above the ship’s main control panels on the bridge of the F.L.E.N. COMET. His eyes strayed to the bank of status LED’s that outlined a model of the ship. All green. Nothing wrong. He looked around the bridge at his crew still on duty. They were somewhat crowded at the moment, having doubled up their shifts for the separation they had just completed. All the tension that had been there leading up to the point of separation had evaporated with the departure of the other shuttles. He shook his head trying to rid himself of the feeling that something was going to go drastically wrong. He rarely had premonitions like this but had never been wrong before. The view was stunning as he looked out the windows with the sun behind the ship illuminating the twin planets. It was actually quite odd if you thought about it. No two planets had ever been recorded as having the same orbit and remaining this close to one another. By all rights, the planets should have collided. Their gravities should have pulled them together. But there they were right out his window literally defying gravity.
Commander Savage stopped pacing as his wife Dorothy approached, but barely did more than glance in her direction. She stood there silently for a few moments gazing out the window before she said, “It’s beautiful isn’t it Bill.” She spoke quietly not wanting to break protocol since they were on the bridge but moved by the dark expanse lit up by the twin planets like two large pearls shimmering on black velvet sprinkled with diamonds. “It’s times like these that I’m so glad to have this job. You got us all here safely. How does it feel to have successfully completed phase one of our exploration goals?”
He looked at her out of the side of his eyes before returning his gaze to the shuttles that were slowly receding into the backdrop of Magellan. “I should feel excited and I should be feeling a sense of accomplishment, but all I feel is a weird feeling of doom. Enough of that though,” he said turning his back to the window and eyeing the rest of the crew that was trying to avoid his gaze. “What’s the latest communication from the F.L.E.N. Outpost and the F.L.E.N. Windfall?”
“They have both indicated that their separation was completed without a hitch and on schedule. All systems are a go. They have already selected their landing sites and will touch down by the end of the day. They will remain aboard ship until tomorrow and run scans in the meantime.”
Commander looked around as she spoke, his eye lighting on Issur Brewer his chief Navigator. “Issur, plot us a course between the twins. Leon, I want every reading you can give me as we pass through. I mean to find out what makes the twins tick. I want to know why they haven’t already collided…”
“Commander,” Issur said, “I’ve entered the course into the navigational computer and I’ve made Robert aware of the changes to the course. However, I’m feeling quite ill. May I please go to sickbay to see if Sheila has anything that will help to settle my stomach?”
The commander eyed him for a moment before saying, “Your timing is terrible, but you may go. Return as soon as you can whether you’re better or not.”
“Thanks, commander,” Issur replied before bolting for the door looking greener with each step. Twenty ticks and two bathroom stops later, Issur stumbled into the sickbay where Sheila was doing a prenatal check up on Cindy Jones. Making sure that Cindy was comfortable behind the silicon “divider”, Sheila rushed over and began to run tests on him as he threw up into a vac-bag.
“It came on real quick,” Issur gasped, clutching his stomach. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s affecting me on both ends and in the middle.
Sheila comforted him saying, “It’s a bug that’s been going around. Twenty-four earth hours and you’ll be as good as new. Better actually, since you’ll probably be 40 kilos lighter as well.” All Issur did at that was groan and held the vac-bag back to his face. Sheila hooked him up to an IV to pump more fluids back into him. “You’ll not be going anywhere any time soon, so just sit back and enjoy the ride. I need to finish up with Cindy, and my next appointment is probably almost here right now. Buzz me with this button or yell if you need me and I’ll be right here.”
Sheila poked her head in on a couple of other flu invalids in various stages of recovery before depressing the intercom. “Michael,” she said into the microphone. “Michael! Wake up. I need you,” she said again, much louder this time and then she pressed the attention button, which would wake the dead if there were any in the doctors’ lounge where Michael should be on backup call
.
A couple of moments passed before a sleepy voice came on the intercom. “Drat you and that infernal intercom,” Michael slurred out, “What do you want?”
Biting back a sharp reply, she said, “We’ve had some more flu cases come in, and I’ve two natal checkups back to back. I really need your help.” She found that being sweet and “turning the cheek” always did more for her than saying what first came to mind when responding to people.
“All right, Princess,” he intoned. “I’ll be right down.” Sheila’s next appointment walked in the door as she turned to go into Cindy’s bay.
“Hi, Sheila.”
“Hi Bet. Come right on in and have a seat. I’ve got to finish up with Cindy and then I’ll be right with you.
“You go right ahead Sheila, it’ll be nice just to sit and do nothing for a little bit. Jim doesn’t care if I’m expecting or not; it’s still business as usual.”
Sheila disappeared behind the divider. “Let’s see… Now, where were we Cindy?”
CHAPTER THREE:
Arrivals
Jacinto continued to adjust the zoom on the scope until the three objects that had separated were all but indiscernible dots on the edge of the scope. The first object disappeared behind the bulk of their sister planet. In a voice not quite her own, she said “That’s one that’s totally out of sight now and the scope cannot track both of the other two. What am I to do?”
Mwene Crisópraso raised his hand and the surrounding hubbub immediately died down. All eyes turned toward him and those who stood on the far side of the scope projection stepped to one side so they would not be looking through it to see him. “Baryesu, I assume you have an alternate scope at your disposal?”
“Yes, your Excellency, it’s at least as good as what you see here now, but it is at my private residence.”
Solar Twins Page 4
