La Tombola - 12. Chapter 12

Ned Boone 10

“Helm, Navigation tells us we are on course, match our speed to that of what the Mayflower’s was. It’s not that I don’t want to sneak up on the planet, we need to carefully approach and gather what data we can before we make any contact.”

Continuing Captain Jameson issued further orders to Engineering, “Chief, I want those droids gone over once again, ensure that all systems are operational and the redundant systems will seamlessly come online in case of any primary system failures.”

He wanted nothing left to chance, having come this far, failure wasn’t an option Captain Jameson thought. “Chief, I want the droids sent out in pairs, two pairs at a time. Confirm they will be simultaneously linked. I want to approach Orion-24ZFX from multiple directions. If any droid senses interference, back them off and resume probing from a different direction.”

Rubbing the sides of his nose, the things they needed to do was creating a list of tasks that was beginning to seem endless. It was critical to duplicate the course the original droids took when they made their initial surveys, and those of the Mayflower. He needed to know everything about the planet, duplicate all the surveys, conducting topographical, mineral, along with environmental and most importantly the technological capabilities of any descendants of the original settlers.

Now wasn’t the time to rush, there were so many things they needed to know, if it took the time equal to a standard earth month, then that was what they would do. What was it his grandfather told him when he always seemed to be rushing from one thing to another, “Haste makes waste’ he remembered fondly.

~

From the texts of the ancients, Ned thought he understood the theories of how they were able to travel to this place they now called home, though much of it remained unexplained. The concept of electricity was foreign to him, and while they had not the ability to create it as such, he saw no need for it.

After the evening meal, James Bishop once again led them to Mithras and now understood the danger they all faced and why the first settler’s technology failed. It was primitive compared to the technology they were facing now and thus easy for Mithras to render it inert, useless. Whatever was in that box presented a danger to all of them, that it could call out to others placed them in the gravest of danger. It was almost too much to take. As he stood by the fire he felt an arm slide around his waist, “Would you care to go for a walk with me?’ Peter asked.

Looking once again into the eyes of the boy he loved above all others, he simply nodded his head, words were failing him and his memories playing tricks with him Closing his eyes as Peter gently grasping his elbow leading him back down towards the cement dock at the old irrigation pond. The years fell away as they made their way down, the mid-summers evening giving away to the rising of a full moon. There was a placid breeze soothing his troubled mind, carrying the faint smell of the fruit tree blossoms.

Time and the years seemed to slowly slip away and once again as if in a dream, in his mind’s eye, Ned was transported back to another summer’s night, one fraught with pain, misery, and a silent acquiescence of the duties of obligation his community entrusted him with. As they drew closer to the irrigation pond, he could sense the warm breeze slightly raising goosebumps on his exposed flesh, bringing him back to the present.

In the soft, diffused moonlight, Peter was every bit as beautiful as he could remember. He knew with age, his memories tended to romanticize the images he recalled. Standing before him was an image that had never faded, dulled, or clouded in his memory. Every detail of his features was exactly as he remembered. A frisson of excitement surged throughout his body as he watched Peter remove his clothes, awaking long dormant memories of his youth.

With what could only be described as a ‘come hither’ grin on his face, Peter called out, “You aren’t going to stand there all night are you?”

With a determination and speed that belied his age, Ned soon found himself standing knee deep in the water, drawing Peter towards him, enveloping him in a hug he had waited so many years to give him once again. Time seemed to stand still, he knew not how long they stood there, only that the pain and sorrow at their forced parting had dissipated. He needed to see more of Peter, to touch him, grasp his flesh, to hold him at arm’s length, to once again drink in the physical perfection of his lover’s body. Looking down, it was then he saw the reflection of their bodies in the moonlight on the surface of the still waters.

It couldn’t be he thought, desperately trying to convince himself it wasn’t a dream, for in the reflection, standing next to Peter was his thirteen-year-old body.

A finger softly placed against his lips momentarily calmed Ned, whispering in his ear, Peter explained that the night was a gift from Mithras, that in the morning, things would be as they were, they were wasting time.

~

The data they were collecting looked promising, nothing yet was specific to detailed, the first information the droids sent back was general in nature. A typical class M planet, mostly a water world, its rotation around its sun was nearly a standard month longer than earths. There were no indications of any resource’s worth extracting. As to its place in the universe, it was by all indications a young planet. Most of the surface was three-quarters water and the remaining landmass was broken into what could be considered three continents and two ice covered polar regions.

Two of the continents appeared to be newly forming, not as far along as the one indicated as the landing destination, deep in throes of evolutionary development. That third continent spanned the optimum position to take advantage of the better climate. If they were going to find any of the descendants of the first settlers, it would be somewhere on that continent.

“Sir…I’m picking up a reaction, a variation to the planet’s magnetic fields every time a droid comes too close to the planet.”

“Have you run your findings through the diagnostic computer Chief?”

“Diagnostics confirm it is a cause-and-effect situation and diagnostics extrapolated one other data point Sir,” the chief engineer replied.

“What are your findings Chief?’ The captain asked, a bit of impatience showing through his otherwise placid demeanor.

Not wanting to belabor a point, the chief engineer knew everyone was on pins and needles, impatiently awaiting any news or new data. “It would appear Sir, that every time the planetary beacon sends a signal, it creates or sends ripples through the magnetic field as well!”

“Please review your findings one more time, and while you are doing that, I want a low-level electrical pulse sent to nudge the magnetic field. It is imperative you make it just strong enough to dissipate on contact. Until we know more, have all the droids maintain a safe distance, hold off any further scans until we have a better handle on what we’re up against. Let’s meet in my ready room in a half hour…Helm, you have the bridge!”

Rubbing his temples, Captain Jameson contemplated the latest developments. It was clear they posed a threat to the planet, one he now understood to be somewhat similar in some respects to earth. Earth had a robust magnetic field, generated by a swiftly revolving magnetic liquid conducting core. The result of all of this, was that that magnetic field repulsed particles from the sun’s solar wind. Without that magnetic field, the solar wind would be able to eradicate all living things on earth.

Now he had a partial answer to at least one of the mysteries, Orion-24ZFX differentiated from earth in one critical aspect, this planed either was slower in its revolutions or the liquid core wasn’t revolving as quickly. The issue of solar winds had him slightly perplexed, the sun this planet revolved around, appeared to be far more stable than earths. Additionally, of the twelve planets in this solar system, those that were closer to that sun, appeared to shield Orion-24ZFX from much of the damages from those solar winds.

All his thinking and thoughts left him with one horrifying thought, what if they inadvertently or unknowingly damaged or destroyed that magnetic field?

~

The morning dawned cool and clear and found everyone gathered around the cooking fire. Off in the distance a rumble of thunder could be heard, looking in that direction they could see that storm clouds were brewing. As they ate their morning meal, James Bishop explained where the container and beacon were secured. Leading them to the furthest corner of the old granary he pointed to three large flagstones. It was obvious from the size of the stone that a lever and fulcrum would be needed to move the largest.

In short order a log of suitable length along with a large piece of firewood were put to use. Backs straining, the stone was raised enough to block under it, several pairs of hands were able to grip the edges and safely move it off to one side. Moving the other two stones took little time and the man-made opening was uncovered.

Thad went into the small opening followed by Evan and disappeared down a short, narrow passageway where they found a blocked off opening. Cleaning and scraping around the edges revealed handholds large enough for their smaller hands to fit. As they pulled against the stone, it fell back with a thump, raising a small cloud of dust from the tunnel floor. A torch revealed the container, a small metal box with handles on either side. Carefully exercising caution, they were able to bring the container to the opening in the stone floor of the granary.

A decision was to leave it there for the moment while everything was packed for their trip to the lava vent. Once all their gear was packed and stowed away, they turned their attention to the box sitting on the floor of the tunnel. Closer examination as they lifted it up showed that time, over a thousand cycles of the sun, had affected the condition of the box. The chamber it sat in had not been watertight and one corner of the box had rusted away. It clearly wasn’t in any sort of condition to make the trip to the lava vent.

They were fortunate that the box wasn’t secured by a locking mechanism, with a bit of effort and some groaning from the rusted hinges the top was lifted, revealing what they understood to be the danger to not only Mithras, but Peter and James in their corporeal forms. It was a black cylinder the length and size of Ned’s forearm. The surface was polished to a smoothness that revealed no other openings or identifying markings. After a few minutes, giving everyone a chance to look at it, it was time to go.

~

“Captain, I’m picking up stronger signals from the beacon, Engineering tells me the signals are having a ripple effect on the magnetic field.”

“Can you tell me if the signals are strong enough to do any damage, any lasting affects?” The concern in Captain Jameson’s voice was palatable. He wasn’t sure what they were witnessing, from his seat on the bridge, the view screen showed a computer-generated image of the planets magnetic field. Every time the beacon sent a signal it left a dark spot. Now the concern was over what the stronger signals would do, if they continuously bounced against the same area.

“Captain, a closer reading of the magnetic field shows a large faded distortion over the general area of the signals from the beacon.”

“Bring it up on screen please concentrate on the affected area and contrast it against an unaffected area.”

Another piece of the puzzle was right in front of his eyes, with knowing what they did now, the electrical effects of their equipment on the planet’s magnetic field, was it, would it be possible that the faded discoloration was indicative of the first landing site? Was the magnetic field capable of healing itself given time?

“Engineering, give me some options on landing on the surface, the challenge is to get us down there without disturbing the magnetic field.”

~

“This is where I need to leave you,” James Bishop sadly informed them. “Peter will guide you to the lava vent and back. Mithras asks that you make way quickly and while you will see many wondrous things not to delay and she will await you up at the cliff face upon your return.”

They made good time that first day, it set the tone for the days to follow. While the weather remained fair, they were never far ahead of a bank of storm clouds that seemed to follow them.

Thery led them as they crossed the land of the Gnos, much like the land they tilled, there was an abundance of wildlife, fruit and nut trees and a larger assortment of bushes laden with berries. While the Gnos were hunter/gathers, they tilled small garden plots with dietary staples. As they crossed the verdant grasslands, they encountered a series of rolling hills. Crossing over those hills the landscape began to change as they approached their destination. Here the land began to resemble scrub wastelands.

The soil became sandy and the vegetation they were accustomed to slowly disappeared. No longer were they accompanied by the birds flying overhead, the wirrels and monkychips had fallen to the wayside. It was clear to all that little to no rain fell on the ground they were traversing. What pools of water that they did see were foul smelling and shined with a rainbow of iridescent colors on the surface. Scattering about their feet were small scaly creatures that seemed to blend into whatever surface they happened to be on.

More disconcerting were the intermittent mud pits, bubbling away, infrequently sending small streams of mud or water skyward. Occasionally they would see remnants of skeletons of creatures that were unaware of the dangers this land possessed. It was a confusing land, something they were completely oblivious of. What they feared the most were the times the ground underneath them would shake, sporadically leaving small fissures on the ground they walked on. The path they traveled on was narrow and to a person they were careful not to stray past the edges.

It wasn’t too far now, Peter informed them, a half day’s walk. The landscape began to change once again as it began to rise steeply under their feet. No longer were they walking over the hot sands, as the path led them across a boulder field. As they gained elevation the landscape changed once more. Ahead of the were vast stretches of barren land, the remnants of an old lava flow.

The blackened surface rolled and rippled away from them, frozen in time. Here and there, small spouts of steam would escape the confining surface. To Ned, the surface resembled a river stopped in the midst of moving. In the distance he could see what appeared to be bursts of solid flame breaking the surface reaching skyward, only to fall back down in glowing clumps.

He along with the others stood there in wonder at what they were seeing, a world so alien to what they were used to, that it seemed incomprehensible. Standing beside him, Peter explained that they would need to carry the device to the edge of that pit and see it safely tossed in. They would have but a few minutes to do this as Mithras prepared the way. No matter what they saw or felt, they weren’t to dawdle or hesitate.

Taking the device in his arms Ned followed Peter across the lava field. At first the heat was searing and as they drew closer, it was as if a path had been created for them. On either side of the path, they walked on he could see shimmering walls of incandescence. Now that they were but steps away, the ground under their feet gave of a glowing luminosity. Drawing closer, Ned could now see the river of molten rock flowing as if a swiftly moving river through an opening in the hardened lava bed. Standing there entranced at the sight Ned was mesmerized, Peter’s hand on his shoulder reminding him why he was there. Taking a last look at the device, he watched it disappear as it landed in the molten lava.

~

“Can anyone tell me what just happened?” Exasperation showing through Captain Jameson’s voice, further putting everyone on edge. “What do you mean the signal from the beacon is lost?”

“Sir, we’ve been following it over the past several days. It started moving as you recall. If you look at the image of the magnetic field you can see a series of what appear to be dots, indicating the direction it was moving. From what we can best ascertain, the signal was lost in what would appear to be in an area of some sort of minor volcanic activity. With our sensors blinded anytime we get too close to the planet, there’s just too many unknowns.”

Captain Jameson knew, like everyone else, that the beacon simply could not move by itself. So…what did move it, and how was it moved and why? Research into the ships historical records and databanks showed that the beacon weighed less than ten old earth pounds and was about eighteen inches in length. “Can you give me an estimate as to how far it has moved?”

“Sir, we estimate the object was in motion for nearly seven of our days. Additionally, we’re confident based on the rate of signal, that the beacon wasn’t moving during night on that part of the planet.”

From the facts in front of him, the logical conclusion Captain Jameson surmised, was that someone or something was responsible for moving the beacon and ending its capability to send signals. The question now was why, what dangers did it present to whomever moved it?

“Science Desk, where’s the report on the status of planetary technology? Do we have any inkling of any sort of a power grid, energy generation? Have you intercepted any means of communication over distance?”

“Negative Sir, we can’t, from this distance detect any evidence of an industrial base or development.”

It shouldn’t be possible Captain Jameson thought, if there were survivors of the first landing, with the tools and technology they had at the time, there should be some sort of sign of technological/industrial development. What was it they didn’t know when they landed? From what limited information they had when they first came to this planet, the conditions were ripe for human colonization. There weren’t any indications of any other humanoids inhabiting the planet.

All the conjecture left only one other option, they would need to find a way down to the surface, after surveying the planet below the magnetic field.

~

The desire to go home propelled their feet a bit quicker than the journey to the lava vent. Up a bit earlier in the mornings, taking less time eating and resting, walking until the last bit of light faded from the evening sky, saw the weary band of travelers took less time arriving back at the location of the old town square. They arrived early enough to sit for a mid-day meal and to replace the section of flooring they had opened to get to the beacon. Hot, sweaty, and dusty a trip to the irrigation pond was in order before they sought to commune with Mithras.

~

“Engineering to Bridge, Captain we’ve discovered an issue with the computer files from the Discovery.”

Unknown to anyone but those who created the computer virus so many centuries ago, it lay dormant until it was triggered. Complicating any chance of discovery and removal, was the age and construction of the virus. It was so old and basic that it lay virtually undetectable until a series of basic commands were issued. Those commands that lay dormant were those revolving around embarkation to a planetary body. Tethered to the ship's mainframe, the virus was tickled and quietly sprang into life.

“Sir…we’re losing…no, we’ve lost parts of the main computer system, the droids we’ve sent out have all self-destructed. Moreover, records show any transmissions back to earth stopped once we came across the Discovery. All redundant systems have failed and it is anticipated we will start losing critical systems shortly.”

“I need an estimate until we have a systemwide failure, isolate the shuttle and have the shuttle bay doors opened. Confirm the shuttle hasn’t been tethered to the main computer.”

“At the rate the systems are cascading, our best estimate indicated we have no more than four hours until life support crashes.”

“All hands…this is the captain speaking, it would seem, that we are the victim of an ancient computer virus we picked up from the Discovery’s programming. As I speak, all ship wide systems are failing, please grab your personal effects and meet me in the shuttle bay. Engineering estimates we have less than four hours to clear the ship.”

“The ship is programmed to self-destruct in situations such as these. We need to ensure we are as far away as possible. As such, I intend to bring us down to the planet we’ve been surveying.”