Space Pioneer 1 - 16. Chapter 16

The spaceship descended to Earth and landed on the Sinai Peninsula. It came down smoothly on a plateau high up in the southern mountains at night. The ship was in full stealth and defense alert mode. The external sensors of the ship were scanning the area and the main computer was processing and analyzing the incoming data.

"Everything’s quiet on the plateau. No sign of anybody being around," Corr said after checking the analysis results. "Shall we send off a drone to check the slopes of the mountain, captain?"

"No," Lest said. "The external sensors cover the entire plateau. They will register if anybody enters it. I doubt, however, that anybody will show up here. Ezer’s shuttle is parked west of the pyramid. Can you trace the shuttle, by the way, Hulton?"

"Not directly," Hulton replied. "I have not yet established a connection with Ezer’s shuttle, but I’m working on it. I’m however monitoring the computer of his main ship in space. The computer gets updates from Ezer’s shuttle. The shuttle has not been moving since I located it a couple of hours ago. Ezer and the other two men are apparently occupied with something on board."

"They’re analyzing and studying artifacts perhaps," Jeff said.

"I suggest we make our shuttle ready and fly over to the pyramid compound as long as Ezer is not moving around," Lest said.

The others agreed. The shuttle left the Horus an hour later with direction to the Great Pyramid of Giza. On board of the shuttle were Lest, Jeff and Doctor Midad. Corr, the pilot, and Le’Ton, the navigator, remained on the Horus. They had order to leave the planet and jump back through time in case of a fatal incident that occurred to the three men on board of the shuttle. Hulton also remained on the Horus. He was in charge of checking on Ezer Malk’s ship and controlling the transmissions between the Horus and the Horus shuttle.

The shuttle flew at a high altitude and arrived at the pyramid compound an hour before dawn was breaking. Lest descended and slowed down the shuttle. They were cruising across the place. The men didn’t see much when looking out of the windows, but the shuttle sensors were scanning the area thoroughly and the computer was generating good images of the place. The shuttle was flying on a pre-programmed route. The autopilot was in control of the maneuvers and the flight was subtle and smooth. The men eagerly studied the incoming images of the Great Pyramid.

"This pyramid is quite a big building," Doctor Midad said, pointing at the image on the screen.

"The pyramid is not yet finished, but the building is already enormous and quite impressive. I wonder how they erected it. It’s odd. I would have expected a vast area with construction material and equipment and also accommodation places for the hundreds of workers that must work on the site, but the construction site is not as big as I had imagined it," Lest said.

"What’s this?" Doctor Midad asked, pointing at a line on the image.

Lest studied it. "A fence. The place is fenced, I think." He looked at a display to his left. "Dawn is breaking soon," he said. "I suggest we climb higher and watch from further above."

"How long can we stay up in the air?" Jeff asked.

"The shuttle can fly for fifty hours, then we must refuel," Lest said. He touched his temple and focused on his neural implant, then reported to the others. "Hulton gave me an update. The Horus main computer is receiving pings from Ezer’s shuttle. They’re not in stealth mode and apparently don’t fear being detected by any advanced technology. Hulton was tracking the pings. Ezer’s shuttle is still parked west of the Great Pyramid. I suggest we fly there and try to spot it."

Lest entered a new route into the console. The shuttle climbed higher and cruised to the west.

"Are we shielded from sight or can anybody see our shuttle?" Doctor Midad asked when dawn was breaking.

"Our shuttle is not entirely invisible. It doesn’t have full stealth capabilities," Lest said. "I doubt, however, that the natives can spot it as we are flying at a high altitude. I can’t be sure about Ezer’s shuttle, though. I have no doubt its sensors would detect our shuttle, if they were scanning the sky, but I’m quite certain that they won’t do so. Why should they watch the sky when the real danger is on the ground? They must make sure that their shuttle is invisible to the natives. This means they must use their energy resources for the shuttle’s protection shields. They must start and fly back to the main ship in a while. They can’t waste their resources. I’m fairly sure they’re not monitoring the sky."

"The Cherti shuttle carries more fuel than our shuttle, I think," Doctor Midad said.

"Yes," Lest replied. "According to Hulton, a Cherti shuttle can fly for 160 hours."

Jeff was calculating. "About one Earth week," he said. "He must leave in the course of the day, if I calculated correctly."

"Right," Lest said with a nod. "I suspect they’re preparing for leaving the planet."

"What are they waiting for?" Doctor Midad asked. "Why didn’t they leave the planet at night?"

"Ezer never wastes a minute of time. Whatever he does, he carries it to an extreme," Lest said cynically.

"I can’t imagine he found anything of interest. Else he would have left earlier, I think," Doctor Midad said.

"He was not necessarily retrieving artifacts right now," Lest replied. "Perhaps he was just scanning the area. He might come back any time soon, either with the shuttle or the main ship."

"Do you think the natives have spotted him or noticed any of his activities?" Jeff asked.

"I don’t think so," Lest said. "Ezer is reckless maybe, but he’s rarely careless. I’m convinced he has it all planned out and left nothing to chance." He pointed at the screen. "All you see is desert sand, but this is the place where Ezer’s shuttle is parked."

"The protection shield functions properly," Jeff said. "It’s sending off the image of desert sand. I must admit this is excellent work. I don’t see any fringes that would reveal that something is not quite right down there."

Lest reprogrammed the course and the shuttle climbed higher.

"Let’s have a look at the town to the east," he said.

The shuttle flew across the town and the observation system scanned it. The men studied the images on the screen.

"The town doesn’t look as archaic as I had imagined it," Lest said.

"It’s called Memphis in my time, but the original name of the town was Men-nefer," Jeff said.

"It’s a big town. It reminds me of Amun, the historic site on Daglon," Doctor Midad remarked.

"Right," Lest said. "Ezer must have rejoiced at the sight. If in any way possible, he would retrieve the whole town and take it to Daglon."

They were cruising over the town for a couple more minutes, then Lest decided to fly back to the construction site and have a closer look at it in broad daylight.

"I read the pyramid was clad with limestone and that it had a golden top. I can’t see it. The pyramid is not yet finished, but the place looks deserted," Jeff said.

"Perhaps they have abandoned the construction for the time being," Lest replied. "There are in fact no signs of intensive activities."

He was interrupted by a beeping sound.

"An incoming signal," Lest said, grabbing his headset.

"Ezer Malk?" Midad asked in an alarmed voice.

"Unlikely," Lest replied. He looked at a display. "It’s coming from somewhere in the city."

Midad and Jeff exchanged a surprised look. Lest concentrated on the signal, but then stopped and touched his temple. He focused on his neural implant instead.

"Try and track them and report back to me," Lest said, then turned to the others. "This was Hulton. Ezer’s shuttle left the planet and entered orbit a couple of minutes ago."

"They’re flying back to the main ship," Midad said. "They might jump back into the future any time soon. We should follow and chase them, captain."

"Wait," Jeff said. "What about the incoming signal? It didn’t come from Ezer’s ship. It came from the city. What was it? Was it artificial?"

"I’ve recorded it," Lest said. "I’ll send the data to Hulton for analysis. The signal was faint, but regular. It came from somewhere in town, but the shuttle computer wasn’t able to locate the exact co-ordinates."

Lest activated his neural implant and opened a channel to the Horus. Hulton confirmed that Ezer’s ship was back in space and that there was no need any more to be secretive. Lest sent him the data package and then looked at Jeff and Midad.

"If the signal was artificial, then somebody was deliberately sending it off," he said.

"Could it be that one of Ezer’s men stayed on the planet and was fiddling with a device?" Midad asked.

"Let me listen to the recording," Jeff said.

Lest took off the headset and handed it to Jeff, then pressed a button and started the recording.

"It sounds like a tracking ping," Jeff said. "I suspect that somebody was tracking our shuttle."

"This signal might have come from Ezer’s shuttle when it was climbing to orbit," Doctor Midad warned.

"Ezer won’t identify us. I’ve changed the shuttle’s identification code and the transponder is off anyway," Lest said. "I’m sure the signal came from the city, but you’re right, Doctor Midad. I must warn the Horus, just to make sure they’re fully alert."

Lest focused on his neural implant and spoke with the crew on board of the main ship. He turned back to Midad and Jeff.

"Hulton was able to locate the source of the signals. He sent me the exact co-ordinates," he said. Lest reprogrammed the course of the shuttle. "Let’s have a look at the place."

"Hopefully, Ezer left before these signals were sent off," Doctor Midad said. "I refuse to think of what he would do if he concluded that someone sent off the signals with an advanced technology gadget. An ancient Seth device perhaps. Ezer would want to get hold of it."

"We must stop him," Jeff said grimly. "He mustn’t change Earth’s timeline."

"It’s a critical operation," Lest replied. "We must be cautious. We mustn’t get involved in whatever too much, else we would also change the timeline."

The shuttle was circling over Men-Nefer. Lest entered the co-ordinates into the observation system and the system started recording the ground. The shuttle computer received real time pictures and displayed them on the screen. The men leaned forward. The screen showed a three-story stone building with a flat roof, two big balconies and a patio. A man was standing on a balcony.

"I don’t see any antennas," Lest said. "The sender of the signals must have used a portable device. No more incoming signals, however. The man either got interrupted or he gave up tracking us."

"Do you think the man we see on the screen was tracking our shuttle?" Midad asked. "I can’t see him clearly. Can you zoom in, please, Lest?"

Lest zoomed in and they saw the man more clearly. He was watering plants on the balcony. The man was dressed in a knee-length white tunic. His hair was black and he had a neat pageboy hairstyle. His skin looked tanned.

"He looks exactly like I imagined an Ancient Egyptian," Jeff said.

The following six pictures showed the same scenery, but the seventh image showed a different scene. Another man had stepped out on the balcony. He was tall and blond and resembled Doctor Midad closely.

"What on earth...?" Jeff blurted out.

The men were staring at the screen. Five more pictures showed the blond man speaking with the other. The next pictures showed an empty balcony. The two men had entered the house.

"He’s Daglon. Earth’s history must be rewritten, but if the timeline remains consistent, then the humans will never learn the full truth," Jeff said.

"He’s not Daglon. He’s a Seth descendant, however," Doctor Midad corrected.

"We must contact him. No way I will leave this planet without having spoken to him," Lest said.

He reprogrammed the course and the shuttle returned to the Horus.

***