Trouble in Orion's Belt; A Stellar Journey

Richard met Dave in the conference chamber after they ate breakfast.

“There has been no word from Simon since they had left several hours ago,” Richard said in a slightly nervous rattle.

“They’re alright; I’m sure of it,” Dave countered. “One of the three would have gotten a message back if something had gone wrong.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” Richard said.

“Ah-hem!” Bob cleared his throat. “We have a visitor and he just appeared in the middle of the room.”

Richard and Dave turned around to see a man dressed in the same type of clothing as Richard.

“I am sorry to disturb you but I have very little time,” Challote said. “And I must be leaving this space soon. You must complete your survey of the people you call ‘Moirae’. You are the first outside visitors in all of their history and they are desperate to make contact because they feel that it is vital to communicate with beings outside their species.”

“Well, I’m flattered by your confidence in me but you seem very capable to make contact with them and this seems like the ultimate opportunity for you.”

“Yes, but you do not understand that I must return to my home planet in my star-system to get detoxified. You see, I can only remain in this star-system for a limited time. The artificial skins that my scientists have given me can only protect me temporarily.”

“I see,” Richard acknowledged, “but why do you feel the need to let me know; I would have come to that conclusion eventually.”

“I am here to inform you that a meeting will take place this evening in a short time from now. It is now time for my departure.” Challote no sooner spoke than he vanished.

“Dana is outside I’ll get her and let her know that the creatures are coming,” Bob said and headed out the door.

“Well it looks as though you’re as popular with the Moirae as you are with the Martians. It looks as though we should put you on the extraterrestrial celebrity list,” Dave said in jest.

“I think that if it were you would feel as much of an imposition. Why am I the one who is always stumbling onto extraterrestrial intelligence?”

“Well Richard, it is because you are always looking for it and you are always surprised to find it. The rest of us just follow you around and become part of your adventure.”

At that moment outside the compound Bob was confronted by what looked like a forest of Moirae. Dana was frozen with astonishment; she stood with her mouth gazing at the spectacle.

Bob grasped her shoulder lightly to get her attention and she shrieked in horror.

“Argh!” she uttered. “Bob; you son-of-a-bitch, you frightened me,” she said breathlessly. Then she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed; pressing her ear against his chest.

“Why are they gathered around us like this?”

Bob caressed her shoulders.

“They are only here to greet us so don’t worry, they want to be our friends.”

“But how do you know? Richard has only encountered them a couple of times and then only briefly.”

“Well, if they had wanted to harm us they would have done so. Charlotte appeared in the conference room a few moments ago and he gave us confirmation and he said that they only want to make contact.”

“Contact? With whom?”

“Contact with us or anyone other than their species. They have been isolated throughout their history. There are no other species on this planet and they are looking for other intelligences to converse with. So why don’t you go inside and tell the others that I am going over to try and start up some kind of communication with them?”

“Okay dear, but be careful.”

“I intend be but go; hurry. Richard will most likely be interested in joining me.”

Dana went inside and Bob approached the creatures. He was startled when they raised and positioned their upper limbs in concordance. Then he noticed that they were all in the greeting stance. He was about five feet in front of them when the two middle creatures parted and formed an opening in the crowd. It looked like a doorway in the mass assemblage of beings.

He slowly stepped forward and walked between the two and noticed that the mass of creatures formed a passageway that led to a small clearing.

He walked slowly down the narrow path they had made for him and found himself in a circular space in the midst of the crowd formed by the mass of creatures. There were two creatures standing in the middle of the space next to a rectangular box at their feet.

He walked next to them and they broke their greeting stance and they positioned their upper limbs in a pointing gesture to the box.

“I think they want you to pick it up and carry it,” was the voice of Richard Serling.

Bob snapped his head around and let out a loud sigh.

“Damn! You should let a guy know when you are walking up behind him. It’s too heavy for me alone; one of you will need to help me carry it.”

“Richard and I can handle it if you walk ahead of us,” Dave responded.

Bob walked ahead of them through the corridor of creatures who comfortably provided enough space for them to pass.

They made their way back inside the dome and placed the box on top of the conference table.

“Simon wants you to contact him at your earliest convenience, Richard,” Julia told him.

“Okay, you guys try and figure out what this is and I’ll talk to Simon.”

“Hello Richard,” said the image of Simon from the video screen in the communications room.

“The creatures here are very hospitable and they have been showing us images of our activities since the time of our arrival.”

“Yes, go-on.”

“Well, remarkably they have images of you interacting with the ‘Lachesans’; including the incident of throwing your electro-notepad over the falls.”

“And what is the significance of this?”

“Well, as friendly as they are to the likes us I think they prefer yours and Dave’s company.”

“And what brings you to that conclusion, Doctor?”

“Not a conclusion but more of an assumption. You see, the more we try and communicate with them the more they show us images of you and Dave interacting. We have come to the consensus that they believe that you and Dave have something they want.”

“Hmmm? Well, Simon let’s just have you and the others bring all your equipment back to the compound. Dave and I will bring the helicopter and land at the bottom of the ramp.”

“Of course we were preparing to leave this place before I decided to call you.”

“Thanks Simon. We will meet you in the conference room when you return.”

“Very well; see you then.”

Richard returned to the conference room to find Bob, Dana, Dave, Donna, and Julia viewing images projected from the rectangular box.

“Well, it looks as though they have a special interest in you and Dave,” Donna said. “Although they have taken movies of all of us they seem to be focused mostly on your activities.”

“That’s interesting,” Richard responded. “I’ll just sit and watch what’s left.”

“Well, let’s just study this thing it appears to be recycling the same events over and over,” Dave told him.

“Well, I think Jul has lunch prepared,” Bob said. “We will leave you two to the viewing.”

The rest of the crew followed Bob out the door.

“Before you guys decide to head out I want to have a word with you, Richard,” Donna said.

Richard looked up from the conference table.

“Okay Donna that’s fair enough.”

Richard watched the images which began with the plane landing on the first day to the plane morphing into a spacecraft leaving Lachesis.

“Well I see what you guys mean. They seem to be focusing their attention mostly on our activities. There must be some significance to this scrutiny.”

“I think it has something to do with why Aumrill sent us here,” Dave remarked.

“Well, I haven’t put it into that perspective yet, but it appears to be the case. Hmmm?” Richard thought for a moment, “Dave I think you hit on something there. The Martians have a tendency to allow us the opportunity to figure things out on our own. They must have discovered these creatures and decided that this would be the time to introduce them to us because it may be a critical time of change in their history; maybe by Martian standards we have become stagnant in our development.”

“Hmmm? Why do you think the Martians care that much about our development?’

“Well, I’ve always felt that Aumrill has a maternal instinct towards us. We’re like a delinquent child that needs to be moved in the right direction. So she plays on our interests and then she pushes us in a direction where we might learn something.”

“Hmmm? That may be why they allowed you to believe that this was an archeological expedition?”

“Yes, I’m beginning to think so. I may have been reluctant to take on the assignment otherwise.”

“Well, Richard this confirms another observation of yours.”

“Which on is that?”

“That the Martians understand us more than we understand ourselves.”

“Thanks Dave; I really think that they do.”

About that time Simon and his crew walked through the door. Simon immediately approached Richard.

“Richard,” he said. “You must go down into the habitat. These creatures have a remarkable technology. They showed us a video history that goes back; at least a few hundred years.”

“Oh, really; so they are doing far more than building electric motors for their pumps?”

“From what we saw they are exceedingly advanced in electromagnetic frequencies. Their audio and video capabilities are astounding. They do not rely on sound as much as we do so the visual attributes are even more amazing.”

“Hmmm? I see; and you say that they have a fixation on me and Dave.”

“I would say that their fixation is more on what you can do and not so much as you yourself.”

“What do you mean? Why would they be fascinated with my work? I would be surprised if they even understood the aspects of it.”

“Well you’ve been studying their holographic imaging capabilities and you are pondering as to the reason behind it; which I would say is a characteristic of any curious intelligent creature.”

“Okay, Simon I understand, so what’s your point?”

“I’m surprised at your question, Richard. You should have noticed right away.”

“And?”

“They are mainly interested in you and Dave because you are the ones using the plane; you two are always flying. They have no use for our ground vehicles because their natural mobility is superior. They want to understand the technology of flying.”

“They are a naturally curious creature so it is amazing that they didn’t come up with themselves.”

“Haven’t you noticed,” Brad interrupted, “there are no birds or any other flying creatures around. Humans gained the technology of flying by the observance of birds. These creatures are isolated as a species and they are desperate for something to compare them ‘selves’ to.”

“Thank you Brad,” Simon said, I couldn’t find the words.”

“Well I am the biologist; and as I was saying these creatures are remarkably advanced in areas we were not; as in their stage of social development but are sadly lacking in others. Their environment has restricted them in certain ways but they are a visual creature which makes them somewhat astute observers.”

“Well, that’s obvious,” Richard agreed, “but how does that relate to me and Dave?’

“I’m getting to that. Simon has already mentioned the fact that you and Dave are flying. With their electromagnetic technology they developed devices similar to television early on in their development. And like Simon told you we saw evidence that it may go back hundreds of years. Well, relatively recently the Lachesans have developed similar technologies. Just like humans these creatures have a natural curiosity of; what else is out there?”

“This is interesting; please go on.”

“Do you remember late twentieth century and early twenty-first century studies by the organization known as SETI?”

“Yes, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.”

“Well these creatures have been in contact with each-other for almost a hundred years by radio and television communication but are unable to make physical contact. But because of their lack of understanding of aerodynamic principles they can’t build a device that can transport them from one planet to the other.”

“So that’s why Aumrill sent us here, so why she didn’t just teleport them; it would have been much easier.”

“You’ve said it yourself; Aumrill has a maternal interest in you. She is really interested in seeing you achieve goals that you yourself are vaguely aware of.”

“Do you mean my eagerness to learn from my research of found artifacts?”

“Yes and when the Martians discovered these creatures they understood their struggle to reach out into the cosmos at other and especially similar life forms. They must have seen this as a unique opportunity for you to interact with an entirely different species; which incidentally is one of your more noticeable subconscious desires.”

“Is it really now? And you have the ability to look into my mind and read what’s there?”

“No, but I do pride myself in being able to determine a person’s motives by way of their actions.”

“Yes, you do seem to have that uncanny ability to know what a person is going to do before they know it themselves.”

“It’s deductive logic and can be deduced by mathematical equations and then applied to actions and reasoning of a given study subject.”

“Well, it’s that or just plain in born instinct. In any case I can’t argue the subject because I do have a strong inclination to interact with these creatures.”

“Well you’d better get a move on because you only have three and a half days to accomplish it.”

“And you’re not going without me!” Donna manifestly interrupted. “I’m not losing anymore sleep with you go running around chasing figments and ideologies.”

“Well if you feel that strongly about it then there is no-way I can stop you,” Richard responded, “but since Dave and I will be using the helicopter there will only be room for the three of us.”

“And like Brad pointed out; we’d better get a move on and since we’re taking the helicopter we are limited in the gear that we’ll be taking with us. I suggest that we take as much video equipment, including our electro-notepads with us as we can. I want to be able to demonstrate and illustrate aerodynamics as well as possible.”

“Okay, Dave let’s start packing we don’t want to disappoint the Martians.”

Dave set off to do his tasks and Donna tugged Richard’s arm.

“I’m sorry I’m such a pest but I get the haunting feeling that I may never see you again.”

“There’s no chance in that; if I happen to accidently get killed or die of mysterious circumstances my ghost will be there with you.”

She put her arm around his waist and walked beside him.

“You promise.”

“Cross my heart and hope to die. Which reminds me; we have a daughter who we’re leaving at the compound, We don’t have enough room in the helicopter and she’ll have to wait for us.”

“I’ve thought about that,” Donna said, “and she is a woman now and she is responsible enough to take care of herself. Besides we’ll be able to keep in contact.”

“Okay, with that in mind let’s get moving.”

Within the next hour the helicopter was aloft and was whisking toward the work site.

“My plan is to go down into the cells where you first encountered the creatures. There should be enough area in the rectangular cubicles to lower the helicopter into.”

“We don’t know how far down those shafts go,” Richard reminded him.

“Well if there is no place to land then we can land in the cell and hoist the rest of the way down.”

“Good enough Dave.”

And about a half an hour later Dave was lowering the helicopter down into the cubicle with floodlights shining on the walls. Richard looked back through the clear globe and remarked: “I can’t see the top.”

“Well I think I see the bottom,” Dave responded, “and it will make a perfect landing pad.