Trouble in Orion's Belt; A Stellar Journey

Donna Silver awoke next to Richard Serling stretching and moaning. When she stretched the sheet dropped down below her naked breasts. The nipples were still swollen from the activities of the earlier morning. She rolled slightly to her left and touched the bare back of Richard’s still sleeping body. She pushed his long curly hair aside and kissed the back of his warm neck. He groaned slightly and then he stretched and cracking his bones.

“What time is it?” he asked sleepily. Then he turned to see Donna’s face partially covered by brown locks of hair he lightly brushed the locks aside then he leaned in and kissed her; his tongue seeking hers.

She kissed him back and touched his cheek.

“Do you think it will be this way ever again? I mean we’ve reclaimed our youth but the juvenile behavior feels a little crazy.”

“I say we enjoy it while we can; we will grow old eventually and it will be soon enough.”

“Okay, but we’d better get started with our work because if we don’t I’m never getting out of this bed.”

Richard smiled and quickly kissed her then he thrust his legs over the side of the bed and stood up.

“You’re right we’d better get started.”

They walked around to the dining wing where Jul had breakfast waiting. The Wilson’s were just finishing their breakfast when Donna and Richard walked in.

“We thought we should get up early and get the labs ready,” Dana said. “You wouldn’t believe how much equipment we have to go through and calibrate.”

“I can only imagine,” Donna said. “This facility is as much as Aumrill described and it’s well equipped.”

“I can’t wait to start logging in data,” Bob said. “So if you’ll excuse us I’m going to start setting up the labs.”

As the Wilson’s walked out Julia walked in .

“Good morning,” she said. “Or is it afternoon?”

“It’s five-thirty p.m.” Richard said, “and according to the temperature readings on the gauges its one-hundred-thirty-eight degrees outside.”

“Well, it’s safe to assume that we didn’t land in Florida.”

“I don’t think it has been this hot in Florida in recorded history,” Donna remarked.

Julia sat across from Donna and Richard.

“Since you’re in charge of communications, Donna; I thought I’d let you know that I will start programming data entry forms right after breakfast.”

“That sounds like a good idea and I’ll help you with that, but I should remind you that no one is in charge. We will just work at our own pace.”

“It’s going to take some getting used to Donna. It just seems natural for you to take charge.”

“That was when it was my job; now that I’m retired I’ll just allow someone else to take the responsibility.”

“Now, may I remind you that we are all out of retirement?” Jean said as he walked in.

“Bonjour à tous,” He said.

“Tu veux dire ’Bon après-midi,” Julia corrected him.

“Ah, Julia, j’avais oublié que vous parlez français. Comme il fait bon de l’entendre.”

“Il me fait plaisir, après tout parlant anglais peut devenir très ennuyeux.”

“Oui, je serais d’accord, nous devons nous rencontrer plus tard et ont une belle discussion et peut-être je peux pratiquer mon allemand.”

“Je voudrais profiter de cela, Jean, et je serais heureux de vous tuteur en linguistique.”

At that moment Simon strolled in.

“What’s all this babble about? We should be out preparing the car for our daily assignment.”

“Settle down Simon,” Richard requested. “It will be several hours before the temperature is low enough to do our work safely. So have a seat and Jul will bring our breakfast shortly.”

“I suppose you’re right, Richard; I am just anxious to get started after all it’s been years since I’ve worked in the field.”

“Just relax,” Donna said. I have a feeling your anxiety will be short lived and you will be caught up in your work.”

“Jean are you ready to go back to the uncertain world of archeology?” Simon inquired.

“I am actually. I’m looking forward to the challenge of the mystery.”

Jul emerged from the back with a complete breakfast menu.

“Sit down dear we’ll all have breakfast together,” Donna suggested.

Meanwhile Bob and Dana were setting up the lab.

“Isn’t this a little odd?” Bob asked in a perplexed tone.

“Odd? What do you mean this is one of the most well equipped lab’s I’ve ever worked in.”

“Oh, to say the least but haven’t you noticed something?”

“I haven’t noticed anything unusual except that we have everything we need.”

“Oh, yes the Martians have provided us with the most sophisticated equipment. It is not unusual for them to anticipate our needs but they are usually focused on the needs at hand.”

“What are you going on about? The Martians only wanted to make sure we have adequate supplies for the three weeks.”

“That’s precisely it my point. We were under the assumption that there was only plant life left on this planet,”

“And I assume you are thinking otherwise,” Dana mused.

“These specimen containers; there must be hundreds of them.”

“Oh, dear you’ve really been taking note haven’t you? You’re right we were assuming incorrectly; and this is not strictly an archeological expedition.”

“Yes Dana, I’m assuming that it is much more than that.”

Dana picked up her communication device. “Richard, this is Dana; are you available?”

“I have a few minutes before Dave and I head out. What seems to be the problem?”

”No problem just an observation of something Bob discovered that we both want to share with you.”

“I’m on my way.”

Richard observed the equipment thoughtfully

“Well it’s not unlike Aumrill to hold back a few details.”

“That’s true,” Bob agreed, “but these details are leaving me to wonder what our actual mission is about.”

“You have a point I must agree. ‘There is more here than we know’. To paraphrase something Julia said about thirty-two years ago.”

“Well, I’m certainly glad that Julia is here we can use some of that insight.”

“Well, I say that Aumrill chose her crew very carefully,” Richard agreed. “Now I have to help Dave prepare the plane. Thank you for bringing this observance to me.”

Richard met Dave on the airfield beneath the plane. “I have the plane almost ready there are just a few things we need to do before we take off.”

Richard followed Dave to the cargo hold of the plane and helped him secure the cargo straps. The two met again in the cockpit. The early Moon was already peering above the horizon. The Sun was sinking rapidly on the alighting brilliant colors in the sky. The Moon appeared a light grey with pinkish highlights through the sky.

“I think we will call this Moon ‘Clotho’,” Richard suggested, “because it is kind of a leading thread of the expedition.”

“You mean because it will be the main source of outdoor light in the early hours of the night?”

“I think that’s what I mean but it just appeared in my head and it seemed fitting to the occasion.”

“Anything you say Richard.”

Dave pushed a lever forward and the plane’s engines hummed into life.

Dave began taxiing onto the main runway.

“Hmmm? just an observation but those aren’t your standard jet engines in this thing. The controls are the same and handle the same but the engines aren’t whining like the conventional engines that I’m used to.”

“Is it a problem?”

“Not really, not yet but it does feel a little awkward.” Dave pushed the lever further and the plane thrust forward in a burst of speed.

“Now that’s smooth,” Dave remarked, “and not a lot of ‘G’ force.”

“So the dampers are working,” Richard responded.

“Yes but you’d expect a lot more ‘G’ force for that amount of thrust. Just another example of Martian ingenuity,” Dave said as the plane lifted up off the ground.”

The sky was a brilliant red with the Sun just below the horizon and the spotty cotton ball clouds reflected back in a sort of magenta pink.

Dave turned the plane into a yaw and then rolled the plane wing over wing in the direction of the dome compound. Simon and Jean accompanied by Brad and Jul were preparing carryall vehicle for their assignment; they all looked up.

“Bloody damned Hell! Did that boy ever grow up?” Simon said.

And back in the cockpit Julia’s voice boomed over the radio:

“Settle down Dave and go play somewhere else. The entire dome is rumbling.”

“Sorry,” Dave radioed back. “The temptation was too great to resist.” He turned the radio off and chuckled. “Just like the ‘old days’ huh Richard.

“Actually I don’t know what their problem is. Let’s go for another roll, only this time you should take it a little closer,” Richard suggested.

“Aye, aye skipper,” Dave said as he turned the plane around and rolled the plane only twenty feet above the dome; then he veered the plane off in to the planned direction.

Back on the ground Jul tugged at Brad’s shoulder:

“Tomorrow we should go with my dad,” she suggested.

“Well it all depends upon what we accomplish today.

“Okay Dave,” Richard began, “we should continue on mark heading 2-0.6 and we should soon come upon the alleged ruins. You’ll notice them; they look like a quandary of a maze.”

“Hmmm?” Dave looked over at the map; “it looks like a bunch of swirly, swiggly lines to me.”

“Yes, it does at first glance but they are in a logical progression that suggest architectural design.”

“Yes I’m beginning to see; they seem be terraced in several different levels.”

Yes and the way the ground bulges around the perimeter suggest that there is something going on underground.”

“Well at this rate of speed we should reach those coordinates in less than an hour.”

And thirty-eight minutes later:

“Wo-ho Richard will you just take a look on your right just this side of the horizon?”

The pale light of Clotho illuminated the ground enough to make out the distinct outline of a structure.

“Bingo; we’ve hit pay-dirt,” Richard agreed excitedly.

Meanwhile about one-hundred miles to the west and a little north Simon and his crew were traversing some untouched terrain. The ground had never been excavated and it was uneven. With the high clearance of the vehicle and its large well treaded tires it moved relatively smooth across the countryside.

Jean was driving; steering around rocks and occasional trees and Simon was reading a map on the electronic notepad.

“Well Jean if you maintain this speed and keep our heading to the west and we should reach the anomaly in about forty-five minutes.”

He then turned to the two passengers in the back.

“How are you two faring in all this rumble-tumble?”

Brad gripped the two bars on either side of him and said: “I’m doing okay. It’s a good thing these seats are padded, though.

“I feel a little dizzy but otherwise okay,” Jul said as she gripped the bars on the walls.”

“Oh you haven’t traveled much. You’re experiencing a little carsickness. It’ll pass shortly but I advise you to walk around a bit once we’ve reached the worksite.”

“I think I’ll do that,” she said unsteadily.

In just over thirty-five minutes Jean brought the vehicle to a halt. “

This is the place,” Jean said readily as he climbed out.

Jul hopped out of the side door; she walked over to a large rock and regurgitated. Brad handed her a bottle of water and said:

“Sip this but don’t drink it just swill it in your mouth and spit.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Will I go through this every time?”

“Most folks become accustomed to it very quickly but others, I don’t know. You should adjust fairly well in time.”

“I’m feeling better now,” she said, “thank you.”

They rejoined Jean and Simon at the carry-all who were sorting through the cargo bins in the back.

“Well what have we here?” Simon chuckled.

“What is that thing? It looks like some kind of electronic device,” Jul said.

“This, my dear, is a device known as a ‘Weatherby.’ It will monitor the weather conditions for us. Aumrill thought of everything.”

Simon then opened the side panel and made the necessary adjustments.

“Weatherby; what is the weather outlook for this evening?”

“Oh, good evening Dr. Balkan. The weather will be mild with a quite reasonably high temperature of one-hundred-two degrees Fahrenheit. This condition should maintain until after sunrise and then the temperature rise significantly.”

“Stop!” Simon commanded. “That will be sufficient Weatherby; thank you.” Simon then turned to Jean.

“Okay Jean let’s get this equipment over to the earthen mound and have Brad and Jul help you.”

The three went into the occupation of offloading tripods and their associated equipment and placed them at decisive locations around the mound under Simon’s direction.

Most of the equipment had been set in orderly arrangements awaiting their initial use. The lighting tripods, however, were placed upright in their ready positions. Soon all of the high powered lamps were in place and Simon ordered their activation. The mound was illuminated now and could be viewed in detail.

“Simon?”

“Yes, Jean?”

“Do you see anything peculiar about this structure?”

“Now that you mention it; it does seem a bit odd.”

Simon pressed his hand against the side of the earthen mound which was covered in green algae like moss?

“Yes, for structural ruins they seem to be in remarkable state of preservation. Not to mention that the ground is relatively moist as compared to the rest of the terrain.”

“Why is that so unusual?” Jul asked. “It would appear to me that mosses would tend to grow readily on moist ground.”

“That would have good observation,” Brad agreed, “but if you allow Simon to explain you will see why it’s so unusual.”

“Ah, yes thank you Brad.” Simon stroked his blonde beard and went on.

“Well, Jul your observation is correct considering the natural growth of these mosses; however both the factors of moisture and mosses should have deteriorated the structure of this mound quite rapidly.”

“Does this suggest that the structure is more recent than we had originally thought?”

“Yes much more recent I surmise,” Simon told her.

“Without proper maintenance these mounds would have deteriorated back into a more natural formation in a matter of months or even weeks,” Jean added support to Simon’s statement.

“I don’t like how this is sounding,” Brad stated shakily.

“Do you mean that someone is still managing these structures?” Jul asked.

“It does appear that way,” Jean agreed, “but do remember that we are a gaggle of old scientists that have a tendency to theorize before the investigation.”

“On that note,” Simon said, “let’s do some surveying and get a handle on the elevations of the area.”

And at that time Dave and Richard were measuring walls for length height and angles at their worksite.

Richard was reading a digital meter on a tripod nearest him while Dave set the lazar instruments on an adjacent tripod thirty-five yards away. The Second moon was now appearing above the horizon.

“What time is it Dave?”

“It’s 1:20 A.M. according to my chronometer.”

“A perfect time for Lachesis to show up, don’t you think?”

“Well, Richard you must be in the bloodline of the ‘Moirae’.”

“Sometimes I think so myself. An old friend in high school used to jokingly warn me that “The Fates’ would follow me wherever I’d go.”

“Well then you better be on your toes because ‘Atropos’ should be arriving about 6:20 A.M. just about an hour before sunrise.”

“Okay, Dave we’ve got enough measurements for this facing. Let’s go around to this next corner and do some measurements there.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you over there with the lights.”

Five minutes later Dave and Richard had the flood lights set up on the north bend of the structure.

“Well Dave look at that.”

Dave looked in the direction Richard was facing and remarked:

“Well it looks like an opening in the wall about thirty feet along the side. We didn’t notice it in the shadow of the moons but there it is as sure as daylight.”

“Do you mind staying here while I take a look at it?”

“No, go ahead I’ll continue setting up the equipment while you scout it out. Don’t forget to dispatch the data on your notepad. I’m curious to see where that passage leads.”

Richard proceeded to the opening which turned out to be a ramp up to the second level. He took a small flashlight from his tool belt and shined it up the darkened arched passageway. The gradual slope must have been at least seventy-five feet, he surmised.

He started up the ramp; which was surprisingly damp, and his footsteps echoed through the passageway. He stopped about thirty feet into it to listen to a slight thumping sound and a faint vibration at his feet. The thumping and vibrations stopped shortly and he thought:

‘It must be the pounding of my heart in the wake of my anticipation.’ And he continued on until he reached the next level.

He emerged onto the terrace to see a three and a half foot wall rising from the floor between him and a twelve foot wide walkway of the terrace. The wall extended to an outer wall that seemed to skirt the entire building. There was no ceiling and there was open air above him.

Directly across from him was the ramp to the third level or so he assumed. He walked over and looked down the side of the steep slope of the outer wall and saw Dave faithfully carrying out his duties of setting up spotlights.

There were no markings on the smooth walls where he walked along in a northerly direction looking intensely for some kind of inscription or any other clue that would lead him to the origins of the building

Oddly the air felt somewhat cooler and there was an uneasy sort of dampness to the area. He shrugged it off and just continued on until he saw another vaulted opening. Another ramp he supposed.

‘At least there is ample evidence of intelligent design,’ he supposed. Curiosity got the better of him and he decided to investigate the opening.

“Hmmm?” he sounded with his throat through pressed lips. Inside the vault was not a conduit but housing for what looked like an electric motor which was connected to a device that he surmised to be a water pump; judging from tubes that went down into the floor and others that went up through the ceiling. He then noticed some diagonal tubes that ran from the ceiling to the floor along the inside wall then aligning the floor and wall and disappearing into the distance. Instinctively he pressed his ear against the tube. He realized now what the slight thumping vibration in the tunnel must have been a pump operating beneath the floor. The sound inside the tube was unmistakably the sound of running water.

He measured the vault and made notes and calculations in his electro-note pad.

He radioed Dave.

“Well Dave, it looks as though or friend Bob was right again.”

Richard’s radio sounded:

“Oh yeah, what did you find, Richard?”

“I found just enough to show that this may be a viable and living civilization that has achieved some electronic technologies.”

“That’s interesting; so what do we do?”

“We proceed with caution and hope we don’t rile the natives.”

“Why is it that we’re always stepping into something sticky?”

“A better question would be; why did Aumrill lead me to believe that this was an archeological expedition?”

“Well, that is a good question but where do we go from here?”

“Well I guess for now we should just setup some equipment set up on this level.”

The two men began setting up cameras, tripods, lights, and other miscellaneous equipment on the second level. Richard took many pictures of the water pump at as many angles reasonably afforded including from the backside for which he had to climb over the top.

“I have to admit,” Dave said, “the fact that we may have someone or something looking over our shoulders makes me a little nervous.”

“Yes, me too but Aumrill must have brought us here for a reason.”

“What reason do you think that was?”

“I don’t know but it’s certain that it wasn’t for what I had assumed.”

After a few minutes Richard was examining the exterior walls of the complex and the myriad of swirly lines that went off into the distance and in to the pale night.

“This complex goes on for many miles,” Richard said.”Rather large for even an elaborate irrigation system.”

“Yes I’ve noticed, “Dave agreed. “What do you think this complex was designed for?”

“I’m stumped for now. Every time I begin to hypothesize a theory a plethora of other possibilities flood my mind. The best summation I can equate is that it is multipurpose and many of it functions may not even be related.”

“It looks as though you stumbled into one of your multifaceted dilemmas.”

“Any other time I would tend to find an argument for that statement but in this case I have to agree. There are no markings of reference to go by and this alien technology is outside of my experience.”

“Well, Richard, let’s consider the light-years we traveled to get here. It is reasonable enough to assume that we are the first Earth humans to set foot on this planet.”

“That would be an accurate guess. What do you say we call this planet ‘Moirae’?”

“It’s your call Richard; this is your expedition. I will say it does seem to have a significant ring to it.”

“I’m going to send out an all points memo through my notepad and see if there are any objections.”

“That’s fairly reasonable, but as soon as you’re done we should think about securing this equipment because Atropos is slipping above the horizon; which means that sunrise is just over than an hour from now.”

Richard looked up to the sky and noticed though the stars were still visible it was considerably brighter. He also noticed that Atropos had an atmosphere which could be clearly seen at this point. “That must be the most beautiful ‘Moon’ I have ever seen,” he remarked.

“I was thinking that too, Dave said as he secured the last piece of equipment.

The flight back to the compound was silent, save for the sound of the jet engines. The two men were tired. Dave was landing the aircraft when Richard said:

“It looks like we timed it perfectly. Simon and his crew are unloading the carryall.”

“I’m sure that they’ve got plenty of specimens for Bob and Dana to examine,” Dave responded.

“They have plenty to do with the soil and water samples we brought back,” Richard reasonably agreed.

As soon as Richard walked through the door Donna kissed him. “It’s about time you got here.”

“Why has something happened,” he said in a surprised tone.

“No just missed you.”

“She did the same thing to me,” Jul said.

Kissing Donna back he broke the embrace and walked over to kiss his daughter. “Well I understand completely. I missed the both of you.”

“Well I understand there will be some changes in how we are to conduct our research?” Julia queried.

“There will be no actual changes in how we work. Just that we must realize that my original assumption was incorrect; this is not an archeological expedition.”.

“Leave it to Aumrill to leave out some important details,” Julia said.

“That is an understatement,” Donna agreed.

Later that morning in the lab Bob was examining a water droplet under his microscope.

“Dana, write this into the notepad; the only thing I’m detecting in the water is harmless bacteria.”

“I hope all the life we discover on this planet is harmless,” she said while writing on the pad. “The mosses that Simon’s crew brought back are quite interesting. The composition is relatively uniform; almost as though they are being cultivated for some purpose.”

“That is interesting; are you certain?”

“I can’t be certain of anything but it does appear to be under some kind of process. I have to do a few more tests to determine the actual nature of this process though.”

“What about the soil samples Richard brought back from the complex; is there anything unusual?”

“Yes, there are the same bacteria we found in the water and it looks as though the soil has been treated somehow.”

“Treated? In what way were they treated?”

“Again until I do further tests I can’t be sure.”

The next evening they all gathered in the dome-room to discuss the recent discoveries.

“We all know by now that the reason we were sent here has nothing to do with archeological. I won’t pretend that I know what Aumrill’s motives are for sending us here but his may be one of her tests to see how ling it takes us to figure it out.”

“We are no doubt committed to our task because as we can clearly see that the teleportation device used to get us here had vanished the moment we arrived and won’t return for more than two weeks,” Richard said.

“We all have a trust in Aumrill,” Donna said, “and that is why we’re all here so there is no reason to be apologetic, Richard.”

“Thank you Donna, but it isn’t Aumrill that concerns me. The fact that I overlooked so many things in my trust for her it may have put us all in jeopardy.”

“Now, Richard you can’t be serious,” Brad said. “We all knew there was a risk factor and we took it anyway. I do however agree that Aumrill isn’t the cause of our dilemma but our own willingness to plunge head-on into the unknown. I for one am still excited over the adventure especially sense we are faced with a problem that is entirely new and is within our means to solve it.”

“Well, Brad I couldn’t agree more. The potential of this assignment is overwhelming; besides we are so many light-years from Earth in distance as well as experience that the possibility of discovering new knowledge is invigorating.”

“And as always I share Dr. Balkan’s enthusiasm,” Jean heartily agreed.

“I was just wondering if I was going to get to work with Dad and Dave this morning. We’ve gotten the work site secure on the northwest end and I’m anxious to work with you,” Jul prompted her father.

“I’m gratified by everyone’s enthusiasm to go on especially yours Julia but you should stay with Simon and Jean for another day. Once Dave and I get the complex secure at our worksite we’ll have you join us.”

“Dear I’d like to have her with me on Saturday and Sunday to help with Julia’s chores.”

“That sounds like a reasonable plan,” Richard responded and then ended the meeting.

Julia and Jean had been glancing back and forth throughout the meeting and she winked at him as he made his way to the door getting his attention. “N’oubliez pas que nous avons une difficulté linguistique, soutien scolaire prévue ce soir,” she reminded.

“Comment pourrais-je oublier ma douce belle? Je vais savourer pour l’instant,” he responded with a smile.