Major Sarah Hilien struggled to control the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach as the drop-shuttle nosed into the atmosphere and resisted the urge to check her equipment one last time.
In this first drop, the first shuttle contained nothing but three of Major Stilwick's Marines, herself, and the entire 4th Platoon. Since each of the drop-shuttles had been designed to ferry a hundred soldiers and their equipment to and from their ships, they had been able to crowd in more equipment for setting up a semi-permanent campsite as well as some of the equipment the egg-heads following in the second drop-shuttle would need. They even had a small mobile ammo factory that they could, if they were able to find the proper materials, use to replenish ammunition should it become necessary.
Enough rations had also been loaded on both shuttles to last the entire landing team, totaling close to a hundred people altogether, for well over a month…provided, of course, that they were able to locate fresh drinking water.
"Major, we're coming up on the first designated drop point." The shuttle pilot's voice sounded crisp and clear as it issued from the speakers in the helmet of her battle-suit. She closed the visor and sub-vocalized the command that would patch her in to the pilot's view.
"We're running comparisons against the criteria Dr. Simmons provided us." The pilot continued. "So far it looks promising.”
Sarah studied the terrain and nodded. Dr. Simmons, using still shots from the satellites Captain Allison had positioned, had selected several sites for prospective landings, numbering each in their order of preference.
The first on the list was the most promising in that it had everything that had been discussed. In ages past, it may have been a massive coastal volcano that collapsed upon itself, forming a near circular depression with high cliff walls facing the ocean and leveling out smoothly on the inland side of the depression. A break in the ocean side cliffs had allowed the sea to rush in to fill the great depression, creating a wide and deep cove. The sea side cliff walls were high enough that the cove would be some what sheltered from extreme storms coming in from the ocean.
It also appeared that the event which had created the huge cove had also altered the course of a major river that had, in ages past, run to the east of the cove. It now ran directly into the cove.
"Depending on when that break in the cliff barrier appeared, that cove could have been a major fresh water lake at one time." Dr. Simmons had told them. "That is, of course, assuming there is a difference in the salinity levels between the oceans and inland waters.”
"I see a major clearing about a klick north of the river mouth and two klicks inland from the beach." She spoke, knowing her words would be transmitted to the pilot. "From this angle, it looks large enough to handle both shuttles and a sizable camp.”
"Some of those eggheads in the second shuttle want to put down closer to the beach area." The unseen pilot told her a few moments later. Obviously he had passed on her suggestion to the other shuttle and gotten a reply.
"I'm sure they do." Sarah answered in a dry tone. "We'll set down in the clearing I indicated.”
"You're the boss." The pilot responded cheerfully. Even though she couldn't see him, she could feel his enthusiasm and excitement. Hell, they all felt it. They were making history, even if no one back in Sol would ever know about it. They were going to be the first humans to set foot on an exoplanet!
"An exoplanet with big critters that might find humans tasty." The practical and cynical part of her mind told her. Though she had never ventured far from Mars, and had never set foot on Earth, much less any of Earth's wild life reserves, she knew that most Terran animals had, over the ages, developed a healthy fear of Man. That wouldn't be the case here. She cleared her visor and switched to 4th Platoon's frequency.
"Heads up, people, we're about to land." She informed them. "Remember, our primary mission is the safety of the research team. I don't want any of them wandering around alone. While some of the critters down there may run from us, don't get in the habit of thinking they all will. The life forms on this planet will not have the natural fear of Man that Earth animals have. We don't know if the big critters down there will like the taste of humans, and I don't want to find out because some animal decides to make a sample platter out of one of us or the research team." She shifted in her seat. "Try not to shoot anything if you can, but don't take chances with lives. If something looks to be threatening, kill it. If Col Twillian asks, I would rather explain why a harmless animal was killed rather than try to explain why we let one of those research people get eaten." She cut the circuit and nodded for Captain Cynthia Johnson, the 4th Platoon Commanding Officer, to take over.
"Final approach, Major." The pilot informed her as Capt Johnson gave her platoon their orders. “The clearing is full of tall grass. We’re going to hover a few minutes and try to burn it all to the tree line.”
“Won’t that set fire to the surrounding trees?” Sarah demanded.
“Good thinking, Major.” The pilot’s voice, a bit chastened came back. “We have a flame retardant we usually spray out to snuff any fires started by a landing. We’ll put that out at the tree line first. And then go over it again after we do the burn.” Minutes later a gentle bump signaled their landing and the pilot let her know the second shuttle was settling in along side.
"Thanks." She told him. "Inform the other shuttle that they are not to break the seals on their hatches until we give the all clear. I want you to stay put and locked on my frequency. When I give you the word, you can pass it along to the other shuttle."
"Will do, Major. If you don't mind, I'll have my co-pilot and the load master start preparations for unloading."
"Sounds like a plan." Sarah nodded to herself. "Do you want me to leave a couple of my people aboard to help out?"
"Sgt. Greer here, Ma'am." the load master's voice cut in. "Thanks for the offer but they would just get in the way until we can lower the ramps and unsling the loading arms."
"Understood." Sarah switched to Cynthia's frequency. "Okay Cindy, Let's do it!"
Gripping her auto-rifle, Sarah waited impatiently as Capt. Johnson broke the seal on the rear hatch and lowered the ramp. She couldn't see but she knew exactly what would be happening. Even before the ramp had touched the ground, Cynthia would be slapping the shoulder of the Valkyrie nearest to her and Fourth Platoon would begin filing out at a run in columns of two. One column would instantly veer to the right and one to the left. Fanning out to cast a loose perimeter around both shuttles and hitting the dirt. Their eyes and weapons would be tracking the areas before them, scanning for any visible dangers. As she neared the ramp, she took a deep breath and moved forward...right into the restraining hand of Captain Johnson.
"With all due respect, Major, I would rather you keep your ass right here until..." She paused and held a hand to the side of her helmet, as if to press a speaker closer to her ear. She nodded and lowered her hand. "The perimeter is secure, Ma'am."
"What the hell brought that on, Cindy?" Sarah demanded as they both strolled down the ramp, their eyes flicking here and there, taking in their surroundings, looking for anything could possibly be considered an immediate threat. .
"The same concept that kept Col. Twillian in the habitat." Cynthia shrugged. "Down here, you are the ranking officer. That means you don't get to take as many risks as the rest of us."
"I suppose it wouldn't change anything if I ordered you to belay that bullshit?"
"No ma'am." Sarah could see Cindy grinning behind the visor of her helmet but before she could comment the captain continued. "Everyone is reporting quiet. If there were any critters here, then our arrival must have scared them off. If the noise didn’t, then the fire damned sure did."
"Tell them to keep an eye out." Sarah ordered. "If they were scared off, they might come back once things settle down." She took a look around the burnt out clearing and, after a few moments of quiet, started over towards the second shuttle, her feet kicking up small clouds of ash as she crossed the few yards that separated the two vehicles. "Have every other person on the perimeter report to our shuttle." She ordered. "I want that perimeter fence the Striker Marines loaded brought out and put in place first. Once that is up and powered, we can reduce the number of perimeter guards and get the rest of the stuff unloaded and get the shelters up. Until that fence is up, I don't want those left on guard to do anything but keep their eyes open and weapons ready." She switched frequencies as Cynthia nodded and trotted off. "Okay, Lieutenant." she called the shuttle pilot. "Open the hatches and unsling those loading arms. Let the other shuttle know that it is okay to open one passenger hatch. I want them to keep everything else closed until that fence is up."
"You got it, Major." the pilot responded.
Leaving Captain Johnson in charge of getting the perimeter fence erected, Sarah waited by the second shuttle as a hatch was opened and a ramp lowered to the ground. She was hardly surprised to see that Mey Ling was to be the first person off that shuttle. Like the Valkyries on the first shuttle, Mey Ling and the three medics she had snagged from the HQ platoon were fully armored and armed.
Mey Ling and one of the medics descended the ramp ahead of the civilians, their grips on their weapons sure and their eyes taking in their surroundings. The other medic had stopped in the hatchway, blocking the civilians behind her until she was given an all clear signal from Mey Ling.
There had been a bit of grumbling by the civilians when it became clear that, despite being a Valkyrie, Mey Ling would be the senior 'civilian', as well. Mey Ling would also take charge of the six US Marines once the shuttles were unloaded and the camp set up.
"So this is what a real planet looks like." Mey ling said as she approached Sarah. "It feels weird to see all this green and no domes in sight."
"I've been trying not to notice that, thank you very much." Sarah grumbled. "This place stinks."
Mey Ling laughed and shook her head.
"No it doesn't." She said. "You just smell air that hasn't been recycled or scrubbed for the first time." She was keeping most of her attention on the awe-struck scientists that were descending the ramp. Most were looking around in a daze at the wild greenery around them. One or two had looked up at the scattered white clouds that drifted in the blue sky and had stopped in their tracks until those behind them nudged them along.
“Keep them close to the shuttle.” Sarah ordered in a soft voice, as she looked the scientists over. “I don’t want them wondering around until we get that fence up.”
“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that.” Mey Ling responded. She flipped the visor of her helmet up and let her eyes scan the area before they once again settled on the civilians who were huddling in small, frightened groups as they stepped off the ramp. “In fact, I think we’ll have more of a problem prodding them away from the shuttle.” She nodded towards a few that seemed to be swaying as if dizzy. “It is going to take them time to get used to true gravity.”
“True gravity?” Sarah pushed her visor up as well and looked at Mey Ling.
“The only gravity most of these people have every known is that generated by the spin of the habitat.” Mey Ling explained. She bent down and, after wiping away a layer of ash, dug her fingers into the soft ground pulled up a clot of dirt. Indicated that Sarah should watch, she turned her hand and let the clod fall to the ground. “That is going to be an unusual thing for these people. On the habitat, things don’t fall straight down like that.”
“I noticed that.” Sarah nodded. “If you drop something up there, it falls in a curve.”
“Right. It might not be all that noticeable but believe me; these people are going to notice. Their entire lives have been spent taking what we call the Coriolis Effect into account. Even pouring water from one container into another is going to be a new experience for them.”
*****
It took the better part of three hours before the perimeter fence was in place and powered up. Once that was accomplished, Captain Johnson reduced the perimeter guard to six Valkyries and split the remainder between the two shuttles to off load the rest of the equipment.
The rest of the day was spent putting together the camp that would, for the foreseeable future, be their new home.
Two large inflatable domes were put up for the civilians in the space between the two shuttles. One to sleep in and the other to work in. Smaller inflatable domes, each just large enough to hold five Valkyries and their gear, sprang up at either end of the areas not protected by the shuttles.
Despite their excitement, the scientists were more than happy to flee to the interior of the work dome as soon as it was up. Unnerved by the wide open sky, they were satisfied for the time being to remain enclosed and start the process of setting up their equipment as soon as the Valkyries and the Striker Marines unloaded it.
By the second day, most of the Valkyries has shaken off the unease caused by being out in the open without breathing filters. The scientists, however, seemed even more nervous. They spent as little time outside their domes as possible, moving from one to the other while doing their best to keep their eyes firmly on the ground or their destination.
*****
“It’s not possible, but it is what it is!” Mey Ling reported after their sixth day on the planet surface. Her image, and that of Sarah Hilien, was displayed on the wall view screen in the conference room that Sean had set aside for such meetings. From the background behind the two Valkyries, they were setting side by side in the cockpit of one of the shuttles.
Around the table in the conference room, the usual crew were assembled. Corina, seated directly opposite of him, Drs. Simmons and Garison to his left, and Steven Barnes to his right. To Corina’s left sat Captain Allison and Major Stilwick.
“Actually, it was one of your Marines that pointed it out, Major.” Mey Ling continued.
“None of us have ever been to Earth.” Sarah took up the explanation, “and quite frankly, the Fargone civilians haven’t had enough time to adjust to the openness to even have noticed. But once your man made the connection, tests proved him right.”
It was not until after most of the equipment had been unloaded that the Striker Marines stepped out of their shuttles for the first time, taking their first look around at the planet that was to be their new home. That was when one of the Load Masters, a sergeant from the west coast of the North American Continent on Earth, noticed the similarity in the plant life that surrounded the clearing in which they had landed.
“But how is it even possible?” Sean demanded.
“It isn’t.” Dr. Simmons shook his head in denial. “There has to be a mistake.”
“We thought so too.” Mey Ling said. “But we reran the tests again and again. We’ve uploaded all the data to you and your people up there have run it as well. What were their results?”
“Their results match yours.” Dr. Simmons grumbled. “But it still is not possible.”
“We’ve taken samples of just about every type of plant, including trees, and compared them to samples we brought down with us from the habitat. The differences are so slight as to be non-existent. Oh, they aren’t exactly the same. But there is no doubt in any of our minds that we could trace the plant life we’ve found here and the samples we brought with us back to common ancestors. In fact, there is a damned good possibility that any plants we import could easily, and naturally, cross pollinate with the local plant life.”
“And it doesn’t stop there.” Sarah spoke up when Mey Ling paused. “I sent some of my people out yesterday to try and find some animal life. They didn’t find much since I believe we scared most of it away when we landed, but they were able to get some insect, reptile, and small mammal specimens which we turned over to Mey Ling and her people.”
“Right.” Mey Ling nodded. “And again, we found the same thing. To put it bluntly, everything we’ve tested so far could easily have evolved on Earth and can probably be traced back to common ancestors with similar life forms from Earth.”
“It just isn’t possible.” Dr. Simmons insisted. “To find similar traits might be expected but to suggest that life forms here are actually related to those on Earth? Impossible.”
“Is it?” Sean mused. When everyone looked towards him, he continued. “Let’s put together what we know. We got here because of an engine from a ship that was in route to this planet, or so we surmise. Who’s to say that they had not already been here before? And the fact that the ship was discovered in our solar systems suggests that they may have already visited Earth.”
“Seeding.” Corina spoke up, surprising everyone. “You’re suggesting that the ship seeded both planets with similar life.”
“Possibly.” Sean nodded. “Perhaps they were transporting life from one planet to the other. Hell, they could have been just running an experiment to see how the same life form evolved differently on separate planets under different conditions.” He shrugged. “We’ll probably never know the why. But under the circumstances, I don’t think there is any doubt that the aliens had something to do with this.”
Corina looked at Sean and Steven Barnes, her eyes flickering back and forth between them. While Sean seemed calm, Steven was clearly uncomfortable.
“Governor, what else did you find on that ship?” She finally demanded. Captain Allison looked at her in confusion for a moment and then drew in a breath, sitting up straighter in his seat. He turned his gaze to Sean.
“You DID find something else on that ship other than the engine.” He accused.
Mey Ling and Sarah looked out of the viewscreen, their attention riveted.
Sean thought for a moment and then sighed, nodding.
“After we determined what it was the Flipper had discovered on Enceladus, we introduced three more, specifically tailored for exploration of the ship and recovery if deemed necessary.” He smiled. “How do you think we got the engine out of the ship and back to Fargone.”
“That engine wasn’t the only thing you recovered, was it?” Corina demanded.
“No. No, it wasn’t. While the original Flipper and two of the new ones introduced were too big to explore the interior of the vessel, one was cut down in size so that it could be introduced into the vessel for exploration. We knew, before we even sent them in, that the ship had broken apart in three places when it came to rest. We also knew that each of those three parts were completely sealed. The Flippers had to construct airlocks for each section. Once an airlock was completed, Flipper Four entered the airlock, flushed it, and then cut an opening into that section of the vessel.” He paused and looked down at his hands as his fingers interlaced on the table before him. “The first section held the bridge and crew quarters.” He said. “All we found in that section were skeletal remains.”
“Why wasn’t I informed of any of this?” Dr. Simmons demanded, clearly upset.
“I am sorry, Doctor.” Sean told him. “In light of the current atmosphere in the Sol system,” he gave a nod towards Captain Allison in form of explanation, “it was decided to limit the number of people that knew the whole truth.” He looked away from the scientist and looked back at Corina.
“We had the mini-Flipper construct an inner airlock to preserve the integrity of the first section and then had it recover the remains which were then transported to Fargone while the Flippers One, Two, and Three began construction of an outer lock on the second section of the ship.” He continued. He then looked at Dr. Garison and nodded for him to continue.
“I examined the remains.” The Doctor admitted. “At first glance, they could easily have been mistaken for the skeletal remains of Earth humans. The same number of limbs. The same number of fingers and toes. Skulls slightly larger than the average human. Two eyes, two ears, a nostril cavity between and slightly below the eyes, just like ours. Jaws and teeth no different than those we have. Slightly shorter in stature, but a bit thicker in the shoulders. The entire musculature would have been a bit stronger than the average human. The rib-cage was thicker and more re-enforced than a human’s. If I had to guess, I would have to say they probably came from a planet with slightly heavier gravity than either Earth or Pangea. Not only were we able to get DNA samples, but we were also able to date them. According to our tests, our best guestament is that the ship crashed on Enceladus less than forty thousand years ago.” He had been talking with his head down, as if studying the table surface before him but now raised his head. “We also determined that they belonged to a species we once called Cro-Magnon!”
“Wait a minute.” Captain Allison was shaking his head. “I may not be an expert, but I had science in school. Cro-Magnon was a term that was dropped because it was felt there was not enough differences between them and modern humans.”
“That is correct.” Dr. Garison nodded but didn’t say anything else.
“When the airlock was ready for the second section, we sent Flipper Four back in.” Sean continued into the stunned silence. “We could already determine that the third section housed the engines and, we assumed correctly at the time, most of the propulsion related equipment. We couldn’t even guess what the second, and largest, section might contain. We thought maybe cargo holds or something like that. We couldn’t get beneath it to see if there might be access hatches on the bottom.” He looked back down at his hands. “We found computers, more living quarters, two rooms that we assume were galleys, and…” He trailed off and sat there for a moment, as if struggling with himself and then looked up. “We knew we had not found all the remains of the crew in the first section. In all, we had only located twelve skeletons. We couldn’t dismiss the notion that, with their advanced technology, twelve people was all that was needed to crew a ship that size, but that wasn’t something we considered likely. We were right. The rest of the crew was in the second section. We found then in what can only be described as suspended animation capsules.”
“What?” It was one word, but it came explosively from two people. Corina and Captain Allison glanced at each other and then turned incredulous eyes back to Sean.
“You found living people?” Corina demanded.
“No.” Sean shook his head. “We believe that, whatever happened, whatever caused the vessel to crash on Enceladus, they knew it was coming. We believe those twelve we found in the first section sacrificed themselves in an attempt to ease the ship down as much as possible. The rest of the crew members were placed in separate capsules in what we assume was their version of a Med bay and then placed in a type of suspended animation. Not cryo, like we would use, but similar in concept.” He sighed. “They had no idea if a rescue would be mounted or, if it was, when it would reach them. So they went into suspended animation, realizing that they might never wake up. They didn’t. However advanced they might have been, it seems even they couldn’t create a power source that would remain active for almost forty thousand years at the bottom of the Enceladus ocean. Or perhaps they thought it would last, but there was too much damage when the ship crash landed. Who knows? All we know is that by the time we came along, those capsules had long since failed. They didn’t wake up. They just…died. In the First section, we found only skeletal remains. That wasn’t what we found in the capsules. Most were completely mummified, yet a few were…better preserved.”
“Better preserved. Hmmmmph.” Dr. Garison shook his head as he took over the explanation. He looked up at those around him and the two Valkyries staring out of the view screen. “They might not have been able to create a power source that would last that long, but they came damned close. Seven of those bodies...it was like they died and were then flash frozen. We can’t explain it. Perhaps whatever powered the capsules for so long also kept the cold out. Most likely the power did not fail all at once…but gradually over time. Who knows how long those seven lasted, alone of their comrades, before the power went out completely. The end must have been like a light switch being turned off. The last of the energy keeping those capsules functioning and the heat on…suddenly gone. It wouldn’t take long after that. They died, without ever waking up…and before any decay could occur, they were frozen. Perfectly preserved.” He paused and once again looked at the table top. “We retrieved two of the bodies to examine. One male and one female.” He looked up and grimaced. “I can tell you now that except for their skin color, the genetic differences between them and us is hardly worth mentioning. Their skin was golden shade you would not find on any Earth human, but other than that, there is absolutely no difference between those bodies and the people in this room!” He shook his head. “Whatever their appearance, whatever environment they evolved in, those people were humans!”
Corina looked around as the room grew quite and then took a breath, turning to address the two Valkyries in the view screen.
“Major Ling, Major Hilien. This is strictly need to know, for the time being. Keep it to yourselves. Understood?” When both nodded she continued. “Good. Continue to upload your reports. Dismissed.”
When the view screen darkened, she turned back to those in the room.
“Excuse me for interrupting, Governor.” She said. “You were saying?”
“I think we were about finished.” Sean said. He held up a hand when Dr. Simmons started to protest. “Colonel Twillian’s orders go for everyone in this room, as well. Is that understood?”
“Governor I must protest…this discovery…this find is…” Dr. Simmons began, ignoring Sean’s warning.
“Dr. Simmons, We don’t have time for this.” Sean barked. “Bitch and moan all you want after we’re down on the planet, but for now, just work on getting us down there. Or would you rather let everyone up here die so you can take time to examine dead bodies?”
Dr. Simmons jerked backwards as if Sean had physically slapped him.
“Of course not.” He stammered. He drew in a breath. “You are correct, Governor.” His eyes narrowed. “But I take it from your statement that those bodies are still in the Habitat. I ask that you let me examine them when such examinations will not interfere with my work on getting us down to the planet surface.”
“You got it.” Sean nodded. “Get with Steven and Dr. Garison. They’ll get you access.” He paused, his gaze thoughtful. He spoke to them all, but his eyes had moved to Dr. Garison. “We found, counting the skeletons in the first section of the ship and a few in the third section, a hundred and twenty-three bodies. Yet there were exactly three hundred and fifty capsules in that Med-bay.”
“So where are the other two hundred and twenty-seven?” Captain Allison mused, drawing eyes to him.
“I would say that some of them were left on Earth.” Dr. Garison shrugged. “Their remains could have been those that were originally identified as Cro-Magnon.”
“So what else did you find on that ship?” Corina demanded before any one else could respond. Sean looked at her, eyes narrowed and she shrugged. “With all due respect, Governor, I think we do have a right to know.”
Sean grimaced and finally nodded.
“Of course we found the engines.” He said. “We were also able to extract some of the equipment that we were at least somewhat confident was computer related. There was no power on the vessel so we have no clue whether we got anything important or simply scrap metal. Of course the point is moot since, even had there been power, it would have taken time simply to develop something that could interface with the alien computers and then probably years trying to decipher anything we might have found. We did find samples of their written language and even a few clues that might have started us on the way to developing a translation, but nothing substantial.”
“No Rosetta Stone.” Dr. Simmons mused. He had been looking off into space when he spoke and seemed a bit surprised to find everyone’s eyes moving to him. “The Rosetta Stone. An ancient artifact that aided twentieth century linguists to translate ancient writings. There were a few languages they could not decipher until archeologists discovered a stone tablet that had the same inscription, several times, in various languages, including those that, until then, could not be translated. By matching what was already known, they were able to finally decipher the unknowns. Without something to compare to, or clues, like labels on recognizable objects, translation is virtually impossible.”
Sean nodded and went on.
“We retrieved all the personal effects from the crew quarters. Interestingly enough, the contents of over half the quarters and their contents had been vac-sealed. As if they had been stored. The number of quarters that had not been sealed equaled the number of crew that remained on the ship.”
“Which indicates that those that were missing had been dropped off somewhere else.” Captain Allison said. He looked to Major Stilwick on his right and Corina on his left and saw the same thoughts in their eyes. “Here?”
“If so, they aren’t here now.” Dr. Simmons said. “One, they would not have had a large enough gene pool to be viable. We might have a problem with that ourselves and our numbers are in the thousands. And two, if they had over come that problem, we would see signs of cities, villages, or town. Some indication of civilization.”
“Not necessarily.” Major Stilwick spoke up. “Pardon, Dr. Simmons, but you people don’t think like we do.” He gestured towards Captain Allison and Corina. “You said they would not have enough numbers to be genetically viable. Even if they didn’t have the technology to over come that problem, we already know that they did have the technology to place themselves in suspended animation for who knows how long.”
“Most probably indefinitely, as long as there was a constant power source.” Sean answered.
“Okay.” Major Stilwick nodded. “There you have it. If they found themselves stranded on this planet, and they had the ability and the equipment needed, they could have put themselves under until a ship came back for them. But not just any ship. In that state, they would be virtually helpless. So they would want to do all they could to make sure only their own people would be able to find them easily. They wouldn’t just construct a facility that anyone could see from orbit. They would hide themselves. And the last place they would hide would be where others might think of looking for signs of civilization.”
“One of the poles?” Corina ventured.
“We scanned the poles.” Dr. Simmons said. “Nothing.”
“You wouldn’t find anything from orbit.” Major Stilwick said. “Think in military terms, Doctor. When you are hiding from an enemy, you make sure that you hide. You camouflage and you mask all energy and heat sources as best you can.” He shook his head. “No, if they are down there, you won’t find them unless you are actively looking for them and even then you’ll have to do it from a shuttle or a military probe at close range.”
“I don’t suppose you have any of these…probes…aboard the Striker, do you?” Sean demanded, knowing already what the answer would be.
“It just so happens we do have a few of them.” Major Stilwick smiled. “Unfortunately, they have to be deployed from a shuttle in the atmosphere.”
“Hmmm.” Sean rubbed his chin with the fingers of his right hand as he looked at the Major. “Until we get an okay from the good doctor here,” he indicated Dr. Garison, “shuttles into the atmosphere are out of the question. However, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to get a couple of those probes ready.” He held up a hand. “Remember, though, that our priority is getting our people down to the surface as quickly as possible. We can’t waste a lot of effort on searching for aliens that may or may not be down there until we get every one down.”
“Understood, Governor.” Major Stilwick nodded.
“Speaking of that.” Steven Barnes spoke up. “We’ve got the machine shops up and running producing equipment we’re going to need. We’ve gotten one of the construction shacks connected to the spindle ready to be detached and moved to the surface……”
To be Continued……..
-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2014 by Clay Clearbrook
-- and may not be reprinted without permission.