Chara and the Planet

Chapter No.8.

Chapter No.8.

Several days later, they were much closer to the planet. The view of it from fifty million miles was much more satisfying both technically and emotionally. In a background of millions of stars, it stood out as a beautiful blue world decorated like a Christmas ornament with frilly white streaks.

"The planet's atmosphere is much the same as Earth's," Chara announced. "The planet's bolometric temperature is slightly lower, which is why it has large polar ice caps."

"The fact that it has clouds in its atmosphere means it's Earth like," Ryan said. "Unfortunately, it's too far away to make out its surface details."

"We should be able to see it more clearly in a few more days."

"This is unbelievable," Ryan said. "The dynamics that created something like this is off the charts."

She didn't reply.

"We have to assume that this planet was created in much the same way as Erath, but even that's a stretch. Earth started out much smaller than it is until a planet the size of Mars hit it with a glancing blow that created the moon four and a half billion years ago. Obviously, this planet was either created larger and then captured its three moons or it was struck by a smaller planetoid. Then it must have suffered the late great bombardment that brought it lots of water in asteroids and comets."

"This planet spins at the same rate as Earth," Chara said. "And its axis is tilted the same."

"That is even wilder, but the real question is how it ended up in the same orbit without colliding with Earth over billions of years."

"My calculations indicate that it was stabilized not only by Jupiter and Saturn but a tenth planet the size of Neptune that had been moved further out into the Kuiper belt."

Ryan concluded that Chara was not telling him everything she knows about the planet. For her to risk her career and her existence in a crazy stunt like this must have a much more important reason, a reason that she's keeping secret.

He also realized that she was keeping him alive for a reason that she was not revealing. Despite her admission that she needed social contact and occasional repair, it's obvious that there was some other more important reason for his being still alive.

Several days later, the planet was much easier to see, especially in the telescope that was contained in their vessel's camera system.

"This planet has less land mass than Earth," Ryan said. "The ocean coverage is more than eighty five percent."

"The land masses contain mountains, indicating that this planet does have tectonic activity," Chara said. "It's proof that its internal structure is much the same as Earth's."

"The polar regions are showing aural activity, which means that it has a magnetic field like Earth's," Ryan said. "This planet's existence is beyond the laws of chance. It's unprecedented."

"That's what makes it worth exploring," Chara said with a hint of excitement.

As they approached the planet, Chara began a burn to cause their vessel to enter an orbit around the planet. The planet's similarity to Earth became more obvious and it caused Ryan to suspect that it contained a secret that Chara was aware of.

What surprised Ryan was the fact that Chara didn't hesitate to advance to the next step of their exploration.

"We will go down to the surface now," she said with no discernable emotion.

"Aren't you going to send a probe down first to determine the planet's surface conditions?"

"There is no need for that."

Ryan slouched back in his chair. "I take it that you've been here before."

"This is my home," she said.

That didn't make sense. She was constructed in a lab factory on Earth. Did she mean that this would be her home?

Chara fired the retro engines to take their vessel out of orbit and on a dive into the planet's atmosphere. Ryan realized that she knew where she was going. All he could see is a large island in a deep blue ocean, and as they descended, he soon realized that it had white dome-like structures arranged in a circular arrangement surrounding a conical tower. Was this a secret Space Command base?

Chara flew the ship around the base and then sat it down on a circular tarmac. She shut down the systems and then turned to him with a metallic ring in her right hand.

"I will install this around your neck before we disembark."

"What is that?" Ryan asked, giving her a concerned look.

"You will be my slave now and do my bidding."

"You knew about this planet all along, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Is this a Space Command base?"

"No."

"I don't get it. Who created these structures?"

Chara opened the ring and placed it around Ryan's neck before locking it in place. She then attached a flexible wire to the ring and held it in her hand. "You will do as I command." She pulled on the wire. "Stand up and accompany me."

He had no choice in the matter. He tried to imagine what the hell was going on here, but it didn't make sense. If she knew about this planet, why didn't she just tell him about it instead of acting like it was a new discovery. Obviously, this base is something that had existed for some time, but it was a mystery as to how it was created in secret.

Chara led him out of the ship into a new world he had no prior knowledge about. If Space Command had anything to do with it, it was the best kept secret in history. In any case, he was about to find the truth, but it wasn't at all what he expected.