Star Fields

Chapter No.72 New Information

Chapter No.72 New Information

There is always something new over the next parsec.

We continued our patrol of the Orion arm. Molly found another possible habitable system, a G4-class star with six planets, one of which is a possible Earth-like world.

We assumed orbit around a planet that had an atmosphere with oxygen and water vapor, a requisite for human habitation.

"I'm not seeing anything that resembles structures," Molly announced. "There are some rather strange looking objects on the main continent. I'm not sure if they're natural."

"They look like pyramids," Margaret said, but they don't seem to be perfect like the ones that the Egyptians built."

"Yeah, they look skewed, like someone had twisted them," Molly said.

"Do you see anything alive down there?" I asked.

"Mostly vegetation," Margaret said. "I don't see anything large moving about."

"Since this planet has an oxygen rich atmosphere, it's safe to assume that there is some life down there."

"Send down the insect probes, Judy."

"They're on their way," she replied.

I folded my arms. "Maybe we'll be able to detect life down there."

"The conditions are nominal," Molly said. "The temperature is 21C, the pressure is 1200 millibars, the carbon dioxide is 0.05 percent and the radiation levels are very low."

"The planet has a very strong magnetic field. It's twice the level of Earth's," Margaret said.

"That may be why the radiation level is low," I said.

"Now, that's different!" Marie exclaimed, pointing to the main screen's display of the surface.

"What the hell?" I said. "They look like horses running around."

"Those so-called horses have faces with features that resemble humans," Molly said.

"That doesn't make any sense," I said. "How could something like that evolve?

"We know very little about how evolution actually works or even if it's the reason biological diversity exists," Margaret said. "I have to admit that they are rather odd."

"That's an understatement," I said.

"Are we going down there?" Molly asked.

"I'm not sure that we should. They might be intelligent, but if they're not, we could be considered invaders. The last thing I want to do is kill some of them. We're not out here to invade. We here to discover, not despoil."

"They don't appear to be violent or possess any sort of weapons," Molly said. "We'll never know if they're intelligent unless we go down there."

"Are you picking up any indication of vocalizations?" I asked.

"Yes, but the translator is having trouble with it. It's probably because the sounds are more complicated than ours."

"Okay, let's allow the translator time to digest it. It won't hurt to wait until we have more information about them. Do they have places to hide in? What sort of relationships do they have? Are there any evidence of children?"

"That's going to take some time to answer," she replied.

"That's okay. We have plenty of time."

She made a face back at me.

I spent some time exercising in my weight room and then took a shower in a room attached to it. Just as I was finishing, I saw a shadow appear outside the open shower. The shadow quickly changed to reveal Molly.