Chapter 16

Alex whistled slightly under his breath as the sparkling white planet grew larger in the front view port. “Look at that, it’s amazing.”

Evan glanced at his Keeper. There was a purity in his voice, an almost child-like anticipation of what was to come as he piloted the Finder’s Keeper closer. To the crew, their captain appeared professional and in control, leading them forward in caution but without hesitation. But to Evan, Alex was a kid the night before Christmas, too anxious to sleep but too aware of the rules to open anything just yet. Seeing a new planet before anyone else, exploring where no human had even thought to go, was all Alex lived for. After ten hours of probing, testing and sampling air, he looked about to explode. When those tests revealed a planet littered with structures made entirely of silicone crystal, the decision had been made. They were going down, breathable atmosphere or not.

Evan looked back at the planet. “So far no sign of the plague here. I’ve been testing for hours and haven’t found a single chemical marker. Zane said if it was present in any concentration, we would find it.”

“Do you see any sign of technology?”

“No, not yet.” It was precisely that attitude that had Evan on full alert. He would have to be the safety net, making sure his Keeper didn’t ignore personal cautions for the pure adventure of exploration. “But those ships we found in the nebula might have been their only two.”

“I suppose it’s possible.”

There was a vague tone of disappointment in Alex’s statement. Evan knew how badly he’d wanted to find this planet, if indeed it was the planet the crystal beings called home. And there was nothing more he wanted than for this to be it, for his Keeper’s sake, even if it proved to have nothing to do with the plague.

As the Finder’s Keeper dropped into the upper atmosphere, Evan scanned the surface. “It’s all crystals. Everywhere, crystal forms, some the size of mountains.”

“Yes, but even from this altitude, you can see a pattern. And smooth lines running between them, like roads or pathways.”

Crystals in and of themselves had a random appearance, but there was definition and pattern to these that suggested they were structures of some kind.

"There isn't much of an atmosphere.” Evan glanced back toward the passengers, a landing team of four, each equipped with an environmental suit that would exchange the planet’s toxic gasses with a breathable atmosphere for up to eight hours.

He wondered if anyone in this team had ever explored an alien world before. Serenity had been his own first time. It had been an adventure Evan would never have imagined he’d experience before meeting Alex. Researching the possibilities was addictive, and had come to an end all too quickly.

And now, they might have just discovered the birth place of the ship they'd found there.

“Something’s not quite right.” Alex shook his head as he brought the Finder’s Keeper in for a final low altitude pass of the region they’d chosen to land in.

Evan consulted his readings. “Still no signs of life or movement of any kind. Absolutely no traces of the plague.”

One of the men in the landing crew cleared his throat. “Captain, if they’re all dead down there doesn’t that mean the plague got them first?”

“We don’t know anyone’s dead here, lieutenant. Finding no sign of life doesn’t mean it’s a sign of death. If anything lives here, they could be under ground, or simply be standing still watching us fly around. Keep in mind if there is life here, it’s completely alien to anything we’ve ever seen or known. We can’t apply our logic to them.” Alex glanced at Evan. “We can only hold them to the laws of physics. And even then, only those laws we understand.”

Evan nodded, still watching the landscape as it drew closer. “On our planets, only the humans were killed by the virus. All animal and plant life was spared, and from what I understand all sea life as well. It stands to reason if the plague was an attack on the dominant species of those planets affected, then the virus would be specific to just that species. If the inhabitants of this planet were targeted based on their physiology, then whatever killed them would likely have no effect on us.”

As the crew murmured their agreements, Alex brought the ship down in a gentle landing several yards away from one of the towering crystal structures. “Okay everyone, it’s show time. Suit up and get your gear ready.”

Evan helped his Keeper secure the ship while the crew donned environmental suits and readied their equipment. “If the plague was here, we’d have dropped dead by now.”

Alex huffed and shook his head. “You didn’t doubt for one second that we’d be safe landing here.”

“Chances are that -- ”

“Chances my ass.” Alex stood and reached for his suit’s face plate. “You wouldn’t have let me get as far as the Defiant’s hangar if you thought this planet was dangerous.”

Evan balked at the suggestion. “You’re damn right I wouldn’t. I may not be able to foretell what dangers might be here, but I wasn’t about to let you get anywhere near the upper atmosphere if I thought there was a chance the plague existed on this world. That’s a danger I can foretell.”

Alex grinned as he secured the breather’s face plate strap loosely around his neck. “Exactly. I knew if you were letting me fly down here, it was perfectly safe.” He faced the crew. “Okay boys, into the air lock. Our breathers will hold us for a good eight hours, and we all have spare cylinders for another eight. We stay in pairs and in constant contact via the headsets.”

Everyone secured their ear pieces and adjusted microphones, then slipped the face shields in place and stepped into the airlock. The head sets had two channels, allowing for public communications as well as private conversations. Evan flipped his comm. switch to match Alex’s so they could converse alone in the cramped airlock.

“You know, I am fallible.” Evan glared at Alex. This blind faith his Keeper maintained was both flattering and annoying. It was an enthusiasm that could be infectious, but was definitely dangerous, since his Keeper had a habit of rushing into things out of curiosity with no thought to safety, logic or anything else that spoke of sanity and clear thinking.

Alex met his gaze defiantly. “Prove it.”

If they’d been alone, Evan would have smacked Alex on the back of the head to try and force some sense in there. “Prove to you that I’m fallible? That would mean putting you in danger, on purpose, just to prove a point. Which I will not do, no matter what you ask.”

“Yeah, I know.” Alex was grinning behind the clear face shield. “You’re infallible, which makes me invincible. Since you’ll never make a mistake where my safety is concerned, and by default that makes you invincible, too, since you’re with me all the time.”

“You’re invincible?”

“Because you’re infallible. How else do you explain the two of us surviving everything we’ve been through in the past two and a half years?”

“Maybe I should have you examined by Doctor Zane when we get back to Scotian. I could have you declared mentally unfit.”

“I think insanity is all relative these days.”

Evan sensed a dark tone in his Keeper’s response, so he refrained from commenting. Aside from a cryptic remark a few days ago regarding the visit with his mother, Alex hadn’t mentioned her. Even when he’d said what little he had, it was clear something had upset him about his visit, more than usual.

The airlock filled with a slight fog as their own breathable atmosphere was exchanged with that of the planet. When the levels met, the doors opened and the landing party stepped out, feeling the heavier gravity instantly. Evan and Alex switched their communication channel to open and led the way out of the Finder’s Keeper.

“Everyone keep an eye on your oxygen levels.” Alex pointed to the large crystal structure ahead. “Lets make our way to that one and see if it has an opening.”

Each man double-checked his weapon before taking out scanners and motion sensor equipment.

Alex held up a cautionary hand. “Remember, we’re the aliens here. If we do find anything alive, let’s try and be optimistic. Not stupid, but optimistic.”

The men acknowledged the order, then proceeded toward the large crystal structure.

Evan fell in step beside his Keeper. “They’re military men, not explorers. Can you trust them not to shoot the first thing that moves?”

“I used to be them. They’re looking for something to shoot, but when faced with the unknown, their training will kick in. They’ll only defend themselves and us if they have to.” Alex reached down with a gloved hand and touched the surface of a crystal. “Back then I was a little more curious than cautious.”

“You still are more curious than cautious.”

“That’s what you’re here for.” Alex bent over slightly to examine the crystal section he was touching. “It’s the same stuff we found in those crashed ships.”

“You need someone to keep you alive long enough to make your next discovery.” Evan leaned closer to see the crystal for himself. The other crewmen were marveling at the smooth feel and sharp clarity of the silicone formations all around them.

“That’s why you’re my common sense.” Alex straightened up and continued toward the large crystal structure. “And I’m your sense of curiosity.”

Evan stared after his Keeper for a moment, then moved to follow him. “What?”

“Yeah, I figured it all out.” Alex glanced at him, grinning. “Maker was nuts, but he did get one thing right when he said you and I were the perfect combination. Kinda like logic and emotion, they have to go together or you’re just half a person. I mean sure, the coincidence of making you the way you are, and then me inheriting -- it’s all pretty mind-bending.” He pointed at the structure. “This planet kinda throws a nut into the idea that the crystal bits were the aliens, you know?” He shook his head. “Unless Maker really did know what the hell he was doing, and that’s too scary to think about.”

Evan was about to say how he could count the normal conversations they’d had together on one hand when he realized that the opposite was actually true. If ninety percent of their conversations were convoluted and hard to follow, wouldn’t they be considered -- purely by power of majority -- normal conversations?

He decided to accept this one without trying. “Because these structures are made of the same crystals?”

Alex nodded and continued with the other crewmen around the large structure, looking for a way inside. “This silicone is a building material, like rocks, littering the planet. They use it to build structures, machines, and God knows what else.”

"So the crystals around the wrecks were their machinery?" Evan scanned the massive crystal formation and found an abnormality in the surface several yards to their right. “Over here, this could be a way inside.” He started in that direction, following the indicators on his scanner. “I doubt the residents would be composed of the same materials that litter the planet’s surface and compose their buildings. But that’s assuming things based on comparison.”

“Which is all we have to go on until proven otherwise.” Alex pointed upward. “Look at that. This is an opening, all right, and it stretches up some, what, fifty feet?”

One of the landing party, a Lieutenant Martinez, measured the size of the opening with his own handheld. “Maybe they have long legs. Or wings?”

Alex stepped closer into the opening. “Let’s proceed with caution, our aliens might well be home.”

It was so easy for Alex to tell others to be cautious, and so hard for him to be.

Evan led the way before anyone else could step forward. The opening was tall, but only ten feet wide, and roughly formed by protruding crystals. Under their feet the ground sloped gently downward, leading into a shimmering silicone cave.

“Lights, everyone.” Alex touched a button on his shoulder and a blue light hit the wall he was facing.

Evan and the others followed suit. Instantly they were rewarded with color dancing over the crystal walls.

“Just like the ship.” Evan turned to the crewmen who were avidly scanning the structure and gazing around. “Geometric shapes in varying colors. These symbols could be command buttons. Only they don't seem to be buttons at all, or connected to anything.”

Alex was staring up and around, moving his light over the uneven surfaces above and around them. “This could be it, the planet they came from.” He looked at Evan, then back up at the vaulted ceiling.

“But where are they?” Evan scanned the massive cavern. His sensor wasn’t picking up movement or biological signs of any kind. “And what did our mystery ship pick up here that could be turned into a plague?" He looked around as Alex started wandering further into the crystal cavern. “There's nothing here except smooth crystal walls and painted geometric shapes. I'm not picking up any signs of virus or bacteria. In fact, there's an odd absence of those here.”

“I have no idea. Look how the colored symbols are everywhere. They’re on the protruding parts as well as the smooth ones. Like someone wrote on the walls and ceilings and every blank space they could find.”

“Maybe that’s all this is, just alien graffiti.” Evan shrugged. “This could be a nursery or child’s room for all we know.”

Alex turned to him, laughing. “Good point. But I don’t think we’re going to find anything alive in here.”

The landing party had covered most of the perimeter and found nothing. Martinez reported no signs of life or movement within the cavern.

Alex nodded. “Take the others and check out another structure, stay in pairs and report back every fifteen minutes.”

“Aye, sir.”

Evan watched the landing party leave the large crystal enclosure. As the blue light in the room was reduced to only his and Alex’s beams, the markings on the walls and protruding crystals was easier to see. “These men didn’t expect to ever find aliens in their lifetimes. I doubt they even really believe in alien sentient life.”

“They’re pretty convinced you’re alien.” Alex grinned. “So was I, at first.”

Evan made a face and walked further into the crystal room.

There were large shapes filling the open spaces, apparently grown from the floor itself and formed into various structures. All were too massive and tall to theorize on form or function. None had openings, but all were decorated with colored symbols in shapes and patterns they hadn’t seen on the wreckage of the alien ship. Near the back of the cavern was a tunnel, leading down in a gentle slope to what their scanners showed were more open spaces.

Alex pointed to a symbol on the wall. “Do you think our mystery pilot knew how to read this language?”

"Assuming anyone could learn a completely alien language independent of anyone else knowing it existed?"

They rounded a wide corner and found themselves entering a massive chamber, empty of everything but multi-faceted crystal shapes and colored symbols. This time, the symbols were aligned, and uniformly positioned around the huge room.

“Wow.” Alex stopped walking and stared up at the ceiling. “You’d think there would be something around here to suggest what they look like. Something other than silicone everywhere you look.” He looked around the room as they walked. “You know what this reminds me of?”

Evan glanced around the cavern and pictured the first room they’d seen upon entering the structure. “A workshop?” He looked at his Keeper and saw a wide grin spreading across his face.

“I was thinking either workshop or assembly room, or testing area maybe. Everything in here, as odd and unfamiliar as it is, has a symmetry to it. It looks on purpose and placed. These growths of crystal, the markings along the walls, even the empty spaces between them. Kind of reminds me of a work room, or what my office looks like when I'm studying scans.”

Evan nodded as they walked. “And the first room is random and messy. Where they work out bugs in the programming, or researched their ship designs, maybe?”

“So, what if this isn’t even their planet? What if they only come here to mine the silicone? Hell, they could live anywhere in the galaxy and travel here once every three thousand years to harvest some new crystals.”

“It’s possible,” Evan conceded. Anything was possible at this point, until they met an actual alien being. "For all we know, this is their sewage system.”

Alex laughed shortly as he stopped walking and looked around again. “That would be one quality cosmic joke on us, wouldn’t it? Spending hours wandering around inside some alien toilet, looking for answers. Exploration has to start somewhere.” He shrugged and wiped sweat from his forehead. “I’m not above checking out a sewer, as long as it’s a sewer no one has seen before.”

Evan rolled his eyes but chuckled softly. His Keeper had an interesting way of keeping certain things in perspective, while blowing others completely out of proportion. It was an idiosyncrasy the Sha’erah found both annoying, and oddly endearing.

“There’s got to be some sign of life around here. Something that could tell us what that ship came for, and what it took away with it.” Alex continued their walk around the large cavernous room. “Even toilet paper would be a find.”

Evan was about to remind Alex that they were again making assumptions, when a crackling over the intercom interrupted his thoughts.

“Captain! Commander!” Martinez’s voice was filled with barely disciplined excitement. “We’ve found something!”

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