Button in the Fabric of Time (23 page)

I told her about the nest.

“Don’t worry, Gus,” she repeated. “Earth has
eagles and osprey that build nests in places like that.”

“I’ve never seen a bird nest built from the
hides of animals.” Hoping she was right, I pushed the thought of
danger out of my mind, and continued exploring and enjoying the
beauty of this new planet. However, I had failed to notice that the
days on Etu were only 18 hours long, and so it was getting dark
before the allotted time of four hours was up. “Jan-3, did you
bring a light? I’m afraid it’ll get dark before we get back.”

“No, I didn’t,” she said, “but our sample
containers are full, and we’ve taken hundreds of pictures, so we’re
finished with our tasks. I don’t feel safe walking through this
jungle in the dark. Let’s zap ourselves back now.”

“I’ll let the others know what we’re doing,”
I said, “and they can meet us at the keri. Let’s take a moment to
view the three moons and to experience this enchanting night.” She
stood close, and it occurred to me that we were possibly the first
humans on this planet.

Jan-3 said, “I feel like Eve must have
felt.”

“Do you believe the story of Adam and
Eve?”

“Not literally, but I like the symbolism.
Let’s return, at least for a time, with the Earth people who choose
Etu as their new home. I like this planet.”

“I like it, too.” I said, “Perhaps we can
help the new inhabitants establish a civilization here. We’d better
get back. The others will be wondering what happened to us.” I
rubbed my travel button with Jan-3 still in my arms, and together
we appeared to the crew in front of the keri.

They were eager to tell us of their
experiences. No one had eaten since leaving Greece, and we were all
hungry. Taki-4 tested the fruit Jan-3 had brought back, while the
rest of us prepared our evening meal. The fruit was edible, and we
shared it. Then each crew member made a verbal report.

Lani, the geologist, reported first: “The
mineral content of the soil and the water is excellent. Etu seems
to be in about the same stage of development as Earth was during
the late Cretaceous period. The planet is completely habitable, but
the people who make it their home may experience storms of extreme
proportions. I would like to survey the entire planet with the keri
before I complete my report.”

Angie-2 reported next: “I agree with Lani
about the stage of development. The life forms here are different,
of course, but there is a parallel to the life forms of Earth
during the same period. I saw droppings and other indications of
reptiles. There are mammals here also. The predators seem to be
similar to the late dinosaurs of Earth. I saw tracks that looked
like they were made by humanoids. Whatever made the tracks were
definitely biped, and walked with a stride much like the earliest
humans.”

“You think there are cavemen here?” Jan-3
asked.

“I doubt that these beings have developed
that far. Their tracks indicate that they walk less than fully
erect. They’re probably tree-dwellers. The caves on this planet
will probably be occupied by reptiles. I saw no indication of
campfires and, without fire; humanoids would have no way to defend
a cave. They’re probably pre-Stone Age.”

I told the crew, “I saw a large nest among
the crags that was bigger than an eagle’s nest, and it wasn’t made
with sticks and twigs. It was made from the hides of animals. I
want to look at that nest more closely before we leave.”

“Pterosaurs existed in the late Cretaceous
period. They, or something like them, may exist here. The time
period seems right,” Angie-2 agreed.

“Could you bring me up to date?” Cord-1
asked. “I’m an astronomer. I have no knowledge of dinosaurs. What
is a pterosaur?”

“It’s a winged reptile,” Angie-2 answered.
“Some were large enough to carry humans to their nests and feed
them to their young.”

“That sounds like an unpleasant experience to
me!” Cord-1 chuckled.

“That’s the reason,” I cut in, “why we must
take another look at that nest before we complete our report on
this planet’s habitability. There are probably carnivores in the
water also. With thirty-first century weapons, people would be able
to eliminate the carnivores, but that’s not a decision for us to
make at this time. We’ll report what we find, and the Council will
decide what to do.”

I turned to Rina-5. “As an environmentalist,
what do you think of Etu?”

“My observations agree with the previous
reports,” Rina-5 replied. “The air is moist and warm, indicating a
swamp-like environment. The water is warm and algae grow in larger
quantities than would have been normal on Earth in the late
Cretaceous period. I’ll have to see the entire planet before I can
make a complete determination.”

“Would each of you record your findings while
the experience is fresh?” I asked. “Tomorrow, we’ll try to
determine what kind of bird made that nest, and then we’ll circle
the planet for an overall look before proceeding deeper into space.
We must look for other planets that are habitable.”

“I’d like to sit outside the keri for a while
and enjoy the night,” Jan-3 said.

“I’d like that, too,” Rina-5 said, “but we
must exercise caution. We have no way of knowing what other life
forms inhabit this planet, or what the night prowlers might
do.”

“Thank you, Rina-5,” I said. “After seeing
that nest, I agree that we must be careful. From now on, we must
always carry their stun guns, lasers, travel buttons, and lights.
Make sure you’re wearing your communication ring at all times. No
one is to wander off alone, so if you go exploring, take a buddy
with you.”

We all went outside to enjoy the night. A
warm, moist wind made the night sensuous. One large and two small
moons hung in a sky that was so dark that it was almost black. The
Milky Way showed up even more clearly on Etu than it did on Earth.
It was a night meant for lovers. Cord-1 pointed to the stars he was
familiar with, but it was difficult to identify them from this
point of view without instruments. The night was enchanting, but
there was much to do tomorrow, so Jan-3 and I retired to our
bed.

* * * * *

Chapter 28

We ate breakfast hurriedly and zapped
ourselves to the cliff where I had seen the nest.

We were astonished when we saw a small group
of humanoids gathered at the base of the cliff, frantically
pointing to the nest. Seeing us terrified them, but they were even
more terrified by what was happening in the nest. With the
knowledge of language Jan-3 and I had received from the Antons, we
understood their guttural sounds. A child had been captured by a
flying reptile. We could see the reptile standing in the nest,
holding the child in its talons. I held my stun gun in my left hand
and rubbed the red portion of my button with my right, and I was
beside the reptile on the rim of the nest. I knew that if I used my
stun gun on the flying reptile, while it was holding the child, it
would also stun the child. I severed the reptile’s head with my
laser. When the reptile fell, I grabbed the child, preventing her
from falling to the ground fifty meters below. Then I rubbed the
white portion of my button, and we were instantly back on the
ground.

I handed the child to Jan-3, who was busy
trying to console the child’s mother. The little girl wasn’t
seriously hurt, but she had been terribly frightened and was
sobbing. The humanoids dropped to their knees and raised their
hands in an act of worship. The crew and I stooped to pick them up,
and I tried to explain that we were not gods. It was beyond their
ability to understand who we were, or why we were on their
planet.

The hominids were short, with long, hairy
arms hanging from stooped but muscular shoulders. The females
gathered around the women in our crew, wanting to feel their hair
and examine their clothes. Jan-3 and the other women in our crew
were holding and cuddling the babies, and playing with the
children.

The children, not understanding the
limitations of the Earth women, scampered up into the trees with
the ease of monkeys, expecting Jan-3 and her companions to follow.
The babies responded like babies everywhere; they liked being
cuddled.

The primitive men examined us cautiously,
their faces expressing both fear and awe. They offered us food, but
it smelled terrible, so we declined.

Using her knowledge of anthropology, Jan-3
said, “These people are in the same developmental stage that we
Earth humans were when we were tree dwellers. They will not be able
to come down from the trees and move into caves until they have a
way to protect themselves. They need fire. Gus, do you think it
would be all right for us to show them how to make and use
fire?”

I looked questioningly at each of my crew
members. They all nodded, except Angie-2. She cautioned, “It will
forever alter their environment.”

Jan-3 said, “We’re looking for planets that
are suitable for humans. These hominids prove that this planet is
suitable. Earth people will come here by the millions. They may
come right away, or it may take thousands of years. But it will
take these creatures thousands of years to evolve into what we
think of as full-fledged humans. Their environment will change
anyway, so why not help them?”

“Angie-2, what do you say to Jan-3’s
thoughts?” I asked.

“I agree,” Angie-2 replied thoughtfully, “and
I withdraw my objection.”

“It would take weeks to send a message to
Earth and receive a reply, so since we have a consensus, I agree
with Jan-3. How do you suggest we go about introducing them to the
use of fire?”

“We’ll have to teach them to make fire the
way the cavemen made fire,” Jan-3 said. “It will be difficult for
them to understand, so we’ll have to show them the benefits of
using fire, and also demonstrate the harm it can do if they use it
incorrectly.”

“While you’re doing that,” I said, “I’ll
teach them to make stone tools.”

“I saw some flint stones and a deposit of
obsidian yesterday,” Taki-4 said. “I’ll help you make the stone
tools.”

“Good. Then let’s get busy. We’ve got to
complete the survey of this planet and find others.”

It was interesting working with the
primitives. Jan-3 and the other women on the crew loved working
with the children. The children were delightful, with malleable
minds. They could accept only a limited amount of new information,
so we had to relearn what the cavemen knew millions of years ago in
order to teach them to be cavemen.

After Jan-3 felt that the beings of Etu had
learned enough to continue developing on their own, we said
good-bye to the slightly advanced humanoids, re-entered our keri,
and began circling planet Etu. It contained dry areas and vast
swampy areas. Oceans covered large sections. The North and South
Poles were unfrozen, but colder than the equatorial areas. The
planet contained a wide array of mammals and reptiles. It was
beautiful and fertile, but new settlers would surely have to learn
to deal with some unpleasant beasts.

* * *

We examined other planets in the Ursa Major
solar system, but they were either too hot or too cold for human
habitation. Cord recommended we look in the 55 Cancri solar
systems. That system was located approximately 40 light years from
Earth, in the constellation Cancer. Star 55 was a little smaller
and cooler than Earth’s sun.

Cord said, “The planets that orbited Star 55
had been formed from a disk of dust, just as Mercury, Venus, Earth,
and Mars had formed in our solar system, and they are a similar
distance from their sun.”

* * *

I set my thoughts on an Earth-sized planet
nestled between two massive gaseous planets. The planet of choice
was slightly closer to Star 55 than Earth is to its sun, but Star
55 is a little cooler than the Earth’s sun, so the difference
should be just about right.

Cord-1 and I shared our plans with the rest
of the crew. Everyone was excited by the possibility that we might
find another habitable planet. I rubbed the transporting button,
and we were immediately in a low orbit around a magnificent planet
that was, as far as we could tell, an exact twin to Earth in every
important way. The poles were frozen, and the area of the planet
that should be tropical was tropical. The planet contained
continents, oceans, plains, deserts, and had a wide temperate zone,
a few active volcanoes, and large snow-covered area of mountains
interspersed with deserts. It had a moon similar to Earth’s and the
two large gaseous planets provided an interesting setting. After
checking, Cord determined that the planet’s orbit was stable.

Star 55 went below the horizon, but this new
planet did not get dark, as it does on Earth when the sun goes
down. The light from the Star reflected off the moon and the giant
planets. The nights were more like an Earth twilight.

Taki-4 tested the chemical content of the
planet’s surface; Rina-5 tested the atmosphere and found it to be
ideal. Angie-2 was impatient to get out of the keri and onto the
surface of the planet to check its life forms. By observing from
the air, we found no structures that would indicate that humans had
ever been here. It looked like we had truly hit the jackpot. We
found a spot in the planet’s temperate zone by a grove of trees
near a clear stream, and set the keri on firm ground. A vast plain
of grass extended to the horizon, with diverse herds of grazing
animals.

Angie-2 said, “I see no carnivores to prey
upon these grazing herds, but they are bound to be here by the
thousands, and they could be dangerous. We must find them and
determine how much threat they present.”

“This world,” Jan-3 said, “is like a clean
slate for humans to start afresh and build a paradise, if they can
overcome their weaknesses.”