Lost Sols 1: Ancient Treasure (16 page)

Vincent was feeling better about himself and more confident after his conversation with Monique. The Constellation would be arriving at Mars
soon and he was thinking of different strategies he could use to recover the treasure and to keep everyone alive at the same time. He called a meeting and met the crew in the command center.

"I know the last few days
have been upsetting. The crew of the Avenger and our Captain didn’t deserve to die. Neither do we and we will get through this. I'll outline my strategy for our time at Mars. If anyone has any suggestions feel free to voice them. We need as many good ideas as possible. My plan is to get in and out as quickly as we can. If our enemy is in the area, they will be hidden and possibly camouflaged. It would make sense if an enemy ship parked on one of the moons and waited for us to arrive. It’s what I would do. We could look for months and not spot them if they’re camouflaged well. Every effort will be made to locate enemy ships on our way in, but we will not stop and try to locate them.

I will lead a landing party and we'll make three trips to the surface provided the treasure is found on the first trip.
Dalton and I found an empty pyramid on Earth, hopefully it won’t be the same this time. Regardless of what we find, I think making more then three trips would expose us for too long. On each trip down we will land outside the dead zone. This will require each of us on the ground to make a two mile journey to reach the pyramid. As soon as the landing party is on the ground the Constellation will return to orbit. I'm planning on this operation taking approximately eighteen hours. Three trips lasting six hours each is all we safely have time for.

Are there any
questions?" Vincent asked. "What about the people on the surface? It seems likely we could encounter resistance." Monique said. "That's why the Constellation is going back into orbit. Any forces on the ground will not be able to protect such a large perimeter. Before we land we'll look for ground forces and land where it's safe. The population on Mars is still small, there's no way a force large enough can be gathered to present a realistic threat. If we’re smart about our landing choice we should be fine. Once the landing party is safely in the dead zone, the Constellation will be back in orbit." Vincent replied. "How are we supposed to operate in the dead zone? All electronic devices have stopped working as soon as anyone has ever entered." Isabella asked. "Randy provided us with EVA suits which do not use any electronics. The suits are similar in nature to ancient dive suits. The ETS suit will be tested as well. We will use whichever suit works best. Both will be tested after we land. Dalton will go out with both suits to see if either work safely in the dead zone. It's likely the alien suits were designed for such a purpose." Vincent replied. "What if we encounter a hostile ship while you're on the surface?" Patrick asked. "Patrick you will be in command while we're on the surface. There will always be at least three crew members aboard the ship while we're on the surface to support any action you might need to take. You are to use any and all means necessary to defend the ship. While we're in the dead zone we won't be able to communicate. We will keep one person outside the pyramid in the event you locate an incoming ship. If a ship is located you are to return to the surface immediately to pick up the landing party. You might need to circle for awhile until we clear the dead zone." Vincent said. "Is all of this going to work?" Sarah asked. "Yes, it will work. Together we can do this." Vincent said.

The
Lexington had been traveling toward Jupiter for three days when a response was finally received from Command. Captain Samuels read the message. He was instructed to immediately set a return course for Mars. The Reagan was still on Earth sitting in the middle of a salvage yard. The Captain was informed he was no longer allowed to deviate from his orders unless it was a matter of life or death. Captain Samuels was pissed off. Someone had made a fool out of him and sent him on a wild goose chase. He cursed to himself and threw the message in the garbage. He was more determined then ever to see traitorous people die. "Navigator, set a return course for Mars now. Maximum speed."

The Constellation took an extra two weeks to reach Mars. The evasive route Sarah plotted put them behind their scheduled arrival date. Vincent knew all bets were off anyway. Any communication with the surface would announce their arrival and the wolves would come to feed.

"We are approaching Mars Captain. We are now in range of local communications. I'm receiving an automated message requesting our whereabouts." Sarah said. "Do not respond to any messages from the surface. Are you intercepting any other messages about us?" Vincent asked. "Nothing so far Captain. I'll let you know immediately if I hear anything about us, or any other ships. At this time I'm not receiving anything unusual." What is the estimated time to Cydonia?" Vincent asked. "Estimated time to Cydonia is three hours Captain." Sarah responded. Vincent summoned Monique to the command center. "Issue an ETS suit to each crewmember. Everyone must be prepared to activate the device at a moments notice. If the hull is compromised we can still make repairs if we lose our internal atmosphere. Everyone must be safely inside the alien suits if there is going to be a battle. Please tell the rest of the crew we will be touching down in three hours." Vincent said. "Which crew members will be on the landing party?" Monique asked. "You, Dalton, Dominic, and I will be on the landing party. Patrick, Sarah, Julia, and Isabella will remain onboard. Randy had the people at Leviathan create an inflatable ground transport we can load up and bring back from the pyramid. Ask Isabella to make sure the inflatable transport is packed and ready. We don't want to get down there and not be able to return with our treasure. We have enough to worry about as it is." he said. “How does the transport work?” It’s not electrical is it?” she asked. “No it’s not electrical. It’s about the size of a small truck. Once it’s inflated at the pyramid we’ll push it back to the ship. It should be pretty easy in the lighter gravity.” Vincent said.

Captain Charles Stukey knew he was destined to end his car
eer in space. He had been the Captain of an attack submarine for twelve years before he was recruited into the new Navy Space Program. Stalking enemy vessels in the depths of the oceans had given him the experience he needed to be successful in space. There was no reason he couldn't be as successful in space as he was on Earth. So far he liked space better then the depths of the ocean. He could at least look out the windows at the stars. The Navy task force assigned to his command was on their way to Mars. The task force had been in space for two days when Captain Stukey received his first relevant mission update. The Lexington had been diverted, was out of position, and was trying to return to Mars before the Constellation arrived. From the data he could see it was unlikely the Lexington would be able to reach Mars in time. His new orders instructed him to stay in contact with the Lexington and ground personnel on Mars. The Constellation was to be intercepted by his task force if the ship successfully left Mars. He had no worries about any enemy ships. His task force would be able to withstand any weapon system which was designed on Earth. His duty was to police the solar system and to enforce the directives he received from his superiors. This first mission appeared very straight forward and simple. If Captain Samuels failed, he would clean up the mess.

It was a hot day as Enzo, Randy, and Tony relaxed by the pool enjoying margaritas. Tony could barely be seen as his skin color was blending in with his chaise lounge. “You know Tony I could really use your unique abilities within my organization.” Enzo said. “That’s something I’ll have to think about. I’m not sure I have the nerves and mentality for that kind of stress.” Tony replied. “I appreciate you letting our doctors take a look at your transformation. The doctors tell me the tests are over for the most part. Your blood will be drawn daily for the rest of your time here. I don’t speak the same language as the doctors, but they tell me your cells are still undergoing changes.” he said. Their peace was interrupted when Enzo received a message on his phone. "It looks like our subterfuge worked. The Captain of the
Lexington bit the hook hard. The Lexington was significantly delayed. It gives our boys a chance to successfully complete their mission. The Lexington is back on course for Mars, let's see if we can sidetrack them one last time. I've already prepared a message." Enzo said.

Time was passing too quickly and the
Lexington wasn't moving fast enough. Captain Samuels was agitated. His decision to change course to Europa would cost him his career if he arrived at Mars and the Constellation was already gone. "Captain we're receiving a transmission." He wondered if he was being relieved of command. "Play the message." he said. "The following is a change in operational orders for the New York. You are to change course to Rhea upon receipt of this message. You are to assist with repairs to the Constellation. Once the Constellation is repaired and departs Rhea without issue you may return to normal duties."

Captain Samuels knew t
he message had to have been sent by the same person or organization which sent the one for the Reagan. He wouldn't be fooled twice. "Send a copy of the message to command, and stay on course for Mars."
The destruction of the Constellation would silence those who doubted him.

Officer Sanchez didn't like his current assignment. Recruiting non military personnel at the last minute for a military operation was a desperate act. He had managed to recruit fifteen workers from various terraforming and agricultural operations. A couple of the site supervisors were reluctant to let the workers leave. Once the supervisors were told the request was being made by the President of the
United States, they didn't need any more convincing. The agricultural growing operations were producing more food then needed anyway. The personnel could be spared. None of the recruits had any military experience and only five had previously fired a weapon. It was not a group of people he wanted to lead into any sort of combat. Discipline was non existent, and the assigned personnel weren’t used to the stress of battle.

In the last two days Officer Sanchez had been busy. A domed base was moved near Cydonia to serve as living quarters and to conduct surveillance. His volunteers added more cameras in the area around Cydonia to
watch for any unusual activity. "Officer Sanchez, what specifically are we supposed to be doing here?” a volunteer asked. "It's real simple. The President has declared these people enemies of the state. If we don't kill them, they will kill everyone on Mars and will then return to Earth to continue their murderous ways." Hector replied. "How do we know they're guilty of anything and deserve to die?" his recruit asked. "The President wouldn't have ordered their deaths if they didn't pose a threat. We have our mission and we will carry out the orders we've been given. Prepare for weapons training. You'll need to be able to hit what you're aiming for." He didn’t have much confidence any of his recruits could hit the broad side of a barn.

Mars loomed large through the window. Vincent was nervous and the crew was on edge. "Is there any sign we've been detected? Are you picking up any unusual transmissions?
” Vincent asked. "There are no issues at the moment. So far, so good Captain." Sarah replied. The risk increased with each passing minute. Vincent instructed the crew to activate their ETS suits. "We are in position Captain. We can enter the atmosphere and attempt a landing at your command." Sarah said.

Vincent was surprised the Constellation had remained undetected so far. Perhaps the enemy was waiting for him to descend when he would be the most vulnerable. He couldn't think of anything he might have missed or overlooked. "Take us to Cydonia
, Patrick. Let's conduct a flyby of the landing site to see who might be waiting for us." Vincent said.

Patrick f
lew the Constellation into the Martian atmosphere. He had done it before and it always made him nervous. The atmosphere on Mars wasn't anywhere near as dense as on Earth but it still presented problems if you weren't careful. Patrick carefully piloted the ship a thousand feet above the dusty reddish landscape. The blackness of the Constellation now stood out easily in the orange martian sky. Monique was the first to locate the structure near Cydonia. "Look there's a habitat. The habitat is about as close as you can get without being in the dead zone. It looks like somebody is waiting for us." she said. "That dome can't hold more then a couple dozen people. I wonder how long they've been waiting for us. If that's all they've got our plan should work. Put us down on the edge of the dead zone opposite of the habitat. There's no way the ground force can get to us fast enough if we're quick about it. Just getting into an EVA suit and out the airlock will take more time then we should need." Vincent said.

Hector was in the middle of trying to eat what was supposed to be a meal. There was just no getting used to the reconstituted slop he had to eat while at Cydonia. There wasn’t a cost effective way to transport vegetables to his location at Cydonia on a daily basis. "Officer Sanchez we have a ship coming into the region. It matches the description you told us to watch for." He quickly took one more bite of nastiness and grabbed his EVA suit. He contacted the two people outside the habitat who were on watch. "Get on your rovers, and follow the ship. Contact me when you arrive at the landing coordinates." The two new recruits set out after the Constellation as it was flying low and away from them. Hector would be close behind.

Monique assisted Patrick as he was looking for the best location to park the ship. "The dead zone is marked about every fifty yards with signs and markers. Land just outside one of the markers and we should be fine." she said. Patrick brought the Constellation to a safe touch down. "Dalton get ready to test both EVA suits. Julia, Sarah, and Isabella you cover us while we're testing the suits and until we are safely inside the dead zone. Dalton let's see if either of these suits will work." he said.

Dalton
exited the ship and began walking into the dead zone. "Have you noticed any change yet?" Vincent asked. "No, I don’t feel any changes and the readings are steady. I'll go further inside the zone to see if anything happens." Dalton said as he continued forward. After another twenty yards Dalton stopped. "Is everything all right?" Vincent asked. "We've lost communications with him Captain. If he’s transmitting we are not receiving." Sarah said. Dalton bent over and removed the helmet from the EVA suit Randy had provided and took some deep breaths. "It looks like he was having some sort of trouble. He looks alright now." Vincent said as Dalton began heading back toward the ship. Holding his helmet near his mouth Dalton began speaking. "Can you read me?" he asked. "We read you now Dalton go ahead." Sarah said. "The EVA suits we received from Randy do not work. I'm not sure what the problem was, but I was running out of air. The alien ETS suits seem to function fine. I feel confident we’ll be alright with them." he said.

"Captain, I have a contact. We are being approached from the south. There are two vehicles headed in our direction." Isabella reported. "Mo
nique and Dominic let's go, we’ll meet Dalton outside. Patrick, as soon as we are off the ship return to orbit. Let's move people." Vincent said. The exploration party entered the dead zone and began traveling toward Cydonia. Running was proving difficult due to the low martian gravity, and eventually each of them were skipping and bounding as fast as possible. Vincent yelled to the rest of the landing party and told them to slow down. He slowed to a walk as did the rest of the party. They were safely out of range and Vincent began looking at the surface. The archeologist in him really wanted to spend years exploring Mars. He was seeing pieces of bone, partial skeletons, and metallic objects which had to have been made by an intelligent species. Just at a glance he was able to tell the skeletal remains were not human.

Prior to reaching the pyramid the team would pass the
fabled lost city. Knowing he was short on time Vincent decided a few minutes could be spared to take a quick look. “Let’s look around for a few minutes. A chance like this doesn’t come around very often.” he said.

Columns very similar to
ones in seen in ancient civilizations on Earth could be seen toppled on the ground. Most of the city was in ruins. A few structures remained standing but many had collapsed. The layout of the city appeared to resemble Karnak in Egypt. Vincent felt as if he were standing on the graves of the dead. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and he shivered. The dead zone was taking on a whole new meaning. He would have to find a way to come back. So much history and so many secrets were waiting to be uncovered.

The dead zone and its secrets was one mystery the government couldn’t cover up
. The members of the exploration party were the first humans who had been able to penetrate and enter Cydonia. He had no doubt the mysteries of Cydonia could be studied for centuries before all the secrets would be uncovered. The grand prize of the pyramid beckoned, and he waived his team forward.

Patrick had the Constellation off the surface momen
ts after the team departed. "Isabella, what's the status of the vehicles on the ground? Are they close enough to cause any damage?" he asked. "Both vehicles are too far out but still in pursuit." After just a few seconds the Constellation was accelerating upwards into the atmosphere. "We're out of range Patrick, the vehicles have stopped." she said. "Good, I'm hoping there won't be any surprises waiting for us when we reach orbit. Are you sure you know what you're doing with that missile launcher? We may need it." he asked. "It’s an unknown technology. I'll give it my best shot. Hopefully we won't have to use it." she replied.

It had taken Hector and his men five minutes to get into their EVA suits and begin pursuit of the enemy ship. They were heading in the direction of the last known location of the ship when the recruits were spotted returning. "Ple
ase report your status." he ordered. "It looks like the ship has returned to space. Prior to departure there were four people who left the ship and successfully entered the dead zone." Hector didn't think he heard the last part correctly. Nobody had ever successfully entered the dead zone. He asked the recruit to repeat the report a second time. "How were they able to enter?" he asked. "Each person appeared to be protected by some sort of force field or shield. It was hard to tell, we were so far away we could barely see them. We saw a light of some kind surrounding each person." Hector gathered his men and returned to the base. He was glad there was a transmission delay between Earth and Mars. He didn't wish to interact with his angry President directly.

"Mr. President you have an urgent message from Mars." his secretary reported. President Louis hoped it would finally be good news. "Mr. President, the ship you warned us about landed briefly on the surface. Four crew members were able to enter the dead zone using an unknown technology. To the best of our knowledge the ship returned to orbit and the four crew members are still
within the perimeter of the dead zone." President Louis was normally a patient man. He was angry now. How could anyone enter the dead zone? Experts had been working on the problem for years. Under no circumstances could anyone be allowed to leave Cydonia alive. Time was running short and the fugitives had to be captured. He sent a reply which could not be misconstrued in any way.

"Officer Sanchez, you are to round up every able bodied person within a thousand miles of Cydonia. The dead zone is to be surrounded and these terrorists are to be captured the moment they try to leave. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. We believe aliens have left advanced technology in Cydonia. These terrorists wish to wipe all life off Mars and Earth so mother nature has a blank canvass. We are dealing with extremists. If they are allowed to leave Cydonia with advanced weapons and technology life as we know it will cease to exist. Do not fail in this mission and do not tell me it's impossible. I used to do the impossible every day in
Vietnam. Activate the emergency broadcast network. Any citizen of Mars who refuses to help will be subject to arrest and prosecution for failing to follow an Emergency War Directive. I expect this action to begin the moment you get this message. Capture these extremists and safeguard any weapons or technology in their possession.

The dusty red pyramid was growing larger as the group approached. Sand had accumulated at the base of the pyramid, which made it difficult to get close. The group walked around three sides of the pyramid and saw a gap in between the bottom of the sand and what appeared to be an entrance on the fourth side.
Dalton took the lead and began negotiating his way up the slippery slope.
Halfway up Monique tumbled back to the bottom, and was the last to make it up. “I don’t see how we’ll get anything out if we have to negotiate this hill.” she said. “We’ll worry about it when the time comes.” Vincent said.

The entrance to the pyramid was small. In his mind Vincent had expected a colossal grand entrance. Perhaps there was another entrance buried beneath the sand somewhere. What he found was an opening which would only comfortably accommodate one person at a time. He told Dominic to stay where he was and stand
watch. Vincent pulled a large glow stick from his pack and activated it. The glow stick didn't give off the amount of light he wanted, but there were no other options. Flashlights or anything else electrical was out of the question. The light from the ETS suits would add to the light provided by the glow sticks.

Vincent led the way into the entrance with Monique and
Dalton following behind. The tunnel was longer then he expected and changed from martian regolith to the more familiar black alien material Vincent had seen at the Prime Pyramid. The team came to an intersecting tunnel. It was time to make a choice, either left or right. Vincent went to the right with the others behind him. His heart was racing as he saw the entrance to the first chamber.

He entered the chamber and came face to face with an Egyptian man. Jumping bac
k he realized it was a statue of Ka. As the team entered the chamber they were amazed and speechless. The chamber was filled with treasure beyond imagination. Gold artifacts were littered throughout the chamber along with amulets, statues, papyrus scrolls, musical instruments, and sacred seals. At first glance he saw Egyptian as well as Sumerian artifacts. Some he didn't recognize at all. There were artifacts which he didn’t recognize from any culture on Earth. He believed some of the artifacts came from a different civilization and a different species. Vincent let out a triumphant scream, and noticed both Dalton and Monique had tears in their eyes. Vincent hugged Dalton. “We did it my friend. Maria was right all along.” he said. “She would be so proud of you Vincent.” Dalton replied.

Captain Samuels
was handed a communication from the President. The Constellation was at Mars and crewmembers had successfully entered the Cydonia region. He had already underestimated his enemy, and now his opponent might have access to alien technology. The Lexington had been screaming toward Mars as fast as she could go, and he was now an hour away from the planet. He issued orders to his crew, and had Tavaris prepare an armed boarding party. It was time to redeem himself, and prove once and for all he was the best and only Captain the Lexington would ever have.

Looking out his window Hector saw the first people arriving at his base. The message on the emergency broadcast network was being followed by some of the personnel on Mars. Small pockets of vehicles and people were headed toward Cydonia. There was little more he could tell them when they arrived. The orders issued on the emergency broadcast were si
mple. Capture the ship and the crew when they returned. It would be his job to ensure as much of the perimeter could be covered as possible. He put on his EVA suit and began issuing instructions. There still weren’t more then fifty people at the site. Territory would be divided into four sections. He picked out four of his better recruits and told them they were now sector commanders. It would be their job to coordinate with the new people on the ground and to make sure there weren't any gaps for the crew to exploit. He gave each section commander three rifles. With only twelve rifles in total the fight would likely consist of hand to hand combat. Anyone with a rifle would be sent to the landing site immediately. If the people in Cydonia came out with advanced alien weaponry his people would likely be slaughtered.