Lost Sols 1: Ancient Treasure (8 page)

The video opened to empty space.
Stars were in the background but not much else. Monique was right about the display console. Multiple images were being shown. A flight suit was being worn by the pilot. The camera captured part of the suit which contained the arms and hands. Occasionally the pilot would touch parts of the display. It was hard to tell with the flight suit on, but the arms and hands didn't appear to be dissimilar from those of humans.

Monique paused the video.
"There it is. As you can see this is the video I described. Do I now have your word we can come to an arrangement?" she asked. “We haven’t seen anything of value yet. I’ll make a decision about a possible arrangement after we’ve seen the video. It looks like this is the real deal so far. We will discuss your future later, press play." he said.

The video resumed.
"Our analysts told us this part of the video was taken in the Kuiper Belt. About every two minutes the stars and the arms of the pilot change position slightly. The video isn't constant. From what we could tell the video comes on for two out of every thirty three minutes during what we believe is routine operations. We think the video is recording position coordinates and updating the mission status intermittently. The ship is traveling at a tremendous speed. Early calculations put the speed at seventy five percent of light speed. It didn’t take long at all to reach Saturn. Here’s where it starts to get interesting." She said.

Vincent and Dalton were transfixed on the video as they saw what looked like a planet approaching. The video was continuous during the approach. The planet was indeed Saturn. The ship was slowing and heading for one of the moons. “Do you know what moon that is?” Dalton asked. “It’s Rhea.” Vincent said. He knew Rhea was essentially a frozen slush ball and the second largest moon of Saturn after Titan.

It looked as if the alien craft was going to crash into the moon until a massive door opened on the surface. As the ship went through the door hundreds of alien ships were visible. Ships were in various stages of construction. Aliens could be seen walking around the hanger performing various duties. The structure looked like it was being used as a hanger or staging area. Ships were separated in the hanger by size. Some were enormous while others were designed for a single pilot. Motion in the video stopped as the craft landed in the hanger. Vincent paused the video. “That’s extraordinary. Where did the ship come from?” he asked. “That’s a good question. Nobody seems to know. Three quarters the speed of light is extremely fast but it’s not nearly fast enough to conduct interstellar travel and plan for a battle. It would have taken decades to get here from the closest star systems. We know very little about these aliens but those
small ships are not designed for comfort or long voyages. We don’t know where the aliens came from and if they have an alternate means of travel. Both are good questions we don’t have the answer to yet.” Monique said.

“Did you see the tenuous ring around Rhea? It’s the only known moon with a ring. For years we weren’t sure if a ring really existed around Rhea. The data was always inconclusive and nobody could agree on what type of material was in the ring. Our analysis of the video indicates that a ring does exist, and it’s made out of the same material the ships and the Ark Pyramid are made from. We believe the material in the ring system is artificial and is used in the construction of their ships. The ring system is a massive storage area of an unknown alien material. One of the analysts at the agency called the material tratium.” Monique said and restarted the video.

It was unknown how long the pilot was in the hanger and how long the video was off. “The video could have been off for a matter of minutes or it could have been months or years. The video only resumed when the pilot returned and powered up the ship.” Monique said. When the video resumed the feed showed the craft leaving the hanger and the area of Saturn altogether.

After the alien craft left Saturn the video once again showed a mostly empty field of stars. In the blackness of space the stars shown brightly. The craft began to slow as it approached what was
obviously Earth. An armada of alien ships circled the planet. The smaller craft were uniform in design and spread out in regular intervals. Monique said the CIA referred to them as interceptors.

The larger ships were not uniform in size or design. Ships varied in size and were constructed much differently from each other. All the ships larger then the interceptors were grouped together. There were sixty five of them according to Monique. Upon closer inspection the sixty five larger ships surrounded one massive craft. “We called that big one Bertha, it was about a hundred thousand miles from earth.” Monique said. As the craft continued toward Earth a green indicator started blinking on the display. Immediately the view out the cockpit changed as the craft ch
anged direction. Suddenly the Moon was in the center of the view screen. Soon the Moon covered the entire field of view. Thousands of interceptors could be seen on the surface. The craft took an empty spot in the formation and joined the others.

Forty five minutes passed. The display on the console kept changing. At times images of ships appeared as well as hieroglyphs. Sud
denly a bright purple image of Earth appeared on the display. All the ships on the surface of the Moon rose from the surface in unison. “They were using the Moon to hide and take the enemy from the rear. Those ships were out of the line of sight.” Monique said.

A battle raged in space. The first images of the enemy ships were now visible. “We called the attacking force the Sekers after the God of Death. Our friend in the ship and his buddies we called the Menthu after the ancient God of War.” Monique said. All Seker ships were firing missiles at the armada. The Menthu were taking heavy damage. The Seker ships appeared to be more heavily armed. The Menthu armada had the advantage of numbers, speed, and maneuverability however. The Seker fleet hadn’t attacked or attempted to invade Earth. The fleet had focused their efforts on destroying the
ir enemy in open space. The Menthu squadron arriving from the Moon took the enemy by surprise and changed the tide of battle. Only twelve of the original sixty five ships protecting Bertha were left, and Bertha appeared to be heavily damaged. The interceptors which were guarding Earth had engaged the attacking enemy with little effect.

The interceptors from the M
oon caught the enemy by surprise. The remaining interceptors from Earth and the ones from the moon flanked the invading force. The video suddenly went dark as all the lights in the cockpit went out. The displays came back after a few seconds but were much dimmer. “Our best guess is the armada was hit with an electromagnetic pulse at this point knocking out all, or most of their electronics. It’s unclear what systems went off line and what systems were still active within the craft.” Monique said. When Bertha came back into view it was disintegrating in space. The EMP had created havoc with the armada. There were thirty remaining Seker ships which were heading toward earth. “They didn’t expect the remaining interceptors to recover as fast as they did from the EMP. If anymore time had passed the enemy ships would have been able to land. There weren’t enough of them left for a proper invasion from what we could tell. From the projected trajectory they were headed for Gila National Forest in New Mexico.” Monique said.

The interceptors were closing on the remaining enemy who were now entering the atmosphere. Enemy ships were being taken out one by one. The pilot had taken out three and had unleashed another missile which was tracking a fourth. The console turned a bright pink and the video was shaking badly. He had taken a hit. The effects of the atmosphere could be clearly seen. Only fire could be seen outside of the cockpit. The fire faded and the craft was spinning and falling out of control. Moments before impact the pilot managed to recover slightly but not enough. The ground rushed up and the video went dead.

"The EMP almost disoriented the armada long enough for the Sekers to land on Earth. That was too close." Dalton said. "With their advanced technology why wouldn't they fight this battle with computers and drone fighters?" Vincent asked. "Our analysts concluded pilots were required due to the EMP knocking out all or part of the electrical components. Electronic warfare was a big part of the battle. There’s always been rumors and speculation around the agency about the pilot surviving the crash." Monique said. “Did he?” Dalton asked. “I honestly don’t know. If he did survive only a few people would know about it.” she replied.

“Mankind must explore space and settle on other worlds. We were nearly wiped out of existence after all the progress
we’ve made as a species. We’ve made so many advancements and have so much future potential. Our existence is delicate and fragile. All of the discoveries, great minds, culture, and history will forever become extinct if we stay in one place. The only question is when.” Vincent said.

"Why would the Menthu
sacrifice so many lives to defend Earth? The losses they suffered were easily in the thousands." Vincent asked. "That's another question we don't have an answer to. A guess is they might have designs on the planet themselves and are waiting for an unknown reason.” Monique replied. "Do we know how many of their ships survived the battle?" Dalton asked. "The video was analyzed frame by frame and it’s believed seven of the large ships survived and about twenty two of the interceptors. It’s more of an estimate then a hard number, as we don’t know how many might have been repaired in space. It was our belief the remaining ships didn't stay very long after the battle and retreated to wherever they came from. Staying wouldn't have made any sense. If the Sekers had made another incursion the Menthu didn't have the numbers left to put up much of a fight." she said. "Do you have any idea where either side came from?" Vincent asked. "We know where the interceptor first appeared in the solar system. Extrapolating the course further back doesn't place it near any known solar system.” she said.

“Let’s discuss your future now. What you have given us will help us in our mission. Before we reach Saturn I will make a request to Captain Basso. We need to go to Rhea and investigate the hanger and see what else we can find. You have delivered what you promised. I need to think about a long term plan for your future. Eventually we need to find you a home which won’t put us in danger. For now you will have your freedom aboard this ship provided you sta
y away from any communication equipment. You should also keep in mind you’ve provided us with the most classified of information. If they agency were to find out, you would be in as much danger as us. If we’re caught because of your actions you can count on us telling the agency about this data file you’ve provided.”

Predicting the future was impossible. By analyzing facts and studyi
ng mankind Enzo made it an art. Greed and ego could always be counted on to shape the way those in power behaved. After watching the astounding Roswell video Enzo sensed danger. At least two advanced civilizations had been at war near Earth. Far too much was at stake and the wolves would be coming for the crew of the Constellation. His son and the crew needed more protection. Action was needed, and a meeting with Randy was a necessity. He booked the next flight to New Mexico.

William Spencer didn’t like the data on his screen. Two of his top agents had disappeared without a trace. Both were in possession of the most classified of information. A leak was unacceptable but a very real possibility now. He didn’t have any real leads on either disappearance. All efforts were being made to locate both of the missing agents. One had disappeared in
Montana and the other at a spaceport. He began to suspect another flight had left Leviathan with his agent aboard. Space was a great place to hide a person if you didn’t want them found. He was the head of the CIA and didn’t need a team of analysts to figure that out. What he needed were some allies in space.

As he looked out the window, Leviathan was bustling with activity.
Randy was certainly running a successful organization. "This is extraordinary. How many people know about this?" Randy asked after watching the video. "Our friends on the Constellation, a handful in the CIA, and maybe senior leaders in the Air Force. Our crew on the transport will be needing help at some point. Tell me you have a decent ship and some trustworthy people who can help." Enzo said. "We're always in the process of making design improvements. I do have a few modifications which have been under wraps. A quality crew won't be a problem. We will have the best there is on Earth right now. Any crewmembers I select make three or four times as much as they would for NASA or the Air Force. The other private companies come close to our pay scale, but none can match Leviathan when we really want someone. I'll get prelaunch preparations started immediately. Working twenty four hours a day we can have the newest ship up in roughly five days. It still might be too late to help much. If the government has caught wind of our plan and sent a ship to intercept the Constellation it might already be too late.” Randy said.

Tony was fascinated. The sample recovered from the Ark Pyramid continued to grow. It now looked similar to a mold spore except for the center. The center contained a small red leafy material which had grown quickly. Tests indicated the water content in the leafy material was continuing to drop. It was drying out. He had been working on this sample for three weeks and the resul
ts were amazing. It was time to take another sample of the material. As he leaned over he noticed the leaves were slowly closing and he detected a strong salty smell. There hadn’t been any observable changes in scent prior to this incident. Tony suddenly felt dizzy. Perhaps he had been working too hard. He sat down to clear his head and regain his balance.

Guarding a snobby scientist was boring work.
Gary was smart and wanted to advance his career in the CIA. He longed for more important assignments. He saw the scientist in the biohazard lab clumsily sit in his chair. He had almost fallen off. The scientist was probably taking another break. Standing around all day had to be hard, he thought sarcastically. With nothing else to do, he continued to watch as the man began leaning in his chair. After a few seconds the scientist fell off the chair, hit the floor, and didn’t move. He called his supervisor and an alarm sounded throughout the facility moments later.

It
took twenty minutes to find a doctor and another ten minutes to have him ready to enter the quarantined lab. Doctor Johnson entered the lab and began to take the vitals of his patient. As far as he could discern there was nothing wrong with the man. All the vitals were within acceptable limits. He was unconscious and the Doctor didn’t know why. After another half hour the scientist was surrounded with more doctors and nurses. An epinephrine shot was administered without results. The scientist was moved to a quickly assembled intensive care unit. The only abnormality the Doctor could find was a body temperature five degrees above normal. He was approached by what could only be a member of the CIA. “What’s the prognosis doc’?” he was asked. “All vital signs are within acceptable limits except for his body temperature. The only other unusual symptom is an unknown white substance which is being excreted with his sweat. It’s something I’ve never seen before. There are no records of anything like this happening with other people. Samples have been sent to be analyzed, but at the moment it’s coming from every pore on his body. At this time there is no known treatment which might help him as far as I know. He is alive and healthy. As long as his vital signs remain stable we’re going to observe him. We will know more when the test results come back. For now he’s in a self induced coma as far as I can tell.”

After consulting
Dalton, it was agreed the video would be shared with the entire crew. The crew gathered in the command center and watched in awe. The reactions were mixed. "It sure makes you feel a lot smaller." Isabella said. "I'd hate to come up against any of those ships. We wouldn't have a chance." Captain Basso said. “I don’t think they’re around anymore. Since we’ve become a space faring species over the last eighty years or so, we haven’t seen any in use.” Monique said.

"Captain
, can this ship land on Rhea? With Titan and Rhea so close it's an opportunity we can't pass up. We could capture some of the tratium material in the ring. It's only known to exist in two of the pyramids and on the alien ships. That's after it’s been processed somehow. It could prove to be a valuable resource." Vincent said. "Rhea has very little mass. The gravity wouldn't be a problem. Landing and lifting off again would be a piece of cake. Mining the material in the ring appears as if it would be relatively easy as well. It's simply a matter of getting close enough and getting it onboard. My concern is the safety of the crew. Could the material be toxic and deadly? Are there mines or other devices we’re not aware of? There's no telling what kind of danger might be on the surface of Rhea. We still have plenty of time before we arrive in the Saturn system. I'll take it into consideration. If an expedition on Rhea is undertaken, it will be on my terms with safety being the highest priority."

Vincent escorted Monique back to her quarters.
"The information in the video was unbelievable. I'm sure there is still more we can find. Thank you for sharing what you knew. I'll live up to my end of our arrangement and ensure your safety provided you follow the rules. You should know your boss is dead. He was killed for what he did to my grandmother. It’s important for you to know not to cross me before you agree to the conditions. You must not to attempt any communication with Earth under any circumstances. I want to be very clear on that point. The crew and I must know you can be trusted and not place us in danger. Are we in agreement?” he asked. "I will agree to your terms, but I want out of that little closet you have me staying in. As much as possible I should be treated like the rest of the crew and not some criminal." she replied. "I will see about getting you new quarters but no promises." Vincent spoke with the rest of the crew and told them about the agreement with Monique. Julia offered to share her quarters and now had a new roommate.

As the head of the CIA William Spencer had influence over his entire realm.
Unfortunately his realm was not all encompassing. It had taken a meeting with the President of the United States to secure a joint mission with the Air Force. The newest and fastest spacecraft the Air Force had produced would be sent into space to hunt down the rogue ship. The mission was to eliminate any remaining security leaks, to maintain the secrecy of the Roswell video, and to keep the knowledge intelligent alien life existed classified. The President was angry when he heard the Roswell file had been accessed the same time an agent had disappeared. If the Roswell video were ever made public it would create worldwide chaos and anarchy. Mankind was not ready for such a shock.

Vincent was curious to see if
Dalton agreed with his assumptions about the biological specimens. "Do you believe the pyramid on Europa might be a duplicate of the Ark Pyramid?" Vincent asked. "It's very possible. If you were going to take the time to save biological material it only makes sense to have a backup. Otherwise it could all be lost forever. I can't help but wonder how many life forms are represented by the biological specimens entombed in those pyramids. It reminds me of a bank. Apparently if an organism becomes extinct or destroyed you can run to the Ark and get more. If we can clone animals, it must be simple for an advanced alien species. Do you think we should share our information with Monique?" Dalton asked. “No, we shouldn’t give her any information she doesn’t already know. I don’t see how sharing our data with her would be helpful, and it would be too great a risk if she ever talks.” Vincent said.

“Do you think the Sekers could actually be the Annunaki?”
Dalton asked. “There are so many fables and so much speculation about the Annunaki. It was the Sumerians who had the earliest tales. The wildest stories claim the Annunaki bred with humans in order to advance our race. I don’t believe it, but anything is possible. If they exist, I’ve always believed the story about how they came to enslave the human race. The Sumerians definitely advanced during the time the Annunaki were supposedly ruling them. All the historical evidence indicates the Annunaki were hostile. It’s not out of question. The Sekers could be the Annunaki. It makes as much sense as anything right now.” Vincent said.

William watched as the newest and most advanced spacecraft the Air Force could produce rose off the launch pad. The ship was called the
Lexington. He placed his best agent, Trevor Thompson among the crew of fifteen Air Force officers. Their primary mission was simple. Search and board all craft which had left Earth since the transport was destroyed. Their orders were to start with the Constellation. Any evidence of the Roswell video was to be destroyed and any civilians with knowledge of the incident were to be eliminated. He no longer trusted Agent Murphy. She was missing and recently in contact with the nephew of Enzo Moretti. It was possible she was taken against her will, and it was also possible she was colluding with enemies of the state. A satellite had arrived at Rhea recently and was being monitored for any activity around or on the moon. There would be no loose ends. Agent Murphy would be killed along with the civilians. The secondary mission was to explore Rhea and return with advanced technology and weaponry if it still existed in the hanger on the moon.

Vincent had been summoned to the command center once again. Another communication from Enzo had arrived. “Vincenzo, you’re simple quest has become something more. When you started this journey we didn’t know about the video, and we didn’t know how high the stakes were. You need to know the government will hunt down anyone who knows about the video. They will do anything within their power to keep it secret. There is danger coming your way. My contacts have told me the Air Force has launched a ship, and it’s not coming to play nice. The name of the ship is the
Lexington. Listen to the communication channels and try to get any information on the whereabouts of the ship. Randy and I are sending another armed transport. It’s the Avenger but it may not arrive in time to help. Captain Hunter from the Avenger will be contacting you. Work together with the Captain of the Avenger. Together try to create confusion with any government ships. Notify the crew and prepare for the worst. Take care of my son.” Vincent closed the communications unit and took a deep breath.

Randy and Enzo watched the recently renamed Avenger launch from the facilities at Leviathan. Captain Hunter had simple orders. Defend the Constellation and provide any and all necessary support as needed. Their ship was a few days behind the Air Force ship. The Avenger had some catching up to do.

The crew of the Constellation was told about the danger heading their way and quickly became anxious and concerned. Returning to Earth immediately was discussed. The Captain could claim the engine wasn’t functioning properly as an excuse. In the end it was decided the mission would continue. All measures would be taken to keep the ship out of sight and to monitor for other ships. Captain Basso had anticipated he might need to camouflage the Constellation someday. Thirty minutes after the meeting Captain Basso gathered the crew together again. He wheeled in a cart filled with cans of black paint. “It’s about time we engaged our cloaking device. Go out in two man teams and get the Constellation looking like a piece of space before we arrive at Saturn.”

For the remainder of the voyage to Saturn Vincent vowed to learn as much as possible about how the ship operated. He was determined to do whatever was necessary to stay alive and continue the work of his grandmother. He spent the majority of his waking hours in the command center with the
Captain and reviewing the Roswell video. The video almost became an obsession. He studied the way the alien piloted the craft and tried to make sense of the data on the displays. The speed and maneuvering capabilities of the ship were astounding.

Doctor Johnson simply didn’t have any answers. His patient was healthy and all his vital signs indicated he should be conscious and awake. The vital signs only changed when the gooey white substance coming from the man was removed. The heart rate of his patient would spike to dangerously high levels. He instructed his staff to simply leave the patient alone unless his vital signs began to drop. It was unclear what was happening. The man was being enveloped by the gooey whiteness. It began to resemble a cocoon. Days passed without danger to the scientist, but he remained unconscious. Doctor Johnson ordered every test he could think of. A computerized tomography scan was more confusing then helpful. The CAT scan indicated his patient was losing bone density, and vital organs had lost about eight percent of their mass. His patient was alive, and he planned to keep him that way. The morning rounds were easy, he had only the one patient. The morning examination indicated the blood pressure of his patient had dropped, and the whiteness enveloping the man had hardened. The change was unexpected. It was a living organism and he wasn’t sure it was a man anymore. A metamorphosis of some kind was occurring inside the hardened white shell. There weren’t any known cases which could shed any light on what was happening. Vital signs indicated the heart rate was increasing in his patient. For the first time since the scientist had lost consciousness he opened his eyes.