The Blue People of Cloud Planet (41 page)

 SAVE THE PLANET

The Reunion

‘Impossible!’ was the common cry of all the astronauts.

‘You can’t travel at the speed of light, let alone faster!’ cried a disbelieving Steve. ‘Why, we’ve only just learned to travel at half-light speed!’

‘You are correct in our galaxy and obeying our laws of physics. However, from the moment the spinning objects accelerated I tracked their signal over a distance of 1 kilometre. Then the signal disappeared. To travel that distance took less than one, three hundred thousandth’s of a second, the limit of my measurement capability.’

‘But maybe it’s still out there!’ shouted Alison, the alarm in her voice was very obvious, ‘But we just can’t see it!’

That statement made the astronauts stare out of the command dome again but all they could see was the decimated icecap, the cloud barrier now collapsing and a 140 kilometre wide crater at its centre.

‘It may be possible that the objects have moved a distance of 1 kilometre, stopped and become undetectable. However, there is insufficient evidence to support or detract from that observation. My calculation of the minimum speed achieved before they disappeared is correct!’

‘Thank you, Zec-C,’ AJ summarised, ‘we don’t doubt your measurements or conclusions, but we’ve been dealing with an intelligence that we can’t begin to understand or comprehend. Something which we have to assume came to Cloud Planet from another galaxy but has now moved away. Where it has gone, we cannot possibly know!’

‘There is more, Commander, but my measurements are at such an error level that I would need a second or third set of data to corroborate my findings before presenting the results to you.’

‘Come on Zec-C,’ Steve encouraged, ‘you’re not normally so reticent. You can hardly shock us anymore!’

‘My single measurement suggests that the rotational velocity of the mother-disc increased during that infinitesimally small time interval to........... in excess of 1 million revolutions per minute........... subject to an error of plus or minus 10 per cent.’

No-one moved. Faces were etched in shock, bewilderment and total disbelief.

‘Oh! You’ve really lost your marbles this time, Zec-C!’ Steve scoffed, ‘faster than light and now a million rpm! That thing’s 140 kilometres wide by 20 k’s deep! Do me a favour!’

‘From what I’ve seen so far,’ added Pete analytically, ‘nothing would surprise me anymore! God knows what’s inside that mother-disc?’

‘I agree with Pete and AJ,’ said Olivia from the lander, ‘we’re up against something we can’t possibly understand.’

Further discussion was terminated by Zec-C’s urgent intervention.

‘Attention! Sorry to interrupt, Commander, but contact with Zec-1 re-established, contact with ROL-1 on Cloud Planet re-established!’

There were looks of surprise and delight on the astronauts’ faces as Zec-C continued,

‘Zec-1 reports that all the black masses outside the dwellings suddenly collapsed to the ground. I have checked the timing with Zec-1 and that occurred the instant the mother-disc disappeared from view.’

‘They must have lost their wireless control! So they might have really gone?’ Olivia cried in hope. ‘Can we get in touch with Scott? Have we contacted him?’

‘It is night time at both ROL-1 and the dwelling at the equator where Scott is presumed to be. He usually turns on his palmtop 2 hours before the dwelling lights up. We can contact him in one and a half hours’ time. But we need to move LifeSeeker-1 away from this icecap with its high radiation and back to its original geostationary position.’

‘Command Zec-C! Move starship as recommended.’ Said AJ and all the astronauts confirmed the decision in the usual way.

‘But what about the other icecap?’ Steve brought them back to reality. ‘We can’t assume that the discs have gone from there as well!’

‘Olivia, can you take the lander and have a look?’ AJ instructed, ‘But don’t go too close, just enough for Zec-2 to scan the area.’

‘We’re on the case, but I’d like your permission to take the lander down to Scott’s position as soon as possible.’

‘Let’s see what’s at the other icecap before making that decision.’

‘Of course.’

In the pitch black of the sleeping chamber under the huge pyramid, Scott’s wrist alarm pinged and he was instantly awake. He turned his palmtop on, dreading the news from Zec-1. The previous morning, Zec-1 had informed him that dozens more black masses had appeared outside the dwellings in the lines adjacent to his position. They had to stop the farming groups from leaving their dwellings. However, if this continued, the threat to their food supply would become critical.

Scott could not believe his eyes as the first words he saw on the screen were,

‘Olivia safe and well’

He whooped with delight and then saw,

‘Contact with LifeSeeker-1 re-established’

‘Zec-1, what has happened?’

‘Black masses outside dwellings have collapsed to the ground, no longer a barrier and, it seems, no further threat to us.’

‘But how? What’s happened to the Black?’

‘AJ conference call coming through in 10 minutes to brief you before we lose contact due to light sheaths’

Olivia instructed Zec-2 to take the lander to an altitude of 500 kilometres and then proceeded at maximum speed towards the other icecap. Travelling at 2000 kilometres per hour they passed over the dark cloud collar after 5 hours during the night. They then carried on out to sea to a position midway between Cloud collar and the other icecap just as dawn was breaking.

Zec-2 zoomed in on the icecap and put the picture on the dome screen in front of Olivia.

‘Look!’ she said to no one in particular, ‘The ice has cracked open around the perimeter, just like the other icecap.’

Zec-2 zoomed in further,

‘There is an approximately 140 kilometre diameter crater at the centre of the icecap and I can detect no objects underneath.’

‘We can see your pictures, Olivia!’ said AJ from the starship, ‘It looks as if the same exodus has occurred at both icecaps!’

‘Can we really believe that they’ve gone?’ Olivia asked hopefully, ‘And left us for good?’

‘We can’t be sure of anything,’ replied AJ, ‘but we’ve contacted Scott and briefed him with the barest of details and told him that you will land at his dwelling tonight.’

‘OK, good, we’ll be able to brief each other in person and then set up a conference call for the following night to discuss plans.’ Olivia concluded.

Scott could hardly wait for the Serenities to warm up and feed but knew that he would have to be patient. He caught Seren’s eye and gestured towards the huge triangular structure where Hotenka and his elders sat.

Seren’s eyes blazed,

>> you have good news > i can tell from your positive feelings>>

Seren inclined her head and the Serenite leader looked up and beckoned them to join him.

>> come > we must tell hotenka >>

Scott found it difficult to explain that the black masses had collapsed and were no longer a threat to the blue farmers. Even with Seren’s help, the message was not getting through and Scott was not sure that she fully understood what had happened. Her eyes blazed,

>> how can you be sure that our blue workers will not die if they go out to farm >>

 ‘Trust me! I will show you. Come out with me in one of your farming groups!’

>> yes > i do trust you >and our leader will come too >>

One hour later, Scott, Seren and Hotenka walked out of the huge pyramid into the heat and humidity of the near midday sun. Scott marvelled, once again, at the incredible sight of the 500 hundred metre light shaft as it shot, shimmering, into the clouds. The whole area in front of the pyramid thronged with Serenites and blue workers who inclined their heads as their leader passed by.

The huge, wide black door was open and, at the threshold was gathered a farming group of 40 blue females, all holding their light shafts downwards to the ground. The drums beat their familiar rhythm. The rear of the group of blue females opened and Scott, Seren and Hotenka walked into the centre. Then it closed around them.

The drum beat grew louder as the third drummer started and the living dwelling marched towards the wide door. Outside it was raining, cold and misty with visibility at best 50-70 metres. But it was light with no obvious black in sight.

Scott watched in fascination as they marched under the doorway. The blue females turned their light shafts upwards under the protection of the wall and then they burst into flat sheaths of light and merged to form the protective cover for the group. They had advanced forward about 50 metres and Scott found it frustrating because he could not see out of the farming group.

After a further 30 metres or so they stopped. Scott looked down and the muddy red clay was now black. He moved forward and gestured to Seren for the front of the farming group to move apart.

A mountain of black stretched away to the limits of visibility.

‘Why, it must rise to 20 metres or more!’ gasped an astonished Scott who moved forward and his feet sank in the black mass. He bent and scooped up the Black in both hands and turned to Seren and her leader.

‘Look, they are now a mass of harmless beads; they have lost their power, lost their controlling force!’ Scott wasn’t sure if this was understood but both Seren and Hotenka moved forward and gingerly prodded and probed the black mass.

The leader turned and his eyes blazed,

>> they are not moving > the black menace is dead > our killers are defeated > let us return and celebrate > now i will cease calling your name >>

Scott was elated. The Black had been defeated and Olivia was safe and well. He followed the leader back into the huge pyramid dwelling to warm, drink and eat. Suddenly all thoughts of Olivia were expunged from his mind and he looked around and saw Seren walking towards him. Her eyes blazed,

>> come > come with me > you have saved our people > our world >>

Suddenly tears began to flow from Seren’s eyes and she held out her arms to him. Her relief and joy was so obvious in that beautiful face, Scott thought, that it touched him very deeply. Then she led him by the hand to a dazzlingly beautiful group of 10 Serenite females who formed a circle around them. Arms reached out and coaxed Scott to the ground.