Battlestar Argo
by AJ Marks
Part 13: Arrival
The battlestar Argo had gone by several star systems without finding the planet Earth. None even had the remains of a civilization on them. Now they were arriving near another system. Each time they came closer to a new system the signals they were receiving grew stronger. The latest craze on board the Argo was a betting game on what they would find at each system.
On the bridge of the battlestar Ares and his crew waited as the latest patrol was about to be launched to the next system. This one had been a while to get to from the last one. This system seemed to be a bit more remotely isolated then the other systems they had encountered.
In the back of Ares’s mind the though was what if they find Earth. What would he do then? He would need some sort of plan once they finally found the planet. He had been thinking about that ever since they had left the colonies. The one thing that came to his mind was he would wait and see what type of technology they had and that would make his decision.
“Core control transferring launch control to green patrol, launch when ready,” Ares heard Renee’s voice say to the patrol. Bri and Troy were once again taking the patrol.
Part of him wondered if they would find something. He actually hoped that they did find something. The food that was being grown on the battlestar was all right but he was ready for something else. They were rationing their supplies now. At the last system they had found a supply of fuel stocked up on but no food.
Ares watched as the two vipers sped out of the launch tubes and headed towards the system. He wished the two pilots good luck and went into his waiting game until he heard something from the patrol. He wished them luck in their patrol then went back to waiting for their report.
*****
“Well,” Jax said as she stepped up next to Nall who was looking out of the hanger bay into space.
“Well what,” Nall replied not having heard her come up beside him.
“Did you put in your thought as to what they will find,” Jax replied pointing to the large board where there were several things that the patrol could encounter.
“Oh, that,” Nall replied as he saw the board. “Yeah, I put my normal,” he told her.
“That they will find Earth,” Jax replied. It was what he always put for a patrol. She did not blame him for doing that. She figured that sooner or later they would find Earth and his guess would be right.
“Yep, I was thinking of changing it this time,” Nall replied.
“To what,” Jax asked.
“To the planet full of beautiful women,” Nall answered..
“Not the one full of guys,” Jax replied.
“Not my style,” Nall said with a grin on his face. He had put that one on there and found out that Bri put the other one on the board. They had remained as part of the joke ever since.
“I went for nothing,” Jax said. That one was usually the most popular guess.
“Well, I guess we’ll find out. I personally don’t think they will find anything but you never know,” Nall told her.
“As long as they are not hostile, I don’t care. Perhaps they’ll find some food,” Jax said. The food was getting rationed now and was beginning to get boring. A person could only eat the same food over and over again before it becomes boring.
“That’s the second most popular choose,” Nall said seeing that someone had put it on the board.
“I almost put that as well,” Jax said. “Come on, I’m a bit thirsty. Let’s go get some water.”
“All right,” Nall replied as they left the hanger for the bar.
*****
Bri glided her viper next to Troy’s as they began to move into the system. The first couple of planets were large gas giants. Several of them had rings around them like so many gas giants they had seen. Both of them kept an eye on their scanners for anything that might be unusual.
“Troy, I’m getting a lot stronger frequencies coming in over the channel,” Bri said as she looked at the communications they had been following for a while.
“I know,” Troy said not sure if this was going to be a good thing or bad thing. He waited as they passed anther gas giant before Bri said something to him.
“My scanner is picking up something and its not natural,” Bri said. “Computer cannot identify it.”
“Let’s go make a pass at it and see if we can find out what it is,” Troy said.
The two vipers turned and headed towards a cylindrical vessel that was clearly not natural. The scans of the ship did not indicate any life and it made Troy a bit nervous about it. It was built by something intelligent but the question of who still had to be answered.
“It’s sending signals back in the direction that the other signals are coming from.
“Let’s continue on then. We should find out what it is sending signals to real soon then,” Troy said as they continued into the system. They passed though an asteroid belt. The next planet was quite barren but the next planet is where they received their biggest surprise.
“Troy, the signals are getting very strong,” Bri said as she saw the levels continued to rise.
“The third planet, there’s activity there,” Troy said. His scanner was picking up a lot of different craft orbiting the planet.
“Oh boy looks like we found something for sure,” Bri said. “I’m picking up another craft. It seems to be heading from the planet’s surface to the nearby moon.”
“My scanner is reading a small base on the moon’s surface. That’s probably where it is going,” Troy said. “I think we should head back and report what we’ve found.”
The two vipers turned around with their turbos left the system as quickly as they could. They had no way of knowing that they had already been picked up but not by what they thought would have picked them up.
*****
A short balding man in his mid forties sat at a computer typing away. He had to make sure that his report would be ready for the council for his latest budget rounds. They wanted to slash his sector again and he was fighting to keep it alive. It seemed to him to be a never ending fight, but he was slowly losing ground.
Off to one side sitting at another computer was his lone assistant. She was the only one he could afford to pay. Any others that worked there did so during any spare time they could volunteer. He sighed at the thought of the council cutting even more of his funding. He thought that it just was not fair.
He was just about to decide that it was lunch time when his assistant called out his name.
“Hey boss, I think you better look at this,” she said her eyes never leaving the screen.
“All right Rebecca,” he said as he got up and walked over to where she was sitting. She usually only called him over to show him something strange. Usually it was something that looked like a person’s face or something strange like that. They would usually laugh at it for a while and put the picture aside for later use. “What do you have,” he said reaching the computer.
“I think you better sit down first,” Rebecca replied scooting over to allow room for him to sit down.
Rebecca waited until he was sitting down before she pulled up the picture she had just been looking at. His face went slack at what he saw on the screen. After a few seconds and being grateful that he was sitting down he turned to look at Rebecca.
“You didn’t doctor this picture right,” he asked her. Part of him was hoping that she had another part of her hoping that what he saw was real.
“Nope, this is real,” she replied.
“Oh boy,” he said looking back at the picture. It was a shot of one of the moons, but it was what was also in the picture that was most curious. There were two fighter type looking ships that a person could make out some details from where near the bottom of the picture.
“Who do we tell,” Rebecca asked.
“I don’t know Becca,” he replied.
*****
Ares was not sure what to make of the early return of the patrol. He was expecting them to be gone a little bit longer but here they were on their way back already. He glanced over to Renee who was giving the patrol instructions to land and she just shook her head no. He realized that she did not have any information about why they were coming back early either.
“Tell both of them to meet me in the briefing room,” Ares said to Renee then left Renee in command until Colonel Pratt came onto the bridge.
Ares quickly walked down to the briefing room realizing that even if he got there early he would have to wait for Troy and Bri to land and make it up to the room. That left him wondering what they had found. Several possibilities went though his mind. The fist was they had encountered another civilization that was advanced enough to be space bound.
“I guess we’ll find out what going on soon,” he said out loud to no one.
*****
Troy and Bri quickly made their way up to the briefing room where they knew that the commander would be waiting for them. Troy was not sure what he would really be telling the commander. He was not sure who he had encountered only that one of the planets had a civilization around it. Bri was a bit quiet as she walked beside him. He was not sure if that was a good or bad sign.
“What do you think Bri,” he finally asked her as they were waiting on the elevator.
“I’m not sure what to think right now. They were a bit advanced, though not as advanced as we are, but they were beginning to undertake space travel,” Bri replied thoughtfully. She had been thinking about it for a while now and that was the only thing she could think of.
“That’s why I got us out of there. I’m not sure if anyone spotted us or not but I really did not want to take the chance yet,” Troy said. He was not sure what they had found but the thought of Earth did cross his mind.
“Now what are you thinking,” Bri said looking at Troy and noticing the furrow of his eyebrows indicating that he was deep in thought again.
“Just trying to figure out if this is Earth or not,” Troy replied as the elevator doors opened and they walked out towards the briefing room.
Commander Ares was waiting for them inside the room. The two pilots quickly took a seat across the table from Ares. They waited for a second before Ares said anything.
“So what did you find,” Ares asked the two pilots. He was hoping for some good news.
“There is a planet with a civilization around it,” Troy said. “It appears that they are on the verge of space travel. We did see a base on one of the moons and one planet had several satellites orbiting around it.”
“Interesting,” Ares said. “Are they as advanced as the Alliance was?”
“No, they have not reached that level of technology yet,” Troy answered trying to remember everything that he could to give the commander the best information that he could.
“What about defenses or military,” Ares asked.
“I didn’t see anything, did you,” Troy said turning to Bri.
“Nope,” Bri replied as she could not think of anything that she had seen that would have been a military or base.
“It’s worth checking out then,” Ares said wondering how they would go about such a thing. “Any ideas as to how to approach the planet?”
“We could just send a team in,” Bri said. “It would be the quickest way to find out.”
“All right, captain prepare a team,” Ares said then dismissed them until they were ready for the next briefing.
*****
There was a lot of activity around her computer as she walked into work this morning. Ever since they had discovered that picture of some unusual ships groups of people at work were coming by to see for themselves. So far they had managed to keep everything quiet but no one was sure how long that would last. A few backup files were made just in case the government got involved too much.
“Morning Rebecca,” her boss said as she walked into the room. She waved hi as well then went to get her normal cup of coffee that she always got before starting a normal conversation.
Pouring herself a cup of the dark liquid she added some cream and sugar before taking her first sip. She then turned to see that no one had moved from the computer that she normally worked at. Walking up she was not surprised to see that the picture was on the screen.
“It’s funny, I never see most of you unless something exciting happens,” Rebecca said to everyone there. They were the volunteers that made up the rest of the work force.
“Well, this is just an incredible shot,” one of the others said as they looked back at the screen.
“All right everyone, let’s get back to work,” the boss said as he walked up to the computer. “And remember don’t speak of this to anyone. If they find out we might not be able to study it anymore.”
Everyone knew what that meant. The government had a way of making projects disappear if it did not meet with their standards. No one wanted this project to disappear. The probe was headed to a far planetoid at the edge of the system. There were theories that the planetoid might be harvestable for metals.
The people cleared out and everyone went either to the job or to their paying jobs. Many had come in this morning to see the picture that had been taken. Rebecca really was not that surprised once the news had gotten out. She just hoped that they kept it among themselves for a bit longer. At least until they could find out what it was or come up with a good story.
“Are you still going to be going on vacation,” her boss asked her.
“Yep, one full week away from everything. I think it will do me good,” she replied to his question.
“So, where are you going,” he asked her probing her for details.
“If you must know I’m going with my boyfriend up to Banff World park for some relaxation,” she told him knowing what was coming next.
“You’re still going out with Jason, you can do better than him,” her boss said.
Rebecca rolled her eyes at his statement. He always told her that. The fact that the two did not get along did not help either. Though she had to admit that things between them were getting a bit strained. She was not sure if things were going to get any better. This trip was his idea and she decided to try one last time.
“The trip was his idea and I’ve always wanted to go,” Rebecca told him.
“All right, but take care of yourself,” he told her then turned around and went back to his work. Rebecca worked away at her computer to make sure that everything was ready for her trip.
*****
Troy walked into the briefings room after getting some sleep. They had decided to let everyone rest a bit before beginning the mission. The group would take one shuttle and be made up of four people. They had decided on Troy and Bri, Nall had volunteered and accepted into the mission and Doctor Weaver was also assigned to the mission. Weaver was already in the room along with Bri. Troy knew that Nall would be along shortly as he was finishing up his meal.
Troy had asked him if he wanted to wait to see what they had to eat down on the planet’s surface but Nall said he did not know if what they had he would like. He was taking no chances. Troy could not blame him. He had eaten a little bit as well.
Nall entered the room and now everyone was there. Commander Ares glanced at the group and knew they would be the right team.
“Listen up, we have a civilization that by early scans indicates the beginning of space travel. We don’t know much about them so you job is to find out as much as you can. And your primary goal is to find out if this is Earth or not,” Ares told them. They all knew that if it was not then they were to go directly to their secondary goal. That was the procurement of some food.
The group left for the shuttle after the quick briefing. Renee gave them permission to launch and the shuttle left the hanger and headed towards the planet. Ares hoped that at least they would get some food out of the mission.
*****
Bri and Troy had to do a lot of maneuvering to avoid being detected by any of the scanners around the planet. He was sure that he was probably picked up at least once but the stealth of the shuttle should provide some protection for them. Looking around they found a secluded place to land the shuttle. There were a lot of trees around and they found a small clearing that they could land in.
They had seen a small city not far away along with several smaller areas were it looked like the inhabitants of the planet were staying. The group exited the shuttle and glanced around at their surroundings. The forest hides much of what they could see. Weaver took out a small navigation aide and directed the group in the direction that they had seen the city in. The walk would be good for them and he realized that it would probably take them a bit of time to get to the city.
Dressed in brown they kind of blended into the surroundings just in case. They also kept a close eye out for anything that might or could go wrong. The four of them took their time as they walked closer to the city. They came across strip of what appeared to be a type of concrete on the ground with lines on it.
“What do you suppose this is,” Bri asked looking at it.
“Don’t know, but lets get across it quickly,” Troy replied. The group made their way across rather quickly and were on the other side when they heard a sound coming. Hiding among the trees they watched as a vehicle flew past.
“Some sort of mode of transportation,” Weaver said.
“A road,” Nall said. “I read about those in history. We used them before the advent of the hover vehicles.”
“Of course,” Weaver said snapping his fingers.
“Seems kind of limited to me,” Bri said. “A two dimensional way of travel.”
“You’re just used to modern travel,” Troy said.
It took them a bit longer to make it to the city but they watched from a distance at the people. They were human in appearance that was for sure. Bri noticed that there were few in uniforms or wearing weapons. Troy nodded his agreement and decided that they would head back to the shuttle to change and remove their weapons. This civilization did not look dangerous to them.
On the way back the sun started to settle and the group decided that the best thing would be to wait out the night in the shuttle and begin fresh the next day.
*****
Dawn broke thought the trees creating enough light for the group to begin their trek to the city once again. They had changed into something that it was hoped would not attract attention. Troy and Nall each had a small handheld weapon just in case but neither felt like they would need it.
Walking back to the town felt like it was shorter than the last time. This time when they crossed the road there was a bit more traffic on it than normal. Dressed a bit differently they did not feel like they had to hid, that and the fact that the planet was inhabited by humans made them feel a bit better.
Troy had radioed the Argo to let them know the progress of the mission. Commander Ares gave them the go ahead as long as they remained careful about it. It did not take much longer until they got to the outskirts of the city. The people walking around did not look quite as busy as last night but perhaps this was better for them.
“I guess its time to go mingle with the locals,” Nall said from where he was standing observing the city.
“Yep,” Troy replied as he looked around wondering if there was a way to come into the town. He saw a road that he realized went into the town. “Let’s walk along side the road there. I think it will look less suspicious if we do that.”
“Sounds good,” Nall said as the group began to walk over to the road.
Walking into the town they did not gain many glances which made everyone feel a bit better. Troy walked along with Bri right beside him. He glanced around and realized that they were walking down the middle of a street full of stores. This must be some sort of market of this city Troy realized. Glancing around he realized that he did not have any way to pay for anything.
I think that we should be careful and just listen to what people are saying,” Troy said to the rest of the group.
“Right,” Bri replied.
*****
Rebecca walked along beside Jason as they looked at the shops. So far the trip had been a big bust. They had not even been there one day and already they had been in an argument about what to see the next day. She had wanted to explore the town in the morning and take the hike up to Upper Johnson Falls later on that day. Jason had wanted to take the morning and go to Lake Louise and hike up to the teahouse that was up there.
Now they were walking along at the shops because he decided to take her to a place to eat for breakfast in the town. They would shop for a bit then go to Lake Louise. Rebecca glanced around and realized that they had been walking in a silence ever since they left the restaurant.
“So when are you going to get a real job,” Jason finally said breaking the silence.
“I have a real job thank you,” Rebecca said. It never failed he would always bring up her job and how much he disapproved of it.
“You can do better than sit at a computer and stare into space all day,” he said not seeing a group of people pass and stop.
“I like it and I’m not quitting. Space exploration is the future of Earth,” Rebecca said. She then turned only to have her arm caught.
“You are getting to uppity,” Jason finally said getting a bit angry.
“I think you should let her go,” a man said.
They turned to see a man about their age with dark hair and a mustache standing there.
“It’s none of your business,” Jason said looking at the man and then the three behind him. The woman with them whispered something to one of the others who just shook his head no.
“You know most beautiful woman respond better to kindness than the harsh treatment you were giving her.
Jason looked over at Rebecca and noticed that she was looking back at the stranger. “All right fine, you want her you got her. This relationship is over,” Jason snarled then walked away.
Rebecca turned to watch as Jason walked away from her. She should have felt a bit bad about it but just could not. Things had not been going well with them lately and she realized that he was getting possessive about her. Perhaps this was for the best.
*****
Troy looked on at the scene that was playing out in front of him. The woman in front of him now seemed familiar. Then he realized where he had seen her before. In the last vision he had. This was the woman that Nall had been standing with. A slow smile came to his face when he realized that they had found what they were looking for and she might be able to help them.
“What’s the smile for,” Bri whispered in his ear.
“Later,” Troy said shaking his head.
They watched as the man the woman had been with walked off in a huff. Troy then walked up beside Nall who was still looking at the woman in front of them. Realizing that the normally aggressive and confident Nall was missing Troy decided to step in.
“Hi there, I’m Troy, and this is Nall,” Troy said introducing them.
“Rebecca,” the woman replied. “Nall huh, strange name.”
“It’s a family name,” Nall replied coming out of his stupor.
“I heard you mentioned space exploration, anything interesting happen lately,” Troy asked.
“If you mean UFOs then nothing lately,” she said watching as they had a look of confusion on their face. A sudden thought occurred to her as she looked at them. Sure they looked right, but something about them seemed a bit strange.
“UFOs,” Bri asked a bit confused.
“Perhaps we should talk privately,” Rebecca said then led them to a park where they could talk in private. “We did get a picture lately of a couple of strange craft. The ships seemed to have three engines, and looked a bit like fighters.”
Bri and Troy glanced at each other as Rebecca described a viper to them. They had been spotted but now what could they do.
“That and everyone knows what a UFO is, so I think that you’re not from Earth are you,” she said.
“Earth,” Weaver said speaking up for the first time.
“Yes,” Rebecca replied not sure what that had to do with anything.
“Then we’re here,” Weaver said looking at Troy.
End part 13