Transient Echoes (6 page)

THISTLE
: And the tracks? What are they?

FINN
: If I had to guess, I’d say we’re dealing with a heard of kits. They like to migrate this way during the early summer.

THISTLE
: Kits?

FINN
: Kitoboras, sir. They’re like goats, but uglier. I think these are the ones we usually see near Salamander Outpost.

THISTLE
: Kits, eh? First time I’ve heard the nickname. Cost of working behind a desk, I guess. You miss out on the field slang.

FINN
: Anytime you wanna suit up and join the squad, we’re always glad to have you, sir. As far as I’m concerned, it’s still your detachment.

THISTLE
: Nice try, but you’re not pawning your responsibilities off on me. Besides, Central has other plans for my corpse.

FINN
: You’re not that old, sir.

THISTLE
: Enjoy the outdoors while you can, Johnny. Before you know it, you’ll be stuck in an office, same as me. You’ll hate every second of it, and it’ll take everything you’ve got not to scream or punch the idiot secretary they give you.

FINN
: Aw, don’t punch Jerry. He makes good coffee.

THISTLE
: Unless you want another promotion, I’d stow the sarcasm. I can make you a paper pusher this time tomorrow.

FINN
: Whoa! Boss, you win. Let’s not do anything drastic.

End Audio File

Unknown

April 17, 2350

Terry planned on spending
most of the day exploring the tunnel. He packed several pieces of fruit, knowing he had a long task ahead of him. As he hiked there, he contemplated which passageway he’d search first. There were so many, he recalled, going out in every direction. He didn’t know where to start.

When he arrived, he descended into the cavern below, following the main path about fifty meters. From there, he was able to get a clearer view of the various branching passages. He couldn’t tell how deep each one went, but some appeared to be fairly small, opening into larger chambers or connecting with other paths. He saw himself spending days or even weeks exploring these ruins. He decided to follow the first tunnel from the entrance and each subsequent one he encountered afterwards. It wouldn’t be long before he had the entire facility explored.

Terry followed the first path to a room filled with a slew of crates and bags. He had seen similar storage containers in the domes, but usually their contents had rotted beyond recognition. He didn’t expect to find anything different here, but it was worth checking. Many of the crates were already lodged open and apparently empty, but he spotted a few still closed, with thick metal lids sealed firmly across their tops. Terry tried to pry one open, but found it unusually difficult. After several futile pulls on the lid, he opted for the more aggressive approach and kicked it, knocking the box on its side.

The crate’s top came undone and its guts spilled onto the floor. Several metallic objects crashed against each other, echoing loudly. He ran to examine them. The objects were heavier than they looked, each one of a different shape and design. One appeared to have vents on its side, with buttons on the other. It looked like some kind of computer, but he couldn’t be sure. He’d never found anything like this in any of the domes, nor did he expect to. As far as he could tell, this civilization had never progressed beyond the bronze age, or so he’d previously believed.
Maybe it’s time to revise that theory
, he thought.

He grabbed the smallest of the devices and stowed it in his pack. He’d study it more in depth once he got home. In the meantime, he might as well check the rest of the crates, then scout a few more rooms.

Most of the containers broke apart the same as the first. A few had similar devices of the kind he’d found in the first box, while several others only spilled piles of dust into the air. Terry covered his face with a rag, but it was no use. He couldn’t keep the musky smell out, and he gagged, taking a few steps back as he waited for it to settle.

Once it had, he examined the pile of filth more closely. There was something buried in it, which he uncovered with the toe of his boot. The objects were round and fairly brittle. They cracked and disintegrated when he applied pressure. Food, maybe? If this was a storage area, it made sense for them to hold food and other essentials, but why so much? And why underground? He had so many questions.

After leaving the storage bins, if that’s what they were, Terry walked through the halls, exploring several other rooms identical to the first. He ignored them for the most part and continued his search, hoping for answers.

At the end of another hall lay a set of stairs, which descended into a vast chamber filled with hundreds of other crates, most of which were sealed shut. Terry stood at the center of the warehouse. There didn’t seem to be any vehicles or machines to move the objects. How did these people manage to lift such heavy crates without assistance?

What was all of this for? Clearly, these aliens had been preparing for something, perhaps some kind of long term settlement. It reminded him of the history of his own people and how they’d left the surface behind to live underground. They’d done it out of necessity, because the outside world was no longer suitable for human survival. Had the same thing happened here? Did the gas kill them off the way it had his own people?

He went home with more questions than answers, but it didn’t matter. He wanted to know as much as possible about these people and where they came from. More importantly, he wanted to know where they went.

He sat in his new house, chewing on a piece of fruit and fumbling with the ancient device he’d stumbled upon. Using his machete, he pried open the side, revealing a slab of bronzed electronics. Was it a computer? He wished Mei were here to guide him, because he didn’t know the first thing about computers or engineering.

He put the machine away and ate his dinner. The weeks ahead would be filled with exploration, with plenty of time to find his answers. He didn’t know what to expect from any of this, but it was something to do. It was a way to stay busy.

******

Unknown

April 18, 2350

When Terry awoke, he reached into his bag and inhaled four pieces of fruit. Afterwards, he left for the cave, eager to continue his work.

This time he tried the opposite side of the main passageway. As he did, he discovered several bays as large as the cargo holds, many of which contained hundreds of bunks. It seemed as though he’d finally found the sleeping quarters.

Most of the beds were in the bays, lined symmetrically along the walls, but a few smaller rooms contained one or two bunks to themselves, possibly reserved for someone with authority. The mattresses were similar to the kind he’d seen in the domes on the surface—large, but flat, with no sheets or blankets to cover them. Was this some kind of military installation? Perhaps they were planning for an attack of some kind.

At any moment, Terry expected to find the mummified remains of an alien being (or worse, dozens of them) lying somewhere in the dark, huddled in the position they’d died in, similar to the stories he’d read about Pompeii. He recalled standing in the Ortego building, stepping over two hundred year old corpses, gagging at the stink of rotting meat. Shouldn’t these ancient catacombs be ripe with the skeletons of the dead if they had, in fact, expired here? Yet there was nothing, no hint of struggle or panic. It was like the people here were suddenly swept away, their bodies taken to some far off place. Only their technology remained.

Only their ghosts.

******

Ortego Reconstruction Outpost

April 18, 2350

“What’s it called again?” whispered Mei, squatting next to John and Travis near the dirt cab. She was sitting at the edge of a lush field of blue grass, staring at an animal she’d never seen before. It was large, roughly the size of a small buffalo, though it looked strong enough to still be dangerous. Its red skin had patches of black hair, mostly along the spine and thighs. A long, jagged bone protruded from its forehead, reminding Mei of a rhinoceros or perhaps an ugly unicorn.

“A kitobora,” said John. “We call them kits for short. The herd’s nearby. I found them this morning.”

“Are they dangerous?” she asked.

“Not really,” he said.

Travis nodded. “I’ve heard of these. There’s a biologist at Salamander who’s trying to study them. He’s only been messing with them for a few months, but he says they’re pretty tame.”

“Seems like we’re discovering new animals all the time,” said Mei.

“The more we explore, the more we uncover,” said Travis. “There’s a whole world out there.”

“You’d be amazed what I’ve seen,” said John, sounding prideful.

“He likes to brag,” said Mei.

John grinned. “I’ll share a few stories with you sometime, Trav. I’ve got tons.”

“Can’t wait,” said Travis.

“So this animal,” said Mei, getting back to the matter at hand. “Should we be worried?”

“Why would you be?” asked John.

“What if they come into camp looking for food?” she asked.

“They’re herbivores,” said Travis, motioning to the nearby grass. “Look at this field compared to the camp. Pretty sure we’re safe.”

“Fair point,” said Mei.

Travis got to his feet. “Zoe would love this,” he said, looking at the animal.

“Too bad she left for Komodo this morning,” said John.

“She’s missing all the fun,” said Mei.

Travis sighed. “Yeah, it’s a shame. Maybe I’ll bring her here tomorrow when she gets back.”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” said John.

Travis looked at him. “Why?”

“From what I’ve seen, they’re heading east. Yesterday they were a kilometer west of here. They move pretty fast when they’re not stuffing their ugly faces.”

“How’d you find them if they’re constantly on the run?” asked Travis.

“Part of my mission here is to scout the region and plant sensors. I spotted these guys using some I already set up, but pretty soon they’ll be out of range. By this time tomorrow, I won’t have eyes on them.”

Travis looked at the kit and frowned. “Damn.”

“Take a picture for her,” suggested Mei. “She’ll appreciate it.”

He scoffed. “A picture would only make it worse. She’d be mad she missed out.”

“Man, you’re really into this girl, huh?” snickered John.

“Don’t tease him,” said Mei.

“Why not? You do it to me all the time.”

“I’m allowed to make fun of you when you’re being all cliché and lame. It’s different.”

John clutched his chest. “Why can’t you let me love you?”

She grinned. “If it wasn’t a challenge, you’d get bored.”

“So true,” he said with a sigh. “What can I say? I’m a hunter. I must conquer.”

Mei rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay. You couldn’t hunt a tree.”

“Don’t listen to her, Travis. Mei wouldn’t know romance if…” He paused. “Hey, where’d he go?”

Mei glanced around, but spotted him four meters behind John, creeping slowly toward the kitobora. He had a tuft of grass in his hand. “There he is,” said Mei, pointing.

“Hey!” called John. “What are you doing, man? Are you stupid?”

Travis shushed him. “Give me a sec,” he whispered.

Mei edged forward, but John grabbed her wrist. She looked at him, but he shook his head. Did John actually intend on letting Travis go through with this? It was a wild animal, completely unpredictable. Maybe it wasn’t carnivorous, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t violent. He was going to get himself killed.

Travis calmly approached the kit, reached with his hand and presented the food. Until now, the kitobora had been strangely oblivious to their presence, but only because John insisted they keep a dozen meters between them.

“Have you ever seen them attack someone?” asked Mei.

John kept his eyes on Travis. “No.”

It sounded like a lie, but Mei couldn’t be certain. She fought the urge to argue and instead kept quiet and waited.

The kit raised its head and blinked at the grass in Travis’s palm. Its little black eyes reflected the light of the sun as it set along the horizon. It sniffed at Travis, flaring its large nostrils and tilting its head slightly. “Hey,” whispered Travis. “Hey, boy, look what I got here.”

The animal took a step toward him, pausing to look around, and finally moved in to snag the food. It nibbled on his palm, snagging the grass with its tongue and grinding its large, flat teeth together as it ate. Travis touched the kit’s neck, flattening his hand and gliding it across the animal’s fur. He did this several times, whispering to it. “There you go,” he said. “Good boy. There you go.”

“Holy crap,” said John. “He’s actually doing it.”

“But why? Doesn’t he understand it’s dangerous?” asked Mei.

Travis stepped to the side of the kit and continued to pet it. Despite the attention, the animal bent down and took another bite of grass. Travis gave the signal for the others to approach.

Mei hesitated. “This is a bad idea.”

“Come on. I’ll protect you,” teased John.

Travis ran his fingers along the kit’s neck to its forehead. “He’s not so bad,” he said.

“Okay, but I’m not touching it,” she said, and finally joined them.

“I’ve never done anything like this,” said Travis, brushing the kitobora with his fingers.

“None of us have,” said John.

“What a weird animal,” said Mei.

The kitobora raised its head at this, grass hanging from its mouth. It stared at Mei, almost curiously.

She returned the glance. “What?” she asked it.

The kitobora said nothing.

“He wants you to pet him,” said Travis.

“How the hell do you know?” asked John.

Travis shrugged.

Mei held out her hand, reluctantly. She rubbed the kit’s neck. It dropped its head and continued eating. “You know, we might be the first people to ever touch one of these,” said Mei. “Have you thought about that? No one else in the world has ever done what we’re doing right now.”