Back To Earth. Danilo Clementoni
when heâd been overwhelmed with amazement. âThe engines must be powered by those three petals. They seem to have been covered with some kind of light-sensitive material.â He had finally begun to fiddle with the system controls. âThe pistil must be some kind of radio antenna, and the hexagonal prism is definitely the âbrainâ of this thing.â
Petri was moving the hologram increasingly quickly, turning it over in all directions. Suddenly he stopped, and called out âLook here. What do you think this is?â he asked, zooming in on a small area.
Azakis approached as closely as he could. âThey seem to be symbols.â
âI'd say there were two symbols,â Petri corrected, âor better still, one drawing and four symbols close together.â
Azakis was still eagerly searching on the N^COM, trying to find something on the GCS. Yet there was absolutely nothing that matched the object in front of them.
The drawing represented a rectangle composed of fifteen horizontal red and white stripes. In the upper left-hand corner was another blue rectangle containing fifty white five-pointed stars. To the right of this were four symbols:
JUNO
âIt seems like some kind of writing,â Azakis guessed. âMaybe the symbols represent the name of the people who made the probe.â
âOr maybe that its name,â argued Petri. âThe probe is called âJUNOâ, and that coloured rectangle is the symbol of its creators.â
âWhatever it is, it wasnât made by us,â declared Azakis. âDo you think there could be some life form inside it?â
âI really don't think so. At least, nothing that we know. The only place where there could be something is the rear capsule, and thatâs too small to accommodate a living being.â
Even as he spoke, Petri had already begun to scan the probe, looking for some sign of life inside it. After a few moments, a series of symbols appeared on the screen, and he quickly tried to translate these to his companion.
âAccording to our sensors thereâs nothing living inside. There doesn't seem to be any kind of weapon either. From a preliminary analysis, Iâd say that this thing is some kind of scout ship exploring the middle part of the solar system, in search of who knows what.â
âIt could be,â agreed Azakis. âBut the question we should be asking is: Sent by whom?â
âWell,â said Petri, âif we rule out the presence of mysterious aliens, Iâd say that the only ones capable of constructing something like that would be your old âterrestrial friendsâ.â
âBut what are you saying? The last time we left them they were still travelling on horseback. How could they have reached this stage in their development in such a short time? Sending a probe to go roaming around in space is no small feat.â
âShort time?â said Petri, looking him straight in the eyes. âDon't forget that, for them, almost 3,600 years have passed since then. Considering that their average lifespan is fifty to sixty years at the most, at least sixty generations have come and gone. Maybe they've become much more intelligent than we imagined they would.â
âAnd perhaps thatâs why the Elders were so worried about this mission,â added Azakis, attempting to follow his friendâs line of reasoning. Theyâd expected this, or at least considered the possibility.â
âWell, they might have mentioned something to us. The sight of this thing almost gave me a stroke.â
âThis is mere speculation,â said Azakis, rubbing his chin with his thumb and forefinger, âbut it seems to make sense. Iâll try and contact the Elders. Try to get some more information out of them, if they have any. In the meantime, you try to find out more about this thing. Analyse its current course, velocity, mass, etcetera, and try to make some predictions about its destination, when it left and any data itâs recorded. I want to know as much as possible about whatâs waiting for us there.â
âOkay, Zak,â agreed Petri, while colourful holograms with an infinite number of numbers and formulae fluttered in the air around him.
âAnd don't forget to analyse the part you identified as an antenna. If it really is as you say, it will also be able to transmit and receive. I wouldnât be happy if our encounter had already been communicated to whoever sent that probe.â
Having said that, Azakis made his way to the H^COM cabin, the only place on the ship equipped for long-distance communication. It was located between gates eighteen and nineteen of the internal transfer modules. The door opened with a slight hiss, and Azakis slid into the narrow cabin.
Goodness knows why they made this thing so small... he wondered, trying to settle into the equally narrow seat, which lowered automatically. Maybe they didnât want us to use it too often...
While the door reclosed behind him, he began to make a series of commands on the console in front of him. It took several seconds for the signal to stabilise. Suddenly, in the holographic display similar to the one he had in his room, the hollow, lined face of his Elder superior began to take shape.
âAzakis,â said the man, smiling and slowly lifting a bony hand in acknowledgement. âWhat has made you call a poor old man with such urgency?â
He had never managed to find out the exact age of his superior. No one was permitted to know such private information about the Elders. They had certainly witnessed many revolutions around the sun. In spite of this, his eyes were darting from left to right with even more vitality than he possessed himself.
âWe have made contact with something surprising, at least to us,â began Azakis, dispensing with preliminaries, trying to look straight into the otherâs eyes. âWe almost collided with an unidentified object,â he continued, studying the expression on the face of the Elder.
âAn object? Tell me more, my boy.â
âPetri is still analysing it, but we think it could be a kind of probe, and weâre certain that itâs not ours.â The Elderâs eyes widened. Even he seemed surprised.
We found some strange symbols engraved on the hull in a language we don't know,â he added. âIâm sending over all the data.â
For an instant, the Elder looked absent. Using his O^COM he analysed the flow of information coming in.
After several long moments, his eyes turned to look at Azakis. Finally, in a tone that belied no emotion, he replied, âI will call an emergency meeting of the Council of Elders. All indications are that your initial deductions are accurate. If this is in fact the case, we will need to revise our plans immediately.â
âIâll await instructions,â and so saying, Azakis broke off the communication.
Nasiriyya â The dinner
The colonel and Elisa were already draining their third glass of champagne, and the atmosphere between them had become decidedly less formal.
âI must say, Jack, this Masgouf is divine. I wonât be able to finish it. Itâs huge.â
âYes. Itâs truly wonderful. We should send our compliments to the chef.â
âMaybe I should marry him so he can cook for me,â said Elisa, laughing a little too excessively. The alcohol was already beginning to take effect.
âNo. He will have to wait in line. I was first.â He risked making this joke, hoping it would not be too inappropriate. Elisa pretended not to notice and continued to nibble at her sturgeon.
âAre