Alcent Adventures

Chapter One

TIME: Day 28, Early Afternoon

Captain Jerry Jerontis, Moose, Zeb, and two crew members were on the Challenger, which was orbiting Alcent (the third planet of Alpha Centauri A) at an altitude of 200 miles. They were on the starship to pick up a water glider, construction tools, and building materials for small homes. Also, they planned to search Alcent for evidence that Zeb’s fiancee, Zonya, and her colleagues were still alive.

On Pioneer Island, the people who had arrived on Day 27 were on the beach of South Bay having a party to celebrate their completion of Earth’s first manned interstellar journey. Having lived inside a starship for nearly seven years, they were ready to cut loose on a warm sandy beach.

Doctor Connie Nemard, wife of Captain Jerontis, had arrived on Pioneer Island on Day 1 with her husband. They were accompanied by their close friends, Moose and Dianne, and were the first humans to land on Alcent.

Connie was not at the beach party; instead, she was working in an experimental vegetable garden. She wondered if plants brought from Earth would do well on this alien planet. While inspecting a tomato plant, she noted that it was loaded with blossoms and small green fruit. It appeared to be healthy and free of parasites.

It was a peaceful, slow-paced afternoon, and the radiant energy pouring down on Connie from Alpha Centauri A made her feel warm and drowsy. The feeling was enhanced by the pleasant caress of a gentle breeze. Maybe I should go to South Bay and stretch out on the beach for a short nap, thought Connie.

Then, a shadow passed over her, and she felt the downdraft from large wings. Connie looked up and saw a huge pterodactyl glide over her and land barely ten yards away. Instantly startled out of her drowsiness, she reached for her pistol and discovered that she was unarmed. How did I forget my gun? she wondered.

Connie was upset that she had carelessly forgotten her sidearm, but she did not panic, because she realized that if the pterodactyl had wanted to eat her, she would already be dead. Nevertheless, she felt endangered by the sudden appearance of the big predator. She hoped that it was one of the pterodactyls from Western Island. They had been friendly.

Intently focused on the huge creature, Connie attempted to identify it. Two things were immediately obvious. It had landed on one foot, and it appeared to be carrying something with its other foot. When the creature turned to face her, Connie saw that it was King, the big male from Western Island. Even though King had once saved her life, Connie still felt uncomfortable to be unarmed in the presence of a 400-pound raptor with awesome killing ability.

She wondered why King made her feel threatened by landing so close to her. He had never done anything threatening before this. Maybe he wasn’t trying to be menacing. Connie looked at the big pterodactyl and wondered what was on his mind. She didn’t have to wait long. King was still standing on one leg. He reached out with the other leg and gently placed on the ground what he was holding.

Connie immediately recognized the bundle as King’s offspring and noted that it appeared lifeless. King looked at Connie, then at the still infant, then back at Connie. His eyes seemed to be pleading for assistance. Just then, a second shadow passed over Connie. She looked up and saw Queen circling ever lower. When her altitude dropped below 50 feet, she banked into a tight turn and glided to a touchdown a few yards behind King.

Now, I am facing two of these creatures without a weapon, thought Connie. Fortunately, I don’t think they mean me any harm. It looks like their infant is sick and that they’ve come to me for help. Maybe pterodactyls really are capable of thinking. Is it possible that they have the intelligence of prehistoric humans? If so, they might think I am a goddess who descended out of the heavens and that I can make their infant well.

Connie made eye contact with Queen. Her eyes seemed to be asking for medical aid while she shifted her gaze back and forth between Connie and her baby. I wish they weren’t standing so close to their youngster, thought Connie. I would like to examine it.

Maybe I should call Dianne and ask for help, thought Connie. She reached for her communicator, but she came up emptyhanded and said, “I forgot my communicator and my gun. I am getting careless. I guess I’ll have to do this alone.”

Connie looked at King and Queen. She pointed at herself; then, she pointed at the infant while staring at it. She hoped the big pterodactyls would understand that she wanted to examine the youngster. She paused; then, while looking at the big birds, she made a pushing gesture toward them. Apparently, they understood, because they stepped backward a few yards.

“So far, so good,” whispered Connie, as she slowly walked toward the infant. She noticed that the big predators were watching her closely, but they made no menacing moves. When she reached the baby, she noted that it looked as limp as a rag doll. I wonder if it’s still alive, thought Connie, as she knelt beside it. Seeing no obvious injury, she reached out to turn it over. When her hands contacted the baby, she said to herself, “This poor thing is burning up with fever.”

Connie gently turned the small pterodactyl over. The problem was immediately obvious. There was a small gash in the baby’s right thigh. It was infected, swollen, and oozing smelly pus. This reminds me of the injury that almost killed Zeb, she thought. It even smells just as bad. I wonder if it’s the same bacteria. I could quickly find out in the medical lab, if King and Queen will allow me to take the infant there. They were alertly watching, so Connie pointed at the infant, then at herself, then at the large habitation capsule, which contained the medical lab.

Connie wasn’t sure if they understood, but they did step back a couple more yards. She looked at the big creatures and tried to read their minds. Then, she slowly and gently picked up the sick baby and started walking toward the medical lab. A brief glance over her left shoulder told Connie that King and Queen were following her, but they were keeping their distance.

After entering the capsule, Connie placed the sick infant on a table near one of the large windows. King and Queen stood outside the window and watched Connie take a blood sample and a pus sample. She entered them into the lab’s automated analysis machine. It quickly identified the problem microbe as the same one that had almost killed Zeb.

Connie started an I.V. with the antibiotic that was so effective at treating Zeb. Then, she poured some of the antibiotic into the open wound to clean it. She hoped the infant wasn’t allergic to it and that life-threatening damage hadn’t already occurred. When she was satisfied that the injury was clean, she closed it.

With the medical work done, Connie called Dianne to tell her about the presence of the pterodactyls and what she had just done. She finished with, “I think you should warn everyone to stay on the beach. Evidently, King and Queen have learned to trust you and me, but I don’t know if that trust applies to the people who came down yesterday.”

“I don’t know either,” replied Dianne, “but they can’t stay here forever. How are you going to get King and Queen to leave without their infant? And if you convince them to leave, how are you going to tell them to come back for their baby when it’s cured?”

“I don’t know. Any suggestions?”

“They seem to have understood the hand gestures you’ve been using, so you might continue with the sign language.”

“That does seem to be my only option,” agreed Connie. “But there is one thing that worries me about this.”

“What?”

“Suppose I am successful at getting them to leave now and return tomorrow at about this time, what will they do if I am unable to cure their infant and they come back to a dead baby?”

“That question is impossible to answer. We don’t know how intelligent they are, and even more important, we don’t know how emotional they are.”

“They were smart enough to bring their sick baby to me for help.”

“But that should’ve been an easy decision. We’ve helped them before, and they might think we are gods who can do anything.”

“That’s exactly what worries me. Suppose I fail to cure their infant, are they going to recognize that we have limitations? Or are they going to think that we are gods who let their baby die?”

“I see what you’re getting at. In the first case, they might appreciate your effort. In the second case, they might become angry and attack you.”

“If I fail, I’d better have my gun ready.”

“Whether you succeed or fail, I will be with you,” assured Dianne.

“I’m counting on that, but if I fail, I am willing to bet that they will still be grateful for my effort. Also, I believe that they have emotions, and that they will feel a sense of loss.”

“Based on our experience with them, I agree. And I suspect they are every bit as intelligent as early humans.”

“I am about to test their intelligence again,” responded Connie. “With simple hand signals, I will see if I can get them to leave and come back tomorrow afternoon.”

“You can do it, and I am going to put on a video headset and watch you with the camera on top the robot lab.”

Connie checked the baby pterodactyl and noted that its condition had not deteriorated. She also noticed that King and Queen were still watching her through the large window. To assure them that she was trying, she carefully searched the infant for additional injuries but did not find any.

I guess it’s time to test my sign language skills, Connie thought, as she cautiously stepped outside and faced the big raptors. Wanting them to leave, she pointed at them, then at Western Island. Next, she pointed at Alpha Centauri A, which was still high in the afternoon sky. With a large sweeping downward motion of her arm, Connie tried to indicate the sun setting. She turned to the east, pointed at the horizon, and tried to indicate a sunrise with a sweeping upward motion of her arm. She continued the upward motion until she was again pointing at Alpha Centauri A. Then, she
pointed at Western Island and with an exaggerated motion, attempted to indicate to King and Queen that they should return.

Wondering if they understood, Connie shifted her gaze back and forth between them, awaiting their response. They turned to each other and did some soft back and forth squawking. Then, they looked at their infant for a few moments before returning their gaze to Connie. “I don’t know what’s going on in their minds, but their eyes seem filled with hope and trust,” commented Connie. “I wonder if they understood my sign language.”

The answer wasn’t long in coming. King took one last look at his infant, then at Connie. He turned to the south and began running. He spread his wings to their full fifty-two-foot span, began flapping them, and quickly became airborne. Queen followed him, and together, they returned to Western Island.

After watching them fly away, Connie sat down on the front porch, feeling drained of energy. Her communicator beeped. It was Dianne. “I knew you could do it,” she said.

“I am glad that it’s over for the time being,” Connie responded. “I feel wiped out.”

“You should feel that way. You just faced a pair of fierce wild creatures who are expecting you to work a miracle.”

“I hope I don’t disappoint them, but however this turns out, there’s no longer any doubt in my mind that these birds are at least as intelligent as early humans. They might even be the smartest creatures on this planet.”

“They sure didn’t have any trouble understanding your hand signals,” responded Dianne.

“We’ll know that for sure if they come back tomorrow afternoon.”

“Until we know them better, I think everyone except you and me should be off the plateau tomorrow afternoon.”

“Good idea,” replied Connie.

Meanwhile, on the Challenger, Jerry was unaware that his wife had once again had an encounter with pterodactyls during his absence. He was helping Zeb search for Zonya, while Moose and his crew were loading the cargo shuttle.

Zeb was not from Earth. He was a humanoid who had come to Alcent from B-2, the second planet of Alpha Centauri B. He had lived alone for thirty years, because he had been deserted and left to die by his colleagues, who turned out to be enemies. Even worse, they abducted Zonya.

When Zeb was found by the people from Earth, he was near death because of a serious infection. Even though he still wore an ankle cast, he was now healthy and wanted to find out if Zonya was still alive. To search for her, he used his ability to communicate telepathically, while Jerry used the Challenger’s instruments to search for evidence indicating the presence of a colony of humanoids.

The Challenger had now been orbiting Alcent for 66 days, and its instruments had gathered a massive amount of data about the planet. Jerry wondered how best to wade through all of it looking for a humanoid encampment. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack. He decided that he needed to have the computer do the searching, but what would he tell it to look for.

Jerry needed to discuss the problem with Zeb, but he and Zeb could not speak directly to each other. Zeb had not yet learned English, and Jerry did not understand Zeb’s language. However, Michelle, mission reporter, had learned the basics of Zeb’s language and could carry on a conversation with him. Since she was on Pioneer Island, Jerry and Zeb had to speak to each other through Michelle using their communicators.

Jerry called Michelle. After exchanging greetings, he said, “Please ask Zeb if he’s been able to telepathically detect anything that might narrow our search area.”

Michelle did as requested; then, she reported: “Zeb has not found anything, but he believes that his enemies traveled far to the south along the ocean coast after deserting him.”

“Why does he think that?”

“He said he helped them build a large, sturdy raft. It was equipped with sails and capable of ocean travel.”

“I am aware of that, but why does he think they went south along the coast? They could just as easily have gone north.”

“Zeb said he telepathically probed the mission leader’s mind and discovered that his objective was located far to the south. He was unable to find out how far or even why this journey was so important. The mission leader was very good at guarding his mind against telepathic spying.”

Jerry thanked Michelle for her assistance; then, he considered Zeb’s comments. I wonder what that mission leader was searching for that was important enough for them to leave Clear Lake. Why would they undertake such a hazardous journey after landing in a superb area? What were they looking for? Now that 30 years have gone by, is Zonya still alive? What kind of camp would survivors be living in today? If they’re living a primitive lifestyle, they might have daily campfires to cook food. Our infrared telescopes would see them.

Jerry asked the computer to find the infrared data for Pioneer Island. He browsed through it until he found the infrared signatures of their many campfires. He instructed the computer to use this data as a guide and search the database for the area along the seacoast south of Pioneer Island. He further instructed the computer to begin the search by looking at data from small islands isolated from the countryside by at least 100 yards of water. Even if these people came here well armed, they would’ve eventually run out of ammunition, thought Jerry. Then, they would’ve become easy prey for the big T-Rexes, which means that they’re probably living on a small island where there aren’t any T-Rexes. Fortunately, these brutes aren’t able to swim.

“What else can I look for?” Jerry asked himself. He thought about what Zeb had told him a few days after they had found him. The large Apollo-type capsule they had landed in was very rugged and provided a good shelter. Also, it contained their computers, research instruments, and communications equipment. For these reasons, it was incorporated into the raft design. If that raft still exists, that capsule would provide an easily recognizable radar signal. Even if the raft doesn’t exist, they may have found a way to beach that capsule. Jerry thought about how heavy the capsule must have been and concluded, there is no way they could’ve moved it inland for any significant distance. Therefore, it would have to be on the ocean beach, a river beach, or an island beach.

Jerry used a computer to figure out what kind of radar return this kind of spacecraft would generate. Then, he asked the computer to search the radar data for evidence of the capsule’s existence.

The Challenger’s computers were the most advanced available in 2092, the year that it left Earth. They had enormous capability and were extremely fast. Even though Jerry had asked the surveillance computer to search a huge database for some small specific information, it only took it a few moments to fulfill both requests.

On the wall-sized video screen in front of Jerry, an outline of a small island appeared. There was a red dot near the center of it, indicating the presence of a campfire. While he was looking at the sketch, it began to take on a three-dimensional appearance as the computer processed radar data to do the island’s topography. Then, a red “X” denoting the presence of the landing capsule appeared on the beach near the red dot. “I’ve found them!” Jerry exclaimed. But no one heard Jerry, because he was alone on the flight deck. Zeb was on the observation deck, where he had to be to use his
telepathic ability to communicate with someone on the surface of Alcent. His telepathic powers were dependent on energy waves created by his brain. These energy waves could not pass through the Challenger’s metal hull, but they could pass through the transparent plastic hull of the observation deck. However, Zeb’s telepathic search for Zonya had been fruitless. When his communicator beeped, he answered it.

It was Michelle. “I have good news for you. Jerry has found a campfire on a small island. The data revealing the campfire was taken three days ago. Your landing capsule is also there.”

Zeb became electrified with excitement over the possibility that Zonya might be alive. But his emotions quickly cooled. Thirty years is a long time, he thought. Even if Zonya is alive, she may have fallen in love with one of her abductors. She may no longer be interested in me, but I would like to talk to her anyway.

“Are you still there?” asked Michelle.

“I didn’t mean to give you the silent treatment, but what you just said had quite an impact on me. Tell Jerry I will join him on the flight deck, shortly.”

By the time Zeb arrived, Jerry had displayed the island’s location on a second video screen. Through Michelle, Jerry told Zeb, “It is 1600 miles south of Pioneer Island. That puts it at about ten degrees north latitude.”

“That’s pretty close to the equator,” commented Zeb. “There must be a hot, humid climate in that region.”

Jerry called up optical data for the area. The images showed very dense jungle. “I would sure hate to try to find someone in there,” he said.

Turning his attention back to the island, Jerry noted that it was located in a fairly large river that flowed into the ocean. According to the computer, one had to sail 89 miles upriver from the ocean to get to the island. At the island’s location, the river was 400 yards wide and slow moving. The island was nearly a half-mile long, but it was only 90 yards across at its widest point. Jerry asked the computer for detailed images of the island. It responded, “High resolution images do not exist for this location.”

Jerry checked the Challenger’s orbital parameters. “It’s going to be six hours before we pass over that island. By then, it’s going to be dark. I would like to get some daylight pictures yet today.”

“Zeb agrees with you,” Michelle said.

Jerry looked at Zeb and noted his obvious eagerness. Then, he called Moose. “I need to change our orbit. Are you guys prepared for acceleration?”

“Give us a few minutes to secure the materials we just put on the shuttle.”

“Okay.”

Through Michelle, Jerry said to Zeb, “I am amazed that your enemies could sail 1600 miles on the ocean with nothing more than a raft equipped with sails. Then, there was the 89-mile journey upriver against whatever current was there.”

“That must have taken a lot of determination,” Zeb responded. “I wonder why the journey was made.”

“I would sure like to find out,” stated Jerry.

“Maybe Zonya can tell us,” suggested Michelle.

“If she’s alive,” Zeb said, sounding hopeful.

“We’ll soon find out,” commented Jerry, after receiving a message from Moose that they were ready for ignition.

Jerry entered the parameters for the desired orbit into the flight control computer and directed it to begin the antimatter engine ignition sequence. While the computer did its job, Jerry monitored instrument readouts. The main engines hadn’t been fired in more than three weeks, and even though he didn’t expect any problems, he wanted to keep an eye on them. However, they ignited on schedule and operated flawlessly for several minutes. After they were shut down, Jerry said, “In about 20 minutes, we’ll pass over that island at an altitude of 135 miles, and I will get some detailed images of the area.”

“I am going to the observation deck,” Zeb said. “I will try to telepathically contact the people living down there.”

When Zeb reached the observation deck, he looked down on the beautiful, life-filled planet far below and wondered: Is Zonya really down there? What about our mission leader? Is he down there and still alive? If he is, I will make him pay for what he did to Zonya and me. But how many enemies do I have down there? What if they have prospered and multiplied? What if Zonya decided long ago that I could not survive on my own? Would she have grudgingly embraced our enemies out of necessity? If so, she may have become fully interwoven into their community with children and
grandchildren. If that has happened, it will be very difficult for her to
leave and live with me. This will be true, even if she treasures the
wonderful relationship we once had, Zeb thought, sadly.

If the mission leader is alive, what will he do to Zonya if he finds out that I am healthy, on this starship, and looking for her? I guess that would depend on the relationship between her and the rest of the group. But no matter what the relationship is, he might still use her as a hostage to prevent me from settling an old score with him. It looks like I could cause trouble for Zonya by alerting them to my presence on this starship. Surely, they’ve seen this ship. I spotted it moving across the nighttime sky a few days after it arrived. But what do they know about it?

Zeb thought about the question. What they know depends almost entirely on whether the mission leader is alive and well. His telepathic ability was so good that he could even covertly probe an unsuspecting mind. If he had done that to these humans, he would’ve learned that this starship is not from B-2. But since he doesn’t understand English, there isn’t much else that he could’ve learned; unless, he was able to get into their minds deep enough to have looked at some of the images stored in their memories. If so, he might already know that I am alive, because all of the humans saw
pictures of me the day they found me. However, I don’t think that he knows I am on this ship, and I don’t think I should reveal my presence to him. That means I cannot telepathically probe the island in search of Zonya, at least, not yet.

I will learn what I can from the pictures that Jerry will be getting. While he’s taking them, I will stay here on the observation deck and keep my mind open to the possibility of telepathic contact from someone on the island. No! I can’t do that either. If the mission leader is alive and attempts telepathic contact with this ship, he will find me. He will recognize my mind and know I am here.

Zeb immediately left the observation deck and headed for the flight deck. There, the metal hull would block telepathic contact.

While on the way to the flight deck, he contacted Michelle and explained his thinking to her. He finished just as he arrived.

Jerry looked at Zeb and wondered why he had returned just as they were approaching the island. Jerry didn’t have to wait for an explanation.
Michelle provided one immediately.

“Tell Zeb I agree with his reasoning,” responded Jerry.

Then, images of the small island started appearing on the wall-sized video screen. It was quite rocky, and even though it had a few trees and shrubs, it was free of the dense jungle that grew on both sides of the river.

Jerry asked the computer for close-ups of the campfire site and the landing capsule. The images appeared instantly. Even though the Challenger was still a few minutes away from closest approach, the images already had enough detail to confirm that the encampment had been found. A small log cabin, a rock fire pit, and the landing capsule were all visible.

Jerry searched the island for other cabins, but found none. “Apparently, this is a small community,” he said.

As they neared closest approach, Jerry limited surveillance to the vicinity of the cabin, fire pit, and landing capsule. He asked the computer for maximum resolution images. These would show details down to a small fraction of an inch.

As the Challenger’s powerful optical instruments surveyed the campsite, sharply detailed video appeared. The log cabin looked sturdy and well maintained. The area around it looked neat and orderly. There was even a garden nearby.

The fire pit was equipped with a structure to hang cooking pots on, and there was a neat pile of firewood. “The cut edges on the firewood make it obvious that they still have usable saws,” commented Jerry.

Fifty feet from the water, the landing capsule rested on a gravel beach. Noticing that the beach was fairly flat, Jerry said, “They must have floated the capsule to its current resting spot when the river was a few feet higher than it is now.”

At that moment, Zeb’s heart skipped a beat when he saw a woman step out of the capsule and walk to a shady area next to a tall tree. She spread out a blanket and dropped a pillow on it. Stretching out on the blanket, she looked straight up into the cloudless sky for a few moments before closing her eyes. Then, a man lay down beside her. First, he looked closely at her; then, he let his eyes search the sky. Resting on the ground beside the man was a long bow and a quiver full of arrows. “It looks like he is wary of flying predators,” Jerry said.

Michelle translated the comment to Zeb, but he ignored it, because he was staring at the man and the woman. He asked Jerry if he could get more detail in the image.

Jerry asked the computer for image enhancement, and the image became a bit sharper. “This is the best we can do from this altitude,” he said.

Jerry turned to Zeb and saw that he looked very sad. “Want to share your feelings with me?” he asked, through Michelle.

“My worst fears have materialized. I am looking at Zonya, which makes me happy. However, the man she is with is the mission leader, the person who ordered that I be deserted and left to die, but they look so young.”

“They might be much older than they look,” commented Jerry. “Our optics are good, but at this distance, they are not good enough to show the facial lines that come with age.”

At that moment, two children entered the scene. One of them knelt beside the woman and tugged at her left arm. The woman sat up and faced the child. They appeared to be talking.

“This is even worse,” Zeb said. “It looks like my Zonya is not only married to my enemy, but it also looks like they have children.”

Attempting to console Zeb, Michelle said, “Things aren’t always the way they appear. There might be some other explanation.”

“Thanks for saying that, but right now, it looks hopeless as far as getting Zonya back is concerned. And I cannot settle an old score with my enemy either, because that would hurt Zonya, if she is now in love with him.”

“I think we should observe the campsite for a few days,” Michelle suggested. “We need more information before you jump to conclusions.”

Zeb silently stared at the image on the screen, attempting to glean more information from it, but it was starting to lose detail as the Challenger’s orbital speed carried it farther away. “Ask Jerry if we can stay on the Challenger for another day or two.”

Jerry discussed the request with Moose, who said, “The shuttle is full. There isn’t room for everything we came up here to get. We need to go down, unload, and come back tomorrow for the rest of the stuff.”

“Zeb and I are going to stay up here until tomorrow, maybe even longer.”

“Want me to stay and help with the recon?”

“The two crew members who came up with us aren’t pilots.”

“That’s true, but the shuttle is perfectly capable of going down under the direction of its flight control computer.”

“Good point, but our shuttles are critical equipment. An onboard pilot is a good backup to the computer.”

“Sounds like you want me to go down with the shuttle.”

“You are an expert pilot.”

“Thank you! We’re going to button up this bird and begin the procedure for leaving the hangar deck. In less than two hours, we’ll be back on Pioneer Island.”

“Have a safe flight.”

“Thanks!”

Jerry turned his attention back to Michelle. “It’s going to be about an hour-and-a-half before we’re back in position to take another look at that campsite. Until then, I’m going to take a second look at our video.”

“What are you hoping to see that you haven’t already seen?”

“I don’t know, but when we saw them in real time, it was quite emotional up here, and I may have missed something important. Tell Zeb what I am planning and ask him to stop me if he sees anything he wants to study. I will freeze the image and try to extract some additional detail with the image-enhancement software.”

“Okay and I will look at the images too. I might see something that you guys miss.”

“Good.”

A short time later, Zeb urgently held up his right hand and said, “Stop!”

Jerry froze the image. It was the picture of the woman sitting up in response to the child that had tugged at her left arm. The arm was outstretched.

“Can you increase the color contrast of her upper arm?” Zeb asked.

Michelle relayed the request to Jerry, who immediately circled the woman’s upper arm on the video screen. He asked the computer for maximum color contrast.

Her skin tone was golden bronze. With color enhancement, the tone appeared richer, but there was very little color variation over the length of her upper arm.

“What are you looking for?” Michelle asked Zeb.

“Many of the women in my society had tattoos on their upper left arms. It was the custom at the time we left B-2. Zonya was a passionate, warmhearted woman. The tattoo she wore was a flaming red candle shaped like a heart. Its symbolic significance is something she was proud of.”

“I don’t see a tattoo,” commented Michelle. “How big was it?”

“It was about two inches high and a little over an inch wide.”

“Judging from the detail in this image, we should see a tattoo that large,” Michelle said.

“You’re right,” agreed Jerry, who immediately asked the computer for a pixel-by-pixel color reading of the woman’s upper arm.

Jerry studied the color report and said, “There are no shades of red on her arm. Is it possible that this woman isn’t Zonya?”

“Please go back to the best image we have of her lying down and looking up,” requested Zeb.

Jerry scanned back through the images until he found the sharpest one. He froze it and asked the computer for maximum detail.

Zeb intently studied the woman for a full two minutes whilesearching his memory for some little detail he may have forgotten.

Finally, he said, “That woman looks enough like Zonya to be her twin sister.”

“Or maybe her daughter,” suggested Michelle.

Zeb became electrified with excitement as he considered the possibility.

“Her apparent youth was the first thing that I noticed,” he said. “Is it possible that I am looking at Zonya’s daughter and grandchildren?”

“The feeling I get when I look at her is that she might be between 25 and 30,” Michelle said. “The children look between five and ten. It all adds up.”

“The man she’s with also looks between 25 and 30,” commented Zeb. “Is it possible that he might be the son of my enemy? Is it possible that all of my former colleagues are dead and that these four descendants are all that remain?”

“There is only one house on the island,” commented Jerry.

“The landing capsule is also there,” stated Zeb. “It isn’t super big, but it is large enough to provide shelter for one or two people.”

“Are you ready to assume the risks involved in attempting telepathic contact?” Jerry asked.

Zeb considered the question for a few moments beforeresponding. “On our next orbit, it will be early evening on their island. They might have a campfire to cook dinner. It seems reasonable to assume that most of them will be present for their evening meal. Let’s see how many there are before I decide on attempting contact.”

“I like the plan, but our next pass over the island is 45 minutes away. Let’s use that time to continue studying the video we already have.”

Meanwhile, down on Pioneer Island, people were beginning to leave the beach party and return to Stellar Plateau, which was a large rock formation on the south lobe of the island. It rose 150 feet above the surrounding terrain, and measured 300 yards wide by 700 yards long. The east, south, and west faces of the plateau were nearly vertical cliffs. The north side was a fairly steep rock slide.

The interstellar pioneers had only two ways to get on and off the plateau. On the south end, they had built a wooden cage, open-air elevator suspended on a rope. Swinging during ascent and descent was prevented by guide ropes. On the north end, they built a hiking trail down the rock slide. It had a grade of 15% to 20% and seven switchbacks.

The pioneers had chosen to live on Pioneer Island for many reasons. Chief among them was that it was located in the middle of Clear Lake, which was twenty miles wide and forty miles long. This large body of fresh water isolated them from the hostile, dinosaurdominated countryside. On Pioneer Island, they sought additional safety by selecting the plateau as the site for their homes.

Dianne was the first one to return from South Bay. With her were Connie’s daughter, Denise, and Michelle’s son, Matthew. Denise was five years old with blonde hair and blue eyes. Matthew was six years old with hazel eyes and brown hair.

Dianne had already told the children that Connie had a baby pterodactyl in the medical lab. As the trio approached the lab, Connie stepped onto the front porch to greet them. Upon seeing her mother, Denise ran up to her and said, “I want to see the baby ‘dactyl. Is it still sick?”

“Yes, but it’s getting better.”

“Can I see it?”

“I want to see it too,” Matthew demanded.

“Okay, but I don’t want either of you to touch it, just look at it. And speak softly, because it’s sleeping, and we don’t want to wake it.”

The children agreed to Connie’s conditions, so she took them into the medical lab. The children cautiously approached the chick and stared at it in total fascination.

“It looks dead,” commented Matthew.

“I want it to live,” Denise said. “Will it get well?” she asked.

“I don’t know. It has a serious infection,” Connie responded.

“But mom, you saved Zeb when he was infected.”

Connie pointed at the I.V. and said, “I am giving it an antibiotic to kill the tiny bug that is making it so very sick.”

“Is that how you made Zeb get well?” Denise asked.

“Yes!”

“Then, this baby ‘dactyl will get well too.”

Connie smiled at her daughter and appreciated the innocent confidence that she expressed in her medical ability. I wonder if King and Queen think on the same level as my daughter, she silently asked herself.

On the Challenger, Jerry and Zeb were approaching the island where Zeb’s people had been discovered. The first images were starting to come in, but the island was still too distant to see fine detail.

“I see someone tending a fire,” Jerry said, “but I don’t know if it’s one of the people we looked at earlier.”

“I see a second individual entering the scene,” added Michelle, who was down on Pioneer Island watching the images.

“This person appears to be hanging a cooking pot over the fire,” commented Jerry.

A little later, when the Challenger was directly above the island, two children stepped out of the log cabin and headed for the campfire. “They look like the children we saw earlier,” Zeb commented. “Also, the man and woman look the same. It’s dinnertime, and there are only four people present. Maybe there really are only four of my people down there.”

“I think there are at least five,” argued Jerry.

“Why do you think that?” asked Zeb.

“There are five chairs around their outdoor table.”

Zeb examined the chairs. “Three of them look like they’re for adults,” he said. “The other two appear to be for the children.”

While the trio looked at the chairs, the children sat down at the table. “They’re sitting on the tallest chairs,” stated Zeb. “Now, the big question is: are there three adults living down there or are there two adults with an extra chair?”

“Let’s stop watching them for a few moments,” Jerry suggested. “I want to search their campsite for other tables and chairs.”

Realizing that their speed was rapidly moving them away from the island, Jerry completed the search rather quickly. “I don’t see any other tables, but there are three full-sized lounge chairs in front of the cabin.”

Speaking to Michelle, Jerry said, “I think Zeb should attempt telepathic contact on our next pass.”

“Why?”

“His only concern was that his enemy might still be alive, and that he might use Zonya as a hostage. We think there are only three adults down there. The woman looks like Zonya’s daughter. The man looks like the son of Zeb’s enemy. If the third adult is Zonya; then, Zeb’s enemy is dead. If the third adult is Zeb’s enemy; then, Zonya is dead. Either way, the hostage situation is impossible.”

“There are a couple key words in your argument,” responded Michelle.

“Which words are you referring to?”

“Looks like. The adult male looks like the son of Zeb’s enemy. But that man could be Zeb’s enemy. We cannot tell for certain from this distance. We know that the woman is not Zonya, because of the missing tattoo, unless she found a way to remove it here on this primitive planet, and that seems highly unlikely. Besides that, according to Zeb, she was proud of that tattoo.”

“You’re suggesting a bad set of circumstances for Zeb.

You’re saying that Zeb’s enemy could be alive and that he might have both Zonya and her daughter to use as hostages to keep Zeb from settling an old score.”

“It is possible.”

“I can’t deny that, but there may be a way that Zeb can find out without alerting them to his presence.”

“How?”

“Ask Zeb if he can telepathically probe their minds while they’re sleeping without waking them. If he can, find out if he can identify Zonya’s mind and his enemy’s mind.”

“If he can do all of that, I’m not sure that I want him living with us on Pioneer Island.”

“This is something we need to know about him, and this is a good time to find out, if he’ll tell us.”

“I’ll talk to him and let you know.”

A few minutes later, Michelle said, “Zeb told me that he can sense the presence of a sleeping brain, but he cannot identify it.

However, if the sleeping person is dreaming, he can sense the energy field created by this kind of brain activity and identify the individual. If the dream is vivid enough, he can sometimes even see what the dream is all about.”

“Can he do this without waking the individual?”

“Yes, unless he or she is sleeping very lightly and on the verge of waking up anyway.”

“Does he want to telepathically search the island for Zonya and his enemy tonight?”

“Yes, but not on the next orbit. He will wait until the orbit after that.”

After a few moments of silence, Michelle asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m wondering if I’ll have to learn how to guard my dreams after Zeb learns English.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about him. He’s not the kind of person who will be snooping around in your mind.”

“What about the people on that island. They might be tired of living in isolation, or their situation might be desperate. They might want to be rescued. They might want to live with us on Pioneer Island. Can we trust them to respect the privacy of our minds?”

“We don’t know if everyone in Zeb’s race has telepathic ability. That power might be limited to a few gifted individuals.”

“That is one more thing that we need to find out.”

“It’s going to be well over three hours before Zeb puts his telepathic ability to use. What are you going to do with all that time?”

“I haven’t been up here in four weeks, so I am going to roam around and get reacquainted with my starship. But before I do that, I’m going to the cafeteria to eat dinner. I am hungry.”

“Zeb is probably hungry too, and he would definitely appreciate a guided tour of the ship.”

“No doubt about that, but I will need you as an interpreter, so I can answer all of his questions.”

“Be more than happy to help out.”

More than three hours later, Zeb and Jerry were again approaching the island home of the humanoids from B-2. “It is really dark down there,” observed Jerry. “This is one of those rare occasions when both of our suns have set and neither one of our moons has yet risen.”

“Unless they’re sitting around a campfire, they should all be in bed sleeping,” stated Zeb.

“I don’t see a campfire,” commented Jerry. “But let’s make sure that they aren’t outside doing some star gazing on this rare dark night.”

Jerry accessed the Challenger’s nighttime reconnaissance capability. Its light intensifying software could turn a scene lit only by starlight into an image that looked almost like it was taken during daylight hours. After briefly searching the campsite, he said, “It looks deserted, and I don’t see any light coming out of their windows. We can’t be certain that they’re indoors and asleep, but it looks that way.”

“I am heading for the observation deck,” stated Zeb.

Jerry looked into Zeb’s eyes and noted the eagerness there. Then, he saw the anxiety. What can I say to him? Jerry silently asked himself. He has been alone for thirty years, and now it appears that all of his former colleagues are dead, except one. Which one? Will it be Zonya? If she is alive and well, will she welcome Zeb back into her life?

Zeb seemed to sense that Jerry knew what was going on in his mind, because he appeared reluctant to break eye contact. But he had to get to the observation deck, because they would soon be directly over the island.

“Good luck!” Jerry said. “Let us hope and pray for the best.”

“Thank you,” responded Zeb, as he turned and left.

When Zeb arrived on the observation deck, he put on his night-vision goggles and stared down at the island. He intently focused his mental energy and slipped into the trance that he needed to be in to telepathically search the campsite. He quickly detected the energy fields emanating from the brains of five sleeping individuals. Search as he might, he was unable to find more than five.

He shifted his focus from one to the next, hoping to catch one of them dreaming. The first dreamer he discovered was not familiar to him. Zeb was able to identify the originator of a mental process in the same way that people identify a known person from the unique sound of his or her voice. When hearing a stranger speak, it can usually be determined whether the speaker is adult or child, male or female. Zeb was able to use his telepathic power to recognize the unique signature of each person’s mental processes. He could easily identify known individuals. When tuning in to a stranger, he could usually determine whether the individual was adult or child, male or female.

Zeb focused his mind ever more intently on the dream he was watching and listening to. He thought it might be happening in the mind of the young girl. She was having a happy dream. It was about a special occasion, a party.

She seemed to be the center of attention; perhaps, it was her birthday. There was singing. A pair of new, attractively decorated moccasins ppeared. She tried them on, admired them, and walked around excitedly. Then, she gave an older woman a big hug and said, “Thank you grandma.”

Zeb instantly became very excited, but the dream abruptly ended, and he never saw the face of the girl’s grandmother. The young girl wasn’t yet very tall, and Zeb only saw that part of her grandmother’s body that she hugged.

He urgently contacted the minds of the others, but none of them were dreaming. The Challenger’s orbital speed was rapidly carrying Zeb away from the island, and he was very tired from the intense mental effort required for telepathic communication. He came out of his trance and dozed for several minutes.

When he woke up, he thought, there is no doubt that it was the girl who was dreaming. Which grandmother gave her the moccasins? If it was her mother’s mother, then Zonya is alive, or she at least was alive at the recent party. After all these years, I am so close to finding out, but I still don’t know. There’s no way I can sleep tonight. I have to talk Jerry into keeping the Challenger in an orbit that will bring us repeatedly over this island until I find out.

Zeb went to the flight deck. He called Michelle, so he could explain the situation to her and Jerry. After briefly pleading his case, Jerry agreed to the requested orbit.

Less than two hours later, they were again approaching the island. Zeb was on the observation deck intently focusing his mental energy. He dropped into a trance and began telepathically searching the island. Again, he found only five individuals. He switched his mental probe from one to the next hoping to find one of them dreaming.

In less than a minute, Zeb found a dreamer, and immediately recognized her. Even though in a deep mental trance, he cried out loudly, “I’ve found Zonya! She is alive!”

Michelle heard the announcement and translated it to Jerry.

Zeb viewed the images in Zonya’s dream and saw that it was about him when he was much younger. He saw himself asking her to marry him. Then, he saw and heard Zonya say yes. She kissed him, and they passionately embraced. What a happy moment that was, Zeb thought.
Zonya’s dream continued and he saw her become very sad. He saw her bound hand and foot as she lay on a sturdy log raft. She was crying as the raft sailed away leaving him behind. Zeb thought, she still dreams about that dreadful event 30 years ago when she was abducted, and I was abandoned. I must end this sadness.

Hoping to overpower Zonya’s dream, Zeb gathered every bit of mental energy that he possessed. Telepathically, he exclaimed to her, “I am alive! I am in the starship passing over your island!”

The strength of the message struck Zonya with such force that she was instantly shocked out of a sound sleep. She bolted into an upright position. Sitting on her bed, she supported her head with her hands while resting her elbows on her knees. That dream was so real, she thought. It almost seemed like Zeb was telling me that he’s still alive. I wish that were true, but after all these years on a planet as savage as this one, it doesn’t seem possible.

Still in telepathic contact with Zonya, Zeb listened to her thoughts. Then, he reaffirmed, “I’ve had some close calls, but I am alive.”

“This is too good to be true,” she replied. “I’ve missed you so much. I’ve been terribly lonely. I need to touch you, to feel your arms around me. Then, I will know that you really are alive and that my mind isn’t playing tricks on me because of wishful thinking.”

“You can rest assured that I am definitely alive. Like I said, I’ve had some close calls, but I’ve been lucky. During my darkest hour, I was rescued by some wonderful people from Earth. They saved my life. At this moment, I am in their starship. We’ve already passed over your island. In a couple minutes, we’ll drop below the horizon, and I’ll lose contact with you. I need some information before that happens. How many of you are there?”

“There are five of us.”

“Who is the young woman that looks like you?”

“She is our daughter.”

“Our daughter?”

“Yes! I was a few days pregnant at the time we were separated.”

“I’ve missed her childhood, and I wasn’t there to help you raise her. Now, I really have a score to settle with the man who separated us.”

“He is already dead.”

“Good! But who is the man I saw with our daughter?”

“He is the son of the man who caused us so much grief.”

“Our daughter is married to the son of our enemy. I don’t like that.”

“It’s OK! He is a wonderful young man. He’s like a son to me.”

“What do you mean?”

“His father was killed before he was born. His mother died two months after he was born. At that time, all of our colleagues were dead, and I was alone with two babies to care for. Our lives were filled with constant danger. Somehow, I managed to survive and protect the children, but I was very lonely. Back then, I was sure that you were alive. How I wished that I could’ve had you at my side. However, I knew how far apart we were and that you could not join me, because you were unarmed, had no boat-building tools, and didn’t even know where I was. But now, you’ve come back. When will I see you?”

“I need to discuss that with Jerry, the Captain of this starship. It is getting late, and I can’t ask him to stay up any longer. I will ask him to have us pass over you tomorrow morning. Then, we can discuss getting together.”

“I can’t wait,” Zonya responded, as the Challenger dropped below the horizon and contact was lost.