e-i-pi

By David Thomas

Last summer 14 year old Andy Green found an electronic game on a visit to a dinosaur dig. What he couldn’t know is that the game was lost 65 million years ago by a child from an alien civilization. In that culture, when a student solved this puzzle, a mentor was summoned. When Andy and his friends solve the puzzle, they encounter an alien and are drawn into a conflict that spans the galaxy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Thomas
• Release date: Jan 10, 2011
• ISBN: 9780615435176

David Thomas

David Thomas, LMSW, is the counseling director for men and boys at Daystar. A popular speaker and the coauthor of five books, he is a frequent guest on national television and radio, and a regular contributor to ParentLife magazine. David and his wife, Connie, have a daughter and twin sons

Book preview

CHAPTER 1 Old Friends

The Bob Marshall Wilderness Area¹ straddles the spine of the Rocky Mountains in north-central Montana. On its eastern slopes, the peaks, forests, and foothills gradually give way to grasslands that fall away in vast waves to the east. Camped under the stars near Choteau², two middle-aged men sat gazing at the stars. The camp itself was a simple matter: Two sleeping bags spread out beside a modest fire, a couple of folding camp chairs, assorted cooking utensils worn and scarred from years of use, and a battered old Suburban with a grub box sitting on the tailgate.

Bill Burke and Michael Spotted Bear first met when they shared a dormitory room at Montana State University-Bozeman (MSU)³ as undergraduates. There they discovered a shared interest in science, the deep past, and the out-of-doors that became the basis for a life-long friendship.

At 6 feet tall and 190 pounds, Spotted Bear, a Blackfeet Indian, was descended from a people who have inhabited the northern Great Plains for thousands of year⁴. Currently a science teacher at Choteau High School, Spotted Bear has lived in the area all of his life. Burke, a red-headed, 6 foot 3 inch, 240 pound Irishman from Butte, was descended from miners who came to Montana in the 1800's to dig their fortunes from the Earth. After majoring in geology at MSU, he earned a PhD in paleontology at the University of Colorado and returned to MSU as a professor in the Department of Geology.

All differences aside, their friendship is as comfortable and honest as an old pair of shoes. As Spotted Bear tossed one twig after another into the flames, Burke asked, Mike, what’s eating you tonight?

There is something I need to tell you, Bill. And something I need to ask you.

Fidgeting a little, Burke wrinkled his brow and replied, OK. What's on your mind? Are you and Mary having problems?

Shaking his head, Spotted Bear answered, No. No. We’re fine. The kids are fine. The dog is fine. My neighbors, now there’s a mess.

Leaning forward, Burke continued, So, what's bothering you, Mike?

After sitting quietly for a few moments, Spotted Bear let out a long sigh and said, I spent a lot of time with my grandfather when I was a kid. We talked about everything. In particular, we talked about the importance of finding your true path in life, what happens to a man when he wanders from his true path, and what happens to a people when they wander from their path.

Nodding his head, Burke said softly, I remember your grandfather. He was a good man, a wise man. I wish he were still alive.

I do too, Bill. I need his wisdom, for I carry a great burden on my heart and it is crushing me.

You can tell me, Mike. I can keep a secret. Let it out. You’ll feel better.

I wish it were that simple, Bill, that in telling you, I could find some relief. But this isn't that sort of problem. To make matters worse, I live in two worlds, the world of my ancestors and the modern world. Every day of my life I walk two paths, high school science teacher and shaman.

I know it isn’t easy, Burke said shaking his head. But you have always handled that just fine. What has changed? Why are you suddenly so concerned?

I carry a secret, a warning known only to a few tribal elders and myself. Something terrible is coming, Bill, and I don't know what to do about it. I have tried approaching the crisis both as a scientist and as a shaman. But I feel spread-eagled between two worlds, powerless and unable to act. I need your help.

Startled by his friend’s sincerity and intensity, Burke stood up and started pacing around the fire, saying, Mike, are you talking about a prophecy of some sort? A secret handed down from generation to generation?

No, Bill. I am talking about a vision given to my grandfather 20 years ago. In the vision, the Earth is destroyed by fire from heaven. Every living thing is wiped out.

Shaking his head in disbelief and speaking slowly, Burke stammered, You know how much I respected your grandfather, Mike. I never knew him to tell a lie or to take a position that wasn't in the best interest of his family or people. But even a good man can be wrong. Maybe he misinterpreted the vision, or maybe it wasn't a vision at all, just a nightmare.

Bill, the older I get, the more confidence I have in his judgment, including his faith in you as a friend. I will continue to trust him and you. I need you to do the same.

Spotted Bear then stood and walked into the darkness, gesturing for Burke to follow. Finding their way by starlight, the two men quickly reached the crest of a small hill. Pointing eastward across the prairie in the direction of Choteau, Spotted Bear said, Only a handful of tribal elders know what I am about to tell you. You must not speak of it to anyone. Agreed?

Speechless, Burke could only nod.

There is a sacred place about a mile from here, a place where my people have always gone to dream dreams. It is not a place of reflection or prayer, Bill. It is a place of vision. A presence dwells there that is old beyond imagination. It is not the spirit of a man, a woman, or an animal. It is not a god. It is something else, but it is good. We have always called this presence Old One. It was from Old One that my grandfather learned this secret nearly 20 years ago. One month ago, I experienced the same vision.

Burke stared at his friend, mouth open with astonishment, and asked, Why are you telling me this, Mike?

His face furrowed with anxiety, Spotted Bear replied, Bill, I believe that the vision is true, that destruction is coming and that time is running out. But I can't figure out what I am supposed to do to avert the crisis. I want to take you there, to Old One. Will you come with me?

Burke had always been interested in Blackfeet culture and traditions. His open mind respected the possibility that science and spirituality, frequently depicted in the media as inconsistent if not incompatible, might occasionally overlap in powerful and unexpected ways. Suddenly, he felt swept up in a convergence that he had not seen coming, and it made him shiver. Nodding his head, he replied, OK, Mike. I’ll go.

CHAPTER 2 65 Million Years Ago

The Z’Li spacecraft Epsilon dropped out of C+ Space, verified its position approximately 50 million kilometers from the third planet from the sun, and reduced its speed to 0.01c. Spherical in shape, Epsilon had a diameter of 100 meters and was coated with materials and bathed in electromagnetic fields that made it all but invisible to most life forms and their machines. The ship quickly launched several high-velocity drones toward the planet. Over the next few days, Epsilon would use remote sensing and visualization technologies carried by these drones and ship-based observatories to build a complex picture of the world they now approached.

Like all Z’Li spacecraft, Epsilon was more than a vehicle. It was a Ship-Citizen with the same civil rights as a Z’Li adult. A sentient entity profoundly knowledgeable and deeply wise, Ship-Citizen Epsilon was an artificial intelligence (AI) that resided in a space-time kernel located near the top of the spacecraft. This entity was connected to every adult Z’Li on board, every instrument, and every system. Physically, Ship-Citizen Epsilon occupied no more space than a child’s ball. The rest of the spacecraft served as living and working space for Epsilon’s crew and research teams.

Epsilon was constructed as two concentric crystalline spheres 100 meters and 90 meters in diameter. Structural supports, shielding, cloaking, the C+ Space translation drive, inertial damping, artificial gravity, and many other high energy ship functions were handled by equipment and smart materials attached to the inner surface of the outer sphere. Stationary and mobile robots attached to the outer surface of the inner sphere operated and maintained these systems. Since the space between the spheres was bathed in radiation and force field gradients deadly to biological life forms, it was strictly off-limits. This design gave rise to the phrase trapped between the spheres, a metaphor for a deadly situation.

Epsilon’s interior was partitioned into 20 decks (numbered from bottom to top). Each deck consisted of a disk-shaped slice approximately 5 meters thick, one meter of which was devoted to floor, ceilings, and other structural and life support systems. The remaining space was divided into work areas, service areas, systems areas, storage areas, personal areas, and group areas. For instance, three gangways into and out of the ship were located on Deck 1. Field research station modules, equipment, and hovercraft were stored on Decks 2 and 3. All systems associated with food, water, air, and recycling of wastes were located on Decks 4, 5, and 6. Decks 7-9 were partitioned into family apartments. Decks 10-12 housed meeting halls, an auditorium/theater that could accommodate the entire crew, a gymnasium, a library, an educational center, and a variety of game rooms. To accommodate large audiences and facilitate 3-dimensional activities, an auditorium, gymnasium, and two game rooms were three decks high. Research departments were house on Decks 13-17. The Research Management Center and the Ship Operations and Command Center were situated on Decks 18 and 19, respectively. Deck 20 served as a communication center and as Ship-Citizen Epsilon’s hardware and software domain.

Access between decks was via a cluster of elevators located at the center of each deck and via 3 Archimedean Spherical Spiral⁵ ramps running along the inner surface of the inner sphere from Deck 1 to Deck 20. These gently sloping ramps, which were wide enough to accommodate hovercraft, were used to move bulky and/or heavy materials between decks. They were also used as jogging tracks and social gathering points. Scores of programmable view screens were located along the outer wall of each ramp, each 10m in length and 2m in height. Across the ramp from each screen was a seating area where individuals or groups could observe activities outside of the spacecraft (e.g., their approach to a planet), watch events on other worlds (e.g., sport competitions), participate in teleconferences (e.g., family gatherings), and so on. The list of possibilities was nearly endless.

Life aboard Epsilon was both purposeful and pleasant. Strong commitments to duty were balanced by strong commitments to family and friends. Operating on a 32 hour day, the same as the Z’Li home world, each work day was broken into three 11 hour shifts. The 20 minute per shift overlap implicit in this arrangement was used to facilitate communication and training between teams on different shifts. Other than shift and transition time, crew members had 20 hours per day to sleep, exercise, pursue personal interests, and engage in family and social activities. But today, all off-duty Z’Li crowded around the view screens as they got their first look at the planet where they would work and live for the next year.

Located far out on a spiral arm of the galaxy, the planet teemed with life. Extensive oceans drove the weather systems. Plate tectonics drove the continents. A moon raised tides that relentlessly churned and cleansed the margins of the oceans and sustained nutrient rich tidal estuaries. It was a primitive, violent paradise. At the top of the food chain, gigantic creatures (later to be called dinosaurs) reigned in a bloody life-and-death circus of birth, life, predation, and death. Here was a clockwork of carnage full of action and instinct but devoid of thought. In the Z’Li catalog of planets, this world was named P’Dax, meaning Savage.

Among the ancient races that first colonized the galaxy, the Z'Li were the most successful. Long before mankind walked the Earth, the Z'Li roamed the Milky Way. Lacking the self-destructive and war-like urges that plague so many space-faring races, the Z'Li outlasted them all and created a civilization spanning the galaxy from the seething cauldron of its core to the feathery fringes of its spiral arms. This disposition, to cooperate and collaborate, rather than to challenge, dominate, and exploit was an expression both of their biology and their sociology. From family relationships, to community, professional, and government relations, this trait was promoted and rewarded to the point that it was ingrained in the Z’Li character and a foundation of their society.

The Z’Li were explorers, scientists, engineers, builders, historians, artists, and story tellers. By disposition, they were benevolent, patient, determined, resilient, and just. By choice they were guardians and conservators of all they discovered. Among themselves and the races that knew them, they were known as the Keepers, not for hoarding but for tending and preserving the wonders of the galaxy.

The Z'Li evolved on a world similar to the planet that would one day be called Earth. Brimming with life, they called their planet Home. In many ways, Home was similar to Earth, albeit with a 32 hour day and a 317 day year. Humans, had they existed at that time, could have walked abroad in comfort. Gravity, air composition and pressure, temperature, and humidity were essentially the same as that found on Earth. Weather in all of its manifestations was gentler than on Earth, mainly because the oceans were smaller relative to the landmasses. Landscapes and vegetation varied with elevation in familiar ways and animals reflected in their body sizes and energy budgets the nutritional bounty or privation of their respective habitats. The most ubiquitous form of vegetation was a grass-like plant which existed in many varieties. In addition, there was a wide variety of trees, shrubs, flowers, fungi, lichen, and other species. None of these plant forms were green in color, as chlorophyll was not a part of Home’s plant biochemistry. Instead, most plants would have looked golden, brown, or red to human eyes. To Z’Li eyes, which saw further into the infrared spectrum, their world was far more colorful than humans could appreciate.

Quakes, volcanoes, and other manifestations of plate tectonics were infrequent and minor in scale. Compared to Earth, Home’s internal dynamics were calm and stately. Furthermore, Home’s two moons were smaller and further away than Earth’s. Consequently, tides in the oceans and the land were relatively small. In terms of natural forces and events, Home was a peaceful planet.

CHAPTER 3 Old One

Just before dawn the next day, Burke and Spotted Bear left camp and began walking across the open grasslands. Overhead, a sparrow hawk hovered in anticipation of breakfast. Coyote pups yipped for their parents. And an antelope watched the humans warily. To the west the ramparts of the mountains rose like battlements. To the east the landscape fell away in rolling waves of grass. Other than fences, dirt roads, and a few wind turbines, nothing made by man could be seen for miles. Birds sang and insects buzzed as the world came alive. After walking for about 35 minutes, Spotted Bear stopped, took out a water bottle, and said,

This is it, Bill. We're here.

Looking around for any sign of ceremonial structures or artifacts, Burke said, Are you sure? There's nothing here but prairie grasses and sagebrush.

Spotted Bear closed his eyes and held up his hand for silence. After a few moments, he said, This is the place.

Burke's face was skeptical as he asked, How do you know? Do you hear something?

Clearly frustrated, Spotted Bear replied, I'm not listening for anything, Bill. Can't you feel it?

Feel what? Burke said with an edge of irritation in his voice.

Settling to the ground, Spotted Bear said, Sit down and empty your mind, Bill. Clear away whatever you've been thinking about and just listen to the wind. I get the feeling that Old One is trying to speak to you.

So, Burke sat down, crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and gradually relaxed. For a few moments, the only sound he could hear was the wind in the grass. Then, gradually, he began to sense something behind the wind, something else, something other. Without realizing it, Burke slipped into a dream-like state that lasted for several minutes. To Burke, it was as if he was dreaming two dreams simultaneously, both as compelling as reality itself. One dream corresponded to Spotted Bear’s account of the end of the world. But the other dream was full of dinosaurs and other strange creatures. Part of him wanted to wake up and part wanted to keep dreaming.

During this time, Spotted Bear watched his friend closely for any signs of distress and flicked away insects that landed on his face and hands. Eventually, Burke's eyes popped open and he whispered, Mike, we have to dig. He then told what he had seen and experienced in the visions.

Spotted Bear, nodded, then said, To dig in a sacred place such as this is a great sacrilege and normally would not be permitted. But your vision confirms my own. And if Old One wants us to dig here, we will dig.

I still don't understand why I am a part of this, Mike. We have done at least half a dozen digs together. You don't need my help to excavate a site. Why am I here?

Because you were in my vision, Bill.

On hearing this, Burke shivered a second time and muttered, Me too, Mike. You were in mine … the one about the end of the world.

Without saying another word, Burke and Spotted Bear returned to their campsite, packed everything up, and phoned Jeff Daniels to arrange a meeting. Daniels, a local rancher and Blackfeet tribal elder, leased the land containing the site from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Daniels already knew what Spotted Bear was planning and had agreed to help him apply for a permit⁶ to conduct a scientific survey on the federal property, provided the real reason for the investigation was kept confidential. There would be no way around notifying the BLM of their activities. The trick would be to conceal their hidden agenda inside a public, scientific investigation.

The next day, Burke, and Spotted Bear set up camp at the site while Jeff Daniels staked out a drivable track across the property. That afternoon he brought water and propane tanks, a generator, outside lighting, and a portable privy to the site. A few hours later Burke and Spotted Bear discovered a set of partially exposed dinosaur tracks where the overburden of soil had been eroded away.

Delighted by their discovery, Burke grinned and said, In my vision, I saw dinosaurs, Mike! I don't know about you, but I think I just stepped back onto my true path. I am so excited! Then, with a leap and a shout, he jumped up and started dancing around, laughing and doing his imitation of an Indian medicine dance. Spotted Bear neither danced nor spoke the rest of the evening.

Over the next few days, Burke and Spotted Bear excavated more of the track bed, took hundreds of photographs, identified the tracks of several dinosaur species, proposed and discarded several explanations for the presence of the tracks, and wrestled with management and funding issues. They could keep the site sealed and their activities secret to a point. This approach had two drawbacks. First, secrecy would foster suspicion and draw the wrong sort of attention, especially from the BLM. Second, without significant, sustained funding, they would not have the resources to conduct a credible site survey and excavation.

In the end, Burke and