Earth's Knell The First Landing

By JT Duxbury

What would you give to begin a new life on a pristine planet with just ten other people. No pollution, no over population of humans. Just fresh air, clear water and fertile ground as far as the eye can see. But then you discover there are some rather large primates living nearby, and those primates have a way of communicating. As a matter of fact they are very human like.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JT Duxbury
• Release date: Sep 21, 2009
• ISBN: 9781301822089

JT Duxbury

JT Duxbury's Personal Profile:Moving across the sci-fi community with his uncompromising debut story Earth's Knell, the mature Wisconsin native, JT Duxbury, has been defined as an engagingly original writer. His propulsive writing blends dreaming with a reality attitude and a sharp eye on what could be. Readers have compared him to a modern day 'Mark Twain'. His writing soars with a passion and intensity of a mature dreamer set to leave his mark on futurist fans in need of a fresh style.JT Duxbury was born and raised in west central Wisconsin and made his entrance into the arts, at age twenty-seven, as a country music singer and lead guitarist. While working as a part time musician, he earned an associates degree in industrial electronics and went on to become a proficient electronics technician, computer programer, and now an author.

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78

EARTH'S KNELL

THE FIRST LANDING

BY

JT DUXBURY

Copyright © by JT Duxbury 2006 - 2009. All rights reserved

Published by JT Duxbury at Smashwords

This book is available in print along with others by this author at http://stores.lulu.com/cdbooks

ISBN 978-1-4357-4567-4

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be

re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with

another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it

with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased

for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your

own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Author's Note

If you have not read my book Earth's Knell, I suggest you find a copy of that book first. Look for the printed version at: http://stores.lulu.com/cdbooks or the ebook versions for portable reading devices at: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jtduxbury

In the absence of that story, I offer this brief synopsis for your insight.

In January 2016, Anthony Harris, an astrophysicist with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory discovered two large asteroids speeding on a collision path with Earth. The larger of these two planetoids was five point two miles across. The information about the pending calamity was kept top secret while the government, with reckless abandon, prepared to launch six space ships each fitted with a crew of ten and loaded with as much equipment, supplies, provisions and frozen Earth’s embryo as the 200 foot vessel could carry. The crew members were all placed in hibernated sleep where they would remain throughout the decades of travel to the nearest habitable planets. The crew had been genetically altered to enable their bodies to survive the long hibernation. The six ships were launched from a Moon base in the fall of 2028, just a few hours before the asteroids were to cause worldwide decimation.

Each crew consisted of a commanding officer and his wife, a medical doctor, a veterinarian, a biologist, a botanist, a building trades technician, an electronics technician and two people specially trained, by the US Navy Seals, in the art of survival. There were also four, genetically modified, animals sent for the purpose of being surrogate mothers to gestate and birth frozen human and animal embryo.

As we open the story the first ship in the armada, Colony 6, is in deceleration and six months from touchdown on its new planet.

Chapter 1

Doctor Neil, can you open your eyes for me? Doctor Neil, it is time to wake up." The sentient computer was acting on its awakening algorithm.

Ha . . . what. Oh my head.

The ship's medical officer's mind seemed to swirl as he tried to open his eyes.

Hmm, where am I? What's going on?

Doctor Neil, this is the ship's computer. I want you to open your eyes for me.

Slowly, the doctor opened first one eye then the other.

Oh, now I remember. He paused for a long minute then sleepily said, I thought the commander was going to wake us up.

The commander cannot wake you up. I will fill you in as soon as you have recovered. I am injecting a medication into your intravenous line that will restore you to full consciousness.

Doctor Neil felt the warm surge of life return to his body.

How does that feel, Sir?

The doctor lay blinking his eyes and rolling his head from side to side.

Oh yes, that's better. What's wrong with the commander? How's everyone else?

I will answer all of your questions in due time. First we must get you on your feet and in full control of yourself. I am going to open your sleeping tube lid now. Then I want you to slowly raise yourself to your elbows.

The lid latch clicked followed by it opening slowly.

Can you get up on your elbows?

The doctor slowly forced his upper body and slid his arms back to support himself.

Ouch, oh my muscles are sore. There now . . . Ah, man oh man I'm out of breath already.

The computer watched the doctor's every move calculating his responses.

That is normal. When you feel ready I want you to try and sit up on the edge of your pad.

As the doctor slid his right leg slowly over the edge of his sleeping pad he said, Gee, I feel like I'm over a hundred years old. Are you sure I'm not going to pass out?

You are over a hundred years old, and no I am not sure of anything. There is no information regarding extended time suspended animation in my database. We will have to improvise. I am monitoring your vital signs. If you begin to fail I will warn you. I recommend that you hang onto the pad straps as you sit up.

He rose from the pad where he had spent for over seventy-five years in cryogenic sleep. There, how's that? I'm sitting up. Before I do another thing you must tell me what is wrong with the commander. The doctor ran his fingers through his hair.

I do not know what is wrong with the commander. That is why I have awakened you. Two days ago I noticed a minor depletion of normal gasses from both the commander and his wife. I cannot see them because there are no cameras in the cryogenics chamber. I suspect they may be dying. I need you, as the medical officer, to take a look at them.

Holy smoke. Why didn't you wake me sooner? The doctor scowled.

I began the process of awakening you as soon as I detected the problem. It takes forty-eight hours to revive a human to full consciousness.

Oh yes. I wasn't thinking.

Not being able to focus your thoughts is normal at this stage. As soon as you feel sure of yourself, you may try to stand. Please continue to hold onto the pad straps. I have not turned on the full gravitational rotation of the ship's cabin yet, but you could falter while on your feet and bump your head.

Okay, here we go. The doctor slid slowly onto the deck. Now to put my weight on both feet. He made a half-squat maneuver then stood tall, There, how's that?

That is great, Doctor. I will roll the commander out of the cryogenics chamber for you.

Oh, I'd really rather be called Lars, if you can make that change please.

I will install your name change in the volatile database, Lars.

The freezer door to the commander's tube clicked and swung open allowing the cryogenic sleeping chamber to roll out of the near absolute zero cavern. Lars removed his intravenous needles and walked over to the commander. He peered in and gasped. The commander's face was wrinkled with age. His skin had a paste like appearance. The muscle tone in his arms was near nonexistent.

Oh my god! He appears to be a man in his late eighties. He must have begun to age again sometime after we left Earth's solar system. How can that be? Computer, bring the commander's wife out so I can see her also.

Jay's tube was delivered for the doctor to view.

Gasping again he said, Her, too. She appears to be about the same age. Jumpin' up and down, what's happened here? Put both of them back, quickly. Are there any abnormalities with any of the others?

No abnormalities to report, Lars. I took a gas sampling of each of the others while you were looking at the commander and his wife. Everything appears to be normal.

I'm gonna' have a look just to be certain.

As you wish.

The other seven tubes were rolled out for him to view. He walked along to each and looked in. Doctor Mac Cormack looks okay. He moved quickly to the next. Cynthia is okay. Luann appears normal. He stopped and looked closely at her almost in reverence. She sure is pretty isn't she? The doctor looked up at the computer's video cameras as though they were its face.

I have no idea, Lars.

No, I suppose you wouldn't.

He continued his observations. Chief Howell and Petty Officer O'Brian look good. How 'bout you two . . . yes, Richard and Sammy are in good shape. That's excellent. Put them all back.

As you wish, Sir. Would you like a cup of coffee?

Lars pointed his nose in the air and took a deep breath as the cabin filled with the aroma of fresh coffee brewing. Yes, that would taste great. I'm going to sit down at my station and think. If you have any ideas, let's hear them.

Your coffee is ready in dispenser one, Sir. I am fresh out of ideas. We have no information on long-term suspended animation. Five years is the longest anyone had been frozen and then revived successfully while cryogenic was being developed for this mission. I am sifting through transmissions from the other ships but there is nothing to report there either. Data is very slow coming in. The nearest ship is over five light years away from us. I have sent what data we have so far to the others.

Lars got his coffee from dispenser one then turned to exit the galley. The galley was a small room compared to the rest of the living quarters on the ship. A four burner electric cook stove sat with a double sink and faucet to the left and a two door refrigerator freezer to its right. All round the kitchen, or galley as the navy calls it, were stainless steel cupboards and butcher style counter-tops below and supported by more storage cupboards on the deck. The doctor took a look around and marveled at the cleanliness. It’s hard to believe after all these years and not a speck of dust. He thought. As he moved through the hatch leading back to the ship’s living quarters he reminisced the first day he had come aboard for indoctrination. He looked to the left at the freezer type doors that housed his fellow crewmembers in cybernetic sleep. In his mind it was almost like the commander was standing there pointing out and explaining every nuance of the ship. His eyes followed along the soft yellow painted bulkhead until the ship’s control consoled positioned in the nose of the compartment came into view. The pilot and co-pilot seats waited patiently for the commander and his wife. Above the consoled rested a huge video screen presently displaying the outside nose camera. To his right a row of eight swiveling flight seats and before each a computer terminal. He walked slowly across the brown haring-bone patterned tiled deck toward his station to ponder the problem of the commander and his wife. Once seated he reclined and sipped his coffee then closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his fingers and thumb. Why the commander and his wife? Why not any of the others? He swiveled his chair to face the computer's video cameras. Computer, is it possible that only the epidermis has aged? Is it possible that the internal organs and brain are still young?

That is not likely, Sir.

No, huh? Well, what if we revive them and take a look?

I believe they will die. There is no record of any person over the age of sixty being frozen and then surviving the revitalization process. Between fifty-five and sixty years of age there is only a fifty percentile chance of survival.

Let's see, the commander was fifty wasn't he?

Yes, Commander Royal was fifty. His wife was forty-six.

So if we leave them they'll die, and if we revive them they'll die. That sure leaves a hell of a lot of choices.

I am sorry, Lars.

How long before we arrive at our planet?

Six months, four days, and thirteen hours. I am in deceleration now. There is an asteroid belt ahead that I will need to maneuver around then it will be clear sailing until we arrive.

Did the commander and his wife leave sperm and eggs in the freezers?

Yes. The commander and his wife had no children, but they were trying to have a child by clinical intervention when the asteroids were discovered.

Good, then in memory of them I'll work on cloning both of them until we revive the others. We won't tell the others about the cloning; there may be some objections. We'll just say that the commander and his wife had deposited fertilized eggs before the voyage began.

That seems like a very good idea, Lars. Your secret is safe with me. I will assist in the cloning procedure where I can. I have information in the database on the subject and we have all of the instruments onboard to perform the procedure. You'll have to go below to get the things you'll need.

Good. Huh? An EVA? I'm not going outside this cabin.

You won't need to do an EVA. I can stop the cabin's rotation, rotate the cabin to the horizontal axis then telescope the tube up from the storage area. You'll need to wear a pressure suit, which is all.

Okay, that doesn't sound as bad as I thought. Lars' stomach began to growl then he remembered that he hadn't eaten in many years. Placing his hand on his midsection he said, You might begin rounding up some food for me, I'm ravenous.

Your nourishment is being prepared now, Sir. I would also like you to drink an eight ounce bottle of water with your meal.

You know, Lars through a finger in the air. I just had a thought. I think when we revive the others, we'll try to revive the commander and his wife. They may survive for a while and perhaps be able to see the new planet.

As you wish. Do not get your hopes up though. I do not believe they will live more than a few more days.

Lars grimaced at the thought of the commander and his wife dying before they could see the new planet. His eyes widened as he said, Heck, if that's the case then begin to revive them now. We have nothing to lose. And, they may survive the ordeal contrary to previous information. They're American Indians. I'm hoping their hearty nature will give them an edge. If one of them does survive, even for a few minutes, perhaps I can get permission to clone them.

Very well, Lars. I will rollout their tubes and begin to revive them. I agree with asking them for permission to perform the cloning procedure.

While we're waiting for the commander and his wife to be revived, perhaps you can tell me all the news. Let's start out with Earth. What happened?

The news is not very good: The asteroid impacts happened on schedule. The damage was primarily caused from multiple shock waves. Many of the fault lines separated. Half of the state of California is at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Most of the trees were leveled. Large waves oscillated back and forth across the oceans dumping saltwater into many of the freshwater lakes. Long dormant volcanoes spewed sulfuric acid into the environment. Everything that was not destroyed by fire was dissolved from the sulfuric acid mist. The computer paused. Sorry for the interruption. A few humans survived the impacts but no one survived the eighteen-month nuclear winter and toxic gases. Two-thousand people are still alive on the Moon according to the last transmission. That will be a sufficient number to repopulate Earth when a normal atmosphere returns. Do you want me to present the details on the main screen?

Lars bowed his head in remorse and muttered, No. Tell me about our new planet. Ah, on second thought, what was that earlier pause all about?

Nothing serious, Sir. I ran into some bad memory addresses. I had to skip ahead.

Is that normal?

It is not normal in the sense that the solid-state memory should not have bad addresses. It is not serious because the memory in question is used for temporary storage.

That stuff is Greek to me. So let's hear about our planet.

The advance probe is in orbit and has been mapping the planet. It is twenty percentile smaller than Earth. You will weigh about ninety-five pounds down there. It rotates once every twenty-two point five Earth hours. This is a benefit because the human natural circadian rhythms are near that number. The planet is ninety-five million miles away from its sun making it a little cooler than Earth. The polar caps are much larger than Earth's. There are numerous very large lakes. Most of the lakes are surrounded by swampy terrain. This will be a possible source of peat for fuel. Some of the lakes are quite deep and concentric. That suggests there may have been large asteroid impacts in the past.

Hold it, hold it. Asteroids?

I have scanned a one-light year perimeter of the solar system. There does not seem to be any unattached debris that would threaten the planet.

The doctor began to pace. Are you sure about the scan? No unattached debris.

Well, collisions can occur. However, the probe will maintain a constant watch for asteroids after we land.

I suppose. Go on.

There are several mountain ranges with rivers flowing from the snowcaps. Desert areas exist east of the mountain ranges. That suggests there is an Earth like weather pattern, but more predictable and less severe because there are no moons. There are large areas of dense tree growth and vegetation. The indices are strong for a planet that can support humans. Do you want me to present the details on the main screen?

No. He took his coffee cup and turned toward the galley. What about life signs? He said, as he walked.

Nothing to report. The probe has no way of measuring for life signs. I can present the mapping information gathered so far. Perhaps you can spot signs of life visually.

Yes, let's have a look. He called from the galley as he poured a second cup of brew.

The computer began to display the new planet on the forward video screen. Lars gasped as the image began to take shape. Holy cow, the blue is very vivid. What's the oxygen level down there?

I have no data regarding the oxygen level, Sir.

Man, if that color is any indication, I'd say it's in the seventy percent range. Can you compare the color of Earth versus its oxygen level and the color of the new planet?

Yes, the comparison matches your estimate. Seventy-two point seven percentile.

"It's no wonder there are huge