Discovery

By J.B. Taylor

After defying the war lord in control of his home planet Veladon, Eckta is sentenced to an eternity of suffering. When his pod crash lands in the Daedalus Crater of Earth’s moon he expects he will remain there forever. Little does he know his pod is emitting a pulse and below him, on Earth, someone is listening.
From her station at the SETI Institute, Abigail Murray is about to hear something that will change her world forever. Alien life exists. But after discovering Eckta’s amazing abilities will Earth permit this stranger a peaceful life, or will their greed and ambition get the better of them?
Eckta will bring humanity new possibilities, new hope, but his people are not to be reckoned with and they are coming. Will Earth be ready?

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.B. Taylor
• Release date: Dec 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781386535966

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Pulse

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The pulse came every two point five seconds. From its location it took seventeen minutes and seven seconds to reach Earth, according to the computers in the SETI laboratory. Code scrolled down monitors. Sheets of data, printing off at break neck speed, coiled onto the ground.

Abigail Murray couldn’t hear the squeals of the printer, or the repetitive beeps of the computers mapping the foreign signal. She was on hour fifteen of what was supposed to be a nine hour shift and had fallen asleep.

Code ceased scrolling. The mapping of the strange signal stopped. It was this sudden quiet that woke Abigail from her sleep. She woke, her hands rubbing the sleep from her face.

Abigail grabbed her coffee cup and headed into the staff room. To do that she had to pass through the lab, walk through two doorways and halfway down a hall. With the staffroom in sight when she glanced into the monitoring room. It was there she noticed the pile of printer paper coiled on the ground.

What do you think you found? she asked, and gathered up the paper. Let’s see, let’s see. The sleep slowly left her eyes as they scanned left to right. They picked up speed before beginning to race across the page. That can’t be right, she said. Its isolation would keep any signals from reaching Earth.

Abigail stacked the paper as best she could before turning her attention to the laboratory computers. As if commanded by her gaze the pulse started up again. Code began to scroll down the screens. The printer was working overtime, the beeps, like birds chirping, mapped out the foreign signal.

Abigail watched the code, reading it as quickly as she could. She caught snippets of words: Daedalus Crater, Diameter, Fifty Miles. Just then the live pulse died. The code ceased its crawl. The printer stopped printing and the mapping of the signal stopped mid beep.

Abigail rushed to the office phone and called James. Her co-worker, one of the few to survive NASA’s most recent layoffs, was running late.

I know, I know, James said as he answered. I’m almost there.

Hurry up, Abigail said, breathless with excitement. We’ve picked up on something.

There was a pause. The printer spits out false signals all the time. It’s no big deal.

It’s a pulse. The computers think it’s coming from the moon’s Daedalus Crater.

Have you listened to it? James sounded bored.

Abigail slapped her forehead. I haven’t, she said, and sat down at the nearest computer. She brought up the audio files and found two new files labeled: Moon: 5.9°S 179.4°E, and clicked on the topmost file.

Are you listening now? asked James. A horn blared. Asshole! he shouted. Sorry, he said to Abigail.

Yeah, yeah, Abigail said, barely paying attention. She put the phone on speaker.

The slow pulses began to beat from the computer’s speakers. They were long, sharp, almost like a vinyl stylus scratching against a record. It reminded her of something powering down, weakening.

It could be an energy signal, James said.

If it is it isn’t a strong one.

What’s the travel time? A horn blared. Use your turn signal dipshit!

Abigail snorted. Seventeen minutes and seven seconds according to the printouts.

NASA will want to know about this.

Abigail scratched her chin. Let’s not call them yet, she said. Emissions from that location are supposed to be impossible. I’d rather not waste their time.

She switched off the audio file.

James sighed into the phone. Agreed, he said after a while.

I’m pulling in, said James. Start a pot of coffee and put some frozen pizzas in the oven. We have a lot of work to do.

Chapter 2

A Call to a Friend

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The pulse hadn’t come back, not for two hours. That time had been spent eating pizza, drinking coffee, and reading every line of the printout. If the printout was to be believed, there was something on the Daedalus Crater. Something emitting a kind of S.O.S.

James thought that it might be China’s Chang’e 3 lander, or perhaps their rover, Yutu. But Abigail shot those theories down reminding him that both had landed on Mare Imbrium, and that the rover had been immobile and powered off since January 2014. As for the lander, its job was to deploy the rover not send out signals.

Abigail theorized that it could have been NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer, only to remember that the craft had been intentionally crashed and its decay date of April, 18th, 2014 made official some time ago. But one possibility neither could shoot down was that the pulse could have been coming from Japan’s Hiten-Hagoromo (Muses-A) which was injected into lunar orbit in 1990 and was assumed to have broken apart after extensive degradation. That fact however was never officially confirmed. What they did know was that its brother, Hiten (launched in 1993), had been intentionally crashed and its decay date was confirmed to be July 14th, 1996.

I suppose, James said, grabbing up a cold slice of pizza, we can put this past NASA now.

Abigail ran her hands through her long, red hair and tucked it behind diamond-studded ears. She was thinking hard, green eyes narrowed to slits. Yeah, she said, nodding. If we’re wrong we’re wrong. I doubt the ramifications will be Earthshattering.

Agreed. James took a bite of his pizza.

Give them a call, Abigail said, and returned her attention to the printouts.

James excused himself.

****

James walked from the laboratory, down the small hall. Closing the staffroom door behind him he fished out his phone and made the call.

The phone rang twice before someone picked up.

Administrator Hill’s office. Denise speaking. May I ask whose calling?

James Faulkner of SETI. A short time ago we received a pulse. I was hoping to—

One moment, Denise interjected.

There was a click and generic music flooded through the phone.

Administrator Hill speaking.

Sir, this is James Faulkner of SETI Institute—

I hope to hell you aren’t wasting my time, Hill interjected. There’s a reason there’s only two of you working round the clock there. James ignored the veiled threat and his boss’ attitude. He had great news. News that would surely make him happy. Sir, we got a pulse. We’ve read the printouts, listened to the audio. We’ve done everything we can on our end, but were hoping we could use the Lunar Reconnaissance feed to see what’s making the signal. Our readouts have us thinking it’s an SOS of some kind.

Hill let out an annoyed sigh. Send me the audio files and key highlights of the printouts you got. I’ll get back to you when I’ve made a decision.

Hill hung up.

James looked at the phone. He blinked. His face flushed red. Okay, he said, a tad put off. I guess that’s how we’ll do it.

Chapter 3

Veladon

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Three Weeks Ago

The sun glimmered off two moons hanging in the pink sky like fine jewels. Below knee-high grass stretched as far as the eye could see. In the far distance the Fleet Forest stood tall. Eckta looked over his shoulder as birds squawked in alarm. Several dozen flew from the treetops, their long, black wings beating frantically. A moan of pain brought his attention back to where it should have been. He looked at the ground where the suapec lay wounded and struggling for breath. Blood bubbled from its nose and mouth. Eckta frowned. It hurt him to be doing what he was doing. But he had to eat.

Eckta knelt, his hand pressing against the chest of the wounded suapec.

The animal was on its side, its long, thin tail wagging feebly. Blood matted its light blue fur, and trickled down its slim, narrow face. Its grey eyes, wide with pain, were beginning to dim, their blinking becoming sluggish.

You lived an honorable life, Eckta said, drawing a long, serrated knife from the sheath on his hip. And I know you will provide me with the sustenance I need to live. For that I thank you.

Eckta ended the suapec’s suffering with one clean thrust of his knife. Withdrawing it, he cleaned it on the grass around him before taking hold of the animal’s stomach. He began to remove its skin, starting at the neck. The dressing took only minutes, and soon there was only skin, fur, and guts remaining.

Eckta lived in a small home made from strong timber cut down and carried from the Fleet Forest. Twigs intertwined and slapped with mud made his roof. It was a small single roomed home, looking out upon the Velocktan Crater. The Celestial body Igneus Ruina had dealt the blow that created it almost eight hundred million years ago. It was nearly four miles in circumference. Eckta chose the location, not because of the crater, but due to its close proximity to the things he would need to survive. The ocean, the forest, the caves, all gave to him; mud, food, rock, and the occasional distraction when he wanted to take his mind away from the things that burdened him.

Eckta tossed the meat into a pre-prepared