EATES SOP: Final Debrief

By John McSherry

As a higher functioning autistic exploring the fascinating world of Scientific truths as it applies to extrapolating future events. Differentiating between Science Fiction or Science Future depends on a politically driven propaganda as it pertains to the prevailing insurgent narratives. Politics is benign, unless there's a technological force driving whatever social engineering is desirable. EATES SOP (Earth's Alien Technological Expeditionary Service -Standard Operating Procedure) marks a division between Earth's immobile existence and EATES' need to explore. The Earth's indoctrinating Internet represents the new permanence, where immobility festers a subjugated quarantine. The need for constant information has replaced resourcefulness, until Earth's scientists rediscovered Reverse Engineering.of alien technology. How we challenge ourselves beyond political expectations is why humanity wrestles with the idea of individual ingenuity and creativity. Ultimately, EATES decided to go it alone as scientists wanted something better out of life than an indentured existence. And to that end, EATES was born.. The culmination of 200 years has brought us to this point where science needs to decide, should politicians determine the fate of Science, or real Scientists on a mission?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
• Release date: Feb 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781662923050

Book preview

Chapter 1: Planet X

The year is 2262. The Captain continued monitoring the elusive emergency beacon far out into space. Several technicians recalibrated their long-range sensors, as three planets began to appear on long distance radar. The Mother Ship’s alien bridge wasn’t built to accommodate primitive humans, as the observation deck was a myriad of colored crystals, piezoelectric sensors and illuminated push button fiber optic displays. The Captain’s first priority was to fabricate proper seating, but only for himself. Everyone else had to figure out what all the controls were for. The Captain looked like a reformed drunk, with mangled unkempt hair and a mean disposition. EATES received hundreds of alien signals from their MORF observatory, but this particular one was the most promising. The Mother ship was capable of 20x the speed of light, skipping between real space and subspace, while the other two ships only sustained light speed. The more critical supplies were on the mothership, with reinforcements coming at a later date.

Captain, Look on your monitors, the dwarf’s nebula should be appearing any time now. Navigational and radar data is detecting three planets. We’re suspecting a distress beacon is coming from the second planet. All personnel, we have one week before final orbit. Inspect all gear, batteries, and provisions. We can’t afford to make any mistakes. Captain out.

The 40 light year journey was reduced to two years, and MORF’s scientists had solved the problem of Quantum travel. Unfortunately, the Captain wasn’t able to tell EATES the good news. The Duty Log was broken down into Departments or specialized expeditionary vocations comprised of Physics, Archaeology, Salvage, surveyors and engineers. Engineering began their orbital survey of the second planet, using acoustic radar remote sensing. The gravity was .89, low metallic content, -40 degrees F with no visible radiation from the severely compromised dwarf star.

Looking down at his communication feed, the Captain noticed, Planet X. The Captain called out, Who named this damned planet, X?!

The radio comm. remained silent, not wanting to get anyone in trouble. The Captain rephrased the comment, Planet X; I’d rather call it Planet D for Death!

Planet X had no oxygen, no organic life, and no sun to speak of. The Captain announced, Our first survey team will access the planet’s condition prior to the Nova’s detonation. I suspect we’ll find plant and animal fossils. Same for humanoid remains. This is an alien crash site, so anything is possible. Biohazard and radioactive protocols are in place!

Watching the navigational readouts, the ship’s pilot initiated his orbital maneuvers, getting a feel for any gravitational anomalies. The Captain’s video monitors only displayed darkness coming from the canopy’s windscreen, with a muted nebula in the distance. The Captain ordered, Electrical, turn on infrared and radar terrain following.

The Captain was all alone is his master cosmic control center, not wanting to be disturbed. The walls were a dull metallic gray with no back lighting or amenities except for one large reclining lounge chair and assorted console displays. Meals were served by room service only, as trays were slid under a small opening under the main hatch.

Engineers, Initial survey shows three wrecked ships with partially functioning beacons. The largest ship is surrounded by a sizeable debris field. ETA, 4 days.

Captain, Meeting of all department heads in six hours. Get with Astro-Archaeology for the latest radar scan, debris field, estimated ship sizes and potential technology.

Archaeology is more than just digging; Archaeology represents the bulk of alien reverse engineering. Each artifact represented a piece in a very large puzzle, but because of the potential for NBC-hazards, artifact storage needed to be addressed. The Captain knew they were on their own, with no rescue mission planned. That meant storing all salvaged technology underground.

Captain, I want a radar scan of all ships in the area. I don’t want any unwelcomed visitors.

Astro-Engineering, Long Range Scan in progress; give me a few minutes to analyze. We ran additional tests concerning the distress beacons; they’re the same 40Ghz signals we received from MORF. Not sure if it contains an embedded carrier frequency, but any digital information requires further study.

Looking at his comm. and radar scan data, the Captain called over the intercom, Astro-Physics, I want the Nova’s estimated rate of decay. That might narrow down the time these ships crashed.

The Captain decided to take a nap in his luxurious folding lounge chair. He felt there were enough orders and inquires floating around; he had time to relax for a while.

Four hours later, The Captain slowly woke from a short nap, gratified that his giant reclining chair was an essential part of his emotional sanity. The Captain adjusted the lounge position to the upright position, shouting at the intercom, Department heads Report!

Engineering here, we’ll start first. We found a suitable landing zone and enough space for an underground storage facility. Our primary objective is the larger crash site. Our two cargo ships won’t arrive for several decades. But in the meantime, we have one small space shuttle and two land rovers in the hanger bay. No NBC hazard detected, at least from orbit.

Astro-Physics here, Nova’s estimated rate of decay is approximately 2 million years. The dwarf star is missing 1/3 of its volume, with 70% of its hydrogen fusion depleted. At its present trajectory, based on Newton’s gravitational equation, the dwarf’s mass represents a net deficiency based on planetary equilibrium. But with three planets in tow, the solar system is projected to collapse. The distance from our location to the dwarf star is 4 AU. It’s conceivable that the star was much larger, and these planets may have supported life.

Captain, All Stop! Astro-Physics, based on gravitational masses between all three planets, can the dwarf’s mass sustain a stable planetary orbital balance?

Astro-Physics, "The dwarf’s estimated mass is less than the sum of the three planets, but because of an interruption in orbital decay, the Nova debris field continues to push the planets away from the star. Survey is picking up high concentrations of heavy metals and radioactivity emanating from the Nova itself.

Captain, 4AU, but if we estimate the star’s size prior to Nova, what AU distance are we talking about?

Astro-Physics, Based on our solar system, the first planets were most likely destroyed in the Nova blast. Our present position could have been Mars, or the Asteroid belt. Based on the Nova debris field and the dwarf’s size, we can’t account for the loss of material. We can assume it was an Earth sized star.

Captain, Missing debris??

Astro-Physics, Based on Newton’s gravitational equation, any changes in mass, either the star or surrounding planets will adversely change the orbital dynamics of the entire solar system. With a date of 2 million years, anything could have happened.

Captain, OK, continue your assessment; maintain orbital status. What’s the ETA till landing?

Astro-Engineering, ETA, 6 hours.

Captain, Departments, ready all teams. Secure all equipment in case of a rough landing. Initial reconnaissance protocols go to Survey, Heavy Equipment and Archaeology. All analysis is by text only, unless I request a debrief. See you on the ground!

The Captain was disturbed by the 40 GHz beacon frequency, which was thought to be an error by MORF’s surveillance team. Even if they found alien technology, their Earth based communications were limited to12 Ghz or lower. The Mother Ship’s radar receiver detected signals through SNIFF, but the engineers never bothered to reverse engineer the radar system, because it was too complicated.

SNIFF functions off the radar’s receiver system. A radar receiver is a series of crystal banks that resonate from a received frequency. 12 GHz represents the transmitter’s (Local Oscillator) highest transmit frequency, but a receiver can detect frequencies up to 50 GHz, depending on the type of crystal banks installed. One of the problems with radar is its processing logic or CPU frequency. Even though the receiver detected 50 GHz, the CPU can’t process a carrier or digital data higher than 12 GHz. The alien’s salvaged mainframe could decipher and detect digital data or subcarrier frequencies, but again, the ship’s computer couldn’t handle 40 GHz. The derelict mainframe found on one of the asteroids was never incorporated into the new Mother ship, because it was too complicated.

Captain, Communications, I need the ship’s transponder turned off!

Engineering, Our radar scan is clean, no enemy ships in the area. Turning transponder off.

Captain, I don’t like it! Being naturally suspicious and OCD, any vagrant display of ignorance on the crew’s behalf meant disciplinary action. The Mother Ship was nearly 7 miles long, 3 miles wide at the aft, almost a triangular shape. Landing such a heavy beast under near Earth’s gravity meant the ship might sustain catastrophic structural damage and never take off again. Plus, the entire planet was in near perpetual darkness. All sensor modes were put in infrared and terrain following.

Engineering, ETA landing in 2 hours, all systems go.

A scarred and twisted landscape slowly came into view, illuminated by the ship’s infrared sensors. A massive wreck appeared off in the distance, beached on its side with multiple sections of hull plating stripped away. Metallic Debris was everywhere, as the Mother ship’s engines began kicking up dust particles and metal fragments. It was false to assume that all alien technology was the same, but from the wreckage below, these were very different aliens from the asteroid belt.

Engineering, Vertical thrusters at 85%, touchdown in five seconds, landing gear locked. Hydraulics good and pneumatics good. 4, 3, 2, 1. Engines remaining at 60%. No noticeable shift in ground deformation. Protocol requires that we wait for fifteen minutes for the ground to stabilize.

Captain, Engineering maintaining landing thrusters, Aye. All departments, stage gear at the loading ramp in front of the hanger doors. The Hanger is a non-atmosphere zone, so wear your atmospheric suits. Make sure you close all double hatches to air locks, to and from the hanger bay and berthing. Observe all warning lights, DECON and hazard flashers, along with airlock protocols.

Astro-Archaeology, We’re transiting through the lower egress hatch for an initial survey. We anticipate finding residual plant fossils, but we don’t expect much with -40 degrees F outside temperature. I recommend using detonation charges to survey the underground facility.

Captain, Heavy Equipment, prepare your team for preliminary construction survey, along with blasting protocols. Unload all pyrotechnics a safe distance from the Mother Ship. Drill cores to a depth of 300 feet, and set your charges 10 miles from the ship.

Suddenly, a mysterious voice came over the comm., The Captain shouted out, What the Hell was that?

Engineering, we’re receiving a fax-handshaking transmission, presumably initiated by our close proximity to the beacon. We’ll try to shut it down.

Captain, Until we get this ship-to-ship transmission solved, everyone stay inside. Engineering, finish your scan and get back onboard!

Engineering, the squeaky female voice came from the wrecked ship. Since our comm. can’t process the embedded 40 GHz carrier, it’s conceivable that the distress call is millions of years old, acting independently of the wreckage itself. We can only shut it down from inside the damaged ship. Radar scan clear.

Captain, I don’t like it. OK, open hanger bay doors and start off load. Astro-Archaeology and Survey, I want a complete scan of the ship’s exterior and the outer hull integrity. The aft part of the ship is visible, so we’ll start there. It appears the fusion reactor ruptured, spilling hot plasma through the lower reinforced bulkheads. I want temperature readings, radioactivity and structural integrity data. And be sure to turn on your infrared, its dark outside!

Survey, "Captain, are you going to join us?

Captain, You do your job, and I’ll do mine. Get off your ass and get to work!

Astro-Physics, No, you really need to see this.

Captain, AH Alright, let me get suited up. Commence engine shutdown.

Just as the Captain was exiting the Mother Ship’s lower access hatch, the heavy equipment team began detonating experimental depth charges in preparation for the underground facility. Even with no atmosphere, the earthquake like tremor created some concern. The pyrotechnics team was laughing their heads off, as the Captain needed to discuss load charges with their Department Head. The Captain previously approved plans for a football sized facility, but the experimental charges were three times the approved potency. The Captain admired explosives like anyone else, but that was a tad much.

Once everyone settled down, the Captain trudged toward the survey teams, gawking at the impossible tower of twisted metal in front of them. The catastrophic crash created individual moments in time, as the ship’s metallic superstructure dissolved from the tremendous avalanche of molten hydrogen plasma. Now solidified 2 million years later, the Captain shouted, Heavy Equipment, gather up all these hull plates, and use them as reinforcing material in preparation for the underground excavation.

Survey, Captain, don’t you want to go inside? Our initial scan indicates the ship is 10 miles long.

Suddenly realizing that EATES needed some acknowledgement of their landing, the Captain looked confused as what to do next. They didn’t have a transmitter strong enough to reach EATES, so any communication would have to wait. Captain, EATES wants salvage, and that’s what we found. We could be here for years, so be patient, no dumb mistakes. For now, focus only on the exterior. Try to organize the ship by sections, we’ll figure the rest out later. The Mother Ship was a good 300 yards from the wrecked ship, with teams taking turns riding on the two land rovers.

The Captain looked at his prize Astro-Biologist saying, Begin a base camp medical facility, but limit your provisions to the bare essentials. We can’t waste anything.

By 2230, spacesuit technology had radically changed since becoming a specialized business venture. Designers focused on mobility, vocation and a self-contained oxygen regen system. Any periodic maintenance was to change out the regen carbon filters and condensation traps. Protocol stated that all suits required a 40-hour inspection, to ensure proper battery integrity and bleach all contaminated mold. The helmet’s infrared and night vision sensors were part of the internal face shield, with audio microphones connected to a common communications Rx/Tx. The helmet’s walkie-talkie comm. was a standard issue PRC-90, salvaged from Earth’s aeronautical DRMO (Defense Reutilization Marketing Office).

Surveying the massive mosaic of twisted metal, the Captain’s mind raced with secret classified information. When EATES discovered their first alien wreckage, the forensics team uncovered contraband cargo sealed in containment holds. The NDI (Non-Destructive Inspection) team revealed the ship was 1.2 million years old. EATES discovered both ships used hydrogen fusion, but trying to connect these two alien species was difficult at best. Cargo has always represented contraband, regardless if it’s from Earth or an alien species. Cargo means business, and these crash ships probably had plenty of stashed secrets.

MORF asked for 200 years of provisions. Each Department Head had an allowance of oxygen units, medical equipment and 50 years’ worth of food. The crew berthing had 50 years of water and sanitary facilities. EATES understood its efforts were primitive, taking an untested ship across 40 light years of space. Human colonization was reduced to12 Ghz of communication know-how, forced against 40Ghz of alien archaeology.

EATES secondary mission focused on human colonization, if only to experiment with genetic adaptation, mineral extraction and psychological behaviorism. The Captain was ordered to transmit all intelligence message traffic through a network of repeater platforms, across a secure frequency channel of 12GHz. The only problem was, 12 GHz didn’t have the transmit power across 40 light years. Plus, Planet X was the last choice for any human habitation. Hope and enthusiasm ran high, as each department began gathering data and conducting survey scans. Everyone wanted to play a role, and the Captain needed to keep morale high.

Archaeology was supposed to be a Non-Profit institution, tasked to preserve historical and anthropomorphic aesthetics for future generations. Yes, Archaeological research is important, just as discovery is important. Private Consortiums often financed Archaeological research, with exorbitant operational budgets to promote cultural or technological advancement. EATES felt it necessary to fund these Astro-Archaeological expeditions, for the sole purpose of gaining proprietary copyright or patents as Finder's Fee salvage rights. Earth was powerless to intervene, because they refused to contribute to the initial costs of the Mother ship’s construction. EATES was accused of abducting prostitutes and wayward girls as negotiating perks, in order to close profitable business deals. Most of EATES’ revenue was collected from mineral and mining contracts.

In the case of Planet X, the crash site represented Lost Revenue. The Earth demanded full authorization and possession of all derelict technology, with or without EATES’ consent. Lost Revenue or salvaged cargo equates to an alien’s loss due to an unfortunate accident. For example, Lost Revenue is what happens when police confiscate illicit drugs, causing drug dealers to lose millions of dollars. Sometimes Lost Revenue offers a better solution, like cashing in on a finder’s fee. In financial terms, forcing a company to suffer quarterly losses; thereby increasing another company’s market share. This is what happens when banks recover previously stolen cash, stained with purple dye. Once the bank writes off the tainted money, it declares the loss to the Treasury Dept for reimbursement. In this case, EATES never made restitution to the dead aliens, because it represented a Salvage Claim. Earth desperately wanted those salvage rights, but since the prevailing politics sympathized with anti-space, no agreement was signed.

EATES released a memo prior to departure, no mechanized robots allowed in the Bio-DECON area, in fear of sabotaging protocol. Robots with residual intact memory cores were to be destroyed, in fear of reverting back to previously held programming. The Captain discovered that EATES had other colonial outposts scattered across the galaxy, where alien robots created security issues. EATES wanted that robot technology, but as of yet, never took custody of any incoming shipments.

EATES’ second standing order was to construct an underground fortification complete with a fusion or fission power source, a working Wi-Fi transmitter, a portable electronics/computer mainframe and multiple communication arrays to cover a 200 square mile debris field. Digging an underground facility was easy enough, aided by a compliment of heavy equipment and core drilling ordnance. Welding teams made quick work of the thick ballistic bulkheads and hull plating, scattered around the crash site. After a few weeks, the underground fortification was roughed in, with two operational DECON stations. The portable communication array and connecting umbilicals were finished, waiting for a suitable power source to fire up the underground electronics’ package. The crash site supplied several rib joists and ballistic support beams for the Underground facility’s framework embedded into the frozen rock walls. EATES had three backup fission power sources as temporary power units, with long cables to keep it a safe distance from the ship.

Heavy Machinery changed the location of the underground dig site to 5 miles, not 10 miles as originally designed. Survey, It’s like blasting a quarry, the ground is so hard. Where should we put the tailings and overburden? We’ve installed support beams and brackets to keep the hole from collapsing back into itself. We need to make way for an attached elevator shaft, bolted to the rock face. EATES gave us diesel generators and Solar Panels, both of which we can’t use. The ordnance crews went down 300 feet, with a 300-yard diameter hole. So, where should we put the overburden?

Captain, Put it over there, I don’t care. I’m sorry EATES messed up our requisition order, thinking this would be an inhabited planet. We can’t use the Diesel generators or lithium batteries because of a lack of atmosphere and sunshine. Yeah, I heard from the drilling team, they ruined five drill heads, and tripled charged the ordnance load because the ground was rock hard. Look for fissures and cracked rock that might come loose. EATES definitely blew smoke up our ass!

Welding crew, we have fifteen large elevator motors, but no power source since we don’t have diesel. We have enough hull plating to encapsulate the excavation hole, and reinforce the walls from collapsing in.

Captain, Engineers should have a caesium fission power supply. Check with them.

EATES confiscated all of Earth’s portable drilling platforms, and reconfigured them with Lithium deep cell batteries instead of gas or diesel engines. The Earth was done with fossil fuels and oil shale. The Global politicians decided to go green, hoping to promote Climate Change’s prevailing propaganda. By 2200, most of the Earth’s population had perished due to poor or destitute living conditions. Since Climate Change was a self-fulfilling prophecy, politicians decided to let disease and famine solve the problem of over population, who were more interested in an Extinction event. Once Earth had dissolved all individual governments and super-powers, the new (OWO) One World Order relied on a bloated bureaucracy to manage society’s decline. The concept of Space Exploration was a needless expense, better served for social engineering.

Captain watched as a Survey team member hastily ran up to him saying, Look what I found!

The Captain immediately rolled his eyes, looking at a robotic upper torso chassis, Robots, this ship had damn robots! Contact your survey team leaders, bring all robot parts here for disposal or reverse engineering. Each robot should have a small fusion power cell that we can use in our radar comm. link. Hey Salvage, did you find the fission generator to power the elevator motors?

Engineers, the elevator motors are 440-3 phase. We disabled the Diesel engine, and connected the fission power source directly to the generator. The diesel motor is worthless to us here.

The surrounding terrain was an assortment of hull material, robotic debris, fiber optic cables, coagulated stains of vaporized coolant and blackened piles of fusion residue. The Captain needed to venture beyond the immediate area, assessing future scheduling and salvage missions. But, everyone had enough to do without adding to the work load.

Gazing across the ground, the Captain kicked his boot against the black congealed mosaic of hardened cement. Patches of coagulated coolant and fusion material stained the hardened ground, which quickly evaporated as the planet’s atmosphere vanished into the night. Looking up at the wreckage, the Captain could see three cracked fusion reactors; each reservoir smashed against columns of support ribs. Mooring bolts, support joists and bulkhead reinforcements immediately dissolved in the avalanche of hot fusion discharge. Radioactive testing showed no signs of hazardous residue or contamination. Because hydrogen fusion isn’t radioactive, the problem was finding a suitable mainframe and Wi-Fi communication center for the underground facility.

Noticing four laser turrets along the aft quarter sponsons, the Captain radioed back to Survey, I need a salvage team to locate the ship’s LASER generator and power source. Once you find it, disassemble it, and see if you can retrofit it in the underground facility. Welders and Heavy Equipment, work up some blueprints on an enclosed surface structure, enough to house 1000 personnel with quarters. Possibly attached over the underground facility. Captain out.

The Captain watched as his expedition team set out to find the LASER power supply. Excitement permeated throughout the entire crew, with unlimited wealth and advanced alien technology waiting to be discovered.

The massive alien ship was more like a skeleton, with exposed vertical ribs stationed 200 feet apart. Interconnecting structural joists tied the ribs together, in a massive grid configuration. Several of the ribs were hanging wildly out of place, dislodged from the wreckage. The ship was nearly a mile in diameter, listing to port, butted up against a massive impact moraine. Captain, There on the port side, the laser sponsons are up there!

Engineers, we need to discuss port and starboard. Since we’re looking at the ass end of the ship, and the ship is wedged into the dirt. That means this side is the starboard side.

Captain, I know my left from my right, just have the welders construct a ramp there, forward of the fusion damage so we can gain entrance without killing ourselves! Now Get Going!

After four hours, a technician radioed back, found three salvageable shuttle craft in the amidships’ hanger bay, but no associated owner’s manuals. Then Astro-Archaeology came on, We have five linguists trying to decipher the structural syntax of alien script. We found a modular computer terminal, but no Wi-Fi since the wreckage has no power.

Getting the Wi-Fi on-line was a noble endeavor, but any unwanted RF transmissions represented a security risk. Clandestine alien archaeology may seem benign, but benign comes with its own hazards.

Cautiously replying, Do what you can, but there’s no hurry. We don’t need any unnecessary risks, now that we just got here. The Captain demanded.

The massive hull breach ran across most of the starboard fuselage, with major structural damage aft to mid-ships. The aft engineering bay was completely exposed to the outside environment. The aft lower hull and decking suffered catastrophic damage. Welders assembled a loading ramp to the starboard amidships hull plating, gaining access to the hanger bay’s three shuttles.

Hey, as one of the technicians called out, we have shuttle-craft! The Survey Dept. Head said, The linguists managed to decipher 30% of the alien code. We found two smaller computer terminals connected to the shuttlecraft’s control platform. Even if we remove the terminals, we risk damaging electronics or computer data. We’ll have to map out every fiber optic cable, and create a schematic from that. We found an undamaged fusion power supply that supplied energy to the support equipment, used in firing up the shuttle’s engines. We could use it to power the base’s comm. systems, as long as we have the correct voltage. If its 1.2 million years old, the fusion cell is probably dead.

After 10 hours of hard work, the Captain called out, Good Work! Shut down all operations in one hour. Make preparations to terminate all work. We’ll return in the morning!

So far, so good. Objectives were cautiously proceeding with minimal setbacks. The metallurgical salvage crews recovered thousands of small hydrogen fusion canisters. These canisters held small quantities of raw hydrogen used in fueling the fusion reactor in incremental stages, primarily for maintenance burns.

Robots represented a liability, but every fusion power cell represented an enormous payday back home. Any alien AI was an unknown quantity, an unnecessary risk not worth taking. Salvage is a slow process, as each artifact is accessed for value and energy compatibility. Having access to alien script, the linguists were vital to the overall mission in deciphering applicable instructional coding. The alien shuttles were a good addition, but it was too early in the salvage process to go joy riding across the desolate countryside.

The next morning, the Captain radioed from his private lounge chair, Survey and Salvage, we need to find a mainframe. Heavy Equipment is working on the underground facility. Our secondary objective is for the welders to continue salvaging hull plating for the underground structure. The two motorized land rovers were working overtime, dragging huge pieces of fuselage across miles of desolate darkness. The rovers were battery operated, but since there wasn’t any sun, the solar panels were worthless. The fission generators recharged the lithium batteries.

Captain, Welders, the Command Center shelter needs to be built on top of, or adjacent to the Underground facility, connected by an elevator or upper stage. We have enough hull plating and structural steel joists to construct a 7-acre base station, 550 feet by 550 feet square. Ultimately, we’ll attach two airlocks to the building, creating an environmental enclosure. Any questions?

Welders, the underground structure is coming along nicely. We’ve drilled lateral and vertical shafts connecting cross members and foundational reinforcement. We’ve noticed some of the petrified strata melting, like permafrost. It’s not a problem.

Captain, Reinforce the elevator shaft to keep it from shifting. The elevator motors need to be on ground level, away from any moisture. I don’t want you tunneling without proper support brackets and ventilation. You can enlarge the pit to about 300 yards. Incorporate metal framework to support two or three levels. We need to keep everything dry.

Engineers, I was listening to your recommendations. I’m thinking you want an enclosed sub-structure or building, 300 yards in diameter, and no tunnels. We can do that, and we have enough structural fuselage joints and beams to secure it to the natural rock. We should leave open gaps to allow for the natural ventilation of -40 degrees F to keep the permafrost from melting.

Captain, Yes Engineering, that’s great, Keep it up!

Monitoring his comm. channels, listening to the various teams’ radio back and forth concerning new discoveries and strange equipment, the Captain was pleased with his crew. Discussions concerning robots began flooding in, as scattered parts were strewn across the amidships’ lower decks. The Captain was in no hurry, and with two ships yet to be surveyed, now was not the time to overwhelm his crew.

Astro-Physics, We can establish a slow digital modem with Earth, instead of a communication link. Maybe a CW transmission, Morse Code?

Captain, it’s a great idea, but no, too much of a security risk. Is there a way to determine the ship’s trajectory prior to impact? This is a huge ship, and if they were carrying cargo, where is it? No, this ship was on another mission, and we need to find out what!

Looking at the impact moraine, it appeared the ship’s aft port quarter impacted first, which meant the ship had lost all mobility. The trajectory indicated that the ship was thrown through the planet’s atmosphere backwards, meant that the dwarf star was to blame.

MORF was getting worried, unable to establish communications on such an important mission, but the Captain needed to concentrate on the task at hand. These were sensitive times when accidents happen during times of euphoric carelessness. Only by pure luck, were they able to monopolize upon precariously discarded technology. Overlooking even the smallest detail could mean $$$ due to impatience. No, MORF could wait, because the Captain needed answers.

The next day, the Astro-archaeological team assembled near the newly constructed amidships loading ramp, adjacent to the hanger bay. Everyone noticed a network of antenna nodes mounted along the ship’s interior framework. Each antenna node represented thousands of dollars in salvage rights. Based on the size of each node, the technicians calculated the Wi-Fi frequency between 35 and 45 GHz. With Earth's present Wi-Fi technology of 12GHz; 40GHz represented a radical shift in transmission rate. EATES desperately wanted that technology.

The Captain stood against the bridge’s huge windscreen laughing, Well, I guess we’re Pirates, since I can’t communicate with anyone, even if I wanted to. Survey, your secondary mission is to find a fusion generator/power supply for the surface command center and quarters. The antenna nodes are worthless since you broke them from the fiber optic network. We’re here for the mainframe and any fusion power cells you can find. The linguists and engineers are working on the shuttles, so leave them alone. Forget about the antenna nodes!

The technicians pulled out their frequency scanners and directed it along the fiber optic cables connecting the antenna nodes. Because the ship had no power, all systems were presumed dead. But by inducing a modulated frequency, they might create an electrical path back to the mainframe.

Looking through his helmet’s infrared glass, the technician said, All quiet; no residual radioactivity or RF detected. No residual power source emissions or frequency fluctuations. Atmospheric temperature a blistery -40 degrees.

The starboard amidships entranceway was three miles forward of engineering. The main inner amidships foyer was five miles from the aft hull breach. The forward engineering complex encompassed a T-junction foyer, connecting three passageways extending the length of the ship. Technicians continued to pick up minor fluctuations in power and background radiation. Between each structural joist, ribbons of high frequency waveguides and fiber optic cables indicated severe burn through, as greenish ooze dripped from corroded power conduits. No robotic activity. The deck plating suffered severe corrosion damage, littered with robot debris, motherboards, ribbon cables, camera sensors and broken hydraulic pistons. Finding an intact robot was out of the question.

Reversed engineering rogue power supplies or plasma generators were pretty straight forward, once they had the correct operating frequency and voltage. Weapon power cells were far too unpredictable because of coolant demands. Since all coolant systems were compromised, all weapons were OFF LIMITS.

Coming off the damaged fusion reactors was an integrated network of MAG-Amp induction field attenuators or step-down transformers, fed directly into the ship’s electrical distribution interlock system. The technicians theorized that by eliminating any static electricity, the fusion cores were more stable. A separate fusion generator/alternator was connected to the Fusion Drive, supplying high voltage to the rest of the ship. The Fiber optic system supplied current and digital information to multiple computer terminals, ultimately connected to the Bridge's main consoles. All lasers were fed by a magnetic containment conduit to each of the weapon’s turrets.

After a couple days of tedious exploring, a crew alerted the Captain regarding a Bio-Chamber. The Captain immediately instructed the crew to install an OFF LIMIT sign near the bio-chamber’s access double hatches. The Bio-Chamber represented a DECON hazard, and could infect or kill the crew if exposed.

After one month, the Captain assembled the crew for a progress report and evaluation. The Captain insisted that all reverse engineering efforts be quarantined to the surface or underground base camp, without compromising the Mother Ship’s internal systems. One of the linguists said, We installed a fusion cell to a computer terminal, enough to partially translate the alien source code. We’re working with the computer engineers on compatibility issues, but progress is slow. The computer terminals require an authorization code, because the terminals can’t operate independently. We’re working to solve that little problem.

Salvage operations manager said, The three alien shuttles are still in the hanger, but we’re cutting an access opening, so we can pull them out. We’re constructing a crane from broken metal framework, but having issues with dragging the craft through the opening. We have a dozer on the surface, but we don’t have enough steel cable for the one-mile job.

Power manager said, We’re having problems fitting the portable hydrogen canisters to an external radiant heat unit, installed inside the Supply Ship's hangers. Raising the temperature from -40 degrees to 10 degrees F has made working conditions comfortable. We’re running out of hydrogen canisters because our regulator valves are leaking.

Captain, Make sure all hydrogen canisters have the correct regulator valve, or else any escaping hydrogen is a fire hazard. I know there’s no oxygen, but we can damage our suit’s carbon dioxide scrubbers when surrounded by too much hydrogen.

Captain continued, I heard the underground facility and Base station is still in work, but Heavy Equipment has taken all the hydrogen canisters to build its own radiant heat boiler system. The lower levels of the underground facility are at 50 degrees. The surface Command Center currently is still in work. All medical triage is to be staged in the Base Station, or on the Mother Ship.

There were three areas of the wrecked ship that hadn't been explored, the Bio-Chamber, the bridge and the two forward storage access passageways. Amidships was a collection of open bays, storage units and maintenance sheds. Searching for viable robots ended in failure, all suffering from catastrophic failure from the crash. The storage units were all empty, and the Captain felt the pinch of loss revenue.

Radio technicians working on the ship’s Wi-Fi system picked up a radio signal coming from their 12 GHz frequency scanner. Astro-Physics, Captain, we picked up a Morse Code transmission, repeating several times over a six-hour period.

The Captain said, It looks like EATES found us. Whatever the message was, it took six hours for the entire CW transmission to be downloaded. The Captain still needed time to evaluate the crash site, and didn’t want any unnecessary distractions, like upper management crawling up his ass. EATES wanted an alien computer network and an archival memory core sent back to Mars for analysis. The Captain needed to put the order on hold, knowing the linguistics had 50% of the alien source code translated, with 85% of the memory downloaded to the Mother Ship’s mainframe. The ship’s memory banks were already full, with external memory cells attached to catch the overflow. Even with that, this crash site represented an advanced architecture, capable of supporting a 2048-bit processor. EATES had experimented with 128- and 256-bit processors, mainly from remanufactured ceramics in zero gravity. The problem was connecting the CPU to fiber optics, without overheating the ceramic microprocessor chip. The wrecked ship’s memory address configuration entailed a 100000000x quadrillion-bit buffer capable of processing huge amounts of information.

Can we detach the mainframe and memory cells from the crashed ship, and install it to our smaller mainframe? Asked the Captain.

Technician, Everything is bolted to the bulkheads and decking. Never mind removing massive amounts of fiber optic cables and associated power conduits. The mainframe is encircled by a fault sensor, preventing us from doing anything.

Significant BIOS incompatibility issues had to be resolved before retrofitting the base’s computers to the temporary storage devices. What ended up happening, the largest of the computer terminals and fiber optic network had to be disconnected from the Ship’s input/output ports, accessed by the mainframe. This represented a huge amount of time and patience, since there were thousands of individual fiber optic strands as part of the fiber bundle. The technicians weren’t sure if the terminals could work as independent computers. The Captain knew this was a unique find, but EATES needed to wait their turn.

The Captain didn’t understand the need for an antiquated Wi-Fi router, since everyone had their own personal helmet walkie-talkies. Besides being a salvage request, any suspected Wi-Fi transmitters and routers were put in synthetic plastic Tri-walls labeled, EATES property. The base’s new communication antenna and Mother Ship’s communication feed was part of a salvage operation, believing that alien transmitters radiated millions of messages per day. Since the bases’ comm. was down, the ship’s Wi-Fi was an academic issue for a later date.

One of the technicians radioed back, We accidently damaged some critical fiber optic strands connecting the communication terminal to the ship's mainframe. We’ll deal with the problem later. The Captain was somewhat relieved; knowing that work was progressing slowly. Slow was good.

In the meantime, the Ship’s forward access passageways were designated as the next assignment. The team speculated on finding spare parts and discarded gear. The Welding Crew fabricated a large zero gravity buoy-barge with stabilizer thrusters on all four corners. Planet X had no atmosphere to speak of, but suffered from an Earth like gravitational force. Just walking became an exhausting ordeal. The technicians attached a remote-control console to the buoy-barge’s thrusters and stabilization system, using it to shuttle debris to base camp. The buoy-barge had two functions, (1) navigating down the long access corridors running through the length of the ship. (2) The buoy-barge transported artifacts back to base, thus avoiding unnecessary labor. The alien shuttles were still in the amidships’ hanger bay. Salvage teams found tow cables lodged inside one of the cargo holds, and connected it up to the lithium powered dozer. The Captain was informed, one alien shuttle was ready for off-load. Salvage teams removed two sections of vertical ribs to facilitate ample clearance, along with attaching support cranes for safe egress.

Survey discovered there were three passageways or tunnels extending the length of the ship. The starboard passageway was unobstructed, and slated for exploration. There were two tunnels further port, all connected to the forward Engineering Bay. The second one was blocked, and the third was crushed during impact.

After two months, the base had one partially working alien shuttle, and two deployable buoy-barges. The salvage team welded up a large conveyor belt/escalator from the underground storage rooms to an elevated mezzanine platform on ground level.

The Captain wanted in on the forward passageway exploration. He ascended the starboard amidships access ramp, watching the land rover and attached trailer speed through the ship’s interior. Not worried about oxygen, the Captain pushed the team despite complaints about the excessive gravity. Bunch of wimps!

The Expedition took the most starboard access passageway forward for about three miles. The passageway suddenly terminated with a ballistic cavity extending 300 meters vertically from the main deck to the overhead cavity. Much of the ballistic framework was badly damaged, with most of the bulkheads buckled inward.

The Captain watched as the technicians unloaded the portable Wi-Fi sensor/direction scanner. It was nearly pitch black, as the Captain said, Everyone, enable your infrared sensors on your face shield. The technician said, Zero signal strength across the board. The Welding teams broke out the plasma cutters, cutting an opening through the thick ballistic plate. Eventually, everyone entered the forward cavity with the Captain leading the way.

Establishing communications with the linguistics and computer technicians, the Captain asked, Did you guys detect any .jpeg code, or CCTV images? The linguist replied, We wouldn’t know the difference between a .jpeg or a text file. Most of the code is compromised, with files completely corrupted. What are we looking for exactly?

Captain, I’m seeing cameras or sensors attached to the upper joist framework, pointed to the forward access bulkheads.

Astro-Archaeology, Technicians, see if you can energize the shuttle’s monitor surveillance system, or try enabling the upper deck cameras. If we isolate the correct circuit, we might be able to help the Captain.

Captain, Thanks for the effort, but don’t expect much. This place is dead, and any conduits have long been corroded or destroyed. Your priority is deciphering the alien source code.

The team progressed through the ballistic bulkhead, as part of the fuselage structural framework. About 100 feet forward, the passageway split into six attaching corridors. Each corridor contained several storage rooms, with ballistic access hatches guarding each facility. The welders cut the hinges to each hatch, gaining access to each compartment. The Captain gazed upon discarded debris, robotic parts and vaporized hydraulic stains. The logistics alone was an inventory nightmare, never mind if this stuff had any value. Captain, Where is all the cargo?

Captain monitored the frequency scanner, as all residual energy indicated zero emission. One of the team members shouted, LOOK there in the distance! Several phosphoric greenish-yellow spheres about 200 yards to port.

The team stopped, as the phosphorus orbs hung in the air. The Captain began to relax after the abrupt warning of little consequence. Focusing on the task at hand, they began categorizing several broken hydrogen canisters, storage bins, and metal parts with no particular function. They found some hydraulic rams used for hoisting large machinery and several robotic actuators.

The Wi-Fi scanner still read zero signal strength. The phosphoric bio-luminescence seemed out of place, but noted on the investigation to do list. The Captain figured it was biologic in nature.

Searching through the compartments and attaching corridors, the technicians decided to install three remote motion cameras for the night and return in the morning. The Captain still needed to ask Astro-Physics regarding the ship’s trajectory before crashing. A ship this large shouldn’t have crashed, unless something happened.

After retracing their steps and returning to the Mother Ship, a radio technician handed the Captain another CW Morse code message from EATES. SETI intercepted signals from your region of space, be on the lookout. The Captain issued a lights out of all unnecessary equipment. The Walkie-talkies were set to low output power, and CW transmissions temporarily terminated. The Captain didn’t want to take any chances.

Planet X was in its first year of exploration. Radioactive decay extracted from metamorphosed moraine deposits revealed the crash was 1.4 million years old. 70% of all data from the computer terminal's memory core had been processed, decoded and available for reading. The ship's mainframe was still an unknown. The forward access bays were explored with 5 of the 6 secured storeroom chambers cataloged and documented. A majority of available parts were damaged in the crash, along with robotic electronics and appendage servos. Found were 2 robots, but were deemed unsalvageable. No living organisms were found, nor bio-luminescence. All remote cameras did not capture anything of value or interest.

The base station was still in work, with the building and framework completed. It still needed an environmental system and two airlock access hatches. The Base’s berthing of 1000 residences was roughed in, but everyone still slept in the Mother Ship. The underground boiler system was working great, raising the temperature from -40 to 60 degrees inside the massive 7-acre subterranean structure. The maintenance teams were complaining about water intrusion seeping through the ballistic decking. The Survey Department head wasn’t notified.

Two of the computer specialists, following up on the mainframe’s wiring configuration rigged up a portable Wi-Fi transmitter hoping to simulate a possible command code input. The technicians placed the frequency scanner’s RX/Tx probe against the spaghetti of fiber optic cable and slowly dialed in 10 GHz, then 20 GHz and 30 GHz. Approaching 36.875 GHz, an assortment of audible servos windings and components began to mechanically shutter and energize. At 40GHz, the entire debris floor came alive with servo activity, with parts oscillating across the deck as if wanting to be connected to something. The computer technicians quickly deactivated the Wifi Rx/Tx, as the debris immediately fell silent. The Captain was immediately notified.

With the discovery of the ship’s 40 GHz operational frequency, the computer technicians were able to reverse engineer the CPU's architecture, along with the Front Side Bus and the Memory core.

The linguists found several references to a Ship's Log which was immediately made available to the Captain. With 70% translation validated, this text file came out in perfect English:

Caravan caught in sun’s gravitational field. Two ships managed to escape, but suffered catastrophic stress damage, now set adrift. Only a matter of time before the gravitational flux will grab them too. All other ships crashed on planet’s surface with no means of escape. Radiation exposure, all organic life disintegrated. No rescue planned because of gravitational hazards. Neighboring planets caught in sun’s gravitational flux. On-board, robot#1 has access to the bridge’s keys.

Other files marked Ship's Log were being translated with great anticipation. But for now, the Captain shouted, I need those keys!

18 months on Planet X, with 90% of all data downloaded with 80% translated. 15% of all data corrupted with no hope of retrieval. The computer technicians discovered the ship’s mainframe was incompatible with the Mother Ship’s computer, due to differentiating architecture. Engineering and technical decided the ship’s mainframe had to stay in place, with an accompanying power supply on standby. Since the power supply still needed to be configured, all work on the mainframe was postponed for now. This was far from ideal, but the Captain had little choice. Even with an operational rogue mainframe, all Wi-Fi connections had to be removed, fearing an early warning beacon transmission. A thousand things could go wrong, and none of them good. The underground’s power supply came from EATES’ fission unit, a very reliable caesium portable power source with its own generator and voltage regulator.

All alien mainframes came with security and self destruct protocols, and since the mainframe was surrounded by fault sensors, interrupting any circuit was unacceptable. Finding a smaller mainframe or even a remote computer terminal was better than nothing. Still, all alien computer terminals couldn’t operate independently from the centralized mainframe.

Several weeks later, the entire Ship's Log achieved 90% accuracy. The computer technicians used multiple decoding algorithms and encrypted redundancy, hoping to catch any annoying programming sequence errors. The Ships Log represented the highest priority.

After reading through the Ship's Transcript Log, the Astro-Archaeologists began to piece