Forbidden the Stars (20 page)

“I see.”

“Ahyah. Maybe you do.”

Waiting for the young boy to return, George asked, “And how old are you now, Yaxche, if you don’t mind my asking.”

“Ohya. Don’t know. Many seasons. Too many for this old man to count. Not to worry. Not many more to count. No. Not many more.”

Presently, the boy returned with a polished wood box, handed it reverently to Yaxche, and disappeared with the alacrity of any pre-teen, no matter their culture.

George paid him little attention, and focused on the parchment scroll the Indian began to unravel.

“Amazing!” was all George could comment.

Then: “It’s made from what looks like a kind of bark-cloth. Whatever its source, it has lasted for over ten centuries!”

Yaxche regarded George as a teacher to a pupil. “Ahyah. Made from bark of pine tree; chew until soft and thin, then dry under sun.”

“Wonderful. What does it say?”

For a long while, the old man did not reply, turning his gaze to the scroll. It was as if he were lost in the past. Finally, he began his tale.

“It is a story of the downfall of the Mayan Peoples. Ahyah. For hundreds of seasons, the People were wealthy and prosperous. But we grew complacent. Hunhua, ruler of Mitnal, the realm of the dead, became angry with the People because of their arrogance, and made a plan to gather them to his realm.

“Hunhua whispered in the ear of Ah Hulneb, god of war, and suggested it was time for the People of the South to go to war with the People to the North, the ones you call Aztec.

“So the People gathered their women and children, and put them on an island to keep them safe; then they went to war.

“Hanub Ku was creator of the Maya; he had rebuilt the world three times after the three deluges which poured from the mouth of a sky serpent. The first world was for dwarves, who built the cities; the second world was for the Dzolob, the offenders, and the third world was for the Maya. But Hanub Ku was displeased with this war of the Maya and the Aztecs, and decreed the world would be rebuilt again a fourth time for the white man.

“He sent Kinich Ahua, the firebird god of the sun to come down and burn the Mayan cities while the People were off to war. He sent Kukulcan, the feathered serpent god of all elements, to rise from the oceans and swallow up the island on which all the Mayan women and children were hiding, and take them back into the deep of the sea with him so that the Maya could not breed any more disobeying children.

“When the People came back from their war with the Aztecs, they saw their cities destroyed, and their families disappeared, and they hung their heads in shame and allowed the Aztec warriors to come and defeat them, to use them as sacrifices to the Aztec gods, and slaves to their kings.

“Kukulcan was so disappointed in the People’s behavior, that he became Quetzalcoatl and ruled the Aztecs.

“It is said that Hunab Ku went back to his home in the stars to make plans for the fifth world, after the deluge that would destroy the white man.”

His tale finished, Yaxche looked up at George expectantly.

“Incredible,” the NASA researcher said, the DMR image shaking with his head. “If this is to be believed, then the Mayan gods predicted the coming of the white man some five centuries before it happened!”

“Ayah. It is said to be. And the fifth world is soon to come. But what do I know? I’m just an old man.”

“The fifth world…”

George spoke in an aside to the VR. “Could this be a prediction of the discovery of the FTL element on Macklin’s Rock? Could it be that this ‘Fifth World’ is what lies beyond our solar system? Is it possible, as so many theologians and philosophers have toyed with, that the ancient gods were space travelers who visited Earth and bestowed great gifts upon our ancestors? How else do we explain the hieroglyphs found on
Dis Pater
if they were not put there by travelers from the stars a thousand years ago who visited the Mayan people?”

*

The interview went on for a few more minutes, but Michael cut the sound, and did not watch the DMR anymore. True, George’s speculations were wild…but no more ludicrous than other explanations than the so-called respected scientific community had brought forward.

Could it be…?

__________

Luna Station :

Luna :

“Luna port control, this is
Orcus 1
, NASA BJN-1145 requesting final approach clearance to Luna Station, over.”

*

:
Orcus 1
, this is Luna port control. Please confirm approach vector trajectories, velocity and current payload, over. :

*

“Luna port control, approach vector at 92 degrees, 14 minutes, 42 point 556 seconds at separation of 92 point 348 thousand kilometers, mark. Payload at 14 thousand kilograms, over.”

*

:
Orcus 1
, vector confirmed. Your position is marked on approach radar, submitted to docking governor for calculation. Hold for calculations, over. :

*

“Luna port control, waiting, over.”

*

:
Orcus 1
, authorization granted, logged. Please turn over navcom control to docking governor computer on mark, three, two, one, now, over. :

*

“Luna port control, navcom control slaved to docking governor, check, over.”

*

:
Orcus 1
, slave confirmed. You will be docking at nub 43, station 12, one hour, twelve minutes, fourteen seconds, mark. Authorization number for refit and restock requested, over. :

*

“Luna port control, authorization number is as follows: NASA BJN-1145 AD-324-19-44-4, please confirm, over.”

*

:
Orcus 1
, authorization confirmed. Stopover of 15 days authorized. Departure time scheduled for 01-30-92 at 0923 hours, over. :

*

“Luna port control, departure time confirmed, over.”

*

:
Orcus 1
, please transmit manifest of any goods to be transferred from
Orcus 1
through Luna port, over. :

*

“Luna port control, manifest is being transmitted. Also note an exchange of crew member Sakami Chin, PRC, for Soon Tek, PRC, over.”

*

:
Orcus 1
, crew roster change noted, over. Soon Tek confirmed presence on Luna Station, check. —Protocol completed, over. :

*

“Luna port control…Thank you, Luna port control, over.”

*

:
Orcus 1
, enjoy your stay, over. :

__________

Quantum Resources, Inc. :

Toronto :

Canada Corp.:

The memo
on his computer concerning the confirmation of the
Orcus 2
mission was of cursory importance to the Director of Quantum Resources, Inc.

Privately, he was glad Captain Turner was commissioned to lead the next mission to Pluto; she had been there before, and was more than competent enough to handle an extended duty in space. It would be good for her career, and after she had stuck her neck out to give him the information on Alex before it was completely safe for her to do so had put her in Michael’s good books.

He had EPSed a message to her through her office at the Lowell Observatory thanking her for her effort, and offering his future help whenever she felt the need to call on him.

He was far more occupied, however, with the news Calbert Loche had brought to him a few minutes after he stepped into his office that morning. Although Michael had ordered the bulk of his staff to look into the Alex Manez kidnapping, the small detail that had remained on the search for Element X had worked steadily towards a resolution of the problem. Calbert divided his time between the two teams.

“Michael, I think we’re on to something,” Calbert had said to him.

“What?” he asked, standing. “Alex?”

“No. Element X. There is an anomaly in the preliminary survey report. Our new man, George Markowitz, thinks he can extrapolate something that might give us a clue how to find Element X.”

“George! He just started a couple days ago!”

“Yeah!”

Michael was pleased that his recommendation to Calbert had led to the hiring of George. He had hoped he would not be sorry hiring the man. Retaining the master researcher might have just paid off.

“Let’s hear it.”

Calbert Loche held up a forestalling hand. “His presentation isn’t completely finished yet. He has some back-reports coming in from NASA that he has to verify and compare, and he’s also set out feelers to the Europeans, and is hoping for a few replies this morning. I just wanted to know if you could set aside an hour this afternoon to hear the team out.”

“Absolutely!”

“Great, say, about 1:30.”

“Perfect.”

*

In the conference room, Michael sat at the head of the table facing a large DMR screen set into the back wall. On the left, Calbert Loche leaned back into his chair with a confidence that served to increase Michael’s anticipation.

On the other side of the table, Walter Johnson, Peter Cloud, and Gary McNally sat with folders arranged on the surface, pens at the ready, making notes as George Markowitz made his presentation to the Director.

He brought up a display Michael recognized as the preliminary geological survey of Macklin’s Rock performed by the Manez’s.

To begin, George came right to the point, “I’m not really scientifically literate, but I can check and compare facts. At first glance, this survey in and of itself says nothing. Until now, we had been staring at it for months before we realized that instead of looking at it, we had to look
through
it.”

Michael silently applauded the man’s use of “we,” even though George had just come on board. It showed he was willing to be a team player. His personal problems with his previous supervisor obviously did not interfere with his professionalism or his passion for his work.

George and his wife, Elizabeth, had joined Michael at the Calbert’s for cards over the weekend. Michael was instantly taken by the couple, who was open and fun loving. George was not at all shy about explaining to Michael that Elizabeth had been pursuing a teaching career in university before they got married, and gave up her schooling in favor of having children. She showed no regrets, though Michael could imagine Elizabeth’s brother being upset at the situation.

George brought up a display on the DMR.

*

Mineral Content: Aluminum, Calcium, Carbon, Cobalt, Copper, Helium, Iron, Magnesium, Nickel, Silicon, Sodium, Sulfur, Titanium
— Percentages Unknown

*

“What’s important is the Mineral Content. At a casual glance, there is nothing out of the ordinary. All of these elements have been discovered on other asteroids; some rocks have additional elements, and some are not as inclusive as this one. We decided to go element by element, and compare it with other asteroids in the SMD mine catalog, checking against anomalies, but although we were on the right track, we were on the wrong train, if you take my meaning.”

He brought up another display.

*

Site 1: Aluminum, Carbon, Cobalt, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Nickel, Silicon, Titanium

— Percentages Unknown

*

Site 6: Aluminum, Calcium, Copper, Helium, Iron, Magnesium, Nickel, Silicon, Sodium, Sulfur, Titanium

— Percentages Unknown

*

Site 14: Aluminum, Calcium, Carbon, Cobalt, Copper, Helium, Iron, Magnesium, Nickel, Silicon, Titanium

— Percentages Unknown

*

“This is representative of all thirty-eight sites conducted by the Manez’s on Macklin’s Rock. The differences between the different sites showed us nothing. There was nothing at site 14 that was not found at any other site.

“We were left with nothing, until Paul noticed an anomaly in site 14 itself. Not a variance between it and another site, but between its own reports. I want to show you the following three time-sensitive reports.”

*

Site 14: 13:12:23 GMT

Aluminum, Calcium, Carbon, Cobalt, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Nickel, Silicon, Titanium

— Percentages Unknown

*

Site 14: 13:12:24 GMT

Aluminum, Calcium, Carbon, Cobalt, Copper, Helium, Iron, Magnesium, Nickel, Silicon, Titanium

— Percentages Unknown

*

Site 14: 13:12:25 GMT

Aluminum, Calcium, Carbon, Cobalt, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Nickel, Silicon, Titanium

— Percentages Unknown

*

“Each of these reports was generated one second after the other. The final report was generated an instant before detonation. Do you notice a difference between the three?”

Michael blinked. “Helium, of course. But—”

“Helium is not an uncommon element in all celestial bodies, although not as readily found in asteroidal forms. The sun itself is composed of 25% helium. The thermonuclear reactions in the sun that provide us with light and energy turn the 75% hydrogen content into helium. Now, helium has the atomic number of ‘2’, and a weight of about ‘4.’ That means there are four protons and/or neutrons in the nucleus—in this case, two of each—and two electrons in the K-shell. Specific gravity of 0.00018—”

“Yes, yes,” Michael said impatiently. “I know it’s been a few years since high school chemistry, but I do recall my periodic table.”

“Actually, this is all new to me. Peter was kind enough to give me a crash course late last night.” He nodded to his colleague. “But you’ll soon realize that the second report was, in fact, in error in determining helium as one of the elements found in the drill site.”

“What?”

“Even I know that elements are usually identified by mass spectrometer, the instruments are so common that every geologist and physicist here has a small pocket spectrometer alongside their calculators. Going back over the reports, the large spectrometer at the Nelson II site initially identified the substance as helium not because it detected a color that indicated helium, but because it identified two electrons in a questionable element, and temporarily assumed it to be helium rather than an isotope of hydrogen or lithium. The spectrometers we employ on surveys use a free electron count to bolster our identification process to help determine isotopes as well as basic elements.