“I can’t figure out why I am specifically. I… guess it could be…”
“That it’ll be anticlimactic?” Lysa offered. “Cause I’m afraid we’re going to find a bunch of broken pottery and some old cave drawings. Not that such a find wouldn’t be amazing but…”
“You want more.”
“Yeah, after all we’ve done, I guess I’ve got this perspective that we’d find some underground city. With wild technology well beyond us.” Lysa chuckled. “Like the shield. You know, the presence of that thing is what has me most curious. And it also feels like we’re about to stumble on a Holy Grail of archaeology.”
“That would be nice.” Kyle picked up the pace, running his hand along the wall to his left to maintain his balance. “This is taking forever.”
“You could’ve come with me,” Lysa pointed out. “But you were nervous.”
“Yeah, well. Whatever.”
The sun had started its descent some time ago. By the time they got to the entrance, they’d be near dusk. He wanted to at least try to breach the chamber before they had to pull out the big lights. With the ship in position, that meant they had the means to work well into the night.
I’m not sure why I’m worried about that. Some primitive superstition gnawed at him, a sense that whatever hid within those shielded walls was not something to disturb in the dark. Absolutely ridiculous. He chided himself, putting his annoyance into the march. My boyhood obsession is coloring reality.
When he finally reached the bottom, sweat covered his face, making his shirt and pants cling uncomfortably. Lysa leaned against the landing gear in the shade, sipping water from a canteen. She offered it to him without a word. He took a couple mouthfuls before handing it back.
“Glad you didn’t go on without me.” Kyle turned his attention to the chamber, eyes wide. Beyond the warbling shield, a fully formed and obviously sentient created chamber stretched into darkness. Pillars just inside held the roof up and the wall behind them seemed to have etchings, some kind of hieroglyphics or decorative designs. “Oh my God…”
“Yep.” Lysa nodded. “I told you it was something.”
“We didn’t make that. Humans.”
“Pretty sure you’re right.” Lysa shoved away from the landing gear. She tapped her computer. “Let’s see about that shield, huh? I want to take a look in natural lighting. Get some images and video.” She turned to him as they walked. “You realize that even if we can’t find a way in, we’ve got the find of this generation, right? Bigger than… anything.”
“Only because many of the colonized planets aren’t accepting archaeology applications,” Kyle pointed out. “We might’ve found something a lot closer to home by now if they were.”
“Plenty of people get in there without asking.” Lysa shrugged. “And I know what you’re doing there.”
“What?”
“Trying to minimize your excitement. You’ve done it before.”
“I’m scared.” Kyle chewed his lip before continuing. “Sometimes answering your own question ends the journey.”
“You mean that this might put an end to hopping around the galaxy looking.”
“I love traveling to new places,” Kyle said, “seeing these crazy planets and their odd biomes. Rooting around for tombs. Doing odd jobs.” He nudged her. “Hanging out with you. This life is all I’ve wanted since I was twelve. The dream lit the flame but I’m coming to realize something about this… it wasn’t necessarily about the answer to the question.”
“One find,” Lysa said, “isn’t the end. It’s the beginning. There will be breadcrumbs. Maybe directions to a settlement on this planet. Something else to dig for. A culture to categorize and understand. We can learn so much more from what we find here… this is years of work before us.”
“Oh, I know.” Kyle smiled. “I do.” And I need to know. I just want another question right away. To keep moving, remaining in motion. That’s how I’ll be happy. Stellar archaeology was considered by many to be junk science. Few thought anyone would find anything. Actual scientists held a different belief.
Many knew there had to be life beyond humanity amongst the stars. And those cultures, those beings had to leave clues behind. Something that proved they existed. Funding for expeditions required a lot of faith on the part of the contributor. Which is why Lysa and Kyle did odd jobs.
This find, this single discovery would change the entire field. Scientists around the colonies would spring up, hunting for relics. It would become saturated beyond belief. With men and women competing for every little thing. Even the world Kyle and Lysa found themselves on would be an overpopulated madhouse a week after they announced their find.
I wouldn’t be surprised if someone erected a warp gate. Some corporate sponsor may want faster arrival times, pushing their people to get there as quickly as possible to exploit the resources, the information available. And if that happens, we’ll likely be nudged out. Forced to move on.
As independent researchers, they didn’t have the backing of any organization of power. They had no protection.
“We might want to keep a lid on this,” Kyle said. “For as long as humanly possible.”
“Until we can’t extract any more data,” Lysa replied. “That’s my plan.”
“Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
“I’m sure we’ve both been thinking about how the colonies will respond to this. Not only the different universities but the commercial entities. The government. You know what they think right away. What are the military applications?” Lysa huffed. “It’s always about improving the guns, isn’t it?”
“Hey, we could’ve used better guns on Anthis Three, huh?”
“Yes, but I don’t have much use for guns now.” Lysa tapped the weapon on his shoulder. “What exactly do you think you’re going to shoot here today? Me?”
“I have thought about taking the credit all for myself,” Kyle teased. “Leave you buried in the rocks or something. Come on!
