Josh whistled to himself in glee as he viewed his target through the computer screens. He'd moved to the landing pod with KAY, as through their travels, there was no telling how strong the heat sheilding actually was. But he wasn't too worried... they hadn't given him any trouble before, and probably wouldn't later. Epsilon Eridani B's two moons had given him plenty of adventures, though the spacecraft could only hold him, so it got lonely. Kay, the prototype artificial intelligence, though not sentient, kept him going with her endless knowledge banks, and the fact that he had to be working constantly with her on calculations was exhausting. He'd expected to catch some radio signals from earth for aid and comfort, but enroute to Eridani he'd lost contact. It seemed solar system interference, possibly with earth atmospheric and other solar planet and moon atmospheric conditions had weakened the signals. He'd grinned wryly... too bad for all the seti signals over the last few decades. And Jet Space Aeronautics hadn't kept the Joshe transmissions going... the transmissions they'd picked up were different. Five decades must've revolutionized wireless contact on earth, cause even Kay couldn't recognize them. But no worry, he thought. I can do this on my own. I've done it before.

"Kay, ya still here?" He checked the calculations as they approached the atmosphere. Kay had recently been needing rebooting, as she'd been stuck on several problems before.
"I'm still present, Josh."

Josh was ready for home. He didn't have anyone specifically, and he'd aged less than anyone on earth in the last five decades he'd spent traveling to, and exploring Epsilon Eridani B's two moons. He'd written many papers as well, but his time was done, and he was coming back.

They hurtled through the atmosphere, the shuttle straining through, and the flames scraping at the sides, but no serious damage was sustained. He had faith in the craft; it was probably paranoia that led him to hide out in the pod. He'd moved the rest of the dry food there too. Worst case scenario, he landed in the ocean, then he'd survive until pickup.

He kept the craft steady, and raised his voice. "Kay, how are landing procedures going?"

"The algorythmns are applying themselves without difficulty to our trajectory. Our Cameras are soon coming online as well."

He timed the Atmospheric break at one minute, and called back to Kay, "Do you have a landing recommendation?"

"I have several strips within reasonable range. There's..."

An impact spun the ship around, and it began to disintegrate around them. "What the..." Another impact hit, this time dead center, and the ship flew apart, with the small pod flying out with the rest of the pieces.

Josh didn't have time to swear. He was instantly making calculations with Kay in silence. The pod had very little agility... It pretty much dropped like a rock, and needed all their skill and ingenuity to try and steer it towards anything. They exited the Atmosphere on a collision course for the ocean almost directly between South America and South Africa. "Kay," he yelled, "Is there any landmass near our dropout?"

There was a silence, and then Kay began uploading course directions. "An Island known as Tristan De Cunha is not far off. You may be able to land on the shoreline, or close enough to wade ashore."

They made the adjustments, and after streaking towards the spot, Kay automatically deployed the chutes at the optimum height, almost yanking the pod in half, and landing hard in the ocean. The impact pulled the capsule underwater while he felt the unpleasant landing sensation that his old instructor described as being chewed. Eventually, however, everything fell into the steady rocking of the waves.

Josh raised his head, and called Kay. "Are we there?"

"Yes, Josh. We're about 1.5 miles offshore."

Having the chance, Josh finally swore long and hard. "What the hell was that? We were hit! Twice! In the atmosphere!"

"You should view the video footage, Josh."

"You captured the footage? Pull it up, Kay."

The screen pulled up video of the atmosphere, and, upon entry, the red and purple hues of the headshielding. He forwarded several minutes, and then the earth below began to show through the heat. He slowed it, and watched forward one more minute, before a bright line connected with the side of the hull... a bright line from earth side. Josh paused it, confused, and rewound. Frame by frame, he traced the line, and zoomed in. Over several frames, the picture emerged. What could only be described as a cannon system in Siberia had deployed upon noticing them, and had shot at them, twice. Josh went cold.

"Kay, is this what I think it is?"

"Yes Josh. My analysis on the damage to the ship is not reaching... logical conclusions. I estimate it was a directed energy weapon, or energy field impact, but I have no comparable record in my database. I also have no schematics for any weapon of the type recorded."

"Can you read any transmissions at this point? Can you find out what's going on?"

"No. I can't connect to satellites either. But it may be a rogue move. Perhaps there is a war now, and they thought you were spying."

"At any rate we should make way to the beach while we're still close. The waves could push us away."

"Swimming is not an option for you. You've been in Null-G too long, and don't have the muscle mass to survive the cold water, or to make more than a mile of swimming."

"I wasn't going to leave you anyway. I was thinking of juryrigging an engine from the solar boosters."

"I'll help."

It was two hours later, and the sun was setting, as they finished, and started the trek to the beach. Fifteen minutes later, they were there, however, and beached the pod. Josh stood, and suddenly realized... He was home! Even if the Siberians wanted him dead for some reason, he was home. He opened the hatch.

He was surrounded by a crowd of men and boys holding scythes, pitchforks, and knives, with a small collection of guns among them. Seeing him, they lowered them. He stared, and they stared. Finally, in a confused attempt at humor, he spoke. "Take me to you're leader." He laughed.

They didn't get the joke. But they lowered their weapons and several approached to examine the pod and welcome him. One stopped. "I'm Jake Soroyan, the magistrate. You're welcome, and any news you have is also welcome. We will help you bring your vessel." He spoke english, but in a heavily british accent.

"Wait... it might be too heavy!" He turned round, and twelve of the men had already grasped the two ton capsule and held it at waist level. He paused, to take this in, and turned back. "All right."

That evening he spent dinner with Jake and his family, and a couple other men of the town, or village... he wasn't sure how big this island was. He needed to get back to Kay though.

"So, Joshua. Where are you from?"

"It's been a long time since I've heard my name." Josh thought about it. It was nice though. "In 2015 I signed a contract with Jet Space Areonautics to pilot solo a shuttle mission to explore the moons of Epsilon Eridani B, a gas giant orbiting a star just outside our solar system. I left in 2024, and the 51 year trip just ended now. I was shot at over Siberia, however, and had to bail out just off shore. Thankfully, your Island was right here, where it needed to be."

"You don't look like you've been gone fifty years."

"That's just an affect of the travel speed. On my time scale, I've been gone about twenty years."

"So you don't know what's gone on in your absence?"

"No, but I'm getting the impression that it has something to do with why I got shot and why you welcomed me with pitchforks and revolvers."

Jake looked around, and continued. "In 2047 solar flares hit with the intensity to compromise our magnetic poles somehow. Most of our electrical equipment simply shut down, irreparably. Hospital equipment failed, People in cities starved as freezers and cars were shut down, gangs ran rampant and claimed lives, and winter and food shortages claimed even more. People got some machinery working despite the magnetic problems, but then several months later, meteoric activity claimed most of the satellites above earth, and shortly after, several meteor storms hit the ocean in strategic areas. They cut off our wireless communication, and every fiber optic that gave us internet access. They destroyed the internet, and our communications, and then they came.

"The meteors?"

"No."

"You mean... Extraterrestrials?"

"They were behind the solar flares and the meteors. It was two colonies; they landed on the American continents, and the euroasian continents, leaving Africa and Australia relatively free to suffer from no information, no mechanics, and internal chaos. We'd gone wireless with our education, and books were rare. When we lost electricity, much knowledge was lost forever, and in many cities the remaining libraries became not much more than a source for fuel, and became burned out shells. We don't have anything now, except the consolation that perhaps the colonists are satisfied with the status quo. I only know all this because I escaped the war in Britain in a seaplane, and made it this far.

"Oh my god... you're telling the truth! Then it was the Extratrerrestrials? The Colonists? Who shot my shuttle?"

"It would seem they deemed you a threat."

"So, what do we have left? As the human race?"

"Last I heard, Africa, Australia, some places and some islands in South America, the islands out of southeast asia... and the polar caps are free. But that's about it. They're not for resources, or for exterminating us. They're just..."

"Colonists, right. Maybe I can help."

After dinner, Josh led Jake and several of the men to the pod. He opened the hatch, and called out. "Kay, I need something."

"What can I get you?"

"There's a girl in there?" Jake stepped forward.

"Can you reach any transmissions in Australia or Africa? Or the polar caps?"

"I am reaching them, but they are encrypted. Shall I begin to decrypt them?"

"Yes."

"Thanks Kay." He closed the hatch. "Kay is not a girl. She is a computer program designed to contain a record of now 50 year old human knowledge for my entertainment and our communications, guidance, and analysis operations. And my Pod equipment was designed to operate regardless of magnetic interference, so it is still active. If anyone can start a resistance, it is Kay."

Jake grinned, and shook Josh's hand. "When the solar flares struck, followed by the meteors, some said it was global warming, and some said it was God, and soon to be followed by a conqueror on a white horse. We thought the colonists were our end, but perhaps you've shown up in time to lead us to revolt. Well met, Joshua, well met.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 25.07.2011

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