"Both planets devoid of atmosphere and life." What a letdown! Quang dreamt of discovering new life forms to ensure his position back home. Here on the galactic periphery, the biochemists expected that the legends in the religious texts were valid and that there was civilized life here. Quang knew he would have to return to the home world soon with a most discouraging report. He queried the computer on the proper protocols for a binary planetary system.
"If such biochemical processes as those found on any life bearing planet is not present on both subjects...Cursory examination of one of the systems is the requisite...described...see Section 27, rule number 6954B713..."
Quang stopped to translate the language of the text. The black dwarf star that held these planets in orbit had an unstable gravitational field. His ship might not be able to handle the sudden stresses. The computer fixed the safety time to 27 cycles; he would have to work quickly. Which planet would he choose? The body with more craters might be more interesting to the geophysicists. In Quang's estimation, it was a certainty that neither planet was good for the biochemists. Anyway, rules are rules, and Quang needed to commit to one of the planets. The larger body seemed to have gone through some great cataclysm. There was evidence that the mantle had been ruptured millennia ago, allowing huge seas of magma to cover the surface. As soon as he could get out of the unstable gravitational pull of the system and had an opportunity, he would take long range in- depth sensor readings of the system for the astrogeologists to fathom what occurred.
He landed in a less impacted area of the smaller body and donned his suit. Quang left the ship and felt almost all of his weight vanish. He jumped and rose high off the surface. It was a very pleasant experience. He hopped rather than slithered away from the ship. Even though the area was relatively clear, it was still riddled with pockmarks from stony impacts and there were many boulders and craters that Quang cautiously circumnavigated. He recorded much of the various rock and crater formations and looked around at the bleak surroundings.
Everything was brown and gray. Here and there, the infrared light hit a crystal that would glow a brilliant red. Quang's helmet automatically adjusted to the meager available light from the black dwarf. Unfortunately, Quang was much more sensitive to the green end of the spectrum, so his visibility was hindered in the dull red glow of the star. He spent the first few cycles taking core samples and performing other geological tests. He recorded the bleak scenery with different resolutions. Everything by the book, Quang thought. He was not going to return to the home world, only to be put down by his superiors for not adhering to proper procedure. He hopped around, stopping to record the most unusual rock formations. Then he came upon the most unusual find of his career.
Quang was hailed as the greatest explorer of his age. Archeologists swarmed to the planet Quang discovered. They named the planet Quang, in his honor. Scientists from all over the home world and the confederation visited planet Quang to observe the artifacts; the first footprints ever discovered of an alien being and its habitat! Archeologists uncovered three more track sites at various areas of the planet and expected that there were more to come. It was hypothesized that the creatures who made the tracks were silicon based; totally unlike anything ever discovered. This provided proof for some of the more radical theorists concerning non-carbon-based lifeforms.
It had large feet (see image 1). Its feet are anthropoidally shaped but had grooves where the foot touch the soil, probably an adaptation to the slippery surface. Its habitat was most unusual. It was composed of metals no longer found on the planetary surface! The habitat had four struts coming out from the main section of the living area; the top was charred, as if something flammable had oxidized it. There appear to be symbols that were hypothesized to be writing on the habitat (see image 2). Some linguists are dedicating their careers on deciphering the text. There also appeared to be a symbol near the habitat (see image 3). In normal light, the symbol was colored red, white and blue; with some five pointed figures in the blue rectangular area of the symbol. The red and white appeared as stripes. The experts think it to be a religious icon.
The living quarters were small with respect to the footprint. It was thought that the living quarters were designed to protect the creatures from predators. However, no tracks other than the creature's footprints were found at one of the sites. The living quarters appeared white in normal light; scientists believe that the creatures were used to a similar spectral distribution as Quang's own species. There were traces of liquefied hydrogen and oxygen sealed in the habitat; believed to be the creatures food supply before the gases were ripped away from the planetary surface. Near to the main habitat was a vehicle of transportation at all but one of the sites. It was too large for the hypothesized size of the creatures and appeared to have been powered by photon energy. The vehicle explained the crawler-like tracks that appeared near the footprints.
It is still unknown what sort of being could live in such a small habitat, consume liquefied gases and travel in a vehicle made of materials not locally found. This may truly be the mystery of the ages.
THE END
