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Dr. Lee was puzzling over why copper would be so valuable to the outside galaxy and not on Earth. What was the difference? The lack of copper was not an assumption, it was now a given.
Dr. Armento tried to explain, ”New studies suggest that there are inexplicable ore bodies that don’t follow the traditional subduction theory. These may form as a result of both processes — subduction then collision. Based on samples from numerous deposits in Tibet, researchers argue that subduction there provided an initial supply of copper, but that the metal got trapped at the base of the crust instead of rising. This could happen if the oxygen content in the magma were too low. The short answer is you need a presence of copper by being in the right kind of solar system and you need tectonically active planets doing the right kind of movements. Earth touches all the bases.”
“So, a G or K type star, the right size rocky planets that have been tectonically active,” Dr. Lee repeated back.
“Remember, the huge majority of solar system are red dwarfs. And the blue giants while heavy in metals are not giving any away yet,” he replied.
“G and K type stars are the ones that will have life as we know it. Maybe they have mined out what was available.”
“The best way to really know is to get out there and ask,” Armento said.
“Now you’re talking my language,” Dr. Lee laughed
∞
Ariel, Babs and Jed escorted the Oregon Trail to Atlantis in the Nautilus. Dr. Lee was in hog heaven supervising a gaggle of scientists on arguably the most important expedition of discovery in Earth history. The Oregon Trail had landed the previous day on the outskirts of the city where the slaves had been freed. It was on the equator and a bigger city than the one where the Book of Enoch’s tablets had been found. Apparently, a summer season was just getting started. On Atlantis there was no axis tilt to cause summer and winter differently in the northern and southern hemispheres. A slightly elliptical orbit caused the solar heating to come and go. The scientists were scattering far and wide to do their various studies. Dr. Lee had set a strict rule that no less than six should be in each party with at least two of them, security. The scientists didn’t whine. They knew they were not in Disneyland. Too many unknown dangers to take risks.
One of those groups was given a grim reminder. Seismometers were deemed a priority of the first instruments to be deployed on a planetary scale. Tectonic activity was vital to understand the risks of future development. A big earthquake could cause the ruins to come tumbling down while researchers were inside. The melting ice caps would unload huge amounts of weight and induce earthquakes in unexpected areas.
While digging in a seismometer a group decided to overnight in a field not far from a forest of deciduous trees. A lovely spot. In the middle of the night, one of the old men went twenty paces away from his tent to take a piss. The guard was alert but on the other side of the camp. When the screaming started it took a few seconds to get to the spot. Nothing was there but splotches of blood. The next morning following the blood trail led into the nearby treeline and the remains of the victim. He was half eaten and as they began collecting what was left to take home a huge roar blasted at them. The predator was warning to stay away from its kill. The warning roar was all the soldiers needed to find and kill it. An honest to god sabretooth tiger.
“This is my fault,” cried Dr. Lee. “I should have brought more vehicles for people to sleep in when on missions.”
“No one could have known there would be large apex predators still around. We have only seen small game until now.” Babs tried to console him. “We all knew there would be unforeseen dangers. It was just unlucky we didn’t have more time to evaluate how to take precautions before we had a tragedy.”
“What can we do to improve safety?” Jed asked. “We can get another flight from the moon here in less than a week.”
“Hard-shell popup shelters for one thing. Some more transport so that we can travel heavy. More security. It will slow things down a bit, but we are not in that big of a hurry. Atlantis has been like this a very long time.” Ariel said. “I will start compiling a list. Oh, maybe an expert on big cats to help predict when we will run into them.”
Later that day they got another surprise. While exploring the region around the tragedy, herds of buffalo were spotted and wooly mammoths. It was just like pre-Columbian North America. That explained the large predators. Hopefully, grizzly bears weren’t out there too.
The climatologist had a much better start than the rest. The instrumented barge had been in orbit and collecting data for nearly two months. The biggest question, is it possible to speed up the ice cap melt to restore the oceans? The answer turned out to be a partial yes. One large basin was isolated from the rest and had good geometry to melt ice back into it. The depth of the ocean basin was such that it had not gone as hypersaline as other regions. Dr. Lee and Jed were rigging up two fusion reactors to both throw out heat and produce laser focus crystals. The next load from Earth would have the pieces to get started.
The new hover vehicles did not take up as much volume as feared. The interiors of the vehicles held repacked supplies. After the wildlife attack and discovery of the buffalo, the ponytailed scientists were willing to eat some of the local herbivores. There was even talk of seeing what seafood or river fish might be found locally as well. The fact they had landed on a pristine planet made for humans finally had dawned on them.
Dr. Lee was trying to get over the tragedy of losing an expedition member by working. Jed was much younger, but the old man was working his ass off. Getting the new contraption to move the fusion reactors, melt polar ice cap and produce laser focus crystals was difficult enough without trying to get it done in a week. Someone was going to get hurt. Jed went on strike.
“We are going to the main camp and have a day off. No paperwork, no research paper writing just sleeping and maybe some tourism,” Jed declared.
“Tourism?” Dr. Lee knew Jed was right.
“Sure, those archeologists must have dug up something by now,” he replied.
“Ok, fine. A brain reset will be good for productivity anyway.”
∞
LaShawn had been left behind from both the next interstellar moves. One taking a big expedition to Atlantis and the other a first peek into the occupied Galaxy. His experience as an armorer was working against him. He had two projects. Rejigging the Centaur’s rifles to fit the human form and building an armored heavy weapons hover vehicle. Remounting the rifles was easy. It took two days to get it right on one and now he was waiting for the 3D printer to spit out nine more frames.
The problem was the vehicle armor. The Centaur rifles would break ceramics and lasers would melt most other materials. Projectile munitions were not an issue as the grav bubble would deflect that. Half an hour later he realized he had been staring at a blank screen on his tablet. His belly had been rumbling off and on for the last hour, so he closed his work area and headed to the food kiosks by the water park. Some of Motu One women sold roast pork and poi, top things on his go to menu.
He was raising the first fork to his mouth when Elle sat down. Didn’t say a word, just stared. He took a few more bites and she hadn’t moved.
“Are you hungry? I can ask them to make you a plate,” LaShawn offered.
“No thanks, I just ate,” she replied.
“Is there something I can help you with?”
“Yes, I need your help.”
“Thought so. I am going to keep eating. You can ask anytime,” he said as he shoveled a big piece of fatty pork in.
“I have to get a bunch of gear together to take to Atlantis. For most of it, someone else will prepare pallets for me, but I need a specialist to go with me.”
“Why me? I am bored and going to Atlantis would be cool but again, why me?”
“You are a very good woodsman,” she replied.
“That is unexpected. Me and Jerry grew up in the woods but normally people want me to go kill something. Oh crap. What do you need me to kill?”
“Sabretooth tigers,” she said meekly.
LaShawn almost choked on his beer, “What, like real sabretooths?”
“Real ones. More than one. A scientist of Dr. Lee’s got eaten. Wooly Mammoths are a problem too, but they don’t sneak up on you.”
“How nice you thought of me. Marco left me a project while he is gone. I have to build an armored hover Technical,” LaShawn said knowing he was trapped.
“Meh..., just put Duralumin over ceramic. The aluminum is soft enough to absorb the shock of the Centaur weapon and a laser would be stopped when it got down to the ceramic. The ceramic would also stop the heat before it got to the crew.”
“Who you been talking to?” LaShawn eyed her suspiciously.
“Jerry. I chatted with him on Q comm. The ground team just left, and they are sitting around with their thumbs up their ass,” Elle knew she had him.
“Good, he is as bored as I am. Help me do some test firing at armor samples and I’ll go to Atlantis.”
“We have to wait on a big cat specialist from Kenya anyway. Let’s go shoot some then we can get some gym time in sparing. I’m getting out of shape.”
“Marco usually keeps me beat down, but a light workout with a chick would be good cardio. Let’s go,” LaShawn said as he wiped his face.
The new armor idea worked very well but the design needed to go to manufacturing before they would have the panels to mount on a vehicle. Elle’s cardio sparing was a beat down for LaShawn and the hard sex in the shower afterward pulled out the rest of his life force. He barely got into his bunk. At least she didn’t insist on cuddling.
The extra gear they were asked to send filled the Goodnight-Loving Trail, a converted Boeing 777. Forty something mixed personnel and the two LaShawn was going to babysit filled out the complement, Crocodile Dundee and a hippo lady in a safari suit. Croco was the big cat specialist and full of swagger. Hippo lady worked with Indian elephants. LaShawn and Elle were not instilled with confidence. Swagger will let a sly cat sneak up on you and friendliness will not stop a Mammoth charge. Best not to get to know their names because they were going to die. Elle was overjoyed when LaShawn presented her with a Centaur weapon mounted on a big pistol frame. She hugged him and gave him a wet kiss on the cheek.
