DAY 2
I woke up before breakfast. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep so I decided to check out the deep space viewing area. I double checked to make sure my camera and the extra battery were charged. I won’t make that mistake again. I grab my camera bag and my notebook then head to the viewing area.
It’s far more spectacular than I had imagined. There appeared to be nothing between us and space, at least from the ground up. I imagine the ship looks somewhat like a snow globe with a clear roundish top. At least from the inside, who knows what it looks like from the outside. Using the telescopes I could see our destined solar system, an asteroid cluster, a passing comet and the Nexstar Nebula.
The pictures I’ve seen don’t even come close to the actual beauty of any of it. I took some photos, knowing that they won’t do justice. But also knowing that some people pay handsomely for photos from space. Not to mention the magazine and universities that are paying for this trip. What they don’t want I keep the rights too. I made sure of that, so I can sell the extras to private collectors.
Once finished at the viewing area I took my camera and notebook back to my cabin. Then headed for breakfast. I arrived as the doors opened. Grabbing a cup of coffee and some toast I sat at a small table off to one side. Sipping my coffee while contemplating what to do until we arrived later that day.
I was vaguely aware of the idle chatter going on around me when something caught my attention. “Why is it called Planet Dirt?” I heard a youngster ask.
“It’s what the beings that live there call it.” Replied the elder.
“How do you know? No one has been there before.” Asks another.
The smallest one says “They sent messages into space saying as much. Right Elder?”
Smiling, the elder replies “That’s correct, young one. Now no more questions, eat up, it's almost time to go see the star mapping exhibit. Do you all have your treasure hunt book?”
“Yes Elder.” They all replied.
As they were preparing to leave the Cafe, I decided to ask the Elder what he knows about Planet-Dirt. “Excuse me sir, I don’t mean to intrude but may I ask you a few questions about Planet-Dirt?”
“Sure,” he replies. “As long as you are willing to walk with me, we have a schedule to keep.”
“Of course” I say as I fall into step. “Thank you for speaking with me. I have been to the library archives. I found two articles about it, neither one had very much info. What do you know about it?”
“Not much is known about it. At first we went there often to observe and gather specimens. It is similar to our planet in some ways. It has water, vegetation and mobile creatures everywhere. Air, ground and water. The apex species, humans, had built themselves large crowded communities that were constantly fighting with each other. They didn’t appear to be very intelligent but obviously aggressive. We didn’t and still don't want to fight, so we quit going.”
“I see. How long ago was that?”
“About 150 years ago, I think. It was a little before my time.”
“When and why did we decide to go back?”
“When one of our ships came upon a signal from an unknown origin, traveling through space. They eventually deciphered the message and traced it back to Planet-Dirt. Where we discovered that they have satellites, probes, and things that we don’t understand yet. Of course we resumed observations right away.”
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“When was that?”
“Oh I don’t know for sure. Fairly recently though, about 40 or 50 years ago.”
“Ok. How were they able to decipher the message? What did you call them, humans? Do they speak our language?”
“That is correct, humans, and no they don’t speak Nornian. They sent the message in many languages, one is very similar to an ancient form of Nornian.”
“Interesting. It’s very curious how we have similar languages. Brings up more questions for another day. Have we made contact?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t think so. At least not yet.”
“If I may ask, how did you come by this information?”
“Most of it is from when I was at university. More recent info is from being a member of ODES. Have you heard about ODES?”
“I have heard of them but don’t know anything about them. Who are they?”
“ODES stands for Observing and Documenting our Exploration of Space. They’ve been around for almost 20 years now. A fairly young organization but funded by some of the wealthiest people and run by some of the brightest minds of our time.”
“What is your role in ODES?”
“I am a visiting professor meaning I travel around the planet giving lectures at universities and scientific organizations, one of which is ODES, on the newest discoveries from space as well as the medical and technical industries as well.”
“I understand. So how did you get roped into being here with this group of youngsters?”
He laughed a little and said, “I actually volunteered to take my grandchildren and a friend of each on this cruise. Its a once in a lifetime opportunity to be among the first civilians to see a new planet. I couldn’t pass it up.”
“That's very true. I’m honored that the organizations I work for were willing to pay for my ticket otherwise I wouldn’t be here. I have just one more question, is there any other information that you think might be useful for my research?”
“I recommend visiting the ODES site. Make sure to check out their archives. They have quite a bit of information about the first visits to Planet-Dirt.”
“Ok I will definitely do that. Thank you so much for chatting with me, I hope you all enjoy the rest of your trip.”
“My pleasure,” He says. “You as well.”
I walked away wondering what happened to all the specimens, observations, and documentation from the original trips taken to Planet-Dirt and why there was no mention of any of it in the national archives.”
I went to the library. Surprisingly I found that two of my old colleagues had responded. The first suggested I check the national archives. The second had sent a link to another site, no message just a link. Which took me to the Observing and Documenting our Exploration of Space (ODES).
As I explored the site I saw that the elder was correct. We resumed exploration 53 years ago and a trip is made every 10 years or so to monitor their growth, and determine when or if contact should be made.
The site also contains thousands of pictures of beautiful, exotic plants and animals. Mostly from the first time we went. When I got to the current photos I was shocked by the scale of the changes the humans had made to their planet.
I looked over some of the pictures and observations from the scientist that were on those initial trips. I printed a few of the articles that struck my interest. My head started to swim so I shut it down and paid for my printouts. As I left the library I noticed that it was just about lunch time.
I arrived at the Cafe and it was already overcrowded. It dawned on me that we will be arriving in the middle of the lunch buffet, so everyone on board is eating early. I decided to wait until we arrived figuring most passengers would want to be at the viewing areas.
I go to my cabin to drop off my printouts and check the itinerary for Planet-Dirt. The itinerary says we have 5 different viewing points with brief descriptions of each.
First stop is at a landmass that is completely frozen all the time. Next is an Island that has animals so exotic they are only found on that island. Third is a vast desert that one would think is barren but is actually filled with life. Fourth stop is a forest as vast as the desert teeming with different life. Finally we will visit a few of the cities the humans have built. With an addendum saying we may go see some of the life under the waters.
As I finished reading the captain announced that Planet-Dirt will be coming into view in 10 mins, we will arrive at the frozen land one hour later, and if there are any questions to ask the services staff.
Good timing I thought. I gave it another 20 mins then went to get some lunch. I had plenty of time since we would be spending several hours at each destination.