Chief Xenoarcheologist Sorgon gently lifted a gleaming metallic figurine from the sonic bath. The artifact gleamed in the harsh afternoon light of the sunbaked alien world-pond. Constant gusts of scorching, dry wind could not evaporate the wave of elation that washed over him. He held aloft the statuette with his three-fingered forelimbs and waved it in triumph. "More proof we're on the path to finding the Many Gods' home!"

After two grueling weeks, the golden statuette was the most significant find from the excavation of the extinct alien civilization. He placed it on the laser scanner table and initiated the scan sequence. As a laser beam traced a glittering line across the figurine, he slathered more protective moisturizing slime onto his thin amphibian skin.

  "Not the first time I've heard that," Pilot-Commander Devati replied. The female Betelan, a one-meter-tall newt without hindlimbs or tail, watched the auto-excavator dig up artifacts. "This is my first time seeing the machine in operation," she said over the rhythmic pounding. "How does it work?"

  Sorgon, a two-meter-tall Betelan male salamander, approached the industrial excavator that was twice his height. He pointed to the illuminated area in front of it. "Sensors continuously scan the ground and determine what's natural. Thousands of small computer-controlled hammers pound the soil and rock into dust, leaving refined and manufactured materials untouched."

With a grunt, he lifted a metal safety skirt to expose the machine's underside. "Tubes attached to each hammer suck in the dust and debris. Sensors scan the dust for organic material and divert anything interesting for DNA analysis. Everything else continues to this hopper where it's compressed into bricks." He gestured towards a distant conveyor belt spewing out perfectly formed bricks.

  "So, it does the work while you stand around and watch?"

  The blunt assessment made Sargon's chromatophores blanch. "Well, I analyze survey results, pick the locations to place the excavators, and clean and catalog what it uncovers."

  Seeing his discomfort encouraged Devati to continue needling him. "As much as you prattle on about alien civilizations and religious iconography, I imagined excavation work being more exciting."

  "This part is work. The excitement comes later in studying the artifacts to deduce their purpose or cultural meaning."

  "Congratulations on your find, but it's time to start packing up. I'm returning to the spaceship to finish launch preparations." The injured Devati punched in a course for her biomechanical auto-walker. "No excuses this time. Have everything ready to leave the planet before tomorrow evening. We're not spending a minute more on this lifeless world-pond than we have to." She engaged the walk-assist mode and ambled away.

  The dig site manager approached Sorgon. "Chief, you need to see this." He presented the datapad, its screen displaying a survey diagram of the excavation site. Luminescent blue lines traced the outlines of the building, and at the end of a long subterranean passage, a cluster of bright yellow blobs pulsated.

  "You tuned the sub-surface scanners to find the same metals as the figurine?"

  "Yes, Chief."

  Sorgon lifted his face to the sky. "The Many Gods be praised! There are dozens of them." He turned to the site manager. "Recall as many auto-excavators as you need. This is our priority."

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  The manager scuttled off to set his workers to the task.

* * *

That evening, Sorgon cornered the Devati at dinner in the spaceship's feeding pool. "Your hind limbs are regrowing quickly, and your tail stub looks healthy, Pilot-Commander."

She grabbed a floating food bulb and waved it at him. "Whatever the question or request is, the answer is no. Our mission charter is to find alien technology, not religious artifacts."

  "Your royally appointed, high commander and pilot of this blessed vehicle, I beseech you--"

  Devati splashed water at him. "Enough of the beseeching and formal titles. I said no."

  "--to grant an extension." He paused to consider his next words. "I know I always ask for more time on every world-pond, but this time I beg you." Sorgon rolled over onto his back. "I expose my underbelly in supplication. Rip it open with your claws or grant my request."

  She motioned for him to roll over. "I'm accustomed to your theatrics, but I've never known you to grovel. You must have found something important."

  Sorgon rolled over and burst into a frantic dialogue. "Only the most important find of my career. After years of ridicule, I have irrefutable proof my theory is correct. We found the home of The Many Gods!"

He linked his datapad to a wall-mounted projector. Holograph images of two humanoid statuettes appeared on the water's surface. "These are from two world-ponds we explored during previous missions. To look so alike, they must have worshipped the same gods."

  Devati scoffed. "Coincidence. Like most civilizations, those two shared a natural tendency to create idols resembling themselves. That's not proof of shared gods."

  Sorgon tapped a key and a third figurine of metal shimmered into view. "This is the idol you saw this morning. Three alien civilizations, widely separated by space and time. All with similar-looking representations of their gods. That cannot be coincidence. It must be evidence of a common origin."

He pointed at them in turn. "Carved hardwood. Fire-baked soil with a glaze. Cast metal. The simpler figures are the youngest. That's a clear indication of technological advancement fostered by the Many Gods along their path of inward migration."

  "Not all civilizations arise at the same time or advance at the same rates. We happened upon them in that order."

  Sorgon pulled up a holographic star chart. "Here's the star system we're in now, the most technologically advanced, at the outer edge of the galaxy. Here are the other two, further in. A straight line connects all three civilizations, and our own, along a course leading to the galaxy center."

  "Which can be explained by chance alignment and our radial course of exploration." Devati manipulated the star chart. "Adjust for thousands of years of orbital rotation… and the line bends into an arc."

  Sorgon waggled his tail, sending ripples across the water. "Beautiful. If you were trying to disprove my theory, an arc only made it likelier that the gods followed an intentional, non-random path."

  "No, it doesn't. With only four data points it's easy to make an arc."

  He frowned. "Why are you so determined to refute my theory on the gods?"

  The tone of her voice softened. "I may not believe your theories, but I do believe you are a talented xenoarchaeologist. Don't throw your career away by pursuing heretical theories held up by faith instead of facts. Every one of my counter arguments will be expressed by religious scholars on Betel IV. Many of whom have motives to destroy you as a follower of the True Religion sect."

  "This world-pond is going to prove everyone wrong. We all share a common pantheon of gods who are disseminating religion and knowledge on a journey to the galaxy core."

  "Then why are we the only civilization to have discovered hyperspace travel? Why didn't any of these civilizations find us first?"

  Sorgon waved a dismissive claw. "Maybe they did but found wormholes that sent them in a different direction through space. Or, as my xenobiology colleagues claim, amphibians are more intelligent than reptile, insectoid, and warm-fur species."

  "We'll have plenty of time to debate your theories on the trip home. For now, we need to focus on meeting our scheduled launch time. If we miss the window for us to link a wormhole to our next destination, it's five solar revolutions until both systems align again."

  "I can't argue with celestial mechanics. I also miss the wetlands of Betel and do not want to live on this desert world-pond for five solar revolutions. Especially with such exciting news to share." He prostrated himself again. "Thank you for your time."

  "Sorgon," Devati said as she caressed his forelimb. "I am intrigued by your theory. You can tell me more on the journey home."