Chapter 23: The Lost Planet

Location: Solar System; Moon; UNE Research Facility

“There’s a signal coming from the planet!”

Unbelievable! Not only did I find Earth, but there is still something down there. We've got to go there! Could there be survivors? No, it must be something else or the whole system wouldn’t be so barren. “Maja, get as much data as you can, but hurry, we have to check out the signal.”

“Got it, give me a minute.” The minute turns into a whole hour, but the data that Maja collects is worth it. Not only do I now have a map of the planet below, but I also know just how long ago the whole system was abandoned.

The number is mind-blowing! 11,467 years ago every computer in the system was overridden by something called Project Exodus. If the name wasn’t clear enough, the description of Project Exodus surely was. In one year every single soul inside the Solar System had to leave, otherwise they would die. Giant ships would be built to help with the evacuation and every ship owner had to load up their ships with as many people as possible.

This is insane, just what threat can force a whole system to evacuate? And not that it’s a system who knows where. This is the Solar System, THE system where everything started. I can’t wrap my head around it. I hope there is more to find down on the planet.

The description of Project Exodus goes on with a few more details I don’t care about. Not that I can change anything. I just can’t stop thinking about how large Project Exodus must have been… To evacuate billions, maybe even trillions of people in just one year.

The description of the project ends with the signature of five names. And just the first one has my eyes going wide:

Magicon, Valterion, Song, Armortec, Axtendus.

I know that name! The Magicon Empire, or The Empire as Miss Baker called it. It’s true then, they really trace their history back to Earth. Free facts Estriduros said it’s ruled by five Companies I guess, I just found out what they are called.

With that and lots of other pieces of information in Maja’s storage, I unplug my UC-cables and start walking back to the yacht. Now it’s time to explore!

The flight starts normally, Maja smoothly lifts the yacht off the Moon and we head towards the cloudy planet below. Speaking of clouds, this is when things get interesting. Whatever happened in the Solar System must have messed up the planet thoroughly!

Once we pierce the cloud layer, the yacht is assaulted by insanely strong gusts of wind. Despite the yacht’s top-of-the-line gravity generators, we are blown around like a tree’s leaves in Autumn. Even my magnetic shoes are straining and I quickly sit down and buckle in.

After what feels like an eternity, the winds suddenly end when we exit the thick cloud layer. Everything is silent suddenly and Maja stops the ship. It feels like the world is holding its breath to show me its beauty without any distractions.

And what beauty it is! While everything is shaded due to the cloud layer above, it still looks amazing. A glance at the downloaded map, projected above my station tells me the continent below me was once called Australia. The map displays it as a very hot and dry place, but that’s not what my eyes are currently seeing.

Everything looks green, the colder climate lets nature reclaim the ground. The blue ocean surrounds the continent and lets it look like a green oasis inside of an endless blue. “Maja, do you detect any life signs?”

“No, there’s nothing, but we’re closing onto the signal. It’s located on the east coast of the continent, inside a city that was once called Brisbane.”

Hmm, I wonder if there is something left of that city. “What about the atmosphere?”

“First tests say it’s still breathable, but a bit oxygen-heavy. So I’d recommend using the spacewalker suit.” Can’t say I disagree, better safe than sorry.

“Well, it’s a good thing that I didn’t bother to take it off then. Let’s head over there and check it out.” Maja confirms and with a slight rumble, we are moving again. This time, we take it slow and gradually lower the altitude, while flying over the continent.

When we finally arrive at the city that was once called Brisbane, I can’t believe how big it must have been. There are ruins as far as my eyes can see. Pieces of metal are lying around everywhere. Some ruins are still hundreds of meters in height, I wonder how tall those buildings once were. Maybe they even pierced the sky.

I remember the Spire on Acordus 3. What if that was the normal height of buildings? That’s insane! Maja slows down the yacht even more and a bit later we’re hovering over the city. “It’s getting dark soon, wanna wait till morning? Or should we check the signal right away? It’s coming out of the centermost tower over there.” The tallest building still standing is highlighted on the front-facing window, then Maja continues. “Scratch that, it is emanating from 200 meters below ground.”

An underground bunker? My thoughts instantly go back to possible descendants of survivors. But it’s doubtful… They would have found a way off the planet in 11,000 years. “I think it’s better to wait till morning. Who knows what’s down there.” I unbuckle myself and start walking back to one of the two cabins. “Better safe than sorry. Also, I’m tired, today was intense.” With a yawn, I take off the spacewalker suit, throw myself in bed, and am asleep in minutes.

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Location: Solar System; Earth; Former City of Brisbane

The next morning arrives in the blink of an eye and with another yawn I’m awake. Grabbing something to eat for breakfast, I take a look out of the window. It’s still cloudy, but at least it’s not that dark anymore.

“Okay, let’s head down, time to explore that signal. Did you detect anything over the night Maja?”

“No, nothing. Besides all the plants, the planet is dead. There aren’t even fish in the water.” With that, the yacht moves again and before long we touch down right next to the massive ruin of the central skyscraper.

Now the fun part begins! Suiting up again, I enter the airlock and wait for it to cycle. I giggle in anticipation. I’m probably the first human in 11,000 years to set foot on Earth! “Can you film me exiting the airlock Maja? I just have to show it to Thomas when I meet him.”

“Sure, wait a minute, I set up a sensor drone for filming.” Less than a minute later, the airlock opens. I have already made my visor see-through. With a big smile, I stare directly at the camera hovering before me.

“Hey Thomas, guess where I am.” I take five steps down the ramp and when I touch the ground, I shout. “I’m on Earth! The first human in 11,467 years to be exact.” My smile slips a little. “I wish you were here…”

I signal Maja to cut off the recording. It’s time to concentrate. Who knows what awaits me inside, if I can find a way inside that is. Patting down the energy blade and laser gun at my hips, I start walking around the building. There should be an entrance somewhere, I don’t want to start cutting right away. It’s a wonder the building still stands anyway – no point in destabilizing it further.

I was right, halfway around the former tower, a grand entrance lobby awaits me. Greenery has grown inside and I have to cut down some bushes to enter the building. Arriving inside, I take in a sharp breath. Huge! The whole ground floor is one open lobby, like a giant entrance hall. A sign with a big M lies on the floor in the back. Probably the company logo that once hung on the back wall.

Everything else is either gone or overgrown by greenery. I turn around and look at the wall I just entered through. It’s only a skeleton of steel bars with bushes and flowers growing around them. I suppose this once was a big glass façade back in the day.

Okay, Maja said the signal is underground… how do I get down? The elevators are obviously out of service. I could rappel down the shaft, so finding the elevators still is a priority. But stairs would be better. Hmm, if this is like the lobbies of other companies then there would be a reception desk in the center. I walk over there and there are indeed some remains that could have been a desk once. So far so good. Next, where could be the stairs… probably in the back. “Maja, can you send over the sensor drone, please? Oh, and I was wondering why we didn’t use one on the Moon?”

Maja confirms the drone’s arrival and then answers me a bit sheepishly. “Can I say I forgot we had them? When you asked for a camera I checked the yacht’s database and found two drones aboard. I’ve never been on a ship before… and on the station where I was created, I just had access to every sensor and camera. There was no need for mobile sensor drones. I’m sorry.”

I chuckle, she’s acting more human every day and she’s still young. “Don’t worry, everything worked out. Connecting with my tablet was enough up there. The drone would have been destroyed by the robots anyway. Now we just have to be careful.”

The drone arrives and after a quick scan, we find not only the stairs but also two rows of four elevators each on opposite sides of a hallway in the back of the building. I sigh in relief when I see the stairs. They are intact and I don’t have to rappel down the elevator shaft. Going back up that way would have been hell!

I ask Maja to send the drone down in advance and I follow it around 20 meters behind. And down we go. It seems endless… There are countless doors leading down hallways all around the stairway. I walk back and forth, steadily down, Maja’s drone before me.

Finally, something changes. “The stairway is about to end. We are nearing the bottom floor. The signal is getting stronger. I think we’re almost there.”

“Careful now, keep the drone in the front. Better it than me if there are security systems left.” I slow down and five minutes later, I arrive before a reinforced door. The stairs lead a bit further down, but Maja indicates that the signal emanates from the flickering panel next to the door. How does it still have power?

There is not a single sign of wear at that door. It looks sturdy as hell and unfortunately, it’s closed. I glance at the panel. “Can you hack it?”

“I can try, but I need direct contact… Putting your hand at it should be enough, but it has to be your bare hand.”

I'd have to remove the spacewalker suit and the shipsuit. I’d be left in my underwear on a planet with air that is not completely safe. I need a model with removable gloves! At least my helmet is still on, that should secure my breathing. Shoving those thoughts back as future problems, I ask Maja. “Isn’t there another way? I don’t want to expose myself to not-so-safe air if possible.”

“I’m afraid there isn’t, but it should be safe. The drone actually reads the oxygen levels as pretty much normal down here, but it’s your choice.” Well, my choice is pretty much clear. The curiosity kills me, so I slip out of the spacewalker suit and wiggle my right arm out of the shipsuit underneath.

Holding my breath, I step closer to the panel and touch it. There is an instant reaction! Letters appear on the panel’s screen and Maja screams. I jerk my hand back, but it's too late. Something is happening. The letters start to form words but what I’m reading there is completely strange:

Error! Unknown access… Access denie… Error! Partial DNA scan success… Access grant… denied… Error! Security forces dispatc… Security cancelled… Error! DNA match not confirmed… Stand down to be detained… Magicon personnel notified… Error! No response… Lockdown initiat… System overridden! Access granted!

With a hiss and the sound of turning gears, the door starts to open. I just stand there with my mouth open, thinking about the words on the panel, especially the DNA part. “What just happened?”

“The first energy spike was intense, it felt like it hurt me, but I could keep the connection and fed the panel with some random stuff I found there while working on the override.”

So the DNA part was just random? My mood crashes down, this would have been the first trace to my origin besides having freighter parents. I mean how cool would it be to trace my family back to Earth? I mean sure everyone does, but this would have been way closer and not just due to the expansion of humanity.

I have to confirm. “Hey Maja, does that random stuff you fed the panel include the part with the partial DNA match?” Please say no, please!

“Yeah it does, the name Ferdinand Benson popped up and I fed it to the panel and somehow it talked about DNA matches afterward. I don’t know, it’s probably nothing, but hey, it worked. The door is open.”

Dang it, it would have been too good to be true. But she’s right, we achieved our goal! I quickly put my clothes and suit back on before taking a deep breath. When I’m about to enter, a random thought stops me dead in my tracks.

Wait a minute the panel said Magicon personnel notified. The M in the lobby… This is a Magicon facility!