The journey to the rocks began promptly as the sun was high in the sky. I could only assume that means noon here.
“Dr. Eden, are you sure about this?”
“Yes SR, I am. I’ll be taking you with me though, so you’ll have to power down.”
“As you wish, Doctor.”
The heat was sweltering today and I could only wish for water at this point. I’ll have to find some soon if I plan on living longer than 3 days on this alien planet. I did see some rivers, but I could never be certain they were safe.
This planet continued to amaze me as I got closer to the giant rock forms. They towered over me with ease, and were at least 5 stories in height. The trees here were different than the ones near my camp. These ones were similar to mushrooms in shape. I wish I had a team of scientists to collect samples, but what is that worth now?
Quickly, I ran around the rocks as I realized I was very close to the spot where the smoke had been. My adrenaline was pumping heavily and I was unsure of what could be behind these trees.
As I entered the small clearing, I saw the pile of rubble that must had been producing the smoke I had seen this morning. It was a relatively simple set up, a few rocks and what appeared to be metal debris and other materials. I could almost make out an emblem carved in the metal…
I could swear it was the emblem of my ship, but it was too hard to decipher. It was too mangled to see clearly. I decided that now would be a good time to power up SR and ask for some recon.
“Good afternoon, Dr. Eden, or do you prefer Noomi?”
“Whatever suits your fancy, SR.”
“So be it. How can I assist you today?”
“SR, I can’t tell if that metal is from my ship. Is there something in your programming that can help me analyze it? Without my lab, I can’t do anything.”
“I can test it for the high levels of carbon dioxide that reside in Earth metals.”
“Excellent, do that then. Also can you check the area for life forms?”
“Of course, Doctor. Just give me a moment.”
I wait patiently for SR’s humming to quiet.
“Dr. Eden, you’ll be pleased to know that the metal from that fire pit is indeed from your ship. You’ll also be pleased to know that there are no life forms in the area, however there is a passage about 20 feet to your left. It is covered almost entirely by rocks. It is also certainly not a natural occurrence. There appears to be staircase made of similar materials to your Earth concrete.”
“But… That’s impossible!”
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