The Deep Places

The planet is drifting in weightless eternity. Its oxygen rich environment is nearly earth like in every aspect. Even its appearance is a green jewel in a colorless black void. It offers a breathtaking view unlike anything in a thousand light years. Despite this, the world is so mundane that it's currently neither colonized nor catalogued. But for the people in orbit, it offered a beautiful view that would be ultimately fatal if not for the plexiglass window. Despite having the planet filling the the observation window, the man looking out could barely see it. The badge on the man's burgundy polo says: David Lynch, the proprietor of the expedition.

This man had a nearly chiseled jaw that made him seem almost like a model if not for his numerous other imperfections. For example the perfection of his jaw is ruined by the slightly crookedness of it. The man's piercing ice blue eyes couldn't be seen because they were glassy and cloudy. They were also contrasted by his sunken cheeks and the deep rings around them. At this moment his hands are pressed against the glass.

David muses about how at one point the thought of finding a earth like planet seemed laughable. He had no problems seeing the humor in that. Realizing he'd been keeping the bridge crew waiting while he sated his contemplation, he turns his undivided attention towards them. Leaving the view for all but the gods to see, he flips a switch for the internal coms.

"It's recorded that one of my oldest relatives saw bright lights in the sky. He was a soldier in the civil war who fought at Gettysburg. At the peak of the fighting and the violence, his brigade wiped out very early, the survivors no longer fighting for honor or their homes. But for simple survival itself. He claimed he saw an angel, heaven opened up to him; that he must've died at that battle.

Though his belief were forgotten because many believed him to be suffering survivors guilt. About six or so generations later, another one of my ancestors was studying ancient artifacts discovered in Mesopotamia ruins. Archaeologist concluded that they couldn't have been constructed with the current technology level. At least unless the Sumerians had microchips and circuitry. This mystery lead one of my ancestors on a journey that would span the globe from the heads of eastern Island to the pyramids of Giza. He eventually discovered something and wrote to his colleague in oxford. There was a plan to meet up. But then he disappeared.

We've always been on the cutting edge of the question of why. I mean why are we hear? Why is life possible?" David's comment is met with blank stares and silence. "I see my audience isn't one to spout philosophy."

A balding man with a thin wirey mustache slaps the chest of the man nearest to him. "We're just a bunch cargo monkeys." The man next to him, a tall broad chested gentlemen with a blunted face looks annoyed at the guester, but at least agrees with sentiment.

"I certainty want to know," David says turning around and extending his arms in a grandiose gesture. He was about to put on a spectacle that he was known for. "So close to knowing the truth. Now I'm staring at those alien who visited us when man first walked upright."

"All I see is rocks, it looks like a hell hole." It's spoken by a young crew member named Trinity. He had no idea if that was her real name. She obviously spent far to much time working out. But on the long journey between planets there isn't much to do. She had lost all of her curves and was starting to get a man's frame. The manly appearance is made worse by her hastily cropped hair. With the room being a chilling 59 degrees, it's a mystery how she is sitting in a white tank top and short shorts. But she isn't the only odd person in the room nor the strangest of the group.

No, that was the young hispanic woman Nicole Brennan. He could see her in the back of the room, large deeply set eyes half covered up by her hair. The rest of her body is obscured in shadow. He had notice the thrumming of her pencil against the desk in one long continuous motion. Her outfit consists of a black leather jacket, dark purple T-shirt, and knee high cross stitch boots running up to meet a plaid skirt. David couldn't possibly think anyone could be more bizarrely dressed for the occasion.

Behind them is a hologram being projected onto a thin sheet of glass, no more than a inch across. Images of the planet craggy, barren surface flip across in rapid succession.

"You have to see past that Trinity."

"That was six hundred years ago. What are you doing chasing Ghost stories," ask Nicole? She had been sitting silently except for that damn thrumming. The woman's comments were not well received nor were the tone of voice she took with him.

"I don't like your attitude. But despite my grievances, your not alone in that view. Much of my own family forgot about it's history. Growing up my father had no time for these stories, treating them as little more than my family's ghost stories. But there is proof. "

"You have definitive proof?"

"You think I would drag you out here without proof?" He taps a button revealing a massive alien craft. "My scientists say it's over a billion years old. Finding an alien craft is a amazing find by itself, but to find one that's older than mother terra herself. That's probably the biggest discovery since faster than light travel was discovered and Albert Einstein laws were rewritten."

"How did you find it," is the question asked from a stocky man with glasses named Scott Everett. He is surprised to know the man's name given the fact the man did his best to go unnoticed. Not in a malicious sense, but as a highly introverted man who like his privacy.

"I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars studying ancient earth artifacts and cross referencing with known alien cultures. I charted space routes and calculated star charts. For what? Half of my life wasted. Everything I've worked for and some old cargo ship goes off course and finds it." Stunned silence

"So you were what? Not looking for aliens? What just stealing the credit?" Trinity just couldn't give it a rest. He would have her relieved of duty and confined to her quarters.

In the back, a woman is keeping to herself. The woman blows a tuck of dirty blond hair out of her face and pouts her lips without being consciously aware of either action. This crewmen is practically the only one dressed normally wearing work boots, tucked under jeans, and a lab coat. She has a sudden idea and blurts out amidst the silence, "So you assembled this team to excavate the ship." David nods and concludes the meeting.

"We found ancient ruins that predate any known civilization. You name it, any of the alien civilizations; this one predates it. At the very least they been wondering about the meaning of life a hell of a lot longer than we have. There so many little mysteries never answered. The ruins on this planet match ruins discovered on earth's ocean floor. Ruins that were once said to be natural and not created by some lost civilization. It's proof of outside help. Not to mention that the pyramid all line up on earth. There species must have gone extinct some 500 million years ago. Well anyway, get your gear. Your explorers." He says becoming impatient.

////planet fall

The Airstotle is a medium size cargo excursion vessel and in high anchor. It was nothing compared to the alien spacecraft. The ship would be later described as a experience, breath taking. Each member had a different reaction to seeing the vessel. The scientists of the group began shouting at each other with excited voices. The salavage group stood silently with slack jaws. Their armed escort weapons drop to their sides; their face permanently etched with a look of confusion.

The scope of the object completely shut Trinity down. Her hazel eyes were transfixed on the object. It's roughly shaped like a horseshoe, built around several pods connected by thick tubing. In the middle is a large shaft built down into the bottom of ships superstructure and running down through the pods and connecting to the ships free floating bridge. The ship had been built of a material unlike anything she had seen before. She couldn't even tell if the material is organic in nature or some kind of alien metal. But it was cool and smooth to the touch. The strange material looks like obsidian and seems to defy existence, lacking angle or dimensions. She would look at the exterior hull and the light reflecting hues and brilliance would change. Parts of the ship seemed blocky but became sleek depending on the angle. It was quite disconcerting, like an optical illusion.

A massive door is built out of the same impossibility, sealing off the eternal workings of the ship. "I should be able to open it, without blowing it open," says the stocky man from earlier. The man is currently and rather unsuccessful trying to keep his glasses on his face while holding a massive briefcase. The frames were broken and held together with tape. Two of his female colleagues connect the doors to a computer and let the internal artificial intelligence run tests as they talk amongst themselves.

The doors open. "That was quick," David says.

"I didn't do ..."

The entire expedition force takes a noticeable step back and silence falls over the group. "You first," says the woman with cropped hair. Despite her normally stoic exterior, you could see the cracks in it. Her normally soft eyes were filled with dread. There is member of David's expedition, a woman named Karyn, because she told him multiple times that it's pronounced Karine. She is the first to step into the twisting fog that had escaped during the ships unsealing. Karyn is a woman with curly brown hair, shapely figure and an apple bottom. Her only less attractive features were her large forehead and prominent brow. Even with this she had plenty of feminine wilds.

Instead of looking like something you would expect, the sleek insides of futuristic ship, it looks like some long forgotten ancient ruin. The inside is made of a black metal that looks like tar. The walls have symbols etched into them that become holographic at random and each one represents a scenes being reenacted. One such scene catches the eye of Karyn. Those bright eyes of hers catch a glimpse of something impossible. "There are dinosaurs on this ship."

"That impossible," David says rushing over to join her.

"Look," she says pointing to a holographic projection. Sure enough there is a large bipedal reptile covered in feathers with a slender snout and cunning eyes. It's chasing something.

"It proves my theory; actual proof that aliens visited earth."

"More than that," Scott says suddenly pausing mid sentence after becoming distracted. "What the hell. I'm detecting life signs throughout the ship. Closest one is just above us. These aren't prerecorded videos; they're live. This place must be some kind of ark meant to preserve life."

"What the hell, its bigger on the inside," Trinity states. "It big, but not big enough to hold all these animals."

"I'm registering nearly 14 miles across." Scott responds in a matter of fact tone after staring down at his data pad.

"Well," David says after watching the hologram for second. "We should investigate. Scott, take us to the closes life signs."

The black shimmering metal gave way to rolling fields of ankle high grass.

Atmosphere has change along with the density and oxygen levels. Scott says reaptedly changing the setting on the scanner looking for a glitch in his equipment but finding none. Something is holding the atmosphere in here. The ground is dirt and grass is real. I'm going want my team in here."

David gave a curt nod but isn't interested. He is more focused on his surroundings. He had stepped into a large field surrounding a massive rain forest. The plants were mostly ferns. There were no flowering plants in sight. "There are no flowering plants. These are prehistoric." Odd saying it for something current. "But flowering plants came after the Cretaceous period."

A reptilian creature the size of a four story building comes lumbering towards them. The creature grunts and gives them a stupid stare from behind droopy eyes. Then clumsily lumpers off.

David tries to follow after it. "Woah, hold up." Jake says raising his hand in protest. "What if they stored some bad shit. I may not be black but I know how this happens in the movies. I don't want to end up food for something or contact some deadly disease."

"It's all fiction on the old earth holo-vids. No doubt will have to keep it in quarantine. We don't want a repeat of small pox blankets. Contact the Isaac. Tell them to rendezvous with us immediately."