PROLOGUE
Shining brightly against the dark of space, the smooth silver spaceship slowly orbited the dark green world of Argosi. The fourth planet from her Sun, this newly emerging planet was evolving and producing a variety of animal and aquatic life. Seemingly friendly and inviting with her lovely green hills and her seas of deep blue water; she hid her dark secret well.
Studied for nearly five hundred years by a race of scientists from the planet Sa’tol on the rim of the Artesian Galaxy, she was just now evolving life forms worth their effort. Sa’tol was an ordered world, populated by a race of peaceful and intelligent beings; beings that possessed an insatiable curiosity about the universe they lived in. They traveled that universe exploring the galaxies in search of emerging intelligent life forms.
Five years previously an exploring team assigned to Argosi landed on the ‘safe’ planet to gather specimens and explore; they were never heard from again. Ever curious, the High Council of the Scientific Guild sent a rescue party to find out what happened to them. Commanded by a young and unconventional Sha’el, the planet gave up its secrets when she found the remains of the first ship and retrieved its recording device. Safe in space she played it and discovered the fate of the first scientific party. This world held a forbidding secret - a life form best left alone. A creature cunning and deadly inhabited the seas of this world. It had the capability of leaving those seas and roaming the planet in search of food; and apparently, as far as it was concerned, every living thing was food. A creature so powerful it could attack an unsuspecting exploration party and render their spaceship wreckage in a matter of minutes. In reward for her success, Sha’el was given the singular honor of First Explorer, quite an achievement for one so young. She took over the post of exploring Argosi and keeping a record of its evolutionary progress.
On the other side of the galaxy was a similar world with one exception; it was the third planet from its Sun. It was evolving at an accelerated pace, the same as Argosi; but Sha’el was convinced it had a different evolutionary path to follow. She studied the records of the planet in fascination, keeping copious notes on its progress, often comparing the two worlds. Argosi had a high nitrogen atmosphere during its nightly cycle. But when it received the suns rays during its brief day cycle, the oxygen content rose dramatically. On the other hand the new world, which they named Gaia, was oxygen enriched and already supported a wide variety of life forms, including humanoid.
Orbiting and studying the different life forms on the planet Argosi was extremely exciting for a novice like DuGan. Just being asked to be a part of Sha’el’s team was honor enough for anybody; but DuGan wanted to prove that she was a valuable asset to the team. She desperately wanted to impress Sha’el with her knowledge and professionalism. As far back as she could remember she knew what she wanted to do with her life. She had entered the Scientific Academy at an early age and graduated at the top of her class.
After watching the monstrous creature rise from the seas for the umpteenth time, DuGan decided to take a small sample and try a controlled experiment. She sent a robot retrieval device and waited until the creature was returning to the sea to take the sample. She informed no one of her experiment, deciding that she would complete it and return the sample before anyone was the wiser.
She was deep in thought in her laboratory when Sha’el received clearance to use the wormhole to make the trip to Gaia. Long distance travel was done thru wormholes when available. Studying a planet like Gaia had priority over all others. For the scientific community this planet was a dream come true; to actually observe a developing world, evolving and producing intelligent life. The last planet that was observed to full potential had become the pariah of the galaxy. Their inhabitants were so aggressive that they were banned from Space. They would not be allowed into outer space until they evolved past their violent tendencies.
As First Explorer, Sha’el could choose any project she wanted; she had chosen Argosi and Gaia. Her on-going studies resulted in radical ideas about their evolving life forms. Anxious now to observe the changes that had taken place on Gaia during the past 10,000 years (Gaia time), Sha’el called her team to the bridge and ordered them to make ready to leave. DuGan started to object, but Sha’el put off her protests and promised they would return when finished studying Gaia. DuGan decided to keep quiet about her little project, rationalizing that no harm would be done, and no one would know of her breach of protocol.
Exiting the wormhole they immediately began their survey of the beautiful blue planet with an emphasis any changes since the last visit. It was immediately evident that there were less of the large reptilian life forms; the dinosaurs seemed to be located only on one continent. It appeared that since their last visit there was a tectonic shift in the planet resulting in a division of the large landmass into five separate continents. The most amazing change was the emergence of intelligent humanoid life forms; cavemen. Amazed, they followed several clans of these from far above in space as they stalked a herd of mammoths. Copious notes were taken and seemed to confirm Sha’el’s belief that these were not brutes, but an evolving intelligence.
The ship now continued on to another continent, mountainous and seemingly cut off from the rest of the world. Large flying creatures could be seen off in the distance; curious, Sha’el ordered them to investigate. From their ship far above, they used their telescopes to zero-in on the landmass below them. What they saw took their collective breath away. Once over the huge mountainous ridge that appeared to encircle this continent they found a fertile valley nestled between two large mountains. Their telescopes made out rows of crops, and a thriving community. High above at the tops of the mountains was what appeared to be another community; a settlement of Dracona; and riding on their backs were humanoids! After watching the Draci and humans interact for an hour, Sha’el suddenly called off the study. She decided to leave the Dracona and this community alone for the present time and concentrate on the rest of the planet. Sha’el made several notes indicating that it appeared as if there were several different levels of evolution taking place at the same time.
The scientists retreated to the Arctic and the base that had been established by the previous teams. Located among the large ice continent were a series of huge icebergs. In the center of one was hidden their base of operations-a tropical island. They landed their spaceship, set up their equipment, and now concentrated on the seas and the developing life in them. They spent several months studying the various samples of plant and animal life, noting the evolutionary path that was taking place. They had several craft with them allowing them to explore the oceans and new life emerging in them unobserved.
They found another thriving community on an enormous island in the center of a large ocean they called Oceania. This society appeared to be highly advanced using crystal energy directly from the Sun to power their city. Theirs was a peaceful society and the people seemed to live in harmony with the sea around them. This was another unexplainable anomaly on this very strange planet.
After four months, they gathered together all their notes and began to prepare a report on all they had found. As was custom by Guild Law, each scientist retired to their quarters to prepare their reports.
Seated at her desk, Sha’el was trying to decide if she should include the discovery of the Dracona in her report when she was interrupted by a loud rumbling sound followed by the ship shaking. She ran to the control room and flipped some switches and peered out of the opening front viewer. Far off in the distance smoke was billowing up in big black columns; the volcano on this island was erupting. Huge explosions were spewing up giant geysers of molten rock; boulders the size of small puddle craft. The earth was erupting, giant quakes were toppling everything as tectonic plates shifted beneath them. A series of wide cracks in the earth appeared and was heading straight for their base. The ships’ gyroscope steadied it, as Sha’el was running about pushing buttons and yelling to the decks below. She called the others forward and they attempted to lift off, but before they could rise up they were bombarded with boulders from the exploding volcano. One of the scientists shouted a warning and then they were hit again with a huge boulder that caused them to smash onto the side of the mountain. As the ship ricocheted off the mountain, a large breach was torn open in the vessel; and it spun out over the open ocean. The gyroscope steadied the ship and it sealed itself off immediately; rising up it positioned itself a safe distance from the disaster below. Recording devices immediately kicked in and began keeping a record of the eruption and noting the effects it was having on the surrounding sea.
And then the nightmare began as DuGan burst into the room and shouted the one word that everyone feared the most; “Contamination!” Everyone froze and looked to Sha'el. She turned with an expression of horror on her face and asked one question. The answer only doubled the look. She turned and looked out at the sea and back at the volcano. In the space of several seconds she had assessed the situation and made a decision. She went to the control panel and shifted some levers and pushed a button. A beam shot out of the ship and hit the volcano; it slowly quieted. She flew the ship over the island, and every hundred feet or so a beam of white light shot out of the ship to the earth below; the island settled itself as the horrified crew looked on. The great ship settled back on the base and there was a flurry of activity. All of the scientists raced below.
There were three levels; the cockpit, the living quarters, and the bottom level where the laboratories and scientific equipment were located. They stopped at the doorway to DuGan's lab and it slid open. There was a crushed rear wall and a gaping hole held together by a force field. The captain walked to the rear and inspected the opening; she turned and scrutinized the lab and the tables with their specimens. She pointed to the table at the crushed wall; it was empty. She looked at DuGan questioningly.
DuGan stepped forward and with tears in her eyes and explained what she had done before they left Argosi. Her fellow scientists gasped and the stunned look on their faces told it all. When the ship was pummeled and thrown against the mountain an opening had been torn in its underbelly. The specimen had fallen out into the ocean.
The look on her face conveyed the over-whelming guilt DuGan felt, for she knew that she had condemned this beautiful world to extinction. In this oxygen enriched atmosphere the creature would grow to an enormous size, capable of destroying all life on this emerging planet.
Sha’el’s mind was racing at the complications this created. This was unimaginable, the worst thing that could possibly happen to a scientific research team. She knew she should report all of this quickly; but she kept remembering what had happened on the planet of Gamut.
The horror she witnessed there had stayed with her all her life.
Sha’el decided in an instant that she would not allow that horror to happen here, not to this beautiful world.