Free Forbidden the Stars by Valmore Daniels Page A

Alex.
    Come.
     

__________
     
    USA, Inc. Exploration Site :
    Mission Orcus 1 :
    Pluto :
     
    Helen’s voice of authority cut off the argument that threatened to boil over from the collected scientists.
    “We’ve got something on the spectrograph sensor at the artifact site. It’s the Dis Pater .” Immediately, Henrietta Maria and Sakami Chin rushed over to the communications desk.
    Sakami’s eyes flashed all over the communications boards. “What is it?” the planetologist asked.
    Helen replied in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
    “It’s glowing—and the sensor reports that it’s giving off electromagnetic wave vibrations. Initial wave length at 6662.04 angstroms, a frequency of 450 terahertz increasing in frequency at an accelerating rate of 60 terahertz per hour per hour.”
    “Can it do that?” George Eastmain, the astrophysicist, shook his head in disbelief.
    Helen shrugged; her specialty was navigation and communication. “Maximum wave length of 3997.23 angstroms will be reached in approximately five hours.”
    The captain speculated, “Some kind of broadcast? Could the Dis Pater be some kind of antenna array? If so, where is the broadcast originating?”
    “Unknown.”
    Between 7000 and 4000 angstroms is the visible spectrum of light. Something’s coming at us!” exclaimed Dale Powers, calculating the mathematics in his head: “… At just under the speed of light!”
    Justine raced for her bio-eco suitshield, and donned it in record time. With her, the Science Team dressed and entered the air lock, leaving Helen behind to monitor communications and control.
    Taking the ATVs, both packed with analytic and survey equipment readers, the group raced for the artifact.
    Twenty minutes after the initial reading reported by Helen, the Science Team and the captain gathered around the monolith. For a few moments, they did not move from the ATV, so stunned were they by the change in Dis Pater .
    The color of the monolith had changed from transparent to a deep cherry red. They heard the cyclic wave emissions as a hum, which resonated in a growing and lessening volume.
    Justine swallowed. “All right people; let’s act like we know what we’re doing. I want every kind of reading you can imagine taken on that thing.” When they did not react immediately, she spoke in a loud commanding voice, “And I want it ten minutes ago!”
    Quickly, the six scientists spread out to check the existing analytical equipment, and soon, reports were filtering in from each area of expertise.
    Justine retrieved the AV interface camera, and filmed everything as it happened. She gave instructions to Helen to EPS live to Luna station. The power costs would be extraordinary, but if the CEO of the United States of America wanted some tangible information, she was going to give it to him in spades.
    Ekwan was the first to call out. “I read temperature change.”
    “Specify,” Justine ordered, assuming temporary command of the Science Team. If Dale Powers had any objections, he did not voice them.
    “Surface temperature of artifact rising,” the Japanese scientist explained. “minus 210.8°C…minus 210.1°C…minus 209.6°C…”
    “Projections?”
    Ekwan consulted his computer. At Ground Zero, temperature will read 0.0°C”
    “Interesting,” Justine said. “Peripheral effects? Climatology of the surrounding area?”
    Ekwan shook his head. “It depends on how long Dis Pater holds that heat. We could have a few isolated whirlwinds, maybe some nitrogen hail or methane rain. If the artifact cools quickly, there is nothing to worry about. I’m assuming it will begin to cool once… whatever …reaches us.”
    George Eastmain reported, “The thing is changing color slowly. It’s going through the entire visible spectrum. The color right now equates to about 6,250 angstroms. Over the next few hours, we’ll see it get light red, then yellow for a few minutes, changing into the greens, then blues, and finally