Free Charger the Soldier by Lea Tassie

to Earth after the last ice age to help early man build
this site. Such nonsense!" He had little tolerance for what he
deemed stupidity. "If aliens with advanced technologies did come to
this place, why would they help primitive humans pile rocks in
circles? Let me ask you – have you ever helped a wasp build its
nest, or invited cockroaches into your home by creating small holes
in your walls for them?"
    His students made no answer; perhaps they had
none. Or they were in awe of his reputation. He knew he was
regarded as one of the world's most respected scientists, and
certainly he had published many treatises on a variety of subjects
over the years. Now he was content to concentrate on Earth's
ancient history, though at times like this he wished it was a more
peaceful task.
    Dr. Opinhimmer went on. "It is clear to me
that early humans were organized into groups, and that they were
intelligent enough to create these magnificent structures on their
own. We should not be so quick to assume that primitive people were
incapable of thinking in abstract terms."
    "But, sir, I read a paper you wrote back in
1990 about the church and aliens. Didn't you suggest that aliens
might be responsible for the rise of religions all over the world?"
The young Soviet student sounded puzzled.
    "My God, that's forty years ago!" Opinhimmer
paused. "One of the benefits of old age is that you gain wisdom.
And since when did you become so smart? Reading my early papers,
are you trying to get a better grade?" Dr. Opinhimmer laughed as he
reached over and rubbed the student's head. "Yes, it is true that I
wrote those things. I studied religion for a number of years at my
old university, much to the annoyance of my scientific peers. My
friends from the theological faculty and I spent many a long night
arguing about spiritual matters. I also read many articles on the
alien contacts supposed to have occurred throughout time. I found
little factual evidence for those claims."
    He was now caught up in his memories and
eager to continue. "And, if you had read the entire paper, you
would know that I found little or no evidence that aliens were
responsible for the rise of religion. Instead I suggested that the
notion of alien intervention in human affairs could not be proved
nor disproved and should remain a null topic until we discover more
evidence. Anything else is just pure speculation."
    The group arrived at the meal tent and, after
getting coffee and a snack, everyone sat around a large table.
Another of the students said, "So this group that keeps appearing
at our gates thinks the site was buried for a reason?"
    Opinhimmer took a deep breath. "Yes. I
received letters from these people informing me that they planned
to protest our work here. They believe that this site was first
constructed after the Ark mentioned in the Bible came to rest on
Mount Ararat a few miles from here. But this is just more
nonsense!" He waved his hand in dismissal. "There is no evidence
that the Ark ever existed, nor that it came to rest here, nor that
there was ever a flood in this region, nor that this site has any
type of religious implications. Actually, this place seems to have
rather more in common with aliens than it does with religion."
    "But how can you deny the existence of aliens
and yet say this site seems alien?" asked a young East Indian
girl.
    Opinhimmer held his coffee cup between his
hands. "The beauty of good science is that it never makes the
arrogant claim that it has all the answers. Any answer is only
relevant for a day because tomorrow new evidence may overturn it."
He liked his students to decide for themselves if his answers were
logical. "Unlike religion, which claims to have an answer for
everything, science admits that it is faced with a conundrum here.
Yes, this site is close to the so-called holy lands, but it appears
very different in construction and purpose from similar sites."
    He leaned back in his chair and pushed his
long graying hair away