COSMOROI

COSMOROI

by Richard Stover

I.


         Dr. Lucas Knapp couldnât wait to get off work. It had been one of those weeks from hell starting off with his boss on his ass right out of the gate. A young fresh out of college punk that was hired as a favor to his dad, a college pal of the director. He had two people that he was in charge of, Lucas and Amanda Simms who worked in the lab down in the basement and was rarely seen. This left all of his time to ride Lucas in some warped attempt to prove his worth.
         After that the week seemed to go from bad to worse, with a bacterial outbreak at four popular fast food restaurants across the state that Lucas had yet to identify, thus giving the college snot more ammunition to fire at Lucas. Additionally, to top it off, his on again, off again girlfriend Brenda decided their conflicting schedules were too much of a strain lately, so the relationship was presently switched to the âoffâ position. If he could just get through the day, he would have a weekend to relax and regroup. God bless weekends.
         Acuna-Blake Biologics was a small biology lab that got most of its business from being sub-contracted out by the CDC to help uncover and track various bacterial and viral outbreaks, mostly in the food industries. Lucas, a physician by trade, was grossly overqualified for the job, but had been very happy in the not too demanding position. That was of course until the collegiate prick had been hired as his boss.
         Today he had arrived fifteen minutes late, which generally wasnât a problem. It was easy to park in the far upper corner of the parking lot, a quick walk down the back sidewalk, in the side entrance and be at your desk sipping coffee with no one noticing, which was exactly what he was able to do this morning.
         Lucas sat there quietly sipping his coffee, trying to ease into Friday morning when Kim Barfield walked into his office, shattering the moment.
         âAny luck on BA471-C?â Kim asked, referencing the present unknown that Lucas was trying to unravel.
         âNo, nothing yet. Still growing some cultures and just on my way to the lab to check,â replied Lucas, who up until that moment had not planned on visiting the lab, but in his present mood, the last thing he wanted was chit-chat from Kim.
         Kim was a nice enough women usually, but always seemed to be a little more chipper than necessary. She worked as the company purchasing agent which meant most of the time it was a tug of war between her and Lucas over the things he needed for his work and the things she would approve. âGot to stay within budget,â was all she seemed to say and Lucas knew that was the end of the argument.
         âAny big plans for the weekend,â Kim offered as the next phase of her prattle.
         âNo, not really,â Lucas was able to get out.
         âWell, I do. My friend Shelly, she has aâ¦â
Lucas jumped in, having to cut her off. âKim, I really hate to be rude, but I have to get to the lab and check on those cultures,â he said as he got up and headed for the door.
âNo problem,â Kim replied, the smile never leaving her face. âWeâll catch up later.â
Lucas grinned and walked past her, leaving her standing alone in his office.
Once he hit the hallway, he was more agitated, feeling he was run out of his own office and forced to start his day when he wasnât yet ready. He then realized he had left his coffee on his desk and that didnât improve his mood any, but he had no intention of returning.
Resigned to the fact that his day was underway, he decided to head down to the lab and check on the cultures. At least that would keep him honest with Kim.
Arriving at the lab, he was in a slightly better mood. The day was underway, he had tasks to fill the time, and the small amount of coffee he had was beginning to kick in. Plus it was Friday, so he decided he might as well suck it up and make the best of it.
He went to the incubator and pulled out the tray marked BA471-C and started to investigate the cultures as Amanda entered the lab.
âHow are these doing?â queried Lucas.
âLooking ready. I was just about to pull some samples and prepare them for gram stain. I should have something ready for you in about an hour.â
âThanks,â Lucas replied.
âYou can wait here if you want, or Iâll give you a call when theyâre ready. Your choice,â Amanda offered.
Tough choice, Lucas thought. Sit in a lab waiting or head back to his office to drink his now cold coffee. He opted for the cold coffee.
âIâll head back to my office. Call me.â
âWill do,â Amanda said.
Lucas started back for his office, in no real hurry. He assumed he would kill the hour doing research online to see if there was any correlation between food borne bacterial illnesses in the past few years and BA471-C.
As he walked, his mind wandered to Brenda and maybe he should call her, see if she was up for anything over the weekend and a possible discussion of their relationship, but the mere thought of it brought back depression. He knew it was a waste of time and he actually had no real desire to talk about the often failed relationship or even see her this weekend for that matter. Probably best to cut ties and move on. Besides maybe he might meet someone else, more compatible. Maybe he should just get a cat.
Rounding the corner he saw his juvenile boss approaching him in a peach colored suit which he guessed was this weeks trendy shade.
âDr. Knapp, Iâve been looking for you,â said the whippersnapper. âKim told me you might be in the lab.â
âBrian,â Lucas said, using a familiar, first name greeting on purpose. âWhat can I do for you?â
A slight smirk in Brianâs smile conveyed the knowledge that he had caught the informal reference.
âThere are two gentlemen here to see you. Official looking types. Theyâre waiting in the conference room. I asked them what it was all about, me being your boss and all (little shit), but they said it was a matter they would discuss with you. You know that raised my curiosity. We canât have anything that paints our company in a bad light. You havenât done anything illegal lately, have you?â he joked.
âWell, you never know,â Lucas replied, never losing his composure. âPerhaps I should go and see what they want.â
âOK, and I guess Iâll walk with you. Iâm a little curious myself.â
If they had wanted you to know, Iâm guessing they would have told you, thought Lucas, but heâd let the little toad find out for himself.
As he walked he was a little put off by having to make small talk with Brian while his mind was afire trying to figure out who the two men were and what they wanted with him. The hallway never seemed so long.
Eventually they made their way to the end and around the turn to where the conference room was. Lucas realized Brian had been talking the whole time, but since he hadnât heard a word he had said, he couldnât guess what it had been about.
They passed the receptionist desk and Trish sitting there whose face gave no clue as to the nature of the visit.
They entered the conference room and as mentioned, there were two men in dark suits waiting there.
âDr. Knapp,â said one, âthank you for taking time out of your schedule to meet with us.â He then turned to Brian and said, âand thank you Mr. Kooker for bringing him down. We wonât be needing you any further.â
He then gestured Brian back to the door and indicated it was time for him to leave. The last thing Lucas saw was an odd dejected look on Brianâs face as the door was closed on him.
The man turned back smiling. âPlease Dr. Knapp, have a seat.â

II.

Earth was in three quarter illumination as seen from the Armstrong Lunar Station on the rim of the Philolaus crater near the moons northern pole.
During her off time, Dr. Cassandra Davis loved to view the spectacular sight from the observation deck and though she had seen it thousands of times before, she never lost the sense of awe and majesty she had felt on first sight.
Even finishing first in her class with a doctorate in biology from Stanford University, and quickly chosen within one year of applying for a tour of duty on the lunar surface, she was acutely aware of how fortunate she was for this post. Arduous and at times lonely, few in her field were given such a rare opportunity, a fact she never forgot.
Many of the aspects of life on Luna took a little getting used to. The food was mediocre, but the coffee was surprisingly good. The recycled air had a constant metallic smell but after a few weeks, your senses got used to it, so you eventually hardly noticed. And you never forgot the fact that just outside the windows, with all the surreal wonder of being on the moon, was a hard vacuum that was immediately deadly.
Pressure changes in some sections of the station set off alarms constantly that scared the hell out of you when you first heard them, but like the other hazards, you got used to them as well.
Cassandra had been on station for two hundred and forty-four days and was due for relief in a couple of months, but her research had been going well and there was the possibility of an extension. So after more than eight months, Cassandra was an old pro and few things threw her off her game.
The observation deck was actually a small room, twenty by twelve feet with a large Plexiglas window that faced Earth. Through it you could see the lower edge of Philolaus craters rim to the right and the lunar plain stretching out forward with the blue jewel of the earth on the horizon creating an amazing vista.
Cassandra sat on a mesh style chair supported by a thin aluminum frame while enjoying the view. Every pound of material rocketed into space cost money, so things like nice comfy couches were luxuries lunar stations couldnât afford, but as she only weighted about twenty three pounds on Luna, the mesh chair was just fine.
The view was spectacular and Cassandra was deep in the reverie of it when John C. Mathers walked in. John was a nice enough fellow, one of the stations two medical doctors, who always insisted on introducing himself with the middle initial âCâ, though he never explained what the C stood for and Cassandra never asked.
âNothing to see but all that empty gray dust out there, and yet it still takes my breath away every time I see it,â John C said.
âYes, quite a sight,â Cassandra replied, accepting the loss of solitude for conversation.
Though still a stunning view, the moonâs surface was far from pristine. Many tracks and foot prints were left behind from the building of the station, and since there was no wind on the moon, they were unaltered by time and would remain so. Landscaping another luxury lunar stations could not afford or would even consider.
Sometimes, staring out at the expanse, it made Cassandra a little sad. A moon, millions of yearâs old, perfect in its simplicity, now forever altered by the touch of humankind. As a little girl she had loved the perfect snowfall from the window in her home in Pennsylvania and a bit saddened after they were tracked up. She felt that way now.
âI miss home sometimes looking at it,â John C said. âThe beautiful Earth hanging there in the black sky. It seems so far away.â
âYouâre going home soon, right?â Cassandra asked.
âNext shuttle home. Two weeks,â John C said. âCanât wait to see my family.â
âDonât you see them on the video links?â Cassandra asked lightheartedly.
âOK,â John C said smiling. âI canât wait to hug my family.â
Cassandra smiled back.
âIâm going to freshen up my coffee,â said Cassandra. âDo you want some?â
âNo, Iâm good. Thanks,â John C replied. But before she could get up, an announcement came over the speaker.
âDr. Davis, please report to the Admin Office,â the speaker chimed.
âWell, thatâs me,â Cassandra commented, finally rising. âSee you next time John,â and she exited the observation deck.

III.

Lucas sat in the conference room dumbfounded by what he had just heard. The agent who first invited him in introduced himself as Agent Green. His partner was introduced as Agent White. Lucas assumed that was not their real names and smiled a little at the cloak and dagger pretense. His smile quickly dropped when he saw they were in a very serious mood.
Agent Green sat across the table from him, next to Agent White and opened a file folder that Lucas could only assume was chock full of information on him. For the first time since the beginning of this incident, Lucas began to worry.
âDr. Knapp, please relax,â Agent Green said, obviously noticing the distress on Lucasâs face. âYouâre not in any trouble here. Weâre here to ask for your assistance.â
Lucas suddenly exhaled, not realizing until that moment that he had been holding his breath.
âOK, thanks. Whatâs this all about?â Lucas finally asked.
âBefore we begin, I must inform you that everything said in this room is classified, and may not be spoken of to anyone under penalty of law,â Agent Green said. âWe will need you to sign this form indicating that you have been informed and agree to this.â
Agent White quickly slipped a one page form with a pen in front of Lucas, still never saying a word. Lucas wanted to read it before signing, but the two agents didnât look the type to wait while he examined the particulars. He signed the form, figuring it probably didnât matter much at this point anyway. Agent White quickly snatched the form back and placed it in a folder.
âLast year our Long Range Object Detection discovered an object entering our solar system at a twenty-seven degree angle inside the orbit of Neptune,â said Agent Green. âThe object is expected to make a forty-two degree curve around our sun and exit the solar system on the other side.â
Lucas saw no reason to find this odd, or why they were telling him.
âNormally, this would not seem out of the ordinary for any deep space object, such as a comet,â continued Agent Green. âAs all objects are monitored and photographed when possible, and this one was no exception. What caught our attention was when we received the first photos from the Sagan Space Telescope. The object did not correspond to a natural shape.â
Lucasâs face registered surprise. âNatural shape?â
âYes, as you can see, the object is more tailored in nature,â Agent Green said as Agent White slid two 8 ½ x 11 glossy black and white photos in front of him.
Both photos looked basically the same showing a spherical object, with many faceted sides, all flat. A typical dodecahedron made of some rough dark gray or black material with no other discernible features.
Lucas stared at the photos intrigued by what he was seeing, realizing this was a manufactured object.
âAs you can see,â Agent green continued, âthe object is obviously not of natural origin.â
Lucas put down the photos and they were instantly returned to their folder by Agent White, still without a word. Lucas wished he could keep one.
âAt present, as far as we can tell, the object is simply transiting our solar system and will not approach anywhere near Earth,â Agent Green said. âIf this were a natural object, it would be of no concern, but as the object is not natural and we cannot be sure of its intent. Obviously, we seek further information.â
Intent. That simple word stunned Lucas. Here was an object of intelligent design entering our solar system, and the government was interested in its intent.
âHow many people know about this,â Lucas asked.
âMost of the major nations with a space program are aware. Us, the European Space Agency and the Russians for sure,â Agent Green replied. âWe donât know about the Chinese. Nothing has been said to us at present. Meetings have been held and all parties involved agree to keep it confidential until more is known, and even then no guarantee as to disclosure.â
The magnitude of what Agent Green was telling him was not lost on Lucas. This was huge. Other evidence over the last few decades had proven that we werenât quite alone in the universe. A signal had been received in the direction of star 18 Scorpii that after much research was deemed as not naturally occurring, but never deciphered. Additionally, Mars expeditions had uncovered fossilized remains of multi-celled organisms in the dry Martian lakebeds. This however would be the first physical evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence.
âAt its present speed and trajectory,â Agent Green said, âwe estimate that we have a three to four week window for contact and observation.â
Lucas felt his jaw drop, suddenly realizing he had to make a conscious effort not to look silly as he stared in disbelief. Not only had an object of intelligent design entered our solar system, but we had intention of making contact.
âIn order to make our window,â Agent Green continued, âwe will be launching in four months. Presently we are retrofitting a Lunar Supply Vehicle to make the trip. With it, there will be enough room for eight crew members, supplies and equipment.â
Agent White placed a half inch thick softbound book in front of Lucas. It was titled âMission 407.7 (Starglobe) COMSEC 323.1â with TOP SECRET in large letters at the top and bottom. Lucas wondered if he should start looking through it or leave it untouched until instructed.
âThis document contains most of what we know and details of the mission to investigate,â Agent Green said. âWe canât leave it with you, as you can see itâs classified, but feel free to look through it now if you wish.â
Lucas picked up the document and leafed through it. Most of its contents made little sense. Expected text and graphs, some engineering drawings and additional pictures of the object, much like the ones he had already seen.
âDr. Knapp, we appreciate your time on this matter,â Agent Green said after Lucas had a chance to skim the document. âWeâll contact you with additional information later in the week.â
Lucas smiled and said, âThanks, I appreciate it, but Iâm a little unsure why you are telling me all this.â
Agent Green faced him with a confused look on his face. âDr. Knapp,â he said, âobviously I havenât been clear. Youâre a member of the expedition.â

IV.

Cassandra sat in the back of the black government SUV on her way to the Johnson Space Center. The last two weeks had been a blur, from the moment she was told she was leaving the moon, through the debriefing on the unknown object â something she was still finding unbelievable, though exciting â to now heading to the space center to begin her training.
Though things were happening at a fast pace, Cassandra was not phased. She was as solid as a rock and always had been. Her father would have accepted nothing less. A research physician, he had raised her alone since the death of her mother in a car accident when Cassandra was twelve.
He too was a very driven individual, solely involved in his work until he had lost his wife, then he was forced to step up and be the main influence in Cassandraâs life. A job he took to like a cat takes to algebra.
Growing up through her teen years, Cassandra did not have a female role model to guide her through the particulars, so she was forced to figure most of it out for herself. The only direction she received from her father was his insistence that she excel in everything she did. Subsequently, Cassandra did exceedingly well in school and later in her career, but the memories of her mother were sweeter and she wished she had been around to give her a softer place to land.
After he father passed away a few years ago, Cassandra could only recall one time that he had embraced her, at her graduation from Stanford, and she could never remember him telling her he loved her. Though her upbringing had made her extremely self sufficient, it at times made her feel very alone.
Cassandra thought of him now as the vehicle slowed to enter a checkpoint for the secured area. She wondered what he would think of her now, with all she had accomplished lately and this secret endeavor she was about to embark on.
The driver came to a stop at the checkpoint and two soldiers approached the vehicle. The first one went to the driverâs window, and the driver handed him paperwork without saying a word. The second soldier rounded the vehicle and stared at Cassandra. The first soldier finished checking the paperwork, signed a couple of the documents, handed them back to the driver and signaled them to proceed on. After a short distance, they arrived at a large gray building and were met by a young female officer.
âDr. Davis, Iâm Lieutenant Michaels,â she said in introduction. âWelcome back from the moon. I hope your travels went well. Iâm here to escort you to the orientation.â
âThank you,â Cassandra replied.
âDonât worry about your bags, Iâll have those delivered to your quarters,â Lieutenant Michaels said. âIf youâll follow me please.â
Entering the building, they passed by another military guard who glanced at Lieutenant Michaels I.D. and waved them through.
As they walked down the hallway Cassandra wanted to ask Lieutenant Michaels questions, but was fairly certain she would receive no answers. Eventually, they entered a large conference room with a group of military personnel at the front, and a smaller group standing around holding bottles of water with the same quizzical looks on their faces that Cassandra felt. She assumed these were the other members of the crew she was seeing for the first time.
âPretty staggering stuff, isnât it?â a middle aged man in a plain suit said.
âExcuse me?â Cassandra asked, recognizing him immediately.
âAll this. Pretty amazing, huh?â he said. âOh, Iâm sorry, Iâm Dr. Lucas Knapp,â he continued, introducing himself.
âI know,â Cassandra said smiling. âI actually know you.â
âReally?â
âYes, you taught one of my classes when I was at Stanford,â she said.
âVery nice,â Lucas replied. âHow did you do?â
âI got an âAâ,â Cassandra replied, smiling.
âExcellent. Glad to hear I was such a good teacher,â Lucas said with a smirk.
At that point, one of the officers at the front called for everyoneâs attention.
âI see that Dr. Davis is now here, so we can begin,â he said.
Cassandra grabbed a bottle of water and joined the others taking a seat.
A lot of what transpired during the orientation Cassandra, and the other members of the crew, already knew. Many more photos of the object were shown, now very familiar to all of them, and a breakdown of the mission plan and what was hoped to be learned. Additionally, there were more documents to sign, something she had been doing non-stop since she was first briefed on the moon. She signed these without much of a glance, assuming it mattered little now.
There was of course an introduction of all the people involved, including the members of the crew who were making the expedition.
Along with Dr. Knapp, who she knew, Dr. Marcus Van Horn an Astrophysicist was introduced. A man of note, Cassandra knew him by reputation, but had never met him personally.
Nicolai St. Peters, a chemist who Cassandra did not know or had ever heard of, rounded out the civilian side of the crew.
There were two pilots, Major Brad Cairbre and Captain Mizuki Akira. Cassandra was familiar with Captain Akira, having been part of the crew that had taken her to the moon initially. The remainder of the crew consisted of Astronaut Benjamin âBennyâ Parsons, a geologist and Astronaut Lauren Moore, an engineer.
During the day, she had a chance to meet them all. A collection of strangers about to embark on a historic and dangerous mission that was sure to bind them all together in ways that Cassandra could not yet fathom.
Their training began the next morning and all of them fell into the routine easily. Half of their time spent with their trainers individually preparing for their specific goals, while the rest of the time they trained together, cohering the team.
The pilots and the astronauts were well trained, having worked many of the scenarios previously. Of the four civilian members on the crew, Cassandra was the only one who had been to space. This gave her a bit of an edge with the astronauts. Having braved the vacuum of space, she was already accepted as part of their elite club.
The others took to the training quite well and Cassandra enjoyed the bond that was growing among them, with the exception of Dr. Van Horn.
Preferring mostly to be alone and involved in his own work, they had learned little of him during their training and Cassandra was certain he would have chosen to go on the expedition alone if he could.
As a group, their conversations during their downtime ran the full spectrum from excitement to fear and included questions as to why of all the possible candidates, they had been chosen.
Nicolai felt that though they were all much respected in their field, they were probably also all expendable.
Lucas took a simpler approach feeling they were probably just names drawn out of some government hat.
Either way, Cassandra was honored and excited. The thought of making contact with an alien object coupled with the unlimited scope of what they might learn, thrilled her immensely.
Benny put a somber note on the discussions, pointing out that it could be anything from a stray weapon that could detonate on contact wiping out their entire solar system to a signaling device informing the makers of their location among the stars. Neither one producing good results. He also never tired of pointing out that working with unknown factor, such as this, all the various dangerous scenarios could not be anticipated and therefore, should something go awry, they would be own their own and improvising.
After many weeks, their training appeared to be going well, as was the retrofitting of the ship that was taking them to the object. Though most of the people involved with the mission had begun calling it âBlacksphereâ, as many felt that âthe objectâ was too impersonal and âStarglobeâ just sounded silly.
Cassandra was in her designated lab going over yet again her equipment list trying to get it under the weight limit assigned to her when Mizuki came in carrying two coffee cups.
âOh, you read my mind,â Cassandra said seeing Mizuki.
Cassandra and Mizuki were becoming good friends, another byproduct of the expedition that pleased her greatly.
âYeah, youâve got to take a break around here anytime you can find one,â Mizuki said as she handed Cassandra a coffee.
âHowâs your work going,â Cassandra asked as she took a deep sip of the glorious brew.
âAs well as can be expected. Like you, trying to fit a lot into a short amount of time.â
âJust as long as you get us there and back safely,â Cassandra said with a smile.
âThatâs not a problem. Besides, Bradâs a perfectionist. Heâs drilling us hard. As you probably guessed, he likes to leave nothing to chance. In fact, I think chance scares him senseless.â
âYeah, I got that impression,â Cassandra replied. âWhat about you? Are you O.K.?â
âSure. Iâm fine. Iâve been doing this awhile. Flying is part of my DNA,â Mizuki said.
âReally?â
âYeah, my dad and my uncle were airline pilots. Iâve grown up around aviation all my life. Iâve been flying since I was sixteen.â
âNice to know weâre in experienced hands,â Cassandra said. âIs your dad still flying?â
âNo, heâs back in Japan, retired. I think he misses it though.â
âIâll bet heâs proud of you. An astronaut, flying space planes.â
âHe is.â
âWhat does he think youâre doing right now, since we canât discuss the mission outside of here?â
âStandard cover story. My family thinks Iâm at Goddard pushing paperwork,â Mizuki replied. âYours?â
âThey think Iâm still on the moon, extended deployment.â
Mizuki smiled and sipped her coffee in silence for a few moments. Cassandra knew she had something more on her mind, but didnât ask. She was just as happy to enjoy the quiet moment herself.
After another brief moment Mizuki said, âDo you ever worry? About all this, I mean?â
âSome,â Cassandra replied. âWhy?â
âItâs nothing really,â Mizuki continued. âI think Benny is just starting to get to me. You know, how he keeps going on about the dangers. The unknown factor.â
âYeah, he does go on about it.â
âHe said he was a marine before he was an astronaut, and itâs the things you donât plan for that get you killed. And this,⦠well how can we know? We donât even know what it is, and weâre planning to go up there and poke it with a stick.â
âI wouldnât let Benny cloud your thinking,â Cassandra said. âHeâs just a scared boy.â
âIâm a bit scared too,â Mizuki opined. âHow do you stay so calm?â
Cassandra knew how she felt. When she had been initially informed of the object and plans to investigate it, she was excited. Even further, she felt privileged to be part of the team, to be one of the first to make contact with an alien race, with all that may mean and what they would learn. She knew that she was part of something historic. But during the training, as the initial excitement started to wear off, each of them began to be aware that this may be a one-way trip. Something that none of them talked about openly.
Cassandra had always been willing to take risks, even with her life, if the payoff seemed worth it, and this was. She tried not to think of the danger, only of moving forward and doing what was expected of her.
She tried to adopt a calming smile for Mizukiâs sake.
âIâm not always as calm as I appear,â Cassandra said. âI just try to focus on the job at hand and try to do my best. Besides, weâre well trained, itâs a good team and youâre an excellent pilot. I have a lot of faith in us.â
Mizuki seem a little more relieved. âIâm glad you are along on this mission with me,â she said. âIt helps.â
âMe too,â Cassandra replied. âWeâll take care of each other, OK?â she added.
âThanks.â Mizuki smiled, rising. âI better get back to work. A lot still to do.â
âAny time. Really.â
Mizuki left and Cassandra was alone to ponder her own doubt.

V.