Chapter 39: The Exploration Begins

With all preparations completed they began their explorations. They crossed the moat again and Kyle activated a small display screen on the control panel. Just as he had surmised it was some sort of GPS tracker. The buildings they had left behind flashed with an amber dot marking their location and an X which could only be their vehicle moved away.

"Where to Chief?" Kyle asked Stan.

"I think we should check the far wall first," Stan replied. "And then check out that other flashing amber dot," Stan said as he looked over Kyle's shoulder and noted the flashing dot at the very extreme edge of the screen.

They began to traverse the land at a maximum speed of about fifty mph.

"It's going to take a very long time to explore this ring at this pace. I roughly estimate the land area here is equal to about a hundred Ero's opened up and laid flat." Stan said.

Eliana spoke up, "so far the only things we have encountered are machines and my guess is they are designed to maintain this ring. It seems like they are fully automated too. I wonder where the beings that designed this ring are. I also wonder why we haven't run into any type of life or even any signs of life. It seems like a shame and a waste to build something this large and not have any type of life on it."

"Don't give up Eliana this is a huge area of which we have explored only an infinitesimal part. I have a feeling we will find life of some kind," Kate said.

As they conversed Kyle drove on and then came to a stop. In front of them was a wide chasm constructed of the same material as the ring. It ran in both spinward and counter spinward directions as far as the eye could see.

"It appears our journey is going to be short lived," Kyle stated and then continued, "There is no way to get the vehicle across, the walls are far too steep even for this tracked vehicle."

"What's that?" Xenos asked pointing in the distance and at the bottom of the chasm where he had seen movement. Becka dashed to the back dug through her backpack and came up with a pair of vision glasses. (Similar to binoculars) In addition to his or her personnel belongings each carried items for common usage in their backpack. Becka happened to be carrying vision glasses. She placed them to her eyes dialed them into focus and shouted.

"There are several machines and they are at the bottom of the chasm doing something."

"Let me see," Stan said holding his hands out for the vision glasses. He put them to his eyes and studied the distant machines for some time before speaking. When he finally spoke he said.

"It looks like they are excavating dirt. There is a step in the ring material and it looks like dirt below it. There are a couple of loading machines that are filling other ones that are shaped like dump trucks. He followed one of the dump trucks and saw it disappear into the side of the chasm. He swung his gaze to the top of the chasm and moments later the dump truck appeared at the top as it wheeled its load to a growing mound in the distance.

He watched as another dump truck made a similar trip but went to the opposite side of the chasm. Stan smiled and then took the vision glasses away from his eyes.

"I think I have found a way across. I also think this chasm is a giant aqueduct for drainage. This in turn tells me that it may not rain very often but it does rain. There is weather here." He looked across the vast grassy plain that stretched out on both sides of the aqueduct and continued, "I am sure we will find that the land slopes from the outer walls to this aqueduct in the center for drainage." He turned to look counter spinward and pointing, spoke again, "That blue spot up there is water. It looks very small from here but close up I would wager it is a big as any ocean. The green spot just this side of it I would surmise is forest. Eliana I would guess that we will find life there. Anyway Kyle turn and drive spinward because I saw a truck come out of the aqueduct there in the distance."

Kyle headed where Stan pointed and it was not long before they came channel that sloped down into the aqueduct. It was wide enough that they would be able to meet and pass one of the dump trucks coming out if needed. They drove down, soon came out on the floor of the aqueduct and then crossed to the other side where they spotted an identical channel on the other side. They drove up its incline and out onto the plain beyond.

In not much time they came up to another wall that was smooth featureless and went straight up fading from sight. Retracing their path they once again drove through the aqueduct and out the other side. Kyle turned counter spinward and headed for the forest and ocean. The hours passed but the sun still blazed down from the same noon day position. Late that day they called a halt just short of the forest beginning.

From her backpack Becka removed a bundle of writing stylus sized objects about six inches long and a small square bundle that easily fit into the palm of her hand. She removed the thread thin ties that secured the bundle together and started to erect the frame work that would soon form a tent cabin. Telescoping the objects apart and connecting them beside the vehicle they quickly took on the form of a tent that would easily accommodate the entire team. She then began to unfold the square bundle and soon had to enlist the aid of Xenos, Shakti and Roxy as the unfolded bundle became larger. They draped the light paper thin material over the frame work and finished telescoping the four poles upwards. In less than an hour the finished cabin took shape complete with floor. It was about eight feet tall in the center and sloped to the sides to be about five feet tall at the cabin walls. Becka pulled back the entrance flap and looked inside. It was pitch dark inside and almost twenty degrees cooler for the material that composed the cabin almost totally reflected light and a good share of heat.

Kyle came to the open flap and stood besides her holding a small pea shaped object with attached thread thin cord. He pulled on the thread and the globe began to glow with a soft but bright light. He stepped inside the cabin/tent and tied the globe to the rafters. The entire interior was now illuminated. Katelyn stepped in carrying three small bottles and her water container. From one of the bottles she removed eight tiny pill shaped objects. She applied a single drop of water to each and they formed eating utensils. She removed eight pills from the next bottle and repeated the process with the water forming eight plates. She removed eight pills from the last bottle and placed a single pill on each of the plates. She applied a drop of water to each a Becka watched as a steaming hot meal formed on each plate.

"The meals ready," she announced. Becka shook her head. The technology and the miniaturization skills her new friends possessed never failed to amaze her.