Echoes of the Past 3.0

Abel set the ship to land on a gray patch a couple of kilometers from the structure.

“No way are any other life forms going to touch this ship,” he muttered.

As I stared outside, I couldn’t help but think that this moon is just like any other moon in our side of the universe.  But there is one thing different.  Right now, a part of me is very much hopeful to see evidences of other life forms that had eluded us before.  My heart hammered frightfully and excitedly in my chest.  I have to say that dreams are still different from reality.

Above the dreary surface of the moon stood the blue planet and seeing it gave me a wave of nostalgia for the blue planet that we had left behind.  And then I wondered what if, unlike us, these other life forms consider their moon as their main “home” instead of the nearby planet?  What if we have it the other way around thinking “the planet and its moon” instead of “the moon and its planet”?

I cleared my head as Abel motioned for me to follow him.  I need to be alert here in the present as we still have a mission to do.  We geared up, put our emergency packs on our waists and grabbed a couple of All-Terrain Vehicles near the door to aid us in getting to the structure.  Abel opened the hatch and I could almost feel the stale moon air on my skin as we stepped out on the dry moon floors. 

“Lock her up tight,” I told Abel, referring to our spaceship.  In case of emergency, Abel will press the auto-take off device which will signal the ship to go back to our planet.  If anything happened to us, we agreed to have the ship take its course back home, with or without us.  If we’re going down, it will only be us who are going down.


We drove to the structure with no problems.  The ride is unremarkable, just as if we’re riding the surface of our own moon.  But after parking our vehicles and standing right next to the structure, I couldn’t help but feel that there is a heavy, rickety feeling around it.  It is unlike anything we have in our planet.  Oh yes, the materials are familiar.  I could almost tell the composition of each beam, each pillar, each support.  But the way it was made, I wouldn’t have made it quite like that.  I am now excited to learn that somebody had made this structure as there’s no way that this is a natural piece of art.

“Get your gun ready,” I told Abel tightly at the same time excited with what is up ahead.

Instead, Abel held his portable life scanner.  He sighed.  “Still no signs of life.”  But to my relief he held his gun readily on his shoulder.

Inside the structure is a hallway leading to several roomy compartments.  I am amazed at the details of these rooms.  Every piece of chair, table, and unknown objects are refreshing to my eyes.  Some objects I have no idea what the use for, such as the coiled spring atop a counter or the stack of faded plastic-like cards in the corner. 

“These objects are old,” I commented, as a piece of leathery equipment disintegrated at my touch.  “We have to be careful.  We don’t want to break anything and we certainly do not want anything caving in on us.”

Abel nodded and we entered a bigger than usual room with a circular table overlooking the gray lands outside.

I got goosebumps because this room is highly similar to my own office in our own space station.  Monitor-like gadgets, keyboards, gauges, knobs and buttons are placed neatly all over the place.

“Intergalactic equipments, I have no doubt about it!” I exclaimed touching the equipments gingerly.  I looked over at Abel.  “I was right, this is a space station and the messages were probably sent from here!

“But,” I continued, “These radios and equipments are ancient.  They’re something that would have made our museums proud.  And I could tell that nobody has touched these for hundreds of years.  How could that be?  I received a message not more than six months ago.  Now I’m confused, I don’t think this is the right location after all!”

Abel touched my arm slightly, “Mark… I believe this is the right location,” he said softly.  “Looking at these equipments, everything makes sense.  These equipments are old along with the messages you have received.  The messages had been sent several hundreds of years ago it seems.  Since our planet is too far from here, the time delay is massive.  And with this technology,” Abel motioned towards the dusty equipment, “The message relay was way too slow.  It’s not like the technology we know.  We received the message too late.” 

I hang my head.  He’s right.  Why haven’t I thought of that?  I assumed that their technology will be at par with ours, maybe even more advanced.  I’ve never thought that the messages were sent by ancient equipments and were just echoes of the past.  This technology shouldn’t exist anymore!  And the fact is, they do not exist anymore because these gadgets had been unused for centuries.  Abel is right, there are no signs of life-- there is nothing now!

“Mark, look at that,” Abel pointed at my right, interrupting my thoughts.

I looked over at an empty desk at the side and examined the bolted up metal frame on it.  It showed a glossy picture, a photo similar to ours yet still eerily different.  Preserved in the slightly dusty frame, I could see a being smiling straight into the camera.  She was smiling, her white teeth flashing along with the bright surroundings.  I ran my hands through the creature’s face.  So that’s what they looked like.  Some of her features were similar to ours and yet… not.  Her skin was too pale, her eyes blue and oval-shaped.  I have never seen such a being.  I thought of my own blue skin and bulging, round eyes, and pondered upon the wonderful differences.  And what is that ridge between her eyes? 

“Is that a male or a female?” Abel murmured.

“I believe it’s a she,” I said.  I don’t know how I knew but I just know.

As beautiful as the being is the greenery in the background.  Again, it looked similar to our planet which only means that something used to light this dark planet.

What happened here?

“I believe they used to have a sun,” I said solemnly.  “If we travel a bit more we will probably see its remnants.”

Abel nodded at that.  “Do you think they perished along with their sun?”

I nodded slightly.  “If their physiology is similar to us, then they will die along with their sun sooner or later.”

Still staring at the picture, I saw some symbols at the bottom of the metal frame.  Are they words?  I asked myself as I pulled out my portable decryptor from my waist bag.  If they are words, it will tell so.  I scanned the symbols and waited for the machine to decrypt them.

Marina, it flashed.  There’s no mistaking it now, she had been here and probably died here, too.  We’re really at the right place. 

I bowed my head.  This beautiful creature, this Marina, is gone-- hundreds of years gone, and we had been too late in answering their plea for help.  She probably typed the message in vain… a message going to where, she probably doesn’t know. 

Abel motioned to me.  He was staring at a big block hanging at the wall.  “Look Mark, I believe this is a likeness of their solar system.”

I walked over to Abel looking at a bright picture hanging on the wall.  Just like Marina’s picture, it was encased in a metal frame thus preserving its quality.  My knowing eyes calculated and I found myself pointing at the third planet.  “This is it.  This is their planet judging from the size and color.  And this tiny moon beside it is where we are right now.”

I lowered my eyes to the symbols beside the likeness of their planet and decrypted them.

I looked over at Abel.  “Earth.  I believe they used to call their planet Earth.”