David Golemon - Legacy

“It’s a colony,” Niles said. He and the others stepped forward for a better look. They could see that the SS had set up a large perimeter around the three-square-mile site and had encompassed the entire area with watch towers and even a barbed wire fence. In the center of the occupied area, just before the stretch of alien buildings began, there was a large concrete blockhouse.

“How many colonists do you estimate, Niles?” Collins asked, as he scanned the area and watched for any sign of trouble from the men who were going from building to building.

“Hard to say, but for the sake of a starting point-two hundred, maybe less,” Compton said. He received nods from the four scientists, who were staring in amazement.

“They came all the way here and then the planet killed them anyway,” Jack said to no one in particular. He strode forward into the giant cave system.

He saw Major Krell advance toward him. Sebastian saluted, surprised to see Collins had entered with so many men before he had given the all clear.

“Ease up on the military discipline, Major,” Jack said, waiting for a report.

“I believe we have counted close to a thousand bodies and that’s not including the slave labor pen about a half a mile in that direction,” Krell said, pointing. “There are close to five hundred skeletons in there, mostly in the same condition as the soldiers.”

Jack finally faced Sebastian and raised his right brow. Sebastian held his hand out toward the colonel, and when Collins raised his hand the major dropped two items into it. One was a Star of David and the other a red circle of material.

“I believe you know what those are?” Sebastian said, straining with the words as he tried to keep his shock and anger in check.

“The Star of David,” Jack said, as he looked from the torn and tattered material to the angry eyes of Sebastian. “The red circle is a marker for a Gypsy. That was their labor force in the mines.” They were joined by Niles, who took the two items from Jack’s hand and looked at them.

“Hard to take. Here we’re searching for answers for all mankind and to do it we have to be shown the ugliness of our past.”

Sebastian realized that the director said our and not the German past. He was silently grateful for that small mercy. His anger over the discovery ebbed.

“Do you have any idea how they all died, besides very violently?” Jack said as he himself finally snapped out of a haze of thought.

“By the looks of the uniforms and the condition of the skeletal remains, I would hazard a guess that they were torn to pieces, smashed into dust and crushed. A few of them maybe even have been stepped upon by something. There are thousands of expended shell casings, evidence of large explosions, and areas of the gallery that look as if hundreds of men died making a last stand toward the far end of the cave system. There are also many remains by the cave-in, of men who looked as though they fought until the roof was brought down, blocking the way of whatever did this. The cruel thing about that site is the fact that fifty or so of those smashed bodies were wearing those patches, so in the end these people fought for their slave masters in an attempt to keep whatever evil that was here confined.”

Collins nodded his head at the quickly delivered report from Sebastian, then he stepped forward with the others following closely. Everett stepped up to Jack as he was handed the swatches of material and examined them. When he looked around at the smashed bodies of the men who were used to secure this place, he tossed the old material away and shook his head.

“I guess the Germans shut this place down when they thought all of this would hurt the tourist trade they were hoping for.”

As the soldiers followed the German commando, they knew they had just entered a 700-million-year-old mausoleum.

The men had spread out and searched the German huts. Another team spread out into the original colony area. The first real discovery came from Pete Golding, who was examining the body of a German soldier who had died in the seventy-year-old battle. Pete was squatting beside the remains and looking at the smashed and crushed bones when he saw a piece of rotting, red material poking free of a large slice of once molten rock. He stood and pulled as hard as he could. When Charlie Ellenshaw saw what he was doing, he stepped up to assist. Finally, the facing of the large stone gave way and they jumped back when they saw what fell free.

“Good lord,” Charlie said, and felt his bladder weaken.

Lying half in and half out of the stone was the space suit everyone had come to know from the pictures from the Moon. The white helmet was smashed and the skull inside crushed. Pete rubbed his hands on his pants. The remains were so old that they had turned to stone and had become a part of the rock that had killed whoever this was. As they looked on, they nearly screamed aloud when Jack and Niles stepped up behind them.

“Why were they wearing suits?” Jack asked. “Do you think their kind may not have been accustomed to this climate?”

“That’s puzzled me ever since the senator told us his story,” Niles said as he knelt down to examine the upper torso of the body. “I think I’m beginning to understand. When these beings arrived here, the Earth was a young place, as evidenced by the upheaval of the Andes that swallowed them up. But it was also a planet that spewed poisonous vapors everywhere from the planet-wide volcanic activity on what had to have been the supercontinent. During a large eruption, they may have resorted to the use of their environment suits.”

Charlie looked over at Niles and wiped sweat from his brow.

“If that is the case, why would these people colonize such a hostile world?” he asked as he looked from face to face.

“Maybe because they weren’t colonists in the sense we may understand,” Jack said. He looked at the petrified bone smiling back at them through the smashed helmet.

“Meaning?” Pete asked, also staring at the ancient astronaut.

“Meaning maybe they hadn’t a choice but to be here,” Collins answered.

Before anyone could follow up with another question, they were approached by a young Marine.

“Captain Everett sends his regards. He would like you to join him right over there, sir.”

Jack and the others turned and followed the Marine. They stopped when they saw Carl leaning over a body. This one wasn’t petrified nor was he wearing a uniform.

“I think we may have found the man of the hour,” Everett said. He stood and examined something. Jack walked over and looked down at the remains. They were also skeletal, but not nearly as old as the others. There was a black suit jacket and what caught his attention more than anything was the white collar wrapped through his once purple shirt collar. The head had been smashed to oblivion just above the minister’s shoulders.

“I take it this is the Reverend William T. Rawlins, father of Samuel Rawlins, who disappeared many years ago.”

Carl tossed Jack the wallet he was holding and nodded.

“Good guess. I imagine the Reverend went into private practice after the war. He had his son, Samuel, and years later curiosity got the better of him,” Everett said, looking around nervously.

“He met the same fate as the others,” Pete said, looking at the remains but feeling not the least bit sorry for the good Reverend.

“Look at this, Jack,” Niles said, as he straightened from the body. He tossed an object over and Collins caught it.

“A radio,” Jack said as he examined it.

“It was in his hand.”

“He may have been using it when attacked,” Jack said and put the ancient walkie-talkie down.

“It looks like your hunch about the vibrations being linked to the electronic radios may be correct,” Everett said, looking toward the top of the chamber.