The Orthogonal Galaxy (61 page)

“
I don’t know, Blade,”
replied Paol, “but I suspect we’re about to find out.”

“
D’ya wanna land down
there, Cap’n, and have a look at Atlanta... –ish?”

“
No,” answered the pilot
simply. “Let’s go land in Kansas just like you suggested. I think
you’re right that if there’s a civilization down there, our best
bet for safety is in the Midwest.”

After plugging in the
coordinates as best as Slater could estimate on the map, the Star
Transport computer system calculated their trajectory to a landing
site that was an as flat and indiscernible as any. It could be
Kansas, Oklahoma, or Nebraska as far as either of them could tell.
But it should be close enough for a hopefully successful start to
their mission.

As the vehicle began a
sharp descent towards a patchwork of farmland, they could tell that
there was a thriving and active farming community. Their hearts
leapt into their throats as they felt both intense excitement and a
healthy anxiety for what they would discover. Regardless of the
fact that missing roads were a red flag as to the condition of the
civilization they were about to encounter, it was undeniable as
they descended that these crops were being tended to. They were
extremely well cultivated, and not the product of years of neglect,
let alone the decades or centuries that would be required to erase
roads from the ruins of cities.

Now more than ever, Paol
and Blade worried whether these people would be friendly towards
them or whether they would be advanced enough to understand war,
greed, and distrust.

After a long quiet period
of contemplation, they felt the reverse thrusters kick in, and the
vehicle decelerated until it touched down with a vertical landing
in the middle of a large field of dry wheat. The descent was so
rapid that they could barely focus on their visual surroundings.
Sentient beings were certainly engaged in farming, yet the complete
lack of roads indicated a completely missing infrastructure and
certain isolation between the farmers and the city dwellers of
Earth2. At long last, Star Transport touched down softly, and
everything came to a standstill, as the engines shut down
quickly.

In the still quiet of the
cockpit, labored breathing accompanied the astronauts as they
looked straight into a field of wheat as tall as the Star
Transport. The wheat swayed in a gentle breeze.

Neither astronaut was lost
by the fact that they would eventually need to leave the vehicle
and explore their surroundings, yet they felt glued to their seats
with fear and anxiety.

Eventually, the tension
was broken by Slater. “Oh, no!”

“
What’s wrong, Blade?”
Johannsen leaned towards his navigator with great
concern.

Slapping his forehead,
Blade replied, “I forgot to get a change of address form from the
post office.”

The raucous laughter from
Blade and a feigned sneer of disgust from his pilot bounced around
the cockpit, while immediately outside of the Star Transport, a
quieter atmosphere persisted. Birds chirped in the strong sunlight,
while the sound of wheat swaying in the gentle breeze suggested
that the astronauts had touched down on a peaceful planet vastly
resemebling their own home world. As the superluminal comet raced
away from them on its six-year orbit of the galaxy, they were
optimistic that this would be a hospitable place to live as they
waited for their ride back home.