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| Lpnet1-100 The Lost Planet Chapter 1: Accident with an Asteroid Chapter 2: Stranded in Space Chapter 3: Survival in Solitude Chapter 4: The Ancient Temple Chapter 5: A Virtual Reality Experience Chapter 6: The Crystal Records Chapter 7: The Knowledge of Tranqua Chapter 8: The Meta- Hydrovector Chapter 9: The Long, Hard Work Chapter 10: The Project Complete Chapter 11: The Crystal Fantasy Chapter 12: The Key of Vitreos |
The
Lost Planet
Chapter 8. The Meta-Hydrovector 11/28/2086: 4 months after crash With the discovery of the meta-hydrovector in the Tranquan crystal-records, there was now some distant possibility that water could be created from base-elements, but the work involved was the biggest project ever contemplated by this mind and these two hands. It was possible that the Valkon's engine cones and afterburners could be salvaged to serve as the main chambers to the hydrovector, but first there had to be necessary base elements about, for without the right and proper ingredients, the hydrovector was useless. After determining on paper that the scaled-down size of the hydrovector was possible, and the jet-cones could be used with it, it was time for prospecting outside, with the elementary 'EM' signatures noted in the porta-com unit of the spacesuit. Jet-packing slowly over the rugged, stone surface of the asteroid, the sensors were set to register and identify the base-elements. It was mostly basalt and granite, with traces of iron and dense igneous stone. The granite and basalt was rough, with irregular blemishes, and the igneous was smooth, sometimes as slick as glass. Though the gravity of the asteroid was less than one-eighth that of Earth, the heavy space boots, jetpak, and other equipment weighed my body down to the surface lightly, just enough so I didn't have to worry about being tossed away from this cold, lonely stone presently called home. Signals from the cavern com-units were easily located so long as they weren't lost too far over the horizon. As I flew, it appeared the asteroid was not unlike a small moon. There were desert-stretches of flat stone with a few blemishes, there were hills, ravines, craters, and mountains, there were canyons and cracks and it all went on for kilometers. It was going into the second hour when the sensors registered and identified one of the base elements. An element the Tranquans called Kerosuphi. Kerosuphi had a signature that put it somewhere between a stable actinide and a transition alkaloid. By the magnitude of the register, there was a large deposit of it under the lip of a ravine about 20 meters wide to the southeast. Perched on the opposite side of the ravine, the video-cam zeroed in on the deposit and recorded everything. It was a vein under the lip of stone and according to the sensors, it widened as it went deeper under the surface. The full magnitude of it could not be completely shielded by the granite and basalt about it. With a short adjustment of the jets, I resumed across the ravine directly to it. The lamp reflected a wave-like vein of a deep, blue-green with tiny striations and grains of yellow, orange, and red. It was fascinating to see such colorful beauty in the otherwise dark, grey landscape of endless night. The visible portion of it was 5 to 8 centimeters wide and several meters long, like an exotic snake frozen in the stone for countless centuries in time. I studied it closely with the video-cam recording, located the nearest thing to a rough edge near the basalt lip at the top, used a laser cutter, and sliced away a chunk about the size of a human hand. I rechecked the Tranquan spex, sliced another chunk, and put it in a bag. The 2 other elements; Ovelutra and Zhiavyra, were also necessary. Kerosuphi was the main base and a large deposit was now located less than 2 kilometers from the temple. I marked the spot with a short, metal pole and a silver banner, and then continued on in search of the other elements. An hour later a deposit of Ovelutra was located, as a meter square irregular boulder of amber-like stone, protruding from the side of a mountain. It was not as abundant as the Kerosuphi; however, neither was it as necessary. Less than 1 part of Ovelutra was needed for every 100 parts of Kerosuphi. As I cut some of it away and put it in the bag, it seemed like a great piece of an exotic fruit in some kind of huge nut-cake. With a pole and banner, the site was tagged for easy location and I was on to search for the third and final main ingredient: Zhiavyra. But I searched long, for hours over the dark asteroid landscape, flying, jetting, hopping, and walking, probing into every little, dark chasm, crevice, and mountain ridge, with no luck. It appeared to be very rare. Considering the fact that only .001 parts of it were necessary for every 1 part of Ovelutra, it seemed like a reasonable assumption. It was a low-radioactive, transition element and should have been easy to detect, if it were in range of the sensors. Obviously, it was rare. Standing at the top of a mountain over two kilometers from the temple to the north, I surveyed the landscape with the video-cam and located the temple-signal. It was enough, I decided, for one day, took to the space with the jets and headed directly home. 3 deposits were marked, but only two of the base elements had been found. Perhaps 'tomorrow' would bring the other. |
Chapter 13:
Contact with Mars Chapter 14: The Asteroid Miners Chapter 15: T’rwani and Tranqua Chapter 16: The Europan Pirates Chapter 17: A Clone for a Companion Chapter 18: A Skirmish in Space |
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