The Blue People of Cloud Planet Read Online Free PDF

we? It’s 10 light years away!’
     
    ‘Yes, but probably not all of you. However, let me give you the good news, the incredible news and the not so good news.’
     
    The astronauts were all ears.
     
    ‘When we discovered Cloud Planet of the star Seren we embarked on a 20 year project to build two star ships capable of travelling at a significant fraction of the speed of light. We also knew that we had to refine, improve and test cryo – hibernation so that astronauts could ‘sleep’ for most of the journey, oh, and wake up OK and with a bit of luck get back.’
     
    The astronauts smiled at this unusual bit of humour from the General.
     
     ‘Our goal was to go to Cloud Planet in 2155 and that’s 5 years from now and the good news is that we are on target for this date. We have built our first starship capable of half the speed of light and have cracked cryo – hibernation!’
     
    ‘But that’s incredible,’ most of the astronauts retorted together.
     
    ‘So why have we been rushing through this training programme when we’re 5 years from take-off?’ Scott enquired still unable to digest what the General had said.
     
    He smiled; Scott was usually the most perceptive of his astronauts. ‘Well, now for the incredible news,’ and he looked up to the display of Cloud Planet, ‘the ‘on – off’ pattern of this one particular light spot started off quite erratically and usually lasted for about 2 hours. Then it repeated every 20 hours which, by the way, is the 360 degree rotation time for this planet on its axis. It is also the same spot of light that blinks each day.’
     
    Then he paused, his audience completely focused on the planet above them with its pulsing speck of light.
     
    ‘Now we move on about 20 revolutions of the planet as what you are about to witness happened gradually during this period.’
     
    The General was silent and waited as the astronauts stared, gasped and some even stood up to get a closer view as the random flashing spot of light started to form a repeated pattern of ‘offs’ and ‘ons’.
     
    After a while, Scott leaped to his feet, ‘IT CAN’T BE! IT CAN’T BE POSSIBLE!’ he yelled,
     
    ‘That’s the Morse Code for SOS!’
     
    Now all the astronauts could see the repeating distress pattern and they sank back into their seats utterly stunned.
     
    Scott then turned to the General more in hope and desperation and as their eyes met the General quietly shook his head and he knew it could not be. Olivia noticed the glance and she realised what Scott must have initially thought of the distress call from space. But now was not the time to dwell on it.
     
    ‘So fellow astronauts,’ said the General, ‘that SOS message has been repeating every Cloud Planet day for 2 hours during the last 5 years. Also according to our calculations that’s 1 hour either side of the planet’s midday sun - yet another fascinating symmetry.
     
    We are convinced that this is no fluke or aberration of signals across space because there are too many repeating patterns, so we believe that this is a genuine message from space and we have decided to respond prematurely.’
     
    ‘And now,’ he continued, ‘the not so good news. We are going to send the first starship to Cloud Planet in one month’s time. This starship, called LifeSeeker-1, has the capability to reach Cloud Planet...... but not to return...... it will be at least five more years before LifeSeeker-2, which is capable of the return journey, leaves to follow the path of LifeSeeker-1..... the risks are high, 20 year cryo–hibernation is an unknown factor although ten has been proved and there is good confidence that extending the timescale will have no adverse effect...........’
     
    He looked into the eyes of the ten astronauts before him seeing excitement, bewilderment and, in some cases, even fear. Then he said,
     
    ‘I’m looking for volunteers for a one way ticket to the stars!’
     

Chapter 8
     
    The