The Copernicus Deception (The Human Chronicles Saga Book 15) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Cassie I was for Adam.
    “You’re going to like this place,” Copernicus offered, scanning the monitor he was reading. “The gravity is pretty low—just over half of Earth’s—so all that superman-like stuff you’re known for should come into play. It’s also hot and humid with an abundance of jungle vegetation, which provides an oxygen-rich atmosphere even with the low air pressure. The only thing we’ll have to worry about are some sinus problems and ear-popping.”
    “I thought you said you’ve never been here before.” Riyad stated.
    “I haven’t, but I can read an environment summary,” Copernicus replied.
    Adam looked up from the monitor screen he was scanning. “So can I, and it says here that Visidor is on the far side of the Frontier from the Union and has only been rarely visited by Humans. But you still think our fame will be enough to get Kaylor and Jym released? ”
    “Have faith, Mister Cain. I’ve spent quite a few years kicking around the galaxy, and you’d be surprised how well-known the two of you are. In fact almost every time someone finds out I’m a Human they ask if I know you, as if every Human knows everyone else.”
    “I just hope you’re right. Hey Riyad, get a load of the natives.”
    Riyad moved to where he could see Adam’s screen. “Is that a male or the female?”
    “Does it matter?”
    The image displayed on the screen showed a somewhat short creature with bulging muscles and covered almost entirely by coarse-looking hair. The thick head had a prominent brow jutting out above deep set eyes, reminding Adam of a Neanderthal. “Not very far up the evolutionary ladder, are they?” Riyad said. “They look tough.”
    “Looks can be deceiving,” Copernicus said. “Take us for example.”
    Adam snorted. “You ever met a Diklakean?” he asked Copernicus. “They’re four feet of mean muscle with a temperament to match.”
    “But they come from a heavy-gravity world,” Copernicus countered. “The Visidorans may look tough, but I’ll bet their bones are made of marshmallows.”
    “Let’s just hope we don’t have to find out. Where are we going? The whole place looks like it’s covered by jungle.”
    “I’m homing in on a place called Swiv. It’s in the northern hemisphere, close to the poles. Hopefully it will be cooler there. Prepare for landing; we should be making landfall in about ten minutes.”
     
    ********
     
    As the Vivian dropped toward the surface, Adam got his first real glimpse of the dichotomy that was the planet Visidor. As details became defined, he saw what appeared to be a light coating of snow on the huge, fern-like leaves of the far-reaching jungle. Upon reaching the forest canopy, the snow would convert to a gas that fed clouds of steam wafting back into the atmosphere. Once airborne, the gas would immediately condense to fall back to the surface in the form of short-lived snow. The cycle appeared to be constant, with the process depositing a light mist of rain below the forest canopy. From his observations, Adam couldn’t tell if it was hot or cold outside the starship.
    There was always something both familiar and strange each time Adam landed on an alien world. He had thought about this before, about how similar most of the worlds he visited appeared to be. Yet when put into perspective, it all made sense.
    Throughout the galaxy, there are literally trillions of planets, yet to Primes—such as Humans—most hold little interest. Primes are interested in worlds compatible to Primes, so it makes sense that most would have similar traits. They would all be within a certain gravity-tolerance, with an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere, a magnetic field, a stable rotation and carbon-based lifeforms. The surface temperature would allow for the retention of liquid water, which just happens to coincide with the optimal survival range of Human-like creatures.
    Even for mining, it’s easier to extract needed metals and minerals from the countless