“Zadar told me that Sirius can’t be more than five hundred million years old,” Meek chimed in. “That’s not enough time for a planet to evolve such a complex biosphere.”
“Especially if the Pup went through a nova phase and showered this planet with lethal radiation,” said Meek.
Elyse said, “And this planet has no moon.”
“What does that have to do with it?” Jordan asked.
“Earth’s Moon acts as an anchor,” she explained. “It keeps our axis of rotation from tipping over too far. Without a big moon serving as an anchor, this planet should wobble wildly, its climate should swing back and forth every few tens of thousands of years.”
“Which would destabilize its ecosystems,” Longyear said. “Ice ages and global warmings, one right after another.”
“You see?” Meek said, almost triumphantly. “None of this adds up.”
Jordan raised both hands. “All right. All right. We have a lot of questions to be answered. But for the moment, let’s dig into this soup before it cools off.”
Meek dipped his spoon into the soup, then looked up and said, “We should set up a systematic investigation. Paul, you start examining the local plant and animal life. Sylvio, you and Elyse should dig into the geology, see if there’s evidence of damage from Sirius B’s nova explosions.”
Brandon said, “That’s my area, too.”
“Then you work with them.”
“And Zadar can compute the range of the planet’s axis shifts,” Elyse suggested.
Jordan said, “Good. Let’s put together an agenda for study. I’ll question Adri about his people’s history.”
“We should’ve brought a cultural anthropologist with us,” Brandon said.
“Who knew we’d need one?” said Thornberry, with a crafty grin.
Soon they were all firing questions back and forth, creating agendas, working out a map to be explored.
Jordan watched them at it while he quietly spooned up his soup. Hardly tasting the brew, he smiled inwardly. Now they’re working instead of fretting, he told himself. They’ve replaced their suspicions with curiosity. Good.
And he thought that he would like to ask Aditi several thousand questions about her people, her society, her customs, herself.
The following morning, Jordan dressed in his own clothes, which had been brought down from the orbiting ship along with everyone else’s. He could hear others coughing or splashing in the common lavatories. These partitions leave a lot to be desired as far as privacy is concerned, he thought.
He started for the dining area, but stopped at the open doorway to Brandon’s cubicle. His brother was sitting at his desk, his phone open on the desktop, long lists of words scrolling down the big flat screen affixed to the desk.
“Hard at work this early?” Jordan called from the corridor. “I’m impressed.”
Brandon looked up, the expression on his face dead serious.
“Come and look at this, Jordy.”
Jordan stepped through the doorway and went to his brother’s side. The screen showed lists of what seemed to be proper names, with definitions beside them.
“Elyse thought Adri’s name sounded vaguely familiar to her. She thought she’d heard it somewhere before. So this morning I started poking through our files on names from various cultures.”
“She thought she’d heard Adri’s name before? Back on Earth?” Jordan asked.
“Take a look.” Turning to the computer, he commanded, “Show name Adri.”
The words on the screen dissolved, replaced by Adri, and a definition:
Minor god in Hindu mythology who protected mankind and once rescued the sun from evil spirits who were trying to extinguish it. Modern Hindu name meaning “rock.”
Jordan blinked at the screen. “It must be a coincidence of some sort,” he murmured, trying to convince himself. “A wild coincidence.”
“Is it?” Brandon asked, his voice flat and hard. “Another coincidence? Aren’t these coincidences getting beyond the realm of belief?”
Jordan said nothing.
“A completely Earthlike planet. Peopled by creatures who are totally like us. Now one of them has a Hindu name. That’s way beyond coincidence, Jordy.”
“Look up Aditi,” Jordan said.
Brandon commanded the computer, and the screen instantly showed:
Aditi: Archaic mother goddess, Hindu (Vedic). Wife of Kasyapa or Brahma. Mother of rain god Indra, and of Hari and the Adityas. Perceived as a guardian goddess who brings prosperity and who can free her devotees from problems and clear away obstacles.
Jordan stared at the screen.
Brandon said, “That’s no coincidence, Jordy. None of this is a coincidence. It can’t be.”
Examination
Jordan called Meek and Thornberry to Brandon’s cubicle. They crowded the narrow space, bumping against the bed, the desk. There were no chairs; they had to stand and lean in behind Brandon. Once they looked at the names and their definitions, Meek said heatedly:
“I knew it. I knew it! They’re not what they claim to be. None of this is natural. It can’t be.”
Jordan shook his head as he sat on the unmade bed. “An entire planet made to exactly resemble Earth? It beggars the imagination.”
Thornberry shook his head. “Maybe what we’re seeing is an illusion. Maybe we’re being tricked.”
“How could that be?” Jordan demanded.
“How could any of this be?” Brandon countered, still seated at his desk.
Meek stood hemmed in by the desk, the expression on his face radiating suspicion. “Things are not what they seem,” he said, tapping the forefinger of his right hand into the palm of his left. “We’re being tricked. Hoodwinked.”
“But why?” Jordan asked, almost pleading. “Why would anyone go to all this trouble?”
“That’s what you’ve got to find out,” Meek said.
“Me?”
“You’re on friendly terms with this Adri person. You should confront him, tell him that we know he’s up to something.”
Jordan ran a hand through his silver hair. “I suppose so,” he said, reluctantly. To himself he added, I’m supposed to be the leader here. It’s time for me to lead.
As he started down the path toward Adri’s city, Jordan marveled again at how Earthlike the trees and shrubbery were. A squirrel-like creature scampered up one of the stately tall trees, a blur of gray fur. Then a dark buzzing little ball of purposeful energy, very much like a bee, zoomed past his ear, making him flinch. Birds glided through the foliage high above. Sunshine filtered through the forest canopy.
Meek and the others are right, Jordan thought. This is all too good to be true. Maybe it actually is an illusion, maybe Adri and his people have some way of reading our minds and then showing us what we want to see.
Suddenly Adri was on the path, walking slowly toward him, wearing his usual ankle-length grayish blue robe. Jordan noticed that it bore an intricate design, fine threads making delicate loops and curves.
“Good morning,” Jordan called to the alien.
“And a very pleasant good morning to you, friend Jordan,” said Adri, with a warm smile.
He seems so friendly, Jordan thought. So happy to see me.
“I was going to the city to find you,” said Jordan.
“I was going to your camp to find you,” Adri said.
“I have a lot of questions to ask you.”
Nodding, Adri said, “I’m sure you do. I hope I can answer them all to your satisfaction.”
They started walking side by side, through the rich green foliage and the warm dappled sunlight, toward the city. Adri reached into the folds of his robe and pulled out a tiny creature, no bigger than the palm of his hand. He stroked its dark fur soothingly.