Francesca nodded and turned toward him. “Maybe it’s some kind of corals?”
Martin was thinking. Theoretically, some phenomenon of chemical bonding could be responsible for a circular form being the only one possible. He did not know enough about the dynamics of saline solutions to exclude this option. Furthermore, research probably has not sufficiently investigated all the phases under conditions of high pressure and low temperatures, like here. No, they needed Jiaying’s expertise. Should I communicate with her? Make a short call? No, there will be time for that later, even though I really would like to see her face.
Martin asked, “Could we park Valkyrie on the sea floor close to the columns?”
“No problem.” Francesca tapped on something on the display. From this perspective, the forest was even more impressive because it was so symmetrical. Martin had seen kelp forests in the North Sea, swaying with the rhythm of the waves. This so-called forest looked completely different, like something from another world—which, of course, it was. Nothing moved, and its trunks stood rigid, looking like toys—or the experiments of an extraterrestrial giant.
Martin imagined he might walk among them. This will be a walk in the most exotic forest of the known universe. The PR department will certainly be very grateful for any recordings. In a fascinating sort of way, the forest seemed to invite him. The individual columns were one to two meters apart from each other. In his spacesuit he would fit perfectly between them. Maybe this way I can find out more than an analysis with Valkyrie’sinstruments can provide. Of course, the vehicle has been aiming all its measurement devices at the forest for a while in order to force it to reveal its secrets. I can simply walk in and ask for information—how does that sound?
“It’s crazy,” Martin said, after he explained his plan to get out and walk among the columns. “Crazy, but doable, I think.”
“You’re insane,” Francesca said. “Count me out.”
“Well, that’s the plan.”
She circled her temple with her finger to indicate he was nuts. “I won’t stop you, though. Anyway, one person has to stay on board. Who knows what could be lurking out there? Forests are full of robbers, isn’t that what they say?”
“But our instruments don’t indicate anything, do they?” Martin said. “We only found extremely primitive cells. Any real danger is millions of years of evolution away.”
She shook her head. “Do what you like.”
Martin intended to do just that. After all, didn’t the pilot just say so? he reasoned. Normally, two-person teams are mandatory for EVAs, but then we are not in a vacuum. And after all, why do we have a pressure suit on the SuitPort? To be safe, he first consulted Watson. The AI did not see any problems. Water might transmit heat much better than a vacuum did, but then it was relatively warm here. The LCVG could handle it. Due to the low gravity of Enceladus, the pressure was tolerable. On Earth, he would have been in trouble at an ocean depth of 7,620 meters. He could even raise the pressure in the suit slightly above normal, which would shorten the pre-breathing phase. He did not mention his plans to Mission Control or the commander, though.
Half an hour later he was floating through the ancient water of the ocean. The vehicle’s searchlights illuminated the first rows of trees. Beyond this point it was dark, as the columns cast harsh shadows. Martin descended to the ocean floor. The first steps toward this sunken Atlantis, he thought in amazement. He gave Francesca the okay signal with his right hand and bounced into an unknown world.
Martin looked at his position as shown on his arm display. I have advanced fifteen meters into the forest. Here the columns were closer together. By the light of his helmet lamp the landscape looked even more mysterious. Or should I call it a building? he silently marveled. From the perspective of a pedestrian, the Forest of Columns seemed rather artificial, like the giant temple of a lost civilization. Martin knew, though, that nothing here had sunk to the bottom of the ocean. The columns had stood on the sea floor since they had come into existence.
The deeper he advanced into the forest, the more often the shadows cast by his lamp played tricks on him. Soon he felt he was not alone. There is a presence here I am not able to name. From the corner of his eye he seemed to see someone, or something, jump from shadow to shadow, though when he turned his head there was nothing there. It must be my imagination getting me all riled up, Martin rationalized. He did not report this to Francesca. In each row, the columns seemed to be getting older. First one in ten, then one in four or five showed signs of slight damage. The forest must have grown from the center, so the outermost columns are the youngest ones. He reported this observation to Francesca but left out the second part. When he looked backward, in the direction from which he had come, the columns appeared to stand closer to each other than before. His senses seemed to be running haywire.
“I cannot get through anymore, so I am turning around,” he said. Martin would not reach the center. Not due to lack of stamina, but because the forest seemed more and more menacing. I would like to see the root of the forest, but I do not feel up to facing what is waiting for me there.
“Okay, just take a few more samples,” Francesca instructed. “We could use the radiometric dating system on board. I would like to see whether your theory is correct.”
“Great idea,” he replied to the pilot’s request, and took the sample collection tool from his belt. It could hold up to five samples, which the tool not only picked up mechanically, but also stored in a sterile environment. He held the tool in front of him like a weapon and approached a column. He touched the spot where he wanted to apply the tool, shone his helmet light on it, and suddenly jerked back. He saw a symbol he already recognized scratched into the material. It is the structure of one of the two primitive kinds of cells from what Francesca collected from the ocean floor. This cell looked slightly different than the one in the on-board display, though. It lacked two of the organelles, the function of which he did not know. This might be an earlier version. Has there been something here like evolution, after all? And most of all, who has scratched the shape of the cell into the material?
He glanced sideways. This was not the only picture. Lots of symbols covered the column. The only things he recognized were raised structures which resembled the two cell types. Martin’s hands were trembling. The forest is much more than a temple. It might be a cemetery, or maybe an archive. It is certainly not the result of chance. I cannot imagine that one of the two Enceladus organisms we have analyzed is responsible for it.
Martin placed the tool on the column. The claw broke off a piece of material and swallowed it. Beneath it, another lighter-colored layer became visible. He touched the site of the fracture. Even it is covered by inexplicable symbols. Maybe we have made a mistake. He would take no more samples. Martin hurried back to Valkyrie.
Age of Questions, Triangle
There is:
The I.