Chapter No.10

Margaret and Janet took over the mothering of Alicia and Josh. They made sure that the two children were cleaned up and had fresh clothing on and then sat them down in computer modules with computer generated teachers so that they could continue their educations.

Carl went to the command station and spent time going over the records and surveillance videos to see if he could find something that was associated with the vanishing phenomenon.

Janet and Margaret went to a lab that allowed them to contact the Chandra radio telescope. The lab was filled with the latest computer systems that could handle heavy data processing.

"I think we should go back to the raw data and see if we could come up with a better translation," Margaret said. "It's obvious that a white dwarf didn't invade the Centauri system to cause a supernova."

"I agree, but let's see if we can obtain a cleaner signal."

Janet began a fresh recording of the supposed alien transmission. Margaret began processing the signal to create a clean interpretation.

After hours of work, they produced a new photon quantum spin map. Now, the real work began when they worked to come up with a translation protocol.

"Let's try aligning the data with an Earth language, one that has existed for centuries," Margaret said. "Maybe the aliens who sent this would be familiar with it."

"As in ancient alien encounters?" Janet said with a smug grin.

"Yeah, why not!"

Janet laughed. "It's worth a try."

"Let's try Vedic Sanskrit," Margaret suggested.

"Why that?" Janet replied.

"It's a well-developed ancient language that contains hidden references to supernatural beings in the form of deities."

"Okay. Let's see what happens,"

Later that day, when the remaining humans gathered for supper, it represented an extended family, a situation that none of them had imagined.

"So, what did you two learn today?" Margaret asked the two children.

"I worked on astronomy," Josh said. "I studied the moons of the solar system."

"What about you, Alicia?"

"I studied zoology, especially the larger creatures of Earth."

"Very good," Margaret said. "What do you do for recreation?"

"We like to play hand ball?"

"Really? I didn't realize that sporting recreation was possible on a space station."

"There's a basketball court and a workout station," Josh said.

"That's nice. Looks like we can stay in shape while we're here."

Janet laughed. "I take that as a collective suggestion."

"Very funny!"

"It's obvious that this station was designed to provide all of the comforts and facilities of home," Carl said. "There are sections with plants and pools with algae to help provide oxygen. Obviously, the main source of oxygen is the electrolysis of water, which I might add requires deliveries from Earth."

"How long can we stay here before we need to go back to get water and oxygen?" Janet asked.

"According to the command system, we have enough oxygen and water to last for at least a year, maybe more, and that's thanks to the fact that there's only five of us here now."

"We're going to have to live on Earth eventually," she replied. "This station isn't going to last forever."

"Neither will we," Carl said. "Earth is not going to be very cozy eventually. Without humans, infrastructure will disintegrate, and that's especially bad for nuclear power plants. They will eventually emit radiation that will make large areas around them uninhabitable."

"We could live on French Guiana. It doesn't have nuclear power plants."

"True, but even it will fall into disarray due to damaging heat and storms."

"Yeah, but the weather is nice most of the time."

"I think our job is to figure out why people just up and disappeared with no trace without any warning or indication of a planetary disaster."

"Speaking of that, Margaret and I are working on a new more accurate translation of the alien signal."

"That's a great idea. The idea that a white dwarf star caused a star in the Centauri system to go supernova is obviously bogus. Besides, even it did it wouldn't cause people to vanish without a trace." He looked at the women to detect a reaction to his statement, but they didn't exhibit any opposition. "So, what did you discover?"

"We contacted the Chandra telescope and obtained a much better signal, which resulted in a cleaner quantum spin photon map," Janet said. "Then we decided to match it to an ancient language."

Carl squinted. "What language?"

"Sanskrit from the Late Vedic period."

"You're kidding . . . right?"

"Nope. The translation resulted in a ninety nine percent fit."

Carl thought that they were being facetious, but under the circumstances that wasn't the case. "So, what did it say?"

"That's where it gets complicated. If we assume that this alien species came to Earth in that period, then it makes sense, but otherwise, it's off the charts."

"I assume it's another warning."

"Actually, it's more like a prophecy."

"What's the difference?"

"A prophecy must be subjectively interpreted. A warning is more objective."

Carl smiled. "Oh, so we're back to square one as far as understanding the disappearances."

"Not necessarily. The prophecy has some interesting aspects that could throw light on why Margaret and Alicia saw bright flashes."

Both of Carl's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Yes, but I think it would be better to discuss it without little ears hearing it."

Carl answered with a subtle smirk. He realized that it probably contained disturbing concepts.

Author Note.
Quantum spin is an intrinsic property of quantum particles like the photon. It has to do with angular momentum. Photons exhibit a vector momentum which can be changed or vary under the right conditions. Normally the spin is constant or quantized. It's a quirky property, no pun intended!