Arlada opened the hatch, walking out through the large square hole, and then turning to close it. Walking through the clear plastic tunnel built to protect her from the vacuum. She walked the 90 paces or so to the dig site, observing the system that's had been put in place to ensure the safety of the archaeological artefacts and footprints.
She peered to her left, observing the lines of strange footprints that dotted the landscape outside the tunnel. Each print had been covered by small clear box, made to protect them in from the large amounts of dust that would be kicked up from the gas powered rockets used to ferry archaeologists to and from the site.
The groups of tents and gas bubbles grew more and more common as she walked the last 20 paces to the command centre of the dig. Inside the large dome structure they had built another dome within which the main sample could be studied in a vacuum clean of contaminants such as air and bacteria .The area between the smaller inside dome and outer dome filled with Air and equipment .For the 9 strong group studying only what was officially called "the largest machine type number 1" or unofficially "the legs".
Looking towards the centre of single expansive room she could see the inner dome. A small airlock had been created in order to allow investigators to check out the small craft that had been discovered while keeping the vacuums integrity. The odd looking device was obviously only a piece of something that was once much larger. It seemed to rely on relatively primitive technology to operate. Yet it was quite clear that it still would have needed a highly intelligent race to have been built.
The four pillars to support it, reinforced by frames made an ominous sight. Five times taller than she was it was clearly designed with a large aim in mind. The nozzle Propulsion system and large crater below it indicated it not being terrestrially constructed. An almost impossible idea on this inhospitable airless world.
The nozzle and strong legs on the ship made it obvious that it was designed with simple reasons. To allow the main ship to descend slowly from an orbit, hit the world and then leave again, using the missing piece to get back into orbit. There had recently been a study on the engine system and analysis showed that it used the same system used to power their own early propulsion system. Her jetpack and the small ship she had used to get here from main base used the exact same design, now only used for small manoeuvres over airless planets and moons.
The similarity in design was in fact one area that had caused early speculation that this whole area was in fact some previously unknown early colony to this solar system. But the other technology that had been found led to this to be understood as impossible. But still the small traces of hydrogen and Oxygen in the fuel tanks led some to wonder about how there had been such amazing similarities between the two species.
Arlada walked towards the small group of archaeologists investigating through a large machine, the other artefact that was currently under heavy investigation. The small cylinder was non-descript but contained the material which had assured that this was in fact a separate species. The cylinder was too dangerous to have in the exposed atmosphere but was kept inside a small box with the most advanced technology being used to give the archaeologists full access to its secrets. Contained within the cylinder was a small mass of highly radioactive material.
The artefact had been concluded as being a simple power source, albeit a highly dangerous one. It was in fact because of this artefact that they had even discovered the entire species that had once made landings on this small world. Its amounts of radiation causing a small team that drifted through the system in search of a lost ship to investigate, almost 9 of this worlds years ago. Since then the massive news that there was at one time more than one intelligent species in the universe had been a shock to the society.
Dotted across the world many small similar landing sites had been discovered, some were amazingly similar to this one, while others used looked very different albeit used almost identical technology. Some were successful landing, somewhere ships which had approached too fast, causing a crash. She though that the similarities to their own early space exploration had been made so many times it would not surprise her when a new artefact was brought up which looked similar to one he had seen in some old recording of the early space exploration of her own species.
Arlada waited by the small group as they conversed until they finished their small meeting and Grad was able to talk to her. Arlada said, "You said you made a new discovery which will change our view of "the species?"".
Grad was clearly exited over the matter and began to explain. "We've been looking over all this matter and have been wondering how it all got here, the most obvious location would have been the planet that this moon orbits but that fact that we can hardly even go there, let alone investigate the place, the huge levels of radiation prevent it. The ionosphere that surrounds it has made looking for electronic spectrum signals also impossible. But I think I've got an idea which may just be correct."
Arlada asked, "What is it that you've found that we've not thought of so far? Why wasn't this reported as a high level theory yet?"
Grad talked again,"Because I'm the only one who thinks this theory could be right. You see, we've always had the theory that the disappearance of "the species" was possibly due to a separate third species coming and destroying the second, but this makes no sense. Why would another species arrive, destroy and leave, taking no spoils and leaving this moon unscathed, while it is littered with their technology? And the asteroids theory is pretty implausible too."
He took a small breath in and continued, "I've thought up a new concept about them and of their natures. What if the destruction wasn't due to an outside force, what if they destroyed each other?" his speech accelerated.
"What if both sides of this "war" each possessed one bomb of unimaginable destruction? We've found evidence in the 'artefact' that they knew of nuclear material. Now we've looked at the destruction on the main planet. The topography simply doesn't indicate any reasonable cause apart from two separate explosions, both initiated at almost the exact same time."
Arlada responded "But what is the point of that? No side would win and the entire planet would be destroyed and made uninhabitable. Beside why would two groups of the same species fight each other and just kill indiscriminately. It's pointless and achieves nothing. I know we have fought too, but only in emergencies, never with no point and just murder. I think your theory needs more work!"
Grad said "But that's all we can think of, this species would have to have some sort of compulsion toward violence. If my hypothesis is true it explains the melting of the surface, the twin craters created from massive atmospheric explosions. And it would also explain why they have only found evidence of this species here, only on a place where they could never have evolved. It's so simple, the reason we didn't think of self annihilation before is because we don't think like them. The idea simply never occurred to us! I've found things, which indicate extreme pride and little useful purpose. They left things here, which have no reason to even exist. Look at this Plate that's been found." He slowly turned towards a nearby small table.
Grad grabbed a large plate and held it in front of Arlada. She looked at it. It had a number of strange glyphs written on it, in the centre and top of it was a picture of the planet, including part of the second biggest continental mass. Below it and spotted in different places on the plate. Some sort of strange form of writing that she expected would never be understood was scrawled on neat horizontal lines, placed in different position around the slab or metal.
She looked up at Grad. She said."I'm guessing you want me to add this to the translation program, but I doubt it will have much use."
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Arlada stared at her screen, the computer had spent days and days attempting to translate the glyphs, there were repeats in symbols which indicated some sort of logic in their construction But the supercomputers still had made little progress .She looked at the many small groups of lines, looking at the strange symbols painted on the screen, her eyes moving to the top line of the main group of glyphs, just below the map. Her eyes looked at the second line, it showed a similar set of characters. Her eyes gazed slightly lower, looking at the final line of strange symbols. She thought for a second and though" strange words, I wonder whether they are important? Or if they will ever be understood"
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She picked up the cup and drank. Hoping the stimulant would maybe give her a genius moment. On her screen she zoomed in on only the main and biggest group. It showed the apparent lettering, the first group made only of four attached lines. It went with the others in the short statement, each small group made of a different group of letters, offering no hint to its meaning. She stared at the screen looking for what the words meant. She laid her head on the keyboard, forgetting the letters on the screen. She fell asleep with the flickering, still showing in deep black over the grey:
HERE MEN FROM THE PLANET EARTH
FIRST SET FOOT APON THE MOON
JULY 1969
WE CAME IN PEACE FOR ALL MANKIND.