Alien Dreams

Cold, he was so very cold and the darkness was all about him. Suddenly a white flash split the blackness, now he stood in a circular chamber of translucent green crystal. Here it was not dark, a faint golden-red light came dimly from a small rectangle to his left. Turning towards this source of light he saw the rectangle was a window and standing before it was a figure. Moving to the window, through which the cold came, he approached the shadowy figure. At some slight noise the figure turned from the window. She was small, almost childlike in stature. Long waves of blue-white hair framed a dark red face out of which looked large violet eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked in a voice that shook.

"My name is T'cara," she answered in a soft, wispy tone. "Please help me, I am so alone and it has been so very long since I have seen anyone. I beg of you, please help me escape this place."

Shane sat up sharply in bed, sweat running down his shaking body as his breath came in short gasps. The Dream, he had had the Dream again. After all these years it was coming back to haunt him once more. That torment of the night had begun plaguing him at the age of seven and continued until he turned fourteen. It had always been the same, the cold, the darkness, the flash of lightening and finally the strange woman pleading for his aid. Always at this point he would awaken shivering with fear. When he had told his mother of the dream she had told Shane there was nothing to worry about. That all little boys had such dreams when they were young. It would pass as he grew older she assured him. Shane had believed her, for after his fourteenth birthday the dream had gone away. Over the twelve years since he had all but forgotten the strange vision which disturbed so many of his adolescent nights. Only now the Dream had returned.

Knowing that sleep was beyond him now Shane rose and began to dress. Leaving his room he went down to the galley. Here the crew of the archaeological research ship El Dorado gathered before heading out to the dig site. At this hour the galley was empty, the rest of the crew were still asleep. The only other thing awake on the research ship at this time would be the computer. Walking to the food dispensers Shane punched in a command and after a short pause a glass of whiskey appeared in the serving slot. With this in hand Shane walked over to take a seat at one of the dozen or so tables in the room. Maybe, Shane thought, if he sat here quietly and had a drink he would be able to get the sleep he so dearly needed. There was still a lot of work to be done. Shane knew he would need his rest.

The El Dorado had been on-planet only three weeks and was one of twenty research craft investigating the alien ruins found by an off course Republican cargo craft. Landing here to make repairs the ship's crew had been amazed at the vast ruins about them. Immediately word was sent back to Terra. Within weeks of receiving the message a small armada of research craft was assembled and on their way to explore this wondrous find.

When El Dorado and the other ships arrived they found the planet filled with long forgotten relics of an alien culture. Almost from the moment the ship landed Shane and his companions had been at work among the ruins. There were years of work ahead for those studying the remains of the non-human civilization that had flourished then vanished on this planet.