There were ridges that stood up to eight feet on the surface of Bob which went over the heads of Sydnee and Karleen. The tall hill similar ridges were caked in grass, barren trees that had long curved branches reaching toward the sky with some remains of what was old bird nests, and stones nestled in small piles. A few of the ridges had a wide passageway that the girls ran through then came up a ledge coming to the top of a hill side by side with delighted smiles. A soft yet high pitch squeak made Sydnee and Karleen jump at the same time then land to their side on to the ground with a thud. A full minute passed then Karleen was the first one to get up to her feet watching a lizard with a large horn on its nose shifting in her direction rather curiously. The lizard tilted their head back at her then blinked, briefly covering the pitch black eyes, conveying not a ounce of a emotion.
Karleen began to laugh with a loud cackle lowering herself down to Sydnee's level and her hands fell on to the center of her knees. Smith and the Robot were walked into the line of sight from behind a tall brown wall. Karleen reached her hand then Sydnee took her hand and got up to her feet with a even lower cackle. Their laughter acted as background noise to the discussion being held by the two old friends from behind. The lizard fled from the girls fleeing in the direction of others like it. The children watched a snake pounce out with a hiss landing to the floor then coiled up. The siblings carefully walked around the space viper. With one misstep, Karleen fell down from beside Sydnee letting go of a startled shout.
"Karleen!" Sydnee called, watching her sister fall on her back down the short hill.
Karleen landed on the ground landing to her side with eyes closed, stiff, and very tense.
"Karleen!" Sydnee shouted, again.
Karleen slowly got up to her feet then waved back at Sydnee.
"I'm okay, big sis!" Karleen replied, cheerfully.
Sydnee's shoulders lowered with a sigh as did her head lifted it up partially.
"Are you hurt?" Sydnee added.
"Nah," Karleen said, then rubbed the side of her bottom. "Maybe," she stopped with a wince. "yes," was sheepishly added. "My ass would feel a lot better had I noticed-" She raised her hands up gesturing toward the cliff. "THAT FUCKING CLIFF!"
Sydnee looked over Karleen.
"Look!" Sydnee cried, as Smith came to her side. "A ship!"
Karleen turned around to face a submerged craft buried partially by the rock that acted as a artificial made hill. At the same time, it served as a cavern that was partially eroded away revealing the wide, thin wings that had rocket launchers from underneath them. There was a rectangle entrance that was closed but it stood out as it were painted in faded camouflage green that had raised parts in the hull and laser burns that were partially covered by hardened rock. In the center of the doorway was a unique symbol that resembled a falcon closely resembling its long distant relative from Earth except it had the shape of horns that protruded from the head. Karleen gradually looked up observing that it stood up at roughly ten feet tall with a large and wide torso. It had thick wings that seemed thin to the distance but up close the layering stood out.
"We will be down in just a moment, Karl!" Smith shouted. "Don't touch anything until we are down there!"
Karleen's horizontal pupils had grown big.
"Woah," Karleen said.
Sydnee and the two found a path that lead down to where Karleen was standing staring in the direction of the craft with awe in her eyes so they came to her side. Smith leaned forward then placed the side of his face on the doorway along with his hands while listening in to the inside of the craft. The Robot was scanning the ship from beside the awe struck siblings. There was wear and tear on the craft easily telling that it had gone through its fair share of experiences before landing in this environment. Smith leaned off the wall with one hand remaining on the surface on with squinting but narrowed eyes.
"A spacecraft like this would have rusted away," Smith said.
"I detect a forcefield is up," The Robot said.
"A forcefield?" Karleen asked, in shock.
"This is puzzling," Sydnee said. "That cavern formation says it has been here a very long time and I doubt that shields were invented with a craft like this."
"But if it were up, wouldn't I have been hurt?" Smith asked, looking up. "It can't be that."
"I detect a shield covering this craft," The Robot replied. "My sensors are not wrong when it comes to detection."
Smith slid his hand down with a grimace.
"Normally, you're not," Smith said, his eyes facing upwards appearing to be unsettled.
"Could it be a metal protection field generator?" Karleen asked. Smith and the Robot faced the girls. "I mean, those are used in science fiction movies when the crew wants to preserve their fallen craft."
"Yes!" Sydnee said. "Remember that first movie for the Starbeast franchise?"
"Of course I remember," Smith said, folding his arms. "I recall that there was no power on in the ship."
"It's the only way that explains how the queen's nest was intact and the shell being so well preserved," Karleen said. "At least in its recent remake it was explained to be that way by the chief engineer before they were . . ." she shuddered. "It was running on solar power. There were solar power models underneath the first layer of the hull. Since there wasn't any lifeforms using it, the main ships systems became inactive but the hull protectionary field remained up for any future occasions that it might be found and used again. It was left that way by the doomed survivor."
Smith raised his brows while leaning against the door.
"Solar power modules?" Smith asked, then looked toward the door and leaned off the wall then cupped waved his hand toward the wall stepping aside. "Blinky, please find a way to open the door."
The Robot shifted toward Smith and bobbed his head up.
"Did you just call me Blinky?" The Robot asked.
"Yes," Smith said.
"That's a new one, even from you, Doctor Smith!" The Robot shifted toward the wall moving toward a glowing panel from alongside the doorway.
"What did they just say?" Karleen whispered, leaning to the side toward Sydnee.
"I think that we're not supposed to know," Sydnee replied.
A loud screech made the girls plug in their ears then turn their attention toward the direction that the noise was coming from.
SCRIIITZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZHHHH
The noise belonged to the doors of the spacecraft that were having difficulty opening.
The group covered their ears even the Robot had his claws set alongside his glass sphere head. The doors finally opened to reveal a dusty inside. A terrible stench drifted out of the craft. Karleen and Sydnee walked in first into the craft. From beneath them, the floor began to glow a shade of blue and green with long wide thin holes revealing a three foot long generator wrapped in metal set below their hooves. They looked forward as the sound of footsteps came from behind them. The long cylinder panels in the wall turned from black to bright green. Rounded bubbly green lights flickered on from above with a clearing sound each time it turned on within the wall that drew the girls attention up then lower.
The lights came to a stop at the bridge revealing the broken glass and five lonely chairs that faced the window. The main lights around the large, rectangle windows were flickering on and off appearing to be nearing the edge of not being able to keep power. On the console was a simple, yet unique box. The golden lighting reflected off each of the small finely designed items. They stood out brightly enough that they could not blend in with the dark path that laid ahead with long sharp pointed spears and green splotches in the cieling giving a partial view of what was ahead in the small but tight cavern.
"Stay here," Smith instructed, softly, then walked on ahead.
Sydnee and Karleen stood in a neat file line from behind Smith taking small steps at a time.
Smith put his hand on the head rest of the chair, his heart racing, bracing himself for what he was going to see next. He twirled the chair toward them then let go of a big gust of air. He looked toward the neighboring chair then the other chair from across. The children watched Smith move from chair to chair and spun them toward him. There was a skeleton leaning toward the right with a gaping mouth for two of the chairs at the sides with uniforms that had camouflage and bone structures sticking out from alongside the center of the heads. Sydnee and Karleen had their noses covered in the silent ship but had became still. No one wanted to move. The same question hung in their minds.
If the hull fields were up then someone was still in there.
Slowly, Smith shifted in the direction of the large protruding gray yet wide barrels that resembled even unusual pods. The children were clinging on to the Robot visibly trembling following the older man in the direction of the closed pods. Wordlessly, the Robot went over to one of the panels but as he did, Smith unhooked the children from the Robot's treads while they were paralyzed by fear. He stood in the way blocking off sight from the pods. Light gray fog drifted out from below the pods.
A coughing figure came out of the pod landing down to their knees and their fists landed to the floor with a lowered head. The fog cleared away to reveal the figure was in a two piece blue uniform with gold shoulder pads that stuck out and tall blue ridges similar to horns (but were not) set behind the ears. The figure lifted themselves up to their feet to reveal that she was a young woman with braided hair set up in a bun. She got up to her feet then steadied herself using the side of the stasis pod.
"Did you open the puzzle box?"
"No," came out swift without any moments hesitation.
Visaible relief made her look lighter and a bright, overjoyed smile grew on her face.
"Good,"
The woman fell to her feet, her eyes rolling back, landing alongside the entrance to her pod and fell to her side without making a sound.
Smith knelt down to her level then placed a finger on the side of her neck.
"She will be okay," Smith reported, then looked toward the Robot. "Robot, check the food synthesizer. Quickly. If there are some, direct the girls to unload them, then help me with this survivor," Smith gestured toward the unconscious woman. "Syd, I like you to make a improvised bed for her in the kitchen that has room we can spare and trust her with. In the meantime, I will get the box and oversee her health," Smith placed a hand on his knee then looked toward Karleen reaching his hand out as Sydnee went with the Robot. "Karl, please help me up."
Karleen took his hand and helped him up to his feet. The scene changed once it went up toward the legs to reveal the differing pants in shade contrasting against each other and one of their knees were bent forward. The survivor was being lifted up to her feet by Smith and the Robot. In one shiny new, red painted claw was the golden box. The camera rotated to reveal that all the other stasis pods were empty. Karleen and Sydnee followed silently after the group. They caught up with the group exiting the craft. The survivor's feet dragged on the dirt from behind Smith and the Robot. The walk felt slow to the girls getting further and further away.
Retracing their steps was easy enough in between overhearing short but new orders from Smith as they got closer to the craft. Karleen and Syndee discarded the synthesizer banks alongside the wall in the kitchen then bolted out. A moment later, they returned with a pillow and a folded blanket then rushed back with a folded table and set it beside the material. The table was straightened out then the blanket and pillow was set on top of it. They moved the table close beside the left side of the wall away from the rounded table and the primary cooking area. The small group came into the kitchen then over toward the flat and long table. The young woman was moved on to the table with teamwork.
Smith placed a finger on the side of her neck then gestured the children out of the room to complete the other tasks that he had informed them of on the way back. The children returned a moment later with arms full of rations that had once been packed into their backpacks. Smith moved toward the food bank then helped the children lift box by box into the wide large space. A blue light illuminated from above the machine then Sydnee pointed toward a button beside the space. With a simple click of a button the process was initiated and repeated. The boxes were taken out of the hole then lifted out of the kitchen vanishing out of the camera's view. Smith scooted the girls, with his hands on the backs, out of the kitchen toward the doorway leading out of the ship.
"How about you do some exploring instead of being cooped inside this daft old ship while I oversee my new patient," Smith said.
"I want to meet them," the children chimed at once while turning around in the man's direction.
"Did you understand a word we said?" Smith asked.
There was a short pause as they blinked, staring at him, in the moment.
"No,"
Smith placed his hands on his hips glaring down at them then lifted his right hand up curling the rest of his fingers except for the last finger that was left directed in the direction of the exit.
"Out," Smith ordered. "And explore Bob."
The children pouted then turned away and walked out of the ship.
"Fine," The girls said at once.