Ancient Astronauts

Invasion

Hans' driver pulled back onto the main street. The protesters had tired out and withdrew still hurling curses and abuse at the peacekeepers who weren't in much better condition. Several MP's had lost their gas masks which now adorned the faces of the protesters.

More civilians gathered at the other entrances to the street and Hans was surprised to see...almost all his suspects. One before each of the gathering crowds. He listened to what they were saying as the jeep drove past.

"I know this action by the governor seems extreme!" James Martin projected his voice with all the ease of a man used to speaking to crowds, "The governor is acting in the best interest of people. He is doing everything he is capable of!"

The crowd's response was mocking laughter, "Everything he is capable of!?" One man roared, "murders occurred all the time back in the old world! And martial law was rarely declared over them!"

"In the old world," James shot back in an argumentative tone, "humanity had thousands of cities, stockpiles of resources, and a huge capacity to resolve issues quickly. In this new world, there is only us!"

This led to more angry outbursts and verbal sparring.

"Please good people!" Adam Galloway was using a microphone, "Give the good, illustrious, worshipful governor time to conduct his investigation!"

"Go home," Dr. Alulim rumbled, "A killer is at large. The safest place for you is in your homes."

Hans noted each one in turn. James, true to his nature, seemed to be pissing off everyone with his forcefulness. Adam was throwing adjectives around like he thought they were magic spells; and Dr. Alulim, as always, kept his statements simple and honest. And he was right, none of them were safe.

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On his way through the administration building he sent various clerks scurrying like field mice to retrieve various documents and files for him like blueprints and inventory reports. The night brought some peace as the protestors filed home, fearing what the darkness might bring. He was sure they'd be back with the dawn, and he desperately wanted to avoid a confrontation in which guns were used.

The C14's had been sent to patrol the streets while the soldiers slept. Unfortunately, that robot technology was still relatively rudimentary and they needed to charge in the sun all day, at least until a power plant could be built. Hans ordered them to patrol the streets at night while the soldiers rested. Another C14 unit was sent to breach the hull of the ship in the cargo bay. Hans wanted to confirm there was nothing behind it.

He spent the night pouring over the files his staff brought him. He felt like a lawyer pulling an all nighter digging through data. Whoever was behind...whatever this was, had to have left a trail of some kind.

He pulled out the forensic report and poured over the "need to see" documents Maley gave him. They contained little more than he'd already learned at the lab except for one section. It read like an abstract of a scientific paper outlining the differences in molecular structure between the organic traces left by the "space dino" and the claw marks in the ship. He was bored out of his wits but soldiered on.

The specimen consists of an isolated 3D image of a claw taken from imprints left by the application of said instrument with force to a steel wall. The specimen is highly unconventional when compared to terrestrial anatomy, with elongated and serrated keratinous structures, suggesting adaptations for potential tool use and locomotion. A subcellular study of the sample showed the strong presence of RNA polymerases I and III, commonly found in terrestrial biology.