Arrival

Chapter 2: Wreckage

December 16, 2155

Mr. Menlow's telephone rings from downstairs, echoing up the hall. He removes the sheets off of his body and sits up before blinking a few times. He slides on his slippers and goes down the stairs, the boards growling at him in the darkness. He clicks the knob on the lamp and answers the phone. "Hello? Who is it?" he calls out, his voice raspy.

    "It's me, Sarah. Look, we got a situation here at John and Lary's Ranch. We need you to get down here pronto, your escorts already en route." 

    Mr. Menlow switches his phone to the other ear and checks his watch. "It's 2:47 PM, are you sure-" Sarah hangs up on the phone, leaving a buzzing sound in his ear. Menlow tosses the telephone back onto the box and goes back upstairs. He checks his phone for the temperature: 19 degrees. He puts on a more comfortable set of clothing than a suit, figuring this is going to be a small inconvenience and he's going to come back home in around an hour. Ten minutes later, three unmarked SUV's pull around his house, where two men dressed in black approach his door discreetly. They impatiently knock several times, not wanting to wait for more than they have to in the teeth-chilling temperatures. 

    "I'm coming!" Menlow shouts as he rushes down the stairs. He grasps the golden door handle and pulls it inward. He steps outside and closes the door, before locking it with a small key.

    A dark-skinned man with an earpiece in his left ear firmly presses his palm against Mr. Menlows's back. "Right this way sir, we need to get you to the location immediately.'' he opens the door where Angeles, the Chief of Security is already waiting. 

    "We have had reports by the locals that a vessel, one of Mishra's Frigates has crashed onto their ranch, killing 2 civilians, Carter Hues, a 17-year-old boy, and 47-year-old woman Mary Lou, along with damaging most of their crops," he explains, the street light's orange glow reflecting against his black shades. The escort takes a right turn down a paved road which fades into loose gravel. The SUV's tires toss the gravel in the air as they speed down towards the ranch. A few minutes go by and the ranch comes into view. The vehicles park beside a small red barn. Sarah, General Florez, and a few other Scientists and Soldiers are already analyzing the wreckage. Angeles opens the door for Mr. Menlow and they walk up to Sarah, who's already talking to General Florez.

    "How can a rebellion do this much damage? Do we even know which ship from the escort this was?" Mr. Menlow asks, the burning wreckage crackling, dark black smoke rising creating a dense cloud. 

    She looks at him with a desolate expression, stunned by the damage that was inflicted on the ship. "I have no clue, sir. Based on what's left, and it's not much, these 'civilians' are more sophisticated than we once thought. But one question is for certain: how did they get here, light years away from us with a damaged hyperdrive?" 

    Mr. Menlow steps back to examine the wreckage. Only the front half of the ship remains, the rest is almost completely unrecognizable. He bites his lip and squinches his eyes, thinking about what to do next. It appears the bridge is somewhat intact. Wait, that's it. Mr. Menlow snaps his fingers, optimistic about his idea. "The bridge is mostly intact. If we can get a science team in there, perhaps we can recover the data logs!" 

    General Florez's distressed face lightens up when he realizes what Menlow's talking about. "Which would give us access to their hyperdrive activity and explain how they got here! But getting a science team up there safely will be difficult, the ship is practically falling apart."

    "Which is why we must move quickly. Send a 2-person team in there as soon as possible. Sarah set up a hologram computer so we will be able to communicate with the team."