Gotu Pycook. Science _Fiction novel by Alfred Juillet Frascara.

FRIENDS: THIS IS A NEW TALE BY ALFRED JUILLET

SCIENCE FICTION WRITER.

EACH WEEK  A NEW POST OF HIS TALE :

KNAPP 42."GOTU PYCOOK."®

Volume #1.

 

Written by Alfred Juillet Frascara.

Name: Alfred

Surname: Juillet

2^nd surname: Frascara.

 

2015.

Epoch:

Common Era 5614 - 5685.

 

Places:

Aurea 2-2, Spoon 7-3, D-4.

 

Characters:

Gotu Pycook, Botanist; Commeatus, wife to Gotu;

 

Synthetic people:

Emily, AB 487, ED 333, and 200 other E-beings.

 

nnn

 

 

Chapters:

1. - Gotu Pycook.

2. - Sortridates.

3.- Cohimbro.

4.- AB2122.

5.- Spoon 7- 3.

 

Chapter #1.

GOTU PYCOOK.

 

Gotu Pycook was born at Aurea City; planetary system of Aurea #2, that since his young age his inclinations was towards the study of plants.

At the age of twenty five years, he was receiving his Master on Botanic, and for three years he gives lessons at the same University, expecting to be chosen as a member of one of the expeditions that the University of Aurea organized to find new pants at foreign worlds.

His first assignment was in the year 5642, when professor Cohimbro departs towards Aurea 7-3 in search of new botanic specimens.

In that expedition they used one of the newest spaceships the Aurea University has at the time: a model CARJU-320.

“The travel will take four months, so we are going into “Deep Sleep”. - Professor Cohimbro said, while they were having their first dinner on board the ship.

Gotu Pycook was seated three places from the famous teacher, and said:” Wish our five months there could be enlarged, professor.”

Cohimbro looks at him, saying:” It all depends on our first finds, because if we are not getting interesting samples in the first two months, I doubt much the University will keep on paying our stay in there! Our first job must be to find botanic treasures in the first five weeks.”

2.

Sortridates, one of the Assistants of the Professor, said:”- I am sure we are going to present several unique discoveries to the board of Directors! We count with the presence of several distinguished scientists in the field: Professor Lysias, professor Rampias and so many others!”

The alluded ones smiled proudly, and the rest feels better disposed to the job…

 

After dinner, the captain Callixeinus shows them some portions spaceship, ending at the radar section, where he presents the two flight specialists, saying:”- And these young lads here, are always on the look for hazards in space, in the figure of asteroids or spatial debris.”

There were three special radars that could detect objects and its trajectories at a distance of five thousand kilometers away.

“The velocity could be more than 300.000 kilometers per hour, so our sensors are connected to the guidance system of the ship.”- Captain Callixeinus said, much to the astonishment of some of the passengers.

A crewman approaches Gotu Pycook, saying:”I will guide you to the Cryogenic pod tomorrow. By now, you will sleep at a cabin.”

“Very well, guide me there.”- Gotu Pycook said, as he was dead tired after a full day of activities.

The cabin was very functional: a bed and a closet where to left the luggage (that was waiting at an enclosure, together with the rest of the passenger´s luggage).

The crewman left and Gotu went to bed, after a short sonic shower at the tiny bathroom.

In the morning he was awaken by the buzzer at the door. He went there, after dressing with a blue overall the cabin as on the drawer- a prerequisite several times repeated when getting on board) and after opening the door, another crewman look at him, saying:” Professor: I am here to guide you to the Cryogenic Section.”

“Very well: I am ready.”- Gotu said, following the man.

The cryo-pod was a capsule, with a lid that opens to a kind of bed, with several tubes and needles. Gotu knows the systems in function, so he just gets inside the capsule.

“Nice dreams.”- The crewman said, and soon the lid was tightly closed. The interior was filled with gas- the lost conscience and needles begin to be inserted into his body. The Cryogenic fluid being replacing his blood, causing the body to be preserved for as much time as the trip could endure.

“All scientist under deep sleep, Sir.”

“All right, see that the systems keep on being right.”- Captain Callixeinus said, turning his gaze to the main screen.

4.

This screen was holographic; he said: “Show me the entire course.”

The officer in charge, Miss Peisana, touch her screen and suddenly the whole projected course was there, in the form of balloons of light, touched and connected by a red line.

“Our goal it´s the third planet of that yellow star… Aurea 7. It has seas, woods, but also a very dangerous kind of natives.”- Captain Callixeinus said.

 

MAP PAGE 4.

 

5.-

Miss Peisana trembled when hearing about those natives… fully apt to kill and maim, unable to talk or be human. Highly developed animals but not to the point of being sentient…

The trip lasted sixty eight days; when arriving, captain Callixeinus said:”It´s our duty to revive our passengers and sent them to Domicium- there is a University building there, waiting for them.”

“Shuttle #1 is ready to depart, Sir.”- First officer Prosit said.

“Very well, Mr. Prosit: see that you man that vehicle.”- Captain Callixeinus said, after receiving the authorization from the Aurea 7-3 space administration.

Professor Cohimbro was very busy asking for to have care of the numerous equipments they have brought- Mr. Prosit said to him: “Nothing to be worried about, Mr. Cohimbro! The next trip will take everything down with utmost care.”

“Yes, I know, but with this cargo you must have extra care.”- Professor Cohimbro assured him with a worried look- and it was so, because other items, he had personal equipment among the general cargo.

Officer Prosit makes them seat into the shuttle and said to the eighty three expeditionary: strap to your chairs, please! Bad weather is expected in our way down.”

“But I was told no problems were to happen in the landings! Our cargo must be treated with care! - Professor Cohimbro moaned out.

Miss Etionica, the Nutrient specialist and a distinguished professor, said, from her seat:”- I have cases with delicate glass items! Those cannot be banging around at the descent!”

First officer Mr. Prosit waves a hand in her direction and said:”It will be landed without any damage, lady! That is, if the cargo you are mentioning was storage in a proper way.”

Miss Etionica (forty six years old and a bachelorette) puffed and reddened in a notorious way…

“Ready to depart. Open gates.”- Mr. Prosit said by the radio communicator.

“Opening gates.”- Flight specialist Mr. Scoffor said. The very white painted gates of Hold #1 begins to open and the moving rails take the shuttle out. For a moment it was there, standing on the pair of rails, but when the clams snapped open, the released Shuttle begin to hover. Prosit gives a little push to the thrusters and the twenty two long Shuttle craft begin to fly away from the spaceship.

Prosit push the sign to calculate a descent orbit, and the computer makes the necessary calculus to achieve a course towards Domicium city. A green triangle hits up on the holographic board.

“Course accepted. Begin the descent.”- Prosit murmured into the mike.

7.

The tempest was wide and extended to the upper layers of the atmosphere. The shuttle begins to sway under the air currents, and a flash of light startled the passengers.

“What was that?”- Miss Etionica asked.

“Could we get hit by a lightning?”Professor Cohimbro replied.

“Impossible! The protection of this craft…-“- Mr. Scoffor was saying, when a shock and a hit makes the whole shuttle tremble and the computer blinks a red light indicating there was trouble not able to remedy, with the use of the automatic pilot.

Mr. Prosit touch the red signal, and it become green- free to obey were now the commands to be used by a human pilot. He decides to go slower, by not keep on carrying the original angle of descent- so the ship could receive less strain by the bad weather.

Several lightning hit the shuttle. Another red light lit up.

“Failure on the refrigeration ducts! I must land without delay!”- He murmured, and changes the angle of descent- this time the ship sinks into the lower atmosphere; the dancing in the air increases- sometimes the shuttle was spinning wildly… the passengers were green or white (with revolving stomach of very afraid.)

8.

The ground appears between clouds and the rain.

“Mountains!”- He murmured. - “The sea must be close!”

And certainly it was- the shuttle was now flying over stormy clouds that show, in patches, the blue waters down below.

Pilot Prosit turns the ship towards the beach- at low altitude, he try to land as soon as possible, but time was not permitting it- an explosion on one of the heated engine sends the shuttle against the land in an oblique course- the hit was very rough- one nacelle was flattened, curbing the shuttle at the middle part.

Jefferies, the engine technician, was the first in to recuperate his senses. He was amid torn bars and pieces of equipment; when regaining full control of his body, he crept out through a maze of twisted sheets of metal and descend to the gravel, that was the constitution of the ground where the shuttle craft fall.

He saw vapor escaping from the rear part – the front side was several meters away, torn out from the rest of the ship.

He saw coming others- four men, two women; among them Gotu Pycook, which said:”- Where is the pilot?”- And he was looking at the separated section.

“Guess he is dead. Look how it´s almost buried in the ground.”- Jefferies commented. Professor Cohimbro was limping towards it, so Pycook and Jefferies follows the old man.

9.

From the open gash they stumble inside the cabin- as the most delicate part of the ship, it was reinforced with strong bars of micro carbon compounds- they search for the only seat in there and found the body of Prosit.

“He is alive!”- Pycook said, after putting a hand over his heart.

“Let´s take him outside! Too much poisonous gases here inside!”- Professor Cohimbro said, who was already coughing…

When outside, they saw how the survivors were taking other people from inside- many of them injured but now recovering from the concussion.

Mr. Prosit was all night in comma, and with the rest of the injured, lying under a wing of the crashed Shuttle. Jefferies was trying to fix the radio, in order to send a message asking for help.

Pycook dozed the night away, feeling a headache that buzzed inside his head.

When the sun appears over the horizon, they count the dead: four males and one female, valuable scientist that perhaps because of their age, gets the most of the impact on their bodies.

“Fourteen injured people, not counting the ones that are feeling sick and in pain because of the crash landing. Wish we could have a doctor and medicines around, but we must attain ourselves of what we got.”- Professor Cohimbro said (he was an organizer and was trying to set the group in motion.)

10.

They used metal sheets to make holes where to entomb the dead people. That first day they just do that work and nothing else, as they all were very dizzy after the tremendous crash landing.

But at the second day, they begin to need food; at the Shuttle there was no way to retrieve anything- the metallic structure was twisted and the emergency rations were sandwiched between sheets of micro carbon plates.

“The wood is our salvation! But also, beasts must abound there!”- Professor Cohimbro said.

“We need food for the sick people! We also need food.”- Professor Lysias said.

“All right! A group of more than three persons is needed.”- Professor Cohimbro said, eyeing the youngest of the group.

Four groups of three persons each departed to the woods that were at half a kilometer away from where they stand.

“The pilot is in bad state.”- Gotu Pycook said, walking by the sand.

“It figures. A wonder he´s alive, being at the front of the spaceship when.” Sortridates said.

“At the moment of the landing.”- Miss Etionica said.

“Look there! Someone is there!”- Sortridates exclaimed.

“A human figure…”- Gotu murmured.

“Now he is gone. I wonder who he was.”- Miss Etionica asked.

“Hope it was a human being. Alien creatures here abounds.”- Gotu wished.

“We are the aliens here. They are in their natural habitat.”- Sortridates said, scornfully.

11.

They found fruit trees- a mixture of avocado and a piquant taste. They take of these and carried to the encampment in bags.

“You are the first to return! Mr. Prosit keeps on being unconscious- it´s a pity to see so many injured people and not be able to give those medicines.”- Cohimbro said- he and some others were working on a roof made of branches next to the airship, for shelter.

At fifteen hours a heavy rain begins to fall, soaking the ground in scant minutes. They lit a fire, and with the light they saw die Mr. Prosit, which at the last hour opened his eyes, as saying good bye to life…

“Poor man! He saves our lives, paying with his own.”- Professor Cohimbro said.

In the night two other injured men died- of cold and pain from their broken bones.

“I must try to fix the radio transmitter.”- Jefferies said, and he was the technician in charge of it from then on. He was one of the males that were looking how the fire sizzled when receiving raindrops.

“But, how? The main cabin is twisted and smashed as a tin can on a railroad bend.”- Gotu said.

“Let him work in what he knows! Optimism!”- Professor Cohimbro said, looking at the black sky.

Professor Lysias was the one designed to give the alarm in case of danger of any kind, but at 3.40 hours he was asleep, so the dark shadow that was looking at them crept near and grabs one of the wounded passengers.

At dawn, Miss Etionica went to look on the injured people and gives a yelling that alerted everyone around.

12.

“What´s wrong?”

“Conon is disappeared! How? Last night he was delirious.”-

“And now he went for a walk? We must search him now! Everyone!”- Professor Cohimbro said, looking at the trail the body of Conon left on the ground- together with other marks that looked like being donned by paws…

Three hours later, the teams return without a clue.

“Something takes him away.”

“What a terrible thing!”

They were all looking at each other and then to the woods, that seems to look darker by the minute.

“We will put more guards tonight. We must make some weapons.”- Professor Lysias said; he was not being accused but everyone was blaming him for the disappearance of Conon…

Twisting and pulling out, they obtain bars and sheets of metal that were going to serves as weapons.

Meanwhile, Mr. Jefferies was assembling a rudimentary radio broadcaster. He said:” The battery is broken but still with some charge in it. It will begin to transmit a weak distress signal, with a reduced range of action. But if they get near this artifact, they will hear it.”- And he was sending distress messages each half an hour.

At dusk they have already a flimsy wall around their camp, and six guards were on the lookout, with iron bars and sheets to slice anything that could approach them with bad intentions. One of the injured men was begging them to let the “beast” takes him away…

13.

“Rest assured that nobody will trespass our defenses.”- Professor Cohimbro said to them.

At 6.00 hours, when the Guards were the least expecting, a black figure mumps over the fence, and grabs another injured person; but when trying to escape with its pray, Jefferies and Gotu Pycook throw their lances, hitting his back. The creature exhaled a profound cry and banged the ground with his head, releasing the injured passenger.

Women yelling, some of the men follow the creature, sending more lances until he died.

“Oh, it´s really ugly!”- Miss  Etionica said, moving the corpse with her boot.

The creature was 1.70 meters tall, 2.20 meters long, due to the fact that he has a long tail with projections to the sides; a very dangerous weapon.

“We should burn this specimen in case some others could see him dead and try to take revenge.”- Professor Cohimbro proposes.

“Callicratidas is dead.”- Miss Etionica said, moments later; the man could not endure the assault and now he was with her mouth full of blood.

They bury him next to Conon, with a lot of pebbles over his dead body.

The Shurruco (the native beast) was burnt immediately, using timber.

Jefferies went to sleep early, as he was dead tired after a day of broadcasting – he knew his efforts were dubious, but that was better than doing nothing at all.

14

They went to the woods, searching for fruits- the rain was back, and pools of mud were growing all around- their boots were soiled and the men begin to catch cold, being ill dressed and with just a small amount of food.

Miss Etionica, Gotu Pycook and Sortridates found a river brown and very rapid- the forest here was formed by big plants, wide leaves; they heard noises.

“Beware! Something is coming!”- Miss Etionica said, hiding behind a tree… Mr. Sortridates climbs a tree, and seeing that Gotu was still immobile, he yelled:”Go there and protect Miss Etionica!” – And signaled to the tree where Miss Etionica was hiding. The roar was stringer this time, so Gotu run to that tree – a wide trunk, and with entangled robust roots and a maze of weeds.

“Sarcosuchus.”- She said, pointing with a trembling finger towards the bushes.

“I see nothing.”- Gotu whispered.

“We must hide a lot better!”- She said, working to go deeper into the ground. Soon both of them were in an enclosure, with mud below and roots on top. The beast appears, sniffing the air.

“He is searching, guided by the smell.” Gotu whispered, and Miss Etionica puts one of her hands over his mouth, not to give dilatory sounds.

After a while, the Sarcosuchus keeps on growling and went away. Gotu was very close to Miss Etionica, and when she looks at him in the half light, he kissed her. She responded but then said:”We must return to camp, Gotu.”

They went out, and Sortridates appears, climbing on a rock and saying:” Hello! What a monster! Plenty of Sarcosuchus around here!”

“How do you know that?”

“When climbing to that tree… I climb a lot more, and from high you could see far and away- to the north. A nice valley.”

“Let´s go there! Perhaps there´s fruits in there.”- Miss Etionica said, taking Gotu´s hand, under the curious stare of Sortridates.

The bushes abound; nice wide green leaves obscure the way. They saw four big butterflies drinking from a sticky plant´s juices.

“Look!”- Etionica said, staring at three small birds that were jumping from branch to branch. They were yellow feathered, with pink tails…. They were producing piping noises.

The group find fruits, and filled their bags with them, after eating right away, so as not to eat later from what they were going to carry.

Miss Etionica said:”-. Oh, I am beginning to feel very good in this natural environ!”- And stared at Gotu Pycook that smiled back, under the sarcastic stare of Mr. Sortridates… as he was looking a forty six years old woman romancing a young man in his twenties…

 

At their return to camp, professor Cohimbro said to them:” Mr. Jefferies discovered something among the wreckage, that is allowing his transmitter to become more powerful… soon we will see if it really works!”

They were more confident now; the injured people shares that wave of optimism- even the women were looking optimist in their future.

Gotu Pycook was also optimist, more so when Etionica said:” How about a stroll by the woods, before dark?”

“It would be fine! Want to come with me?”- He asked immediately, under the smiling face of her… so they walked there, and she said:” Our friendship just is starting! The nice thing is to begin, don´t you think?”

“Of course. You are beautiful.”- Gotu replied.

“Really? I was better looking, years ago. I´m forty six years old now. Perhaps you are younger.”- Etionica commented.

“Not much younger.”- Gotu said.

“Oh, but you are! Never mind. I prefer young people around me: as they say, I have the age of the people that are around me.”- Etionica said.

“Nowadays people lives for more than a hundred years.”- Gotu commented.

“Yes, but who wants an old man?”- She said, stopping and leaning on a tree trunk. He kissed her, feeling uneasiness… she was acting as a very delicate lady, so he wasn´t allowed going beyond kissing…

When they return to camp, a Flier was standing at the other side of the wreckage- it has the signs of an institution of the government…

17.

“Look! They find us!”- Etionica said, running to the vehicle.

Gotu Pycook went there, where two male persons in khaki uniform were talking with Professor Cohimbro.

“We could carry only five persons by now! The sick or injured first.”- The taller man was saying.

“But, are other vehicles coming?”- Professor Cohimbro asked.

“Yes, but as it´s already night time, I doubt our Administration will allow more flights today.”- The same person said, and as told, the vehicle departs with the injured people: just five of them.

“Pity they are not here in numbers!”- Professor Cohimbro said, seating with the back towards the wrecked Shuttle.

2But they find us” Certainly, tomorrow we will be back to the civilization!” – Professor Lysias said, throwing more wood to the fire. Several insects appear, attracted by the light and some of them approach too much, sizzling and falling to the fire as burned corpses.

Gotu was near Miss Etionica, and she soon falls asleep. He was now very attracted to her, as she has splendid legs, no bags at the stomach and her face was very attractive…

That night a Shurrua appears, and sensing there were harmless mammals, grabs another injured man and in silence drags him to the woods, as the guards were dozing at their posts.

18

Soon after dawn, three Fliers appear in the air, landing near the crashed Shuttle.

“We are here to carry you all to the city. Prepare your people.”- The man in charge said to Professor Cohimbro, who was on the alert.

“Very well, Sir. Our person is weak and that is because of the scant food available here.”- Professor Cohimbro said. Miss Etionica approaches, saying:”One man is missing: Mr. Imantus was dragged by a beast out of our camp.”

“A Shurrua?”

“Most possible. Our hunters are searching the area.”- Miss Etionica said.

“Please, tell them to come back! That man is already dead by now. And we are in danger here. A mass attack and we will be doomed for sure.”- Mr. Blissam said, who was the commander of Operation Rescue.

The people, who was hearing this conversation, gets nervous and climbs on the fliers with promptitude… among them, Gotu Pycook.

Two of the Fliers take off, carrying the most of the survivors, while the third Flier waits two more hours for the explorers to come back.

“Not a sign! The creature surely uses the trees to climb and get away.”- Sortridates said.

“Very well, get into the Flier, you and the rest! We are leaving his dangerous place. Give thanks to your destinies not to have been attacked by a pack of Shurru.”- Mr. Blissam said, looking at the near-by forest.

Soon afterwards, the last Flier leaves that deadly place and the wrecked shuttle from the CARJU 320 spaceship.

19.