Ice World Explorer (Chapter 2) A Mission from a Mother

"Mother Victoria, I bid you greetings," Oso said as he placed his fists together to show salutations.

Victoria bowed her head, the red lights flickering on her head.

"It is good to see you are well, Oso. Your correspondence report alerted me to the danger you faced…and the beast also…"

"Yes," Oso responded, "the beast escaped."

Victoria folded her hands in a relaxed position on her lap.

"It is my utmost concern that you would have been injured, however, I see your knowledge of the beasts that inhabit the land is rich."

Oso smiled as he clutched his knapsack tightly.

"That's the great outcome from my excursion. I was able to get the pelt from the Coloequus creature. The settlement will value this very much, Victoria."

Lights on the top of Victoria's head began to sparkle quickly.

"Oso, you and Avtar have done well. This mission helped strengthen the village. With this pellet, we will have material for more electric current.

Victoria peered to her right at a young woman sitting on a large pillow. Raising her hand, Victoria nodded.

The young man quickly jumped to her feet and made her way to Oso.

"Here you go, Ezla. Make sure this all goes to good use," Oso said, handing his sack to the man.

After a quick bow, the girl swung the knapsack over her back and made her way out of the tent.

"She will bring your materials to the metal makers of the settlement. They will know what to do with the pellet…"

Oso nodded his head and turned around to leave.

"Wait, Oso!" Victoria held her palm forward, signaling Oso to not leave. "There is another matter I must give to you."

Oso, confused, stood with his hand folded in front of him.

"Yes, Victoria, I didn't mean to rush."

Victoria rested her hands on her lap.

"As you know, our settlement here has been sustaining itself for 26 years now. You are very vigilant in helping to bring supplies. This is especially true for the fur pelts from the creatures...the Coloequus.”

Victoria gently rubbed the white fur draped around her neck.

“This fur, once treated correctly, has given us much help to sustain on this planet. It was such a surprise when we discovered this fur had electromagnetic properties, is strong as steel, and when needed...a powerful weapon.”

Oso smiled. “Yes, I have studied that fur for most of my life. It is an amazing material.”

“And that brings me to why I called you here. This latest run to obtain the fur from the creature, while not garnering as much fur as you would like, was still a success. This colony is now in desperate need of your knowledge on this subject, Oso.”

Oso looked at Victoria puzzled. The village settlement had already been using his knowledge of the Coloequus. Oso felt a great sense of pride that his knowledge was so important for the shipwreck people and their survival on this foreign planet.

“What more do you need from me, Victoria? I know this information helps our survival but is there something we are missing?”

Victoria extended her hands in front of her before a small light glowed from her palm. From this, a bright hologram appeared in front of Oso. It was a map of the surrounding region.

“Since we have been living here on this planet, we have had to find ways to survive. This includes your research on the creatures but it also includes what resources we can find. Many of the instruments and technology you see or use are actually salvaged from the crash. Though it seems we are self-sufficient, the truth is the technology that brought us across space gave everyone here a large stepping stone to achieving stability.”

Oso looked puzzled. “Yes, I understand, Victoria, but what does this have to do with me?”

Victoria moved her hand and placed a digital red dot on the holograph map.

“There are some instruments and materials that would help us create a truly sustainable society. One such instrument is the Dravar Sail.”

Still expressing his confusion, Oso frowned and slightly tipped his head. This technology Victoria was mentioning had never crossed Oso’s ears.

“My apologies, Mother Victoria, but I’m very confused. The items you are mentioning, the items from the crash, these are objects that have not yet been lost? The crash was some twenty years ago. In fact, I wasn’t even born during the crash. I was led to believe that all items from the crash had been salvaged and that there was nothing left.”

Victoria lowered her hands as the holographic map disappeared.

“Yes, Oso. That is why this is something I have to share with confidentiality. The Dravar Sail is an object that helped our spacecraft, The Tundra, cross vast distances in space. By firing a laser beam at the Dravar Sail, whatever object attached to the sail can travel to far away places in the galaxy in a much shorter time frame. The knowledge and technology to build this type of object was never input into my database. In fact, the materials to create another Dravar Sail are not possible with the materials we have here. Which is why I am giving you this mission, Oso.:

Oso spring to his feet and stood at attention.

“Are you sending me on a mission to create a Dravar Sail, Victoria? How will I accomplish this?” Oso rambled. “Your knowledge is greater than mine but surely you know my skills lie in other subjects. This technology is too much for…”

Victoria raised one hand, instantly halting Oso’s rant.

“Oso, you will not create a Dravar Sail. You will find the original Dravar Sail that was used on the fateful voyage to this planet.

Taking a pause for a moment, Oso replied softly, “Victoria...are you planning something if we are able to find this space voyage sail? Are you suggesting that...our colony may be able to leave this planet?”

“Yes, Oso, I’m suggesting that. While the humans here have learned to adapt to this environment, I...deep in my own database, never stopped trying to find a way for you all...us...to escape this place. My data collecting has led me to this. Around 74 km from this location, a mountain region that is blanketed in ice.”

“That’s amazing, Victoria! But the area where the sail is located is…”

“Yes, the area is covered in very thick ice. Which brings me to why I brought you here. According to your research, the fleece of the Coloequus is said to react to electric energy. Is that correct?”

“Yes, Victoria. I’ve conducted many experiments on what the fleece will react to. The fleece has been used in repairing our electrical equipment and re-purposing old technology in general.”

“That means the fleece also can create a large amount of energy...an explosion even.”

Taking the fleece from his shoulders, Oso held the fur to Victoria.

“You mean to find a way to break the ice...in order to reach the sail.”

Victoria nodded her head as Oso pinpointed exactly what she wanted to convey.

“Oso, I must send you on a mission to find this sail. It may change the fate of the people here in this stranded colony. It will bring you back to your people. That has been my mission; to care for and safeguard the humans I was assigned to protect.”

Oso bowed his head before Victoria and crossed one arm over his chest.

“Victoria, I will do my best to make sure this mission is a success.”