There were no phalanges among the bones we discovered and, worse, no skulls. I discussed it with my two investigators and all agreed there was no way to get around the concept that whoever had been built around those bones had been killed elsewhere and the bones separated and brought here deliberately. As I say, disturbing implications indeed.
Ampersand was the first to realize that the bones indicated heavily that we had been all wrong in assuming the Midden to be a storehouse that had collapsed or been destroyed. The incomplete skeletons made it clear that these were not workers or residents killed in some calamitous collapse. He made a strong case that won over not only myself but also Paren and Point, whose opinion we solicited. What we were digging through was a garbage heap.
It was a hypothesis that tilted my entire thinking on the Ruins Complex and what it had to say about the previous occupants. I was now faced with a community of beings that inhabited a large space with attached furnace (if that’s what it was) and were brought supplies, including water and food in large, ungainly containers but made to move to reuse the metal or glass, just merely discarded them into the wilderness. Unless, of course, the chimney had been some sort of factory that produced the glass and metal objects. Among many questions; why were they living here in such a remote spot?
Pilot was more interesting in their means of getting to said spot, and transporting the goods and objects we were finding. He had identified what was undoubtedly a road system, although greatly overgrown with trees and shrubs in many places. For some reason there were two parallel roads visible, about four body lengths apart. Each was bare ground and a little less than a body length wide. A barely perceptible but very wide pathway ran from the identified entrance of the Ruin to a flat area that was obviously a terminus for the incoming double road. It was bare dirt with little overgrowth, a state which Ampersand felt was due to it having been saturated with some sort of heavy substance that showed signs of being neither mineral nor vegetable in makeup. Was this such a busy area that it required two access roads, one incoming and one leading out? Perhaps there was a steady stream of vehicles, a buzz of loading and unloading in the terminus area. But why build it here, remote from even the sight or sound of other habitations?
Greater Than overheard that discussion at dinner and grunted, then glowered around at the gossiping does and bickering kits and said, “Maybe they wanted some peace and quiet.”
That drew a few laughs, not a common reaction to the Trinchan’s comments I can assure you, but the question continued. We could find no evidence of any resource or advantage to warrant building such a long distance from other population centers. Greater Than addressed it again. “It was a remote military outpost. They were overrun and slaughtered, eventually lost the war and never rebuilt.”
That drew some stares, but was quickly discounted as being a figment of his limited imagination. And the impulse to explain was underway. We had become quite fond of telling stories around the fire. Ampersand unlimbered his usually rigid mentality to spin one off. “They were an expanding race who build widely separated centers from which to populate the surrounding areas, as if growing from seeds. But they spread too thin, their supply lines failed, and they collapsed.”
That was not too different from my own idle thoughts, but I felt creative so I said, “This is sacred soil, perhaps an origin point for their race or a previous race they revere.”
Several of the Ascensionists paid close attention to that, so I went on. “They constructed a temple city here, used only for seasonal feasts and rituals. It was necessary to bring in large amounts of food and beverage for these religious orgies, so they used special oversized containers, then discarded them when they returned to their cities.”
Lesser Than, usually shy and reticent, seemed to have his Ascending soul fired by that concept and blurted out, “But they had divided into two rival sects by then, so opposed to each other they refused even to travel the same roads as the other, so two routes were necessary. And they developed such animosity that they wiped each other out.”
That scenario was applauded by many, startling Lesser Than. I could see how his cult would have influenced his story idea, but also recalled that he was a lawyer in his pre-Journey life, or as close to your lawyers as we have. Essentially a clerk who had to preside over conflicts of rights and just treatment.
The kits had been uncharacteristically calm, hanging on the various explanations for the Ruins. Then, with a perfectly straight face, At spun his own interpretation. “It was a factory and center of great wealth. This is where all that metal came from. Why else would there be so much of it around? They built that enormous furnace to smelt and work the metal and glass, then shipped it out along the roads to other areas.”
He had a rapt audience for that one. If it were true, were there still metal deposits nearby? The kits were hanging on his every word. “There was conflict, leading to a destruction of the factory. Perhaps they destroyed it themselves to deny it to the enemy.”
Greater Than nodded grudgingly. He could certainly understand that motivation.
“They dumped everything into the mine shafts they were using to exploit the iron and silicon deposits below the ruins. Then covered it with garbage so nobody could find it.”
That had an electric effect on the kits. Secret buried treasure! He went on, “Once we get that junk cleared off and the valuables sorted out, we’re going to find the lodes of real value down underneath, deep tunnels to metal and maybe even jewels. And mark my words, that’s where they dumped all their weapons. There are probably vehicles down there, too.”
The kits had absorbed those last words with growing agitation and fell into a swarming buzz of discussion over it, how they could speed up the dig, what they would find, what they would do with such finds, how they could avoid punishment for doing it. They jabbered and schemed volubly, then seemed to notice the adults listening and scampered up to their burrow, still chattering about the treasure hunt.
Nobody laughed until they were gone, but then everybody did. Minus and Equal slapped At’s shoulders, howling with laughter and describing how the kits would exhaust themselves with digging and burrowing. I even caught a semi-smile on Greater Than’s face over the sly trick at the kits’ expense. When the laughter finally died down, there was some surprise when Star spoke up.
“I think I heard that before we could synthesize them, crystals were natural minerals, right?” At and Point nodded and she went on. “So maybe they found crystals here and were mining them and, whatever you do, refining them. Making devices with them.”
She stopped, thinking, but held our attention. Her ears twitched as added, “And they exploded. There was some mistake and the crystals blew up and burned down the whole place.”
“Just like…” Semi said, then stopped. But everybody knew what she meant. Just like the ship. There was some quiet thinking about that for awhile, absorbing the idea that we had possibly supplanted a previous group of non-survivors.
Behind me I heard Paren talking quietly to Ampersand. “There was no explosion,” she said. “No scattering. Everything fell inward.”
“Of course,” Ampersand said, in a low tone that dismissed the conjectures of those who didn’t share the pair’s academic preparation. “Besides, if this was their source of crystals, why wouldn’t they have rebuilt it?”
“Maybe they learned how to synthesize.” He didn’t answer that and I turned to look at her. Good answer. Ampersand was nodding absently, staring into the night, thinking it out. I smiled at Paren and got a quick wink in return.