Jeremiah Brubaker

[Chirakis 1]

Jeremiah Brubaker

Several miles from the Argos ll crash site, evidence of a similar crash landing just over ten years ago hugged the base of a lush, green hill several miles away.  A stone path led from a crashed shuttle's main hatch to a small vegetable garden and a catch pond next to a rudimentary filtration system.  A rather scruffy looking but strong and agile middle-aged man had just filled a few large canisters with water and was turning toward the shuttle's open hatch when what sounded like an  immense explosion echoed down the valley and brought him up short.  A mixed breed dog bolted from sniffing in the bushes and began barking frantically.

“Oh my, Whippet,” said the man as he watched a cloud rise into the atmosphere. “What do you suppose that was? Another meteorite?”

Whippet whined, then barked again and spun in anxiety as she ran back and forth in the direction of the blast.

“What? You think we should investigate?”

Whippet jumped and spun, ran a few yards more, and continued to bark.

After a few minutes of consideration, the man acquiesced. “Well, then, if you insist. I suppose even a large meteorite is worth investigating, eh?  You never know what you’re going to find in a meteorite.  However… let’s put the water in the house and get our pack. It's quite far away, girl, but you know that, yes?”

The dog’s tail wagged in excited expectation, and in a few minutes they were on their way.

Dr Jeremiah Brubaker, renowned Professor of Geology and Paleontology at Starfleet Academy, had been stranded so long ago that he had been declared dead.  Of course, with little contact to the outside world he hadn’t received that information.  If he had, he would have retorted, “The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”  Yes, Mark Twain was his favorite author, and he mirrored Twain’s love of adventure. The doctor’s wilderness skills had transformed the shuttle into a home and its surroundings into a well kept yard and garden.  Of course, he always traveled with his companion, Whippet, so he did not lack company, nor did he lack an emergency alarm.

So Dr Brubaker and Whippet began the long journey toward Argos II.  What he saw when they rounded the mountain that hid the freighter from view was well beyond what Jeremiah expected.  

[TBC in sim.]