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WORLD SURF DAY  -  NINETEEN HUNDRED AND NINETY EIGHT
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A Brief History of the Milky Way Galaxy:
Archive Article ~99991510/CF181/4/000037411


About the binary star system of Cygnus Foon 181, the
planet CF181/4 gradually spun like a green jewel
against the backdrop of black space.  Some 57 years
before, it had been classified and entered into the
galatic database by the 1st of the exploration teams
of the 181st quadrant.

Ko adjusted the four controls of the visual field
display unit until the planet filled the entire 2
metre screen.  On the command deck of the Deep Space
Probe Crescent IV, the other 3 members of the crew
watched as the navigation grid pattern superimposed
itself over the Emerald Planet.

Two of the planet's three moons were rising
over the top of the planet, and the other would follow
some 98 minutes after.  The full report of of the
DSP Crescent I, now 57 terran years old, had revealed
that the planet F181/4 was given a nickname of the
"Emerald Planet" by the 1st exploration team, and
statistically, this was a rare occurence.

The database for the 181st Quadrant of the Milk Way
Galaxy had revealed a total of 587,202 star systems,
yielding a total of 4,811,760 planetary bodies, of
which only 78 had acquired nicknames.  That there
was something special about this particular planet,
had slowly become abundantly clear after the
incident reported by the planet's solitary commercial
operation, a remote outpost of Surfahoy Tours.
It was this incident that DSP Crescent IV had been
sent to investigate.

Ko turned to the console and pulled up the original
planetary survey report on a subsiduary screen, then
went for the audio overide.

	"Planet 4 of the Cygnus Foon 181 star system:
	---------------------------------------------
	Mass:  0.79 Terran Units
	Diameter: 5,200 miles
	Circumference: 16,342 miles
	Spin:  24.5 standard terran hours
	Moons: 3
	Atmosphere: Carbon Dioxide (96%), Argon (3%)
	Surface: Almost totally liquid ammonia, with
	         a band of crystalline silica running around
	         the equator some 7 miles in width at the
	         widest point, and 1/2 mile in width at the
	         narrowest."
	Life Forms: none yet encountered.

The ship's computer paused, and gave a small cough,
as though it were clearing its throat.

"Please continue", Ko spoke while making minor
adjustments to the navigation grid on the main
monitor, where the Emerald Planet filled the screen.
The ship's engineer Dat Hulko looked at the image of
the planet, and imagined himself as a miniscule mite,
looking at the bright globe of a green traffic light
on a dark night.

        "Oceanic Surface: 99.9%
         Planetary inclination to the solar
		 equatorial plane: 15 degrees.
		 Orbital Period: 5.71 terran years.
		 Mean surface temperature: -120 C."

"Okay", interrupted Ko, "We've covered all this
before on many debriefing sessions.  You can now
provide us with a summary on the history of
the exploratory and commercial mission here, thanks".

  "2208 - First chartered in Terran Year 2208 by the
  Crescent review. Holographic archival units installed
  in geostationary orbits by this mission.

  2262 - No other history was logged until 2262 when
  the Surfahoy Tour Company applied for a semi-permanent
  ground station for their remote Surfing Tour Operation.
  This was granted, and in the same year a ground station
  (category GAMMA) was established in two visits.

  2263 - 7 tour visits
  2264 - 29 tour visits
  2265 - 17 tour vists

  This last tour visit was now 60 terran days ago with
  the incident which occurred on the 17th, the operations
  were shut down.  This mission represents the 18th visit
  to the planet this year."

"Okay - thanks", Ko had targetted the equatorial region
of the Emerald Planet with the navigation grid.

"Lets bring this crystalline band of land surface into
focus" he announced to the ships company.  The polar
regions of the planet faded away, and the equatorial
regions became magnified.  A faint band of white
appeared out of the bright green oceanic expanses of
the Emerald Planet.  All eyes were on the VFD unit.

"An amazing planetary geographical feature".  The ship's
information systems archivalist watched as the white band
gained clearer focus. Rosie Connelley's face reflected a
mixture of admiration, awe and intrigue. "It's almost worth
the journey all the way out here to look for this missing
cosmic wax-head".

"Wait until we get down to the coastal view".  Ko continued
to zoom in on the white band.  Huge white cliffs of crystal
stood tall out of a bright green sea, extending from horizon
to horizon.  Perhaps 4,000 meters high in places, the
equatorial crystaline band shone brightly under the binary
sunshine of CF181.

"The Surfahoy groundstation is presently on the other side
of the planet", Ko broke the crew's reverie and silence;
the majesty of the white crystal cliffs towering out of
the vast sea stretches, reached up through the intervening
space, and had captivated everyone's attention for the last
few minutes.

"First, we'll check the groundstation personnel, then we'll
retrieve the appropriate Holographic Archive Unit data, and
see whether we can shed some light on this incident."

It was the captain, Ko Moku, and the ship's navigator, Jerry
Johnson, who took the shuttle out of the main vehicle bay of
the Crescent IV, and descended to the planetary surface.

They hovered over the crystal mountainous band for a moment,
then accelerated off westward, following the chain like a
planetary highway, until, fifteen minutes of high
velocity flight saw the commercial groundstation beacon
rise over the approaching horizon.  Another fifteen minutes
and the shuttle was docked, and they were just about through
the last airlock into the internal environment of the Surfahoy
Emerald Planet groundstation.

"Welcome to the most remote Surfahoy Outpost", the voice of
Skip Boylin boomed over the airlock intercom.  The door
opened, and Ko and Jerry looked on a long haired old man,
wiry, sun-tanned, alert and smiling.

"Too bad there's no surf today, you should have been here
yesterday."  Skip extended his hand.

"Captain Ko Moku", Ko shook his hand.
"Jerry Johnson, navigator", Jerry followed suit.

The view out the main windows of the ground station complex
was a feature of the operation which could not have failed
to have been noticed by any new arrival.  The bright green
ocean was as calm as a lake, and barely a ripple disturbed
its surface, even at the base of the crystal cliffs. Off
into the distance ran the meeting place of green sea and
white crystal, an almost perfect straight line.

"You fellahs ever surf"? Skip asked the pair from the
Crescent IV.

"Sure" said Ko, "used to do it regularly.  But I've no
great wish to surf in liquid ammonia under a CO2 sky,
when therer's no waves to be had.  And, really, we came
here to investigate that incident report which you filed
some two months ago"

"This Groundstation looks familiar" - Jerry was walking
over to the high triple layered transparent windows which
extended right down the length of the hall which they had
entered.  He looked out the windows, down to the green
reflective sea.  The white crystal cliffs met the ocean in
pristine tranquility, glass to glass.

"Yeah", replied Skip, to Jerry's statement, but his eyes
held Ko's.  It was obvious the incident frightened him
in some deep manner.

"This groundstation is a replica of the original Foon
Palace on Altair 3, in the Vega system, right down to
the main Board-Room.  I'll show you around if you like".

"Where did this disappearance take place?" Ko was not to
be put off that easily, and walked over to the expanse of
windows, looking up and down the perfectly symmetric
coastline, where the crystal hardness met the crystal
liquid softness.

"Right out front", said Skip. "Right out the very front
of this hall."  Skip walked over to the window and
pointed directly down to the patch of green ocean just
below the vantage point of the hall.  "Right there!",
he said. "Right there, in front of the rest of the tour
group.  Right in front of our very eyes".

"You'd better start at the top Skip" Ko said eventually,
when it was evident that Skip had fallen into a state
of reminiscence.

"Sure", said Skip. "How about some coffee and doughnuts"?

Over this fare, the half the crew of the Crescent IV
listened intently as the story unfolded.  Skip went through
the establishment of the Surfahoy Tours groundstation, and
the succeeding years which had seen a booming turnaround
after word had gotten out about the surf.

"Doesn't look like much right now", said Jerry.  There was
not one wave to be seen.  the ocean was a mirror of green
glass reflecting the twin suns and sparse ammonial cloud
formations.

Skip looked at the time-piece on the wall, and did a quick
calculation.  "Hang around for another 7 terran hours, and
then say that again Jerry".

"We might well do that, after the rest of the crew come down
to the surface for a breather," said Ko, "We've been hauling
ass for the last six weeks out to this remote quandrant of
the galaxy, and we'd all enjoy some time off-ship".

"So, tell us, when does the surf appear here, Skip, and also,
how do you manage to surf in liquid ammonia in carbon dioxide
air?"

"The new fangled EnviroWear wetsuit outfits handle the offworld
chemicals without any problems", answered Skip, "and the surf
is as regular as clockwork.  Our year here is just over 5.5
terran years long, so we have not been down here for a full
local year yet, but we have been down here for the local winter
swells, and in fact, when the disappearance happened, it was
just about as mid-winter as you can get."

"So where abouts is the local surf break?", interrupted Jerry,
looking up and down the coast for signs of waves.

"Right around", replied Skip, and settled back in his chair
with his cuppa in hand.

"You mean - right around here?" said Ko, indicating the local
meeting place of ocean and crystal.

Skip waited a moment before responding.  "No, I mean right
around the planet".

Ko and Jerry looked at each other and then back at Skip.

Ko spoke: "You mean you do your tours from here to other breaks
on the planet?"

Skip finished his coffee slowly, stood up, and walked over to the
window.  "No, all the surfers paddle out here, or, if it is too
big they get dropped outside the furthest impact zone. But we
dont take any surfer to any other place to surf.  They all start
here.  Of course we pick them up at other places, but we dont
drop anyone off anywhere.  The pickup system is one-way only.
From wherever they are, to back here."

"I dont get it", said Jerry.

Ko was silent. Skip said nothing for a while.

"I think we need to wait and see this surf", said Ko.

"I think you speak wise words", said Skip.




END of PART I





NEXT Chapter - The Emerald Planet (Part II)