One does always not get one's choice of death, nor one's choice of location. This is especially true when in an exploratory fleet on the frontier of the galaxy. Yet if I had my choice of place to die, the wall you see above demonstrates why I would have chosen what is now affectionately referred to in my fleet as Tahndura's Box.
This story is ALMOST the story of what would have been my first marriage, as it is told on Tahndura.
My love for jewelry is well-known in my semi-retirement, and the ancient crystal chambers of Tahndura were first considered gorgeous jewelry box-type vaults for some fabulous treasure long gone. Today, the chambers are a tourist attraction, but people are warned: don't try to take souvenirs.
I was on Tahndura at the time of the first discovery of a chamber, there as an invited scientist observer from the planetary consortium in whose fleet I served. It was known that there was an energy field still operational on the planet although the ancient Tahnduran civilization apparently had been gone for at least three millennia, and this was of interest to the newer planetary inhabitants although they did not have the means to understand it. Hence my attachment to the first serious expedition; it was thought that there might be some danger.
Now in my semi-retirement years as a full fleet admiral, I still follow the rule I learned on Tahndura as a lieutenant commander: don't mix your expeditions between the professionals and the sightseers, because sightseers always want souvenirs.
I only saw the person who tried to pry what looked like a loose crystal from the wall for a moment, the moment before an energy field came right out from the wall and disintegrated that person before the vault sealed up on the rest of us and transformed itself into a kind of curtain of great grinding crystals, divided by a searing energy field.
There were old humanoid skeletons in the back of the chamber; how this story was supposed to end was written in their bones. There were ten of us in the vault; the volume of air in there would be expended in two hours – or less. Again, the sightseers were the first to panic, and their carrying on was going to expend even more air.
Chief Archaeologist Byndeeanah Kones is still telling this part of the story to this day: “This is when we saw the admiral in Vlarian Triefield for the first time – she told everyone not ready to work on the escape plan to go sit down and be quiet, and everyone wanted to work on the escape plan, so that stopped the panic and everybody got to work!”
An energy field is an energy field; there's a signal that turns it on and a signal that turns it off. So, we had to understand what had happened and thus what had to be reversed. Some people had seen the death of the 11th person, some people had instruments that we could calibrate to find out what had happened and what needed to happen. Everyone sat down and did their work as quietly as possible to preserve oxygen, while the walls glittered and flashed on.
One hour on, it was clear we were making progress, and also that we were being counteracted, watched, and considered … gaps would open through our efforts in the wall, but then the gaps would be closed by means that made no sense when dealing with a mere energy field. Also, great voids occasionally would open in the wall – beyond our reach because of field strength in front of them, but clearly open to the passageway beyond us, because fresh air entered through them and refreshed us.
"The death sentence is turning into a shared scientific study," Dr. Kones said to me at one point.
"Yes, sir, it appears so," I said, "but this means we are premature in archaeology here, because -- ."
One of the sightseers tapped me on the shoulder.
"Wha- Wha- What is THAT?!?!" she screamed as a figure materialized in a corner of the wall.
“Just stay calm,” Dr. Kones said. “I presume we are about to meet one of the native Tahndurans.”
“That is correct, Dr. Kones.”
The being sounded just like you would expect of a figure like this –
– assuming a parrot with the majesty of a king.
Of course, human sightseers in a professional spot -- someone had to say it.
"Does Polly wanna cracker?"
"About as much as your companion wanted to die, fool."
And that was the end of the wisecracking.
Dr. Kones apologized for the ill-spoken words and the attempt at theft, and then introduced the entire party -- archaeologists, scientists, sightseers, and all.
The emissary from the native Tahndurans considered that a long moment.
"We realized in just a few moments after capturing you, Dr. Kones, that your party was not only thieves and fools. For your plain of existence, you and your mate there are quite advanced in your understanding of the universe."
"Thank you, on behalf of myself and ... ." and Dr. Kones's voice trailed off.
"Your mate, Dr. Kones," I said with a smile.
When you are the only woman on an expedition and you are keeping up with the chief male scientist, such assumptions are to be expected among nesting creatures!
"We do not object to you and others studying our nests," the emissary continued. "We do object to having our nests picked apart. Every crystal is an important link between this dimension of the universe and the second one that we inhabit, and we nest our young here."
"So, the planet Tahndura is your breeding ground?" Dr. Kones said.
"Your entire plain of existence, technically, is our breeding ground," the emissary explained, "but the word Tahndura simply means nest, and this is a favorite spot because of the native crystals."
"If you would have explained that in advance," Dr. Kones said, "we would not have
permitted any theft."
"Dr. Kones, you and your mate are respectable people, and so are most of your flock here. However, we are not new in dealing with humanoids. We know you, in general. So: the way we have explained the matter to you will prevent further thefts in the future. That said, you all must live to spread the warning, so, you are free to go. Your people may return to study whenever they wish, but not to steal."
"Yes, sir, we understand," Dr. Kones said.
"We know that you do, now. See that it is not forgotten."
The emissary pressed down upon the great bar that he was sitting upon, and disappeared. All at once, the wall began to open from top to bottom:
We all walked out ten minutes later, all ten alive and well.
In the 30 years since that incident, much study has been done and many sights have been seen in the great nesting complexes of Tahndura. Occasionally an emissary Tahnduran appears to explain some question that our science cannot grasp.
The old skeletons that occasionally have been discovered have been encased in glass and left where they have been for centuries as a reminder: don't pick at the nests, please!
Meanwhile, old Dr. Kones is still kidding my actual husband: “How's my mate doing?”
The good-naturedness of Captain Marcus Aurelius Kirk is shown in that he laughs uproariously, every time.
This was a glassine series within a very fruitful set of fractals... the gorgeous crystalline structure I expected, but not the bird sitting at the top in two versions of the fractal -- that was the surprise that created the story!
@carlgnash -- between your art of portals and Charles Hoskinson over on Cardano talking of birds that would be dropping news ... THIS happened!