[Portal process will begin in three minutes. Please conclude all planetary calls and communications, as interstellar rates will apply after the transfer. Thank you.] The intercom informed the residents of Terminus.
They were headed for the first possible dig site, a planet well outside of Alliance Territory that an ancient probe had suggested might have either ancient ruins, or particularly unique geography, but no signs of life at all, not even plant life, though the world was in the habitable belt of its star.
Of course, the human definition of "Habitable" was much more broad than many species considered it to be, but most species had adapted to hot or cold climates, and not both.
The cruise ship gently moved through the portal, and then opened a second one to more precisely reach their destination, now that the star system was more clearly within their sensor range.
The region wasn't properly mapped, so they had first travelled to an open region of space, with a miniscule chance of running into any large debris, a simple precaution that also helped give the guests a wide-angle view of the region before they arrived.
[Welcome, honoured guests, to the DM213 star system. As you have been informed, the duration of our stay here will depend largely on what we find down below. If there are any traces of previous habitation, we will extend our stay here up to one month while the experts and students take their time excavating and studying the remnants of a previously unknown civilization.] The ship's announcer informed them.
Cheering resounded through the hallways of the mighty cruise ship at the news that they might find something on their very first stop, and Terminus manoeuvred into a low planetary orbit, so they would circle the planet and repeatedly scan the surface for any anomalies.
The planet below them was completely, strangely white. White enough that Max thought the sensors were incorrect and this was not a hot planet, but a snow-covered one.
There was no sign of any oceans though, and the sensors showed very little water, so the surface below them should be a desert. A white sand desert that covered an entire planet.
The first thing that Max checked was to see if the sand was actually dead coral. Many white sand beaches were made of crushed coral, bleached by the sun, and if this used to be a watery world, it would be a possibility.
But, the results indicated that this was ultra-fine silica sand, which would be even softer under the feet, so if the final atmospheric results were positive, they might be able to actually allow guests down to the surface for a limited time during the morning or later afternoon when the sand wasn't as hot.
In short, even if there was nothing here to see, this place had promise as a tourist destination, where they could let guests dig in the sand with no threats of alien viruses or hostile life forms. It might not be ethical to lie to the guests about the chances of finding something, but a little exaggeration wouldn't hurt, and it would keep them entertained.
[Anything good so far?] Max asked Nico after the ship completed its first full circle of the planet a few hours later.
[Actually, there are seven spots with possible anomalies. We have four with dense collections of rare metals. That could be signs of a ruin or a gold mine, and three where we have found what looks like square cut stone where the sand has blown clear.
That might be natural breakage, but it could be a sign of previous settlement.]
Nico sent him the data and Max smiled.
Seven good spots where they could send the research teams and students to look for relics. That was significantly better than he had hoped for. Even if they didn't find anything, it was enough to convince everyone that they weren't wasting their time.
[Do we have a preference for where to send the experienced teams first and where to send the casuals?] Max asked as he continued to analyze the data.
[Send the professionals to site three, the sand dune with a stone cliff. That one has a decent chance of being an ancient pyramid, and to site five, it's a rare mineral site, but it's in a rocky area that might give more answers than sorting through the sand.] Nico decided.
[Alright, I will get right on it and prep the teams for landfall. You prepare the cruise ship staff for the sendoff event.] Max quickly agreed, switching their usual roles to give himself the easy one.
[I see what you did there. Have them ready in thirty minutes, I will prepare a collage for the screens so that the guests can see what the options are and where we have chosen to go first.]
And that was why he had chosen Nico to do the job. She was great at preparing entertainment on a short notice.
Max sent out the messages to get everyone into their landing shuttles, and sent a group of probes to the surface filled with camera drones so that the guests could get a better 3D view of the work zones once the teams had begun their work.
The drones would also relay more detailed information back to the researchers and the Command Staff of Terminus, who could use it to guide further plans, including how many more people were sent down to the planet to either play in the sand or get actual work done.
[Ladies and Gentlemen, we have our preliminary dig sites identified, so we present to you the seven location short list. Each of these locations has shown promising anomalous readings to our sensors, but only two will be on the first day's itinerary.] The ship's public displays were informing the guests as the dig teams headed for the planet.
[The landing process will begin in forty seconds. Please note how the combination of gravity generators and sprayed water work together to prevent blowing sand from blinding the workers in the station. The fine sand is quite susceptible to being blown around by any wind, so workers will have to wear masks while they work to keep it out of their mouth and nose.
Most have chosen a full environmental suit, as the planet has no natural vegetation to rebalance any disturbances to the atmosphere, and our goal as a cruise ship is to leave as little adverse impact as possible.]
The announcements went on and on, but what Max was focused on was the thoughts of the crews that had just reached the surface.
[Move Terminus into a geostationary orbit in between the work locations and send out a drone network to get us a full satellite data feed. We're going to be here a while.] he ordered.
The crew moved quickly to comply, and the additional data feeds rapidly came online, giving him a proper view of the whole planet, and the ability to individually zoom in on the details that he found interesting.
The reason for this was simple. There was one identifiable written word on the stone at site three.
Desolation.
