TALL TALES

[Richie]

Richard Wellham did a post graduate major in Astronomy and Astrophysics at the ANU, plus an Advanced Master of Science and PhD programs in cosmology, galaxy evolution and planetary systems via the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Mount Stromlo Observatory, Canberra. He is also an Oxford University Rhodes Scholar. He began working for the ASA a decade ago. He is 38 and is separated with two pre teen children.

French born Jenevieve Desaur, 32, studied astro physics at the Sorbonne in Paris and astronomy at the Paris Observatory. Post graduate she worked at the Obsevatory before being head hunted six yrs ago by Wellham to be his assistant at the ASA Nth Qld base. She and Wellham were transferred two yrs ago to the more modern ASA base at Pine Gap. The pair have a good working relationship plus have dated on occasions. Deasau was divorced before she came to Australia. She has no offspring.

 

[Richie]

Our latest Tall Tale begins now!

Reeves recorded the area's position where he saw the Alien craft land. He went back later when his nerves had settled and the craft was gone! He took photos of marks and even pulled out his metal detector and took samples of the soil and vegetation. His metal detector did pick up several small metallic lumps which he bagged.
Later from 700 metres away, hull down in bushes but with sight of the landing area he tried to phone an appropriate authority with Pine Gap coming to mind. He made 7 satelite phone calls to eventually get through to physicist Dr Richard Wellingham who he vaguely knew from his collecting of meteorites for boffins to examine. They paid well for the odd find and his wife needed an operation.

Now Digger can you tell us exactly where you saw the alien craft land, said Spring.

Not exactly, but It was just south of Cape Range where I had been given some intel of a small opal deposit. No luck with opals but found five space craft instead. The area was covered in red sand dunes and small spikey rock formations. So we should be able to find it. Here is a snap I took.


And the alien craft, Spring added.

That was a few hours later. It was getting dark so I was returning to my camp site. When I saw those space ships it knocked my socks off. Luckily there was a nearby rock I hid behind. I must have been in total shock as I clean forgot I took this one too.

Then he handed the second and most important snap to Spring.


You know what, we should notify the Aust Air Force as these craft now appear to be ridgy didge, chipped in Wellham. As scientists I fear we may be out of our depth without some security around us. Lets find the spot Digger spoke of and leave any conflict to the air force boys.

I agree Richie, said Jenevieve in her lilting French accent. But instead, we contact the Air Force first and then Digger will lead us all to the proposed landing site. What is this ridgy didge Richie?

True, authentic, fair dinkum. Haven't I used that expression before.

There you go again with a strange word dinkum, she giggled, immediately changing the previous sombre mood.

Richie then mused that she had a pleasant habit of doing this and that it was one of the reasons he loved her.

 

[Grier]

90's technology is fine by me Craig. GPS was available then and satelite phones. Digger Reeves has that tech in his 4WD.

Reeves had recorded the area's position where he saw the Alien craft land. He went back later when his nerves had settled and the craft was gone! He took photos of marks and even pulled out his metal detector and took samples of the soil and vegetation. His metal detector did pick up several small metallic lumps which he bagged.

Later from 700 metres away, hull down in bushes but with sight of the landing area he tried to phone an appropriate authority with Pine Gap coming to mind. He made 7 satelite phone calls to eventually get through to physicist Dr Richard Wellingham who he vaguely knew from his collecting of meteorites for boffins to examine, like Dr Spring. They paid well.

Speaking to Wellingham and Spring he was relieved they didn't think him crazy, and Spring shared his own ET encounters. He told them all he knew and that he'd collected samples and took photos which he sent to them. They sounded very interested and told him to hang tight observing the area.
Reeves pulled out his big zoom camera and turned on its infrared function.
Time for a coffee and instant meal cooked with his little microwave oven.

 

[Richie]

GPS was available then and satelite phones.

Really. Figured they came quite a bit later.

I think your post should open the story, so I will move it there.

Terry can you delete that post I have moved. Not being a mod now I am unable to.

 

[Grier]

Hi Craig,

I checked about the advent of GPS and Satelite phones which was about the eighties and getting better in the nineties. Is that ok? Even clunky PC's. I remember cameras recorded with tapes and TV'S with VCR's.

Sorry, not sure which post you want me to delete.
Is it in Tall Tales, and if so what Numbered post?

I'm easy Craig, we overlapped and I edited my post to weave about yours. That's fine, we're a bit rusty and we'll slide into a comfortable sync no doubt.

I liked reading the CV's of your characters which inspired me to do likewise below with Dr Peter Spring, a wealthy professor of Geochemistry at Pine Gap.

 

[Grier]

Peter Spring is a tall blonde blue eyed man aged 52. He is only married to his work as an acclaimed Geochemist with two PHd students as assistants. Professor Spring is currently working at Pine gap.
He made his wealth from precious metals, gems, geological searches, remote hyperspectral sensing, mining claims, ... and a well secured factory in Malaga 12km North of Perth City using Peter's innovative refining techniques.
He also has a Law degree focussed especially on Land Rights Usage for Mining and its constraints with First Nations Claims, which he respects and is friendly with Elder Digger Reeves whom he's often engaged to do contract work for him, and to share a beer or three.

 

[Richie]

I checked about the advent of GPS and Satelite phones which was about the eighties and getting better in the nineties.

Ok. Geological Physical Survey machines, or geo-phys, were relatively new also and thanks to Dr Wellham the expedition has use of a special one designed for the heat of a desert with the ability to map deep, sandy, or rocky subsurface structures. Its key technologies include Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), magnetometers for mineral exploration and drone-based systems for rapid, large area coverage. No doubt Digger would find the magnometre invaluable for his prospecting.

 

[Grier]

When the Boffins Wellingham, Spring and Desaur arrived in Spring's Land Rover, Digger Reeves greeted them to the camp base he'd cleared for them.
A pit fire was nicely cooking a hunk of meat with a pot of veges and roasted potatoes on a grate. Coffee and beer was offered to all the assembled team. A chilled cask wine for Jenevieve in a glass. A good cask wine.

When settled Dr Wellingham showed Digger his magnometre machine explaining its working. Reeves was very impressed and asked for a demonstration, if possible.
With Dr Peter Spring watching on with interest he chipped in "It detects a lot deeper than your metal detector Digger, very expensive and now being used for stuff like forensic and archaeological searches".

Then Dr Spring showed Digger the mapping drone explaining its use and workings.
"Stone the Crows" said Digger.
"Indeed" said Peter Spring, "one could stone a crow with this flyer, but highly unlikely".

Jenevieve Desaur was easy on the eye as she set up her big complicated Telescope smiling at Reeves as he watched her work, and when done she let him have a look at the Moon and visible planets like Venus, Mars and Jupiter.
"It's got a little motor to keep the scope focussed on any patch of sky. Basically it rotates to counter the turn of the Earth to stay fixed on a target. We turn, not the Celestial sphere except for the wandering planets in our Solar system named after ancient gods, from numerous cultural belief systems like those of Aboriginies' with their own starry notions. Mostly Greek or Roman like Pluto.

It's also got a powerful camera able to take photos of celestial bodies and record the images to its internal computer memory with a 3.5" floppy drive for downloads.
If there's Aliens about best we watch the skies. Especially our moon ..."

She showed Digger how to watch the Moon which he was happy to do, zooming in and out, tracking through areas and taking photos.., with a beer or smoke in his free hand.

 

[Richie]

When the Boffins Wellham, Spring and Desaur arrived in Spring's Land Rover, Digger Reeves greeted them to the camp base he'd cleared for them.
A pit fire was nicely cooking a hunk of meat with a pot of veges and roasted potatoes on a grate. Coffee and beer was offered to all the assembled team. A chilled cask wine for Jenevieve in a glass. A good cask wine.

When settled Dr Wellham showed Digger his magnometre machine explaining its working. Reeves was very impressed and asked for a demonstration, if possible.
With Dr Peter Spring watching on with interest he chipped in "It detects a lot deeper than your metal detector Digger, very expensive and now being used for stuff like forensic and archaeological searches".

Then Dr Spring showed Digger the mapping drone explaining its use and workings.
"Stone the Crows" said Digger.
"Indeed" said Peter Spring, "one could stone a crow with this flyer, but highly unlikely".

Jenevieve Desaur was easy on the eye as she set up her big complicated Telescope smiling at Reeves as he watched her work, and when done she let him have a look at the Moon and visible planets like Venus, Mars and Jupiter.
"It's got a little motor to keep the scope focused on any patch of sky. Basically it rotates to counter the turn of the Earth to stay fixed on a target. We turn, not the Celestial sphere except for the wandering planets in our Solar system named after ancient gods, from numerous cultural belief systems like those of Aboriginies' with their own starry notions. Mostly Greek or Roman like Pluto.

It's also got a powerful camera able to take photos of celestial bodies and record the images to its internal computer memory with a 3.5" floppy drive for downloads.
If there's Aliens about best we watch the skies. Especially our moon ..."

She showed Digger how to watch the Moon which he was happy to do, zooming in and out, tracking through areas and taking photos.., with a beer or smoke in his free hand.

No verbosity mate. Short and sweet, easier to follow the flow.

Wellham interjected, I believe the craft Digger saw are an advance force sent to reconnoiter, then report back to their leaders. I am betting they are still here hiding as nothing has been picked up on radar so my educated guess is they managed to dig their craft into the sand dunes. If the case ASA's latest Geo Phys survey machine will locate them.

Meanwhile Spring had contacted the Air Force base at Kalgoorlie notifying them about the alien landing at Cape Grange. Kalgoorlie had two squadrons each of Harrier Jump Jets and the revolutionary stealth technology of the American F-17 Nighthawk and B-2 Spirit, both of which the Australian Air Force had helped develop.
Spring also informed Pine Gap.

 

[Grier]

No verbosity mate. Short and sweet, easier to keep with the flow.

No worries, sorry Craig. Short and sweet.

 

[Grier]

No verbosity mate. Short and sweet, easier to keep with the flow.

No worries, sorry Craig. Short and sweet.

Other of Australia's most advanced surveillance AWAC air craft were sent too.
Examining the data sent, Spring the Dirt man, pointed out several sandy dunes and areas the Alien craft may have hidden. Some of those sandy areas are like dry quicksand, deep bulldust like talcom powder. Dangerous to drive into.
"Dr Wellingham, your sub ground detector would be invaluable to scope out hidden and buried Alien craft., if that's what it is?? Russia??? Just saying, I'm keeping an open mind, for now."

 

[Richie]

No worries, sorry Craig. Short and sweet.

Thanks Terry. Changed name to Wellham.

 

[Grier]

Wellham it is Craig.

The "War of the Worlds" movie was on the other night. I'd seen it before and even the old H G Wells' version.
He scared the crap out of American radio listeners thinking it was really happening!
Tom Cruise was good in the latest movie.

 

[Grier]

Digger Reeves showed Dr Wellham and Dr Spring some of the heavy metallic nodules and earth samples he'd collected from the alien craft's landing site.

Spring, Wellham and Desuar examined the nodules.
"************" said Spring tossing a nodule, "it's heavy, heavier than lead or gold. What do you think Wellham, Desaur?

"My metal detector located them easy", said Reeves.
"Them's metal alright, real heavy metal. Reminds me of polished Hematite. "

 

[Richie]

Hematite is a common, dense iron oxide mineral and the primary ore of iron, found worldwide in rocks and soils, said Wellham, so why the surprise as it is not as tho what Digger found was not of this earth and associated with the aliens.

So Peter, I think being on a first name basis is preferable as we'll be working closely together. So Peter what is our air forces expected time of arrival at Warburton? Which was Diggers home town and where the boffins had stayed the previous nite.

The strip will accommodate choppers and jets but not an AWAC, chipped in Digger.

Ten this morning. They said they are sending the latest Apache choppers and a squadron each of Nighthawks and Harriers, replied Spring.