Jack Sallenge was lying in the glass house, smiling and sobbing at the same time, absolutely alone at the very center of the blueish-green sandy plain of endless space on the second planet in the local solar system around 8.5 light-years away from Earth. Around him, there were no humans. Only alien creatures, extraordinary plants, and an angry predator that wandered somewhere nearby. Or at least, that's how First Lieutenant Sallenge envisioned his current existence.
After finishing the replay of another memory, he removed the neuroband, understanding he couldn't stand it another moment. He lay on his bed, his hands folded behind his head, and looked at the fancy ornaments adorning the non-transparent ceiling. There were no virtual reality games, no friends, and not even a music player. These were all strictly prohibited by the Space Agency's rules. Astronauts were being sent here with only one goal in mind. To work their hands to the bone. But was there a point in working so hard if he had no clue whether they would send someone to rescue him from this planet or simply leave him to live the rest of his life in total isolation until he dies or something eats him?
He turned his head towards the door. The glass panels had become noticeably darker, preparing the room for night mode, but it was still possible to see the evening breeze throwing up small columns of light dust. Jack concentrated on the door when he suddenly realized that the scary beast had nearly rushed into his dwelling. His mind made up, Jack decided it was time to come up with a plan to rid himself of the creature once and for all.
Over the next few days, Jack awoke fairly early to have enough time to conduct all the tasks given by the Avant Light. He barely coped with finishing everything he needed to, completely aware that he was tasked with doing the job of all six crew members. His mind was such that he would randomly recall the awful explosion of the captain's shuttle, the mutilated burnt bodies of Alan and Laura, and, of course, the final moments of Anne's life. He would remember her words for the rest of his life, and he would also remember how brave and strong she had been.
All these thoughts overwhelmed him during the long hours of traveling from one part of the planet to the other. Looking through the history of his flights, Jack identified his approximate location on the planet. He was in the Eastern hemisphere, approximately one parallel below the equatorial zone. A very lucky location, judging from the climate as the weather was fairly predictable. The planet's axis was perpendicular to the orbit's plane, which explained why the sun's rays spread across the surface equally and how the temperature's fluctuation was minor.
As one approached the poles where only snow and ice were, the temperature lowered significantly. The closer to the equator, the warmer it got. The local sun didn't burn as strongly as Earth's did since the temperature barely rose above 35 degrees Celsius. The computer sent Jack to different locations, but mainly to sectors that were not far from his home. This meant he had little opportunity to explore all the special features of different areas on the planet. However, during the past few days, Lieutenant Sallenge managed to learn about the local spots fairly well, or at least those within 3,500 kilometers. Sometimes when he flew a few hundred meters above the ground, he could make out the contours of a huge green sea in the distance, but its proximity was deceptive. The sea lured Jack with its unknown, but now the mission tasks were much more important than strolls along the beach.
"I wonder if I can swim there?" Jack pondered each time he looked at the green surface. Turning away from the sea, he swore to himself he would fly there some day.
Each time he noticed the first hints of twilight, Jack flew the airbike as fast as possible, or at least as fast as the speed limiters permitted, to reach home before nightfall. During those minutes, he thought only about how to vanquish the beast so that he would never be restricted by its hunting again. On one such flight, he believed he came up with an intelligent plan.
25
Jack was perfectly aware that his pavilion was placed next to the path the herbivorous wartstones walked when going to the watering hole. A few of them often stayed too long in their attempt to soak up as much water as possible, which was why they returned in almost total darkness. That vulnerability was what the beast waited for at night so that it could use its advantage, night vision, to attack and eat them.
One day, Jack flew to the tall tree-like plants and picked a few ripe fruits. Once home, he set them near the rocky ridge as a lure to attract a wartstone, confident it wouldn't be able to resist the wondrous scent. As soon as a wartstone took the bait, Jack would cast a net on it, trapping it. The ensnared wartstone would then be the bait for the hungry beast. Thinking his plan over on his way back home, he didn't notice himself smiling. While flying over the second stream, the one closer to the pavilion, he spotted a group of wartstones beginning their return leg. A few of them didn't tear themselves away from the cool water like the others.
Jack waited until the last wartstone finished filling its stomach reserves with water before following it. The trip home was a long and exhausting one that lasted over 90 minutes. The wartstones shuffled slowly, as if afraid of spilling the water inside them. They wandered forward, waddling on their massive legs, each step tossing up puffs of sand. Occasionally, a wartstone accidentally bumped into the tail of the one ahead, causing the latter to turn around and bang heads with the former. This slowed the return down even more.
Finally, three wartstones that had fallen behind the pack approached the pavilion. Judging from the more triangular snout and smaller size compared to the others, Jack determined the third one was the wartstone he had shot a few weeks earlier. Jack waited for it to fall behind before quickly swooping down.
Hovering practically above the flat nose of the wartstone, Lieutenant Sallenge seemed ready for any possible reaction such as dashing to the side, charging forward, or attacking the aircraft. To his great surprise, nothing happened. The wartstone froze as if waiting for something, casting a sideways glance at Jack's aircraft through its narrow eye-slits. Lieutenant Sallenge had the feeling the wartstone recognized him too.
At that moment the officer's hand automatically stretched out to the wartstone, offering it a juicy fruit that was giving off its sweet, fragrant smell. The wartstone withdrew slightly, then shifted as if mulling options. It sniffed, its protruding nostrils flaring slightly, before it started turning away slowly. Temptation, however, got the upper hand as the wartstone turned back and stretched a long, sharp needle-like tongue from its mouth. Its tongue gently poked and prodded the fruit, evaluating it, before grabbing onto it so strongly that Jack's hand felt the push. Although the wartstone was afraid of this strange two-legged creature, it couldn't resist its baser instincts that encouraged it to seek food.
Jack was pleased that he had caught the stupid creature in a moment of weakness. One could see how the violet-red tongue was being used like a straw to drink the thick juice. The herbivore was completely focused on enjoying the contents of the sweet fruit. The only thing left was to throw a net over it.
Jack reached his left hand back to grab the net from the airbike's seat. The net tightened automatically. Normally, it was used to catch marine creatures, but this time it had to work for a purpose it wasn't designed for.
Giving the wartstone some time to finish the juice from the gradually shrinking fruit, Jack cast the net over the unsuspecting creature. The fastenings began to tighten, trying to keep the creature from moving, but the net wasn't strong enough as the wartstone freed its legs and ran towards the pavilion. Jack could do nothing but hold on. When an electrophotonic shock struck the wartstone's right leg, it fell to the side and started roaring. It let out a long, melancholic roar that sounded like a painful moan.
Jack's heart sank in response. It was suffering. Jack wasn't a cruel man, but what he was doing seemed inhumane. Just before shooting the creature's second leg, Jack comforted himself with the knowledge he would be able to cure the creature once business was finished. As it turned out, Jack's shooting skills were rapidly improving so it hadn't been dif
ficult to hit his target with the first shot. He heard the deafening roar again, but although it was louder, it was not angry. It sounded more like a child's cry.
Jack realized only now that it was a youth, a teenager that fell behind the pack, as it writhed on the ground in pain like before. The two creatures walking ahead turned around, but one glimpse of the airbike frightened them off. Looking at their wounded comrade nearly lying on its back, they made a few mournful calls, but when they went unanswered, they continued the way they had been going. Observing this scene, Jack felt like a heartless jerk. He promised he would save the wartstone's life, no matter what it took, if the beast attacked.
As it was still daylight, Jack had to wait some time until the star fell below the horizon. One hour passed, then a second, then a third, and the beast was still nowhere to be seen. Jack paced the area where the wounded wartstone lay, and when he wasn't, he found an elevated spot to survey the area, which was getting progressively harder due to the darkness. But First Lieutenant Sallenge was a patient person capable of waiting long periods of time. Considering his life depended on the outcome of tonight, he had reason to. He couldn't allow some predator with a sharp beak-shaped mouth to spoil his stay on the planet.
Suddenly the wartstone fell silent. Lieutenant Sallenge realized that the beast had heard or felt something, or maybe sensed it using some ability Jack was unfamiliar with. The airbike's forcefield was disabled for now to prevent any interference with his shooting. Wearing night-vision goggles, Lieutenant Sallenge spotted what made his heart not only sink but momentarily halt before it began to pound wildly.
The same beast was crawling along the facade of the pavilion. Slowly and carefully. It saw the wartstone perfectly and knew that it was easy prey, but it had also noticed Jack's airbike. The beast wasn't as stupid as the lieutenant had initially assumed. Moving its sharp-clawed limbs and leaning on its razor-edged front wings which were so deformed they resembled paws, the predator crept forward, meter by meter, eerily turning its head. Its two yellow eyes were eagerly focused in the darkness of the night. When it approached the wartstone, Jack descended the ridge, holding his grenade launcher with cryogenic shells at the ready. It lowered itself to just four meters off the ground when the beast pounced forward onto the wartstone and grabbed it. Then something happened that Jack never expected.
Winding back with lightning speed, the beast held the round body of the wartstone and threw it like a football at the airbike. Because of the weaker gravity, the wartstone struck the airbike with the force of someone shooting out of a circus cannon. The aircraft shifted to the side, causing
Jack to almost fall off. Trying to stay upright on the narrow seat while holding the grenade launcher in his hands, he grabbed onto the HUD screen. Miraculously, he quickly recovered his balance and adjusted his night-vision goggles so he could fire at the beast. His first shot flew past the monster. The beast was running on all fours, zigzagging and abruptly changing direction the entire time. The next shot followed, but it left a dry frozen imprint on the sand. Another shot produced the same result.
Clenching his teeth in anger, Jack aimed carefully, trying to focus his poor marksmanship skills, which he had learned during the Academy's basic training. The elongated form shell whistled through the air, this time hitting its mark in the predator's back, just above where its stick-like limbs began, a feature it must have inherited from its ancestors. The monster froze, never to move again for all eternity, as it transformed into a crystallized mummy.
Jack dove to the ground and fired another precautionary shot. Pieces of frozen skin peeled off one after another as the beast crumbled. Making sure that no other threats were around, Jack climbed off the airbike, leaving it running as he bolted towards where the wartstone lay.
Approaching the animal, Jack threw a few granules into the air to illuminate a three-meter radius around him. Small capsules scattered about, emitting a soft light over the wartstone's body and the nearby area. The creature remained absolutely motionless and seemed to show no signs of life. Its tongue lolled out, and some sort of liquid poured from its mouth. Dropping to his knees, Jack quivered from sadness at the loss of the huge unknown animal near him, but he eventually pulled himself together and calmed down. He took off his helmet and placed his hand on one of the warts. It was so warm, even burning...
Suddenly the animal moved, issuing a long, weak moan. Jack smiled.
"He's alive. I need to hurry and grab the regenerator," he thought, jumping to his feet.
After Anne's death, the regenerator had lost its value for the lieutenant because the device had done nothing to help Colonel Petrow. Her wounds turned out to be too extensive and severe. Jack understood that he was wasting a valuable resource like the device in healing the wild alien animal. But what else could he, the son of a doctor, do?
"Even if we came here to colonize this planet..." he thought, running towards the pavilion, "It doesn't mean that we should destroy all the fauna here. After all, no one completely understands how the local ecosystem works."
He needed an excuse for his, as Anne would call them, careless actions.
And he found one.
26
The low gravitation weakened the force of the hit, which was how the wartstone lucked out and survived. Had they been on Earth, the stronger force of gravity would have definitely killed or badly injured the creature. This time, Jack brought along the big regenerator, which was designed for critical cases. A few silver balls that Jack programmed to examine the animal flew into the air. A few minutes of clicking sounds ensued as they scanned the wartstone.
Having finished their scanning, the balls returned back to the regenerator in a wide arc before commencing repairs to the animal's inner tissue. Once the wounded organs were fixed, the scanners went to work removing the burns on the injured wartstone's legs. A few moments later, the wartstone was almost brand new. Jack ran to grab the four remaining fruits to give to the wartstone.
But instead of sticking its tongue out again, the wartstone carefully turned around, stood on its paws, and turned its back on Jack. Jack wanted to hug it for some reason.
He softly touched the herbivore's tail and said, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I needed to kill that beast."
The wartstone stood in the same spot without turning. Jack walked around and placed the fruit in front of the wartstone. The animal sniffed, shifted its legs a bit, and stuck its long tongue out. As it drank the juice of the second fruit, the creature retracted its tongue and went to Jack, who was squatting near it, and nuzzled Jack's shoulder. Jack placed his hand on the animal's back and wept. The lamp capsules went out, allowing the darkness of the night to hide his tears.
The next few days, Lieutenant Sallenge dealt with the Avant Light's tasks same as always. He flew along large mountain ranges, over endless sandy plains, and across narrow streams. He surmounted high rocky peaks, dove into valleys, and soared above plains and sandy steppes. Sometimes along the way he encountered absolutely extraordinary plants and life forms whose existence would have been unbelievable on Earth. Yet here, due to the low gravity, nature allowed them to be born. Jack traveled along different routes, trying to cover as much territory as possible, but he always returned the same way home.
27
Returning from another mission, Jack made his usual stop at the tall trees with succulent fruit to treat himself and his new wartstone friend who frequently visited him to enjoy fruit and water. Jack decided to name him Amigo, which meant "friend" in Spanish.
The wartstone visited him in the evenings and sometimes during the day. When that happened, Jack hugged his pet and even tried to play with him. At the same time, he studied the behavior of this species. It turned out that wartstones were strongly attached to one another. Generally, their behavior resembled that of loyal dogs, while their mannerisms were like oxen who were competing for females during mating season.
Jack conversed with the wartstone, not even catching how he sometimes shared funny stories a
bout his experiences with his best friend Sam. Amigo obviously didn't understand what Jack was telling. He just drank his juice and obediently listened to Jack. Now Jack could fly above the area, spending as much time as he wished with his new friend without fear of the bloodthirsty predator.
And so passed days, and then weeks. As his second month on Nereus came to an end, Jack started worrying about his supplies. Based on his calculations, he had about enough provisions for forty days, even taking into account the rations that had been allocated to Anne. He needed to come up with a plan to survive for longer. Although he required less energy than on Earth due to the low gravity and warm climate, his food consumption was pretty big. Lieutenant Sallenge attempted to maintain a physical fitness regimen by going on a morning run of nearly four kilometers around the ridge and pavilion. During his runs, he spotted small groups of herbivores that scurried from the watering hole. At other times, he identified some creatures in the distance that seemed to be predators.
Predators generally avoided Jack's territory, and herbivores did the same. It wasn't because he, an earthling, dwelled there. It was because of the predator. Fear of it and, maybe, its lingering scent terrified all creatures who passed by. Herbivores walked the path by the lieutenant's home only because they were big and traveled in groups. The beast rarely attacked herbivores when they were in a group, and they knew it. The path next to the pavilion seemed to be the shortest and most convenient one for them, but the lieutenant didn't know where it led. He hadn't followed the creatures' movement patterns so far. In the mornings, Jack never had much free time. He needed to carry out mission assignments, which meant he was out of house from morning to night.
During the evening, he would sit at the laboratory table documenting the various species of plants and animals. After doing some virtual sketches, he then matched them to models taken by the airbike's sensors. He documented dozens of species of herbivores, saving each one to a special virtual file.
Expedition Nereus Page 10