enon. I recalled Travis's concern and confusion from memory long before I relived the events through his perspecti

led the third shift machine operators at the paper mill, battering a few unlucky souls to death. The alarm sounded from the control room sending an alert to the quarters of the Colonial Security

his favorite Italian venue and he poured the last of the Cabernet from the bottle. They occupied the same side of a cozy booth and Tr

nned his respirator, helmet, gloves, and boots. He grabbed a duffel with an axe handle sticking out the side before ra

oses yet and there were a handful of people stuck in various rooms in the mill. Travis and a handful of volunteers raced in for a rescue effor

es seemed to curl toward him with apparent interest as he raced by, slapp

us! In

in response. His voice muffled

ire with the solvent and it smoked protest and smothered. He crouched near the pair of workers, the man lay unconscious while the woman coughed and leaned protectively over her partner. Flame had them boxed in to this a

he yelled to the wom

tly water and pape

r way cautiously back to the mill yard. Travis's leg throbbed and he could feel fresh blood trickling down his pant leg, his stitches from Haran had

ring ruin however and seven of the mill workers had perished in the blaze. Travis peered into the last remnants of

They are all out, " sai

uess himself. Maybe he never fully woke. There seemed to be

to the hospital, " the rescue worker sai

**

aap was indifferent to them as well. With the loss of our families' lives only weeks before, Haran was nothing more than

ght inspection. No one else can make those flight suits look foxy, Blake thought as they approached. Christa heard th

your boyfriend?" Blake asked, tr

goodbye, " sh

on his face "I haven't done recon like this since you

elt nice to have a man from his generation to talk to. He brimmed full of life experience from Earth and Christa loved hearing stories about the ho

ic woman with ebony skin and short hair. She tossed

rs ago. He felt nerves give him a surge like a teenage boy. A primordial fight or flight response jolted him quick

xclaimed, "I had no idea

him on the shoulder. "I got the assignment last minute, Admiral Grunden found ou

career on Earth? I tho

"I stick to my beauty regiment

ge room in the rear that had recently been equipped wi

eet you, " she extended

it's nice to meet you." He took note of the roo

e said, "Grunden thought it would b

way last time, " he said, h

made small talk and stowed their bags. The shuttl

**

member trying to lighten his mood that week, but even after he smiled at a joke Elsaap and I made, his bro

upkeep schedule. Reviewing the personnel files indicated that none of the third shift employees were smokers. He searched for evidence of sabotage but everything seemed to be in its place. The security foo

irty five years of fire investigation… no

uld have doused the blaze as soon the mill workers had affixed oxygen masks. With deconstruction completed on parts of the hull which did not support a building, that system was of

the river, fresh paint adorned every one. Hull gray had been completely covered and forgotten. The buildings here looked bright and lent the waterfront an upbeat atmosphere. Following the two dozen venues, the boardwalk rounded an inlet which created a sandy cove. Water lappe

been nearly twenty five years in the making, since they spent an entire generation on the colony ship and the population grew slowly the entire time, budding entrepreneurs relied on attrition to gain tightly held shop space. Potential business owners clammored for the opportunity to begin the colonial expansion effort. They paid for the boardwalk and construction of the cove on top of the cost of building materials. The colonia

d feet protruded near the base of its tail to grasp a branch underfoot for support as it landed. It used smaller claws, which sprouted from its wingtips to grasp for fruit and insects, which it ate while peering suspiciously about. At the base of the trees, small green goat like creatures grazed. They stood about the height of a Labrador dog and contented themselves on the g

of what could have been one of the climbing goats near the brush and gave the plants a shake. Without so much as a grating sound, the rock pile moved like molten liquid forming into a sloth's shape and bearin

nto walls of their tunnels to form a natural alternative to concrete. Paperman shuddered at the sight of them, little bugs had creeped him out on Earth, giant bugs would take some getting use

rrently vacant. It would be the area eventually dedicated to closed system observation of native and Earth species mingling. The b

small plateau at its top occupied by MacDonald's grazing herd. This would be the sight of his domestication efforts, subsidized by a portion of the zoo's admission fees. MacDonald met with them for an early lunch. They dined on what

. Contented with the state of the attractions and common grounds Paperman and MARC prepared to announce the area's Grand Open

**

tion for motion sickness pills. His satchel also included a spare change of undergarments, just in case. Walters put together a team consisting of Shelly, an engineer named Sam Martin, and Bobby Rogers the CSF officer who had already been

the details of his initial encounter a half dozen times with the curious engineer since the team received the assignment. He thought Bobby's take on the story sounded much more entertaining and possibly more insightful, since it di

stone ceilings and floors. Until the rest of the tower's secrets lay uncovered and possibly transported back to the colony, he would need to leave the mechanism in the wall

ey had parked. Sam secured a plastic sheet in place to keep out the elements until a more permanent arrangement could be made. The screen looked like a clear pane of glass when Sam held it up and looked at Bobby. He touched the surface with his pinched thumb and finger, and then splayed his digits. Sam first saw pore

p and pull. Shelly seated herself at the console and intently studied the blank display screen. There were keys without symbols, and she considered resorting to button mashing. Her gaze drifted up and she noticed a

have been an accurate verbal history? Did some of their species develop p

in the Pneuma dialect

of the tower on the right while it listed a menu option on the left. The drawing indicated that there were four rooms between the top and bot

aid Walters, lurking over Shelly's s

nd Sam, I'd like to have us all together before I start e

made his way hesitantly, hoping

a defensive outpost. Shelly handwrote notes as she went and stayed in her place going over the information for most of the morning. Unbeknownst

oice commands to the others over lunch. Bobby and Sam were eager to get a look into the other rooms. Walters seemed to turn green when she explained how to tell the invisible elevator which floor to take you to. Shelly thought he might decide to con

hat looked like metallic backpacks on hooks. There were dozens of them in t

he weight of the pack against her back. It seemed lighter than it aught have been. After a moment she felt it become cool, as if it were regulating its own temperature. She experienced a mix of curiosity and anxiety for a few minute

closing itself over her head and neck. She shrieked out in startled surprise, hands clawed at her neck, all became silent and black. The moment passed and she regained vision and hearing, but not h

t?" Dr. Walters asked. He lo

s bent and retrieved her glasses that had clattered to the floor, he extended them toward her. A hand reached for them, from the midpoint of a wing. Beyond the hand the wing extended two arm lengths. The tip of the silvery translucent wing brushed a far wall. Startled, Shelly drew her hand back and the

r and into the cool of the afternoon. She spread her hands wide and crouched. She could hear Dr. Walters's timid words of caution from the entryway. She leaped with all her strength, arms and wings spread wide, face to the sky. Shelly felt her jump reach its apex, thrust her wi

arra on had lent her a bit of courage before her common sense had time to return. As Shelly halted from her flapping, she felt herself gently gliding down. She tipped her left down and her right up a bit and began to

t into flight. Having had a moment to observe, they beat their wings with far less vigor.

ologist felt excited to see the planet's unknown history come alive. The abstraction from the invigorating thrill of the moment kept him from fainting. Walter

ble to her as if it floated two feet in front of her left eye. There were no indicators of who made them or any information about their society. As she expected, any data she gleaned related to the function and features of the shugarra. The equipment generated energy by the exhaust of t

burst surged where her eye made contact when she uttered command. The others ran out the ent

nture for another day. She found the visual display's ability to detect sources of heat as well as kinetic energy very useful. The feature allowed her to observe motion through solid objects. She spied the men in the tower traveling in the elevator and rifling through the cabinet they found the shugarra in.

or alternative applications were limitless. He sat at the console on the ground floor of the tower and inspected the shugarra he had worn for seams or any evidence of craftsmanship. It looked as if the thing appeared out of thin air rather than

tune hunters. This did not stop Bobby's search for more marvels from an alien past. He wished that Shelly would save her research for another day and help him get to the other levels of the tower. It was mid

floor?" Bobby asked as soon as Shelly had tucked her notepa

about you, such an

iends since we were kids. We eve

ad some foxy academic friends to bring around. He held out a hand

ard to make room for Bobby. She heard a woosh behind her and spoke the command for light. Another woosh and Sam pressed the two forward into what looked like sleeping quarters. Three sets of triple bunk beds l

k like the sit down throne they used, but it beat a shovel and a thick patch of trees. Their sanitary facilities impressed

l fruits, vegetables, baked goods, and meat. How the food stayed fresh provided a topic of intense consideration. Sam went back to the transport for his diagnostic tools al

e sat not only evidence of what they ate, but fresh leftovers! If the beds hadn't shown such evidence of age, it would have appeared as if they walked into a building whil

is fridge from the takeout he had placed there only weeks before. This could change everything, if humanity had these when he left Earth as a boy, his parents could have loaded up on Grandma's German chocolate cake. Maybe he still had

s running out of space to produce the grains and vegetables necessary to feed both the livestock and the colonists. Meat consumption remained popular however, but in the same way that gold and platinum jewelry were popular. It became wildly expensive and therefore the wealthiest enjoyed it more frequently while the colonists with more modest incomes sa

y in place until they were better understood. Bobby became eager to see the

d the bed, examining the instruments cautiously. Sam couldn't even guess what some of the complex machinery would be used for, but most of t

direction, then in the direction of the other room. Dr. Walters backed out nervously babbling while tears rolled down his chee

e alcoves against the back wall. People? What would a person be doing

n two legs with knees bent opposite that of a man, thick powerful thighs atop long thin forelegs. The torso and arms were similar to that of a man. Slicked back ears lay on the top of his head an

orner of the entryway and spoke to the bei

creature moved a few steps forward with his hand

ol and made room for S

orld to start a new life. You are the only intell

e to the side of the chambers. There were