Proposa.odt

Chapter 2



Martha Masters turned her head and watched her son Roy as he climbed the stairs to his room. She wondered for a brief moment if she had made the right decision to have a child. A mother was supposed to love her child and, if anyone asked, she would of course say that she did love him, but was she really capable of such maternal feelings? Her husband was in the process of cycling through the air lock to enter the Institute floater and she prepared to do the same, but had to wait until the cycle of the decontamination process with superheated steam was complete. The airlock was simply too small for both of them while wearing Armor suits. Roy had reached his room and was out of sight, but despite the exciting news about the Bolters her mind kept returning to her son. His ridiculous fantasies of being outside was certainly some sort of teenager rebellion. While Roy was no genius, his IQ was not much less than hers or Paul's and yet the boy wanted to join the military, what a disappointment! Well he would change his mind once he was away from Green Hell in a proper College. Away from this planet and no longer influenced by that big black man, he insisted on calling Uncle Sam.

Now it was her turn and she cycled through the airlock, entered the flier and there she took a seat right behind Evans inside the big armored floater. "Good afternoon," she greeted the man who looked like a Terran turtle with its head halfway retracted into its shell, because Dr. Mortimer Evans was a small thin man and even the smallest size of the Sci-Corps issue AEGIS Suit barely allowed him to gaze above the suit helmet initiator ring.

The man behind the controls of the floater tried to turn his head, with little success and returned the greetings and said, "Good afternoon, you two." Then he cursed silently and added, "You two make it look so easy moving around in these blasted armor suits. If this planet wasn't so damn fascinating, I'd find myself another world to study."

Martha nodded at her husband, who had taken the seat next to Evans and said. "We both are here on Green Hell for almost sixteen years now and we wear these suits almost every day, we should be used to them by now. You will get the hang of it eventually."

Evans pulled the CHOPER into a steep climb and smirked at her. "I am here now for almost two years now and should not be such a noob when it comes to these suits."

Paul, who always was a bit of a nerd said. "The All Environment Intelligent Suit, which we call the AEGIS, is basically civilian version of the Marine Corps Quasimodo Battle Suit without the weapons of course and it is the only thing that will keep you alive out there."

Dr. Evans was a Science Corps member and a researcher. He, like Martha, specialized in bio-electric and bio- energy life forms, leveled the skimmer into cruise mode far above the clouds. At this altitude even on Green Hell was nothing alive or dangerous and set the controls for a destination halfway across the planet. He rolled his eyes at that comment, because of Paul stating the obvious.

Martha smiled at her husband as he, oblivious to the finer nuances of human interaction pulled the eyepiece of the Omni-View periscope before his eyes. The system would give him an unobstructed view of the outside world and with simple intuitive eye movements he was able to focus on anything around them, while a host of data was displayed right into his retina. Then she said to Evans. "I am very excited to see the Lightning Bolters actually mate. It will be fascinating to see how these gas filled leather bags choose their mates, an aspect of this life from still a complete mystery."

Evans failing to pantomime what he had seen earlier, partially because of the bulky suit and partially because there was just no way a human could find the right gestures to describe how two huge bloated organisms, mostly gas, membrane thin skin and a tiny cell center for brains and nerves would mate, so he gave up and said. "Imagine two drunken balloons, capable of unleashing electrical discharges strong enough to make the battle shields of a Union Battle ship flicker dance in a violent storm."

Without taking his eyes of the eyepiece, Paul said. "Not the combined discharges of all Lightning Bolters would make the shields of a Union Battle ship flicker. Not that I am any expert in these systems, but I am given to understand they could absorb the energies of a solar protuberance, and that exceeds the energy output of any known bio-electrical discharge capable life form by magnitudes."

Martha looking at the shield generator controls of the Floater and said. "I am sure Dr. Evans was expressing himself in a metaphorical fashion, but I hope the energy shield of this floater is up to the task."

While Evans nodded at her comment, Paul did lean back to look at his wife. "We have been hit by Bolter lightning discharges before and these fliers are designed to descent into atmospheres of extreme worlds. We have not measured any bolts stronger than 40,000 amperes and transfers 15 coulombs of electric charge and 500 megajoules of energy."

Martha knew her own data just as well, said. "I still think we need to proceed with caution, we have never been hit by more than one bolt at the time and now we are flying towards a mating ground with dozens of them in an agitated state."

<p lang="en-US">Evans said. "I will keep us at maximum observing distance, just to be safe."

<p lang="en-US">There were a few moments o silence in the flier. Martha was trying to focus her mind on the task ahead. She was a scientist and the Lighting Bolters of Green Hell had been the focus of her studies now for more than five years. She had made some great observations and written several papers about them. Papers that had been reviewed very positively by her peer and the Hive of Minds. Leading to the dream assignment of any field researcher, the Mission Command over a Sci-Corps explorer ship. If she was successful as Mission Commander, completing perhaps two or three missions; they just might ask her to take a seat in the hallowed halls of the Science Councils headquarter on Pluribus. Her grandfather, Professor Aaron Berezovsky had been the ninth person in her family to hold a chair in what became known as the Hive of Minds. Only the finest minds of all the civilizations that made up the Union were invited to this elite of intellect, science and wisdom. The Science Council was the governing body of the Science Corps and advised the Assembly in all matters of science and it was her innermost dream and ambition to one day be the tenth member of her family line.

<p lang="en-US">She had been so submerged in her thoughts that she only now realized, Evans was saying something to her, so she looked up from her PDD. "I am sorry Dr. Evans, I was just going over some notes of mine and did not pay any attention."

<p lang="en-US">The small man said with a dry voice. "I was pointing out that our sensors just registered a bolt of positive lightning with a magnitude of ten times the average discharge we have ever measured before, reaching 300 kilo ampere and almost two terawatt with intense channel ionization. The source appears to be the largest Lightning Bolter we ever encountered."

<p lang="en-US">Martha signaled that she had heard him this time pulled the optics of her Omni View Periscope close. She heard Paul talk via the Comm Unit with Dr. Harrow back at the Institute asking for reassurance that the fliers shields would withstand such energies; then the optic sensors slaved to her eye movements focused on the grayish green humongous, floating gas bladders. She zoomed in and the little number floating just at the edge of her field of view told her that the distance to the closest Lightning Bolter was still almost 14 kilometers. She made a few measurements and calculated that the biggest one of the nine Bolters she counted had a volume of 2322 cubic-meters. That was indeed the biggest one she had seen so far, only as she focused closer she realized it was two of them, attached, clinging to each other, barely distinguishable as two beings. The excellent optics of the fliers scientific instruments allowed her to zoom even closer making out details. She now observed pale pinkish almost transparent tentacles of the left one sliding over the center section where the animal had its nerve and brain cluster. The movement of the tentacles appeared almost tender and caring. Despite these being totally alien lifeforms and her being a scientist, the woman in her emotionally equated what she saw with a loving caring embrace.

<p lang="en-US">Martha blinked at her own thoughts and remembered that she was a native of the planet Phantas after all and like everyone of that world, gifted with Psionic powers and the ability to sense thoughts and emotions. Due to the harsh Psionic Privacy Laws of the Union she suppressed her natural gift and had learned to push the constant whisper of other minds far in the background of her consciousness; to a point where she almost forgot that she still was a telepath.

<p lang="en-US">This time she focused and reached out, usually touching the mind of a non sentient life form was like trying to tune into an old fashioned radio signal without ever getting the frequency dialed in and the result was something like garbled static. Especially since she was a weak Telepath and never schooled or trained her Psionic talent, she had long quit trying. But now as she reached out she felt the scientific curiosity and excitement of her husband, the barely contained fear of Dr. Evans and then she felt the strong garbled in cohesive whisper of a million animal minds from the surface below, but she could distinctively feel emotions emanating from the two clinging Bolters. Those alien beings did feel strongly for each other.

<p lang="en-US">While she made this visual and Psionic observations she spoke rapidly into her PDD dictating notes of her findings.

<p lang="en-US">Paul had often seen his wife in this state and he knew to leave her alone until she had completed her observations.

<p lang="en-US">Dr. Harrow had reassured him that the Flier was quite safe and should be able to absorb a barrage of lightning bolts without any serious consequences. Even though Dr. Evans had heard what the Institute leader said, Paul could see that the pilot of the flier wasn't totally convinced.

<p lang="en-US">Paul forgot about Evans and his concerned face as he also returned to watch and record the mating of the Lightning Bolters, several more started to form tightly unions in mid air and begin the tentacle caressing. To Paul the Lightning Bolters always looked somewhat like Terran Jelly fish. Specifically the Pacific Sea Nettle, except that the Lightning Bolters caps were proportionally much bigger than the cap of a jelly fish.

<p lang="en-US">As a kid at Ribenna Colony he loved to go to the big Sea Aquarium in Town, where they kept a big collection of Terran Sea life and these visits were the reason he decided to become a biologist.

<p lang="en-US">Bolters normally drifted with the winds across the skies of Green Hell, and compared to the abundance of other lifeforms they were comparably rare; Martha estimated that there were only about 20,000 – 30,000 Lightning Bolters on all Green Hell. But they could control their altitude by making areas of their skin more transparent or more opaque and thus controlling the temperature of their internal gases making themselves more or less buoyant. To change direction they could use their tentacles and spin them in a whipping motion, as they did right now to get close to each other.

<p lang="en-US">Not all was harmony, sex and love as it became apparent. Two of the cloud like beings changed not only the transparency of their skin but managed to change the color from the usual pale green to a mustard yellow hue. The way they moved their tentacles it was clear there was some rivalry going on. Suddenly sun bright bolts of bright white energy emitted from them both.

<p lang="en-US">While the bolt of the slightly smaller one singed and burned half a dozen tentacles of the bigger one, the electrical discharge of the bigger one had struck true at the nerve center of the smaller.

<p lang="en-US">The reason why Bolters were not as abundant became quite apparent. A violent explosion and a fast expanding fire ball completely obliterated the smaller one. Bolters bio-electrogenesis abilities allowed them to produce Hydrogen from water, as a lifting gas, but also as it was apparent made them quite vulnerable.

<p lang="en-US">The other Bolters took little notice of the fiery demise of one of their kind and continued with their aerial dance and embracing.

<p lang="en-US">While he was making sure the events were recorded by the floaters equipment, he too was thinking about what the future would hold for them. He loved Martha and he knew of her ambition and goals. She wanted to climb proverbial Olympus and reach the Parthenon of science gods to take her place among them. He would support her in this quest as much as he could and Paul knew she would eventually reach that goal. He would be proud of her as he was proud of her already, being chosen to lead a Science expedition was quite an honor. However he had no such goals. While he was her research assistant he also was an accomplished Micro biologist and he would have been perfectly happy, staying on Green Hell. There were as many exciting discoveries to be made on the Micro biological level. Was it not bacteria and small insects that was the food the Bolters filtered out of the air? The Epulopiscium stomperoni, a huge bacterium he had found in the digestive tract of the massive Stompers; was so big it could be seen with the unaided eye and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

<p lang="en-US">He much rather would spend the rest of his professional career right here than eventually ending up at Pluribus, perhaps as a lecturer or teacher while his wife sat in an Ivory tower, making policies and deciding where to spend funds and what to research, rather than actually researching anything herself.

<p lang="en-US">As he was thinking about that, he remembered that their family was not just Martha, but that there was his son Roy.

<p lang="en-US">While he was a little disappointed at his sons mental and academic development, it appeared that he still had Childhood fantasies and believed them to be true and his grades at Basic School were mediocre, he silently and deep down agreed with Roy's objections. No one had asked Roy and if truth to be told, Martha had not really asked Paul for his wishes or opinion in the matter of leaving Green Hell and going on an expedition lasting years.

<p lang="en-US">It would mean very little contact to Roy, once the Explorer ship went past the Downward Horizon into Open and unexplored space, TransDim communication was no longer possible. While he made his decision, to support his wife's goals; was it really fair to leave their son more or less on his own?

<p lang="en-US">Maybe it was their fault, not paying more attention to Roy that he sought refuge in ridiculous fantasies of being outside and voicing his wish to become a soldier?

<p lang="en-US">He could not completely suppress the sigh that made its way past his lips.

<p lang="en-US">Mortimer Jenkins nervously nibbled at his lower lip, wishing they could return to the safety of Ant Hill, the only town on this world, well protected by strong Ultronit walls and powerful force fields. It seemed a good idea to accept the invitation of the Science Corps to come to Green Hell, back then when his doctorate was still fresh and he was just one of many fellow researchers, at the Neugruber Bio Sciences Institute on Venus. It was after all his work on the electroplaxes cells used by the Shocker Frogs of Ulta for electrogenesis that made him aware of Dr. Martha Masters brilliant work on the largest known life form using electric organs; the Lightning Bolters of Green Hell. He mentioned his interest to his Professor and a while later he received an invitation to join the research team on Green Hell. The offer was great; double the salary, free Luxury apartment at Ant Hill, the potential of working with Dr. Masters and making a valuable contribution to science.

<p lang="en-US">In moments like this, to close to these floating monsters and removed from the deadly conditions of this hellish world only by a few centimeters of Dura-Steel and weak shields of a vulnerable flier; he wondered if he made the right decision, coming here.

<p lang="en-US">He cursed his boss, Dr. Harrow who insisted on actual hands on observation instead of sending probes or robots.

<p lang="en-US">Despite all better judgment he steered the floater closer to the mating Bolters following Martha Masters' impatient hand signals, "Dr. Masters don't you think we are close enough?"

<p lang="en-US">She did not take her eyes of the optic interface and said. "We need to be under thousand meters for our Cyber-Nose sensors. I want to get a molecular scan of the air and see if there are any pheromones or scents aiding them in finding each other, or if it is purely electro location.

<p lang="en-US">While Mortimer could not argue the scientific reason behind her request, he argued that the Bolters could also easily locate them at that distance and that they were much more agitated than usual was obvious.

<p lang="en-US">He could not wait till they would leave Green Hell. He envied her for her academic success and seeing the woman's star rise to such prominence within the science community was a thorn in his side. He was firmly convinced, that as long as she was here, her shadow kept obscuring his work and his chances of recognition.

<p lang="en-US">Recognition meant offers, especially offers from commercial operating corporations. The SII Bio Research foundation for example, had a dream lab facility at Harper's Junction. A planet only an orbit removed. But they have so far ignored his efforts to get hired there.

<p lang="en-US">Dr. Harrow was quite correct, the armored flier was indeed designed to dive into the atmospheres of extreme planets. Able to withstand great temperature ranges, corrosive atmospheres and crushing gravitation, these fliers were used by the Explorer division of the Science Corps all over the Galaxy.

<p lang="en-US">CHOPERS had a well earned reputation for being reliable, dependable and tough. However this particular Chrysler Hover Operations Platform for Exploration, Research and Science was not operated by a pilot with experience or the actual training necessary. Mortimer considered the mandatory training an insult on his intellect. These tests and the training was for uneducated and stupid techs and brutish soldiers, not for a man who held two PhD's. When he came to Green Hell, he was told it was the job of the most junior member of the Science Team to fly the Institutes vehicle and be at the beck and call to shuttle the other members around whenever they decided they needed a flight. He had flown fliers on Venus, Earth and even on Titan and felt he didn't need any additional training or instructions and so he simply lied and claimed he already received CHOPERS training, prior to coming to Green Hell.

<p lang="en-US">For almost two years now he had been proven right and after 23 months without any accident he felt he was a good pilot.

<p lang="en-US">Like most persons using a modern flier he was oblivious to the fact, that most flying was done by the on-board Computronic. All the minute adjustments to the Arti Grav lift generators, the automatic correction to the propulsion turbines, keeping the flier perfectly stable regardless of wind and weather were done for him, making the task of flying so easy a child could do it. The fliers shields were effective simple electromagnetic deflectors and not real battle shields.

<p lang="en-US">It happened all very fast. Martha detected a hint of intelligence in the thought patterns of the Bolters. Not true sentient thought, but more like the mind of a smart dog and one of the minds out there was focused on them. The large Bolter flailed with his remaining tentacles waving an intricate pattern in the air. It was a signal, a signal to all the others and every Bolter reacted!

<p lang="en-US">They all unleashed their electrical discharges at the slowly closing flier. This sudden onslaught, overwhelmed the shields and the electromagnetic energies were strong enough to disable the on board computronic, even the combined lightning bolts of the beasts did not kill the scientists inside but it send the flier with screaming, uncontrolled engines towards the planet's surface.

<p lang="en-US">A trained pilot perhaps would have been able to divert the disaster, by cutting power to the thrusters and increase the lift energies to the Arti Grav, but Mortimer was neither a trained pilot nor a person who reacted well to crisis situations.

<p lang="en-US">Mortimer simply screamed on the top of his lungs and then the armored Science institute flier crashed through the canopy of the Jungle trees, cutting through a Tantalus Oak, and moments later impacted with the ground. <p lang="en-US">

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<p lang="en-US">CHAPTER 2

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<p lang="en-US">Chapter 2

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<p lang="en-US">Martha Masters turned her head and watched her son Roy as he climbed the stairs to his room. She wondered for a brief moment if she had made the right decision to have a child. A mother was supposed to love her child and, if anyone asked, she would of course say that she did love him, but was she really capable of such maternal feelings? <p lang="en-US">Her husband was in the process of cycling through the air lock to enter the Institute floater and she prepared to do the same, but had to wait until the cycle of the decontamination process with superheated steam was complete. The airlock was simply too small for both of them while wearing Armor suits. Roy had reached his room and was out of sight, but despite the exciting news about the Bolters her mind kept returning to her son. His ridiculous fantasies of being outside was certainly some sort of teenager rebellion. While Roy was no genius, his IQ was not much less than hers or Paul's and yet the boy wanted to join the military, what a disappointment! Well he would change his mind once he was away from Green Hell in a proper College. Away from this planet and no longer influenced by that big black man, he insisted on calling Uncle Sam.

<p lang="en-US">Now it was her turn and she cycled through the airlock, entered the flier and there she took a seat right behind Evans inside the big armored floater. "Good afternoon," she greeted the man who looked like a Terran turtle with its head halfway retracted into its shell, because Dr. Mortimer Evans was a small thin man and even the smallest size of the Sci-Corps issue AEGIS Suit barely allowed him to gaze above the suit helmet initiator ring.

<p lang="en-US">The man behind the controls of the floater tried to turn his head, with little success and returned the greetings and said, "Good afternoon, you two." Then he cursed silently and added, "You two make it look so easy moving around in these blasted armor suits. If this planet wasn't so damn fascinating, I'd find myself another world to study."

<p lang="en-US">Martha nodded at her husband, who had taken the seat next to Evans and said. "We both are here on Green Hell for almost sixteen years now and we wear these suits almost every day, we should be used to them by now. You will get the hang of it eventually."

<p lang="en-US">Evans pulled the CHOPER into a steep climb and smirked at her. "I am here now for almost two years now and should not be such a noob when it comes to these suits."

<p lang="en-US">Paul, who always was a bit of a nerd said. "The All Environment Intelligent Suit, which we call the AEGIS, is basically civilian version of the Marine Corps Quasimodo Battle Suit without the weapons of course and it is the only thing that will keep you alive out there."

<p lang="en-US">Dr. Evans was a Science Corps member and a researcher. He, like Martha, specialized in bio-electric and bio- energy life forms, leveled the skimmer into cruise mode far above the clouds. At this altitude even on Green Hell was nothing alive or dangerous and set the controls for a destination halfway across the planet. He rolled his eyes at that comment, because of Paul stating the obvious.

<p lang="en-US">Martha smiled at her husband as he, oblivious to the finer nuances of human interaction pulled the eyepiece of the Omni-View periscope before his eyes. The system would give him an unobstructed view of the outside world and with simple intuitive eye movements he was able to focus on anything around them, while a host of data was displayed right into his retina. Then she said to Evans. "I am very excited to see the Lightning Bolters actually mate. It will be fascinating to see how these gas filled leather bags choose their mates, an aspect of this life from still a complete mystery."

<p lang="en-US">Evans failing to pantomime what he had seen earlier, partially because of the bulky suit and partially because there was just no way a human could find the right gestures to describe how two huge bloated organisms, mostly gas, membrane thin skin and a tiny cell center for brains and nerves would mate, so he gave up and said. "Imagine two drunken balloons, capable of unleashing electrical discharges strong enough to make the battle shields of a Union Battle ship flicker dance in a violent storm."

<p lang="en-US">Without taking his eyes of the eyepiece, Paul said. "Not the combined discharges of all Lightning Bolters would make the shields of a Union Battle ship flicker. Not that I am any expert in these systems, but I am given to understand they could absorb the energies of a solar protuberance, and that exceeds the energy output of any known bio-electrical discharge capable life form by magnitudes."

<p lang="en-US">Martha looking at the shield generator controls of the Floater and said. "I am sure Dr. Evans was expressing himself in a metaphorical fashion, but I hope the energy shield of this floater is up to the task."

<p lang="en-US">While Evans nodded at her comment, Paul did lean back to look at his wife. "We have been hit by Bolter lightning discharges before and these fliers are designed to descent into atmospheres of extreme worlds. We have not measured any bolts stronger than 40,000 amperes and transfers 15 coulombs of electric charge and 500 megajoules of energy."

<p lang="en-US">Martha knew her own data just as well, said. "I still think we need to proceed with caution, we have never been hit by more than one bolt at the time and now we are flying towards a mating ground with dozens of them in an agitated state."

<p lang="en-US">Evans said. "I will keep us at maximum observing distance, just to be safe."

<p lang="en-US">There were a few moments o silence in the flier. Martha was trying to focus her mind on the task ahead. She was a scientist and the Lighting Bolters of Green Hell had been the focus of her studies now for more than five years. She had made some great observations and written several papers about them. Papers that had been reviewed very positively by her peer and the Hive of Minds. Leading to the dream assignment of any field researcher, the Mission Command over a Sci-Corps explorer ship. If she was successful as Mission Commander, completing perhaps two or three missions; they just might ask her to take a seat in the hallowed halls of the Science Councils headquarter on Pluribus. Her grandfather, Professor Aaron Berezovsky had been the ninth person in her family to hold a chair in what became known as the Hive of Minds. Only the finest minds of all the civilizations that made up the Union were invited to this elite of intellect, science and wisdom. The Science Council was the governing body of the Science Corps and advised the Assembly in all matters of science and it was her innermost dream and ambition to one day be the tenth member of her family line.

<p lang="en-US">She had been so submerged in her thoughts that she only now realized, Evans was saying something to her, so she looked up from her PDD. "I am sorry Dr. Evans, I was just going over some notes of mine and did not pay attention."

<p lang="en-US">The small man said with a dry voice. "I was pointing out that our sensors just registered a bolt of positive lightning with a magnitude of ten times the average discharge we have ever measured before, reaching 300 kilo ampere and almost two terrawatt with intense channel ionization. The source appears to be the largest Lightning Bolter we ever encountered."

<p lang="en-US">Martha signaled that she had heard him this time pulled the optics of her Omni View Periscope close. She heard Paul talk via the Comm Unit with Dr. Harrow back at the Institute asking for reassurance that the flier's shield would withstand such energies; then the optic sensors slaved to her eye movements focused on the grayish green humongous, floating gas bladders. She zoomed in and the little number floating just at the edge of her field of view told her that the distance to the closest Lightning Bolter was still almost 14 kilometers. She made a few measurements and calculated that the biggest one of the nine Bolters she counted had a volume of 2322 cubic-meters. That was indeed the biggest one she had seen so far, only as she focused closer she realized it was two of them, attached, clinging to each other, barely distinguishable as two beings. The excellent optics of the fliers scientific instruments allowed her to zoom even closer making out details. She now observed pale pinkish almost transparent tentacles of the bigger one sliding over the center section of the smaller animal where the creature had its nerve and brain center. The movement of the tentacles appeared almost tender and caring. Despite these being totally alien lifeforms and her being a scientist, the woman in her emotionally equated what she saw with a loving caring embrace.

<p lang="en-US">Martha wondered at her own thoughts and remembered that she was a native of the planet Phantas after all and like everyone of that world, she too was gifted with Psionic powers and the ability to sense thoughts and emotions. Due to the harsh Psionic Privacy Laws of the Union she suppressed her natural gift and had learned to push the constant whisper of other minds far in the background of her consciousness; to a point where she almost forgot that she still was a telepath.

<p lang="en-US">So she she focused her concentration and reached out.

<p lang="en-US">Usually touching the mind of a non sentient life form was like trying to tune into an old fashioned radio signal without ever getting the frequency dialed in and the result was something like garbled static. Especially since she was a weak Telepath and had never schooled or trained her Psionic talent, she had long quit trying. But now as she reached out she felt the scientific curiosity and excitement of her husband, the barely contained fear of Dr. Evans and then she felt the strong garbled whisper of a million animal minds from the surface below, but she could distinctively feel emotions emanating from the two clinging Bolters. Those alien beings felt strongly for each other. While she made this visual and Psionic observations she spoke rapidly into her PDD dictating notes of her findings.

<p lang="en-US">Paul had often seen his wife in this state and he knew to leave her alone until she had completed her observations.

<p lang="en-US">Dr. Harrow had reassured him over the Communication link that the Flier was quite safe and should be able to absorb a barrage of lightning bolts without any serious consequences. Even though Dr. Evans had heard what the Institute leader said, Paul could see that the pilot of the flier wasn't totally convinced.

<p lang="en-US">Paul forgot about Evans and his concerned face as he also returned to watch and record the mating of the Lightning Bolters, several more started to form tightly unions in mid air and begin the tentacle caressing. To Paul the Lightning Bolters always looked somewhat like Terran Jelly fish. Specifically the Pacific Sea Nettle, except that the Lightning Bolters caps were proportionally much bigger than the cap of a jelly fish.

<p lang="en-US">As a kid at Ribenna Colony he loved to go to the big Sea Aquarium in Town, where they kept a big collection of Terran Sea life and these visits were the reason he decided to become a biologist.

<p lang="en-US">Bolters normally drifted with the winds across the skies of Green Hell, and compared to the abundance of other lifeforms they were comparably rare; Martha estimated that there were only about 20,000 – 30,000 Lightning Bolters on all Green Hell. But they could control their altitude by making areas of their skin more transparent or more opaque and thus controlling the temperature of their internal gases making themselves more or less buoyant. To change direction they could use their tentacles and spin them in a whipping motion, as they did right now to get close to each other.

<p lang="en-US">Not all was harmony, sex and love as it became apparent. Two of the cloud like beings changed not only the transparency of their skin but managed to change the color from the usual pale green to a mustard yellow hue. The way they moved their tentacles it was clear there was some rivalry going on. Suddenly sun bright bolts of bright white energy emitted from them both.

<p lang="en-US">While the bolt of the slightly smaller one singed and burned half a dozen tentacles of the bigger one, the electrical discharge of the bigger one had struck true at the nerve center of the smaller.

<p lang="en-US">The reason why Bolters were not as abundant as many other life forms on Green Hell became quite apparent. A violent explosion and a fast expanding fire ball completely obliterated the smaller one. Bolters bio-electrogenesis abilities allowed them to produce Hydrogen from water, as a lifting gas, but also as it was apparent made them quite vulnerable.

<p lang="en-US">The other Bolters took little notice of the fiery demise of one of their kind and continued with their aerial dance and mating.

<p lang="en-US">While Paul was making sure the events were recorded by the floaters equipment, he too was thinking about what the future would hold for them. He loved Martha and he knew of her ambition and goals. She wanted to climb proverbial Olympus and reach the Parthenon of science gods to take her place among them. He would support her in this quest as much as he could and Paul knew she would eventually reach that goal. He would be proud of her as he was proud of her already, being chosen to lead a Science expedition was quite an honor. However he had no such goals. While he was her research assistant he also was an accomplished Micro biologist and he would have been perfectly happy, staying on Green Hell. There were as many exciting discoveries to be made on the Micro biological level. Was it not bacteria and small insects that were the food the Bolters filtered out of the air?

<p lang="en-US">Just a month ago he discovered the Epulopiscium stomperoni, a huge bacterium he had found in the digestive tract of the massive Stompers; it was so big it could be seen with the unaided eye and that was just the tip of the iceberg. Green Hell's ecosystem was as fascinating and dangerous on the microscopic level as it was on the macroscopic scale.

<p lang="en-US">He much rather spend the rest of his professional career right here than eventually ending up at Pluribus, perhaps as a lecturer or teacher while his wife sat in the Ivory tower of Union Science, making policies and deciding where to spend funds and what to research, rather than actually researching anything herself.

<p lang="en-US">As he was thinking about that, he remembered that his family did not just include Martha, but that there was his son Roy.

<p lang="en-US">He was a little disappointed at his sons mental and academic development. It appeared that he still had Childhood fantasies and believed them to be true and his grades at Basic School were mediocre. However he silently and deep down agreed with Roy's objections. No one had asked Roy and if truth to be told, Martha had not really asked Paul for his wishes or opinion in the matter of leaving Green Hell and going on an expedition lasting years. She simply made the decision and expected him to agree and Roy to accept it.

<p lang="en-US">It would mean very little contact to Roy, because once the Explorer ship went past the Downward Horizon into Open and unexplored space, TransDim communication was no longer possible as they were beyond the range of the marvelous GalNet network that allowed instantaneous communication within Union Space.. While he made his decision, to support his wife's goals; was it really fair to leave their son more or less on his own? Maybe it was their fault, not paying more attention to Roy that he sought refuge in ridiculous fantasies of being outside and voicing his wish to become a soldier? He could not completely suppress the sigh that made its way past his lips, hoping his wife would not notice. Paul had always shied away from any sort of conflict.

<p lang="en-US">Mortimer Jenkins, the pilot of the flyer nervously nibbled at his lower lip, wishing they could return to the safety of Ant Hill, the only town on this world, well protected by strong Ultronit walls and powerful force fields.

<p lang="en-US">It seemed such a good idea to accept the invitation of the Science Corps to come to Green Hell, back then when his doctorate was still fresh and he was just one of many fellow researchers, at the Neugruber Bio Sciences Institute on Venus. It was his work on the electroplax cells used by the Shocker Frogs of Ulta for electrogenesis that made him aware of Dr. Martha Masters brilliant work on the largest known life form using electric organs; the Lightning Bolters of Green Hell.

<p lang="en-US">He mentioned his interest to his Professor and a shortly after he had done that he received an invitation to join the research team on Green Hell. The offer was great; double the salary, free Luxury apartment at Ant Hill and the chance of working with Dr. Masters and making a valuable contribution to science.

<p lang="en-US">In moments like this, to close to these floating monsters and removed from the deadly conditions of this hellish world by a few centimeters of Dura-Steel and weak shields; he wondered if he made the right decision. He cursed his boss, Dr. Harrow who insisted on hands on observation instead of sending probes or robots. Despite all better judgment he steered the floater closer to the mating Bolters following Martha Masters' impatient hand signals, "Dr. Masters don't you think we are close enough?"

<p lang="en-US">She did not take her eyes of the optic interface and said. "We need to be under thousand meters for our Cyber-Nose sensors. I want to get a molecular scan of the air and see if there are any pheromones or scents aiding them in finding each other, or if it is purely electro location.

<p lang="en-US">While Mortimer could not argue the scientific reason behind her request, he wanted to point out that the Bolters could also easily locate them at that distance and that they were much more agitated than usual was obvious.

<p lang="en-US">He could not wait till the Masters left Green Hell. He envied her for the academic success and seeing the woman's star rise to such prominence within the science community had become a thorn in his side. He was firmly convinced, that as long as she was here, her shadow kept obscuring his work and his chances of recognition. Recognition meant offers, especially offers from commercial operating corporations. The SII Bio Research foundation for example, had a dream lab facility at Harper's Junction. A planet only an orbit removed. But they have so far ignored his efforts to get hired there.

<p lang="en-US">He tried to rationalize his fears and knew Dr. Harrow was quite correct, the armored flier was indeed designed to dive into the atmospheres of extreme planets. Able to withstand great temperature ranges, corrosive atmospheres and crushing gravitation, these fliers were used by the Explorer division of the Science Corps all over the Galaxy.

<p lang="en-US">CHOPERS as they called them had a well earned reputation for being reliable, dependable and tough. However this particular Chrysler Hover Operations Platform for Exploration, Research and Science was not operated by a pilot with experience or the actual training necessary. Mortimer considered the mandatory training an insult on his intellect. These tests and the training was for uneducated and stupid techs and brutish soldiers, not for a man who held two PhD's. When he came to Green Hell, he was told it was the job of the most junior member of the Science Team to fly the Institutes vehicle and be at the beck and call to shuttle the other members around whenever they decided they needed a flight. He had flown fliers on Venus, Earth and even on Titan and felt he didn't need any additional training or instructions and so he simply lied and claimed he already received CHOPERS training, prior to coming to Green Hell.

<p lang="en-US">For almost two years now he had been proven right and after 23 months without any accident he felt he was a good pilot. Like most persons using a modern flier he was oblivious to the fact, that most flying was done by the on-board Computronic. All the minute adjustments to the Arti Grav lift generators, the automatic correction to the propulsion turbines, keeping the flier perfectly stable regardless of wind and weather were done for him, making the task of flying so easy a child could do it. The fliers shields were effective simple electromagnetic deflectors and not real battle shields.

<p lang="en-US">It happened all very fast. Martha detected a hint of intelligence in the thought patterns of the Bolters. Not true sentient thought, but more like the mind of a smart dog and one of the minds out there suddenly focused on the flyer. The largest Bolter flailed with his remaining tentacles waving an intricate pattern in the air. It was a signal, a signal to all the others and every Bolter reacted.

<p lang="en-US">They all unleashed their electrical discharges simultaneously at the slowly closing flier. This sudden onslaught, overwhelmed the shields and the electromagnetic energies were strong enough to disable the on board computronic, even the combined lightning bolts of the beasts did not kill the scientists inside but it send the flier with screaming, uncontrolled engines towards the planet's surface.

<p lang="en-US">A trained pilot could have been able to divert the disaster, by cutting power to the thrusters and increase the lift energies to the Arti Grav, but Mortimer was neither a trained pilot nor a person who reacted well to crisis situations.

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<p lang="en-US">CHAPTER 3

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<p lang="en-US">ROY

<p lang="en-US">The house he called home was a dome shaped Ultronit sphere; made out of the same material they made battle ship armor out of. The house had two levels and once had been a forward research outpost on Green Hell and served as his families' home ever since he was born. Roy switched on the outside visual sensor and waited for the Institute Floater that would take his parents away. The visual sensor was on a sturdy telescopic mast and inside a strong protective housing and could be steered and directed to look into any direction. On his view screen he saw the dense jungle around the house. There, a Pandora Swan attacking a flock of Gladiator Eagles. The silvery Pandora Swan attacked the much larger eagles with his razor sharp lower wings and cut one of the Eagles in mid-flight to pieces, while it evaded the barrage of arrow feathers the Eagles shot at it. The swan punctured a second with its long needle sharp beak. It was a spectacular display of raw nature. It did not matter what his parents thought, he was a Greenie!

<p lang="en-US">He was very proud of this fact and he knew everything there was to know about his home planet. Green Hell was the second planet in the Maxwell System. A luscious green garden world that looked inviting just like any other garden world when seen from space. <p lang="en-US">Long time ago, it had first been discovered by the old Saresii and they called it Mrtgtha in their language and it meant Murder-all. The Saresii never bothered to come back, thousands of years later the Sarans rediscovered the world and lost several exploration teams and called this world Imthe-Seth which meant Death World.

<p lang="en-US">Then after Terra ascended and the Union was formed a Union explorer ship came this way and another attempt was made to explore this world. Garden world with a breathable Nitrogen Oxygen atmosphere were rare and valuable to any expanding society. Again the Planet proved deadly to those who landed on it, no one of the survey teams returned alive.

<p lang="en-US">Unlike the Saresii or the Sarans however Terrans were much more stubborn and could not leave it at that. It was even suggested at one point to P Bomb the world from orbit and then Terra form it, but instead of doing that it was decided to research what it was that made this world so dangerous.

<p lang="en-US">Instead of scientists and explorers they send Ultra Marines next and they managed after losing some men to clear an island of its vegetation and sterilize it of anything alive and establish a permanent base. Scientists returned and with them came technicians and service personnel, then their families and finally shop keepers and small businesses and the small island base grew first into a town and then a small city called Ant Hill. The Planet became known as Green Hell

<p lang="en-US">Jungles covered sixty percent of the surface. Instead of real oceans the planet had an almost uncountable number of large and small lakes, vast swamps and slimy bogs. There were a few rugged mountain ranges and cool less overgrown poles.

<p lang="en-US">What made Green Hell different from any other planet was its vast abundance of life forms. Every single living thing on this planet was a killer and had an array of body weapons deadlier than anything ever encountered. The strongest organic acid ever discovered was produced by the Dragon Ants of Green Hell; the deadliest organic poison ever encountered came from a flowering bush. Some clouds were actually living gas bags that attacked with aimed lightning bolts of pure energy.

<p lang="en-US">There were tiny microscopic mites aggressive as battle nannites; insects able to fly as fast rifle bullets with inch long stingers as hard as steel. Everything alive on Green Hell was lethally dangerous. Even the local moss and grass was lethal.

<p lang="en-US">He saw one of the heavily armored, yellow painted floaters of the Institute descent and dock at the air lock clamps on the north side of the house.

<p lang="en-US">A few moments later, with his parents aboard it soared back into the sky.

<p lang="en-US">Roy smiled and locked his door. Then he opened his closet and put his micro mesh jacket over his bio-barrier suit. The Bio-barrier suit everyone on Green Hell was wearing was a one piece garment that hermetically connected with his heavy all-terrain boots. The suit was to protect the wearer from the tiny Buzz-saw Micros and similar mite like mini life forms that feasted on any organic matter with tiny mouths full of rotating teeth. Real Greenies however, like most of the larger life forms on Green Hell had developed their own defenses against most of these tiny pests, Buzz-Saws never really bothered him and he knew how to evade their drop shaped cocoon like nests hanging between the branches of Plague trees. As a further precaution all you had to do was use the a few drops of Plaque tree sap on and the Buzzers thought you were a Plaque tree and left you alone. He then girded a belt around his hip with an attached holster, in it his Thompson E-Blaster, riding low in a no tech holster on his right side. On his left he carried a Vibro-machete. Also attached to the belt was his K-Bar combat knife. Roy chuckled while thinking about what his parents would think if they knew he had those things.

<p lang="en-US">Green Hell had a natural gravitation of 2. 6 gees above standard and all Off-worlders carried a personal Gravi-Adjuster. A device that reduced the graviton influence on the body mass to standard levels of one gee. Until his sixth birthday he didn't have one as he was born here and had adjusted to the natural gravitation from his birth. Uncle Sam suggested that carrying one dialed to a higher gravitation would make the body stronger and every single move was an exercise. So he did carry one and he dialed it up every year a little more and now didn't even feel the constant 4.5 gee the device now created. He switched it off and left it behind. Then he crawled under his bed and snickered even more, imagining the shock his parents would get as he touched a hidden contact

<p lang="en-US">Part of the wall slid open and he crawled in a secret air lock. His mother would probably faint if she knew it existed. Maria his friend who was a wizard with tools had cut the Ultronit and installed this small air lock some years ago, allowing him to leave the house unnoticed.

<p lang="en-US">The inner door sealed and moments later the outer door opened. He slid over the smooth curved metal of the outer surface of the dome shaped house to get momentum then pulled his feet under him and pushed himself with one fluid motion of the wall. His now unrestricted muscles catapulted him almost 12 meters across the vegetation free area around the house. Charles maintained that area by burning everything that grew inside that area with his blasters and he had to do that every other day.

<p lang="en-US">Roy grabbed the branch of a Tantalus Oak, with two only two fingers of each hand, avoiding the 5 inch long thorns; Thorns that were hard enough to pierce steel and drooled with a deadly nerve poison that paralyzed a human sized being in mere seconds. He swung himself over to a Trappers Palm, oriented himself for a mere heartbeat crouching on a branch, just above the sticky substance that covered the trees trunk and its branches below. The Trapper Palm's glue instantly bonded with anything that came into contact with the sticky goo on a molecular level; then tiny creatures akin to the Buzz-Saws would come and disassemble and devour whatever had been caught in the glue.

<p lang="en-US">Roy filled his lungs deep with the warm almost hot steamy jungle air. He loved the musky, moist odor. The Jungle was full of smells and scents, some pleasant, some sweet and fragrant, yet others putrid and foul. To him every smell signaled a different plant or animal and knowing the smells was part of being able to stay alive out here. For most of the things he had no names, and he was fairly certain his parents hadn't seen or cataloged a fraction of what he knew and seen.

<p lang="en-US">Out here he felt alive and right as rain, there was no doubt, no hesitation. He was one with the Jungle and somehow he felt as if he was one with the entire planet. He used all of his senses to the extreme. He listened to all the noises and sounds and did not ignore anything. It was an intuitive concentration to really use ones senses. Some of the deadly trees and lethal plants had parts that could be eaten. The flower butts of the Nightmare cactus were delicious and had a nutty fresh taste. All you had to do know was where to touch and not to be showered with tiny needles. A beautiful orchid like plant with a flower as big as a man, had liquid nectar inside the funnel shaped leaves that tasted like a mixture of honey and orange juice, to get it without getting killed took some skill, but that was all.

<p lang="en-US">Out here he could feast on a hundred things, without being poisoned, killed or paralyzed.

<p lang="en-US">This was his true home and he knew how to act and behave. He didn't need an eight ton energy shielded Armor suit to stomp through the jungle only to sink into a mud bog and be cracked like and egg after the energy ran out. He was a Greenie.

<p lang="en-US">There was a sense, a feeling of being certain without any doubt. This sense alerted him to imminent danger and told him on an instinctive level what to do and how to behave.

<p lang="en-US">This sense, this knowledge he absorbed somehow by an unexplainable osmosis directly from the planet. Everything here was a deadly killer, but that didn't mean everything was constantly killing. It was more like a careful delicate balance and life and death kept itself in balance out here, just like anywhere else. Waltzing through all of this in an Armor suit disturbed that balance and directed everything on that intruder to kill it, to neutralize it so the balance was restored. All this he just knew, he didn't know how and it was not book knowledge or the knowledge cramped in his mind by Cerebral uploads in school, it was a knowledge that could not really be put in words or expressed in writing. It was different.

<p lang="en-US">For most of his way he remained in the upper level of the jungle, far above the actual ground. The dense foliage provided a much safer route and he could pass over mud bogs, water holes and the burrows of Kill Diggers. He jumped and swung from branch to branch, as surefooted as someone walking on a Duro Crete street. He estimated he had covered two or three kilometers from the house and was now deep in untouched jungle, when he heard the tromping sounds of a Stomper breaking through the thickets. Roy crouched on a thick branch and waited until he could see this magnificent eight legged beast with sixteen barbed tentacles on its front end that could plug anything eatable out of trees and a tough crystalline armor protecting it from most of the plants and attack modes of smaller creatures.

<p lang="en-US">Roy put his hands before his mouth and mimicked the mating call of a Water-snake Bull and laughed silently as he watched the Stomper turn in panic and disappear back from where it came. Of course it was still five months till the Water snake mating season begun, but the Stomper didn't know that.

<p lang="en-US">Greenies were split in the opinion what was the most dangerous life form on Green Hell. One side believed the Water Snakes were the undisputed kings of this world and had no real natural enemies.

<p lang="en-US">Water Snakes spend most of their live in the huge fresh water lakes and only during mating season bulls would be driven out of the lakes by the strongest one and seek other water bodies for their home, slithering many miles through the jungles and fighting with other snakes over a water hole or lake. Then they would mate with a female and produce one or maybe two little snakes.

<p lang="en-US">Water snakes reached tremendous size. Roy had seen bulls of over 45 meters and perhaps eight or nine meters thick. Water snakes had a scaled skin that was almost impervious to any attack; they could spit a Gelatin-like material and ignite it with a static discharge in their mouth. The stuff burned even in water. In addition to that Water snakes could spread their scales and eject small poisonous darts with the force of a high powered rifle. The darts made of the same diamond hard substance as their scales. Those darts were poison tipped and even a slight scratch could kill a fully grown Stomper. Roy once observed a Water snake shooting Arrow wasps out of the air just for fun, demonstrating its accuracy. Roy believed Water Snakes were at least as those Terran Dolphins he had to learn about in School.

<p lang="en-US">Other Greenies he knew were convinced Dragon Ants were the undisputed kings of the jungles.

<p lang="en-US">Among the many ant like species living on Green Hell, the biggest and most dangerous were the Dragon Ants. These little monsters grew up to 2 inches and their ant hills swarmed with millions of them. Biologically they had not much in common with Terran Ants of course, the Green Hell version had eight legs and had both an endo- and an exoskeleton to support their bodies in this higher gravitation. Their mandibles made of a biological carbon compound that was almost as hard as diamond and truly razor sharp.

<p lang="en-US">The acid produced by these ants was strong enough to eat through any known material except Compacted Ultronit. The ants mixed two components of that corrosive liquid by spraying it out of two holes in their bodies, to prevent of being dissolved by their own acid.

<p lang="en-US">When an ant colony was on the march to new grounds, nothing was spared or safe from their attacks and a battle between a Water snake or a Stomper caught by an ant colony was a horrible and fascinating spectacle.

<p lang="en-US">One of the few places that was ant free on this world was an island almost in the center of the largest lake. It was there Union Marines established the first permanent base; over the years it grew into into the city Ant Hill, the only city on this world.

<p lang="en-US">True Greenies were fiercely proud of their world and everyone had a favorite "monster". Water Snakes and Dragon Ants were the clear favorites and there was the Snake Fans and the Ant Lovers and the discussion just what life form was the most dangerous on Green Hell was a common subject for endless discussions and friendly banter.

<p lang="en-US">Roy had not made up his mind and was of the opinion that there were many life forms on this planet yet to be discovered.

<p lang="en-US">While he was musing about ants and snakes he ducked fast to avoid the net of a Moolax-Spinner, huge brown arachnoid beasts able to electrify their almost invisible nets with deadly voltage. The filaments of the net were only a few molecules thick and could cut through almost anything. He didn't even realize he had pulled and shot his blaster a few seconds later to kill a Vamp-Fly that came to close to be avoided until he had the weapon back in its holster.

<p lang="en-US">Roy didn't shoot or kill for sport or fun, only when it was necessary. Everything on Green Hell had an arsenal of natural weapons, poisons and acids to their disposal. That did not mean that every life form was trying to constantly kill everything else. It was more of a careful co existence. Roy's blaster was his stinger and he used it only if necessary.

<p lang="en-US">Three years ago, sponsored by a popular extreme sports magazine and a sports outfitter sixteen extreme sport athletes of the so called Top Toughs answered the challenge of a loudmouth GalNet host.

<p lang="en-US">That host, a Takkian named Akrun Nokhar challenged Green Hell's reputation of being the deadliest worlds in the known Universe. He offered 5 million credits to anyone running from Ma Swanson's boat house to research-outpost seven. RO-7 was only ten kilometers from Ma Swanson's. There were twelve such outposts around the western hemisphere of the planet, the house Roy called his home was one of those and officially designated RO-9.

<p lang="en-US">Despite warnings and the objection of the Ranger Service, Nokhar managed to get a federal court order allowing him to proceed. Two Pertharians, eight Saturnians, nine Takkians, two Stellaris, three X101, even a Nul and a Thala participated.

<p lang="en-US">It was a terrible disaster and loss of life. One of the Saturnians made it a whole kilometer but fell prey to a Burrow Digger. The X101s had to find out that Dragon Ant acid was strong enough to eat through their metal skin in seconds. Only one Pertharian survived but severely wounded when the Ranger found him.

<p lang="en-US">Akrun Nokhar could not be held responsible, he was one of the Takkians participating in the race; his crystalline outer shell was later found and identified to be his.

<p lang="en-US">Of course it was all the news GalNet wide for several weeks and no one questioned the dangers of Green Hell from that point on.

<p lang="en-US">Sometimes Roy wished he could have participated, so he could have shown these arrogant Off-Worlders that Green Hell was as beautiful a world as any other, but then his parents would have found out that he really was outside almost every day and grounded him forever. They never knew that it was him however who found the Takkian's shell a few days later and told the Ranger where it was.

<p lang="en-US">While the Galaxy had mostly forgotten about this event, it had cemented Green Hells reputation and prevented any further foolishness...

<p lang="en-US">At Gillian's Pub, which was a local tavern at Ground level Plaza of Ant Hill, they still talked about that Extreme Sport challenge of course. While not openly admitting it, because the loss of live was not supposed to be a source of satisfaction; Greenies were glad it actually ended that way. It would keep Off-Worlders away. The non scientist community of Green Hell, those who called themselves Greenies, didn't care all to much for Off-Worlders, who always knew everything better than the locals and then died a few hours later.

<p lang="en-US">Gillian's Pub was owned by Melissa's grandfather and Roy and his friends often went there after school to get a bag of fish and chips that were so delicious.

<p lang="en-US">Only a few Greenies, mostly the Shop keepers and the two Hotel owners wished that Green Hell would grow and see more visitors and tourists.

<p lang="en-US">He had reached a spot halfway between the house and the Shore rocks where he was going to meet his friends. This area had lots of Strangle veins and Buzz Saw nests and it was better to be on the ground.

<p lang="en-US">He carefully avoided a Mortar Toad that hopped across his intended path so it would not shower him with hundreds of little flesh eating toads catapulted from pockets in its back.

<p lang="en-US">Then he ducked and crawled under a dagger bush with its steel hard and needle sharp leaves. Every branch was under tremendous tension and would release at the slightest touch. A dagger bush branch had dozens of underarm long needle sharp barbed spikes and the force of the released tension was enough to drive those spikes in the though armored skin of a water snake and of course mortally wound a human.

<p lang="en-US">Right after that bush he almost run head first into an all black huge beast. He panicked for the duration of a heartbeat. His sense of danger had failed him and did not warn him of this beast. He froze at the spot, not moving a muscle. The animal in front of him didn't look like any animal he had ever seen on Green Hell. No animal he knew was so completely black! <p lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom:0cm">

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<p lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom:0cm">CHAPTER 4

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<p lang="en-US">Chapter 4

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Dr. Ivan Harrow disconnected the Comm-Link with a forceful gesture, reflecting his feeling of annoyance. He really respected Paul Masters and he simply adored Martha, but he hated to be called while he was attending a lecture at the annual Galactic life-sciences Conference. This time it was being held on Earth (Terra) and on the ancient and hallowed grounds of the famous Cambridge University. Even though he was unable to attend in person this year. He was there only via GalNet tele-presence avatar, it was still a special kind of honor to be one of the featured lecturers. <p lang="en-US">Only moments before his Avatar projection proceeded to the lectern, Paul Masters called him to ask him about technical details on floater shields and ruined his concentration and state of mind. He expected Paul Masters to understand those things. He wasn't a Flier expert for Mozart's sake, but everyone knew CHOPERS were safe and there were only three incidents on Green Hell in which a flier was damaged. Besides both Paul and Martha weren't new to Green Hell and had been on here for almost as long as he had.

<p lang="en-US">Ivan gave the Comm Unit one more glance and then reclined on the new Virtu Presence Couch, that had been delivered only a month before. He told the Computronic to make sure he was not disturbed for any reason and then activated the direct neuro-connection to the GalNet terminal and reconnected the Avatar session.

<p lang="en-US">He was a Botanist and had little interest in the fantastic technology that allowed him to bridge a distance measured in hundreds of light years without any noticeable delay. He was only interested in the fact that he connected and found himself standing in a conference room filled with distinguished colleagues, scientists and experts from all over the Union.

<p lang="en-US">He did know the basics however, as everyone did. Field projectors created a form-field energy cocoon that simulated his body shape. A three dimensional image of him was projected onto the inside of that field. Gravitation and mass simulators gave the projection substance and allowed him to interact with objects and other beings. What his simulated senses experienced was fed directly into his brain. He could see, hear and feel what his avatar was feeling. Only smell and taste were still hard to simulate and therefore ignored in these non-entertainment Avatar GalNet units. Avatar Enabled GalNet terminals were still a new technology and incredibly expensive, but next to the Union Fleet, the Science Corps was the best funded government agency.

<p lang="en-US">Right now Dr. Nalg Nokes, a fish faced Ult stood behind the lectern, wearing a semi transparent water circulation suit designed to keep the amphibian well hydrated. Dr. Nokes was an authority on the field of marine botany, a good friend of Ivan's and as the little silvery pyramid shaped emblem on his suit attested he was a member of the Hive of Minds.

<p lang="en-US">The Ult gestured with his webbed hands towards Ivan and his slightly amplified voice carried to the last seat in the auditorium saying, "Without further ado let me introduce the lecturer of this hour, my esteemed colleague and dear friend Dr. Ivan Harrow, senior lead researcher of the Life sciences department at Ant Hill on Planet Green Hell. He and his fellow researchers risk life and limb every day to unravel the mysteries of this truly unique and dangerous world."

<p lang="en-US">Ivan ignored the small blinking light that appeared in his field of view, signaling he had an urgent call. He blinked it away, thanked the Ult for the introduction and approached the lectern.

<p lang="en-US">In the audience before him he saw ant-like Klack, olive skinned Sarans and four stately looking Pan Sarans. There was a Takkian sitting right next to a Pertharian giant. To his surprise he noticed an X101. These chrome skinned sentient machines were among the best engineers, but to see one at a Bio sciences conference was something unexpected. The three silver haired beauties in the first row were of course Saresii and he wondered if one of them was actually a real female.

<p lang="en-US">A humanoid shaped being, covered in a deep green tight-fitting suit and a helmet with a mirrored faceplate sitting right next to the Saresii must have been a Non-Corp. These beings without real bodies could only interact with others wearing special containment suits, the fact that they made the surface of a sun their home was something he could barely comprehend.

<p lang="en-US">Without further ado, he began with his lecture on Trapper palms and their intricate symbiotic relation to microbial mites.

<p lang="en-US">The audience was a knowledgeable assembly of scientists and they only interrupted his lecture with valuable questions and observations. As the last of his interactive three dimensional presentation images faded away and he had reached the end of his lecture, the audience applauded his efforts which gave him a deep sense of accomplishment and pride.

<p lang="en-US">It was the faceless Non Corp who raised his arm and said with an artificial sounding voice, "Dr. Harrow. I am Nine-three-eight, which is the closest approximation to what my kind uses for names and I am the first Botanist PhD of Non Corp origin."

<p lang="en-US">Ivan smiled at the alien entity and motioned him with a gesture to continue while he congratulated the being for his academic choice, "It is a rewarding field of study Dr. Nine-three-eight and I'm delighted to hear a Non Corp made a similar career choice as I have done."

<p lang="en-US">Other members of the audience also added similar sentiments and the Non Corp nodded gracefully and said, "My motivations to choose this field were many, but I did raise my simulated arm to ask your opinion, Dr. Harrow. I have read and studied Green Hell by reading as many papers and publications as I could process so far. There is a wealth of information on a host of fascinating life forms indeed, but it does not appear as if life on Green Hell came from one source and that there are hundreds of Evolutionary processes running simultaneously, some completely alien to the other. It would appear that there is no common denominator among these lifeforms."

<p lang="en-US">The Non Corp now raised both his arms, "The only common thread I can find is the disproportional array of body weapons, poisons and other means of lethal attack. To me it looks almost as if life on Green Hell was designed by someone and each life form is part of an experiment or project. What is your professional opinion on this?"

<p lang="en-US">Dr. Harrow put down the simulated PDD his Avatar hands were holding and said, "This, my dear colleague is the reason for the Science Corps deep interest in Green Hell. This is the reason for all the research we conduct and what we call the Green Hell Question. Evolution on every world in the known Universe follows certain patterns. Even life on your Star, as alien as it is to many be for us, developed from one source, but not on Green Hell. The Lighting Bolters have no evolutionary connection to the Water Snakes, or the Stompers or any other life form on Green Hell. The same as the snakes, they too have no real connection. There is not a single DNA commonality between the Moolax spinners and the Pandora Swans and no one has yet been able to find out why."

<p lang="en-US">He took a few more questions and discussed speculations and theories with others, then he reluctantly severed the connection. It took him a few moments of feeling dizzy and disoriented before he was completely back.

<p lang="en-US">His assistant stormed into the room and said with a breathless voice, "There has been an accident. The flier went down. We think it crashed."

<p align="CENTER" lang="en-US">ROY

<p lang="en-US">

<p lang="en-US">Roy stared at the beast in front of him, this animal was covered with short black fur, except around the neck area where the fur formed a thick mane; it had four legs and a boxy brutish looking head, with two ears and small horns on the crown of its skull. Roy estimated it to be perhaps 140 centimeters tall from ground to its back, the head slightly higher, attached to the torso by a short but massive neck. The animal was perhaps 300 centimeters long and had a short thick tail. The muscles of the animal were well defined under that luscious shining black fur and it gave the being a massive and strong appearance. It had two eyes that glowed dark red and had no visible pupils. The short broad snout was topped by flaring nostrils. A pair of long canines emerged from the upper jaw past the chaps and extended at least 40 centimeters past the lower jaw.

<p lang="en-US">Only now did he notice the dark metal band around the beast's neck with short cone shaped metal spikes in even intervals all around its colossal neck. It was something man made, it was a collar! Roy sighed and relaxed, this was not an animal native to Green Hell.

<p lang="en-US">It was quite obviously a pet, a tamed animal. Terrans especially, but other cultures as well, found joy in keeping domesticated Pets.

<p lang="en-US">Domesticated life forms were unknown on Green Hell, as no foreign life form could survive the Jungles even for a few moments. Ranger Solomon had a tank of fish in his office, but those were the only off world animals Roy knew of.

<p lang="en-US">His friends however, secretly kept Green Hell animals as pets, unknown even to their parents.

<p lang="en-US">Norm often teased him, that he was not a 'real Greenie' as he had not managed to befriend a local life form as of yet. Norm theorized that being able to become friendly with a Green Hell monster was the ultimate proof and hallmark of a real next generation Greenie.

<p lang="en-US">Out of an impulse he hadn't thought through, Roy reached out and touched the animal and said, "Are you lost, Partner?"

<p lang="en-US">The animal opened his terrifying maw and for a moment Roy thought he was done for, but instead of being maimed or bitten in half, a huge blackish tongue appeared and licked him straight across the face. The big black tongue was dry and felt like a metal sanding disc as it charred across his skin.

<p lang="en-US">As the animal licked him, he received strange new and foreign images in his head. He saw images of deep space, stars, and planets as if looking through the view port of a space ship. Then he recognized one of the planets, it was Green Hell, a beautiful emerald green sphere. The planet seemed to became bigger and it was like watching a fast descent or fall, finally the images showed Green Hell jungles and then there was an image of himself.

<p lang="en-US">Roy's mother was a native of Phantas and like almost every Phantasian she was gifted with psionic powers, not that he ever known her to use her telepatic abilities on him, but he was no stranger to Psionics. His grandmother Carina used to come and visit them and she demonstrated her telekinetic skills and transmitted her affection towards Roy almost the same way as the animal did now.

<p lang="en-US">His father, Paul Masters, was only seven points below the Heidelberg Psi Index threshold where Psionics usually emerged in a being. Roy however did not inherit any of his mother's abilities. His HPI was a disappointing 56 and well below the level of even the weakest form of Psionics to manifest. Roy, like every other Union kid, had been subjected to the mandatory HPI test on the first day of Union School. Union PSI laws were very strong and the Psionic Power Registration Act required everyone's Psionic abilities to be tested and if such abilities existed trained and registered.

<p lang="en-US">It was this knowledge and exposure that he didn't freak out as these strong images flooded his mind. Of course he was still quite unprepared and surprised by the sudden Psionic contact. In all this he sensed that the animal meant him no harm and that it was quite intelligent, but unable to communicate in any form of language or truly coherent thought.

<p lang="en-US">Roy petted the animal's immense shoulders. While the black fur felt as soft as the finest Velvet; just like the dress Melissa once wore; the body and the muscles underneath that fur were as hard as Ultronit. The animal lowered itself to the ground so Roy could pet it more easily and he felt waves of affection and pleasure radiating from the animal.

<p lang="en-US">Roy could not help himself and smiled, "I like you too. Let's see if we can get you home! This is no place for an Off-world pet. Do you belong to someone?"

<p lang="en-US">As Roy asked this question he received a mental image of himself as if the animal wanted to say: I belong to you.

<p lang="en-US">Roy opened his wrist com and dialed for the ranger station. It took only a moment and Ranger Solomon's face appeared. "Hi Roy," the local law man greeted him with a broad smile on his face. "Bob is already at that secret meeting place where you guys always hang out and I am sure he is waiting for you already."

<p lang="en-US">Roy said to the father of his best friend, "Good afternoon Mr. Solomon. I am on my way to see Bob and the others, but I was calling to ask if anyone reported a missing Off-World pet. I think they call them dogs or something like that."

<p lang="en-US">The Rangers forehead wrinkled while both his eyebrows rose up in open surprise. "What a strange question, Roy. No there are no such reports and there could not be, as Off World pets and animals are not allowed on Green Hell. Don't tell me you are outside again!"

<p lang="en-US">Roy tried to shield the optic pick up as much as he could, so the Ranger would not see the Jungle background, but of course it was way too late for that, "Well I am sort of a little, but not really far. I was just curious if someone is missing a pet."

<p lang="en-US">The Ranger knew of course that Roy was outside and said with a smirk, "Your father is going to have a field day with me if he finds out I know that you are outside."

<p lang="en-US">Roy snorted and raised his chin a little in a defiant gesture and said, "I told them that I was outside Sir. I told my parents I went outside many times. They just don't believe me"

<p lang="en-US">The Ranger knew that no one would really believe him either and that was the main reason he didn't make it an official issue. He smiled weakly and sighed then he said to Roy, "Anyway be careful out there. As for your question, no there are no reports of missing animals of any kind on the Ranger Network of this entire quadrant, including Green Hell. The only Off World animals I know of, are a swarm of Gold Fish in a tank in my office and they won't go anywhere."

<p lang="en-US">Roy asked, "How big does a Terran dog get?"

<p lang="en-US">The ranger shrugged his shoulders, unaware that this gesture would be lost on the small wrist display and said, "I have never seen a real dog Roy, so I don't know. Whatever it is you see is most certainly not a dog or a domestic animal. Stay well clear of it, take a few pictures and consult GalNet or ask your parents."

<p lang="en-US">Roy closed the call saying, "Thank you Mr. Solomon. I will do that, I mean I run a search on GalNet." With a wave he disconnected and switched to GalNet. "System, identify the life form in the images I am transmitting."

<p lang="en-US">The little Wrist Unit linked to the GalNet relay at Ant Hill, while a smart logarithm isolated the image of the black beast, calculated its size and weight then ran it against the most comprehensive collection of knowledge collected, the central data bank of the Science Council known to everyone in the Union as WALES. Normally a search lasted a few seconds at best. This time he waited almost a minute and then the warm male voice of WALES responded, "Insufficient data to identify. Seven life forms, nine mythical beasts and seventeen unsubstantiated references found. None match the received data to more than seventy percent. Do you wish to make a new entry?"

<p lang="en-US">"No, not at this moment."

<p lang="en-US">While he did all that he committed a deadly mistake, he had remained for way too long on the same spot and did not pay as much attention to his surroundings as he should have.

<p lang="en-US">An Insecto-Saurus broke through the thicket and was preparing to attack.

<p lang="en-US">His Sense of Danger did warn him, but he had been distracted. Normally he would have had no problem avoiding an Insecto. These beasts had no sense of smell and their field of view was restricted, by its own body. But now the Insecto had clearly made him out and his trick imitating the Snake sound would not work because Insectos had no hearing and besides Insectos attacked Snakes if they thought the snake was small enough for them to succeed.

<p lang="en-US">Worse yet, Insectos never had their heart at the same spot, it could be nearly anywhere in the main torso and their small brain was well protected inside a tough small skull. He had seen an Insecto continue to fight for several minutes even with a completely severed head. They were as tough as Stompers, and twice as fast. His mother once compared an Insecto-Saurus to a mix between overgrown Scorpion, Praying Mantis and Raptor Dinosaur.

<p lang="en-US">Roy never understood why they always compared anything to Terran life, he never paid much attention in school when they did talk about other planets life forms and did not know how those animals looked, but he knew the poisonous stinger of the Insecto would kill him as fast as the scratch of a Pandora Swan claw and that the scissor claws on the end of long arms were able to cut through a Tantalus Oak tree trunk and would have no problem clipping him in half.

<p lang="en-US">Roy realized he would die right here and now and while he was afraid to die, he did not regret it or hate the Insecto for it, this was how things went on Green Hell. He was a Greenie and this was how anything on this world eventually died.

<p lang="en-US">However death did not come as he expected, the black animal catapulted itself over the eight meter distance that separated it from the Insecto with one single move. Roy already imagined seeing blood and bits of black fur and was worried about the black beast and against all better judgment he remained still, instead of using the black animal's sacrifice as a diversion and escape.

<p lang="en-US">He had pulled his blaster anyway and held the Vibro Machete in his other fist hoping he might be able to fight the Insecto and help his new friend.

<p lang="en-US">To Roy's utter amazement, it was not necessary. The scissor claws of the Insecto slid across the black fur without even scratching the skin beneath. Those scissor claws were razor sharp and diamond hard sand yet they could not penetrate the black animal's skin. The Saurus screeched and hammered its poisonous stinger into the side of the black beast in a frenzied staccato, but the stinger was as ineffective as the claws, the stinger broke and drooled greenish poisonous slime over the sides of the black animal.

<p lang="en-US">The black beast had suddenly grown enormous claws out of the front of its paws and with them it ripped sizable chunks out of the Insectos body. The crystalline armor shattered like brittle glass while a shower of blood, guts and flesh sprayed everywhere. The black beast slashed its claws so fast through the air; Roy saw them only as a flashing blur.

<p lang="en-US">The black beast attacked with a level of vicious brutality and power like nothing Roy had ever witnessed on a planet where nature was more vicious and brutal than anywhere else. The Psionic connection he had with the animal transmitted a feeling of pure and powerful rage.

<p lang="en-US">It was over as fast as it had begun; the Insecto was nothing but a torn heap of shredded flesh and legs, barely recognizable for what it once was.

<p lang="en-US">The emotions of rage ebbed away and again filled Roy's mind with a feeling of devotion towards him.

<p lang="en-US">Swarms of Vamp Flies already buzzed around, attracted by the smell of blood. Roy knew ants would not be far behind.

<p lang="en-US">He jumped over a Fire Nettle and said to the beast, "We'd better get out of here, fast!"

<p lang="en-US">The animal reacted instantly, and followed him, sending waves of warmth and affection to Roy. There was no sense of pain or agony to suggest the black animal had suffered any wounds.

<p lang="en-US">Roy caught his breath and said, "Wow that was something! You sure did a number on that Insecto. I thought we are both done for."

<p lang="en-US">A feeling of deep pride caused by Roy's praise emanated from the animal and a warm sensation of deep affection was the answer.

<p lang="en-US">After walking beside the animal for a little while he got the mental image of him riding on the beast.

<p lang="en-US">"You want me to sit on your on your back?" he asked aloud.

<p lang="en-US">The image reappeared.

<p lang="en-US">Roy had never sat on an animal; the very thought of it was very alien to him, but for some reason he trusted that animal with his life and felt a sense of affection for it.

<p lang="en-US">Just as he realized his own affection for the animal, he was instantly rewarded with a returning swell of pride and deep satisfaction from the animal and the image reappeared, him sitting on the animal riding it.

<p lang="en-US">He pulled himself up by getting a hold on the ten centimeter wide metal collar and swung himself up on the animal's back. He kept his hold on the collar as the animal slowly moved forward.

<p lang="en-US">Roy could feel the rock hard muscles moving under the soft short fur in a steady rolling rhythm and after a little while he got used to the flow of motions and felt more at ease riding the beast.

<p lang="en-US">He examined the collar more closely. It was made of a dark metal and it was somewhat flexible, more like memory metal than unyielding Ultronit.

<p lang="en-US">Roy speculated that the animal was perhaps a local life form after all and just got caught in some sort of snare and what he initially identified as a collar was the remnants of such a trap.

<p lang="en-US">It was not unheard of that criminal Off-Worlders would come to Green Hell, trying to snatch and capture a few of the local monsters.

<p lang="en-US">He had heard stories the Ranger told at the dinners he shared with his best friends at the Ranger's home. Green Hell beasts could be sold to Death Fight Arenas of Free-space worlds and Exotic animal collectors for millions of Credits. The Ranger also said that these secret raids were extremely rare and of the ones he knew about, none succeeded with the Wildlife thieves dying in the Jungles just like any other Off-Worlder who underestimated the dangers of this world. But then there was the rumor that some Greenies secretly snared and trapped local life forms to smuggle and sell them to Exotic Animal Dealers.

<p lang="en-US">Every one knew about the One time about the Institute researcher working together with a local technician smuggling Insectos and a Stompers off planet. Both were arrested and now spent their time on a nasty Correctional Colony somewhere else. At least according to the Ranger.

<p lang="en-US">Roy did not really understand why someone would want to buy a Stomper just to kill it.

<p lang="en-US">While he was riding on the animal's back, his thoughts circled back to the black beast itself. While it could be a local life form, he somehow doubted it. Animals on Green Hell didn't have four legs. They had more or none, and no beast he had seen so far was as black as this one.

<p lang="en-US">He shrugged as his feeling and ideas didn't mean much. His mother estimated that less than five percent of all the estimated life forms on Green Hell had been cataloged so far and less than maybe five percent of the planet's surface was truly surveyed and mapped in detail.

<p lang="en-US">Again he cursed himself for being so preoccupied with the black animal that he missed the Decease-Dust Bush right before them, the animal waltzed right over it and the cherry sized purple pods at the tips of the plants branches exploded, dusting the black fur of the beast's chest with the deadliest nerve toxin known to man. Even the slightest amount on unprotected skin caused most known life forms to collapse in lethal convulsions.

<p lang="en-US">True Greenies were somewhat immune to it, still feeling the burning sensation and becoming very sick for week or two but they would not die. Being exposed to such a large amount however would have been lethal to anyone. Incredibly, the dust had no effect on the beast at all.

<p lang="en-US">Dagger bush branches lashed against its flanks moments later, the sharp thorns shattering or bending but not a single one penetrated or wounded the animal.

<p lang="en-US">Two arrow wasps accelerated to rifle bullet speed bounced off its skin as if hitting a rock.

<p lang="en-US">It became apparent to Roy how this animal survived in the Jungles of Green Hell. It did not avoid the dangers like most other life forms did. It waltzed right over or through them and nothing so far that he could see had any effect on it.

<p lang="en-US">Just like a Stomper, but even a Stomper would have been affected by the Five-mouth centipede that suddenly appeared from its burrow underneath a Nettle bush and snapped its five pairs of mandibles into the skin of the beasts front legs. The beast's claws severed the centipede in pieces and stomped the rest into gore without slowing down.

<p lang="en-US">The animal responded to his mental directions like it was a part of Roy's body. When he wanted to go left, the animal immediately went left or avoided a danger as fast as Roy could see it. Roy once again paid full attention to his surroundings. Even though his new found friend could waltz through the Jungle like a Union Marine in fully shielded Battle Armor, it did not mean that Roy sitting on top could do the same.

<p lang="en-US">It didn't take long to reach the edge of the Jungle. There was a thirty meter wide shore line beach of stone pebbles, Terror moss and Murder Grass growing between the stones.

<p lang="en-US">Blister crabs were camouflaged looking just like shore rocks hiding among the gray and brownish pebbles and head sized boulders. This shore line edged the Great Lake all around the largest of the deep freshwater lakes of this world, or almost 5,544 kilometers.

<p lang="en-US">Today the weather was especially beautiful. The sweltering jungle heat and permanent moisture did not extend over the big lake. During the cold weather seasons, strong storms would whip the lake's surface into large, gist crested waves, and lapped over the pebble beach, but not today. The surface presented itself like a deep green mirror with the warm sun reflecting in it.

<p lang="en-US">Going East and following the shoreline for about nine kilometers, one would reach Ma Swenson's Boathouse and from there you could take a floater and fly to the big island where the City was, about 12 kilometers into the lake.

<p lang="en-US">One of these days, he wanted to walk the entire shore line all around, even realizing it would take him more than a year if he ever attempted it.

<p lang="en-US">When they built Ant Hill they did make survey soundings and concluded that the Large Lake was also one of the deepest of the planet with depths reaching 1,400 meters. So far no one had been down there or even begun to survey the lakes and the life forms that might lurk in them.

<p lang="en-US">The water of the big lakes was fresh and always cool and it was clean and could be consumed by humans without any ill effects.

<p lang="en-US">Some of the merchants at Ant Hill dreamed that this would be a good commodity to export, as fresh drinking water was always in demand on the Galactic Market.

<p lang="en-US">Right here at this spot of the Lake's shore was a group of boulders, pushed into the lake perhaps by a long gone planetary ice age. These nine boulders were free of ants and the lichen, covering some of the spots, was one of the few life forms they knew about that was truly harmless and had no lethal abilities whatsoever.

<p lang="en-US">These rocks had become their secret hang-out and it was here where he met with his friends almost every afternoon.

<p lang="en-US">Roy jumped off of the back of his new friend and said to it, "Wait here, Partner. I want to surprise the others!"

<p lang="en-US">He felt the answer and knew the animal had understood.

<p lang="en-US">He hopped and ran in measured moves between the patches of terror Moss and Murder grass as he had done countless times before, always on the look-out for crabs, and catapulted himself in a big leap across the water and landed on the first boulder.

<p lang="en-US">His friends were already here: Norm Stevenson, the son of the Major, Maria Scott, daughter of the City Engineer, Bob Solomon, his best friend and son of the Ranger and Melissa O'Malley, her family owned the Department Store and two restaurants in Town.

<p lang="en-US">Bob leaned against the brown furry body of Wobbler.

<p lang="en-US">Wobbler was an almost fully grown Moolax Spider, measuring about six meters across, legs included. Bob had rescued the spider from a Stomper when it was still small. Bob raised the spider and bonded with it and whenever Bob was outside, Wobbler would wait for him and follow Bob around wherever he went.

<p lang="en-US">Bob was the biggest of them all and the strongest of them. Like Roy he too wore his Grav-Adjuster dialed up since his sixth birthday. Bob had thick black curled hair and he had curls hanging down to the side of his temples in the tradition of his family and an old Earth religion, called Judaism. He also expressed his faith by wearing a little round hat on the top of his head. Bob called it his Kippah. Ranger Solomon would wear one like it whenever he did not wear his helmet. Bob once explained to Roy the significance of it, but Roy had forgotten. Roy was not religious at all, the only concept that came close to him was the feeling he had when he was out in the Jungle.

<p lang="en-US">Wobbler rose only a bit as he saw Roy coming, but then relaxed again. Bob grinned, "Finally, you made it! We thought you might not show up today."

<p lang="en-US">"My parents gave me another lecture and some bad news, and then I had to wait until they left."

<p lang="en-US">Melissa sat on top of the tallest rock. She was friends with Roy and the others ever since the first days of kindergarten when they all first met.

<p lang="en-US">Roy only recently realized that Melissa was a girl and not just one of the gang and that she became prettier every day and perhaps already was the prettiest girl in town.

<p lang="en-US">She had a mass of curly flaming red hair that surrounded her skin that had the same shine as the fine English china her parents kept in a locked glass case in their dining room. It almost looked translucent. Her long lashes framed huge green eyes, over a tiny nose and beautiful shaped lips.

<p lang="en-US">Lately she had begun to use a little make up and her lips were painted in a nice shade that matched her hair.

<p lang="en-US">She wore her Bio-seal suit skin tight and her body became more female-looking every day. Her suit had long dark green panels on the sides, starting at her collar and ending in her boots, the middle was white and this color scheme somehow enhanced her curves even more.

<p lang="en-US">At first it looked as if she wore a beautiful cape of silver, and an odd looking head piece with a long needle sharp point. The cape suddenly moved and Silver, her Pandora Swan, lifted his sleek head and turned it on the long snake like neck to look at Roy with hostile yellow piercing eyes.

<p lang="en-US">Melissa scratched the underside of his neck and the Swan lowered his head burying it in her mass of red hair and once more only his long sharp beak was visible. Silver would barely leave her shoulders and even though it had claws hard as diamond and sharp as knives, it somehow managed to never leave even one scratch on her delicate shoulders. The slightest scratch of those claws meant instant death as they were poisonous.

<p lang="en-US">She gave Roy a charming smile.

<p lang="en-US">Maria sat a little below Melissa and had her legs folded in the lotus position. On her lap was a partially dismantled blaster she worked on, her tool belt within reach. The big shoulder bag on her other side moved and the head of Snuggle appeared.

<p lang="en-US">Snuggle was a pelted two meter long Ninja Weasel. They usually did not appear during the day and were deadly night hunters, able to adopt almost any background color they came into contact with, blending into the surrounding and becoming virtually invisible until they attacked with razor sharp claws and poisonous fangs. It had a snake like body with two little arms that ended in clawed paws that had the same dexterity and an opposing thumb just like a human hand. They could coil and catapult themselves over great distances and use their long scaled tails covered with needle sharp barbs like a bull whip shredding their opponents. Ninja Weasels were the natural enemy of Pandora Swans as they usually raided the Pandora Swan nests for the eggs and the young, but here the two animals co existed within arm's length of each other.

<p lang="en-US">Snuggle blinked into the sun and at Roy then returned into the bag, but not before getting a Gummy Bear candy from Maria who didn't even look up from her work, doing it.

<p lang="en-US">She waved at Roy. "I am almost done with Norm's blaster."

<p lang="en-US">There was nothing Maria could not take apart, repair or improve. She loved tools and tech and working with her hands.

<p lang="en-US">Maria had long straight black hair and her bangs reached down to her deep brown, almost black, eyes giving her an always brooding somewhat sinister appearance and she often, especially when interacting with teachers or other kids used her hair almost like a personal shield to hide behind. She too had begun to lose her boyish body and had developed a nice and appealing chest line. Her suit was colored black and white. Roy wondered for a short moment why he would even notice Maria's chest and to find it somehow very nice to look at, then he was distracted as Norm surfaced and climbed out of the water and onto the rocks, Zisch his Water snake, slithered out of the water a second later, and coiled up behind Norm who toweled himself dry. Zisch put its head on Norms lap, fluttered its leathery head sails and as usual was soon asleep.

<p lang="en-US">Zisch was a real Water Snake, a very young one still but it visibly grew bigger every time Roy saw the animal. Zisch was about twelve meters long now and about as thick as a human torso. Norm had pulled Zisch out of an Ant attack, and washed and nursed the badly wounded baby snake to health again.

<p lang="en-US">Norm was almost obnoxiously proud of his Water snake.

<p lang="en-US">Norm was about as tall as Roy and just like Roy very athletic, but not as strong. He never had a Grav Adjuster.

<p lang="en-US">"Ah there is Roy!" he greeted, "the water is wonderful!"

<p lang="en-US">Roy looked across the surface and saw the half submerged head of a huge Water snake not too far from the rocks. It was Zisch's mother and ever since Norm bonded with the young snake the big snake was never far from the rocks to keep watch.

<p lang="en-US">Norm followed Roy's gaze and nodded, "Yes Zisch's mother is out there again, she makes sure nothing is harming me or Zisch. Of course I am a real Greenie and I would not suggest you try to go swimming! Water Snakes simply don't like Off-Worlders or pretenders."

<p lang="en-US">At another time Roy would have been offended as Norm had lately begun to tease Roy in a not too friendly way about the fact that Roy was not a real Greenie in his eyes, due to the fact that his parents were Off-Worlders.

<p lang="en-US">Roy said calmly, "So having a local life form as a pet makes one a real Greenie then?"

<p lang="en-US">Norm nodded, "We are all seventh to tenth generation Greenies and now we are the first generation bonding with what others like you for example think are mindless, killing beasts. It is as if the planet and all our glorious life forms have formed a bond that cannot be understood by those who still have Off World dirt in their veins."

<p lang="en-US">Melissa got angry and defended Roy with a sharp tone, "He is a Greenie just like us. Not even you would dare to go through into the actual Jungle as he does all the time."

<p lang="en-US">Bob agreed, "Fourteen Kilometers every day. If you are so confident in your Greenie heritage why don't you visit Roy on foot one day?"

<p lang="en-US">Maria snapped the last piece of the blaster she was working on in place and said, "Besides our animals don't harm him and accept him too. He petted Wobbler and Snuggle doesn't mind him, even Zisch isn't attacking him."

<p lang="en-US">Norm sneered, "Don't get me wrong, I am impressed by how Roy, an Off-Worlder, can navigate through our Jungles but no one ever saw him really doing it. He could hide an armor suit or something; he is just not one of us."

<p lang="en-US">Bob got up and flexed his muscles, "Do you want me to pound your face? What is it with you today? Roy is one of us and has always been! We all know Roy doesn't have an Armor suit."

<p lang="en-US">Roy shrugged, "If you want to see me go home, why don't you come along sometime?"

<p lang="en-US">Melissa nodded, "Good idea, I'll call the Major and tell him his son won't be home for dinner."

<p lang="en-US">Roy turned and called out loudly, "Partner!"

<p lang="en-US">At first nothing happened and Roy feared he had left his new friend alone for too long. Then the big black beast broke through the foliage, like a tracked Marine explorer tank it plowed through the dangerous foliage, crushed a few attacking crabs and neither the knife like steel blades of the Murder-Grass tuffs nor the squirting acid of the terror moss patches had any effect on it.

<p lang="en-US">Partner splashed through the water and jumped right next to Roy then sat down on his hind legs and licked Roy across the shoulders.

<p lang="en-US">The others were quite shocked and surprised by the stormy approach of the black beast.

<p lang="en-US">Silver flapped his wings and hissed at Partner. Wobbler had gone into attack stance. Zisch reared up and was about to spew fire.

<p lang="en-US">Even the big Water Snake in the water rose and slowly came closer. It took them a moment to calm their animals and then Melissa said, "Well, it looks like Roy is a Greenie after all. I have no idea what he found in the Jungles but it sure looks like an animal to me, a very big one too!"

<p lang="en-US">Bob scratched his head, "I've never seen anything like it either, but whatever it is it seems pretty tough. The Terror Moss didn't do shit to it! And not even Zisch would slither across that!"

<p lang="en-US">Maria got up and carefully approached, "Does it attack or can I touch it?"

<p lang="en-US">Roy petted the massive head of his beast, "No it won't attack. It likes you, you can touch it."

<p lang="en-US">Maria cooed, "Oh how soft its fur is! Just like Snuggle!"

<p lang="en-US">Norm waved his hands, "Maybe Roy is a Greenie, but that's not a Green Hell animal. I bet he bought it on GalNet. It has four legs. Nothing on Green Hell has four legs. Maybe it's a robot!"

<p lang="en-US">Maria shook her head, "That's no robot! I know every robot model there is and this is not a machine."

<p lang="en-US">Bob added, "How can you be so sure it isn't native? We know less than one percent of what's out there. No one really has been to the other side of the planet. Whatever it is, it walked with Roy in the Jungle and nothing off world can survive that."

<p lang="en-US">Norm had no real answer to that and had to concede. "Yes you are right, it must be a native life form, it survives, but I bet my Water Snake is tougher than whatever that is! Maybe I should ask Zisch's mom to fry it!"

<p lang="en-US">"I don't know what's gotten into you?" said Melissa and she glared at him with her big green eyes and they sparkled with emotion as she continued, "Why are you so aggressive towards Roy today? We have always been friends!"

<p lang="en-US">Maria slung her tool belt around her waist and closed it, and then she said from underneath her curtain of black hair, "Because we are growing up and we are not kids anymore. Norm has feelings towards you, and when you smiled at Roy it set him off. It's hormones that turn males into idiots."

<p lang="en-US">Norm blushed and Melissa gasped. Maria always said things in a blunt and direct way and nothing escaped her analytical eyes and sharp mind.

<p lang="en-US">Melissa stomped her foot, "You are all my friends. Please don't destroy that with petty jealousy games. I am not interested in you Norm; I mean other than being friends and neither am I interested in Roy. Can we not remain friends as we always have been even though we starting to notice that we are not all of the same gender?"

<p lang="en-US">Norm sat down and said with a weak voice, "Maybe I did over-react a little and I am sorry. Roy is a Greenie I know. I would never dare to try to make it on foot to his house."

<p lang="en-US">Roy shrugged again, "I can do it only because I live out there and have to do it all the time. I bet you could do it after a while just as I do, after all you are a Greenie."

<p lang="en-US">Norm liked what Roy had said and nodded, "Sorry Roy. Didn't mean to be such an asshole. I am sure you can bathe and swim all day long, Zisch's mother is protecting us all after all, not just me."

<p lang="en-US">Maria handed Norm the blaster and said, "It's fixed and next time make sure the trigger assembly is completely snapped into place or it isn't water proof."

<p lang="en-US">He took his expensive Enroe DE blaster and said, "Thank you Maria, I will."

<p lang="en-US">Maria cocked her head and said with urgency, "I can hear a Floater engine!"

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<p lang="en-US">CHAPTER 5

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<p align="CENTER" lang="en-US">ROY

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<p lang="en-US">Roy had left his animal, with a heavy heart and foreboding, in the mostly gutted ruin of Research Outpost 2. Even though he was sure the animal understood, and would wait for him, he feared he might have seen his new friend for the last time. <p lang="en-US">Bob always left Wobbler there, when he had to go inside and Wobbler was always there the next day. Norm's Zisch always came right out of the water; so Roy sighed and petted the humongous head of the black beast and received a dry lick across the chest and face. He then went to Ma Swanson's where Nick, one of Ma Swanson's employees and officially the only Taxi operator on Green Hell, took him over to Ant Hill.

<p lang="en-US">Nick was tall, thin and half Andorian. Unlike his Andorian mother who had reached the average Andorian height of almost four meters, he was just three meters tall. Of course just three meters still meant he was still the tallest person on Green Hell. Nick's mother did not live on Green Hell anymore.

<p lang="en-US">Nick flew the Toyo-Sung Ajax 453 from the rear passenger seat; the actual pilot seat had been removed long ago so Nick could sit comfortably. Nick and Roy knew each other for a long time and Nick was one of Roy's friends. Nick and Ma Swanson, and everyone else from the Boathouse, knew that he had been walking the Jungles without much gear. The small community of those calling themselves real Greenies knew Roy well and within this small circle, Roy was something of a legend. Not that anyone, especially Roy would have ever expressed it that way.

<p lang="en-US">Nick wore the same type of Light Armor as the Ranger, and most adult Greenies, and he had the helmet completely off. He chewed on a wad of gum as he steered the fast flyer towards the city, and the towards the main force field membrane covering the City access gate. He said to Roy. "They were Lucky, your parents I mean, Sam being out there just 100 clicks from the crash. Wouldn't it been a screaming holler if you had found them? Them not believing you being outside and all."

<p lang="en-US">Roy just nodded.

<p lang="en-US">Nick offered Roy a piece of gum, "You and that crazy Marine are the only ones who would dare to go that far into the thickets. I mean unprotected and all."

<p lang="en-US">Roy took the gum and said, as he unwrapped it, "I am not unprotected, I use the Thompson Ma Swanson gave me all the time, besides I am a Greenie."

<p lang="en-US">The tall flier pilot who also acted as a flyer mechanic and a Jack of all trades for Ma Swanson slowed the flier to a full stop as a robot arm extended from the city's Entry Ring and took the Toyo Flier, passing it underneath a curtain of high pressure superheated steam. This procedure was done three times as the flier was scanned and bathed in a lethal soup of chemicals and steamed off again. Only after almost ten minutes of intensive cleaning and checking, to make sure no Green Hell life form had clung to the outside and thus gained access to the inside of the city, the Flier was shoved in a debarking bay.

<p lang="en-US">Nick extended his well wishes and left while Roy went to the main concourse and took the next Inter City Mover and dialed for the Hospital. He had been here a few times before to treat a few scrapes and bruises and a Fire Nettle exposure once. The city's medical center was deep below the surface of the island and separated from the water of the lake by half a kilometer of solid rock and thick Ultronit walls.

<p lang="en-US">Like the rest of the city, this level was well lit and there were wide corridors with silently moving slide belts that sneaked past islands of greenery, gurgling water spouts, open area seating areas, vendor booths, restaurants and bistros. Everything was smooth and bright, Plastee-skin covering the impenetrable Ultronit.

<p lang="en-US">A group of three scantily clad girls, giggling and talking, passed him on the opposite slide belt as he approached the hospital. He had seen them before at School. Although they were in a different class they were the same age as Roy. They were the daughters of researchers or technicians and had been on Green Hell perhaps a year or so. Roy was certain none of them had ever even taken a flier ride to see what was out there. Probably haven't even been to the observation platform on top of the city. Their dresses were of a fluttery shimmering material that did little to hide the developing bodies of sixteen year old humanoid females.

<p lang="en-US">The girls of course noticed Roy. He was tall despite the higher gravitation of the planet, where true native Greenies tended to grow more compact and stocky than each generation before; and if that ancient Earth sculptor Michelangelo had still been alive, he would have asked Roy to model for his next masterpiece. His muscles were well developed and he had rock-hard, chiseled looking abs.

<p lang="en-US">He had the same sandy blond hair as his mother; and had also inherited his mother's high cheekbones and narrow, aristocratic looking nose. He got his pronounced lower jaw and the energetic looking chin with the cleft from his father. Most striking were the dark purple eyes he shared with his Grandmother form Phantas.

<p lang="en-US">While Roy had just begun to notice girls, in the way young men did, the girls were more advanced in that regard. One of them, tall and thin with her hair dyed in a bright orange and cut in an asymmetrical short bob, jumped skillfully changing Slide-belts and approached Roy. She gave him a deep stare from underneath her long lashes and said, "Hi, I am Nuki Barden. Aren't you Roy Masters from Ms. Harshes class?"

<p lang="en-US">Roy nodded, "Yes I am."

<p lang="en-US">Nuki folded her hands upside down in front of the short skirt of her fluttery dress and asked, "My friends and I are going to see the new Star blazer Virtu and we wondered if you would like to come along?"

<p lang="en-US">"Sorry, I can't. My parents had an accident and are in the hospital and I need to see them."

<p lang="en-US">She was clearly disappointed, but said, "Maybe we can do something another time." With that she changed directions once more and rejoined her friends.

<p lang="en-US">Roy left the slide belt a few moments later as he had reached the hospital entrance. A receptionist greeted him in the lobby. The man was dressed in a white coverall and had the Med Symbol on his chest, Roy was certain he had not seen this Med Tech before. He had dark blue skin and his hair had a metallic coppery color, the telltale hallmarks of a Thauran if he remembered correctly. The Med Tech held a PDD in clipboard mode and said with a friendly tone, "Good evening Citizen, how can I help you?"

<p lang="en-US">"I am Roy Masters and I understand my parents were brought here, after suffering injuries in an accident."

<p lang="en-US">The blue skinned man pointed with his PDD he still held to the left and down one of the corridors that branched off the lobby. "Your father is still in ReGen 4. We are growing him a completely new spine, which means that he is completely submerged in Bio Gel. Patient interaction might be somewhat limited I am afraid.

<p lang="en-US">Your mother was discharged right away. She was virtually unharmed, save for a few mild contusions. She left about 50 minutes ago."

<p lang="en-US">"She isn't here with my Dad?"

<p lang="en-US">The Thauran turned to look down the corridor he had pointed out, "Well there isn't much she could do for him and she said something about recovering data or something." He shrugged and gave Roy a toothy smile. "Your Dad is in ReGen-4, just down that corridor and to the left."

<p lang="en-US">Roy found his father floating in a transparent horizontal cylinder bathed in bluish light. His face was covered by a dome shaped hemispherical thing. There was another ReGen tank next to the one with his father, where a two meter long, thick black slug-like life-form was in the process of sliding out of the empty tank. The big snail had a white tube-like garment around the upper part of its body and two underarm long feelers at what seemed to be the head.

<p lang="en-US">The moist shimmering monstrosity said to Roy, using a small voice box attached to the white garment, "Oh good evening, you must be Roy. I am Dr. Herbs, the Neurosurgeon treating your father. In case you wonder I am a Shaill."

<p lang="en-US">Roy stared at the large black snail oozing onto a small hover platform, "I am Roy, how is my Dad doing?"

<p lang="en-US">"Your Dad suffered fractures to the vertebral column and neuro-tissue damage to the spinal cord. That is the reason he is in the tank. He should be out and back to normal by tomorrow morning."

<p lang="en-US">"So he is going to be alright?"

<p lang="en-US">"Indeed he will be. Human neural nets are quite simple really and hardly needed my attention, but since I was here anyway I took a hand in his surgical procedures and supervised the neuro-tissue grafting of the Expert Nanites myself." The snail managed to make the Voice box sound very self-assured and confident.

<p lang="en-US">Roy stepped closer to the tank that held his father and put a hand on the transparent material, "Can I talk to him?"

<p lang="en-US">The large mollusk guided the hover platform closer and stopped it next to Roy, then said, "Of course you could, but he requested a Virtu Connection Helmet and I think his Avatar is tele-present at some science meeting on Earth that he was very eager to attend." The snail wiggled its feelers towards the one end of the room.

<p lang="en-US">Roy's eyes followed the pointing move and he noticed a mobile GalNet Terminal that had been rolled in and placed at the far end of the ReGen tube. Its display flashed the words. 'In use - do not disturb'.

<p lang="en-US">Roy, who knew his parents, actually should have expected something like that. They wasted no thoughts on him, invested very little emotions on themselves as a matter of fact. In moments like this he wondered how they ever found enough time to actually make love to each other, a necessary activity to explain his own existence. Especially since he was born the natural way and not in an ArtiWomb.

<p lang="en-US">The Shaill doctor appeared quite intuitive to human emotions and said, "I am not just a Neuro Surgeon, you know. I am also a Councilor and Psychiatrist, if you ever need to talk you know where to find me."

<p lang="en-US">Not taking his eyes off his father's floating form Roy said, "Are you a Telepath and are you telecinetically gifted? I see no hands and no eyes you could use for surgery."

<p lang="en-US">"It seems you either flunked the Union Xeno Class when my kind was discussed. Thanks to the Pree we are sentient and thanks to Terran technology we can move at the speed our minds wish us to move and we do have hands. We are not like our distant brothers the Shail who developed some basic eye sight.”

<p lang="en-US">To demonstrate what it was saying, a dozen tentacles and intricate mechanical arms appeared all around him and underneath the hover sled; equipped with manipulators and what looked like an array of surgical instruments. The arms disappeared as fast as they had materialized.

<p lang="en-US">Roy's face had a sheepish expression as he said. "I flunked a few Xeno Classes until recently, I felt that learning about Off-World life forms was a waste of time, since we have so many here." He kept looking at the Shaill, "I see the error of my opinion and promise I will cerebral-upload Brillstein's Guide to Sentient Life tonight. I know there were the Ferons and the Freons. I heard about the Takkians and the Takian and now I learn that there are Shaill and Shail. It seems quite confusing.”

<p lang="en-US">The mollusk's voice box sounded amused as it said. “It's because everything is translated and intoned in Standard Lingu. Subtle or quite distinctive original terms often lose their true meaning like that, and to answer your initial question, no, we Shaill are not Telepathic or psionic gifted. As a matter of fact we are Psionic Inert. With the exception of perhaps the Narth, not even the Saresii can sense us or read us." He wiggled his fleshy feelers with surprising speed and agility.

<p lang="en-US">"We communicate with these fellers among each other, we can sense the minutest changes in electrical and magnetic fields and we can smell and taste to a molecular level. It is this feelers that make us the finest bio-chemists in the known Universe. I can sense the minutest chances of your neuro electric impulses when I am close enough to your bio-electric sphere and smell and analyze changes in the output of your glands. These abilities, my education as a medical doctor and several decades of experience as resident specialist at a big Med Center on Pluribus enable me to read your mind without any Psionics and perhaps least as well."

<p lang="en-US">Roy found this amazing and said, "That is very impressive and I think the Ninja Weasels sense their environment in a similar way. They don't have very good eyes, yet they are able to hunt at night."

<p lang="en-US">The non human doctor agreed. “I have never been out there actually, but I am sure you are right. I also know you have been out there, I can smell the Jungle on you."

<p lang="en-US">He wiggled his feelers once more and Eric left the hospital, knowing more about the Shaill, instead of talking to his parents.

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<p align="CENTER" lang="en-US">***

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<p lang="en-US">Martha Masters was in her lab and went over the molecular scan data the Cyber Sniffer had delivered up to the very second of their crash. The complexity of the pheromones emitted by the Lighting Bolters was amazing. With an angry glance she stared at her PDD and saw that it displayed a message from Dr. Herbs informing her that Roy had been at the clinic, trying to see his parents.

<p lang="en-US">The Shaill physician had no qualms about expressing his concerns and criticizing her conduct. His recorded message said, "Dr. Masters, your son has been informed that his parents were involved in a serious accident and rushed to see his parents. Imagine a minor receiving news of a serious incident involving both parents and yet you didn't feel it was important enough to make sure he knew you are alright. No call, no attempt of yours to contact him at all. While I understand that you are a brilliant scientist in your chosen field, it is my professional opinion that your conduct as the maternal part of the human family social group lacks even the basic social consideration for the developing emotional needs of a teenager of your species."

<p lang="en-US">She closed the message and leaned back. The Shaill was correct, all she had in mind after she returned to the city and was assured Paul would be alright, was to make sure the data they collected up to the time of the crash was securely transmitted to her lab and then to go over the incredible footage and data, of Lighting Bolters communicating and working together in an orchestrated attack. This certainly indicated higher cognitive abilities than she had previously believed was the case. She paused the image analyzer, with close ups of the Bolter's nerve center. Paul had once again proven to be invaluable as an assistant and had focused the recording sensors on what was most important.

<p lang="en-US">She turned away, so her mind would not be distracted again by the now frozen images, and thumbed through the message menu of her PDD. There were over 30 calls and messages from Roy. Her PDD had automatically filtered Roy's call to the 'Not important folder' as she didn't want to be disturbed by silly childrens questions. The settings of that filter were eight years old. The call attempts became less frequent over time and the last recorded call of Roy to his mother was a year ago.

<p lang="en-US">She thumbed it open. "Hi Mom, this is Roy. I am not sure if you will get this message, but my teacher would not believe that my mother does not take my calls. She is standing right next to me and I guess she believes it now."

<p lang="en-US">Roy's teacher came into view. "Ms. Masters I tried to call you but only got to leave messages. You have not attended a single parent teacher meeting, have ignored my letters and today your son got into a fight with two other students. He was injured and also inflicted injuries on the other boys. If you do not respond like a parent should, I will inform the Union School Board."

<p lang="en-US">Martha noticed the large number of calls identified as calls from the school, they too were in the "Not important and to be ignored folder."

<p lang="en-US">At first she felt a flash of anger, as she had specifically asked Paul to take care of these matters and then she noticed she had ignored calls from her own mother too. Roy's grandmother had been here on Green Hell and in her memory it was just recently, but she knew in reality that had been almost three years ago.

<p lang="en-US">She said, "Archie, I always knew I was not a very good mother but recent evidence point toward a much more negative assessment."

<p lang="en-US">Archie, her Lab Computronic AI, was named after Archie Carr, a famous Zoologist of Pre Astro Earth, responded right away, "I am afraid I am unable to give you an adequate or meaningful response, but I can link with GalNet and see if there are Mother Evaluation scales or routines available."

<p lang="en-US">She didn't really think about Archie's response, just stapled her fingers together and said, "It is probably too late but I will try to improve. I remember how my father and mother nurtured me and I realize I have deprived my own son of that.”

<p lang="en-US">“ Archie, search GalNet on the subject of Mother values, improving mother–son relationships and relate it to expert literature as a filter, and do call Dr. Herbs, I want to get some advice from it."

<p lang="en-US">Archie executed the request and while the he did that, his simulated personality knowing Martha well, made him say, "Is it genuine concern about your son or is this motivated by the fact that Dr. Herbs is a Hive of Minds member and his opinion of you could very well color his voice when your potential admission is discussed?"

<p lang="en-US">Martha felt sudden anger at herself and at Archie for adding personality simulators. “How dare you! You are just a machine! Terminate personality simulations.”

<p lang="en-US">There was an almost audible sigh coming from the audio interface of the AI as it executed the command. Martha did not pay any attention to the AI. Was that blasted thing right? She did not even know that Shaill doctor was a Hive of Mind member.

<p align="CENTER" lang="en-US">***

<p lang="en-US">Paul, who had been released from the Med center the next morning, returned to their home inside the Research Outpost. He was greeted by Charles the robot as he cycled through the airlock and the decontamination system declared him free of any harmful organisms, "Good morning Master Paul."

<p lang="en-US">Paul wasn't attached to the robot at all, but he knew that the robot had quite certainly saved his life and, while it was a machine and did what it was supposed to do, for the first time in his life Paul thanked a machine. "I appreciate what you did Charles."

<p lang="en-US">The robot's Omni-directional visual sensor eyes appeared to glow just a tad brighter for a fraction of a second, "It pleases this unit to see you up and well, Sir."

<p lang="en-US">An unfamiliar scent wafted from the central living area of the lower of the house. Paul raised his nose and said, "Is that bacon, I smell?"

<p lang="en-US">What he saw then made him question his state of mind and for a moment he considered the possibility that he was dreaming and still in the ReGen tank. There, in the door frame of the kitchen, stood Martha, his wife, wearing an apron and holding a spatula, smiling at him, "While I am making us a traditional cooked breakfast, you can tell me how your surgery went and how you feel."

<p lang="en-US">"I am not dreaming, right? The last time you made one of your famous breakfasts was ... was before you worked on your dissertation."

<p lang="en-US">"No you're not dreaming. I was talking to Dr. Herbs and I read about being a mother all night and, while I am certain I can't completely change who I am or make amends so late, I feel I can try to improve the time we have as a family before we have to leave."

<p lang="en-US">Paul smirked, "Yes, the Shail gave me an earful as well and I too think he had a point."

<p lang="en-US">He moved closer to his wife and for the first time in years he saw her as a woman, not as a scientist and once more paid attention to her and realized just how pretty she still was and remembered why he had noticed her at the University. He sneaked his arms around her hips and she didn't resist, but said, "We can do that tonight, but right now I've got things cooking on the stove." She turned her head, "I didn't even know we had an actual stove unit here. All we've ever used was the food processor or Charles."

<p lang="en-US">Paul let her go and wondered if the crash and the accident was actually a fortunate event. The idea of having fun in the bedroom suddenly a very exciting prospect.

<p lang="en-US">Martha said to Charles, "Robot, please wake Roy so we can have breakfast together."

<p lang="en-US">"I am unable to comply, Ma'am. Roy left the premises at 0700, as he does every day on a School day."

<p lang="en-US">That dampened her mood and all her intentions of making a new start were thwarted by her own lack of knowledge about Roy's daily routine.

<p lang="en-US">Martha and Paul sat down to a nice breakfast after all and Martha promised herself to visit the teacher later on and then have time with Roy and talk to him.

<p lang="en-US">Like the breakfast, her plans reconnecting on a personal level with her husband were thwarted by a call from the Ranger's office. Martha was just wiping some egg-yolk off her plate with a piece of toast as the call came in asked the house system to display the call right at the table. She expected it to be some follow up regarding the crash. The Communications projector established a field screen and the local ranger's upper body and head appeared to float above the orange juice carafe and the coffee pot.

<p lang="en-US">Paul who had stuffed himself, was feeling quite content leaning back while cradling his second cup of coffee. "Good morning Ranger Solomon, I have already filed a crash report and incident file with the Institute while I was in the ReGen tank, do you have any more questions on that?"

<p lang="en-US">"No Mr. Masters, the crash is of no concern to the Ranger Office. No laws were broken, no fatalities occurred and the crash report was properly filed. I am calling due to a different matter. It is about Roy."

<p lang="en-US">Martha leaned forward, "What is it, Ranger? Did something happen at school?"

<p lang="en-US">Paul set the coffee mug down, "Something happened with the flyer that picked him up?" Paul realized he didn't even know exactly how Roy got to school or who exactly it was that picked him up and brought him back every day.

<p lang="en-US">The Ranger replied. "Roy, my son Bob and their small band of friends left school early today." The Ranger obviously had difficulties finding the right way to say what he needed to and eventually just raised his hands into the visual pick up. "Mrs. and Mr. Masters, I would like you to come to Ma Swanson's Boathouse today at noon. Your presence there is strongly advised as your son will be part of a very ... very unusual demonstration. What will happen might very well be a historic event, at least for Green Hell.”

<p lang="en-US">Martha now actually leaned over the table, in an instinctive move to get closer to the Ranger's image, "This isn't some sort of school pageant or sporting event, right?"

<p lang="en-US">"Not exactly, Ma'am. I would not bother you with something like that. Everyone knows you don't care much about your son's activities."

<p lang="en-US">To Martha's new view of things this was another sting she actually felt, "Yes Ranger, very recently I was made aware of our short comings and I am beginning to see that I have been a very poor mother, but I really think you need to tell us where Roy is and what is going on."

<p lang="en-US">The Ranger took a deep breath. "The kids will walk from the Rocks to Ma Swanson's Boathouse and they will be accompanied by local life forms!"

<p lang="en-US">Paul tipped the coffee mug over and Martha, with her chin dropped to her chest looked not at all like a cool detached scientist. "Did you say walk? You mean walk outside?"

<p lang="en-US">Paul nervously reached for a napkin to prevent more coffee from dripping on his pants, "Roy doesn't have an Armor Suit and has never been outside before. You must prevent him from leaving the city. He has these foolish fantasies of being able to go outside, he is trying to prove something to us."

<p lang="en-US">Ranger Solomon sneered at the Masters, barely containing his contempt, "I am sorry to say this but despite all your education, you are quite ignorant. I also see he was was telling the truth, he did tell you and you never really listened. I suggest you bring chairs, you might otherwise fall over with what you're going to witness in a few hours." <p lang="en-US">

<p align="CENTER" lang="en-US">ROY

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<p align="CENTER" lang="en-US">ROY

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<p lang="en-US">Roy and his friends walked along the shore towards Ma Swanson's Boathouse. No one said much. They were all in a gloomy mood, fearing they were about to lose their animal friends

<p lang="en-US">Roy felt especially depressed. Even if all other parents could somehow be convinced, he was certain his parents would never allow it and most likely take Partner away and dissect it. In his somber mood he already decided that he would honor his promise to the Ranger but then he panned to run away and live in the Jungle forever. They'd never find him there. There was plenty to eat, if you knew what was consumable, and he had heard there were caves in the White Top Mountains, far to the north.

<p lang="en-US">He could stop by to visit Uncle Sam from time to time and it would not take long for his parents to forget him anyway, probably less than five minutes. <p lang="en-US">A few month in the the Jungle, until they were gone and then move in with Uncle Roy. That was a prospect that looked better with each step he took towards the Boathouse.

<p lang="en-US">As they came around the last bend and could see the compound they also noticed a sizable crowd waiting for them. In addition to the parents, there was a small crowd of about twenty more adults, not all of them human. One of them, he recognized as the black Shaill mollusk from the hospital.

<p lang="en-US">At the rear, where the floaters always parked, and next to the Rangers Hover tank, Roy identified one of the Green and yellow Flyers of the Institute.

<p lang="en-US">Now he spotted his parents, recognizing them by the color scheme of their Armor suits. The entire crowd was wearing armor suits of various designs and types. It looked as if a company of Orbital-assault infantry soldiers had dropped to the surface of this planet. The presence of six expeditionary Marines with full armament reinforced that impression.

<p lang="en-US">The crowd became silent and all heads, most underneath fully sealed helmets, turned to watch as the group of teenagers appeared around the sharp bend the shore line made about 500 meters to the East of the Boathouse.

<p lang="en-US">The sight of unprotected human juveniles outside and accompanied by a Moolax spider, a young Water Snake and a sizable black Beast, which no one who saw it could identify; silenced the last mumbled comment. In that complete silence, Martha finally whispered, "He really is outside!"

<p lang="en-US">Ranger Solomon was standing just a few steps removed from the inside of the force field barrier that separated him and the crowd from the outside and the approaching teenagers. He raised his hand and pointed at Roy and the others with an open hand, "I can see you are as shocked as I was when I saw it first; they are outside. No armor, no battle suits and they just walked almost nine kilometers in an environment we all consider absolutely lethal."

<p lang="en-US">The Ranger paused, yet the silence was still complete, no one spoke. It was clear that the adults present; some of whom had heard the rumors of kids being outside; still tried to believe their own senses. For centuries they had been told that nothing not native to this world survived for long unprotected.

<p lang="en-US">The Ranger continued, "You will notice they are not injured and, quite frankly, appear more at ease out there than some of you behind a military grade energy shield and inside heavy armor. There is no rational explanation I can think off, other than the obvious, they are true children of this world."

<p lang="en-US">"When we came to this world, almost 400 years ago, we survived only under the heaviest protection, taking trips beyond the cities' walls for the briefest times and inside the heaviest armor our civilization could create. Still, despite all that, many died."

<p lang="en-US">He gestured down at his own body and said, "I was born here and so was my father and I don't wear the same thick armor he did and without really thinking about it, expose myself for short periods to the outside. I no longer wear a helmet either. Something my father would not have dared. Now our kids take the next steps and survive out there in nothing more than Bio-seal suits."

<p lang="en-US">"And as if that wasn't amazing enough, the true marvel is the fact that they have somehow tamed and bonded with what we only see as terrifying creatures."

<p lang="en-US">He took a breath as he was talking fast and with increasing intensity, "This is a historic moment for Green Hell, because I believe it is a turning point where this world is no longer just a curiosity to a scientific elite, but also a home world to us all in its own right. I call this world home and would not want to be anywhere else. I am convinced that the children or perhaps their grandchildren of these teenagers will no longer call this world Green Hell, but Green Paradise because their eyes will see beauty where we only see death and danger."

<p lang="en-US">The City Council Foreman and Major of Green Hell, who was also Norm's father, was the first who started to clap. His wife, Norm's mother brushed back her helmet, exposing her head. “I agree with the Ranger, I am a Greenie too”

<p lang="en-US">Moments later most of the adults present clapped and there were cheers for the simple Ranger who had managed to put all this into context.

<p lang="en-US">Roy could not hear what the Ranger was saying, as the force field was an effective barrier for everything, including sound waves. All he saw was the Ranger gesturing and talking. The waiting was as even worse than coming here, but then the adults started clapping, cheering and a good number of them opened their helmets now. Roy could see the smiles.

<p lang="en-US">Melissa said, "Whatever he said must have been good, they seem to approve."

<p lang="en-US">Maria brushed her bangs to the side and raised her head, "He gave a fairly good speech, I must say."

<p lang="en-US">Bob not taking his eyes of his father said, "I know you can read lips, but his back was turned towards us for the most time. How could you know what my dad said?"

<p lang="en-US">She raised her arm and pointed at her PDD, "They are broadcasting the whole thing on Green Hell Two. If you really observe and not just look, you'd see Galwina Smith, the news lady of Channel GH2, complete with Cam Bot over there."

<p lang="en-US">Bob grunted at her from the side, "You are a Smartass."

<p lang="en-US">Maria giggled silently and then said, "I know." and then dialed her wrist PDD to a higher volume so they could all hear what was going on inside the barrier.

<p lang="en-US">The Ranger raised his hands once more and, with this motion, got the attention of the assembled people. "Do not applaud me just yet, because I want you to trust your children and not force them to conform to our rules, at least in this case. Let them make their case to you."

<p lang="en-US">Melissa's father was the first to step forward, saying with a hint of fear in his voice, "That was a great speech Ranger, but my beautiful, delicate daughter is standing out there. Let her in and we'll see about her sneaking outside in the future!"

<p lang="en-US">Someone behind Melissa's father pointed at the red haired girl outside, "Is that a Pandora Swan perched there behind her head and her shoulders?"

<p lang="en-US">Melissa's father grabbed the arm of the Ranger, "For God's sake, do something! That thing has claws as sharp as razors, the slightest scratch will kill her!" He almost screamed in panic. "I am not an Off-Worlder, I was born here too and I know what these monsters can do!"

<p lang="en-US">Melissa stepped close to the energy barrier and gave her father a withering look, in a way only she could, and whenever she did that her bright red hair appeared even a shade brighter and her eyes burned with a green and intense fire. She spoke into her own PDD and her voice carried an edge, just as sharp as the claws of the Swan she carried, "Yes father that is a Pandora Swan. His name is Silver. He has never hurt me, even though he could. He does something else however, he protects me and I know he cares for me. Dad, I love this animal as dearly as I could love anything. I knew this day would come and you would find out, but I know my rights. I am old enough to file for a divorce from you, my parents and as a Union Citizen I have the right to keep a Non Sentient life form. This is in our constitution. Have no doubt I will do that if you so much as try to separate me from Silver. I love you Dad but I will not abandon Silver because of you. I beg you as your daughter, don't make me choose."

<p lang="en-US">Her father swallowed hard, strong emotions moved the jaw muscles of the richest man in Ant Hill. His knowledge of Green Hell; all he knew about this world; the fear for the life of his only daughter clashed with the image of her standing out there, completely at ease with one of the deadliest killer animals, of this world of killer monsters, on her small shoulders.

<p lang="en-US">He clenched his fists about to say something harsh but before he could make up his mind as to what to say, his wife, Melissa's mother, moved past him and approached her daughter separated only by the barely visible force field.

<p lang="en-US">Her mother looked much like an older mirror image of Melissa. She had the same almost translucent complexion, the same flaming hair and her green eyes sparkled with intelligence, mischief and curiosity. "It does not look like she is hurt. If that Swan wanted to harm her, she would be dead long before we even knew she had one. I had a feeling that she was one of the kids that sneaked out, for quite a while." Then she gave her husband an elfish smile, "Haggard O'Malley, you know how stubborn the females on the Brady side of our family can be, I think you will lose this battle too!"

<p lang="en-US">He asked incredulously, "You knew she went outside?"

<p lang="en-US">"Knowing is a strong word. My mid told me it is impossible, yet my heart told me that she went outside. I supsected it when she ordered Terran All Terrain boots instead of fashionable DeNoir Heels. I was almost certain when I found that she had a Bio Seal suit hidden under her bed or when our daughter asked for a Bo-Zap Blaster, on her last birthday..."

<p lang="en-US">Haggard only now really noticed the powerful Plasma weapon riding low in a fast draw holster, next to an Ka-Bar MC7 Combat knife and he said with a weak voice of fading disbelief, "I thought she was joking. You actually got it for her?"

<p lang="en-US">Aideen paid no attention to her husband's question, "I've never seen a swan from so close. I never knew they looked so beautiful. Look Haggard, see how its wings drape down her back and appear like a shimmering cape."

<p lang="en-US">The Ranger made use of the opportunity he saw given by the change of mood in Haggard O'Malley and said, "Melissa, your Swan is not a hamster or a domesticated cat, as they have on other planets. This is a wild predator and for all we know the reason this animal acts so differently is because it is sick."

<p lang="en-US">Melissa spoke in her PDD, "Not one of you would know how a Pandora acts on anything. You could not tell a Mountain Pandora from a Swam Pandora or if it is a male or female."

<p lang="en-US">The ranger could not really argue that so he went on, "I researched the matter from my point of interest in the whole affair, and the custom of owning animals for domestic uses is quite common with many Union Civilizations. You are quite correct, a Union Citizen may indeed own a non sentient life form as a pet. There are many different local laws and customs associated with that practice; however since Green Hell has no local laws regarding holding local life forms as pets; probably because no one ever even dreamed it possible; Federal Law comes into effect and it states that holding a non sentient life form for any purpose, be it companionship, entertainment or commercial is a permitted act of self expression and part of the pursuit of happiness which are of course fundamental rights."

<p lang="en-US">He said louder so everyone could clearly hear what he had to say, "The ownership of life forms that have the potential of harming another citizen is restricted, just as weapons are restricted. Animals that can harm another being are considered a Weapon and need an owners permit. The permit allows the owner to keep a dangerous life form for protection, but it also makes the owner liable and responsible for any damages, injuries or lethal harm caused."

<p lang="en-US">He was almost finished with his long sermon and looked sternly at Melissa, "That means if your Swan harms or kills someone you could end dangling from the business end of a Federal executioner's rope."

<p lang="en-US">Melissa replied calmy, "I can cite Federal Laws at least as good as you Mr. Solomon and I do understand them, despite the fact that I am just a teenage girl and perhaps a little stupid in your eyes. I am in control of Silver."

<p lang="en-US">Turning sideways, she pointed at a swarm of arrow wasps that was approaching from the jungle's edge. The adults behind the screen got nervous and some ducked even though they were behind a force field. Arrow Wasps appeared in swarms that could contain anywhere from maybe twenty to about a hundred. Each of the swarm insects about eight to nine centimeters long.

<p lang="en-US">Arrow wasps normally used a double pair of wings to fly through the air, at speeds not exceeding that of a fast-walking man, but when they got threatened or if the swarm encountered potential prey, several of the swarm perimeter guards would turn around, pointing their long steel hard stinger (that was sharper than an old style syringe's needle) towards their intended target. Then they used an internal turbine-like organ to propel themselves to projectile speed and over over distances of up to fifteen meters of. An Arrow wasp died in the process as it could use that propelling organ only once, as this act expelled all its energy. The result however, was an Arrow wasp sticking deep into a victim's body releasing dozens of fast growing flesh eating larvae. It was a particulary nasty way to die.

<p lang="en-US">Following Melissa's whispered command, "Go get them, Silver," the swan shot like a streak of shimmering metal from Melissa's shoulders, extending its folded lower sickle wings. Half moon shaped, twenty centimeters long forward curved and the edges of the sickle wings were incredibly sharp.

<p lang="en-US">The swan made eerie sounding cries, while it displayed aerobatic skills not one of the adults had ever witnessed. It skillfully avoided the Wasps that committed to attack flights, while it cut to pieces the swarm of insects in a frenzied attack.

<p lang="en-US">The swarm was sizable and there were too many Wasps for one swan alone. The Swan cried once again and then like an echo, a chorus of a six Pandora Swans answered the call and a small flock of these birds appeared above the jungle canopy, and then dove into the wasp swarm, assisting Silver.

<p lang="en-US">Martha, who still felt stunned seeing her son standing outside, found her voice and whispered to Paul, "First the Bolters and now Pandora Swans. This is clear communication and coordinated fighting. Understanding Melissa's command and acting upon it also indicates higher cognitive ablities than we ever suspected."

<p lang="en-US">Paul also still processed what he saw with some difficulty and then said, watching this stunning display of animal combat, "After all this time of research, we still really know nothing about Green Hell, nothing at all!”

<p lang="en-US">Even though there were now seven Pandora Swans decimating the swarm of Wasps, the swarm was still way to big and numerous and would become dangerous to the kids and birds.

<p lang="en-US">The five teenagers simultaneously pulled their weapons and with precise shots decimated the whirling mass of insects, Roy even hitting and burning those that propelled themselves to arrow speed. None of the kids had any sort of assisted targeting systems fitted to their weapons, yet none of them missed a shot, or hurt a swan.

<p lang="en-US">Ma Swanson gasped aloud, "Jeezuz Christ, these kids are good and I thought I saw some fancy gun play in my day, but that takes the cake!"

<p lang="en-US">One of the marines watching agreed, "I doubt I could hit a six centimeter target flying in an erratic pattern, without Computronic assistance and yet each of them accomplishes it with ease."

<p lang="en-US">The spectacle was over soon. The Wasps were completely obliterated. the wild Swans on their way back to the Jungle, while Silver winged down and returned to his spot on Melissa's shoulders, breaking his dive speed with powerful flaps of its wings, hovering a moment almost like a Terran dove, before gently extending its talons and landing on Melissa's shoulders.

<p lang="en-US">It was clearly evident to anyone watching that the wild bird displayed great care not to hurt the girl with is claws. Once it had settled, resting on the special padded and reinforced shoulder pads Melissa had glued on all her suits to allow Silver to get a firm grip without piercing the suit material, or her skin beneath.

<p lang="en-US">Silver buried his head in Melissa's locks and only his long, sharp beak stuck out the red mess of coppery curls above her brows. Melissa reached up and petted the Swan. The animal squinted his yellow eyes and made a rattling sound of pleasure.

<p lang="en-US">Haggard wiped his hand across his mouth and said, "Did you see that? I mean by all the Saints did you see that?" Melissa's father no longer sounded afraid but proud, "I doubt there are many Off-Worlders who have that kind of control over their dogs and cats. Seeing that changed my mind forever about how I look at our world and its life. I approve and will allow my daughter to keep her Swan. She can even bring it home."

<p lang="en-US">The Ranger gave Ma Swanson a sign with his hand and the woman created an oval man-sized gap in the force field by pressing a sensor on her belt remote. She croaked with her locally famous tin can voice, "Gate gap created. She can come in!" Several of the adults present hastily closed their helmets and eyed the structural gap nervously.

<p lang="en-US">Melissa walked towards the hole, but just just before she stepped onto the Duro-Crete pad she pulled her blaster and fired sideways, startling most of the people present, while it appeared as if she didn't really look at what she was shooting, She did not slow her walk, just restored the weapon as fast as she had pulled it back to its holster.

<p lang="en-US">Less than three meters from where she had been, were the charred remains of a Burrow Digger, a scale-armored centipede with strong scissor like mandibles, strong enough to pull a person inside a four ton Battle suit towards a mud bog, as Martha Masters could attest. Burrow Diggers were among the most feared life forms on Green Hell.

<p lang="en-US">These ugly and frightening looking monsters were fast, incredibly strong and invisible as long as they remained hidden below ground. Anyone of the adults present would have been completely surprised by the fast attacking monster. The red headed teenage girl however defeated the thing with a precise head shot and simply stepped through the force-field gap as if nothing happened.

<p lang="en-US">Ma Swanson restored the integrity of the shield and the Ranger pointed at the still wriggling body of the Digger, despite the fact that most of its head was gone, "Melissa, how did you know the Digger was there and ready to attack?"

<p lang="en-US">She turned her head to look and the smoking remains. "Oh, that one." She smiled disarmingly at the Ranger. "I had to burn it. That one was too close to evade and Burrow Diggers are just too big for Silver to take on all by himself. Usually Bob's Wobbler takes care of them."

<p lang="en-US">"Okay fair enough, but what warned you?"

<p lang="en-US">She looked at the Ranger as if he asked if space is black, "Didn't you see its breathing stalk sticking out between the Murder Grass. Keep an eye out for the breathing stalks and they are easy to spot."

<p lang="en-US">Solomon shook his head slowly and spread his arms, "I rest my case, these kids really do see the this place with different eyes."

<p lang="en-US">Melissa's parents approached their daughter slowly and Silver raised his head out of Melissa's locks and screeched a coarse warning at them.

<p lang="en-US">Melissa scratched the Swan right underneath the beak and the bird relaxed, "Sorry Mom and Dad, but Silver is very protective of me and does not like strangers coming too close without my permission, but he knows now that I approve of you and you can come closer."

<p lang="en-US">Her dad laughed, "What better protection could I ask for? Melissa is growing fast and I already considered purchasing a Shatter gun, but having a real Pandora watching over her is much better!" His comment earned him quite a few laughs from the assembled crowd.

<p lang="en-US">Melissa's mom had taken her suit gauntlets off and reached out with a shaking hand, demonstrating how brave she was, and touched the Swan.

<p lang="en-US">The bystanders watching this had held their collective breath. The very idea of touching a Green Hell life form was still utterly alien to them. They expected the woman to reel back, screaming and bleeding, but nothing happened. The animal was perfectly docile and allowed itself to be touched.

<p lang="en-US">Melissa explained, "If you scratch him gently under the beak, he loves that and that's where his feathers are softest. Just be careful not to touch the feathers to the side, the ones that are graphite colored, they are part of his razor wings and have a single molecule edge of crystallized graphite."

<p lang="en-US">Aideen O'Malley followed her daughter's instructions and cooed, "Oh he is so soft and so pretty."

<p lang="en-US">As if Silver knew that the fuss was about him, he raised his head a little, squeezed his eyes with pleasure while making a rattling sound.

<p lang="en-US">Melissa's father gathered his courage and also touched the swan.

<p lang="en-US">The people present in the crowd stared in awe at the small family with a Pandora Swan at its center and getting petted as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

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