Emerald

Forest

The ground is shrouded in murky shadows by an almost impenetrable leaf canopy. Only the rare sunbeam strays down here and dances like a fleeting butterfly of light between the giant trunks, reaching like majestic columns towards the distant, invisible sky. Some trees belong to the same species Mil already knows from her first lab session. Others are covered by regularly ribbed bark and sprout a tangle of enormous aerial roots. The trunks of a third species is fitted with tufts of long, pale pink spines, reminiscent of cacti.

All species show in common the big, pore-like holes distributed at more or less regular intervals over the surface. Between the enormous giants, only a few smaller trees are able to survive, shedding their greyish bark in long strings. They seem to be adapted to a life in the shadow of the forest, their leaves showing an almost white colouring, in stark contrast to the lush green of their giant neighbours.

Mil can't help marvelling and has to remind herself time and again to move on, taking care not to stumble into a mud hole or worse. The difference between the burnt flat around the ship and this living wonderland is unbelievable. It's her first visit on the planet and she already learned that the leaf covered ground hides treacherous holes and rivulets. Besides, Mil is glad to have the filter of her mask as her instruments show an absolute humidity of nearly 100 percent. Together with the high temperature and a complete lack of air currents, breathing without mask would be almost unbearable. She turns towards Dray and Andrej, walking only a few paces to her right. The pilot catches her glance and grins back.

"How do you like Emerald?"

"It's terrific, far better than on screen! But tell me, have you seen anything resembling an insect or a bird? Any animal at all?"

"Now you're asking, I don't think so. That seems a little bit strange, I guess."

Andrej stops to study the canopy, a look of concentration on his face. Then he stoops to clear some leaves from an arbitrary patch of muddy ground. Intently he searches the black soil, even digging a small hole with his gloved fingers.

"You are right, no insects. What does this signify?"

Mil shrugs. There is no universal law prescribing insects or somethings equivalent to planets.

Nevertheless it's astounding they haven't encountered any kind of animal life yet. She collects some leaves to study them closer. They show no holes or other signs of insect infestation. But the leaves come in completely different types. Some are narrow, smooth and of lanceolate shape, others show serrated edges or are pinnate. Some are tiny, others could easily serve as umbrellas. She keeps a few of the smaller ones and tears pieces out of the larger. Dray understands her intention and helps her collect more samples. In the meantime, Andrej places an observation sensor on a giant aerial root. The artificial eye transmits a 360-degree view to the ship. It is also fitted with an infrared camera and a residual light amplifier for the night hours. This is the third sensor Andrej installed today. If there is any kind of active life around here, they are bound to find out soon.

Slowly, they advance further, moving deeper into the forest. There is no actual brushwood, probably due to the scarcity of light. So their progress is good, as long as the ground is not too muddy. But soon they reach one of the watercourses they first observed on screen during approach. It is broader than any river Mil has encountered in her life. Tree branches reach far out over the water and different water plants float on the surface. One species with tiny round leaves reminds Mil of duckweed. Right besides a patch of it there are stronger green leaves resembling floating bowls. A third species forms greenish-white bubble like floating devices. The water itself is murky and of a dark inky blue colour.

Mil jerks in surprise when Carlos gives his comment over comm. Above all the fascinating new impressions she forgot the technician following their every step from the ships ops.

"Looks more like ink than water. What causes the blue colour?"

Mil has no idea. But Dray is already busy filling a small bottle with the dark liquid. Andrej installs another one of his sensors.

"I'm not sure, Carlos. There might be a connection to the blueish colouring of the tree bark. I'll have to run some tests. For now, I think this river is too broad to cross. I propose to collect some samples of this water plants and then turn back to the ship."
"Good idea, Koshi is getting antsy for you to come back."