Life is everywhere
The neurovessel plummeted towards the planet at frightening speed. The rear part removed itself first and blossomed into a petal formation to reduce momentum. Next came the midsection. The twin engines on each side of the vessel rotated and ignited all their remaining fuel before dislodging themselves from the ship. The midsection then formed itself into a balloon before being ripped off and hurled into space. Pogis was confident. The plunge was going smoothly. He braced himself as the final part of the ship shed its rough outer layer, forming sacs of air that exploded around him. Only a sleek outer membrane now remained to hold him in place. This incombustible skin-like layer would ensure his passage through the planet’s atmosphere. With a deafening swoosh he teared through the layers of gas and in a matter of seconds found himself in the depths of the planet’s oceans.
At first, he could not believe his senses. The water had done no harm. The outer membrane of the ship was totally intact and had not changed colour. This indicated that the water was almost identical to the one on Trappist. A slight discolouration on the edges only meant that this water was a bit more saline than the one he was used to. His Water form confirmed this when he timidly poked a finger through the membrane: hostile waters would have irritated him, like an allergic reaction. Excited, he triggered the membrane to disintegrate and swam out into the alien surroundings.
His Water form bristled and swooned. The water felt healthy, full of energy. He gently pushed upwards and found himself floating amongst billions of phytoplankton and zooplankton. Looking up, he saw rays of light breaking through the water, as if through stained glass, and a staggering variety of fish, completely unlike the ones he knew, feeding on the microorganisms and the micronutrients. Crustaceans scuttled amidst the rocks and corals. Eels hid in the sand and molluscs clung in the crevices. A beast of a fish with spotted skin momentarily blocked the light from above and Pogis turned to marvel at its size. His mind boggled at how vast the waters of this planet must be in order to be able to sustain animals of such size. Trappist was a rocky planet punctuated by sinkholes, geysers and hot springs.
His Water form bristled and swooned. The water felt healthy, full of energy. He gently pushed upwards and found himself floating amongst billions of phytoplankton and zooplankton. Looking up, he saw rays of light breaking through the water, as if through stained glass, and a staggering variety of fish, completely unlike the ones he knew, feeding on the microorganisms and the micronutrients. Crustaceans scuttled amidst the rocks and corals. Eels hid in the sand and molluscs clung in the crevices. A beast of a fish with spotted skin momentarily blocked the light from above and Pogis turned to marvel at its size. His mind boggled at how vast the waters of this planet must be in order to be able to sustain animals of such size. Trappist was a rocky planet punctuated by sinkholes, geysers and hot springs.
Most of its water was underground. It was only through Trappistae intervention that creeks, rivers and lakes were created on its surface, so marine life was limited both in size and in number, and most life forms had evolved to inhabit the land. Trappist had no oceans, Pogis only knew about them through his studies. He now realised what the blue colour of this planet, visible from outer space, must be: ancient oceans, as old as the planet itself. Trying to wrap his mind around this, he turned around and found himself facing an even stranger creature than the spotted giant: a reptile with a shell on its back languidly swimming in the water. Life! Life everywhere! The water was teeming with it!
He needed to know more. A planet like this one had not been found in an age of exploration. Burral, a legendary lifeseeker was the last to find one, but it was still in its infancy when discovered: microevolution was still being played out. However, a deadly solar flare had scorched the planet and left it at that. It was still recuperating.
Pogis had to focus. His excitement was getting the better of him and he need to be calm and concentrated in order to explore properly. This abundance of life could overwhelm him, could even overwhelm an experienced lifeseeker. There was never a shortage of cautionary tales about seekers that lost themselves in their explorations of alien life. He levelled himself with the push and pull of the water and slightly opened up his awareness. He perceived that there were three different currents converging here, bringing both warm and cool water from different parts of the planet. This partly explained what was happening here: these were ideal life conditions. Building up courage, he opened up his awareness even more. As he expanded and merged with the water surrounding him, he became aware of a large amount of predatory fish swimming together towards him. This piqued his interest. Predators on his home planet were solitary, yet these fish seemed to be congregating and hunting in a herd of a hundred strong. Camouflaging himself with the play of light on the water particles, he studied the creatures. They had a peculiar snout, scalloped on its front end. It also extended horizontally to the left and right before joining the neck and their long muscular body.
Drawing his awareness inward so he would not disturb the herd, Pogis decided to join them. They seemed to be following the current and the current seemed to be leading to a collection of volcanic islands that he could sense in the distance.
As he drifted along with the herd, Pogis gathered as much information as he could while still keeping a low profile. He was careful not to disturb the myriads of creatures surrounding him. He had developed the abilities that enabled interspecies communication but not all creatures were welcoming to an alien touch. He was able to garner that evolution had carved itself a niche in this locality. Most creatures seemed to be unique iterations of their kind. This collection of islands seems to have provided them with the conditions necessary to have diverged from their mother species.
Pogis was nearing one of the islands now, so he broke off from the herd. He was eager to get to shore, but he was wise enough not to attempt this uninvited. Ideally, he would have to find an animal that lived both in water and on land, to guide him onto the island. The shell-backed reptile he had encountered before was an opportunity missed and Pogis had lost its scent while wandering. Suddenly, the surface of the water broke. He turned around startled to see a multitude of birds diving to catch their prey. Fascinated, he lay back and tried to calculate their moment of impact by observing their hazy outlines in the sky. There were so many of them! And food enough for all of them! He could try to join them but switching from Water to Wind form did not seem like the right course of action. He needed solidity now. He needed to ground himself in his Earth form and feel out this alien land.
Pogis was nearing one of the islands now, so he broke off from the herd. He was eager to get to shore, but he was wise enough not to attempt this uninvited. Ideally, he would have to find an animal that lived both in water and on land, to guide him onto the island. The shell-backed reptile he had encountered before was an opportunity missed and Pogis had lost its scent while wandering. Suddenly, the surface of the water broke. He turned around startled to see a multitude of birds diving to catch their prey. Fascinated, he lay back and tried to calculate their moment of impact by observing their hazy outlines in the sky. There were so many of them! And food enough for all of them! He could try to join them but switching from Water to Wind form did not seem like the right course of action. He needed solidity now. He needed to ground himself in his Earth form and feel out this alien land.
Gradually getting more familiar with his surroundings, Pogis let his awareness drift outwards in search of a held breath. There must be some other land creature taking advantage of the water. He shuffled through the coral life and the schools of fish, he sifted through the sand and the rocks. As the water got warmer closer to shore, he felt what he was looking for. Another reptile, more similar to the ones back home, feeding on the seaweed that clung to the rocks. Returning back to physical awareness he scanned the seabed in search for it. He spotted it between two rocks. An agile black lizard grazing underwater. Patiently, he followed it as it fed. He encountered more of them feeding between the rocks. When the creature was satiated, it finally led Pogis to land, and to its colony. There were hundreds of them, basking in the sun, recuperating and warming up again after their dive.
Pogis switched to his Earth form and lay with the creatures savouring the sunshine. It was much warmer here than back home and he was grateful for the heat. He only now felt how exhausted he was. Slowly, he let himself merge with the land. He felt the massive column of heat that underlay the island, stretching down to the core of this planet. Feeling safe, he staved off his concerns and worries and instead focused on the adventure ahead and the life still to be discovered on this strange planet. With these thoughts in mind, he drifted off to sleep.
