M3-2 - A Flash Fiction Story

   CEO, Chancellor, and Executor of United Funds of the Planet Earth, this is my final report. Everything I report as far as traveling in a direction or as time is concerned will be stated by one degree west in longitude of Earth's International Date Line and its standard rotation. The reason for this is because the Planetary Body, LT14, orbiting Star, S108, has the Moon, M3, orbiting in an elliptical pattern, influenced by the secondary smaller Star, S208.

   These facts were known by NASA and calculations were made to account for the varying degrees of sunlight on the health of the Colonists since there would be no darkness for their body cycles to acclimate to after sending out the Space Exploration Craft, Columbus Five.

   Which was not known is the two smaller Moon type objects orbiting M3.

   It would seem that Admiral Zechariah Adams change Columbus Five's objective by trying to colonize, what will now be known as M3-2, when he reached orbit around LT14.

   LT14 is still a viable Planet to colonize, but it seems the temptation to land on M3-2, was unanimously agreed upon by the Columbus crew and the colonists.

   After further study of the Personal, Scientific, and Military logs sent back to Earth for family, friends, the United Nations Armed Forces, NASA, ESA, CSA, UKSA, CNSA, and all the other contributing countries, M3-2 was deemed a paradise by all.

   It was called Eden by many on board the Columbus Five.

   It has it's own rotating iron core generating a magnetic field, which protects the life that is abundant on this Secondary Moon.

   LT14's magnetic field does reach out, into space, as far as M3-2.

   Giving the Moon an extra blanket of protection from the dual attack of solar winds emanating from the binary star system.

   All life on the moon was deemed as a form of plant. No type of animal, under NASA classification protocol, was discovered by the Colonists upon their arrival.

   One report stated, which I have confirmed, of a form of plant made of a crystal like substance, referred to by many, as the Black Glass Rose. Because of the dual binary influence on the planet's atmospheric condition every day at around the same time, I will say at 12 noon Earth standard, high and low pressures would form winds which always blew at 270 meters per minute in a Northerly fashion.

These winds would vibrate the unique shape of each petal on a Black Rose to make a distinctive sound. Many colonists believed these Glass Roses were singing to them personally.

   Another weather phenomenon influenced by the binary system that must be taken into account to explain the Colonists actions was the daily thirty five minute rainfall, which I will say happened approximately at Earth's time of 6 PM.

   Many colonists built shelter under, what can only be described as an umbrella shaped, single leaf, grayish tree. The tree's leaf soaked up all drops of water which fell upon it, leaving a dry cozy area of Moon dirt to inhabit. There was no need to clear areas of the Black Glass Rose plant or on what the Colonists thought were a grassy type plant. The habitats were built under the Umbrella Trees. Where dry, cleared areas were already provided.

   The problem arose from the soft, fuzzy type of grass the colonist said felt like lying on feathers.

   After only seven months on Moon M3-2 all the different plant life started releasing their seeds. I have classified and studied several different kinds of seeds all with the same property of holding a significant amount of helium. Helium reacts the same on M3-2 as it does on Earth. Every seed from every form of plant life floated an estimated five hundred kilometers above the surface of the Moon, M3-2.

   This had a darkening effect, blocking out all sunlight from the binary system, around the whole Moon.
   Colonist felt it was a welcome change from the constant sunlight for the first time.

   The fuzzy grass came to life at this point. The few messages which escaped before every man, woman and child were devoured by these fuzzy creatures described them as being a two headed caterpillar. The heads were not side by side, but on either end of the creature. It also displayed the many feet like features underneath its body like the Earth insect, the centipede.
   The creature awakens with an appetite that consumes anything its two mouths can reach. Some of these creatures rip in two, trying to reach something to consume. They also eat each other.

   Gentlemen, I want to be perfectly clear here. They ate absolutely everything in their path. Nothing was left on the Moon surface, except dirt, rock, and dead carcasses.

   The few weapons the colonists were able to use had little or no effect. The carbon fiber shelters were chewed, as if it was nothing new to these creatures. Nothing man made stops this creature's carnage. Everything is consumed.

   Afterwards, when the only thing left on M3-2 were decaying cadavers, the floating seeds slowly released their helium and fell back to the surface of M3-2.

   Probes to the Moon now show the surface full of the vegetation described by the lost colonist. After one year and four months of orbiting M3-2 the same cycle of life was demonstrated before my sensors.

   It is recommended that all Planets, Moons, or secondary orbiting Moons be watched by our probes for no less than two Earth years before we colonize any new planetary body or the tragedy of M3-2 could repeat itself.

   This is my final report as Investigative Computer S108-S208-L14-M3-2. I will now orbit the Moon M3-2 for ten more Earth years watching for any anomalies I might have missed before returning home.
   End of message.

This is,

Wondering If You Would Comment On My Short Story,

Jim Hauenstein,

And,

“While there may not be a book in every one of us, there is so often a damned good short story.”

- Jeffrey Archer -

This is my story and I am stinking to it!

Like what you are reading,

or do not like what you see.

Set up my Blog as your Homepage,

or sign up as a Follower,

or leave a Comment,

and I will answer you in a Post.

Thanks for reading.