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!
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