The Surveyor

by DavidGibbs6

Bill struggled to build a makeshift shelter in the thin atmosphere. The gene therapy had gone a long way to making it possible to inhabit the planet but that didn't make it easy or fun. The jump alone was perilous, relying on mathematical equations to land a unit onto the planet surface. It wasn't just about getting the coordinates for a distant astronomical body correct, taking into account the rotation and orbital mechanics. They also had to account for distance from the drop zone to the ground, missing mountains or ditches. Which in itself was a miracle, but then conditions on the ground were unknowns. Probes could only determine so much and boots on the ground was the preferred method.

That's why Bill was here. It had meant to be a whole crew but the drop zone had been nasty. Most of the pod had broken up on arrival, the sudden shock had been equivalent to a plane crash and despite the safety measures everyone else had perished. By some miracle Bill had survived, for now at least.

He had some idea on the planet, having done years of training before the final stages and the jump. Right now however his main concern was shelter. The weather wasn't great and he was hoping this was some kind of storm and it would pass quickly. If it were a whole season like this he was done for. Steadily he worked hacking smaller limbs from the strange tree-like growths to construct a makeshift lean-to, hoping to keep him from the worst of the elements. On top of the structure he piled the offcuts making a somewhat sheltered hide.

Staggering back to the crash site Bill had to pass the body of one his comrades thrown free of the wreckage. They might have survived had they landed in snow, instead they were dashed violently into a rock formation. He turned his head so not to look as he walked by and made his way to the blown open hull. The circular pod had been designed to shelter them in the initial days and to act as a beacon for more supply drops. Now it was ripped open like a full soda can smashed against concrete, twisted and opened up, spilling contents into the snow. The remaining bodies were here, strapped into harnesses hanging like morbid tapestries, some high out of reach while others were pinned underneath part of the structure. Hurriedly he searched for the wall which held emergency outdoor kits, looking for the color coded door, while squinting against the wind. Finding it he scrambled up the section of destroyed floor and pulled the hatch open. By the time he pulled the pack out he was exhausted, he barely had the energy to drag it back up the small rise to the rocky outcrop and his hide away. Padding the ground with as much mulch and leaf like litter as he could scrape up, Bill got inside his sleeping bag and wriggled inside.

During the long night, the wind howled and his fretful sleep was broken constantly by cold and cramps. Several times he felt like he was suffocating and he had to adjust his position and calm his mind, reminding himself that the atmosphere was thin and that he was ok. He pushed his arms out in front of his face, clearing more space and keeping the sickly sweet smelling bedding of cut plant matter from getting in his face. Once he was woken by something large moving past his shelter, it padded off in the direction of the pod and after that, noises kept Bill awake a long time.

By morning he was unrested, sore and miserable, but he couldn't lay any longer. He dragged himself clear of the shelter and wriggled free of his sleeping bag, shaking off dirt and debris as he did. He was wet and the wind instantly chilled him. Quickly he grabbed his pack and stumbled back in the direction of the pod. The snow was still falling but the weather was much better, the lighter atmosphere limited how bad it could be. The storm last night would surely have killed him had it been in a denser atmosphere. Although he had been breathing this mix of gasses for years, the air here was filled with scents and felt totally different to the clinical experience he was used to.

Before he got close he could already tell that animals had been during the night. The snow had covered any tracks but the body before him was now decimated and spread over an area, the blood spread like flower petals, sprouting from a gorey center. He hadn't taken stock of who lay there, he had checked that they were dead and focused on surviving, not bothering to bury anyone. Now he regretted that decision, even though it had been the right one and had saved his life. Even now he found it hard to make the decision to not bury the people he had spent years with in training. These were his friends, they were family, and the people he was going to rely on once they landed. They were supposed to have each other's backs as they surveyed and set up safe landing sites for colonization. Now here he was, not even able to pay his respects properly. They all knew the risks and had it been him dead in the snow, he would not have begrudged anyone for choosing to leave him. With that thought, he set to work gathering as much stuff as he would need, while stowing the rest as best he could in case he needed it in the future.

The probes had captured a range of animal life and beamed the images back but nothing had shown anything as large as what had been in the night. This was pretty common though, with surveyors often finding orders of magnitudes more creatures than were previously known about. Had the pod still been operational, he could have checked what drones were still active and uploaded the latest data but there was no chance of that now. He wished he had a glimpse of what he was dealing with but at the same time he was glad that he hadn't had to bear witness to the feast. He was just glad that they hadn't seen him.

The landscape was rocky but with a variety of woodland type plants, ranging from bush-like things to much larger tree-like growths. They seemed kind of woody and he hoped they would make suitable building material. As he walked Bill cut plants with his knife, inspecting the suitability of each species, being careful not to get sap or residue on his skin. He was in a hurry but also he ached and exhaustion wore on him, to combat it he ate small bits of ration as he hiked upwards, hoping to get an overview of the landscape. After about half an hour he decided that was all the time he could spare and he carefully climbed the tallest plant in his local vicinity. It was springy and didn't feel stable enough to get close to the upper branches but it enabled him to see over the top of the many bushes and lower trees. The crash sight was clearly visible on a plateau which was part of a rocky patch on the hill. Either side, foliage ran up and down the slope in varying thicknesses. The valley was a lot deeper than first looked from the crash site and Bill had no doubt there would be water down there. Also if he had to carry supplies, then downhill was definitely better and the atmosphere might be a little denser. He didn't have time to do a more thorough scout for any better options, so he made the decision to search the downward side.

It was another forty five minutes before he had trekked back past the crash and found a suitable large bushy tree that he nicknamed Fur Tree for its furry appearance. He checked that he had an adrenaline shot handy and rubbed some of the fine, soft fibres on his bare skin. Then he cut a piece of stalk and touched some of the wetness to another area of skin hoping for the best. If he was going to make a home base it had best be off the ground, given the predators about and if he was going to spend time in such a tree it was important to make sure it wasn't going to kill him first. While he waited for a reaction, he hiked the fifteen minutes back to the crash site gathering a second axe and three more sleeping bags. Being off the ground had some advantages but warmth wasn't one of them.

By the time he had done that, nothing had appeared on the allergen test site so he set about clearing lower branches with a cable saw, leaving only enough to climb higher. Using the cut branches and some packing ratchet straps he made a series of forty five degree ties making a kind of crows nest three meters off the ground. He left enough of the branch pointing down to sharpen, detering anything from climbing up and making a meal of him. Then using smaller branches again he lashed them around in a circle keeping the main supports from moving as he back filled the nest with smaller cutting and the fur like clumps of leaves. When that was done it had been the better part of an earth day.

He stopped to eat more rations knowing he had enough for twelve people and that he needed to keep the energy up. The days were long here but the night would be a lot longer and he would need to use part of the night if he were to succeed with his plan. Not knowing what else he might be facing, Bill was reluctant to leave the nest so open, but at the same time he wasn't prepared to cut more branches from the top of the tree, liking the cover it gave him from above. Instead he found another Fur Tree and cut all the lower branches dragging them back to his tree hide, before stripping the leaves and twigs. These he would use to lay across the top further restricting access for unwanted intruders.

It was far from perfect when the sun started getting low and he still had more to do but he had to stop. He had snuck in a power nap setting an alarm for forty five minutes, it was all he could allow himself. He found the next thing distasteful but had put it off as long as he dared, now with the large red sun setting, he had to hurry or abandon the idea altogether. He decided it was worth it and as much as it pained him, there were no better options. Hiking back to the crash site he unstrapped the lightest of his companions from her harness on the pod wall.

Amy had been a fun, bubbly person as well as hard as nails during training. Carrying her down the hill being careful not to slip Bill's heart broke. While he had been focused on himself and surviving, he hadn't had time to grieve. The weight of his friend was almost too much to bear and had he stopped to rest, there was a good chance he would never have picked her up again. Instead he went slow choosing his footing carefully and bore her weight like it was the whole world across his shoulders. Bill lay her body a short distance from the tree and dug a small trench filling it with as much dry tinder as he could find and then with light twigs that had been pulled from dead looking branches. It was hard to start a fire but he hoped it would be worth it from the knowledge gained.

It was dark by the time he had a decent fire going and enough solid native fuel piled up to keep it going a good portion of the night. Amy looked almost peaceful lay by the fire with the exception of blood on one side of her face. Tomorrow if things went well then she would be the first of the crew he would bury in respect for her service, tonight though her help would be invaluable. With that Bill climbed the fur tree and crawled into one of the sleeping bags and using the others as padding to soften the nest. Through a peephole in the side of the hide, he rested a large caliber gas gun, a hollow point round ready in the chamber. The fire lit the area nicely, and didn't burn too fast in the thin air. His intention to stay awake and wait, came second to his exhaustion and quickly he succumbed to sleep.

What must have been hours later he was awoken by a noise, his mind instantly snapping to where he was. The fire had burned low and lit the area with a dull glow, Amy's body was still visible but casting a large shadow now. Something moved in the darkness and made some animal noises. It wasn't anything he had heard in the daylight hours but that was to be expected. All day he had only glimpses of small creatures, nothing would give him immediate cause for concern, however that didn't stop him pausing work to reach for his gun. The creatures in the bushes could be small animals or something larger, it was most likely more than one, given how fast the sounds shifted. Had they been scared off by the fire as he hoped only daring to come closer now it was almost flameless?

For a good while he watched as a small daring creature sprinted on two legs, stopping only to scratch the mulching leaf litter with small hands before bounding around and finding a new spot. This was his first real look at a creature and he wished he had a better setup and something to record with. A visual observation was as good as he could manage and he would have to wait for morning to sketch and begin the long cataloging process. These must have been something edible in the decaying forest floor because others of the same type came to scavenge with their brave companion. After what felt like hours of watching these squirrely animals scurry, something must have alerted them to danger because they all stopped frozen for a minute before they fled into the undergrowth.

Bill waited, trying to keep as still as possible, taking deep slow breaths, not daring to reach for the gun before getting a glimpse of anything. It was painstakingly slow but eventually a large quite long fur covered animal came slinking into the ember glow. It was white and striped grey from the look and had what could be a foot long neck carrying a roundish head. It was the eyes that caught Bill's attention most, three large round orbs reflecting light from the fire. There was no sign of a mouth and the head swiveled around as if scanning the area. Eventually it walked over to the body and sat at a strange angle, the back legs flat to the ground while the head was up high, staring directly at the nest. Bill swore it was staring at him. He risked small moves to get a grip of the rifle and somewhat line up a shot.

For what seemed like forever Bill lay, peering down the open sight, not daring to close his eyes or move. He had to repress the thought that maybe there were more lurking and that this creature was a distraction for a hunting pack that might be circling him. He hadn't heard it move at all but it had furry looking legs, no sign of claws or even a mouth. It was at that moment he saw it, Amy's body moved, as if pulled, it jerked as something behind the creature pulled at her. He had been so distracted by what he thought was the head he hadn't been considering the other end, the other end it seemed had the mouth. While he had thought it was sitting on the ground now he was forced to consider that perhaps the head was down and the head-like appendage was a tail.

For a long moment Bill considered his options, but he couldn't hesitate too long, already the animal was starting to consume the body of his friend. He considered a warning shot to scare the creature, but decided against it not wanting to evoke a retaliatory action. Even a well aimed shot might have little effect if he hit the wrong spot and cause a violent retaliation. He had to make a decision, so he aimed at the three eyes hoping that they were at least sensitive and might deter the creature from returning if it didn't kill it. The shot cracked echoing around the valley as the bullet exited the barrel faster than sound and hit the creature directly in the round eyed appendage. It jerked back briefly then dropped like an article of clothing discarded at an arm's length, moving no more.

Bill worked the action on the gun in case he needed it but the creature was still and for the next few hours nothing moved. In the morning he would have to skin this thing and look more closely at its anatomy. He wouldn't dare eat something so alien but he might use it as bait to lure other creatures out and see what consumed it. The fur might possibly make a decent addition to the nest, but that also meant a lot of time and effort in preserving it, if it were even a possibility. He had a lot to do in the coming weeks, burials being one of the first things. Fortifications and water would be priorities, and then shelter and finally comfort. Food wouldn't be an issue for a while but eventually he would have to eat something that wasn't a ration pack. He would try to salvage some working test equipment before then.

There would be a long delay before anyone knew that the pod had failed. Their return signal was not due for years and it would be even longer for them to send an unmanned probe. He might get lucky and find one of the many previous probes to send a message, but it was far from guaranteed and there was no way he would be diverting energy to a long shot like that. Instead he would focus on surviving and adapting to the new environment. In the early hours of a long night he found rest, falling again into an exhausted sleep.