Emerald

Edge of the forest

Koshi calls a strategical meeting in the common room. Dutifully, the crew assembles. Andrej distributes cups of coffee, his face vacant of all emotion. Mil takes her cup with a nod. She knows the astrophysicist's mind is still occupied with the riddle of the missing trees, just like her own. Carlos connects the visual sensors to the main screen. The giant trees now form a closed edge around the burnt surface. Over night, the destruction zone caused by the shock wave of their landing disappeared completely. Dray sips her coffee, holding the cup with both hands.

"How can something like this happen? When did you observe it for the first time?"

The pilot's voice is even hoarser than usual. Not for the first time, Mil wonders how Dray destroyed her voice chords in the first place. Then she pushes away the disconnected thought and concentrates on Koshi's report.

"This morning, the clearing was shrouded in this dense mist or fog again. So we realised something being amiss only when we reached the forest's edge. At first, we thought the trunks had completely fallen and were lying in the swamp now. But we couldn't find a single one. As we were out there anyway, we decided to take some drill cores from standing trees. As soon as the mist lifted, we checked the edge again. It is as if there had never been any fallen trees out there. They disappeared without a trace during the night."

"Tell me, Andrej, aren't your mobile sensors supposed to register just this kind of thing?"

Andrej refrains from answering Carlos' question. With quick fingers he calls up the transmissions of said sensors. The one at the river still shows calm, deep blue water spotted with clusters of plants, the usual image. The same goes for the sensors set deeper in the forest. The two devices placed at the edge of the clearing don't show anything, though. Andrej recalls the recordings of the night, arranging the views of all cameras parallel on the main screen. He lets them run at high speed.

Mil feels dizzy and her stomach seems to knot in apprehension. Silently she observes the sun setting from multiple angles and, after a short period of dusk, the darkness enfold the scenery. The residual light amplifiers show the outline of the trees quite clearly. Then, shortly before midnight, the mists start to rise. The sensors at the edge show the fallen trees slowly fading in the sluggishly whirling mass. Soon, their outlines are barely discernible. Even the infrared picture blurs. Then, the recording of both sensors stops at the same time.

"Why didn't we get an alarm as soon as the sensors failed?"

Koshi sounds angry. He gets up and starts pacing the room. In the confined space, this is awkward and Mil shifts in her seat to get out of the way of his gesticulating hands.

"Something or someone just tricked our cameras and got rid of all those giant trees, and we don't even know who or what it was."

Andrej repeats the recording several times. Mil tries to discern something telling, anything. Finally, Dray makes the important observation. She gulps down air before speaking.

"Andrej, go back to just before sunset... And now, zoom in the picture of the ships main forward sensor, the one that shows the edge of the clearing... Perfect, hold it. Now, please overlay the pic that same sensor took this morning after the mist dissipated. There! Can you see it?"

Carlos' hefty Spanish curse expresses perfectly Mil's feelings. The edge of the forest moved quite a bit closer since yesterday evening, as if new trees grew in the destruction zone overnight. Incredibly, they are as big as their neighbours deeper in the forest. The captain is the first to react.

"Carlos, start the engine. We won't take off immediately, but I want to be prepared for further surprises. It takes several hours until the plasma chamber reaches working temperature. For the time being, no further visits to the forest. Dray, is the shuttle ready?"

"Checked, supplied and ready for take off."

"Great. It's too late today, but tomorrow this exploration flight is definitely on schedule. I want to see that from the air. Besides, we need to expand our area of control. Mil and Andrej, the two of you continue your studies. It looks as if this planet hides more life than it is ready to let on. There must be some clues somewhere on what we are dealing with."

While Carlos enters the starting sequence for the engine in the subsidiary controls, Mil explains her latest theories concerning the climate cycle and the lack in biodiversity. Koshi scowls.

"Is it possible we're looking at a cultivated plantation? No insects, only a few selected species..."

He is interrupted by Carlos. The tan skin of the technician shows a grey sheen and beads of sweat.

"Capitán? The engine won't start. There's no energy left in the Mellow-accumulator. Nada.»