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The Unknown Creature

Log 27: Agent 76

We've been on this strange planet for only a few days. The creatures have been taken care of, though some we have kept for research or entertainment. They will be transported to our home planet soon.

However, we have some concerns about other organisms that seem to inhabit this planet along with the 'humans'. We will be exploring a bit today to gain more information on them.

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You are one of them.

You don't belong on this planet, yet here you are. 'Learning', you call it. We only know it as destruction. Destruction of everything we know, and love.

You place your helmet around your head, protecting yourself from the unnatural elements of this disgusting planet. How the creatures could withstand these horrible conditions astounds you.

You step into the ship, flying to the only area with no human contact. That putrid color fills your senses, with everything being made of it. It's along the ground, filling the sky until it's the only thing you can see. One of them called it a 'jungle'.

The ship begins to descend. The atmosphere is fading until you're surrounded by it. You now stand in the middle of your own personal hell.

The terrain is unlike any you have seen before.

Of course the puny 'humans' never came here. Look at this place.

A slight rustle in the leaves near you catches your attention. You aim your laser-gun in that direction, prepared for whatever may come.

You jump slightly when it emerges, only to realize that it is harmless. It's quite small, with four legs made of tiny, sticky tentacles, and large eyes. It has excellent agility, being able to jump 6 times it's height. It is another shade of everything around you.

I wonder what they call this one. You scan the creature for future references.

It jumped, sticking to your mask. You fall backwards as you scream. In trying to remove it, you have dropped your gun, only to have it fire as it smashed against the surface of this planet. Every agent around you stares in horror at the mistake you have made.

You hear your surroundings begin to tremble in the wake of whatever is coming.

It storms through the trees at a speed unimaginable for a creature of its size. You all run in the opposite direction of it, signaling for the ship to return.

The scanners reveal that it weighs roughly 3 tons, is running at 19 mph, and has a biting-force of 8,100 Newtons.

By the time you realize it can traverse water, it's too late. The surviving members of your unit manage to make it back by shedding their excess gear and running for their lives; the slower ones were crushed to death within minutes.

You later describe the creature to one of the 'humans' you captured, wanting to know the name of the monstrosity that will haunt your nightmares for cycles to come.

The 'human' smiles as is speaks a single word, slowly and distinctly, in its barbaric tongue.

"Hippopotamus."

***

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