in thought.
"If there's not enough oxygen for animals, how do you explain the giant toxic statues?" Kovacs asked.
"Just a moment," Feher said. "Gantulga? Are you there?"
"Yes, I'm here, just decompressing."
"You said there were grooves in the sand. Paths leading back to the sea, from each object," Feher said.
"Yes," Gantulga said.
"We all saw them," Zoltan added.
Feher nodded and turned back to Kovacs. "I would like to hypothesize that these objects—organisms, actually—dragged themselves from the water before becoming dormant. In their vulnerable state under water, they secrete this chemical to discourage predators from eating them. Perhaps coming onto the beach is a more recent survival strategy, and they still secrete the toxin even though they don't need it on land."
"So the statues are cocoons?" Kovacs said.
"That's my initial guess, but I need to get out there again and inspect them in more detail."
"Excuse me Professor." Contadino approached Kovacs and spoke to her in a low voice. "Molnar sent a transmission asking if she should come down in the Kiwi-class skiff."
"Why?"
"I guess she's excited about what's going on down here. She wants to be a part of things."
"Tell her no. She can be a part of things by analyzing the telemetry we transmit to her. There needs to be someone onboard the spinship at all times."
Contadino nodded and returned to his station. Zoltan had entered from the airlock and was stowing gear. Feher heard the latches release on Zoltan's suit and turned to him. "Zoltan, wait a moment. I may need you out there." He turned to Kovacs again. "This lull in the winds isn't going to last much longer. We need to get out there and analyze these organisms as best we can with the time we have."
Kovacs nodded. "Go."
As Feher was gearing up in the preparation bay, Tao and Gantulga entered through the main airlock. He looked them over.
"How are you feeling?" he asked Gantulga.
"I think I'm recovered. Ready to get back to work."
"Good. I'd feel better with security around, even though I think we don't need it. With Doctor Tao's permission, I'd like to take you out again. Suited up this time." Feher looked at the doctor.
Tao nodded assent. "I'll stay here and monitor everyone's vitals from their suit feeds."
"Professor Contadino," Kovacs said. "I want you out there with Feher and Gantulga. We need all hands on this."
"I'm not sure if I'll be of much use. Biology is not my area," Contadino responded.
"Just assist me in whatever I ask you to do," Feher said.
Scene 3: Husks
A few minutes later, Feher, Contadino, Zoltan, and Gantulga were in pressure suits, marching through fog to the scattered field of organic objects. Back in the skiff's lab, Tao and Kovacs sat at separate stations. Tao rested his chin in his palm and stared at the four vital readouts from the suits' internal sensors. A text message from Red Wolf popped into his comm window.
Dr. Tao, are you there? Marika here.
Yes Professor Molnar, how can I help you?
Don't you think it's strange that Kovacs doesn't want me there? I'm a chemist as well as a geophysicist. I should be helping.
I don't know. She has her reasons, and she's made her decision. Although .... Tao looked over his shoulder to Kovacs, who was absorbed in her work.
Yes?
Nothing.
What? Tell me.
I was just going to mention that Professor Kovacs is a little odd. Though she has an authoritative personality, sometimes she doesn't seem to know basic things.
Such as?
She suggested that there were large predators on the planet, despite the lack of requisite oxygen. Her knowledge of biology seems rather meager.
Well, she's a mathematician.
But much of her research is the mathematical analysis of biological evolution.
I think you're reading too much into it. She may be asking basic questions to elicit certain types of responses from her team. I just need you to try to convince her to let me come down in the Kiwi. Please.
I'll try. Tao closed the comm link and looked over his shoulder again. Kovacs hadn't changed position. He opened a window displaying Gantulga's helmet feed. The window displayed the towering bulk of one of the cocoons, its upper portion wrapped in an eddy of swirling fog. Tao watched it for a few minutes, then got up and went to Kovacs's station.
"Yes?" she asked him.
"Are they making progress?"
"They're running some tests on the surface of the cocoon object right now."
"What kind of tests?"
"Just material and chemical analyses. Aren't you listening to the comm line?"
"No, I was concentrating on something else. I'll turn it on now." He touched the device in his ear. "Do you think Professor Molnar might be useful in assisting them with the chemical analyses?"
"Yes, of course. And she is, from her station on Red Wolf."
"I just thought it might be better if she were on site, so there would be no delay in transmission of the data."
"Doctor, any time saved from that would be overshadowed by the amount of time it would take her to get down here in a skiff. I want to finish up this mission before the storms hit. Now, please return to your station and continue with your own assignments."
Tao went to his station and reopened the text link with Molnar. She has her reasons for keeping you there, he typed. And they seem reasonable. I think it's a waste of time to continue questioning command decisions.
Fine. Nevermind, Molnar responded. Tao closed the link and turned up the volume on his comm line. Opening Feher's helmet feed, he saw two gloved hands manipulating a device attached to the cocoon object.
"The catapletoxin is continuously excreted through microscopic pores," Feher said. "Like sweat from skin."
"Feher, look at this," Contadino said. He was holding a different device. Feher walked around to where Contadino had the instrument pressed against the cocoon. "Ultrasound scans show an area of lower density down the middle. There's a pocket of fluid here, right beneath the shell."
Kovacs suddenly stood up and went to the preparation bay. Tao leaned over and saw her access an armory cabinet. After a moment she closed the hatch and returned to her station. Tao opened another private text link to Molnar on the spinship.
Marika, are you there? I think we may have a problem.
"Gantulga?" Kovacs said into the comm.
"Yes?"
"What type of sidearm are you carrying?"
"Just a standard anti-flesh laser lance. Why?"
"Do you think you'd be able to cut through the shell of the cocoon?"
"Wait, what?!" Feher exclaimed. "You can't do that!"
"Professor Feher, we don't know what we're dealing with," Kovacs said. "These organisms could be dangerous."
"So you want to randomly cut into them? Our lack of understanding is a reason not to touch them. They could be intelligent."
"I don't just want to cut into them, Feher. I want to destroy them."
"Are you nuts?" Feher was screaming over the comm.
Tao stood from his station. "You're not a scientist."
"You're right," Kovacs said and stood to face him. "Global Unity, Special Operations." She drew a laser lance from behind her back. "Sit in your chair, doctor." Tao sat. "Gantulga, power up your lance."
"I'm sorry, but my employment contract is with Budapest University. I don't recognize the authority of Special Operations," he said.
"Fine. We'll do this the messy way. Zoltan, deploy the charges on the nearest cocoon." Tao jerked forward in his chair. "That's right, doctor, I'm not the only Unity agent on this mission. I suggest you stay seated, for the sake of your health."
"Zoltan has explosives? Why are you doing this?
" Feher asked.
"Orders. My mission is to clear a path for future human terraforming and settlement on every planet we visit. I'm sorry this ruins your little scientific field day, but we're in a race with the Mongolian Banners to claim these worlds."
"And you intend to destroy whatever life is here already," Tao said.
"Hey, I don't make the rules. Unity has decided this is the safest way to proceed for the sake of future settlers."
Tao turned his head to look at the helmet feeds on his terminal. Gantulga was making his way quickly across the ground. Zoltan was manipulating a device at the base of one of the cocoons. Feher was attempting to run toward Gantulga.
"Giann, I'm too far away!" Gantulga shouted. "Stop him!" Contadino rushed toward Zoltan. Zoltan stood from his squatting position and ran to meet Contadino, pushing him over; the back panel of his pressure suit smacked loudly on the ground. Zoltan pressed a button on his arm. A ring of smoke rushed out from the base of the cocoon, and all three suited figures were knocked over by the pressure wave in the dense air.
Feher sat up to see one of the cocoons crumble into a heap, dark fluids gushing onto the rocks. "No!" he shouted. "You won't get away with this! I won't let you do this!"
"Yeah? What are you going to do about it?" Zoltan said. "Nothing. You're going to sit and watch while I take down every one of these monstrosities."
A slight vibration began in the ground, and then there was a loud crack. As Gantulga and the others stood, they saw a thin fissure form down the center of the nearest cocoon. There was another crack, and then another, coming from every cocoon in turn.
"Kovacs, they're emerging," Zoltan said.
"Throw your remaining charges on each one! Quickly, before it's too late!" Kovacs