\n\u201cThey\u2019re intelligent.\u201d Josh Thompson leaned forward, both hands on the console. His legs were trembling. This changed the scope of the mission entirely. In four decades of interstellar travel, humans had only discovered two alien species that were considered potentially intelligent.\n<\/p>\n
\nSergeant Aboud raised one of her precisely sculpted eyebrows. \u201cAre you sure? This one doesn\u2019t look too bright to me.\u201d She was watching a security camera feed from the storeroom, where one of the aliens had gotten itself trapped during the attack. It slashed furiously at the wall with its talons, leaving long scratches in the aluminum but making little progress in piercing the material. It could have conceivably scraped open a hole if it concentrated its efforts in one spot, but instead it bounded back and forth from one wall to another in what appeared to be blind panic. Josh could see why the now-deceased crew of the planetary research station had nicknamed the hairless, dog-sized aliens \u201choppers.\u201d They hopped like kangaroos. Josh hadn\u2019t been watching a live feed, however. He was playing video of the attack itself. The aliens had used stolen key cards to move through the facility. In the feed from the motor pool camera, two of the creatures clearly observed one of the mechanics use his key card to flee. Then they\u2019d retrieved the other mechanic\u2019s card from her dead body and used it to open the door. The first mechanic hadn\u2019t even made it to the end of the hall. \u201cThey\u2019re using tools, and not in a primitive way,\u201d Josh said. \u201cThey even blocked open the airlock. Why would they do that if they weren\u2019t trying to make the interior atmosphere hospitable?\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cMaybe they just didn\u2019t want to get trapped in a box.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cLook at their tactical coordination. They split into teams to herd and isolate individual scientists.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nAboud shrugged. \u201cSome pack predators on Earth do that.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cNot like this. The aliens are communicating, coordinating. I\u2019m not sure how. I don\u2019t hear any vocalizations on the video.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cMaybe ultrasonic or subsonic. I\u2019ll run an analysis. But I still don\u2019t think they\u2019re intelligent, Doc.\u201d Aboud had a habit of calling anyone from the science division \u201cdoc.\u201d Most of them did have doctorates, of course, but it still annoyed Josh. He was certain she meant it to be condescending.\n<\/p>\n
\nJosh returned his attention to the playback just in time to see three of the aliens eviscerate one of the scientists–Doctor Xu, if he remembered the briefing notes correctly. Josh shut his eyes. He was feeling queasy, and it wouldn\u2019t do his rep any good to puke in front of Aboud.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe\u2019ll know more when we observe them in their natural environment,\u201d Aboud said. \u201cAccording to the station biologist\u2019s notes, their colony is four klicks southwest of here.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nOf course, the station biologist had also said the hoppers were docile.\n<\/p>\n
\nOnce they\u2019d finished their analysis of the video, Josh followed Aboud down the main hallway where Sylvia Richards, their medical doctor, was bundling one of the dead scientist\u2019s bodies into a black bag with the help of Scott \u201cPerky\u201d Perkins, one of Aboud\u2019s security officers. Purging and restoring the station atmosphere had considerably reduced the stench of rot that greeted them upon arrival, but it was still bad enough here to make Josh\u2019s stomach roil again. Sylvia, however, was whistling something cheerful. It was an odd thing to be doing considering the task at hand, but her quirkiness and constant optimism were a big part of why Josh liked her so much. That and her dimples.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe\u2019re going to recon the alien colony,\u201d Aboud said.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cGive me a minute to get my gear,\u201d Sylvia replied.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cNo, you keep working, Dr. Richards. But prioritize an autopsy of the dead alien, the one the chef managed to kill. I want to know what I\u2019m dealing with. Perky, stay and assist her. And make sure nothing gets into the station before we return.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cOn it, Sarge,\u201d Perky replied.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cTake a close look at the brain structure,\u201d Josh suggested. \u201cI think there\u2019s a chance this is an intelligent species.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nSylvia\u2019s eyes widened and she drew in a sharp breath, indicating she understood the magnitude of that possibility.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThey\u2019re not intelligent,\u201d Aboud snapped. \u201cThompson is just having dreams of glory.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nJosh felt heat rising in his neck and cheeks. He turned toward Aboud so Sylvia wouldn\u2019t see him blush. Aboud stepped close and said, \u201cYour job here is to help me understand the aliens\u2019 behavior so what happened to the crew of this station doesn\u2019t happen to us. Don\u2019t get distracted.\u201d She spun away before he could respond.\n<\/p>\n
\nJosh glanced back at Sylvia. She gave a little shrug accompanied by the crooked smile that made him slightly dizzy. \u201cUm… stay safe,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cUm, I\u2019m not the one going into the field.\u201d She winked at him. Josh tried to smile, but feared it came off more as a wince. Despite all his training in behavior, he still hadn\u2019t learned how to avoid saying stupid things when talking to pretty women.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThompson!\u201d Aboud shouted, halfway down the hall already. \u201cLet\u2019s go. Only four hours until sunset.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nThey met up with security officers Lopez and Lopes, or \u201cZ\u201d and \u201cS\u201d as they were called to prevent confusion. Josh didn\u2019t know why they didn\u2019t just go by their first names–Al and Miguel–but it seemed there was nothing soldiers liked better than nicknames.\n<\/p>\n
\nThey went on foot as there was only a single two-man buggy at the station, but the trek was easy. Trappist-1d\u2019s atmospheric pressure, composition, and temperature were similar enough to Earth\u2019s that only oxygen masks were required. A human could even survive several hours without one, though there would be long-term health consequences to that. Gravity was noticeably less than on Earth, which made all their gear feel light. The surface of the planet was about 60% ocean, and of the single, large landmass, 90% was flat plains. Trappist-1d had ceased being geologically active millennia ago.\n<\/p>\n
\nAlmost the entire surface of the plains was covered in a blanket of three-foot-high yellow grass with wheat-like heads and clusters of small, black berries at the base of the stubby leaves that protruded from the stems. It was easy to move through, though the grass left a dusting of yellow particles on their jump suits–pollen, most likely, though Josh had been trained not to assume alien life functioned the same way as life on Earth.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe walk might even have been pleasant if Josh wasn\u2019t so acutely aware that the hoppers were short enough to hide beneath the undulating surface of the grass. After what happened to the station crew, Josh felt a sharp jolt of adrenalin every time the breeze riffled the stalks nearby.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe hoppers were mammalian quadrupeds with skinny frames like greyhounds, but mostly hairless. They had one big talon on each of their front feet, opposable to the other stubby digits. Their heads seemed large in proportion to their body. They came in a variety of shades of tan, black, grey, and yellow. Despite the undeniable danger of their current situation, Josh was excited to observe the aliens in their natural habitat. He relished the look on Aboud\u2019s face if it turned out he was right about their intelligence. And he imagined Sylvia joining him for a celebratory drink in his cabin.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe research station had not flagged any of the species on Trappist-1d as potentially intelligent, but it was the first outpost on the planet and was less than eight months old. The station biologist had mostly focused on doing a survey of the flora and fauna, and, based on the status reports Josh reviewed on the journey here, seemed to be rather obsessed with the unusual lack of species diversity. The hoppers were the largest known fauna on the planet. Most likely anything larger lived in the oceans. The biologist also documented a variety of rodent-like creatures and insects living in the grasslands.\n<\/p>\n
\nIt was certainly not a biome crying out as a likely candidate to produce intelligent life. But the video of the attack on the station showed evidence of two of the three Hernandez Model criteria for intelligence in the hoppers: tool use and language use.\n<\/p>\n
\nJosh was fairly confident on the issue of tool use. Even if the hoppers hadn\u2019t made the key cards, they quickly understood and implemented them. Josh had no doubt they\u2019d find the aliens using tools in their own dwellings.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe language use was less certain. The analysis of the video showed no indication of audio communication at any frequency. But there were other types of language, and the creatures were coordinating somehow. Josh felt hopeful they\u2019d solve that particular mystery soon.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe remaining criterion was awareness of time. Most likely that would only be possible to prove with an understanding of the hopper\u2019s communication methods. But if all three criteria were ultimately confirmed\u2026 Josh would go down in history as the discoverer of one of the first alien intelligences.\n<\/p>\n
\nJosh spotted a rocky protuberance jutting out of the grassland ahead–the hopper colony. The red rock formation was about twenty meters high, a hundred meters long, and fifty meters wide, smooth and bulbous, riddled with caves and arches. As they got closer, he could see that it sat at the edge of a broad lake.\n<\/p>\n
\nAboud pointed toward a much smaller protuberance of the same type of rock about two hundred meters from the bigger formation. It would provide good concealment to study the colony. They snuck up to the smaller outcropping in a low crouch, using the grass for cover. Josh lay flat in a cranny and scanned the alien settlement with his binoculars. He could see the hoppers scrambling all over the rock, going in and out of the caves. There were well over a hundred of them.\n<\/p>\n
\nAboud toggled her radio. \u201cRecon team to base. We\u2019ve established an observation post. What can you tell me about these things, Dr. Richards?\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI hope you\u2019re upwind,\u201d Sylvia\u2019s voice came back through their headsets. \u201cThe aliens have gigantic olfactory organs. Takes up a third of their skulls.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nThey were, in fact, upwind, but the soldiers still exchanged nervous glances. With a gesture, Aboud ordered Z and S to watch their flanks.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s the quickest way to kill one?\u201d Aboud asked.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHead shot. Their brains are right behind their eyes. Skulls aren\u2019t unusually thick.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHow big are their brains?\u201d Josh asked hopefully.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAbout 80 grams,\u201d Sylvia replied.\n<\/p>\n
\nNot very big compared to their body mass. Though ratio of brain to body size had been discounted as a criterion for potential intelligence, it was still not a good sign. Josh increased the magnification on his binoculars. And he saw something that renewed his hope. \u201cThose caves aren\u2019t all natural. They\u2019ve widened and shaped them. There are tool markings on the openings.\u201d Primitive, but solid evidence of intelligence.\n<\/p>\n
\nIt would be more telling if Josh could observe some intelligent behavior directly. A group of hoppers perched at the shore of the lake, spearing a kind of shellfish with their talons. They brought the shellfish up from the shore and cracked the shells against the rocks, but that wouldn\u2019t qualify as tool use. Josh wondered if perhaps there was another type of alien inhabiting the rock lair. Maybe the hoppers were more like trained pets. But no other species had been part of the assault on the station, and how would pets have been trained to use human key cards?\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cDammit, four o\u2019clock,\u201d Z hissed. \u201cPermission to engage?\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nThey all turned to their right. A rustle in the grass indicated the passage of something. It was close, maybe five meters.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIf you fire, they\u2019ll know we\u2019re here,\u201d Aboud whispered. \u201cUse your knife.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nZ shot a quick look over his shoulder that indicated he clearly didn\u2019t like that idea.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI got your back,\u201d Aboud said, drawing her own knife.\n<\/p>\n
\nAboud moved back through the grass about two meters, staying low and keeping the small rock outcropping between her and the main colony. The hopper must have sensed her movement, because it turned toward her and paused.\n<\/p>\n
\nZ struck–planted his blade in the back of the creature\u2019s head. The alien went rigid, opened its mouth as if to scream, but then collapsed without a sound.\n<\/p>\n
\nJosh turned his gaze back to the colony. The behavior of the hoppers on the rocks continued as before for over a minute. He was just beginning to relax when the shellfishers all suddenly dropped their catch and scampered into one of the caves. Most of the other aliens were also heading inside. \u201cSergeant Aboud\u2026\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI see.\u201d She was looking through her own binoculars. \u201cThey know we\u2019re here. All right, let\u2019s end this. Doc, you stay tight on our six. And if you see anything move, you do not hesitate to shoot it. Understand?\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cYou can\u2019t just kill them,\u201d Josh protested. \u201cThey\u2019re potentially intelligent.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI\u2019m not a behaviorist,\u201d Aboud snapped, \u201cbut I know about the Hernandez Model. I see evidence for one criteria at best.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cTwo. They were communicating.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThey were coordinated. It doesn\u2019t prove language use. Richards said they had large olfactory glands. Maybe they use pheromones, like ants on Earth.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIt could still qualify as language if the messages are complex.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nAboud\u2019s stare told him what she thought of that theory. Josh decided to try another tack. \u201cEven if they\u2019re not intelligent, we\u2019ve discovered precious few planets with alien life. Do you really want to go exterminating them before we even understand what they are?\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI\u2019m not exterminating the species. There are hundreds of colonies like this. On Earth, when a predator gets a taste for human flesh, you put it down.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThey didn\u2019t eat the station crew. That wasn\u2019t predation.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThen why did they attack?\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI won\u2019t know until I learn how to communicate with them.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nAboud scowled. \u201cIf that\u2019s even possible. These things wiped out every person in that station. I think it\u2019s time they learned a healthy fear of humans.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nAboud shouldered her rifle and moved forward around the small rock protuberance, heading toward the main colony. Z and S fell into position on each side of her at a professional spread of two meters, slightly back. Josh drew his sidearm. The weight was unfamiliar–he wouldn\u2019t normally carry one, but given the nature of this mission, they were all armed. He had accepted the weapon without much thought. He\u2019d enjoyed his time on the firing range during planetary explorer training, and he scored near the top of his class. But he hadn\u2019t really thought he\u2019d ever have to shoot something.\n<\/p>\n
\nHe fell in as close as he could behind Aboud without getting in her way. They hadn\u2019t seen the hoppers use weapons, so there wasn\u2019t much need to spread out. Josh swiveled his head continuously, looking back first over his right shoulder, then his left. His heart was pounding, breath too quick. He didn\u2019t want to kill the aliens, but he didn\u2019t want to die, either.\n<\/p>\n
\nThey were midway to the colony when the first hoppers attacked. They came in two groups from either side. With the tall grass, they were difficult to see until they were right up on the squad.\n<\/p>\n
\nAs Z and S unloaded on the attackers with their assault rifles, Josh turned to watch their rear. The wind was gentle, but gusty–the grass swayed in swirls, sending up little puffs of the yellow dust, making it difficult to detect anything moving through it.\n<\/p>\n
\nWhich is how the hopper got so close. Josh saw it a moment before it coiled to leap. He felt adrenaline surge through his body and pulled the trigger–BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe alien fell back in a heap, blood the color of brick leaking from three visible holes.\n<\/p>\n
\nMovement–to his right–Josh fired off two more rounds.\n<\/p>\n
\nBut he couldn\u2019t tell if he hit anything. It might have been the wind.\n<\/p>\n
\nApparently, Z and S were having the same problem. \u201cKeep those bursts short,\u201d Aboud ordered over the headset.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI can\u2019t see the mofos to get good targeting,\u201d Z growled. \u201cWe should\u2019ve waited for dark, used infrared.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cStop whining,\u201d Aboud snapped. \u201cStay cool, pick your targets, and conserve your ammo.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nAmmo. Josh\u2019s stomach knotted. How many shots had he fired? He only had one extra magazine.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cDoc, keep up!\u201d Aboud said over the headset.\n<\/p>\n
\nJosh looked over his shoulder and discovered the soldiers had moved five or six meters forward. He scrambled to close the gap.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe hoppers didn\u2019t attack continuously. They seemed to quickly learn the danger of the human guns. They\u2019d feint, distract, try to get one of the soldiers looking the other way, then attack from behind. That\u2019s how they got S.\n<\/p>\n
\nJosh saw the trio of hoppers first, approaching S from their rear left flank. Josh emptied the remains of his magazine, killing one of the aliens and tearing a chunk out of the back of another. Gunfire behind him suggested Aboud and Z were engaging a different group. S spun toward the remaining two creatures and quickly terminated them.\n<\/p>\n
\nBut his cry was far from triumphant. Josh looked up from his fumbling attempt to reload and saw S tumble back into the grass, a hopper having bowled into his legs. Two hopper heads emerged from the grass, clamped their jaws onto S, and pulled him away. The grass closed around them and S was gone.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThey\u2019re taking S!\u201d Josh shouted. He looked down at his pistol, took a deep breath to steady himself, and finally slammed his second magazine in place.\n<\/p>\n
\nWhen he looked up, Aboud and Z were jogging after the moving disturbance in the grass that indicated where S was being dragged away. They weren\u2019t firing–too great of a risk they might hit S. Josh scrambled to join them. He had no intention of being left behind.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe explosion knocked Josh flat on his back, the wind knocked out of him, all sound gone. As he focused on restoring regular breathing, and the dullness in his ears faded, he realized the aliens must have somehow accidentally detonated one of the demolition charges S was carrying.\n<\/p>\n
\nAboud\u2019s face appeared over him, and the next thing Josh knew, he was dragged to his feet. \u201cWe gotta move!\u201d she shouted over the ringing in his ears.\n<\/p>\n
\nAs Josh stumbled after her, he understood the urgency. The grass had ignited around where S had gotten blown up. The flames were small in the thin atmosphere but spreading rapidly due to the gentle breeze. Suddenly, vicious aliens weren\u2019t their biggest problem.\n<\/p>\n
\nZ had apparently been injured because one of his arms was draped over Aboud\u2019s shoulder for support as they staggered toward the big colony rock. Josh wasn\u2019t sure that was a great place to seek shelter, but it seemed to be their only option. He could feel the heat from the growing brushfire on his back.\n<\/p>\n
\nThey made it without any further alien encounters. Josh couldn\u2019t see any hoppers on the rock, now, either. They climbed up about four meters above the brush, and Z lay back into a smooth depression. His left pant leg was torn and stained with blood.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d Josh asked.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cShrapnel,\u201d Aboud replied, digging out a first aid pack. \u201cYou keep an eye out for any of those things.\u201d Then, into her radio: \u201cDoc Richards, you got video? I want you to walk me through this.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAffirmative,\u201d Sylvia replied.\n<\/p>\n
\nAs Aboud worked under Sylvia\u2019s instructions, Josh looked out at the brush fire. And what he saw startled him. The hoppers–what appeared to be all of them–were digging up a large crescent of grass downwind from the fire.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThey\u2019re creating a firebreak,\u201d Josh murmured in awe.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhat are you saying?\u201d Aboud growled as she slapped a bandage over the hastily sutured wound in Z\u2019s thigh.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThey\u2019re digging up the grass to create a firebreak downwind from the flames. Look.\u201d As they watched, the fire burned up to the crescent of cleared land and stalled. \u201cThat takes analysis, planning, coordination. Forget the Hernandez Model. There\u2019s no way non-intelligent creatures could do that.\u201d And he had killed two of them. He felt nauseated.\n<\/p>\n
\nSylvia\u2019s voice came over the radio. \u201cI don\u2019t think they\u2019re communicating with pheromones. I didn\u2019t find any scent glands. They can receive, but they don\u2019t broadcast.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nAboud smacked a new magazine into her assault rifle. \u201cI don\u2019t give a shit about how they communicate. I want them dead. All of them.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWait,\u201d Josh said. \u201cYou mentioned ants before\u2026 what if something else is controlling them? What if something else is secreting the pheromones? A symbiotic species.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThat kind of chemical communication requires close proximity,\u201d Sylvia said, \u201cor the messages would become too diffuse. We haven\u2019t seen any other organisms in close proximity to the hoppers.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nJosh looked out at the sea of grass. \u201cYes, we have.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cYou\u2019re telling me the plants are intelligent now?\u201d Aboud said.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cNot individually. But what if it\u2019s a kind of hive mind? Each stalk of grass could be like a neuron, releasing chemical compounds that are like neurotransmitters in a mammalian brain.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHoly shit,\u201d Sylvia said. \u201cAnd the hoppers can receive the compounds as well, serving as the eyes, ears, and hands for the plant brain.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cSo you\u2019re saying the whole planet is a single organism,\u201d Aboud asked.\n<\/p>\n
\nJosh shrugged. \u201cWell, the surface of the landmass. In a way.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAnd that\u2019s why the hoppers ignored us once the fire broke out,\u201d Aboud continued. \u201cThey have to preserve the brain above all else.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThat stands to reason. The self-preservation instinct does get strengthened in a normal evolutionary environment.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThen I know how we get back to the station. Wait here.\u201d Aboud scrambled up over the rock and out of sight.\n<\/p>\n
\nShe reappeared a few moments later. \u201cLet\u2019s go. Head toward the burned area–better visibility there.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nA tendril of smoke rose from behind the rocks. \u201cWhat did you do?\u201d Josh asked.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cCreated another distraction.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nJosh looked out at the firebreak. The flames were petering out. All of the aliens turned in unison and moved into the grass toward the new fire.\n<\/p>\n
\nAboud hoisted Z to his feet. \u201cTime to move out.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nDespite the panic that fueled his mad dash through the grass field, through the smoldering black burn area, and back into the grass, the magnitude of what they had discovered filled Josh\u2019s thoughts. A symbiotic intelligence crossing plant and animal life. Were there other distinct intelligences on the planet, perhaps separated by rivers? Or was this an organism unique in the universe?\n<\/p>\n
\nIn the flat terrain, the station\u2019s curved structure came into view before they were even halfway back. It floated there on the horizon, tantalizing, taunting, as Josh\u2019s chest began to burn with exertion. He spared a moment to appreciate Aboud\u2019s fitness–other than a sheen of perspiration on her forehead, she hardly seemed to be working, and she was half-carrying Z. Z, on the other hand, did not look so good–pale and drenched in sweat.\n<\/p>\n
\nWhen finally, finally, Josh burst out of the grass into the cleared space in front of the main airlock portal, he toggled his radio. \u201cPerky, open the door!\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWait!\u201d Aboud commanded. \u201cAbove you.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nJosh skidded to a stop. He had been so focused on the door that he hadn\u2019t even noticed the hopper perched on the roof above it. The creature leapt–straight at Josh\u2019s head–talons flashing. Josh raised his arms–shut his eyes.\n<\/p>\n
\nBLAM-BLAM-BLAM.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe alien slammed into him, knocking him back into the grass.\n<\/p>\n
\nHe opened his eyes. The hopper was laying on his chest, staring at him with a glassy, dead gaze, leaking blood from three precise shots clustered in its forehead. Feeling a wave of panic, Josh shoved the body off and scrambled to his feet.\n<\/p>\n
\nHe turned to Aboud, her rifle held casually at hip level. \u201cThank–\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nThe other hoppers pounced. There were five of them. Three took Aboud down, two took out Z.\n<\/p>\n
\nJosh stumbled back, up against the door. Fumbled his pistol from its holster.\n<\/p>\n
\nAnd fell backwards as the door slid open, a jolt of pain shooting up through his spine as he sat down hard on the steel floor.\n<\/p>\n
\nPerky stepped forward, assault rifle spitting fire as he picked off the aliens one by one.\n<\/p>\n
\nSylvia scrambled past, grabbed Aboud and Z by their collars, one with each hand, and dragged them inside. When she got them past the threshold, Perky stepped back and closed the door.\n<\/p>\n
\nBut Josh did not have to wait for Sylvia to confirm that her efforts had been in vain. Aboud and Z were shredded.\n<\/p>\n
\nSylvia sat back against the wall, her bloody hands resting on the airlock floor, palms up, and said the obvious: \u201cThey\u2019re gone.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhat do we do now?\u201d Josh asked. He felt numb. Maybe even going into shock.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe get off this damned planet,\u201d Perky said. \u201cThis mission is FUBAR.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHow? The shuttle pad is a good half kilometer from the station.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI got inspired by the Sarge,\u201d Perky said. \u201cWas working up a distraction. Didn\u2019t get it done in time to help the others, but we can use it now. Follow me.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nJosh and Sylvia followed Perky to the motor pool. He\u2019d rigged up the buggy with a fuel canister on back. \u201cI programmed it to drive in a straight line away from the station. We pierce the canister so it leaves a trail of fuel and ignite it once the buggy\u2019s far enough away.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThat\u2019s going to create a huge fire,\u201d Josh said.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThat\u2019s the point.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe hoppers might not be able to contain it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cSo what? While they\u2019re trying, we can get to the shuttle.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIf you burn a significant portion of the grass, it could be like causing brain damage to the organism.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nPerky spun on him, angry. \u201cThe organism? You mean the organism that killed Aboud, and S, and Z, and, oh yeah, the entire original crew of this station? The organism that\u2019s trying to kill us?\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIt could be the only one of its kind in the universe!\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cYou said that it\u2019s intelligent. That means it chose to be hostile. It started this, not us.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe came here, dug up grass, built an outpost in its brain. Maybe it was just defending itself.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWell, my rules of engagement authorize me to use lethal force to defend myself, too. I intend to get out of this alive, and to get both of you out alive as well, while I\u2019m at it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cUm,\u201d Sylvia said, her voice high and thin. \u201cWhat about the station? The fire could burn it down.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cUnlikely,\u201d Perky replied. \u201cThat dry grass burns fast, and the station is heat resistant. Now, you two get back behind the door.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nJosh stood where he was, furiously trying to come up with an argument that might convince Perkins not to do this, an argument that would make him see the magnitude of what they\u2019d discovered on Trappist-1d.\n<\/p>\n
\nAnd then Sylvia took his arm. \u201cCome on, Josh.\u201d The fight went out of him. He was exhausted. He allowed her to lead him back into the airlock that separated the motor pool from the rest of the station.\n<\/p>\n
\nThey watched through the acrylic window set into the airlock door as Perky used his left hand to toggle the button that opened the exterior door. Perky\u2019s right hand held an assault rifle aimed outward in case any of the aliens were waiting. The exterior door slid up with a low rumble. Outside, only the endless sea of grass was visible, the stalks near the motor pool crushed down from previous excursions.\n<\/p>\n
\nPerky pulled out his knife and stabbed it into the fuel canister. Thick, pink liquid oozed out around the blade. Perky stepped up to the cockpit and pressed a button. The electric buggy leapt forward. Perky grabbed the handle of the knife as the buggy passed by, pulling the blade free from the canister in a smooth motion. Now the pink liquid gurgled out in a visible trail as the buggy bounced off into the grass.\n<\/p>\n
\nPerky retrieved a flare and struck it to life. He held it out, watching the buggy, waiting for the vehicle to get a significant distance from the station.\n<\/p>\n
\nAnd then a metallic thud reverberated through the motor pool. Perky spun to his left, in the direction of the sound. \u201cNo,\u201d Josh murmured. Hadn\u2019t Perky been paying attention? Hadn\u2019t he learned how these things operate?\n<\/p>\n
\nSylvia let out a cry as three hoppers pounced on Perky from the right. One went straight for the flare, seizing it in its jaw. The flare burned the creature, eliciting a low wail, but the alien bounded deep into the motor pool before dropping the flare to the concrete floor where it sputtered harmlessly.\n<\/p>\n
\nMeanwhile, the other two hoppers tore Perky to pieces.\n<\/p>\n
\nJosh grabbed Sylvia and pulled her back into the station.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cMaybe we can find another way to light it,\u201d she stammered. \u201cThe fuel\u2019s still there. If we wait for them to leave, if we\u2019re quick\u2026\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cNo,\u201d Josh said. \u201cAboud, Perky, they were soldiers. The only way they know to solve problems is killing. But this organism is too important to kill. In the greater scheme of things, it\u2019s far more important than the lives of a few explorers. Far more important than us.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nSylvia looked at him, eyes wide. She was trembling. \u201cI don\u2019t want to die, Josh.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cMe either. We tried solving the problem Aboud\u2019s way. Now we\u2019re going to try mine.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nIt didn\u2019t take him long to gather the few items he needed. He stepped out of the main airlock and set the open canister of water on the ground next to him. Sylvia was pressed close behind. \u201cAre you sure this will work?\u201d she whispered.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cNo. But I\u2019m sure it\u2019s our best option.\u201d He struck the flare to life, held it aloft. He couldn\u2019t see any hoppers, but he was pretty sure they were watching.\n<\/p>\n
\nThen he dropped the flare into the water. It hissed and fizzled out in a hot cloud of steam and smoke.\n<\/p>\n
\nHe held up his pistol. Then he tossed it away to his left.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe grass rustled. Several hoppers peered out from the edge of the grass field six meters away. Josh counted five aliens\u2026 no seven. Had Trappist-1d not understood his message? Or was it just taking time to process? The plant brain was undoubtedly much slower than a human brain. Chemicals floating through the air would take several seconds to reach the receptors on the nearest stalk of grass as opposed to the lightning fast speeds with which neurotransmitters traveled the microscopic distance between human neurons.\n<\/p>\n
\nIn perfect unison, the hoppers bounded forward, covering a third of the distance in a leap, yellow dust puffing up around them.\n<\/p>\n
\nSylvia screamed. Clutched Josh\u2019s hand, as the hopper\u2019s leapt again–\n<\/p>\n
\nAnd the aliens skidded to a stop, just a couple feet away.\n<\/p>\n
\nThey milled about in what appeared to be mild confusion. (Don\u2019t anthropomorphize<\/em>, Josh reminded himself.) One of them edged forward, sniffing at Josh and Sylvia\u2019s joined hands. Josh held his breath. A breeze blew a haze of yellow dust across the clearing.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cJosh?\u201d Sylvia whispered.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cI think it\u2019s thinking.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nThe pause was excruciating.\n<\/p>\n \nAnd then the hoppers turned in unison and bounded back into the grass.\n<\/p>\n \nJosh looked at Sylvia. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d she asked.\n<\/p>\n \nHe raised their joined hands to eye level. \u201cI guess it decided we were intelligent, too.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nSylvia let out a shuddering sigh. They walked forward, into the grass, toward the shuttle pad, holding hands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cThey\u2019re intelligent.\u201d Josh Thompson leaned forward, both hands on the console. His legs were trembling. This changed the scope of the mission entirely. In four decades of interstellar travel, humans had only discovered two alien species that were considered potentially intelligent. Sergeant Aboud raised one of her precisely sculpted eyebrows. \u201cAre you sure? This one …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106903,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,19981],"tags":[19982],"class_list":["post-137746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","category-tcl-34-winter-2020","tag-the-colored-lens-34-winter-2020","entry entry-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/106903"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=137746"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137746\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":137747,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137746\/revisions\/137747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=137746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=137746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=137746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}