Hive Mind

BookKnight

BookKnight

Well-Known Member
Captain Muir crossed his lower pair of arms while his upper pair leaned on the command console. His ears twitched slightly as they listened beyond the ever-present buzz of electricity through the wires and circuits to the whispers of the crewmen behind him. He straightened, rolling his powerful shoulders as he did so. They had their orders. Time to carry them out. He turned, his blue-grey furred tail whipping once in agitation. "Gentlemen, we are to head to sector 55-34-97 and retrieve the citizens of the planetary colony, Therrush 7," he stated despite the fact that everyone on the bridge likely heard the radio transmission. It was only polite to pretend you hadn't until told officially. "It seems the mining vein they found there turns toxic when removed from their exact atmosphere. Scientists have determined that the costs of attempting to replicate said atmosphere even for transport to be too prohibitive to continue the operation. Therefore, it is to be shut down and the workers and their families extracted. Set a course for sector 55-34-97 and alert the crew. We should reach Therrush 7 in four cycles. We need the cargo bay cleared and temporary housing set up for fifty-seven civilians."

Announcement made, he turned and stalked toward his usual spot at the observation window. Some captains refused to leave their post at the command console, but he preferred to watch the dark skies with their brilliant pinpricks of light. His paws made no sound as they stepped on the metallic floor, finding purchase in the decorative yet functional swirls of texture built into the flooring. He stood before the rounded window, all four hands clasped behind his back, his tail twitching slightly. He didn't like the sounds of this assignment. The communications officer was too quick to move on from the whole "toxic" problem. It felt off, but he couldn't put his finger on why.

~~~~


"Okay, everything looks balanced, we're at a good level for liquidation, and the hydroponics are doing great," Gillian read off her tablet. She trotted over to the wall of readouts and scanned over them, blinking her large, black eyes at all the lights. The dim lighting in the room made the small lights glow brighter. "We should do a full physical inspection of everything over the next few rounds."

Uuril let out a burble of annoyance that the translator speakers on the side of his tank could not translate. "Physical takes time. Why don't you trust the computers?"

"Because computers only know what they are told, and if the sensors go bad, then they tell us false data," Gillian replied, She turned and trotted closer to Uuril's tank. "We'll do them one at a time and start with the food supplies those are the most import- AH!" She nearly jumped out of her suit as a warm, wet, spongey sensation splatted against her lower leg where her pants ended and her feet sheaths began. "Glumperg! Stop licking me!"

The massive, eel-like body flopped to one side so a flat-faced head could turn up toward her. A pink tongue jutted out briefly. Then it turned and loudly sloshed its wet way back toward the ramp leading into Uuril's tank. Each of its six clawed and webbed feet left splashes of water on the floor, and its long, oar-shaped tail swept the mess farther.

Gillian huffed wetly and moved over to hit the maintenance button. Somebody had to clean up this wet mess, and she didn't even know where the cleaning supplies were. "How are you so incredibly loud unless I am not paying attention?"

Uuril burbled in amusement, his tentacles waving. "All the better to taste you!"

"One of these days, that thing is going to take it too far, and then I shall enjoy eating him," Gillian warned, but she and Uuril both knew the threat was empty. Mostly empty.
 
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"This un-message is of concern, Captain." Xial had not said message because she was very precise about such things. The message itself had been very standard. It was the information that was not in the message that she expected to be problematic. There were many things which had not been conveyed in sufficient detail, which her experience led her to believe implied omission. Imprecise communication was unfortunate; omission was unlikable.

She had spoken quietly, for his sensitive ears alone. Xial was practiced at modulating the volume of this body. She liked the four arms that Captain Muir had on his. The extra appendages seemed advantageous at times. She was considering something similar when the time came for her next body. It would not be too similar, because that was not polite. It was generally considered best practice not to craft a body too close to that of any of the known sentient species, especially after the war. Captain Muir was not old enough to remember the war, but some species were.

Her current body was crafted much in the vein of the tiny scavengers that appeared on most ships. Xial had added a few enhancements, like a tail for stability and short fur in a pale silver that complimented her neuro-lattice, but it was acceptable to imitate nonsentient species.

"Is it probable that we have more information before we arrive?"



Oh! Oh! The maintenance light was flashing! There was something to be done! Shaharrash checked the location beacon and noted that it was very close to his location, and that no one had accepted the task yet. Fortunate tides! He keyed in the response that he was on his way and checked the supplies in his cart, exiting the waiting room and proceeding down the hallway towards the laboratory. He liked being stationed near the laboratory, because that meant that he was near one of the places that often made requests. The kitchens were also excellent! The living quarters were not very good, because there were not many requests there. Many people were happy to trade with him for the laboratory, though, which he thought was very kind and considerate. The universe was full of many kind people!

He pulled the cart along with two of his upper arms, his lower radial arms making their way along the floor. He was not very fast at moving like some of the other species, but he was very diligent and very thorough. The cart made small sounds as he pulled it along behind him, like it was a little land creature. The sounds came from the wheels! Wheels were very strange and useful on hard surfaces but not in sand or sea. There were many things to learn about wheels!

The laboratories were also full of learning. Many people studied many things there! Shaharrash did not understand many of the things that they were studying, but he was very happy for them that they were so busy. The door to the assigned laboratory opened up, and he pulled the cart in along after him.

"Hello! You are maintenance requesting! I am maintenance! Oh! It is soggy and terrestrial species do not prefer soggy surfaces as they are not properly adapted for purchase! I am mop!"
 
"I agree," Muir said, his whiskers bristling briefly. He twitched his lips and consciously made them relax. This was so annoying! Why could they not just say what the problem was? Did they hope that no one would notice or that nothing would happen? Something always happened. He tried not to be superstitious, but it seemed like the more warnings they had, the less trouble they ran into. The less warning they had, the more trouble they ran into. He moved his top arms to cross his chest, leaving the bottom two behind his back, his greyish-blue fur standing out against the stark black of his uniform. His formal uniforms had sleeves, but his standard uniforms did not. It was far more comfortable that way. He let out a sigh that came out as a subtle growl. As much as he loved this job, he could also see why captains tended to retire after a relatively short time compared to many other ranks. The stress was killer!

"I will contact Command again to see if I cannot get more information as we get closer. Perhaps it really is nothing, but I would bet my stripes that there is something they are not telling us. Is there any kind of information about Therrush 7 you can find in the archives? Perhaps we can find some clues in their history. Orders are orders, and I will not shirk my duty to extract these civilians, but I would like to know what I am getting into before I end up with my tail caught in the door."

~~~~~

Gillian's neck frills fluttered in surprise. She had not expected another aquatic race to come to her cleaning aid, but then she was not often in the electronic monitoring room (often called EMR room, to her annoyance, as that would mean "electronic monitoring room" room, but she supposed such redundant acronym syndrome syndrome phenomenon were only to be expected and accepted.) "Greetings. I am Cheif Engineer Gillian. I do not mind the water much, but the panels," she gestured to the walls, "and other terrestrial crew do not function well with standing water. Please, do clean."

She stepped back into the corner to give him room to work. Uuril peered around his translucent screens to watch as well, his head fins waving slightly to keep him steady. The cause of the mess, Glumperg, lounged on the edge of the tank as if deciding whether he wanted to go in the water or not.
 
"I will look through the archives for potential information on the history and doors of Therrush 7." Xial had not previously considered the doors to be a likely cause of concern. The Captain had expressed otherwise, which made it her task to confirm.

Perhaps he was being metaphorical again. This was also a potential outcome of this conversation. On analysis, she determined the likelihood of the statement on doors to be metaphorical as above standardized probability. Xial would research the subject regardless, because probability was indicative but it was not predictive.

"Fifty-seven additional individuals will require additional resources. Has command indicated which resources are required most heavily by the individuals we are to extract?"



"Hello!! You are Chief Engineer Gillian!" Shaharrash repeated the information in acknowledgement. He was very pleased that the engineer was not concerned with being wet. Some of the terrestrial species had very strong preferences about when and how they interacted with fluids. He would not be concerned with the chief engineer. Shaharrash looked around the room and decided that it seemed like most of the people here were not very likely to be concerned about the fluids on the floor, and so he could clean the panels first and leave the floor for later.

He removed a sign from his cart which had the standardized icon for 'The wet is floor!' on it and set it in the center of the soggiest place, then retrieved some not soggy cleaning cloths and began delicately wiping down the instrument panels.

"I am name Shaharrash," he added, after a moment, recalling that this was generally polite when other people introduced themselves with sounds. It was one of the many sounds of the waves on the sand, which were very popular names among his people. Many other people could not tell the sounds apart, which was not because they were inadequate but because they lacked experience and had probably not spent very much time on the beach. This was happy for them! It meant they had new things available to learn! Three of his upper arms had combined to make the sign for his name, but most people did not understand his people's signs-language. It was very difficult for others to learn, because most races did not have enough appendages.
 
Captain Muir glanced at Xial, and his ear twitched slightly in amusement. He considered the pros and cons of correcting her assumption before saying, "Apologies, Xial. The door is metaphorical. It is a saying among my people that means we want to be careful or else we might get hurt in a surprising way and in a surprising place. It might be a literal door shutting on your tail, or it might be another possibly preventable accident. Therefore, we want to look into things so that even if we cannot prevent something, we can at least prepare for it."

He rustled his whiskers again in thought as he looked out at the dim lights around them. Space was far less bright and shining when you were in it than when you looked at it from the surface of a planet. Even so, there was still the twinkle of lights and the distant shapes of stars and planets. Sometimes, he wished it did twinkle like from a planetary surface.

"What is your opinion of this mission, Xial?" he asked at last, wanting the unfiltered opinion of his first mate.

~~~~~~

Gillian recognized the sign language for what it was, but she was not familiar enough to know what it meant. She could recognize a few different signs, but not enough to do much more than to ask "which way" when lost. She frilled her neck gills politely and let them relax. "Thank you for your thorough work, Shaharrash. Is this your first mission out?"

He looked so enthusiastic and positively excited that she couldn't imagine that he had been traveling long. Many people were excited on their first mission, but even the most passionate crewman tempered in time when the constant close confines and the repetitious routines set in. Space was amazing! But it was still a job to be done. This fellow was excited about cleaning a spill.
 
"I appreciate the correction. I am not proficient at interpreting metaphors." The Lattice-Below was very literal, and its shards were of the same mind. The correction lowered the probability of door-related incidents, though did not rule them out entirely.

"My opinion of this mission is that someone has more information and has not given it to us," Xial answered the question asked of her. "This provokes two different series of thoughts. The first, as noted, is to wonder what the information is. The second is to wonder who is hiding it, and why." She folded her hands behind her in a gesture that imitated his own, because it was one that he would understand and interpret without difficulty.

"I think the first problem will be more challenging in the short-term, but the second issue has farther reaching consequences, over time."



"You are become welcome! Yes, yes - I am first mission - in space! Space is very exciting. There are many things to learn and study and tidy and clean. I am respect for I am work! I wish I am many tides in space. Perhaps even meet efficient person from another sea!"

Shaharrash knew that he was not the only one of his people to have gone to space, after all. He might meet someone else out here, and perhaps they would find a nice tide somewhere and have many many small peoples! He would like that very much, but not yet. There were so many things to learn first!
 
The captain gave a soft rumble of affirmation. Xial was of the same mind he was, but that led him to play devil's advocate just to be safe. "It may be possible that they do not know anything further information. It may be possible that I am overreacting and behaving in a paranoid manner." His tail flicked in a way that said he was not convinced of his own words. "Whatever the case may be, I want you to find any information you can on our way. I believe it is better to be overly cautious when lives are on the line."

He turned to look back at the bridge. "From what I was told over the transmission, this is a group of Grinders, stone people. We will need to focus on providing them with meals with high mineral content, and while there will not be many of them, they will increase our weight. We will need to keep that in mind should we fall into any gravitational pulls."

~~~~~~

Gillian had to force herself not to blink - a defense response for her people as the "eyelid" was a thin, opaque membrane meant to protect the optic orb - at the sheer strength of this one's enthusiasm. The sheer passion and drive were intense! She wasn't sure she could take this too often. Hopefully, this one was not stationed too near here. Not that she disliked him. No, he was a fine fellow! Her social battery was just small.

"I am pleased to hear you are so enthusiastic about travel," she offered. "You are, indeed, very efficient in your work."

Uuril burbled something, and after a split second delay, the translator on the side of his tank said, "Those of us with many arms must be efficient. Why else would we have so many?" He waved his tentacles in the water happily.

Glumperg, unnoticed by Gillian, had been watching this newcomer. He turned his body and had been very, very slowly edging back down the ramp. He'd reached the bottom of the ramp and was making his way toward Shaharrash's legs.
 
"It is possible, Captain," Xial agreed. She took a moment to analyze the situation. "I would place the probability one standard deviation below fifty percent. You are not prone to paranoia. Also, while it is possible that we have been told everything that our contacts know, it is also possible that there is much that they do not know."

She ran lists through her neuro-lattice, computing storage and rations. "Current stores will allow for comfortable apportionment for twenty-six cycles, or rationed for up to sixty-five at the extreme end. This will cause interpersonal issues and is not recommended. If we are not able to find a suitable relocation space within thirty-two cycles, we should consider stopping for additional stores. Also, we should allot extra transportation time if at all possible, as the Grinder individual mass collation will stress the transports, and additional ferrying trips will cause less acerbation of transport systems overall."

Additional trips would also stress the systems, but the mathematical curves were optimized with more trips than less. "Six to eight passengers per transport is ideal based on weight projections."



Shaharrash was compliment! Fortunate tides! There was another person in the tank, also an engineer? He added a comment that was translated a moment later. Shaharrash thought his language sounded very nice on its own, like the bubbles in a deep sea vent. Pleasant!

"I am many arms!" he agreed, happy to be understood. Perhaps he would have said more, but he was being approached! "Oh! Additional dampness is the floor!"
 
Muir grunted in agreement. After a moment of thought, he said to Xial, "I want you to focus on discovering everything you can about this planet, what they were doing there, and about this resource they were digging up out of the ground. I want every piece of information you can find about it. Meanwhile, I will speak with the crew about setting up the quarters for the Ginders. We have carried many refugees before, but never Ginders. I will then speak with the navigator about finding us the best route to Xeno-3 where I was told we are to transport the Grinders. Any questions?"

~~~~~~

"That is Glumperg," Gillian said. "Uuril, I thought he was in the tank with you." She stepped forward and tried to shoo the heavy creature back toward the ramp. "Go back to the tank. Shaharrash is not for licking."

Glumperg angled his head slightly, clearly looking at her, but he settled his heavy body down and refused to be moved. THis was a new person, and he needed to be inspected.

Gillian glared at him, though thanks to her facial structure it was hard to tell that was what she was doing. "Glumperg, if you do not behave, I will seal off this room so you can only look at it and not enter."

It was debatable how intelligent Glumperg actually was. Their sheer stubbornness made his species difficult to test by the usual methods. Gillian's tone, however, did seem to warn him, and he slowly turned and began moving back to the ramp, moving one reluctant leg at a time.
 
"I understand, Captain. I have no questions at this time. I have one request." A request was not the same as a question. Xial preferred to be specific. "I would like to go down with one of the transports on Therrush 7."

This request was not likely to be unexpected. Xial tried to step down on as many of the planets they visited as possible. None of the worlds so far had been like her mother-world, but there might be one somewhere. If there was such a place, Xial was uncertain that organic species could properly identify it. Some organic species were very intelligent, but they did not always seek the same things. Xial's mother-world was the only one like it that their people had discovered so far, but they would always look, just in case there were sister-worlds.

"I understand that this would be a secondary concern, and that prioritization must go to evacuation."

====

Oh, so this was Glumperg! Shaharrash had not met Glumperg, but he was very delighted to be introduced and not licked? Shaharrash was not entirely certain whether or not licking was part of the necessary qualifications. Chief Engineer Gillain spoke to Glumperg in a very commanding tone. How impressive! The creature was listen!

The Glumperg did not seem to like to be listen. Shaharrash watched it move very slowly. It was a different sort of slowly than before. Before had been stealth-slowly! This was the slowness of abandoning something desired. Shaharrash finished wiping down a panel and moved on to another one that was closer to Glumperg, carefully extending one of his lower arms in the creature's direction.

"It is fine if I am lick! I am not mind damp! Also, I am regenerate arm if needed. Prefer not! Feels very bad! Also, it is a long slow time to regrow, but I have many arms and can continue to work!"
 
"You may go," came Muir's usual answer, "directly after we have ascertained the danger level of the planet, particularly in regards to your species. As long as the evacuation is going smoothly and there is no apparent danger, you have permission to visit planetside. We'll send one or two transports to investigate, and then, providing everything is going well, you may go down."

He was, indeed, well used to Xial's request, and he had granted it all but two times. One when the planet itself was deemed highly unsafe for those of Xial's species, and once when the people were embroiled in some sort of warfare with the natives. No one had realized there were natives on that particular planet until too late, and then their risky task was to try to get the colonists out with the least amount of damage possible. They had, sadly, lost two crewmen on that mission. Xial's request had been the farthest thing from his mind at that time. There had been many missions since then, though, and he had been able to grant permission every time. He preferred being able to say yes. It meant things were peaceful.


~~~


Gillian watched with some concern as Shaharrash offered one of his lower appendages. "I am not certain that is a good idea," she warned. "Even if you can regenerate, which is a handy skill to have."

Uuril burbled, and the translator said, "Oh, let him experiment. He needs to learn through experience, and Glumperg is an experience!"

Gillian gave Uuril a suspicious look. "You are too eager."

Glumperg, for his part, stopped to give Shaharrash a good, long look. His flat, flabby face trembled as he sniffed and considered. He was not used to people offering themselves up to be licked and possibly eaten. Was this some sort of trap? Possibly. Worse, it could be an offer of friendship. A thick, fat tongue jutted out and licked thin lips before he turned and continued his way upward. Glumperg did not take handouts! He had some pride!
 
"Yes, Captain." Security procedures were important. Information was also important, but it became difficult to pass along information during insecure situations. Further difficulties happened if one was killed. Captain Muir tried to balance security and desire as much as he could. Xial would have selected more towards the side of security, but it did not make sense to argue against oneself. This did not mean that she would not do it, if she deemed the situation more unstable than she had initially assessed.

"Do you have any additional immediate requests, or should I begin research?" They had four cycles to complete any research, but ship duties took precedence. Most of Xial's ship duties involved supervising crew and acting on the captain's behalf. It was not always necessary that they both be present on the bridge, although for important communications they attempted to be so, as multiple interpretations of those communications were beneficial.

In this particular case, Xial and Captain Muir were both concerned. Given their differences in background, this made it more likely that there was something to be concerned about.



Shaharrash was not licked. He had been uncertain if he wanted to be licked, but on not being licked, he was also somewhat disappointed that he had not been. This was very strange! Shaharrash reveled in the novelty of the experience for a moment, then cheerfully went back to cleaning panels as Glumperg went back towards his tank.

"I am having many experiences!" Shaharrash stated. "I am happy that I am not food. I do not wish to be eaten, but I do wish to learn many things. Sometimes being eaten is how we learn! Otherwise we would not grow back our arms. It is not a good experience, but this is how we learn not to do it again!"
 
"You are dismissed to begin your work," Muir told her. His tail flicked slightly and he turned one ear toward another conversation. "Let me know what you find out."

He turned and walked over toward another pair of crewmen to see what they were discussing. It sounded as though they had found an asteroid field. He spoke with them briefly and found that the field in question was nowhere near their charted course. The navigator assured him of this when he went to check the charts, and then he turned to the ever-thrilling job of reading over the daily reports from every sector on the ship from engineering to kitchen to cleaning. It was a dull but necessary job, so he settled down in his favorite chair and started trolling through them one digital page at a time.

~~

"That is one way to look at it," Gillian said, not sure what to say about that. This fellow was disturbingly okay with being eaten. She turned back to her work and continued scanning over the readouts. "Uuril, make a note. We need to check with the gardeners about the solution levels in tanks twenty-three and forty-five. They are reading low."

Uuril burbled his agreement and tapped on the screens. "Engine four is due for maintenance."

"Ah, yes, we must do that," she agreed, making a note on her tablet.
 
Xial enjoyed reference research. It was a matter of looking through many records and collating the information they contained. Some considered it tedious, but Xial had always liked the precision of it. Most information was designed to be accessible and straightforward. Ambiguity was discouraged. As someone who struggled with metaphor, reading reports was often simpler than talking to people.

She pulled up what was available on the Therrash system, especially Therrash 7. There were initial surveys from before the colony was settled - atmospheric, botanical, geographical. The tectonic maps were pleasing. Xial didn't know what to look for, but this was not an issue. All information had value. She scanned through some documents, considering how things might fit together, and then set them aside for a moment to pull up information on the colonists, instead.

The Grinders in question had failed to settle one other world before this one. Given their standardized lifespan, it was likely that only the oldest among them would have been alive at that time. Xial located personnel records - two people from the previous colonization attempt were on this one as well. The previous world was Extios 9, a slightly more temperate world, though with less volcanic activity than was reported on Therrash 7. It was probable that the second colony had been looking for additional volcanic activity due to the mineral deposits, although extensive tectonic activity could be dangerous, even for Grinders.

She looked back to the first map, tracing fault lines and wondering how much things had moved since the initial survey, and in which directions. Perhaps it meant something. She made a note, and continued additional research.

====

The situation was returned to normal! At least, that was what Shaharrash assumed, because the engineers were now talking about engineering things and not Glumperg-things. Shaharrash did not understand engineering things because he was not an engineer, but he did not mind this. People became joyful when they talked about their work, and he liked to be around joyful people.

He finished his careful drying of the panels, then moved the sign on the floor slightly, retrieving a mop and beginning to soak up the dampness.

"I am please excuse! Is additional maintenance required also?"
 
Sometime later, Muir set aside the two tablets he was holding and stood with a mighty stretch. That was enough of that! He still had a few to go, but he couldn't bring himself to scan even one more page. Surely the reports could wait a little longer. Any emergencies would be brought to him directly, after all. He twisted the kind from his spine and strode over to Xial's space to see how she was getting on. He did not interrupt her at first, instead watching her work for a bit. He made a note that he needed to make a ship-wide announcement about their next destination once he finished speaking with Xial.

"Have you found anything that would be useful to our mission?" he asked at last.

~~~~~

Gillian pulled her attention away from the readouts and looked over Shaharrash's work. "No, I don't think so," she said. "You did a really good job. Hopefully, your work will stay good for some time." She gave Glomperg a significant look, but the creature was sleeping at the bottom of Uuril's tank, occasionally releasing little bubbles. "I commend you on your fast and thorough work."

Uuril moved from behind his screens and approached the glass. "We need to go to bay three to check the contacts there," he reminded her.

Gillian gave him a nod. "I will meet you there."

Uuirl gathered up his portable computer and swam away, using the water-filled transport tubes to travel a few rooms over to their next task.
 
"I will not be certain until we have completed it," Xial stated, factually. Her tendency towards strict interpretation increased when she was distracted. It was less based on the distractions themselves and more based on the fact that she was not devoting her entire attention towards the conversation and its various potential meanings.

She did realize, after a moment, that this answer was not adequate. "I have found some things that may be potentially useful." Xial shifted her body, making room so that he could see the screens she was studying. "I would recommend scanning the tectonics before we send our ships down. It is possible that activity there might be partially responsible. There is also some overlap between this colony and a previous failed colony. That could be related to interpersonal reasons for colony failure. I cannot ascertain whether one of these is more likely, or some combination, or something else, but these are the areas of concern I have noted so far. I will continue research until we arrive."

====

"I am welcome you!" Shaharrash carefully put away his cleaning supplies in their cart, "Please enjoy your work!" He checked the area one more time to make sure that he had not left anything behind or missed something, and then carefully began wheeling his cart back out of the room as the engineers continued on their way. Perhaps there would be another request very soon!

Today was a day of busyness and joy!
 
Muir's whiskers flared in thought as he read over Xial's shoulder briefly. "Hmm. Your advice is wise," he conceded. "I will speak with our landing crew and have the lieutenant scan the area. I will have the communications officer put in a call to check with the survey team of Therrush 7 to see if they can forward the geological surveys of the planet. They will be somewhat outdated depending on what changes the colonists made on the surface, but tectonic plates do not move that much. I will see if anyone can give me any information about the interpersonal relations, as well, but I doubt that will be entirely accurate. Still, it is worth a try. If there are problems between the Grinder colony, I would prefer to know about it in advance rather than after a fight breaks out on my ship."
 
"It is possible that none of this is related." Xial was aware that information did not always provide answers. Observation was not correlation; correlation was not causation. They would not have the answer until after they had retrieved the colonists, and possibly not until quite some time after that. Having information might not have allowed them to see what had happened, but it did give them a list of possibilities that they might not otherwise have had access to.

"Captain, you mentioned you were bothered by the initial message. What about it did you find disconcerting?"
 
Muir considered his answer carefully before answering Xial. He was not entirely certain what sat wrong with him about that message, but "my gut says it is wrong" was not exactly the best of arguments. At the same time, he knew better than to dismiss a gut feeling. Intuition often sounded like baseless superstition, but he had learned that it was, in fact, the body's method of trying to convey a problem it had picked up in microscopic detail that the more advanced brain hadn't noticed. A strange smell, a certain tone, a facial tell, or even a series of events that mimicked a past experience without him realizing it. Intuition could sometimes be wrong, but more often than not, it meant something, and it was always better to play the safe game.

"It was a small thing, but the communication officer moved on from the subject of the toxic environment far too quickly for my liking," he finally admitted. "There are many reasons why that may be, but my gut says there may be more to it. My fear is that whatever this toxin may be, it will somehow find a way to harm us. It does not make sense entirely, but I do not want to dismiss the idea too quickly."
 
"I will look further into toxicity reports," Xial determined, "Although for previously unencountered toxins, reports are often inconclusive." There were many colonies that had failed because something had not been known to be a problem. Sometimes initial exposure to a substance failed to create any concerns, but ongoing exposure could result in situations deemed unfortunate.

Xial had always considered this aspect to be particularly interesting. There were many among the sentient races that considered her to be a toxin. Exposure to her people had been one of the factors in The War. She always wondered if there were other 'toxins' that could think for themselves. Perhaps they would find something of interest to her people on this world, after all.

"It may be intelligent to sequester the new colonists away from our current personnel until cross-contamination potential can be established."
 
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