Crucible of a Species (51 page)

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Major Rodger Puller, MISSION LOG ENTRY;

Day three, 06:40 hours local. The Argos crew remained in camp for two days following the Troodon attack. We’ve seen at least twelve of the animals since then but only from a distance. Their distinctive yodels can be heard singing through the high plains at nightfall, the area must be part of their hunting grounds. No direct contact since our initial encounter.

There are eight Hypsilophodonts on the station plus about seventeen chicks. The people call them “Hypes” and it appears they like to mimic everything from your actions to sounds. The Hypes freely intermix with the company, the youngsters being the most aggressive but they aren’t dangerous. Quite the contrary, the young ones are highly demanding of food and attention. Many in the company draw a parallel and treat them like big dogs rather than dinosaurs. The youngsters can be very playful and inquisitive, like having a big puppy with hands.’

Another concern has risen. Many of the company have taken to having the Hypes accompany them on their rounds. Apparently, it started the first night when a hype alerted Specialist Molly Pasteur during her watch on the north wall and foiled an incursion by the Troodons. Now they roam freely in all sections of the camp and I don’t see any problems particularly since there are only about a half-dozen of them around. Still, we don’t really know much about the animals so I asked Doctor Sara Wenford to learn more about with them in her spare time.

The soil is nutrient rich across the plateau. Food crops should grow well. We plan construction of a solid SilFuse Wall around the growing area to protect it from the Hypes and many other small animals on the plateau.

The work on a permanent base continues without incident. We completed the SilFuser pads for landing this afternoon. Three of the new residences now have two floors setup. Tomorrow we’ll put in the external storage and support areas so that ship offloading can begin. We anticipate the Endeavor’s landing on the following day.

There have been no large animal sightings near the station. Sentries spotted two dozen of the large duck billed dinosaurs on the flood plains up the river valley. A herd of forty or more Alamosauruses, per Dr. Wenford, was spotted on the high plain south of the river. They were enormous with long necks and tails. I would have called them Brontosaurs but Dr. Wenford tells me there is no such animal.
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Terrence Zavecz is an avid Sci-Fi enthusiast and student of History. Sci-Fi was the seed that germinated into his professional career in the sciences and drives his love for the cultures of the world. He has written non-fiction for more than forty years and more than a few ‘fictional’ market proposals and grant submissions.

Terrence Edward Zavecz graduated from Lehigh University with a BS in Engineering Physics.

He holds an MS in Metallurgy and an MS in Materials from the Princeton-Lehigh Masters Program of AT&T

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