It was hot and all around the colonists the alien jungle towered. The rough grained earth was dotted with great trees of a type unknown. Brown or yellow/green trunks gave way to huge leaves which stuck straight up over a hundred feet into the air. Alice picked herself up and shaking herself together went into action. There were a lot of people here. How many? She saw security officer Emiliana and called her over.
"Down and safe!" the flustered young woman reported, saluting like an idiot.
"At ease, officer." Alice sighed. This was rough. Suddenly plunged into an alien enviroment on little notice with who knew how many dependants. She wanted to be somewhere else, home would be nice,but responsibility was hers because she was cursed with being good at this sort of thing. She wondered where Conrad was.
"Emiliana, I need to know how many of us are in this group, and a full recon of the local area and a danger assessment and I need it very very soon."
"Yes, Miss." The young officer rushed off looking for suitable people to help. This was the Alieth way. They had no word for delagation as to them everything simply fell into patterns of people telling the people who could best help about how they could help, and as nobody ever refused things just fell into place.
Alice saw Eszti over behind a group of panicky girls and behind the stalk of one of the alien trees, scratching under her crapace with her hind leg. "Eszti!"
"AAARRGGHH!!!"
"Sorry. 'bit disoriented. Okay now, promise."
"It's okay. We're all a bit unnerved. But you have a special skill I need!" Alice looked hard at the young woman. The young woman flinched.
"Eh?"
"You, Eszti, are funny and likeable and there are a lot of scared people here. I hereby appoint you Morale Officer of Enlightenment!"
"Eh?"
"I'm serious. However you aren't and we need that. They all need it. Look around. Find people who can help and cheer everyone up! What's the point in escaping Alia if everyone's unhappy here?"
Alice looked up past the towering trees to the strange alien sky and never suspected that those trees were blades of grass in a meadow.
**********************
"Are you ready?"
Damien shrugged. He was nearly ready, though he was still getting used to this. He'd been with Sabine for a few weeks but taking his shoes off to go out still seemed weird. But his new girlfriend loved walking barefoot and with woods and meadows so close by he'd started to enjoy it too. He smiled at his raven haired beauty and pulled his socks off.
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