You did grow up in a forest so perhaps some of your meager outdoor skills could be put to use, not that you think hunting with a laser pistol will be all that hard despite the nature of the available game. "Computer," you say almost cheerily, "lets go for a walk in the woods."
"Michael, I do not compute."
"Of course you don't sugar, just set us down somewhere on the planet... near but not adjacent to a water source."
"Yes Michael," you hear the computer answer as the thrusters bank the ship into a flawlessly angled descent. You sit back and enjoy the ride watching clouds part to reveal a vast lush and unpopulated world...or not.
You blink at the shape which soars over your ship dispelling all hope that you are the sole possessor of this globe. It is a giant bird with a wingspan that would make the rocs of earth legends look like malnourished pigeons. That by itself would not be so bad, but what really unnerves you is the carriage that swings beneath its feathery expanse. Tethered to the flying animal through a complex rigging of knotted ropes and vines, the compartment itself is made of tree-sized spars lashed tightly together. It isn't exactly what you'd call technology but no doubt it was crafted by something intelligent.
As you fly beneath the raptorial transport you consider the options. "Computer, run genetic scans on the... 'ship'"
"Michael," the computer answers shortly, "which species would you like scanned?"
"Not the bird, you dumb bitch, the aliens in the compartment underneath."
"I am reading the presence of nine distinct sentient species. And one is avian in anatomy so the term bird is also applicable to..."
"What the hey! Nine species?!"
"Yes Michael, shall I list them based on their taxonomic orders or would you prefer common name approximations."
"Lets do it sciencey shall we, I didn't take all those classes just so I could race comets."
The computer begins listing, one of her only talents in your opinion. "Felidae, Muridae, Canidae, Ursidae, Cervidae..."
"Whoa this is all Greek to me."
"Actually Michael biological nomenclature is based in Latin not..."
"Whatever, just give me the common names."
"Panthers, Mice, Foxes, Wolves, Bears, Deer, Rabbits, Hawks and Snakes."
You sigh, "great its a god-damned flying zoo, anything else?"
"Yes Michael, I believe you should have me run a diagnostic on my science circuits, because I am also reading humanoid genetic patterns in all the sentient species." Suddenly the whole ship shudders. You crane your neck out the window to see a crude lasso looped around the wing. Following the rope up to the craft, you see a giant furry arm gripping and pulling it toward the ship. You notice the opposable thumb and humanoid fingers but realize even, at this distance, that its scale was far beyond anything one could call human. "Sorry, baby no time. Daddy's gotta work some magic." Your hand goes for...
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author
