"Grass...dirt...grass...more dirt...oh good, a tree..."
Koty sighed, opening his datapad and marking down that there was nothing of note in this region for the hundredth time before chugging the rest of his canteen. As if it the boring survey mission wasn't bad enough, it had been particularly humid lately, not helped by the binary suns baking the surface of this world. Sure, Chief Surveyor Bosen back at the base would consider a climate like this bracing and go off into a long lecture about how ancient explorers would explore new continents without modern conveniences like repulsorcraft or water filtrators, but frankly Koty found it difficult to appreciate the efforts of his forebearers when his field suit was soaked in sweat. Adjusting his waistband to better fit around his pudgy lower half, he thought longingly of a hot shower back at base camp as he went back to his Hoverbike to pack up.
Before he could swing his sturdy leg around to hop on, something just barely caught his eye, silhouetted against one of the setting suns. Lifting his thermo-goggles to his eyes, he spotted a rounded rock formation jutting out of the ground.
"Hey, Eva?" Koty asked over his communicator. "Did anyone mark this rock formation out here? Looks like some sort of cavern."
"A...cavern?" Eva repeated, a series of electronic blips and clicks sounding off in the background. "The closest area of techtonic activity on this world is at least fifty miles away."
"Well I'm looking at a cave that's a few minutes from where I'm sitting, I'm going to go check it out."
"Be careful, if that's actually a cave, it's not a natural one. You could be in trouble if there's something hostile down there."
"Beats documenting every rock from here to LaSalle One," Koty said, mounting his Hoverbike and speeding off with a rev of the engine. The wind blowing past was a welcome refreshment as he glided across the grassy plain towards the rocks, coming to a clean halt right at the entrance.
Dismounting, Koty approached the cave entrance on foot, his ears twitching as he remained alert for the growl or snarl of some unknown creature hiding within. Reasonably satisified he was alone, he activated the field light on his suit, flooding the entrance of the cavern. Immediately his trained eye noticed the walls; far too smooth to be carved through by natural forces or even some wild creature.
"You're right, this cave isn't natural. Someone carved this out of the rock," Koty reported. "Was this planet inhabited pre-colonization?"
"It shouldn't have been," Eva said. "I'm gonna call Bosen in, keep exploring that cave and if you find anything alive in there let us know immediately."
"Right." Clicking off his communicator, Koty cautiously entered the cave, keeping his light trained straight ahead as the passageway traveled deeper into the ground. The temperature dropped dramatically a few feet in, leaving the Felid with a chill as he dove deeper into the depths of the cave, the carved walls marred with age and decay. Focusing his gaze on the ceiling, he suddenly felt his foot slip on a patch of grime and he tumbled down the last bit of the incline, smashing his light on the ground.
The second the light went out though, the walls and roof of the cave suddenly became luminescent, bathing the rocky alcove in a soft yellow neon glow. Koty gasped as he got to his feet, entranced by the almost magical appearance of the lights, swirling in intricate patterns and glyphs unrecognizable to the young Felid. Despite his sore backside and the chill in the air, he couldn't help but be filled with wonder at the beautiful lights painted along the stone walls.
"What IS this place?" he whispered out of sheer awe.
And he quickly found his answer...   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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