51st Turn
Nineteenth Cycle
First Year
Eighth-
Nah.
I find work moves faster when I'm not keeping time. There's only the day and the night for me, only the next problem I need to solve.
I've scouted the area a fair bit. I'm in a temperate zone, I'm sure of it. There's a beach not far off. The ocean is saltwater, but I was able to quench my thirst with a few freshwater puddles. The water cycle here seems almost identical to Earth and Cirso, my homeworld, or as the humans called it, Mandilus 48d.
The ocean is to the east. There's hills to the north, plains to the south, and mountains to the west. Which way will I go?
I found by body too, my old one. It was laying against a tree, some bird-like creature1 was eating my eye out. I got as close as I dared, I knew it was still radioactive, and I'd do well to stay away.
I sharpened another rock into a point, and tied it with some grass to a long stick. Now I at least have some form of defense for the predators this place is bound to have. That and I'm getting hungry.
My skin is photosynthetic, like the rest of my species. Cirso, like many planets, is warmer near the equator, and cold at the poles. Those at the equator wear almost nothing, and as a result need less chloroplasts in their cells, giving their skin a lighter green color. At the poles they bundle up and need more chloroplasts, giving them a darker green color. Unfortunately, my tribe was adapted for life near the equator of Cirso, which means I’m not getting as much energy as I should.
On top of that, this planet’s star is much dimmer than the one I grew up under. Photosynthesis won’t sustain me, just ward off the inevitable for an extra month, maybe two. I’m not short on time to find food, but I should still take what I can get.
First bite!
Some crustaceans from the beach. Saw a few crawling around between their holes, drove my spear into one. I’ll save it to cook later, but for now I can examine it.
I can safely say the scorpion’s design is perfect enough to transcend worlds. It has six legs, three on each side, with two dull grabbing “arms” in front, like cartoon robot claws. Its body narrows into a flat tail in the back, for propelling through the water. I’ll call it a Sand Scorpion.
The sea was washing up its unwanted junk too. Mostly sticks and some fresh seaweed. I grabbed them both. The seaweed came in shades of blue and green, even some purple that turned to black when it dried. No question most of it came from much further out. Wonder what else might be in the depths here?
I took the time to examine the sandy banks closer, from what it seems the waves have been beating steadily at a single level. No signs of a tide.
I watched a lot of online videos during my time on Earth. Humans really enjoy broadcasting everything they do, for better or worse. One such broadcaster was a man who spent time in nature, making stone and clay tools. Basically, what I’m doing now, except I only have an audience of one.
My point is, his fire-making skills far outweigh my own, even with my own upbringing. I started at sunset and continued into the night. Rolling that stupid stick on the other one until I could see smoke. I’ve never been in a situation this bare, normally I have a lighter, maybe a starter at least. But here there’s only friction and elbow-grease.
I set out to celebrate with some cooked shellfish wrapped in seaweed. I’d rate it three and a half stars. Tastes a lot like shrimp from Earth, or yenglit from Cirso.
Looking up, I could only see stars. With a clear sky and no sign of tides, I concluded that there must not be any moon here. Either that or they’re too far or small to see. With nothing to stabilize this planet’s wobble, the seasons must be extreme.
I woke up a bit after dawn, my mouth was chapped. I need some water, and so does the replicate I’m going to inhabit when I inevitably get myself killed.
There’s white clouds overhead, which means evaporation, maybe rain? I can’t wait long enough to find out.
Walking through the grass, I passed by the lone tree serving as a backrest for my corpse. The eyes are gone, and some of the hair has fallen out. Soon it’s just going to be gross to look at.
I did find something else on the way, a few patches of black sand. I won’t be sure unless I come back with some more advanced equipment, but could there be some titanium nearby? That will be useful for making machines after I’ve secured myself.
Going north, through the hills, I found the edge of a forest. There were at least three species of trees I could see. The first was short, with black bark, which peeled away to a white sappy surface. The second was taller, having brown bark that peeled away to a red surface. The last was the tallest, the bark being a dark purple, which peeled away to a smoother surface of the same color.
I’ll taste-test that sap once I’ve gotten a replicate formed. Can’t afford to take risks yet.