Tess 16201c

There weren't always dragons in the valley. They were brought from Tess 16201b. It seemed like such a good idea-to them. The dragons were beautiful really; strong and muscular, black purple with glittering highlights of lavender. Terra Draco Volans Grandis were what they called them. It's a shame to have to kill them all.

The Dragons were brought over from a planet named Thaumasion, scientific name, Tess 16201b; a planet three thousand light years from Earth. It took a miracle to find the planet and another miracle to get to it. So, the planet was named Thaumasian, which in Greek meant miracle. However, the only real miracle on that planet were the Dragons. The planet, itself, was a little too small and hot: too close to the systems yellow dwarf sun. The hegemony of the planet consisted of Dragons then everything else, which wasn't much; an assortment of cynodonts that fed off of each other.

Great cliffs of amber colored rocks covered Thaumasion. The Dragons with their great claws could cling to the cliffs out of reach of the small carnivores, then soar great distances to the meager water sources offered on the planet. The cynodonts scattered around the surface of the planet while the Dragons commanded the air. The Dragon's dark color hid them between the shadows created by the cracks and crevices on the cliffs. The first time Rex saw footage of the Dragons as they pushed off the cliffs, snap open their wings, then soar to the cloudless sky he knew he wanted to study them.

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Rex watches as a deadly white gas rolls gently over and down the surrounding hills and cringes. The valley below is filled with those magnificent Dragons he so wanted to study. He touches his hand to activate the malleable metal bionic tattoo; the extra gravity of Tess 16201c pulls on his muscles. Then Rex touches the communication pad embedded in his right arm and types: Do I really have to stand here and watch this? Phase one is complete. The Dragons have convened on the valley floor. They took the bait. The gas is deployed.

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As a third-generation scientist, Xenoecologist to be precise, Rex was brought to Tess 16201c or Elpis as it was aptly named, to study the Dragon problem after the Collective had created one. He remembered the first time he walked past the statue that stood before the great hall of Elpis. The statue of a young woman that carried a cornucopia of flowers in her hand with the word, HOPE, etched along the base; he was filled with hope that he could save the Dragons. He did not know that the Collective had pretty much, already, made up their collective minds.

Rex wasn't sure why the Collective chose him, Rex Carson Roth, for the job. His name alone suggested that he probably was not the right candidate. After all, he was named after two famous Ecologist, both of whom believed that human pollution was the greatest threat to other species; that only one species-man- had acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world and when he introduced a contamination, he must shoulder the question of moral responsibility. Plus, good old Dad. He was very vocal about not changing a planet to suit human needs, but instead adapt to said planet environment and live harmoniously with the indigenous species. That never went over well, after all, humans concurred: they were the masters of the universe.

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Rex really wants the Collectives plan to fail, but years of practiced extermination coupled with company scientist proves to be a lethal combination. Rex types on his arm: The gas is sinking, just like we predicted. It looks like it will work. Stage two is complete. The gas has filled the valley.

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Rex remembered his first meeting on Elpis. He was used to travel that landed him on distant planets to research habitability, but Elpis felt different, special. A feeling of wonderment swept over him the minute his foot fell hard as he stepped off the transport.

"Welcome Dr. Roth. I hope your trip brings success!" Aldo said as he bowed slightly, his hands clasped tightly at his waist. "Follow me."

Aldo was the type of man who never waited for a response. Rex guessed that Aldo felt his words of advice or suggestions were definitive. Rex towered over Aldo, a short, stout man with European features who looked somewhat comical in the titan space wrap. He followed Aldo obligingly in silence until he saw the statue of Elpis. Rex stopped. Aldo noticed.

"Yes, the planet of hope. I hope you can solve our problem to our satisfaction."

"I suppose it depends."

"Depends on what, exactly."

"Depends on what you deem satisfactory."

"To get rid of the Dragons, I believe is our goal. Was that not made clear?"

"Well, I thought I was brought here to determine a solution to the overpopulation of the Dragons. That doesn't necessarily mean total extermination. They are useful to Elpis, are they not?"

"They were"

"Then they may still be useful."

"Not in our best interests. You will understand once you meet the Collective."

"Can't wait."

"Good. We are anxious to consummate our findings."

Rex stopped. The word consummate, twisted his gut. He felt light-headed.

"Problem?"

"Yes. I thought I was sent here to research the problem, to find a solution agreeable to manage the destruction caused by the Dragon population. I feel that you already believe you have found a solution."

"We have."

"When was the field research completed and by whom? Should I feel light-headed?"

"Dr. Danforth completed the field research. The Collective found a solution. We just need validation. You are light-headed because of the increased gravity on your physiology. Plus, the air here is higher in Oxygen. Perhaps, instead of going straight to the Collective, you should take a day to enhance your malleable metal biotics."

"You said, Danforth?"

"Yes, he is the director of ethics. Actually, the director of just about anything that starts with an E: ethology, etiology, ecology, eugenics. We call him the E-man. It's kind of a joke."

"I'll bet. How about effusive egocentric."

"Oh, so you know him. I like that...effusive egocentric. I'll have to remember that."

"You do that."

Rex actually thought the word excrement best described Danforth. He had dealt with Danforth before. He understood now why Aldo seemed so impressed by their solution. Danforth could make any argument go his way. The only problem was that the Danforth way was always the wrong way; never the same way he and his Dad thought.

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Rex types on his arm: The cries of the Dragons can be heard. No visible Dragons, the gas is too thick. Third stage has started. I will keep observing, document any flight attempts.

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Before going to the Collective, Rex took advantage of some leisure time after updating his malleable metal bionics. With the update, he could breathe and walk easier. So, he took a stroll around the central gardens. He recognized the plants that had been transplanted from Earth and some of the indigenous trees. An Elpis tree stood about thirty feet high and could be easily identified by their very wide, strong trunks and thick roots. The branches on the tree spread out thirty feet also, with a dense canopy of lime green heart-shaped leaves. The canopy they created was so dense that the shadow beneath the tree was practically black.

A continuous breeze on Elpis rustled the leaves perpetually, which to Rex, sounded like an ocean. All the plants on Elpis had to be either really strong or thin to survive the gravity. The same could be said about the animals. Flowers on Elpis plants were not dainty but large, heavy blossoms of a myriad of colors. It truly was a wondrous temperate planet.

Below Ethereal City, lakes scattered around the base of the plateau. Each lake was fed by a breathtaking waterfall. The clouds seemed particularly low that day; the gravity tugged on them. Rex felt like he could reach up and touch them. Above the clouds, the skies were as blue a sapphires. This was where the Dragons liked to soar; the wind there was gentle and constant. Rex wished he could see the Dragons as they soared in groups of three or more at least once before he had to go. It was easy to see how the Dragons thrived on Elpis; perfect temperature, plentiful water, vegetation and bugs, with a constant breeze that could lift them as high as they wanted to go.

Elpis was huge, as life giving planets go; bigger than Earth but smaller than Saturn. The terrain on the planet was one massive land mass, a Pangea, with only one ocean. The indigenous species included herbivores, carnivores and omnivores of various sizes. No matter where you looked, you could see or hear life. The insects, however, Rex did not like; also, big and strong.

When Rex met the Collective, he was not at all surprised; a collection of Xeno-scientists, all new to the planet, young and not too old who wore titin space wraps. Rex found the titin biomaterial of the space wraps to be too constrictive, albeit strong. He still preferred loose shirts and pants made from a polymer blend that allowed ventilation. The Collective sat like flesh boards in their perspective chairs. He felt out of place already. The one vacant chair looked desolate. He quietly walked over to it but did not sit down.

"Good, you're here. Did you have a nice stroll through the gardens?" Aldo addressed him as he pointed to the chair.

"Wonderful."

"Good. Meet the Collective. You already know Dr. Danforth. Let me introduce you to the others. Dr. Sarah Chilton, our Xenobiologist, Dr. Dimitri Petrozinski, our biochemist, Dr. Peter Anders, our Xenobotonist, Dr. Yang Lin, our Xenodendrologist, Dr. Sigmund Muller, our chief engineer, Dr. Pip Akimbo, our Xenoentomologist and Dr. Zander Kine, our Xenohepetologist."

"Name tags?" Rex queried.

"Excuse me?" Several scientists turned to look at Rex.

"Name tags. I don't suppose you have any name tags."

"Dr. Roth, we really hope you take this seriously." Dr. Danforth said in a very direct fashion.

"I centainly do, sorry. It seems you have a great collection of...Xeno's here. No ornithologist or social scientist?" Rex smiled.

"We sent for you to complete the Collective, as you specialize in so many unique areas; such as ecophysiology, genetics and archaeology." Aldo added to bolster the PhD roster in the room.

"Excuse me, but I believe, I should represent the ecophysiology in this group." Dr. Danforth interjected.

"Quite right, the E-man." Rex said as he stared off into space.

"I know you mean that as a joke, but it just so happens, that I am highly qualified in all areas of ecology."

"Don't forget ethics."

"I think we need to introduce Dr. Roth to our plan that we have formulated to address the Dragon population."

"The Dragon population problem that you created."

"Not me specifically, it was a joint decision to bring the Dragons to Elpis."

"Based on?"

"We had high hopes of being able to train them." Dr. Sarah Chilton, a late thirties dark haired woman with strong European features said.

"Train them. For what?"

"To work for us, like the Asian elephant, the horse, the ox, the camel, the rat; history is replete with animals that have been successfully trained for human benefit."

"I am curious. What could they do for you that we, as advanced as we are, could not do ourselves?"

"The insects on Elpis are very aggressive and we had not been able to find a suitable, long term solution to diminish their population." Dr. Pip Akimbo, a very tall, slender woman with African features said.

"As are insects everywhere."

"Yes, but the Dragons eat the insects much like bats do. As they soar through the air, they ingest large quantities, much like a Baleen whale eats krill, but in the air."

"Were the Dragons successful in reducing the insect population?"

"Yes. We were very satisfied with the progress in that area."

"So, one point for the Dragons. They are better than we are at reducing the insect population. I still do not understand the need to train them."

"To control them, of course. Really man, when you introduce a foreign species, you must be sure that you can control their behavior, study their nature to prevent problems." Dr. Danforth, a forties, bald, also European featured man stood up to make his point. "If we could have studied them, we could have found all sorts of uses for them besides being a living insecticide. With the gravity on this planet being so strong, they could have been more useful than our machines have been. The machines have trouble moving over the large boulders, through the dense forests. Not to mention, the Dragons have the ability to travel great distances without depleting energy resources."

"So, you didn't study them, yet you wanted to control them. How did that turn out?" Rex stood up as he contemplated his next choice of words.

"Not very well." Dr. Zander Kline, a man in his late thirties with a thick head of wavy dark hair coupled with Spanish features explained. "Dr. Chilton and I tried to hatch some eggs in the laboratory with no success. They did not respond to our environmental controls. Our concept was to raise them from hatchlings, study them, then alter their behavior for domestic use."

"Don't forget Jesse." Dr. Chilton added.

"Yes, Jesse. He was an animal wrangler that claimed he could tame any creature on the planet Earth or any other planet. His bio was impressive. His fee was exorbitant. He trapped many young Dragons of various ages to train. But they all died in capativity. Then, he trapped some mature Dragons, which also died in captivity; except one. She was a beauty. Her skin color looked like you were looking through a telescope at the crater pocked southern pole of the moon: dark purple with small starbursts of white."

"She was smart." Dr. Sarah Chilton continued for Dr. Kline. "She watched Jesse constantly, even when he was just sitting in a chair. Jesse was so proud of himself. He had trained a Dragon! I would have given anything to see the look on his face that last day he was with us."

"The last day?"

"It was on the third day Jesse let the Dragon go outside to test her work ethics. So far, he had trained her to move rubble with her strong claws, which they do naturally, but not on command. He used some sort of old elephant prod to train her. He could point at the ground and she would begin to dig and move the rubble. Well, she buried him with a large boulder, then flew off."

"Interesting. They are smart, then. This makes it even more important to consider the ethical aspects of our decision." Rex walked back to his seat and sat down. "There are moral complications we have to consider. That is clear."

Dr. Danforth jumped out of his seat. "The only thing that is clear, is that we have an invasive species that must be neutralized. We already have a plan to neutralize said species. You are only here to validate that plan."

"And that plan is?"

"Total extermination. We should have never brought the Dragons from Thaumasion. They don't belong here. This is not their natural home. We made a mistake, time to rectify it." Danforth slammed the notebook that contained the plan, down on the table.

"But you did bring them here and it has become their home."

"Not for long. Dr. Petrozinski, I think it is time to educate Dr. Roth on our plan."

"With careful consideration to the other biota, we have concluded that a lethal gas in a confined area should work nicely." Dr. Dimitri Petrozinski, a very angular man with short cropped silver hair that donned a head with strong Slavic features said as he pushed his wire rimmed glasses back up the ridge of his nose. "Dr. Anders and I concur that the plant life will not be affected...much."

"Out of the question!" Rex stood up. "There are other ways to reduce the population without extermination. Let's see, have you considered reducing their food source or reduce their ability to reproduce, move them to a less environmentally favorable place on Eris? You have moved them before, why not now?"

"Too time consuming and expensive. It's not really extermination, after all there will be Dragons on Thaumasian. The bottom line is that they just don't belong here anyway, never have. It is time to exterminate the Dragons which will solve all the problems and quickly. Shall we continue to outline our plan for Dr. Roth? Do take your seat, Dr. Roth."

It suddenly became clear to Rex that he was called to Eris to be the scapegoat, the fall-guy, the dupe. It was his job to validate the plans feasibility. He should have left, walked out, but the story of that one Dragon who was smart enough to outwit Jesse kept him there, hopeful that their plan would somehow fail. Maybe he could sabotage it. After all, nature has a unique way of ensuring the survival of all species, on all planets.

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Rex touches the keypad on his arm again: The screams of the Dragons are decreasing. Stage four seems to be in the final throes. The gas is beginning to dissipate. I can see...

Up through the cloud of gas, a large white Dragon rises, carrying a trail of gas with it. It's webbed leathered wings begin to scoop the gas away from the valley floor. Rex can now see several dark Dragon bodies that struggle to escape among the thousands of lifeless ones. A deafening scream tears through his ears. The white Dragon flies directly at Rex, then suddenly stops; opalescent wings outstretch fourteen meters in front of him. A set of thick leather-like reins pull the Dragon's head up until it points to the sky. The reins seamlessly join to the arms of an Amazonian woman wrapped in snake skin; her copper wild hair dances around her. She throws a wood spear at the foot of Rex. Then she points at him with a glare that Rex will never forget.

The Dragon turns, knocks Rex to the ground by the force of the wind from his webbed wings. The dragon and the woman soar back down into the valley. They soar close to all the dead lifeless bodies of thousands of black Dragons; a white arrow that points to his necropolis. At the end of the valley, the white Dragon lifts, soars up to the sapphire sky. Several black Dragons follow weakly behind.

Rex looks down at his arm, the communication pad is lit up. Yes, Dr. Roth...what do you see?

I see thousands of dead Dragons. Thousands. Stage four complete. Extermination successful.

Rex pulls the spear from the ground; a smooth and heavy reminder of what he just did. He decides to stay on Tess 16201c just a little bit longer.