Xenoexploration

The structure in front of the landing party was three times taller than their ground vehicle, if not more. It was made, the xenoarchitect among them noted, from the wood matter of trees not unlike the ones that grew nearby. It had once had two large doors that slid outward from the center of one of the shorter sides, but one had rotted away, its remains long since splintered, and the other barely hung from its rusting track, the bottom edges of the door in shards on the ground below it.

The xenoanthropologist noted the fragments of pigmentation remaining on the outer surfaces of the ruin. “This range of the electromatic spectrum is often used on this world to signify danger. Perhaps this structure was a storage unit for dangerous fauna or machinery.”

Their leader replied with a contemplative noise. “Perhaps. Xenoarchitect”—their people were only known by their titles after reaching full maturity, for names were private and meant only for family and the most trusted—"is it safe to enter the structure?”

“It appears so, Leader,” was the reply. “However, we should most likely avoid any attempts to reach upper levels, should there be any, unless we can find a way to emergency fall precautions.” Deeming that a prudent suggestion, the leader beckoned the xenoarchitect to precede the rest of the exploration party into the structure.

“The local flora have propagated themselves inside this structure for at least the last few planetary revolutions, Leader,” the xenobotanist reported. “There is much under- and overgrowth, and the breaches in the structure’s exterior have allowed solar light and precipitation to reach the floor of the structure, as well as wind to carry nutrients into the structure. Our xenosuits should protect us from the minor nuisance types, but there are some flora on this planet which are able to injure or poison with a touch. I do not believe any of those are present here, but the ones that can injure may be able to puncture the xenosuits.”

“Your report is noted,” the leader replied. “Step where you can see soil or wooden structure floor,” they ordered the team.

The interior was dim, despite the breaches in the structure, and each member of the party activated their wrist beams, shining them from side to side and up toward the structure’s interior cap. The xenoarchaeologist illuminated a partial staircase leading to a crumbling overhang about halfway to the interior cap. “It appears to be a small area for above-ground storage,” they remarked.

“Yes, I see. There are shaped-metal implements hanging from hooks on the walls up there. They do not seem to be complete, however,” The xenoanthropologist interjected. “Notice on the flattened concave one with a point that there is an opening underneath. And the one with many teeth has some more of the local wood in that opening, though most of the wood has fallen away with age. Perhaps these were tools of some sort?”

“Over here, there are the remains of interior walls,” another of their party, the junior xenoarchitect, announced. They appear to have been only half the height of the structure, enclose a space no larger than a ground vehicle—perhaps slightly smaller—and there may have been a door of some sort to keep something inside. Xenoanthropologist”—they addressed their peer among the junior team members—“what do you make of it?”

The junior xenoanthropologist entered the remains of one of the possible enclosures and noticed a long wooden oblong that had petrified. They ran their fingers along the edge of the wood-made-stone, and felt a lip. “This could be a feeding receptacle of some sort. Perhaps it was an enclosure for domesticated fauna?”

Their senior, hearing the exchange, came to inspect the find. “You deduce well, I believe, Junior,” they said. “If these enclosures were merely storage, there would have been either nothing like this item inside, or there may have been platforms attached to the walls for holding smaller objects.”

The team had spent one quarter of this planet’s rotation exploring the woods around the structure, finding only possible dig sites for the larger xenoarchaeological team aboard their ship before coming across this intact structure. Now, they spent another quarter rotation taking samples and making images of all of the materials, flora, and fauna they were able to find inside and within a small radius of the perimeter. Such tasks finished, the team boarded their ground craft, navigated back to the landing site, and awaited transport to their orbiting ship.

In the field they had left, the barn’s ruins sat empty and decaying for another thousand years past the xenoarchaeological team's exodus.