Chapter 13: Creepies

We need to be careful not to transplant invasive species from one to another of the planets. The flora are unique to each. Presumably the fauna that once existed was too.

We discovered a potentially invasive species of vine on planet Trojan. It’s extremely aggressive.

A light seeker, if in shadow, it will grow at a phenomenal rate until it arrives in the light. Then it rapidly deploys foliage for photosynthesis.

It’s amazing photosynthesis is identical on these worlds as on earth, though the plant species are entirely different. Actually, the plants are carbon life forms, that’s another commonality with Terran forms. Maybe photosynthesis is universal to carbon based vegetation. We will keep that hypothesis in mind, as we explore and catalog every planet throughout the universe. Perhaps after cataloging a high percent, we can claim it’s elevated from a mere notion to a theory.

Right!

I’ve experimented some with the vine. You can actually see it growing. It’s a creeper but not a creepy creeper, and apparently nontoxic.

As it sought the light, I continually frustrated the vine, by bending it back upon itself and interweaving it between previously bent back extrusions. In a few hours, a lovely arbor was created.

I grafted on some grape vine cuttings I thawed out. Using a plasma cutter, I removed the nearby vegetation casting shade over the arbor. Once in the sunlight, it promptly put out leaves, and even better, tiny greenish grape cluster flowers. Apparently, this species exuberance is passed on to the grapevine grafts.

In only four days, I had ripe clusters of big juicy grapes!

Maybe we will rename this planet Vinland.

My next experiment, again working in shade, how convenient, I bent and wove a creeper grown cabin. About the size of a toy house dads once built for daughters.

Took a day to weave and grow a weather tight elfin shelter that melds into it’s surroundings. Charming.

Well, back to serious work.

We have decided to colonize a primary settlement on the tropical volcanic island we discovered on planet Paradise. The island we voted to name Hope Island. We hope it’s volcano remains extinct and we hope life is pleasant and peaceful there.

The first three dozen embryos are thawed and in the incubators. A few incubators were shifted to the planet surface. We’ll meet the new native born Hope Islanders, in about nine months.

Another creeper has been discovered. Whether it’s vegetable, fungus, animal or a mobile mineral, is yet to be determined. First noticed as it’s coming out of the jungle, moving along the the creeper vines, it’s using the vines as paths, apparently.

Those melted glass waxy looking blobs on the buildings? Seem to be alive. They move. Time lapse photography shows them ascending and descend those scorched spires. The idea to use time lapse photography was inspired by noticing smaller globs shifting position along the vines.

They move slower than snails, and can’t be seen moving, but over twenty four hours, you can measure they moved a foot or two. Prying one off a vine and turning it onto it’s back exposes thousands of cilia on the underside. Kinda like sea-urchins.