Chapter 3 - P. Crow Duty Log

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Patricia sat at her desk and tapped the button.

“Debriefing log begin.  The water world is breathtaking, and we did not encounter any hostiles.  Fruit is edible and very tasty.  We did, however, find signs of reproductive cycle.  I nearly put my hand in it, literally.  A cache of eggs hidden under the sand, like how sea turtles would on Earth.  Sensors showed that there were hundreds of caches on the island we checked out.  Made you think we were being watched by some nervous mothers from the waters that we couldn’t get a good vantage point on because of the mineral or whatever it was that shielded them.”

She leaned back in her chair, taking a long drag off her cigarette.  “It’s got me thinking about the whole motherhood thing.  If I had laid some eggs and morons came along digging them up, I’d have slaughtered all of them so either they’re pacifists or they were afraid of us even as we posed a threat to their young.  I hope that we reburied them well enough not to affect their development.  We see so many types of life in these journeys that we take it for granted at times that life is just getting started.  Maybe in a few dozen millenniums those turtle people or whatever they are may be cruising the stars next to us.  Maybe they’ll be our friends.  I’d hate to think I started a galactic incident before it even got started.

She tapped the ash.  “One final note, and I hope you’re making that face Henry when you hear this.  I’m married to the sexiest man on this ship…and he didn’t do too bad for himself either.  End log.”