For the past three days, his body has been undergoing the reproductive process. It is a rare event, the planet's declining resources resulting in a drop in his species' birth rate. What births do occur always comes as a pleasant surprise.
He certainly hadn't expected it. He had been tirelessly working at the northern pole, his Mining Machine slicing large chunks of ice with a modified Heat Ray before carrying the chunks into one of the many artificial canals, melting it to allow the precious water to flow into what few Sarmak cities still existed. Upon noticing a small lump beginning to form atop his head, the Sarmak immediately halted his work and boarded his Transport Machine. Making his way through the deserts of Mars to the capital city, he's been waiting here for the birth to reach its end.
The process is nearly complete.
Moving his Transport Machine out of the way from the other Sarmaks, he lowers the occupational chamber to the ground and opens the hatch. Climbing out, he lays himself onto the ground, curling his tentacles close to his body, and waits. He feels the bud wriggle a bit, a thin patch of skin keeping them together. It was just this morning that the bud's body has been able to function independently, cutting off their shared circulation and any nutrients that went with it.
The bud has been patient, using the time to learn the coordination needed to move his sixteen tentacles. It is quite a task, keeping tabs on so many limbs that each seemed to possess a mind of its own. When he is not practicing his movements, he is exploring the depths of his own brain, experiencing memories that are not his. He has inherited several recollections from his parent, and some still from his grandparent, and great-grandparent. This continues down his family tree until there's nothing more than brief flashes of a world vastly different from the one he's being born into. He tries to focus on these ancient memories, only catching glimpses of lush scarlet forests and immense pools of glistening water, crashing in waves onto orange-yellow sand...
This is interrupted when, after approximately fifteen minutes has passed since dismounting the vehicle, the skin between parent and child was a mere thread that snaps under the bud's weight. The adult Sarmak flinches at the sharp pain as the bud falls free and tumbles to the ground. The child's little tentacles writhe a bit before bracing themselves on the red-orange dirt, shaking a little as the young one pushes himself upright. The thread of skin stays attached to his underside for a moment longer before falling off. Looking up, he sees his parent mount his transport vehicle and leave towards the northern pole to resume his work once more.
Turning back to the city around him, the bud's large black eyes scan the buildings around him before focusing on one in particular: a tall, thin structure holding aloft a dome. He knows automatically that this is where he should go to meet the Elders.
Slowly, moving one tentacle at a time, the bud stumbles towards the construction. Gradually, he gets less clumsy as he finds an efficient pattern of movement and by the time he reaches his destination, he's moving about as well as any adult.
Hurrying onto a platform by the base of the building, he hears a low hum underneath him as the mechanism comes to life and he braces himself as the platform begins to rise. As he moves higher into the cloudless sky, he sees the city stretched out below him, a multitude of domed structures and pyramids dotting the landscape. Moving among them on tripodal legs are massive Transport Machines, their metallic bodies catching the sunlight. Several of these are leaving the city, disappearing into the empty desolate desert beyond.
Running straight through the middle of the city is the lifeblood of it all: a single stream of flowing water, barely reaching half the depth the channel provided. The young bud knew the amount will only get lower despite his race's best efforts...
Reaching the domed peak, the platform stopped and the young Sarmak moves off onto the dome's balcony. A circular door hisses as its panels slide open to allow his entry into a long hallway, lit green from crystalline devices on the wall. Moving with purpose down the silent passage, he arrives at another door that slides open for him. Entering into a vast room, he sees ten Sarmaks standing upon elevated platforms, all facing a massive hologram portraying an unfamiliar landscape. They were all wearing communication devices and although three glanced in his direction, they did not address him.
He waited patiently for them to finish their work, his eyes fixed on the hologram. The image portrayed a strange green landscape, lush with vegetation. In the center of it all was a clearing holding a bizarrely intricate pyramid structure. He can make out small, bipedal shapes moving about and he realized that he was viewing another planet through a telescope. Indeed, the hologram eventually changed to show a sight more familiar: several Sarmaks busily moving about in an observatory, one of them clearly relaying the report to the Elders.
After another moment, the hologram faded and the ten adults turned their attention to him, the communicative devices removing themselves to hover nearby their respective controllers.
"Elders," the young bud greets respectfully with a wave of his fourth right tentacle. "I am here to report my birth."
At once, one of the adults waved a tentacle over a small panel situated on his platform and another hologram appeared beside the young bud, engulfing and scanning him. He stayed still, allowing his physical information to be gathered and feeling relief when it deems his body and brain fully-functional and without defects. The hologram disappeared and he feels the familiar sensation of a mental connection as a voice speaks to him.
"Who is your parent?"
"Miner 4683." the young bud responded and he watched as the Elders spoke silently among themselves. He knew they were discussing what to do with him, and where he would fit in society. His tentacles twitch a little as he waits...
"We have a sufficient amount of the population dedicated to the Mining Project," one of the Elders informs him. "Your service within that occupation will not be required. However..." The Elder trails off as he scans the screen of his platform's panel, his large black eyes reflecting the words as they scroll passed. "Several areas of our society have experienced a decrease in productivity due to our declining numbers. Crystal Egg Observers, Engineers, Livestock Caretakers..."
The bud is once more left in silence as the Elders continued their discussion before reaching a consensus."Given our dire circumstances, the need for interplanetary exploration is increasing. It is a dangerous occupation, but is of great importance to the future of our race. This is where you will be assigned. Do you accept this decision?"
The young Sarmak hesitates briefly. Neither his parent nor his ancestors have been Explorers and thus, he had no experience to draw from. Sure, he knows he'll be given training, but was he willing to take on such a daunting career, where the fate of his entire race could potentially rest within his tentacles? So many things could potentially go wrong and the self-preservation instincts still intact within his brain cautions him against such a dangerous job. But...
He remembers seeing that strange world in the hologram, lush and full of life. It was so vastly different from the barren deserts within his inherited memories, the desert he saw with his own eyes upon that platform. He recalls the brief flashes of what Mars used to be like and he knows he'll do anything to have that beautiful world back. He also knows that his fellow Sarmaks feel the same way. But while many of them are powerless to do anything more than salvage a living for their dying race, as an Explorer, he could play a vital role in a brighter future, where his people can thrive in paradise once more...
"Yes." he finally answered, earning pleased rumbles from the adults.
"Excellent," the Senior Elder remarks, pressing a tentacle onto a button and opening the door behind the bud. "Your training shall begin at once, Explorer 0613."