Plain of Sorrows
Author: Milady Dragon
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I wish I did, though.
Rating: PG-13, mostly for language. It might offend someone…
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! I love seeing them and it keeps me inspired.
Chapter Two
Devon Adair stood there, staring at the object that had bothered Danziger so badly. She, personally, wasn't all that upset although it made her a little sad…and highly curious.
It was a skull.
And it was distinctly inhuman…nor was it like anything else Devon had yet to see on this planet. The eye sockets were wrong, for one thing; they were too large, looking like black pits in the lighter ivory of the face. The nose and mouth was slightly elongated, resembling a muzzle, with longer animal-like canines. It was missing the lower jaw. She shivered slightly. Just how many races lived on this world?
Danziger stood next to her, and Devon could actually feel the unease radiating from him in waves. He shifted, then shifted again, almost like Uly did when he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't. She wanted to slap him. It was just an animal skull, after all. That's what it had to be…
Julia Heller hovered over the skull with her diaglove, concentrating on the readings she was receiving, making odd "hmm'ing" noises every so often. Finally, after a few minutes of this, Devon broke in. "What sort of animal is it, Julia?"
The doctor straightened. "It's not an animal, Devon. Judging from the size of the brainpan I would actually have to say this creature was considerably more intelligent than us. Its brain was 22.5 larger than our own, most of the extra mass centered around the frontal lobe." She pointed to the slightly protuberant forehead. "The teeth are definitely from a predator race; I would say it was probable that this individual was of some felinoid race."
"Like a giant cat?" Danziger asked.
"Exactly." Julia sighed. "I can't really tell much else, without a viable DNA sample. I'd even settle for a partially complete skeleton. I can say thought it was highly likely that this creature walked upright."
"How can you tell that?" Devon inquired.
"By the placement of the exit for the spinal column. It's in the same place as a human's would be, not at all like a four-legged animal's."
"Why would someone put this skull on a stick like this?" Danziger asked. Devon could hear the nervousness in his voice, and it confused her. John was normally levelheaded, not likely to let something like this get to him.
"It was the Terrians." Alonzo Solace was kneeling beside the post itself, examining the ground. "The stone was molded around the base of this wood, and as far as I know only the Terrians can shape rock like this."
"Can you tell how long this has been here?" The skull and the post looked weathered to Devon.
Julia ran the diaglove down the length of the post. "It's not even wood, or at least not completely," she reported. "There are definite traces of metal bonded with the cellulose. However, I can estimate that it's been standing here for at least two hundred Earth years, judging from the decay rate of the carbon atoms in the actual wooden sections."
"That's a long time…Alonzo, do you have any idea why the Terrians would do something like this?"
The pilot stood up, fingering something he'd picked up off the ground. "No idea, Devon. It could be anything."
"Have you spoken to the Terrians lately?"
"No. They've been quiet for about a week now."
Devon sighed. "I don't know if that makes me feel better or not. I'd like to think they'd warn us away if this place was sacred to them in some way…they have before."
"They would have contacted me…or Uly at least…if this was something we should avoid."
"Are you sure of that, 'Lonz?" Danziger demanded.
"Pretty sure."
"We really don't have much choice," Devon replied. "We can't take the time to go all the way south and around this mountain range."
"You're gonna risk all our lives on the idea that the diggers would've let us know something was going on here?" Danziger almost shouted.
She turned to face the mechanic. "What's going on, John? I think you're overreacting to this – "
"It just seems to me that the Terrians don't do anything without a reason." He took a deep breath, visibly calming himself. "They did this, so it must be important to them in some way."
"I agree with John," Alonzo put in. "He's right about the Terrians. But, they would have told us if we were supposed to avoid going this way."
"Look," Devon said, "will the Trans Rover fit down the gorge?"
Danziger was silent, and for a second Devon didn't think he was going to be honest with her. Then he nodded. "There's going to be a couple of tight places, but we shouldn't have a problem."
"Then I propose we go back to the others, and put this to a vote. I'll…abide with the majority. Will that satisfy you?"
"Yeah. It will."
"Then let's get back before it gets full dark. No matter what our decision, we'll need to get started first thing in the morning."
"Here, Julia." Alonzo handed the doctor what he had picked up off the ground. "You might be able to get some DNA from this."
Devon leaned over to look at what he'd found. It was a piece of the broken lower jawbone, which at some point in the past must have come loose and shattered on the stone.
John didn't look happy. "I don't think we should be taking anything from here."
"I didn't know you were the superstitious type, John," Alonzo kidded.
Danziger didn't say anything, but Devon saw that his jaw was clenched so tightly she was afraid he'd crack all his teeth.
