Quofum Read Online Free

itself. “Whatever is on you mind, don’t keep it to youself.”
    Turning, Araza indicated the rest of the longitudinal chamber. By tomorrow it would be properly sectioned off and the individual living quarters filled with practical, solid gear as well as items of a personal nature. At present, except for the bed that was rapidly unfolding and positioning itself, it was an empty shell filled with sealed containers waiting to be activated.
    “Did you ever stop to wonder why the government authorized such a small expedition?”
    Boylan snorted. “Of course. There was no point in spending lots of money to send a big ship and big team to a place that might not exist. Based on what we report, I would anticipate a follow-up investigative team to be much larger.”
    Araza nodded thoughtfully. “Assuming we all get off here alive.”
    Boylan’s heavy brows drew together. “We have been here less than day and already you are contemplating catastrophe?”
    The technician did not look in the captain’s direction. “I just think maybe one reason the Commonwealth sent such a small team was so any losses would be minimized. In the event of an unforeseeable disaster.”
    Boylan was not pleased. This wasn’t the kind of talk he wanted to hear from a team member so soon after touchdown. “You are maybe having something specific in mind?”
    Shouldering an installer whose label declared that it contained a compacted chest of drawers, the tech looked back at his superior. “While spotty, what records there are of this world show it not being here much of the time.”
    Boylan let out a short, derisive laugh. “Well, it sure as hell here now!” Raising his right leg, he stomped down with enough force to cause the tough integrated flooring to vibrate slightly underfoot. “It my personal conclusion after past several days working here that I don’t think it or we have to worry about disappearing anywhere soon.”
    “Maybe not soon,” a seemingly reluctant Araza muttered.
    The other man squinted at the tech. “What was that?”
    “Nothing, sir.” He set down the installer he was carrying. “You want this storage unit against the wall or freestanding?”
    Boylan shrugged indifferently. “I not an internal decorator. Just activate it. Whoever picks this room can place it wherever they like.”
    Araza complied. Boylan might have found the technician’s current expression of more than passing interest, but the bigger man was presently focused on the task at hand and as a consequence his face was not visible.
             
    “What the hell was that?” His attention focused on the tree line, N’kosi took a step backward. Behind him, Tellenberg looked up from where he had been staring in fascination at something long, soft, and multitentacled that was undulating its way through a shallow pool of alcohol-infused seawater.
    “I don’t see anything.” Reluctantly, he abandoned the promising tide pool and walked up the beach to rejoin his colleague.
    N’kosi was standing and staring at the riot of twisted, intertwined growths that formed a wall of green, orange, and russet vegetation above the highest berm. Every square meter of sand was a treasure trove of small, dead alien life-forms. In the absence of strong tides the skeletal flotsam underfoot consisted largely of what had been cast ashore by storm surge.
    “Well, I did.” Checking his gear to ensure that everything was in place, the other xenologist started inland. “It was watching us.”
    Tellenberg was hesitant to follow. “If you did see something and if it was watching us, I’m not sure pushing into dense unknown forest is the appropriate procedure for preliminary follow-up. We just got here and we know next to nothing about this place.”
    Standing at the transition zone where sand met soil, N’kosi looked back at him. “Then here’s an opportunity to add to our limited store of knowledge in a hurry.” Reaching up to make sure the recorder clipped over