Mesozoic zigzag

– Wow! This is some terrain! – Jum, after a little breathing, said admiringly. – Do I think that this wonderful smell is coming from those broomsticks over there? – He pointed with his healthy hand to the plants sticking out of the fog.

– Maybe. I’m willing to bet that under the layer of fog there is a swamp that emits a completely different fragrance, – Abis said thoughtfully. – Did you notice those mountains over there? I tried to take a closer look at them: there was no obvious vegetation on them.

– It’s strange that this planet has so much oxygen with so little vegetation! – Dak joined the conversation.

– The atmosphere can be oxygenated by non-biological means. Under certain conditions it can also be released from rocks! – Holdum said instructively. – Now, since the atmosphere gives us a possibility to breathe without spacesuits, which, you must agree, is a great luck in our situation, and our inoculations and “techno-immunity” against alien microorganisms and other stuff are still working, let’s think about our salvation.

– May I say something? – Jum spoke again, carefully sitting down on loose stones, setting an example for the rest of the tired travelers. – Today I propose not to go anywhere. And it’s not even about my hand. It’s just that we need to take a good look around before we move. We’ll set up camp on the crest of this rampart. It’s safer. We’ll try to study the local wildlife. You know, so we know what to watch out for. We’ll get our bearings. Tomorrow we’ll move towards the main group’s landing site. If we can find one!

– Good suggestion! – Holdum noted with satisfaction. – For my part I can add the following… After setting up the camp we will establish a permanent duty. We will take turns in duty. I propose to exclude Tana from this list.

Tana shook her head indignantly.

– Well, all right, all right. Then Tana and Jum will be on duty together. Is that okay with you?

Everyone nodded.

– Okay. Next. I’ll need to bring all my suitcases along with the domes. There’s something I have to do. It’ll make our future a lot easier. Unless, of course, the instruments in those suitcases were damaged on landing. What we have in our first aid kit won’t heal your bones instantly, Jum, but it will do so for the foreseeable future. There don’t seem to be any complications. Unless the bone heals crookedly. It’ll give you that extra bit of glamor and make you look like an astronaut. What? No? I’m kidding. If something like that happens, it’ll be fixed in five minutes on the ship’s stationary instrument.

– Are you sure we’ll ever get to the ship? – Tana asked with hope in her voice.

– Almost one hundred percent!

– To be honest, I was beginning to fear that we wouldn’t be able to leave and would have to stay on this strange planet forever.

– Well, you just haven’t seen any strange planets yet, Uabju. This one’s pretty good. Trust me. Gather your strength! Well, let’s get started!

First Camp

For the rest of the day, Abis and Dak, bending under the weight of crates and drenched in sweat, hauled their loads to the crest of the hill where Holdum was leveling the camp site. By evening, two lightweight metal-plastic domes stood on the site. One consisted of two rooms – cabin for members of the expedition and a common dining room. The second dome contained the devices that Holdum had assembled with the help of Dak and Abis from a suitcase constructor and very small means of transportation over the planet surface. Like a magician, Holdum, who had been fiddling with the hardware for a long time, brought out of the small dome a square platform that hung above the surface of the planet at knee height. Smiling Jum and Tana followed him out.