The Unexpected Offer

So, Nick eventually found me, with the infamous opening line "We need to talk."

Things get tricky from here. One of the interesting aspects of dealing with a private organization is that they ask you to keep certain things to yourself. Can't blame them, either. But it does present challenges.

We met in the Council's neighborhood, and basically he offered me a job. Doug Sharper has indeed been tasked with investigating a disturbing situation in the Museum Age of Negilahn. It was written to provide the D'ni people a place to observe wildlife from the shelter of a self-contained viewing Pod. Negilahn is a jungle world, supposedly rich in all manner of animal and plant life.

Only there's no animals.

Explorations outside of the Pod have provided certain clues, which the DRC are unable to interpret. Doug is a master hunter; during the first Restoration he admitted to hunting and killing a large marine predator on Teledahn he calls "Shroomie". Because he was generally reprimanded for that, it's with glaring irony that he's being hired again specifically track down and kill something else.

Once rich with wildlife, Negilahn has apparently become quite barren. Only two different sorts of animals have even been seen from the Pod since it was made public - a cute sort of two-tailed monkey, and an enormous flightless bird the D'ni called an "Urwin". Studies by the DRC have shown that animal populations are dropping. Apparently it was pretty dramatic at the beginning, but they are finding less carcasses as more animals are being killed.

It seems the problem is predation. Something is killing the animals, or scaring them away. Nick wouldn't tell me specifics, only that the carcasses are savagely attacked but generally not eaten. Whatever it is doesn't seem to be hungry; it just likes to kill.

And Nick offered to let me help him and Doug track it down.

Nominally, this would include the help of the DZS, but officially I'm the guy. "Famed assistant to Doug and Nick" or some such. I'm not particularly interested in popularity, it's annoying. As soon as word gets around the Cavern that yer someone special, they never stop pestering you. No, for me it's the chance to learn, to explore, to be the first to do and see things and make a difference.

So I said yes.

I'm not sure what this position will entail, Nick said something about having to "make it official". Hopefully I can catch up with him again in the next couple of days and he'll have more details.

For now I guess I'll just collect my books, buy some camo pants, and start converting my little hut on Relto into a research lab. I'll need a couple of microscopes, dissection supplies, field sampling kits, binocs, tracking gear... Better start a shopping list. Maybe I can "borrow" some of this stuff...