The blinding light assaulted my eyes as I awoke. I was lying in the sand, with the waves crashing over me. “Uncharted Waters,” I say with a croak. My throat is as dry as the desert.

“Commander, the waters near this island have been charted quite precisely. That was the first task I assigned when we started the course.” Pie still had trouble with human attempts at humor,

“Pie, I didn’t mean it literally. I will admit to a fit of fear at this new experience.” A glance at my HUD displayed the local time. It was a few hours after dawn, as I had been unconscious for over nine hours.

While the morning had passed without me, the day was upon me. I pushed down on my feelings, now was a time for survival. “Pie, how long until the Great Mother is in a synchronous orbit?”

“Commander, currently, all communications off-planet are impossible. The transceiver was damaged from the event.”

I suppressed a groan as the situation became quite a problem. Alone on a planet light years from my fellow citizens, injured and unknown dangers ahead. “Pie, what is currently operational?”

“Commander, there are medical nanites available. The survival kit survived the crash as well as the ration box.”

I had hoped for more, yet needs must. Heading back towards the chair, I commanded it to release the cargo door. Inside was a box the size filled with three days of ration bars and water. Grabbing a canteen from the box, I drank greedily for a few moments. With my thirst quenched, I grabbed the survival kit and inspected the contents.

The hatchet and knife were almost indestructible, so I pulled them out and set them to the side. The fire starter flared to life with a push of its button. Setting aside the water filter, I grabbed the Siglock P17. Reaching the side, I inspected the two magazines in the charger ports, seeing both fully charged.

Putting everything back in place, I hefted the bag and looked around the beach. The pillar of darkness drew my attention firmly. The mountain of dark rocklike material rose over one hundred feet in the air. Around the coast, parts of the vessel were strewn about, with the two halves roughly fifty yards offshore.

“Pie, attempt to reach contact with the repair nanites. Have them concentrate on the transceiver, and we must call the Great Mother if we are to escape this planet.” With a glance at my HUD, I could take in my condition. Most of the medical nanites were expended to resolve the broken arm. While not healed completely, the fracture had begone to close. I would take use that arm sparingly for the remainder of the day. Aside from my left arm, the rest of my image in the HUD was green.

“Commander, the repairs have begone. It will be at least a week before the transceiver has been repaired. At this time, I recommend that shelter be found.”

A week on this island wasn’t that bad, and I already had food for half that time. I could do this. In the meantime, the mission must continue. The Federation was counting on me. This world could host billions of citizens, and the surrounding planets and moons host to even more.

Unfortunately, I was not able to complete the standard first landing checklist. In its place, I would have to improvise. I was uneasy about making up the rules as I went. Regulations were there to protect everyone, including the environment. Going off the beaten path differed from how I wanted to begin my career as a Scout.

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” In this case, I was not sure I was tough, but I had no choice but to get going. The sayings of a forgotten era were a particular pastime of mine.

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Slinging the pack unto my back, I began heading towards the forest. The trees were forbidding, but the alternative was to brave the ocean once more. The trees averaged eighty feet tall here by the shore. Looking deeper into the forest, some may have topped one hundred feet.

Scanning the ground as I walked, I located a branch. Grabbing the knife from the bag, I sat down and began removing the bark. As time passed, I kept a watchful eye on my surroundings. Pie would notify me if something were out of the ordinary, but better safe than sorry. With the bark removed, I carefully wrapped the bark around the top of the branch.

The maps of the island showed the land rising towards the center. A cave would be my first choice for a place to hold up. Discovering one in the middle of a jungle would be a challenge. Before heading into the wilderness, I positioned the Siglock on my hip. Grabbing the knife, I tucked it into my boot and held onto the hatchet.

I brushed aside the leaves as I made my way forward. Walking through the undergrowth, the bounty of nature was impressive. The jungle was awash with life. Trees and plants of all varieties surrounded me.

The biosphere of the island, at first glance, seemed complete. If this holds, a range of creatures would call this place home. With Pie and my implant, I would make a comprehensive catalog of any life I came across. The key was ensuring my report returned to the Federation and me with it.

Locating another branch left on the forest floor, I cleared the bark. Six feet in length, the branch was a few more inches taller than I was. It would serve as both a walking stick and makeshift quarterstaff. With the crunch of leaves as one foot after another landed, the trees seemed to stretch into the sky. The canopy of the forest extended as far as I could see, which in the diffused light of the forest floor was no more than fifteen feet.

“Pie, I have never seen a sight as pristine as this forest. The holo training cannot compare.” The world of my birth was one city wrapping the planet like a blanket. Buildings burrowed underground and stretched into the sky. The only plants were those allowed to grow in the agricultural sectors.

“Commander, the vista before us is intriguing. However, we must locate a source of water and shelter.”

I continued my trek into the wilderness, scanning for shelter along my path. Unless I happened upon a keyhole, I would need to construct something independently. The jungle came alive the further in I went. On the forest floor were the scavengers, the insect-like creatures that served to break down the nutrients in a never-ending cycle of death and rebirth.

A screech could be heard every few minutes coming from one location or another. The local wildlife was aware of my presence and likely unhappy. The walking stick was in constant motion, one moment testing the next step. The moment after, it was used to push away foliage. After twenty minutes of a steady hike, I paused.

I had made it a half mile inland from the coast. I took a moment to swing the survival kit in the front and reached in to grab the fire starter. Using the small torch to light the bark, then returned it to the bag. Holding the makeshift torch in front of me, I began walking again.

The island’s topography showed the ground would start to bend slightly downhill within another few hundred yards. Shortly before reaching the beginning of the slope, a path in the undergrowth emerged. Not more than a foot in width, the signs were unmistakable.

“Pie, mark this location for further review. We will want to begin the survey of the wildlife here. In the meantime, let’s push on.”

Before even Pie could respond, a screech erupted from above. On a branch, ten feet above me, was a creature. It had three limbs on its lower half and three on its upper. The bottom limbs ended in curved claws, perhaps two inches in length. The top limbs each ended in four fingers.

The claws were dug into the branch from which it stared at me. Each of the three eyes was on an independent stalk, and one swiveled toward me. The creature was tripedal, standing about three feet tall. Its head was the size of a personal watermelon, with at least two rows of wicked-looking teeth.

The creature began pounding its arms on the branch, which echoed throughout the forest. I took a careful step back and watched the beast intently. It beat the branch for another fifteen seconds until a chorus of screeches began. It stopped beating at the sound and screeched back into the forest.

With a slow and measured movement, I placed my right hand on the Siglock and slowly drew it. I certainly did not want my first encounter with alien life to end in death. If death were in the cards, it would not be mine.