aging
process, their trip was going to be cut in half. Stadi agreed with Dr. Anil in
that it was a good idea to be on the surface as little as possible.

In the woods, Praeger took another soil sample, some leaves from the ground,
and a small strip of bark from a tree. Thinking he heard the sound of water
nearby, he headed in that direction—in the back of his mind already selecting
which tests he and his crew would run on the samples. His hearing proved accurate,
as through a break in the trees they came to a small stream. Once at the
water’s edge, he filled another of his vials with the liquid and was prepared
to stand when Lt. Tanis put a hand on his shoulder and pointed. About fifteen
feet away, across thesmall creek, was a creature strikingly similar to a deer
from Earth. As slowly as possible, so as not to startle the animal, he turned
on his heel and scanned it with his tricorder as it first stared at the away
team, then slowly lowered its head to drink.

Suddenly the creature jerked its head up from the water, and an instant later
bolted in the direction from which it had come. The security team was already
in the midst of a sweep of their immediate area when a loud splash drew their
attention back to the water.

Lieutenant Praeger had fallen in—and was clearly unconscious. One by one, the
rest of the away team joined him in a state of oblivion.

*****

“Ow!”

Serutian Hale winced as she stirred, her head aching. How long had she been
out? Where were