The Struggles of Life

"We're late!' I said. 

"Only by a couple of hundred years," Gary joked, flashing me a grin. "I'm sure everything is fine, and if it's not, then can go home early!"

"That's not funny, Gary. We could lose our jobs."

I didn't know how he did that, staying so cheerful while working for the Corporation. If they ever found out how late we were this time, they might decide to skip firing us and go straight to termination. And I didn't want to die, but you either worked for the Corporation or were wealthy enough to own a share. So, I didn't understand how Gary wasn't constantly trying to rush to the next destination. But he often decided to take unnecessary detours without concern for my life. It didn't matter if he didn't care for his own. 

I shook my head, hoping to clear it. I shouldn't get ahead of myself. I first needed to check the instrument readings and determine how screwed we were. If there were no biomarkers in the atmosphere, then we may as well not return home. Looking out the ship's window, I could see patches of green covering parts of the planet, but that didn't necessarily mean plant life. So, I continued to watch the levels fluctuate with bated breath. 

I felt my shoulders relax a little as the readings stabilized. The planet appeared to still have life on it. That had to count for something, right? I just hoped it was the correct life form and not something the Corporation wanted eradicated. But there was only one way to figure that out. 

"We need to go down there," I said, preparing the ship for descent. 

"What? Why? Didn't we get positive readings for biomarkers? And you can see the planet has green vegetation, so why would we need to go down there?"

"Yes, but what if it's not the life the Association wants? What if all that green isn't plant life and there are only a few left? What if another life form is down there, destroying the life form we want? What if-"

"Okay, okay," Gary interrupted, "I get it. If you're that worried about it, we'll go and check."

Even before the ship landed, I could see various plants scattered across the land. Some were tall like trees, and others carpeted the ground like grass, but I hadn't seen any animal life forms yet. And, checking the zoning of the planet, there should be animal life. But nothing moved except the plants swaying in the wind. 

I grabbed my helmet and strode to the hatch. There was no sense in waiting for something to show up. And none of the instruments onboard could differentiate life forms. And for a billion-dollar company, you would think the Corporation could afford newer equipment to make this job more streamlined. However, spending money is the opposite of making it, so we're stuck with outdated technology and a barely livable wage. It wasn't great, but it was better than dying, although not by much. 

I hadn't expected to do any fieldwork. But it would be quicker to go out and find something myself. I just hoped that whatever the Corporation was growing here wasn't dangerous because I wasn't getting any hazard pay. All I needed to do was see the animals, then I could determine their status, and we could leave. And if all goes well, the animals will be alive and healthy, which would go toward keeping me from termination. 

"So do you know what it is we're looking for?" Gary asked as he glanced around. 

I narrowed my eyes at him, "If you're trying to make a joke, don't."

"Now, why would I joke at a time like this? Do you honestly think that lowly of me? I just thought it might be easier to find these creatures if we knew what they looked like."

I watched his face closely. I could see a glint in his eye, but his question seemed genuine. And he did make a good point. Knowing would make things go faster. 

"Hmm. If I knew what the creatures looked like, I would tell you. But unfortunately, we will have to manage without," I said, walking away. 

I hoped Gary would drop it and help me search. I didn't need his antics right now. I just wanted to get this done. I hated that he never took anything seriously. Wasn't he afraid of what the Corporation might do? I couldn't think of a reason for his cheeriness while working this job. Everything seemed to slide right off him.

"Uh, hello?" Gary said, suddenly appearing before me. "What did you turn your comms off? I've been calling to you."

"What?" I snapped, only to quickly feel bad. I didn't mean to be short, but his demeanor made my blood boil. 

"Whoa, sorry. I was trying to tell you that I found the creatures."

It took my brain a moment to process the information, "You did! Where are they?"

I looked around frantically, but I didn't see them. I looked back at Gary, trying to discern if this was his idea of a funny prank. If it is, he wouldn't have to worry about the Corporation murdering him because I would. 

"I didn't bring them with me," he said, looking amused, then pointed behind him, "They're over there."

I walked over slowly to where he had pointed. It was a thicket of tree-like plants that effectively blocked out the light from the star of this system. I squinted, trying to see what was hiding in the shadows. I could barely make out the silhouette of the creature. It was short but lanky, and it appeared to be upright on its hind legs. 

I glanced at Gary, "Have you seen it walk?" 

"Yep, bipedal."

"Has it spoken?"

"No, but it shows clear signs of intelligence. I would put it as a class C life form." 

I winced. The Corporation often eradicated anything above a class D. It was harder to control intelligent life, and the Corporation would have to spend money to indoctrinate them into our culture. And they often didn't make a very adequate or sustainable food source. Sometimes, the Corporation used them for entertainment or labor purposes, but I didn't think they would find a use for them this time around. 

I looked back at the doomed creature. It had inched closer to us, keeping its eyes on us the whole time. I crouched down and held out my hand. I felt sorry for it. All it knew was that some strange people had landed in its home, and it was trying to decide if we were safe. It didn't know the dangers we brought with us. 

The creature gradually circled us, stopping to sniff my outstretched hand. It placed one of its tiny hands on mine and looked up expectantly. I just smiled. Its face was full of wonder and curiosity. For a moment, I forgot about the troubles of my world. Nothing else mattered but this moment in time. 

Out of nowhere, the creature turned and produced a shrill cry. It waited a moment, then waved its hands wildly at the trees and motioned to us. A few other faces appeared out of the shadows and wandered toward us. As the others approached, the one started rambling unintelligibly and gesturing. It was clear it was speaking about us to its companions, although we couldn't understand a word it was saying. And the others joined in, pointing and communicating to one another. One of them motioned toward Gary, and the rest erupted into what must've been laughter. 

I saw Gary fold his arms and pretend to pout, "I don't know what it said, but I feel like I should be offended."

"Whatever it said was probably accurate," I said, trying not to laugh with them. 

We stayed there for a while, watching the little creatures run around and play. I realized that for the first time in years, I was happy. It all reminded me of Earth before the Corporation forcibly took over. We weren't as carefree as these creatures, but life had been much better. 

As we walked back to the ship, I could feel the anxiety creeping back in. What were we going to do? I didn't want to kill these innocent creatures. But I also had my own life to think about, and were they worth dying for if the Corporation ever found out? Saving them would be for nothing if they did, and I wasn't sure how to keep it a secret. 

"You know what this means, right?" Gary said, not looking up at me. 

I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed Gary's silence. His words were barely above a whisper, and his behavior was completely different. I felt like I was looking at someone else. 

"If those creatures have a language and communities, then they're a class B, not C. And the Corporation has never permitted a class B species to live. They are too close to us. At least, that's their reasoning."

My heart sank. I knew what this meant. If we wanted to protect the life forms, we needed to be willing to put everything on the line for them. I looked at Gary, hoping to find an answer.

"Listen," Gary sighed, "I don't have any family left to live for. That's why I took this job. And, as you've seen, I more than willing to go behind the Corporations back. But I understand if you don't want to risk what you have for them."

"I'm in," I said, a little surprised at my words, "But do you have a plan?"

A huge grin spread across his face, "Do you even need to ask?"

I watched Gary happily fill out a report, something he hated doing. The planet didn't exist anymore. A collision with a large asteroid had reduced it to rubble. 

"But what if they send someone to do an investigation?" I asked.

"And spend money? I don't think so. They probably won't even question this report. It'll become fact, and no one will be the wiser," he said with a wink. "Now, we better get going, otherwise, we'll be late."