Percival Io
Missionary Man
Cophrigin V, the Scar Worlds
"What is this stuff?"
Scott, Percival's brother, posed the question. Meanwhile their other brother Galahad rubbed two fingers on the green leaf of a plant. His fingertips came away coated with the strange red matter that had seemingly dusted everything in their immediate vicinity.
"It follows a path," Percival remarked, pointing deeper into the forest. "I think someone passed through here, and spread it on everything as they went."
Cophrigin V was a verdant garden world, rich with life - or so it had been before the Bryn'adul conquered it. Now that the Bryn were gone, nature was beginning to creep back in. House Io had funded efforts to restore the old ecosystems of the planet, rooting native plants in enriched soil and releasing rescued animals back into the wild.
But this red gunk was not native to the planet. Any foreign substances introduced to the environment, especially while it was still in such a vulnerable state, could have disastrous effects on Cophrigin's recovery. Thus, the three brothers had immediately set out to investigate the source of the red matter and find out what it was.
"Do you suppose whoever or whatever spread this is dangerous?" Galahad inquired, smearing the red across his fingers.
"Do you suppose this stuff itself is dangerous?" Scott shot back.
"We'll disinfect ourselves thoroughly before we return to base, just to be sure," Percival said, leading the way. "Come on, let's figure this mystery out. I want to get back before dinnertime."
"What, are you having another date with your girlfriend?" Scott teased, falling into step behind his brother.
"Is it not enough to simply want food while it's still hot?" Galahad asked with a sigh. The brothers' banter echoed through the woods as they tramped along.
"What is this stuff?"
Scott, Percival's brother, posed the question. Meanwhile their other brother Galahad rubbed two fingers on the green leaf of a plant. His fingertips came away coated with the strange red matter that had seemingly dusted everything in their immediate vicinity.
"It follows a path," Percival remarked, pointing deeper into the forest. "I think someone passed through here, and spread it on everything as they went."
Cophrigin V was a verdant garden world, rich with life - or so it had been before the Bryn'adul conquered it. Now that the Bryn were gone, nature was beginning to creep back in. House Io had funded efforts to restore the old ecosystems of the planet, rooting native plants in enriched soil and releasing rescued animals back into the wild.
But this red gunk was not native to the planet. Any foreign substances introduced to the environment, especially while it was still in such a vulnerable state, could have disastrous effects on Cophrigin's recovery. Thus, the three brothers had immediately set out to investigate the source of the red matter and find out what it was.
"Do you suppose whoever or whatever spread this is dangerous?" Galahad inquired, smearing the red across his fingers.
"Do you suppose this stuff itself is dangerous?" Scott shot back.
"We'll disinfect ourselves thoroughly before we return to base, just to be sure," Percival said, leading the way. "Come on, let's figure this mystery out. I want to get back before dinnertime."
"What, are you having another date with your girlfriend?" Scott teased, falling into step behind his brother.
"Is it not enough to simply want food while it's still hot?" Galahad asked with a sigh. The brothers' banter echoed through the woods as they tramped along.
