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But the Fauna A den wasn’t the key feature of the cavern.
Right through the center of the vast space stabbed a massive metal rod the size of a small tower. Clearly ancient qesh in origin, it lodged in the ground as though shot into the planet like a long, thin bullet. Because, Sazahk suspected, that’s exactly what had happened. The rod had likely been launched from an orbital rail gun, an early version of the ones the Qeshian military still kept on-hand in case they ever wanted to obliterate a planet again.
Sazahk had seen similar artifacts, and he was familiar enough with old technology, new technology, and history to be confident in his conclusions. But he had never come across anything quite like this. He doubted anyone ever had.
The rod still emitted frequencies inaudible to human or qeshian ears but detectable by some of Sazahk’s instruments. And very detectable by the electronics struggling to function beside it. This rod, and the no-doubt countless others like it buried in this part of Qesha’s flesh, was why this area was called the Dead Zone.
Even now, a millennium later, the rod still jammed any and all electronic communications anywhere near it. Sazahk suspected its power source to be a nuclear reactor deep inside the rod’s core, but if he was right, not enough radiation seeped out to be picked up by his instruments to prove it.
But the consistent energy radiating from the rod did more than jam communications. Unforeseen by Sazahk’s ancestors, who had hurled this splinter of metal into the dying jungle, it also supported life.
Wrapped around the rod and spilling out over every surface and burrowing into the dirt, grew the glowing mycelium. Sazahk had a battery of tests still to run to confirm his theory, but he hypothesized the mycelium harnessed the energy of the rod for biological purposes. The copious amount of mycelium in turn drew in Fauna A, creating a fully functional ecosystem with the rod as its foundation.
“Don’t give me that look. You have plenty of food or you wouldn’t be here.” Garin stuffed the wrapper in his pocket and stalked back to the camp he’d set up. The small Fauna A who had gotten into his bag trailed along after him.
As soon as they’d stepped into the cavern, Sazahk had thrown himself into analyzing everything around him and excavating every detail and scrap of information he could. In addition to the mycelium, he’d found several more Insect growths. If they had churned the land as they burrowed through the ground, then that would have easily brought the mycelium closer to the surface soil. And if the mycelium reached the surface soil, then perhaps what it had done here, it could do there.
Sazahk’s mind spun with the possibilities, but after hours of study, he rubbed his eyes and found them sore. As he sat back on his heels and watched Garin settle himself at his little camp again, his stomach rumbled.
He sighed and gathered his things.
“You done already?” Garin raised his eyebrows when Sazahk joined him at the base of the disruption rod.
“No, but breaks are vital to maintaining optimal functioning and the research here is too important to be done with anything less.” Sazahk sat on the sleeping bag Garin had laid out and accepted the ration bar Garin handed him. “Your bag seems to have adjusted spacetime to fit as many ration bars as you carry. How many did you pack?”
“Enough for this mission to go twice as long as planned.” Garin looked up from cleaning the pieces of his dissembled spare pistol. “But I probably shouldn’t have told you that.”
Sazahk snorted as he unwrapped his bar and didn’t deny the implied accusation. “I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know then that I currently believe we should return early.”
“Early?” Garin shot him a look and dragged his bag away when a Fauna A pawed at it. “I thought I’d have to drag you back to the compound kicking and screaming.”
Fear stabbed the back of Sazahk’s neck at the image despite Garin’s tone and he glared at him. “You wouldn’t.”
“No.” Garin looked up sharply and froze with a cleaning rod stuffed down the barrel of his gun. “I really wouldn’t, Sazahk. I’m sorry, that was a terrible joke. I’d never lay my hands on you like that.”
Sazahk eyed him and sighed. “I know.” He trusted Garin. As much as he trusted Zyk, Ha’ral, or Squad M. He hadn’t expected to when they’d set off into the Dead Zone, and it was illogical after so little time together, but he did.
“Good.” Garin returned to his gun and dabbed lubricant along the clean barrel. “I’d probably just make a lot of pointed and passive aggressive comments.” He slotted the pieces of the pistol back together. “Why are you thinking we should head back early?”
“I came here with a clear directive.” Sazahk handed Garin his multi-tool when he gestured for it. “Find a way to make the Dead Zone habitable for the Insects. I may have found that way, or at least a promising enough lead, that it should be shared with the politicians before they do anything drastic, and with Dom, so he can help bring the plan to fruition.”
“You know how to save the Dead Zone?” Garin’s mouth fell open, and he froze with his knife sharpener poised above his multi-tool’s largest blade.
Sazahk raised a finger. “I may have found a promising lead. There’s an enormous gap in meaning between that and knowing how to bring the Dead Zone’s life-supporting capacity in line with the rest of Qesha’s.” He shook his head. “I believe a combination of the mycelium and the Insect’s own infrastructure may be the key, but it’s too early to discuss details.”
“Fair enough.” Garin smiled and the gooey ball in Sazahk’s chest squished at the sight. He started sharpening the various blades on his clearly well-loved toolset. “I probably wouldn’t understand it, anyway.”
“I think you would understand a large percentage of it.” Sazahk frowned as he finished the last of his bar. “As you informed me, you attended a university and received an above average education, and our time together has led me to conclude that you possess an above average intellect.” Sazahk dug out the blood testing device and passed it to Garin. “I think you’d understand the major points of my solution, even if particular pieces of genetic engineering jargon were opaque to you.”
Garin ducked his head as he accepted the device but sent Sazahk another one of those goo-inducing smiles from under his lashes. “That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Sazahk.”
“I believe I informed you that you’re physically attractive a few days ago,” Sazahk pointed out, though he tried not to call to mind the image from that morning of Garin standing fully nude before him.
“Mm,” Garin scrunched his nose. “I think you said I had all the requisite markers of health and hardiness.”
“Yes, exactly.” Like a symmetrical face and a full head of hair and a strong jaw and clear eyes and various other things that Sazahk had already mentally enumerated and which he didn’t need to enumerate for himself again
Garin laughed and shook his head as he pricked himself and handed over his blood sample. “You’re something special, Sazahk.”
