Mission Log 2

Mission log, day 47

I believe there is a higher predator on this planet. Very advanced, and possibly undetectable. The primary bipedal species seem to be aware of it, but I am not sure whether it is a conscious awareness, or merely a general sense of imminent mortal danger. Until recently, I had believed the bipeds were dominant, because their works are the most common, but I have since concluded that many of their efforts--especially the tall buildings of metal and artificial aggregate stone, and the blockier metal conveyances--are in fact defensive efforts against this higher predator. Is it possible that the pressure of predation has elevated a minor species to relative dominance through forced technological development and social bonding?

Naturally, with a creature imperceptible to the naked eye and which remains undetected by any of my devices scanning across all known frequencies of the electromagnetic, visual, and auditory spectra, it is extremely difficult to collect any information on this terrifying new species. I felt that I might have to forego efforts to catalog this beast until I remembered how I first detected it, and remembered the words of one of our own great thinkers: If you wish to know the size of the stone, watch the ripples. After all, I did not learn of the predator by finding any direct evidence of the creature itself, but by observing its impact upon the environment.

Throughout my visit, I have watched the bipeds engage in a variety of activities, and have carefully documented and analyzed many of them. One of these activities continued to baffle me. Individually, in pairs, or in larger groups, I had seen them running, without any discernable reason. They were not hunting prey, or pursuing potential mates, and until recently, I could not fathom why they would so frequently be in such a rush. The only conclusion that made sense was that they were attempting to evade some unknown attacker. I had seen them engage in this behavior in a variety of costumes and weather conditions, and in many cases there could be no other rational explanation. These attacks must have come at random times, without opportunity to prepare, for I frequently saw them running with their pair-bonded quadrupeds, or with their own spawn in wheeled carts; surely, no responsible being would willingly subject their young to the danger of a higher predator which they seem unable to even detect. The likelihood that they would endanger their quadruped, prized for its organic deposits, is even more remote.

As I considered this hypothesis, several previous observations began to make more sense. The thick walls on their largest buildings, high fences in apparently peaceful residential areas, and the unusually large vehicles used by many individuals for even the shortest trips (often, but not always, the bipeds traveling in this manner appear to be physically ill-equipped to survive a chase on foot). Bipeds who travel mainly by the curious open-air two-wheeled carts, powered by their own bodies, have a distinct mechanical advantage over the runners. They may not be able to traverse the same variety of terrain, but the speed potential is certainly higher. However, they also sacrifice maneuverability in tight quarters.

I have not determined why only some of the bipeds are hunted, though I suspect that they carry a protein or other factor critical to the health of the higher predator, and whose presence is immediately detectable to that predator, so that it only needs to chase those bipeds which would provide this rare benefit. The bipeds themselves seem as incapable as I am of detecting the predators directly, at least on a conscious level. Clearly, some instinct drives them to evade capture, and they will occasionally glance behind them, as if they know that something is there, even if they cannot perceive it. I have seen many, though not all, of the running bipeds checking devices on their arms or wrists, and some wear devices with aural outputs plugged directly into their auditory organs; these may be part of some sort of warning system, but if that is the case, then why wouldn’t all of the threatened bipeds be so equipped?

Whatever this predator is, one thing is clear: it completely devours all of its prey. I have yet to find any remains of these kills, which I had hoped would at least provide tooth or claw marks so that I might begin to develop a better hypothesis on the size and nature of this invisible threat.