Genesis (The Exodus Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF

surroundings. She was in a depression, with hills on either side. One side was covered in large rubble, and as she looked closer, she noticed an opening, like a cave. She immediately regretted not bringing a weapon. That cave, if that’s what it was, could be home to anything. She automatically feared balders, although who knew what else might be around. It wasn’t as if they had a complete overview of the life forms on this planet, or even in this part of Verdi.
    Something moved, startling Maria, and she almost lost her balance. She winced again as she had to use the hurt foot to keep her from falling, and the movement stopped. Something furry, near the cave mouth, held very still for a few seconds before it emerged from its cover, looking straight at her. The creature had short, but thick fur. It was a deep red color, almost burgundy, with brown stripes. Its eyes were large as saucers, and as it slowly emerged, she noticed it had a short tail, wagging as it walked on two hind legs. Its “arms” were smaller, and were held up like a squirrel. A wide snout made its face look almost comical, but Maria knew enough to be wary. Appearances could be deceiving, and this could very well prove a lethal encounter. She hobbled a couple of steps back, but the creature still wagged toward her. She didn’t see a mouth, but she heard little chirping sounds that had to come from somewhere. It didn’t seem afraid of humans at all; it was almost as if it was trying to make contact, to communicate. Maria stopped and watched, fascinated as the creature seemed to gesticulate, large, deliberate arm movements that made no sense to her at all. Finally, it stood right in front of her. About half her height, it looked up at her and opened its mouth as wide as its great snout. Maria took a careful half step back.
    “Jujjj,” it said, in a high-pitched voice. Maria didn’t understand. She shook her head and spread her hands slowly, not to startle the creature. It pointed at its chest.
    “Jujjj.” And it dawned on her. It was speaking its name. Or perhaps its race. My God, it’s intelligent , she thought.
    “Jujjj,” she said, pointing at the creature. She pointed at herself.
    “Maria.”
    “Maariaa,” it repeated slowly, clearly unfamiliar with the sounds. Maria giggled. This was nothing like she had expected. Here she was, anxious about having to wait for the others, and suddenly she’s made contact with another sentient being. This is crazy—an alien, she thought. Although... I am the alien here. She instinctively understood that all the movements were an effort to communicate, to get a message across. She frowned, trying to understand. Jujjj took a couple of steps back and made a motion that Maria interpreted to mean for her to follow. She found that she trusted this creature not to have bad intentions toward her. She took a step, then another. Jujjj continued to motion for her to follow toward the cave. When she reached the cave opening, she hesitated for a moment. I cannot stop now . She stepped inside the cave, following Jujjj’s lead.
    The cave was wider than she expected, and high enough for her to stand up, as long as she stooped slightly. The walls of what appeared to be some kind of tunnel looked like they had been shaped, smoother than what would be natural. It went deep into the rock, and Maria absently wondered if the others would find her when they came. Still, she continued to follow Jujjj through the tunnel, deeper and deeper. After what seemed an eternity, she could see light in the distance, and as they got closer, she saw the tunnel widening into a large cavern. She stepped through an opening, and the cavern revealed itself to her. All around, creatures just like Jujjj skittered around with that same wagging movement. Some didn’t seem to care, while others stopped and looked at her. There was neither fear nor hostility toward her, as far as she could tell. There were cracks in the ceiling with something that