DJXPrice
April 25th, 2003, 08:57 PM
Hi all,
I recall reading a short story quite some time ago. I'd like to re-read it, but can't recall the title or author. The story dealt with a living and sentient planet, where all the organisms from bacteria to animals shared the same mind. Explorers from Earth landed there and were "infected," and later were destroyed by people who discovered their intent to "infect" the Earth and all it's life (kinda sketchy there, but that part is derived from clues throughout the story). A second expedition arrives to gather specimens and do research, or maybe find out what happened to the first group. They take precautions (such as scorching the ground below their ship to quite a depth to kill all organisms), but an animal resembling (having evolved to do so) a wire gets on the ship and hides in a dead circuit. The whole way home to Earth the thing wants to infect the people on the ship, not out of animosity, but because it feels sorry for individual organisms with no connection like it had with everything on it's planet. It plans to release some sort of spore into the air when the hatch on the ship opens. That's all I recall. Can anybody tell me the name of the story or who wrote it? Thanks!
DJ
I recall reading a short story quite some time ago. I'd like to re-read it, but can't recall the title or author. The story dealt with a living and sentient planet, where all the organisms from bacteria to animals shared the same mind. Explorers from Earth landed there and were "infected," and later were destroyed by people who discovered their intent to "infect" the Earth and all it's life (kinda sketchy there, but that part is derived from clues throughout the story). A second expedition arrives to gather specimens and do research, or maybe find out what happened to the first group. They take precautions (such as scorching the ground below their ship to quite a depth to kill all organisms), but an animal resembling (having evolved to do so) a wire gets on the ship and hides in a dead circuit. The whole way home to Earth the thing wants to infect the people on the ship, not out of animosity, but because it feels sorry for individual organisms with no connection like it had with everything on it's planet. It plans to release some sort of spore into the air when the hatch on the ship opens. That's all I recall. Can anybody tell me the name of the story or who wrote it? Thanks!
DJ