Sleeping was impossible for me with all the thoughts in my head about what I would find during my up coming journey. I knew nothing about the inhabitants of this world or how they would react to me. The visions of those that had traveled with me in the shuttle and the fate that had fallen upon them gave me pause that the same fate could be waiting for me out in the jungle by those fires that I had watched the previous night. With that in mind I ran though the contents of my wardrobe collar to make sure that it was programmed to provide for me the things I would need to survive in case things got really ugly. I ran though the list of weapons including my trusty Bowie knife, Katana, bow and quiver of arrows, and an assortment of throwing stars and other smaller edged weapons. I checked the condition of my clothing not sure what the native population would be wearing this season but whatever it was, I wanted to make sure that I could whip up something that would allow me to fit in at a moment's notice. I also checked on the condition of the Draxx ground battle suit that had been issued to me upon the completion of my combat training.
Everything seemed to be in order, so all I needed to do now was wait for the sun to rise. I paced around the cave a bit trying to map out where the campfires were located and the shortest route to take to get there. Seeing as how it was a few more hours until sunrise I scampered back up the trail to the plateau, then retraced my steps back to the edge of the cliff where I watched the fires the night before. Sitting on the edge I could see the fires still burning with my cat-like night vision. Closing my eyes I activated the Personal Data Device (PDD) chip that the Draxx Corporation had installed in my head. The heads up display responded immediately showing me a map of where I had been and what I had learned of this planet.
As I turned my head the map panned with my view and I came quickly to the conclusion that the quickest way to get where I needed to go was to take the moon pool, surface near the beach then head North following the shoreline. A quick diagnostic of the PDD told me that the interface with the Universal Translator (UT) was fully functional. I had only tested it out at the academy with known languages so I was not sure how it would react on this planet if my neighbors spoke a language that was not already programmed in. We were taught that this Draxx Corporation device contained an artificial intelligence array that allowed it to learn new languages. It would be a difficult stay here if this did not work as advertised.
Knowing now that I had more time, I decided to stay here on the plateau for a while longer and watch the moons set over the horizon. It would be much more practical and safe to make the swim during the daylight hours than in total darkness. I knew from my studies that some sea life hunted in the darkness. I knew that it was safe during the day and did not want to risk running into some giant night hunting kooba fish.
The wait was well worth it and I was treated to a fantastic show as the moons one after the other slipped below the horizon and the sun began to rise over the trees at the opposite end of the plateau. Walking in the direction of the setting moons I came to the path leading down to my cave. I quickly donned my backpack then tapped out the code that caused my clothing and backpack to transit into the all too familiar micro beads which rolled rapidly up my body to my wardrobe collar leaving me naked and ready for my morning swim.
Feeling a slight chill on my body from the removal of my clothing, I set the solar powered force fields that protected my dwelling then padded down to the moon pool knowing that my meager possessions and home would be safe while I was gone. As I came to the edge of the moon pool I went over the direction that I must swim and the PDD confirmed the time and distance from the exit of the moon pool to just under 40 minutes if the tide and current calculations were correct. I could have made it to shore in under 4 minutes after surfacing but figured that swimming would be preferable to hacking my way through the jungle with a sword for several hours and perhaps running into another plant that wanted me to bear its young.
The water felt warmer than the air inside the cave, which was normal. Living so far inside a rock structure kept the daily heat far from the center of the cave and well away from the moon pool. Holding my breath I made the four minute swim from the moon pool, down the under water lava tube to the bright blue water beyond. Once out of the tube I kicked for the surface as quick as I could. As my head cleared the water I took a deep breath followed by several more. Treading water as I cleared the wet matted black and brown hair from my face and eyes, I set about getting my bearings so that the PDD would show me the direction I needed to go to get to my destination.