A Matter of Protocol

A routine first‑contact mission turns urgent when the landing party’s firefighting efforts barely contain a blaze on Viridian’s dense, emerald canopy. Lieutenant Jerry Norcriss, a Space Zoologist, watches his crew secure the ship while he prepares a daring experiment: linking his mind to a captured alien signal. The planet’s lush, vine‑tangled surface hides unknown dangers, and the crew’s tension is palpable as they brace for what may emerge from the jungle shadows.

With a single press, a burst of recorded alien thought floods Jerry’s consciousness, pulling his awareness into an unfamiliar body. He awakens to a world of chitinous limbs and delicate, prehensile tips, feeling the alien’s own sensations for the first time. As he struggles to orient himself on a foreign limb, the experience forces him to confront the limits of human perception and the fragile line between observer and participant in an alien ecosystem.