What Does a Martian Look Like? by Jack Cohen & Ian Stewart

Author:Jack Cohen & Ian Stewart [Cohen, Jack & Stewart, Ian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Ensayo, Ciencias naturales
Publisher: ePubLibre
Published: 2002-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

The Voyage of the Space Beagle (A. E. van Vogt 1950)

The Space Beagle is on a mission to explore the distant reaches of the galaxy, where it encounters a series of threatening lifeforms. The first is Coeurl, intelligent and deadly. It is prowling a landscape of jagged rock. The moonless, almost starless night gives way to the dawn of a pale red sun. Coeurl has huge forelegs, tipped with razor-sharp claws. Tentacles grow from his shoulders. His huge head resembles that of a cat. ‘The hair-like tendrils that formed each ear vibrated frantically, testing every vagrant breeze, every throb in the ether.’ He can normally detect ‘organic id’, creatures that form his food supply, but now the ether is still.

A metal machine appears, and lands. Two-legged creatures emerge. It is the Space Beagle, and the humans spot Coeurl. He immediately realises that they must be a scientific expedition from another star. They know that ‘pussy’ is intelligent, and they believe that he means them no harm. Pussy knows that scientists can be very stupid.

While the humans observe Coeurl, he observes them. The ship’s Nexialist —a multidisciplinary generalist who specialises in making connections— becomes worried about the creature’s potential for havoc. When they land on a planet, Coeurl goes missing from the ship, expecting it to be their homeworld. Lots of organic id there. But all he finds is the remains of a dead civilisation, a ruined city, the next stop on their voyage.

Then the body of one of the scientists is found. The killer has attacked him, ‘possibly with the intention of eating him, and then discovered that his flesh was alien and inedible. Just like our big cat…’

Belatedly, they realise that this may not be coincidence. Pussy was right: scientists can be very stupid. Later, after they have finally managed to deal with Coeurl, they encounter Ixtl, who can survive in the vacuum of intergalactic space…

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