Read Online Redwood: Servant of the State by Jaxon Reed - Free Book Online

was a Professor there. Most all of us you see here were part of the early teams. We set up twelve agricultural experiment stations around the continent, and we took lumber from one old tree that had died to create this headquarters on the edge of the forest. We were trying to get close to the most fascinating exobiological discovery in centuries.”
    He stood up, and started pacing.
    “It was a beehive of activity in those days. Passenger ships filled with Scientists and Professors would land not far from here, and all the experiment stations were fully staffed and functional. Things grow bigger here, and better. The food produced from Redwood soil tastes better than any other world’s. The plants and animals are larger, even though gravity is about the same as other ‘Goldilocks’ planets. We were making extraordinary discoveries almost daily, and it was fascinating work. It seemed more exciting than the typical frontier planet, somehow, especially knowing all the while there are primates living in the woods.
    “We dreamed of big things. Think of the lumber just one tree can provide. Think of the meat from one cow. Multiple industries would be impacted, we thought. Textiles, medicine, agriculture. But around this time, trouble started.”
    He sighed and glanced around the room. Several people nodded in agreement.
    “The primates are the most interesting thing about Redwood, of course, and garnered most of our immediate attention. But, we found they are the hardest to observe. They’re arboreal, living deep in the forest. Their communities are very well guarded, night and day, and we had difficulty drawing close enough to make good observations. Oh, we tried a number of approaches. Drones, camouflage, creeping ever slowly nearer to try and acclimate them to our presence. But their sentries are very good and they are wholly intolerant to the proximity of outsiders. Nothing gets close to their ‘cities’ without notice.”
    I couldn’t help myself. I had to interrupt.
    “What do they look like?”
    “They’re very large monkeys, twice as big as gorillas on Old Earth. But, in basic appearance, they most closely resemble our spider monkey.”
    I nodded. It was a Central American species. “ Ateles geoffroyi .”
    He quirked an eyebrow at me. I shrugged.
    “Classifications are sort of a hobby of mine.”
    “I see. Well, to continue, there might be different species, or even sub-species. We don’t know. We’ve been severely hampered in our ability to even make basic observations, much less any real research, by both the State and circumstances. And of course, we just don’t have the personnel to do much anymore.”
    “Because of the troubles?”
    He nodded.
    “Like I said, we had difficulties getting close to the primates. But, we were able to set up a network of sensors around the closest community, a few hours from here. The sensors let us track comings and goings. We operated under the presumption that foraging parties would provide ideal opportunities to observe the creatures. And we were right. When they are away from their communities, we are indeed able to sneak closer. But their sense of surrounding is extraordinary, and they don’t stay in one spot for very long. So, we have to move quickly when the sensors indicate movement, and pick a location they are most likely to visit. It’s hit or miss, but eventually we had some success.”
    He stopped pacing.
    “Then we noticed an anomaly. At least one primate was a recluse. He lived outside the communities. On occasion, he’d show up on the sensor grid as he approached the others. Naturally, he intrigued us, and we tried to get a closer look. Somehow he got the nickname, ‘Fred.’ I’m not sure who came up with the sobriquet, but it stuck.”
    He sighed deeply, reliving painful memories.
    “Our first science team gaining proximity to Fred learned several important things about Redwood primates. For one, we were able to again confirm the primates’