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By definition, symbiosis is the intimate association of organisms of different species to achieve mutual benefit, but at this point, no one could say if this type of behavior was universal or only occurred on Earth. These were the thoughts of the biologist specialist on the "Live Catalog" mission, searching for alien life on other planets, when the onboard computer indicated that it had finished analyzing the biomarkers of planet P24601.
This time it seemed they had found something interesting, with an 85% probability of containing life. Compared to the neighboring planet P24600, which only showed 45% and, upon exploration, turned out to be an inert rock with methane fumaroles. Of course, this planet had also tested negative for technomarkers, so it would have life, but without advanced intelligence.
The time had come to go out and explore.
"Guys, prepare for field exploration in 1 hour, over and out."
...................................................................
They had decided to land in what appeared to be a meadow covered with dark green grass, about 30 cm tall and with a shape reminiscent of bamboo, not the vegetation one expects to find in such a meadow, and they grew unusually separated from each other. The terrain consisted of small rounded mountains about 10 meters high and gentle valleys. About 2 km away, they had seen a narrow river from the shuttle. The plan was to walk there, see if there was anything more than vegetation, and return to the shuttle with some samples.
The three researchers—a biologist, a geologist, and a physicist—descended from the shuttle in their suits with two hours of air on their backs. The atmosphere of this planet was almost breathable, but the oxygen level was 5 points below tolerable levels.
"It's this way," said the physicist, pointing south. The others followed him.
The geologist stayed behind looking at the ground and shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
"It's strange, the ground isn't completely solid; it seems like there's mud or something that isn't solid under the dry earth."
"Measurements indicate abundant groundwater and lots of precipitation; perhaps this becomes a swamp at certain times of the year."
They continued walking along the slope of one of the mounds. In the distance, at the foot of a mound about 15 meters high, they could see a kind of whitish corpuscle that stood out quite a bit against the landscape. They had plenty of time, so they deviated slightly from their established route to see what it was.
Upon arrival, it was clear what it was; the biologist was certain.
"Look, it's an exoskeleton. From the shape, it seems to be something similar to an arthropod, like an ant, but almost half a meter tall. Look at the jaw—it's enormous."
"The first form of animal life we find outside Earth, and it turns out to be a giant ant!"
"What seems strange to me is that we haven't seen any living animals around here. Take a sample to analyze it, let's see what kind of DNA it has. We shouldn't delay any longer."
The biologist struggled with a leg of the skeleton.
"Damn! It seems to be stuck in the ground." He gave a strong pull, and after a crack, he managed to tear off the piece of skeleton; the end that had been stuck in the ground was impregnated with a pinkish liquid.
"About time! Store it and let's go."
The physicist hadn't taken two steps when he stopped dead in his tracks.
"But what...? I don't remember that mound being on the path we took."
"It wasn't. Look, it seems like we're now in the center of a crater."
They hadn't noticed, but the terrain had moved enough to leave them completely surrounded by mounds.
"I don't like this. We need to get out of here. Now!" The biologist was getting increasingly nervous.
"Let's go!"
Suddenly, the ground and the entire concavity where they were trapped began to drain a viscous, pinkish liquid.
"I can't move!" The geologist was in the central area of the hole they were in, her feet sunken up to the ankle in pink liquid.
"Don't touch the liquid! It seems to solidify upon contact with other materials."
"Try to get your feet out!"
It was useless; the ground was "sweating" liquid too quickly. Soon all three were trapped up to their knees, at which point the level of that substance seemed to stop. And they were trapped.
They had been trying to break that solidified glue with the small tools they brought in their equipment for about fifteen minutes when they saw the first giant ant appear on top of the hill, like the one from the skeleton they had seen.
"Guys, it looks like our problems are increasing," commented the physicist.
"You can't imagine," replied the geologist. She was facing away from the physicist, and on her side of the hill, there weren't one, but hundreds of ants.
They began to descend toward them. They tried to defend themselves, but without being able to move and against so many, it was useless.
It's curious how the human mind works when faced with critical situations. Shortly before being devoured, the biologist understood that the meadow was a single living being, the plants its nerve endings; this being knew they were there since they touched the first "plant." That's why the ants had unusually long legs, to avoid touching the plants and move without being detected. Of course, he also understood that the ants would eat their solid parts, leaving the liquids to be drained through the pores of the gigantic being that had trapped them. It was then, just before dying, that he understood that symbiosis is indeed a behavior that exists outside of Earth.
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