Case Study 1/Terra/X1D1

H2O

In a much interesting rattling and extreme heat, the LukranaX1 broke through Terra's gravitational pull into a very thin atmosphere. Dark grey masses contained large amounts of a compound containing Oxygen and Hydrogen. X1 passed easily through the grey masses. A weather station was identified among the many distorted radio signals X1 picked up. We believe the masses are named clouds and the substance that falls out of them is called rain. The landing was easy, the ground was so squishy already that we did not need full power to dig X1 to her underground position. Within an hour X1 base was set and ready to go. 

Discovery mission (D) 1: D team: Ragrauoph, Timply, Gooruni, Mipch.

Timply was the first to step out from the X1 base tunnel as well as the first to dash right back in. "Bahgeebers! It's freezing out there!"

"Ramby, Timply! Watch where yur stepping, I just got my toes rounded this morning!" The four aliens jumbled backwards, closing the tunnel hatch against the gust of wind.

"Ragra, how many times do I 'avta' tell ya not to use the name of Ramby so carlessly!" Mipch scolded his slightly younger comrade. The discovery team hurried to bundle up in whatever they thought would ward off the rain best. Hoping they were well enough prepared, they covered their heads and crowded out of the tunnel. Ragraouph paired up with Mipch as they were already close friends, leaving Timply to pair up with Gooruni, a short, stuby alien with a constant scowl. As they set off above ground they found themselves being sucked down by the mucky layers. Their webed feet helped them keep from sinking down too far past their knees, but it was quite an ordeal getting all the way to the nearest city. The four explorers kept their recorders under their clothes or up long, baggy sleeves to avoid drenching them as they took notes on the reaction between the ground and rain. What interested them the most however, were the large life forms they had come to study. The humans were known to live on all planets ever discovered, yet each individual was so unique that no two planets had humans that had exactly the same conduct. For this reason the Bindi had set up an organization to study humans and their interaction with their planet to discover what might cause them to always be so different.

"Mipch, do you here that?" Mipch looked up from the mud, trying to see the source of the sound.

"I think it might be laughter. Lets climb up that tree and see if we can see the noisemakers." The steadfast creatures sludged on through the thick mass not complaining, but getting rather annoyed at the painstaking speed. The tree was only ten feet away when the little humans were spotted.

"Hey, there's no mud over there!" Mipch cast up his brow at Ragra.

"Haven't you seen the human settlements on other planets?"

"Not in the rain. Do you think they have invented a waterproof walkway?" Mipch simply concluded that previous walkways he had been on had seamed solid enough, and they were not soaked as of yet. 

"The tree is sure waterlogged." Ragraouph chortled. Mipch was not as amused by the fact. Shmluck, Ragraouph pulled his feet out of the mud. Placing it on the trunk, he jumped for the lowest branch, just above his head. 

"WHAOOF!" Splunkgoosh! Mipch broke out laughing as Ragra's foot was sucked back into the mud and he flopped right onto his back. Ragra broke out laughing after a momentary befuddlement. The mud gooshed up around him, making him realize how stupid he must look laughing at himself in the mud. He got up with a scowl as he cleared his throat.

"Obviously, there is too much gravity on this planet."

Timply and Gooruni found no trees to observe from, so they went to hide behind a huge blue bin full of nasty smells. There weren't many people out and about. The few adults that could be seen every now and then always had something over there head and would hurry to get inside away from the rain.

"Why do you suppose they have so many different items to cover their heads, Gooruni?"

"Preference." Timply had to consider what that meant for a while before deciding to ask, 

"Are you hinting that humans are picky?"

"Very. They could all have the same model of rainblock and still not buy one unless it is the right color. So instead, they invent many models so that all will be satisfied. Take those two men for example. The one in blue, prefers the paper product because he can see a picture whenever he looks up. The man in grey, prefers the plastic product because it covers the whole body and rain just slides right off of it."

"That is a very interesting view Gooruni."

It was soon time to return to X1. The four fellows met up outside the tunnel, exchanging nods and scowls and brief smiles and a bit of chatter. Shuffling down to the report station They stopped in front of Megroon who instantly asked, "Mipch, what have you discovered?" Mipch eagerly steped forward to answer.

"Ragra and I have found that humans absolutely love the rain."

"what?! No way! They hate rain." Timply interjected in disbelief. Megroon's brow shot up as Mipch countered with,

"What are you talking about? All the little kids were having an excellent time jumping in little ditches filled with water and kicking it about as they laughed and ran all about. They even drank it right out of the sky by sticking their tongues out."

"Well, I don't know where you were looking, but everyone we saw had some sort of contraption designed to keep off the rain. The only reason they were running was to find some means of shelter where it was dry." Megroon decided to interject at that point.

"Timply, did you see any children?"

"Well... no, I don't believe so."

"So the children like rain, but the adults do not. What could be the cause of this?" All of them spent some time thinking over possible answers.

"I know! When Mipch and I were watching the children, and adult poked her head out of a door and called for one of the kids to come in so they would not catch a cold!"

"There we have it then, the final conclusion is that children love the rain until they get too cold and eventually stop liking it all together. It seams that humans on Terra naturally hate the cold."