Mosaic - Jeri Taylor [9]
But Tuvok realized it was the wing bones that had caused the collective gasp. Now they were tucked in close to the body, but clearly when extended they would have stretched two meters or more. These beings would have had the capacity to soar high into the air above the surface of this planet, dipping and sailing on the breezes, then coming to land on their short, squat legs, which would have afforded them locomotion of a much more limited sort. Did they spend most of their time in the air, these winged beings?
And just how, Tuvok wondered, should this species be categorized: as humanoid or avian? It possessed qualities of each in a way no one had ever seen before. Kim, speaking excitedly, ran down the possibilities. "In Earth's development, modern birds began to branch off from reptiles shortly after the first mammals appeared. It's certainly possible on some planets there could have been a branch of avian mammals that eventually evolved into winged humanoids."
Tuvok looked at the faces of his group, all of which reflected a reverence for this burial place. It was, he felt, quite appropriate. He scanned one of the skeletons.
"The cranium of this being suggests a large brain; in all likelihood they were intelligent. I would suggest this burial grouping was arranged by similar beings, and that these creatures do not represent intelligent animals cared for, and buried, by a higher order."
"The grouping indicates a death ritual, doesn't it?" Kim's brow was furrowed in concentration. He seemed to have been particularly affected by the discovery.
"Indeed. There are a number of inferences to be drawn from what we see here: this may be a family group; it might represent a being of some social power and his or her subordinates; or it may represent the victims of a particular disaster-plague, perhaps, or disease. Without further information it would be impossible to make a clear determination."
"There don't seem to be any artifacts buried with them." This was from Kes, who as always was curious about everything.
"Quite right. And again, there are inferences one can make, but little way to delimit them without more evidence."
"Look at that, Mr. Vulcan." Tuvok lifted his head to see Neelix pointing at something a hundred meters distant. It was another spire, deep blue like the first. It had not been visible from their original position; in fact, it would only be visible from where they were standing-near the foot of the first spire.
"It is common in many species to link burial sites with visual markers," suggested Tuvok. "We may be able to follow a trail of such markers until we arrive at a sacred site."
"If we find that's the case, it would be the first documented evidence of such behavior in the Delta Quadrant," said Ensign Greta Kale, a young woman with blond hair, dark brown eyes, and a sprinkling of the spots humans called "freckles" across her nose. "What does that kind of commonalty say about the origin of all species?"
It was an insightful question, but Tuvok didn't look forward to answering it. There was a great deal of contro versy about that very matter. Why were there more simi larities than differences among most species? It argued for some original link, a commonalty of origin among the galaxy's species that had never been satisfactorily ad dressed. Many believed that an alien group from another galaxy had "seeded" the primordial soup of all the planets at the point when the building blocks that would produce life first began to develop. Others believed that a powerful, unseen supreme being had created life, full blown, in an instant. Tuvok himself preferred a more scientific explanation: basic matter-the elements and their various molecular combinations-from which the galaxy was formed was common. These building blocks