Yeah. The question I need to ask, then, is how much would genuine planetologists and biologists have known about what's already been found by other expeditions by the time this one launched. I wrote the initial writeup with the expectation that they wouldn't have seen it, and thus were expecting -alien- alien life, rather than very earthlike alien life.
After some IRC discussion with Mal, however, I'm inclined to the view that they -would- have heard those reports (and closely analyzed them), and have been expecting Earthlike life. The first shock is, therefore, not that they've found /compatible/ life, but life that clearly shares direct evolutionary roots with current terrestrial life. As if it might have come /from/ Earth, say, around a half-million to a million years ago.
Of course, there's a second secret, that won't be found until the second (or possibly third) expedition arrives.
(I also badly underestimated the carrying capacity of an Island when setting up the initial timeline... those things are -big-. No need for four of them.)
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
After some IRC discussion with Mal, however, I'm inclined to the view that they -would- have heard those reports (and closely analyzed them), and have been expecting Earthlike life. The first shock is, therefore, not that they've found /compatible/ life, but life that clearly shares direct evolutionary roots with current terrestrial life. As if it might have come /from/ Earth, say, around a half-million to a million years ago.
Of course, there's a second secret, that won't be found until the second (or possibly third) expedition arrives.
(I also badly underestimated the carrying capacity of an Island when setting up the initial timeline... those things are -big-. No need for four of them.)
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.