I am traveling to the star Rickelia to investigate two planets, the second and third of the system. Historian Robert Burkwell found references to them while decoding computer documents dating back 117,000 years, which place the colonization of the two worlds just before the Trideckia pandemic that wiped out most of the human race across the galaxy. It is thought that these two distant, self-sustaining ecosystems may have escaped contamination and maintained human populations surviving to the present day. According to Dr. Burkwell, the planets, which were far from other occupied worlds even at the time they were colonized, were quite attractive for early settlement since they both supported a primitive type of vegetation that had produced an atmosphere with adequate oxygen levels for humans, as well as deep soils suitable for growing domestic plants. The similarity of life on both planets led scientists at the time to hypothesize that it began on one planet and spread to the other via an asteroid impact. The warmer inner planet was colonized first and was initially used as a reserve for endangered carnivores. . Carefully selected plants and trees quickly took over and formed dense jungles around the planet's equator, into which animal species, both predators and prey, were introduced. The experiment was so successful that the planet became a tourist destination and cities began to spring up out of the jungles. The colder outer planet was later colonized to grow food for the inner planet, and was much more sparsely inhabited. Only useful plants and a few hardwood trees were brought there, and the only other life forms allowed were insects for pollination; earthworms, microbes and fungi for soil conditioning,...... middle of paper......there is no sign of civilization or agriculture. I settled in a clearing where one of the largest cities had once stood. I went out and explored a bit, but couldn't find any signs of human occupation. I wasn't prepared to start an excavation; would have to wait for a later mission. The big question is: what happened to them? Did they not escape the pandemic, or is there another reason they disappeared? The forest around the clearing teemed with life: insects, birds, mammals and amphibians added to the chorus. As I climbed back into the lander, I thought I heard something growling. Conclusion: Living on a planet with an environment different from that which produced Homo sapiens would likely invoke selective forces that could have significant effects on modern human morphology and behavior, especially if gene flow to the planet is limited.