Avian

The Khonsu 0 touched down on a desert terrain which stretched to the horizon. When the crew disembarked, the dry heat took their breath away. Viewed from orbit, the planet was a mostly barren landmass interrupted by a couple brackish oceans. One would assume it was a dead world. However, they identified desalination plants along the coasts with massive pipelines which stretched for miles before disappearing underground. Little else indicated civilization. No cities, no agriculture could be discerned among all the dust and saltwater.

They followed one of the pipelines and encountered a field of weak electromagnetic signals, which is where they decided to put down. They saw nothing. No vegetation. No desert lizards. Only hot wind dragging dirt around. They took another measurement. The signals were all around them, seemingly underground and intriguingly regularly spaced apart. They were about to grab shovels off the Khonsu 0 when they saw movement on the horizon.

As they drew closer, they first noticed a motion resembling that of an oil pump. It was an uneven seesaw though. A smooth glide up, then a sharp descent, after which they eventually heard an uncomfortable crack. Binoculars revealed two large avian lifeforms. They were reminiscent of ostriches, but with sharp exaggerated beaks which they used to peck powerfully at a spot on the ground.

The birds were gone once they arrived, off running further into the desert. What they left behind was a shattered translucent box buried in the ground. Fresh blood was scattered about on the dirt, as well as fleshy bones. Humanoid bones. Inside the box, besides gore, were tubes and cables. The tubes seemed to carry clean water and a nutrient solution. The cables were a mystery until they found a severed head a distance away with electronic ports in the right temple.

The situation crystallized when they located several other boxes. Sweeping away a thin layer of dust revealed humans lying beneath the lids, eyes closed, cables and tubes socketed into their flesh. The crew of the Konsu 0 was standing in the midst of a dreaming city.