A sample from the story 'Springboard', in which a visitor with advanced technology sees a civilisation in progress:
Tej’s shuttle landed behind a small hillock, and settled on the firm grassy ground. It had been a routine flight from his ship, to the planet below, with the automated systems onboard the shuttle doing all the work, and landing it softly and smoothly. He had chosen this spot, since it would be more energy efficient to hide the shuttle physically, than to cloak it using power, if it were out in the open. All around, the land was lush green, sprinkled with verdant hills, and azure lakes, that their advance probes had indicated were freshwater. There was also an abundance of flora and fauna, besides the bipeds that were their main focus of study. The selection of the planet was no fluke. It was just one of the hundreds of worlds similar to his home planet, that were being explored by different teams, since as long as he could remember. They were on the lookout for signs of intelligence, and potential for growth, and co-operation in the far future.
His mother ship was in orbit around the planet, which his shuttle had left a while ago. If anyone had bothered to look up at the sky at night, it could have been seen as a bright and sparkling moving dot. But based on the initial data gathered by their probes, even the bipeds that were the most intelligent form on the planet, had not yet developed enough knowledge of astronomy, to be able to identify different stars. Probably all they knew, was the cycle of day and night, and that their star gave them light and heat. So there was no pressing need to cloak the mother ship.
Tej did not immediately leave the shuttle after landing. They had found from their advance probes, even before they had left home, that the air was breathable, and the gravity manageable. And there didn’t seem to be any immediate danger outside the shuttle. However, protocol dictated that there had to be a verification on landing, before venturing out of any craft, that too without life support. So he waited patiently, while the shuttle’s systems ran the necessary diagnostics, using a myriad of sensors, and gave him the all clear to go out. It was likely that he would have to wait till the next day, as it would be late evening by the time the verification was complete, and there was no tearing hurry to start exploring when it was dark.
When outside the shuttle, protocol also dictated that he should put on the mandated armour, for protection from animals or light weapons. It was not really necessary for protection against the bipeds, as they hadn’t yet developed the ability to wield tools, let alone weapons. But the animals were another matter, and it wasn’t only armour that would protect him, but the stun gun that he carried on his person. Their laws did not allow killing of any alien beings even in self-defence, but the stun gun design was highly effective against several life forms. It had stood his people in good stead so far, on the many worlds they had visited. The gun analysed the vitals of the life form that it was to be used against, and adjusted its power accordingly, so that there was no possibility of accidental casualties.