RP1 Narrative

[Rynn:]

As the name implies, this thread reserved for narrative re the Roleplaying game, RP1

[Hydro]

MY2101
Journal of Lady Deirdre Skye

We are all pretty traumatized with disintegration of Unity and the frightening and unplanned start we have here on Chiron. It was not supposed to be like this. Humanity's last hope has degenerated into chaos, and we are all struggling to pick up the pieces. We have heard nothing from the other seven survival pods, and all of us earnestly hope they made landfall safely. Unfortunately, in the absence of information rumors abound. Some talk of sabotage and terrorism in those frantic final hours, of Security Chief Yang being assassinated, and of Santiago as being the prime saboteur. I earnestly hope that Sheng-Ji Yang is among the living, and that the rumors of Santiago are false. We do know one thing, however: Captain Garland is surely dead. Engineering Technicians Hobkins was monitoring the comm. just before we separated. According to him Captain Garland manually overrode the jammed pod releases as Unity was breaking up, and in doing so he saved us all. He must have stayed with his command like an ancient mariner, guiding Unity to its sad end. We will honor his memory.

Our pod crash-landed near a wide sea on the northeastern slope of a landmass, the size and shape of which no one knows. Our survey team reported back quickly as our hab units went up and breathers were dispersed to those in our Unity pod, and the reports were excellent. We are blessed with rainy and fertile land, with a reasonable amount of easily accessible raw materials near ground surface. A fragment of Unity apparently lies to our southeast, and all of us hope it is a supply pod. We have so little that anything would be a welcomed.

We proceed with care, of course, since this is an alien planet and we have so little information on its flora and fauna. Already we have seen indications of a strange and robust fungal growth in the sea and possibly on land. We have been too busy ensuring our own survival to explore much, but we hope to. The scientist in me wants to see and know, to explore this world and listen to what it has to say to us. In a way this is the grandest adventure of all time, but I just wish it had started under better circumstances. For all I know we are all that's left of humanity, and that is a heavy burden.
[This message has been edited by Hydro (edited November 19, 2000).]

[Googlie]

Freefall

Fellow Colonists.

Allow me to introduce myself to those of you who have found yourselves unwittingly - perhaps even unwillingly - in this Unity escape pod.

My name is Nwabudike Morgan, and yes, I own - or owned - the construction companies that were entrusted with the building ofthe UNS Unity. You may refer to me as CEO Morgan.

In about 12 minutes we shall have emergency landed on this planet's surface. We know little about it. But I and my key executives intend to build a utopia in this alien land. We shall uphold the principles of freedom - of free speech, freedom to worship, a free market economy and the freedom of each individual to accumulate such wealth as he or she deems necessary to provide for life's needs according to their own standards. Also, any who so wishes will have the freedom to leave our group and seek his or her fortunes elsewhere.

We bring little with us by way of infrastructure or technology, except the most basic. But we do have the knowledge and experience in building an industrial base, fuelled initially by small scale manufacturing with primitive assembly lines and simple currency instruments.

When we make landfall, our future will begin - it will be ours to seize and shape. We believe that this planet - Chiron - is resource rich.

Resources exist to be consumed. And consumed they will be, if not by this generation then by some future. By what right does this forgotten future seek to deny us our birthright? None I say! Let us take what is ours, chew and eat our fill.

Now prepare yourselves for entry into the atmosphere and our landing.

Good luck, and I will introduce myself to each of you personally after we have made our landfall.

[Alinestra Covelia]

Lifetimes ago, and lightyears away, I would have been frightened.

Reentry placed a strain upon the colony pod that I am convinced was beyond its meager limits, but somehow we were able to contain the damage. Our challenge was two fold - not only were we fleeing a sinking ship, forsaken due to the sabotage of its reactor, but halfway to Planetfall we discovered that our colony dropship too had suffered fatal damage to the drive thrusters.

The engines were running under the feeble power of liquid fuel, and during freefall we were vulnerable to whichever fickle winds chose to blow us whither. And I hold it as a tribute to Kao Lin that he volunteered his knowledge and his life to save us.

Three hours were all that he had to repair the hydraulics supplying the coolant to the nuclear drive - it was a task he performed well and with devoted professionalism. It was also his magnum opus, knowing he would not live to see its completion.

He worked until the very edge of the time envelope, transmitting reports of his progress to the Chairman, and radioing his happy success with two minutes thirty to spare.

By the time our technicians had fired the thrusters to steer us to a dry Planetfall, Kao Lin had removed his helmet, breathed in the air, and joined the Many. To him we would owe our first successes - without him, we would surely have fetched down at the bottom of an alien sea bed.

* ~ * ~ *

The Chairman Sheng announced his internal committee today. Zhu He Lai, Ren Zhen Fang, Ota Kyi, and Arkady Berzhinev ("Bai Zhi Nei" in Chinese) are to be the administrators. So far, each to his own, and every man for the Many.

The Chairman emphasized in his speech that we were to face many challenges, unknown and alien as well as the familiar and inevitable. He expressed his wish that our society may proceed rationally and without fear - by fear he encompassed the hesitation wrought by religion and morals, as well as the terror causing self-aggrandization that leads to greed, and also the fear to act instantly.

Most importantly he cautioned us against the fear of death. Already he emphasized how important the perished have become to us, serving directly to provide us with future life - both in our planned crop farms, and in recycled nutrients, each joule of which we must grasp in order to maintain life in our bodies.

When asked about the inevitability of meeting with other factions, he answered frankly that there was no need to hold fear. As long as we maintain cohesion and control over ourselves, he asserted, we may expect to be prepared for the best reception by our erstwhile friends and compatriots.

For, in a state of perfect interal governance and self-control there is nothing that an outsider must needs fear. There is no reason why multiple forms of perfect governance need be mutually exclusive, or diametrically opposed.

* ~ * ~ *

Work has begun. The winds are bitterly cold here, and what rain there is is thin and weak. However, hurdles are created to be overcome, and we have made our habitations deep below the surface. In this fashion, the heat we generate needs not fade upon the setting of the sun, and atmospheric control is far easier.

The problems inherent with this have been addressed by the Urban Director - we are to be meticulous in the disposal of our waste materials, both organic and inorganic. We are to be careful to a fault with our water and food, eating and drinking only at the prescribed times. Most importantly, we are to treat each member of our society with equal love and respect, regardless of relation or past.

This is going to be more difficult than I thought.


I may have to go apologize to Hu Man Bing.


I may, in fact, put this off until we have finished work on Corridor B.

University Science Log: 2101.

Landed at last. Due to our accurate calculations & appropriate use of the drop-pod thrusters we have landed safely on the shore of a large body of water. Its true nature-sea or lake is yet to be determined. We have begun exploring our immediate surroundings- reports have been received that useful supplies from the Unity have landed in supply pods. We hope to recover as much as possible to enhance our research abilities. There has been no sign of animal life yet- though it would be unthinkable that a planet with such a fertile environment has not evolved such. Nature-naturally enough, abhors a vacuum. (If I may be permitted such an anthropomorphic lapse.)

We have decided to split our research team and have sent a team inland under the supervision of exobiologist Ruth Hartwell to establish a research outpost there, this will give us access to a greater range of environmental conditions as well as safeguarding our precious databases should some disaster strike.

There has been likewise, no sign of the other factions from the Unity, odds are that despite their lesser abilities, some have made it safely to planet as we did. Given the size of the planet though, and the challenging terrain, it may be sometime before we meet with them. One can only hope too that some of their more extreme beliefs have been tempered by the drive to survive here in this new world.

Provost Hobbes

[Googlie]

Dear Diary

So we have landed. The descent was a bit frightening, bounced around a lot, but I'd been reading about this Planet's atmosphere and it's gravity is about a quarter more than Earth's so the heatshields must have been working overtime.

The boss talked to us all after we disembarked. Temporary tents which the compressors had a hard time keeping inflated 'cos of the high winds and heavy surface pressure on them, but at least if we stay in them we won't have to wear the breathers - they filter much of the nitrogen from the air we breathe. There aren't enough to go round anyway, so already a small machine shop has been set up to produce them, although the boss says we will need to buy them to start a vibrant economy going.

Oh, the boss, by the way, is Nwabudike Morgan, CEO Morgan as he likes to style himself. And wouldn't you know it, he has already named this cluster of prefabricated kevlar tents and recycled units of the landing pod "Morgan Industries".

It seems a nice enough spot. There are mountains all around except for a small depression to the north that leads to a lake or maybe the sea. There's a river runs past to the south and turns east, but we can't really see where it's heading as it runs through a small defile in the mountain range.

The CEO held a vote to decide what we were going to do next. Professor Kai has identified most of the colonists with any kind of scientific training and has designated them as the research corps, and they are going to study the ecology of this alien world - he says that he will be able to produce definitive findings in eight cycles - whatever they are - earth years? Maybe years of this planet? Months - who knows.

We have divided the rest of us into work parties and tomorrow they are going to get out with the breathers and start scrubbing for food and minerals to jumpstart our small industries. A bunch of the younger, fitter colonists were conscripted into a makeshift garrison battalion, and the CEO has sent them south exploring - looking for the "seed pods" that the Unity dispersed into our atmosphere before she broke apart. I wanted to go on this scouting mission, but at twelve years old I was considered too young.

Oh, and the other thing the executives did was to divide the colonists into two groups - one will be staying here where we landed, and the other will set out first thing tomorrow with the scouting party heading south up the mountain side that we can clearly see when the sun shines. My parents are staying here, so I guess I will too, which is a pity, because Jeneba, the girl I sat next to on the landing shuttle, is in the other party with her parents. She was nice, too.

Ah well.

To bed now. They say the days and nights are only seventeen hours long here, so I'll need to get used to sleeping for just five hours when it's dark. Tomorrow will be a busy day.

Christopher.

[XWaste]

Diary of Sister Miriam Godwinson

Year One

Landing.
I lead the faithful in prayer, as we made the descent. There was much fear in the people, strapped in their harnesses at the mercy of the pilot's skill and an unknown environment...at the mercy of God.

I called for them to place themselves in God's hands, to revel in our fate, not to fear it. We sang hymns as the dropship tumulted through the upper atmosphere, and when the second engine exploded, sending us into a spin which threatened to rip the ship apart, we all held hands, despite the binding straps, and felt such love in the final moments, such comfort to be together, to know our souls where safe in the love of God and Jesus Christ our saviour that it was no surprise to me to feel the spin slow, for the pilot to gain control and land us safely on sacred soil. It was the hand of God that slowed our descent, it was HIS will that we land here...and live here.

The doors of the airlock opened with a hiss and I felt HIS breath wash over me. I opened my eyes and for the first time surveyed the new land we where to make our home. Plains of grass, waist high and bent by the wind stretched far to the north, and I could make out trees in the distance – palm trees, and thick green shrubs with large fan leaves. The plants looked almost blue in the fierce light of the three suns, the sandy soil bleached like bone.

Next I saw what we are now calling the xenofungus. Like a bloodstain it looked like, a seeping blight on the land. It seemed to me at first as if the very devil himself had been gutted, and his viscera discarded and left to rot in the heat. A sense of foreboding filled me as I stared at that tubular mass and I heard a voice inside me call out ‘beware’.

We began unloading the prefabricated walls of the new base. One large building it will be, with thick walls and one airlock to keep in the precious oxygen. It is fitting that we shall all live together, one large family of God. All new facilities will need to be similarly self-contained, even the simplest of structures will require the sturdiest materials and supporting infrastructure to ensure its integrity – building here will be a slow process that will require much planning and forethought.

Until the building is complete we make shelter in the cramped confines of the dropship. We sleep in our seats, the harness the only thing keeping us upright. The workers work tirelessly, only stopping every hour for some water that I bless before passing out. Let no one forget that we are here by HIS grace, and only through HIS generosity are we sustained.

[Hydro]

MY2102
Journal of Lady Deirdre Skye

Well, it's official. Our new home has been transformed from The Landing Pod to Gaia's Landing. Some of our more logical scientific types, notably Marilyn, poo pooed naming our first settlement after the pseudo scientist Lovelock's 'Gaian Hypothesis'. Still, the name struck a chord with most of us, including me. The Gaian Hypothesis suggests that an ecosystem is, in fact, a giant organism. At face value this is partially true since all organisms are interrelated, and the ecosystem itself can adapt to changing conditions, something like an organism. Lovelock went a bit far in suggesting that it was a self-willed organism, however. Biologically directed, or pre-disposed, may be a better term, since 'willed' implies a consciousness. Still, I called for a vote, and the name Gaia's Landing won with a solid 82 percent. New Scotland came in a distant second, and New Austin came in a very distant third with exactly two votes. You have to give the Bushes credit for their persistence, and they did concede gracefully in the end.

Our expeditionary team has been making its way south for these last months with only one goal in mind: retrieve needed materials from the Unity fragment we saw in our initial landing. They contacted us every day, and most of us were thrilled with the discoveries they have made along the way. They have determined that the greenery that covers the steep mountain slope is compatible with our metabolism, and our agricultural specialists have been pestering me to get our first farms started. After a few local surveys the expeditionary team confirmed the abundant mineral deposits extend across a wide area, although some plots seem distressingly barren of minerals or ores, almost like the great plains of North America or the Ukraine. Still, our team pressed on and those of us back Gaia's Landing waited for their frequent calls and occasional excited announcement of another discovery, if for nothing else than to break the monotony of setting up our prefab homes. They got nearer and nearer, and the reports became more frequent as the ETA dropped from weeks to days, and finally to hours. Finally they reached the Unity fragment and our hopes were dashed. What we thought was a Unity pod was nothing more than a highly magnetized mineral anomaly. Shannon broke the news to us and it was clear that she was almost heartbroken, but tried to put as good a face on the situation as was possible. The only member of the exploratory team that was excited was the irrepressible Doctor Booth, and he kept jabbering about how rare a surfacial ore deposit with over 70% titanium, iron, and zinc oxides was. Of course he is a geologist and can be forgiven his bubbly enthusiasm. Shannon mentioned he almost had to be dragged away from his prospecting and sample collection, the weight of which almost gave him a hernia. Still, he brightened our day a little by telling us that with proper development this could be a long-term boon. He explained that it wouldn't even take a mining complex to harvest some of the lode. I am loath to start up a mining complex. The horrors of the strip mines of South America and China are all too acute in my memory. As the Jews said after the Holocaust: never again.

We got continuing good news from our second expeditionary team, who are taking with them the bulk of our extra provisions and material in the hopes of setting up our second outpost. They have held a steady course southwest along what we have named the Northern Chiron Sea. The name isn't very poetic, but it is hopefully accurate! Wouldn't it be a great joke if the 'sea' turned out to be a small landlocked water body? In any case, they have found that the greenery continues for as far as the eye can see, and Wayne has called back to tell us of many promising outpost locations. There is even a river nearby, and Wayne has elected to follow it. Lush, green surroundings and a river are where most of Earth's ancient civilizations started, and maybe it will be the same for us here on Chiron.

One more note. The colonists have started to call our new home 'Planet', and somehow it seems right. I am a little pleased since this means we have started thinking of this alien planet as home. Gwen told me in Council yesterday that she thinks that Planet almost made for humans, except for the gravity, alien ecology, atmosphere and the number of hours in the day. Then she smiled, and we all had a good laugh, lightening our mood after the disappointment from the mineral deposit. So what if we feel tired all the time, can't go outside without a breather, and have a hard time getting a good night's rest because our bodies scream for 24 hours and Planet only gives us 18!!

All in all I have nothing to complain about. Still haven't heard anything of the comm. from any other pods, but I still hope.

[This message has been edited by Hydro (edited November 27, 2000).]

University Science Log: 2102.

Well it seems that we are situated on an isthmus. This was unexpected and may indicate that there is less surface land on Planet than previously thought. The first scientific exploration team reported back recently of their sighting of what they believed was a fragment of the Unity. We had hoped that it would contain precious data bank chips or perhaps vital communication equipment. Alas, it seems to have contained little of value at all, revealing only a particularly fertile patch of earth when the team finally reached it. Nevertheless, they will continue their explorations; and the records of Planet's geology, meteorology, and ecology obtained should prove invaluable in the future.

We do have hopes that Dr Hartwell's team will discover something of more substance when they finally reach another of these fragments. They have yet to find a suitable spot for our second lab- and they must hurry as we are lagging behind our calculated research program.

Still no word from the other groups that escaped? from the disaster that was the Unity's final moments. Our scanners are watched continuously and still nothing. Could it be we are the only group to survive?

Preliminary investigations into the unique ecosystem of Planet continue and Dr Sun-Kye promises a report soon. I await his finidings with interest.

Provost Hobbes.
[This message has been edited by Hobbes_One (edited November 29, 2000).]

[Alinestra Covelia]

The base is supremely functional - a real pleasure to behold, even though it seems small at first. There is a central shaft, down which sunlight can be seen to varying strengths throughout the daylight hours. Radiating from this are a series of corridors, which form a multilevelled series of planes, perpendicular to the central shaft. Ever reluctant to waste energy, we carved a winding stairwell into the side of the shaft and used it for two months, to climb the tens of meters up and down. Several ladder systems have also been installed equidistant along the circumference, in the unlikely case of structural collapse.

Each floor is sealed by a two meter thick airlock system, ensuring that the warm air we exhale does not surrender its heat upon exchange with outside air. This makes the ozone treatment of naked air much easier and more viable. Safetywise, also the air is isolatable, meaning that a leak can be caught and internal mechanisms activated to preserve atmospheric integrity.

In the worst case scenario, one entire floor might be flooded with normal, high-nitrogen air. Valving certain supply ducts one way, and others oppositely, we can flush out the deadly air within ten minutes, including response times and petty inefficiencies. Each citizen is equipped with a replenishable emergency oxygen source that can supply up to two hours of full-pressure oxygen.

There are dozens of smaller secondary shafts sunk at seemingly arbitrary points, leading between levels, each similarly guarded with airtight systems. Thus, each level has an entrance and an exit, as well as minor access tunnels. Each floor is thus connected to each other floor by some roundabout way that does not require the central shaft.

Redundancy, made practical!

Sleeping three to a bunk was, for a very brief time, uncomfortable and awkward, but now that we have accustomed ourselves to look upon each other as brothers and sisters in the society, we have shed the vain pretence of privacy. Plus, the proximity of bedmates is mutually insulating, and requires less energy to maintain healthy heat levels. Although sometimes this has unforeseen effects...

On the subject of sex and reproduction, the Chairman was frank and forthright. He held the practice of sexual intercourse to be as essential and as blameless any other bodily function - it performs a vital duty to society, and also has the happy result of mutual benefit to both practitioners. It is seen to fortify the spirits, induce an ecstatic intensity, and also (of equal importance) to induce an ecstatic calm. Without calm, one can never appreciate the importance or direction of focus. Without focus, calm is worthless, serving only to stagnate and cloy the spirit.

However, he made clear his condemnation of lust and sexual possessiveness. Both, seen from a social viewpoint, serve no constructive purpose and act to contaminate relations between individuals. The very basis of religious forbiddance of sex, claimed the Chairman, was founded on the social problems attendant with it. We are to strive to clear our minds of all feelings of exclusion in this facet of human existence - let the act be an exercise to strengthen and enrich, not to divide and distress. Let it be similar to the hymns that a faithful mass of yore might sing to their gods - an act common to all men and women, in which one may well experience enrapturement and ecstasy, but which deserves no claim to selfish desires or ungenerous individuality.

A geographical note now. Our base is surrounded by terrain which, though not exceptional, has easily been coaxed into yielding rich crops. Given the abundance of food and thriving crops in the nitrogenous land, the Chairman bade us multiply and strengthen the society.

There is a reason why I dwell on this subject. And it is not entirely philosophical, either.

I believe there is life within me - I feel there is a warm contentedness in my belly, that soon I will be found in two unequal halves in this world. I cannot say for certain who the father could be; there have been a number of men whose seed may have taken to me. But it does not matter. The life is that which is important. Younger hands than mine are coming, to assist me and my people. Hands which will take my tools from me when I am too old and weak to wield them. Eyes which will see days and nights and years which I cannot hope to see with mine. Nimble feet, which will walk this new land with youthful paces, and mark my first step on the ladder of posterity.

I work harder and faster now. I am almost ashamed to say it, but I believe that this little life within my own is what inspires me to do so. Ashamed, because perhaps it is a feeling that this life is mine and no other's... and that my work is for it alone.

[Googlie]

Morgan Industries

"Captain Lockhart?"

"Yes, ensign, what is it?"

"Report from Alpha patrol, Sir. Patching in now…"

….and it seems undamaged - just lying a little bit uneven - badly scorched on entry, but I think the locking mechanisms are still functioning..

Lockhart here - be careful when you open it Carruthers. We haven't the full inventory, but some contain vehicles and others have transferable energy units. Many too had last minute downloads from the Unity's datalinks.

Sir, I can't get it open - the locks don't respond to the access codes you gave us. Am going to flame the lock with my shredder rifle.

Don't destroy anything, Carruthers. It'll be out of your pay if you do ………………………….

Sir - it's a datalink download - the crystal is labeled "Information Networks". Is that good, Sir?

Wonderful, Carruthers. Send a runner back with it and carry on. Where are you exactly?

Sir, just crested the hill to the south. I'm looking at a small rocky valley just before the land rises again to that mountain we could see in the distance from the base. There's another Unity Seed Pod among the rocks - we're going down to investigate. I'll report back in a few hours.

Very good, Carruthers - and well done. Keep us posted.

Will do, Sir. Alpha out …

"Sir?"

"What now, ensign?"

"Report coming in from the Colony convoy, Sir. It's from Junior to his father - I'll connect us………"

……. So we were following the coastline of the sea - or lake, to where it just began to turn north on us - nice rolling and moist land that should be able to support crops or even a forest - when we saw on the horizon one of the seed pods from the spaceship. We had a brief discussion as to whether we should leave if for a patrol to investigate, but of course, as the CEO's son I had the access codes, so we opened it with no trouble.

Contains the complete works of old William Shakespeare. hahaha, just kidding Dad - or do you want me to call you CEO as well? - anyway, it has a Unity datalibrary download that seems to be all our accumulated knowledge on Applied Physics. And if I remember my schooling we will be able to build a prototype of laser weaponry with this knowledge. If we decide to mass produce them, Dad, I want the franchise. Hmmm - Morgan Armaments Corp - that has a certain ring to it, don't you think? I'll cut you in for a small share.

Anyway, we are due west of the base and will follow the shore north until we find a suitable site for a second base. I'll keep you informed.

Junior out. …..

"Ensign. Neither you not I heard that. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir!. Erasing our record of it now."




[This message has been edited by Googlie (edited November 28, 2000).]

[Hydro]

MY2103
Journal of Lady Deirdre Skye

Going to have to keep this entry short since I have to get back to the party. Our new terraformer is done! Everyone is so excited, and poor Davin and his team are completely exhausted from their efforts. This is his brainchild, and he isn't likely to get any more rest for a while with all his well wishers pestering him all the time. The trial run reports on the former are pretty impressive, and it should be able to efficiently create arable farmland, install clean solar systems, lay roads, or even plant forests. It might even be able to create land! I challenged him on this one, reminding him of that little problem of the conservation of matter. He just smiled and said it was a secret, and that he'd never tell. I'll make sure to give him a big kiss and a big hug during the dedication ceremony later tonight. I may even dip him! Maybe then he'll spill his guts!

In other news, Shannon and her exploratory team have left the mineral lode and Doctor Booth only grudgingly agreed to continue south. After they left Shannon said that she pointed out to him that even more exiting prospects might be just over the next hill, and that this is an unexplored planet, after all. She reported that Colin straightened up and got a strange look in his eye as she painted a picture for him. Almost before she could blink he was getting ready to head out again, almost like he had forgotten his once-in-a-lifetime find. All I have to say is that we need a lot more Colins here on Planet!

Wayne is doing well, too. He got his party to the river, and will be able to use its clear banks to expedite his travel. He has found an excellent spot for the new outpost in the middle of a wet, marshy area near the river's headwaters. The river and the location's high elevation should mean it has plenty of energy, too, much more than Gaia's Landing. If his ETA is accurate he should be able to set up the settlement next year. I saw the vid squirts he sent me and his proposed site looks very inviting. It even has a Unity fragment within spitting distance. I'm not sure what to do with that, but my gut instinct says to save it for later. We've already seen two Unity pods, and there must be more.

Well, just got buzzed. The Davin Terraformer dedication starts in a half hour and I have to break out some lipstick. A nice vibrant red will be best, I think. That way everyone will be able to see how happy I am with Davin! I'll pry that secret out of him yet!

University Science Log: 2103.

There is precious little to report at the present despite the excellent efforts of our researchers. It seems that the old saying about research being mostly boredom punctuated by those very rare- and very special "eureka" moments is again proving true.

Dr Hartwell has been unable to locate a suitable site for our outpost, it seems that the terrain is not conducive to our endeavour. I have again reminded her of the urgancy with which we must approach that task. So frustrating. She did however take the time to investigate a fragment of Unity debris- this time, it proved worthwhile as we were able to salvage a data-chip. So much has been lost that every little bit of knowledge is precious above gold.

I wish I could just return to the lab, rather than worry about such mundane tasks, nevertheless I shall do my best in this unfamilier role.

Still our communication scanners hear nothing but silence, though one of our bright young technicians swears that there is a regular pulsed wavelength eminating from the Planet itself- or perhaps from the fungal ecosystem that is so far the only sign of life. Sucvh an hypothesis bears examining, though we have greater priorities at the present time.

Provost Hobbes

[Googlie]

"Careful Mbutu - that Unity seed pod doesn't look too stable," Tony Carruthers called to the older man who could be seen below them gingerly making his way from rock outcrop to outcrop down into the stony valley where the seed pod lay tilted at a crazy angle.

"Carruthers, you fret too much. You forget that Mbutu's a veteran of the Burst Wars - he was defending himself from attackers even before you were born."

"You're right, Kuypers. It's just …well, there are opportunities for advancement here in this fledgling military, and I don't want to be known as the junior officer who lost a key veteran on his first reconnaissance mission."

The commotion from below caught their attention.

"Sir. You have to get down here and see this - bring the whole squad. We'll need to move this pod - it’s broken apart anyway."

The squad picked their way down the incline, and met up with Mbutu at the base of the pod, towering above them.

They looked up in awe.

"What the heck.. ? What on earth is it?"

"That's just it - we're not on earth any more. Either mankind has been here before, or another spacefaring race has. Or maybe there's advanced native life here…"

They looked shiftily around.

"It's massive," Carruthers said. "We'd best report it to base."

Kuypers was running his hands on the exposed surface. "It's a sort of ceramic and metallic type of fabrication - nothing I've come across before. Hang on, here's a seam of sorts. Whoa there. I swear it moved. Here, help me shove this Unity crap out of the way."

They wrestled the damaged Unity seed pod off the structure and dragged it to one side.

Kuypers stood at the base of the monolith and looked up the hundred feet or so to its peak.

It seemed to be pulsing, with some sort of energy, as though handling the exterior had somehow activated some long dormant generator.

With a soft, yet perceptible hiss the seam parted, sending Tony and Mbutu leaping back in readiness, as the seam irised into a portal into the interior of the monolith.

Kuypers had his shredder rifle unslung and motioned to two squadmates to follow him in.

They entered the monolith.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Squad, 'hut."

The twelve trainees snapped to attention.

CEO Nwabudike Morgan looked at them appreciatively. They had done well in their training in a few short weeks since landing. He looked over to the sergeant for guidance as to what to do next.

"Jefferson. At the double," he shouted.

A gangly young man broke ranks and jogged to the sergeant's side.

"Sir!" he said, saluting smartly.

The sergeant looked over to the CEO.

"If you would do the honors, Sir. Here are the pips that will confirm ensign Denzell Jefferson as Platoon Lieutenant of Beta Squad."

Morgan took the two pips from the Sergeant's outstretched hand and gravely pinned them to the collar of the young ensign standing stiffly to attention. Then he stuck out his hand:

"Allow me to congratulate you, Lieutenant Jefferson. You and your men are to be commended in the speed and thoroughness with which you have completed your training. Morgan Industries will sleep safer knowing that you and your squad are on guard for us."

Jefferson saluted again.

"With your permission, Sir?" he began.

"Yes?" queried the CEO.

"Just outside the base perimeter Sir, is a Unity Dispersal Pod. Our squad would like to go and investigate it, and open it if possible, to bring its contents to the base."

"By all means," boomed the CEO. "See to it immediately."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you. Sir!"

Jefferson turned sharply, and summoned his men. Six of you establish a patrol route as we discussed in class - Leonards - I'm putting you in charge. The rest of you, come with me."

They left the base and headed down towards the shoreline where they had been looking at the Pod for several days now.

They grew quiet as they approached it.

"Sir," one of the squad members began. "It looks nothing like what Carruthers talked about the other day when he described the one they opened on the hill. He said that one was like two saucers inverted over each other. This is more like a big black egg. And it's not made of any metal I've seen before," he added, running his hand along the smooth surface of the pod.

Jefferson made a snap decision. "We'll open it anyway. The lockcodes probably won't work if it's not from the Unity, so let's blast it open with the shredders."

It was soon done, and as they peeled the still hot skin of the "egg" apart, they looked with amazement at its contents.

"What the hell is that?" asked a squaddie.

It was vaguely conical, with a blunt, rounded top, about half the height of a man. A bluish green, it too seemed to be manufactured from a material that no-one in the squad was familiar with. It boated a profusion of input ports and outlets, protrusions that were obviously meant to link with something, somewhere, and also accept connections from external sources. Best of all, it seemed to be powered. A slight push sent it rolling noiselessly in the direction pushed - almost frictionless - it rolled until one of the squad ran after it and stopped it.

"Let's take it back to the base," Jefferson said. "We can pass it over to Professor Kai. She'll know what to do."

They circled the strange object and made their way back to base, with the Alien Artifact in tow.

[Alinestra Covelia]

Back at work now, with little Kellie safe at the den. I was a bit dubious of leaving her behind with the others, given that (in all fairness) they're not any actual relation to her, but she is healthy and happy when I see her at the end of the day.

At four months, she was crawling like a little bunny - so energetic! And at nine months she began talking. She could only say "mama", but she said it all the time, and with evident joy. All the aides love her very much, as she is amongst the first of our Planet births.

I only wish that she would play with me sometimes! No matter - it is an inevitable step in the process of freeing the society from the constraints of family and class. Without the first nuclear cell that we know, namely the family, society will never need become a layered system of classes and discrimination.

I still feel a sense of loss and regret at this arrangement, but Kellie is very happy amongst so many mothers, and I have no right to demand her love more than they do. In time, we will discard the fallacious templates of past societies, and live in true universal brotherhood and sisterhood.

* ~ * ~ *

We had discovered a massive object, some thirty meters across, half buried in the soft soil of the eroded hillsides southwest of the base. It took all our equipment two weeks to laser into past the hull.

All fears of having encountered alien handiwork were quickly put to rest - the object was one of many Unity pods, scattered around the planet. Within it, we located a few signature files penned by the Lead Scientist Zakharov whilst still on board the Unity - the findings have allowed us to tentatively propose new additions to our industrial construction list.

Even better, beneath the Unity pod, we discovered a rich deposit of ores and minerals - presumably, this had attracted the survey unit pod in the first place. Either way, there was nobody who did not echo the Chairman's sentiment - we were indeed fortunate to have stumbled upon this valuable trove.

[Deimos]

Gentlemen, thank you for coming on such short notice. I have called this session of the Junta to bring you up to date on several recent events.

As you know, there has been little good news over the 3 years that have passed since Landing Day. While the land around Sparta Command has proven to be barely hospitable, the areas to our north and south are completely barren, a virtual desert. While the initial reports of these deserts were disenheartening, we vowed that it would take more than this to sway us from our course of self-determination. These unforgiving lands are not to be seen as an obstacle, but as a crucible. A crucible that takes in the raw material of our young men and women, and gives back the hardened troops that form the core of our military forces.

This crucible will be enhanced with the addition of a Command Center, here at Sparta Command. This Command Center, in conjunction with the training facilities we are constructing, will allow us to field the best-trained troops on Planet. When the Command Center is complete, we will have strengthened the first tenet, Superior Training, of our second principle: Superior training and superior weaponry have, when taken together, a geometric effect on overall military strength.

The second tenet, Superior Weaponry, is the focus of the next event. Our newly commissioned 1st Militia has just returned from their first mission. That mission was to investigate the Unity fragment west of Sparta Command. We initially believed this to be a piece of the Unity that had broken away along with the escape pods, but when the 1st Militia arrived at the debris site, our initial beliefs were proven to be incorrect. This object turned out to be one of the supply pods that the Unity scattered over the planet prior to our escape. Inside, they found an intact data node. Our science team has determined that the node contained enough information to bootstrap our industrial infrastructure. This increase in our industrial capacity will allow us to equip our military with a new form of armor that will double their defensive capabilities. As soon as feasible, we will create a prototype of this new Synthmetal Armor, and begin to refit all existing units with the new armor. Our recon rovers have discovered several other debris sights that match the characteristics of the Unity Pod we have already found. Investigation of these areas is one of our next priorities.

The final item concerns a report from the scouts attached to our colony pod. They have discovered an area of increased geothermal activity along the route that the colony pod is following. Analysis of the data that they collected indicates that this geothermal activity can be harnessed to increase our energy production. I have directed the commander of the colony pod to find a suitable site near this region to found our second base. After the founding of this base, we will continue our scouting missions of the surrounding area.

As to the other factions, we still know nothing. It is probable that we are not alone here. We will deal with this issue if and when we encounter them. Up until that time, we will maintain our readiness to handle whatever occurs from these encounters.

--Excerpt from address to the Junta
Colonel Deimos, MY2103

[Hydro]

MY 13.36.2104
Datasquirt, exploratory team Alpha
Weekly report from Shannon Lindly

Dee -

Following your advice we followed the river up to its headwaters, and it increased our travel and exploration rate immensely. The area surrounding the river, which flows down to our new settlement at Virgin Soil and presumably to the Northern Chiron Sea, is wet and lush and, as we have reported consistently in the past, is extraordinarily fertile and potentially supportive of human habitation. I was mildly surprised when our forward recon team sent me a field report stating that to the south and east of the river valley on the lee side of the mountain range that rainfall drops precipitously (if you will excuse the pun). If I would have remembered my basic hydrology and atmospheric science I probably could have predicted this, and I hope my reports of a wet agricultural paradise haven't gotten everyone's hopes up too high. Still, our settlements seem to be in good territory, and we may still find favorable sites to the southwest and northeast along the sea. In the meantime my teams will be pushing east into the heart of the continent. As we reached the top of the range it was clear this continent is huge. Although no details are available, the land surface extends for as far as the eye can see. Of course this does us no good until we can survey and map the areas and complete the basic ecological, hydrologic, and resource assessments. But that is what our team are for, isn't it?

Give my best to Wayne at Virgin Soil. I received his squirt last week and was pleased that his settlement is coming along so well. VS will provide us with new staging areas to explore Planet, and the name seems so appropriate. I see that Davin has new converts to his cause and that VS started production of a former right away by using surplus equipment and by converting the travel chasses the settlement used to get to the VS site. Kind of like recycling, right?

Colin was so tickled when he heard that Davin is sending his prototype former group from Landing to the mineral outcrop. It will take a couple of years to get there and then more time to complete the forest he has planned, but I think it will be worth it. A combination of properly managed woodlands and mineral products will be very helpful. From what I understand, about the time the forest has reasonably matured we will have the extra crews from Landing trained and ready to harvest what Planet provides for us there. I asked Colin if he'd like to supervise the work back at the lode, but he said no. He says his heart is now set on finding the Motherload, whatever that is, and he has taken to wearing a goofy old prospector's hat. He keeps us all entertained and in good spirits. BTW, we really appreciated the supplies the glider dropped at our forward cache last week. The new breathers were a godsend since our old supply was running out and they were close to being beyond repair. The barley cakes were like a banquet, too. Rog and his foragers are good, but there are times that I just can't stand another meal of fungigruel and purified water.

All in all none of us would give up the adventure for anything since everything is exciting and new. We have a whole planet to cover, after all! The years come and go so fast, and it is really hard to believe we've been here over four years now!

Call soon. We really like to keep in touch, when our comm is working correctly.

Your friend,
Shannon

**Survey and resource summary downloaded to Datalinks, 19 terraquads of data uploaded on 13.36.2104**

Priority One Directive to Resource Coordinator M. Gauthier: effective immediately, double the Earth-stable food and concentrates for scout team caches, and make SURE they have the breathers they need. If anyone on the Council questions the revised allocation then send them to me and I will deal with them personally.
D. Skye

[Alinestra Covelia]

In the year of '39 assembled here the volunteers,
In the days when lands were few... Here the ship sailed out
Into the blue and sunny morn, sweetest sight ever seen.

And the night followed day, and the storytellers say
That the score brave souls inside
O full many lonely days sailed across the milky seas,
Ne'er looked back, never feared, never cried.

Don't you hear my call? though you're many years away.
Don't you hear me calling you?
Write your letters in the sand for the day I take your hand
In the land that our grandchildren knew.

In the year of '39 came a ship in from the blue,
The volunteers came home that day.
And they bring good news of a world so newly born
Though their hearts so heavily weighed.
For the earth is old and grey, little darling will away,
But, my love! This cannot be!
O, so many years are gone, though I'm older but a year -
Your mother's eyes from your eyes cry to me...

Don't you hear my call? Though you're many years away.
Don't you hear me calling you?
Write your letters in the sand for the day I take your hand
In the land that our grandchildren knew.

Don't you hear my call? Though you're many years away.
Don't you hear me calling you?
All your letters in the sand cannot heal me like your hand,
For my life - still ahead, pity me.

- Datalinks
[This message has been edited by Alinestra Covelia (edited December 03, 2000).]

University Science Log: 2105.

Despite our good intentions, work of late has been so furiously paced that I have neglected my record keeping. Well, administration was never my first love anyway [I recognise its necessity of course, but it is impossible to have passion for such mundane tasks.]

Good news at last! Dr Hartwell has finally established our research outpost. We had hoped that more distance would be put between it and our central laboratory, but time is against us always. It is however close to a large grove? of the red fungal growths that pass for vegetation on Planet; this is sure to provide an endless source of new ecological data. I have taken the liberty of calling the new outpost "Rune" which is Celtic for mystery- of which many abound in our new home.

We have also located more portions of unity wreckage though all are too distant or in inaccessible locations for immediate retrieval. They are however a priority for our scout teams. Research proceeds with no concrete results as yet though I'm told that we should have a workable terraforming prototype completed within 2 years. This will increase our viability as a long-term colony as we will no longer be reliant on the rations we brought with us or the primitive protein synthesis devices that produce a substance that while nutritionally balanced is almost inedible.

Provost Hobbes

[Googlie]

MorganNews

34-8-2105

Good evening, citizens.

This is Paula Forbes reporting live from Morgan Interstellar. Yes, you heard right. Out second base on this alluring planet is now operational under the pro-tem governorship of the CEO's son, Morgan Jr.

It is located on fertile land by the shore of a lake - perhaps a sea, we have not yet explored beyond the horizon to the west, and appears to be rich in mineral deposits with the promise of offshore energy exploitation. The CEO has given his approval for the commissioning of a new type of garrison unit - armored with the synthmetal body armor that our engineers have developed.

And for those of you who contacted us with your hypotheses regarding the origin of the Monolith that Carruthers and his squad encountered, thanks. We will be running an open line forum a week tonight to air these views and let callers discuss them live, on line. Meanwhile here is Tony Carruthers' latest report on the exploration progress:

We proceeded south of the Monolith, much uplifted by the experience we had when we visited it. We are currently camped on land which on the surface looks bleak and barren, but which our instruments indicate is rich in uranium deposits, and which contains a fairly sizeable patch of rolling terrain hosting some native grasses and shrubs, with none of the hostile fungus vegetation in sight. It appears ideal for a potential base, as it will be rich in energy.

We can see what appears to be a lake - or perhaps even an ocean inlet - in the distance to thew west, and will head off there tomorrow to investigate.

Carruthers out.

Well, there you have it. Tony Carruthers and his squad reporting prime ground for the founding of a possible third base.

Tune in tomorrow for the local news and a report on the progress of the construction of our Network Node at Morgan Industries.

This is Paula Forbes saying goodnight.


[This message has been edited by Googlie (edited December 07, 2000).]

[Hydro]

Gaia's Landing
MY 2105

Small hands patted down the raw earth, gently and purposefully. Then, satisfied, the little boy rose and looked down to ensure he was done. Larger hands came down and drew him away from the long plot of earth, and she held him protectively even as a few tears escaped her eyes and fell to her breather.

Lady Skye walked forward, slightly disheveled with her raven hair blowing in the stiff, cool breeze of the commons at Gaia's Landing.

"Nasri was our friend, and in a way the best of us all. He was tireless and quick to laugh, and he was always there for me, for all of us. When he first starting calling us Gaians I laughed, and he laughed with me. I took it as his way to lighten the mood after a particularly hard day. When he talked about oneness, and the cycles of nature I took it as a biologist's ramblings, or perhaps the results of too much work. But over the years I saw more and more clearly that Nasri had a certain wisdom, and a way to help others, including me, to understand his subtle vision. He drew together what humanity had done to our old home, and how we can avoid the same mistakes here. His clarity of thought and gentle nudges helped me understand that in a way we are Gaians. Only now when he is gone do I really appreciate it."

Deirdre looked up and motioned to Marilyn and Frank, who walked forward. They solemnly carried their charge, and placed it in a prepared hole at the head of Nasri's grave.

"We plant this white pine in Nasri's memory. The white pine represents our promise to Nasri, our people, and to our new home, Planet itself, and it symbolizes our vow never to repeat the tragedy of Earth."

Deirdre kneeled down and filled her palm with some of the soil from Nasri's grave. She rose and walked over to the sapling and kneeled again, placing her fistful of soil gently around its roots. As she stood the woman and young boy followed, each taking a small handful of earth and placing it at the roots of the tree.

One by one the rest followed, Gaians first and last.

[Hydro]

Virgin Soil
MY 2107

A tall, thin man with salt and pepper hair walked up to the makeshift podium. His smile was small, his gestures muted, and his voice soft, but everything he did inspired confidence and proved that an administrator didn't have to be forceful or domineering to do his or her job. In some cases honesty and integrity, as well as supreme competence and empathy to others, could be more than enough.

At the podium, which was little more that two up-ended travel crates, Wayne stood and surveyed the crowd. The few side conversations died down and all eyes turned expectantly to their leader.

"We all know why we are here today, since we have been working for this for three whole years. Our Davin Terraformer is finally complete and its crew trained and it is ready to roll!"

Spontaneous cheers rippled through the crowd, which included most of the population of Virgin Soil. The Former crew, who felt themselves particularly lucky, were the loudest in the yells of approval.

Wayne held up his hands to get everyone calmed down a little. Still, his small smile increased a little at their enthusiasm.

"There's no need to tell you what this means to us. We'll plant a forest right next to Soil in the river valley. When complete the forest will be a wonderful place to visit, and with loving management will be bring us terrific resources, too."

More cheers.

"But one more note. I want to personally thank Dee and the Council for granting us the resources to finish the Former a year ahead of schedule. Our collective resources are few, but they decided they would put their trust in us. So, let's not disappoint them!

With that, let's get to work. Steph, start your engines!"

Chief Engineer Stephanie Baldwin saluted theatrically as her crew paraded to their brand new former, a collection of over 30 vehicles on tracks that were a mobile earth moving and fabrication facility, a veritable factory on wheels. In moments the motley assembly of vehicles wheeled around, kicking up dust as their treads tore at the earth and made their way down the broad, level flood plain of the river valley.

Everyone cheered and yelled, waving their arms as the crew left.

Finally even Wayne felt the unaccustomed urge to let rip with a mighty hoot of approval, and his voice joined the thousands that happily filled their valley.

University Science Log: 2107.

Two things of note:
#1. We have uncovered unmistakeable evidence of the existance of intelligent life-forms other than Homo sapiens. The research fieldworkers exploring to the north of University Base have reported an object that for want of a better description, must be termed an Alien Artifact. It is being rushed to the laboratories with all possible speed. From their reports & the downlinked visual images I have viewed it appears to be an instrunment or machine as opposed to debris etc. That is, it appears to have been made with a specific purpose- I believe that it is in actual fact, some form of data storage. Whatever it is, our investigations will soon uncover the truth. I can't help but wonder though, what those close-minded fundamentalists lead (mislead) by Miriam would react to this news. The final nail in the coffin of the Christian God for anyone who is halfway rational.

#2 Recently our engineering team produced the blueprints for what is essentially a prototype terraforming device, based on our researches into Centaurian Ecology. We hope to have it operational soon and commence our use of Planet's rich resources in a systematic way.

Provost Hobbes

[Googlie]

Dear Jeneba:

Much excitement today. Professor Kai gathered all the team leaders into the central plaza and unveiled the results of his efforts all these years - claims we now know everything there is to know about Centauri Ecology. A lot of it was over my head - big words such as symbiosis and the like which meant nothing to me (maybe because I was intently studying the scale model of the terraformer unit that the boffins are proposing to build).

Which leads me to... tada, yes, I am now officially an apprentice terraformer operative. Over the next little while we will be breathing, eating, sleeping terraformers (we're calling them formers for short) 'cos it won't be long before one is commissioned at Industries. The CEO gave permission to spend some extra credits to hurry along the synthmetal garrison unit which will soon be finished then all the production of the base will be focussed on the construction of the former.

And isn't it exciting the news we're hearing about the Carruthers Expedition. The latest I saw was that the uranium flats were as extensive as the distance betweeen Industries and Interstellar, and they've located some more of the Unity seed pods. I wish I could have gone with him, but hey, working on a former crew won't be so bad.

Thanks for the last communication, by the way. Keep on with the science studies - it's where the future lies. I have more of a technical bent.

Take care,

Christopher

[stuntman19]

U N Headquarters
MY 2106

It appears that we are the last of the splintered Unity crew to reach Chiron, after several close staff votes on proposed landing sites. My assistant Sarita was successful in retrieving the original U N Charter incased in glass from Captain Garland's conference room.

I have directed our Science operations, under Scientist Kakani, to begin research at once. He has reported that breakthroughs can be expected on a regular bases after centers have been established.

Sarita has now recovered from injuries incurred upon impact and heavy damage to cryobay 4. I have directed her to lead in the exploration of planet. Hopefully, we will be successful in locating the misguided other leaders, and uniting them under the U N Charter.


Log entry,
Comm. Stuntman19, Chief of Surgery

[Googlie]

Log of Tony Carruthers, 11-1-2106

Moved another 30 sodding miles deeper into this Uranium desert - it seems to go on for hundreds of miles. Slow going. Spotted another of the Unity seed pods a little to the south so we are headsing off to investigate it.

Ground is fairly moist now - lookls like it might support farms or even forests if terraformed appropriately, while still, of course, yielding tremendous energy from the Uranium flats.

Not quite sure what the squad is supposed to be doing. "Explore," the CEO said. After we pop the pod I think I'll order a return to base for fresh orders, and maybe an upgrade to that new weaponry that Morgan Jr. is developing.

Ah well, life goes on and we grow old in the going. Sheesh, that seems profound. Time to get back to civilization as we now know it. Carruthers out.

[Hydro]

Gaia's Landing

beep-beep

beep-beep

beep-bee…

"I'm up, I'm up," Dee whispered tiredly to herself as she got up out of her cot, being careful not to disturb those around her. She could tell it was almost 1700, an hour to midnight, and it was totally dark. Quickly and discretely she activated her salvaged crys-screen, which still had its UN logo emblazoned upper right corner. It grudgingly came to life. Deirdre was puzzled when all it produced was static and flickering light.

Then an image resolved itself. A woman was looking away from the screen. She was evidently talking to someone outside of the projection area, but Dee couldn't make out what was being said. With a click the image synced, and the woman turned around.

"Dee? Are you there?"

Dee smiled.

"Of course, Shannon. I wasn't expecting your call. How can you transmit over the mountain range?"

"We're bouncing off a thermal. Can't explain now. I have to show you something and I haven't got much time. Dumping now."

A sketchy image formed. It was daylight, and it was earlier today from the time stamp. It showed the endless brown landscape Shannon had reported finding on the lee side of the mountain range. In the distance there was blue, which had to be an expanse of water. Might it be another ocean?

Shannon's voice was superimposed over the image. "We found another water body and we have no idea how big it is. That isn't what is exciting, though. Look in the bottom right corner. We'll zoom for you."

The image shot forward. Near the edge of the water body there was a grayish pink and rough looking expanse that extended to the southern horizon. At first glance it looked like the reddish light of a setting sun glancing off a crenellating rock formation. As the zoom got closer Dee squinted, and then sucked in her breath.

It was beautiful!

Shannon's voice interjected, "Its an integrated life form, which our team has nicknamed xenofungus. It's huge and complex, and it must be analogous to Earth's coral reefs. Itt even looks a little like it. I've never seen anything like it in the last seven years of exploring! A tenth of a square kilometer here and there, but nothing like this. Even with the tiny fragments of data from our initial survey we're a little overwhelmed. Even Colin is looking up from his rocks!"

The image started to disintegrate.

"Dee, the thermal is dissipating. Gotta go! We're squirting our data now! Tomorrow we're fungus jumping!"

Shannon disappeared, but the data link was still there. Dee tapped the screen a few times and, sure enough, the squirt was making it through.

The grainy image Dee had seen of the expanse of pinkish xenofungus with its gray, purple, and blue hues was mesmerizing, and tantalizing. Not for the first time Dee envied Shannon. She was the real explorer, while Dee had seemingly endless meetings and thankless job of what was effectively a politician.

After a moment the light on the crys-screen winked out and the transmission was complete. Dee stood half way up and crawled back into her cot. It was only 5 hours until morning and her body still rebelled against the 18 hour Chiron day, telling her she should be asleep, or awake when she had to be sleeping.

It didn't matter, though. Physical and mental exhaustion have its advantages and in moments she was asleep.

[Hydro]

MY2109
Journal of Lady Deirdre Skye

So far it's been a pretty good year. We unlocked some of the genetic keys of the xenofungus, and with this biogenetic information we can improve our quality of life here on Planet. I already have a set of blueprints for a city improvement that will allow almost complete recycling, turning what was waste into food, material, and energy. We could have one built in 8 years, but we need a little defense first. We also need to think about another outpost, but we don't have the resources or population for this yet.

Our first forest is finished, too. It and the mineral lode are producing a huge influx of resources, just like Colin predicted. We're having the former crew construct a solar cell in a rainy area for future use. The forest at Virgin Soil is only a few years from maturity, which is about the time when they will need it.

I sent our second scout patrol out today. I've tasked them to explore to the northeast, while Shannon continues to the south and then southwest. She has had no luck the fungus so far, but is gaining a lot of information. The fungus isn't nearly as large as we thought, either. Shannon is always optimistic and is sure we'll find more fungus soon.

[Alinestra Covelia]

Our two main exploration teams are proving their worth! One has located a Unity mechanical pod, providing us with many valuable industrial resources. The industrial-capacity energy stores were brought back to the secondary base and made available to the government through Base Governor Erkklisan.

The total amount of net worth has yet to be disclosed, but the Central Party believes this example to be a very small specimen of what could potentially be found. This pod, it appears, suffered some magnetic scrambling and therefore lost some considerable internal electrical integrity.

The second team encountered something considerably more disturbing. It was a monolith.

The material itself is unclear, but we have detected large surges of energy emanating from it. It absorbs light easily, appearing a dark puce or burgundy in color, and has a square base. The four sides taper upwards, with a deep groove of a more reflective material in the center of each side. At the apex of the monolith, each side of the pillar joins to form a sharp point - just before the juncture, a perfect circle is engraved, again filled with this reflective material.

The nature of this is unknown, but our men came back changed from the experience. They spoke of heightened awareness, sharpened senses, and more restful slumbers.

To prevent any possible civilian tampering, the Central Party has decreed the monolith off limits to non military personnel. It is rumored that a base may be founded near to the monolith for purposes of xenoresearch.

The scout teams also bring news of further resonances in their equipment scanners - there would appear to be many more such pods just beyond our geographical peripheries, waiting to be sprung and revealed.

Back home, the central base has benefited from a new structural addition, in a preemptive move by the urban council to contain the population growth. This is evidenced in a parallel vertical shaft, with a similar hubwork of levels. The Central Party is currently facing a split between the possibility of further investment in the central base, and the proposal to relocate a sizeable portion of the populace to another site.

If the second option is prevalent, I hope I am chosen to go. I can only imagine that they would base us near the monolith, and I have not seen the aliens' handiwork yet.

[Googlie]

Tony Carruthers tapped the commlink on his sleeve and peered at the readout.

"It's a series 3 - equipment, it says" he said to his squad.

Sergeant Kuypers asked:

"Key combo?"

Carrutherts gave him the codes and Kuypers went forward to the Unity seed pod and keyed them in.

'This is how it is meant to work,' thought Tony, as the pod opened, its doors clam-like as they apertured. It had landed and skidded on the flat uranium-rich sandy yet moist soil, retaining its structural integrity and remaining upright.

The pod seemed to power up, and the familiar electrical hum emanated from inside. Kuypers stood back, as there emerged a series of runabout robots laden with equipment.

"What the heck ……. ?" he started to say as the robots paused, as if they were sentient animals sniffing the air, then they set to work, scurrying over the flatlands, almost running down squad members as they deployed their prefabricated equipment.

It took Tony some time to recognize the pattern emerging, but when he finally did, he was flabbergasted.

"Solar array panels. That's what they are. Acres - no make that square kilometers - of solar panels. Holy Moses. What a place to found a base. Gotta get that on the vidcams for a burst report back to base. You getting all this, Kuypers?"

"Sir, I am,' the sergeant replied.

"And another thing sir. When I magnify to capture the amplitude I can see another seed pod to the southeast. Could be another of these."

"Then let's go see," said Carruthers.

The squad headed off to the southeast.

************************************************** ************************************

"It's like nothing we've come across before. It looks like a Unity seed pod from the distance, but now that we are closer we can see that the shape - and the color - are different. And the material is unlike anything we have seen. Resistant to our shredders on flame."

CEO Morgan heard out his exploration captain.

"Can you open it with percussives then?" he asked.

"We can try. Set the shredders to projectile and focus fire you mean?"

"Whatever," the CEO replied. That's your area of expertise, Carruthers. I'll trust you to open it, investigate, and take appropriate action using your discretion.

"Morgan out."

Tony looked over at Kuypers.

"CEO says to blast it open."

"OK, blasted open it will be."

He unslung his shredder, and fiddled with the control dial.

"Mbutu - co-ordinate with me - maximum charge."

"OK Sarge," said the older trooper, following suit.

They trained their shredders at the black egg-shaped structure and within a short time they had blown an end off.

Mbutu nosed closer to peer through the smoldering material at the contents.

"Anything?" asked the Captain.

"Dunno, Sir. Kinda dark - strange looking contraption - greenish metallic color. Ah, it's getting clearer …"

Mbutu jumped back.

"It's starting up," he exclaimed.

Sergeant Kuypers had his shredder pointing at the weird contraption that emerged. It stopped in front of them.

"It's a Dalek," he said. "A bloody Dalek."

"A what?" Tony snapped.

"A Dalek. I used to see old vidcoms on earth that were a hundred years old - futuristic science fiction in those days - one was a Doctor Who series where the aliens were called Daleks - they were starfish thinggys that lived in dustbins like this."

"Oh don't be stupid," Carruthers retorted. It's of manufactured origin - see all those nodes and recepticles. It's meant to hook into something and be in turn hooked up.

"We'll have to report this and send it back to Industries."

Kuypers looked sheepish.

"Sure looks like I remember the Daleks were," he muttered as he assigned it to a unit of the squad to trek it back to Morgan Industries.