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Translated from Kih-kala

Transcription of Field Log and Comms: 002879, RTD 65th Rotation/ Orbit 4.6b. Location: Ruins on 3rd planet from system center, hereafter dubbed "3R". Team: Tev, Arrak, Chosik(Lead)

Tv"That's what I'm saying. The conditions on this planet vary so intensely, it's a wonder life could ever- Watch out!"

-unintelligible-

T:"You ok? Good. Good. Yeah, the native fauna seem to be highly aggressive."

A:"What was -that-?!“

C:"Some sort of predator, obviously. I think those were its ears? The size of em, could probably hear prey a few kliks away. "

T:"Those eyes were completely black. And those teeth! I've never seen incisors like those!"

C:"We best keep moving. Scans indicate those things tend to live in warrens. Probably ambush predators. We're not far from the site."

T:"Oh wow... Just look at the size of those structures. They're -massive-... How did they manage to even quarry stone that big?! Hold on, I'm getting a sample."

-unintelligible-

T:"It's not exactly stone! Like, there's bits of stone and silica granules, but it's all a composite material! With some Ferrous Oxide in the core of the material, which is just odd... Arrak, look at this plug sample. There's just a big chunk of Ferrous Oxide right in the middle, here!"

A:"I'll be damned. Wait. Do you think it was oxidized when they built this? Or did it happen later?“

T:"Ah, were going to have to run a full atomic analysis, I think. "

C:"Tev! Arrak! Cut the chatter. Dead ahead, you see that? I'm requesting a xenolinguist look over these writings. Our cartography scans indicate that we're close to the center of this... City? It must've been a major metropolitan area, judging by the sheer scope. It'll take years to fully excavate."

A:"Judging by all these signs, literacy was not a problem for these folks. Oh! I know that word! 'Applied'. Resik's team sent some notes from their dig out on one of the other continents. Wait, let me see if that other word is in the translated materials... Yes! 'Cryogenics'. We're going to be poking around in there?"

C:"Correct. Scans indicate a high volume of nitrogen, which may have preserved a great deal. Of what, is our job to find out today. Alright. Keep chatter to a minimum. Once we go in, we start logging everything."

T & A: "Roger that"

C:"Entering the site now. Structure is largely intact. Large empty sections in the walls with cubes of some laminated silicate material. Fibrous materials on the floor, some synthetic material. Bagging sample, refID: 20-A. A degraded structure in the center of the entry chamber appears to have been some sort of cellulose composite. Sample refID: 20-B. Fascinating... Degraded sheets of another cellulose material with some fragmentary 3R orthography. Sample refID: 20-C. Some sort of... Perhaps a primitive terminal of some sort on the structure. 3D scan refID: 20-A.2. Field speculation, this structure was some manner of desk. Following hallway from entry chamber. Ancillary chambers stem from central hallway. Examination of each indicate some sort of primitive medical examination. Full mapping scanners have been placed for later analysis refIDs: 20-D through 20-J. Hallway terminates in remains of double doors of heavily corroded metal. Panel to the right side with a series of buttons with 3R Orthography. Field Speculation: Security of some sort. Scanning door and panel for refID: 20-k. Stopping Log to contact HQ. We may have to destroy this door to get through to the next chamber."

T: "Sir, you're going to want to see this. We ran some scans on one of the implements in one of the off-chambers. There's trace remains of some sort of organic compound and something else. High levels of glucose. It looks like some sort of pump."

C: "What... Get me a full spectrum analysis as soon as possible. If my guess is right, we may have a sample of biological materials of the species that built these ruins. Arrak! Set forcer charges at the corners of the doorway. Approval from up top. We'll cart one of the doors back for full alloy analysis. The site is well documented now. Retrieval Team will have their hands full with this place. "

A: "Alright! Charges set, T-20, get clear!"

-unintelligible-

C: "Good work. Get this dust settled. I want rotors here and here. Oh wow. Alright. We're going to need every Lighting drone we can spare. This chamber is huge."

T: "Roger. We've got 6 full racks. Deploying them now.... Are... Are those pods?!"

C: "Get those scanner drones up. Let's see what we're looking at. Log Resume. Primary Chamber has been opened. Scanners mapping, refIDs: 20-L through 20-T. A series of some sort of pod. They appear to have been connected to some now defunct power source... Oh. This is huge. These pods contain skeletons in incredible condition. Specimens are bipedal with a plantigrade structure to their lower appendages. This is incredible. Two arms. 10 digits... Judging by the skull, binocular vision, but it's possible that multiple eyes could reside in each socket. Dentition indicates a possibly omnivorous trophic niche. Initial observation of the skeletons indicate a wide array of minute differences from specimen to specimen. No immediate indicators of the population of this... Facility... At least, no clear sexual dimorphism. Perhaps an androgynous race? Oh... Scanners picked up a pod still powered?! This-"

-unintelligible-

C:"I can't believe what I'm seeing. Scanning active pod with intact specimen. After all this time, for a pod to still have power... Submitting full scan refID: 20-U, flag highest priority. If I'm understanding the readout on the pod correctly, this specimen is... Still alive. Still... Alive... This is huge. This is the biggest find on this planet. The biggest find in the history of our expedition to the outer galactic arm. I don't think the pod can be safely transported... End log. This requires immediate attention from HQ. We must secure this site and get a full extraction and medic team down here now. And I need to sit down."

Wow that was great!!!!! I want more jajaja

Thank you! Didja catch what that "predator" was?

Elephant? Maybe idk sorry

Heh, it was a rabbit!

After all these years, of finding nothing but scraps and hints of what came before, we were on the cusp of something big, I knew it down to my whiskers.

It had been a long time coming. For the first few years of my career, many of my theories met with derision. Yes everyone knew of the cataclysm that melted much of the old world before we evolved, and the artifacts we did find were either melted masses of hydrocarbon based polymers, or mostly corroded bits of iron and other oxides. It was the underwater expedition with the rudder tails in 1376 where we found the first proof of earlier life. The statue, round eared, four fingered, strangely proportioned but obviously one of the races that arose after the days of fire and ash.It stood there under the mud of what had once been a peninsula before the seas rose, left hand on it’s hip, right hand raised upwards, though broken off just past the wrist. Ther looked to have been another figure standing next to it, but all that was left was a few hand spans of leg and one foot covering.

To be honest, I had regretted the finding of that artifact at the time. The Scholars deemed it a religious artifact of the pre melt races, and proof that the peoples had existed before the cataclysm that destroyed the world of this mysterious ‘ickey Mou’, and the controversy it generated overwhelmed the scientific knowledge we could learn. We had been blocked from further excavation due to court challenges.

Fortunately the fame had also increased my funding. My muzzle was starting to turn grey by the time we had a decent lead, but this time, we’re keeping things quiet until we knew what we had. And what we had was something big. Further west from the first site, across the Green Sea. I knew, when the diggers had broken through the slagged metal and found a tunnel, with straight walls that this could be something-”

“Seeker Dawnwood?”

I put down my pen and closed my journal, turning to look at the young Digger who was in charge of the excavation crews. Her long claws were still coated in soil, and her black and white striped fur on her face was coated by some noxious liquid “Good heavens!” I cried, “Jena, are you injured?”

She waved off my concerns. “It’s merely some sort of lubrication fluid, the scrutinizers have determined it’s harmless, a petroleum product that was used in the door mechanism”

“Wait-DOOR?” My ringed tail poofed in excitement as I followed the digger from the base camp. She led me through the tunnel to the metal wall where they had been probing. Sure enough, just past the cleared portion was a seam in the metal, and from a hole hit by an errant tool, the fluid leaked from a ruptured hose.

“By the Gods.” I muttered..

“What should we do?” the Digger chieftess asked. “The council-”

I raised my paw “the council will hem and haw until we have all become owl food” I replied. “We keep this quiet for the moment, can you get this open?”

It took more digging to get the door clear, with the fluid removed however and enough prying, it eventually began to budge.

“Why is the door so big?” one of the diggers asked. I wondered that myself, the idol we discovered before was a bit taller than one of the people, but not by much. This however…twice, three times its size. As the door slid whisker by whisker I had an even bigger question. “Why is there light coming from inside?”

That caused work to halt, and many of the crew backed away, ears back. A few of them made holy signs in fear, but this is what I had waited my whole life for. I felt someone beside me and noticed Jena was there. She flashed me a toothy grin “who goes first?”

I was somewhere between awe stuck and giddy. I shook my head “make sure the air in there is safe first, then we go together.”

After a few moments of testing, we stepped in. The lights were from some panels in the ceiling, far over our heads. There was writing on the wall of the corridor, I knew what the script said, we had some translations from the stones that were left by the ones before. What the words meant however.. “Nasa? Cy-ro, genics?”

“What does that mean, Seeker?”

“I have no clue.” I admitted. One should never be afraid to admit they did not know everything. I peered at the numbers on buttons on a door up ahead.

“There are numbers..but there are too many of them.” I thought. A team from Forestbrook had found the remains of a hand covering a few years back, but there were more fingers on it than any of the people. With excitement I pushed at the door panel, almost falling backwards in surprise as it actually opened.

We stepped into the room, there were cylinders on racks, about a dozen of them. Most of them were dark, but there were two that still had lights on them. I held my lamp up as I approached, there was a layer of grime and frost covering the glass on the cylinder. I had to climb up in order to see, and one of the diggers handed me up a cloth.

With a trembling paw, I wiped at the grime. It took a moment, but I could see through the glass at last. I gasped when I saw what was inside.

“What is it?” Jena asked from below.

It took me a moment to find my breath. “It’s a person…large one, female I think. Odd, no fur except for the top of her head.”

“What kind of person?” someone asked.”

I shook my head. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. Everyone, be sure not to touch anything, we need to get a-oh no…”

I could see him falling before I even finished my sentence. Harln was only on the expedition because his uncle paid for the grant. I groaned as he fell from the shelf he had been attempting to climb to, the lapin bouncing off one of the lighted panels next to the tube with a thud.

Before I could rip his fuzzy tail off, there was a sound from the wall behind us. The door we came in from sealed shut with a loud ‘thoom’, and there was a voice speaking from somewhere above, though we couldn’t understand the words. I knew we were in trouble.

“AUTOMATED MESSAGE, TEST FACILITY 23, CRYOSTASIS THAW INITIATING. ERROR, LIFE SIGNS NEGATIVE IN CAPSULE 1, 3, 4,6 AND 8. EMERGENCY, CONTACTING MEDICAL ASSISTANCE”

I would adore a follow-up! This reads so candidly that I would completely believe this were a real audio log!

I've got a follow-up brewing, for sure. I'm definitely glad I stumbled into this sub, cuz it has really been scratching the itch of flexing my world-building brain. And I might do this in audio, cuz I'm really liking this concept

The follow-up is almost done! Is there a sub I should put it in, that you know of? Or d'ya think I should be fine putting it here?

honestly I have no idea I think it can be put here

Cool shit. It's gonna be a long one. I think I'm at just over the halfway point right now

Transcription of Medic Log and Comms: 002890, RTD 95th Rotation/ Orbit 4.6b. Location: Orbiting 3rd planet from system center, hereafter dubbed "3R". System hereafter dubbed "OGA-246". Discovery Team: Tev, Arrak, Chosik(Field Lead) Medic Team: Kessik(Lead Xenobiologist) Xenolinguist: Resik (Department Lead) Captain Sevex presiding.

CS: "Alright. Talk me through it, your notes indicate that this species apparently found some primitive means of suspended animation, right?"

K: "Correct, Sir. Liquid nitrogen containment. It's very crude, but it seems to have worked, at least for this one. Artifacts recovered by Chosik's team indicate that a high glucose solution was also injected into the circulatory system. This served two purposes. First being to nourish the cells, the second seems to have been a means of... Insulating the cells and preventing lysis from the severe cold. It's... Quite ingenuous, really."

CS: "Any indication of how long the specimen has been in there?“

K: "At best guess, 500,000 full orbits. Resik has been trying to make sense of the readout on the panel. There's a series of 3R orthographics that may indicate how the species measured time. He'll have more for you, I'm certain. "

CS: "He'll be down shortly. I think we'll need his input very very soon."

K: "Soon...? Wait. Wait wait wait wait. Hold on you don't mean we're going to open this thing now?! With all do respect, Sir, have you utterly lost your mind?! We have no idea what will happen, let alone if the atmosphere that we found easily breathable, is in the same conditions as when this species was present. No clue about what diseases either us or them would have that could make a jump. We have a preliminary at best scan of their biology, and a sample of what we think is blood, that is degraded to the point of uselessness. "

CS: -heavy sigh- "Look... This has been classified for some time now, but we have been studying the information on a very crude craft we recovered. Everything pointed us to this planet. This specimen closely resembles some of the images contained within. Their language is still a work in progress to understand, as is the context of the rest of the data on this craft. There is nothing more we can learn until we open that pod and properly study the specimen. Possibly establish communication with them. And possibly engage Protocol 0951. We'll put on filter masks. But there is little to indicate a drastic atmospheric change, as much of the flora and fauna pictured in the craft seem to have changed very little. "

R: "I'm here, Sir! Sorry for the delay, I was going over the materials pulled from one of the repositories on the planet. I think I've got enough to start basic communications. The samples from my latest expedition match those found around the Specimen, with a minor difference that likely won't impede communication. The Discovery Team is coming, I passed them in the corridor."

C: "Going nearly warp 6 there, kid. So! Captain! Is it true? We're opening this thing up?"

CS: "Shortly, yes. Put on filter masks. Figured your team ought to be here for this, it was your work that made it possible, after all... Arrak, seal the doors, please?“

A: "On it, Sir."

CS: "Doctor, are you ready?“

K: "I... I guess, Sir. I must still object, but you're right, we have little choice if any of us will learn anything else."

CS: "Noted, Doctor. Resik, can you read the panel well enough to open this this safely?"

R: "I think so, Sir. It appears to be a fairly straightforward sequence without any particular sec-"

CS: "A yes would have been fine. Go ahead and open it."

-Beeping- -unintelligible-

K: "Subject seems to be regaining consciousness, Sir."

R: "Everyone, please stand back. I'm going to try to establish communication. Greetings, sir or madam. Please do not be alarmed, you are now aboard the research vessel Tuvax. My name is Resik, chief xenolinguist."

Subject: "My fucking head fuck me sideways with a fucking chainsaw why didn't you fucking egg- wait what"

R: "Oh my. I believe this is what was described as 'colourful language' in one of the repositories. Are you alright? My understanding of your language is still limited, please be patient with me"

Subject: "I don't fucking believe it. How this blistering fuck did the British colonize the fuckin aliens. Dammit why is everything so fucking bright in here?! Fuck me. Uh. What was your name again? Riddick? Wasn't there some Sci-Fi flick by that name? Fuck, like, 200 years before I went in... Gah. Right. Lights. Yo, Riddick, can we get a dimmer switch in here or something?"

R: "Oh, this one is very strange. Completely different from the music you sent me, Captain. I think it was Johnny B. Goode? Can we dim the lights to about 50%? Thank you. Is this better? And, my name is Resik. I imagine your time in the chamber has you rather 'scrambled', I believe is the term? May I ask your name?"

Subject: "Wait, Johnny B. Goode?! How the fuck do you know that relic?! Of all the weirdest- oh thank fuck. Yes. Much better. Sorry. Yeah. Shit. My bad. My name's Bria. How the hell am I the one making First Contact, anyways? Aren't you supposed to be talkin' to one of those dickbags in D.C. or some shit?“

R: "Oh... Sir, the subject Bria, has asked how we came to be speaking with them and not a 'dickbag? In some place called 'D.C.'... What should I say?"

CS: "Ignoring whatever a 'Dickbag'-"

-loud laughter-

R: "Bria? Are you well? What have you found to be so humourous?"

B: "Fuck me, it's like accidentally teaching a toddler a new word! Holy. Shit. That's gold. That's incredible! That big Official-Lookin' fucker over there, fuck y'all are tall... I guess he's the head honcho of this whole thing, right? Your boss? Y'all are going back and forth with dickbag! It's hilarious! Fuck if I pee, you're cleaning it up!"

K: "I'll go get a chair. They might need it"

CS: "Well... No other options but the truth... If you know a way to put it gently, do so. "

R: "Very well, Sir. Ah, thank you, Doctor. Right, well, I know there is much yet to learn of your language. As for the nature of how you came to be here... You've been on this vessel for 30 of your planet's rotations. A Field Team, the three to your left, was dispatched to the surface to investigate... The ruins, I'm sorry to say, of a city. So far, I'm afraid you are the only one of your kind we've found alive. If there are other facilities like 'Applied Cryogenics', there is a possibility of more still alive, but as far as we know, you're the only one. Corrosion of the pod's shell indicates you've been suspended for 500,000 of your planet's orbits."

B: "Y... you're fuckin' kidding me. 500,000 orbits... You mean, like, years?! And those three just fuckin traipsed through Chicago... I... Fuck. No. No no nononono. There's no fucking way. There were hundreds of us in that lab... Check again. There's no fucking way. "

R: "I'm sorry, Bria. After Chosik's team made the initial discovery, we sent 30 excavator teams to search the facility thoroughly. It seems that, after the primary power source failed, the pods were running on an internal reserve. We're still unsure why yours hadn't failed. Please, sit. Once we get a Translator Module made, our Captain will answer your questions better than I can.. Captain, the city was called Chicago. Doctor, now that the subject is talking, their language centers should be firing, right? I'm getting out of my depths here."

B: "HEY, YOU WALKING STICK LOOKIN' MOTHERFUCKER DON'T YOU GO OFF CHITTERING TO THOSE OTHER FUCKS, WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GONNA DO TO ME?!“

R: "Bria, please remain calm. I simply informed the Captain of your city's name, and asked the Doctor to run a scan so we can better communicate. That device she's holding is presently reading your brain's language center. Effectively, we will understand your language as you do. The gravity of this situation, both yours and the contact of our people, is not lost on me. We want to learn from you, yes, but also help if we can."

K: "Got it. Uploading data to your implants now. I'm not picking up anything in their scans, so we should be safe."

CS: "Bria, was it? Is this translating correctly?"

B: "So far... So. You're the boss, huh?"

CS: "I am, Captain Sevex of Kihkal Fleet Research Vessel Tuvax, eldest of Clan Hrak. It is my honor and privilege to be speaking with you. I understand that you have had a very difficult first day out of Stasis so far, the news cannot have been easy. I want to assure you, before this goes any further, we will do the best we can to help you to find more.. Huh, your word is 'Humans'? Interesting. Yes, to find more Humans. Or. If you wish it, I am authorized to grant you a place on this Ship and my Crew. It may be an adjustment, either way. All I ask for now, is for your cooperation."

B: "If you think you're sticking anything -

K: "Apart from blood samples, all of our other exams will be done non-invasively. In fact, just from scans running now, I think I have a decent understanding of your biology"

B: "Ok. Warn a bitch before you pull that shit, got it? I'll cooperate and answer your questions, but you gotta ask before you just scan my shit. It's awkward enough being in this fuckin' plug suit, and with the doc who was gonna do my bottom surgery apparently long dead, we're probably gonna spend a lot of time together, so we should set ground rules early. Unless that's gonna be a problem with y'all too, in which case I think I'll take my chances back on earth. Or the airlock..."

CS: "Uh... I'll admit, I'm still parsing the data, so I don't quite understand what you're referring to. But if there is some sort of treatment you require, Doctor Kessik is fully authorized to carry it out. After she's done proper research, of course."

(Continued)

C: "Perhaps it's a cultural thing, Captain? While my team had been doing the initial sweep, we noticed a lot of things that didn't make immediate sense."

T: "Bria, Hi, sorry, I know we've just been sitting back so far, but this is driving me out of my mind. How did your people handle such aggressive ambush predators?! The ones with the huge ears and those incisors?!"

B: ".... First... Ok, cool. As long as y'all won't be weird about this shit, then we're good to go. Second... Bitch, do you mean bunny rabbits!? Unless you're in agreement with that really old Monty Python stuff, those are definitely not predators. What, did they get huge while I was on ice?!"

A: "Not unless they weren't roughly this big, I don't think..."

-loud laughter-

B: "Oh fuck. Yeah. Alright. I think I'll take you up on that offer, Cap. Now about some food..."

--Log End--

It's up as a response to my initial writing!

I just put up part 2 as a response to my initial writing!

Nice