Arrival unknown.

[darkness0within]

Arrival unknown.



14th November 2087. (Mission specialist communications Don Macadam personal log).



You could call me lucky... Or am I dammed? Here I am, on a mission to the stars. Aboard the last spacecraft that will ever be launched from planet Earth.

I look out of the viewing portal at our once beautiful planet. All I can see is mainly hues of browns reds and yellow, with just hints of green and blue dotted here and there. It’s looking more like Mars than Earth these days to me. I sometimes do wonder how we allowed this catastrophe to happen. But what is done is done. Our world is all but dead, and within a few decades all life on our planet will be extinct.

We will soon dock with the interstellar ship that will take us far away into the cosmos. A spacecraft that is at this time the pinnacle of human ingenuity it seems.

It’s funny that at our darkest hour we managed to unlock the physics capable to create such a craft that could go at the speed of light. And to create the hibernation pods so we can sleep for the considerable time needed to reach our destination. Our final throw of the dice for humanity for sure. But the cost has been high.

So many people have been sacrificed to create this marvel of human technology and our possible chance of survival as a species through deep core mining to obtain the necessary materials. The whole earth scoured for rare exotic metals. Even searching the surface of the planet for meteorites all round the globe. The last few years scientists have helped in scavenging the very last materials needed for this mission from existing structures and machines.

There are only a scant few taking this journey to the stars (25 to be exact). But we also carry with us the DNA of so many species of surviving, and recently extinct plant and animal on board, that when we reach our destination we can resurrect as many as possible on our new world. That is our hope.

Also we are taking with us all our acquired knowledge, art and music of our world. A special indestructible building has also been erected on Earth to house a copy of what we are taking for any future visitors who may come to Earth at some time in the future so they may understand what we once were as a species.

Our destination we have called Terros Minor. A recently discovered planet in the Alpha centauri system just over 4 light years away. But most of the crew have called it New Earth.

Terros Minor is about the size of Mars, and indications seem to point to an Earth like atmosphere similar to how our planet used to be in the distant past. This is what our remaining scientists believe. It is a gamble, but it seems our best chance of success.


We are just about to dock with the station... Don Macadam. Communications officer.

[darkness0within]

15th November 2087 14:35WST. (Mission specialist communications Don Macadam personal log).

The station systems have been activated. Everything seems to all be within accepted parameters. Commander Jed Taylor and engineer Susan Barr boarded the Excalibur today to check its structural integrity, micro meteorites are always a danger out of Earth’s atmosphere. But all seemed to be fine. Excalibur’s main computer has been initialized and it is now in the process of checking its internal and external systems which will take three hours I’m told.

I contacted mission control once the stations systems were on line to tell them we had arrived safely. It’s sobering to know that once we leave orbit we will be on our own, our colleagues on the ground will be monitoring us for as long as they can. It is probable that the degradation will accelerate on Earth, Time at home with light speed will accelerate (in theory) and by the time we reach our destination all life on our home planet will be gone.

The crew are subdued with the enormity of our situation. My friend Mike Fields, (Astro physics) tells me that he is excited to reach out into space, whilst others are preparing for the long 4 and a half year sleep in sombre mood.

Two members of the crew will be awake at one time in a six month shift. I’m one of the first two. The other is Freda Willet (Biologist and engineer). After our six month tour two other crew members will be awakened and we will join the rest of the crew in hibernation.


Time for me to suit up and prepare to board the Excalibur... Don Macadam. Communications officer.

[darkness0within]

15th November 2087 14:47 WST. (Mission commander Jed Taylor personal log).



I have a fine crew for our mission. The selection of these fine men and women was exhaustive. We started with two hundred and thirty two hopefuls from around the globe, but we had only enough places on the Excalibur for twenty five.


Susan and I have been on board Excalibur to check for any damage to the skin of the ship, and to boot the main systems which are in diagnostic mode at the moment. Hopefully everything will check out OK and we can soon be on our way in the next few hours. Our window of opportunity is small, so it is imperative that we make this window on time.


Our precious cargo and DNA samples are secure in the aft compartments protected by self contained systems. These systems have been on since the cargo arrived on the ship. But the Excalibur will be fully operational soon and our journey to the stars will begin.


I try not to think too much of the people we will be leaving behind as this would perhaps cloud my judgment. Our mission is too important to be jeopardised.

I will be with Freda and Don for the first two week while we get to our designated coordinates to fire up the main drive to obtain light speed.

Now I must talk to all the crew before we set off. Perhaps I can lighten the mood a little.



Jed Taylor. Mission commander

[darkness0within]

15th November 2087 17:45WST. (Mission specialist communications Don Macadam personal log).


The commander talked to us all in the recreation pod two hours ago. He briefed us on the updated telemetry for our journey to Terros Minor. It seems the latest information we have on our destination is better than we hoped. One of the probes sent through a wormhole to survey the planet has managed to return with some very useful data. It’s a shame the wormhole is just too small for Excalibur to traverse.


Excalibur’s main diagnostic systems check is now complete. One minor fault was found in the secondary cooling control system. Engineer Susan Barr has checked the system but cannot find a fault; she has put it down to a minor software glitch. Mission control has agreed with this assessment after reviewing the data. The commander has said we are therefore go for launch.


The majority of the crew are now on board Excalibur and in the sleepers. Freda and I are about to board with the commander. We just have to deploy the special long range antenna on the station so we can keep in contact with Earth until we reach the coordinates for our jump to light speed.


Time to board... Don Macadam. Communications officer.

[darkness0within]

23rd November 2087 09:52 WST. (Mission specialist Botanist / Engineer Freda Willet personal log).


We are six days away from the designated coordinates when we will start the most dangerous part of our journey. So far all has gone well. Our secondary propulsion engines have used a little more fuel than expected but still within expected parameters. Just.


The majority of the crew are sleeping peacefully in their chambers. I check on them now and then. All their vital signs seem fine. I don’t know why I check. Excalibur’s systems are doing the same thing, every nano second. I suppose I just want to give a little human touch to it all.


Watching the Earth getting smaller and smaller really did put things into perspective. I already miss friends and family, especially my brother Tom. And knowing that I will never see them again makes me feel very sad. But this mission is bigger than my feelings. It’s about saving what we can of the human race and everyone here has had to make sacrifices, so I should not brood about it.


Don, Jed and I have been checking and rechecking systems. Jed has been going over the flight plan with Excalibur’s computer. The simulations all put us within a few million miles of New Earth.


Our last communication with Earth was two days ago. The civil unrest is spreading further towards the base and mission control. Most of the surviving population now know the truth of this mission.

The President made an announcement just after we left orbit. Though people probably knew unconsciously that our world was very sick, the realization that the planet is doomed will have a catastrophic effect on humanity. My tears are stopping me seeing the screen right now.



Freda Willet. Botanist / Engineer.

[darkness0within]

25th November 2087 19:07 WST. (Mission commander Jed Taylor personal log).


Communication with mission control has become more difficult as we move further away from Earth. The last transmission was almost inaudible. Don managed to clean up some of the message. From what could be extracted things have taken a definite turn for the worst. Why the president made that address to the world I don’t know. But I just have to think that the pressure the president has been under these past few years has affected his judgement.


We are less than four days away from our way point. Fuel for the secondary propulsion systems continue to be of concern. We have enough fuel to reach our designated coordinates, but it may leave us short for our maneuvering of the ship when we arrive at our destination. I’ve been going over the figures with Excalibur’s main frame and it thinks we could use the main engines momentarily once we have turned the ship towards our objective. The problem is the deceleration to be able to initiate a stable orbit once we reach Teros Minor. So it is critical the light drive is only used for the appropriate amount of time. Excalibur’s computer gives the run time for the light drive at .015 seconds. The other concern with this is that if there is anything in our way we would collide with it. We do have the forward deflector, but anything bigger than a grain of sand will go straight through it.


Flight simulations are ongoing. All seems A OK from the results so far. If all goes to plan we should be OK.



Jed Taylor. Mission commander

[darkness0within]

29th November 2087 13:26 WST. Transmission from Excalibur main computer to Earth.


Lightcore Engines activated. All systems within tolerance. Crew life signs stable.


Sending additional data...


Navigation error... 17% deviation of trajectory.


Sending additional data...


Diagnostics initiated... Scanning...


Fault found in navigation computer. Board B. Circuit 3.


Trying to reroute... Fail.



Trying to reroute... Fail.


Unable to repair Main navigation system... Switching to auxiliary system...

Sending additional data...

Transmission ended.

[anirbas]

(CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!)

[darkness0within]

30th November 2087 08:22 WST. (Mission commander Jed Taylor personal log).


Our elation we felt when the main light drive engines engaged has been tempered by the critical failure in one of the ships systems. There was nothing we could do while the initial jolt of the ship pinned us to our seats during the acceleration stage.


We are now in uncharted territory. The failure of the main navigation system has put us way off course, and although Excaliburs master computer managed to switch to the backup navigation system quickly our current heading is now set. The only way we can hope to change our course is to disengage the light drive, as the light drive is only safe, (relatively) travelling in a straight line. Any deviation from that will put too much stress on the ship, so this is going to be a challenge.

Freda has changed the faulty board in the main navigation system with the spare we had in storage, and the main system is now operational.


I have been crunching the numbers with the Excalibur to see how we can achieve a power down of the light drive. Our course and duration of main engine activation was pre programmed into the system, so we are going to have to be creative to solve this.


Our next challenge will be to be able to set a course to Terros Minor from our current coordinates, once we’ve managed to power down the main drive that is. God knows where we will be by then, and whether the ship can identify its position relative to our coordinates at that time.


I’m going to get some rest now. There is nothing we can do for now.



Jed Taylor. Mission commander

[darkness0within]

4th December 2087 18:42 WST. (Mission specialist communications Don Macadam personal log).


It’s been four days since we achieved light speed. We are hopelessly off course and speeding far away from Earth. It’s funny to think in four days on Excalibur equates to roughly three hundred and sixty years on Earth. All the people we knew, and any life that lived on it are now long gone and that we are truly the last humans alive. I have a mixture of emotions about this fact. But a determination to champion our species.


Jed has been trying to find a solution as to how we can shut down the main drive, but so far the computer simulations tried so far have failed to do so without irreparably damaging Excalibur. Jed has come up with an idea, but it’s risky.


He says that if we shut down all power systems, the drive will shut down, but we would have to bypass the lightcore engines so they don’t automatically engage after reboot. Add to that the deceleration time we would have unpowered. And the possibility Excaliburs systems might be damaged in the maneuver, it’s very risky indeed. But we may need to do it, and soon. We are travelling blind on a course we do not know. We could collide with something at any time. And that would be game over.


There is a briefing at 19:30, so I’ll find out then what we are going to do.



Don Macadam. Communications officer.

[darkness0within]

6th December 2087 13:40 WST. (Mission commander Jed Taylor personal log).


I haven’t had much time to add to my personal log till now. I’m tired. The whole waking crew is tired. It’s been a very fraught twenty four hours for all of us.

At 07:40 yesterday we shut down Excaliburs main systems. We had to patch in to the main computer and light drive power modules to achieve our goal. This was not a decision I took lightly, but it seemed the only possible way to shut down the lightcore engines. Freda meanwhile disabled the start up routine on the light drive engines so when power was restored the main drive would not automatically initialize.


There was an anxious wait I can tell you when power was cut. But the systems sputtered back to life bit by bit. Excalibur is now running diagnostics. I hope that all systems survived this unorthodox manoeuvre. So far so good. But we still have a problem or two to solve.


Even though we have cut the main engines our speed has not decreased greatly. At the moment we are just out of light speed, and slowly decelerating. We calculate it will take over a year to decelerate enough before we could attempt a course change unless we use a counter thrust to slow us down. But I have decided to wake our astrophysicist Mike Fields as we need his expertise. Possibly we could use a gravitational force to aid us, and I feel he could help.

Our other problem is our sub light engines have little fuel left. But I have an idea.


It’s a possibility we could create another type of engine, an Ion drive. Theoretically we have the spare parts and a lab in the aft hold to manufacture one. It would be small. It would though give us some propulsion, if small. But it will take time to build, and we’ll have to mount it on Excalibur somehow.


We had a near miss three hours ago. A rouge asteroid passed within a thousand meters of us. So even more of an incentive to find the solutions to our problems.


Jed Taylor. Mission commander.

[anirbas]

*CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!*

(grabs popcorn and a can of dr. pepper to slurp it down with. stares wide eyed at the screen, waiting)

[darkness0within]

8th December 2087 05:12 WST. (Mission specialist astrophysicist Michael Fields personal log).


Wow! Deep space. What an awe inspiring sight to see the cosmos in all its glory through the viewing ports. Worth being woken up for. But apparently I’ve got work to do other than admiring the scenery. A little matter of saving all our butts!


So the problem is how to get a spaceship to slow down with just gravity?


Difficult when we are far away from anything that is of any appreciable magnitude. Too much velocity anyway to try a slingshot manoeuvre, even if there were something to slingshot around, it would make Excalibur break up if we tried. However there may be a way
.

There is a binary system within our path with two stars that appear to have equal, or near equal gravities by the data I’ve obtained. I could use them to decelerate the ship. If I can calculate the exact timings of our entry into the system. It will depend on where the two suns are positioned on our entry as to the outcome. Timed right we would slow enough to be able to change course. Timed wrong we could accelerate into one of the stars, or the ship could break up with the gravitational forces exerted by the two stars. Bummer!


I’ll work on the figures to see if this is at all feasible. I could do with a coffee right now, but we don’t have any, apart from some synthetic shit. But that will have to do.


It’s going to be a long day for sure...


Michael Fields- Astrophysicist.

[anirbas]

(sound of someone munching popcorn as quietly as possible, eyes on the screen)

[darkness0within]

Glad you're enjoying anirbas. I'm away at the moment so can't get online much. But I'll continue this when I get back.

[darkness0within]

12th December 2087 15:20 WST. (Mission commander Jed Taylor personal log).


It’s been a tiring six days since my last log entry.


Excaliburs systems are now fully online and the computer diagnostics have revealed no faults, so we’ve been very lucky on that front.


I’ve reviewed Mike’s data with the main computer and as it stands the only way we could decelerate enough to make his manoeuvre possible is to use our secondary engines to slow us sufficiently to arrive at the binary system at the right moment. Timing is everything, but the computer simulations only give us a 45% chance of success at best. Not great odds. And it will deplete the fuel reserves we have left to virtually zero.


Another issue has been our atmosphere systems. Excalibur was not designed for more than two of the crew to be awake for more than a few days. Freda has tweaked the system to increase efficiency, but even this is not enough to keep four crew members alive for long. So Don has been put into his hibernation pod as his skills are not required for now. The atmosphere system is now coping, Freda is monitoring.


Mission control has left some encrypted files for me to read on my personal system. For my eyes only. Haven’t had chance to read them as yet what with all that’s gone on the past few days. Might do that now.



Jed Taylor. Mission commander.

[darkness0within]

13th December 2087 10:37 WST. (Mission specialist Botanist / Engineer Freda Willet personal log).


There is a possibility this might be one of my last entries before we reach the binary system. Mike, Jed and I have been working round the clock to prepare for our encounter with the twin stars. Whether we are able to carry out the required manoeuvre to slow Excalibur I believe to be doubtful, but we seem to have no other option.


With Don now sleeping. And with my tweaking of our life support systems, for the time being the three of us will be able to breathe. An atmosphere alert sharpened our minds and it was a bit touch and go for a while. I’m keeping an eye on things.


We have prepared the ship for what is to come as best we can. Only just over twenty three hours till we fire up our sub light engines for reverse thrust. This will exhaust our fuel reserves by my calculations. Jed came up with an idea to manufacture a small Ion drive engine so we still had some propulsion for maneuvering Excalibur. It’s feasible, but it would mean scavenging some of the parts needed from some of the non essential systems on the ship, and a long time to build. I told him it would be better to work out how to manufacture the fuel for our sub light engines. The Ion drive takes so long to gather speed, and as the ship is roughly forty thousand tones it would take a long, long time to get anywhere, with the size of engine we would be able to manufacture.


Jed seems a little distracted today, and actually a little irritable. This is out of character; he is usually unflappable about most things. Whatever is distracting him he’s keeping it to himself. Probably a personal thing I expect.


I’ve been aft to check our precious cargo in the holds. All seems ok for now. It’s quieter there, and colder. Add to that the dim blue lighting, and it gives a much needed sense of peace to me in a funny way.


Mike seems to have an ego the size of a planet. He is sure his plan will work, regardless of the challenges we will have to work through. Keeping professional I ignore his stupid comments he comes out with from time to time. But I do wonder if there were a better Astrophysicist we have left behind on Earth. But apparently he was the best, and I have to admit he does seem to know his stuff. You find this with the gifted sometimes. Brilliant, but a total jerk.



Freda Willet. Botanist / Engineer.

[darkness0within]

14th December 2087 14:43 WST. (Mission specialist astrophysicist Michael Fields personal log).


I’m being questioned on my calculations!! Big space boss Jed, higher than mighty Taylor thinks my calculations are wrong!


I’ve gone through the figures with him a number of times and he can’t seem to grasp it now. It seemed all ok to him a few days ago. I know the calculations are right!


Anyway he’ll find out in a few hours I WAS right. I’ll look forward to a slice of humble pie from him then.


As we get closer to the binary system we are receiving some interesting data that I cannot interpret. It won’t make any difference to our planed manoeuvre as it is not gravitational in origin, just interesting signals that seem to repeat every twenty seconds. Natural I think, though we can’t seem to pinpoint where it’s coming from. We may get a better fix on the position as we get closer.


I don’t think it’s that important but Freda is searching for ET... Lol.



Michael Fields- Astrophysicist.

[darkness0within]

99th 99 9999 99:99 WST. Excalibur main computer.


Sub light engines activated...


Reverse thrust initiated...


Acceleration... 9956473 MPS and decreasing...


2 seconds since sub light engines activated...


Acceleration... 9954766 MPS and decreasing...


4 seconds since sub light engines activated...


Acceleration... 9949923 MPS and decreasing...


Designated coordinates achieved...


6 seconds since sub light engines activated...


Sub light engines fuel status critical...


Acceleration... 9844399 MPS and decreasing...


Hull integrity stable...


6 seconds since sub light engines activated...


Sub light engines fuel status critical...


Acceleration... 9836577 MPS and decreasing...


Hull integrity within tolerance...


8 seconds since sub light engines activated...


Sub light engines fuel status critical...


Acceleration... 9744369 MPS and decreasing...


Sub light engines fuel depleted... Sub light Engines shut down... 


Acceleration... 9745213 MPS and increasing...


Course change of 20 % due to gravitational pull...


Acceleration... 9876554 MPS and increasing...


Hull integrity within tolerance...


Acceleration... 9954766 MPS and increasing...


Course change of 23 % due to gravitational pull...


Hull integrity at tolerance...


Acceleration... 10099877 MPS and increasing...


Course change of 24 % due to gravitational pull...


Hull integrity beyond tolerance...


Critical system failure... Hull integrity.


Critical system failure... Main power systems.


Critical system failure... Life support.


Rerouting power from auxiliary systems to life support...


Acceleration... 11999456 MPS and increasing...


Course change of 31 % due to gravitational pull...


System failure... All main sys...systems...


Hull integrity critical...


...............................

[darkness0within]

99th 99 9999 99:99 WST. Excalibur main computer.



.................... Mainframe reboot sequence initiated...


...........................


...........................


Diagnostics initiated... Scanning...


Scanning...


Scanning...


Critical system failure... Main power systems...


Repair sequence initiated...


Integrity of hull compromised... Compartments B... C... And flight deck...


Sealing effected compartments...


No active life signs detected...


Unable to repair hull... Crew input required...


Atmosphere generator 65% damaged... Zero atmosphere...


Repair sequence initiated...


Hibernation pods active... Life signs stable...


Hibernation pod 14... Activation sequence initiated...


Hibernation pod 19... Activation sequence initiated...


Scanning...


Within gravitational pull of unknown planet... Scanning...


Type 2 planetoid... Oxygen content minimal... Nitrogen... Argon... High carbon dioxide content...


Calculating trajectory...


Unstable trajectory...


Unable to compensate... Sub light engines fuel exhausted...


Activating all hibernation pods... Sequence initiated...


Activating aft hold jettison sequence...


Transferring data to auxiliary systems...


Aft hold jettison sequence complete...


Initiating shut down to protect core system...


......................

[darkness0within]

Date unknown. (Mission specialist Engineer Mark Saunders. Personal log).




The habitat module has landed. But have we arrived at our destination?


It was quite a rude awakening, lights flickering, sparks flying, and one or two small fires in panels which I extinguished, once I was able to. I still feel like shit.

It was a bumpy ride by the look of the damage we’ve sustained on landing. A lot of the systems are down at the moment in the module. We are unable to communicate with Excalibur which should be in orbit right now. Hopefully, once communications have been restored we can find out more and tell them of our situation.


There have been several casualties. Seven hibernation pods have malfunctioned and have killed their occupants, including our mission scientist Emma Stanti. Four other crew members have been injured. Two are unlikely to survive their injuries. Doc. Rachel Simmons is tending to them.


Is this really Terros minor? Looks all wrong to me from the data we had received from the probes sent to investigate the system. Looking out we can see the landscape is almost barren and bathed in dim red light from the large star above us. Here and there small plants similar to cristata cacti are dotted around. And also weird dry looking grass like structures unlike anything I’ve seen before. It’s an arid landscape that’s for sure. But it proves that there is life, and more importantly, some water.


The atmosphere is breathable though any exertion makes you breathless I’m told, like extreme altitude. Supplementary Oxygen is needed to do any labour outside.


A mission team of four headed by Ralph Galloway have ventured outside and are in the process of deploying solar panels round the module. Once this is complete we should be able to power up some more of the systems including the main computer which is off line right now. Once the system has been repaired we might be able to find out more.


Jack Pardel.( Our computer guru) Is working on the computer systems. Sally Garcia and Rod Hammond are constructing the first of the five solar still packs that we have in storage to collect water. I think we’ll need them all to survive any length of time here.


Back to repairing the instrument panels damaged on landing. Two done. five to go. Oh joy!




Mark Saunders. Engineer.

[darkness0within]

Date unknown. (Mission specialist Geologist / Engineer Ralph Galloway personal log).



Yesterday we buried our crew mates. It did not take long to dig the graves. The soil is dry, sandy and thin with sandstone below. This tells me that once there must have been a shallow sea here at some time long past. Long gone now though.


Ed said a prayer over the graves. We said our goodbyes and went back to work. Lots to do, but I’m sure we will all do our grieving privately over the coming days. We’ve all lost good friends.


With the death of Emma, and not being able to contact our mission commander Jed Taylor because our communications are down, Ed Fuller has, for the time being become senior commander.


Our solar panels are now operational and supplying power to the habitat module, though slightly reduced as the suns light here is weaker.


Two solar stills are also now operational, but there is little moisture in the air. Barely 500 ml per twenty four hours per still. This is bad news. Our supply of water is decreasing so we must find another source fairly soon.


We’re now in the process of building up the rover pack. A two seater buggy which we can use to scout around the surrounding area. There used to be water here and there is sparse plant life. So something must be keeping these plants alive. Perhaps we’ll be lucky and find a deep aquifer somewhere out there.


Looking round the horizon is a little unsettling. The terrain is as flat as far as the eye can see all around. The sky is cloudless with a pinkish red tint. The ground also has a red hue from the red sun. And it feels hot at the moment, 45 Degrees. If there were flames licking around it would look a lot like someone’s interpretation of Hell. Though the nights here are cold. We’ve recorded Temperatures of -55 Degrees. Though the solar panels are constructed to withstand such temperatures, this vast fluctuation is not good for any of our equipment long term.


Jack has managed to reboot most of the computer systems, so now we have some functionality. At least the heating / cooling systems are back online which a relief it is for all. The main computer is under repair. Some hardware has been damaged. Some files have been corrupted and need to be repaired.

Communication system and antenna have been repaired but we are only receiving static. Mark is checking the system.




Ralph Galloway Geologist / Engineer. 

[darkness0within]

Date unknown. (Support specialist IT Jack Pardel personal log).



I’m taking a few moments out from rebuilding the main frame, again. What a bloody mess! The main logic chip was fried, among other things. Have replaced most of the damaged components and wiring with spares from the hold, but I’ve had to repair one or two components. I can tell you staring through a microscope for ten hours sap your will to live.


I managed to get the main system to boot, but it doesn’t want to initialize, just hangs there mocking me. I’ve taken the damn thing apart and checked all the components three times so far. Soon to be a fourth by the look of it.


Also, there are indications that some of the memory banks have been corrupted, which will also take time to repair, if it’s possible, I don’t know right now.

At least the secondary computer systems in the habitat module are now functioning with some reliability. I’ve even managed to repair the water reclamation system while I was at it. Once the main frame is up I’ll be able to link all the other systems back to it, and take the secondary systems out of autonomous mode. That’s if I can fix the damn thing!


I know Mark and Don has been tearing their hair out too fighting the communications array. Don says that it all seems to be functioning, but there is no signal, not even the repeater beacon from Excalibur. He’s checking the array for damage, but so far cannot find any. It’s beginning to look like to me that something has happened to Excalibur.


Well this is not getting the main frame fixed. Back on my head!




Jack Pardel. Support specialist IT.

[darkness0within]

99th 9999 9999. (Mission specialist communications Don Macadam personal log).



Well it’s been sixteen days since we landed. We cannot contact Excalibur, and it’s becoming clear to everyone that something has gone seriously wrong. I’ve checked, and re checked the communication system, but there is no signal out there to pick up. So we are on our own.


Ed has been keeping everyone busy. With a concerted effort by everyone, all the solar stills are now in operation, what with them, and the water reclamation system that jack managed to repair, we have just about enough water to drink, if rationed.


The priorities after the solar stills have been to repair the habitat module which is ongoing. The building of the Rover, which is now complete. And prepping the two drones in storage to give us a better idea of what there is around us beyond the horizon. Both have a 200 KM range. Tomorrow we will launch drone 1 to see if there is more than this fairly bleak desert all around us. If so, the Rover will be sent out to follow up on anything the drone finds.


Bob Hallard died last night from his injuries from the malfunction of his hibernation pod. Poor bastard was in a terrible state, he suffered extensive freezing burns. Rachel did her best, but he was never going to survive. Even with her strongest pain relief he still screamed for the first few days, until he became too weak to scream. He’s been buried with the others.


Jack has been stumped as to why the main computer won’t work. As I make this log entry he’s sitting on the floor in the control room with wires all around him. He thought he’d fixed it, but the time stamp was all wrong.


Got to wind up... something going on outside.



Don Macadam. Communications officer.

[darkness0within]

99th 9999 9999. (Acting mission commander Edward Jameson Fuller personal log).



Filling the shoes of someone I’ve come to admire has felt very daunting. Jed is a good friend of mine, we go back a long way. We grew up together in New Seattle. Went through Bellevue high school together. But then went our separate ways for a while until we met up again years later at NASA. His leadership skills are second to none. I only hope I can come close to his ideals.


It is clear that Excalibur is not in orbit. What has happened to her we do not know, but I’m hopeful that we’ll find out more once the data banks can be accessed? Jack is working on the main computer, but it has been damaged in the decent to the planet’s surface. But I’m sure Jack will work through the problems. Our self contained unit on the other hand seems to be OK. The systems are undamaged.


Everyone is working hard to keep the mission on track. Well, actually we’re well off track, but we have a fair chance of surviving. As long as we can all pull together as a team. So I’ve set tasks for everyone to achieve this goal. It’s good to keep everyone busy. Jed would have done the same.


Two days ago we all got pretty excited as on the horizon we saw lightning, and clouds to the west of us. It lasted a couple of hours. It was a hum dinger of a storm too. We could even hear it in the distance faintly. If there was precipitation we could not tell. The storm just petered out eventually and the clouds just seemed to evaporate from view. We sent a drone in that direction yesterday, the telemetry sent back posed more questions than answers as even at its extreme range (100 km). What we did find out from the data is the terrain to the west is rougher and higher. It also indicates that there is more plant life in that direction. So we’re going to use the Rover to investigate Tomorrow. I have not picked the crew for this mission yet. I’m going to sleep on it.


The mission will be six days. Three days there, three back. Preparations are underway for tomorrow.




Edward Jameson Fuller. Acting mission commander.

[darkness0within]

Day 20. (Acting mission commander Edward Jameson Fuller personal log).



Jack Pardel has finally been able to initialize the main computer system. But its on-board chronometer gives a date reading of 12th April 452332245 WST. Jack’s in the process of repairing the damaged files where he can. He tells me that a few files he’s checked so far are so corrupted they are beyond repair. However he’s hoping that once he’s completed the repairs the chronometer will calibrate to the correct settings. The self contained hold power systems remain stable.


I’ve started to go through the surviving logs. Jed had some encrypted files amongst the mundane day to day stuff. I’ve tasked Jack to try and decrypt them as and when he can.


Ralph Galloway, (our geologist), and Gus Garcia, (Chemistry) are two days into their mission to explore west of our landing site. One or two of the crew were not happy that they were not picked for the mission, but Ralph and Gus I felt were the best choice. They have taken drone 2 with them to launch from their coordinates so we can get a better overview. Also a couple of boxes of scientific instruments to measure more of the surface of the planet. They would have liked to take more but it was impossible to do so with the survival equipment they needed to take on the mission.


We have had contact from them in the past hour. They tell us all is OK and they have set up camp for the night. The atmosphere tent gives them a very basic, but cramp living conditions where they can remove at least the outer potion of their survival suits.


Gus tells us the terrain so far is much like the landing zone. That is no surprise. However they’re picking up low level radiation to the west. 15 MSV. Nothing to worry about at the moment as their suits can protect them up to 800 MSV, and 1500 MSV for short periods. But it’s given some the crew something to talk about. We assume it’s just background stuff. I’ve asked Gus to keep an eye on the readings as they progress further. This could mean if they do find a water source it might have to be decontaminated, that’s if they find any of course.


Well, it’s time for shut eye.



Edward Jameson Fuller. Acting mission commander.