Even while we were starting reentry, I didn't think ey'd go through with it. 

I thought I was the romantic.

But ey did, and just like in all the ancient spirit-tale romances, here we are, on a previously uncharted world as our first act together as official mates! If I didn't know ey'd never let me live it down I'd swoon! 

Murd kept me waiting for aaaaages with what planet ey'd chosen. I don't know how ey found us one. I bet ey pulled strings at the stellography colleges up at the institute and they fed em some leads. 

I'm not familiar with this side of the galaxy, but it's a small world, and it looks lovely! Plenty of jungles and sands to explore, things to find and collect! Murd has done some fancy analysis of what's down there and ey says the only contact we've ever recorded was an automated hot time listener probe, that didn't hear anything, and that was like two hundred years ago!

And wow is it ever out in the middle of nowhere. It'd already been a couple hours since I'd smelled a lane radio beam before we even approached the star system. We were navigating solely by scent of solar wind, like the earliest astronauts! Nobody ventures out this far. Not the truckers. Not the helium freighters. Nobody. Maybe we're the first sentient beings to leave footprints here!

And if that doesn't sound romantic, then I don't know what does!

I'll try and remember to get pictures, assuming I'm not too excited and can keep my paws off of Murd long enough!

—Faln

***

Entry Alep Sin One Four

Landing made on the sand in the upper quadrant of the northern hemisphere. Initial analysis as follows:

Atmospherics: Oxygen-dominant atmosphere. Bonded to carbon. A lot of evidence of dihydrogen monoxide in a biome not far from this location. Expecting to see a lot of dihydrogen monoxide-reliant organisms, that's common for planets with that on. Valuable as a fluid, I'm surprised it hadn't been harnessed from here yet.

Tectonics: Orbital evidence of past seismic activity, but nothing detected now.

Radiation levels: Not insignificant. Can't smell much in the immediate vicinity, but a non-zero amount.

Meteorological Events: Cloud cover inconstant. Evidence of both wind and liquid erosion on geologic formations. Will prepare for the eventuality of requiring shipboard shelter from hazardous weather.

Biological: Extensive vegetation. As yet no direct observation of animal life, though some vegetation seems adapted to it: if they are bearing fruit, they must intend something to eat it. Contact with intelligent life: None.

Mission: Attempt to determine if there is a dominant life form with which diplomatic relations should be established.

Log to continue.

—Murd.

FILE ATTACHMENT:

Landing_zone_diagram.png

***

Honeymoon Landing!

Because that's what I'm naming this place! Ayup! We've landed! It's sandy here and boy am I glad we brought along our beach clothes. You should see how Murd looks in eis, awooga!

Anywho! We've been doing some wondering and adventuring. Murd has collected some sand samples and is taking them back into the ship to analyze. I told em ey'd better find some time to be less busy, because the starsets here are gorgeous, reds and golds, purples and saffrons, and the clouds catch them in layers, and there's no orbital transit platforms or satellite spheres or even rings to get in the way! There's not even any artificial light (apart from the ship, duh) to outshine the stars. And it should be a crime to waste such amazing cuddling weather on analysis, amirite?

The sand around here is so fine! Every time I give my tail a wag, and around Murd that happens a lot, I send it wafting across the plain.

Did see one place I wanna check out, while ey's busy. There's these weird looking stone outcroppings, down by where the river turns into rapids. Seem a little too right-angled to be natural, if you ask me!

I bet it's ancient ruins of a lost civilization!

Spooky!

-Faln

***

Entry Alep Ayin Twelve Seven, 

While I have not yet absolute proof, I'm confident that this planet was once inhabited.

There are structures of some form of mildly caustic ceramic that seem to have once been pillars. Possible bridge supports, though only the largest seem positioned to have once crossed any body of water.

There is an irregular outcropping, also mostly composed of the same caustic ceramic, around and amidst the river, which I also suspect will prove to be artificial. My mate, Faln, was the first to say 'lost civilization,' and ey may not be not entirely wrong. Though in its present position it seems to serve no function, if one hypothesizes a higher past sea level then it might have been a perfect staging area for easy access in or out of the water. This might imply an amphibious species.

But as I have had to stress to my mate, complex architecture does not necessarily imply what we would know as intelligence. Even if these structures prove artificial, in the sense that they were purpose built by life forms, that doesn't mean they were artificial in the sense they are the product of anything more than instinct. These could have been the instinctive extrusions of arthropods or mollusks.

I will attempt to date some of these caustic ceramic outcroppings radiologically. If they're significantly newer than the bedrock, then I think I can safely say they're likely artificial.

—Murd

***

Honeymoon Day 2!

Murd's broken out the swim brief! Hooray!

In more serious news, We made our way out to the outcropping and began taking a look at things. There were very distinctly texts scrawled on the elements of the outcropping. They are formatted in asymmetrical layers, not carved into the substance. I would interpret them as having an unofficial, graffiti-esque purpose. But I'm a gardener, not an archeologist, so who knows?

In terms of more solid finds, Murd did some fancy readings on the ruins, and I found a small artifact! Its front is mirrored once I wiped off the sand, but it's thick and has a proper “back" portion to it, with some slight texturing and an embossed text on it. It's not in any language or script I can recognise but judging by the manner of its embossment and fittings, it seemed to have been a conscious part of its construction, not something incorporated later. Nor can I or Murd get it open or activate it. I put it back in the ship so we can have a look later.

By the time we'd gone to look at the ruins, picked up the tablet, performed ey's scans and had the tablet back in the ship, the star had moved across and it was getting dark. We snuggled together in the sand and watched the galaxy ease into view above us. Tomorrow will likely be our last day in the desert highlands before we move off to somewhere further down where the plants and the jungles are thicker.

Pretty sure I saw an animal! Something with long graceful wings, circling overhead. Murd didn't get a look, it was gone by the time I got eys attention. So it must be fast!

—Faln

***

Entry Alep Zajin One Four Eight 

Faln's discovery has thrown a wrench in the works. Not only is it far newer than bedrock, as indeed are the other items we found at the outcropping, but, having cracked open the tablet, the interior is very complex and made of sand. Or more, the same chemicals. It's bonded differently, likely superheated but… chemically the same elements. Perhaps it was the basis of the economy of this people? Though given how much sand there is here, demand might not have met supply?

The outcroppings show there was a society here, both from the dates from the analysis and those texts scrawled on them. These were a people capable of some form of writing, that's for sure. Hence, the question is: Where are they? What would have caused their disappearance? And does perhaps this monolith have something to do with it? Perhaps the monolith and these people are not of the same flesh and blood.

I get the impression even Faln is starting to feel like there might be something bigger going on here than we know of.

We've started charting the lowland rainforests, in the hopes of finding somewhere to land, though the trees are thick and are growing around other objects we can't get good readings on either. Potentially more ruins. Potentially inhabited settlements.

—Murd

FILE ATTACHMENT:

jungle_scan_deep_radio.png

jungle_scan_topographical.png

jungle_scan_magnet_resonance.png

***

We landed again on a stony ridge. It rose out of a sea of trees stretching as far as I can see in every direction. When the wind blows over them, the branches toss like flowing water and swarms of brightly colored airborne animals rise out of them, only to disappear again.

Oh, ancestors…This planet is heartbreakingly beautiful.

Murd thinks that if there is anyone here to contact, then our best chance at finding them will be in one of these basin jungles, or maybe down along where the jungles meet the seashore. That makes sense. That's where I'd want to live if I lived here.

I think ey's troubled by the lack of anyone to contact. The Mirror, that's what I'm calling the monolith, does seem to show evidence of circuitry inside it. Maybe it was supposed to connect to something else?

Oh, maybe they had electrometric senses and feeling currents flow into different shapes was how they 'read' and this thing was actually a book? Like they would stick like a little… paw tentacle, I dunno, into one of these slots on the side, give it a little current, feel the different circuit paths, and go “Hm, Ah, Oh yes, A Thrilling Tale!"

I guess we'll know for sure if we meet some tomorrow. Speaking of which, I should really go distract Murd from ey's preparations. A nice naked cuddle should do the trick.

—Faln

***

Entry Bet Alep One

The second landing site has far more biodiversity. Attached are observations and readings of an animal species that seems to be prolific throughout at least this jungle.

It is an airborne arthropod. Transparent wings, four legs, two arms, head with a quizzical no-nonsense sort of expression. Body on average about two inches long. Faln thinks they're cute.

When inert, the body is largely colorless, even transparent: I suspect if I could have gotten any of them to hold still I could have seen their internal organs through their sides. But when excited, they iridesce brilliantly, in an array of colors: Red, Blue, Turquoise, Green, Purple, Magenta, Gold. I suspect if I observed this at night, they would prove to be luminous as well. When in the air, and in… I suppose 'flocks' is as good a term as any, each individual seems to try to match the color of those nearest to it, which produces waves of different colors across the enormous flocks that hovered over the trees. Faln says it's beautiful. I cannot disagree.

This was not the only behavior that inspired me to hope! According to all laws of aviation that I know, this creature should not be able to fly. Its wings seem too small, in proportion to its body, to get it into the air. Yet it flies anyway, beating its wings so fast they produce a thrumming sound. This is individually faint, but again, in large flocks, it's distinctly audible. And they harmonize. Different groups within the flock will play different tones, always in harmonic intervals, changing at an average rate of once every three seconds.

They are playing chords and shifting colors in what must be patterns. Surely this could have meaning. Surely this could be a communication medium. Surely this is intelligent life! That I can talk to!

I wasted a whole day trying. They seem to have no fear of us, but they also disregard us completely: we seem no more interesting to them than the rock outcropping. And much less interesting than the trees: I suspect fruit or nectar must be their food source.

We had the closest thing I could call “success" when we played music to them. This caused them to huddle around, swarm to listen, but then… they grew confused. Unsure, then uninterested. As if someone walked up to you and said “Why do oven the cold food when of out hot eat the food". It's just gibberish and once they understand that, they fly off, bemused. Or, play the melody to us louder. As if to correct us.

Even as I write this entry, some land on my console, trundle across it, oblivious, till I brush them off and they hover away, just as oblivious.

I must conclude these are in fact only animals. Beautiful ones, and fascinating, but not something with which we can communicate meaningfully.

Not people.

Ancestors, hear me, for there is something about this planet that makes me feel so pitifully alone. It feels as if I've come home, as a yearling from the academy, to find my pack all departed and the house empty and cold.

—Murd

FILE ATTACHMENT:

scan_morphology.ctn

scan_bioreadings.ctn

***

Oh wow.

Murd's curled up asleep on the bunk. I'm still too keyed up from, well, you know! I need to wind down a little before I'll be able to sleep. Ey was so passionate, so fiery, so relentless, so male/penetrating/stabilizing! It was amazing! Ey is amazing!

But there's something has me a little worried. Ey insists ey's fine, but something about tonight felt… desperate. Ey put eys arms around me so tight—which, yes please, sure—but like ey was afraid. Like ey didn't want me to get swept away.

I think ey's working too hard. Gonna try to distract em a little. This IS supposed to be a honeymoon, after all. That's why I named this planet that!

—Faln

***

Entry Bet He Waw Five Nine

Donned spirisuits for the descent into the jungle. Not that I anticipate needing them, but it's well to be prepared.

The radiation smell decreased as we descended. The trees are colossal, on a scale such that the largest of them have other plant life growing on their bark. It was eerie, walking through this lush and verdant jungle and hearing no sound of fauna. It makes a profound difference from the park lands back home: No birdsong. No skittering in the leaf litter. No amphibian chorus.

Just when I was about to say we should turn back, we climbed over a root and there they were.

Structures. 

Tall, steel structures. 

They'd withered and broken, cracked and split all the way down. Big holes had been cleaved out of them like gaping wounds.

This. This was it.

The civilisation we'd been looking for. Of course we hadn't seen it from exterior scans, the trees had covered it all up. But here it was, right in front of us. And we stood and we stared, lost in it all.

This maze, this steel and concrete megalopolis.

But abandoned. 

For some centuries, at least, judging from the state of it. We found nothing within but trees, stunted and unable to grow atop the layer of metals and calcite debris. We couldn't enter any of the structures, just as well, one of the ones in the far distance wobbled and crumbled deep into it's guts, a big plume of dust in the distance.

Disturbed by us, no doubt.

The structure on one side is a large wall which curves toward the top to become a roof. Metal, an iron and carbon alloy, coated with a jaggedly irregular calcite crust. Presumably this was meant to protect the iron from moisture, (perhaps there was another layer atop this, now long gone?) but has failed over the centuries, leaving the structure susceptible to oxygen corrosion. It was far too dangerous to enter, but we did see evidence of multiple smaller rooms within. Presumably individual dwellings.

Other, smaller, calcite crusted-metal structures were visible around the site. There were two large cylindrical ones, and a pile of debris of the right mass to be a third. There was another curved wall/roof, separated from the larger main one but lined up so its wall formed a largely continuous line. The architectural effect, when this structure was new and in use, must have been magnificent.

There's no doubt in my mind that intelligent, social beings built this. 

So where are they now?

—Murd

FILE ATTACHMENT:

jungle_settlement_map.png

***

We took the ship down to the actual beach, finally. I was very excited.

The ocean's way saltier than back home, and I can smell traces of radiation in it, but I even tested it with the scope and everything. It's safe!

I was gonna get us in the swimwear, get out into the surf a little, then point out, as if I'd only just realized, that we were completely alone on this planet, and there was nobody to see if we were to, oh I dunno, swim naked. Then do other things naked. And then I'd make a campfire on the beach, we'd lie on a blanket beside it, feel the wind in eachother's fur, till the star was down and we were dry.

Murd wouldn't come out of the ship.

Ey said ey needed to go back through all eys orbital photos again, cross reference things in them. Ey said I should feel free to explore whatever I wanted, ey needed to do research to re-plan the rest of the landing sites.

I almost said that what I wanted to explore was em!

I should've.

I took a long, deep breath

And I didn't.

Instead I walked down the beach. The sand isn't just tan, it's white, and gold, and blue, and like thirty different shades of green, with flecks of red and purple every so often, and it sparkles like jewels when the light hits it. It's gorgeous, of course, like everything here, but like… that doesn't matter if nobody looks at it. Being out in it alone makes me feel… odd. Like I'm not supposed to be here. Like nobody is.

I ate a fruit. I super shouldn't have done that. Don't worry, I felt nervous after and tested one, and it was fine. No deadly toxins, no mercury, sulfuric acid, or caffeine or anything. Just vitamins and sugars. It tasted pretty good. There was a long, slithering animal sitting in the tree, but it didn't seem to mind me taking them. It might've been asleep?

I gathered a bucketful as “samples." Maybe I can sprout some in the garden back home.

Though if my mate won't lighten up a little I don't know if there'll be a honeymoon worth having a memento of…

—Faln

***

Entry Giml Alep One

It took all day but I've identified a new site to try.

Don't worry, Faln. I'll salvage this expedition yet.

—Murd

Entry Dalet Res Zero Three

If we'd landed here to start with I would have had no doubts about intelligent life on this planet.

The site is covered with densely packed obsidian monoliths, of varying size, arranged in a square grid. It's designed to look forbidding and unwelcoming, clearly. And I can guess why.

It stinks of radiation. Revolting, heavy, and metallic. Corrosive. Weapons-grade. It's almost unendurable at the perimeter of the monoliths, I don't doubt that it increases toward the center and would in fact be dangerous if we could hold our noses long enough to get there. 

But there would be no point. 

Nothing valued is here. 

This is not a place of honor. This place would be shunned and avoided even if there were anyone to shun it, to avoid it. 

And there isn't.

What purpose is there to this?

—Murd

***

Murd's not talking to me.

—Faln

***

Entry Dalet Sin Four

As I anticipated, a severe meteorological event has manifested. A highly radioactive sandstorm. External visibility is near zero, the instruments are showing nothing but static, and of course we can't smell anything but the storm.

It smells awful.

Hull integrity is normal, and the interior is safe. Just don't know how long we're going to be stuck here.

—Murd

***

Bored out of my mind and it stinks so bad outside ugh!

—Faln

***

Entry Dalet Sin Seven

In the absence of anything productive to do, I've been investigating the Mirror, the artifact Faln found at our initial landing site. The circuitry inside is crude, but seems to be partially intact, and I think some of it could be activated with very careful applications of incrementally increasing voltage.

Have programmed some guesses at basic interface hardware into the fabricator. Which was a nice distraction, while it lasted. But now there's nothing to do but wait again.

—Murd

***

Gonna see if I can convince Murd to come to bed. Even if it's just to sleep. I just can't take any more of watching the back of eys head, brooding, and I can't tell the difference between em being quiet and em being focused and em being furious.

—Faln

***

Entry Dalet Taw Zero Zero One

Had a nap. Fabricator's still not finished. Visibility still nothing. Instruments still unusable.

Ancestors, the storm smells fucking awful. It smells like the essence of death itself.

—Murd

***

Fuck.

When we woke up, the radiation had dropped a bit around us. Moved in towards the buildings. Murd wanted to go outside and get some more readings, but I knew that was a bad idea. I pleaded with em to remain inside, and ey agreed at last. Ey seemed despondent and I… I felt for em. I really did.

Though I was proven right when the sand clouds rolled in again. Windspeed of 160 clicks an hour, battering the ship. We are safe, but…

I'm starting to… have doubts about what's going on. What I'd thought was our honeymoon was everyone else's nightmare.

I'm worried I'm going a little unhinged, too. I keep thinking I hear the wind outside starting to turn into a voice. Once I looked up and could've sworn I saw something tall and thin with a round face and no tail, out in the storm, trying to make for the ship. Make for safety. Just for a second. Then gone.

I know the scan says nobody's there.

I know.

But the soul, the soul has other feelings.

I was never as spiritual as my pack seniors wanted me to be, or as Murd for that matter. But like, what if we landed on a dead world and woke something up in those creepy as fuck monoliths?

Or someone.

Ugh. I should delete that before Murd sees.

—Faln

***

Entry Dalet Taw Alep One

Faln? Can we talk?

Well, you're the one that hasn't been talking to me.

…that's true, and that's fair. And I'm sorry. I was frustrated and I shouldn't have taken that out on you by pulling away.

…what did you want to talk about?

Well. I don't know if there's any point to continuing this expedition. I no longer believe there's anyone here to find. I'm wondering if we should cut our losses, leave, find a nice resort park somewhere, on a planet that's actually alive, to have a proper honeymoon. And I owe you a proper honeymoon.

I thought we were here for a honeymoon! For love.

We were!

Yeah, the love of your work! You were supposed to rest from that for a while, now look. You're pouring over maps and tinkering with junk instead of being with me even when we're stuck in the same ship! Just like when you're at the museum. Just like when you were at the academy! Just like...

I thought you liked my work.

I do, Murd, but I want to see the rest of you too. Not just your work. I wanted to have adventures with you. I wanted to watch the starset with you. I wanted us to be the first to try exotic fruits that nobody's ever tasted before. Ancestors, I had this whole… scenario planned out in my head where we'd go swimming and then I'd point out there was nobody here to see if we just ditched our briefs and… yeah. I even wrote it in my log entries, I assumed you'd seen it!

You thought I was reading your logs?

You haven't been? I've been reading yours!

I mean… I assumed they were private. That if you wanted me to read them, you would've told me.

…okay, yeah, I should've checked they were being read. So wait, that means you don't know what I named this planet?

Hang on, I'm pulling them up now.

Oh.

Oh Faln. Honeymoon landing. I… I don't know what to say.

I do~

You do?

Yeah. I love you.

I… I love you too.

—Murd and Faln

***

Entry Dalet Taw Alep Three One

We're still stormbound. I think it's decreasing. Readings still blind, but the smell isn't as bad. So while we're still stuck, I wanted to ask. You've been reading my logs, so what do you think actually happened?

Beloved, you're the expeditionist, I'm just a gardener.

You're not just a gardener. You're my mate! And I want to know what my mate thinks.

Ooh, very insistent. I appreciate that in a male/penetrating/stabilizing. But I dunno. Whoever they were, they're not here now. Maybe their food sources failed? Like some kinda ecological collapse? Something clearly happened to the oceanic level, and I don't even know where to start guessing what that would do to, like, farming.

I'd have thought they could adapt to that? They were advanced enough to make the Mirror you found. They had microcircuitry.

Maybe it was the radiation?

Maybe. It could be something they were using as a power source, and after they were gone there was nobody to keep it contained. Or maybe the radiation is something from off planet, and caused the ocean drop after they were gone? Or maybe both of them happened after the fact, and it was something we're not even seeing. Perhaps radiation became not just a bringer of life, but a bringer of death.

So, what now?

No monster but time. No danger but solitude.

Murd? What now?

Well, I guess once the storm lets up, and we can leave this stinking radioactive desert… we'll have a proper honeymoon. You said something about swimming…?

—Murd and Faln

***

Entry He Alep Zajin

We set down on a proper beach. Never mind ruins or artifacts, we're just here to relax.

We gathered several species of fruits nearby, after Faln scanned them to confirm nutrition safety. Says ey's going to make fruit salad.

Murd continues to look amazing in swim briefs, but somehow I don't mind that ey left them in the ship~!

Ancestors! Don't write that!

Too late I did!

—Murd and Faln

FILE ATTACHMENT: murd_how_daring.jpeg

(NOTE: system has detected that portions of this image have been artificially redacted)

***

Entry He Samek Nine

The starset was incredible.

Granted, I'm biased. And a little drunk. One of the fruits we discovered proved to be very potently alcoholic, and Faln either missed that on the scan or just somehow didn't bother to mention it. But I daresay I'd approve of any starset I got to watch while I had this irreplaceable, precious, comfortable male/receptive/supporting asleep in my arms.

I'd say I don't deserve em, but ey wouldn't like that. And as has been proven, ey reads my logs.

—Murd

***

Entry Waw Bet Three One

Well, I don't know if this is the highest point on the planet, exactly, but it's the tallest mountain range, so the highest point has to be somewhere around here.

We needed spirisuits to go for a trek, the atmosphere up here has gotten thin enough that it's no longer blue overhead, and the stars are visible even in daylight. The ground isn't exactly snow, it's more layers of ice that have frozen directly to the peaks when banks of clouds hit them and flow over like a swift river over submerged rocks.

Which, yeah, we got to watch that happen, it was incredible! There's this whole half of a continent spread out below, deserts and jungles under a blue haze that thickens all the way to a horizon so far I can see the planet curving. The pictures don't do it justice.

Very cold though! Not gonna spend the night up here, no thank you!

—Murd and Flan

FILE ATTACHMENT: cloudpeaks01.jpeg

cloudpeaks02.jpeg

cloudpeaks03.jpeg

view_panorama01.jpeg

view_panorama02.jpeg

***

Entry Zajin Alep Five

This huge animal flew up to us! It was so dark green it was almost black, but shiny like it had been polished! It had wings like panes of cathedral glass! Like six foot ones! And huge eyes and these cute little paws or maybe that was its mouth but it looked like paws folded up begging for a treat! It looked us in the eyes just hovering there while its wings made a sound like rustling sheets of paper! Murd thought it might be dangerous but it was just curious!

It zipped off before I could get a picture! It was so fast!

—Faln

***

Entry Het Alep Three

Last night on Honeymoon Landing. Going to sleep under the stars tonight, back in the high desert, same continent where we first landed. I've set out radiation detectors so if another storm blows up we'll have plenty of warning, and Faln is gathering wood for a campfire.

While fixing dinner we were invaded by all these little animals that came scurrying up the plains. They look like nothing but shells and long tails dangling behind, but underneath we could see all these tiny legs and little claws that were sifting through the sand and chewing up the vegetation. Must have been some kind of migratory grazing herd animal.

It's amazing how nothing on this planet is afraid of us. A couple things have acted interested, but nothing's run away, or displayed aggression. They just seem to think we're neat.

Laid out the foldable mattress on the outer deck of the ship. It's not very big, we'll have to cuddle close, but I don't think that'll be a problem.

—Murd and Faln

***

Entry Het Giml Two Nine

Murd came back from retrieving the radiation detectors, while we were preparing for launch. Ey looked grim. Said ey'd found something. One last time, ey said, can we go check it out?

Faln said we could have a little work, as a treat. Just once. Then we go home. We forget about trying to tease out lessons from a shattered, forgotten planet, and get on with our lives together.

You promise?

Yes I promise.

We left the craft again. The artifact was about a hundred paces away, we could've seen it from the outer deck if it hadn't been dark, if we hadn't been distracted.

At last.

It can only be described as a statue. Metal, an alloy of tin and copper, amazingly little corrosion. A representation of the people, from the view of the people. What they looked like to themselves. Bipedal. Probably mammals. Thin limbs, dextrous paws. And capable of making statues.

A mark. A maker's mark. Proof that they were makers.

They looked a lot like that vision I saw outside my window in the atomic storm, but I tried my best to repress that. A hallucination, and a coincidence, surely.

No clue who this was, or why they made a statue of em. Someone that someone held dear, or admired.

A leader, perhaps.

A warmonger too? The establishment or the rebel?

Someone who had a role in whatever cataclysm made this place what it is now, or maybe a victim lost to it.

It had fallen forward on the ground. We had to lift it back upright to make a full scan, which find attached. It was lighter than expected. Perhaps I'll run the scan through the fabricator, make a replica for the museum. Or just a miniature, to keep on the shelf at home, as a memento of our honeymoon.

There was an inscription on the base, as well, which we didn't see till it was upright. Faln made a flash scan copy of it. We can't read it, of course, but please find that attached as well. Just on the off chance that someone, someday, can decipher and tell who this person was.

The last of the people.

We considered taking pictures but… this may very well be a grave marker. Pictures feel wrong.

Heading back to the ship now.

—Murd and Faln.

FILE ATTACHMENT:

Last_Of_The_People.obj

SCAN.000012300140.txt (contents as follows)

[Bob Vorstand,

CEO and Founder.

Erected by Aclenstra Bottled Water, LLC.

of Ozada, Manitoba,

in Gratitude for a Successful IPO.]

***

Entry Alep Zero One

Have just reacquired the lane guidance rays, and set autopilot for home.

Murd is going to pass the time organizing these logs, possible publication? And preparing a report for the museum seniority. We don't doubt this'll be good for eys career.

Faln is cataloging the seed specimens from the fruits we tried, by which ey means 'making up names.' We don't know if they'll be viable, but ey wants to try growing that alcoholic one, at least.

We did get something from the Mirror, after all. A tiny sliver of data proved to be recoverable from the current experiment I left running. We made a complete digital footprint of the device, so you can see it too. We've attached it here, one final message from this planet to our civilisation. It's not much.

There's an image. Two people, hand in hand. Some kind of ceremony, perhaps. There's a great deal of text, most of it corrupted, but there was one clear section. Whatever it says.

Farewell, Honeymoon Landing.

—Murd and Faln

FILE ATTACHMENT

image.bmp

text.0002739.txt (contents as follows)

[hey gonna grab lettuce for tacos, we need anything else?

don't think so

ok

home soon

love you

love you too]