Planet of Mystery: Annals of Xa Shrishen Traldor

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These pages are the mission logs of the crew of the Serena Dawn's exploration of the planet Volturnus. This crew set out to explore the system and the system's class M planet. Upon achieving orbit, the Serena Dawn was attacked by a pirate ship and from within by pirates planted amongst the crew. Many of the crew were killed or captured while a number of them escaped. This is an excerpt of the annals of Xa Shrishen Traldor.

00:02:09:07:08:43:00 = 00/02/18:00 VLT
We have evaluated our water supply and realize that at our current rate of consumption that we will run out sometime shortly after day 11VLT. Serena is scouting to the west, looking for the corpse of the creature. If she can find that, then maybe she can find tracks. We figure it had to have had vegetation. That would mean water.

Tsestar-sing and Tiinak are organising the first aid kits. Our young dralasite has taken a liking to our botanist. Despite being a stow-away, she seems most ready and eager to join us. I have learned that the young dralasite's parent died several years ago at the hands of pirates. How ironic.

Serena Silent-Strike's father died at the hands of pirates, several other crew members have various reasons for hating pirates. I for one have no use for them. I don't know if I will ever recover from what we have been through... If we survive it.

00:02:09:07:12:43:00 = 00/02/22:00 VLT
Serena is back. I've just got it all pieced together. It appears she could not find the corpse, nor even signs of where it had been. She travelled several hours west and found no signs of life, but did find one of those things in the sand about a km west of our camp like Shae stepped into. The debate continues: Stay here, move on. Which way to go?

00:02:09:08:09:43:00 = 00/03/15:00 VLT
We have decided to see if the mountains are more hospitable. Lacking any other direction, we must go some direction because just sitting here is killing our morale. Ulgar will carry Shae as his foot is badly damaged and Kiroth with do his best to hobble along with us. He is way too big for any of us to be much help with.

00:02:09:08:16:50:00 = 00/03/22:07 VLT
We found a small outcropping of rocks, about 5m in diameter and 1m high in places. Scattered with that outcropping is our first cactus. Tsestar-sing is wound up like an ancient hand watch and very excited. She is taking notes and cataloging. Studying and documenting. Her excitement is infectious and the discovery is uplifting. Plants mean water and despite the fact that these are cacti, I am confident that we will find water long before our supplies run out!

00:02:09:09:16:43:00 = 00/04/18:00 VLT
We camped during the day and are moving out again at night. Same thing: sand, sand, and more sand. The ground is less rocky than further south.

00:02:09:09:17:48:00 = 00/04/19:05 VLT
Yahir (the Mechalus First Contact Specialist) and Ulgar are fighting one of those things Shae stepped into. It sprung up out of the sand and tried to bite Yahir. He dodged and has his pulse baton out. Ulgar is weilding his great sword.

00:02:09:09:17:51:00 = 00/04/19:08 VLT
The battle was pitched but over in a minute. Ulgar dispatched it quite readily, dispite having to dodge the rocks Tsestar-sing was throwing.

Yahir only has a small bump on the back of his head. They have requested that Tsestar-sing NOT help if we are attacked.

00:02:09:09:19:58:00 = 00/04/21:15 VLT
We have hid ourselves under our tent next to an out cropping of rocks. Ulgar says a sand storm is building. He told us not to bother setting up the tent, just spread the material out crawl underneath and wrap the edges underneath us up against the east side of the rocks.

00:02:09:10:02:28:00 = 00/04/23:45 VLT
The sounds of the wind and the feel of the blowing sand even through the tent material is somewhat a thrill. The air has been dead calm until now. Despite the force of nature, we appear to have placed ourselves out of harms way.

I beleive we are beginning to adapt and am becoming more optimistic every day that we will get out of here ok. 00:02:09:10:08:28:00 = 00/05/05:45 VLT
The sand storm has ended and we just set up the tent. The sun has returned and is beating down upon us.

00:02:09:10:16:35:00 = 00/05/13:52 VLT
A full grown creature like the two that followed Tsestarsing was just sited in the distance. It was traveling west to east. It did not appear to see us and the Weren recommended that we not draw attention to ourselves.

00:02:09:12:01:45:00 = 00/06/15:02 VLT
The last day was more of the same until minutes ago. A "sand shark" attacked us. The Weren charged out to meet it to protect us. Kiroth is badly wounded, Tsestar-sing is afraid he will die.

This vicious beast is almost 4m long with a huge mouth of teeth and rows of multi-jointed legs that allow it to propel its self through the sand at amazing speeds. Its exoskeleton gives the illusion of a dorsal fin jutting through the sand.

Over the dune are over a dozen of the creatures like Tsestar-sing's babies. But these are mounted by octopi type creatures.

Oh, my. This is a first contact!! And I'm here to witness it!!

This is Xa Shrishen Traldor on Volurnous. The time is 12:03:17 on the ninth day of the twelfth month of the second year since the formation of the United Federation of Planets. I am witnessing first contact with the Octopus- People. Yahir, our Mechali first contact specialist is moving out to greet them flanked by Ulgar Ulgrak-ka, one of our Weren security officers.

Five of the plum-purple riders are closing the distance while.. four..eight..twelve.. fifteen. Fifteen of the riders stay back on the dune.

They have clubs and spears in their hands, but do not have them raised, nor leveled. As the get closer, I see that they are decorated with feathers, jewelry, and body paint. Possibly tattoos.

They are slowing as they get closer to Yahir.....

They are now stopped. The middle rider has just thrown down his weapons and dismounted. He is moving towards Yahir who has since put his pulse baton back on his belt...

He is coming right up to Yahir... and went right passed him... What is he...?

He is walking up to Tsestar-sing. He has a ninth tendril, much smaller than his other tenticles. By the each of his eight tenticles end in five smaller tenticles that allow the much more precise manipulation of held objects..

He touches her on the forehead with his tendril and she touches his forehead with her hand. Then she begins talking to him, despite that we cannot hear him speak.

She says they are the "Ul-Mor" and that their mounts are "Lopers". She says they recognize that we are in bad shape but are forbidden by law to help those who are not members of their tribe.

She is searching for some way they could help us without breaking their law. He suggests that we may become Ul- Mor through the Ritual of the Quickdeath.

This does not sound good. What do we do? Kiroth will surely die soon without their help, but will we perhaps all die in the Ritual?

There is but one course. We have a chance with this ritual, Kiroth has none without each. Each in turn, we agree.

They provide medicines for Kiroth to stablize his and place his on a loper. The rest of us are to follow behind them. As we are not tribe members, we may not travel with them, per say.

00:02:09:12:02:43:00 = 00/06/16:00 VLT
We are now travelling. We are about 4m behind the party of Ul-mor, but they have scouts off on both sides. I hope Kiroth survives the journey.