Footage of the AICD Xaror entering Waterford atmosphere
After the recovery of the AI drone, whom we all learned to call Xaror, a quite idle period came for the CSR. With the negotiations with various parties(of whom I shall speak about later) halted, our organisation now was in need of a new objective, a new target on which to conduct it's researches.
After long discussions regarding the potential scientific value of the planets in Bretonia - we did not venture outside of it's space, just yet -, there came the logical next step in our quest to explore all the planets of main space Bretonia.
It was Planet Waterford - home to the famous ice crystallines and natural sculptures, being thoroughly used by Bowex for commercial purposes. Such an unique wonder of nature, still remaining unexplained - we had to act. With equipment on the Equinox to support an extended journey, we finally embarked on the 13th of May 818. I joined the flight travelling on the Equinox. Albeit I've never flown a ship before, I wanted to see the sculptures for myself - may the readers of this memoir forgive the writer of these lines for such a selfish gesture.
- Paul. E. Dawson
[font=Palatino Linotype]||Log Entry One: Sebastian Nash
||Location: The Equinox
||Subject: Waterford Survey
[font=Palatino Linotype]This is Field Executive Researcher Sebastian Nash, I am reporting in the latest progress of our newest project. The team is safely positioned on the Equinox that is orbiting around Waterford as we speak. The Equinox has enough of supplies to support us only for a few days, so this can in no way become a long-term mission. I find our newest additions to the team rather pleasant, if not odd. But to address the subject at hand...
[font=Palatino Linotype]We have conducted the first surveys of the Planet's higher atmosphere and scattered probes all over it's surface. The planet seems to be what the initial explorers described, almost entirely covered with ice, lifeless, and with temperatures that are always far below Zero. *Sigh* Bulky environment suits again... Not to get carried away, this is a grand opportunity for our team to study how the famed Ice sculptures there were formed, a true piece of nature's work, if not largely crippled by the Bowex' expeditions...
[font=Palatino Linotype]Excitement can be sensed among the research oriented part of the team, and most notably of all, Professor Dawson. The man has never been in a ship before, and is clearly over himself. And I can tell that we all share his enthusiasm about making the first landings planet-side, which on a more important notice will be done tomorrow.
Captain Roy Khan is standing at the bridge, staring on the main screen. Planet Waterford. Actually it's cold, barren. Although wonderful with the ice sculptures.
- We should try to do something about it while analysing the samples onboard Equinox. - Alexander Giles' voice woke up the captain from his dreaming.
- So Alexander will you give the order to land?
- Yes, Permission granted.
- Sebastian.Nash: Docking. - On Sebastian's voice anyone could hear the excitement.
- Opening docking bay 1 for you. -said the captain, than looked at one of the men sitting at one of the control panels of the Equinox. He nodded back at him.
The next voice was Alexander again:
- Equinox, requesting permission to dock.
- Permission granted.
- Docking.
Roy looked at the navigator and gave the orders.
- Preapare the landing.
- Calculating landing vectors... Heating up the landing engines.
- Captain, the AICD is requesting to dock.
- Send it to dock 2.
- Sending docking parameters... Received the confirmation. Closing the docking bay... Done.
- Okay, let's go and see this planet from closer. Send our new arrivals to the prof. I'll join them when we landed.
The old vessel enters the atmosphere of the Waterford with heavy shaking, but it subsides very fast. The radar shows the exact landing location, which the AICD transferred before, closing at high speed. The navigator doesn't even blink, she's fully concentrating on the monitor before her. Suddenly the ship shakes, and everyone can feel how it is slowing down, even with the artificial gravity trying to compensate the force.
The vessel lands at a comparatively plain place with a big thump.
- I have to check something, tell Alexander, that I'll join them about an hour later.
- Understood, captain.
He rushes off the bridge, to his cabin.
The door opens only one and half an hour later, a man already waiting there. He gives the captain a log, than leaves after some word. Roy opens the log file, enters his password and starts reading it, during he walks to labs.
After the Equinox's safe landing on planet Waterford, I immediately went to look at the cooling system of it's so called "personality core". But as I went closer to the probe it electroshocked me, maybe it was some kind of self defense system. After clarifying my intentions it allowed me to repair it. Even helped me where to look for the parts I need. The real problem started when I encountered the cooling systems. I have no idea what the hell hit that probe, but it was so damaged I couldn't fix it. After some testing I figured out it's a strange system based on liquid carbon dioxide. I could barely patch it up, with almost junk. I think it's operational, not fully, but it can be turned on for a few hours. I have requested additional parts from a corporation, when those arrive I can extend that time for a few days.
[Message ends]
Hmmm... Interesting... I have to show this to the others.
When he arrives to the labs he can see, that Alexander is already putting up the environmental suit, and some of his men are bringing another ones as well.
- You have barely arrived, and already leaving? May I join you?
Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.
- You have barely arrived, and already leaving? May I join you?
The Captain's words dragged Alexander out from a series of deep thoughts. He was thinking about the mission ahead - but more importantly, of what to come, in both terms of the CSR and this mission.
The joining of the Captain was a miraculous event - his ship allowed the team to be able to conduct surveillance without a base of operations needed to launch from, and hence saving the necessary paperwork - but it also somewhat limited it, for the Equinox was nowhere-near a full-blown capital ship capable of housing multiple vessels for an extended period of time. In fact, with both X-Shuttles and the AICD docked in it's bays, there was practically no room left for storage and hence the ship was extremely crowded - which didn't exactly helped the team trying to concentrate on research.
The AICD was an even more miraculous discovery - however, the team did not yet have the resources to fully exploit it's potential. The drone's initial personal core powering did reveal that there were some more permanent solutions hidden deep inside the Omicrons - but for now, the crew had to do with impromptu cooling methods, and while it was conducting the statistical tasks of a surveillance flight state of the art, it's most important and intriguing feature, the personality core was mostly unused....
-Yes, we are, we've already stayed long enough consuming what little we have. I'd appreciate if you'd join me - he said, while closing the zips of his environmental suit's mask.
- Okay, I'm suiting up too. - He looks at one the scientists helping Alexander - Alfred, please prepare the FR-1.
The man nods, and runs off. Roy seeing the lack of comprehension on the face of Alexander, quickly adds:
[font=Palatino Linotype] - A field robot, quite primitive, and old, but it can help to harvest some ice, and take it back for further analysis. I hope it won't break down... We really need to renew this ship and the equipment.
Five minutes later, the small group exits the airlock. The ice is covered with some strange yellowish thing everywhere.
- A bit cold, isn't it? - laughs the captain - Alex, do you have the coordinates of that cave the AICD mentioned? I think that would be the best place to gather some reliable information.
Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.
-Yes, I do, over. - although Waterford had an atmosphere, it was dangerously thin and by no means breathable. Hence radiotransmission was the easiest way to communicate, and after the communication difficulties experienced on Waterford, Alexander didn't want to take the chance of possibly misinterpreting anything.
-The cave is located 4 clicks to the southeast from here. We could walk since the gravitation is tolerable, but I doubt we want to do that in these suits... - he said, pointing towards the Equinox, towards the hangar which held his X-Shuttle, but then he saw the stunning scenery of the ice field for what it was -...but I think that won't be that much a problem after all.
He quickly headed away from the Equinox, with the others following him behind. While the ground was by nowhere near flat, it was enough so to allow a moderate speed of progress. It only took fifteen minutes to reach the caves.
Breathtaking scene. Indeed. The wonderful ice sculptures covered the whole territory. But it was nothing compared to what they met in the cave. -We should mine one of these with the lasers we brought. Than send the FR-1 back to the Equinox, while we explore a bit further. - said the captain, and started to prepare the equipment. He looked at one of the smaller sculptures and pointed at it. - Is that good for you Alex?
Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.
-Sure, it seems good enough. - The crystal's surface was sparkling, the waves of the Leeds sun playing in an yellowish tint on it, an effect from pollutant materials present on the whole planet. Yellow most likely ment sulfur - which also would have explained the traces of sulphur-dioxide and other unusual greenhouse gases in the yet-thin atmosphere.
-If only we knew what causes these sculptures to be so miraculously stunning... Any ideas, Captain?
-Well... I'm not good at this, but maybe the wind could cause some kind of erosion. Even in this cave there are very strong air-flows, this could cause the fact, that all of the ice sculptures are facing the same way. But even if this is the wind's force, what material hits the surface of the ice? If I know it right the wind has to transport smaller particles, which can rub the surface. -he continues to cut the ice with the laser, while he speaks- But it seems like this cave has particularly nice sculptures. How is it possible that the wind is blowing with so much force in a cave? Maybe there's another entrance?
He goes to the robot, and types something on the control panel, then shuts close the cover. The FR-1 slowly starts to pick up the cut ice and when it finishes with it's work, sets out for the Equinox.
-Okay, sample gathered. How about going deeper a bit?
Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.
Alexander nodded. He turned back for a second, and only saw the top of the ice moving away on the vehicle.
We will examine you as fast as we get back to the Equinox.
The captain took on the lead, and set out deeper in the cave. As they moved along it could be clearly seen that the ice walls were nearing them, although very slowly, and even a smaller shuttle could move in with ease.
-Seems like there's a lot less sulfur here. See, the ice is more bluish than outside.
After about 10 minutes walking the walls became so near, that they had to bend. Suddenly the captain stopped, and Alexander eventually bumped in him, pushing a few meters ahead. That proved to be almost a deadly few meters. The cave expanded into a huge chamber with a very thin ledge.
-Watch out Alex! You almost killed me! -shouted Roy.
-What?
-Just look... - the captain took out a flare, and dropped in the hole. The flare was falling during seconds, until it couldn't be seen.
-How deep is this thing?
-No idea. Better take a scanning.
-Oh my... This tunnel leads down to 20 kilometers! Amazing. And what's more, there's some liquid water down there! But how's that possible?
-We should find it out. Let's take some smaller samples, and head back to the Equinox. Do we have something to send down there?
-Unfortunately no. This tunnel is wide enough for a smaller shuttle, but we can't get it in here. And the radar shows no other possible route. Anyway, let's gather those samples, and we can talk about what to do next back at the Equinox.
Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.
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