Transmission Log - Orestes Author: Pink --------------------------------------------------------------- Auto-generating preface... A log by PINK. She complains about her fellow human-inhabitant, GREEN. Unfairly, I believe. She has yet to grasp his true purpose among the group, as has he. Which is ironic, because the remainder of the log is about the importance of patiently observing in order to discern a deeper meaning. It seems her patience only extends in certain directions. She ends by mentioning a quasi-spiritual experience with the crystals. This is unfortunate. She is beginning to sound like NAVY. She was initially hired for her exceptional scientific mind, but perhaps the years spent in Orestes have begun to take their toll. Please send recommendations regarding potential replacements. -END-OF-PREFACE- --------------------------------------------------------------- I see GREEN has been at the logs again. Nine drafted. Seven deleted before sending. How juvenile he is. He never remembers to delete the ones he sent either. They're still sitting here on the terminal for anyone to read. Actually, that was probably his intention. And, for the record, I only ate the last apple because its been our 'last apple' for two years now and I was fed up listening to him go on about it. It is not his job to send these, he is not qualified for it. He isn't qualified for much, to be honest. The following is the actual update. Please disregard the previous logs by GREEN. The crystals show extraordinary promise. There's an old science fiction story, about a tiny species who visit earth to see whether intelligent life exists. These creatures are so small and with such a high rate of metabolism that they perceive the passage of time at a much higher rate than we do. So, when they arrive, all they 'perceive' are these static, statue-like creatures (us), that move so slowly it seems like they move without any will or purpose. The creatures leave earth and conclude there is no intelligent life there. Maybe they wait for like a year in their time, which is maybe a few seconds in our time. I don't know, I can't remember the story well, but I hope you get my point. GREEN is impatient, like those micro-creatures from the story. Intelligence can take many forms. If you observe something, anything, for long enough, a pattern emerges. I observe the crystals constantly. Whenever I can. I know that something is happening. Most likely, its happening underneath the surface. What we know for certain about the crystals has already been reported and is, admittedly, a little thin. Their behaviour remains unchanged - they brighten slightly with increases in atmospheric pressure. I initially described is as a 'glow', but I'd probably have to correct that. It's just a slight change in their shade of red. We were probably projecting some of our expectations when we described it as a glow. There are still the same amount of them, 133 withing 5km of our base. We've yet to travel and survey much farther with the equipment we have on hand. I admit, I am a bit disappointed that there is no real change in their population, but I still suspect some activity is going on somewhere, somehow, just slightly beyond our horizon of understanding. We also, of course, have NAVY's 'records' of the crystals. If I have some doubts about GREENS value to the mission, I am still absolutely dumbfounded by NAVY's presence here. Sometimes I wonder whether this is truly a scientifically-motivated expedition, or whether some higher-ups have notions about NAVY's claims regarding the 'elixir' qualities of the crystals...Anyway, I've gone on enough about these points in previous updates. Well then, why did I say that they show extraordinary promise? As I said, I observe them constantly, although 'observing' them isn't really the right term. I set up the equipment, and sit and wait. There isn't much to really keep track of here, so I often find myself spacing out a bit. Recently, during these periods, I've been having something akin to 'dreams'. I'm in a city. An empty city. And everything is tinted in the same red colour as the crystals. It's like the sun is setting and casting its glow over the city, only the glow doesn't follow the usual rules of light and physics. When I move around, go to shaded parts of the city, or even indoors, the glow remains. I just wander the city, for hours sometimes. There's nothing there. It's peaceful. My theory is that these are not simply hallucinations or daydreams, I believe the crystals may be communicating something to me. I know, I know. Just a moment ago I was complaining about NAVY's fanatical theories regarding the crystals. But this is different. It has already been established (albeit controversially) that psychic modes of communication can be initiated between humans and alien populations. The modes of communication in the universe are myriad (just look at the power of the QEC). Why couldn't it be scientifically viable that the crystals simply operate on a different wavelength than the one we usually operate on? There is more to tell, but I can hear GREEN shuffling around outside the room. He seems agitated about something. Signing off for now. - PINK ---------------------------------------------------------------- Complied by the Werner H. Young Terminal Emulator Info: Simple A.I., designed on-site for executing systems maintenance tasks and exchanging messages between the Orestes outpost and the Arsinoe. Built by Werner Young (2113-2151). Names of persons have been masked to protect their identity. ----------------------------------------------------------------