- Adam’s Observations UT15
- Sub-Captain Ortner’s Awakening Log UT1
- Prime-Captain Larkina’s Cryo-Dream Analysis UT2
- TO NAME A PLANET UT3
- Stepping out of the Steel UT4
- Footprints in the Gulch UT5
- The First Fatality UT6
- Prime-Captain Larkina’s Doubts UT7
- The Autopsy of Specimen Alpha UT8
- Ortner’s Wall UT9
- Sub-Captain Pine’s Departure UT10
- 1000 Years On UT11
- The Hunt for Captain Pines UT12
- The Linguist Lives UT13
- The Surveillance of Pines UT14
YEAR: 52028
SHIP: Matriark II, Super-frigate exploration Class
LOCATION: Purple Mountain Valley, North of Landing site.
Professor Adam’s Earpiece Log
DAY THREE
The draft of sacred water is wearing off. I slept for a full day and woke up with a calm I haven’t felt since a Child. They are busy making a meal for their young. They come and go from the cavern with various bundles of leaves and fragrant herbs. It’s hard to see during the night. For the only source of light are little glowing orbs. When the sun rises, the cavern is lit through a series of crystal lenses. They harness the light and the crystals magnify the rays that pour through the water.
I have picked up many new words. Garsh is there word for water. I hear the little prayers uttered to their water gods. I am the Nivah, which I assume means outsider or alien. They often mention their Ruki.
They appear to be connected to their Ruki with a deeper bond than that of a rider and steed. There is an elaborate cave painting at the back of the cavern which depicts a Ruki on top of a mountain under the sun. The Pond Apes are bowing to it in some tribal ritual. Without a better level of communication I will not be able to understand the actions in the cave painting.
My first conversation was monosyllabic. I gestured to my rear end. After some fearsome laughter they showed me where they shat. After I went, they wrapped my waste into a large leaf and took it up and away.
If I hadn’t been intoxicated with Pond Ape tonic I would be frightened by my confinement. It’s hard to be anxious with such a mellow relaxant flowing through my veins. It takes away my hunger and I feel stronger than ever. I have one purpose: to build trust and understanding between Human and Pond Ape.
