26th March, 2152:
We have entered the Ross 695 system, 22 light years from Earth, the edge of charted space. The system is cold, dark, and devoid of life,
but I remain convinced that out there are secrets worth dying for.
The crew of the Aurora are in good spirits, despite our monthlong voyage through known space. They know that here, at the edge, we have come to
a unique moment in history: We represent the first pure-science project to consume a large fraction of the United Nations of Earth's budget, likely
the first of many such projects. The consensus among historians, such as myself, is that we as a society have reached the end of history as it is
conventionally understood: War between nations ended almost five decades ago, war between the other two races in Known Space is also likely a thing
of the past, and the United Nations stands secure as the most powerful species yet discovered. We can move on to other endevours, like the science
vessel that currently propels me and 2,000 fellow crewmmen through space at 5,700 kilometers per second.
March 26th marks the second and longest phase of our mission, of which I am a critical component. Here, at the edge, we begin our survey of yet-unsurveyed
systems, hoping to uncover the secrets they might hold.
For posterity, I have reproduced our mission below:
Project High Skies:
Phase 1:
-Reach the edge of known space using less than 5% of all fuel stores
-Locate at least 1 new jump point in the Ross 695 system
Phase 2:
- continue through jump point, and repeat this process in the next system, if no jump points are found, return to previous system and survey for more
- continue this process until the aurora has reached an altitude of 75 light years from earth, or a jump network distance of 12 nodes, or the Aurora has only 25% of its fuel remaining
- Conduct geological surveys of all planets likely to support life, all superjovian planets, and all moons of superjovian planets
- conduct geological surveys of at least 1 asteroid per system, and at least 1 comet if possible
- gather x-ray and exotic matter data from all black holes encountered by performing a 100,000 km event horizon flyby
- deploy long term survey and sensor bouys where relevant
- conduct full xenological laboratory analysis on all life located, make contact with all sentient alien life,
Phase 3:
- return home safely
Also, for posterity, I believe I should introduce myself, I am Jere Lenzen, Historian and Xenohistorian of the United Nations of Earth. As per
UN General Space order #151, all ships financed entirely by public money, and deemed historically relevant to future public interest, must
carry a trained historian to record mission logs for public consumption. The captain, chief science officer, doctor, and civilian science corps director
are making logs as well, but in the past, we've discovered these logs to be too technical and impersonal to be of use to conventional historians.
My log will provide valuable personal insight to the UN of the future.
As a historian, I am one of 250 civilian crewmembers housed in the Aurora's large civilian spaceflight complex. Unlike most of the civilian crew, I have
some space experience, having served on the Almaz Gold Team which made some of the first Xenoarcheological discoveries in the early 2130's.
As a xenohistorian, I have an interest in this expedition that goes somewhat beyond mere documentation: I am hoping the Aurora will take us to outlying
worlds of the ancient Hyades, a powerful coalition of races that existed in this area of space some 100,000 years ago. Granted, we are flying in what
is presumed to be the opposite direction of their central planets, but we have discovered outlying colonies before (like Almaz, where I spent my early
years, sifting through lunar dust for alien artifacts. Even discovering one of the more-primitive contemporaries of the Hyades might offer valuable
clues about the nature of their great civilization...I am one of the world's foremost experts on the Hyades,and I know almost nothing about them.
In a few moments, I will be leaving the civilian spaceflight complex to attend a confrence with Commodore Wen, Captain Brockmier, and Chief Science Officer
Espindola. It seems that, after a month of waiting, we begin the critical phase of our mission soon.
April 3rd:
We have discovered a jump point, and less than a week after beginning our survey.
Like all jump points in this area of space, it appears to have been prestabilized, lending more evidence to the theory that this sector is home to a
yet-undiscovered alien race. Stabilized jump points happen naturally, of course, but not so reliably. I also doubt this is the work of some long-dead civilization
such as the hyades, as all available literature suggest stabilized jump points expire after less than 1,000 years.
Commodore Wen has given the order to deploy short-ranged survey vessels to conduct a survey of the inner system before we move on...this may result in a somewhat extended
stay: Ross 695 is home to one of the largest superjovian planets yet discovered, and our astrophysicists are anxious to get a closer look at this monstrosity, which
will take over a week for us to survey, even with triple Seer crews working round the clock. Wen has also ordered one of our viking class patrol ships to take up
a position at the mouth of the stabilized jump gate. It's very likely they will be ordered to enter the gate sometime in the next week, to gather advance information
on the state of the system beyond.
I can tell the crew is apprehensive. We were told our chance of making first contact with a new civilization was slim to none. It is the official belief
of the UN Science Corps that near space is home to only two other active civilizations, both of which we have had extensive contact with...however, the less
educated or more hopeful members of our crew believe there are civilizations out there yet to be discovered, and want to be part of the mission that made this discovery.
Personally I don't know what to think, though both Wen and Epsindola assure me that we are not likely to find anything living out here.
April 4th:
For posterity, I have conducted a survey ofpossible alien contact the crew at the level 3 cantina
incidentally, I've discovered that I can basically do anything I want and justify it "for posterity," some days, I feel like the most useless man
on the ship, which is frantic with activity on even the slowest of days. I suppose I should take solice in the fact that I'm not Trenton Rinner or Noel Karst, who
seem to be here practically as tourists.
At any rate, the 20-man population of the cantina was about evenly divided on the issue, though I notice the the more-educated engineers and sensor operators
seem less optomistic than the general spacewalk crews. I don't mean to sound elitist when I discuss the "education" of our crew, as, understand, ever member of the
Aurora is highly educated from the standpoint of the general UN population...however, the gap between the general population and the so-called "intellectual elite"
is one of the last barriers to total equality in our time, and it is much in evdience aboard the auora, especially with the roughly 15% of the crew from the so-called "colonial"
planets of Mars and Joliet (also known as New Nihon). I will log the statistics of my survey with the other, more scientific surveys and interviews I will be conducting later.
5th April:
Our patrol ship made a brief foray into the nearby system. Standard Star geometry programs peg it as Gilese 432, about 31 light years away from earth. The double system is vast and dead. Though Astrophysicist
Qiu Meng Long, with whom I've developed something of a rapport with in the past day, insists that this system is well worth studying...gravity waves emanating from the system were apparently
the subject of his dissertation in graduate school. The patrol ship identified the presence of asteroids and at least one small methane-bearing moon, both of which require gravitational surveys. We
will be moving on within the next 10 days, following the completion of our survey of the Ross 695 system
Interview with Commodore Long Qian Wen, April 9th, 2152
Lenzen: commodore Wen, in the past 3 weeks I have interviewed crewmembers of the Auora, speaking to payload specialists, sensor crew operators, spacewalk teams, and some of our civilian passengers
you are the first, and most senior, member of Aurora's officer corps that I've interviewed. This will likely be the first of several interviews conducted whenever you have free time
Wen: Whenever those rare oppertunities present themselves
Lenzen: *chuckle* yes, yes indeed. this ship is positively frantic most days
Wen: Well it's 2,000 people all trying to gather as much data as possible before we truck on to another system.
Lenzen: Indeed, and I'll ask you more about the next system we'll be visiting in a moment, first, I'd like you to say who you are and what you do here
Wen: Well, I'm Commodore Long Qian wen and I'm the mission commander for Project High Skies...I'm not sure what else there is to say.
Lenzen: You seem nervous.
Wen: A bit. You told me before we started that people thousands of years from now might be listening to this.
Lenzen: It's possible, but don't let that throw you, you are, after all, the most senior officer on this ship.
Wen: Yes, and I suppose I should tell you a little about my duties. While I am the most senior officer aboard the Aurora, I'm not a scientist, or a
politician, so I make my decisions by consulting with our Science Officer, Commander Espindola, as well as the civilian liason team from the UN government. So most of my day-to-day business is meetings with them.
Lenzen: no standing on the bridge of the ship, gazing dutifully into the yawning void of space?
Wen: *chuckle* I suppose I do that for fun. Understand, flying this thing is all (Captain Laurie) Brockmier's job.
Lenzen: And how's your relationship with Cpt. Brockmier.
Wen: I don't see her much, during my day to day, and unlike Espindola and (Operations Commander) Jack (Wahington), We hadn't met prior to the start of the mission.
I can say the ship is in very capable hands, from her resume, but I actually don't see her except for those rare occasions when we're on the bridge together.
Lenzen: now, one of those situations happened yesterday, if I'm right, perhaps you'd like to tell those listening...
Wen: yes, well, understand that right now the mission has been entirely routine, if such a thing can happen out here. We're wrapping up our survey of Ross (695)
and preparing to dock with Survey crews deployed to conduct an atmospheric sounding of a Superjovian planet found very close to the sun...
Lenzen: but yesterday wasn't entirely rountine
Wen: No, not at all. We're executing a relatively complicated burn protocol which will bring us quite close to Ross, allow the Seer survey crews to
dock with us, and swing us toward the jump point to Gilese 432. Everything needs to go right, or we'll waste a load of fuel turning the seers around,
but over the past few days, we've calculated that our descent is too steep, not by much, but over millions of kilometers, it really adds up.
lenzen: basically, we're heavier than we thought we were.
Wen: *chuckle* more or less, by about 17 tons. we're not sure why, and it's fairly easy to fix, but it required a complicated burn cycle that necessitated the whole bridge crew,
quite technical, lost us a few hours of sleep, to be sure.
Lenzen: but you're used to that sort of thing, if I recall.
Wen: You are referring to my previous job?
Lenzen: quite, unlike most of your subordinates, you have never worked with the science corps before. Your story is an interesting one, why don't you tell us about that.
Wen: Well, for most of my life, I flew Galway class cargo ships through what was then the the most un-navigable area of charted space, the sirius-gilese run between Sol and Luyten's star
Lenzen: you were, if I recall, one of the first tradeship pilots to make contact with the Luyten.
Wen: Indeed, so while not a scientist per se I have more than a little experience with early-contact scenarios and managing orbital trajectories around
large stars.
Lenzen: one of which came in rather useful yesterday.
Wen: I suppose you could say that. We've certainly got our course plotted now.
Lenzen: I want to ask you about the possibility that the former skill you mentioned might find some use out here.
Wen: You mean the possibility of as-yet-undiscovered alien life.
Lenzen: yes, it's all the crew's been talking about for a week.
Wen: Well the discovery of a 4th consecutive stable jump point in this region of space certainly makes it more likely, but it would have to be a civilization the Luyten and the Sculptor have
no contact with...something altogether foreign to known space. We are in the least-well known sector of near space, in fact, we will likely be the first vessel ever to chart the Gilese 432 system
lenzen: but you sound skeptical.
Wen: let's say cautious. The only vessels we're likely to encounter are sentry/scouts from the long-dead Hyades remnant, and encounters with those
have not gone particularly well in the past. We are equipped to handle combat in this ship, but it's not a possibility anyone is relishing.
lenzen: but our laboratories are equipped to handle scientific analysis during a first contact scenario.
Wen: yes.
lenzen: so the possiblity has been considered?
Wen: at the highest levels. In my estimation, it's unlikely, but not a remote possibility
lenzen: Exciting!
Wen: yes...yes I suppose one could say that...
