The following are historic excerpts from the log of the Blue Star, the ship that crashed and origianlly populated the planet, known by many names including, Darkworld. Many log entries were destroyed in the first weeks and months of the habitation, and many others failed to make it through the Nagg Ha’ddad wars.
These entries were authored by Ruul Tac’ree the Second Engineer of the Blue Star, a Troshun Class freighter. The Captain, First Mate and Engineer being killed during the landing.
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Log Entry: 081123.1133
Second Engineer Ruul Tac’ree
It has been 23 hours since the Blue Star sank into the ocean of this unknown planet, marooning us. Captain Brasc Ral’ Nuunda, First Officer Dran Cal’eec and Engineer Nerg Cal’sept were all killed in the landing. Through the Captain’s skill and bravery he slowed the ship, saving 25 of the crew, and 272 passengers.
As to the cause of the crash… something happened, I am at a loss for an explanation except that I was awoken by an explosion. I have not been able to confirm this in that the surviving crew of the Blue Star were either off-duty and asleep, or were not engine room personnel. (As I write this I realize that I am the only surviving engine crew.)
If I had to guess about the explosion, I would say that we had a quantum field anomaly in the FTL drive, causing a miss-jump. I have said, the official cause of the anomaly is unknown, however. I have a memory that will haunt me until my death. I stopped by the crew’s mess for some coffee. The door to the wardroom was open and I could hear the Captain speaking with Engineer Nerg concerning his (the Captain’s) request that all of the propulsion system spaces and components be inspected for unidentified modules, units or wires. I thought at the time that this was odd and that I must have missed a substantial part of the conversation, but now I wonder if he was concerned about sabotage.
This idea of foul-play was further strengthened by the amount pre-liftoff media exposure concerning our cargo- the passenger to be exact. The passengers were considered religious fanatics by many, and especially some with economic and political pull. I am not sure I agree with the negative emotion that seems to always accompany this title however, since I have recently been forced to spend quite a bit of time with them.
They have been blamed for much that I am certain wasn’t their fault though the media seemed to see it as their mission to excite the general population against them. I have observed them to be fervent and unyielding in their beliefs certainly, but the crew and I have never been treated with disrespect, nor have they implemented such rules on us as to make us feel that we were unworthy or unwelcome because we did not believe as they.
To the contrary, they are focused and have been undaunted and diligent in the development of their village. This thought brings me to another issue of some mystery. We successfully implemented the emergency offload plan and were able to get much of the passenger’s gear and equipment to shore and the crews gear too. The passenger’s equipment was of significant value since they were settlers intending to obtain some of the free land offered on our new planet, “TH91-427.”
The equipment, as one might suspect, was equipment that settlers would find useful, and these settlers had purchased, packed and warehoused simple machinery and supplies months prior to boarding the Blue Star. The mystery begins when we unpacked the crates marked, “Soil Tillers” and found shovels, rakes, hoes and picks. The crates marked seeds were full of fertilizer but no seeds. The crates labeled “Live seedlings,” each in a stasis chamber to inhibit growth, were all either cracked or opened, though other items of comparable size and strength were untouched.
On the surface each individual issue is only a sad circumstance. After all, things like this happen all the time, but placed together- the miss-labeled crates, the missing equipment, the tampering, as well as the engine problems–one might begin to put a case together that some group did not want these passengers either arrive safely, or to be successful if they did manage to make it to the planet. I see no need to convey this to the settlers. It is a moot point, and we are working together so well in these harsh circumstances.
As I stated earlier, one of the elders of the settlers, Mirht Vor’ Shreec has been guiding her people in the creation of a village just a half mile from the shore where we landed. They have picked a place at the edge of a large forest, with several miles of tillable plains. Though they were disappointed at the loss of their equipment and supplies, some more so than others, they have been successful in creating several long huts in which they are nursing their injured, and which allows them to sleep out of the weather. The plan, or so I understand it, is that these simple structures will be converted into storage buildings as families begin to construct their own homes.
The crew, a few passengers who were not with the farmers, and myself have salvaged many items helpful to our survival, as well as materials from the ship which were either removed before she sank, or which have drifted to shore. We have created a livable little homestead for ourselves. A small fusion generator, the type used for shuttle refueling, is being used for power, providing light and heat, as well as sea water desalinization. It also supplies power to some of the power tools we have been using in our construction efforts.
I for one wish the others all the best in their endeavors but I’m not sure how long that they will last out there in the wilds without power. We have decided to stay in sight of the sea and await rescue, though if the ship was sabotaged there will not be a rescue in our future. That is a thought that loops through my mind.
I hope beyond hope that this is not the case, and I will keep these thoughts to myself since it can only lead to discouragement.
Ruul Tac’ree, 2nd Engineer
Blue Star, Ba’ruun Intergalactic Haulers
When is the next one?