Traveling Light - P1&2 Rewritten and P3

Since I'm rewriting my chic lit, I'm in the rewriting mood. I decided to rewrite the first two parts of Traveling Light, just as I added part three...

Mission Log

The unexplained phenomenon that swallowed my ship and brought me to this part of the universe has disappeared. In addition, massive fuel depletion has forced me to land on a small planet in this strange solar system that I’ve found myself in.

I managed to send a message to Home Base before my ship was engulfed but due to problems with multiple systems in the ship, I cannot be certain that it went through.

Almost all power has been drained from the engines and there’s barely enough to run life support. I have power to run basic systems for the next six days and I wait for rescue.

Mission Log

It has been four days since I landed on this planet. No sign of rescue and all my attempts at communication have failed. I have passed the time researching the planet I landed on but limited power resources have made the investigation difficult.

I have performed low level scans and they show that the atmosphere on this planet is not toxic but it would be difficult for me to breathe. The atmospheric pressure is substantially higher than what I am used to so if I am forced to leave my ship, I will have to keep a breather with me at all times. The temperature is also lower than what is optimal for our species but my uniform should protect me for some time. I should be able to keep the pressure in the ship for up to 15 days if I am careful.

There is still a chance that my message reached Home Base but if it did not, there is not much hope of rescue. In addition, whatever force it was that sent me here has possibly gone and left no way for my people to get to me.

Mission Log

I have been stranded on this planet for five days and my power supply has almost depleted. Despite this I have continued scanning and gathering information about this place.

During the night I awoke to an incredible rumble. The ground shook violently for about 10 minutes and the air seemed to vibrate. I was unable to determine the source of this tremor so I have secured all lose items in the ship to prevent them falling on me.

I still have hopes of rescue.

Personal Log

Last day to be rescued has passed. Power is almost depleted and life support cannot be sustained much longer. I will have to venture into this strange world tomorrow if no one comes for me. There have been no more tremors but I have heard some strange sounds. I am certain that something brushed up against the hull of my ship about an hour ago. Scans have shown life forms but without more power I am not able to perform detailed scans on them. I only know that they are large.

Personal Log

All power has been lost and I have to acclimate myself to the atmosphere on this planet. There was another rumble today and the ship shook violently. There have also been additional sounds and I am terrified of what awaits me out there.

I have started to use the breathers and I cannot postpone this any longer. When I decided to become a space explorer, I knew the risks. But now, as I face inevitable doom, I cannot shake the deep loneliness and sorrow of ending my days on this alien planet.

Personal Log

This world is even stranger than I had imagined. The scans indicated the presence of vegetation but I had no idea that it would be so dense. My ship appears to have landed in the middle of an overgrown area so it is almost impossible to see it if you do not know it is there. This has been the single piece of good fortune I have enjoyed on this trip.

It was difficult to move due to the pressure of the atmosphere and I used a breather the whole time. I did not see anything that could have caused the tremors and no life forms outside the vegetation. I did hear some sounds in the distance but they seemed to be carried from afar.

This evening I will go again. If I am going to die here, I will use my time to investigate, record, scan, and log. Perhaps someone will find the ship one day and know my fate.

Personal Log

The pressure change has made me sick. I have been dizzy, feverish and completely lost my appetite. Still, I have to go out. I don’t want to die cooped in this ship like it is my coffin.

Personal Log

The creatures that live on this planet are horrible. I saw them. There were two of them and they were so alien that I lack words to describe them fully but I will try.

They are so tall and how they move is completely incomprehensible to me. I must do scans to find out what keeps them from falling apart. Their bodies are so scattered. There is a dense middle but I’m stupefied why the rest of the body simply does not float away.

Since there were two of them I speculate that they communicate but I have no idea how. They have no feature that I am familiar with and I will bring a camera to record their image just to relieve me of trying to explain further what I saw.

It is amazing the raw and primitive emotions it brings to see such alien creatures. Fear and disgust are just the beginning. Somewhere in there, though, there is also curiosity.

Personal Log

I have completely lost my appetite. No matter how I try, I am unable to force myself to eat. My body is giving up to this incredibly harsh environment. I know there isn’t much time left and I want to explore more. Since this will be my last legacy, I want to make it a good one.

Personal Log

I saw more creatures today and recorded their images. The dense vegetation helps me hide and my natural ability to change the color of my skin (and uniform) helps as well.

I have surmised that the creatures communicate through sounds and gestures. I have been trying to find out about their diet but it is difficult to know when they are eating when you don’t know how they do it.

One of the creatures had something smooth and flexible running from one of its five major extremities. This one was the only one with this feature in such abundance but other than that, they all look the same.

Exposure to this climate is slowly killing me and my senses are not what they used to be. I would give anything to be back home, even just for a minute. To bathe in the purple waters and bask in the sunlight of the twin suns. 

Is there a lonelier death than this?