Dear Lifeform,
The following video-log was recovered on the desolate wasteland of what used to be Asteres Planetai B-24.1 of the universe Astrum Peregrination F-10. The video has been transcribed and translated for your convince.
Please keep in mind that by the time of recovery, part of the log had been damaged beyond repair. Thus leaving some sections untranslatable or lost.
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Star-Year 2653.6
“…The last ship has finally left the planet. I would be lying if I said I’m happy about it. I know it’s an awful thing to admit, but luckily for me no one will ever see this. (the Lifeform then begins to laugh through rivers of tears flowing down its face.)
…But I am glad that humankind will live on, somehow the thought of that is the only comfort I can afford right now as I stare at the hordes of Byfluga slowly stampeding towards me.
(Our archivists are yet to determine the nature of these so called ‘Byfluga‘. Although their appearance does resemble black insects with large wings.)
…I estimate that the creatures, no, rather this cruel joke of a life form would be upon me in less then a week.
…I was lucky. A sand storm hit just as the creatures reached the compound. It wasn’t pleasant, but somehow I managed to escape. Better yet, I took a few of the bastards down as I made my way into the abyssal unknown.”
Star-Year 2653.7
“One month, for one month I have been wandering around the red sands of this forsake place, hiding from both storm and Byfluga alike. A part of me wants to hope that someone will come for me, that the survivors would launch a rescue mission and I would get to see my wife and daughter again.
But another part of me, the logical part, knows that is impossible. I knew what would happen when I volunteered to stay. I don’t regret it, I know I’m a hero…”
Star-Year 2653.10
“THIS IS INCREDIBLE. Unbelievable. I have found an underground compound the architecture appears to be made sometime in the Third-Seldon-Era. The gold lining is well preserved, the intricate Nano-Pattern seems to still be functional. As if the cataclysm had no effect on this place. How, how is this possible?
(At this moment the Lifeform’s eyes grow wide and it begins to shake, falling down on it’s knees.)
…I have walked around this compound for a couple of days now, and I am convinced this was build as a luxury retreat for some high standing figure during that era… Although, the Nano-Patter is still depicting the intricacies of Third-Seldon-Era art the rest of the thinking machines seem to be offline. However, I am convinced with a bit of scavenging and elbow grease I can turn them back online. Judging by the fire escape map, there also seems to be an armory, food storage and entertainment center…all locked… of course.
Additional note: I seem to be running low on supplies, so maybe it’s time to think about food and water…I wonder how a Byfluga tastes.”
Star-Year 2653.10
“I have ventured into the wasteland once again. Strangely enough the monstrous creatures are nowhere to be found. After two decades of constant war we still know nothing of the Byfluga nor where they came from, but with any luck they will all die out soon.
…I finally managed to access the storage room I found earlier, there’s so much food and water here it would take me a couple of trips to bring it all back. What’s more I haven’t seen a single Byfluga ever since I left the compound. I guess that takes care of two problems, now for the parts I need.”
Star-Year 2653.11
“Time feels like it’s drifting by, I find myself waking up at night in horror, confused as to where I am…
…The compound appears small, I have circled it hundredths of times, still I find myself circling it again and again and again and again and….
I know the architects of the time were big on secret passageways and I’m certain that once I get the place fully operational it will prove me right. It’s time venture out once more…
…The landscape seems to be changing, landmarks I once knew are long since gone, sand dunes and endless oceans of nothing stretch as far as the eye can see. I don’t recognize my own planet anymore…
…I have been wandering for a fortnight and I finally found the parts needed to reboot the compound, but something is troubling me. I have also discovered fresh Byfluga tracks, or rather a single track of a single Byfluga. In all my years of fighting the abysmal creatures I have never known them to travel alone, it could be the last one left…but then again…”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Star-Year 2653.12
“I have finally made it back to the compound, just in time for the new years celebration.
(The Lifeform laughs hysterically.)
…I have fixed the thinking machines and with a single push of a button, this place will be fully operational. But not yet, no, I plan to wait until December 31, when the clock strikes midnight. I though it would be fun to start the year with a positive attitude.
(The Lifeform laughs hysterically again.)
Oh and I did not run into any Byfluga or any more tracks for that matter, which is a good sign…I guess.”
Star-Year 2654.1
“HAPPY NEW YEAR!”
(The Lifeform presses a button of the large-red variety and the whole establishment lights up with colors of green, yellow, blue and purple.)
“Th…this… is incredible.”
(The Lifeform once again laughs hysterically with a giant smile on its face as tears stream down its cheeks.)
“G-G-G-Greetings, I-I am E.D.A., here to make your stay as pleasant as a moon chair.”
(A holographic image of a female human appears behind the Lifeform. Startling it in the process.)
“Incredible. An old thinking machine…
I wonder.
Eda, do you have access to present day archived information?”
“Satellite connection offline. Accessing last transmission: 23 years, 11 months and 5 days. Reason for connection failure unknown. Running system diagnostic — Diagnostic time: 10 years, 5 months, 10 days, 12 hours, 6 minutes and 45 seconds.”
“Cancel Diagnostic.”
“Error: Administrative Privilege Required.”
“Override!”
“Error: Administrative Privilege Required.”
“Damn it. It was worth a shot. Am I still able to access Eda functions while diagnostic is running?”
“Error: Administrative Privilege Required.”
“Guess not. FUCK!”
(The Lifefrom proceeds to punch a wall.)
Star-Year 2654.1
“After my outburst yesterday, for which I would like to apologize to myself, I found out that despite the…unfortunate lack of companionship this shelter’s locked rooms have now been open. I am looking forward to exploring them…
…Oh and I have recently gotten into poetry, which is weird, because I never liked them flowy words before.
(The Lifeform laughs hysterically as if it has made a funny joke.)”
Star-Year 2654.4
“I HAVE DONE IT! I HAVE CAPTURED A LIVE BYFLUGA!!!
Don’t ask me how, I’m not sure I know myself. But I believe, hope and pray that it is the last of its kind. My next goal will be to find out as much about this creature as possible.”
Star-Year 2655.1
“Oh my children! do they cry,
Do they hear their father sigh?
Now they look abroad to see,
Now return and weep for me.”
Star-Year 2655.5
“I find myself waking up at night with tears in my eyes, what I dream of I know not, only that my sanity is fading and my beast is…foretelling? Damn. damn. damn. damn. damn.
It appears that I am so lost and lonely that at times I even find myself talking to the Byfluga about my day, not that there’s much to say. It usually just stands in its cage, staring through me or into me, depending on how you look at it. It’s almost like, the creature doesn’t even register my existence. I have named it Wilson.
…Yesterday I tried it again, I put the gun up to my head… I tried and cried and wished but could not do it.
(The Lifeform begins to sob.)
Part of me keeps thinking ‘What if they come back? What if someone, anyone comes back. I have to be here to greet them.’, even though I know that they know that I am already dead and no rescue is coming.”
Star-Year 2655.7
“…
…
…
I…
it can’t be…how is this possible?
The Byfluga…they have returned en mass, they are…different…and they appear to be flying outside the atmosphere…or at least attempting too.
I don’t know how to explain it, they are the same as they have ever been…only bigger and they appear to be attempting naked space travel.
I would laugh if it wasn’t for the few who seem to be succeeding…
I need to stop this.”
Star-Year 2655.9
“I have spent the past two months, hiding, scavenging and scouting. For the first time in forever, I have been able to sleep soundly. It’s funny really, I feel death approaching but I do not fear it instead I accept it with open arms. I no longer cry in the night, because I have found my purpose. Stopping the Byfluga from reaching the stars is why I have survived for so long and now, that mission is nearing it’s end.
However, I am not an idiot. I realize the chance for failure is greater than the chance of success. That is why I have spent and past few months trying to implement a secondary procedure into Eda. Using the Byfluga I captured awhile back and all available data before the cataclysm, my hope is that Eda will be able to start analyzing it once the diagnostic is over.
There is still some work to be done and although I might not see the results and I might fail in my mission, I do hope that someday, somehow, someone will find Eda and use that information to end this cycle of violence.”
Star-Year 2655.11
“Prepare your hearts for Death’s cold hand! prepare
Your souls for flight, your bodies for the earth;
Prepare your arms for glorious victory;
Prepare your eyes to meet a holy God!
Prepare, prepare!
I am prepared!
The Byfluga seemed to be buzzing around the norther hills and that is where I shall go. Armed with blasters, grenades and flamethrowers…why they had those in a luxury resort I will never know, but I’m glad they did… I will take my vengeance upon the bugs and my fury will rain down upon them like the crashing of a thousand winds!”
Star-Year 2655.12
“(The Lifeform laughs like a madman.)
Earth raised up her head
From the darkness dread and drear,
Her light fled,
Stony, dread,
And her locks covered with gray despair. I have won! VICTORY! VICTORY FOR HUMANITY! VICTORY FOR ME!
…now I believe I can rest, the eternal sleep…has come for me…”(Slowly the his breathing grows fainter and fainter, until it is no more. The video-log continues recording, until a horde of Byfluga trample over the log and the body of the Captain.)