The Taunt

Log recovered: Sample 2435.1. File is 95.42329% corrupted, unrecoverable. Displaying remaining data.

March 21, 2176

I’m writing this log for the record of my time here before I am rescued. My name is Captain Robert Howell. My ship experienced catastrophic failure during my survey of the GRC-188 system, a star system that has not been surveyed prior to my journey. I believe that I was struck by meteorites in orbit of GRC-188 IV, a lush and beautiful Earth-like world that would be well suited for colonization.

I have crashed on a moon of this world, a cold and bleak desolate place. I know that help will be coming soon. I filed my flight log with the Exploration Guild, and when I don’t return, they will come for me. I just need to remain hopeful.

March 23, 2176

I have assessed the damage to my ship. It was struck by some small meteorites, which appear to be manufactured. I can’t believe that I discovered some of the first signs of alien life ever by humans, and it is a couple rounds of rail gun ammunition that knock me out of the sky.

My ship will never fly again. I also don’t think my transmitter is salvageable either. I believe that I can receive messages, so when I hear my rescuers arrive in system, I will endeavor to draw attention to this world. They will be coming soon.

This place is bleak. Life is here, but much of it is stunted and fragile. There are some animals, none of which I think I want to be involved with. Fortunately, I have plenty of ammunition and back up energy packs. My food stores are good, for now, but water might be a problem. I may have to go out and find a source.

Fortunately, I have power on board my ship, so it is my shelter and home for now. I think of my Cassie, my black haired kitty back home. I wonder if she misses me yet. Karla, my fiance, surely must be worried about me, and I know she will get them out here looking for me.

May 30, 2176

Nothing yet, but I remind myself that the Guild must be busy. Help is coming. There have been no signals from other ships entering the system. They will be coming.

I found water, a good source. Unfortunately, it is known amongst the local wildlife. I had to scare off a tentacled hairy elephant creature. I killed another, a long toothed deer analog, after it charged me. I scanned it, and my tool told me that it would be safe to eat. I am choosing not to at this time, and it was being consumed by animals as I left the water hole.

My heart breaks as I cannot speak to Karla. I miss her voice, and sometimes I cannot picture her face. I wish I took more pictures of us together.

Each night the planet this moon orbits fills my sky. It is beautiful. I can only imagine if I crashed there. I know I wouldn’t be shivering right now.

October 6, 2176

Nothing yet. No signals. They have to be coming. I know space is big, But Karla wouldn’t forget. She would force them to send a ship. I have a few pictures of her that I fall asleep to every night. I only took one picture of Cassie. She would wait by my door every day for me to return. Is she still waiting?

April 2177

I have to break out my survival gear. The power on my ship is failing. I am taking my receiver with me, and all my remaining food. With the limited power out there, I have to ration what I use. I guess I won’t be able to fall asleep to my pictures every night.

I have been scouting for a cave, or some level of natural shelter. I found one a few days ago, and it wasn’t occupied. It had a lot of moss nearby, moss I can burn. I am going to have to cook my food, as I will have limited power from now on.

Still no signals. There is no telling when there will be. I’m going to have to supplement my rations with local resources. I really hope help is coming soon.

A volcano is erupting on GRC-188 IV. It has been the lone smudge on the beautiful sphere that hangs in my sky every night. Sometimes, it is so large in my view I think I could reach out and touch it.

November 2177

Karla, you wouldn’t recognize me. I have lost so much weight, my beard has grown out, and my hands are always dirty.

I mark today because my human food has run out. I have decided on a few things. First, I need to name this place. I will call this moon Infernu Izoztua, or Izo for shot. Karla would appreciate the Basqueness of it. The paradise that taunts me at night I will call Hånen. My Danish grandmother would know it well. I made a note on my tablet to inform the Guild whenever they reach me to update the star charts.

Secondly, I need something to do with my time. My mind has begun to wonder, and I grow tired of speaking to myself. So I will sing. I will sing until I believe that I have perfected each song, and then move to another. It is something.

I must tell you Karla. I will never complain about an overdone steak again. When the flesh of these creatures isn’t making me sick, it is bitter and slimy. I have narrowed down several creatures that are safe to eat, and those which aren’t. I have had decent luck with the flora, but there has been zero that have been flavorful.

I miss you. And Cassie. Does she still wait for me?

January 2178

Something strange happened today. I’ve had to drag the remains of my meals far away from my camp. Far too many scavengers have tried to take them, and I have had to use precious ammunition to keep them away. I have discovered that there are a number that have started to wait at my dumping ground for meals, and today, one of them followed at a distance back to the camp.

It is a grey furred, six legged worm like creature. It has two eye stalks, and a stubby tail. A circular mouth and sharp teeth tell me it is a danger, but it is no larger than Cassie was when I left, and it made a noise that I swear was her purring.

Being here is so lonely, so against my better judgment, I have started to throw chunks of meat to it. It gobbles them up just as she would. You would laugh. I hope it doesn’t come to depend on me for food, but I can’t bring myself to drive it away.

I checked over my receiver today. I became convinced that the reason I haven’t heard anything was because it was broken. I could find nothing wrong with it, but I will keep looking.

Hånen was especially beautiful tonight. One day, I will take you there.

July 2180

Phillip threw up today. That's not why I returned after such a long absence. Oh, I named my new friend. Well he isn’t new anymore. The furry worm I started feeding lives here now. He guards my camp when I go hunting. Its when I give him a moss cake that he vomits. But sometimes he gobbles them up from my hand when I’m not looking.

I’m writing today because my rescue is finally here! I’m coming home! A burst from the receiver. I even saw a burst of light over the skies of Hånen. It must be a huge ship that has come for me!

I should have been figuring out a way to draw their attention all this time, but I must admit, I was losing hope. I’m not even sure that my date is correct anymore. Its not going to matter though. I’m coming home! I’m coming home!

September 2180

The ship wasn't for me. Its taken this long for me to even admit it to myself. Phillip has been by my side. I don’t know what would happen if he weren’t here.

But now that I have had a few days to think, I know that they will come. The ship was a colony ship, broadcasting their findings on Hånen. I think the ship has landed, and I can picture thousands of people walking into their new home, filled with hope and joy.

There wasn’t even a transmission about Izo. Did they even scan this world? I don’t think they would have found me, but they might have found the my ship. They will eventually want to find out about this moon. They have to.

January 2182

Do you still remember me Karla? I have no illusions that Cassie still waits for me. I just hope she has a good life. Maybe I’ll introduce her to Phillip. Besides looking nothing alike, they have the same personality. At the rising of Hånen each night, Phillip comes to my side, to get his eye stalks scratched. He purrs and I gaze at this world just at my fingertips.

I wonder what my life would be had I landed there. There are plenty of places where I haven’t seen snow. It seems every few weeks cold winds whip up another whiteout here. There are no seasons on Izo. I don’t consider the six months the temperature where is gets up to the fifties to be a different season.

I had a dream today, where I sat in our garden, watching you plant flowers. I couldn’t help it, but I cried. I woke with a start, and Phillip came running. I don’t know what I would do without him.

I think I can see where the colony is on Hånen. There are some lights near a large river. I try to imagine that I will be there. Soon. They have to set out some probes to this world. They must.

December 2185

I’m really not sure about the date. I think I have found a way to grow some crops. Somehow, some of the waste I buried when I first arrived here had seeds in it. There is a whole patch of wheat where the my ship crashed. I can’t believe it. I might be able to make bread! I’ll start a baking tune. I’ve now started to make up my own songs. I’ve run out of ones I remember.

Furthermore, it gives me something to do. I have begun to plant an entire plot. I even found some spuds I thought I threw away, and now, there are some potatoes there. This is the best day I’ve had on Izo. The best.

Would you still care about this Karla? You must have moved on by now. Have Cassie’s whiskers gone grey yet? Philips maw fur has lightened over the years, but I think he has many good years left. I just hope he is here when the probes find us.

July 2188

My medical supplies are running low. But they aren’t gone. I still have staples.

To preserve ammo, I’ve made some weapons to hunt. I have a bow, and six arrows, and a long spear. It wasn’t long enough, as Izo deer still got close enough to slice my belly open. I might have bled out right there, but I jumped aside just enough.

I limped back, a trail of creatures lapping up my blood like breadcrumbs. Phillip scared them away, and nuzzled my hand as I lay there after sealing the wound. I got a fever, and nearly died. Would Phillip eat my corpse? I don’t mind, he has been a good friend and companion.

I have been asking myself for years, Am I Going To Die Here? I am answering yes. Unless they come quickly.

March 2195

I decided today to give a funeral for Cassie. I know that she could still be alive, but in my heart I don’t believe that. I have practiced my funeral dirge for months. I don’t know if Phillip understands when I fall to my knees in tears, thinking about her death. He stays by my side nevertheless.

April 2195

I think today the colony’s star-port is finally functional. I can see lights coming and going from the planet. My receiver is starting to fail. I’ve only run it a little bit each day, but even so, its not going to last. I would have thought it would have bothered me more.

I saw my reflection in a puddle today. I don’t even recognize myself. I am gaunt, crisscrossed with scars and bruises. There is next to no fat left on me. But my muscles are tough and wiry. I have gotten quite good with the bow and spear. So much so, I have a surplus of meat.

I figured out how to make jerky, so I can stockpile. I found a pile of salt a few miles away. I think it was uncovered by a rock slide. With my potatoes and wheat, I might be able to put on a couple of pounds.

January 2200

I wish I had just a little champagne. Phillip wouldn’t know what to think.

My last piece of my old uniform fell off today. I am completely covered in the furs of my kills. I’m pretty sure I smell horrible, but at least I am warm.

February 2204

Phillip is really sick. I think. His fur is all light colored now, the years have had their toll. He doesn’t want to eat anymore, and when I push meat into his mouth, it just falls out. He still purrs when I stroke his eye stalks. Please, please don’t die.

March 2204

I buried Phillip today.

October 2205

I think I have been here for thirty years. Half of my life.

I haven’t sung since Phillip. Can’t bring myself to. I don’t even know why I occasionally come back to this log. Its not like anyone is going to find this. Apparently Izo is the most uninteresting place in the entire universe. They would know that it isn’t if they came. Why did they never?

I still see that bastard Hånen every night. I used to look forward to it, what a wretched planet. What a bitch.

I know that my own death will come. My only feeling about it is some random creature will get to eat me. I’ve tried to find another Phillip, but the last one I approached bit off my pinkie. Perhaps Phillip was special.

2208

I should have given up the months years ago. I’m no even sure what year it is, but what does that matter.

I don’t know how much longer my nightmare will go on. The creatures are getting closer and closer. They ransacked my field yesterday. Apparently they like potatoes too.

I woke up to a Izo rat gnawing on my ear. Bastard ate half of it before I could bash his skull in. I roasted him on my fire, but it wasn’t an even trade. I don’t want to be eaten piece by piece. I just want it to be over quickly.

I thought of Cassie today. I don’t know why. It has been years. I didn’t think I had any tears left. I was wrong.

2211

This is going to be my last post.

I manged to crawl back to my camp. I guess I decided to be stupid. I’ve only ever kill the elephants with my rifle. Since I ran out of ammo years ago, they have been off limits. Until today.

I can see my entrails poking out. I’ve got no way of putting them back in.

As the final joke, Hånen rises over Izo as I struggle to keep my eyes open. The final taunt. I wish

***

Report: December 14, 2308. First New Eden Patrol

Today we made a stop on New Eden’s second moon, a bleak and desolate world. A world that offers very little for human colonies and growth. However, we discovered signs of a small settlement, even though there are no records of one. There is a vast field of wheat, that has grown for sometime. There is no indication on how it got there.

We discovered the remains of a skeleton. Most of it is gone. There is an old style tablet, which Lieutenant Smith says no longer functions but we can sent back to get repaired. We are sending the remains back to Earth. They will be DNA scanned, so we can find out who it was. Judging by the state of this moon, he couldn’t have lasted any more than a few years here before dying. Its too bad he didn’t make it to New Eden.