Transmission Log - Orestes
Author: Pink

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Auto-generating preface...

  A log by PINK. She complains about her fellow human-inhabitant,
  GREEN. Unfairly, I believe. She has yet to grasp his true purpose
  among the group, as has he. Which is ironic, because the
  remainder of the log is about the importance of patiently
  observing in order to discern a deeper meaning. It seems her
  patience only extends in certain directions.

  She ends by mentioning a quasi-spiritual experience with the
  crystals. This is unfortunate. She is beginning to sound like
  NAVY. She was initially hired for her exceptional scientific
  mind, but perhaps the years spent in Orestes have begun to take
  their toll. Please send recommendations regarding potential
  replacements.

-END-OF-PREFACE-
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  I see GREEN has been at the logs again. Nine drafted. Seven
  deleted before sending. How juvenile he is.

  He never remembers to delete the ones he sent either. They're
  still sitting here on the terminal for anyone to read. Actually,
  that was probably his intention. And, for the record, I only ate
  the last apple because its been our 'last apple' for two years
  now and I was fed up listening to him go on about it.

  It is not his job to send these, he is not qualified for it. He
  isn't qualified for much, to be honest.

  The following is the actual update. Please disregard the previous
  logs by GREEN.

  The crystals show extraordinary promise.

  There's an old science fiction story, about a tiny species who
  visit earth to see whether intelligent life exists. These
  creatures are so small and with such a high rate of metabolism
  that they perceive the passage of time at a much higher rate
  than we do.

  So, when they arrive, all they 'perceive' are these static,
  statue-like creatures (us), that move so slowly it seems
  like they move without any will or purpose. The creatures leave
  earth and conclude there is no intelligent life there.

  Maybe they wait for like a year in their time, which is maybe a
  few seconds in our time. I don't know, I can't remember the story
  well, but I hope you get my point.

  GREEN is impatient, like those micro-creatures from the story.
  Intelligence can take many forms. If you observe something,
  anything, for long enough, a pattern emerges. I observe the
  crystals constantly. Whenever I can. I know that something is
  happening. Most likely, its happening underneath the surface.

  What we know for certain about the crystals has already been
  reported and is, admittedly, a little thin. Their behaviour
  remains unchanged - they brighten slightly with increases in
  atmospheric pressure. I initially described is as a 'glow', but
  I'd probably have to correct that. It's just a slight change in
  their shade of red. We were probably projecting some of our
  expectations when we described it as a glow. There are still the
  same amount of them, 133 withing 5km of our base. We've yet to
  travel and survey much farther with the equipment we have on
  hand. I admit, I am a bit disappointed that there is no real
  change in their population, but I still suspect some activity is
  going on somewhere, somehow, just slightly beyond our horizon of
  understanding.

  We also, of course, have NAVY's 'records' of the crystals. If I
  have some doubts about GREENS value to the mission, I am still
  absolutely dumbfounded by NAVY's presence here. Sometimes I
  wonder whether this is truly a scientifically-motivated
  expedition, or whether some higher-ups have notions about NAVY's
  claims regarding the 'elixir' qualities of the crystals...Anyway,
  I've gone on enough about these points in previous updates.

  Well then, why did I say that they show extraordinary promise?
  As I said, I observe them constantly, although 'observing' them
  isn't really the right term. I set up the equipment, and sit and
  wait. There isn't much to really keep track of here, so I often
  find myself spacing out a bit.

  Recently, during these periods, I've been having something akin
  to 'dreams'. I'm in a city. An empty city. And everything is
  tinted in the same red colour as the crystals. It's like the sun
  is setting and casting its glow over the city, only the glow
  doesn't follow the usual rules of light and physics. When I
  move around, go to shaded parts of the city, or even indoors, the
  glow remains.

  I just wander the city, for hours sometimes. There's nothing
  there. It's peaceful.

  My theory is that these are not simply hallucinations or
  daydreams, I believe the crystals may be communicating something
  to me.

  I know, I know. Just a moment ago I was complaining about NAVY's
  fanatical theories regarding the crystals. But this is different.

  It has already been established (albeit controversially) that
  psychic modes of communication can be initiated between humans
  and alien populations. The modes of communication in the universe
  are myriad (just look at the power of the QEC). Why couldn't it
  be scientifically viable that the crystals simply operate on a
  different wavelength than the one we usually operate on?

  There is more to tell, but I can hear GREEN shuffling around
  outside the room. He seems agitated about something. Signing off
  for now.

  - PINK


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Complied by the Werner H. Young Terminal Emulator

Info: Simple A.I., designed on-site for executing
systems maintenance tasks and exchanging messages between
the Orestes outpost and the Arsinoe.

Built by Werner Young (2113-2151).

Names of persons have been masked to protect their identity.
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