Aynsefian

I’ve had enough water now. I’m full and satiated. It feels amazing. My next task is to fill all of those empty vials. I’m glad I still have them. I didn’t even think why I was still carrying them. In hindsight I just habitually put the backpack over my shoulder each time I started walking again. There was no planning in this: just pure luck.

I quickly fill all of the vials, cap them up and shove them in the pack. It goes back over my shoulders.

I give Salvation the quickest of pats, albeit delivered with the greatest of love, and then I set him to “find life” mode. I can’t remember where Arlyss and Cindlyss are, so he’s going to help me find them.

He sets off and I fall in behind him. I want to run, thinking he might speed up too and stay with me. I want to get to them as quickly as I can. The urgency is great. I ignore the physical pain in my legs that running brings me. I have to get them some water.

As I start running, I’m distracted momentarily by a strange sight at the wall of the cave where the water is emanating from. Is that…? As I begin to form a question in my mind, I place my left foot on some moss, not realising there is some sort of hole underneath it.

With my foot catching on the hole, I lurch forward, crashing towards the ground. My mouth opens in horror, thinking that this is going to hurt. It does, as my left shoulder hits the ground first. The moss doesn’t offer much protection. My forehead hits the ground hard and my open mouth accidentally inhales some moss.

The last thing I feel before I black out is great pain searing through my left shoulder. That, and the sweet taste of the moss.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

From the IR84U Captain’s Log, found on the body of Capt. Zarasena Fen, in the wreckage of MGC Ship IR84U on Farrister (Endyst planet 3), MGC date 3041.87.2.21. Edited by Myronelli Tschadze of Wyrissa (Unbrindo planet 7), MGC investigator.

[Entries skipped due to non-relevance to the investigation]

Entry #: 67

Date: 3041.87.2.10

I have enjoyed my break. Two days chilling by myself in the scout ship. Well, I had Lanemu with me. He left me alone, pretty much. Except for meals and drinks. He’s good and considerate like that.

But… oh wow. The *things* I have discovered. Oh dear. It’s revelatory. It really is. I’m so energised right now. Now, just what the fuck do I do with this knowledge?

[Investigator note: This is concerning. IR captains, or any MGC ship captain for that matter, have to be completely open. Transparency is essential. First she talks about a plan, then days later she discovers something – by unknown means and presumably on this hiatus of hers – and fails to disclose it. If she wasn’t dead, I’d be recommending immediate dismissal from service, based on what I’ve found so far.]

Entry #: 68

Date: 3041.87.2.10

I’m going back to Farrister. I’m going to make sure that Axofea guy and his companions are not still alive. If they are, MGC protocol 2011 says I must re-banish them. I will drop Jinekali off here in Hynetherine first, since we’re here now, and then go back into Melcheisa to visit Farrister.

The funny thing is: Jinekali *thinks* we’re dropping him off on Barkentill 3, but I’m doing nothing of the sort. Hahaha! More fool him! Him and Anathusa are so clueless. Half the time they’re drunk and useless and the rest of the time they’re not drunk but they’re stupid. Wow, they are so dumb.

I’m dropping him off on Barkentill 2! Hah, so funny!!! They look similar, and he’ll be fooled. But I’ll know.

I’m all sweetness and light around him, he won’t ever suspect. Then when he does, it’ll be TOO late! So they survived me killing them. Just barely. But I’m going to break them up. Then I’ll dispose of Anathusa later, when she least expects it.

Poor old Jinekali. He’ll spend many, many days rotting in a Barkentill 2 prison, because they won’t believe his story that he’s a diplomatic emissary and they HATE Barkentill 3. They’ll pretty much lock him up straight away. He won’t even know there’s a Barkentill 2. I do. I’ve been around the block more than a few times.

So when he keeps mentioning that he’s a Barkentill 3 emissary, it’ll keep aggravating them. He’ll just rot in their prison for years until it’s too late and Anathusa won’t even know where he is. That’ll teach him for getting to close to Anathusa and ruining her. She used to be my friend. Now it’s too late for her EVER to be that again.

[Investigator note: Not much to say here. She is clearly losing her mind. I’m still unsure about this Jinekali character. Only three bodies were discovered on the IR84U wreckage, all positively identified: Zarasena, Anathusa and Lanemu.]

Entry #: 69

Date: 3041.87.2.10

Ok, it’s done. He’s dropped off. He never suspected! I just dropped him at the gates of the embassy, and they ushered him into their assessing room, to await diplomatic clearance. I claimed I had important work to do and then I got the hell out of there!

I think Anathusa suspects something is up. She knows me too well. Maybe I’ll have to accidentally leave her on the surface of Farrister. Yeah! That sounds like a plan. I’ve stalled her for now. I’m good at that. Hah, my big plan is working beautifully! And no-one knows what it is!

I love how I can write this stuff here without reprisal. No-one even reacts to anything I say. I swear, they lied to us. They said this was constantly monitored. They lied! It isn’t even remotely monitored. My god, I should have been chased and locked up by now, but no, nothing has happened.

Entry #: 70

Date: 3041.87.2.10

I do admire, on some level, what the MGC does though.

[Investigator note: She never expanded on this. It’s quite the curious thing to say, after the hysteria that went before it.]

Entry #: 71

Date: 3041.87.2.11

We are approaching Farrister. 84U is worried about me. He’s measuring my brain waves and says I’m not stable. I love that he cares, I really do, but I’m fine. I’ve never felt better. I’m loving my job, and I’m happy in my service of the MGC. All jokes aside. I love being a part of preserving the purity of this galaxy. Just imagine if we had rogue races from other galaxies coming in at will and interbreeding with us. Oh my god, how horrible that would be. These perfect genetics that we have amongst our 16 races would all be ruined. I’m not going to be a party to THAT. I’m proud of what I do.

As for the plan to check on Axofea and his crew: we’ll touch down at the site that we dropped them off, and then we’ll see what’s left of them. They may have left their craft, but I doubt it. Farrister is covered in dense jungle. They wouldn’t get more than a kilometre or two and there’s nothing to find anyway. All the edible plants are poisonous to humans, and so is the water, so they’re probably dead already.

[Entries skipped due to non-relevance to the investigation]

Entry #: 75

Date: 3041.87.2.11

Yep. Been and gone. They’re all dead. Whoops! So sorry about that guys. You were only supposed to be BANISHED. Hahahahahaha! So, so funny. I love this job.

It was hilarious! They’d barely gotten outside their dead and broken ship and they ate the first thing they saw! How can anyone be so dumb? All three of them died in the same spot. I have collected their broken ship and their bodies and will eject them back into the YP48197 stargate. Can’t have those genetic throwback dropkicks in our galaxy any longer, even if they’re dead. They’ll float back into their stupid Hynetherine galaxy as space junk. What a glorious ending to their pathetic little lives.