Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.

- Albert Einstein

ENCRYPTION DELTA: ********

ENCRYPTION KEY ACCEPTED

USERNAME: **********

PASSWORD: **********

ACCEPTED

Welcome Capt. Roberts!

Captain’s log: Day 12, Month 3, Year 2285

I have been convinced to start having these ‘logs’, for the ‘recording of major viewpoints’ and the ‘complete understanding’ for the lab coats back home. Dr. Vahlen has been very persuasive, after all, she is the head scientist and the major reason for this expedition; I really hope this doesn’t turn into a wild goose chase. It has been four months since my crew and I left the Sol system, I can’t say it has been easy on them, or me for that matter, but we still have a mission. Since the committee organized this mission it has been a giant cluster-fuck. First, the new ship had to be downgraded to older life support and habitation, which couldn’t support as much crew originally wanted for the mission, then they pull the majority of heavy weapons from the ship! I get it, ‘no pirate is going to attack a worthless exploration vessel’, but that doesn’t make me feel better! Anyways, the original crew count of a couple hundred got reduced to a measly 65. At least this ship has plenty of space to move around and it flies well.

Captain’s Log: Day 21, Month 3, Year 2285

Well, I just got reports back from the crew; it looks like most of the ship is still working. That’s a good sign. It doesn’t matter if we have improved and advanced jump engines, if anything, they seem more prone to fry themselves and get us stuck out somewhere in the middle of space for a day. The stock of everything is at acceptable levels as well, should get us to the Eximius System safely. Thank the lord that the committee didn’t take away the hydroponics and recycling systems, make things a lot easier. Hopefully, we won’t need the armor and ballistic rifles.

Captain’s Log: Day 1, Month 4, Year 2285

Another log. Damn, these are already getting annoying. And no, this isn’t an April fool’s joke, I am not into the shit. Well, we are approaching the Eximius System. Hopefully, there wasn’t something wrong with the Telescopes and we find nothing there. I guess I really haven’t explained the whole ‘Eximius Mission’ thing, have I? Well, the Eximius Mission was first started a few years ago when a team of ‘special’ scientists studying and searching for new systems for humankind to colonize. Yes, I know there is a colony on Mars, the Moon, and the new planet in the Avlar System, but you know the situation on Earth. Anyways, the scientists found an unusual system. One that had a celestial body at the center of the system that wasn’t a star. Odd, right? Well, at first it was thought to have a black hole at the center, and that was it. Until Dr. Vahlen got a hold of the evidence and took another look. When she observed and proved that there was, in fact, a planetoid in the center and not a black hole, the whole science community went berserk. Eventually, the New Space Science and Exploration Committee or N.S.S.E.C .for short was contacted and a mission was set up. So there you have it.

Captain’s Log: Day 25, Month 7, Year 2285

Finally! After almost 8 months we’re here. The Dr. again convinced me to type up one of these logs, it has been awhile since the last one. I must say, this system is defiantly prettier than others, maybe it’ll become a vacation system one day. Well, I know I have been in this goddamn tin can for far too long. I honestly cannot wait to get on the ground to check this out, and I bet the crew can’t either.

LOGOUT REQUEST PROCESSING…

LOGOUT SUCCESSFUL

Have a good evening Capt. Roberts!

Capt. Roberts got up and out of his chair to look over at his crew on the command deck. They were said to be the best crew to volunteer, and so far they were doing well. Hopefully, they can hold down the fort while he goes down to the surface with his crew. If this system is what they say it actually is, then I want to be the first to see.

Somewhere Else…

“Damn, what does a guy gotta do to get some lovin’ over here? Huh?” Someone said in a deep voice.

“Oh shut up Patrick.” Someone said in a much higher voice.

“Come on Alex, I know you’ve haven’t gotten much since we left Earth. Hell, I don’t think you have gotten any at all!”

Random Chuckles break out in the group.

“I told you to shut, the hell, up PATR-“

“ATTENTION ON DECK!” Screamed an officer at the end of the group.

Suddenly everyone became quiet and stood straight. The men and women were completely silent, some even trying their hardest not to laugh.

“At ease. As many of you know, we have arrived in the Eximius System. And you all must know that you’re all not going down, yet. There has been interference recently affecting our scanning equipment, or it’s just this shitty, last gen, crap that we got; and we’re needing a small recon team to relay information back up.” Exclaimed Captain Roberts.

“Permission to speak freely sir?” Spoke up Johnson, one of the Sergeants.

“Granted.” Answered Captain Roberts

“Sir, do we have any information on the composition of the atmosphere on the ground? And what about the ships? What I’m trying to say is, what is the plan, sir?” Asked Johnson.

“We are going to send a Skeleton crew, including me, down to the surface. There we will take samples of both the air and the surface for further study. Once a large enough site is found, the larger cargo ships will be sent down to create a ground camp for further study of the planet.” Answered Roberts. The rest of the crew stood still and didn’t say a word. “I’ll assume this is all acceptable?” Asked Roberts. The crew just stood silent, with some shaking their heads slowly. “Okay then, Cpl. Alex and Sgt. Johnson, go get the armored suits, I will meet you in the armory later. O’Hansen! You’ll be flying us down to the surface today. I hope it’ll be a softer landing than that one day at training. The rest of you are dismissed!” Roberts explained, then turned around heading for the labs to speak with Dr. Vahlen. There were some important matters on the equipment that were going to be taken to the ground.

1 Hour Later

There was multiple people in the hangar bay, a majority of them wearing matte black space suits. Near a large shuttle was a squad of 5 suits. Two suits were lighter looking amour-wise, with only a small sidearm on their right hip. Three of the suits looked heavier and had Mosquito SMGs on their backs, which shoot 45. Cal rounds.

“Comm. Link check. Everyone report.” Chimed in Roberts’ Voice through the comms.

“Check.” Quietly acknowledged Alex.

“Green to go!” Confirmed Johnson

“Pilot and copilot ready to fly this bird!” Called out O’Hansen.

“Let’s get going then! Shall we?” Requested Roberts’.

1 Hour Later…

First, a bump on the shoulder, then a gentle shake, then a… ‘BANG!’ “GODDAMMIT!” Screamed Roberts’. “The hell was that for?!”

“Sorry Sir, but we're about to enter the atmosphere.” Responded Johnson.

Roberts tried to get up and attempt a stretch, but then suddenly remembered that he was still strapped in. Turning his head just slightly, he could see the darker, yet still, lush, green land and forests. The view was absolutely beautiful and reminded him of the older pictures of the earth when humans first left their world. Then the ship started to quake and roar while giving off a red tint around the windows. After what seemed like hours of violent shaking, the ship calmed and the red tint disappeared. Once again Roberts looked out the window and saw the horizon getting brighter, and the lush green all around, although a bit bigger. But, there was a peculiar area that looked something of a castle… But that couldn’t be, could it? Did some other group already beat them here? No, that is unlikely as well. Maybe it’s just the star rising over the horizon reflecting off some of that mountain.

“Captain! You might wanna come look at this!” Yelled O’Hansen. With the flight pattern and the shuttle now more stable, Roberts could unstrap and carefully move up from the cargo bay into the cockpit with the two pilots.

“What is it O’Hansen?” Questioned Roberts.

“What the hell does that look like?” Responded O’Hansen while pointing to the 2 o’clock of the shuttle. Slowly the captain moved forward and let his eyes focus. Then, a small image of what appeared to be a town came into focus, and a giant… crystal? If this was what he thought it was, then they have to take precautions.

“See that thick forest over there? I want you to find a good spot near or in there, so we can stay out of sight. Then, we will get our recon going.” Ordered Roberts, “oh! Radio up to Eagle’s Nest to let them know we’re about to land and that we’ve found what seems like a town or a city of sorts. We will be updating them shortly. Also, your codename when we get on the ground is going Viking 1.”

“Roger Captain!” Quickly responded O’Hansen. The shuttle then started its descent towards the forest. After hovering close to the treetops, finally a spot was found; it was a large opening in the trees, but the shuttle could still be somewhat hidden, and it was closer to the town they had seen earlier. As the ship settled and the engines shut down, the crew opened the rear ramp and moved outwards to secure the area. The cargo bay of the ship had some essential supplies for the shorter recon mission; oxygen tanks, M.R.E.s (Meals Ready to Eat), some distilled water, medical supplies, and some other misc. things. Once the area was secured, the cargo ramp was closed and the small squad regrouped. “Okay men, we’re going to slowly move towards where that town was spotted, I need to know what we’re dealing with. Which means, safeties on, but keep those trigger fingers ready; we have the tools, rather them than me. Report everything you see, the radio logs are being recorded. Alex, get out the motion scanner.” Ordered Roberts.

“On it!” Replied Alex.

“Johnson, grab the atmosphere scanner and see if you can get samples. I want to know what happens if we take our helmets off.” Ordered Roberts.

“Getting samples!” Answered Johnson.

“Captain! Just got off with Eagle’s Nest! The connection was clear and they’re expecting and update in an hour! Over!” Pronounced Viking 1 over the radio.

“Roger that Viking 1! That is good to hear that our long range radios still work! We are still en-route to the edge of the town, will update you shortly. Over and out.” Responded Roberts. As a few minutes went by, the forest seemed to become louder, and more, dark. Suddenly, there was movement and what seemed like growls came out of nowhere.

“Captain! I got movement on the scanner! Multiple contacts! Front!” Yelled Alex.

“Eyes open and ahead! This isn’t our world, and we have no idea what thinks were dinner!” Responded Roberts. Hopefully, this wasn’t other humans, we don’t have the resources nor the people to start a conflict. Then, suddenly, a large, wooden looking creature jumped out of the bushes along with two others flanking it. “Hold fire! We don’t know if they’re hostile!” Yelled Roberts.

“What the hell are those things?! They’re like wooden wolves!” Said Alex. Then, one of the wolves started to dash forward, mouth open in a howl.

“Safeties off! Open fire!” Screamed Roberts. .45 cal bullets started flying and penetrating the first wolf. Once the wolf fell, the last two attempted to pounce on Alex; Roberts fired three shots that hit their mark on the wolf’s head and neck, that then fell to the ground defeated, dying. Unfortunately, the other wolf was still mid-pounce on the closer target, Alex, and managed to knock her to the ground before getting mowed down by more bullets. “Alex! Report! Are you injured? Is your suit punctured?” Questioned Roberts.

“*Cough* I’m good! Some scratches on the chest plate and some minor possible leaks, but nothing serious.” Responded Alex.

“Let’s keep moving.” Ordered Johnson.

“Viking 1! This is Alpha 1! We just got attacked by some wooden looking wolf, over!” Said Roberts.

“A what? Repeat your last, over!” Called out Viking 1.

“It was a-“

“Timberwolf sir.” Blurt out Alex.

“It was a Timberwolf Viking 1! A dog like creature made of what looked like wood! Over!” reiterated Roberts.

“Shit, okay Alpha 1. We will update with Eagle’s Nest. Any injuries? Over.” Asked Viking 1.

“Nothing major Viking 1. But we are approaching the town. We will update you shortly, over.” Responded Roberts.

“Roger, we will be waiting. Out” Returned Viking 1. Roberts really wished that he wouldn’t meet any more of those things on the way to the outskirts of the town, and on the way back. After what was about 10 minutes of walking and constantly watching for movement, the small team reached the outskirts of the town. The squad crouched down while Roberts and Johnson pulled out their rangefinders from their packs, and took a quick look. Thankfully, it was easier to see details in what appeared to be morning. There was definitely activity in the town, now to see what inhabited it.

“Johnson, are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Questioned Roberts.

“I think I do sir.” Responded Johnson.

“What? What is it?” Chimed Alex.

“Colorful ponies…”

Author's Note

HAHA! Cliffhanger! Hope you guys enjoyed the first exciting chapter of, The Eximius Mission! Any suggestions will be welcomed! Just don't be a snot! The pattern of updates will depend on the amount of pull for this story and my available time. At moment of writing, it is EOC season and I got a lot of school, so it is TBD.