Project Eden (1x1: Burning Rose and Artesian)

[Artesian]

The boy seemed anxious to be off as well, but was surprised at her nervousness. "Wait, one moment," he requested, and reached into a pocket on his arm, pulling out a small square box. There were buttons on the top, which he pointed to. "Please, take this. If you see anything unusual, press this button to talk with me." He made to toss the device to her, thought better of it, and put it down on the log beside him.

The boy crawled, as non threateningly as possible, over to his goggles, and put them on. Then, turning back to see if she picked up the communicator, he smiled suddenly. "I enjoyed talking with you. Thank you... I don't even know your name?" he said, his voice trailing off in an obvious inquiring tone.

-------------------------


LOG NOTE, 10/27/2751 (CONTINUED IN NEXT ENTRY)

[rose;]

Kaleena gazed at him with caution, not wanting to take what he was giving her, but then again she didn't want to leave it there and not ever be able to get in touch with him again. She didn't know exactly where she was going to hide it though... but he was offering her a way to get answers once more, if she decided that she wanted them once more. IT was too good to pass up.

When the man started moving towards the goggles lying on the grass, she edged around the log and picked up the cube, examining it from all angles before she let her hand drop to her side, still eyeing him, but she made for the trees, looking back just briefly as he asked a name. Half hidden in the leaves once more it didn't appear as if she'd tell, but she finally did. "It's Kaleena," she said. "Goodbye, Forest Spirit Peter." And with a smile, she was pulling herself back into the trees and bounding away.

The young girl went right back to camp, taking down a rabbit in the process so she could say she had been out hunting. She slipped back into camp without being noticed too much, bringing the squirrel to the person who usually dealt with them, and then heading back to her own tent, slipping the device under her pillow, wondering where else to better hide it.

[Artesian]

LOG NOTE, 10/27/2751

I PANICKED WHEN I SAW THE MONITOR BIRD SWOOP OVERHEAD. MY GUILTY CONSCIENCE RAN AHEAD OF MY REASONING, AND I FRIGHTENED HER OFF. I WANTED TO BE OFF INTO THE JUNGLE AS QUICKLY AS I COULD, TO HUNT THE BIRD DOWN AND ERASE THE RECORDINGS OF MY PRESENCE THAT MIGHT BE NOTICED BY THE AI TRAWLING THROUGH THE HOURS OF FOOTAGE FROM THE DISTRIBUTED CAMERAS. I COULD EASILY FEIGN A GLITCH IN ITS MEMORY, IF ONLY I COULD TRACK IT DOWN.

FEARING MY POSSIBLE INABILITY TO RETURN TO EDEN, I GAVE KALEENA A COMMUNICATOR. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA. I STILL DON'T. STILL, SHE IS MY BEST EYES AND EARS ON THE GROUND HERE, AND I - WELL, I MAY AS WELL BE HONEST. SHE INTRIGUES ME. THE ONLY INFORMATION I HAVE ON THE VILLAGE'S INHABITANTS IS FROM WATCHING THEM INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER. SO MANY OF MY COWORKERS ARGUE THAT THE RESIDENTS OF EDEN WOULD BE UNABLE TO COMPREHEND THE MODERN WORLD OUTSIDE THEIR SHELTERED VALLEY, AND THAT IT IS CRUELTY ITSELF TO EXPOSE THEM TO THE HARSHNESS OF REALITY. I DISAGREE. I THINK KALEENA CAN HANDLE THE TRUTH, AND MAY REQUIRE IT TO SURVIVE THE EVENTS AHEAD, IF I AM CORRECT.

KALEENA. THAT'S HER NAME.

I RETRIEVED MY GOGGLES AND TOOK A GOOD LOOK AROUND ME, TAPPING INTO THE CO-OPTED VISUAL STREAMS OF VARIOUS TENDING-BOTS. THE BIRD HADN'T GOTTEN FAR. I FOLLOWED ITS PATH, TRACED IN BRILLIANT RED IN MY VISION AS I DUCKED UNDER TREE BRANCHES AND TRIPPED ON LOGS. I PULLED MY NON-STANDARD STUNNER ROD FROM MY POCKET. USUALLY, THESE JUST SEND OUT A SMALL AMOUNT OF MICROWAVE RADIATION AT A SPECIFIED INTENSITY WHICH IS HARMLESS TO MOST ROBOTIC NEURAL SYSTEMS.

THIS ONE, A PRESENT FROM A FRIEND IN A COMMUNICATOR LAB, WAS CONSIDERABLY MORE DANGEROUS. I ACTIVATED IT, AND FLINCHED AWAY AT THE HEAT AND CRAWLING, PRICKLING PAIN IN MY HAND AS THE BEAM LEFT IT. A CRUDE PHASER, I SUPPOSE, BUT AN EFFECTIVE ONE. THE BIRD, WITH A SEMI-MECHANICAL SQUAWK, FELL FROM THE TREE, ITS BRAIN TEMPORARILY MALFUNCTIONING. I RAN TOWARDS IT AND HOOKED IT INTO MY WRIST COMPUTER, REPROGRAMMING ITS MEMORY AND DISGUISING MY ATTACK AS A SIMPLE MALFUNCTION.

IT WAS THE WORK OF ONLY A MOMENT TO ERASE ANY SIGN OF THE INCIDENT. I BREATHED A SIGH OF RELIEF, AND PROPPED THE FEATHER COVERED METAL BODY UP ON A TREE BRANCH.

I MADE MY WAY BACK TO THE ENTRANCE SHAFT AS FAST AS I COULD, HOPING I MADE THE RIGHT DECISIONS.

-------------------------

LETTER TO THE DIRECTOR OF EDEN PROJECT, UNSENT

Sir,

I would like to bring to your attention, the negligence of some of the officers of this project. Dr. Parkerton's data on Sector Theta was grossly highly somewhat inaccurate, due to insufficient monitoring of vegetation growth in the sector. Several disturbing indications of subnormal micro-climates show peculiar trends, not accounted for in our standard environmental models.

Attached are several gigabytes of data gathered on a recent fact-finding expedition to Eden's confines. I entered Eden in order to check my theories. In order to receive unbiased ground-truth from the project, I was forced thought it wise to engage in a technically unauthorized visit to the valley. I apologize for my unauthorized visit, and hope you will not hold this against me, considering that it was merely my curiosity and concern for our wards within the valley that led me to this little rule breaking.

I hope my findings are enough to secure a waver in this instance, and enough to bring the instability of Eden to your attention, in the hopes of solving this problem before it's too late, as I stated might happen in my last message to you. Which you did not respond to.

How the hell do you hope to manage the lives of these people with such lackadaisical inattention? The laziness of the other scientists on this project disgusts and disturbs me. Is the isolation of these people their excuse for not caring?

- Peter Giang, Maintenance Engineer

DATED 10/28/2751, 09:17:48
DELETED.

[rose;]

Days passed, uneventful. The camp was strung with worry though, tensions high. Even the children seemed to be unable to run about and laugh and play, and Kaleena was on high alert, as her father was too. The hunters had not arrived home that night she had gone out, and had not returned the next day, or even the day after that. There were few predators in their land, but there were some, and the land itself wasn't always forgiving. They always had come home the day they left- it wasn't as if prey was scarce, and they didn't travel too far... Even if it was late at night, they always returned with their catches.

It was the third day since Kaleena had met with Peter, and she was up beyond early. The sun had not even come up yet as she crept from her tent, being careful not to disturb anyone. It seemed only a few other people were up at such an hour, her father included. Approaching him from behind where he stood, gazing off into the trees, she stopped behind him. "What are we going to do?" she asked him, her voice soft as she did not want to disturb the others who still might be sleeping. After a long pause he answered, sounding rather unsure of himself. "I'll send out a group to look for them at noon, and have them return before nightfall, with the other group or not," he answered, giving a slight sigh. Kaleena was quite worried- her father was never unsure of himself. She gave a small nod, deciding that she was going to be in that group whether she had to sneak along or not.

Walking away once more, Kaleena wandered about before stopping herself, shaking her head. She knew she shouldn't just be wandering about, there were things to do. So, she sighed, heading back to her own tent to gather laundry. The girls did the laundry, but it wasn't labeled as the 'women's job'. The boys came and helped so often, usually if they wanted time to talk to one of the girls, or something similar, or they were asked to come help, but they did do the cooking. It was the same with the hunting done- the boys mostly did it, but if the girls wanted to come, they weren't told they couldn't. Kaleena was one that went the most, the others usually didn't want to. Once she had the woven basket in her arms, she stopped at the next tent over, the sun just barely peeking over the horizon at this point. "Ariel, come help with laundry," she called, and by the groan that came from the tent Kaleena knew her friend had already been awake. "Coming..." she heard, and soon a blonde haired girl peeked out, holding her own family's laundry. The two went around to the rest of the tents, taking laundry from people who couldn't come help, and gathering up the other girls who could help. Kaleena invited the kids along- the water was warm enough they could go swimming as long as they stayed out of the way.

Before long, the group was headed to the water source near by, baskets carried by everyone. It was usually a day long project, but with all of the people helping Kaleena couldn't see it taking that long. Usually people had other things to do, bu today there was worry hanging thick in the air, and no one was straying too far from camp. Wasn't going to be so easy to get out of stuff today. The kids squealed and shouted, running into the water as quickly as their legs would carry them. The older girls crouched down by the bank, a few boys in the mix, mostly younger brothers who hadn't wanted to go swimming. Most people talked as they began to work, but Kaleena sat a bit away from the others, staring down into the water as she worked methodically. She was mulling over the events of the days before, and how she still hadn't found a better place to hide the device he had given her. She'd looked at it over and over as she tried to figure it out, but with no results. It was such an odd thing...

The young girl had been right- the laundry took almost no time at all, only near an hour or two with so many people. Kaleena sighed as she hefted the wet laundry into the baskets, trailing behind the others as they took the path back to their camp. They arrived back as her father was approaching a group of the older boys, and Kaleena hurriedly set her basket down for someone else to hang to dry. Most people kept theirs sorted so they could hang them outside their own tent, but most people knew who's was who's simply by the designs on the cloth so she was sure hers would get back to where they belonged. She was about to volunteer to go in the group when there came a shout from the other end of camp, along with the sounds of horse hooves. Everyone seemed to crane to see, and when the first horse came into view, one of the wives rushed forward, embracing her husband. Kaleena sighed in relief, but she was not overjoyed as the others were. Neither was her father. Immediately, Kaleena's gaze searched for their catch- but she only found one scrawny deer over the back of one of the horses. Usually there was two or three- enough to last a while.

One of the men detached himself from the group, and Kaleena, her father, and him moved away from the rest of all the people, into a tent. "Why were you gone for so long?" her father immediately asked, and it was clear the other man was rather stressed. "I didn't want to bring them back with nothing, we made it there the first day. The forest is usually brimming with deer and rabbits, and there were none. I tried to assure them that they had simply moved somewhere else but..." he trailed off, shaking his head. Kaleena was having a hard time wrapping her mind around that. "No deer?" she asked, sounding shocked and rather doubtful. "No such thing!" There couldn't just be no more deer. "There were none. I could not find sign of any fresh tracks, any fresh anything..." He shook his head once more, but Kaleena wasn't listening so well any longer, sitting down as she tried to fathom such things. But no, it would get better soon. Of course, it had too... The rest of the hunting group came in soon to report, a rather long and tedious thing that took way longer than it should have, and it was near nightfall once more when they emerged from the tent. The clothes were hung around the village like area, and the deer had been taken care of. People milled about- sharing meals and just conversing. Now was the time everyone got together and talked, grew closer, or snuck off to be with a close one.

People filtered in slowly as they came back from bathing, and usually all the girls went after the men were back to go as a group. Kaleena waited until afterwards, since she knew that not all the boys were truthful, and some of them often went to lay low in the grasses and spy. It really wasn't as bad as it seemed though- neither gender were all too secretive about their bodies. They didn't wear many clothes in the first place, and it was often that you might glimpse someone getting changed through a gap in the tent openings. A few of the girls also knew about the boys, and they didn't mind, and it wasn't like the girls never went to spy too. But, Kaleena always waited until the last girl came back before setting off with her change of clothes.

It was late already by the time she had her clothes and was making her way to the lake, soap in hand. She didn't like changing in front of people, but she didn't mind the clothes she wore. That was due to a large birthmark over her right breast that her clothes covered, and she didn't like having it exposed. Not many of the tribe members had scars or birthmarks for some reason- at least not large ones. She was rather embarrassed by it, and therefor bathed alone. She washed quickly and headed back to camp quickly, not wanting to get lost in the dark. She pushed through the leaves and winced as she stepped on a few twigs, but continued quickly, not liking the dark all alone. She arrived back home as everyone was starting to go back to their tents, and sighed softly, having been wanting some time to talk to some of the boys that had went on the hunt. However, she supposed that could wait until tomorrow. She slipped into her own tent, shared with no one, since once you became old enough you usually got your own. Most people shared with a friend, and their friend moved out once they grew older and got a love interest, but Kaleena hadn't found anyone she could put up with long enough to also share a tent with. she crawled into bed as soon as she got something small to eat, thinking she would be able to fall asleep quickly.

That was not true. The young girl lay awake, staring at the ceiling for hours on end, or what seemed to be that long anyway. She was just about to get up and get something to eat, or something of the like, but froze with fear as she heard a voice. "Hello, Kaleena," it said, and she was so frightened that she was unable to move. There was no one she knew that would have snuck into her tent, but... that voice sounded familiar. "H-hello?" she asked, her voice shakier than she would have liked. But then she realized where it was from. Almost frantically, she searched for the device she had been given by Peter, the Forest Spirit. She held it gingerly in hand, gazing at it with wide eyes. "Hello?" she asked again, more steadily this time. "What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked, before realizing she didn't even know if he could hear her.

[Artesian]

PERSONAL LOG NOTE, 10/27/2751

THE ENTRY POINT FOR PHI QUADRANT IS WELL DISGUISED, OF COURSE. THE NATIVES OF EDEN ARE NOT PERMITTED TO EVER LEAVE THEIR VALLEY, AS THE CULTURE SHOCK FOR THE ABOVE GROUND IS JUDGED TO BE TOO SEVERE FOR THEIR MINDS, AND SUDDEN EXPOSURE COULD CAUSE COGNITIVE DISSONANCE DAMAGE POSSIBLY EXCEEDING THE BRAIN'S ABILITY TO HEAL ITSELF. (I DISAGREE, COULD BE DONE WITH SLOW ACCLIMATIZATION IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT BLAH BLAH SEE PREVIOUS LOG NOTES.)

THANKFULLY, NO ONE WAS LURKING BY THE ROCKY CLIFF-FACE THAT CONCEALED THE TRANSPORT TUBE. I ACTIVATED THE TUBE THROUGH MY TEMPORARY ACCESS CODE - PETER 4EVAH AL0N (JIMMY'S IDEA OF A JOKE) - AND SUPPRESSED A SMILE AS THE GLEAMING METAL APPEARED FROM BEHIND THE SURFACE OF THE GRANITE WITH A GRINDING CRUNCH OF MACHINERY. I SLIPPED THROUGH THE NARROW GAP AND PAUSED, LISTENING FOR OTHER PEOPLE BEFORE I WENT DOWN THE STURDY METAL LADDER TO THE TUBE SYSTEM BELOW THE VALLEY.

THE LIGHTS WERE LOW - THIS WAS THE QUIET TIME, REALLY. NO ONE CAME OUT HERE DURING THE DAY, AT LEAST ON FOOT. I CREPT DOWN THE CORRIDOR NERVOUSLY, AND NEARLY JUMPED OUT OF MY SUIT WHEN A HAND CLAPPED DOWN ON MY SHOULDER. "PETER," SAID THE VOICE OF MY BOSS. "CARE TO EXPLAIN THIS UNAUTHORIZED JAUNT?" HE GROWLED.

I SWALLOWED. "SIR. I... WAS CONCERNED. THAT. UM." SOMETHING WAS ODD ABOUT THE HAND ON MY SHOULDER. IT WAS TOO COLD? IT DIDN'T FEEL LIKE... I RELAXED AND SHRUGGED HIS HAND OFF MY SHOULDER. "DON'T YOU DARE DO THAT AGAIN." I TURNED AROUND AND POKED MY PERSECUTOR IN THE EYES.

"ACK, DAMMIT PETER, IZAT ALL THE THANKS I GET?" THE ANDROID BEHIND ME GLARED AT ME THROUGH HIS SMUDGED LENSES AND PULLED A POLISHING RAG OUT OF HIS SHOULDER POCKET WITH HIS THIRD ARM WHICH WAS FIXED WITHOUT MUCH CEREMONY IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS CHEST. HE TOLD ME IT WAS H*LL FINDING THREE-ARMED SHIRTS FOR HIMSELF.

"NO, THANKS FOR HELPING ME," I TOLD HIM, AND ADDED, "NO THANKS FOR THE SPOOKING ME."

JEEVES DID NOT SEEM REPENTANT IN THE SLIGHTEST. "YOU'VE GOT TA EITHEROR LEARN HOW TA SNEAK AROUND PROPERLY, OR ACT LIKE YA UNGUILTY." JIMMY APPOINTED HIMSELF MY MENTOR A FEW YEARS AGO, IN ALL THINGS SOCIAL. YES, I'M APPARENTLY WORSE WITH PEOPLE THAN AN ANDROID (AND NOT EVEN A PUBLIC RELATIONS ANDROID, BUT A MECHANIC). YES, I'M BEST FRIENDS WITH A NONHUMAN. YES, HE'S GOT A GIRLFRIEND. NO, I DON'T. ENOUGH EMBARRASSING STUFF, THIS IS A PERSONAL LOG, NOT A GIRL'S DIARY.

"MMM." I MUTTERED, FLICKING MY EYES AROUND DOWN THE HALL. JIMMY JEEVES GAVE A CHUCKLE AT MY PARANOIA. "I SHOULD BE GOING. TALK TO YOU LATER, JEEVES."

HE NODDED, AMUSED AT MY ATTITUDE. "GOOD LUCK. SEE YA TOMORROW - HEY, YA FREE TA COME TA STAR PARTY TUESDAY?"

"WHAT FOR?" I ASKED, A LITTLE PUZZLED.

THE ROBOT HELD UP ONE HAND. "FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU SOCIALLY. SECOND, IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR YOUR SANITY. THIRD, I'D LIKE YOU TO MEET MY NEW GIRLFRIEND." HE SHRUGGED. "OF COURSE, IF YOU'RE BUSY..."

"NO, NO, I'LL COME," I SAY, TRYING TO RECAPTURE MY COOL SOCIAL GRACES AND FAILING.

"GOOD. I'LL SEND YOU A WAVE."

SO, I WAS ROPED INTO GOING TO SOME STAR WATCH PARTY, STARING OFF AT THE SLOWLY TERRAFORMING PLANETS AROUND CETA-9, STARING AT LIGHT FROM YEARS AWAY, LOOKING INTO THE PAST. I USUALLY ENJOYED THAT SORT OF THING, BUT NOT THIS WEEK. NOT NOW.

I DIDN'T MEET ANYONE ON THE WAY OUT OF THE COMPOUND. IT WAS A BLESSING REALLY, NOT TO HAVE TO EXPLAIN MY PRESENCE TO ANYONE NOT IN THE KNOW. I GATHERED UP MY STUFF, REPLACED MY LOANED EQUIPMENT, AND TOOK THE TUBE OUT OF THE COMPOUND FOR THE CITY.

IT'S SNOWING HARD WHEN I ARRIVE, AROUND ABOUT MIDNIGHT.

-------------------------

Eye cam log
POV: Peter Giang

START

You can see Peter's hands coming away from his goggles, and, as he looks down, you can see his warm, wool-like coat enclosing his body. Snowflakes hit his hands as he pulls his scarf tighter around his neck, and they stick in dusty white patches on his sleeves. He looks up again, and you see the city as he walks down the side-walk.

It's a stunning sight, for anyone not accustomed to it. Brilliant white walls, set in with windows so clear that they almost disappear in the dim light of the bluish street-lights. Projectors gleam and sparkle as he walks along, lights coming alive in the darkness with cries of welcome and pleas for attention. You can't hear anything - the eye cam feed doesn't have any sound - but you can see the perfectly synthesized faces' lips moving. One beautiful face winks and blows a kiss at him.

You can just see it out of the corner of screen. The bulk of the screen is taken up by a view down the mostly dark street, with the snow blowing down from the heavens like pixelated sparks of white as it passes the through the beams of the bluish street-lights. A hand comes up to the left wrist. He looks down and selects something on his computer gauntlet.

A gleaming line now appears in the road, with a small notation next to it, stating the distance along the line Peter is from his destination, the apartment complex. He follows the ruby-hued line onto a cross street and comes out along a main street. More people are visible now, and not all of them look... human exactly. There's one, huge and furry, who doesn't appear to need a coat. There's another, pure ivory with blue eyes and hair, that is swaddled in thick cloaks. A few fairly normal looking people are also scurrying along, trying to make their way out of the snow as quickly as possibly.

Peter hurries along the street, and stops in front of a door. He waves his wrist gauntlet at it, and it unlocks, turning on a buttery warm light that lights the entry way he strolls along, pulling off his scarf and coat. Climbing a flight of stairs, he stumbles a bit and nearly drops the bundle he's carrying of his clothing. He stops in front a door that seems nearly identical to all others, and lets himself in with another wave of his wrist. Then, entering his apartment and dumping his stuff on a table beside the door, he reaches up and turns the eye-cam goggles off.

END

-------------------------

PERSONAL LOG NOTE, 10/27/2751

THE LAST TWO DAYS HAVE BEEN UNEVENTFUL, AS THEY HAVE BEEN OFF DAYS. I WENT OVER THE DATA I COLLECTED FROM MY EXCURSION, TABULATING THE DATA INTO A MORE MEANINGFUL FORM, THAT COULD BE USED AS A SUPPORT FOR MY THEORIES.

I WAS DISTURBED TO FIND THAT THE DAMAGE WAS EVEN WORSE THAN I THOUGHT. TWO SPECIES OF MOSS WE INTRODUCED HAD GONE EXTINCT. THE WILDLIFE SIGNS WERE FAR DOWN. I BECAME CERTAIN THAT NOT ONE BUT SEVERAL OF MY COWORKERS WERE FALSIFYING DATA IN ORDER TO KEEP OUT OF TROUBLE.

TODAY, THOUGH, I WAS FORCED OUT OF MY CHOSEN ISOLATION BY JENSON'S STAR PARTY. I DIDN'T EXACTLY MIND, BUT I DID MIND FINDING THE ATTACHED NOTICE ON MY FRONT DOOR WHEN I POPPED BACK TO GRAB MY E-READER, IN CASE OF BOREDOM.

FROM: MR. WONCE LUR (ALIAS: ZRATTED LANDLORD)
TO: PETER GIANG (ALIAS: ME)
DATED: 10/25/2751

Recommended to the Attention of: MR. GIANG (tenant)

I regret to inform you that, as of November 25th, your surprise product usage examination will take place. Please arrange your affairs in such a way that a thorough examination may take place with a minimum of unharmonious discord. Your apartment will be required to be empty for two days, for robotic inspection and (if necessary) fumigation.

This inconvenience is necessary, but unfortunately disruptive, and we offer our apologies to you, MR. GIANG.

Again: VACATE YOUR APARTMENT FROM THE 25th to the 7:00 AM on the 26th! The inspection process is dangerous and delicate.

Thank you for your continued business.

THE SECURITY MEASURES FORCED BY THE EVER GROWING BATTLE WITH CYBERCRIME WERE IRRITATING, BUT PERHAPS NECESSARY. SURPRISE INSPECTIONS ARE JUST A FACT OF LIFE. I GROANED AND WENT OFF TO THE PARTY ANYWAY.

IT WAS TEDIOUS, REALLY. TERRAFORMING IS NOT A SPECTATOR SCIENCE. YOU'RE NOT ABOUT TO SEE EXPLOSIONS AND FORESTS GROWING FROM NOTHING. STILL, SOME PEOPLE LIKE STARING AT FAR AWAY PLACES AND FAR AWAY TIMES. IT'S A BIT LIKE READING FAIRY TALES, OR WATCHING HISTORY HAPPEN.

AFTER CHATTING WITH WHOEVER CAME NEAR ME FOR ABOUT TWO HOURS, I EXCUSED MYSELF TO SIT SOMEWHERE QUIETER. THE ROBOTS WERE BEGINNING TO EXPERIMENT WITH BRAIN ALTERING PROGRAMS, AND THE HUMANS WERE DRINKING ETHANOL. I'M NOT A FAN OF MENTAL RELAXANTS OR STIMULANTS, AND SO I SECLUDED MYSELF AWAY FROM IT. THE GIRLS HERE WERE DULL, MINDLESS, AND TREATED EVERYTHING AS A TOY FOR THEM TO PLAY WITH. I DIDN'T LIKE THEM.

SO I SAT BY MYSELF AND THOUGHT. I WAS BOTH BORED AND ITCHING TO RETURN TO MY APARTMENT WHERE MY DATA AND UPLINK TO THE SUPER COMPUTER WAS. KALEENA DIDN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS. SOMETIMES I WONDERED IF THE PEOPLE OF EDEN REALLY WERE LUCKY... THE ANSWER SEEMED TO BE, MOST OF THE TIME, YES. IF NOTHING WENT WRONG.

AND MY MIND SPIRALLED OFF INTO THINKING ABOUT WHAT COULD GO WRONG. WHAT MIGHT HAVE GONE WRONG IN OTHER SECTORS. I NEEDED MORE DATA. AND... I KEYED UP MY WRIST GAUNTLET, THE GLOW OF THE SCREEN LIGHTING UP MY FACE IN THE DARKNESS. TALKING WITH KALEENA AGAIN WAS A BONUS TOO. TO GET THE NATIVES' PERSPECTIVE. I HOPED SHE WASN'T ASLEEP.

"HELLO, KALEENA?" I SAID INTO MY WRIST. SILENCE. BELATEDLY, I REALIZED THAT, IF IT WAS THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT HERE, IT'D BE VERY LATE WHERE SHE WAS AS WELL.

FINALLY, AS I WAS GIVING UP HOPE THAT SHE'D RESPOND, HER VOICE CAME OVER THE SPEAKER. "HELLO? WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS?"

SHE WAS THERE! "I HOPE I DIDN'T WAKE YOU UP?" I APOLOGIZED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. "JUST SPEAK INTO THE DEVICE. I CAN HEAR YOU FINE."

-------------------------

((Sooo, I'm thinking it'd make sense to go to shorter posts, as this is a dialogue, and there won't be much to describe? :3 Sorry to take so long, I just wasn't quite sure how to go about it.))

[rose;]

[ oh my goodness arty. now I realize why this took forever.]

Kaleena yawned widely, wanting to be able to curl up and return to sleep, but she knew even if she tried that she would be unable to sleep even if she had tried. She had been trying before, and it just hadn't worked. And now, after speaking to Peter, she definitely would be unable to. The young girl almost dropped the device again when his voice came through. "You didn't wake me," she said, giving a small shake of her head, even though she knew he would not be able to see her. Well, she wasn't so sure that he wasn't able to see her, and that thought made her pull the blankets up to her chin, afraid that he just might be able to.

"You can't see me, can you?" she asked, a slight fear to tinge her voice in that question, although she supposed it would be too dark in her tent to see anything even if he could. "What... what are you doing up so late?" she added, shifting in her bed, causing it to creak and the blankets to rustle. A small sigh escaped her as she waited for a response, looking around settling on the light filtering in from the moon. She would most likely get up and move later, but for now, she was warm under her blankets.

[Artesian]

PERSONAL LOG NOTE, 10/29/2751
"NO," I TOLD HER, "I CAN'T SEE YOU. THE COMLINK IS SOUND ONLY." THE FEAR IN HER VOICE WAS UNDERSTANDABLE. A VOICE IN THE DARK, COMING FROM A DEVICE THAT SHE THOUGHT WAS MAGIC WOULD SPOKE ANYONE. "I'M AT..." HOW WAS HE POSSIBLY TO EXPLAIN THIS? HE WAS AT A PARTY WHERE HIS FRIENDS WERE DRINKING INTOXICANTS AND WATCHING A PLANET TERRAFORM LIGHT-YEARS AWAY? "I'M AT A PARTY, A SORT OF FESTIVAL. WE'RE WATCHING THE STARS." TRUE ENOUGH, ALTHOUGH TECHNICALLY THE PLANET ON THE PROJECTOR SCREEN WASN'T A STAR. HE FELT A SUDDEN IMPULSE TO EXPLAIN. "DID YOU KNOW THAT SOME OF THE STARS IN THE SKY ARE ACTUALLY OTHER PLACES? SOME ARE OTHER WORLDS, A FEW EVEN WITH PEOPLE ON THEM."

-------------------------

((Cue cheezy music. What does she think stars are, anyway? Pinpricks in the shell of the sky? Ancestor's souls? Balls of fire a long way away?))

[rose;]

[omg I love that song ;-; totally didn't listen to it as I made this reply Hm... I'd say they would think they're the souls of their ancestors/deceased, and they watch over them.]

Kaleena gave a small, relieved sigh now that she knew she could not be seen, and reached up to brush her hands through her hair to comb it as well as she could as she sat there. "Okay..." she said, making sure to speak up so that she was sure she would be heard. Her head tipped slightly to the side as he explained, frowning just slightly. "If you are at a... party, then why are you... talking with me? And not other.. party goers?" She wondered exactly what was meant by 'party'. They had festivals, but not in the middle of the night. What he told her about the stars was not quite able to be understood though. "How is that... possible?" she asked, frowning as she spoke. "Is that what... the forest spirits believe then? That they're planets?"

[Artesian]

PERSONAL LOG NOTE, 10/29/2751
I CHOSE TO IGNORE HER QUESTION ABOUT THE PARTY... I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE DWELLING ON MY DISTASTE FOR POINTLESS MERRIMENT AND JIMMY'S CYBERNETIC AND SYBARITIC METHODS OF HAVING FUN. IT WAS A PECULIAR FEELING, REALIZING JUST HOW DIFFERENT HER LIFE WAS INSIDE EDEN COMPARED TO MINE. INSTEAD, I CONTINUED ON ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SUBJECTS, TRANSLATING THE SCIENCE OF ASTRONOMY INTO SIMPLER TERMS.

"YES, THEY'RE A MIXTURE OF BALLS OF FIRE - MOST OF THE ONES WE CAN SEE ARE FIRE - AND A FEW PLANETS. MOST OF THEM AREN'T PLACES WHERE PEOPLE CAN LIVE THOUGH. THERE ARE PLANETS THAT ARE ENTIRELY ICE AND SOME THAT ARE HOT AND DRY LIKE A DESERT," I EXPLAINED, A CRUDE SUMMARY OF THE THERMONEUTRAL ZONE WITHIN WHICH LIQUID WATER CAN EXIST ON THE SURFACE. IT WAS SURPRISING HOW FEW PLANETS FIT INTO THE NARROW GAP IN WHICH LIFE, TERRESTRIAL OR EXTRATERRESTRIAL, COULD LIVE. MOST PLANETS OUT THERE WERE FROZEN SOLID OR DRY DESICCATED CORSPES OF A POTENTIAL EARTH.

"THERE ARE OTHERS WHERE THERE'S NO AIR THAT WE CAN BREATHE, AND OTHERS THAT ARE COVERED IN ALIEN LIFE THAT DESTROYS OUR KIND OF LIFE," I CONTINUED. I WASN'T OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER FIRST HAND THE AMAZING DISCOVERIES IN XIAN-2. AN ENTIRE PLANET COVERED IN A VARIETY OF LIFE, EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE! MY GRANDFATHER HAD THE ARTICLE FRAMED PERMANENTLY ON HIS WALL IN HIS RETIREMENT HOME: ALIENS ARE OUT THERE! THE SHIP HAD TAKEN A FEW DECADES TO GET THERE AT NEAR LIGHT SPEED, AND MY PARENTS HAD WAITED ANXIOUSLY FOR THE REPORTS.

THE RESULTS HADN'T BEEN IN ANYONE'S IMAGINED PHANTASMAGORIA. THERE WERE PLANTS, STRANGE ANIMALS, BUT WHAT THERE WAS MOST OF WAS A PLETHORA OF SPECIES OF BACTERIA THAT ATE HYRDOCARBONS. DUE TO LACK OF CARE, SOME OF THE BACTERIA WERE TRACKED BACK TO THE SPACESHIP, AND THE PRECIOUS PLASTIC AND RUBBER SEALS OF THE AIRLOCKS WERE EATEN AWAY IN A MATTER OF DAYS. NO ONE IN THE MISSION MADE IT BACK ALIVE, AND WE STILL HAVEN'T GONE BACK.

"I SHOULD CORRECT YOU, I SUPPOSE. SPIRIT IS, UM, A JOB, NOT A SPECIES. I'M NOT AN ALIEN," I CONFESSED. A PARTY-GOER I'D NEVER MET WALKED PAST ME, STOPPED, GAVE ME A STRANGE LOOK, AND CONTINUED ON HIS WAY. YEAH, I BET THAT SOUNDED WEIRD.

((Because I'm such a geek I gotta tell you that those bacteria do exist, even here on Earth. They're generally purple, if I remember correctly. 8D))

[rose;]

[omg, really? o.o I learn so many things from you xD]

Kaleena listened hard, going over and over it in her mind. It just didn't make much sense. How could something so small, and so far away seeming be another place, another place that held life like them. Absurd. So, she chose to address the easier things first. "So you're a human, like us?" she asked, her voice curious now, very curious. "How do you become spirits then? Do people fro the tribe, do they?" She sounded so utterly and completely thrilled with the idea, and indeed she was eagerly awaiting a response to that question.

She fell silent again as she thought over the rest of it, but not long enough that it would be enough time to respond, and she probably interrupted him trying to start answering, but she wasn't thinking of that right now. "So... these... stars. How.. How do you know this? How do you know these things are out there? And these... these stars. They're the same ones that I look at?" Slowly, Kaleena pushed the blankets back, getting up and taking the cube in hand. She walked to the edge of the tent, peering out into the night sky, up at the twinkling stars. "Wait a moment, don't answer that. Don't talk until I tell you."

Kaleena left her tent, stealing across the grass, towards the tress, in her bare feet. When she reached them, she slipped between them, speeding up until she was almost running through the forest. She didn't stop until she reached the lake, and sat down on one of the large rocks. She wanted to be away from the others, so that they would not catch her speaking to him. "Okay,"she said as she sat there. "I am away from the rest of them now... I did not want them to hear you." She set the device on the rock next to her, looking up to the stars and into the water as she waited for him to speak.