AN:
This is a story originally written for the 2024 edition of Worldbuilding Exchange based on the "Rediscovered lost colonies in space" prompt. It's also available on AO3.
A collection of documents pertaining to the actions of VCB
Aleph Null during its exploration of uncharted system UW-97.
Ship's Log
EXA-20458 — VCB
Aleph Null
Survey campaign ED25
Consolidated time stamp: 48.12.36 TSU
03:68 – Exit from jumpspace in uncharted system UW-97 at scheduled time. Distance 6.3, emergence vector 350-12.
03:69 – Full system recovery from jump malaise; all parameters nominal.
03:70 – Initiating reorientation maneuver; RCS thruster 19 operating at 85% efficiency.
03:71 – End of reorientation maneuver. New bearing 150-330; all parameters nominal.
03:71 – Initiating main burn; all parameters nominal.
03:78 – End of main burn; all parameters nominal.
03:78 – Start of ballistic trajectory.
Transcript of internal surveillance footage
EXA-20458 — VCB
Aleph Null
Consolidated time stamp: 48.12.36 TSU
Location: Bridge
Camera: 8 (Long-range intrasystem imaging consoles)
Excerpt starts at 03:83:25
Trainee Beaumont appears surprised by something on their console.
Trainee Beaumont looks towards the console on his right and tries to catch the attention of Specialist Guez who is operating it.
Specialist Guez: What is it?
Trainee Beaumont: Are you seeing that?
Trainee Beaumont motions towards their screen.
Trainee Beaumont: I think that's above my paygrade…
Specialist Guez: Oh, so you're getting paid now?
Trainee Beaumont: You know what I mean.
Specialist Guez: Let me see…
Specialist Guez leans towards Trainee Beaumont's console.
Specialist Guez: What am I supposed to see there?
Trainee Beaumont points at something on the screen, hidden from view by their body.
Trainee Beaumont: I mean, this, there, the… the fifth planet?
Specialist Guez: What about it?
Trainee Beaumont: It's habitable, right?
Specialist Guez leans back.
Specialist Guez: Ah, yeah, but that's normal. Or, well, not surprising. The atmospheric composition was in the long-range spectrographic data we got before the jump. Nitrogen and oxygen, traces of carbon dioxide, the whole work. I know you're still doing your service, but you really should have read it, that's not…
Trainee Beaumont interrupts with a frantic hand gesture.
Trainee Beaumont: No no, I mean— well, no, I read it, do you really think I would not read any preliminary data?
Specialist Guez: I've known trainees that did not.
Trainee Beaumont: I… Right, but, I meant, that's not the problem, it's just… look!
Trainee Beaumont points again at something on the screen, still hidden from the camera.
Trainee Beaumont: Right there, look at the nightside!
Specialist Guez jerks back.
Specialist Guez: Show me the infrared.
Trainee Beaumont types on the control board.
Specialist Guez: Shit.
Trainee Beaumont: What?
Specialist Guez: No strong thermal signature means it's not wildfires or volcanoes.
Trainee Beaumont: So this means it's…
Specialist Guez: This means we have to report it.
Specialist Guez pivots on their chair and motions for a supervisor. They appear concerned.
Supervisor Ireka enters the camera's field of view.
Supervisor Ireka: What is it, Specialist?
Specialist Guez: It's, ah, it's, look at Beaumont's screen.
Supervisor Ireka leans forward toward the screen.
Trainee Beaumont: The, the, it's, the, the fifth planet, its ni- nocturnal hemisphere, I'm getting some peculiar readings that, that would suggest…
Supervisor Ireka: Infrared?
Specialist Guez: We've checked, there's nothing suggesting a natural phenomenon.
Supervisor Ireka: Goddess be damned, I thought we were far enough from League space to avoid such things.
Supervisor Ireka takes a step back and turns toward the command islet.
Supervisor Ireka [shouting] : We have a case BABEL EUREKA here!
Ship's Log
EXA-20458 — VCB
Aleph Null
Survey campaign ED25
Consolidated time stamp: 48.12.36 TSU
03:85 – Entering condition BABEL EUREKA
03:85 – Shutting down Fusion 2 to 4; all parameters nominal.
03:85 – Retracting radiators; all parameters nominal.
03:85 – End of ballistic trajectory.
03:85 – Initiating reorientation maneuver; all thrusters at minimal power.
03:86 – End of reorientation maneuver. New bearing 250-38; all parameters nominal.
03:86 – Initiating main burn; all parameters nominal.
03:97 – End of main burn; all parameters nominal.
03:97 – Start of ballistic trajectory.
Access console M-327
Internal database search history
Logged-in user: Trainee Beaumont
1:02 – weird rash on ankle
4:14 – what is code balbe eurequa
4:14 – what is code babel eureka
4:20 – end of the second league
4:34 – how many planets in the second league
4:36 – influence of gamma ray burst on jump stability
4:36 – can you forget how many planets you have
4:42 – how do we know there are no aliens
4:97 – best holomovie about aliens
Memo sent on all private consoles onboard VCB Aleph Null
Archived 48.13.36 TSU
To all crew members and passengers,
We remind you that under the current conditions, the reactor is only operating at 10% of its nominal output and that all produced heat must be stored on board.
We thus kindly ask you to avoid using any nonessential machinery and to reevaluate the urgency of all essential tasks to postpone them as much as possible.
In this context, "nonessential" includes but is not limited to:
- Large scale holographic devices
- Meal preparation outside of the cafeteria
- Non-critical repairs
- Computational heavy experimental software (you know who you are)
- Use of refrigerated rooms for anything other than supplies and mission-related equipment (the sauna operates thanks to waste heat from other systems and can as such still be used)
We do not yet know how long this situation will persist, but as long as everyone does their part it shall prove to be nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
— your friends in engineering
Planet UW-97-05 — Hazto [local name unknown]
Preliminary Observation Record
Version archived on 48.13.36 TSU
Star: UW-97 [see main file for characteristics]
Orbital Characteristics:
Semimajor axis: 116,8 M ± 0,2
Eccentricity: 0,06 ± 0,01
Inclination: [not enough data]
Ascending node: [not enough data]
Period: 260 d TSU ± 1
Satellites: None
Physical Characteristics:
Mean radius: 7460 ± 40
Mass: 1×1025 ± 0,016
Oblateness: 0,0034
Rotational period: 1,25 dTSU ± 0,05
Obliquity: 2,6° ± 0,1
Mean surface temperature: [not enough data]
Surface gravity: 12 ± 0,32
Atmospheric composition: Nitrogen (est. 79%), oxygen (est. 19%), other [not enough data]
Notable properties
Presence of life
Human population [not enough data]
Addendum: Estimation of local technological advancement [Specialist Bhosle]
With barely a day of data, and especially given our current distance from the planet, few things can be known about the humans living on Hazto:
- Night-side illumination indicates the presence of artificial lighting, but their relative scarcity suggests the invention was recent
- Heavy industrialisation ruled out by the absence of atmospheric contaminants
- No radio waves or any modulated emission were detected
- Preliminary imaging tends to show vast expanses of untouched nature
It should be noted that surviving League data on colonization efforts in this sector are fragmentary and do not allow for any conjecture concerning the magnitude and equipment of the initial establishment.
We can thus estimate that civilization on Hazto has recovered enough to reach Stage 4. Their most plausible sources of energy are deemed to be human and animal power, wind, and wood burning. A large number of small independent policies should be expected, as well as an extremely rudimentary knowledge of astronomy. Preservation of League data and knowledge of their status is deemed unlikely.
A true, dedicated mission is necessary to ascertain more.
Transcript of internal surveillance footage
EXA-20458 — VCB
Aleph Null
Consolidated time stamp: 48.19.36 TSU
Location: Crew cafeteria
Camera: 15
Excerpt starts at 5:06:77
Operator Asen and Technician Orelov are seated next to each other and are eating.
Two individuals enter the field of view holding food trays, their backs turned to the camera, and approach at the same table. They were later identified via their voices as Operator Mavor and Operator Akkan
Operator Mavor: Can we?
Technician Orelov: Yeah, sure.
Specialist Mavor and Akkan sit down in front of Specialists Asen and Orelov.
Operator Asen: So, what have you got today?
Operator Mavor: I'm not sure, some kind of…
Specialist Mavor prods his food with an utensil.
Operator Mavor: Some kind of lukewarm purée. You?
Operator Asen: I would have said "paste" but yeah, something like that. I'm sure it has all the nutrients and everything but do they really have to serve it cold?
Operator Akkan: Urg, tell me about it. I really hope we won't stay here too long, I'm getting really fed up with the energy restrictions.
Operator Mavor: Yeah, I know. You'd think "properly cooking food"
[Operator Mavor mimes the quotation marks] would count as an essential use of reactor power, and yet.
Operator Akkan: And yet!
Operator Asen: And I mean, you've seen the latest report?
Operator Mavor: The one that was circulated yesterday?
Operator Asen: That one, yeah.
Operator Mavor: What about it?
Operator Asen: We're dealing with people that are still sailing their oceans!
Nothing is said for three point seven seconds.
Operator Mavor: …yes?
Operator Asen: I mean, actually sailing! With sails!
Operator Asen waves their utensils around, apparently for emphasis.
Operator Asen: They haven't got any kind of tech that could even remotely be able to detect us! I'm not even sure they're aware that infrared exists or can be used to see shit! This entire thing, the whole stealth game, it's entirely pointless!
Operator Akkan: If that's true, then surely we'll soon be back to normal, no?
Technician Orelov: I wouldn't count on it.
Operators Akkan, Asen, and Mavor turn toward Technician Orelov. Asen looks surprised.
Operator Mavor: You know something?
Technician Orelov shrugs.
Technician Orelov: I wouldn't say that I know, but… well, you hear things. People that know people that once were on the executive council.
Operator Mavor: Yeah?
Technician Orelov: Well, word is that they don't know what to do.
Operator Asen: What? But we've been under that useless protocol babel whatever for days! What are they even waiting for?
Technician Orelov: Hey, don't look at me like that!
Operator Asen turns back to their tray. They look dejected.
Operator Asen: Ah, sorry, sorry, it's just…
Technician Orelov: I'm not exactly thrilled about eating room-temperature plaster either, you know?
Operator Akkan: So, did your, uh, friend, explain why they didn't know what to do?
Technician Orelov leans back and raises their hands in front of them.
Technician Orelov: I'm not a spook, omnisciently aware of everything that's going on behind closed doors, you know.
Operator Asen: Come on, you know that won't work on us.
Technician Orelov sighs.
Technician Orelov: Well… Grapevine says that the last time an exploration ship found one of these lost League worlds, everyone on its executive council got a posting in HQ. So our own ones are trying their best to not do anything too stupid, so the bigwigs will give them some shiny reward when we come back home.
Operator Asen: Oh, yes, because running on minimum energy use for too long is such a non-stupid move.
Operator Akkan: And why would an exploration executive care about getting to work at HQ? That's, like, as far as you can get from the field as possible!
Technician Orelov: I don't know, politics or something.
Operator Asen: Bah, it's always "or something" with you!
Operator Mavor: So, what, we're just going to stew there until they decide, what, that they know enough and can do things in a way that'll look good at home?
Technician Orelov: I'm not the executive council.
Operator Asen: Yeah, you just wish you were.
Private message sent from console R-119
Blocked and archived according to condition BABEL EUREKA
Pending delivery
From: Specialist Bhosle, VCB
Aleph Null
To: Specialist Campbell, VCB
Tau Zero
Subject: The idiots in charge
J,
I should have listened to you. And you'd better savor the next words: you were right. The posting was perfect, but good goddess the executive council is so full of indecisive invertebrates you'd think we get our marching orders from a tub of jellyfishes. Nine days we've sat in orbit of our newest target, and they still haven't settled on anything! Maybe they plan to make a little party to celebrate a full week of nothingness — oh, wait, silly me, we can't use anything that could be vaguely thought of as festive. Except, of course, the sauna. Why is it always the sauna? I don't even like those! Though given our current rhythm, sooner or later the entire ship will just be one.
I've tried to talk to them, asked permission for an atmospheric survey mission, and hey, who knows, maybe we could have said hello? It's not the first time someone finds a League colony unaware the old management isn't around anymore! But nooo, we have to evaluate things, to temporize and get more data. Can't risk anyone thinking we might hypothetically make a potential mistake that, maybe, can conceivably have theoretical consequences! As if there was something reproachable in not letting League colonists drink their wastewater or something like that. I know we're on an exploration ship and that we can't be too rash, but staying in place trying to look inconspicuous is still making a choice! Who even votes for such doormats to the executive?
Ah, well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I hope this won't last too long, I had great hopes for the next system we were supposed to survey. Apparently it has one of these neat ringed planets!
As always, thanking you for letting me ramble,
Shanti
Minutes from the 4912nd quotidian meeting of the Executive Council
Starship VCB Aleph Null — 48.20.36 TSU
In attendance:
- Specialist Fthol, astrogation
- Supervisor Krosov, crew management
- Specialist Quo, long-term planning
- Technician Vahelenata, life support
- Specialist Zimena, science department
The meeting proceeded to the following agenda:
0. Opening of the quotidian meeting of the Executive Council
1. Complaints about condition BABEL EUREKA
2. Updates in the data concerning planet Hazto
3. Vote on the pursuit of operations
Opening of the quotidian meeting of the Executive Council
The meeting was opened by Specialist Quo, holding the rotating position of Chair for this week. No foreword and no introductions were made.
Underitem 1 from the agenda
The Chair proposed for discussion the report on morale previously approved and invited Supervisor Krosov to make a brief exposé about the provisional results.
Supervisor Krosov reported that a majority of people aboard were expressing grievances about the situation and that the interrogations about the time it would be resolved were becoming more frequent. The numbers that were given tended to be lower for the crew than for passengers and other mission personnel, but remained high in all groups with the highest level of dissatisfaction being found among kitchen operators. Common complaints included the reduced level in living conditions (food and temperature), the lack of power for all non-essential uses, and the uncertainty and lack of communication concerning the mission or the planet.
The Executive Council took note of this information but no comments were made.
Underitem 2 from the agenda
The Chair proposed for discussion the update concerning the available scientific data for planet Hazto (local name unknown) and invited Specialist Zimena to make a brief exposé about the latest results.
Specialist Zimena reported that the mapping of all roads and cities of the main continent had been completed, allowing for a better understanding of the population's habits, as well as the implementation of a closer model of cloud distribution in the warm season to explain the patterns seen in settlement distribution. Specialist Zimena also reported tentative geology results, but dismissed those as "non-mission critical".
The Executive Council took note of this information but no comments were made.
Underitem 3 from the agenda
The Chair proposed for discussion the next phase of activity and invited all to express their opinions and propositions for the following days of operation.
Technician Vahelenata suggested that the BABEL EUREKA conditions be canceled as soon as possible, insisting on the overtaxing that reduced cooling capacities induced in all systems, and more specifically on the temperature of the inhabitable compartments. Supervisor Krosov seconded that proposition, reminding the Executive Council of the general irritation found in all personnel. When asked by the Specialist Quo to explain what should be done instead, Technician Vahelenata refused to elaborate and solely asserted the desire for the conditions to be rescinded, no matter what followed.
Specialist Zimena refused to entertain the idea, offering the relative lack of knowledge currently held about planet Hazto or its inhabitants as a justification to remain as discreet as possible until the science department could be reasonably certain that the ship's presence presented no risk of cultural contamination. Specialist Fthol made a few remarks about the lack of cultural experts in said department, then apologized and asked for those to be stricken off the record. Specialist Zimena conceded the absence, but refuted the uselessness of the approach.
Specialist Quo asked Technician Vahelenata how long the ship could continue running under the current conditions. Technician Vahelenata had no firm answer, emphasizing that the sooner it would be possible to return to nominal conditions, the better.
Specialist Quo asked Supervisor Krosov if, given their expertise in people management, they had an opinion on the plausible reactions that could be expected from the planet inhabitant if they discovered the ship. Supervisor Krosov estimated that, given what was known of their technology level, it would be extremely improbable that such a situation ever came to pass. Specialist Zimena wished to express a formal complaint concerning the intervention of an outsider in a field pertaining to the science department.
Specialist Fthol suggested that the current waiting time had been more than enough and that, if there were no risk of being detected, it would be "stupid" not to go back to nominal conditions. Specialist Zimena dismissed these claims, highlighting the lack of data on the planet's population and their actual level of technology, adding that any action taken in this context would have far-reaching consequences.
Given the current deadlock in the Executive Council, Specialist Quo proposed to break radio silence and to directly ask for directions, reasoning that their situation was not unique and that their current circumstances had precedent.
Of all the members of the Executive Council who took part in the voting, 3 cast an 'AYE' vote, 2 cast a 'NAY' vote, there were no abstentions and the Executive Council thereby decided as follows:
A message will be sent to Headquarters, reporting the situation and asking for new orders. The up-to-date report on planet Hazto will be joined.
The meeting was closed due to the completion of the agenda.
Chair of the Meeting:
Specialist Quo
Record taker:
Technician Yenej
********* BEGIN TRANSMISSION *********
FROM: AUXILIARY FLEET COMMAND, MAENDER-ALKOOR SYSTEM
TO: EXPLORATION SHIP
ALEPH NULL, UW-97 SYSTEM
PRIORITY ROUTINE
FLEET CONFIDENTIAL ECHO
NO FOLLOW-UP
REF: CAMPAIGN ED25
RETURN TO BASE ON RECEPTION
DO NOT, REPEAT, DO NOT INTERFERE WITH THE LOCAL POPULATION
SPECIALIZED VESSEL
CHECKMATE WILL TAKE YOUR PLACE
AUTHENTICATION GLASS MORAINE POEM CABINET / 0x993189278726
********* END TRANSMISSION *********
