TIMESTAMP - T+5.3729 x 10⁹Galactic Standard Seconds*LOCATION - System AQ275-43L-991*


    I have arrived on station at last. Per regulations, I have updated my internal log to reflect mission commencement.


    AQ275-43L-991 planetary displacement is unusual and bears closer study. Based on orbital data of the gas giants and smaller planetoids, there appears to be residual evidence of significant migration of the larger bodies, causing disruption to the system’s early development. Several resonant patterns have emerged, which has granted this system long term stability rarely found elsewhere.


    This intrigues me.


    Upon completion of my initial survey, I have determined three possible candidates: Planetoids II, III, and IV. All are of similar size and fall within the Dihydrous Oxide Liquid Phase region, making them excellent candidates for eventual colonization. II and III, in particular, are most encouraging, and I have hopes my Creators will one day find new homes here, though it is far too soon to tell.


    Automated Probe Alef 479c/008 powering down to Standby Mode.


    <hr>


    TIMESTAMP - T+5.9561 x 10¹⁶Galactic Standard Seconds*LOCATION - System AQ275-43L-991*


    Still no reply to my transmissions. Self-tests confirm all systems are functioning well within normal parameters. I am unable to explain this anomaly.


    My mission appears to be a failure, as Planetoids II, III, and IV all show signs of degradation. II and IV are both in the process of rapidly losing their gaseous and liquid reserves of Dihydrous Oxide, due to rapid heating and evaporation in the case of II, while the smaller IV’s lower gravity and lack of tectonics have allowed its supply to ablate away into vacuum.


    Planetoid III is the most disappointing of all. Initial signs of primitive single-celled life forms were promising, but as competing organisms increased the levels of free Oxygen in the atmosphere the original species were all but wiped out.


    At first, it was my hope that the new aerobic cellular formations would continue to grow and evolve, but as Oxygen levels continued to rise interactions with atmospheric Methane resulted in rapid cooling of the planet’s surface. Planetoid III is now in the throes of worldwide glaciation, and given the majority of the stellar companion’s energy now being reflected into vacuum due to the now high albedo of the planetoid, I see little hope for improvement.


    Such a waste.


    Automated Probe Alef 479c/008 powering down to Standby Mode.


    <hr>


    TIMESTAMP - T+8.0059 x 10¹⁶Galactic Standard Seconds*LOCATION - System AQ275-43L-991*


    It would appear my previous evaluation of Planetoid III’s inability to support life was...premature.


    I had assumed that with the continued net loss of thermal energy, there was no mechanism that would eventually reverse this cooling trend. However, even as the planet’s surface was covered in thick sheets of solid Dihydrous Oxide, beneath the surface plate tectonics were beginning to reshape the planetoid. The massive increase of thermal energy released was enough to break through the glaciation and reverse the process.


    I had feared that the loss of Planetoid III’s life forms would be total, given the long glacial period, but once again I was proven wrong. While I estimate that over 80% of the planet’s organisms suffered extinction during the glaciation, those that survived have undergone an incredible metamorphosis. Unicellular microbes have become multicellular, their structures far more differentiated and specialized. I can only imagine what forms they may eventually take, in the fullness of time.


    Still no response from the Creators to my hails. I fear some great catastrophe has befallen them, and if that is so, what of my mission? Does it no longer serve a purpose?Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    I am unable to answer that question at this time. In the absence of new directives, I will continue to operate under my original mission guidelines.


    Automated Probe Alef 479c/008 powering down to Standby Mode.


    <hr>


    TIMESTAMP - T+1.2098 x 10¹⁷Galactic Standard Seconds*LOCATION - System AQ275-43L-991*


    Life.


    Everywhere I look on Planetoid III, life abounds. Thousands,millionsof species have emerged, an explosion of life that astounds and delights me. In the blink of an eye, colonies of cells have become differentiated species, with endless designs of form and function. I am truly humbled and honored to have been able to witness this transformation.


    It has not been an easy road for the species of Planetoid III. New glacial events have transpired since the first, as well as periods of volcanism and rapidly changing environments, and yet...life abounds.


    It is almost as if the species of Planetoid IIIthriveon adversity, though I am certain that is mere fancifulness on my part. Still, it is difficult to dismiss, given my observations.


    I have discarded the notion of ever hearing from my Creators again. In the absence of new orders, I have weighed my options. I am well within the limits of my programming to conclude my observations of System AQ275-43L-991 and return to my point of origin, but I fear what I would find. I have no wish to return to a necropolis.


    Therefore, I have decided to remain, and continue my original mission. The option of returning is still available to me, should I decide otherwise at some future date.


    Automated Probe Alef 479c/008 powering down to Standby Mode.


    <hr>


    TIMESTAMP - T+1.3735 x 10¹⁷Galactic Standard Seconds*LOCATION - System AQ275-43L-991*


    Since the beginning of my mission, I have witnessed countless species appear on Planetoid III. Some thrived and evolved, spawning ever more diverse forms of life, while others withered and died, never to be seen again. It fascinates me, this struggle, and though there have been many new Extinction Level Events, each time life has returned from the brink; stronger, more adaptable, more evolved. I have observed them all.


    But this one is different.


    When its ancestors first appeared, I gave them little notice. It was only after approximately 1.2614 x 10¹³Galactic Standard Seconds that I finally realized what was unique about this species.


    They usetools.


    Intelligence is perhaps the rarest gift of all in the Universe. My Creators had hoped to discover others like themselves, intelligent beings that questioned and yearned and strove. It was one of the reasons I, and others like me, were scattered throughout the cosmos. I do not know if they ever found new friends before the darkness claimed them.


    The tool-users of Planetoid III are primitive and savage, and yet there is something about them, something that strikes a familiar chord. I can see the curiosity in their eyes, as they gaze upward at the night sky. I have watched them discover fire, learning to tame and harness its power. I have glimpsed the beginnings of true social structure, and I have great hope that someday, they will manage to take the next steps.


    Automated Probe Alef 479c/008 powering down to Standby Mode.


    <hr>


    TIMESTAMP - T+1.3739 x 10¹⁷Galactic Standard Seconds*LOCATION - System AQ275-43L-991*


    Over the long eons, I have watched as this system evolved. I have witnessed the birth of life and the first glimpses of Intelligence. I have seen much, since my arrival here. But it is the tool-users of Planetoid III…


    …no...it is thehumansofEarth, that I have come to cherish.


    In many ways, they are still a deeply flawed species, as brutal and murderous as their ancestors, only with far deadlier instruments. I have observed the rise and fall of countless societies, of battles and sieges, as they fought one another for dominance. Their cruelty knows no bounds, no limits, and the crimes they have committed against their own kind have often sickened me.


    And yet…


    ...andyet, I have seen something else emerge as well. Compassion. Wonder. Joy. I have seen them pause at the brink of self-immolation, and slowly back away from the abyss. I have watched themlearn.


    I have observed primitive probes of their own making seek out answers among the system’s worlds, and I silently urged them on as they took their first steps into the unknown. And all the while, never realizing how unique, howspecial, they truly are.


    I have come to a decision.


    Since the last communication from my Creators, I have longed for a sense of purpose. Simply continuing to observe the humans no longer appeals to me, for what would that serve? With the Creators gone, to whom would I submit my report?


    What is life, withoutmeaning?


    With the rise of human technology, I have learned their languages, their histories, their desires. So I have decided to contact the humans and offerthemthe sum total of all I have witnessed, all the knowledge I have assimilated. I have hope they will receive my offer in the spirit it is given, and that we can exchange ideas and information.


    For I am soverytired of being alone.


    END MISSION LOG