Captain’s Log, Part 1

Galat-10.26.31320.

Captain Jonah Valdez recording.

Admiral Michael sent Jorge and I to the rural continent of Xenebia on Sigma-95 to quietly investigate rumors of corruption because it has been a week with no word from Ariel on her diplomatic visit to Corinth. Jorge and I have been here for just a few days. Logos has already detected numerous concerning signs in the wildlife as well as data transmissions from network nodes throughout the planet’s web – all of which has been carefully funneled outside of public Galat feeds. I don’t want to believe it, but we are here to find confirmation of corruption and so far it doesn’t look good.

Galat-10.29.31320

Captain Jonah Valdez recording.

This is bad. My brother and I encountered a creature unlike any on Galat with evidence of significant corruption by technologies known to originate from Halel’s forces. What’s worse is that the manipulation of this animal’s make up was clearly intended to weaponize its vicious nature. If what we’ve seen is planet-wide we could be looking at an invasion or a subversion of an entire biosphere. I’m worried.

Jorge says that I need to trust the Creator’s plan, but this creature was wrong, I tell you. Wrong. First, it had the ability to become nearly invisible at will. We nearly lost track of it twice today on our attempt to follow the barbed canine to its lair to see if there were more of them. Yet this is not what is most disturbing. This creature stalks its prey with a degree of capricious cleverness that is far greater than its canine relatives and it seems to hunt for pleasure. While cloaked the only thing that is even partially visible is it a row of wicked looking spines that hover above the ground. In the high grass of the northern forests of Xenebia that’s not much help.

We are going to camp in a local hamlet tonight and interview members to find out more about this. They’ve been off the web for generations now. Maybe they can give us a new perspective.

Galat-10.31.31320

Captain Jonah Valdez recording.

These locals all seem to have one name on their minds – Ifset. They claim that some worship him, speaking of him with more reverence than the Creator. When the villagers stopped talking about Ifset, we were finally able to ask them about our encounter. They said that such beasts are legion and that they served this Ifset. They call it a Xenebian Razorback and put us onto the trail of one to confirm their claims.

In another worrying development Logos has noted a spike in masked communications between nations on other continents of Sigma-95. I admit now that I even though I doubted Michael’s choice to have us investigate such a rural part of the planet, he may well be right. At the end of the night one of the villagers, a young lady named Maggie stopped by to talk. She had just come home from what she called “the city school” in southern Corinth and mentioned a name that Jorge and I immediately recognized. If her story is about the same Ghaust we’ve heard of, this problem is far worse than anyone suspected.

Addendum.

My father just haloed me. Said he was headed to Corinth, but wouldn’t tell me why, “You’ll know soon enough.” Ugh. Father has spent years now teaching at the naval academy on astral-biological studies. He retired from command long ago – or so we’ve been led to believe. What is going on?

Galat-11.01.31320

Captain Jonah Valdez recording.

From our brief time observing the razorback in its hunts I can confirm that the spirit of this thing has been twisted into a predator that relishes in tormenting its victims. Once cornered, the razorback taunts and tortures its prey, feeding on a crimson mist that streams from the victim when the razorback is near enough. This act somehow drains the victim, confusing it and ultimately weakens it for the final kill. This creature is not natural – and definitely not good. Is it too late? Is this Ifset leader working for Halel to subvert Sigma-95 right under our noses?