STARFARING LOG: ENTRY 07-322

Log Date: Cycle 0 – Phase V: Low Lantern Drift, Lanternmark 63

Commander: Admiral J. Aurelia Caelestis

Vessel: The Medusara

System: Fringe Expanse – Sector 88-Δ

Planet Identified: Solanthis

Designation: Inland Verdant Zone, Approx. 11 km from Port Moonmarsh

10:28 LMT — Inland Survey

I departed the coastal perimeter this morning aboard a light skiff, accompanied by two navigators and a local guide who insisted the route would “make sense eventually.”

It did.

The terrain gradually transitioned from moss-heavy forest into open terraces carved directly into the land. The soil here is darker, looser, threaded with faint bioluminescent roots that withdraw when disturbed. Whatever lives beneath this region appears to tolerate cultivation. Possibly even encourages it.

We located a small agricultural settlement positioned along a natural rise, far enough inland to avoid tidal saturation but close enough to benefit from the planet’s harmonic moisture cycles.

It is not marked on any Fleet chart.

11:02 LMT — First Contact: Agricultural Operator

The settlement consists of a single large farmstead and several auxiliary structures, all grown rather than constructed. The primary operator identified himself as Khett Solvair. His form bears partial resemblance to multiple documented lineages, though none resolve cleanly. I have found no record of his species within Fleet archives.

He is one of the largest individuals I have come across since arriving at Port Moonmarsh; tall, broad-shouldered, and possessing dense, velvet-patterned layered wings folded close to his back. Antennae long and expressive. His eyes were not visible under thick hair.

He greeted us by correcting my estimate of his crop yield before I finished asking.

This appears to be his defining trait.

11:19 LMT — Crop Documentation

The farm maintains several cultivars not present along the coast:

• Lumen-Grain: Pale stalks that absorb ambient light and store it in compact kernels. High caloric density. Stable in low-atmosphere environments.

• Rootfall Tubers: Dense, downward-growing roots that resist displacement. Flavor profile mild. Sustaining.

• Starleaf Greens: Broad leaves that open and close in response to harmonic resonance rather than sunlight.

• Glow-Pollen Moss: Cultivated in controlled borders. Used sparingly as seasoning and low-grade fuel catalyst.

  
  

Khett keeps his records in numerical sequences carved into stone slabs. Ratios repeat. Intervals recur. I was unable to identify a calendar reference.

When asked how long the farm had operated, he replied:

“Long enough.”

Trade potential is estimated to be...significant by Dr. Illya N'shen's observance.

12:04 LMT — Cultural Note

During our discussion, I inquired whether others of his kind existed beyond Solanthis.

Khett paused. He performed a brief mental calculation whose method I could not identify, then replied:

“Some of us left a long time ago. Took the long way through the fog. Forgot where they came from.”

When I asked if he was referring to migration through the Veiled Ocean, he did not answer.

Archived pre-expansion folklore from Old Earth describes a nocturnal figure with comparable morphology and behavior. Those records were historically classified as non-credible and are included here for pattern reference only.

Their similarity to the subject is noted here without further interpretation.

13:22 LMT — Personal Observation

Khett offered us a meal prepared entirely from his harvest. It was nourishing, grounding, and remarkably good.

He insisted on calculating the nutritional balance before serving it.

I believe this farm could serve as a cornerstone for future trade agreements, should Solanthis ever permit that step.

For now, it stands as proof that the planet does not merely endure its inhabitants.

It provides for them.

I will submit soil samples, crop data, and a formal trade feasibility report upon return to The Medusara.

— Aurelia, out.