STARFARING LOG: ENTRY 321

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

Filed By: Acting Survey Lead, Ensign R. Halden

Assigned Under: Imperial Oversight Detachment

Primary Vessel: The Medusara (Commanding Officer: Admiral J. Aurelia Caelestis — off-planet at time of incident)

System: Fringe Expanse – Sector 88-Δ

Planet Identified: Solanthis

Designation: Port Moonmarsh Perimeter, Verdant Forest

01:11 LMT — Field Survey Commencement

This entry is filed in the absence of Admiral Aurelia.

Imperial Command issued instructions to proceed with perimeter verification and sensor recalibration during his temporary reassignment off-world. The directive cited continuity of operations and independent verification of prior findings.

Local residents advised against conducting night surveys beyond the established lantern paths. No formal restriction existed in Fleet protocol. Their warnings were noted and disregarded.

The forest appeared stable at the time of entry. No harmonic surges. No filament anomalies. Atmospheric conditions within expected variance.

01:43 LMT — Contact Loss

Ensign Talen Virek volunteered to investigate a sensor irregularity along the eastern tree line. He was calm about it. Joking, even. He remarked that the planet was probably just “stretching.”

We let him go alone.

That decision rests with us.

His lantern light faded before we heard anything. No shout. No distress call. Just the absence of light where it should have been.

For several seconds, there was only silence.

Then we heard it.

A sound, low and deep. Not sharp like a roar. Not sudden like a strike. It was a drawn-out pressure, as if something enormous had shifted its weight through the forest. The ground vibrated faintly beneath our boots. Leaves trembled. Moss along the exposed roots pulsed once, then went still.

Only then did we see it.

Just for a moment.

Something stood just beyond the reach of our lanterns, half-hidden by the trees. At first, I thought it was a trunk that didn’t belong there. Too tall. Too still.

Then it shifted.

Not forward. Not back.

It unfolded.

Its outline did not resolve into anything sensible. Limbs where there should not have been limbs. Joints bending the wrong way, or not bending at all. Its surface resembled layered bark and wet moss pulled over a shape that did not understand what it was meant to be.

It was tall, but not upright. Its head—or what I assume was its head—sat too low, as though its spine had been pressed downward. There were no visible eyes, but I am certain it was looking at us. The pressure of its attention was immediate and suffocating.

The smell reached us then. Rotting leaves. Damp soil. Old growth disturbed. It coated the air and clung to the back of my throat.

The creature did not advance.

It did not threaten.

It simply watched us, motionless, as though deciding whether we were worth the effort.

After several seconds(crew insists minutes, I checked the time log to be sure), it turned away.

Not quickly. Not with urgency.

It stepped back into the forest, sharp sounds of branches snapping and creaking echoed.

None of us spoke until it was gone.

02:07 LMT — Search Attempt

I moved the Vanguard Team per General Hest's order further into the forest, where we came upon a dimly lit clearing.

The smell was stronger there. Sweet and decayed at the same time, like sap mixed within the rot. It thickened the air and made breathing feel deliberate.

Crewmember Virek’s personal recorder was located first. It lay undisturbed in the moss. No visible damage.

It was still warm to the touch.

(I do not know why that detail unsettles me the most...)

The final recording contains mostly ambient static, followed by the same low sound we heard earlier, except it was closer and clearer. Beneath it, Virek’s voice can be heard, very quiet and even more so unsteady, stating:

“The ground it's- It's breathing. I think- I don't know, but it's like I'm being watched from somewhere. Maybe-”

The recording ends there.

No blood was found. No drag marks. No signs of struggle. Only a shallow depression in the moss floor.

03:02 LMT — Termination of Search

Command ordered the search terminated prior to recovery of Ensign Talen Virek.

The following personal effects were located at the site and secured for submission and review:

• Personal recorder (functional; residual heat present at time of retrieval)

• Ensign identification patch

No additional remains were recovered.

The search area was vacated as instructed.

04:16 LMT — Personal Statement (Attached to Official Record)

This incident will likely be classified as an environmental casualty.

I am submitting this addendum because that classification does not reflect what occurred.

Whatever took Virek did not act blindly. It did not pursue the rest of us. It did not leave disorder behind.

It chose the member who had moved out of range from the group.

Admiral Aurelia was not present for this operation. The Vanguard Survey Team was deployed under Imperial authority at the recommendation of General Marrow Hest.

The existing protocol was insufficient to assess or respond to the conditions encountered during this mission. I have submitted Ensign Virek's belongings to the evidence department for examination and will work on filing the death report.

I respectfully recommend that all nocturnal operations beyond the Port Moonmarsh perimeter be suspended pending further review, regardless of standing directives.

This recommendation is made with full awareness that it may be denied.

— Ensign R. Halden