(This is a repost of initial journal entry from previous forum, since it hasn’t been published yet.)
Character Name: Feng Zho
Character Description: A second wave Elysian scientist turned reluctant fighter in a new land, Feng tries to understand the mysterious forces controlling reality on Next Island while trying to uncover what happened to his family.
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Journal Entry 1:
Log Date/Time (Local): 41y_92d_1054m
Log Date/Time (Universal/Calypso Time): 55Yac_42D_0423
Attempts at merging the new teleporter install at new outpost x1357y902 with the Next Island teleportation network has so far been a dismal failure. I have performed the standard frequency matching procedure five times now over three days, and each time, the same result, which is to say the new teleporter installation remains unmerged with the network. From experience, I knew frequency tuning procedure was a finicky process, but the issue is starting to appear to be more than a problem of difficulty.
My instruments have detected a significant amount of anomalous noise, which my directional detectors suggest is coming from the south. The noise is likely interfering with our ability to establish a resonant link between us and the network. Elysium scouts have also reported significant amounts of Haruspex activity in that area. The relationship between the Elysium settlers and Haruspex is good, so there is not much desire to ‘rock the boat’ and confront the Haruspex regarding the energy signatures emanating from that region. However, if we wish to establish a teleporter link to this outpost location to extend and protect the Elysium’s settled territories, some confrontation may be unavoidable. Within the Elysium, there are some who question the motivation of the Haruspex and how they can be convinced to follow the Elysium’s philosophical teachings. There are rumors too that the Haruspex have the capability for interdimensional travel, without the materials and technology that the Elysium Alliance has spent dearly to develop. But those are rumors, and I find them somewhat laughable. But I digress. My likely solutions will be some apparatus to reduce the incoming noise, or, god forbid, having to determine the source of the noise. I shall try the standard protocol one more time, and make my report and suggestions to the Elysium Defense Laboratory.
Having ended my log entry, my mind returned to the problem at hand. My inability to achieve success with teleporter network merge was immensely frustrating. If only I could find an error I had made in my parameter calculations that could fix the problem. I slowly lowered my head until my forehead bumped the edge of my laboratory table. Thump. Thump. Thump. Perhaps I was being a bit melodramatic, but thumping my head against a desk seemed an appropriate and therapeutic response to the frustration I was feeling.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I heard a chuckle behind me, and quickly raised my head from the table, grinning sheepishly at the figure in the doorway. “Having trouble?” Linara asked, sounding a bit amused.
“That’s embarrassing,” I replied sheepishly. “And yeah. The last attempt ended up with the exact same results as the previous four. You know that saying about the definition of insanity and all that…”
“What’s that?” Linara asked.
“Something about doing the same thing and expecting different results or something like that. It would be easy if there was an error I made that I could find. But I’m almost 100% certain I’m correctly calibrating the teleportal frequencies. There is just so much noise here.”
“You’ll figure it out,” Linara assured me. “The future of the Elysium Alliance is in your hands, Feng!”
“Yeah, no pressure,” I grumbled, before realizing Linara was teasing me.
“I’m just kidding! It’ll work out. You should take a break and let those thoughts ruminate a bit in your subconscious,” Linara suggested. I was about to say how much other work I had to get done before the end of my assignment, but stopped myself. “Yes, perhaps that’s a good idea to take a break,” I replied.
Linara was one of the guards stationed at this outpost, which stood at the northern edge of Elysium Alliance territory. She was tall, with curly dark hair. Probably a few years younger than me, though I never asked. Her friendly, bubbly demeanor belied her expertise for taking down enemies with speed and precision, which I had the chance to see when the outpost was ambushed by drakes the first night I arrived. She single handedly managed to bring down two vulcan drakes. From the other guards in the outpost, the word is that Linara spent time fighting alongside the New Elysian Order in the north.
I stood up from my laboratory table. The stiffness in my legs corroborated the fact that I had indeed been sitting for too long. “I’m going to go for a walk,” I said, to no one in particular.
“Want me to come along?” Linara offered.
“No, I’m okay. Thanks,” I replied, as I grabbed my laser pistol from the wall and holstered it. “I can use some alone time to think. I won’t go far”
“Alright, but be careful out there. I don’t want to write a casualty report for you.”
“I’ll be fine. Just a few steps around the shelter, and I’ll be right back.”
I left the tent, and walked north towards the river that ran north of our outpost base. I came to the place where the river from the north forked and became two, one flowing east, and one west. The recent storms had made the rivers choppy and turbulent. I loved watching the river. When my mind was consumed by a problem, I found the rushing river could wash my worries away, and bring me back to a calm center. I stood hypnotized, watching the river current drive water to crash against the rocks in the river.
I heard a crack from a branch breaking behind me. I spun around. In front of me, about 20 feet away, was a woman that I did not recognize. Her face was partially wrapped in a cloth, and she wore a leather and cloth shirt. Her clothing suggested she was a Resa nomad, but why was she here, and alone? My hand went to the holster of my gun. It was empty. I groaned internally. You damn idiot, I thought. You are in for it now…
The woman raised her hands and pointed something at me, and I froze. In the woman’s hand was my pistol, now pointed at my head.