By Ember
SystemDATE{01.13.4110}
>CrewNAME{KOROTI}
>{16:10}
It appears as if we have a stowaway somewhere aboard the ship, as crew members have been reporting various strange knocking sounds, and feeling emotionally drained. This is an obscure affect from a stowaway, and I'd usually suggest therapy or a vacation for the afflicted, but with how some of those creatures were on that last planet, I fear we could have a genuine threat here. I've been scanning the ship over and over to look for any signs of intruder, but I have turned up empty-handed. I loathe the thought that one of those bugs got aboard, and may be feeding on my crew. Nasty parasites. If one did happen to find itself a stowaway on my ship, and I find it, I'll take the liberty of being the first to vivisect one.
>{16:24}
Engineering has reported an odd appearance of Junior Engineer Stella clocking out for her lunch break, then somehow reappearing within engineering. When questioned, she mentioned nothing of a lunch break, answering "I apologize, I was just on my way to the restroom," before running towards the reactor core. She spent three minutes running about, looking for an exit from engineering, before finding the exit door.
This is most peculiar behaviour for her, as she's been working on this ship for three years now. I'm starting to believe I may genuinely get the pleasure of performing that vivisection after all.
>{16:31}
Yet another obscure interaction between two crew members, this time it was in the medical bay, and Doctor Lauss was walking through, before trapping himself inside the equipment storage pod accidentally, saying he forgot the code. I have put out an order to detain any more crew members that appear to be acting in a similar manner, with how fast this creature appears to be moving, I'd imagine I'll have it within the hour, but just in case, I have us on yellow alert. You never know what these bugs might do.
>{16:37}
I'm surprised, I just got a report that the mechanic's understudy was working on the elevators on deck C, and asked for a tool, and the mechanic could not find his tool, nor explain what it was, and a second copy of him walked back from taking a quick break. The pair apprehended the impostor, and security took it into custody. Once in custody, they kept insisting that they were the real mechanic. When asked basic information, the impostor was unable to answer in a satisfying way. Upon completing my tasks on the bridge, I intend to meet the beast.
>{16:40}
I have just received reports that scans on the beast have determined the visor on them is not made of nanites, nor any material in any of the databases we have access to, it almost appears as if its not real at all. Now I'm anxious with excitement about what I'll find when I get a scalpel into the creature. I have ordered security to give it a low dose of a sedative, via the air in the cell, to see how the beast handles it.
>{16:44}
Reports state that the creature had spontaneously flashed into pink flames, before suddenly turning into a pink equine creature, with an apparently hard exoskeleton, and seems to be some form of insect unicorn, with wings. It seems my dreams have been answered! I'm curious as to how this insect functions, and how it is so readily able to shift its form. Perhaps it has some sort of cloaking machine in it, able to turn the creature invisible, and then project a hologram of what it wants to look like? That may require nanites to function, though, and the creature gives off no electronic signals, rather than the typical brain waves. I cannot wait to peek inside of the thing!
>{16:49}
I am finally free from my duties on the bridge, now to walk to security, and without drawing too much attention to the situation at hand. I cannot wait to meet the insect, and then figure out how it works!
>{16:51}
>RecordMODE{Interview}
K] I am Captain Koroti, of the Fallen Starlight, who are you, and why are you on my ship?"
?] I swear, I'm just lost! I was looking for my hive, and I got lost! Free me at once!
K] I'm afraid I cannot do that, you have been caught stowing away on my vessel, and thus, you are my prisoner until further notice. Now, state your name!
?] I am Ember, just Ember.
K] Well, Ember, you are a prisoner on my ship, and I will keep you until I can release you back on the planet you are from. You were impersonating my crew members, how were you doing that?
?] I don't want to talk about that. Why does the air smell funny in here?
K] I'm the one who's asking the questions here. Answer me, or I'll be forced to torture the answers out of you!
?] Do you even know who I am?
K] You said your name is Ember.
?] And do you know what that means?
K] I fear not.
?] I am a hive-queen, Queen Ember! Now release me, before I vaporize you with my magic!
K] Magic doesn't exist. Turn up the sedative, this bug isn't going to talk.
?] I'll kill you all!
>{16:55}
That interview didn't go as well as I had hoped, but did I luck out or what!? I have a queen on my ship! From how it was talking, I presume that its species is some form of highly-evolved insect parasite, which seems to have some sort of tool, or technology that allows it to take the shape of any creature it wants. I cannot wait to cut it open! It seems to have passed out from the increased dose of sedative, so I'm giving it five minutes just to be sure the bug is out cold. I don't want it waking up before I get it on the table, after all, it could be dangerous.
>{17:00}
The insect has not moved at all in five minutes, so its safe to assume that it won't be waking up for a while now. I have the security crew moving it towards the medical lab, and have an operation table reserved for its vivisection. I'm so excited for this!
I've been looking at the creature since it passed out, and it appears as if it has some sort of holes in its legs, I wonder what purpose those have, and its wings and tail have more holes cut in them. Perhaps its some sort of tribal ritual they do to permanently augment their bodies? I intend to see what their horn does, too, as it seems to have no purpose. Maybe I'll remove it and see how the insect handles it?
It was saying something about magic, but that could just be out of fear, everyone knows magic is just from fairytales. Perhaps the creature is delusional, and maybe that's why we found it on our ship? You'd think a queen of some insect colony would never leave its hive, as without the queen, the hive falls. Maybe they structure themselves like an insect colony? I have so many questions to ask the insect, I just hope I don't accidentally kill it in the vivisection.
>{17:10}
The creature has been strapped down, and we used the convenient holes in its legs to get a better grip, as its hooves would slide out effortlessly without binds through its legs. It has twitched a little bit, but I don't think its awake yet. It has been muttering incoherently to itself, but I think it may be dreaming. Quite unusual for the sedative we gave it, but it is an alien, who knows how it reacts to sedatives for our kind?
I've been making an attempt to cut the thick chitin shell of the insect with a scalpel, but the shell is insanely tough, it'd take hours to do, and the insect keeps twitching as we try to cut. Even if it wakes up, its strapped down too tight to move, but I'd prefer it being asleep the whole time. If it weren't just an overgrown bug, I might worry about if it felt pain or not, but even the natives of that planet mentioned they were a parasitic race of beasts, so I don't think I care.
If it dies of shock, we'll try to bring it back, as soon as I know where its heart is. The bone saw seems to make easy work of the exoskeleton of this thing, I'll bet these things didn't evolve to survive rapidly spinning carbide blades!
This thing won't stop squirming, and I could have sworn I saw its eye open. I think I might have to cut this vivisection short, but, assuming it recovers, I should have many, many tries at this. I'll need to swap to data log mode to catch everything.
>{17:16}
>RecordMODE{DataLOG}
K] Recording seems to be active... Okay, so, I'm about to take the breast plate off of the insect intruder, hopefully without damaging any inner membranes in the process.
} The plate of CHITIN is removed from INTRUDER, peeling slowly, revealing an inner membrane {
} INTRUDER twitches slightly, the membrane twitches and shifts along with its apparent heartbeat {
K] Okay, that came off easy, but the thing is still twitching. I think I might want to make sure it stays asleep, this is so fascinating! The outer plates are bright pink, but its insides are all green! It clearly has green blood, too, likely from its insect heritage. I think I might be-
} INTRUDER stirs, gasping and shaking, the pulsation of its insides increasing in speed {
?] What... what are you doing?
K] Assistant! Get me the gas canister! The bug is waking up!
?] Let me go you... brute. I sssaid I'd kill you...
K] Just relax, you are getting medical help! Your heart was failing!
?] What are you talking about?
} An UNKNOWN energy disturbance surrounds INTRUDER, its horn appears to glow bright {
K] Bioluminescence?
?] Last warning...
K] Assistant! Where's that gas?
} INTRUDER appears to be spontaneously healing. This defies all logic, no such abilities exist. This is impossible {
K] What the!?
?] Release me now.
K] Not until I'm done vivisecting you!
?] Wrong answer.
} Anomalous readings; System detecting high energy building, but no notable power source, INTRUDER horn is glowing bright red, possible hazard {
K] What are you doi-
} ALERT! ALERT! Critical system fault detected! Visor damage detected! Heart rate: 180; Time: 17:19; Brain activity: 0% {
} ALERT! ALERT! Critical system fault detected! Visor damage detected! Heart rate: 0; Time: 17:20; Brain activity: 0%; Attempting resuscitation... {
} Failed 17:20.16 {
} Failed 17:20.50 {
} Failed 17:20.64 {
} CRITICAL ALERT! Unit not responding to resuscitation attempts! Neurological damage detected! Unit status: DECEASED. Please refer to sales catalogue for a replacement {
EOF