Life Under the Pale Sun (Part 1)

Updated: includes major name updates, grammatical fixes, and minor tweaks.

Log Date, July 9th, 2094:
I have always longed to explore the distant galaxies and map out all the planets of the known systems. And now...now was my chance. I am finally being deployed to map out the distant planet of Q'wyt orbiting the star Lazrith in the ninth system of Styo; over nine billion light years away from Earth.
I have to train for months to get used to the environment. Their days were lived under the twin moons, Kwalo and Tynp and their nights were spent under the surface, where their houses and cities were actually built to escape the heat of their sun and the vapors it forced the planet to exert. Not only that, but the directors needed to test my body to see if I could withstand the stress of the sleep chambers we would be using for this trip: prototypes to help hasten the voyage while leaving us untouched by the effects of aging. Up until now, we have never dreamed such a thing was possible; the stress of a hastened voyage - obtained by traveling the vast distance in a matter of days rather than years - had always left troubling effects on those that underwent the process. And it has killed many others.
But I am confident in the success of this transport. I believe we shall be the first crew to travel under such conditions. And the research I will be able to gather from Q'wyt will be invaluable to the scientists here. We may very well find the cure to many of the diseases that we are still plagued with today. Maybe one of the minerals or plants upon Q'wyt's surface - what the Q'wytian people consider their surface at any rate - could contain the last of the strains of DNA replication that we need to cultivate a cure for cancer. One can only hope.
But that is all I can write for now. I must try to relax my thoughts and rest on the eve of this maiden voyage. I will need to be at the site by 0500 to begin our preflight preparations and there will be much to do for the first several hours of the flight. Mother, Father, I hope you will be proud of all I am to do.
~End Transmission~


Log Date, August 10, 2094:
Our ship had been hit at some point after entering the gravitational pull of Q'wyt. I am unsure as to what kind of object struck our vessel, but it is clear that I will not be returning home in it. The ship has been damaged beyond repair. Many of the crew did not make it through the impact of the crash landing on what I hope to be the surface of Q'wyt. Two others survived with me - Captain Luke Nerway and the medical officer, Sierra Boyston. Luke has sustained numerous injuries, including a broken arm and dislocated shoulder, though Sierra says he will survive. She said she is concerned with the laceration I sustained, though I have no lose of cognitive nor motor skills. I will be observing this playback to determine the true severity of what she has observed, though.
I fear that much of my equipment has also been damaged. I managed to recover a few supplies, such as the mobile testing lab - which had luckily been constructed to withstand harsh impacts - and my own personal kits, containing my data log of all things. Although I may not be able to transmit home, I will at least try to keep documentation of all that I find on this harsh planet.
For now, that is all I will be able to report as the sun seems to be dawning. We can already feel the heat boiling the surface and will seek refugee in the mobile lab and use it to retreat to the safety of the underground caverns. My dearest hope is that we will not be met with hostility by the natives. If there is anyone that can pick up this signal, please keep us in your prayers.
~End Transmission~

Log Date, September 25, 2094:
After many weeks of traveling through the tunnels with no maps, we came across a party of the purple skinned creatures we have come to know as the Q'wytian people. They are a beautiful race, though short in stature compared to us; they stand straight and move gracefully through the dank rock formations. They seem to all have dark hair; which looks to be either black or deep purple or blue when exposed to the light of the strange mushroom like plants used to light the pathways of their tunnels. They seem aptly adept at exploring the darkness without the use of the mushroom I have determined to be called a lewint. I have spent much of my time speaking with them, deciphering their language and trying to teach it to Sierra and Luke, and the Q'wytian people seem to be as curious about us as we are of them.
Luke seems to have recover from his injuries quite well, though he is having trouble adjusting to the change of environment as aptly as Sierra and I. I have watched him while we interact with the Q'wytian people. He seems to be guarded, suspicious of them; almost as if he believes it is all a charade. I hope that whatever the cause is for his hesitance is not true.
Sierra on the other hand seems to be picking up the language as quickly as I have. She spends much of her time with the women of the village we have been welcomed to, learning the medicines they use for injuries. It is good to see that we may very well be able to take back a font of information on their own customs for healing.
The hunters of the village have taken me out on scouting expeditions, explaining the various plants that have come to live under the surface and the creatures that feed upon them. I have taken many samples, but have yet to study them closely. Perhaps I will start tomorrow. Today, we venture to the surface and they will show me the life that is capable of surviving upon it. It is my hope that in exploring, we may yet find a way to return home, though that possibility seems slim.
If there is someone that has received these transmissions so far, please tell my mother and father that I love them very much.
~End Transmission~