Splash Landing

Well, readers, here I am, standing by the rotting wheel of an abandoned water mill and gazing upstream at a choked-up mill pond. Apparently this is where the thing came down all right. The tracking data was quite accurate, I’m sure of it. I’m dictating this remotely, since I’m a bit dubious about the hazard level, to be quite honest with you. The scans were not very specific about the composition of the meteorite, and I can’t rule out the possibility that it was something sent to do me harm. I think I can see a freshly shattered branch on one of the trees, so it looks as if I should be able to locate the thing easily enough.

I’m back at base now. I’ve retrieved the object and placed it in my vault for observation. It’s definitely artificial, but the markings on it look to me like Gorpulonian text, which would mean it’s just a harmless sensor that’s de-orbited. The Gorpulonians are a strange species, but pretty friendly if one ever meets them. That doesn’t happen often, as they are the galaxy’s lurkers, and generally try to avoid contact with other civilisations, choosing instead to observe them and take notes. It’s pretty hard to imagine their motives, really, but to my knowledge they’ve never shown any sign of aggression unless provoked. I think I’ve previously mentioned that I discovered an abandoned relay of theirs at the Moon’s L4 Lagrange Point, so it was probably paired with a few sensors like this one.

I’m glad to have retrieved the thing because I don’t want the authorities snooping around and if they found it they could become troublesome. It probably had a cloaking device when it was in orbit, but if the power cut out then its descent might have shown up on military radar.

Anyway, enough about my mundane daily life. How are you all? Celebrating Solstice? Or maybe Christmas, or some other holiday? I’m planning to spend the northern winter exploring more of the planet, which might seem slightly odd to some – especially those veteran readers who remember that I have a habit of taking underwater trips around the British coastline, sometimes on foot.

I’m beginning on Christmas Day, which should be quiet in this area, by nipping up to Orkney to have a look around. I hear it’s a most fascinating place, and I’ve never seen it up close. After that, I’m going to nip across to Iceland, and then think about how to tackle the Americas. I’ll be taking the minicruiser of course, but also a few tools and clothes that will help me to blend in undetected by the locals. It’s amazing what you can get away with if you know how to make yourself look like a menial worker going about some mundane task.

So my next report might be more of a travelogue. In the mean time, all the best to you and enjoy whatever winter break you’re allowed.