October 4, 2073
Aquarius Orbit
After a few days, we arrived at the space station in orbit around Aquarius. The space station was only partly complete, but it had advanced significantly due to the progress in space station technology. I floated from my bed in the crew quarters to the cafeteria. Today was the day we would be landing on the planet, and I needed a good meal. The cafeteria was quite busy with workers, as it was early morning according to the station's global sleep schedule. In space, there was no day or night, so they simulated a schedule for better coordination. I made my way to the food dispensers, grabbing a handlebar to steady myself. Being in space took some getting used to. I pressed the button for lasagna on the screen, and the machine whirred before dispensing a bag of lasagna. I grabbed it along with a fork from the side and started eating.
I overheard Taby talking to Grace as they entered the room. Taby said, "Do you think the trees will be mushrooms?" Grace replied, "Yes, I think they might be, considering their natural bioluminescence. Perhaps they are edible, but we won't know until we land." Taby continued, "If they are, I wonder how the natives use them for building." Grace replied, "I don't know. Colin should know more about that. Speaking of which, hi Colin. Do you think if the trees are mushrooms, they will be able to use them for building?" I finished the food in my mouth and said, "Perhaps. It mainly depends on the tree species. They may use rocks and clay for building, considering those resources are likely to exist on this planet. As for what they'll use them for, that's uncertain. A society makes use of all the resources it can find a use for, so if the trees are useful, they will use them. It's as simple as that."
Gerald flew in from the corridor that led to the male crew quarters and joined us. He scoffed at our conversation, saying, "Ha, anyone could tell you that. I have no idea why we need such things." Grace defended my expertise, but Gerald remained dismissive. As we finished our breakfasts, an intercom message called us to meeting room A. We headed over as a team.
In the meeting room, we found spots to float, and the man who called us began speaking, "You all are being sent planet-side today. You're the 3rd team to be sent down, and there are 3 more left. The place you are landing is in a cold climate, nearby a small town of locals. We haven't gathered many details about the locals from other teams, as they are focusing on setting up their base and studying wildlife and flora. Your main mission will be to interact with the locals, learn about their cultures, uses for different fauna and flora, as well as collect DNA samples from them. You will get more details in your email. You can read it after your landing base is set up. I hope you've had a good meal, as the first day on the surface is going to be a long one. The temperature in this region fluctuates between 57.2°F to 68.9°F during summer, and winter temperatures range from 2°F to -30°F according to our calculations. However, these are predictions; it could get colder or hotter depending on the weather. It's currently summer in the northern hemisphere, so you'll be lucky not to have to deal with the cold for your first few months. Regardless, follow me. I will take you to your landing pod, and we have 1 and a half hours before the planned landing period."
We leave to get suited up and ready for landing. We eventualy get into a pod on the side of the space station. The pod is about the size of a normal house, and has a black bottom that will act as our heat sheild, and a cork like shape. In the center area where we will sit while it lands, it has 5 chairs in a cycrle. It has a onboard ai responsible for having us land safily. Most complex tasks that can be automated by ai is, however things like art, and movies are banned for ai to intract with. However there is plenty of chat bots. We sit in our seats, connected to a centeral piller with control systems in front of us, and one door leading to the outer sections of the pod. Not the outside, but the outer sections have materals, and lab equipment. As well as our sleeping quarters, and other things. The centeral area is made so that if the outer sections act will be destoryed before the central area, and the centeral area has all you need to survive for 3 months. However, as long as the outer sections are not distroyed and we land safely, we will not need a resque team, and have all we need to start a base on the ground. Anyway, we begin to space station detatches us as i see on the monitors the view outside. This planet is very pretty. We start to feel the G forces as we hit the atmosphere, and the bottom of the pod is on fire with the heat shild working well, as we get closer and closer to the ground, we break the cloud layer, from here i can see some unnatraul strucutres with a smoke coming from it, fire, most likly for cooking. We relese our pods parashoot, and we slow down to a crawl. Then we land in a clearing, as we shake to a stop.
Taby says "Ok everyone, we are hear, lets do what our training has taught us. Lets setup the ground base." In truth we went thru excersizes to setup a ground base many times on earth. With the same type of pod we are using here. So i know what my job is. Its to help lift, and carry materals, as well as put things together. After all, with so few crew, we can only delegate so much. So all of us have been taught a thing or 2 about engineering. We at least know enoght to put this base together. I unbuckly, i stumble a little, as i put too little force into standing. Not use to gravity after being space for a 26 days. I stummble a little more as i grab on to the suroundings and walk. I say "gezz, its gonna get time to get use to gravity agien". Taby says "Yeah, its to be exspected, you will get use to your new gravity in less then 15 minites i garentee you. Its not like your mussles were left on standby for years." Gerald seems immused by my stubling, as he himself stumbles as he gets out.
After we get used to gravity, grace cheaks the air outside. Its fine, and safe. Then she has the vents on the pod collect some air for bactera analsis. We are not allowed to go outside without a anti-bacteral suit, and a thuril clensing before we get the bactera here added to our anti-bacteral nanosystems. Needless to say nano technolgy has incressed alot, desseses are nearly no more. Nano-tech has been used to make nanobots that cure all illnesses that enter the blood steam, 17 years ago it was relsessed to the public. All it takes to become immune to a illness is to get its dna sequenced, then connect to the nanobotic controler, and upload the new illness.
Anyway, grace said it will take a few days to deal with the most common airborn pathogens. Well earth days, not aquarius days, a aquarius day lasts 36-37 hours. Anyway, we continue to setup, i put on a anti-bacteral suit after being steralized, and head outside with arnold. We are pulling out some moduals from the walls of the pod. Specificly our solar panels, and we prepair the atmospheric rooms, and pump them up. Atmospherec rooms are basicly sturdy bullons that can grow very large, and have weghts on them to attach to the ground with, exspanding the space that we can be safe in.
I must say trees look simular to spruce trees. They look like trees for the most part, except for the tops of them. They have pin like leaves, and a large bulb at the top of every tree. One of the tree's bulb seems to be popped, looks like it has a clear liquid inside. The bulbs glow, and are a blue color. The leaves are also a dark blue. There bark is rather dark brown. The grass is blue, and seems to be moving even with no wind, witch is odd. The grass glows as well. I collect a sample of the grass at the request of grace. Its mushroom like when i cut it. Then i get back to work.
After a few hours of work, and setup, we are ready for bed, however, the suns is still up. Its to be expected. We send a few drones out to get a map of the nearby land, and tommarow we plan to go out to collect more samples for study.