TUKUS


TIME CAPSULE ----- A WARNING


This document has been prepared and buried , as a warning to those who may
find it , at some point in the future . It may help your survival on this planet . You
must act immediately on the recomendations within . You may not have much time.


-- Our people , the human race ,[homo-sapiens] , arrived here by
fortuitous chance , only 2 ,two , orbit durations ago . This is a brief history of our
calamity .


We were originally from Earth . Outer spiral arm , Milky Way galaxy . reference
point -

star # 2350596 : 2043AD
^ ^ ^ #3 carbon/oxygen DNA code :5538
1 star/24/7/30/12/365 see enclosed star chart and bio/language-map

In the year 2043 / 09/15 a global war engulfed the Earth . Total nuclear
destruction took only 30 days . This caused a mass extinction of 98/100 of all life .

My community was an outpost of scientists , located near the ice bound south pole.
We survived the conflict , but were completely isolated , and could not raise any
communication response from the rest of the planet . The air , water , and soil , was
now highly radio-active , and any hope of a better future was gone. There was 93
of us , male and female . Radiation poisoning would kill us quickly .

Our rescue was undertaken by a group of starships from a planet that will remain
undisclosed , for their own security . They had been mining a nearby planet.
They are also human , but at an advanced technological level. They landed on the
2043 10/12.

Their home planet was light years from ours , and they determined to evacuate us
back to their home world. We couldn't get out of there fast enough .!

We embarked the next day , and separated from the mining fleet , a week later.
The starship we were on travelled alone for our trip. It's relative speed , 0.7 light.

0.87 light years into the trip , we were attacked by an unknown hostile force.
The crew put the starship into a random , computer controlled escape , and
the ship only suffered minor damage . They decided to land and hide for a while
on an unexplored , though catalogued ,and mostly barren rock , we subsequently
named TUKUS.

A major computer breakdown event , occurred a few days later , and now we
are stranded here ! The ship cannot generate power without the computer
online , and really , the only option left , is to launch unmanned drones , with
beacons , back towards the mining fleet , and hope they pick one up.

Before the computer went down , the crew tested the air ,soil and water.
The tests were cleared O.K status an hour before its failure.

The total number of us at landing was 138 , male and female. ...

Back up power generation was started , but this was only enough to run
basic life support systems , such as refrigeration , air conditioning , lighting,
entertainment , air and water recycling.



to be continued....



[edit on 7-11-2009 by radarloveguy]

It was decided , after much heated debate , that the drones could not
be launched anytime soon. The risk of detection by our unknown attackers
would lead them straight to our position. We had to wait until the planet
had moved through half of an orbit , and was on the opposite side of the
sun ! Caution was the better part of valour , so the drones were shelved
for three months of Earth time.
The effort to repair the central computer , became our main objective.
Engineering new parts took most of our time , and a lot of the work was
trial and error . We laboured day and night to achieve this , but to no avail.
It was concluded that during the attack , a lot of data storage and
retrieval capability was lost . And the backup systems had limited ability
to advise us .
Now we came to terms with our situation . Rescue from here would take
upwards of five Earth years , after the drones were launched .

The ship was already well hidden under an escarpment , and we set to exploring the environment . After locating an underground stream , everyone's spirits lifted ;, maybe we could survive here . Finding food proved to be the biggest hurdle we had now . The landscape was devoid of any animal life,and our attention turned to the vegetation as a possible answer .
Fungi and root vegetables were found . Not like any we'd seen before ,
but adequate for the meantime .
Luckily the biosphere within the ship was self sustaining , but it was not
intended to be permanently relied on . It required an overhaul , or it to ,would
fail soon . The extra pressure put on it by three times the recomended
crew , was a big problem .



to be continued.....


[edit on 7-11-2009 by radarloveguy]

We chose a heavily overcast day to launch the drones. They were
instructed to leave the planet from the opposite side , and three
were successfully launched at intervals . Now began the long ,
nervous wait for a reply .
It came much sooner than expected .
Our mystery assailants had intercepted one , and two days later ,
their ship was criss - crossing the sky overhead ! We took defensive
positions in the shadows under the escarpment , and didn't have to
wait long for their attack .
But this was an enemy that had weapons none of us had even
dreamed of . A large menacing cloud came drifting into the
valley . It was a pulsating red glow of death . A concentrated ,
intelligent , evil nano-tech swarm . Before it got to us , it
dissipated into the surroundings . This monster was really a
gazillion tiny robots that could only be individually seen ,
through a microscope .!
Within an hour , twenty of us were coughing up blood ,and crippled
with pain.
And there was no escape from something you can't see.
We took our final stand in the starship , and for a while the
air locks held them off . But these things were relentless
in their assault . My crew mates were dropping around me
and there was nothing I could do .! Another hour , and half of
our number had succumbed to their insidious tactics . The swarm
had reformed outside the ship , and they began drilling holes through
places we couldn't reach .
We were down to sixty in number by now , but everybody was
developing those fatal symptoms we dreaded ! We drew lots for the
spacesuits on board , but we all knew that it would ultimately be
pointless . Our lives were slipping away , and fast .!
I got the last suit up for grabs , and we all said our final goobyes .
We put together this time capsule , and went outside to meet our doom!
It was hastily buried in the wall of the escarpment next to the ship ,
and a small , reflective beacon was attached to point to its location .
If you find this message , leave now , immediately , and sweep your
ship electronically and organically .

This is your only chance to escape this menace , as I don't
think they can be defeated or stopped once they invade your body .

R . L Simons [ Chief Medical Officer - McMurdo base - Antartica ]





THE END



[edit on 7-11-2009 by radarloveguy]

[edit on 7-11-2009 by radarloveguy]

Excellent!
An interesting idea for a doomsday scenario. Loved it!