Journal of Sally Acorn
Date: November 8th, 3234
Entry Made 1515 (3:15 PM)

Dear Journal,

I've been trying to write a few haikus out here in the jungle outside of the main city. Sometimes I have to experience beauty on a different scale. You want to know something? I've never been to an island like this. Never. Kawa Crossing has a diverse ecosystem and biosphere that I just LOVE exploring.

Shame that I will have to leave in three more days.

Let's see, there's a very comfortable looking rock here. Maybe I can get a few haikus going... hmm... I need some inspiration.

A dense jungle
A bird chirps
Nature is at peace

Got another one!

The trickling stream
Winding through the earth
A comforting place

I'm telling you; maybe I should have become a poet instead of a Freedom Fighter!* I would have made millions! (Hearty laughter). Now that colder weather is coming, I find myself drawn to warmer locales. Knothole does alright, given how we're in the southern parts of Northamer. I know that on Earth, certain places like Florida are seen as tourist locations. Mobius isn't nearly at that level of development. A Human may see our buildings and think that perhaps we are a rising civilization, and they're not far off; but we are a recovering one.

It was during Darwin's Plague in the 27th Century where we entered what was known as a dark age, because most of technology was failing, and most of the experts were the Humans at the time. Someone decided to give us the finger just at the end and decided to EMP most of the technology in the area surrounding Mobotropolis. That was it. Almost all of our technology was gone, and there wasn't a thing we could do about it. They found the guy who did it, and believe me, he was sorry he did it in the end, but what we couldn't ignore was that we were back to square one. We would need to rebuild most of our technology up again.

We still had things like cars and simple computers, but space flight was disabled, and once the Humans started dropping like flies in the mid 2700s, chances of us becoming even more advanced were getting smaller and smaller and smaller. Some people had fears that we would become tribal again. Some had fears that we would just degrade to animals once more and destroy all that we worked so hard for. All that Alexander Acorn worked towards.**

I know that would not have been Matthew Mobius' wish. He had a plan when he and the Lost Million were stranded here, and that plan went up in a nuclear fireball, driving everyone underground and bringing the Overlanders to power.

What a waste. It was all a waste, and he died broken hearted because of it.

Got one more,

The blue sky
Inviting and safe
Endless Possibility

[NEW MESSAGE ARRIVING! OPEN Y/N?]

Open the file.

[BEGIN VOICE PLAYBACK]

[FROM 1LT VENNETTILLI]

/begin message/

I just want to thank you oh so very much for putting me back in this hole. I'm a Marine, Goddammit, not a freaking security guard! If this was for that stunt I pulled with the meerkat a few days ago, that was resolved peacefully and we had a couple of Buds at the end of it! Why? How have I insulted you so to place me back in Master Knuckles Theater of Monotony? First day back and I've been standing around this thing and of course I can't touch the shiny jewel! No, I can't look at the shiny jewel for too long! No, I can't ask about the rumbling and... whispering... coming from the... rock.

It's... it's coming from the Master Emerald! Knuckles! Hey, come here! Something's wrong! This thing is talking to me, man! I'm getting freaked out! Emeralds don't talk! I learned that on the Discovery Channel for God's sake!***

(K) I'm here. What's wrong?

Something's in here! It's whispering to me! I can hear it!

(K) Human, we need to talk. End that recording. This is between you and me now.

You've got it. Princess, I dislike you for what you have done, but I know you had good reason. Maybe I was out there too long and needed to be put underground again. The next transport arrives in three days. I'll send you a progress report first and then to Andsworth for analysis.

Chris out.

/end message/

[END PLAYBACK]

[PRESS ENTER CO CONTINUE]

Well that was a bit disturbing. I'm sure I have a few instances of Echidna legends put on my computer somewhere. I'll have to look it up to be sure. Something... something doesn't seem to be right here.

The Earth
An emerald lying within
Beauty and mystery surrounding it

::END ENTRY::

*I'm actually not much of a poet myself, but I decided to take a stab at a couple haikus here.
**In ths alternate universe (and especially after my rewrite of The Story of Mobius), Humans from the original colony ships that got lost here did exist for a time until virtually all of them died from something called Darwin's Plague that was supposedly caused by remnants of the Xorda plague.
***He's actually not this stupid. He's just using some humor.