[Log File 002: Aether] After coming out of the catacombs where my weapons were stolen, I stumbled upon the wreckage of the G.F.S. Exeter, the Federation vessel that belong to the dead troopers I had found a while back. A quick survey of the area revealed more dead troopers, so I once again scanned the troopers log books to see what had happened to them. After I finished scanning, I noticed a computer terminal nearby. I booted up the terminal, trying hard not to stare at the trooper corpse that was propped against it.
The video log file started to play the last words of the ship's captain: "About two weeks ago, Exeter crippled a Space Pirate extraction vessel in orbit above Aether. While pursuing the Pirates through the planet's atmosphere, a violent storm surge crippled the ship's engines. On top of that, the atmosphere was disrupting our communication systems. Upon landing, we split our personnel into two groups; one group to set-up a base camp, the other to to repair the ship. Everything went well for a time. Until they attacked…
"While working to repair the vessel, one trooper started yelling bloody murder, pointing wildly at a nearby cliff. When I looked at the cliff, my heart nearly stopped. Hundreds of wild Splinters were crawling down the cliff, heading straight for us. At first I was confused. Normally, Splinters are not overly aggressive; but these Splinters were different. They were black in color, instead of their normal grey, and they were MUCH faster in their movement.
"We did what we could to fight them off, but there were too many of them. We were eventually overcome; all of the brave men in my command gone, slaughtered by these creatures. My wounds are grave, and I fear I will not be much longer for this world. I hope this transmission reaches the Federation before the Space Pirates find our wreckage. We cannot let them get the cargo…"
The video playback ended there, and the computer terminal entered shutdown mode...
[End Log File]_