About the writing.
I came up with the idea for this pretty early after we came
up with the assignment. I don’t really have much to say without spoilers which
is always a danger with time travel. This is another one of those weeks where I
think with more time this could stretch into something much larger than
whatever can be produced in a week. Enjoy.
Transcript of traveler
and computer diagnostic logs from TDTD Mk II test # 10.
Computer diagnostic Date: unknown; Latitude: unknown;
Longitude: unknown; External Temperature: 11 degC
Travelers log date as of yet undetermined so I will presume
for now the jump was on target and it is late spring early twelfth century
somewhere in the English countryside. This is Colonel Gordon Briggs of the
Aeronautics Space and Time Administration first report from Tedted mark two
test number ten first attempt at a millennial jump for this ship. I must say
that whatever you boys in engineering did on this new engine was outstanding.
Every jump I made in the mark one, even the early one day jumps, I’d spend the
first hour feeling like hell, but I feel great. Anyway let’s look at these
readouts. Looks like the sensors are having trouble finding when and where we
are, not unusual for a big jump. Temp looks good outside, let’s see if we can
finish that picture with the surveillance cams…there we go, looks like we got
some sun. Also looks like three out of four cameras are in deep foliage but I
have one clear picture, nice wooded area. Well I expect the computer will be
able to do some calculations and figure out where we are tomorrow, if not, I
have started the standard forty-eight hour protocol timer and will be prepared
to start recon as soon as permitted.
Computer diagnostic
Date: unknown; Latitude: unknown; Longitude: unknown; External Temperature: 12
degC
Travelers log…we’ll say day two, not sure what the problem
is with the computer, not a huge deal, just stuck in the ship for
another…twenty-three hours and forty-three minutes or until the coordinates get
figured out. I couldn’t see much going on out of the one camera but was able to
get some interesting stuff off of some probes and sensors. First, the
atmosphere seems fairly normal but there is an elevated amount of oxygen; twenty-five
percent to be exact. I’m sure that won’t give me any negative effects when I
get to go out but to be safe, once released from the forty-eight hour
quarantine protocol, I intend to stay near Teddy hear for the first hour or so.
I imagine I’ll feel a little high. Also a soil sample collected from one of
Teddy’s probes was tested and there is a substance that was not readily
identified. Together these two findings are a bit alarming, but I imagine it
could just be a glitch in the analyzing software. Teddy’s still a fairly new
ship after all.
Computer diagnostic Date: unknown; Latitude: unknown;
Longitude: unknown; External Temperature: 10 degC
Travelers log day three. Ok well I put on the monk robe and
spent a good hour outside. Nothing weird; I guess I might have a heightened
energy level or maybe I’m just excited to step out for a little bit. No contact
with locals was made but I did notice what looks like some chimney smoke from
several fires off to the…north I’ll say based on the sun direction. I have my
recording equipment in my robe so I should be able to get something to help
Teddy here figure out where and when we are.
Traveler’s log day three continued, I’m starting to get a
bit worried. I found a village and was able to get some audio and visual data.
Nothing is right. The locals are not speaking any dialect that I am familiar
with and I’ve been to this time before with Teddy one. I’m a linguist, it’s
part of why I get the long range missions. Also, the style of dress is less
like the twelfth century and more like…I don’t know, like a movie version of
the twelfth century. I’m loading the data onto Teddy’s main to see if he can
make any more since of it, but I didn’t understand a word after spending the
last six months brushing up on my Middle ages European language. I’m hoping
Teddy can at least pick up some patterns, I wrote that program so I might tweak
it if he doesn’t come up with anything.
Computer diagnostic Date: unknown; Latitude: unknown;
Longitude: unknown; External Temperature: 9 degC
Traveler’s log day four. I think we’ve been able to figure
out some basics of the language, still not sure what language it is and Teddy
still hasn’t been able to figure it out. I’m going to make another run to the
village and try to get some more audio and video and see if we can’t crack
this.
Ok. I’m ok. OK. I didn’t make it to the village. There’s a
dragon out there. I got about twenty feet away from Teddy and I saw a dragon
out there. I’m trying to see if I got a picture. It wasn’t big. Maybe the size
of a large horse; like a Clydesdale. So not, like, a, um big dragon. What am I
saying? What size is a dragon supposed to be? THERE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE
DRAGONS! Teddy is informing me that my heartrate and blood pressure are
elevated and protocol requires that I rest and take a sedative.
Traveler’s log day
four continued. I’m doing better now. The only thing I can figure is that
instead of just going back we went sideways or diagonal. I think I skipped
timelines which is kind of exciting, I guess, but I’m also freaked out. I can’t
think of another explanation. I think when we skipped the incremental tests and
skipped from one hundred years to one thousand we made a mistake. I think we
may have missed some stuff that we may have caught if we were less excited.
Anyway, I’ve went through the pictures and I caught the dragon so I’m going to
hit the home button and abort this mission.
Computer Pre-Jump Diagnostic: Error 63, Jump Aborted
What is error 63? Checking, and, foreign organism detected.
What? Ok apparently something got into the ship that Teddy doesn’t recognize
and we can’t bring it home. I’m running the scan so Teddy can pin point
whatever it is for me.
Computer Diagnostic: One life form detected in cockpit; foreign
organism detected in cockpit
So apparently Teddy thinks I’m a foreign organism. That’s
bad. I’m going to run through the decontamination chamber and see what if that
helps. I’ve hit the home button so Teddy should run pre-jump checks every five
minutes and jump when possible. This means I’m here in the ship until we get
this fixed.
Computer Pre-Jump Diagnostic: Error 63, Jump Aborted
Computer Pre-Jump Diagnostic: Error 63, Jump Aborted
Ok, decontamination didn’t help. I’m going to try to figure
something out.
Computer Pre-Jump Diagnostic: Error 63, Jump Aborted
Computer Pre-Jump Diagnostic: Error 63, Jump Aborted
Computer Pre-Jump Diagnostic: Error 63, Jump Aborted
Computer Pre-Jump Diagnostic: Error 63, Jump Aborted
Ok. I have to take a risk. I’m going to go outside and prop
the door open. I’m going to start collecting any plants, spiders, anything I
can get and see if I can’t shock the sensors into reset. I did something like
this on Ted one. I’ll wait until the next read so I have a solid five minutes
then I’m going for it.
Computer Pre-Jump Diagnostic: Error 63, Jump Aborted
Computer Pre-Jump Diagnostic: No life forms
detected, main hatch open. Computer override closing main hatch. Jump
initiated.
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