Entry 5

The world is doomed!

Following the discovery of my resurrected Nautolan, I was consigned to my cabin whilst the Captain, Methuselah Smith, decided what should occur. I was happy to continue my researches - feeding, watering and exercising the specimen as before.

After a couple of days, the verdict was announced. I was required to excise and dispose of my specimen. Apparently, my crime was bringing a Nautolan back to life when I, myself, was a member of  an "inferior species". Were it a Nautolan scientist who had wrought this miracle, everything would be fine. But for a mere human to do so is more than the Nautolan racial psyche can accommodate.

Apparently.

I received permission to attempt a second re-animation provided the specimen ended up deceased and disposed of. After smothering, I attempted to bring life back to the Nautolan again and failed. Possibly the effects of being restrained below decks for so long had affected him physically or mentally making my techniques less efficacious.

I was then asked to visit the University. It seems that during my incarceration  the Chimera had sailed to the Nation's capital city to investigate the mysterious disappearances of ship crews we had observed. With me confined my shipmates had had little success.

At the University we first visited the astronomical department to review Methuselah's theory about the approaching comet. We discovered the scientist who had first discovered it - Draskil - who had named the body after himself. I left the Navigator and astronomer discussing various theories and summoning mathematicians to check their calculations.

I then did a tour of the University's various departments. Most revealing was the history department where I was given access to actual documents which detailed Humanity's arrival on this world five centuries ago. Documents which seem to hint that the various species of humanity of our world were deliberately created by somehow melding the recently arrived mankind with the native species of the planet in order to create wider populations and prevent problems of a small, inbred, population. All of this done by a person know as "Ja'rul".

But I found nothing relevant to our current predicament.

I returned to the astronomical department to find Draskil, Methuselah and the Mathematicians ashen faced. They had calculated that in a mere 22 days, the comet Draskil would collide with the asteroid Shadar - which was now revealed as a fragment of another older world bearing signs of civilisation upon its surface. The resultant collision will create cloud of meteors which will descend upon our world, decimating its surface.

I immediately realised that the Nautolan civilisation - being in the depths of the oceans - could survive this apocalypse. But - despite their being so "advanced" Methuselah told me that they had no way of accommodating visitors from the surface world.

So our only option to survive what is to come, is the caverns of the Mole people. I informed my shipmates of this but they seemed more interested in tracking down "The Cult of Kagriss". Kagriss - "The Scribe of the Gods, The Messenger of the Stars, The Cautioner of the Winds, The Light in the Darkness." Apparently Kagriss had predicted the coming apocalypse. Upon research we found that he had  commissioned the creation of a great flying device - some kind of balloon - from the engineers at the University and headed east.

My shipmates and I decided to sail East, them to intercept Kagriss, me to find the nation of the Mole people. Before leaving, Methuselah chose to inform some of his fellow Captains about the incipient disaster. Judging by the billowing smoke we observed the following day, I presume this led to some social unrest in the city.

Upon arrival at the next city along, we found the Kagriss had not arrived. A local traveller had observed a light rising into to the sky above the plains between the two cities. Whatever Kagriss' plan was we have missed it.

Hearing of a village to the North which had been mysteriously cleared of its inhabitants, we hired a local guide and went to investigate. At least that is my crew-mates' intended. I am still seeking the Mole people.

The local scout we hired - Sarah - was fortuitously female. Upon arrival at the deserted village, she refused to go further citing Moleman activity in the mountains ahead.

Good!

As it may be necessary to repopulate our species, I drugged her. If the world is destroyed and we survive, I'll explain the situation to her and let her determine her own fate.

Some of the crew members of our expedition objected. It seems that - whilst ready to tell fellow Captains about the incipient End of the World - Methuselah has been less than forthcoming with his own crew. Once the situation was explained to them, most agreed with my motives.

We now have a fortnight to find the Mole-people and agree sanctuary with them before the sky begins to fall.