black box
Flight recording located in Ursa nebula, mined from a C-type asteroid consisting of mineral-rich clays and silicate rocks. Casing weathered but intact, signs of metal corrosion. Homing beacon range diminished by 17% but functional, making it's retrieval possible. Transcript of flight recording to follow.
Start Transmission:
Static noise, scratching
Is this thing even on? Acid is eating through the hull, don't have much time to record. I'm going to die!
Four days ago, the Colossus was surrounded by lifeforms, too many to count, millions probably. Various sizes, smallest the size of a football, largest the size of a trunk. All different shapes, insectoid in general appearance, antenna, lots of legs, but also blobs and flower-shapes. Transluscent bodies, Olaf thought they might feed on light. We got one in through the airlock, broke all basic protocols. First contact! Doesn't matter now, all dead. Renard was first in the lock, she actually handled the thing, exoskeleton hard to the touch. It died within 5 minutes, was liquid in 24 hours. No adverse affects to any crew member.
Millions of these things floating around us, the captain kept asking why here, why now? Our first contact with alien life and it just appears out of nowhere, didn't make sense. We were stationed in Mars orbit for months, never saw these things before. We sent our reports out as usual but it's two weeks for a reply this far out.
Fourth day after contact, Olaf makes a leap, says these things remind him of plankton. Space plankton! We all laughed about it. But he was right, I wish he wasn't right. Shoals of plankton drifting through the wastes. If you see these things, get the hell out! Do you know what eats plankton? One fucking big fish I tell you! The captain saw it first, following the shoals. It's digesting the ship as I speak.
Crashes of metal hitting metal, screaming, static noise
End Transmission.
