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Bio-Dome 3

1.

Skeech Notes

Lore

[Anthropologist Birchly has spent a great deal of time studying the Tanglevine Skeech tribe on Farside. This datapad is currently displaying the most recent entry.]

Among the Tanglevine – Day 004

After several days of observation, I believe I have reached a sort of
understanding with these strange, little blue creatures known as the Tanglevine Skeech. I have been warned of their strange dietary habits, but it seems they know enough to respect my mag pistols. Reckon I ain’t the first human these Skeech have set their big, shiny eyes on. They ain’t all that big on talkin’,
but they respect a loaded gun. So there’s that.

They sure ain’t the first Skeech I’ve seen. Those little bastards in the Northern Wilds made life tough for a lot of us after the crash. Hell, that’s one of the reasons I wanted to study the Tanglevine. And there’s a lot about ’em that’s pretty typical. They ain’t too bright,
they ain’t too friendly, and they sure as shootin’ ain’t too picky about what or who they eat. But one thing they got that’s damned unusual – some kinda “smart Skeech” that’s been givin’ the normal ones delusions’a grandeur.

I need to track this smart one down and see if he can be
reasoned with. The Skeech ain’t all that tough, but in great enough numbers they could really hurt some of our people. Exiles ain’t afraid of a scrap, but ain’t no reason to go gettin’ ourselves killed by little blue freaks. Gotta admit, I surely would like to know how in hell a Skeech got smart in the first place. If all of ’em were a bit brainier, maybe we’d all be able to get along.

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Bio-Dome 3

1.

A Hundred Hues of Jade

Lore

[Although not as popular as it once was, this legendary piece of Arborian romantic fiction has been published in over 2,000 languages and is still the bestselling novel in the Exile fleet. This copy easily falls open to second most popular section, page 171.]

Bristling with desire and fruiting bodies that were ready to drop, the ancient one shuddered in the face of the village’s new matria. Untested, untried, she studied the wise tree’s bark, tracing
the lines on his aged surface with the tips of her fingers.

“But this love is forbidden,” Matria Wanderheartwood whispered. “I’m a matria. But I’ve studied. You – you’re a hybrid variety of what I think might be three different wise trees. You’re the ultimate wise one.” She laughed. “Now,” she said playfully, “I think I want to climb a tree….”

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Bio-Dome 3

1.

I Was a Teenage Skeech!

Lore

[This handwritten diary would seem to corroborate the theory that younger Skeech have relatively highly developed intelligence, and lose that intelligences as they reach adulthood. It may also be an anthropological roleplaying experiment.]

Me Am Skeech!
Skeech am hungry, look for Skeech food. Old Skeech stupid. No find good foods. SKEECH! Need Skeech like me! Skeech! Will help Old Skeech hunt. Learn Old Skeech
secrets! Find out what happened to Big Old Skeech.

Me Am Still Skeech! Skeech find Old Machine. Big Green God-Thing. Skeech! No God-Thing not Skeech. That accidental verbal tic. Skeech! Getting worse! Skeech no want to become like Old Skeech. Fear might happen anyway. Skeech! Skeech!

Am Skeech! Me!
Skeech! Skeech! Big Old Skeech… all over the place. But okay! Skeech! Big Old Skeech alive. Skeech can tell. Skeech! Big Old Skeech
tell how no get SKEECH! How no get SKEECH! How no get – no get… stupid! Skeech! Skeech no get stupid! Find Big Old Skeech!

SKEECH Skeech!
Skeech! Skeech Skeech SKEECHSkeech Skeech! Skeech Big! Skeech Old! Skeech! Hungry! SkeechSKEECH! Skeech KILL! Skeech! Skeech!

– Skeech

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Bio-Dome 4

1.

Terraformer Analysis

Lore

[A succinct first analysis of the massive terraformer in Bio-Dome 4.]

ANALYSIS: ELDAN TERRAFORMING TECHNOLOGY
A report prepared by Analysisbot 74-X

Eldan terraforming technology is as yet poorly understood by biological beings, and slightly better understood by technological beings. The object designated the [Proto-former] appears to be the earliest known form of this technology yet discovered. Mission leaders
believe this will make it easier for them to learn how it works. This unit believes this [Proto-former] is as complex and difficult to analyze as any other terraformer, however. A hoverbike is simpler than an interstellar starship in every way, yet an insect would not be able to operate either safely.

Operation, in fact, is not an issue. The terraforming equipment in both Bio-Domes 3 and 4 have been in continuous operation for more than one
thousand standard daily time units. The excess energy is therefore being absorbed directly into the nervous systems of all life forms in the Bio-Domes. This renders Farside fauna especially dangerous.

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Bio-Dome 4

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THREAT ASSESSMENT: Flamewalker Pell

Lore

[This speech-to-text summary of all available intel on the Flamewalker Pell tribe of Bio-Dome 4 was prepared by freelance human explorer Buck Wanderbeck.]

-The Pell

This species divides themselves up according to the primal powers. You know: fire, air, water, earth, life, logic… I think that’s all of ’em. They’re all over Nexus. Hell, I didn’t know better I’d reckon they’re the real natives of this place. So each power has a Pell clan – Disciples of Fire, Disciples of Water, you get the idea.
But within them general groups are tribes, what usually live in a single region or village. With me so far? Good.

-The Flamewalker Tribe

The Flamewalkers are your local Pell tribe here on Farside. Don’t ask me how they got here. No evidence of ships, so I gotta assume they used Eldan teleporters. They don’t seem to remember how they work anymore, so that’s good. Gives the rest of us an advantage, because these folk ain’t what you’d call friendly. They got all kinds of Eldan tech around
here, but they don’t really seem to understand it completely.

-Tactical Analysis

You wanna beat these guys? Figure out the terraformer in Bio-Dome 4 before they do. And if they’ve already figured it out, stop ’em before they really figure out how to use it. The real danger with these Flamewalkers ain’t what their shamans can do with primal fire, it’s that big ol’ hunk of machinery. Near as I can tell it’s been stuck in the same position for a hell of a long time, but as soon as the Flamewalker
Pell figure out how to control it, they could turn this whole place into a fiery nightmare. They might even try to knock this moon outta orbit – they ain’t in their right minds.

You go in against the Flamewalkers, be ready to deal with co-opted Eldan constructs – they’re primitive and crazy, not stupid, and constructs ain’t all that tricky – and bring your fireproof pants. Make sure you got someone along who knows a console from a construct to get control of that terraformer, and frankly, take out as
many of them Flamewalkers as ya can. Especially that high priest. He’s bigger’n the rest of ’em, smarter and meaner. Don’t underestimate ‘im.

Me? I’m gettin’ the hell back to Nexus. That place makes this moon seem almost sane. Send my fee to my private account, would ya?

-Buck Wanderbeck, Explorer

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Bio-Dome 4

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Explorer Wanderbeck’s Last Log

Lore

Well, this wasn’t part’a the plan. I was just aimin’ to make a quick bit of coin scoutin’ this blasted moon. Didn’t know I was gonna tangle with them Pell bastards. After I spent weeks spyin’ out all their business, writin’ up a report, sellin’ it to the highest bidder, what happens? They decide to notice me and the Wanderin’ Betty just as we’re liftin’ off from the floor of the damned desert. They hit my poor Betty with a wave of fire and raw power her
defense systems just couldn’t absorb in time. The spindrive overloaded and I had to eject.

Damn ship was almost paid for, too. So long, Betty. I don’t reckon I’m gonna get the chance to trick ya out with them fancy gravity manipulators, and them long-range military-grade scanners I picked up on the black market are gonna have to go uninstalled. You were a good ship, ol’ girl. Just wish ya handled the blazin’ heat of a thousand angry suns just a
bit better.

Managed to keep my grip on a half-charged antigrav belt when the convertors blew, and hit the escape lever just before the ‘drive went critical. I dropped like a rock, or I probably wouldn’t even be recordin’ this right now.