Discovery: 721,039

Galaxy: 437

Celestial Name: Ambros

Classification: from ambrosial - meaning “exceptionally pleasing to taste or smell” due to the planet’s unsettling sweet fragrance and vibrant flora and fauna

Astronauts’ Goal: To explore and record all organisms that reside on Ambros as well as the psychological effect that the planet has on the body and mind. This means logging entries daily as a record of your time and studies on Ambros. Cooperation between astronauts must be achieved in order for the mission to have the highest probability of success. This is unlike anything you have ever done. Take the utmost precaution when researching and prepare safety measures to ensure your personal health and the continuation of the mission

Known Information: Ambros is one of the few thousand planets discovered to have living organisms and therefore has an atmosphere made up of oxygen, which allows it to be researched more thoroughly. Based on samples taken from our rovers, though, the atmosphere is still very different from that of Earth. The abundance of life found on the planet makes it worth researching. The Aerolight* will land in the field of Canaan and that will be where you settle for the duration of the exploration. You will also conduct all research and data collection on the Aerolight. Canaan is one of the only locations that our satellites are able to reach on the planet with relative frequency. 

*The Aerolight is one of CASA’s most innovative spacecrafts, with the ability to reach speeds of 299,792,458 meters per second. Not only can the Aerolight travel at the speed of light, it’s also fully equipped with a state-of-the-art research and development lab, as well as premium living quarters.

Regulations: Many of these you already know but please take the time to read through this list of rules and regulations set up by CASA’s Security and Safety Department.

Astronauts will do their best to report daily their findings and experiences.
Astronauts will not use their discoveries for selfish reasons.
Astronauts will use the lab and resources given to them by CASA with care.
Astronauts will do nothing to harm their associates verbally, physically, or in any other way.
Astronauts will use caution while researching. This includes not ingesting, using, abusing, or discarding specimens before proper research has been completed. This is most important, as it ensures the safety of the Astronauts, as well as the ecosystem of the planet.

Authorization: Adam Abell 

Code: 233847

Project: Ambros

Date: June 12, 82034

Entry Title: Day 1 on Ambros

This is Adam, from the Aerolight on Ambros, and I am writing my first log for this expedition. CASA wanted us to try to document more than just research, in order to understand the effects the planet has on humans, so I guess this counts as kind of a… diary? I don’t know, it's not like anything I’ve written for CASA before. Though, this isn’t like anything I’ve ever done for CASA either. This is by far the coolest thing I’ve done in my life. I mean, how many people can say they were one of the first to set foot on a new planet? Well, I haven't actually gone out of the ship yet and considering how many planets have been discovered, roughly 1.4 million people can say that, but that’s irrelevant. 

Anyways, my location is the southeast corner of the field of Canaan, more specifically at the coordinates 31.7683190, 35.2137100. The similarities between this planet and Earth are astounding! I never thought we would be able to use the same directions or coordinate system but Ambros is unlike any planet I’ve studied. We really were able to breathe perfectly fine when we recalibrated the air pressure in the Aerolight. In fact, per my calculations, the oxygen is 7.43 times purer than that of Earth, though it does have a weird sweet smell. Not to mention the vibrant life that we have already seen through the Aerolight’s portholes. I have a large porthole in my lab which gives me an excellent view of the mountains out east. Once we send out our drones, we’ll be able to map the whole planet.

I forgot to say that I am the project’s astro-botanist and geneticist, my partner Eden is our astro-zoologist and biologist. I will be focused on the plants that we discover and cataloguing the flora of Ambros. My main focus is testing the plants we find to see if any can be cultivated back on Earth.  Eden seems like a good person, maybe a little unstable. I’m not sure I’d trust her with my life but hopefully, I’ll never have to. I met her only a few weeks ago when we started preparing for the trip. Since we’re with each other this whole trip, which could last months, it would be good to read that file CASA gave me on her. 

I will be doing these logs every day for the File of Discovery: 721,039. That’s a mouthful, I’ll call them the Ambros Files from now on. I also better tell Eden that for consistency. 

Authorization: Eden Evera 

Code: 790388

Project: Ambros

Date: June 12, 82034

Entry Title: First Day

Hey, this is Eden. I’m on Ambros, reporting from the Aerolight. This ship is amazing! The hydraulic shifters make the landings so smooth and the CloudX lined interior allows for complete noise cancellation, not to mention the sheer speed of it. They don’t call it the Aerolight for nothing. I never thought I would be able to experience technology as advanced as this. Well, enough of me geeking out. This is Day 1 on Ambros, the life here is breathtakingly beautiful. Based on the diversity of the life I’ve been able to see, I can deduce that there are over 1 million species of land dwelling animals. I wonder what that could mean for the fossil record of this place, sadly we don’t really have the equipment to do any subterranean excavations.

I guess I should say a little about me, I’m not really sure. I am an astro-zoologist and biologist in training at CASA where I’ve worked ever since I got out of college. On this project, I will be documenting all of the life on Ambros that is in the kingdom Animalia. My partner, Adam Abell will be our geneticist and astro-botanist. He seems nice, not that sociable though. I’ll probably read his file tonight.

 Despite the fact that this morning I was on another planet, today has been pretty boring. Tomorrow is when the real fun starts, when we get to go out and do a comb of the planet. It sounds pretty daunting, but we have some pretty powerful drones that can get it done in a few hours. Based on my research of the planet, there are four main land masses all surrounded by water. Or, I think it’s water, when we entered the atmosphere, one of the worries we had was the amount of light that was reflecting on the Aerolight, causing it to rise in temperature. For a while, we weren’t able to figure out why but after a quick scan of the general area, Adam found that the sea and other masses of water gleamed silver. Once I tested the water, we discovered that the liquid was basically water, but something in the atmosphere made the hydrogen molecules extremely reflective, giving it a silver sheen.

That’s only the beginning of the oddities of this new world. I’m sure that once we complete our research, CASA will be jumping at the chance to start colonizing Ambros. I hope they can do that while still keeping the delicate ecosystem in balance. I can’t wait to get out there and study all of the amazing life this planet holds.

Adam mentioned something about calling these the Ambros Files, which makes sense. I’ll try to write these entries every day, but knowing myself, I’ll probably forget. I know Adam won’t so there should be an ample amount of information. He seems like that kind of person. Anyways, I better turn in. Tomorrow should be interesting.

Authorization: Eden Evera 

Code: 790388

Project: Ambros

Date: September 28, 82034

Entry Title: WHAT THE HECK! CASA, WHAT HAVE YOU NOT TOLD US?

Alarming title, I know, there’s a lot to tell. First, let me start at the beginning. Today, my goal was to get Martha so I could run some tests to figure out how the ecosystem works. Martha is what I named a small creature I found yesterday. I haven’t been able to study the little bugger yet but I need something to call it and Martha seemed like a good name. Can you name a species Martha? Probably not, and now I’ve typed Martha too many times… Anyways, I was trying to get Martha (sorry) to come to me and boy, was she stubborn. She looked like a cross between a Chinchilla and an Anteater with antennae. Oh, and she’s bright blue. It probably wasn’t worth it but I had a nagging feeling that I needed to get to her. I guess it was my zoologist intuition and I hadn’t been able to catch anything in the snares I had set up around Canaan. I hate using traps but the animals on this planet are so unlike anything I’ve ever been able to study. I only get one chance to do this, so I have to take it. 

Martha led me into a grove of large trees, each disfigured and gnarled but still teeming with leaves and moss. Again, probably not the best idea to follow a creature into a forest but it was worth it because I found something. I followed Martha into a small clearing and found a ship, like the Aerolight! Well, it was kind of like the Aerolight, just a few decades older and a lot dirtier. How is there another ship?? This is a NEWLY DISCOVERED PLANET HOW IS THERE A SHIP!! Martha darted through the broken hatch of the ship. On the side hull it read Astrolander S2, CASA hasn’t made an Astrolander in like, 20 years, right? That means that this isn’t a new planet. But how would CASA make as big of a mistake like this?

Authorization: Adam Abell 

Code: 233847

Project: Ambros

Date: September 28, 82034

Entry Title: Disturbing Discovery 

Eden came to me today while I was synthesizing the DNA of a Brugmansia suaveolens (named after the very similar Earth counterpart). She seemed anxious as she explained to me what she found while capturing a Chinchilla thing, and she might have mentioned the name Martha? I’m not sure, she was talking so fast. I really don’t know what to make of this but I guess she found the remains of another Aerolight ship somewhere around the Jakoba Forest. I mean, where could have it come from? And who was on it? Eden said she thought she remembered seeing the same model from when she was a kid, so that would be about 20 years ago but Ambros is a new discovery… 

There’s something CASA didn’t tell us. I’m sure there must be a mistake though, it’s not like we’ve found anything else here in the last few months. I’d still like to go check that ship out though, I’ll go with Eden tomorrow. I have a feeling we need to be careful.

Authorization: Eden Evera 

Code: 790388

Project: Ambros

Date: October 14, 82034

Entry Title: Let’s hope no one reads this...

I don’t really know if this is the right place to write this. I’m not really sure if anyone even reads these. I’m sure they only read important ones, like the ones we mark or something? Ugh… I have to write it down though, maybe that will help how I feel. Maybe I’ll delete it afterwards. I think I’m stalling, which is fine because I’m the only one who’s going to read this. Okay, so after we discovered the Astrolander in the forest, I went back alone because I wanted to do a little more investigation by myself. I don’t know why, there was just something that drew me to the place. Adam thought that whoever had been one it was most likely long gone but when I went back, I found that some things we had moved around were back into their original places.

That’s when I met him. Scrunched up in a corner of what I assumed to be the living quarters, was an older man. He looked frail and sick, green lines ran down his face and scars littered his bald head. I immediately rushed to help him and as I slid down trying to find a clean cloth to wipe away the grime from his face, he grabbed my arm and whispered “Blood red star” over and over again. I asked him what he meant and through some more cryptic phrases, I found that he wanted me to get a flower that grew in the forest. I darted out of the ship. The flower wasn’t that hard to find, it’s vibrant red coloring. When I brought it back to the man, he looked even worse than before. I thought that was strange but assumed it was my imagination, or that whatever he was suffering from acted quickly. I gave him the flower and he bit the top off, leaving the stem. I’m no botanist, that’s Adam’s job, but I would think that would be a little dangerous to do. The man must have known what he was doing though because after a few seconds, he looked 100 times better than before.

When he was in a position to speak, he told me his name and where he was from. Nineteen years ago, CASA sent him, Anwir, on an exploration sojourn to Ambros. At first, it was like any other expedition, he did research with his partner on the planet just like we’re doing. Then, something happened. He found the Blood Red Star. The plant I brought him had the power to heal any ailment that humans could have. After finding this, Anwir used the plant and he tried to convince his partner to use it too. She refused, and after an accident in the Astrolander that left her in critical condition, her refusal led to her death. 

Anwir told me that not only did the slower heal the physical body, but it also enhanced the mental processes and functions of the brain. He also told me to take the plant and eat it, like he did. He told me that if I did, I would be a better biologist. I have no idea what it would do to me, I needed to have Adam run his tests on it. But I did. I ate it and I don’t know what to do now, just the thought of being smarter, better, seemed too enticing. I gave one flower to Adam for him to do his thing with, but I kept one for myself. 

After I ate it, I realized what it could do if it made it back to Earth. It’s all so confusing. My head is spinning and it feels like I’m losing my mind. I just know that there’s something in that flower that could help a lot of people. But I also know that if that flower goes to Earth, something in it will also cause something really terrible. How could this thing be so good and so bad at the same time? It hurts just to think about it.

I need to talk to Adam but I know he’ll just get frustrated with me. I shouldn’t have eaten it. Maybe I won’t tell him. Besides, his tests should come up with what I know about, right? I just need to sleep. I also need to go check on Anwir. I need to have a talk with him about the advice he gives.

Authorization: Adam Abell 

Code: 233847

Project: Ambros

Date: October 14, 82034

Entry Title: Well I deleted most of it BUT there’s been a huge development!

Well dang… I just pressed delete, there go 3 pages with my research on the Panacea stellate. I don’t really have the energy to rewrite all of that, but basically, I ran some experiments on a flower Eden brought me from the Jakoba Forest. Speaking of Eden, she didn’t look so good the last time I saw her, maybe I should go check on her. Anyways, the complexities of this plant are startling. The specimen has blood-red petals in a stellate pattern, giving it part of its name. I named it Panacea because of what my tests discovered. 

The tests that I ran found that the plant had a certain enzyme that could very possibly cure many human diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and different cancers. If that isn’t enough, the plant also carried antibodies and new chemical compounds that could cure different strains of flu viruses and other mega viruses. If what I’ve found is correct, this plant will save millions. Panacea means “a remedy for all disease.” 

I can’t wait to tell Eden this! She has single-handedly saved the human population. I must get this sent to Earth as quickly as possible. Based on my calculations, the extraction of the enzyme could take years alone. I can’t believe what we’ve discovered!

Authorization: Eden Evera 

Code: 790388

Project: Ambros

Date: October 20, 82034

Entry Title: What have I done?

What have I done? I can’t believe this. He sent it. I waited too long to talk to him and he sent the stupid flower. I should have gone to him. I should’ve ran the second I felt the urge to eat it. Who even does that? It’s common sense to not eat something a stranger gives you. Anwir wasn’t there when I went back. I looked up his name. It means liar. He didn’t really lie, but I still feel tricked. I was stupid and I only thought about myself and now it’s my fault that the whole world is going to suffer. 

I don’t know what to do now. Adam told me that there isn’t a way to communicate with CASA. For some reason, I feel like Anwir had something to do with it but I can’t be sure. He was just a crazy old man who ate plants. He probably knew what I discovered about the flower, though. He probably knew that I would give it to Adam and that Adam would want to send it back. It still doesn’t change the fact that it’s my fault. If anyone reads this on Earth, I am so sorry for what I have done.

Authorization: Adam Abell 

Code: 233847

Project: Ambros

Date: October 20, 82034

Entry Title: I made a mistake.

I made a mistake… I sent the specimen back too soon. I tried to send a communication as soon as I found out but for some reason it just wouldn’t go through. I will try until it works but it will soon be too late. I thought it would be okay, I ran my tests and they all came back okay. They needed to start working on those cures as soon as possible. I should’ve waited until we had gone over the specimen a second time. Or until Eden told me the truth.

How did a person survive this long on the planet? And why did Eden eat a mysterious plant from a mysterious person without KNOWING WHAT IT WOULD DO TO HER? She said she was fine but I have to do a full check up, there’s no telling what effect that flower had on her.

I was reckless with the thought of those cures and forgot to test the plant in one area, its effects in oxygen. I didn’t give much thought to it, since nothing had happened to Eden or I from the exposure to the Panacea stellate but…  our oxygen is different than Earth’s. 

The oxygen found on Ambros is much purer, which I first assumed was from the lack of pollution. That was true, of course, but I also discovered that the air on Ambros had a particular protein that Earth’s oxygen doesn’t have. What I found after we sent the specimen to earth was that that protein also prohibited a toxin in the plant to be released. After extracting the toxin, I discovered that it was a virus. A virus worse than anything we’ve ever experienced. Forget the flu, coronavirus, or Venom32, this virus is capable of killing a person within a week. Once CASA opens the vessel on Earth, that virus is going to spread like wildfire.