Captain Tefrin Jakkel: Log 001

The descent onto this small planet was a little rocky to begin with, but there is little more to say about it. Everything went as well as could be expected and I stepped out into a landscape of purple and silver sands under a green sky. I walked perhaps a mile before I stumbled across the bones of an ancient temple rising up out of the sands. The first signs of civilisation is always exciting, but there is a melancholy fascination about ruins. Who knows exactly what tales the old stones could tell us? Unfortunately the markings upon these stones are of a kind I am not familiar with, but I have logged image reproductions of them as I am certain there are others who will be able to translate them. At first I had not been sure if it was truly a temple or just an elaborate meeting house, but a dark doorway lead me deep underground. The path had been littered with rocks and obstacles which took time to pass through, but eventually I reached what appeared to be a central chamber. At the heart of this round room was a pillar covered in intricate carvings which emitted a soft glow. Veins of this light and more carvings spiralled out from the pillar and created a weave around the ceiling. Turning off my suits light gave me opportunity to admire the full affect undisturbed. I would have spent longer down there, but I was fearful of becoming trapped so climbed my way out to the surface.
As I walked a little further the landscape around me changed, the sands becoming more rocky until I reached a wide swathe of tall blue grass. I was cautious of any predators that might lurk within them but my scanner assured me there were few creatures around me. I took a moment to rest and noticed another ruined form rising from the grass. Curiously, this one was of a space vessel - an escape pod, I assume from the size of it. Thick vines covered it but I managed to peer inside, yet nature had crept in there too and there was little of note that I could see.
Unwilling to disturb the local flora, I left the pod and slowly picked my way through the field. The same vines that had claimed the pod created a dangerous carpet beneath my feet. (These suits really are not made for creeping around.) I was so focused on not tripping and getting caught that it took my by surprise when I looked up to find the green sky had darkened to a deep turquoise and blue. A pale pink moon had risen, casting a rosy glow on my surroundings, and I had to stop and watch in awe as plants began to glow and unfurl around me, reaching up eagerly to the night sky. Soon enough the tall grass gave way to even taller fungus trees. Luminescent fronds hung and swayed gently from them. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
With night having fallen, I didn’t want to wander too far from my pod on this first day but I did find yet another ruin as I walked around the gentle giants. This was of another pillar much like the one I’d found underground, but up here it was open to nature and had suffered for it. Traces of the carvings could still be seen, but most of the pillar lay broken and scattered in a clearing. Now I think back on it, I realise that each stone seemed untouched by the vines or grasses, unlike the escape pod. Perhaps these pillars contain some kind of energy that keeps them away? This is pure assumption. I shall have to investigate further.