Gentlemen of the Space Agency: I am forwarding to you this account of the incident that occurred on Algol 3. I am sure you are familiar with the initial reports of this tragedy, but due to the remoteness of the system, as well as the violent nature of the event, there are few, if any, details available to aid the investigation. This log, apparently kept by one of the members of the exploration team involved, was found to have been transmitted to a support cruiser orbiting just outside the system. We are lucky to have it, and after reading it, I am sure that you will find it useful in making the subsequent policy and procedures review that will be necessary. There is a lot of graphic violence described in this encounter, but I decided not to edit it out because it is such an integral part of the nature of what happened. If we want to avoid mistakes in judgment in our interactions with alien cultures, we are going to have to take note of the raw facts, and bear in mind some of the unpleasant possibilities in this universe. I know that it is your job to weigh the risks against the rewards in our exploration of alien planets, and I have no illusions about the difficulties you face in making these decisions. For these reasons, I felt it was important to provide you with an unedited, unbiased account to your attention. And now, here is the log.

1

During our approach to the Algol system, our scanners confirmed the presence of life forms present on the third planet out from the center, henceforth to be noted as Algol 3. The temperature and humidity readings we have taken, as well as the geologic and chemical analysis we have done, places this planet in the terrestrial range, with polar climates slightly warmer than Earth, containing some water ice, with hotter tropical zones around the equator. The atmosphere is 4 parts oxygen, 3 parts carbon dioxide, 2 parts nitrogen, with the rest divided into fractions of other gaseous compounds. The planet is roughly the size of 1.5 Earths, with a crust composed of various elements engaged in active plate tectonics. There are continents, with oceans separating them, containing mountain ranges, deserts, and volcanic regions. There is plenty of vegetation on the planet, and we have detected some moving animal life forms. Our attempts at contacting these life forms have proved futile, and we do not detect any pollution or energy generating structures, so we must conclude that the life forms are either not intelligent, or least not highly civilized. Our efforts at making contact are continuing, however.

2

As we approach the inner reaches of this solar system, we have detected a powerful magnetic field aligned with the binary stars at the center of it. This is not altogether unexpected, especially since the two stars are each very different in luminosity and mass, and orbit each other in rather close proximity. We knew from observations from Earth that the larger star is a red giant and that the smaller one is an opal colored star around the same diameter as our sun. I must admit that they look rather beautiful juxtaposed against each other in the sky. The stars orbit each other in a time span equal to two units per year long orbit of the planet Algol 3. The magnetic field sweeps through the solar system aligned with the blue star orbiting the giant like the spoke of a great wheel. We can only speculate on its effect on the life forms of Algol 3.

As yet, our efforts at establishing communications with the life forms have not been successful, but our high resolution cameras have identified several clusters of pyramid like structures on one of the continents. We are excited by the prospect of encountering a life form with some level of intelligence, perhaps similar to what may have existed on Earth in ancient Egypt, Greece, or Rome.

3

We have decided to land on the continent where we have identified what might be described as primitive cities of pyramid and tower structures, rectangular dwellings clustered together, connected by roads and rivers. Our infrared sensors detect hundreds of thousands of life forms in these cities, engaged in energetic activity. We will land tomorrow.

4

Our decent to the surface was very routine. Nice work by our pilot. The area surrounding our landing site appears to be a semi-arid zone, with a type of long stemmed grass dominating the vegetation. There are also some shrub like plants as well, remarkably similar to bushes on Earth; except that these specimens have rather spongy, rubbery leaves, thick with juices. The soil is sandy in consistency. We have observed several insect like creatures feeding on the plants here. When disturbed, they burrow into the ground. A couple of the species have menacing claws and mandibles which they display in defense. None of them are much larger than a human hand, and all have hard, protective shells.

Together, the red giant and the dwarf blue star bathe the entire planet in a vibrant, violet light. They present a striking image in the sky. They are now separated by several astronomical units, and in this configuration, all the plants and rocks, all the insects, all objects here, cast two shadows over the ground; one deep blue, the other a rich, dark red. The effect is rather disconcerting and disorientating. The landscape appears to be in a constant state of flux around you, and it is hard to get one's bearings. It is a very surreal experience, standing here on Algol 3.

The two stars are approaching each other day by day, and we estimate that they will be in occultation in about 45 days. We are monitoring the magnetic field for adverse effects on the life forms here, but they seemed to have evolved protections against it. Outside of that, this should be an interesting occultation to observe visually. The smaller blue star will pass through the field of the large, red giant. I am looking forward to seeing it.

No sign of any creatures who might be considered responsible for constructing the structures we have observed from space.

5

After moving a short distance from our ship, we have spotted the aliens. They are approaching us. Apparently, they have been observing us and they are now attempting to contact us. There is no doubt that they are organized, somewhat intelligent beings with a degree of social sophistication, if not advanced technologically. They are insects, rather large, at least as big as a man, with saw like mandibles and powerful claws on their front legs, which they display periodically. They move in a coordinated fashion, circling our ship rapidly. They are a bright blue color, with bright red shells. They have bulbous, multi faceted eyes, and antennae, which they shake in our direction frequently. One or two of the aliens are carrying primitive flags mounted on poles, with the image of the two stars on it: a blue dot in the middle of a red dot on a white field.

We are debating how to approach the aliens. We are aware that the aliens are communicating between themselves in a kind of language of whistles, clacks and chirps that we are trying to decipher with our computers. We are standing outside our ship, with our hands up, palms out, in a token of peace. The aliens seem to be mimicking this, standing on hind legs with their claws open in answer.

6

A few of the aliens have approached the ship and we offered them some of our vegetables which they have eaten. They seem to enjoy it, and we have gained a measure of their trust. They have offered us some of their plants in return. Our computer has become somewhat calibrated to their language and we have amused them by repeating some of their phrases. They seem to want to know how we came here, and why. We are trying to explain that we are curious about who they are and how they live. They are particularly interested in our ship.

One thing we have noticed is that the aliens are very aware of the two stars in their sky. At dusk, they crawl after the stars on their bellies, crying in whistles, and at night they burrow underground. In the morning, they welcome the stars back into the sky by standing on hind legs with their mandibles and front claws open. It seems to be some kind of religion to them, and we hope to learn more about it.

7

We are able to communicate with the aliens now a bit. They want to take us to their nearest city, a place they call Krensh, in their language. We are not sure how far away it is, but the aliens have indicated that they can reach it in about a day. They want to show us how they live in the city. They will carry us there on sleds made of the grasses that grow on this planet. We were amazed at how they can weave these grasses together with their mandibles and claws.

The aliens are aware of the approaching occultation of the stars, and there seems to be some excitement about this event, as if it were a festival or a religious holiday. They have made it clear that it is the most important day in their year. The aliens have tried to explain that there is a some kind of temple in the city that has to do with the stars. We are excited about going to the city and have packed some supplies to explore it for a few weeks.

8

The alien city of Krensh is impressive. In many ways, it resembles an insect colony on Earth, strangely enough. The alien society is divided into castes, with workers being predominant, building the structures they live in and preparing the food, soldiers who defend the city from other alien cities, and larger, more social specimens engaged in leadership and breeding. The aliens breed after the occultation cycle, lay eggs, and hatch them in the large rectangular structures we observed from space. The workers feed them, separate them into castes, and train them. Mostly the aliens appear to live on vegetation grown in large plantations outside the city by the workers.

The buildings are made by mixing sand with their saliva, which acts as a kind of glue, and compacting this material into square blocks which are fitted together and allowed to dry in the sun. There is no electricity, the heat is solar and geothermal, and the aliens have no tools. The pyramid structures are where the aliens breed, and they also seem to use them for observing the stars. The aliens took us to the largest of these pyramids, which appears to be the temple they spoke of. Unlike the other structures in the city, it is decorated with images of the large red and small blue stars, colored with plant materials. There are several balconies for observing the stars, and in the uppermost level, there is a great jewel, a kind of crystal, with many facets that reflect the violet light of the stars all around the city, in a spectacular display. When the suns set, and the light goes out, the aliens go indoors and become dormant.

It is worth mentioning that unlike Earth, where solar worship in ancient civilizations revolved around celebrations of the seasons and the winter and summer solstices, the aliens on this planet make their greatest festivals the bi annual occultations that the stars perform in the sky. There is no doubt that they regard the stars as some kind of deity, and that the deity awakens when the occultation form. They refer to this deity as 'Mek', which means 'the eye', in their language. They believe that the eye of Mek desires to see their breeding, and before this breeding, they ingest a ritual meal. This meal consists of mammal like creatures resembling rodents and birds which they keep in pens outside the city. We theorize that this meal of animal proteins may be beneficial in the nutrition of their eggs, and that the breeding season might be influenced somehow by the magnetic field generated by the two stars as they come into occultation on Algol 3. We are looking forward to observing this ritual.

9

We have been staying in the alien city for a couple of weeks. The occultation of the binary system is approaching. It is now only about a day away, and in the sky, the bright red and bright blue stars, only a brief space apart, present a riveting image. In their deep indigos and scarletts, the shadow behind objects seem to be closing together like great scissors. We have noticed a marked increase in the power of the magnetic field.

The aliens have also been undergoing an unsettling change of mood. We can't tell if it is caused by the increasing magnetic field, and physical in nature, or a cultural, societal phenomenon connected to their breeding. Up to now, the aliens have been accommodating and quite friendly, but now they seem much more aggressive. They often stand on hind legs watching us, opening and closing their mandibles and claws menacingly. Outside the city, groups of the largest, upper caste aliens have begun eating the animals kept in the pens for the ritual feeding. It is a grisly sight to behold. The animals are taken alive from the pens, and held up to the sky, and then literally shredded alive in their mandibles, in a spewing of blood and gore, and in a shrieking of pain that the aliens seem to relish. It is all rather frightening, actually, and we have decided to leave the city tonight, while the aliens are inactive, and take refuge in our ship. We are confident that we will be safe there, and can ride out this cycle of behavior during the festival. It appears the aliens should return to a more benevolent state afterward. In the worst case scenario, we can always blast off and rendezvous with the supply ship. The occultation should begin tomorrow.

10

The sight of the occultation of Algol is stunning. Seen from this planet, as the small, blue star moves across the face of the red giant, it forms, literally, the appearance of a great eye! There is no escape from it. You can hardly tear yourself away from the sight of it. We now understand the power that this spectacle generates in the aliens, and the worship of Mek it inspires! The terrible sight should last for a day or two.

We have to wonder, a bit warily, what is happening in the alien city that we left so hurriedly. The aliens must have realized we left, and we don't know if they will follow us here or not. They certainly know the way. We are preparing to blast off.

11

Oh God! The aliens have followed us! This morning, we woke up to find thousands of them swarming around the ship! Somehow the magnetic field must increase their strength exponentially, and they are tearing at the metal of the ship with their mandibles and claws, ripping huge gaps into the shell and smashing the windows. They are crawling inside! They have swarmed the thrusters, and dismantled them. We can't lift off! We can hear them scraping around below us, breaking through the bulkheads.

They have breached the hull! They are impervious to gunfire, even lasers! Their shells are too hard...They got Steve! He screamed as they shredded him! They are eating us alive!