Declassified Documents Concerning the Final Days of the Royal Imperial Mananauts, Part 3
9 Frostfall, 2E 1
It has been almost one week since I have arrived here. My primary tasks are to organize security and accompany obtuse scientific exhibitions out onto the surface. The mages in this compound, the few that are still here, seem completely oblivious to the realities of their mission. All of them have been made aware of not only the impending cession of the mission, but also of the Elven presence. In true academic fashion though, they seem to be completely ignoring these realities, carrying on their experiments and inquiries as if nothing is amiss. The security detail now only numbers one dozen, as compared to the 32 researchers present at the compound. It is already becoming increasingly difficult to provide proper security on these expeditions, and we have had to forbid a number of them due to lack of manpower at the time. The mages, of course, are livid and the last five days has seen me having to deal with an endless barrage of complaints and debates.
There is really no debating the need for trained personnel to accompany these missions. Even completely ignoring the need to stay alert for Elven detection, the entire environment of Secunda is full of hazards. The pockmarked surface of the planet informs the reality of a world that, by my observation, is literally crumbling apart. The many hills that dot the landscape are, without exception, extremely prone to collapse. The rocks and soil are quite lose, and there is literally nothing holding the ground together. Not plants obviously, but also no significant moisture. Rockslides are common, as are sudden ground collapses. Earthquakes too, are so common that I find myself now ignoring them. The massive, reinforced nature of the home compound was clearly an extreme necessity, and I find it a wonder that the facility even remains in tact in when noticing the numerous quakes.
I can say with certainty that my position is far more essential than I realized, as many of these men do not seem self-possessed enough to act properly without orders. I have also found myself not just sitting back, but myself acting as an active security detail. In spite of this, I am not able to accompany every expedition, and I am required to have those under me report to me about the Elven situation. We have been trying to send regular observation groups of two men every day to look for their base of operations, as we have yet to locate exactly where they are stationed. We have not had any success.
Our most recent returned group, instead of bringing news of the Elves, instead presented claimed observations of bizarre sights, thing I will not repeat. I of course didn't believe them. They likely didn't take enough water with them, or their suits were not properly sealed. Perhaps one of them took a spill down a crater and hit his head. They both claimed to see it though, but the idea is just preposterous. I'm not even going to humor it by writing it here. The idea that there is anything other than the Elves and us on Secunda is just insane. Secunda is a dead rock. I don't know how much the myths can be trusted, I honestly don't, but some myths insist that Secunda is a fragment of Sehzarr's divine corpse. If that were the case, seeing any sign of civilization would still be total lunacy. There is more than enough to contend with without having to think about the possibility of ruins or alien creatures. Again, I don't know why I am even humoring this, nor should I.