Agres

No treasure changes your life, not unless you are looking for one. These were wise words from an old friend of mine. The world of Argres is a festering hole of scum and villainy. Visited by few and those that come are stripped of their sanity and morals if not their ships for parts first. Coming from a fringe world on the outside of common space, you can't get more outside your comfort zone than Argres.

This world has always been a living hell. From a simple mining colony, turned penal colony, turned capital of evil. Coming here is a death wish. But, according to statistics, it's the fastest growing planet in the known galaxy for one thing, and one thing only, the grand gem. The grand gem is so powerful that it's been said to have been deposited on this planet more than one to thousand years ago, after the 5th unification war. Those that wish to control this gem are more powerful than any government, any warlord, any admiral. That's more than enough reason for the corrupt, the lost, and the unholy to come here.

As for me, I've given up on my peaceful life with my family herding animals and living on simple needs. I've left everything behind once the ship I hitchhiked on was shot down for parts. Lady luck must have been smiling on me, from surviving the crash and getting away before the Metal Rippers came. Thus, I'm stuck here fighting for my right to breathe the fumes of old mine shafts and to eat the rotting foods of this planet in order to obtain that gem. My reasons are my own for why I want this gem and for those who follow my journey; I pray you will finish it for me if I meet an untimely death. My name is Daniel O. Tragant and this is my story.

Journal entry one 10/07/30XX

You can't escape the retched smell of this planet, but you can find some solace in canteens. The canteens are their own little world, open 36 standard hours (a full day) 10 days a week, always full to the brim with individuals and culture. The drinks will knock you on your ass faster than you can say, “Drinks are on me.” but at least the food will keep you full if not visiting a surprisingly sanitized restroom shortly afterwards. But the food and drink isn't the main reason people come here. No, they come here for work outside your normal corporate work.

Journal entry two 11/07/30XX

It's been 13 months since my last entry. My canteen visit back then was worth my last bit of juru. I meet a group of tunnel-devils that just got back from their last expedition into the lava tombs in search for a clue to the gem's whereabouts. They unfortunately lost half their crew when an unexpected destabilization of the crust shifted half the tunnel more than a mile in another direction. In other news this will be my 20th dive into the tunnels making me an official tunnel-devil. Gonna get the tattoo next week! It's not the most enjoyable work for sure but beats railing in Cattle and doing chores back home. The pay is good and it keeps me busy as our goal is to find this gem. My hopes are high, my arms are strong, if only my stomach wasn't grumbling so much.

Journal entry three 01/23/30XX

Something odd has happened to the captain. He's beginning to have us dive deeper than ever before, diving deeper than we have will have us start being exposed to the upper mantle of Argres; well what's left of the upper mantle that is after the planet crack, 15 standard years ago. We'll have to start being even more aware of potential shifts in the dirt and potential heat disasters in our drilling equipment. What's even stranger, I swear I heard an owls coo. I'm not sure what's got the captain all riled up, but if he's willing to pay double, I'll gladly dive deeper.

Journal entry four 02/22/30XX

Disaster struck, it's been as little as a month since we started drilling deeper. The engine in the boar maker exploded from heat strain critically wounding and potential deaths of at least 15 of our crew. We have five unaccounted for, assuming they are dead but MIA looks better on paper. The captain has gone missing as well and I swear that cooing is getting worse. We are out at least 150,000 juru for a new machine, and what's even worse is that with only 40 of us, we can't continue our dig and the hole will fill back up with molten rock before we can even get back in there. I'm in charge of B team now since I'm the most experienced from B team. The company and I plan to gather up some new guys that match what we need to continue digging and continue the search for our captain.

Journal entry five 02/31/30XX

I saw a barn owl today. I also saw our captain along with a couple of the unaccounted crew members. I think the fumes from the planet are messing with my head. I'm gonna take some time off next week to get my head straight.

Journal entry six 05/04/30XX

Don't chase after false idols. I was told that by the captain not too long ago, not long before he went missing from the bore machine melt down. Apparently I'm not the only one seeing this barn owl, in fact, people have been seeing more than one or maybe they are seeing the same one in multiple places. Either way drilling deeper in this planet is driving some of the new guys and even the veterans away. We can keep taking losses in man power or we will never reach the gem. I've arrested full control of the operation, talked about quick succession of command, and started paying triple the amount we were all being paid for in order to keep some people around long enough for us to drill. The stability spikes that hold the tunnel intact are all holding steady still and somehow we are still making a profit though slim as it may be. I'm worried that all my efforts will be for nothing.

Journal entry seven 05/05/30XX

If you have found this book, do not, I repeat, do not follow the barn owls. They are not normal animals. These creatures are hostile defenders of something. They were poking our defenses this whole time. Trying to see how much of a threat we are and now, now they are picking us apart. Luckily, our efforts have been rewarded with additional volunteers seeing we are now the deepest tunnel-devil in history. We get new recruits everyday more than we are losing currently, I've dropped the pay down to 1-½ of what we were originally paying in order to keep a steady increase in profits. We'll soon reach the lower mantle and soon, the gem will be mine.

Journal entry eight 06/10/30XX

We found the captain's remains along with the unaccounted crew. They followed one of the owls through a secret tunnel and wound up at their nest. The owls ripped them to shreds in seconds. We gave them a funeral comparable to an admiral. The funeral was one to remember for Agres and it appears that it’s common for when you get a chance for a funeral in Agres, it’s more of a celebration. We went to the surface and bought out a couple of Canteens. We partied for more than five days. There were tears, happiness, and most importantly closure for me and the original crew. They were the best and now they get to lie with the best. So long cap, you taught me everything I know.

Journal entry nine 12/31/30XX

We have met a roadblock. We’ve dug through the upper mantle and now reached the lower mantle, It's too much like a liquid than rock. Drilling through it is like drilling through water, it just fills back up and our boar maker is overheating on idle. To make things more upsetting, there have been more and more owl sightings by the hour. They are protecting something. Maybe another nest. But until we can figure something out, we are stuck here for the time being.

Journal entry ten ??/??/31XX

There's a vault just a few hundred feet past the lower mantle wall. It’s so close! The owls, if only the damn owls didn’t come back. If only we knew the bird brains had an actual brain. They destroyed enough stability spikes to cause a rift in the tunnel closing us off from the surface. They came in swarms and steamrolled us. Picking up those who were unlucky, carrying them off to who knows where. Picking up equipment and dropping it on others. A few of us found shelter inside the Boar maker. It’s been weeks maybe months but I’m not sure anymore. Rations are running low and I hear coos out in the distance. Find the vault, get past the mantle, acquire the gem. The owls have returned, they are the true guardians of the gem and we have just trampled all over their homeland.