TR-20134 - Iron Plane

Report from Lt. Al-Moyad

My first impressions are of great age, and tiredness. This universe itself seems to have been closed up into itself, like an old closet, or perhaps a garage. Indeed, the air itself smells of oil and metal. It is impossible to tell how large of an area we have arrived in. There is no visible sun, no moon or stars. Nothing moves.

It is very difficult to describe exactly what this place is like. Despite the darkness, the air itself has a sort of luminescence, highlighting everything with faint red and blue halos of light. Disturbingly, this light seems to change in quality as one moves, becoming more blue as you approach something, but fading back down to a cherry red when you back away. Professor Tyler has theorized that it has something to do with the speed at which light itself travels. Certainly, there appears to be something very odd about the behaviour of our lanterns. The beams from the lenses seem to seek the ground, as if the light were water and our lanterns were hoses. As a result, directing light into any specific area of interest is difficult.

All around the area in which we arrived are strange mechnaisms of unknown purpose. Interlocking gears, levers and driveshafts connect everything, all of it in excellent condition, but perfectly inert. Despite the well maintained appearance, there were no signs of life during our entire exploration. Sergeant Jared undertook to climb one of the larger devices and reported that the machinery continues for as far as he could see, even with the assistance of a stereopticular magnifier.

In the event that we do meet any of the natives of this world, it may be useful to establish trade. Given the many examples of their supurb craftsmanship, they could very likely produce spare parts for our equipment with little to no difficulty. Conversely, if evidence is found of their extinction, an outpost could be established with the goal of seeking out and harvesting useful parts from the abandoned creations.