In Memory of Marie

Captain Serge Stone's Log, Research Starjumper "Cognition-5"; Expedition to Planet Kepler-213d (Zaraphon); Entry No. 29510123:

"Today is, without a doubt, the darkest day of our expedition. With great sorrow and a heavy heart, I must report the death of our team member, geochemist Marie Mortensen, as a result of an attack by a large marine xeno-organism.

Marie was the heart and empathetic pillar of our group, an incomparable specialist, and a good colleague in our work. According to Dr. Liu Yan's conclusion, death occurred due to lung swelling and respiratory system paralysis, 2951/01/23, at 5:41 AM local time...

...Marie died in the line of duty, conducting research. As she often said, she had always dreamed of dedicating her life to the study of distant worlds beyond the horizon of human expansion. By the cruel whim of the universe, she became the first casualty of Zaraphon, the first human to die on this planet.

Our entire team is devastated by this terrible event, and I feel the pain doubly—both as a captain responsible for my crew and as a friend who shared a good relationship with this bright individual. However, professional duty forces me to suppress my emotions and report the details of her death to the mission leadership and Marie's family.

Yesterday, 2951/01/22, Marie and Nikolai (seismologist) dove near Reef A44 to study the seabed for mineral resources and potential sources. Arman (oceanologist) accompanied them as an assistant and boat operator. Marie and Nikolai, in sealed diving suits, descended to a depth of 23-35 feet and began collecting samples of bottom sediment and rock formations. Deep-water suits were not used, as they were undergoing scheduled maintenance at the base, and I had made the decision that, given the shallow depth, the task could be handled by the team alone. A mistake for which Marie paid with her life.

Half an hour into the dive, a large Waterwing approached our colleagues. According to Nikolai, the creature began behaving aggressively, stretching its tentacles and rapidly changing the color of the mosaic patches on its skin. It is presumed that the noise from the tools our colleagues were using to collect samples attracted the creature's attention. Nikolai decided that they should immediately ascend to the boat and let the creature swim away. During the ascent, the Waterwing attacked Marie, striking her several times with its stinging tentacles, and immediately retreated after being hit on its headplate with a tool. Nikolai helped his colleague into the boat, where he discovered that one of the tentacles had pierced her suit and wounded her. Ten minutes later, Marie began experiencing difficulty breathing, fever, and tremors in her limbs. She lost consciousness twice on the way back to base, and upon arrival at the shore, fell into a coma. Despite all of Dr. Liu's efforts to help her, Marie passed away without regaining consciousness.

It is difficult to say why the Waterwing's venom acted so quickly; perhaps it is due to a completely foreign composition incompatible with the human body. I hope we will be able to determine this soon. For now, Nikolai will take over Marie's position as geochemist. The team has decided that Marie's body should be cremated to avoid contaminating the soil with human microorganisms. According to protocol, cremation will take place in two days, once all necessary tissue samples have been collected. Until then, a period of mourning is declared at the camp. I must honestly take full responsibility for the death of a team member—it was my negligence of the danger that led me to send people where machines would have been more suitable. For poor Marie, there is nothing more I can do... Rest in peace."