Today I have been concentrating my search on Sothis B 1 A . For hours I drove my SRV around the bleak landscape. The distant sun of Sothis red and baleful on the horizon. All the while the planet Sothis B 1 hanging over my head dominating the landsape like a grotesque gargantuan milky eye threatening to fall and crush all beneath it. I was ready to welcome death if it would end my lonely sojorn across that bleak landscape when I encuntered a signal on my scanners.

I approach the source and my SRV lights uncovered the wreckage of a small craft that had foundered on the rock. In the debris surrounding the crash site I discovered two occupied escape pods and a stash of narcotics. I ascertained that two of my students had been experimenting as the youth are wont and in their narcotic fuelled haze they lost conrol of their craft.

I have confiscated the narcotics and will transport my passengers to the nearest station.

I have made n progress decoding the message I found yesterday. I shall no doubt have to make it public so that I can get assistance from my peers.

Though I suffered a dreadful night it is amazing how much a well stocked larder can refresh one's spirits. This really is a marvelous craft. Thus fortified I set to explore the systems around Sothis. Alas as I was traversing the vast distance to the nearest landable planet I discovered a signal source that ultimately turned out to belong to one of my students.

His craft and personal belongings were scattered across a swathe of space and no signs of life were present. I was able to salvage many of his personal belongings but his private data beacon was scrambled. Tomorrow I shall set about decoding it. Hopefully it will contain some clue to his identity and the mystery of his untimely death.

In the mean time I have a fine Lavian brandy waiting for me in my state room.

"Private Data Beacon")

I dreamt such dark dreams last night of a dead city and nameless horrors. I found myself running, searching for a way out of the dread kingdom, shying away from the dark doorways whose geometry seems to shiver and writhe even as I looked upon them. I ran into a dead end and stopped. The hairs rising on the back of my neck and a cold sweat flooding my skin. I felt a presence behind me radiating evil, a malevolent intent and a bowel churning carrion stench like hot chinatown trash .

Against my every instinct I turned and recoiled in horror at the sight of the spawn of Cthulhu, its face a mass or writhing tentacles which began to part revealing a grotesque circular maw full of razor sharp teeth. The monster spoke. "beep beep beep" I regarded it with confusion. "beep beep beep" its said, its dark eyes with the depth of galaxies some how conveying embarassment. "beep beep beep" the loathsome spawn repeated, shrugging its monstrous wings.

Suddenly I was dragged back into my world. I was lying in pool of inky black vomit on my filthy sweat soaked bed. An empty bottle of Mega Centauri Gin next to me, my terminal inbox beeped at me insistently. Bleary eyed I punched the terminal to read my messages.

Despite my rude awakening and the depredations of the night before my spirits lifted, I read with joy the message informing me that our new Python, all 88 gold plated meters of it, had arrived at the station. I quickly scanned through the inventory skipping past such base considerations as shields, armour and power to find what I had been waiting for, Luxury passenger's quarters and a well stocked cellar filled with rare spirits from across the galaxy.

I wasted no time and ran to the berth stopping only to use the head on the way. From now on I would stay on ship and only leave if absolutely nescessary and finally I would be able to start my exploration in earnest.

Another fitless night, dreams gone from memory before I woke but leaving me fearful and anxious like a nameless evil was hanging over me. The food here does not agree with me and I was consumed with a disgusing malady causing me to emit a foul smelling black fluid from every orifice. This is the last time I ever try a local delicacy.

Delicately I dealt with the busines sof the day. The repairs to my ship have not gone well but no matter the good news is that our new Python is on its way and should arrive on the morrow.

Though I have made no progress today one of our students has at least proceeded with some success.

I'd like to congratulate CMDR Cyb3r4ndr4s for visiting all the systems in the expedition in such a short space of time.

Students who rush through their assignment without turning in any data would normally recieve a fail but I think that everyone should understand that there are exceptional circumstances that we have taken into account.

Exceptional circumstances that I am not at liberty to divulge. Rest assured that the fact that CMDR Cyb3r4ndr4s is a king of the empire has not affected our decision to award him an A grade with distinction.

Let us hope that tomorrow will pass with further sucesses.

I woke up this morning feeling thoroughly exhausted and dispirited. I slept fitfully waking through the night from strange dreams in a cold sweat. I crawled out of my pit and had a stomach churning breakfast in the commissary which I lost almost immediately.

I resolved to leave the station as soon as possible. So you can imagine my despair when I discovered a fault in my FSD that meant I was unable to get underway.

I at least had some good news. I was able to persuade the Dean to visit our benefactor Shrub Rocketeer Senior to wish him a speedy recovery. Though completely delerious from his mysterious malady he was able to sign off the deeds on a gold plated python over to the faculty. As soon as the Dean transmitted the details I procured a transfer of the ship to this station. So I may yet be able to travel in some comfort.

With no travel possible today I spend the remainder of my day attempting to secure a permit for Polaris. So far my polite requests have been met with silence but I shan't give up. Me may yet be able to unlock the mysteries of that star before the expedition is over.

So far no sign of the missing students or Professor Lake for that matter though I have heard rumours that students have been beset by accidents that have delayed their travel plans. Pehaps they are lucky to have stayed away. How I dread spending another febrile night on this station.

It is the first day of our expedition and I had hoped that we would get off to a more auspicious start, but already we have been dogged by ill omens and poor luck.

On my way from Maia where I had been liasing with Professor Palin I was waylaid by a ship from the Nebula Goat Appreciation Society. The commander's name Alhazred Sothoth has a peculiar resonance considering that it was the Yog-Sothoth worshiping mad poet Abul Alhazred who first introduced civilisation to the elder gods from beyond the stars

The fiend was yelling unintelligably into the comms channel and made an unprovoked attack. It was only judicious use of my pulse laser that saved me from the void.

The nescessary repairs meant that I was delayed and did not arrive at our start point in Sothis until 11pm. So you can imagine my annoyance when I recieved a compaint about the students from the station master at Newholm. Some of the students had collected alien artefacts of unknown origin and had been selling them on the black market. As a consequence some of the space station's functions were inoperable.

I learnt that only 6 of our party had managed to arrive on time and of these 3 had moved on beyond Rigel against my express wishes that they should remain to investigate the local system.

But who could blame them for wanting to leave this place. There is a malaise hanging over it. The ill bred inhabitants with their shambling walk and bulbous eyes are very unpleasant and the food is terrible, My room is shocking, the bed so filthy that I shall probably sleep on the chair tonight.

I had some other disturbing news. I learnt that our benefactor Shrub Rocketeer senior has been afflicted by a strange malady which has even the finest physicians baffled. His son is concerned that his father may pass while he is on the expedition. I am most concerned for his father. I was thinking of him only the other day while I was watching the freshmen cavort in the Rocketeer Zero G Gymnasium. I can only hope that he makes a speedy recovery or at least holds out long enough to sign the deeds on the new Python that he promised the faculty. It would certainly make the journey more comfortable than the shabby and cramped Diamondback explorer that will be my transport for the near future.

There is still no news of the advance party and professor Lake. I hope the against all the odds that he hasn't suffered the same fate as his ill omened ancestor on the disastrous Antarctic Expedition of the 1930s. I hope against hope we will find him safe and sound.

In the morning I shall start my tour of the system and then the research can begin in earnest lets hope that he remaining students turn up in one piece.