Terran monitoring · Hood Canal sector · relay 7

Larch Station

A weather outpost, staffed, against the wishes of the staff
CHAPTER I

The view

Live · 03:00 · overcast night · 50°F
Bearing 1 of 7 · Structures A and B
The ship's camera. Arrows, the dots or the keyboard to look elsewhere; drag to scan.
50° FAHRENHEIT
Thermometer
high 54° · low 35°
30.09 IN HG
Barometer
rising rapidly
95% RELATIVE
Hygrometer
dew point 49°
0 MPH · S
Anemometer
gust 0 · Beaufort 0
0.00 IN TODAY
Rain gauge
0.02 in this week
CHAPTER II

Hypotheses

What the crew expect, and what the reference observers on the surface say. Graded afterwards, on the hypotheses page.

Thu 5
⛅
56° / 47°
59% rain
partlycloudy
Fri 6
☂
55° / 49°
68% rain
rainy
Sat 7
☂
61° / 48°
96% rain
rainy
Sun 8
☂
55° / 43°
43% rain
rainy

“For tomorrow: the reference observers say 55°/49°, 68% rain. Vell's model says 56°/50°, 90% rain. Orm's barometer says 54°/35°, 24% rain. The intern says 62°/40°, 33% rain. This has never happened before. We are frightened.”

CHAPTER III

Expeditions

Whether the bipeds should attempt the things they attempt. Advisory only. They never listen.

The path

Hike

Go. Take the long way. Tell no one.
Overcast night, 50°, gusts to 0 mph. The hill is dry enough. The crossing is always fine.
Closed for the season
The rectangular pond

Pool

Closed for the season. Reopens 29 May.
Open from the Saturday before Memorial Day to Labor Day. 205 days until the bipeds submerge themselves again, on purpose.
The shore

Beach

Go. The wide water is behaving, which it does twice a year, low water at 7:21 am.
Next low water 7:21 am at 3.2 ft, so not much beach. Wind calm, which the canal rarely is, the far shore is hidden.
Open flame

Campfire

Smoulder, at best. Which is also our review of the assignment.
No burn ban in effect (checked by hand). Humidity 95%, everything is wet. No wind, so the smoke will sit in the yard and come indoors.
The wide water

Fishing

Possible. The fish have opinions about the weather too.
The salmon are back in the wide water and nosing up the creek. Overcast, pressure rising_rapidly: the fish approve. Tide going out until 7:21 am.
CHAPTER IV

Fauna census, today

The small flying ones, counted by the microphones. The full census, with recordings, is on the bird site.

1Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus261
2Pacific chorus frogPseudacris regilla24
3Barred OwlStrix varia11
4Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra11
5Common RavenCorvus corax10
6Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon9
7Canada GooseBranta canadensis1
CHAPTER V

Observer's log

03:00
Day 447. Morale: adequate. Weather: see above. Snacks: see nothing, because there are none.
01:00
The large biped photographed the small bipeds again. We photographed him. Someone is photographing us. It's turtles.
22:00
A sound from the ravine. The microphone says 'owl.' The microphone also once said 'sheep.' Noted, with asterisk.
18:00
Supply drop: still unscheduled. We asked. We were told to 'keep observing.' We are observing the word 'keep.'
CHAPTER VI

From the files

Fungal activity, autumn. The bipeds photograph them and do not eat them. Correct.
The crossing. A plank. The whole territory is held together by planks.
The crossing. A plank. The whole territory is held together by planks.
Structure B. Lit at all hours. We think it's a shrine. To what, we are not cleared to know.
Structure B. Lit at all hours. We think it's a shrine. To what, we are not cleared to know.