Relic Rails

It wasn't long before our excavations revealed tunnels and equipment of sturdier construction and more intricate design. Heavy-gauge rails and sleepers lie preserved and intact, surrounded by myriad relics and centuries-old garbage.

Amongst the debris lie various precisely-anodized pieces of engine and signalling equipment, such as one might find in a maintenance depot. All are inscribed in singular detail with complex, geometric patterns - suggesting high levels of artistry and perhaps even pride.

Our chance excavation of a narrow side-tunnel has revealed a long-dead reptilian occupant, whose demise by ceiling collapse dates back some 800 years. Their presence in this tunnel was something of a puzzle, solved only when we completed a study of the many weapons found on their person.

The technology underlying these bladed implements - many of which were mounted on the inside of a decorative targe - is primitive compared to our own, yet markedly different to that used on the railroad. This targe-bearing visitor was as alien to this world as we are, and they seem to have been conducting similar archaeological research - that is, before the tunnel claimed their life.

The Targe-bearer's notes have led us to an electrical substation which once served this maintenance yard. It looks like their expedition broke an atmospheric seal on the facility; there are comparatively few signs of decay here. Dust-covered cable ducts form colonnades around dozens of monitors. It is down one such aisle of monitors that we found trace remains from sentients of a different species.

The Targe-bearer's expedition described this as a group of molluscoid technicians - their still-preserved bodies huddled together for mutual protection or warmth. The records also note two attempts to restart the millennia-old substation, using tools which are inferior to ours. There's a chance we could complete this effort - and in so doing, make further excavation much easier.