Message in the Canopy

Given the impenetrable canopy on …, aerial surveys have proven useless in determining a convenient route through the jungle. Below, the undergrowth teems with life: limbless predators; droop-faced primates; swarms of hematophagous insects. The forest floor is loamy, and pools of fetid water have caused the team significant delays. What's more, something - either the density of the foliage or an as yet undefined electrical interference - has prevented much of their equipment from functioning properly.

The project's lead believes they should still be able to forge a path through the trees, though progress is likely to be slow.

A soil analysis reveals that … has undergone a startling climatological transformation within its last 100 cycles. Far from the lush jungle world that exists today, the planet was once rocky and barren. The project lead believes the great trees themselves are responsible: a resonance imaging scan detected the presence of psionic energy within their sap. Pulled from groundwater by the trees' vast root systems, this energy is eventually diffused throughout the planet's atmosphere in a process akin to photosynthesis. It is highly likely that this is the cause of the team's malfunctioning equipment.

Interestingly, the presence of moonlight appears to accelerate the psionic diffusion. On clear nights, the air itself seems to vibrate, a phenomenon that has only grown in intensity as the team nears its destination. This is unlike anything we've ever seen before.

At last reaching their tracked coordinates, the archaeology team discovered a winding river valley hidden beneath the canopy. Rushing forth from a circular cave-mouth, the river apparently stems from some massive, underground spring. A precarious stairway, carved from the rocks several thousand years ago, delivered the team to a subterranean tunnel.

The cave's walls and ceiling are covered in a compact scrawl of ideographs, the most prominent of which is a round, humanoid face. Our translation algorithms have succeeded in decoding much of the symbology, and this particular image likely represents the planet's moon.

Within the cave, the presence of psionic energy is off the charts. Unfortunately, the path ahead was blocked by a cave-in several centuries ago, but given time, the expedition should be able to find a way through.

A note of triumph from our science team on …! After successfully reaching the lower levels of the cave, they at last arrived in a wide, hemispherical chamber. There, the river parts around a small island, at the center of which is a stalagmite of rare crystals. Formed drop-by-drop over the course of several millennia, the pillar appears to be the source of the planet's strange, psionic energy. The team has discovered evidence of religious ritual, as well as several small artifacts of ceremonial significance scattered around the pillar. What's more, a multiphasic scan revealed a round object embedded in the pillar's base. Hopes are high that, once removed, this artifact will shed some light on the true nature of this mysterious place.