PHLOEM'S JOURNAL



[entry 1]

AFTER YEARS OF SEARCHING, I FINALLY HAVE A SOLID LEAD.

WHILE INVESTIGATING THE STAR SYSTEM OF ONE OF THE PURPORTED LAST SIGHTINGS OF CAPTAIN ASTER'S FLAGSHIP, THE ASTERISK, MY SCANS HAPPENED UPON A CARGO POD IN HIGH ORBIT ABOVE AN UNINHABITED GAS GIANT. THE POD'S ONLY CONTENTS WERE A RUDIMENTARY MAGNIFICATION DEVICE (SEE FOLLOWING SKETCH), AND A HANDWRITTEN NOTE.

	[sketch of spyglass]

THE NOTE CONTAINED A SERIES OF SIX NUMBERS, AND THE FOLLOWING TEXT:
	"HIDDEN TREASURE IS A BORE
	 UNLESS A MAP EXISTS
	 WEALTH IS OUT THERE WAITING FOR
	 THE SEEKER WHO PERSISTS"
	 
AFTER PERFORMING A DATING ANALYSIS ON THE CARGO POD TO ENSURE IT WAS NOT A HOAX, I ALIGNED THE DEVICE'S NUMBERED RINGS WITH THE NUMBERS IN ASTER'S NOTE TO REVEAL A SET OF ASTROGATION COORDINATES.

TO THINK THAT AFTER SO MUCH SEARCHING, I AM NOW ONLY A HYPERSPACE JUMP AWAY!



[entry 2]

IT APPEARS THAT MY PREVIOUS ENTRY WAS A BIT OPTIMISTIC.

EVIDENTLY, THE 'MAD' CAPTAIN ASTER HAS CHOSEN TO BURY HIS TREASURE NOT UNDER SOIL, BUT UNDER LAYERS AND LAYERS OF SUBSEQUENT DESTINATIONS. EACH NEW PLANET I TRAVEL TO REVEALS A NEW SET OF SPYGLASS NUMBERS AND CORRESPONDING COORDINATES. I GROW TIRED OF SOLVING ASTER'S PUZZLES AT EACH NEW LOCATION, AND HIS MOCKING POEMS ANNOY ME EVEN FURTHER.

STILL, I REFUSE TO GIVE UP MY QUEST SO EASILY.



[entry 3]

I HAVE ENCOUNTERED NUMEROUS REFERENCES TO SOMETHING CALLED "THE AFID", ESPECIALLY AMONG THE DROIDS I HAVE INTERACTED WITH IN MY SEARCH. I DO NOT YET KNOW WHAT BEING OR DEITY THIS "AFID" IS, OR IT'S RELATION TO ASTER, BUT IT APPEARS THAT IT IS REPRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING SYMBOL:

	[sketch of afid symbol]



[entry 4]

IT SEEMS MY SEARCH HAS ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION OF AN OUTER RIM MERCENARY GUILD.

I WAS BRIEFLY DETAINED BY THEIR LEADER, A ZABRAK BY THE NAME OF LOX. AT FIRST I WAS WORRIED THAT THIS GUILD WOULD SEEK TO CONVERT MY KNOWLEDGE-SEEKING QUEST INTO A QUEST FOR MONEY OR POWER. HOWEVER, AFTER I EXPLAINED THAT I HAVE NO INTEREST IN CAPTAIN ASTER'S WEALTH OR FABLED WEAPONRY, LOX ALLOWED ME TO CONTINUE ON MY QUEST UNHINDERED. I HOPE THAT THIS WAS MY LAST SUCH ENCOUNTER, FOR I AM DISCOMFORTED BY SUCH GROUPS' THIRST FOR VIOLENCE. FURTHERMORE, I HAVE A HUNCH THAT THIS PARTICULAR GUILD IS ALSO INVOLVED IN PIRACY, IN ADDITION TO WORKING AS MERCENARIES.

I HAVE COPIED DOWN THE EMBLEM OF THIS PARTICULAR GUILD, IN CASE I AM TO ENCOUNTER THEM AGAIN:

	[sketch of guild emblem]



[entry 5]

I HAVE AN INEXPLICABLE FEELING THAT MY QUEST IS NEARING IT'S END. THE MOST RECENT SET OF COORDINATES HAVE TAKEN ME TO AN ANCIENT ABANDONED TEMPLE ON A SEEMINGLY UNINHABITED JUNGLE PLANET.

	[sketch of temple exterior]



[entry 6]

I HAVE BEEN DECEIVED! THE ZABRAK LOX MUST HAVE PLACED A TRACKING DEVICE ABOARD MY SHIP, FOR THE MERCENARY GUILD HAS FOLLOWED ME TO THIS MOST RECENT PLANET. NO DOUBT THEY INTENDED TO WAIT FOR ME TO SOLVE THIS LOCATION'S PUZZLES, THEN STEAL THE SPYGLASS DEVICE AND CLAIM ASTER'S TREASURE FOR THEMSELVES!

I WILL ATTEMPT TO REACH TO MY SHIP AND RETURN TO A CIVILIZED SECTOR, BUT THE MERCENARIES ARE WELL ARMED AND I FEAR I WILL NOT MAKE IT. IN ANY CASE, I WILL TRY TO KEEP THIS TEMPLE'S LOCATION HIDDEN FROM THEM WHILE I MAKE MY ESCAPE.

	[in margins:] VIGENERE CIPHER, KEY = "XYLEM"



[postscript]

THIS JOURNAL IS THE PROPERTY OF PHLOEM MOZA, HISTORIAN OF ITHOR.

I WRITE THIS NOW BECAUSE I FEAR DEATH MAY SOON TAKE ME. I HAVE NO FAMILY TO INHERIT MY MEAGER POSSESSIONS. MY SOLE HOPE IS THAT WHOEVER THIS JOURNAL PASSES TO WILL KEEP IT OUT OF THE HANDS OF THOSE WHO WOULD USE CAPTAIN ASTER'S TREASURES AND DISCOVERIES TO BRING HARM TO OTHERS.

MAY OUR WANDERING SOULS SOON FIND PEACE.