The Structure

Expedition log 3 :

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"The complete structure, at least as far as it is observable, consist entirely of naturally occurring Basalt."

"It appears to have a design, but that purpose may very likely be beyond us. What I mean to say is that the lights still work. They're motion-activated, at least, that's what we think. There's no real way to know for sure they appear to be easily 50 or more feet above the walkway. That horrible, grating klank of them switching on and off is going to give me fucking nightmares."

Please refrain from personal notes.

"Fine. Okay. Erm... Spectrographic readings put the general atmospheric density at 1.2 times SEA (Standard Earth Atmosphere) with a similar enough chemical composition to be breathable. Potentially, of course."

"Sample collection has proved .... virtually impossible. The walls are... they knit themselves back together over time. Any fragments we gather crumble to dust and then vanish. I suggest field analysis but its effectiveness could prove to be limited for... obvious reasons."

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And the construction?

"Well it seems... intentional. Someone, or something maybe, built this place. But whatever its purpose, it is beyond us. The limited equipment we took with us all claims that the walls are fully naturally occurring, but it can't be. There are walkways, stairs, halls, doors and arches. Shapes that natural basalt simply can not form in, but yet...."

"If I may, it seems like a tumor."

Elaborate?

"It seems like the space made for inhabiting. Its structure mimics human creation, staircases and halls. But none of it makes any sense. The stairs lead to flat falls. Chasms open up at random below walkways that seem to drop for miles at least. It gives me the impression of mimicry rather than a design with purpose. Its like a tumor of architecture. A conglomeration of familiar shapes that are divorced from their purpose."