December 18th, 2009
Examining our historical archives before and during our journey here, and now deploying long-distance probe scanners designed by Chief Engineer Duddles (an advanced form of the Snat-Nav system first introduced shortly before Yulicron’s arrival, capable of locating and discovering information about any object or individual on a nearby world, as well as their present position on the naughty-nice spectrum), the reality of the situation has unravelled before us. The crew is in shock after discovering facts which may already have been known to their leader, or may have been kept even from him these endless centuries.
Zordon is dead, or dying, killed by an as yet unknown force (although we have our theories). Admiral Claus’ younger self has been discovered in terrible shape, wounded and emaciated, gibbering terrified phrases we cannot understand, among them “Here comes the Lilt Man!!” and something about a “Blizzard,” which we understand to refer to one of the forms taken by Yulicron’s herald: a white-suited Christmas Ninja decorated in snowflake designs. Between these rantings he is coherent only when he asks for the young miss Suchak, who we discovered in a similar condition on the opposite end of the Workshop grounds… it seems the “Blizzard man” was toying with them by keeping them apart, so that each would come to believe the other had died.
The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future have been transformed, from embodiments of Christmas spirit, to unsettling, writhing, nearly-human apparitions with faces so bland-looking as to be vaguely uncomfortable, talking in exaggerated voices but moving with constrained artificiality; each one for all the world reminiscent of a less animated version of Jim Carrey. The Tooth Fairy is barely consolable, having had no idea what he would experience at the North Pole when he left to investigate the Christmas project’s investment potential. If any good came of his experience, it is that he arranged for the World Mint immediately to finance Christmas, recognising it as the main force that opposes the kind of horror he saw here. We have this decision to thank for all we are able to do today, including our rescue mission.
And as for the mission, it is going very well. Don’t try to wake up yet. Rest, be comfortable, and I’ll tell you more.