First Contact: Jefferson Lorano´s Discovery 📡, Orbit Log Chapter _12

A routine geological survey on the California coast reveals a fossil that shouldn't exist.

The Pacific fog hung heavy over the Malibu bluffs as Jefferson Lorano brushed away layers of Jurassic-era shale. A seasoned guide of the Los Angeles terrain, Lorano was hunting for common sea-lily fossils to map the ancient coastline. Instead, his trowel struck something with a metallic ring.

Deep within a pocket of blue clay, he unearthed a Crinoid Relic—the smallest ever recorded in the Foundryon archives. Unlike the organic fossils of Earth’s past, this object was composed of dark, precision-cut vanes that tapered into a sharp, architectural point. It looked less like a plant and more like a kinetic star-anchor, its geometric fins pulsing with a faint, dormant energy.

How did a piece of galactic machinery end up embedded in California’s prehistoric soil? Lorano didn't have the answer, but as he held the cold, heavy metal, he knew his days as a simple guide were over. The hunt for the source had begun.