GD 27.2.21045

Location: Unity

Who would have thought that a chance encounter with another - soon to be made redundant  -employee would lead to this?

I had met Adyara in passing many times but didn't get properly acquainted with her until the Beluga's Bounty's retirement party, (though it felt more like a funeral to me, who had been born and raised on that cruise ship - I wasn't just losing my job, I was losing my home too.)

Adyara, the head tour guide, loved to travel, meet new sapients and learn about all the different cultures around the galaxy. Despite having a vast knowledge of every planet in the galaxy (thanks to a cybernetically enhanced memory), her age meant that Cupo Cruises had not offered her a position on another ship in the fleet.

I, on the other hand, having worked my way up from engineering (alongside my father) to a junior pilot, had simply not been fortunate enough to be chosen for the single pilot position available at the time (it went to the senior pilot, but that was hardly a surprise.)

We had instantly bonded over a desire to keep flying and seeing more of the galaxy. Our conversation had been overheard by the Head of Navigation at HQ. He told us that the company had given him a small budget to commission freelancers to find potential new locations for the cruises to visit. If we had a ship, he said that he would be more than willing to pay us for that job.

Adyara and I locked eyes. "I do have enough saved to get a small ship." I had told her. "I have a small amount I can contribute too." She replied. And so the following cycle we both went ship shopping.

We both had a particular interest in the mythologies of ancient Earth, so when we came across a small ship bearing the name of the Roman Goddess of Outward Journeys, Abeona, we knew she was the one for us.

It would take more than the two of us to crew The Abeona, so I hired a couple more crewmates. TAL14, a mechanical sapient from Cog as our computer technician and a hitchhiking Pheuri Monk on his pilgrimage as muscle.

That brings us to this cycle,  as we ready ourselves for the crew's maiden voyage. The official contract came through from Cupo's Navigation Department and Adyara knows of a solar system with a planet that may be worth exploring not far from Harvest.

GD 28.2.21045

Location: 7,R10

We launched The Abeona shorty after dawn. Our little ship, barely noticeable among the thousands of ships that use the docks on Unity every cycle, carried our crew out in to interstellar space with no fanfare.

The departure was no different from any other I had done... Well, I suppose it did go a little quicker than I was used to. Cruise ships require multiple lanes to be cleared to accommodate their size, while The Abeona just slipped in with all the standard traffic.

As I waited for the all-clear from the tower, I began to wonder, how many of the ships departing this cycle were also taking their new ship out for the first time? Were any of those Captains were just as disappointed as I, feeling their proudest moment was overlooked by everybody? I mean, who could blame them for not realising the momentous occasion this journey is for me? They don't know me, nor I them, their stories are as much a mystery to me as ours is to them.  The Abeona is not a new ship, this isn't her first journey, even if it is the first with this crew.

 It isn't like the event went completely unrecognised. We all cheered as we left Unity's atmosphere, plus Adyara, TAL14, Ionn and I had a small Launch Party.

GD 29.2.21045

Location: 8,R9

After the excitement of yestercycle's launch, this cycle was very quiet. Abeona, the ship's computer, was monitoring our flight so there was little to do. After studying our flight path, I identified a solar current which we could use to help propel the ship and save us a little fuel.

Adyara spent the cycle unpacking her book collection and getting settled in her bunk, TAL14 introduced herself to all the computer systems and Ionn secluded himself in the empty cargo bay for a ritual of some sort. During the mid-cycle meal Adyara and I asked him about it.

I had not been aware that each planet kept track of it's own local year. As I was born and lived on a Cupo Cruises ship for my entire life, the only calendar I knew of was the one the company operated on, the Galactic Calendar. Ionn informed me that the Windsong Year is much shorter than a Galactic Year as it is based on the length of time it takes to orbit it's star. It is the equivalent of 222 galactic cycles.

This cycle had been the first day of the new year on Windsong. The monks at his monastery complete various rituals on this day to bring in luck and prosperity for the year to come. He told us that he had completed the Closing Rituals, those designed to banish any negative energy from the previous year, and would begin the Opening Rituals after the meal. To our surprise he invited us to participate. We followed his instructions, bowing and chanting when he told us to. The ritual ended with a blessing which made me believe, wholeheartedly, that this new venture would be a success.

GD 30.2.21045

Location: 7,R8

So much for luck and prosperity. An electrical fault started a fire in the cargo hold.

Thankfully it was small fire and TAL14 alerted us pretty quickly so we were able to put it out before it caused much damage. So glad I opted for the fire extinguishers when I bought the ship.

It left a nasty hole and a scorch mark in the floor. TAL14 ran diagnostics and found out that it was caused by damaged cables. After some investigation, I discovered that they were the lighting cables. Nothing that posed an immediate threat, we can do without the lights in the cargo hold for now.  I'll have a look at it next cycle, see if I can repair it.

GD 1.3.21045

Location: 7,R7

The damage was worse than it initially appeared. I had already determined that the panel would need replacing when we got to Harvest, I didn't realise that the rest of the wiring was in terrible condition too. It looks like the ship had had a pest issue at some point. All the wires looked like they had been chewed. I had some spare wire for repairs, but not nearly enough to replace this much of it.

TAL14 helped Abeona scan the ship for life-forms, to my relief, the crew were the only ones detected. At least whatever chewed the cables isn't still on board.

Edit: I know that Abeona and TAL14 said that there were no extra life-forms aboard, but I swear I can hear rustling in the walls as I lie here trying to sleep. I'm sure it's just my imagination. I'm just being paranoid.

GD 2.3.21045

Location: 6,R7

I contacted the shipyard I bought The Abeona from and complained about the state of the wiring. I had been assured that she was safe for interstellar travel but after my investigation yestercycle, I now know that not to be true. They tried to play it down but when I pointed out that the damage to the wiring had caused a fire while we were 4 cycles from a planet, they eventually caved and gave me some money towards the repair. Not all of it mind you, but I doubted that I'd be able to get anymore. Now I just have to get to Harvest without anything else going wrong.

GD 5.3.20145

Location: 3,R6

The last two cycles have been relatively quiet. The crew has found a working rhythm already, which is the dream of any captain. I can see us all becoming fast friends.

But, just as I was starting to think that this would be an easy journey, our another disaster. Much like the fire everyone sprang into action and we got through unscathed... barely.

Once again, it was TAL14 who raised the alarm. The radar system was picking up a fast moving object on a potential collision course with us. Everyone ran for the bridge.

The ship shuddered as I reached the helm. On the screens, I watched the object hurtling away from us at near light speed. It's unusual for natural objects to reach speeds that high so I doubt it was an asteroid. It had been a close call, flying past us close enough for us to have felt the turbulence, but that hadn't been the end of it.

The warning system picked up more high speed objects heading our way so I told everyone to strap in. Adyara and Ionn went very quiet and the life support system flagged a spike in the respiration rate of all the biological crew. We were all scared.

With TAL14 calculating the trajectory, I was able to safely manoeuvre the ship clear of the second object with a fairly wide margin. Ionn started chanting a Pheuri mantra in an attempt to steady his nerves.

The third near miss was very near indeed. Adyara let out a scream as it shot past the main viewport.

I'll admit that after that I blocked out the rest of the crew other than TAL14, who was feeding me the trajectories of all the incoming objects. I had to use all my piloting skills to avoid the debris, and we came close to being hit twice more.

Once we were clear, and we had all caught our breath again, I contacted the Spaceways Agency to report the incident. They said that they were aware of the objects and were processing the warnings already. In fact we received the debris warning while I was on the call. I tried to enquire if the Agency knew what the cause had been but they refused to comment.

I found out later when I was checking the traffic reports that The Reaver's Bones, a Port Freedom smugglers ship, had tried to evade the authorities by using the Unity Jump Gate to fly at warp speed through an asteroid field knowing their pursuers wouldn't attempt such a dangerous manoeuvre. The attempt ended in disaster when, unsurprisingly, they crashed into an asteroid killing all on board.  The objects hurtling towards us had been the fragments of their ship.

A sobering reminder that taking stupid risks can be deadly out here.

GD 7.3.21045

Location: Harvest

Well isn't that just typical! We arrived at The Applewood Acres Dock just in time to watch the mechanics go home. Guess we're not getting the wiring replaced this cycle.

Thankfully the service station never closes so I was able to restock our food and put more fuel in the tank. Afterwards I met up with the others in a classic Harvest pub called The Cider Press for a drink.

This is my favourite part of travelling. Stepping off the ship after days of being cooped up, being bombarded with new sights, sounds and smells. Getting to experience unfamiliar cultures, try new food, and learn new things. Then you get back on the ship knowing that the next time you exit, there will be a completely different world outside.

The locals of Applewood Acres were preparing to host a 'Visit the Past Day,' for the following day. We were fortunate to have arrived when we did. The repair is going delay us for a cycle or two, so we will have time to enjoy the festival.

GD 8.3.21045

Location: Harvest

As soon as the garages opened I was there to get the ship booked in. I showed a few of the mechanics the wires and nearly all of them exclaimed that they were amazed the fire wasn't larger.

The price the last one quoted was surprisingly low for the amount of wires that needed to be replaced. The owner explained that his garage specialised in these types of jobs and could undercut the others because of his 'Secret Weapons.' The weapons in question were two small Gravians called Oppa and Ymo. Their small size and flexible bodies allowed them to squeeze through the tight spaces in the ships allowing them to rewire without the need to remove the wall panels. We agreed on the price of 20 credits, which included a full sweep of the wiring on the ship to check that the pests hadn't caused damage elsewhere. Sounded like a good deal to me.

With the search and the rewiring we wouldn't be leaving for a couple of cycles, so the crew and I went to see what was going on at the festival.

It was a fascinating day. There were exhibits on primitive farming tools and techniques, plenty of stalls serving recipes that dated back hundreds of years and performances of historical dances. I enjoyed the dances the most, especially when they invited the audience to join in for a ritualistic dance which the ancients believed would call the rain. To my relief, the skies stayed clear.

Being without access to the ship while it was in the garage, we were fortunate enough to find lodging in the barn of some local farmers. Adyara had struck up a conversation with the couple over drinks in the tavern. What had started as complimenting them on the fruit they gave us to sample, turned into a heated discussion on the best irrigation methods. Apparently this particular farm had a unique system, and Adyara - who has a keen interest in botany - was intrigued. They offered to show her and somehow she ended up agreeing to spend the whole of the following day on the farm with them.

GD 9.3.21045

Location: Harvest

While Adyana spent the day helping on the farm, Ionn, TAL14 and I took a stroll around Applewood. We had a look around the farmers market in the morning and marvelled at the variety of produce. There were many familiar, Heritage Earth crops - such as wheat, carrots and potatoes - but also some we had never encountered before.

One stall was selling bunches of Volito Grapes, vine fruits which are lighter than air and float like they are in micro gravity. The fruit pops in your mouth with a burst of fizzy juice which immediately tries to float up your nose. It was an odd sensation but very delicious.

A bit further on, we were attracted to a stall by the sound of popping. The vendor was cooking fresh popped crystal corn. We watched as she stripped the glass like kernels off the cob and threw them into a large pot with a glug of oil - which she told us was made by pressing the de-kernelled cobs - and covered them with a lid. After a minute or so, the tings of the popping kernels hitting the cast iron lid slowed to barely any and she served up the treat. The clear, glass-like kernels had puffed up into irregular shapes which refracted the light inside, making it each piece look like it was full of rainbows. Unlike the popcorn made with Heritage Earth corn, this snack didn't require any additional seasoning as the natural fruity, sweetness of the crystal corn was flavourful enough.

The most interesting stall we saw had to be a stall selling products made from non-edible crops: plant based anti-freeze extracted from Cryokelp, emergency lights powered by Growshrooms and - if the sign was to be believed - The Galaxy's Most Effective Mechanical Lubricant, Apua Oil. I managed to grab a few samples to try out on the ship, however, the vendor didn't offer samples of one I was most intrigued by, the Apua Oil. He told me that the oil was so potent that a few drops would be all I would need to keep the whole ship oiled and running smoothly for at least a decade. "I'd never sell any if I gave away a decade's worth of product for free." As intrigued as I was, the exorbitant price for the tiny pot of oil put me off, even if it would last longer than the ship.

As the day came to a close, I popped in to check on how the mechanics were getting on. I was pleased to hear they had completed the rewiring. As promised, they had checked the wiring everywhere else on the ship, thankfully, the damage had been contained to the hold.

I compiled the flight plan and sent it to the control tower for approval. The Abeona has been assigned an early departure window for the morning. We met up with Adyana again and began getting ready to leave.

GD 10.3.21045

Location: 2,R6

We departed Harvest and had a quiet day of interstellar travel. The crew were all quiet and spent most of the day relaxing in their bunks or the mess.

I found Ionn practising a series of slow, meditative exercises which flowed together into a dance-like routine. He started off with small movements which gradually increased into increasingly complex stretches before reaching poses that required a level of balance and coordination that is far beyond me.

When I mentioned this to Ionn he told me that anyone could learn to do it with enough practice. He even offered to teach me. I didn't have anything else to do so I agreed to his lesson.

Thankfully he only had me go through the first section and the easier stretches this time, but he said that if we continue to practice regularly, he will have me doing the full routine before I know it.

I don't know if I will ever manage the whole thing, but what we did was very calming and I felt very relaxed afterwards. I look forward to doing this more often.

GD 11.3.21045

Location: 2,R7

The strangest thing happened this cycle.

I noticed some unusual sounds coming from the ship - rumbling, beeping, whirring, that sort of thing. Thinking that something was wrong, I ran to the bridge in a panic only to find TAL14 plugged in to the ship 'singing.'

Once I could hear TAL14's part of the duet, I was able to hear the melody in the sounds. The mech and the ship buzzed, whirred and rumbled in perfect harmony, creating a melody that was hauntingly beautiful, and somewhat sad. It conjured images of the vast galaxy, a stunning sight to see but at the same time full of overwhelming loneliness. It bought tears to my eyes.

While chatting with TAL14, Abeona had revealed that she was very fond of this song. TAL14 explained that it was an old folk song from Cog about a mech who was separated from their circuit-mate (their equivalent of soulmates) when they were botnapped and flown to the opposite side of the galaxy.  This surprised me as I had never heard any music from Cog before, nor the concept of circuit-mates.

The duo performed a few more Coggian songs for us, as well as their version of some of the rest of the crew's favourite songs.

GD 12.3.21045

Location: Uncharted World A-R8

We arrived at the uncharted planet. Our first scans indicate that it does support life, flora fauna and sapients. Before we entered the atmosphere we attempted to analyse the atmosphere to see if we would be able to breathe the air, however the spectrometer sensor was malfunctioning. TAL14 scanned through Abeona's logs and discovered that the fault started long before we bought her. Great! Yet another thing the dealer snuck past me. We spent the rest of the cycle trying to fix it.

GD 14.3.21045

Location: Uncharted World A-R8

Two cycles it took to get the sensor. Thankfully the issue was with the software not the hardware so we didn't have to go back to Harvest for parts. We finally got the air analysis and found it to be a very oxygen rich atmosphere so we would have no issues breathing.

GD15.3.21045

Location: Uncharted World A-R8

This planet is going to be a great stop for tourists. Everything is huge! The plants tower over us like trees, moss grows as large as bushes and the petals of the flowers are large enough to use as sails. There are insectoid pollinators flying around large enough to ride on. I can see plenty of potential here.

GD 17.3.21045

Location: Uncharted World A-R8

We introduced ourselves to the local sapients yestercycle. They were as fascinated to see us as we were to see them. They are larger than any other race of sapients I have seen, at three times my height, I am about level with their knees. They kept referring to us as 'nibii bibii' which we eventually figured out meant 'little things'. Abyara is surprisingly quick at picking up languages and she has picked up enough to be able to hold simple conversations with the locals. She found out that they call themselves the Agbo and their planet 'Eda Waa' which Adyara translated to 'Mammoth.' We decided to start referring to the planet as Mammoth as it is easier to say than 'Uncharted Planet A-R8.'

We explained the concept of cruise ships to the natives and asked if they would like to have more visitors. They said that they would like to meet new people and learn more about the galaxy.

They shared some of their food with us at a large feast, it was unlike anything I had tasted before, but delicious. Don’t worry, TAL14 scanned it first to check that it didn’t contain anything that would be toxic to us.

The Agbo also performed a traditional dance for us. The music was very rhythmic, played on drums of varying sizes, while the dancing involved lots of clapping and stamping in time.

This cycle Agbo artisans showed us their crafts. I watched in awe as their skilled  fingers wove plant fibres into stunning baskets, hats and even small sculptures. These items will make great souvenirs.

GD 18.3.21045

Location: Uncharted World A-R8

The crew and I spent the first part of the cycle enjoying the sights of the planet before we departed. Once I had us far enough out to switch to autopilot, I wrote out our findings in the report. I am so glad that Abeona helped with this, she drastically shortened the time it took by taking my disjointed dictation and forming it into a professional sounding report. The AI on the Beluga's Bounty was very basic and had no personality, it was little more than a talking computer. Abeona on the other hand is more like a fifth member of the crew, a friend.  I may have lived on the Beluga’s Bounty for the majority of my life, but I never felt as strong a connection as the one I’m forming with Abeona. She is home.

📄 Exploration Report: Uncharted Planet A-R8 (Mammoth)

We sent our report off to Cupo's Head of Navigation and received our payment.

GD 19.3.21045

Location:  2, R6

As we approached Harvest I found TAL14 and Abeona deep in conversation. They were discussing a vote that had happened on Cog five cycles ago. I had been vaguely aware of the Coggian citizens' petitions to be granted an exception from the Galactic Union's laws which require member planets to maintain a breathable atmosphere and keep temperatures within a comfortable range for bio-sapients. The mechanical sapients argued that their optimum environment is much cooler than is safe for bio-sapients and that they are being discriminated against. Essentially they're paying millions of credits just to be forced into enacting laws that are not in their interests.

I believe that they were being reasonable, it wasn't like they were asking for every planet to be cooler, just theirs. Why shouldn't they have at least one planet that is comfortable for them? And why pay all those credits when the disadvantages so heavily outweighed what they gained?

After a year of being turned down by the GU, B0R-15 the Great Intelligence lead a campaign to leave the Union. It culminated in the vote on 14.3.21045 and decided they to leave. Coggone the media have been calling it. The news had just reached us that there had been a huge celebration on Cog yestercycle as the heaters were turned off.

TAL14 and Abeona were pleased that I agreed with the mechanical sapients views but were sad that they had to go so far to achieve it. There were other things to consider. Mechanical sapients no longer had the right to work and move freely on GU member planets. This could cause issues for TAL14 in the future.

GD 21.3.21045

Location: 2,R6

We only spent a short time on Harvest this time. Just long enough to restock and look for a new mission. There was an advert looking for someone to fly some produce to Luck. It was a long way to go for very little pay but our lack of reputation prevented me from getting offered any of the more lucrative jobs. I agreed to transport the goods and got the cargo onboard.

Adyara greeted me as soon as I reached the bridge. She had received word from one of the Beluga's Bounty's regulars, Mr Pearsot, they had found a particularly significant artefact on Ruin and the Archaeological Council were claiming it as theirs. He remembered having a conversation with Adyara about the protocols surrounding finding relics and had asked for her assistance in getting the credit he was due.

We discussed it at length, as we have a deadline of 20 cycles to get the cargo to Luck and going to Ruin first could make us late. However, there is also only a short window in which the appeal can be made so waiting until after wouldn't work either.

The only solution I can see was very dangerous. It involves flying through an asteroid field. I am a confident pilot but there is still an element of risk I would rather avoid if possible. We debated for hours before coming to the conclusion that we should attempt to cut through the asteroid field at the thinnest point to knock a significant number of cycles off of our journey.

GD 23.3.21045

Location: 3,R8

The Crew have been getting quieter the closer we get to the asteroid field. I don't blame them, there is still debris out here from The Reaper's Bones crash. It is making me nervous. I know that I will be flying through at a sensible speed, with none of the desperation that led them to such a foolish act, but the debris reminds me of just how quickly life can be snatched away from you.

I think TAL14 could sense my discomfort and tried to distract me with some small talk. She asked me about my life aboard the Beluga's Bounty. She was particularly interested in my relationship with my parents. I told her the story of how my Pa had met my Ma when she had auditioned to be a dancer, how she had been so nervous that she had hidden in the engineering store cupboard. Pa had gone in there to grab some tools and nearly jumped out of his skin when he found her in what he thought had been an empty room. Once he had caught his breath, he helped her to calm down and prepare for the audition. Ma said that she never would have been hired if not for him. Within a year they were married, and I followed a year after that.

Then she asked me something that surprised me: "What is it like to have parents?" All bio-sapients in the galaxy have at least one parent, it had never occurred to me that mechanical sapients didn't.

TAL14 explained that mechanical sapients are built in The Factory and start as blank slates. They are then enrolled in an AI learning program where they are fed huge amounts of data which they must process and form their own algorithms for. This data ranges from technical knowledge to social observations. This is where the sapient's personality develops. After a month of this, they are considered to be a fully functional member of mechanical society.

The closest they have to a parent are the Builder Bots in The Factory, but there is no familial bond there, in fact they never see the Builders again.

I answered her question about having parents by telling her some of my childhood memories with my parents. Like how Ma had tried to teach me to dance but I was more interested in fixing the ship with Pa, and how we would sneak up on to the observation deck after hours and have picnics under the stars.

TAL14 expressed her wish to find a partner, to be able to feel what it is like to have a family. I told her that not all families are related by blood or marriage, that any group of sapients who deeply care for one another can become a family.

GD 25.3.21045

Location: 3,R10

As a precaution, I asked everyone to stay strapped in as we passed through the asteroid field. The ever increasing tension of the past few cycles reached it's peak as we flew past the outermost rock. Other than the general rumble of the engines, there was no other sound aboard.

TAL14 revealed that she had been working with Abeona on a new, more intuitive, HUD overlay to help me avoid any fast moving objects. While I had managed to avoid the fast moving debris 20 cycles ago, they thought that I would be able to react more effectively to visual warnings than auditory ones. They were correct and I thanked them for their brilliant idea.

Thankfully, all the asteroids around us were moving in a slow and predictable manner, so I didn't need the HUD assistance this time.

By the end of the cycle we were clear and back on auto pilot. Ionn ran me through a slightly different set of stretches when I joined him for his martial art routine. He said it would release all the pent up tension which was, I'm grateful to say, exactly what it did. I had a lot of pent up tension.

GD 26.3.21045

Location: 3,RJ

After all of yestercycle's excitement it was nice to have a quiet uneventful cycle. We pulled the table away from the viewport in the mess and gathered anything soft we could find to make an impromptu conversation pit.

We spent hours talking and laughing and generally letting off steam. Adyara told us a few facts about Ruin, specifically about the largest example of ancient script found to date, The Attesor Slab. It is a huge piece of polished stone, engraved by an artisan from the long extinct civilization that used to occupy Ruin. It took decades to fully translate what turned out to be a story.

Adyara told us this story, it was about a pair of star-crossed lovers. They were members of two waring tribes, who tried to work together in secret to end the war. Their relationship was discovered and they were both imprisoned as traitors. Friends of the couple helped them to escape but they were both chased to the battlefield by their respective tribes. In the ensuing fight, the couple fell, each simultaneously taking a blow from the chief of their own tribe in an attempt to protect their lover. Their sacrifice shocked the chiefs into calling a truce which eventually lead to the end of the war. A monument was erected in their honour with their story engraved into the stone. A reminder that love can conquer hate.

Not the happiest of endings but Adyara says that the experts are leaning towards the conclusion that this story was based on actual historical events.

GD 28.3.21045

Location: 3,RK

When I went to the dojo (our new name for the unoccupied space that Ionn and I use for our daily exercise) I found Ionn and TAL14 having some sort of competition. They were both standing on one leg on a cargo strap that had been strung between a couple of exposed pipes. I guessed that they were seeing who could stay balanced the longest. To up the difficulty, they were taking it in turns to suggest a movement which they both then executed. I watched with amusement as they clapped their hands behind their backs, jumped to the other foot, spun around and touch the toes of the foot they stood on (or just the foot in TAL14's case as she doesn't have toes) all while maintaining their balance.

That was until TAL14 spotted me and lost concentration, she fumbled and slipped off the strap. Ionn was not happy. Even though it was a competition, he had not expected to win, he had simply wanted to see how long he could last. He rightly pointed out that TAL14's gyro should have prevented her from falling.

He told us that the teachings of Felune, his deity, state that a cluttered mind leads to poor focus, poor focus leads to poor judgement. TAL14 must have a cluttered mind if she couldn't focus on her balance, and if that was the case, she would be more likely to make mistakes. In response to this, she rattled off a list of all her systems and their status. All were perfectly functional. I interrupted her when she said that she was running over 16,000 processes. When I asked if she needed that many running at once, Ionn jumped in and claimed that this was the mechanical equivalent of a cluttered mind. He had us both sit and guided us through a meditation the made us take each thought - or process - decide if it was helpful in this moments and let it go if it wasn't.

By the end of the session, TAL14 reported that she was down to a much more manageable 512 processes.

GD 30.3.21045

Location: 3,BA

I have flown to Ruin many times on the Bounty but I have never encountered any ancient tech relics out in space around here. Especially not tech that attacked me.

We were just sitting down to a bit of lunch when  there was an awful crunch and all the alarms went off. Abeona started repeating "Warning! Hull breach!"

I ran to the location of the breach to find a spike sticking through the wall. As I watched in horror the spike split in to 3 and began to open with a groan. The hole widened slightly but the hull walls were holding for now. TAL14 did a quick scan and determined that it was a Breach Drone. They were devices that were commonly used by space pirates  in the Nova War era.

They would drop a bunch of them near travel routes and when another vessel came within range, the drones would fire themselves at the ship and tear the hull open in multiple places.

We were lucky that this one was alone and that ship hulls are much thicker now, too thick for it to tear open. It was plugging it's own hole so the atmosphere leakage was minimal.

To be safe, however, we need to deactivate it. To do that we would need to go outside.

It was decided that TAL14 would be the one with the best chance of deactivating it and Ionn insisted that he go out in case it had a defence mechanism.

Those few minutes were the tensest of my life as I watched their camera feeds. The drone started firing lasers at them the moment they came into view. Ionn leapt into action and, moving with surprising agility for someone in a space suit, managed to take out the turret. Once it couldn't fire on them, TAL14 made quick work of the deactivation.

The moment they came back in the airlock I felt like I could breathe again. We left it in place. I'll remove it when we're on planet next cycle. This has been the longest we've been cooped up on ship, and after that scare, I'm sure everyone is looking forward to being planetside again.

GD 1.4.21045

Location: Ruin

We arrived at Ruin and docked without any more trouble. It was late in the cycle so we decided not to bother with anything other than enjoying some time off ship. Not far from the dock we found a bar and got in a round of drinks.

There was a nagani dancer performing, her serpentine body twisting and shaking in a mesmerising belly dance. I have seen videos of human dancers doing a similar style of dancing that was popular in the Earth days, but we just don't have the anatomy to achieve the grace of the nagani dance.

We also got chatting to a pair of krerkel. They told us about their adolescent son who had just been hired on a research ship and that they were so proud of him. It made me think about my own parents, I must go visit them soon.

GD 2.4.21045

Location: Ruin

Adyara set off to find Mr Pearsot and get caught up on the case while I set about repairing the hole in my ship. It took Ionn, TAL14 and me working together to pull the drone free. As it was an ancient relic, I decided to ask around to see if any of the archaeologists would want it, I managed to get 105 credits for it.

It didn’t take me long to weld a patch over the hole and reinforce it from the inside. We really had been lucky that the drone had plugged the hole, it was larger than I thought it was, large enough for Ionn to fit through.

GD 3.4.21045

Location: 3,B3 (red)

While Adyara was working on the trial, I was very conscious of the deadline for dropping the cargo. We have 7 cycles left and the journey will take 6. It was clear that waiting until the trial was over would make us late, so Ionn, TAL14 and I decided that we would finish the run and come back for Adyara.

As I started the process of charting our flight path Ionn asked me why we were going the "long way round?" I pointed out the areas of the map that were considered hazardous. A direct path would take us through an asteroid field and unpatrolled space where pirates are more common. Going this way would cut the travel time in half but had it's risks. Ionn said that he would vote to take the riskier path, it would mean less travel and there were risks wherever we went, after all we had been in 'safe' space when we had been attacked by the drone. I did have to agree with him there. I left it up to a vote. Abeona and TAL14 agreed with Ionn, the saved time was worth the added risk.

I sent in the flight plan and we got our departure window. As before, I had the crew strap in while I flew through the asteroid field but I was able to navigate it with little trouble.

GD 5.4.21045

Location: Luck

Th rest of our journey was uneventful. We arrived this cycle and delivered the produce to the appropriate restaurant. Once more I was appalled at how little we were paid for bringing it so far. At least Adyara's payment will be enough to mean we don't take a loss as this cargo run was basically just for reputation.

GD 6.4.21045

Location: 3,B4

I got a departure window first thing and we started to make our way back to Ruin the way we came. It was just after lunch when Adyara contacted us. She gave us an update, The Archaeological Council were not budging on the issue, they were adamant that the artefact was found on a dig overseen by them and therefore it was their find. Poor Mr Pearsot did all the research and planned the expedition, they just supplied the tools and a few extra pairs of hands. Adyara was trying everything she could think of but they were but they were being really stubborn.

GD 7.4.20145

Location: 3,B3

Another tense day of dodging asteroids. I have no problem with flying through object filled space, but it requires long periods of concentration which are seriously draining. As soon as we were through, I handed the ship over to TAL14 and practically ran to the dojo for some meditation with Ionn.

Once I was feeling a bit more refreshed, TAL14 came to me with a message from Adyara. The issue had been resolved. She had made an offhand comment about them still being able to take credit if Mr Pearsot was a member of the council, which surprisingly they agreed to. After showing the depth of the research he had done to find the artefact, they decided that he would be an asset to the council and not only would he be named as the council member who uncovered the find, he would have access to their resources in the future. It was a far better outcome than either of them had expected.

I sent a message congratulating them and arranged to meet Adyara at the bar we had been at a few cycles ago.

GD 8.4.21045

Location: Ruin

The bar was much quieter when we arrived, being the middle of the day. I ordered a sharing platter of deep fried goodies with a selection of dipping sauces.

Adyara arrived just as the food did. She told us a more detailed account of the trial and we filled her in on our short trip to Luck. After that I pulled out my tablet and started looking at the missions available in this region.

Again, there was little that we qualified for. An antiques dealer needed some items shipped to a buyer on Shadow and a wholesalers had some stock that we could sell on for a few credits. As Shadow is known for it's day market, making a few sales on the side shouldn't be too hard.

I accepted both and we packed all the items in the hold.