Interlude From Meene
29 Mar 2018Namita Pear
I have already drawn up my plans for the next bout of star-hopping, sightseeing and cartographic data. It promises to take me even further from Kokojina than I already have been (a scant three thousand light-years, a figure I hope to quadruple), and I will of course run with a full, fresh stock of Aeternitas grocery and Centaur Mega Gin......and, were it not for my inbox filling with the most interesting of messages I would embark on it. Even Wade's tired of assisting Lyakhov dock with its pirate problem, and we're both absolutely famished for the private loneliness of the void. But, for all the fraternization, security patrols, and sparring I've done around the hazardous resource sites, it seems to be paying off in the oddest of ways.
Let's begin with the most jarring change: upon delivering Federal correspondence to an Empire-allied station (I have lately had another reason to get in the Security Service's pants) I was rewarded, by the Imperial secretary, with an elegant, old-school letter. Feeling rather odd about the formal affair, I opened it to find an honorary title of Lord being bestowed upon me; apparently, having sold the bulk of last expedition's data to the Empire to get in another power's good graces, their cartographic wing sought fit to, I assume, bribe me for even more. I'm now (in the Empire's logs at least) Lord of those planets I discovered, second only to the Empire's claim on their mineral rights.
At least I assume. Maybe it had something to do with that correspondence. What on Mars could the powers in Sol want sent to an Imperial contact that would elevate me six ranks up Duval's auxiliary, when I hadn't the slightest bit of relationship with them before...?
There was, also, the 'Tip-Off'.
Imagine calling it that. Just a bit of information that a Diamondback had crashed somewhere in Czerno, and the crews hadn't been there yet. Helluva tipoff for Kokojina to give me. It was rather depressing, really. Nothing even very juicy to behold, and the guy didn't even try going under in an escape pod.
But, in all that death I could at least have some reflection as I lugged the cargo back to our ship.
Even in the guy's final, broken moments he dug graves for the rest of his crew. I didn't find his body, or any graves, either, which meant that maybe someone had been here before me and at least claimed the bodies.
For
I got Wade, at least. And he has me. It makes me feel a little bit better. And hey, maybe someone will play the Namita Pear and mess around in a Scarab until they come across our bodies held in stasis. Or just bodies. Someone will find us, someone will care. This guy and ourselves prove it.
As a final note, we found some intact liquor which we poured out and made a toast to them for. They also were hauling some scrap, so we'll take it to Hutton and make some commemorative mugs out of them.
Yeah, get a load of these guys.
But, that's just the bare minimum words I can spare on this week. It was eventful, but also, it was monotonous. I've been having trouble, lately, but maybe this was the little break I needed. It's a shame I still have some other things to do, but I'm at least happy to get back out there and add more destinations to our list. If only the strangest little messages didn't end up coming my way.
