Dead Ends, Time for a Vacation
10 Jun 2021Iridium Nova
Since returning to space, I've spent my time working for Stardreamer as well as pursuing leads derived from this mystery file. One main goal was trying to figure out where it came from in the first place. I have a tendency to just quickly dump data into my ship when I'm looting. I pretty much assume the ship's antivirus systems will clean or quarantine anything harmful out of there, and to date haven't had any issues with that. But it also means I'm not always fully aware of exactly what data I'm ending up with in my possession, aside from the occasional rare high-value treat like Manufacturing Instructions or, for some reason, Opinion Polls. Don't ask me why those are considered high value these days. Anyway, after some digging I managed to discover the origin of this file. It was part of a batch of internal correspondence between members of Omega Company, which, contrary to what I expected, was not deposited by me into my databanks, but rather piggybacked on that GalNet burst that came through shortly before the initial server crisis a couple of weeks ago; The same burst which delivered the Hunter virus and the Interloper virus into my system and effectively disabled my ship.So, why would two opposing viruses and a random piece of internal correspondence (which one of those viruses was trying to delete) be uploaded into my computer at the same time? It's clear that the server attack was not a random malfunction, but yet it still doesn't make sense. There is more going on here than it seems. Bits and pieces of information in the file have led me on a wild goose chase through the bubble, chasing empty leads and wasting time. Perhaps I shouldn't bother, but I've always been a sucker for a mystery. That's part of how I ended up working with Canonn Research. The next lead takes me to Sol, the birthplace of Mankind. The server designation had the word Ariel in it. I have no idea if that actually refers to the planet, but it's worth a try and a good excuse for me to take a nice vacation in Sol, quite possibly the most luxurious system in the bubble.
Parking the Falcon at Daedalus, I've switched over to The Stardreamer, my Dolphin-Class Star Yacht. I've been meaning to tour Sol again for a while, and what better way to do it than in a Dolphin? I'm not going to beeline for Ariel though. This is a vacation. Gonna take my time and enjoy the amenities.