LOG #061 - Commander A. Adair - TITAN Contractors
23 Sep 2021Aurora Adair (Radiumio)
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LOG: #061
RECORDING TYPE: Personal Log LOG PUBLICISED
What does Log Publicised mean?
In our squadron lore, these logbooks are not supposed to be publicly viewable by Commanders. However, in some circumstances, a log may be compromised OR publicised, allowing it to be considered publicly viewable - in this case, the information within can be used for story or discussion purposes in-character. Compromised implies the logbook has been leaked, whereas publicised means the logbook has been willingly released for story purposes.
In our squadron lore, these logbooks are not supposed to be publicly viewable by Commanders. However, in some circumstances, a log may be compromised OR publicised, allowing it to be considered publicly viewable - in this case, the information within can be used for story or discussion purposes in-character. Compromised implies the logbook has been leaked, whereas publicised means the logbook has been willingly released for story purposes.
RECORDING LOCATION: Paladin (Krait Phantom, PN-03X)
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Aurora here.
I uh... don't know how to start this off, really. Something weird happened... I went back to Quince. That isolated system with the tourism starport I stopped at when Tori and those Peacekeepers were still aboard my ship - around the time I was doing that exploration trip to cool off. I don't know why I went back there... I'm probably just grasping at straws, trying to find Tori, and I thought I'd backtrack a little to see if anything happened. So, I got there... had a few light drinks in the bar alone, while I thought about stuff.
I was minding my own business, reminiscing about... things, when this guy leant on the table across from me. I looked up and everything about him screamed 'merc'. He had this pretty heavy body armor on... forearm guards and everything, with his helmet still covering his face, and this like... cape on, covering his torso. I just stared at him, and he reached into a pocket, sliding this card across, and, in a pretty smooth tone, he asked if this was me. So... naturally, I leant forward and went to grab the card... and sure as hell, there's a partial copy of my ID. Then, he just suddenly grabs my wrist while I'm looking at the card, and tells me to not make a scene. I didn't know what to do... until I saw that he lifted his cape, showing off a gun nested in a holster on his side.
No clue how he got the weapon past starport protocols... So, I had a bit of internal panic, and tried to stand my ground by asking if he was prepared to do that in front of a bunch of people... But he just stood there, covering his gun up again, and rested my hand back on the table, still keeping his grip. No one seemed to take note of what was happening, so I tried to ask him what he was doing, but he cut me off and told me to shut up and follow him. Then he just let go and walked off. I grabbed the card and kind of took a deep breath. I wasn't armed at all... and I wasn't about to have a fistfight with some heavily-armed mercenary in the bar, so after a bit of hesitation... I decided to follow him.
We walked over to one of the elevators... he punched something in, and gestured me to step in. I would've taken it as a kind gesture if I didn't think I was about to be kidnapped again... and against literally every instinct in my body, I stepped in, and he followed after, pressing the elevator button. Queue possibly the most nerve-wracking, awkward elevator ride I've had in my life... And then he had the audacity to chuckle at me before we arrived, and say something about me being a 'stress bunny'. I kind of gathered what he meant, and I was about to reply with a snarky comment... but I didn't bother.
Instead, I asked him who he was. But... of course, he dodged the question and said "it didn't matter". That made me kind of lose it, to be honest... I wasn't about to have a repeat of almost dying again, nor was I going to take any more 'mystery figures' messing me around... Long story short, I was in the middle of yelling at him when the elevator door opened, and a maintenance worker was standing there. We both locked eyes, before the worker scoffed a little and looked at the merc, saying some remark along the lines of "I wouldn't take this one with you, Drake". The merc... well... 'Drake'... didn't seem too enthused that the worker might have just used his real name in front of me, but that gave me a bit of ammunition to continue my rant.
Probably wasn't a good idea... because the next moment, he drew his pistol and pointed it at me. The worker exclaimed in surprise a little, and I bet he was about to ask how he got it past security... but Drake essentially told him to [#$@!] off before he could get out the words. So... the worker scampered off, leaving me with this merc who was probably one wrong word away from shooting me. Thankfully... he holstered it when I shut up, and we finally exited the elevator, and begun our walk into this large hangar. It didn't look like this hangar was commonly used... lights were broken or just completely off, the pad was scratched and unmaintained... it was dark, filled with boxes - but there was a ship on the pad. Couldn't really make it out, but it looked like an Asp or something. Still getting familiar with ship silhouettes...
Anyway... he walked over to some boxes and sat on them, staring at me... so I stared back. There was a bit of silence, but he broke it by asking me again if I was Aurora... So I said yes. But here's the kicker - he suddenly asked me what I knew about Hivemind, and AC in particular. I pushed back with a counter-question, asking why I should tell him - but that was a bad idea... it just made him angry, and he jumped off the crate, stepping towards me. So... I rephrased my question, asking why he wanted to know... and he said it was of 'personal importance'. That intrigued me, to be honest, but I didn't want to push him over the edge by saying the wrong thing, since he was standing right in front of me, so... I'll admit... I kind of gave in... and I told him what I knew. From investigations and whatnot.
You can call me stupid... but something about him wasn't right - in a good way, if that makes sense... If he was one of them, why didn't he just kill me now? He had ample opportunity... so to me it felt like he was also trying to take them down. After a few minutes of conversation, he calmed down and nodded, reaching into a pocket again. I tensed up, expecting something bad, I guess, but he just pulled out a note, grabbed my right arm, and slipped it under my PDA straps. He said we'd be in touch, told me to get out his hangar, and then walked off to his ship...
Let's just say I didn't waste any time getting back to my own ship. When I got there, I checked the note. It was a comms identifier... I guess he just covertly gave me his number. So, I... added it, in the event that he contacts me. So... while that was a really strange encounter... it's... not exactly what I was getting at with the whole 'something weird happened'... I... uhm... well, I kind of...
Ugh... This whole encounter... it made me realise that I just don't feel myself lately. Normal Aurora would've not have gone off at him in the elevator... or acted all snarky-like while staring down the barrel of a gun. After Obi... I was really recluse, hardly got any proper sleep because of the nightmares, super paranoid most of the time... I don't even know how I kept working there for three more years... I guess it got better quickly, after the incident, because I could hardly remember what actually happened... and that made it easier to get over it.
But... eventually I just had enough, I guess... wanted something new. I don't know if this is all what I had in mind... but it's going alright, I guess. I just can't believe... me... sometimes. I haven't spoken to my parents in months... I haven't told them that I've had the worst downs of my life... and the best ups. That I'm where I want to be... that I can't bring myself to tell them I'm sorry I couldn't be there for everyone... I don't know what I'm doing anymore with my personal life.
Part of me doubts they'll forgive me for running away... Mom and dad were always hard-set on Federal service... Nevermind. Sorry, I'm going off-course. So... I just need to figure out what this guy wants... and then maybe, just maybe, he could help. It's a far stretch... but we need all the help we can get, to be honest.
Here's hoping that I'm not making another mistake.
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Credit:
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