Logbook entry

A New Companion

Begin private log.
Date: ]̵̮̑̂̇̽͑́̋̽͘͜͠/̸̧̺͉̰̘͓̻̭͂͆͊̀̓̒̋̈̍̾̊͒͐̕͝ͅ1̵͔͒͗͊͋̈́̐͐͝͝͝7/̴̧̘̰̣͉͖̟̊͜ͅ,̴̯͓̤̱̯̻͙͈͓̺̤̥̮͇̝́̈́͒͘͝͝;̷̨̢̛͈͚̩͈͓̪̫͚̻̲̱̈̿̓̔̈́ͅͅ_̸̨̱͍̉͋̋̓̉͛̌̉̃̎͂͆̑͂̚6
Author: _{PERMISSIONS INVALID.}

Well, I’ve learned some hard truths. I’ve quite the challenge ahead, but also some good news in the meantime.
I’ve arrived home once again since my last entry, and what a journey that’s been…

I’d managed to forget just how much more brilliant the stars are out here.
But, that much time planet-side before coming back will do it to a person.

Getting home… was interesting. On the outside, little has changed. I took the time to visit the habitation ring, curious as to what kind of upgrades _{bad data} would have implemented from such a boom over the period of this region’s development. I wasn’t disappointed: new farms, fields; some portions of woods… all in place of what had once been very limited greenery, and a mess of city blocks in its stead. Yeah, there’d been a reason he could afford this station, even with such prolonged life, given his career… Interestingly, I found the old complex that I’d grown up in with Dan still standing. One of only a few.

I started really noticing changes once the Omega entered the docking bay.

Holy shit.
Does not even look like the same station… _{bad data} updated the color schemes, new paneling, paint, structural redesigns… Just a complete overhaul. If he’d done it here, I know the man did it through all the main thoroughfares, too. Another change was the incredible busy-ness of the place, so many Dolphins and Belugas I wouldn’t even bother to try tracking them all. Several with paint chipping as much or more than the Omega – clearly, the station truly is a tourism hot spot, and not just a milestone for those CMDRs bent on exploration.

The high traffic load made for some… interesting exchanges. This poor Mk. III being one of the lesser incursions, even I had a couple run-ins when I did keep the autodocking feature tuned on. What can I say, diving into the deep can take it out of a girl… A little automation to put the mind at ease isn’t that terrible is it?

Well, to each their own.

Having met up with Dan, and gotten a load of answers from him – or at least a direction of where to get started in all that – I came to the mission board for our famed station owner, and got to work. It didn’t take long for Progenitor Eaton to take over my contracts, commenting that _{bad data} himself had taken notice. I suppose getting to work in the way I did will certainly make a difference… Caylee eventually agreed to assist with looking into this cybernetics and space-madness problem I’ve developed, and given the significant increase of engineers, programmers, researchers, and other such logic-minded people in the station population; I doubt there won’t be a solid solution in the near future.

For now, I’m content with the upgraded security parameters that have been set in – the space-madness seems to have subsided, though I certainly still feel a lingering cloudiness in my mind. That, and spontaneous headaches, minor bouts of nausea… they come and go at random, and aren’t enough to be more than a nuisance.

Regardless, I can’t allow that to develop any further.


Caylee suggested I try out some ‘probiotic succulent juice’, offering a homemade smoothie by her own hand. I have to say, I didn’t expect to be taken in quite so easily – it is a welcomed change for what I’ve grown accustomed to back in the Bubble.

That being said, I also know I’ve yet a long way to climb – in terms of who is closest to _{bad data}, Caylee is just below the middle of the rungs.

Right, so as for what I’ve been up to…

Things I wouldn’t necessarily try back in the Bubble, and in a brand-new Python. Skimmer-shooting isn’t even target practice, in my opinion. At least the ones I’ve seen so far, they’re poorly maneuverable, easy to hide from, easy to break away from. Easy to blast apart.

That said, the station higher-ups certainly seemed to appreciate the data banks and resources I’ve been recovering. There’s surprisingly much more politics going on among the minor factions in the region than I originally guessed at, I’ll have to make sure to be careful and stay informed…

Harvesting and returning LTD’s also made a decent uptick to my funds. Certainly not as much as I’d have liked, and despite laughing in my face when I told him I’d been out mining, Dan has thus far refused to share any more decent hotspots with me.

It’s always been every miner to his or her self.

Whatever data is shared on GalNet is free for all… Although, I’ll likely hit up that famous triple-HS in the Bubble once I do make my way back over. In short, I don’t think it will be profitable out here… for that reason, and because I honestly prefer maneuverability to a barge with extra hardpoints; I let go of the Python for the time being and switched to something smaller, and more finesse.

Now, I know what anyone would think: What a waste of credits!
But here’s my counterpoint: One combat rank up in a day, four times the kill average per hour, and I’ll be switching to the FDL once back in the Bubble. I have the Tandem back there for LTD mining, I don’t intend to use the Python for combat in the core worlds region. So, why would I keep it? Just to collect dust 20k+ LY out?

That resounding –pop- really has become music to me now. I’ve never known how actually enjoyable combat can be – having always struggled with getting an opponents’ shields down before my own, knowing I could chip away at the hull and win if only I outran that initial race… Even with the help of security forces in the area, often; I’d have to wait on them to strip away shields before coming in and assisting for a share of credits.

Not anymore… I’ve been able to take on even a couple opponents at a time, and have much improved my basic skills. That said, I am certainly still – as the Pilot’s Federation rank entails – a Novice.

I’m not about to get a big head and run off nipping at more than I can chew.


Second to last order of business: I got a call from Progenitor Eaton yesterday, and before I could finish getting a word out, she asked: “How do you feel about a non-traditional approach?”

I knew what this was about of course, the malfunctioning implants.
The memory of homemade cacti smoothies still fresh in my mind, I took a moment to consider.
Eaton took that as an invitation.
“Well, come out to Halloway if you’re interested. I’ll be here till 20:00.”

The connection dropped before I could finish a syllable, and with my confusion and interest piqued; I wondered, What the hells does Halloway have to do with this? So of course, I went to pay her a visit.

It’s… much different than what the GalNet article seemingly implied. That said, of course I knew better as an experienced pilot – it’s not as if this were going to be in a lush place – and two, sadly; the company has been stuck between such horrible corporate battles and bureaucratic red-lining for months on end now, I doubt we may ever see the network return to its former glory. Ah well, it’s not like our own comms systems are going anywhere anytime soon. Regardless, even when the article came out, it's not as if they explicitly described or showed the place.

Eaton met me in a lounge, deep underground. Sounds that I wouldn’t dare imagine what creature rendered them echoed with a certain reduced ferocity, and several others that I could just begin to recognize.

“Well, I’m glad you’ve made the right choice!”
“I wouldn’t turn down a unique opportunity,” I answered partly in kind, partly with a hint of reticence. “That and, you do have a knack for grabbing my curiosity…” That wasn’t entirely meant as flattery, but rather half and half. Not that she seemed to have picked up on it.

A friendly half-smile crossed her lips, “You’ll have your answers soon enough,” and with that, the woman – now sporting a convincing wig of dark russet – turned and led us down several hallways, twisting deeper into the complex and waving her wrist-implanted access chip as we passed one, then two, and a third security barrier. A final bioscan at the lift, and we were headed up into one of the Institute’s main towers.

“So, what is this all about?” I’d prompted her on the way, earning some small remarks which ultimately culminated in, “It’ll be better to have you see him, first.”

Eaton had turned aside rather than taking in my half-confused, half-stoic expression; focused on our destination. Once the lift’s doors opened again, the Progenitor strode into a large room  - likely near the upper levels of the tower – as a sweeping, unhindered window frame gave a panoramic view of the dross planet’s expanse.

A man bent over his desk set at the precise intersection of this view, springy blonde hair frayed wildly, if shortly, heavenward and a face that spoke of stress, calm, trial, control, chaos, and age.

Following from a slight distance- though not so much as to appear inconfident or rude – I waited on Eaton to announce our presence before striding ahead to come just a step or two in front of her, off to the side. I gathered this was the ‘he’ she’d referred earlier.

“Melendez,” Eaton spoke with a casual smoothness, a tone which did not surprise me rather than the seeming familiarity she addressed him with. A well-practiced smile held her features, and for a moment I felt my body tense – prepared for the rigors associated with betrayals past.

Turning my gaze to the wiry man, who at first made eye contact with me – holding that briefly and only further elucidating my suspicions despite an effort to remain poised – the manager then turned his attention to Eaton and offered a broken, half-smile. “Caylee, it’s about time you came! I had security on alert…”

“Yes, well you know I don’t do alerts,” the younger woman replied with a slight coyness, attributed to her own techniques and modus operandi.

“So, it must be Raenys?” The man stood and took me in once more, before offering his hand. “A pleasure,” came my reply – not too short, not too friendly; and of course taking hold of his hand and giving a sure grip. I still had not a clue as to why I was really here.

“Right, ready then?” His question came as a surprise – just what was it they had me come for!?
Sensing my disturbance, Caylee finally let it out: “You’re getting a new companion.”

The humor at my slight distress was obvious in her tone, though it fell away with her next choice of words: “If you want him, that is.”
Ah… so this was the ‘him’ she’d been meaning. Typical… why was I not surprised.

Another smirk crawled across one’s lips, though this time they were mine – “Yes, let’s see what you have in store,” I turned my attention back to Melendez, now understanding their little game.
This… I could get used to.

‘Play is the highest form of research’, after all.
And what a way to learn, indeed.


We came out from the lift to a new hallway, making way to an observation deck with expansive glass and energy shielding. The view was astounding, despite being on such a desolate rock. Three more people stood waiting in uniform for us, and one of them held a bird… no, that was no bird.
Some kind of… bird-cat? I had no idea.

The long story short of it is, the Institute came across some specially-engineered Xihe Biomorphic Companions. And this batch in particular, had been outfitted to help with detecting specific health concerns in their imprinted owners – such as the age-old example of a dog smelling when a human might have had a diabetic emergency in the past.

This little eansit – as they’d been temporarily dubbed – was the runt of a litter, physically speaking. However, its capacity for detecting certain… abnormalities in humans showed markedly higher than average performance across the board. While I was a bit reluctant at taking on such a creature – for multiple reasons, Eaton eventually persuaded me with all the thing’s capabilities.

“It uses an automated litter box, fully self-trained. Minimal feeding, that can be automated too. And he’s been fully upgraded, able to become another modular feature for your-“ “Wait, it has implants?” “Of course,” Melendez answered this time, “This is part of why Caylee was so interested in getting her hands on him.”

The Progenitor turned a slightly embarrassed look towards Dwayne, briefly. “He’ll help keep your systems secure,” she explained, “And that’s for you and your ship, if you want it. Helps boost some immunities, too.” I took a minute, looking over the creature and considering.

Long, navy-blue ears sat on a round head split in half across the horizon, beady eyes and a beaked mouth; white on the bottom that led down its belly and covered much of the rest of the lithe little body. A mix of feathery down and short fur gentle to the touch covered the animal, four padded paws played at a passing drop of dust adrift in the air as it’s dark pair of wings stretched just briefly. It seemed to be some mix of cat and bird, and I wondered at the creature getting loose and causing havoc.

As if reading my face for my thoughts, Caylee offered, “It is fully trained. The head is bioluminescent, and easy to spot in the dark – though nothing disruptive, of course.”  

This was a gift she was offering, after all. And I picked up that it wasn’t simply on her behalf – this was a matter regarding those in my home, thankful for my services so far and appreciative of my loyalty.
And who wouldn’t be loyal to one’s own?

“You’re sure he’s fully trained? I don’t really want any messes, or any trouble.” I offered with a gentler tone than I’d use otherwise, but still retaining a guardedness as per my concerns. “The most you’ll need is to give attention every now and then, maybe add some autoplay toys. We can give you those, too,” Melendez answered.

Well…I suppose it was cute.
For being a large cat-bird… thing.

“And the risk for hacking, or being used as a vector?” This was my last true concern, though I made sure to take the thing a bit closer, turning him belly-up to test his trust in people – nothing more than a playful kick, and brief nip of the beak as I put a hand near his chest.

“Redundancies have been placed to affect him long before you,” the Institute manager again responded, a gentle smirk now playing at his features. Taking a good look at him, I could tell the man meant it – he’d clearly had a lot to deal with here, and no doubt there were likely many far more questionable things beneath the surface than this little guy, but overall… the sense I got was someone that valued the right things, and people above all else. Turning back to Eaton, herself seeming to want an answer but not to be so crass as to show it outright – too much, held a mix of expectation and controlled readiness set on her face. “What do you think?” She asked, “If it’s the automated systems, we can-“ “I’ll take him,” I answered, not wanting to miss the opportunity of the higher-ups paying to fit the thing in themselves.

“If he is as secure as you say he is,” I gave her a serious leveling for a good moment, “and if he’s not going to be trouble…” I turned a smirk towards Melendez, “then, I can certainly see the value in having him around.”

“Great!” Eaton beamed, relieved that I’d accepted this on behalf of her superiors.
That being said, it also wouldn’t have done a thing between myself and them if I hadn’t.

“When you get back, I’ll arrange a time to get everything taken care of. Dwayne will have his people ship him over, and we’ll get everything set up when you’re ready.” The blonde-haired man nodded, “His is a good breed,” the manager offered, “Been through a lot of revitalizations, well-backed, well sourced.” I nodded in appreciation, “Thank you,” I offered, “Both of you.”

“Right, how about a picture?” Dwayne signaled a couple of his employees, already with the equipment set up around the corner. It only took them a few moments, with the eansit now calmly curled up on the ground by Caylee’s feet.

We took only a few shots, before a ‘fun’ pose in which Eaton shifted herself just enough to wake the thing. It gave a half-yelp, half-caw and took off, wings beating just enough to give it a lift – spiraling around and landing… atop Melendez’ head.

The photo took before some of us even realized it.

I’ll have to give my new companion a name…