Galactic Pathways 9: Beagle Point and Beyond / Ties that Bind 2
22 Apr 2017Tarm Wallunga
This will be a short entry, despite the fact that I missed last week's entry. Blame it on the star I damn near flew through the other night as I slammed into reality from witchspace. Fuel scoop deployed and retracted all before I came to a screeching halt. Blew out a few circuits, nothing I can't handle underway, but enough to set my nerves on fire and my blood racing.Did I mention I made it to Beagle Point? Yeah. I did that. That was me, and according to one registry, I am the 517th person to make it there. Damn long trip and probably longer on the way back since I want to take a different route home than I did getting here. Ultimately I'll be passing through the core - and won't that be a sight to see, all them damn stars getting in the way of a clean plot will be quite the opposite to out here, on the very fringe of the galaxy.
Interesting thing, though, is the very odd and cryptic message I received. I won't even both with the guess who - it wasn't my father, surprise fucking surprise. Instead, an old colleague, of sorts, reached out to me. Ol' Johnny Hermes, of all goddamn people. We used to be good friends, back before I joined the Federal Navy, but then I got pushed out and he stayed on for a while longer than me got out late last year, I guess. Anyway, it wasn't the fact that he reached out to me that got to me - it was the message he sent. Soemthing happened back home, he says; no hard details as yet, but my mother is dead. Worse, according to Hermes, is that while everyone swears up and down it was natural causes, he insists it was anything but natural. Swears he has hard data to give me, but can't trust transmitting it, especially such long distances. Wants to meet up with me, somewhere far from home as he seems to think that's the safe bet. Safe bet? Data hand off? In the middle of fucking nowhere??
Just what the hell is going on back home?
Guess I'll have to get there to find out. I've already sent a reply, and I hope to hell he catches my subtle notes. While the chances are way high that no one else will intercept my transmission, I am on the edge of known space. Chances are second skin to me, just getting here and hoping to make it home in one stinking piece. But I'm also no one's fool.
And if anyone did anything to my mother, Hell won't stop me from taking the appropriate actions.
Spooling the FSD for the jump into our final waypoint for the voyage to the edge of the Galaxy, Beagle Point.
System scan of Beagle Point completed.
Looking back across the galactic core to see home...