S.L.S. Crew Log, 4/21/3302 - Mission to the Loop and Merope 5c
21 Apr 2016Ardos Hammur
Begin Entry4/21/3302 - 20:10
D.S.S. Sword of Damocles - Bridge Terminal 02
Usr: Cmdr Ardos
It feels like months have passed since we last docked at Mars High but it has only been a couple of weeks. Something my dad or grand-dad never warned me about was the toll time in the black will take on you. I've fallen back into the bad habit of ignoring the ship computer's reminders to get my eight hours regularly and lost count of how many jumps we've made since we last slept in our own beds. At HQ's request we're docked here for until morning to catch up on some rest and undergo further testing after the last mission. Docs say I should start logging the trips in hopes it will allow me to sleep and pick up where I left off from later. I haven't logged anything in years so let's see how long I can keep this up seeing as nothing is classified anymore.
To say I'm pleased about our recent mission feels underwhelming, it was probably the best mission in a while. Since my reassignment to DSR fleet I've been itching to get out of the bubble and into the far reaches of the Arms. Since I was a boy it's been a dream of mine to follow in the footsteps of my families greatest pilots. Escort wings don't offer the best view of the galaxy, most never see action like we used to so this reassignment was paramount to me deciding to stay with S.L.S. Nothing personal, suits, I just need something new now and then to keep life fresh. And you can't get more fresh than the Horsehead Nebula.
The mission required us to scout the regions around a handful of nebulae near Barnard's Loop to search for another UA shell, one that would hopefully lead us to another batch of large barnacles somewhere other than the Pleiades. While the core mission came up short we logged some serious lightyears from base and the bubble and saw some sights few people have ever ventured in person to see. It's been a dream of mine for a while and this was the spark that I needed.
The return trip offered us a very different view of things though. Once in the Horsehead we had an issue setting the ships computer to map a clear path back to Sol, forcing us to take an unconventional route back to the bubble. OpCom was able to help us map a route that extended our mission and fulfilled an open request to revisit Merope and Maia and land a ship at the know barnacles for further data points. This was the first field test of our new SRV we've all agreed to call The Hare. I'll let Ray explain that another time, it's his story to tell and ours to hold over his head.
Landing on Merope 5c was surreal. Having just come from the farthest reaches of the galaxy, it felt just as far away from Mars as we were a day prior. The stories are all true though, it is one creepy place; like a tomb or ghost planet. We dropped in roughly 15 klicks from the barnacle and as we approached began to prep The Hare for its first field op and the Damocles for its first landing in six days. It was the quietest the ship had been the whole trip, like the Damocles was on mute. Second Mate Everson startled me pretty good each time he clicked on his mic read out telemetry date. As we arrived at the coordinates and began descent...well there really aren't words. I've lived my whole life having only seen organic material we can explain and account for. To see something alien for the first time is a really indescribable moment. We landed thirty yards from the structure and sat in awe for maybe five to ten minutes, just staring and listening to the scanners broadcast its sounds over the ships sound system.
Ray was the first out in the Hare. Those were some tense moments as he left the ships lander bay and drove the 30 yards to the field of spikes and barnacle's main structure. Myra later admitted to me and the rest of the crew that she was waiting for it to come alive and snatch him up like a huge snake or dormant sea monster. Ray was the only one who didn't laugh afterward, he's probably gonna need to talk that one out with someone. The first data packets back were a relief and cut though the tension like a hot knife. The data matched previous scans that confirmed there was no activity that would indicate awareness or hostility. Ray returned and we took turns over the next day heading out and getting closer look before finally harvesting material for delivery in the Pic Tok system. I've held my ground on my refusal to bring any UA or meta alloy material back home. HQ, who I know will read this, insists it is necessary to have material on site for research purposes but there is no way I'll bring anything alien back into the bubble without first knowing more about its origin and intentions.
That's probably what's keeping me up though. The realization that we aren't alone. Basic organic structures would be one thing but the UA and barnacles have the same biological layout. Organics that advanced in a shell-like orbit around something like the barnacles just screams trap or early warning system. Hopefully I'm wrong. It was one thing to see the pictures and video feeds. It's totally different to have been separated by a few feet and the canopy of the SRV from that kind of enigma. We've been scanned by UA's before, we've all talked about what that could mean for us or the Damocles one day. None of us dare to talk about it again but that fear is there. It's a risk for any DSR pilot I suppose, S.L.S. or a private star hopper. You don't have the luxury of knowing your fate like a transport or escort pilot; falling victim one day to a pirate or void psychopath. Explorers have unknowns like remlock failure, malfunctions thousands of lightyears from help. And now the threat of some hyper-dimensional being showing up as we are poking a barnacle with a stick.
After debriefing I pulled the OpCom head aside, Anderson Heloc, and pitched an idea Myra and I had during the jumps back. Hopefully they mull it over and we can get involved in something experimental for a while. Those folks at the Canonn are next on my call list.
Log Transcription Terminated
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