The Reason For My Return To The Bubble (Part 1 - A New Friend In Colonia)
03 Oct 2016IsraelZulu
They say there's two alarms a spacefarer should have, and should heed well: One to wake you up, and another to put you to bed.This time, "they" have a bit more specific identity - doctors and other mental health professionals who have been studying and treating those afflicted by "space madness". The thinking behind this is that, without a consistent day/night cycle such as the one our Earth ancestors were accustomed to, our bodies can't maintain a normal rythm of sleep and wake time.
We have to try to mitigate this by forcing ourselves to get up and lay down in the traditional pattern. Otherwise, there's a something-something percent higher risk of insanity. ("They" all agree that it exists, but there's often heated debates over how significant it is.)
It was one of these alarms that had woken me up. But not the right one.
Damn. Fell asleep at the stick again.
I'd been on another trip into the black, to gather exploration data. These runs have been fairly profitable for me since my arrival in Colonia.
Typically, I'd jaunt a couple kylies out the "back end" of the Colonia Nebula - pointed further away from the bubble. Then, I'd find somewhere interesting to tool around in for a day or two. Some other nebula, or a neutron-rich field. This time, it was a cluster of black holes I'd marked on my map the last time I was out here.
By the time I'd return to Jaques' Station from these excursions, I'd usually have a few million credits' worth of data to turn in. I felt like I was doing pretty well for myself, and seeing some amazing things while I was at it. All in all, great fun and good credits.
But there was not a lot of sleep.
I dismissed the alarm and looked around to assess my situation. Last time this had happened, I'd nearly wrecked myself by flying through a planetary ring at superluminal speeds. Forunately, that time, I'd found a gap and managed to get through without much more than a scratch on the paint.
The good news was, I was still breathing and there weren't any sirens blaring. But where was I this time?
Frost on the windows? That must mean... oh.
Now it was coming back to me. I'd already shut down non-essential systems after having landed because, well, it was almost time for bed. I must have passed out while checking Galnet one last time or something.
Another, quieter beeping grabbed my attention. It was my comms panel this time. I had mail.
Probably just my latest payment from UC. I'll skim the details tomorrow.
As I reached to clear the alert though, I saw this wasn't the usual noise that cluttered my inbox. No, this looked like a more personal message.
"Heya, Commander!" is how it started.
I checked the sender, and found the name was familiar: "S. O'Brien". I'd been reading their public logbooks in some of my spare time since I'd come to the Colonia area. To be honest, I'd have to give them some credit for inspiring me to be where I am now - exploring these far reaches of space, sharing my stories and my discoveries in my own logs here.
It's not like S. was anyone particularly special, in galactic terms. But reviewing their journals, and relating to some of their experiences, made it feel like they were someone special to me. It felt like this strange, one-way connection to another person who I didn't even realize knew I existed.
And now that person was reaching back. But why?
The message continued:
I read the logbook entries about your trip to Colonia during our call for exploration data. Looks like you had quite the ride getting here. I wanted to officially welcome you to the Colonia area, and tell you a little about our community.
Have you heard of the Colonia Citizens Network (CCN)? It's how we keep in touch out here, to coordinate our various projects. We've got a nice exploration wing setting up Points of Interest to check out in the area, and we could always use more contributions.
Shoot me a message back, and I'll get you more info if you're interested!
-S.
So, the conection isn't quite one-way after all. That's cool.
I've heard of the CCN before. Wonder what that's about?
I replied:
Heya back!
I'm really glad you're enjoying my logbook. Especially since you're one of the people who inspired me to start keeping one.
I've been meaning to ask someone for more information about the CCN since I got here. Please let me know how I can get connected and where I might be useful.
This area seems to be pretty sweet for us explorers. I found a few dozen black holes in Jaques' backyard, which should rake in some nice credits from UC. Right below that is a massive field of neutrons and white dwarfs. Plenty to keep me busy for awhile.
I was thinking about running out to Saggitarius A* after I'd proven myself on the trip to Colonia. Then maybe even trying for Beagle Point before returning to the bubble. But it seems I got here just in time to watch (and help) this place grow up.
The community does appear to be doing some great things here. If there's ways I can get involved in that, without going broke over ship insurance deductibles, I'm certainly interested.
I don't know if I'll be "settling down" in Colonia, but right now I'm planning on at least sticking around long enough to save up for an Anaconda before I head back to the bubble. Then, maybe get some of the Engineers there to tune it up for a proper Beagle run. At least, that's what's in my head right now. Plans might still change.
Looking forward to hearing back from you!
- CMDR Israel Zulu
P.S.: My friends call me "Iszi".
"Plans might still change." If only I'd known how right I was.
Between the unscheduled nap, and the excitement of receiving the personal message, there was little chance of me getting sleep any time soon now. I brought the ship back to full power and set out to wrap up my business with those black holes. I reset the alarm for a few hours - maybe I could get some proper rest then.
Or maybe I'll go insane along the way. We'll just have to see.
