Jana's Personal Log - November 24, 3309
23 Dec 2023Kasumi Goto
Hey, Jana here.So... been a while since I made one of these. Private, of course, but it's easier to write them down like someone else is gonna read the thing.
Anyway, why make one of these now? Well, I met that girl... Kasumi, Kira... whatever she decides to call herself, in this VR game thing. Life simulator, if that's how far you want to go about it. Me, I just like screwing around a little in there.
And that's what we did. Some things that... aren't quite socially appropriate, but that's what things like this exist for. So, yeah, some weird and really funny body experimentation. Messing with those certain parts of the female body, on ourselves or others. Maaaybe there were some exploding belts involved too... that's where we really went, yes. Not just me and her, but also this woman called Ina... who made herself two and a half meters tall. Yep. And I thought I'd seen strange things from myself. It's also a close friend of hers, it seems like.
Anyway, this is more about me and Kira... or Kasumi? Hell, I don't know. Said she preferred Kasumi, but I find it a bit weird to know her real name and call her by something else.
She left... something of an impression on me. Mostly good, and we share some of those... odd interests, as you might call them. So we got along well pretty quickly, even if it was just one time where we met and had a bit of time to talk. And do funny stuff together. Probably made easier for her in that virtual space - doesn't quite strike me like the social type, from those few impressions I got. But that was enough to make me want to know her a little better.
Long sidetrack to get to the point of why I'm writing this down. I'd heard a little about her before in some of the more obscure podcasts you can find. Some stuff about a human-Thargoid hybrid roaming around, how "it" could be a threat, you know, all that. Everything to make her seem less like a human and more like some creature that needs to be vilified, hunted and put down, or kept under very close surveillance so it "doesn't cause trouble". Might as well have been sponsored by Azimuth, pf.
Maybe they had a point when she went rogue because of the Thargoids getting into her head, but I doubt that's really 'her' doing it. All that I saw... is a very human person in pretty much every way that matters, not some thing that wants to turn its back on humanity at the earliest given opportunity. And whatever public records I can still find on the subject... well, it wouldn't even be something you could blame her for. We, as a species, haven't given her too many reasons to care, yet she didn't. That counts for something. Hell, I'd call her, who is biologically only half human, more humane than some of those who are actually entirely human by biology.
That made it hurt even more to read about her nearly killing herself to be free of the Thargoids, only to be taken by them again, and as the only way out for her to... continue surviving at all. She even tried to provide some kind of warning to us two - me and this Ina - in that VR session where I met her proper. Think she saw it too(and maybe something else?)... considering how she called me to see if I knew anything about Kira, but... no. Tried to get in touch after that VR session, but nothing.
I don't believe in fate, but hell, if it does, it really just keeps giving her - Kira - the shittiest cards to choose from. It makes my own past look like a soft mattress, and I had good reasons to change my name from Jane to Jana. On top of preferring it as it is now. Nothing to do with my parents, even if it surprised them when I said I was leaving. They were... not the greatest, but not bad either, and supportive when I needed it. And I do partly owe it to them to be where I am now. Not in touch much, but things are... better now, as I hear it. Good for them, but I'm not going back there again.
Back to the more important matter at hand. That Professor Tesreau from Aegis thinks the Thargoids took Kira (Kasumi) to one of those Titans. Hadad - some ancient god, not sure which. Another thing I never believed in, but in this case, in some way fitting. Damn things are a bit scary, yet people fly right up to them like it's another day in their life. Maybe the way this world's turned out dulled their senses, but I'd call it damn near suicidal.
... and yet, here I am, thinking about going there myself. For someone that I barely know, yet care about already. Whether that says a lot about me or the person I want to help rescue, I don't know. But I don't see this as a bad thing. If we - humans - cared about each other more, rather than kill for cold patches of ground far away from a star, maybe we'd be in a better position overall. Not just regarding that war with the Thargoids. And I know one person who doesn't deserve what either the Thargoids, or humans, have put her through. And it almost looks like the alien species has cared about her more than her own.
Speaking of rescues - been looking out for... anything, anyone trying to set up an effort to recover her. And maybe I was lucky, or some other thing like that, but I did find something. Aegis announced its support for a large-scale rescue effort around Titan Hadad, in conjunction with the AXDF - which this Ina told me she was a part of. Shouldn't be surprised... the two seemed pretty close. Am not surprised, really. That woman seemed pretty nice. Are they accepting outside volunteer help?
... they are. Combat or rescue. Already got a ship, so... combat escort it will be. Never fought Thargoids outside the Bubble, don't do it because it's "fun" either. That just got us into this mess to start with, but I can handle a Cyclops. And keep one of those Basilisks busy for a bit if needed... better hope the other two types don't look at me the wrong way. I'm not good enough to handle any of those.
Let's see... yep, pull that out of storage. Krait MKII, with a few basic anti-xeno multicannons. Already fitted for light support more than engaging in heavy combat with the big interceptors, can still take a beating though. Wouldn't even think about it without a seriously reinforced hull. (Who would? Might as well have a death wish.)
... never used those Guardian weapons so far, useless near a Titan anyway, as I hear. Becomes a puddle of melted electronics in a minute, and no way around it. So no need to change things there. And... get those module reinforcements replaced with standard issue. Don't know why I didn't yet, but I haven't taken this ship out for... the better part of the last half-year. Hence, I guess, no need to deal with those Glaives.
The 'Defender'... yeah, it's not very creative. Never been that good at that whole ship naming thing, but it's my ship, and it says what it's for - to defend people against the Thargoids in the Bubble. Now, I guess, it's going to defend something else, but still just as important.
Need those fancy Aegis gadgets to get to the Titan, still, but they should offer them for the duration of the rescue operation. If they care about rescuing Kira as much as they say, they won't make me jump through all those hoops just to be able to help out.
And to think, this is what a short meeting with someone who turned her own body features up to an unusual size(and made my hips bigger when I met her again), in a virtual space, led to. If this world wasn't such a mess, I'd be inclined to call it a circus.
I need to prepare now. That rescue operation is today, and I don't want to be late. Jana out.
... Azimuth had better not interfere with this, or they've got another thing coming.