Recovered Log 01: Phantom Biologicals
15 Dec 2023Arxxuss
LOCATION: JUEMOA TO-X C2-0CMDR: ARXXUSS
The Krait Phantom bucked and reared as it spooled down out of witch-space. My cockpit was filled with a vibrant orange glow as the K star I'd plotted to wheeled into view. While the drives were cooling, I re-enabled telemetry and settled back into my seat, embracing the softer blue of the FSS. For a moment the harsh, grinding blare of the discovery scanner could be heard before my systems compensated and I was fully immersed.
Immediately, the FSS started pinging as I spun, looking for systems as I'd done a thousand times before. No gas giants, icy bodies, rock, anything... there. High metal content worlds, pristine and unexplored. A good find. Each of these bodies would be hundreds of thousands of credits- small fry to an explorer with thousands of these under their belt, but it adds up. All was quiet and unremarkable after this discovery, until my Observatory module gave a soft chime as I was scanning the bodies around the second star:
Body B 2: May host a marked biological.
Body B 4: May host a marked biological.
Excellent news: this is the crux of my search. Hunting for biologicals, especially 'marked' ones (not in my Codex) is what I'm really out here for. Best money to be made in the galaxy. I engaged the Phantom's drives and smoothly slipped away from the glare of the sun into the welcoming darkness of space, checking the readout of Observatory as I did so. Each planet had one signal on it, which could be one of two things: Bacterium (Cerbrus) or Stratum (Tectonicas).
The Tectonicas is what I was hoping for. Bacterium, regardless of variant, are everywhere, every region. They're not really all that special. Most planets with a signal will be Bacterium. This possible Stratum variant, on the other hand, could be worth twenty times more. Definitely worth going in for a closer look. As the computer eased me into orbit around B-2, I called up the Surface Scanner and began targeting the planet, relishing the soft thunk as each probe disengaged. I'd spent a fortune engineering this particular scanner, and it'd proved worth its weight in gold...
Body B 2: Signal Identified: Bacterium.
...though clearly not this time. Ah well, there was always Body 4. At least it was only a few light-seconds away. I lined up the planet in my sights, and fired again. Eagerly waiting, listening out for the ever-increasing ticking that meant the probes were nearing their mark...
Body B 4: Signal Identified. Stratum. High Biological Value.
There we go. I put down the DSS, a grin on my face. This'd keep me going for a good couple of weeks. As I wound down out of supercruise and started the planetary approach suite, I thought to myself how odd it was. Two planets alike in so many respects, from material composition to size to star environment- yet evolving to two completely different types of biological life. I wondered what undoubtedly miniscule factor might have triggered the variance, led to one branching from the other- wondered what could've been had both been Stratum, or Bacterium, or indeed something completely different...
I was still musing as the Phantom dropped out of orbital cruise, and began howling down towards this mysterious, wonderful planet.