Spiderdemons
27 Mar 2019Arbilac
Over 10,000LY from home, and around... 1700LY from the Zurara.
The middle of nowhere. Quite, literally, so to speak.
I' been out here a few weeks now. Haven't spoken to anyone 'cept a long distance - and even that's delayed - call back home to check on some work for when I'm back.... if I get back. Weird how that makes you feel even more alone out here.
So far, so.... well, I'll get to that. Harder to talk about than I thought. Losin' ones marbles is a funny thing, if it's happenin'.
The girl's been treatin' me right, the past few. No further power cuts or thruster issues that I can see. Power systems are nominal and I'm maintaining a steady 58/60LY jump schedule until I get where I'm goin'. After that it may simply come down to jumping to whatever star I can get to - it's already gettin' pretty thin out here. Looking back is quite the spectical though - the whole galaxy looking right back at yah. It's unnerving. Like fallin' off the world.
I had fancied myself a peek at the Zurara, and a "head home at best power" kinda guy... but I ain't going back through the area I just left. I dunno whether it's the Rift itself or just bad luck, but there's sirens back there and they almost had me, and my ship. Can't say for sure if she had a hiccup, which is nonsense as I already said, or something in the void back there.
Well.
I saw somethin'.
First off, I was at Delta site. I heard somethin' weird on the hull. Sensors didn't show anything and I, well, I'd already been 'round the base so I wasn't about to head back out. I certainly wasn't goin' EVA for not hull scratchin'. Yet, course, you can't take off if you think your ship is compromised. I did every check I know how to do - let the girl do the rest; all came back a-okay. "Systems nominal".
Then, I saw it. A flash of something outside. Flew by, or flashed by. It was a millisecond and gone. Like the ol' "rabbit in the headlights". Could have had wings or been on legs. I dunno. It was long gone before I'd rubbed my eyes in disbelief.
But, that wasn't the end of it.
'Course, my thrusters were already as bright as the sun by the time my heart had started beatin' again and I was wishing for witchspace asap. I made a few short jumps before I relaxed.
I shouldn't have relaxed.
So, I say this outloud, in a log. Better it's recorded now.
Either there's something onboard, creeping around (hell, it could be outside for all I know), or I'm already past the point of no return and my sanity is toast.
I ain't sat in the corner rockin' though. Not yet.
My old man used to say, "no point in bein' scared of something you can kill". So, well, he wasn't the brightest man but I'll be damned if I'm gonna curl up and let whatever's happening get the better.
I jumped from a lonely yellow-white, to a blue. Nothin' in either system.
I scanned my maps of local stars - what there were of them - and took my next jump, couple' of days back. As she was spoolin' up, I had a short warning blip on my right panel around heat - I'd been jumping - in, scoop, out - and had some residule heat in my modules - and just as I looked, the jumpdrive kicked in. Usual thin'; you're looking forward as you jump, right? I was looking over my shoulder and at the point of jump I saw it.
It looked human enough. Two arms, I guess. Legs. It definitely wasn't no 'Goid. I'm told thems are insectoid or spiderlike - from what little intel we have.. this was, or had been, like us. It was there and gone as my girl entered witchspace.
I damn near dropped my guts there an' then. Can't fight when strapped in and my fight or flight was stuck in a seat belt. Bloody safety be damned. Coulda' killed me!
I've searched my girl top to bottom. Ain't nothing here.
So I got a bunch theories. Neither are helping me sleep (heh, this should be funny, but I'm sleepin' in my EVA suit, rifle strapped to me chest, in my escape pod.. like to see the a-hole get me in there!).
1. I've an alien stowaway - this seems unlikley. But we know there are aliens out there, so what the hell do I know.
2. Witchspace isn't exactly a well known thing to us fleshy humans. We use it, but it could be more, couldn' it? Maybe aliens live in a parallel and I just caught a glimpse. I like this cos they can't scoop my eyes out whilst I'm sleepin'
3. I'm space looney. I don't like this one as I might scoop my own eyes out....
I've taken some time out. Gone sightseein' and got me some materials. I still need to synth out here for fuel, weapons and anythin' else I need en route. Pretty place. No dark and dingy bases with spiderdemons in it.
